I got into school for nothing - Chapter 329
I got into school for nothing (329)
Lesson 64. Freshmen - 4
The pain of a first heartbreak was akin to death.
Now a fourth-year, Lusein Ortima felt no emotion as he completely lost his standing within the family and was relegated to the status of a loser.
He had lost something more important than his family, more important than himself.
When he first met her, he never imagined her presence would grow so vast—but regretting it now was utterly meaningless.
He should have protected her....
Instead of wandering around doing useless things, he should have stayed by her side.
She might have disliked it, but for her safety, he should have done so.
He repeated these delusional thoughts, thoughts that were utterly meaningless to ponder now, secluded in his private space.
Even amidst this, his grades remained at the top, and his Authority, distorted and tainted by despair and fury, sharpened to an extreme while growing in power.
But this was merely the desperate struggle of his Ortima pride, desperately trying to preserve a minimum of status and honor; his own will, however, crawled along the bottom.
—Knock, knock
—Brother Lusein, are you there? It's Luisha. Can we just talk for a moment?
The visit from his younger cousin, who had followed him since childhood, briefly jolted him back to his senses, but he ignored it, reminded that she was now the current heir of Ortima.
—Knock, knock
—Brother, just for a moment...!
Contact with him wouldn't be good for her, either.
Whatever her purpose in seeking him out, it was irrelevant to him.
Thinking this, he idly turned his gaze toward the window—.
Dokgo Yeon was there.
“?!”
Startled, he sprang to his feet.
Under the pale moonlight, Dokgo Yeon, clad only in black martial robes, was gracefully leaping through the air, treading on nothingness.
Her hair, dyed an even more beautiful silver by the moonlight, briefly adorned the sky, captivating his gaze.
He felt his chest churn at the sight of her face, which he hadn’t seen in so long—but knowing it was by no means Dokgo Yeon, he grew even angrier.
“Is that Ban Yuwon?”
—Huh?! Brother, did you just say Ban Yuwon? That's right, Ban Yuwon! He came into the lecture I'm taking, so I'll tell you all about it. Please open the door!
Perhaps Ban Yuwon was calling out to him.
That insolent commoner.
No, looking at how Union had been operating recently, it seemed the wretch possessed a formidable backer befitting his innate Authority—still.
Still, he was no Ortima, and furthermore, he was born on a trivial planet devoid of even mana.
Inferior blood could not be hidden.
Hadn't that already been proven two years ago?
Dokgo Yeon had died because that wretch, ignorant of his place, ran rampant.
He could never forgive the wretch who, having been saved by her sacrifice, shamelessly walked around with his head held high.
“If you wish to disgrace me so much—very well.”
Click, he opened the window.
Without needing to be spoken, the immense mana that protected him accepted his will, becoming a foothold and lifting his body into the air.
“I shall play along.”
—Brother? Brother?
Luisha must have felt Lusein Ortima's aura exiting the room. She gasped, activated her Authority, and forcibly opened the door to rush inside.
“Brother Lusein!”
However, in the pristine—almost desolate—room, reflecting its owner's disposition, not a speck of dust could be found, nor its owner.
Luisha, looking around the room, spotted Lusein's form soaring through the wide-open window just in time. She gasped and leaped out herself.
“Even if you didn’t want to talk to me, how could you run away like that!”
Lusein, on the other hand, had already forgotten about Luisha and pursued the shadow of Dokgo Yeon, who was traversing the air.
His destination was the flower garden of Union Academy.
This garden, meticulously maintained by Yumina to be in full bloom all year round, was usually bustling with students enjoying their leisure, but now, as evening approached, it was strangely deserted.
“...A virtual barrier, then.”
Lusein quickly grasped its nature and let out a hollow laugh.
This Union Academy was a place where even most magical tools struggled to function properly.
Yet, to boldly create a virtual barrier in this flower garden, right under the Chancellor’s nose?
It was something even the renowned mage Zenon would never have dared to dream of.
“I know what you're thinking right now, but it's not purely my power.”
Indeed, it was Ban Yuwon, not Dokgo Yeon, who awaited Lusein inside.
Of course, he had expected it from the start—but why?
Why did this rage surge the moment he saw Ban Yuwon's calm face?
“I borrowed the power of my familiar. Anyway, rest assured. No one can see this place, and no one can interfere.”
“Did the name Ortima seem so laughable to you? Did you think my power would vanish just because I am no longer the heir?”
Lusein's expression turned ferocious. He slashed his fingers, curved like a beast’s claws, through the air. Destructive mana surged along their trajectory, seeking out weaknesses in the virtual barrier.
However, it lost power midway and vanished.
“I said, no one can interfere.”
“...”
Even if Dokgo Yeon, not Lusein, were here right now, wouldn't she be angry?
At this point, it seemed his anger would only be sated if he heard Ban Yuwon utter words of surrender.
Lusein prepared to fully activate his Authority.
Ultimately, his Authority was strongest when he spoke his will directly.
If that wretch had something to say to him, it should not have been in this form.
An apology should come first, and then he should have come to him directly, bowing his head and pleading—.
“Alright, if you want to vent your anger so badly, I'll humor you for a bit. But Ortima,”
Ban Yuwon watched Lusein's aura surge and coldly rebuked him.
“If you don't learn to know your place soon, you're really 'not going to graduate.'”
“[Kneel]—!”
“[Treat others as you would like to be treated.]”
Authority clashed directly with Authority.
The victor was quickly revealed.
Golden characters woven by Ban Yuwon filled the entire area, and soon, Lusein’s own Codeword was dyed golden and returned to its owner.
“Guhhh—.”
“It's called the Golden Rule. My grandpa used to tell me that a lot when I was little.”
Lusein felt an irresistible pressure crushing his shoulders—he tried to scream in shock but failed—and finally, he sank to his knees, utterly powerless.
“Isn’t it cool, that mindset of accepting good things from the Bible even if you hate it? I really respect that about my grandpa.”
“Ughhh...!”
“Relax. If you try to resist, you'll see something you won't like.”
“You...!”
“What happened to you, Lusein Ortima?”
If God existed, he should not stand idly by while this damned brat spouted such nonsense.
He should strike him down with lightning immediately, burning his brain and tearing apart his arrogant face, forcing him to realize his shamelessness and repent.
This bastard, who ran wild like a thunder-struck fledgling, ultimately causing Dokgo Yeon's death, and who then dared to mock him using Dokgo Yeon’s image—!
He should not be standing above him like that, looking down with an expression of pity!
“You must hate me, find me annoying and disgusting. But try to think about it from the other side.”
“You—!”
“From the first time you saw me, you called me a commoner and tried to stomp on me, ignored my personhood, and tried to treat a woman as your personal possession.”
Ban Yuwon shrugged his shoulders.
The contempt that briefly flashed in his eyes made Lusein Ortima remember something.
It was the expression Dokgo Yeon used to wear.
An expression he had desperately tried to forget, tried to dismiss as nonexistent.
It was the exact same expression Ban Yuwon wore now.
“Then, at some point, you packaged your feelings as pure devotion, disregarded her will, and pushed yourself on her—then you recklessly self-destructed, became frustrated, and got angry. If you, who had nothing to do with what happened between us, are groveling on the floor like this, what am I supposed to think of you?”
“I cannot... accept it.”
“Will you accept it when Dokgo Yeon tells you directly that she dislikes you, that you're annoying?”
“How dare you speak of her life and death!”
Ban Yuwon chuckled at that remark.
It was amusing that Lusein was still not listening to a word he said.
In truth, Dokgo Yeon had definitively rejected Lusein Ortima over two years ago, but even then, Lusein Ortima had not retreated.
It was almost reassuring to see him editing his memories to his liking, still pursuing the epitome of arrogance and selfishness.
“Yeon isn't dead.”
But for now, the wretch acting this way was.
It was advantageous for Ban Yuwon.
“You commoner...”
Naturally, Lusein glared fiercely.
Ultimately, to somehow dispel Ban Yuwon's Codeword and rise to his feet—it seemed his experience as the former heir of the Ortima Family hadn't vanished entirely.
“Are you trying to trick me again? I know that was your familiar just now.”
“Yes, our Eve has become quite famous. Since she finished her evolution, there are times I think she could just become a god.”
“I won't be fooled anymore!”
“Yeon isn't dead.”
Ban Yuwon reiterated, his voice firm, and checked the durability of the virtual barrier once more.
An unexpected fly had intruded, but it would only be a plus, not a minus, so it was fine.
He looked up at the sky for a moment, wondering what the Chancellor might be thinking, then chuckled idly and said,
“Do you know the truth about Constellations?”
“The truth about Constellations?”
Lusein Ortima frowned.
Normally, with his personality, he would have attacked Ban Yuwon long ago and torn his face in half, but having just been overpowered in an Authority clash, and sensing a strange authority in Ban Yuwon’s voice, he dared not rebel.
“Didn't your family teach you about Constellations?”
“They are not as great as they appear. Do not be used by them, but use them. Avoid direct confrontation, but never forget that they too are bound somewhere, and exploit their openings.”
Lusein rattled off his family's teachings on Constellations as if they were the Ten Commandments.
Perhaps even a family as grand as Ortima didn't know the true secrets of the Tower, Ban Yuwon thought, narrowing his eyes—.
He tossed a student ID card in front of Lusein.
“...What is this?”
It didn’t take long for shock to register in Lusein’s eyes as he used his Authority to levitate and examine it.
A student ID card fundamentally recorded the year it was issued, the status of its owner, and their name.
Furthermore, a person from the Ortima family, possessing the Authority to control all things, would surely be able to read at least some memories and traces of the person who wore the ID card.
“This, you, surely... no, it's impossible. Impossible.”
He must have realized by now that it was the student ID card belonging to the Constellation, Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas.
Ban Yuwon reached out, retrieved the valuable evidence, and said,
“You know that the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas descended in his true form upon Prominence. Many still deny it, but the truth cannot be entirely hidden.”
“That's a lie. It can't be. It's impossible. If so, why would my family send me to Union? Even Luisha, who was newly appointed heir?”
“Because they want the Tower. They must have sent their heirs, even at the cost of their lives.”
“It’s a lie—!”
Lusein’s Authority ran wild, revealing blades of mana in every direction.
His Authority, evolved to be more suitable for combat, inherently carried aggression with murderous intent. It occurred to Ban Yuwon that it might be mimicking Dokgo Yeon’s aura.
Ban Yuwon flicked his fingers, parrying and suppressing each attack, and said in a resolute voice,
“Yeon is trapped in the Tower. As a Constellation.”
“What do you gain by trying to shake me now?!”
“I'm just stating the facts.”
“You, you! Ban Yuwon! The Tower's lackey, the Chancellor’s new puppet!”
“Listen to me.”
Every vacation, Ban Yuwon stayed in Murim, relentlessly driven and physically pushed to his limits by Cheonma. Ironically, the greatest improvement from this ordeal was his Authority itself, the power to engrave his will upon the world.
One could say it was a process of discovering the optimal procedure for the energy emanating from his body to communicate with the world and transform his intentions into reality.
Giwon Sword was no longer merely a martial art that read and reacted to flows, but one that changed flows and controlled them according to his will.
It was unfortunate, but already certain.
Lusein was no match for Ban Yuwon.
“Kugh...!”
Ban Yuwon approached Lusein Ortima, who was collapsing in frustration at this realization, and spoke.
Loud enough for the flying insect, who was surely spying on them from somewhere, to hear.
“If you want to talk directly to Yeon, let's save Yeon together. Let's tear down the Tower.”
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