I got into school for nothing - Chapter 296
I got into school for nothing (296)
Lesson 58. Spartoi - 1
She dreamed of the past.
The dream featured a vulgar beast whose inner thoughts were glaringly obvious, and a foolish man who struggled to even tame that single beast to his will.
Given her personality, and if this were her homeland.
She would have restrained both of them, giving them no chance for tantrums or fits, thrown them into a den of monsters, and disciplined them until their rotten mindsets were reformed.
But this was not her homeland, and the two were not her subordinates, but comrades.
‘That beast seems to prefer a firm hand.’
Above all, the two possessed talent.
The beast, too, if only its madness and innate nature could be corrected, possessed potential that was more than sufficient to assist him.
‘Don't pretend you didn't understand, even though you did. It means when dealing with a beast that can't understand human words, don't compromise halfway.’
She was convinced that if the two were paired, it would be greatly beneficial not only to each other but also to the team.
Since they harbored good feelings for each other, it wouldn't be bad for anyone.
So, she offered advice.
With an extremely light heart, even laced with amusement.
‘You and the beast should get along well.’
She even arranged an appropriate environment for them to harmonize, then turned her back.
Thus, their rapid connection, if not entirely, was at least more than half a creation of her own making.
It was a satisfying outcome, and as expected, the team had made great leaps forward afterward, but... .
How could she have known that she herself would come to harbor extraordinary feelings for that man?
How could she have known she would regret her actions that day, or the advice she had given him――.
“――Ugh.”
With a surging wave of nausea, Dokgo Yeon's eyes snapped open, and she sat up.
As if plagued by a nightmare, her entire body was drenched in sweat.
Her head reeled, and her stomach churned.
Perhaps reflecting her uneasy mind, her inner energy was raging uncontrollably within her.
Though it was too grand to call it Qigong Deviation, given the unique energy she wielded, even a slight, accidental manifestation of 'death' would severely damage surrounding objects.
‘Was I truly that upset?’
On the eve of war, seeing everyone proudly leading their planet's forces, was she truly so resentful that she couldn't do the same?
Disgusted by the sight of them all fawning over Ban Yuwon and clinging to him, she had merely sought a private space to lie down and close her eyes for a brief moment, but now she had dreamed of a past she wished never to recall.
Dokgo Yeon felt disillusioned with herself, but first, she closed her mouth and eyes, and focused on calming her rampant inner energy.
Aside from her father, the leader of the Shin-gyo, no one could grasp its true form – this energy, 'death,' was one that only she, across all dimensions, had mastered and could wield.
Of course, to manage this power, it had required unspeakably painful training; she had to indirectly experience countless deaths; and because it was based on her unique enlightenment, it could not be passed on to others; yet, it still came with many restrictions―― and was not yet complete.
It was undeniably a transcendent power, a sure-kill weapon capable of inflicting fatal wounds even upon beings whose status and accumulated years made them utterly beyond her reach.
‘No, if it's Ban Yuwon, he might eventually make even this his own. He might even wield it more skillfully than me...’
If that were to happen, that would be the moment Ban Yuwon transcends humanity and steps into the realm of gods.
When that time comes, would she still be by his side?
Surely, she would.
He needed her help, he was grateful to her, and... .
Just as her thoughts reached that point, her inner energy barely managed to calm down.
The anxiety about the urgent current situation, the sorrow over an irreversible past — all these were suppressed by the hope for the future, the result of casting aside unnecessary external factors and focusing solely on Ban Yuwon.
‘What is this, am I some silly girl falling in love for the first time?’
To have nightmares because of a mere man, to have her inner energy run wild, and then to fantasize about a future with him just to control it.
It was absurd.
To be swayed by emotions she had believed she would never experience in her life.
Even after reaching the point where they called each other by name, Dokgo Yeon had been unable to fully acknowledge her feelings for Ban Yuwon, but even if she couldn't wrap them in the embarrassing word 'love,' she couldn't deny that she harbored a special emotion, akin to it, solely for him.
That's why it felt even more unfair.
If the Shin-gyo's armed force, the Myeolryongdan she led, had been with her, those Dragon Fang Soldiers, not even true dragons, wouldn't have been able to get set up―― no, that's not it.
The unfairness she felt was about the nightmare she had just experienced.
If she had known that Ban Yuwon would become such a special existence for Dokgo Yeon, she would never have thoughtlessly paired him with Rucell.
“But that was the best option at the time, of course it was...”
The best.
And the worst.
Because she, of all people, had done such a thing, she couldn't say a word even when Ban Yuwon was close to other women.
In truth, just seeing him holding hands with another woman made a thousand flames boil within her.
If she even saw a trace of him having spent the night with a woman, her mind would feel like a quagmire all day long, and she would be so enraged she'd want to tear that lovely face to shreds.
Dokgo Yeon was surprised anew by the fact that she, too, possessed such an utterly ordinary girlish side.
No, but she could unequivocally declare that the strange ones were the other women.
It wasn't as if Ban Yuwon could be divided, so how could they so easily harbor thoughts of sharing him with other women?
She wanted to wrap him up and hide him away in a secluded place where no one could find him, to keep him all to herself, yet how could others so calmly be arranging turns to spend the night with him...?
“I, I cannot forgive this.”
Only then did Dokgo Yeon realize why she had sought a space to be alone, and she shot to her feet.
Slothy, that vulgar blonde beast-kin, had appeared and clung to Ban Yuwon, reigniting the competition surrounding him.
All the women on this planet seemed to have lost their screws, and with all of them running wild, she couldn't bear it anymore and had slipped away alone.
Now, thinking about it calmly, this was no time to step back as if it were someone else's business.
How dire was the current situation, for him to be playing around with women? She ought to grab that idiotic, grinning Ban Yuwon and smack his backside.
After the war, he could fool around as much as he wanted, or if need be, even she herself―― no, no!
‘Let's stop pretending not to know. If I can't properly observe myself, there will be no progress in my martial arts.’
The reason she wanted to pull him away from other women wasn't because the situation was serious, but simply out of jealousy.
The thought of offering even her own body as a price for suppressing him now wasn't because she was vulgar, but simply because she wanted to embrace him.
Everything was clear and distinct.
The only exception was that, as a result of confronting her emotions head-on, Dokgo Yeon herself became unbearably embarrassed; otherwise, everything was perfect.
“Yeon, you were here?”
“Hiy-gyaaak!”
At precisely that moment, with Ban Yuwon's sudden intrusion, having discovered her whereabouts, Dokgo Yeon let out an embarrassing sound she never wanted to recall again.
Seeing Ban Yuwon look at her with a slightly bewildered expression, Dokgo Yeon was certain he had just heard her voice and became even more mortified.
“Uh... Yeon?”
“Wo-Won, how did you know I was here?”
For reference, Dokgo Yeon was inside the spaceship they had arrived in.
Of course, Ban Yuwon found her quickly because this spaceship was practically an avatar of Lilyth.
“Are you okay? ...Did you perhaps cry?”
“Th-that's impossible, my physical body transcended emotions a long time ago, as I perfectly control it with my inner energy and intent!”
Ban Yuwon didn't understand a single word she was saying, but he perfectly grasped that she was incredibly embarrassed.
Hiy-gyaaak, of all sounds! Wasn't that a scream he wouldn't hear again even if he offered her ten million gold?
If he dared to utter that sound, he had no idea what she might do to him.
“More importantly, what happened? Weren't you agonizing over which of those brazen women you'd spend the night with?”
Momentarily flustered by Ban Yuwon's sudden appearance, Dokgo Yeon quickly regained her composure and shot back sharply. Ban Yuwon, feeling a strange sense of stability at her demeanor, unconsciously let a smile play on his lips as he replied.
“I wouldn't have the leisure to be doing that in a situation like this. Slothy just went a little overboard out of happiness from seeing me after so long. And the others merely went along with it... Hmm... I'm really sorry we were so lacking.”
Ban Yuwon, who had tried to somehow cover for the others after Slothy, finally apologized to Dokgo Yeon with a look that cleanly dropped all pretenses.
Seeing that, Dokgo Yeon unconsciously let out a small chuckle.
Was it because his change in attitude was amusing, or was it because she was relieved that he wasn't carelessly messing around with women...?
“It's fine if you've handled it yourself. That's the image I wanted from you. Even if you lead women, I cannot tolerate you being swayed by them without conviction. Understand? Keep doing that in the future.”
“Alright, I'll be careful in the future. Though I don't know if they'll meekly follow my lead, since they all have such strong personalities.”
“Hmph, what can they do, really. They tremble in fear of your disapproval at even a single word you say.”
In truth, the same applied to herself, but Dokgo Yeon firmly believed she wasn't showing it.
Even more satisfied by his bitter smile and obedient nod, Dokgo Yeon reached out and patted the space beside her on the bed.
“Come sit.”
“Huh? Oh, right. The reason I came to find you is, the magic circle alteration is finished, so now――.”
Dokgo Yeon forcefully patted the spot beside her with a slightly rough hand and said,
“Come sit.”
“Okay.”
Didn't she just tell me not to be swayed by women?
What does this mean? Is she implying that she isn't a woman?
Ban Yuwon was bewildered, but his body, accustomed to being her student for over half a year, moved to sit beside her as if familiar with her commands.
He would not forget what happened the next moment.
Very carefully, gently, she rested her head on his shoulder.
Then, in a slightly softer voice, she asked.
“P-perhaps... I mean... are you dissatisfied?”
“N-no, not at all.”
“I haven't finished speaking yet.”
It seemed she wasn't talking about resting her head.
Ban Yuwon was careful even with his breathing, and turned his gaze to her.
She let out a sigh and continued.
“I'm talking about me interfering too much with you... Whether you play around with women or not, it's not my place to say anything about it.”
“...Can I tell you what I honestly think?”
“Tell me.”
“Hmm... should I say I'm rather happy, and I actually wish you *would* tell me off...?”
Dokgo Yeon's movements stiffened.
Ban Yuwon slowly reached out and covered her hand with his own, continuing cautiously.
“I mean... it means you think of me as special, doesn't it? You and I... that is, it feels like we have a special relationship, so I don't feel bad.”
“Is that so...”
Dokgo Yeon swiftly turned her palm to grasp Ban Yuwon's hand, and closed her eyes tightly.
This was her limit.
She had been caught by him in the midst of embarrassing thoughts, and in her bewilderment, half-ranting, she had somehow arrived at this situation, but.
To say or do anything more than this, her courage was simply too lacking.
Still, she didn't regret it.
His words filled her with such pride and delight that her lips felt like they might uncontrollably curl into a smile at any moment.
Originally, there was more she had to say here.
Even if you're dissatisfied, bear with it for now; after the war, I myself will... .
She should have delivered that sure-kill combo.
“I-I can't.”
“Alright, I get the gist. Don't push yourself too hard.”
Having dealt with far more women than Dokgo Yeon, Ban Yuwon, who could guess just how embarrassed she was right now, gently patted her affectionately and moved slightly away.
“Then let's talk business now.”
“Business?”
“Yeah.”
Both to quickly relieve her embarrassment and to break this strange atmosphere.
Ban Yuwon decided to state the main reason he had come to find her.
“Let's go retrieve Asha's soldiers.”
Comments