I got into school for nothing-334
I got into school for nothing (334)
Lesson 65. Creation - 4
It was Thursday afternoon, and with the first Tower of Babel entry of the year just around the corner, the entire academy was in an excited flutter.
Ban Yuwon was meeting Ulrike Prominence, a student from Union Academy’s graduating class — the fifth year — at a cafe located in the academy’s annex, as if to flaunt the fact that he was half-affiliated with the Prominence Family.
Now, it was such a common sight that other students around them accepted it as natural, but the first time the two of them were seen together like this, the intranet had nearly exploded.
“The Family Head keeps whining about when Sir Yuwon will finally come to Prominence. After all, he skipped the last vacation too, so the Family Head must be burning with impatience by now.”
Ulrike Prominence, who had just elegantly set down her teacup, then spoke with a rather vulgar tone, causing Ban Yuwon, sitting opposite her, to snort.
“Still, you’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with my sister, Ulrike.”
“That’s because I’m not saying it to her face. If I can’t even speak comfortably when she’s not around, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. Ah, this must be the sorrow of the subjugated class, wouldn’t you say?”
Having lived her entire life commanding others, and now becoming a vassal who must loyally rush to the Family Head’s bidding, it was only natural that she’d be tired. However, the Rebellion members weren’t the only ones who had changed over the past two years; she, too, had learned to adopt a rather playful and cunning demeanor.
Perhaps the fact that she could meet Ban Yuwon periodically was what revitalized her.
“These days, the old fogeys keep bothering her about marriage prospects, and she gets annoyed, so she takes it out on me for no reason. She keeps saying she should have just killed them all two years ago.”
“Why is my sister always so... like herself...?”
To say such a thing in front of Ulrike, who had lost her entire family two years ago, Ban Yuwon wondered if his sister had no human emotions.
Though it was Ban Yuwon himself who had activated the oath for Ulrike, binding her to Ban Yumi, he had no right to criticize his sister.
“Aside from that, both the family and the merchant guild are running smoothly. As for any peculiarities...”
“Peculiarities?”
“Recently, we’ve had some friction with one of the Ten Great Families.”
At her words, which naturally piqued his interest, Ban Yuwon leaned forward.
Ulrike, who two years ago would have recoiled in alarm and blushed, now chuckled softly and brought her lips to his ear to speak.
“Among the families renowned across various dimensions, there are a few famous for their swordsmanship. Not from dimensions like Murim, but families who have developed their own unique sword arts, elevating them to the realm of distinct Authorities.”
“Swords, huh.”
“As you well know, Prominence was also one of them. Though we forcibly tried to erase that history for decades, it never truly disappeared, and with the current Family Head, it has openly revived, with many within the family once again training in swordsmanship.”
And in the swordsmanship of Ban Yumi, who would become the protagonist of the new generation, there would likely be a significant stake from both Ban Yuwon and Dokgo Yeon....
Thinking that Dokgo Yeon’s influence might be fused into a swordsmanship style that could, in the distant future, become Prominence’s mainstream sword art, Ban Yuwon felt a peculiar sensation.
“So, the conflict with another of the Ten Great Families is because of that? Because my sister has risen again with the sword?”
“At least outwardly, that’s the stance they’re taking. They are the Clarent family, the most renowned for swordsmanship among the Ten Great Families.”
“Clarent.”
“Did you know of them?”
“The name, yes. But hearing it again now...”
Clarent was a sword that appeared in the legend of King Arthur, used by King Arthur’s son, Mordred, to kill his own father... Yes, it was a sword symbolizing the parricide of a coward.
Naturally, with all myths erased from Earth now, there was no way to encounter the legend of King Arthur, and aliens outside of Earth wouldn’t even know of its existence in the first place.
It couldn’t be a coincidence.
There was absolutely no way.
‘As expected, the Ten Great Families... if not all of them, then most of them are.’
As Ban Yuwon closed his eyes tightly and sank into thought, Ulrike rested her chin on her arm, which was on the table, and quietly gazed at his face.
The pleasure of watching the man’s face, which grew more mature and charming with each passing year, changing handsomely day by day, from up close.
She had learned to find happiness in small things.
Although there were times when her desires overflowed and caused trouble, she had also learned the knack of resolving them without letting them get out of hand.
Slowly but surely, even if a little late, she was growing into an adult.
By the time Ban Yuwon opened his eyes again, she had already straightened her posture and was covering her mouth with an open fan.
“Shall I continue?”
“Please do.”
“They suggested we pick a representative and hold a duel. As a friendly competition.”
“What are they, some kind of martial sect? Or have they always been rivals with Prominence for the title of the strongest swordsman?”
“That is true, but for a colossal group like the Ten Great Families, there’s no history of acting so rashly in this manner.”
Ulrike, who had successfully managed her expression, snapped her fan shut.
A lingering trace of happiness still touched the corner of her lips, but Ban Yuwon pretended not to notice.
“There’s another scheme at play. Our intelligence department discussed three main possibilities. First, they might be trying to gauge the true strength of Lady Yumi, the new head of the Prominence Family. Although she has used her martial power a few times, many still view it with skepticism, wondering if it would actually work against other Ten Great Families.”
“To confirm if it works, they’d have no choice but to wage an all-out war. Ha, so that’s why a duel.”
“Second, their interest in our merchant guild’s core products, which have recently entered the market equipped with features that could boldly be called revolutionary. They might propose a business deal, or depending on the location of the friendly competition, they might attempt something even more audacious.”
That would be a laughable endeavor.
All the items sold by the Prominence merchant guild were developed by Mira, Ban Yuwon, and Professor Campanella, and while patents had been filed, in truth, even without patents, others wouldn’t dare to try and replicate them.
Even if he were to kindly explain and disassemble them, they would absolutely never be able to copy them.
“And the last possibility is their interest in Sir Yuwon.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes. They specifically requested Sir Yuwon’s attendance.”
“......”
He didn’t ask why.
Because there were a few reasons that came to mind why those belonging to the Ten Great Families might be interested in Ban Yuwon.
“The fact that Sir Yuwon is a member of the Prominence Family is already well-known among the Ten Great Families. Furthermore, he primarily displays swordsmanship on the Rebellion channel, so their request for Sir Yuwon’s attendance isn’t strange. That is, if their objective is purely a swordsmanship duel.”
“Very suspicious.”
“It reeks of suspicion, doesn’t it? What’s more, they sent a substantial amount in gifts, explicitly stating they’d really like to see a duel happen.”
Ulrike said that, adding, “It was an amount that even I, who grew up as the family’s precious jewel, was surprised by.”
At this point, it would be stranger to believe that they had no ulterior motives.
And one annoying point was that to outright refuse such an openly suspicious offer would be tantamount to tarnishing the family’s name.
“The old folks... My apologies, that’s just the Family Head’s way of speaking. The elders are strongly insisting that we must never refuse. Even if they have hidden motives, they say we must face it head-on to uphold the name of a Ten Great Family.”
“I suppose so.”
“The Family Head isn’t one to shy away from such provocations normally... but unfortunately, this time, Sir Yuwon’s safety, which the Family Head is so deeply concerned about, is at stake.”
“I’m fine. In fact, it’s a good thing.”
“Oh my.”
When he replied readily to Ulrike, who was watching his reaction, her eyes changed.
“A good thing, you say.”
“I was already thinking I should meet people from the other Ten Great Families in a public setting. Let me know when the schedule is set, and I’ll talk to the Chancellor to have it formally recognized as a special activity.”
“How splendid.”
“And while we’re at it, why don’t we make it a grander affair? S-rank dimensions... don’t have terminals, so we’ll charter an A-rank dimension terminal. And then invite all the Ten Great Families.”
Ulrike let out a chuckle and shook her head.
“Such a gathering hasn’t happened in hundreds of years. Do you think it’s possible? ...Are you really going to do it?”
“For now, I’m confident I can bring in Melodia and Ortima.”
“Ortima?! How could you get Ortima!”
Ban Yuwon grinned, keeping his words to himself.
Ulrike, at a loss for words, suddenly remembered that the new heir of Ortima who had enrolled this year was a woman, and nodded in understanding.
If it was Ortima’s precious jewel, raised dotingly within the family like herself, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have fallen for Ban Yuwon the moment they met.
“No... I’m not some rake, am I?”
“Oh, did that slip out? I apologize, Sir Yuwon. It’s just that, well, the results are always the same, so...”
Despite his protest, Ulrike merely smiled with her eyes, speaking slyly.
Although the meaning was slightly different, if one only looked at the outcome, it wasn’t so different, so Ban Yuwon could only put on an aggrieved expression, unable to say anything more.
“Sigh. Anyway, tell Prominence well. My sister would probably welcome stirring up trouble.”
“She would, wouldn’t she? Understood, I’ll convey that clearly.”
Even after finishing her business, Ulrike didn’t get up. She hesitated for a moment, then hesitantly opened her mouth to speak.
“Um, this weekend... do you happen to have any plans...?”
“Ah.”
Ban Yuwon thought for a moment, then replied with a small laugh.
“If it’s about six hours after I leave the Tower on Sunday, until midnight.”
“Six hours! Ah, I understand. First, a restaurant, no, an accommodation... Sunday! See you on Sunday!”
To plan a perfect date, Ulrike sprang to her feet, bowed her head towards him, and clicked-clacked her way out of the cafe with hasty steps.
As Ban Yuwon chuckled, watching her retreating figure, a black mist gathered before his eyes.
―Death’s Pupil seriously expresses concern, asking if your body can even keep up.
‘It’s fine. Even on days I don’t enter the Tower, I make sure to regularly eat Candy of Life...’
―Death’s Pupil sighs, saying that you need to recover your body as soon as possible so you can rein in those vixen-like women.
Ban Yuwon was merely pleased by the outpouring of interest and concern from the Constellation with whom he had a contract.
Of course, it might have been her way of indirectly expressing jealousy and reproach, but even that was delightful.
‘Good, it’s going smoothly.’
He had been so quiet for the past two years that he’d even wondered if the other Ten Great Families simply didn’t care what he did, but now, something was finally starting to move properly.
Ban Yuwon clenched his fist tightly.
He closed and opened his eyes, steeling his resolve.
Within his golden eyes, a white cross appeared and then vanished.
***
The next day, Friday morning — or rather, early dawn — when the first Tower of Babel exploration of the year was to take place.
Ban Yuwon and his party, now considered upperclassmen, had to wake up early and enter the Tower without even a moment for breakfast.
When he checked how the seniors managed, some said they went to bed very early the night before and woke at dawn to eat, while others simply had a quick soup. None of these appealed to Ban Yuwon, so he came up with the revolutionary method of “eating inside the Tower.”
The problem with this method was that, since they usually dropped right into the middle of a monster-infested room, Ban Yuwon, who had never even been to the military, had to resort to the intense method of combat eating.
Ban Yuwon elevated this into one of the Rebellion channel’s content themes, to the point where there were now edited videos consisting solely of him and his members eating meals during combat.
“That’s because Yuwon is so relaxed even after entering over 500 rooms. We’re always dying.”
Among the seniors who remained at the academy without graduating, Kshana, the fifth-year top student and arguably the strongest, grumbled.
Having finally defeated Ulrike last year to claim the top spot in her grade, she had developed her Authority of sound manipulation day by day, becoming an overwhelmingly powerful individual recognized by everyone.
For the juniors in the Union Journey Club, even more than the already impressive fourth-year seniors, there were more who admired Kshana, who, despite initially having a low evaluation, now proudly stood among the academy’s strongest.
After she gained the ability to record video in the Tower, her own independently opened channel had also gained considerable popularity.
“You’re doing great too, Senior.”
“Oh, please don’t smile like that, it makes my heart pound. Well, we’re off then?”
Kshana waved her hand dismissively, distancing herself from him, then smiled brightly, turned, and entered the Tower with her team members.
Ban Yuwon gazed intently at her retreating figure and thought.
At this point in time, the easiest person for the Tower to target as a Constellation was undoubtedly Kshana.
Unique and powerful Authority, solid skill, but a relatively lacking family and background.
Even if she went missing, who would even care?
‘I would.’
That’s why Ban Yuwon, ever since he learned about the birth of Constellations, had been continuously researching countermeasures, and had already distributed them to key individuals, including her.
If the Tower truly targeted Kshana, and then lost her, how would it react?
What would the Chancellor do?
“Yuwon, it’s our turn.”
“We can eat leisurely today. Since it’s room 560.”
“Aire, you can’t just guzzle Blood Wine again like last time, get drunk, and cause a ruckus. Absolutely not.”
“Kuk.”
The Rebellion members came to call him.
Aire, who had been flustered by Rucell’s words, brightened when she saw Ban Yuwon, and extended her hand to him.
“Let’s go, Yuwon.”
―Death’s Pupil wears a complicated expression.
Ban Yuwon smiled wryly, and took Aire’s hand.
Internally, he murmured for Dokgo Yeon to understand.
“Room 560, you said?”
“In effect, you’ve reached room 561. I heard the previous highest record was room 561.”
“An unbelievable pace. It’s like writing a new history for Union Academy.”
“Perhaps... truly, they might conquer the Tower of Babel.”
As always when Rebellion entered the Tower, they calmly accepted the gazes pouring in from all directions.
They entered the Tower.
The fact that it was the day when irregular phenomena were most likely to occur in a year was something they realized a little later.
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