I got into school for nothing - 97
I got into school for nothing (97)
Lesson 21. It's because of the Special Admissions - 1
"Master, I believe you are currently at a very important juncture."
Rucell said, twirling pasta onto her fork.
Pasta—she must have come from a culture without thin, long spaghetti noodles, as she initially didn't know how to eat it. But true to her excellent physical dexterity, once Ban Yuwon showed her, she quickly caught on.
Yet, even though she was surely doing it exactly as Ban Yuwon had taught, the movement that looked like creating a Rasengan when he did it appeared undeniably adorable when Rucell did it. It was truly mystifying.
"An important juncture?"
"Yes. Ah~."
Rucell naturally extended her fork towards Ban Yuwon's mouth, smiling beautifully.
For Rucell, serving Ban Yuwon was an act that didn't require worrying about others' gazes.
In fact, he had guessed as much the moment the ordered pasta arrived and Rucell swapped his plate with hers.
However, if he kept letting Rucell feed him, she wouldn't have time to eat her own pasta.
So, inevitably, to feed Rucell in return, he also tried his best to gather the pasta into a small, pretty Rasengan-like swirl, thinking, 'Isn't this just an overly affectionate couple, not a master-servant relationship?'
"Your abilities are so diverse, Master."
"Munching... indeed. Ah~."
"Ah~."
As if she had expected him to do that, Rucell naturally accepted the pasta from Ban Yuwon, quickly chewed and swallowed, then continued, "Of course, you're excellent at everything, but to do everything you can do, and make everything you can make, there isn't enough time. The time needed to truly master one thing, that is. Ah~."
Ban Yuwon thoughtfully chewed his pasta, considering Rucell's words.
Sometimes she acted truly like an animal, but perhaps because of that, there were times when she made such sharp, insightful remarks.
In truth, Ban Yuwon himself had thought during his recent battle in the Tower, where he manipulated the Stormrain Sword, 'Strictly speaking, this isn't proper swordsmanship, nor is it magic...'.
"But then again, letting your abilities go to waste would also be absurd. Just looking at our Tower explorations together, you overcome almost every situation with your abilities."
"Right, that's true... not using what I can do feels a bit, doesn't it? Ah~."
"Ah~."
Rucell accepted the pasta with a face that radiated pure happiness.
Ban Yuwon began to suspect that perhaps she was intentionally serving him like this because she wanted him to do such things.
...Surely, she wasn't employing such a sophisticated stratagem, was she?
"Nom... That's why I think we need to set priorities and a direction from now on."
"Priorities, direction."
"Yes. You decide what's most important to you right now, and then develop yourself around that. And by 'direction,' for example, it's like this: Even if you create an artifact with your abilities, there will be many choices depending on the artifact's capabilities and potential. But I hope you create them in a way that supports the abilities you wish to prioritize."
The direction of ability development.
For Ban Yuwon, who had just tested a newly created artifact yesterday, it was truly pertinent advice.
Even with the Stormrain Sword, he could have wielded it in a way that better emphasized his swordsmanship.
Whether by directly controlling the Stormrain Sword to unleash its profound mysteries, or by fighting with the Executioner's Longsword and harmonizing them.
The same applied to magic.
Language Magic held infinite possibilities, and whether to apply it to close combat or long-range combat depended entirely on Ban Yuwon's decision.
The idea wasn't to abandon other possibilities, but to focus first on the possibility Ban Yuwon most wanted to 'strengthen'.
"While I think your versatility is incredibly cool, Master... sometimes excelling remarkably at one thing is more helpful than being good at everything."
"Like Dokgo Yeon or you, Rucell."
"Yes. I'm confident that when it comes to serving you, Master, I can do it better than anyone else."
Rucell deliberately gave an absurd reply, knowing full well what Ban Yuwon meant, and chuckled.
As Ban Yuwon laughed at her adorable antics, Rucell spoke with a surprisingly serious expression.
"So please, never abandon me...!"
"I won't abandon you. I never intend to abandon my comrades... my vassals."
Upon seeing her eyes gleam fiercely at the word "comrade," he hastily rephrased it to "vassal," and her expression returned to a 'I suppose I'll let it slide' look.
That was close! He almost squandered all the public goodwill he'd built up with the Rebellion channel by being charged with public indecency!
Ban Yuwon meekly accepted the pasta she offered, organizing his thoughts.
'Rucell's saying I need to establish a clear concept. To be an all-rounder, but one with a single exceptional specialty.'
Ban Yuwon's abilities, all based on his Authority, largely fell into a few categories.
First, martial arts, including swordsmanship and martial cultivation.
While his ability to perceive the essence of things made it easier to understand martial cultivation and the profound secrets of martial arts, strictly speaking, it was far removed from directly utilizing his Authority.
Second, magic, such as elemental magic and Language Magic (this category also included curses after he extensively plundered concepts from the frost giants this time).
This was the area most directly influenced by his Babylonia Code Authority.
Language Magic, in particular, was his unique magic system, boasting overwhelming convenience and versatility that no one else could easily imitate.
However, frankly speaking, mastery held little meaning for Language Magic itself.
While it was a magic greatly influenced by his life force, soul, mana (Hyungi), omniscient eyes, omni-hearing, and omni-lingual ability, these concepts were rapidly growing independently of the magic itself.
If he were to compare it to something else, it was like a firearm.
Once one became somewhat accustomed to shooting and accuracy improved, the firepower wouldn't change unless the firearm or ammunition was upgraded.
Elemental magic and curses, on the other hand, were greatly affected by proficiency, and he was indeed steadily increasing his proficiency through consistent training from Yumina and Stella... yet, compared to Language Magic, these weren't particularly strong points and had less connection to his Authority.
Third, needless to say, artifact/vassal creation.
This was another area where his Authority was properly utilized.
All the artifacts he had created, including Tikke, which was now completely modified for combat, were formidable. Especially during his previous battles against Irekto and Adjunct Professor Farrell, Eve played a crucial role, completely turning the tide of the war.
However, it was also true that focusing solely on creating overly powerful artifacts could diminish opportunities for Ban Yuwon's own martial prowess to grow.
He needed to clearly decide his path: whether to create a large number of vassalized artifacts to fight for him while he supported them, or to use artifacts for support while he primarily engaged in combat.
'Even this recent exploration, I could have gained experience in close-quarters melee by directly clashing swords with the frost giants, or I could have just wiped them out by deploying large-scale magic.'
Ban Yuwon pondered deeply (all the while continuing to feed Rucell and be fed by her in return) and examined the possibilities of each option. Before long, he reached a conclusion.
"When push comes to shove, what's needed is the power to protect oneself. And it's incredibly difficult to meet such a good teacher like Dokgo Yeon exactly when needed. I think focusing on martial arts is the right path."
"I think so too, Master."
Rucell smiled brightly.
Perhaps she, too, had been hoping for that answer.
"Martial arts is the field least affected by my Authority. Rather, I think that's why I should focus on it even more. The truth is, with the others, even moderate effort yields significant results. From now on, I'll make sure that both magic and artifacts grow in a way that supports my martial arts."
Of course, he had no intention of completely abandoning other possibilities.
For instance, large-scale area-of-effect magic, which could only be achieved through elemental magic, would still need to be diligently refined.
And there would be tasks that his body couldn't accomplish, which only artifacts could resolve.
He had simply set priorities among his three abilities.
'I need to work on harmonizing the Stormrain Sword more deeply with my martial arts. It's good that I can now control up to twelve simultaneously... but I suppose I'll have to start from scratch again.'
As Ban Yuwon resolved deeply and drank water, Rucell, who had been captivated by his profile, suddenly smiled faintly and spoke.
"Since that's decided, please don't get too deeply involved with that woman."
"...Hm?"
"I'm talking about Mira, your senior from the Artifact Production Department. Don't you think there's no need to stay up all night with her just to make artifacts anymore?"
"..."
Huh.
That's strange.
"And Aire from the Special Class, with whom you're writing a magic thesis... Since Ban Yuwon is focusing on martial arts, I don't think there's a need to be so enthusiastic about magic research. A thesis like that can probably be written adequately."
Surely Rucell had genuinely been worried about him and told him this.
Why did it feel like she was intentionally guiding his thoughts and actions out of jealousy towards other women he associated with?
To suspect her, when she was purely worried about him, was surely beyond the pale.
But Ban Yuwon couldn't help but ask.
"...Rucell, are you perhaps jealous?"
"Yes, extremely! So much so that I can't sleep from the anguish...!"
Rucell was incredibly honest.
No, what was she doing, making it so obvious right at the end after carefully guiding him?
"Because I didn't want to deceive you, Master... Besides, if you truly believe something is necessary for yourself, I wouldn't dare stop you..."
"Rucell, you're really cute."
He wanted to add about five exclamation marks, but he refrained, knowing it would draw attention.
Instead, he answered her with sincerity.
"Thank you for caring so much about me, Rucell."
"Master...!"
"Of course, at first, I thought it was all due to the 'Subordination' that was formed somewhat coercively."
He spoke his slightly petty inner thoughts aloud.
"Master, sir?"
Rucell froze in place.
But Ban Yuwon didn't back down, as the very reason he had set up this meeting with Rucell today was to say these words.
He engraved soundproofing and shielding onto the table with Language Magic to ensure no one could interrupt or eavesdrop, then continued.
"I thought you were faking romantic feelings for me, even though you didn't have any, just to overcome your Heart Furnace and grow. That way, you'd receive my protection and maintain a good relationship with me."
"Master, I—"
"If you button the first button wrong, you can just unbutton it and redo it properly, but you can't do that with human relationships, can you? Since you're already bound to me by Subordination, it's actually impossible for me to completely shake off this suspicion. I can pretend to shake it off, but that's just acting in the end. And I don't want to act in front of you."
Rucell realized that Ban Yuwon wasn't simply trying to deny her feelings, so she no longer argued and listened to his words.
"But even if I suspect you, it's not like I'm going to cast you aside, is it?"
"Master...?"
"So... I've decided to accept all of you, including that."
And her wait was rewarded.
"In other words, I've decided to think and act in a way that suits me."
"Master!"
Rucell's eyes widened, and she sprang to her feet.
Surprisingly, this wasn't a combat situation, nor had she activated the concept of a giant, yet beast ears and a tail sprouted from her.
"So Rucell, you can't dislike me, feel burdened by me, or reject me anymore. Whatever I do, you must nod and accept it. Because that's a proper master-servant relationship... Understood?"
"Yes, yes...! That's exactly what I wanted...!"
Honestly, he himself thought it was a truly trashy thing to say, but Rucell, overwhelmed with emotion, shed tears and embraced him.
At the same time, he could feel the concept of Subordination within her, which had been stagnating around 6, instantly break through to 10.
As expected... just as he predicted.
A bitter smile naturally formed on his face.
'Did Dokgo Yeon say it before? Rucell likes it when I push her strongly... Her attitude has been consistent from the start. She truly wanted me to say this.'
'I don't want to act in front of you,' he had said. What a blatant lie.
Ban Yuwon was not some macho man.
He hadn't completely shed the mindset of modern Earth.
What he had just said to Rucell was merely the result of observing her words and actions for several weeks and doing exactly what he suspected she might want.
However... while he lacked absolute certainty, looking at Rucell's behavior, it was mixed with words and actions that, despite all conditions including Subordination, he couldn't understand why she would act that way unless she had romantic feelings for Ban Yuwon. Thus, it was also true that his initial aversion had diminished compared to when he first became bound to Rucell in a master-servant relationship.
'In any case... it's been a long time.'
It had been a month since he became bound to Rucell in a master-servant relationship.
Their relationship had finally taken on a proper form.
"So now, even if I hang out with other women, you can't get angry."
"That... that depends on the situation!"
Ah, just as he thought.
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