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I got into school for nothing-298

I got into school for nothing (298)

Lesson 58. Spartoi - 3

Yuder Light Camelot couldn't seem to escape his nightmare.

It was a nightmare where his son, transformed into a hideous monster, ripped apart his leash and then swallowed him whole.

Behind it, laughing with a mouth stretched wide, was a treacherous Dragon and the human who commanded it.

His ancestor had declared that dragons were malevolent beasts that hindered the natural grand unification of the universe, tearing it asunder; truly, there was no error in their words.

The problem was that his son had already been completely manipulated by the magic of those wicked beings, committing patricide without even recognizing his own father.

Chewed and torn to pieces, his entire body shredded within his son's mouth, where sharp, jagged fangs had sprouted, Yuder Light Camelot thought amidst the horrific pain.

“I cannot simply stand by and surrender everything of this kingdom to those wicked dragons—!”

‘This dynasty inherits the bloodline of dragons not to revere them, but to annihilate them and once again unify the dimensions. When the time comes, gather all the soldiers who carry the lineage of ignoble warriors and inherit my final legacy. The legacy, when my arrangements are properly made, will awaken naturally—it is an artificial dragon, forged from the combined wisdom of dragons and humans, to surpass dragons themselves.’

The next moment, Yuder’s eyes snapped open, and he sat upright.

The pain left by the patricidal monster's teeth, which had been tearing at his belly and pulling out his entrails just moments ago, was still vivid, but this was no time to dwell on renewed feelings of betrayal towards his son.

“Yes, the final legacy...! My ancestor clearly made other arrangements!”

Moving in accordance with the ancestor's words, passed down through generations of the royal family, the Camelot Kingdom had prospered.

Had he not rejoiced when his son, Asha Light Camelot—in whom the blood of dragons manifested with unusual intensity—was recognized as the master of the Holy Sword, believing that the ancestor's words were truly on the verge of full realization?

But now, his son had failed to embrace the ancestor's will, awakening instead to the instincts of a woman and corrupting even the Holy Sword, transforming it into a demonic blade that amplified the power of dragons.

Now, on the verge of being audacious enough to suppress his own father with the support of wicked dragons and strip him of all his royal authority!

‘If things continue like this, everything will truly crumble. But with his final legacy... with the power of the artificial dragon, it might not be impossible for me to reclaim my authority!’

Yuder Light Camelot immediately washed himself and left his chambers, adorning his entire body in full plate armor for the first time in truly a long while.

Then he summoned the entirety of the loyal Guardian Knights—soldiers who, according to his ancestor's words, carried the lineage of ignoble warriors—who obeyed only the commands of himself and his son, the royal figures.

“Why has Your Majesty, who usually stays within the palace, summoned us thus?”

“We should be training and strengthening ourselves in preparation for the day the Prince—no, the Princess—returns.”

The knights, who had already spent nearly a decade on the battlefield with Asha and were driven more by loyalty to her than to the king, frowned upon being summoned by Yuder's abrupt call.

Yuder, a coward by nature who had rarely stood on a battlefield, had never been particularly close to them. Even those who had moved according to teachings bordering on brainwashing to protect the royal family had long ago come to serve Princess Asha, who protected the kingdom with her innate bravery and formidable combat prowess, as their true liege.

“Insolent! How dare a mere servant, whose only task is to obey, harbor discontent towards his liege!”

Yuder, clad in ill-fitting armor, waddling as he raged, was rather comical.

However, their inability to defy the royal family was almost instinctual, so despite Yuder's violent words and actions, they merely raised their eyes in discontent.

Meanwhile, though he had just yelled at them, Yuder, who was confident he would be crushed flatter than a dead frog in one second if they decided to throw off their ranks and attack, instead cleared his throat and explained the reason for their summons, rather than provoking them further.

“Our great ancestor of the Camelot royal family left a prophecy. Should the kingdom face crisis, his true legacy shall awaken, and I, the true ruler, the King of Camelot, shall claim it to stand against the wicked foreign powers!”

“Wicked foreign powers, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, that lizard who, a while ago, audaciously trampled through the palace with muddy feet and forced humiliating words upon me!”

At the word "lizard," the eyes of some knights flared again.

Strangely, killing intent blossomed from the knights, a change they themselves didn't even notice.

The King, who in terms of strength was inferior to even a mere training knight, naturally couldn't perceive this, and he continued speaking, pointing a finger at each knight in turn.

“It is because of your incompetence that I suffered that humiliation! To ensure such a thing never happens again, must we not acquire the legacy that will protect Camelot?”

“Humiliation... was it not merely a sponsorship contract to protect Princess Asha, the rightful heir to the throne?”

“The support from the Melodia dimension is truly immense. Not only has the economy improved with the circulation of goods from various dimensions, but I understand that our national power is increasing daily due to the abundant training resources for knights and soldiers.”

A knight, educated enough to read, calmly articulated the changes brought by the Melodia family's support, but Yuder merely snorted derisively.

This was because the support did not line his own pockets, but rather strengthened the common people and soldiers, whom he felt no need to care for.

“See! Even you, who claim to protect the royal family, are playing into the schemes of that wicked lizard! Whose kingdom is this? Is it that lizard's? No, it is the kingdom of Yuder Light Camelot!”

“It is the kingdom of Asha Light Camelot, Your Majesty.”

“Given that effective royal authority has all but passed to her, perhaps we should address her as ‘Your Highness’ rather than ‘Your Majesty.’”

“You... you dare!”

At the knights' reluctance-free mockery of one they had once served as liege, Yuder genuinely considered drawing his sword.

But immediately after meeting the eyes of several knights who gleamed with an unusual killing intent, he realized that this was precisely the justification for insubordination they were waiting for, and a chill ran down his spine, leaving his body rigid.

‘These... these wretches... they truly don't consider me their lord!’

In practice, this had been the case since Asha took command of the military several years ago, and after the Melodia family head's visit, it had reached a point where displaying such an attitude outwardly was no longer problematic.

Indeed, it was likely because he sensed such an atmosphere that Yuder had repeatedly experienced nightmares like the one he had today.

Yuder bit his lip, suppressing his rage, and then declared to the knights who squinted at him like lizards, glaring.

“We march! The time has come for the legacy arranged by our ancestor to reveal itself, and you shall claim it with your strength!”

“If it benefits Princess Asha, we shall do so, even if it costs us our lives.”

“We shall certainly acquire it.”

Even as they dared to quibble with every one of the King's words, the knights began to move according to his will.

The means of transport, a combat vehicle recently gifted by the Melodia family, was yet another laughable point.

“This is the place.”

After hours of driving, Yuder's eyes gleamed as he stepped out of the car, having reached a forgotten ruin deep within the forest.

He needed the knights' help to dismount due to his full plate armor, but once his feet touched the ground, he was filled with even greater conviction.

This was definitely it.

The place where the ancestor's final legacy lay dormant!

He could recall it as vividly as if the ancestor himself had implanted the location directly into his mind.

“How strange. This terrain was unknown to me before, but now it's as vivid as if I could grasp it. It must be because the ancestor's blood flows within me as well.”

If his own aptitude had been abundant, he might have grasped the Holy Sword himself and received the ancestor's grace.

Yuder, already utterly broken by generations of brainwashing passed down through the royal family for ages, felt no strangeness in suddenly recalling the legacy's existence or in suddenly realizing its location.

Meanwhile, the knights, who had been debating whether to strike down the King then and there for daring to antagonize the Melodia family who supported Asha, exchanged confused glances as they felt something at the ruins that stirred their instincts.

“This... this feels real.”

“Look at this, it's truly extraordinary. Is this really the legacy passed down through the royal family? If the Prince—no, the Princess—isn't here, I don't think we can win...”

“But His Majesty the King is here. He is still our liege, even if it's not quite the same as fighting alongside the Princess...”

“Here!”

As the knights discussed, the King, who had surprisingly ventured alone through the ruins, stood before a colossal tree that seemed thousands of years old, and then poked a knot in the tree with the longsword he had drawn.

He had been a man who couldn't even wield magic in his entire life.

A strange, golden magic circle emerged around the spot where the sword had pierced, and the knot hole gradually widened—eventually forming a large passage, easily big enough for several people to enter.

“W-what is this?!”

“Is it a dungeon?”

“Let's go in. You must protect me steadfastly!”

The King, as if satisfied, swung his longsword through the air a couple of times, then led the way, streams of blue light pouring from his eyes.

His original mana, by Ban Yuwon's standards, wouldn't even have reached 1 Irekto, but now it exceeded a formidable 4 Irekto, a level even the Camelot Guardian Knights couldn't dismiss lightly.

However, the loyal Guardian Knights knew that the King was not in a good state.

‘This is strange.’

‘Could it be that he's currently depleting his inherent life force due to a lack of mana? The King normally cannot wield this much mana. It's a temporary surge. And the after-effects will be terrible!’

‘But what can we do? Unless he truly tries to kill us, we cannot dare lay a hand on him.’

‘It's dangerous. Truly dangerous. We must at least contact the Princess, otherwise...’

But they were already in a situation where retreat was impossible.

Seeing the King's shadow disappear into the knot hole, the terrified Guardian Knights clenched their teeth and followed.

The facilities inside were indeed full of astonishing things.

The King dealt with various traps, which they doubted they could even handle on a battlefield with Asha, simply by poking them with his sword.

Occasionally, monsters appeared—monsters that seemed to inherit the characteristics of lizards, making them wonder if this truly was a legacy left by dragons. As the knights joined forces to face them, the King, seemingly oblivious to their struggles, casually ventured deeper inside alone.

“He's crazy! That old man has definitely gone completely mad!”

“The monsters are getting stronger and stronger, and what's more, the metal mixed in their bodies... This. This is truly dangerous.”

After hours of proceeding deeper, when even the knights were panting, their combat capabilities waning—the King finally reached the heart of the ruins and discovered what he sought.

—Rumble...

A mechanical dragon, its seal already half-broken, its eyes wide open, glaring at them.

“So this is it.”

Yuder muttered, quite pleased.

In a little while, it would have broken all the magical restraints binding its body and burst out, but thanks to his timely arrival, he believed he could surely control it as he wished with a few measures!

—That is, if Yuder had been a legitimate successor of the dragon, awakened the dragon's blood, and then suppressed it again with the power of the ancestor and the Holy Sword to achieve the evolution he intended.

—ROOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!

The moment Yuder's mana touched the restraints, the mechanical dragon unleashed a destructive roar, tearing apart the interior of the ruins.

Yuder's mana, inherited from his ancestor's bloodline, only succeeded in destroying the already decaying restraints, but failed to re-bind and command the creature.

In other words, it merely succeeded in setting a dangerous monster free.

—KRRRRRRUUUUUUULL!

Just seconds after Yuder's mana touched it, the mechanical dragon regained its freedom and rose, causing the ruins to collapse, unable to withstand it.

The knights, aghast, hastily retrieved their lord and escaped the ruins.

“Damn it, I knew this would happen!”

“But His Majesty wouldn't listen to me...!”

“Is there no way to stop it? Since His Majesty's mana awakened it, perhaps his mana can again...”

“No, he's already unconscious. There's not a shred of mana left in his body; he might never wake up again...”

“Aaaah! It can't be stopped!”

Even as they fought their way out of the ruins, the structure clattered and crashed, utterly collapsing.

When they finally managed to cling to life and emerge outside, the mechanical dragon had already broken free from beyond the ruins, roaring in celebration of its newfound liberty—

“Now we're all dead.”

“Since the kingdom didn't go his way, he apparently decided to bury the entire nation.”

The knight who had been supporting the King cursed under his breath, clicking his tongue, and threw him to the ground.

Immediately after, most of the knights looked at him in shock.

“You, how could you... the King?!”

“No, how is this possible?”

The Guardian Knights could not, even indirectly, harm the King.

Absolute obedience to one who bore the bloodline of the great Camelot royal family, especially one who wore the crown of a king, was the teaching they had received and the restriction etched into their very beings.

No matter how it was possible, it was like a contract they could not dare break, even if they set their minds to it.

But to throw down the King like that...

“No, I understand.”

As the mechanical dragon, having finished its roar, began to glare at the Guardian Knights.

One of the knights clenched his fists and smiled.

“She is coming.”

“Ah...!”

“Our true liege!”

“Indeed! So that's why we can cast off the impostor without consequence!”

—KUUUUAAAAAAAHHHH!

Immediately after, as if displeased by their chattering right before its eyes, the mechanical dragon raised its massive tail and brought it down upon them.

But the knights, now twice, no, easily thrice as strong as they had been when escaping the ruins, deftly dodged, and in the end, only Yuder, who had remained on the spot, fell victim to the tail, flattened like dried fish.

—KRRRUUUOOOAAAAAHHHH!

Surprisingly, perhaps something still lingered in that body, entirely devoid of mana; the moment its blood and flesh splattered onto the mechanical dragon's tail, geometric patterns of lines surged across the mechanical dragon's entire body, and its mana, too, was amplified!

“Damn it, was the King a sacrifice from the very beginning?”

“Since it's come to this, we have no choice. Besides, now we have—”

“Ughyaaaaaaa! What in the world is happening?!”

With a rather ungraceful, feminine scream, a woman landed before the Guardian Knights—it was, of course, the rightful owner of Camelot, Asha Light Camelot.

“What is that monster?! And why are you all here?!”

“You have arrived, Princess.”

“No, my friend.”

As the mechanical dragon, having absorbed some power from the King, roared once more, spreading its wings of machinery and wires.

As they simultaneously drew their swords and arrayed themselves behind Asha, one knight declared:

“Lady Asha is the new King.”

“Huh? King? ...Surely not that dried fish.”

—KYAAOOOOOOHHH!

Tears welled in Asha's eyes as she faced the unbelievable reality, and as if mocking her, the mechanical dragon roared.

“Be quiet!”

—CRACK!

Immediately after, a colossal robot fist descended from the sky, striking the creature's head!