I got into school for nothing-330
I got into school for nothing (330)
Lesson 64. Freshmen - 5
The Ten Great Families, closer to the title of 'Rulers of Dimensions' than anyone else.
Each overseeing an S-rank dimension, the ambition to dominate this entire vast universe constantly stirred within their hearts.
However, after several past conflicts, they reached the conclusion that such a path would lead not to domination, but to the mutual destruction of the great families. Thus, they eventually gathered and imposed restrictions upon each other, preventing anyone from running wild unchecked.
This restriction, which prevented the full forces of the Ten Great Families from deploying outside their dimensions unless certain conditions were met, though somewhat loosely defined due to various exceptions, nevertheless unequivocally reduced the potential for interdimensional conflicts from the moment it took effect.
Yes, until the Prominence Family's dimension invasion, spearheaded by the Crimson Spear, took place――.
“This is it.”
Late at night, in Lusein Ortima’s dormitory room.
The unwashed fatigue accumulated over the past two years remained as faint dark circles beneath his eyes, which, combined with his arrogant yet poignant demeanor, exuded an indescribable charm.
With a powerful family, impressive abilities, and a handsome face to boot, finding new love would be no trouble at all if he truly put his mind to it. Why then, Ban Yuwon couldn't quite understand, was Lusein so fixated on the woman who had so thoroughly rejected him――.
‘Well, it’s a good thing for Yeon and me.’
What he’d thought impossible had become reality.
Though it appeared to be nothing more than a small USB, it contained nothing less than the family’s classified secrets.
From the moment he handed it to Ban Yuwon, Lusein Ortima was, by necessity, forced onto Ban Yuwon’s side.
It was not without irony, considering he had once used his family’s power to try and kill Ban Yuwon and claim Dokgo Yeon for himself.
‘This guy is just settling the karma he accumulated back then. Thinking of it that way, I don’t feel so sorry for him anymore.’
In any case, for Ban Yuwon, who would now have to delve deeply into the Ten Great Families, having an erstwhile heir of one of those families as an ally held immense significance.
Ban Yuwon handed the cosmic-standard USB, shaped like a small, round ladybug, to Lilyth, who was by now perched on his shoulder.
[Oh, indeed. Moreover, this security method is something even I could learn from.]
“Ah, right. The method for unlocking the data is――”
[I’ve already unlocked it?]
Watching Lilyth innocently blink her eyes from her perch on Ban Yuwon’s shoulder, Lusein found himself speechless.
Right, even his familiars were, without exception, as exasperating as their master.
He sighed, then sat down and began to speak.
“As promised, I’ve handed over all the data I possess. Now, explain the full story. Starting with――that tale of a Union Academy student becoming a Constellation.”
“Uh―― wait a minute――.”
As the two men faced each other with serious expressions, the annoying gnat, Luisia Ortima, who, despite her annoyance, thought the scene quite picturesque, cried out, “Stop!”
She had been dragged here, apprehended just as the two men concluded their discussion in the garden and were about to move.
“It seems like a very serious discussion is underway, so I wonder if it wouldn’t be better for me to excuse myself now... Brother?”
“Luisia.”
“Yes, y-yes!”
Lusein’s serious gaze fixed on Luisia.
As Luisia responded, recalling the faint affection she'd held for her cousin as a child, he scoffed and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“From the moment you overheard this conversation, you have only two choices. Cooperate, or become an enemy.”
“I suppose so... That is the Ortima family’s way, after all...”
Luisia nodded, half-pouting but speaking as if she had expected this.
Watching her, Ban Yuwon mused that her true nature seemed to lean towards the slightly ditzy and cute side, yet he couldn't help but interject regarding her mention of the 'Ortima family's way'.
“What exactly is this Ortima family, anyway?”
“It is a family that aims to become the sole and absolute ruler of the entire universe.”
“Right, I figured as much...”
As Lusein’s answer, as if he’d been waiting for the question, popped out, Ban Yuwon, lost in thought, suddenly recalled two years ago.
When Lusein Ortima borrowed his family’s power, claiming he would confront Exodus, the Ortima family pretended to help him by feigning a massive conflict....
But that was a lie, and it ended up providing significant aid to Exodus, who, with their forces intact, deceived even Union Academy and assaulted the Tower of Babel.
That couldn’t have been a coincidence.
The Ortima family had openly collaborated with Exodus to set the stage.
There might have been a deal, but Ban Yuwon suspected their greed for the Tower of Babel was the greater motivator.
The sole and absolute ruler of the entire universe.
That would naturally follow if one obtained the Tower of Babel, capable of interfering with all dimensions and manipulating them as one wished.
“Your family? ...Are you saying they provided the initial catalyst for the Union Academy raid two years ago?”
“Circumstantially, yes. Otherwise, such exquisite coordination would be impossible. Exodus and my family had colluded beforehand.”
“Exodus, they are nothing but vermin picking up the scraps our family discards! Your words now make it sound like Exodus was the main act and our family merely cleaned up after them! How rude!”
“Who was in front and who was behind doesn’t matter. The point is, the two groups collaborated, targeting the Tower of Babel for some reason, and ultimately failed.”
“No... no.”
By this point, Lusein, too, began to see the full truth of what had happened two years ago.
Closing his eyes tightly, Lusein retraced the sequence of events, eventually arriving at a single conclusion.
“Zenon... the reason that man could escape Union Academy, evading the Chancellor’s watchful eye, was because some of the Constellations imprisoned in the Tower of Babel had been freed by Exodus. The Chancellor had no leeway, busy with repairing the Tower and dealing with Exodus. But if that’s the case, then my family...”
...it means they contributed to Dokgo Yeon’s death.
Of course, there were logical leaps here and there, and given that Zenon’s objective was, above all, Ban Yuwon’s death, directly linking the Ortima family to Dokgo Yeon’s death might have been a stretch, but....
Nevertheless, it was an undeniable fact that the Ortima family held a certain degree of responsibility for Dokgo Yeon’s demise.
“How dare they... deceive me, their heir...”
“Oh, Brother...”
Watching Lusein tremble with rage, Luisia fretted, unsure of what to do.
Fortunately, or rather, as expected, Ban Yuwon was satisfied to see that Luisia seemed to follow Lusein even more devotedly than she served her family.
Indeed, from the moment she, the new heir who had replaced Lusein, continued to call him 'Brother' and follow him around, it was clear she prioritized Lusein over the family.
His initial aim to win Lusein over was due to his individual abilities, but if he could also leverage Luisia as a bonus, then infiltrating the Ortima family’s core would no longer be a problem.
‘It might be tough for now... but there’s no rush. Her heart is weak, so all I need to do is ensure she can’t emotionally escape this situation.’
Hadn’t he suppressed the urge to overturn everything immediately and waited quietly for the past two years?
Until he had accumulated sufficient power, until the forces supporting him could gather their strength and rise.
His relationship with the Melodia family, who sponsored Aire, was still ambiguous, but thanks to Aire, he could at least rest assured they wouldn't attack him immediately.
The Prominence family, having fully recovered its strength and reorganized around an elite core over the past two years, could now speak with a strong voice among the other Ten Great Families.
The special admissions upperclassmen, who had become his absolute allies through a contract with Ban Yuwon, had joined the Rebel Force upon graduation, becoming his loyal fighting force.
The elite beast-kin of Rucell’s dimension, Jeda; Asha’s Dragon Fang Soldiers from her homeland, Camelot; Shatie’s private army, the Dark Magic Soldiers; the fairies of Fairytale, now bound to him by kinship; and finally, the Murim led by Cheonma.
If the Ortima family were added to this, wouldn’t it finally be time to openly make a move?
“Speak, Ban Yuwon. Everything you know.”
Lusein Ortima, who would serve as the catalyst, stared intently at Ban Yuwon, urging him on.
Luisia, seated beside him, felt an urge to cover her ears immediately, but a mixture of apology and affection for Lusein, combined with a reluctant but growing fondness and curiosity for Ban Yuwon, ultimately kept her rooted to her spot.
“It won’t be long. I already told you the gist of it earlier.”
Shrugging, Ban Yuwon recounted everything he had learned about the Tower of Babel since his enrollment at Union Academy.
Of course, he omitted any mention of being a descendant of the Tower’s creator, but he did mention that the Chancellor showed him preferential treatment and that he had grown enough to proceed with his plans while deceiving the Chancellor’s watchful eye.
“This was made possible because my familiar devoured Zenon’s orb. The Chancellor is probably overlooking that fact. Unfortunately for him.”
“Let’s discuss the possibilities. The Chancellor is an incomparably stronger being than Zenon. Do you truly believe you can kill him?”
“Well, if killing the Chancellor would resolve everything, I’d gladly challenge him... but it probably wouldn’t. Perhaps the Chancellor has even factored his own death into his plans for my growth.”
“Are you perhaps the Chancellor’s actual son?”
Lusein said, dumbfounded, watching Ban Yuwon casually speak of the Chancellor’s heavy affection as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ban Yuwon shrugged and continued.
“Anyway, what we need to do is something else. That clumsy assault on the Tower of Babel two years ago, we’re going to make it a proper success this time.”
“Exodus was barbaric, but their numbers were vast.”
“Their quality was low. While we might be overwhelmingly outnumbered, our quality is enough to utterly crush theirs.”
Without any exaggeration, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that nearly twenty percent of this universe’s elite forces were on Ban Yuwon’s side.
Just combining the Prominence family, one of the Ten Great Families, and the fairies of the A-1 Dimension, Fairytale, which rivaled S-rank dimensions, would amount to that much.
“Let’s put the Prominence family aside for a moment. Is there any guarantee that all the fairies will follow your will?”
“Mm―― well, if I told them I was stirring up some fun, wouldn’t they follow?”
He fumbled for words, unsure how to properly explain his relationship with Fairytale, when Luisia, who had been listening silently, suddenly cleared her throat with a ‘hrmph’ and asked a question.
“That... is the rumor true, that the Fairy Queen is trying to seduce you?”
“What? Luisia, it seems you’re mistaken. The Fairy Queen’s daughter is the woman who just became an adjunct professor. And that woman is engaged to him.”
“Well, that’s true, but...”
“Kyaaak!”
“...”
Luisia, unable to hide her maidenly instincts at the fragments of a tangled romance, cheered.
Lusein glared at Ban Yuwon as if he were trash, but Ban Yuwon, truly feeling wronged about the matter, boldly met his gaze.
Watching Ban Yuwon, Luisia felt a strange sensation.
A man coveted by both the Fairy Queen and her daughter simultaneously.
Furthermore, the new head of the Prominence family was said to be clinging to him.
And what about Aire of the Melodia family, presumed descendant of the great True Dragons?
Though it had been a short time, having conversed and acted alongside him, she too had felt his potent charm, and so she had no choice but to admit it.
The rumors about Ban Yuwon were not exaggerated in the slightest.
The most sought-after man in this entire universe was right before her eyes!
‘The only thing that bothers me is his lineage...’
But what did it matter?
If he mingled with the Ortima family, he would become equally noble anyway.
And if the blood of such a capable man and the Ortima family were to mix, how incredible would their descendants be――!
“Luisia...?”
“Yes? Yes, Brother!”
“...It’s nothing. Now, let’s get up.”
“No, not yet. We haven’t made an oath.”
“An oath...?”
Lusein and Luisia frowned.
Ban Yuwon grinned, then activated an oath that bound the two of them and himself together.
The oath, which had continuously evolved since he first activated it against Ulrike Prominence two years prior, now saw its penalties loosened and its benefits amplified, acquiring an effect that, on its own, rivaled a Constellation’s Authority.
Thank you, Woohyeolrin senior...!
After offering a silent prayer in his heart to Woohyeolrin, who had died for him, he opened his mouth to speak.
“As long as you keep this secret and cooperate with me, I will amplify your Authorities. As you might know, my Authority encompasses yours.”
Ban Yuwon grinned.
To Luisia, it looked like a devil’s smile.
“I guarantee that you’ll be able to grow incomparably more than the students taking the ‘Understanding Authority’ lectures.”
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