I got into school for nothing - Chapter 307
I got into school for nothing (307)
Lesson 60. Master of the Family - 2
She had thought it was love.
She had believed it was the one and only treasure, one she had to obtain even if it meant burning everything else to ashes.
But it seemed she had been mistaken.
The moment she realized he had deceived her, she felt that very treasure ignite, burning fiercely.
What was she to do?
Everything else, save for that treasure, had already vanished, leaving behind only ash.
‘Why?’
When he even permanently consumed the power of a Constellation to twist her invitation authority, it was enough to make her stomach churn.
But before she could even vent her rage at the Family Head for ignoring her, the rightful heir to the family, and arbitrarily summoning the owner of the Invitation to Prominence—she saw not him, but another woman... a woman bearing the ‘Unquenchable Flame’ arrive.
Ulrike Prominence, having lost the target for her emotions, simply collapsed.
‘Father was right all along. He had intended to seize Prominence from the very beginning...!’
But why? She was the legitimate heir of Prominence, and if he had simply taken her, he could have obtained everything he desired without needing to tread such a difficult path.
He didn’t know it yet... but she had even considered making him her spouse.
Yet, why?
She felt confused, hateful, and profoundly sad.
It was unbearably shameful that she had been floundering alone in such a delusion.
If only the Family Head had informed her of this truth sooner, she could have firmly reined in that man, lost in his foolish dreams, and drawn him into her embrace.
She could have held him so tightly that he wouldn’t even *think* of other thoughts, and could have bent him to her will...!
‘The Unquenchable Flame, what is it truly worth?’
She watched the woman, surrounded by Prominence’s sorcerers, clenching her teeth and raising her sword, tense yet defiant.
While she was beautiful, as befitted one with Prominence blood flowing through her veins—and even felt strangely similar to Ulrike herself—she was, by no means, prettier than Ulrike.
‘He, too, like an utter fool, what is *that* woman to him?’
She felt utterly wronged.
He harbored other intentions, and the Family Head, to deceive him, had even deceived his own precious heir and daughter: Ulrike herself.
Watching Ulrike, unknowingly dancing a foolish dance on stage, what thoughts must the two of them have harbored?
‘He’s a wicked man; he deserves to be punished. So he’ll never dare to deceive me again... But.’
Still, she did not want him to die.
Even if his priority had fallen somewhat compared to the Unquenchable Flame.
The Family Head seemed to have no intention of abandoning the ‘Dimension Transcendance’ plan that the Prominence Family had pursued for generations.
He seemed to have made many preparations to contend with Prominence in his own way—but whatever he knew, the true power of Prominence would undoubtedly be many times greater.
As long as he sided with that accursed elf, the Family Head would never forgive him.
After securing the Unquenchable Flame, he would incinerate everything that dared to block Prominence’s path, and that man would undoubtedly be among them.
She did not want that.
Although everything surrounding her had already turned to ash, her love for him still—still remained.
Its sheer immensity was to blame.
It was too vast and fervent, utterly impossible to burn away entirely.
“—You are Level Force, aren’t you?”
Just as she was lost in such thoughts, Ulrike flinched at a voice that whispered into her ear.
Startled as she was, she possessed enough presence of mind not to commit the foolish act of looking around.
The Prominence warriors, with their blood coursing, still surrounded the intruders without so much as a blink, while the Family Head lightly toyed with his enemy, as if merely confirming the Unquenchable Flame.
The orb of fire launched by the Family Head seemed poised to pierce the detestable woman’s chest at any moment.
While she did not wish *him* to die, the death of *that woman* would be a welcome relief. She hated and detested the Family Head, yet for now, she desperately wished he would simply dispatch her—.
A Constellation’s avatar was blocking the Family Head, but at this moment, Ulrike detested that Constellation even more, to the point where she even wished the Family Head would eliminate the Constellation as well.
Then again.
“—The bearer of the Unquenchable Flame is Ban Yuwon’s older sister. It is not a romantic relationship.”
“—She is family, more precious than any lover. That is why I, a platinum member of Level Force, am by her side. What do you think? If you merely stand by and watch her die like this—what will Ban Yuwon think of you?”
Could this truly be a threat directed at her?
It was utterly absurd, but even before that, a profound chill ran down her spine.
In this very place, two tenths of Prominence’s elite forces were gathered, the Family Head himself was exerting his power, and furthermore, a Constellation was desperately trying to restrain the Family Head, fiercely vying to acquire the Unquenchable Flame.
This meant that no one should have been able to move or deceive their senses in this situation.
Yet, who, then, was the owner of this voice?
“—You must act quickly. Ironically, while our two enemies are keeping each other in check, we must somehow reverse this situation.”
‘*Us*? How can she possibly link *them* and *me* together?’
“—Why, we both like Ban Yuwon, don’t we? You can see it. You wouldn’t want to be abandoned by Ban Yuwon, would you?”
Ulrike flinched once more.
She didn’t know who it was, but anyone capable of reading her innermost thoughts to such an extent was clearly no ordinary individual.
“—I’m not reading minds. I merely analyzed your personality and deduced how you would react to my words. Truly reading minds, that is a feat only someone like Ban Yuwon could accomplish.”
‘I must inform Father. There is an enemy more immediately threatening than the bearer of the Unquenchable Flame...!’
But for some reason, she found herself unable to open her mouth and cry out immediately.
The owner of the voice had not placed any restriction on her.
It was simply that if she revealed the speaker’s existence, and the Family Head truly subdued *that* woman, and then killed the woman bearing the Unquenchable Flame—.
She was suddenly terrified of what Ban Yuwon would think of her once he learned of it.
Even as she realized she was playing right into that woman’s hands, she found herself utterly unable to abandon that thought.
Is this even logical? He betrayed me!
He made a mockery of my pure devotion and cast aside my goodwill!
“—If Ban Yumi dies now... you will never be loved by Ban Yuwon, will you? But what if you help us here? Surely, then, Ban Yuwon wouldn’t be hostile towards you?”
‘Foolish words, utter nonsense!’
“—That Family Head is just as much a betrayer, isn’t he? He used his daughter, who was falling for her first love, to lure Ban Yuwon into a trap, didn’t he? Ah, and as for betrayal, the Constellation is even worse. It toyed with you, the legitimate heir to inherit Prominence, with its Authority, using you as a pawn as it pleased. Isn’t that right?”
‘I am Prominence, and I am still recognized as the heir to this family! Although... although I made a small mistake, and my standing became precarious because I fell for his honeyed words, still....’
If she were to help everything proceed according to the Family Head’s will even now, he would gladly hand over the Unquenchable Flame to his daughter.
Although he had ruthlessly tested and deceived her, he still considered her the next Family Head.
But if that happened, Ban Yuwon would die.
And until his dying moment, she would not be able to win Ban Yuwon’s heart.
That fact infuriated her beyond endurance.
“—How many times have such things occurred? Ban Yuwon would never deceive or use his allies.”
‘I was deceived! I was used!’
“—If you become our ally, such a thing wouldn’t happen.”
‘Because of *him*, I’m in this wretched state!’
“—You could live happily, basking in his love....”
‘No, that’s wrong. *I* am the one who loves him, and he will find happiness in *my* embrace. It *must* be so. It *should* have been so.’
She could no longer tolerate this humiliation.
She longed to seize the one spitting out such wicked, snake-like words and rip their mouth apart.
But, more than anything.
She feared a future without him.
The moment she heard the somewhat embarrassing phrase “first love,” she found herself desperately empathizing.
Yes, this was her first love.
One she had never experienced.
One she might never experience again.
She slowly closed and then opened her eyes.
The Constellation was tempting the woman, promising her survival if she obeyed, while the Family Head scoffed, and the woman gritted her teeth, unleashing a brilliant flame.
It seemed she had manifested an Authority beyond her limits, but alas, it would not last long.
Compared to such an overwhelmingly magnificent Authority, the absolute quantity of ‘Crimson Flame’ she wielded was still far too meager.
If only that Authority had been hers—she shook off such thoughts, and raised her head.
A soft, yielding touch grazed her fingertips.
It was a person’s palm.
“—If there’s a way, tell me. Before it’s too late.”
Ulrike had to admit it.
This woman was a clandestine thief, capable of moving unnoticed by anyone in this universe, and a magician who had exposed Ulrike’s innermost thoughts, forcing her to acknowledge the desires festering within.
Ulrike Prominence hated everything in the world; she detested Ban Yuwon to the point of madness. Yet, if asked who she wished to survive between her father and Ban Yuwon....
It was Ban Yuwon.
‘If I kill that betrayer, *he* will surely think differently of me.’
It was an inevitable truth.
She had lived a life more honest to her desires than anyone, and the Prominence flame burned, after all, using desire as its fuel.
Such was the immensity of her desire that her love for him still remained, burning with a magnitude greater than the sun itself.
It would never be depleted.
[“Mansion B3, secret passage accessible only by Crimson Flame. An artifact symbolizing the contract between Prominence and the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas. As for the key, procure it from that woman yourself.”]
The contract between Prominence and the Constellation, which strengthened their connection by mutually binding them, making each party stronger.
A contract that allowed Prominence to proudly stand as one of the Ten Great Families, having suppressed other formidable houses of the S-7 Dimension, and, above all, a fatal weakness.
It was not a secret passage opened *only* by Crimson Flame.
It was a secret passage opened only by the Authority of the Prominence Family Head and the heir who inherited that Authority.
The current Family Head could not open it.
Because he was not the true heir who had inherited the Unquenchable Flame.
It was also the reason why, despite the Constellation’s demands, he had not simply handed over that woman.
For the Constellation might have tried to keep that woman alive and install her as the Family Head of Prominence.
“—Ah, so it’s opened with Ban Yumi’s blood. I knew there was something strange about that structure....”
The presence receded.
The woman confronting the Family Head was seen to flinch for a moment.
The Family Head, unaware of the full story, seemed to believe it was merely a tremor born of tension and fear. But Ulrike, who had directly provided the information, knew that the woman had borrowed a portion of the flame Ban Yumi had created.
Even if a flame created by Authority existed, it would typically be difficult to open if the person didn’t go there directly. However, for someone who had managed to deceive the eyes of both the Family Head and the Constellation in this deadly space, such a minor obstacle would prove no issue.
“No, wait. This is... what?!”
“—Gaaahhh?!”
See? Just as she’d thought.
Not even a minute after the information had been imparted, hadn’t the symbol of the contract already been destroyed?
The Family Head’s flame, which had seemed capable of incinerating the entire world, dwindled to less than half its power, and the Constellation was in such agony that it struggled to even maintain its avatar.
Conversely, other direct and collateral Prominence members with weaker Authority suffered less, but....
Ulrike, possessing powerful Authority as a sub-Family Head, could not escape the agony.
“Heh, haha....”
But now, even this pain was a welcome sensation.
Thus, she too had become a betrayer.
Since the Family Head had been prepared to dispose of her if things went awry, he would never be able to blame her, even if the truth stung.
‘Ah. If this happens, *he* will surely....’
The woman, who had gone mad over one man and sold out her father and entire family, shed a few tears—whether from pain, ecstasy, or guilt, she could not tell—and closed her eyes.
It was the completion of a world where all had been betrayed.
Comments