I got into school for nothing - 359
I got into school for nothing (359)
Lesson 70. No Intention of Giving a Gap - 5
Asha's ancestor was a True Dragon, and he was the one who betrayed the other True Dragons and sided with the Tower Lord.
There was no way to know why he betrayed the other True Dragons—but even Ban Yuwon himself would find it hard to disclose all the stories about those he was entangled with in complex relationships, so perhaps it was the same for him.
“You know, it was written in the ruins we visited last time that it was to save the humans suffering from the True Dragons' tyranny.”
‘Lilyth, do you believe that? Of course not, it's a blatant lie. There's no human in the world who acts purely out of good intentions. Everyone moves for their own desires and goals. If it was a True Dragon, that would have been especially true.’
“Master has lost faith in good nature.......”
At the time, the ruins on Galahad also contained phrases that seemed to hint at the existence of the Tower Lord.
The Tower Lord's enemy was the True Dragons, and that traitor also harbored hostility towards the True Dragons, so it was only natural for the two to join forces.
Otherwise, a distant descendant of the Tower Lord wouldn't have come all the way to Earth to help build a new Tower.
This proved that the second Tower was not merely a replica built to imitate the first, but had another significant purpose.
It also proved that the True Dragon who helped the Tower Lord still had something to gain from him.
“I was wondering if the Dragon-Slaying Sword might have been created by your Master's ancestor.”
‘Well, seeing as that sword reacts after coming from Earth, it definitely seems like our ancestor's ability was involved.’
“Then isn't the answer obvious? The owner of the Dragon-Slaying Sword wanted to kill all the True Dragons, and there are still True Dragons alive beneath the Tower.”
‘Ah?!’
Come to think of it, that was true.
Perhaps the reason the True Dragon who became a traitor passed down the Dragon-Slaying Sword to his descendants, and intended to awaken one day to seize a descendant's body, was precisely because there were still True Dragons left to kill.
The Tower Lord, who had used True Dragons as material for the Tower, most likely bound him with a promise that he would one day allow him to kill all True Dragons.
If so, when would the Tower Lord fulfill that promise?
It would be when the Tower had accomplished its purpose.
“Yuwon, I think I found it! Oh? Oooooh!”
Just as Ban Yuwon's thoughts crystallized, Asha, who had been waving her hand to call him, suddenly stopped and fussed as she felt the ground beneath her feet tremble.
As Asha, having found the spot where the True Dragon Sword's vibrations were particularly intense, drew upon her mana to stimulate the area, a violent tremor, like an earthquake, swept through the vicinity, and the ground around where Asha stood began to rise, revealing a secret that had been hidden within for thousands of years.
“......This is truly astounding.”
Grandfather Ban, witnessing his granddaughter-in-law unearth an ancestral legacy he had searched for months without success, gasped in disbelief and muttered with a sigh.
How could he have known the key would be stored externally?
“He must have considered the possibility that his descendants' intentions might differ from his own. That's why he entrusted the key to a True Dragon, whose resolve would never waver.”
—Though that True Dragon ended up being annihilated, having everything, including the key, snatched away by that foolish descendant.
And the Dragon-Slaying Sword was precisely that key.
The ironic part was that the Dragon-Slaying Sword had now been reborn as the True Dragon Sword through the descendant's ability.
Of course, far from being weakened, the sword's abilities were greatly enhanced, now capable of special attacks not just against True Dragons, but all transcendent beings.
Since the Dragon-Slaying Sword's properties undoubtedly remained within it, she might even become a hidden card that surpassed Ban Yuwon in confronting True Dragons.
The only reason he hadn't thought of that until now was, well.......
“Yuwon, I did well, didn’t I! Right?!”
As the colossal ziggurat, built in a tiered fashion, shed the sand that covered its body and rose upward, Ban Yuwon's thoughts came to a halt when he saw Asha, bouncing excitedly on its summit, pestering him for praise.
He had just had a rather disrespectful thought about her, but his conscience couldn't bear to insult her, even internally, after she had already achieved such a feat immediately upon arriving on Earth.
—She's just like a puppy, isn't she?
‘Yeon, reading people’s minds is a very bad habit.’
—You should reflect a little. You have a share in why she ended up like that.
As Ban Yuwon vaguely waved his hand at Asha and conversed with Dokgo Yeon, the other three were circling the now fully revealed, magnificent ziggurat, checking if there was an entrance anywhere.
The colossal structure, preserved without the slightest damage over thousands of years, made it clear why people in the past had called it a tower that challenged divine authority.
Ban Yuwon, who had already seen the Tower of Babel firsthand, was less impressed, but the others, especially Kang Miyeon, who had lived her entire life in Korea except for missions abroad, gaped as she gazed up at the ziggurat.
“Wow...... if this were registered as a cultural heritage site, it’d be huge, right?”
“That’s impossible. Though it would be nice if we could at least put a sign that says it belongs to the Ban family.”
“Ah, ahaha.......”
Grandfather Ban, who had steadfastly claimed even the formless Tower of Babel as family property, seemed to have no intention of giving up on this newly appeared ziggurat either.
However, if Ban Yuwon’s thoughts were correct, this ziggurat didn't seem likely to have a very good effect on Earth.
If he had to demolish it later, he’d just build grandpa a new tower or something.
“Hmm, it matches the characteristics of ziggurats described so far. There doesn't seem to be an entrance at the bottom.”
“Then we have no choice but to climb the stairs. ......There might be some magical significance, everyone be careful.”
The party headed towards the uppermost shrine where Asha was located, via the stairs ascending the tower.
However, as if Ban Yuwon’s prediction was accurate, Kang Miyeon and Kiira, despite their brave steps, were blocked by something akin to a barrier midway and bounced back.
“Ouch!”
“Tch, a barrier...... Is that it? Young Master, I’m bored, so hurry up, check it out, and come back!”
Indeed, if the ziggurat itself had been so thoroughly concealed, why wouldn't there be a barrier?
It seemed that no one could set foot on the ziggurat except Asha, the owner of the True Dragon Sword, and Grandfather Ban and Ban Yuwon, who were of the Tower Lord's bloodline.
“Alright. It’s unlikely, but please keep a sharp lookout in case anything approaches.”
“Leave it to me, Yuwon!”
The fact that it revealed itself in response to the True Dragon Sword, coupled with the presence of the barrier, confirmed that this was definitely beyond the scope of Earth's ancient relics.
Reflecting anew on the purpose for which this ziggurat was built, they reached the top floor, where Asha, already examining the shrine's entrance, waved and called to them.
“Come look, Grandfather! Yuwon, you too! There’s a slot to insert a sword!”
Grandfather Ban looked at her, smiled contentedly, and nodded.
“What a lively child she is.”
“There was a time when she was quite gloomy, but she recovered with a dramatic treatment method. ......Perhaps this is the rebound from that.”
Ban Yuwon, unwilling to delve deeply into Asha’s embarrassing past, vaguely glossed over it and quickened his steps.
Indeed, upon reaching the shrine's entrance, they confirmed that in the center of the tightly closed main gate, a crack wide enough for a sword blade to slip into was conspicuously exposed.
“Should we insert it?”
“Yes. ......No, wait. Let’s take a precautionary measure.”
Ban Yuwon momentarily took the True Dragon Sword from Asha and offered it to Eve, who suddenly swallowed it, then regurgitated it.
Naturally, she couldn’t twist the internal concepts in such a short time, but with Eve’s illusion magic, it was probably possible for the world to temporarily perceive this sword as the Dragon-Slaying Sword instead of the True Dragon Sword.
Asha, who had fully awakened her Dragon Factor, seemed to be affected by it as well, as she slightly frowned, but she gritted her teeth, accepted the sword, and gripped it.
“So, I’m putting it in now?”
“I’m ready, hurry and insert it.”
Asha plunged the sword in with all her might.
The sword, fitting precisely into the groove in the shrine, created complex mana reactions within, which Ban Yuwon perceived.
And then the True Dragon Sword was drawn out again.
Centered on the spot where the sword had been inserted, the door slowly melted away into thin air, revealing a path leading further into the shrine.
As if inviting them in, lights slowly illuminated the passage.
—Do you feel it, Won? There’s something dangerous inside.
“I was prepared for that much. Grandpa, it’s dangerous, so step back for a moment.”
As he had repeatedly stated, Ban Yuwon was resolved to destroy this ziggurat.
However, Grandfather Ban, scoffing at his grandson's words of concern, took a step forward.
“Do you think Grandpa would miss out on this historic moment? While I may be clumsy in combat, I can protect myself, so don’t worry.”
“No, even so...... well, never mind.”
Come to think of it, Grandfather, who had so desperately searched for the Tower of Babel, was never going to back down willingly here.
Considering he had just recreated a hallucination from thousands of years ago, it seemed his Codeword ability was certainly well-trained.
And if worst came to worst, Ban Yuwon could protect him, so he reluctantly nodded and moved forward into the ruins with them.
“It’s surprisingly modern and clean.”
“Indeed, it’s so clean that I wonder if it didn’t look alien to the people of that era.”
The corridor was quite long, and as they proceeded a bit further, they could see complex cuneiform characters carved in various places.
While various languages were used in the region when this Tower was built, if one were to pick the most formal language, it would undoubtedly be Akkadian.
Even the famous Code of Hammurabi was written in Akkadian...... though, of course, that was about a thousand years before this ziggurat was built.
However, it seemed the ancestor wanted to prevent others from deciphering the language, so they added their own unique rules to create a new script. Even so, it couldn't escape Ban Yuwon’s Authority.
“What does it say, Yuwon?”
“Think about it, what kind of long message would you write after building such a magnificent structure?”
“Perhaps it’s a record of how the Tower was built?”
“Exactly. And if you mix in more than half of it with self-praise, it’s perfect.”
Ban Yuwon, who intuitively grasped all languages at a glance, had already judged that over ninety percent of the characters inscribed in this corridor were useless. However, Grandfather Ban’s excitement at directly discovering the writings left by his ancestor was, needless to say, immense.
“This is truly a historic moment......! My granddaughter-in-law is magnificent!”
“Ehehe.”
It seemed Grandfather Ban had also immediately grasped how to handle Asha.
Asha, hearing her grandfather's praise and then appealing to Ban Yuwon with a "You heard that, right?", was cute but also a little irritating.
—I want to punch her...... Huh? Won, it seems the corridor has ended. I can see some different characters.
Raising his head at Dokgo Yeon's words, Ban Yuwon realized they had reached the end of the long, long corridor.
If he couldn't find the purpose of the Tower's construction even here, he would have no choice but to make Asha restrain Grandfather and then, with tears in his eyes, smash everything to pieces.......
Approaching with an anxious heart, Ban Yuwon noticed a relatively small hollow space formed at its end.
Characters were inscribed on its wall as well, but they weren't Akkadian.
They were the characters of the True Dragons, which he had seen before in the True Dragons' tomb.
“......Ah.”
Asha lost her words upon seeing it.
Ban Yuwon was secretly surprised, wondering if she, too, could read the characters her ancestor used, but seeing the fiercely vibrating True Dragon Sword, he realized that wasn't the case.
“Yuwon, this is.......”
“This bastard never changes.”
A lengthy succession of characters elaborating in detail why all True Dragons must die.
Moreover, perhaps anticipating a scenario where he hadn't yet taken over his descendant's body even at this point, magic was prepared to activate the moment Asha read the characters.
The problem was that the ancestor's soul, which was supposed to be activated by the magic, had already cleanly separated from Asha and dissolved as material for the True Dragon Sword.
“To exterminate dragons and once again unify the dimensions...... so that’s it.”
“Oh, ooooh!”
Indeed, it seemed Asha’s ancestor’s objective was completely aligned with Ban Yuwon’s ancestor’s.
As Ban Yuwon offered a wry smile, Asha, standing beside him, raised her voice in astonishment.
“The sword feels like it’s getting stronger! Not only that, but my Dragon Factor within me too......!”
“Ah.”
Could it be that the magic, designed to amplify the ancestor's power, was simultaneously strengthening the True Dragon Sword—for which the ancestor served as material—and Asha herself?
If so, it couldn't be any more advantageous!
—Warning. Abnormal system operation detected. Concept Transition is causing an unforeseen reaction.
—If the system is not normalized, you may be designated as an intruder.
A strange warning echoed within, but it was too late to return the power the True Dragon Sword had absorbed.
After the ancient True Dragon's magic had swept through, Ban Yuwon, turning his gaze back to the wall, with Asha shining her eyes and gripping the strengthened True Dragon Sword behind him, could see that the True Dragon's characters had vanished, replaced by the ancestor's script he had seen in the corridor earlier.
“......Ah, I see.”
Just as Ban Yuwon had hoped, it was there that he finally discovered the purpose behind the construction of the second Tower, the ziggurat.
“Since he failed to unify the dimensions, he decided to aim for creating a single, complete, and perfect dimension by collecting information from all other dimensions through the Tower of Babel. ......And that dimension is Earth? Then this Tower must be a receiver, taking in energy to transform Earth?”
—Hmph, I had already suspected it would be something like that anyway.
The problem, however, was that the purpose was even worse than he had imagined.
Comments