I got into school for nothing - Chapter 376
*****************************************************
****************************************************
I got into school for nothing (376)
After School. New Order - 1
After successfully defending Fairytale from Amore's offensive, the Cheonma had already returned to Murim.
“You’ve come, my—”
“Wow, look at this view, dear.”
“It is nice. Reminds me of our trip to China, doesn’t it?”
He, who had been smiling subtly as if he knew Ban Yuwon and Dokgo Yeon would succeed upon seeing them disembark from the spaceship, stiffened completely when he saw Ban Juseok and Kang Eunyoung follow behind them.
Even as he stood frozen, Dokgo Yeon naturally called for people to prepare rooms, then whispered instructions to some maids, and soon, with a gentle smile, guided Ban Juseok and Kang Eunyoung inside.
Then she bowed to the Cheonma, who was still frozen in place, and offered her greetings.
“It’s been a long time, Cheonma-nim. I left an important post, so I am prepared to be reprimanded.”
“How could I blame you? You’ve suffered much... No, but.”
This was supposed to be a much more emotional and impressive reunion.
Ban Yuwon quietly explained to the Cheonma, who was groaning, unable to say anything to his daughter who had changed so drastically.
“These are my parents.”
“I can see that...!”
Ban Yuwon shook his head at the Cheonma, who glared with bulging eyes, asking if he was the one who brought them, then pointed at Dokgo Yeon.
“Everyone in my family, except my sister, was kidnapped by Yeon.”
“Kidnapped? Anyone who hears that might misunderstand.”
Dokgo Yeon, denying it with a chuckle, looked extremely pleased.
The Cheonma once again glared with bulging eyes, asking what Ban Yuwon had done to his daughter, while Ban Yuwon likewise shook his head, denying it.
“Cheonma-nim, there’s no need for you to pretend you don’t know.”
Dokgo Yeon smiled shyly and tugged at Ban Yuwon’s sleeve.
“You told him not to lay a hand on me before marriage, didn’t you?”
“...”
Ban Yuwon used his Giwon Sword to deflect all of the Cheonma’s fiercely pouring killing intent.
However, Dokgo Yeon, who had instantly resolved the fierce battle of wills between son-in-law and father-in-law with the aura of death she emitted, still spoke with a sweet smile.
“So I brought them here to get married first.”
“...”
“...Ugh!”
*Whoosh!*
As soon as the killing intent showed signs of materializing, Ban Yuwon immediately fled from the spot.
Dokgo Yeon called out in a clear voice towards the Cheonma’s back as he quickly pursued.
“I’ve arranged dinner with our parents this evening, so both of you, come back before it’s too late!”
Fortunately, the family meeting concluded successfully in a harmonious atmosphere.
Even in Murim, the Shin-gyo’s prestige was indeed unparalleled.
The scale and elegance of the pavilion prepared for their guests, the magnificent banquet painstakingly crafted by the Shin-gyo’s chefs, and, for that matter, the majestic mountain range visible beyond the open-sided pavilion—everything was splendid.
The Cheonma, who returned after his confrontation with Ban Yuwon, ate a Candy of Life and, now perfectly fine, entertained his in-laws, and unable to resist Dokgo Yeon’s active push, ended up setting the wedding date right then and there...
And of course, before that day was over, a large number of guests poured into Murim.
“Milady...!”
“You’re late, Heukseol.”
Greeting Heukseol as she disembarked from the spaceship was Dokgo Yeon, dressed in Meryongdanju attire.
Ever since her resurrection by Ban Yuwon’s hand, Dokgo Yeon had taken on an air of detached emptiness, and when she looked at Heukseol with eyes containing concentric circles, Heukseol sank to the ground right there.
“C-Commander-nim.”
“Yes, I am the Commander. I don’t tolerate overstepping your authority.”
Dokgo Yeon, declaring this with a sweet smile to Heukseol, turned her gaze to the people pouring out of the spaceship and spoke.
“Welcome, everyone. Since you’re here, you might as well stay for our wedding.”
“Wedding?!”
“Hey, wait. I got engaged to Yuwon first, you know?”
Pushing aside the others who were astonished by Dokgo Yeon’s unbelievably swift actions, Mira, who had brazenly abandoned her duties as an associate professor at the academy and rushed over, demanded, as if to grab Dokgo Yeon by the collar.
“Yes, that’s right. During the two years I was gone.”
Mira winced slightly at the mention of “two years,” but quickly regained her spirits and counterattacked.
“Hey—! I was dating him first anyway! I was the first to kiss him, and, uh, I did everything!”
“Is that so? But I’ll be getting married first.”
To Dokgo Yeon, who was teasing Mira, saying, “I’ve already consulted with my parents and set the date, so how do you plan to stop me now?”, the rest of the group also clung to her, beginning to argue vehemently.
“I’m his older sister, his sister—! What kind of wedding are you deciding without me?!”
“Dokgo Yeon, student? Even I, your professor, can’t accept such a simple decision regarding marriage.”
“Dokgo Yeon, you really—!”
“...You, you’re arrogant, considering you haven’t even been by Yuwon’s side until now.”
“Huhu, well then, shall we see who’s more arrogant?”
Sitting on the roof of the tall pavilion, looking down.
Watching Dokgo Yeon discipline the other women, Ban Yuwon suddenly thought.
How did my life end up like this?
[Isn’t it the result of a marriage alliance that was *too* successfully completed?]
“Actually, I already know, so just leave me alone.”
After the struggle in the Tower and the sudden family meeting, it was only now, as the incredibly chaotic day was finally drawing to a close, that he managed to find some time to think by himself.
What came to mind was the final battle within the Tower.
How the Tower Lord had failed his own plan, thereby thwarting the Tower of Babel’s true purpose.
He thought of the schism that occurred after his death, and the struggles of his vassals whose intentions had diverged.
According to the words of the Tower Lord’s lingering will, it seemed the previous Tower Lord, unlike Ban Yuwon, had been unable to read the emotions of others.
That’s why he couldn’t detect the betrayal beforehand...
‘But perhaps the order of things was actually reversed.’
Now, Ban Yuwon came to that realization.
It was a thought that only occurred to him after understanding the Tower’s purpose, the Tower Lord’s ambition, and his disposition.
Perhaps he wasn’t betrayed because he couldn’t read others’ emotions.
Perhaps he couldn’t understand their hearts to the very end because he had never considered the emotions of others.
In that sense, it was truly ironic that Ban Yuwon’s first attempt to apply his Authority to another being was an effort to somehow control Rucell’s intense emotions.
‘Though that attempt ultimately failed.’
Nevertheless, the experience he gained at that time served as a valuable lesson, helping Ban Yuwon establish his approach to reading and dealing with the emotions of others.
When he considered that this result led to countless connections with women, it was a little... quite a bit, troubling.
“Ssssh.”
“Hmm? Ah, right, right. I get it. I just give this, don’t I?”
Eve, who had rubbed her face against Ban Yuwon’s palm and devoured the concept he offered, soon projected a small hologram before his eyes.
The video displayed the floating island, as well as the Tower’s current internal structure, transparently, like a 3D blueprint. Not only that, but the ‘System’ and Union Net’s administrative authority and detailed settings also appeared alongside it.
Since the only concept Ban Yuwon had given her was that of the Observer of All Things—it was clear from whom Eve had obtained the other “half of the authority.”
“I wanted to save the Chancellor, if possible.”
“Ssssh...”
Eve licked Ban Yuwon’s hand, a sorrowful expression on her face.
Ban Yuwon read her emotions and smiled bitterly, but said nothing, merely stroking her gently.
All of Eve’s actions were for Ban Yuwon.
He couldn’t fault her for what she had freely done, especially since he hadn’t stopped her beforehand.
What was important now were the newly reborn Tower of Babel, the reactivated System, and the Union Net, which, after having its connection to all dimensions severed by Ban Yuwon’s hand, had begun to function normally again.
Ultimately, one could say all three were one and the same.
“For something put together in such a hurry, it’s running pretty well, isn’t it? The barriers blocking the dimensions should all be released soon... then things will normalize to some extent.”
“Ssssh.”
“Still, I suppose we’ll need an auxiliary energy source. It’s fine, I’ll gradually take concepts from the dead True Dragons from Asha and Aire—and then let’s try to create something with Professor Campanella and Mira.”
“Ssssh, ss-sssh.”
“Yes... I need to begin the restoration, for now.”
In its final moments, the Tower’s rampage caused significant damage to the Ortima dimension and the Amore dimension.
Not only that, but he also wanted to restore the previously sacrificed Fridwen dimension, as well as the Fides dimension, if possible.
Though the rulers had merely paid for their sins, shouldn’t the innocent people living in those dimensions be saved?
There was another target for restoration.
The Constellations themselves.
While he had managed to urgently rescue Dokgo Yeon, the Constellations freed from the monolith were still trapped and wandering within the Tower.
He hadn’t yet decided whether to revive them one by one or to punish their impudence and simply kill them—but leaving them as they were might have a negative impact on the Tower, so he needed to act quickly.
“And no matter how they’re dealt with, it would be right to reclaim the power the Tower granted.”
What was that power?
It was the Constellation’s Stigma.
Only now had the true identity of this Stigma (星痕) become utterly clear—what else could it be but the God’s Fragment the Tower Lord had first discovered?
That a single fragment could create countless Constellations and sustain the Tower of Babel was indeed astonishing... but considering all the disasters and harms caused by the Constellations, and what the Tower had originally aimed for, it was right to reclaim this power.
“Sssshissst.”
“You’re saying I should take all of it? Haha, then even I would find it hard to control myself. The Tower Lord must have been afraid of that, which is why he simply buried it in the Tower.”
The Constellation’s Stigma was, in essence, the trace of a star.
The problem was ‘which star’ it had fallen from, and since it was called the Creator’s power, even researching its origin was frightening.
It made sense now that Starlight, the power that shatters stars, was particularly effective against Constellations harboring the Stigma, but from the perspective of someone possessing both powers, realizing it now wouldn’t hold much meaning.
Ban Yuwon was a little too tired now to combine the two powers and attempt something like the creation of heaven and earth.
“Master.”
“Ah, Rucell.”
He had set up a barrier, but Rucell, who had somehow found his location, hopped onto the pavilion roof and lightly landed beside him.
Ban Yuwon looked down to see Dokgo Yeon still disciplining the others below.
Indeed, it meant Rucell hadn’t been caught in that fray from the start.
To Ban Yuwon’s questioning gaze, she stuck out her tongue slightly and said.
“Because a head-on confrontation is certain defeat. I waited for an opening.”
“What a truly intense battle of wits.”
“In that sense, may I exercise a little of the victor’s rights?”
“Go ahead.”
“Eih.”
Rucell abruptly laid her head on Ban Yuwon’s lap.
Although she often indulged Ban Yuwon’s whims, fundamentally, she also liked to be pampered.
Even though she pretended otherwise, he knew she had also suffered and was very tired throughout the day, so he docilely stroked her head.
“You worked hard, Rucell.”
“You too, Master. We did really well today, it’s a shame we can’t upload the video to UniTube.”
“We filmed everything, should I just upload it?”
“...No.”
The two chuckled and then fell silent.
She, who had been quietly enjoying his lap pillow, suddenly spoke.
“What will happen to Union Academy?”
“For now, the Tower remains, but various adjustments will be necessary before students can ‘climb’ again. Monster waves are no joke, and the very format of the Tower’s challenges might change.”
“Then, I suppose it’s a leave of absence...”
“I’ll have to consult with Professor Yumina to decide, but—at least for the time being, that’s how it should be. I’ll need to explain things to the students to some extent and get their opinions. Though I doubt any of them will be in the right mind to attend school now.”
Thus, Shati’s “New Age, New President” plan, which she had been orchestrating, came to a futile end.
“Then, we’re not students anymore.”
“It’s been ages since you surpassed the student level. You only maintained that status to uncover the Tower’s secrets, so isn’t it time to give it up?”
“Indeed. Then...”
There’s no need to postpone family planning anymore, she murmured.
At Rucell’s quiet murmur, Ban Yuwon inexplicably felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
“I’m Master’s slave, so the order of marriage doesn’t matter to me.”
“Wait, Rucell.”
“Still, I want to have a child first.”
“Ah.”
*Fwip*—and suddenly, up was down.
Rucell’s slender yet powerful arms clamped around Ban Yuwon’s shoulders like a vice, holding him immobile.
*Haaah*—Rucell’s hot breath brushed against Ban Yuwon’s forehead.
“Sss, Sssshissst—!”
“Sorry, Eve, but could you sit this one out? This is an important moment.”
A fierce staring contest between two proud divine beasts!
“Beast—!”
Just then, Dokgo Yeon, sensing Rucell’s absence and finding it suspicious, leaped onto the pavilion to join the fray, and seeing the others likewise leaping up, Lilyth exclaimed in admiration.
[Ahhh, I’ve seen this before! They’re ninjas, aren’t they?!]
“They are not ninjas.”
Heukseol laughed as she drew a dagger coated with paralyzing poison and hurled it at the milady she served.
“Right now, they are champions of love!”
[So they were originally ninjas, then!]
“No, you’re a Murim martial artist!”
Dokgo Yeon’s wedding was held two weeks later.
In the meantime, Rucell had safely achieved her objective.
Comments