Chapter 112
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Lesson 23. Even If It's a Lie - 7
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Ban Yu-won had half-jokingly worried that if things went well, they might head straight to room 28 and end up fighting a full-scale continental war. Fortunately or unfortunately, though, room 27 was followed directly by room 30—the sanctuary of Eden.
"Ugh, I'm wiped~!"
Ban Yu-won hurled himself straight onto some massive, plush cushion-like thing that had appeared in the center of Eden.
Surprisingly, the moment he touched it, fatigue seemed to melt away from that spot, spreading a refreshing sensation throughout his entire body.
Looking closer, he saw all the grime and dust on his body vanishing into thin air.
"Oh, ooh...? Guess this is some kind of artifact too."
"Is it? Here goes."
Lucelle made no effort to hide her desire as she threw herself onto the very same cushion Ban Yu-won was lying on.
Their bodies naturally overlapped, but she pretended not to notice while reveling in the cushion's comfort.
"Haaah, this feels amazing."
"You two, whatever it is, if it's that good, save some for me...!"
"Yu-won's fatigue hasn't fully cleared yet. Just wait a bit, Light."
"Well, can't be helped then."
"Yeah, can't be helped. If I gave Yu-won a massage... Huh...?"
Lucelle was slyly running her hands over Ban Yu-won's lower back and shoulders.
As he seriously pondered just how much of this beast's ever-growing boldness he should indulge, Light's question came flying in.
"Ban, was it really okay not to kill all those guys back there?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean the Wings of Justice's lackeys."
The final moments of room 27.
The Claw contractors, whose true nature had been exposed by their attempt to forcibly summon the night, had ended up fighting the Wing contractors—who could move freely even in the darkness, proving they possessed special powers.
The Claw contractors were powerful at night but no different from ordinary humans during the day, so they'd been unilaterally slaughtered by the Wing contractors.
The problem came after they'd all been killed.
A good number of Wing contractors had survived, but Ban Yu-won hadn't taken any particular action against them.
As a result, room 27 was treated as cleared, a door (shift) to room 30 appeared... and Ban Yu-won ignored Count Durk's advice to meet the king, leading his party straight here instead.
"Killing the survivors in that situation would've meant even more hassle. You know, with the no-first-strike condition and all."
"True, but we managed to wipe out everyone up through room 26...!"
Light was so pure and honest.
Ban Yu-won had once thought it naive, but now he hoped Light would stay that way.
"Up to room 26, we knew clearing it would just link to the next room. But this time, I had a gut feeling it was the end. So leaving them alive wasn't a real threat, right?"
"That's why they survived...?"
"Mmm... Plus, they'd already lost all hostility toward us by then. Forcing the issue would've meant the Tower wouldn't properly recognize our achievements anyway."
Dokgo Yeon, ignoring everything else in room 30 to pluck and eat Eden's fruits right away, backed him up.
"Even if they're fake, no need to kill what doesn't need killing."
"And it would've raised the Constellations' resentment even more."
"Feels like we've already made them hate us enough as it is."
"Eh, we embarrassed them, sure, but the only ones who really suffered were the NPCs, right? If I were that Constellation..."
Dokgo Yeon finished one fruit, regretfully sucking the juice off her fingers before noticing Ban Yu-won's gaze. She hurriedly hid her hands behind her back and continued.
"Next chance I get, I'd contract you."
"What're you talking about?"
"Aside from the part where you've crossed me, you're the perfect candidate. You wield light, have a judge's aptitude, and you're even smart."
"Guess that last one's missing from that Constellation."
Lucelle, kneading Ban Yu-won's shoulders, chimed in with a delighted voice.
"Constellations wander in search of what they lack, just like humans."
"True enough."
For some reason, the two women burst into giggles, perfectly in sync.
Ban Yu-won and Light exchanged baffled looks, utterly lost.
"Oh, Ban, one more thing I wanted to ask."
"Shoot, all of 'em."
Knowing Light hadn't been at ease during this expedition, Ban Yu-won was being especially lenient with him.
"Why'd you turn down the king's summons? Weren't we supposed to get personal praise from him if we succeeded?"
"Ah—that."
Now what? Telling him the truth might sour Light's mood again.
But as he agonized over it, Light figured it out on his own.
"Were they gonna try to kill us?"
"...Probably. It was the Tower's 'trap' disguised as a reward."
"You caught on quick, Light."
"Yeah. After hearing your take, I thought it felt pretty risky too."
The chamberlain must've thought so as well.
Gaining the support of hundreds of thousands of citizens, forcing the Constellation contractors to submit head-on with his authority, and inciting their battle right in front of the masses.
Just imagining what might've happened if Ban Yu-won had pointed at some noble and declared them the enemy on top of that sent chills down his spine.
With the Claw contractors—that dangerous element—gone, to the king and nobles, Ban Yu-won was nothing more or less than another threat.
"Still can't believe it."
Light muttered, pursing his lips.
"That it was all fake. That we had to put our hearts and minds into fighting fakes."
"Good thing they were fake. Let us simulate it with less emotional damage."
"Another trial from the Tower to make us grow?"
"Obviously. Whether it's real growth or just insight and adaptation to human nature... that's debatable."
Ban Yu-won got up from the cushion with Lucelle and picked fruits from the tree to eat.
"Delicious. Here, you too."
"Ban, I've made up my mind."
Ignoring the offered fruit, Light spoke firmly.
"From now on, even if we meet NPCs in the Tower, I won't treat them as fake. I'll see them as real people."
"Yeah?"
"N-no, not trying to stop you or anything. You always do what's best for us."
Recalling his rebellion against Ban Yu-won during the 'trial' in early room 23, Light flushed and added that. He cleared his throat with a dignified expression.
"Just means I won't kill them lightly because they're fake. Not refusing to kill when I have to, but... instead of brushing off the weight of my thoughts, actions, and their consequences against them, I want to bear it properly."
His words rambled a bit, but Ban Yu-won got the point.
He'd accept and respect the party's attitude toward Tower NPCs, but personally, he had no choice but to treat them as real.
"Gonna shoulder even the stress you don't need to."
"I think it's not unnecessary, so... is that bad?"
"Nah, it's fine."
Ban Yu-won smiled.
Since he, Dokgo Yeon, and Lucelle treated the NPCs' existence too lightly, it was good to have one member who approached these fictional beings with seriousness.
The old Light might've worried him, but now that he knew Light respected the party more than himself... it was okay.
"Might even gain something from taking it so seriously. Hardships that don't kill you make you stronger, right?"
"I'm not gonna die!"
"Such a slowpoke. You could skip past some, but you're too sluggish, bumping into everything and hurting yourself."
"What?!"
Light got fired up at Dokgo Yeon's casual jab.
She plopped down on the now-empty cushion next to Ban Yu-won and Lucelle as they rose, letting out a mischievous laugh.
"That was a compliment, in my book."
"Liar!"
"This cushion really refreshes the mind. Can we take it?"
"Don't change the subject...! And it was my turn next!"
In the end, Light wedged himself in somewhat forcefully, claiming half the cushion with Dokgo Yeon.
Guess they're on good terms? Chuckling to himself, he surveyed the other structures in room 30.
As he'd half-expected, the spectacular expedition from room 23 to 27 meant room 30's rewards were lavish, even with 28 and 29 skipped.
Not just the giant cushion that cleansed all filth and restored fatigue (stuck to the floor, impossible to remove), but also the stream of booze someone from a past party had mentioned.
[Blood Wine (血酒), Regeneration (再生)]
"Knew it wasn't ordinary booze."
A simple list of concepts, but these two screamed something obvious.
And of all things, it looked like wine...
Ban Yu-won poured some into his canteen, watching in wonder as it turned to water inside. He gained a certainty but kept it to himself.
'Anyway, guess we're meant to drink it here. Like Eden's fruits...'
Which meant he could probably extract and compress the concepts separately, just like with the fruits.
Ban Yu-won put thought into action and reaped satisfying results.
The downside was getting drunk if you overdid it, but it was the most potion-like thing he'd gotten since arriving in this fantasy world.
That's when Dokgo Yeon's voice called from afar.
"Ban Yu-won, wouldn't mind making some jam soon. There's this thing called marmalade, right?"
"Leave it to me."
Unlike his words, Ban Yu-won readily turned the elixir into marmalade jam.
It was identical to previous batches, but the mutation reaction added a fun twist: 'Extremely Poisonous'.
Amazing effects on first taste, but rapid diminishing returns on repeats, potentially with side effects.
An option too good to be simply praised, giving Ban Yu-won firm insight into the mutation's downsides.
"What?! That's... not great for us who eat jam daily."
"Calm down, Dokgo Yeon. We still have plenty from room 20. Plus, it's fine if you cycle it properly."
"Oh, right."
Lucelle, hearing the elixir marmalade's description, seemed to recall something but held back, glancing at Dokgo Yeon.
Meanwhile, Light, blissed out on the cushion, spoke carelessly.
"Biggest effect on the first dose? Then feed it to the club members. Too wasteful daily, but once is fi—ack!"
"What did you say?!"
Dokgo Yeon reacted exactly as everyone expected, shoving Light off the cushion.
Why hadn't Lucelle—who'd thought the same—said it? The answer was rolling on the floor.
Dokgo Yeon was extremely sensitive about sharing her sweets!
"I'm short on my own share, and you're telling me to give it away? This sweetness... no, elixir!"
"We'll hit room 40 before it runs out anyway, so don't sweat it, Dokgo Yeon. And..."
"Even you're saying that?"
"Ban...!"
Light, don't look at me like I'm a friend sacrificing himself to save you.
"We might snag more Eden fruits elsewhere, so no big loss."
"Elsewhere? You mean... Oh."
Remembering Ban Yu-won's solo exploration privileges, Dokgo Yeon finally calmed.
"But I have no stake in those runs. You're getting jam for me?"
"Don't be like that. Half my strength now is thanks to you."
"Ah..."
Rare chances to butter her up, so he exaggerated gratitude naturally.
Like thinking her contribution was 30-40% but casually rounding up to 50%.
His advanced flattery skill put Dokgo Yeon in a great mood.
"A-hem. Well, if you think that highly of me... not bad."
"Phew, survived."
Light, who'd done nothing wrong but still aged a decade poking Dokgo Yeon's temper, cleared his throat.
"So, can we open that treasure chest now?"
Wondering why he hadn't mentioned it sooner, Ban Yu-won chuckled and turned to room 30's main course.
A bronze treasure chest banded in gold, sitting in one corner.
By Babel Tower standards, a lower-upper grade chest, waiting patiently to be opened.