I got into school for nothing - 241
I got into school for nothing (241)
Lesson 47. Twist after Twist - 1
The space was dark and cramped; he couldn't even properly move his body.
What had trapped him, he wondered, but no answer came.
With nothing else to do, he replayed his thoughts over and over.
From the day he was chosen by the Holy Sword and became a man—
—to the moment he first wished to cast the Holy Sword aside.
Alien invasions, internal wars.
The D-13 Dimension was a place where military power mattered more than anything.
In truth, there was no special resolve in wielding the Holy Sword.
He wasn't even given the luxury of choosing for himself.
External expectations, pressure, currents, gazes.
They made him believe that the actions he took were his own choices.
If he didn't believe that, he wouldn't have been able to endure.
It took years for him to finally realize what he had thrown away in exchange for grasping the Holy Sword.
There was no individual there, only the aspirations of the nation.
The hope of humanity, a symbol of struggle, proof of alliance.
All that was demanded was the Holy Sword itself.
If he let go of the Holy Sword, nothing would remain.
That man spoke of countless other possibilities.
Another friend tried to teach him how to flap his wings.
They were enticing words, a delightful dream.
But even if he tried to let go, it was already beyond his grasp.
No matter how much he flapped his wings, he couldn't escape the cage.
From the moment he put that necklace around his neck, he, too, truly had—
—no right to choose.
"Ummph?!"
His consciousness resurfaced in an instant.
That man was before his eyes.
Their lips were pressed together.
All the thoughts that had been swirling in his head vanished.
No, what was I doing just now?
Does it even matter?
—It’s been a while, Light. Focus now.
"!"
A sweet voice pierced his mind, gradually bringing him back to reality.
His body, which had given up on himself and moved only according to the Holy Sword's will, suddenly stopped.
What was here was none other than himself.
As his sense of self solidified, he felt something growing within his body.
It was cramped.
Because other things were present besides him.
Their incessant chatter made it impossible to concentrate on the kiss.
—It might hurt, but bear with it. There’s no other way to drive out the souls inside your body.
The sword, which he had wielded for so long, and from which he had suffered for so long, was now in the man's hand.
Watching the sword resist, as if trying to deny the man, irritated him.
From beginning to end, it truly was a sword he found not a single redeeming quality in—
That was why he lent his hand to the one trying to stab him.
His mind wasn't fully functional yet, so he couldn't even understand the man's motives, but he simply didn't like the sword tormenting him.
—Drive out the invaders!
The moment it plunged into his stomach—two thoughts struck him.
One was the certainty that the chains binding his entire body had finally been severed.
The other was a delusion that, somehow, the situation felt a little lewd.
But... yes.
For now, he should focus on the person right in front of him, the one he had missed so much.
...Because this might be the only time he could escape reality.
Haa...
* * *
"A-I don't remember anything? Ugh! M-my stomach still hurts. Yuwon stabbed me too hard...!"
After regaining consciousness, Light, who had been trying to subtly avoid the gazes of the Rebellion members looking down at him, suddenly clutched his perfectly healed abdomen and complained of pain.
Ban Yuwon, observing the shift in emotional concepts that had become clearer to him after their recent kiss, nodded solemnly and said, "It seems you remember everything, Captain."
"It's a million years too early for someone like Light to try and fool us. And don't call me Captain."
"Wh-what are you talking about—huh? Is this the academy? I don't remember when I came back!"
Rucell, who had been staring intently at Light's clumsy act of looking around, suddenly let out a snort and said, "Hmph. I have no desire to indulge in such pointless theatrics, but a contract is a contract."
"...Huh?"
"Your weakness? Hah, you'd better be careful not to trip *me* up."
"Ru-Rucell?"
A series of theatrical lines poured out as if she were casting a spell.
Dokgo Yeon blinked, wondering what was wrong with her, but only Ban Yuwon, who had a good memory, and Light, who didn't particularly, but felt a strange familiarity with those lines, flinched and reacted.
"Hmph, to make such a fuss over this."
"St-stop..."
"To be so weak against this level of heat, resorting to objects..."
"Ah, no way."
A moment later, Dokgo Yeon also realized.
And she looked at Rucell with an expression of horror, as if seeing some terrifying non-human entity.
"Beast, you're not telling me you remembered *all* of that...?"
"Hah, the Holy Sword and I are one. There's no need to distinguish between me and the Holy Sword."
"I'm sorry, Rucell. Stop! I was wrong!"
Light writhed as if a demon-possessed girl encountering an exorcist, pleading in pain, but Rucell held up a cross of judgment and chanted a prayer once more!
"Begone, you inferior beings!"
"That's right! I'm an inferior being! I remember everything! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Inferior being Light prostrated himself on the spot, apologizing with all his might.
Rucell, who finally stopped acting, looked at him and reached out her hand with a saintly smile.
"Heheh, I'm glad you remembered everything, Light. Humans are creatures who learn lessons from the past."
"That's right, I learned my lesson...! I learned it, so please stop...!"
"Welcome back safely. Please continue to take care of me, Light."
"Yes, I'll do my best..."
Dokgo Yeon and Ban Yuwon held each other's hands and trembled, watching Rucell instantly establish a hierarchical relationship.
"She seemed quiet, but it turns out she had quite a lot built up all this time..."
"I should treat Rucell better from now on..."
"Master already treats me so well!"
Rucell, having finished Light's "education," heard Ban Yuwon's voice and clung to him, acting cute.
Then she looked at Dokgo Yeon, who was holding his hand, and smiled softly without a word.
Dokgo Yeon narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on Ban Yuwon's hand.
"Hehe."
"Hmph."
"...Huh?"
The inferior being, who had barely managed to get up, tilted his head, seeing this.
"Why are you two acting like that? It wasn't like this before... Huh? I *am* forgiven, right? To celebrate my liberation from the Holy Sword, maybe a small party for us members... Huh? I feel like I'm being ostracized, but that's not true, is it?"
"Light."
"Ah."
Turning his head at the voice calling him, Light saw Aire approaching with an icy expression, and reading the imminent future, he let out a low sigh.
Aire's mouth opened.
"A dragon? I recall such an insignificant creature among those I've slain in the past."
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Do you desire companions that much? Do even dragons lack confidence without a flock?"
"Kuaaaaaaaah! I'm sorry, Aire! I'm sorry!"
Indeed.
The exorcist was not just one person.
As Aire's exorcism ritual proceeded, Dokgo Yeon couldn't bear to watch and turned her gaze away.
"Looking at him now, it certainly doesn't seem like Light uttered those words of his own free will..."
"Light was sacrificed. He's a scapegoat for the lingering resentment of ancestors that has been passed down for a long time..."
Just as Ban Yuwon muttered softly, Zenon's voice once again echoed through the arena.
—Now, we will begin the awards ceremony for the Special Matches. Participants in the Special Matches, if you do not gather within the allotted time, forced summoning will be activated, so please arrive promptly.
For students who lost the matches, the execution of wish tickets, observed by academy students and the gallery alike, could be nothing short of humiliation.
Naturally, they would strive to somehow avoid the immediate crisis, but to prevent this, the academy had manipulated their student IDs from the moment their Special Match participation was decided.
Unless they renounced their academy student status in that short moment, they had no choice but to endure the humiliation.
Of course, this time's participants couldn't bring themselves to commit the folly of sacrificing their future to avoid momentary humiliation.
"..."
"..."
Among them, the one with the most deathly pale expression was, of course, Ulrike Prominence. Not only was this the first time an heir of one of the Ten Great Families had lost in a masked ball, but to lose twice consecutively, invoking a wish ticket against the same person, was a record that would go down in academy history.
Nevertheless, the fact that she still managed to stand on her own two feet was commendable.
"Before we proceed with the wish ticket execution, I will briefly explain."
Zenon, who had ascended the platform, spoke slowly, floating a small orb above his hand.
Ban Yuwon easily recognized it as a device linked to the orb in Zenon's lecture hall.
An artifact capable of converting intangible value into visible numerical statistics.
In other words, it was an item that determined the limits of the wish ticket.
"As you are aware, there are restrictions on wish tickets. You cannot make demands that would severely damage a student's future or are excessively unreasonable. This orb will inform you of that. And, of course, the Chancellor himself created it."
Ban Yuwon mobilized his Authority and Giwon Sword to try and measure the orb's limits.
It was a struggle to utilize the wish ticket to its fullest potential, and he achieved considerable success.
"All wish ticket executions will take place before this orb, and any wish ticket rejected by the orb cannot be exercised. Students, please compromise well with your desires when making your requests."
There were a total of five Special Matches held this time.
One was a friendly match between representatives of long-standing rival clubs, one was practically a public confession match for a marriage proposal, and another was a match to determine superiority between students from dimensions of relatively equal standing.
Compared to the two Special Matches Ban Yuwon fought, these naturally garnered less attention, so they were quickly dealt with before he and the others stepped up.
And finally, Ban Yuwon, Dokgo Yeon, Lusein Ortima, and Ulrike Prominence ascended the platform.
"A low-ranking dimension native of unknown origin defeated a Ten Great Families heir, I see."
"I don't know what kind of brazen demands they'll make... I just hope the Chancellor steps in to stop them."
"Tsk, such disappointment."
"Was it even necessary for low-ranking dimension students to appear on the stage of a Special Match? If they can't even handle them freely, can they truly call themselves a Ten Great Family?"
A flood of jeers poured from the gallery.
If before the Special Matches, many had looked down on Ban Yuwon and Dokgo Yeon, now there were more gazes of displeasure directed at Ortima and Prominence for sullying the honor of the Ten Great Families.
Prominence bowed her head, while Ortima held his head high, meeting the eyes of the puppets.
As if he intended to remember each and every person who dared to judge and look down upon him.
"...Let's just watch for now."
"They are still among the Ten Great Families, after all."
Although the guests who had come to the Union Foundation Festival were from higher dimensions, it was rare to find guests with authority comparable to the Ten Great Families, and the murmuring gallery quickly fell silent.
If he wasn't entangled with Dokgo Yeon, he'd actually be quite a figure of authority, Ban Yuwon thought, shaking his head as he watched Ortima dominate the arena with his gaze.
"Proceed with the wish ticket."
"Yeon, you first?"
"Alright."
Dokgo Yeon, stepping forward to face Lusein Ortima, looked at the black orb between them, pondering for a moment how to phrase her wish, then called out to Ban Yuwon.
"Won...?"
"Okay. Lend me your ear."
Ortima narrowed his eyes, watching the two whisper.
Dokgo Yeon, having received hints on the wish ticket's restrictions and effective execution methods, returned with a satisfied expression and opened her mouth.
"As long as I do not gaze upon you—"
The energy within the orb contracted.
By placing a self-imposed restriction on her wish, she had, conversely, expanded its scope of effect.
Zenon's sharp gaze swept over Ban Yuwon, an impossible declaration without seeing through the orb's structure, but he merely offered a faint smile.
"—you cannot perceive me."
"No, you—!"
The orb shone brightly.
It had acknowledged the wish ticket as legitimate.
A forced mutual non-interference.
It seemed like a rather peaceful wish, but it was the most chilling wish ever made since the masked ball Special Matches began at Union Academy.
The moment the wish ticket was executed, Ortima failed to perceive Dokgo Yeon before him and slumped to the floor.
"Now I won't have to worry about a stinging feeling in the back of my head. Thank you for the hint, Won."
Dokgo Yeon, speaking with a refreshing tone without even looking at Ortima, lightly clasped Ban Yuwon's hand once, then released it and stepped back.
As Ban Yuwon, taking the baton, stepped forward, Ulrike Prominence flinched and instinctively recoiled.
"N-no, right? Not that. I'll apologize... please."
"I want an invitation."
"Pardon?"
"An invitation that lets me visit your house anytime I want, without needing permission, Senior."
Ban Yuwon said with a playful wink.
Ulrike Prominence had fallen into a love from which there was no escape.
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