I got into school for nothing - 58
I got into school for nothing (58)
Lesson 13. I Need to See You Kneel - 3
When Light opened his eyes in the dungeon, an unfamiliar individual stood before him.
He found himself unable to move properly, preoccupied with keeping her in check.
Though he yearned to draw his holy sword, he also genuinely wanted to overcome his own tendency to rely solely on his holy sword whenever something went wrong. So, for now, he simply gripped the spear his friend had given him.
"What's your goal? Why did you follow me in? Are you also in league with that Ortima bastard?"
"...An apology."
She looked around with a curious expression, then, feeling the tip of Light's spear pointed at her, sighed softly and replied.
"I have something to apologize to him for."
"Ban Yuwon."
"...What?"
Light, who had no idea that someone had attempted to interfere with the magic Ban Yuwon unleashed, wore a blank expression.
But Aire, his interlocutor, did not enlighten him, turning her back first.
"Then I'll be going."
"W-Wait a moment, just hold on."
"?"
Aire, who had been about to naturally depart, tilted her head and looked back at him at Light's urgent call.
It was Light who wanted to tilt his head.
Even he, a contractor of the holy sword, couldn't guarantee his life in this unknown dungeon, so why was this woman acting so boldly, trying to go alone?
Though he found it utterly absurd, Light pointed to the earring on his ear and said.
"This can find where Ban is right now. Let's go together."
"...You believe my words?"
"No, then did you just throw out the main point without explaining the circumstances, knowing I wouldn't believe you?!"
Light finally exploded, but Aire merely pressed her lips together, as if speaking consumed too much energy, and nodded.
She evidently had no intention of elaborating on what had transpired between her and Ban Yuwon, not even if it killed her!
'This is insane. What did Ban do this time to get entangled with an elite from a higher-ranking dimension like her...?'
Light couldn't fathom what she was thinking.
One thing he did realize, however, was that Ban, that scoundrel, seemed to attract an suspiciously large number of women right from the start!
Not to mention Rucell, who had been subtly targeting him since the beginning, even Dokgo Yeon, who had been so dignified when they first met, now had a spring breeze blowing around her whenever she was with Ban Yuwon.
He had to be careful, or he might fall for it in an instant. He absolutely couldn't be fooled by their kindness...!
"Anyway, if you don't intend to be hostile towards us... then it's fine for you to accompany me."
"Then, lead the way."
Aire uttered those two words, then fell silent again.
It felt as though she was staring intently at the earring on Light's ear, but that lasted only a moment.
Light sighed involuntarily at the noble lady's attitude, which showed absolutely no interest in him, nor any desire to exchange more words.
"Hmph, why have I grown so accustomed to this treatment...?"
In the world I was born in, I was loved by everyone, after all.
I came here bearing the expectations of everyone in the world...
Light pouted his lips, feeling like he had become a supporting character, and led the way.
If he could sense mana, he could intuitively grasp the direction and distance of the other Rebellion members through the earring.
'I can't distinguish who, but it seems two are together, and one is moving alone. Rucell probably stuck with Ban.'
He remembered seeing Rucell kick someone and desperately cling to Ban Yuwon the moment they were sucked into the gate that appeared when the dungeon was generated.
Dokgo Yeon was someone Light didn't need to worry about, so he put that aside and had a general idea of where to go to rendezvous with Ban Yuwon.
The minor problem was the labyrinthine wall blocking their path.
"If we go around this maze, we'll probably get farther and farther from where Ban is."
"I'll handle it."
Aire, her sky-blue hair fluttering, stepped forward and calmly placed her hand on the wall before them.
A sky-blue glass orb, the Wizard Orb, matching her hair color, spun around her, boosting her mana.
"Surely you're not going to dismantle the labyrinth wall like Ban... Ah."
—Whooshhh
Light's jaw dropped, speechless.
It wasn't a refined Authority like Ban Yuwon's.
It was simply ice-elemental magic, comprised of overwhelming mana.
A section of the labyrinth wall, constructed with the power of a Constellation and capable of cleanly deflecting most mana, froze solid, then shattered into a myriad of pieces.
Of course, the fallen fragments gathered, attempting to reconstruct the wall with their own will, but the chilling aura permeating the area suppressed them.
"...It has restorative power. Hurry."
"Ha."
Beyond the wide-open passage, a bronze-skinned monster, terrified by the absurd display of mana, lay flat on the ground, quivering.
Aire calmly walked past the monster and continued forward, while Light, utterly dumbfounded, followed her.
'There were quite a few powerful mages in our kingdom too, but I don't think any were this level.'
Could this woman perhaps be even stronger than Dokgo Yeon?
She didn't seem to be an enemy, but that didn't mean he could completely let his guard down.
Light almost drew his holy sword from the air, but then concluded that even if she had other intentions, it was better to accept her help to rejoin his companions for now, and so he stopped.
"Aren't you going?"
"No, I'm going. Let's go."
Just then, as he pouted his lips, feeling a childish pique at Aire, who turned back to urge him on, dawdling.
"...I just noticed it."
"W-What?"
Aire, who had been staring intently at him, suddenly narrowed her eyes and spoke.
Light's heart sank.
"It's a high-level sorcery."
A hint of interest flickered across her expressionless face.
What was high-level sorcery?
Surely she hadn't figured it out?
"Sorcery?"
Light, unaware that his party members had already long since figured out his true identity, spoke up nervously, but...
"Let's go."
She said nothing more, merely hastening their path.
Her steps seemed light, yet she moved surprisingly fast.
Watching Aire's back as she had already reached the opposite wall and was freezing it again, Light couldn't help but sigh once more.
'I miss Ban.'
He had to rejoin Ban Yuwon as quickly as possible, if only to shake off this strange woman.
It wasn't that he was relying on him, or had any other feelings.
Absolutely not.
* * *
'There's no one here.'
Dokgo Yeon, having checked her surroundings as soon as she entered the dungeon, let out a soft sigh.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried about the Rebellion members, but the word 'worry' itself didn't quite suit her.
She preferred to act directly, ensuring no one had cause for concern, rather than sit idly worrying about someone.
'It worked out perfectly. He must have thought he could play his tricks on us here, without being caught within the dungeon, but...'
She drew the jet-black short sword from her waist and smiled, a stark, almost white smile.
Ban Yuwon had said they shouldn't kill him, fearing the Ortima family's revenge.
But within a sealed dungeon like this, who would ever know who died, or by whose hand?
Of course, the Ortima family, having so overtly set this trap, might persecute her and the Rebellion even without proof.
Conversely, wasn't it precisely these bastards who were aiming for their lives, going to such extreme and reckless lengths even though the Rebellion had committed no wrongdoing?
Perhaps killing the young master here would make things less troublesome later on.
'Ban Yuwon thinks he's rational and intelligent, but he's simply not daring enough, too soft-hearted. He's as mushy as a sweet, sticky persimmon.'
Ortima had crossed a line the moment he targeted their lives and dragged other academy students into his trap.
Yet, Ban Yuwon was trying to respond only within reasonable bounds.
Just as he had done previously in the academy, he sought to defeat them through legitimate and clean means, armed with clear justification and accumulated evidence.
This proved that he had never competed for his life with others, nor had he ever harmed others for his own goals.
In many ways, he was similar to her, but in such crucial aspects, he differed.
'But it doesn't matter if he's different. For now, it's fine for him to remain as he is.'
Dokgo Yeon found Ban Yuwon's sense of justice foolish, yet at the same time, she truly cherished his inexperience and naivety.
She even felt a desire to protect him, so he wouldn't change into someone like her.
That was also why she intended to kill Ortima.
Because she knew that if she didn't kill him here, he would undoubtedly torment them with even fouler methods.
And then, Ban Yuwon's response, his mindset, would inevitably change.
She did not at all like the idea of Ban Yuwon changing because of someone else, not her.
'Nonsense. He isn't even my subordinate.'
She exhaled a low sigh, dispelling her thoughts, then spread her sensory perception, locating her target.
In the process, she picked up many other things, some of them unexpected.
There was an intruder mixed in here, clearly not aiming for her, but for Ban Yuwon.
Was he in danger?
Should she go protect him?
She thought for a moment, then shook her head.
He wasn't so fragile that she needed to personally protect him.
'Since a loyal beast is by his side... I'll do my own work.'
She moved.
Slashing her short sword left and right, she cut through the labyrinth walls and advanced through the gaps.
It was easy, unlike the Tower's walls, which even death couldn't allow one to cut through.
Her body, in a way, proved that the Tower's power far surpassed the Authority of any Constellation.
—Creak, Kehehe...!
"Your fear, I shall take it."
From the dungeon's monsters, who cowered, unable to attack or flee before her ferocious aura, she drew the source of the energy she wielded, adding it to each step she took.
With every stride, she annihilated all living things in her vicinity, absorbing their mana and emotions to swell her presence.
Even as she blazed a straight path through the labyrinth, unleashing a considerable aura, her energy, far from diminishing, swelled ever larger. This was the true efficacy of the divine art she had mastered.
"Hmm? I didn't expect you to come from that direction."
Her display of power was strange and unconventional, as if actively announcing her presence.
Soon, a massive presence, sensing it, began to approach her.
It was precisely as Dokgo Yeon intended.
"Dokgo Yeon."
When their forms became visible to the naked eye, the opponent spoke.
Dokgo Yeon, her black eyes, marked with crosses, fixated on the noble heir, backed by the power of a family ranked among the top ten across all dimensions, likewise uttered the opponent's name.
"Ortima's brat."
She addressed everyone with formal speech, a severe habit formed in a childhood surrounded only by terrifying adults.
But there were times she didn't use formal speech.
That was when she intended to kill her opponent.
"It's Russein, Russein Lounpalomer Aquinas Ortima. Remember the name of the man who will become your husband."
"A mere common soldier who has accomplished nothing with his own hands since birth, yet climbs onto a precariously built platform to show off his arrogance."
Husband? There's a limit to how ignorant one can be.
Dokgo Yeon snorted, then slowly continued.
"When you fail to maintain balance and finally fall, that's when your nose breaks most thoroughly."
"You speak without restraint before the man who will be your husband. You need etiquette lessons."
"Do you truly think a prison built with borrowed family power looks strong?"
Dokgo Yeon's ferocious aura gradually receded inwards.
To some, it might have looked as though she was exhausted from continuously unleashing such immense energy while traversing the dungeon.
Russein Ortima also judged it that way.
"Even in this state, your spirit remains high. That's why I like you even more."
He had, from the start, requested a dungeon with such an exhausting structure specifically to drain her power.
The Stray Lamp of the Wandering Night, one of Exodus's patron Constellations, had faithfully fulfilled his request.
Satisfied with the result, he intended to instruct his family to provide some funding to Exodus.
They were poor, lowly creatures who only plundered lower-ranking dimensions... even if they dreamed of overthrowing the Tower, ignorant of their place.
A ruler, after all, must know how to utilize even the lowliest of beings according to their purpose.
"Hmph..."
As if Ortima's delusions were none of her concern, Dokgo Yeon let out a shallow breath.
If Ban Yuwon were here, he would have instantly recognized how foolish Ortima's judgment was.
For only he would be able to clearly perceive the dense, concentrated killing intent throughout her body, and the concept of death (死) within it, deepening its essence.
"You've made my plan easier."
Dokgo Yeon, who had forged and compressed her energy without waste, like loading a bullet into a gun, smiled and spoke.
"I was prepared to face hundreds, but I never imagined you'd stand before me alone."
"Are you trying to pick a fight? Yes, if you don't understand the meaning of commanding a Constellation that dominates the dungeon to your will, then yes, you might bare your fangs like that."
Ortima clapped his hands lightly.
Space distorted.
The dungeon's energy began to suppress Dokgo Yeon.
"Now, let's begin your etiquette lessons. Starting with how to address your husband with honorifics."
Ortima raised his hand.
His ability to interfere with the natural order of the world and exert power, combined with the Constellation's power that dominated the dungeon's energy, complemented each other quite well.
When he couldn't overwhelm her with his Authority in their previous clash, the method Ortima devised to defeat her was to enhance his Authority by adding external power.
And it did indeed seem quite effective, but...
"What...?!"
The moment it reached her body, attempting to compel her, it all withered before the black aura erupting from within her.
The aura she had displayed in school now seemed like a mere jest compared to this dense mana. Death itself.
"You... you hid your power—?!"
"You can't fix people."
Dokgo Yeon said, biting back an arrogant laugh.
Slice! The short sword in her hand gleamed black, cleaving through the air the moment she moved.
Ortima's right arm, which he had extended towards her, was severed from the shoulder and tumbled to the floor.
"Cough, g-gah...?!"
"Therefore, I have no intention of educating you."
Dokgo Yeon, of course, had no intention of stopping there.
The death that blossomed from her grasp roared silently, opening its maw.
"You vermin."
Smiling eerily, she declared.
"Die here and now."
Comments