I got into school for nothing-345
I got into school for nothing (345)
Lesson 68. Those Who Desire the True Dragon's Revival - 1
“What business do you have with our Yuwon?”
Ban Yumi growled, holding her blazing longsword pointed at the man called the Sword King of Clarent.
The Sword King snorted, mocking her.
“Did you not even know what kind of person you dragged into this game? Blinded by a man, you embrace a blade that will pierce your own belly, a truly laughable sight. Not that I ever expected much from such a naive, young brat.”
“Honestly, these bastards never know how to answer properly when you ask them something.”
Clio Hecate, the judge, declared the start.
The Sword King dashed forward, flashing his sword brilliantly in every direction, weaving countless trajectories.
Honestly, if you watched him from the side without understanding what he was doing, he just looked like a madman wildly swinging his sword in the air.
Against that, Ban Yumi simply brought her sword down.
A crimson Aura streaked, drawing a line connecting the ceiling and the floor—and with that alone, all the sword strikes lingering in the air were torn to shreds.
“?!”
“What I originally received from Yuwon is too precious, so I tend to save it without properly unwrapping it.”
Seeing the Sword King, dumbfounded by Ban Yumi’s divine might which utterly negated the Clarent family's Authority, freeze in place for a moment, she let out a chuckle and pointed her sword tip at him as if fencing.
Realizing that he was no match for her, the Sword King, intuiting that the sword tip aimed at him would never miss its mark—perhaps she wasn't merely skilled at swinging her sword quickly—gritted his teeth.
A crimson flame, reaching a depth of four thousand, formed a scarlet blade and softly settled upon its edge.
“It felt too unfair not to try using such magnificent flames after receiving them, so I practiced a bit.”
Ban Yumi was the greatest talent ever born from the Prominence family's sword branch, and at the same time, a mutant who inherited the very essence of the fire branch: the Unquenchable Flame.
While the Prominence family was originally renowned for both sword and flame, their true power could only be attained when the two forces harmonized. This was the result of her incessant efforts over the past two years to master the crimson flame, whose profound depth had been excessively bestowed upon her.
An achievement that in no way disgraced the name of Prominence—a feat that even lightly surpassed the former family head.
The moment Ban Yumi elegantly sprang her waist, the sword shot out swiftly.
“Ugh—!”
No matter how overwhelming the opponent, a spiritless defeat would disgrace the Clarent family.
Moreover, if they lost this time, it would be 2-2. While it was inconceivable that the Family Head would be defeated by that brat, how could he dare to pass even the slightest burden onto the Family Head?
The Clarent family's Authority, which materialized sword trajectories, had a final form: to summon the trajectories of swords swung in the past, beyond the present moment.
Naturally, due to the immense energy consumption, using it once required several months of recovery, and beyond that, it was not a technique suitable for such a sparring match—yet for a man who had to uphold the overly grand name of Sword King, there was no other choice.
“Ha?!”
Feeling countless sword trajectories imbued with chilling magic unleash, Ban Yumi scoffed in disbelief.
An attack clearly aiming for her life.
The Clarent family had supposedly lived peacefully, training their swordsmanship without conflicts with other families. Who would have thought they'd be such reckless psychos?
‘I’ll let them live for now, but if they truly try anything against Yuwon—’
Then, the Ten Great Families and everything else, she would burn them all down.
Ban Yumi thrust her sword directly at him.
Hundreds of thousands of trajectories tried to slash Ban Yumi to pieces. Yet, those that met her head-on were utterly incinerated and torn apart, while sword strikes descending from above, rising from below, and even attacking from behind were ground away by a shield of flames that flared up as if to protect her.
Leaving aside their respective martial prowess, it was already clear who had mastered their family's Authority more profoundly.
—CRUNCH
“Ugh?!”
“Be grateful that this is where it ends.”
The sword, which unhesitatingly pierced the Sword King's right shoulder, made a sound like a beast tearing something apart, cleanly incinerating his entire right arm.
After swinging the blazing sword in the air to shake off the flames and sheathing it, she raised her head, exuding a menacing aura.
“Judge, the opponent used a technique that was too powerful, so I had to over-attack to defend against it. Will it be acknowledged?”
“Clarent was the first to attempt a life-threatening move. Therefore, the legitimacy and victory of this match are acknowledged. The current score for this friendly match is 2-2.”
Clio declared firmly.
Had the new Prominence Family Head appeared even slightly laughable, or had the Sword King concealed his killing intent a little more subtly, or had the judge's Authority been even slightly lower, several families, including Clarent, would have raised objections.
However, despite her extremely young age, Ban Yumi proved with her entire being why she had become the Prominence Family Head. The secret technique employed by the Sword King was potent enough to cause a terrible catastrophe if Ban Yumi had not dealt with it appropriately, and Clio Hecate, as the judge, held an Authority so firm it could threaten the main Hecate family itself if provoked.
“......”
Therefore, even after witnessing his family's foremost warrior lose his right arm before his eyes and retreat like a defeated dog, the Clarent Family Head had no choice but to remain silent.
He had been the one to provoke Prominence first, so it was only fair that he received such a thorough repayment. However, if things continued like this, it would be impossible to even present it as a friendly match.
Of course—he had never intended for it to end that way from the start, either.
‘She’s much stronger than I thought. I expected her to be cut in half.’
The Clarent Family Head scrutinized Ban Yumi with a solemn expression.
To be frank, he wasn’t even sure he could defeat her himself.
How could this be? No matter how immense her innate Authority, she should have needed time to cultivate it. How?
Even as he thought this, he already knew the answer.
‘That bitch, forgetting the time when several families stood together, cunningly returned to the embrace of her young master.’
Unaware of the complex relationship between Ban Yumi and Ban Yuwon, he merely denounced Ban Yumi as a vulgar being, gritting his teeth.
It was, perhaps, fortunate that things had escalated this much.
If he had tried to resolve this with only the Clarent family's power, they might have instead been engulfed in sparks and burned to ashes.
The Family Head cast a meaningful gaze at the few who shared his intentions, then rose from his seat.
“Then, at last, the next match is the final one! It’s the battle between Master Ban Yuwon, a member of the Prominence collateral branch, fiancé to the Fairy Princess, holder of the Union Academy Student Council President position, the great pioneer who broke the record for Tower of Babel exploration, owner of UnionTube’s top channel, and the most handsome man in the world—and the Clarent Family Head!”
With a lavish introductory speech that instantly revealed how serious the host’s affections for the subject were.
Across from him, the handsome man leisurely rose to his feet.
In his early to mid-twenties, a mere brat too young to confront him head-on.
A man born in a hidden dimension known to none, who immediately after enrolling in Union Academy, ascended to become the center of all events unfolding in this universe—
He had grown at an impossibly rapid pace, wielded an alien Authority, earned the favor of the Union Chancellor who managed the Tower, and had, in time, become an absolute icon, possessing a fatal charm that drew everyone he met irrevocably to him.
‘There’s no mistake. Seeing him like this makes it even clearer. There’s no time to hesitate.’
What ultimately convinced him was confirming that the sole survivor of the annihilated Ten Great Family Juventa was clinging tightly to his side.
Juventa, who was never ‘on their side’ to begin with, had evidently failed to overcome the ancient loyalty etched into their genes.
And that terrifying influence, in an instant, could even crash down upon their own side.
‘I must kill him today, before it’s too late.’
The moment he raised his head, thinking such thoughts, he strangely realized that the man, Ban Yuwon’s eyes, were fixed precisely on him.
Perhaps looking at an opponent one is about to duel isn't so strange, but the Clarent Family Head’s heart sank at the gaze that met his just as he thought of killing Ban Yuwon.
‘No, that can’t be.’
Of course, given the circumstances, he must have realized that the Clarent family held hostility towards him—
Even the greatest Tower Lord couldn’t read the emotions and thoughts of other beings, could he?
He must have perfectly concealed his killing intent; nothing could go wrong.
Watching the Family Head think this, Ban Yuwon mused.
‘Looks like things are going to get much more dramatic than I expected.’
No, Clio wasn’t exaggerating after all?
He had believed they wouldn’t cause a massive scandal in front of everyone, but either this Clarent family was truly reckless and just went for it, or—
Or it meant his very existence was that threatening to them.
“Yuwon.”
Yumina clasped his hand.
Contrary to someone's mistaken belief, her touch held not loyalty, but tender affection.
“We don’t know what tricks they might pull. If I see anything suspicious, I’ll intervene immediately, but still, if push comes to shove...”
“I know, Noona. But it’ll be fine.”
Clio was watching the battle from close by.
Three of the Ten Great Families were allies of Ban Yuwon.
Furthermore, gazes had been falling on them from an entirely unexpected quarter since a while ago...
“Noona, are you perhaps related to the Selene family?”
The Selene family, along with Hecate, was a Ten Great Family renowned for its sorcery and magic.
At first, he thought they were sending glances out of surprise at Clio Hecate's presence, but that wasn't it.
From the very beginning, they had been observing Yumina with gazes that held not hostility, but rather, if he had to describe it, curiosity, hesitation, and even goodwill.
“I told you my nickname, didn’t I?”
“I was completely fooled for three years, but now I know.”
Cellon.
It was a nickname that only those close to her in childhood were allowed to use.
Yumina said it was a name given by the Chancellor, so if Cellon was her real name, that wasn't it.
It was just a nickname used with familiarity and affection.
“The reason only a limited number of people knew my nickname was because it was connected to my secret. ‘Cellon’ means ‘daughter of Selene.’ So, you could say I also inherited the bloodline of Selene.”
Indeed, a "one plus one," as it were.
Ban Yuwon nodded, even as he entertained a slightly rude thought.
“Can we bring them over to our side as allies?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never contacted them since I came to Union. The Selene family has never even admitted kin to Union Academy.”
Indeed, then it made sense that she hadn’t mentioned it beforehand.
She herself hadn’t been certain.
While he wished to discuss the Selene family a little more, he knew he'd draw glares if he didn't descend soon, so Ban Yuwon nodded, then released her hand.
“At least they won’t be enemies right away. That alone is a relief. Thank you, Noona.”
“I wonder if my presence will be of help. If so, that would be a relief...”
With a complex expression, Yumina kissed Ban Yuwon’s cheek as he prepared to descend for the match, clearly demonstrating their relationship to the Selene family while also wishing him victory.
Seeing this, others who had been watching from the side rushed over, crying, “Me too, me too!” As his face became covered in kiss marks, Anneri, hosting the event, complained loudly.
“Before you go down to the arena, please come over here once, Master Yuwon!”
“Why does it always turn out like this when I decide to get serious?”
—Death’s Pupil, feeling upset, nonetheless whispers encouragement.
Ban Yuwon sighed and ran a hand through his hair, narrowing his eyes as he saw the message pop up before him.
She’s upset, why? Isn’t it obvious?
Just by receiving her feelings, he felt as if he had received a kiss from her as well.
Power surged within him.
At this moment, he felt like he could even defeat the Chancellor.
“You seem quite at ease.”
But the moment he stepped into the arena, facing the Clarent Family Head’s steady gaze, he couldn’t help but scoff.
“Because I’ve seen that Authority a lot.”
Clarent, the blade of patricide that stabbed its own father.
Against it, he deliberated which of his two swords to draw, finally choosing Myeol-yeom.
Though excessively powerful, it contained his own flames, making it easy to express his Prominence identity, and in a pinch, it was also easy to unleash the power of his contracted Constellation.
Requiem, on the other hand, needed to be saved for a special moment.
“A very... magnificent sword. How about we wager our swords on this match?”
“You should at least bring something of comparable standard. That’s too much of a thug’s deal.”
“What, a thug? How dare you, in front of Clarent!”
“Well, I’ll accept it out of goodwill, anyway. I’m going to win regardless.”
The sword his opponent wielded was not something to be easily dismissed.
It appeared to symbolize the family, bearing the cross emblem of Clarent. Furthermore, from it emanated the concept of the Authority wielded by those of the Clarent family.
Perhaps that very sword was the foundation of their family, or rather, Clarent itself as a sword, even before it was a family.
“That’s a provocation I cannot simply overlook. Draw your sword.”
“......”
Ban Yuwon, his expression turning serious, said no more and drew his sword.
There was no reason to speak further, as he already understood his opponent’s intentions.
Moreover, the more he faced the sword, the more he felt something tickling within him.
A feeling that he shouldn’t just let this moment pass.
Ban Yuwon tilted his head, yet his gaze fell upon Clio Hecate, the judge.
She nodded once, then, with an expression of readiness to intervene immediately if the Clarent Family Head tried anything suspicious, declared the start of the match.
—CLANG—!
And in that single moment, when Ban Yuwon’s Myeol-yeom and the Family Head’s sword, Clarent, clashed, he realized.
Ah, this sword was personally crafted by the Ancestor.
—And at the same instant.
An immense wave of realization.
A shock that completely awakened his Authority washed over him.
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