I got into school for nothing - Chapter 199
I got into school for nothing (199)
Lesson 39. I Must Have Him - 4
He had deeply pondered and researched that problem throughout the first semester, but the conditions for manifesting Ban Yuwon's Authority within another person's body were simpler than he had imagined.
The crux was that he only needed to be able to treat another person's body as if it were his own.
If the relationship was as deep as that of blood relatives, it was possible to some extent.
Next, it was also possible with a partner bound by marital ties.
However, if neither of those applied, there was no choice but to use a cruder, more direct method....
Among them, for Kiira, who was practically a complete stranger, only the method of directly injecting the power of his Authority through the mouth had been effective.
This was also why he hadn't immediately implemented the method despite knowing it, but with the situation progressing so rapidly, there was nothing else he could do.
“Ah... is it over already?”
With a look of lingering regret, as Kiira pulled her lips away from his, a hint of playfulness flickered across her face.
She herself was keenly aware that her connection with the Constellation had been severed for good.
“You must feel it yourself.”
“I do!”
Having been freed from the Constellation, and naturally from the family's shackles that had bound her, how could she not be overjoyed?
Grinning brightly as if she'd even give him more than just a kiss if Ban Yuwon asked, she suddenly seemed to realize something and began to pat her own body.
“But is it really okay for the contract to be severed this easily? And that's not all, is it? The power I received from the Constellation is still completely intact, you know?”
“That’s the kind of ability it is. Do you think I was chosen for Union Academy for nothing?”
In truth, given a bit more time, he could have even modified the Authority within her body to suit her, much like Rucell's Wildness Furnace, but a mere kiss wouldn't be enough to achieve that, so he had no intention of mentioning it.
“What’s going on now?”
“What, what, seriously! When did you two...?! Rucell is watching, too!”
“Is this like that moment during the end of the world when people realize their feelings for each other and connect?”
“Don’t just decide it’s the end of the world on your own.”
And, of course, the peanut gallery was in an uproar.
He had set up a barrier knowing this would happen, but because severing the connection with a Constellation required intense focus, he hadn't been able to properly pay attention to anything else.
Rucell, on the other hand....
“Has that resolved the problem, Yuwon?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief. However, if you officially decide to accept Ms. Kiira, you must tell me clearly beforehand.”
Since Ban Yuwon had given her a heads-up beforehand, she didn't seem particularly surprised.
The guild members, dumbfounded by Rucell's calm reaction, only then truly grasped her worldview.
However, they still had no way of understanding what conversation the two were having.
“Ahahaha, I don’t expect anything like that. However, it seems we’ll have to wage a joint struggle from now on.”
“A joint struggle?”
As Ban Yuwon tilted his head, Kiira nodded and urged Ban Yuwon to put up a barrier again.
As he hastily erected a sound-blocking barrier, she shrugged and continued.
“Think about it. You’re not going to meekly let the Young Mistress... that is, Ulrike Prominence... capture you, are you?”
“Of course not. Though I only just learned her name.”
“I also unilaterally severed my contract with the Constellation, and I intend to disregard the Young Mistress’s orders and break ties with the family. Naturally, the family won’t just leave me alone, will they?”
Kiira still wore a smiling face, but a tension could be read beneath it.
The reason she had hesitated when he brought up severing the Constellation contract wasn't merely due to putting a burden on Ban Yuwon, but also due to her concerns about what would happen after the contract was undone.
“For starters, I can’t stay on Earth, can I?”
“You think one of the Ten Great Families would move just to catch one person like you?”
“Are you asking because you don’t see the Young Mistress creating an Orc Wave and slamming it into Earth just because she wants you?”
Come to think of it, she was right.
Perhaps Ban Yuwon still hadn’t fully grasped the reality of the situation.
He had returned to Earth intending to rest, but too many things had happened since his return....
Even the Orc Wave approaching Earth felt somewhat unreal.
“Did all that really happen just because of me? Seriously?”
But as Ban Yuwon and Rucell watched the fleet of orcs charging directly towards their 'current' location, he couldn’t afford to escape reality any longer.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’d move if I broke free from the family for a while now. How about a dimension mercenary?”
“Well, now... Alright, let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s focus on the Orc Wave.”
Ban Yuwon pressed his throbbing forehead and raised his head.
Watching the dots in the sky grow larger and larger, he felt nothing but trepidation.
“Can’t we intercept them with nuclear missiles or something?”
“Even if we assume we destroy 80%, the remaining 20% will become radioactive orcs.”
It was a horrifying thought.
Hopefully, the various governments were aware of this fact... no, perhaps it was already too late for such a response anyway.
He dismissed the soundproof barrier and approached the group with Kiira.
“What did you two talk about?”
“If I tell you the long version, it gets complicated, so to summarize loosely... it’s like Yuwon removed some kind of curse that was on me?”
“There was a curse on the Commander?!”
“Yes, there was. In fact, that’s why I was weakened!”
“That was you *weakened*?!”
Under the stinging gazes from all directions, Kiira offered a hastily concocted excuse, but, of course, no one readily bought it.
However, they vaguely accepted that the two weren't exactly trying to get together, and more importantly, the situation wasn't leisurely enough to pry into other people's romantic affairs, so everyone averted their gazes.
“So, what do we do about that?”
“Noona, can you contact home?”
Ban Yumi also glared at Ban Yuwon with a look that clearly showed her displeasure, but perhaps guessing he wouldn't explain properly, she eventually sighed and replied obediently.
“...I already did. Mom and Dad are evacuating to a bunker. Grandfather Ban, in his haste, gathered our guild members and came out, apparently.”
“He’s not an honorary advisor, but a second Guild Master.”
They couldn’t just stand there idly either.
What was certain was that they couldn’t let the Orc Wave crash directly onto the surface.
He recalled what had happened during the special activity.
Most likely, at the moment of impact with Earth, the spreading wave would give birth to countless orcs.
Even if the damage only extended to objects or animals, that would be one thing, but if the damage reached humans... he truly didn’t want to imagine the aftermath.
He had to stop it.
Regardless of whether he could or not.
[Anneri – Request received. Departing immediately!]
Just then, a welcome message arrived.
He didn’t know if one more person could properly stop a wave of that massive scale, but it was better than nothing.
[Me – You really took this request. This time it’s genuinely dangerous.]
[Anneri – Actually, I wanted to bring all the mercenary groups I’m connected to, but it seems the higher-ups already noticed that this case is connected to a higher dimension. I also had a huge fight and completely severed ties. So, for now, it's just me and the rookie who can go to Earth. And....]
Anneri’s reply was full of holes he wanted to pick at, and he felt like clutching his head, but if he had to choose the most absurd part....
“Wait, she’s bringing a rookie here too?!”
[Anneri – Also, there’s a volunteer among the Rebel Force’s Platinum members, so I’ll pick them up too!]
[Me – Huh?]
What did she just say?
Picking up whom?
Just then, coinciding with that, something vibrated in Kiira’s arms.
She glanced at the others, then pulled a small, rectangular pad from her pocket, which, by all appearances, was an older model of Ban Yuwon’s mirror.
“I got a message from the Rebel Force President... She wants me to protect you.”
“Yumina Noona... So she knew everything after all.”
“Well, I joined on Earth. I’ve had many private conversations with this person.”
Come to think of it, it must have been Yumina herself who certified Kiira as a Platinum member.
It was highly likely she knew about Kiira’s existence, and even the fact that she was on Earth.
The fact that she had kept quiet about it until now was a bit vexing, but Yumina probably only ever worried about him anyway.
Now that things had come to this point, even the Platinum membership seemed suspicious.
It made sense, considering both Platinum members Ban Yuwon had met were strong individuals.
Given that other Platinum members were willingly coming to a planet facing an Orc Wave, he wondered if Yumina hadn’t chosen them purely by the order of their fan club enrollment, but rather by selecting those who could be mobilized with force in an emergency.
‘My teacher’s grace is too profound to look up to.’
Ban Yuwon gave a bitter smile, thinking that thought.
When the vacation ended, and he reunited with Yumina, he would have a lot to say.
But regardless, thanks to that, he could breathe a little easier.
He’d be able to show the Prominence family that they couldn’t easily lay a hand on Ban Yuwon, and once their actions were curbed, he could at least send a warning through Yumina....
Before that, however.
“Ban Yumi, go home.”
Ban Yuwon firmly spoke, his gaze fixed on the one he needed to hide immediately.
Rucell? Of course, the Orc Wave’s target was Rucell, but she would never leave Ban Yuwon’s side, nor would the Orc Wave disappear if she hid.
But Ban Yumi was a different story.
The Orc Wave was created by the Prominence family, and naturally, surveillance methods would be embedded within it.
If Ban Yumi were to appear before them and rampage... he didn’t even need to imagine what would follow.
“Are you telling me to abandon the monsters and hide right now?”
“Yes. Immediately.”
Only now, while the enemy was unaware of the ‘true target,’ was there a chance to hide Ban Yumi.
Surely, even that naive Young Mistress of the Prominence family wouldn’t know.
That the person her family sought to eliminate was so close to the man she desired.
“You’re not seriously thinking I’ll listen to you, are you?”
“Noona, please.”
“Absolutely not. Even if I don’t use my Authority, I can’t abandon everyone else fighting and run away by myself.”
Right, he knew his sister would react this way.
Ban Yuwon pressed his forehead and activated his last resort.
“I’ll grant you any wish you want later.”
“Do you think I’m a grade-schooler who’d fall for a line like that?”
“What? Why are those two acting like that?”
As the siblings began their baffling argument, the others naturally looked bewildered.
That the Prominence family was behind the Orc Wave.
That the naive Young Mistress of that family was targeting Ban Yuwon.
And that Ban Yumi, in fact, held a status that absolutely could not be revealed to the Prominence family.
There was no way they could know this disgustingly complex entangled story, nor was there any way Ban Yuwon could explain it.
“You’ll be in danger!”
“You crazy bastard, fighting monsters is already dangerous enough!”
“Mom will be in danger too, you know?”
“Th-that....”
Was it because he mentioned not only herself but also their family that she couldn't push back any longer? Ban Yumi suddenly flinched in fear and took half a step back.
Then, she wore a strange expression, as if realizing something.
“Hey, I understand that my unique Authority is being targeted.”
“What? Unique Authority? ...Huh? Don’t tell me.”
Kiira, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, gasped in shock, as if realizing something, and her mouth fell open.
“But what do you mean Mom will be in danger too? Is Mom being targeted too? ...Then what about you? No, wait a minute.”
And Ban Yumi, though seemingly ignorant but by no means dull-witted, surprisingly quickly reached a conclusion.
“Is there something about our family? ...You, Dad, and Grandfather Ban are fine, but only Mom and I?”
“Ah, seriously....”
To the conclusion that something about her birth had been hidden.
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