I got into school for nothing - Chapter 272
I got into school for nothing (272)
Lesson 53. Equivalent Exchange - 4
“It was a gateway I absolutely had to pass to become strong. It was also the minimum condition the Demon King demanded of me as the successor to the Demon King’s Castle... and I passed it thanks to you.”
Shatie, who had returned to the spaceship, spoke about the magic she had just acquired.
The Demon King, his castle, a successor.
Ban Yuwon, feeling a sense of traditional fantasy different from anything he had experienced so far, yet questioned her.
“So, in the Demon King’s Castle, are there people like you, senior, who wield such magic, swarming around?”
“No, not quite. My obtaining Annihilation Magic was purely due to our Yuwon’s help, combined with several miraculous factors, barely allowing it to happen...”
“No ‘our Yuwon’.”
“Annihilation Magic, though it feels strange saying it myself, having obtained it, is a magic known as top-tier magic.”
“Top-tier magic, you say?”
“If I do say so myself.”
It was by no means self-praise.
When it came to magic, Cellon, more knowledgeable than anyone else present, had just said the exact same thing.
“Annihilation Magic is only known through legends that say the First Demon King wielded it, but now, no one in Diabolo wields it. That’s why I was so surprised when I first saw the Vice Principal wield it at the Academy. Who would have thought that I, an Iblis variant, with the help of an outsider, the Planning Director, would restore such a legend?”
It was indeed the same power wielded by Zenon.
Annihilation Magic, huh... a magic that eradicates the very concepts contained within all things, in some ways, the antithesis of his own Authority.
He firmly etched that name into his mind and asked her.
“Anyway, if that wasn’t the condition, then what was it?”
“I told you all Iblis wield Blood Magic, didn’t I? Blood Magic is wicked, but it’s still a much more powerful, higher-tier magic compared to ordinary magic. The Demon King told me, a half-breed who couldn’t wield Blood Magic since birth, to acquire a magic powerful enough to replace it.”
“Ah, higher-tier magic.”
The spaceship sped through the silent, empty cosmos, approaching Diabolo.
The Demon King must have been watching this, but perhaps waiting for their arrival, there was no further movement from the planet.
The Human Empire, meanwhile... perhaps frightened by the sudden loss of their elite fleet, was equally silent.
Gazing at the red planet drawing ever closer, Shatie murmured quietly.
“Honestly, I found both the Demon King and the Demon King’s Castle repulsive, so I didn’t care about any of that. I accepted Union’s call because I wanted to live freely. The Demon King didn’t like that either.”
“That’s a pattern I’ve heard before...”
“Keh-ha! There are quite a few dimensions that don't trust Union. Dimensions that have no intention of interacting with outsiders, or those that have suffered a lot from outsiders, tend to be like that.”
There was no need to ask which category Diabolo fell into.
Despite its high Dimension Grade, its lagging civilization level, a military might that could easily crush most dimension pirates, and perhaps because of that, fiercely warring internal factions unable to achieve harmony.
The ruling Demon King, who controlled more than half of Diabolo, likely held a strong aversion to connecting with external dimensions itself.
“But somehow, I became close with Mira and ended up helping her. A time came when the group needed military force. And now that I’ve acquired the power to talk big to that guy... I’ve never asked the Demon King for anything in my life, but this time, I’ll have to claim my rights as a successor.”
“Is that perhaps for my sake?”
“Keh-hah-ha-ha! You’re touched, aren’t you?! Right?!”
“Ugh, so annoying, really.”
Ban Yuwon glanced sideways at Shatie, who was taking advantage of the opportunity to cling to Mira again, and absentmindedly repeated her words.
“The condition for becoming strong is higher-tier magic, huh...”
It seemed quite plausible.
Whether it was high-level martial arts or magic, wielding them required suitable mana (internal energy), and that was extremely difficult to obtain unless one was born with it.
Cellon’s Starlight Magic, which became a law unto itself, was a prime example.
Starlight was originally a magic granted only to her, and Yumina could wield it only because she had a contract with her.
Even the Chancellor, who seemed almost omnipotent within the Academy, could not wield Starlight himself, and instead tried to use Cellon and Yumina, which suggested the distinct uniqueness of higher-tier magic.
‘I knew it from early on, but the more these facts came to light, the more I realized anew just how absurd a martial art Hyunsingong was, the one Yeon taught me.’
And rightly so, since Hyunsingong’s ultimate goal was to transform one’s body through training and create mana suited to it.
Perhaps the Demon King said that to pick a fight with his displeasing daughter, but it wasn’t entirely wrong that one needed to acquire higher-tier magic to become strong. Despite Hyunsingong being a foundational art, it was a martial art that perfectly pierced through the Demon King’s mindset.
Ban Yuwon looked at Dokgo Yeon and burst into tears.
“A master’s grace is endless...”
“Again, you’re going to say something strange, aren’t you? Don’t look at me like that! Don’t pretend to cry!”
Why couldn’t she see that her disgusted expression and turning away only made him want to tease her more?
No, perhaps it was precisely because she didn’t know that she was even cuter?
However... having said all this, it’s a bit much, but Ban Yuwon’s very existence directly contradicted the uniqueness of such higher-tier magic.
After all, the Won-gi he had perfected through Hyunsingong was the primordial energy capable of becoming anything, wasn’t it?
That he ultimately acquired Starlight even without a specific contract with Cellon was one example, and mastering Photon Magic, which could only be learned by wielding both Light Magic and Dark Magic simultaneously, was another.
The Crimson Flame he now wielded quite proficiently, too, could be seen as a unique magic permitted only to the Prominence family, before it was an Authority, and there was also the Divine Wind he had taken from a Constellation earlier.
The power to conceptualize all things, to interpret and accept them as language, and to manifest them.
It was not a power to adapt oneself to the world, but to adapt the world to oneself.
If so, what else could one call it besides a god?
With the red planet now right before his eyes, Ban Yuwon thought of the Tower again.
Why had his ancestor built the Tower?
Was it... truly an attempt to reach godhood?
“Master...?”
He turned his head at the sound of the voice, and saw Rucell looking at him with a worried expression.
Ban Yuwon took her hand and shook his head.
“It’s nothing, Rucell.”
“But just now, Master—”
[Entering the atmosphere!]
Lilyth’s voice, whose tension was noticeably odd when entering and breaking through the atmosphere, drowned out Rucell’s worried tone.
[Are we going straight to that place called the Demon King’s Castle?]
“They’re probably waiting. They won’t ignore Annihilation Magic now that they’ve seen it.”
The spaceship, having swiftly entered Diabolo’s upper atmosphere, followed Shatie’s guided route towards the Demon Realm, and gazes of vigilance, hatred, and curiosity assailed the party from all over the ground.
That alone was enough to gauge the full power of this world.
“Senior Shatie, you grew up well in such a demonic land.”
“It’s precisely because it’s such a demonic land that I grew this much. Keh-ha...”
Perhaps because she was about to meet the Demon King, Shatie’s face was stiff.
Mira sighed and poked Shatie’s cheek.
“The negotiation hasn’t even started. Relax.”
“It’s not a negotiation; it’s a demand. There’s nothing to discuss with him.”
“If you were just going to finish your business with a single word and leave, you wouldn’t have brought Rebellion with you, would you?”
When Mira hit a sensitive spot, Shatie pouted.
“I just said that, you know, just words... Are you sulking because it seems like I’m using your boyfriend? If that’s really the case, then regarding fair compensation, the Planning Director and I could have a private, close discussion...”
“Shatie, do you really want to die?”
Just as Mira was about to draw her weapon, the battleship, slicing through the atmosphere, jolted to a halt in mid-air as if caught by something.
Lilyth, who had been trying to do something about it for a moment, soon gave up and muttered.
[Tsk, a barrier?]
“So, they want us to walk from here. Let’s land.”
It had been a while since they entered the Demon Realm territory ruled by the Demon King.
The colossal Demon King’s Castle was barely visible at the edge of their vision, yet there was already a barrier. It made him realize anew the greatness of this dimension.
After landing and storing the spaceship in his inventory, Ban Yuwon, feeling the somewhat sticky atmosphere clinging to him, trembled as he realized this was a space composed of Blood Magic.
“None of the dimensions we went to for special activities before had anything like this.”
“In truth, those places were the strange ones. Most starting points for activities were royal palaces or castles, yet there wasn’t a single barrier in the skies above. They were too busy trying to survive to even implement the most basic defense measures.”
Next to Asha who spoke with a wry smile, Dokgo Yeon’s eyes widened.
It seemed there were no such barriers in Murim.
And she was by no means the type to tolerate humiliation.
“Ow! Why did you hit me?!”
“Not knowing the reason is why you’re being hit right now.”
“That’s unfair, so cruel...!”
Ban Yuwon subtly moved away from Asha’s side and cast his gaze towards the distant Demon King’s Castle.
He recalled Shatie saying something about having half-destroyed the Demon King’s Castle, and surprisingly, traces of it remained on the castle.
A colossal tower on the west side, whether originally a watchtower or a bell tower, was snapped abruptly in the middle—and from it, black flames still billowed.
Just by looking at it, one might misunderstand that the Demon King’s Castle was under attack in real-time, but that wasn’t it.
Because Ban Yuwon could faintly sense Shatie’s trace there.
“Is that the power of an ancient demon?”
“After that guy was unsummoned, the Demon King himself searched the entire Demon Realm, intending to find and control him, but he couldn’t. Now, it’s being presented as one of the strong pieces of evidence that there’s a Demon Realm in an S-rank dimension.”
And it’s also why that guy hasn’t completely given up on me, Shatie added.
Though she couldn’t control it, if it was a talent for summoning monsters that no other Iblis could summon, then even the Demon King would have likely pondered how to deal with it.
“Then let’s go. He might try to seize the initiative when we meet, but since I’m the one confronting him directly, don’t be overly intimidated.”
Shatie, having declared seriously, took the lead of the party.
Even after disembarking from the spaceship, the barrier that had continued to press upon them seemed to miraculously lose its power as Shatie began leading the party forward.
—Thump-thump—
From a distance undetectable to the naked eye, Ban Yuwon sensed countless gazes observing their movements.
Although they had long left the Human Empire’s domain, the gazes cast upon them clearly contained murderous intent, revealing that Shatie, even as the Demon King’s daughter, had by no means grown up in comfort.
“Ah.”
Just then, Shatie suddenly sighed.
Ban Yuwon followed her gaze and saw a beautiful young man slowly walking towards them, and for a moment, his body stiffened.
Even without eyes that could read everything, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize who this being was, one who exerted such terrifying pressure on the entire area just by appearing.
‘What the, he’s ridiculously strong. Could that be the Demon King...!’
Yes, he had been thinking it was about time for him to appear.
In manga, didn’t fragile-looking girls or boys who seemed completely harmless often turn out to be on par with the world’s strongest beings?!
As if he had read his thoughts, the boy, who had glanced at Ban Yuwon with cold eyes, turned his gaze to Shatie and... surprisingly, smiled brightly.
“Big sister! It’s been a long time!”
Eh?
It wasn’t him?
After building up such an atmosphere and appearing, to be of the age he looked? Wasn’t his head strange?
“Kron.”
Shatie also wore a complex expression, but seeing her call the other’s name, he seemed to truly be her younger brother.
As Ban Yuwon watched the sibling reunion, feeling as if he had been punched, the boy, called Kron by Shatie, approached step by step, closing the distance, and finally reached Shatie and knelt on one knee.
“His Majesty has recognized you, Elder Sister, as the legitimate successor of the Empire and has bestowed upon you the Horn of the Demon King.”
Along with his words, on his outstretched hands, lay a long staff, entirely black, at the tip of which was embedded a vertically slit, lizard-eye-like orb.
The Horn of the Demon King, an item commonly understood as part of the Regalia symbolizing royal power.
However, Ban Yuwon knew well that it was not merely a symbol.
All the terrifying pressure he had felt from the boy originated from that very item.
He found it absurd once again.
When it came to A-rank dimensions, could a single artifact symbolizing a ruler really evoke such a sense of crisis?
When he first saw Asha wielding the Holy Sword, he had wondered why such a treasure was in a D-rank dimension, but that wasn’t it.
Compared to the true treasures of higher-tier dimensions, the initial Holy Sword was nothing.
“Hah, does he really have to do this? That bastard wouldn’t just give this away, would he?”
“Of course, Elder Sister. The human bastards, preemptively intimidated by the formidable magic you displayed, mobilized their legions to the border region. If you return after wiping them all out without troop support, His Majesty said he would officially bestow the Horn of the Demon King upon you and formally transfer command of the Dark Magic Soldiers.”
“Keh-ha! He’s still effortlessly reading my intentions. Right, it happened because of me, so he’s telling me to clean it up. And you’re the supervisor? You’ll also be observing, perhaps to see how you can acquire Annihilation Magic, won’t you?”
“Please forgive this foolish younger brother who cannot refuse His Majesty’s command.”
“Hah.”
Shatie snorted and took the Horn of the Demon King.
Surprisingly, at that moment, the eye within the orb decorating the tip of the staff flashed open and emanated an eerie, ash-grey magic.
Simultaneously, the pressure exerted on the entire area seemed to intensify further, but the next moment, Shatie absorbed it all.
She appeared overwhelmingly stronger than when the boy called Kron held it.
Though it might have been quite humiliating, the boy merely clapped, his eyes sparkling.
“As expected... Elder Sister! I never doubted that you would bring about the second coming of Diabolo!”
“Quiet, just follow me obediently.”
Shatie, who had turned around, muttering brusquely, looked over her party, then changed her expression and said with a laugh, “Keh-ha!”
“So, this is roughly how things turned out.”
“This is a much better outcome than I expected. I thought we were going to have a showdown with the Demon King.”
Mira replied cynically and looked at Ban Yuwon, and he, guessing her meaning, nodded without hesitation and said.
“Let’s depart immediately.”
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