Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Lesson 39. I Must Have Him - 1
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Dokgo Yeon opened her eyes but lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, before belatedly realizing that this wasn't the academy dormitory.
'No need to hear that beast grunting. Nice.'
The beast, Lucelle, was her opposite in every way.
Her movements had no rules, she was faithful to her instincts, and utterly free.
No... it was Ban Yu-won who had set her free.
But Dokgo Yeon didn't think for a second that he could free her too.
She didn't want it.
She shouldn't want it.
"Milady, are you awake?"
"...Yes."
Dokgo Yeon closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, slowly shaking her head to clear her thoughts.
She threw off the covers and rose from bed. Heukseol was right there, helping her wash up and then dressing her.
"Ah..."
Heukseol let out a sigh of admiration as the flawless, toned nude body—honed by relentless training, without an ounce of excess fat—was concealed by her clothes.
"If that boy saw this, he'd fall for you in an instant."
"Still on about that? I told you, he's just my disciple."
"But you never know with romance, milady."
"Which is exactly why nothing like that will happen. I've long since sworn off women."
Dokgo Yeon replied curtly with a click of her tongue, but Heukseol spotted the faint smile tugging at her lips.
A subtle shift in emotion that only she, who served her closest, could detect.
I wonder if that boy would notice.
Aah, now I'm really curious.
"I wish I could at least see what he looks like..."
"Contact with external dimensions is forbidden within the Divine Cult's territory. You know that."
Heukseol knew that full well, of course.
When Dokgo Yeon had been selected by the Union, there had been calls from the Union's faction to strip her of her position as Vice Leader solely for that reason.
Yet the Cult Leader, who had always shown unwavering indifference toward his children, had rarely intervened and ordered her to formally investigate the Union and return. With the accusations lifted, Dokgo Yeon had been able to leave for the cult unburdened.
"Still, you have permission to use that device freely, so if you just showed me a tiny glimpse..."
"This isn't the time for idle chatter. Have you assembled the Dragon Subduers?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Dokgo Yeon shot Heukseol a sharp look for constantly prying into what had happened between her and 'that boy' whenever she got the chance. Heukseol snapped to attention and bowed hastily.
"All personnel are standing by. Just give the order, and we'll drag every last one of those mutts—loyal or not—before you."
"I feel like handling this personally. I'll take the Blue Wave Division. You lead the Dragon Subduers and clean up the other two."
With that, Dokgo Yeon finished speaking, buckled the sheath of her short sword to her waist, and strode out the door.
Left alone, Heukseol pondered her words with a bewildered expression before jolting in realization and chasing after her.
"Wait, milady!"
"Right now, I'm the Dragon Subduer Leader."
"Leader! You're not saying you're going to take on one of the cult's armed divisions by yourself, are you?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Is that so surprising?"
"The Blue Wave Leader can manifest a six-foot sword aura! And all his lieutenants have reached the pinnacle realm...!"
"Ban Yu-won can wield sword aura too. So what?"
She tells me not to talk about him one minute, and now she's bragging like she can't wait to!
Of course, wielding sword aura at an age similar to Dokgo Yeon's was certainly impressive.
Sword energy, which simply infused the blade to enhance its sharpness, was nothing compared to sword aura, which extended beyond the blade while retaining its keen edge and solidity.
And if it embodied firm sword intent rather than mere energy concentration... even more so.
The sword aura Ban Yu-won had perfected during the two-week special activity at the end of the first semester—Dokgo Yeon had no intention of telling him this—rivaled her own achievements.
"But I won't lose to Ban Yu-won. Same goes for them. Sword aura doesn't make you invincible."
"If you're so set on it, at least let me accompany you. The Dragon Subduers can manage without me just fine..."
For reference, Heukseol also served as the vice leader of the Dragon Subduers, where Dokgo Yeon was the leader.
She had firmly refused other roles, insisting her duty was solely to protect Dokgo Yeon. But with Dokgo Yeon heading to Union Academy, she had reluctantly taken the vice leader position to safeguard the group in her absence.
Now, as Dokgo Yeon moved separately while mobilizing the Dragon Subduers, she ordered Heukseol to lead them—only to get this response.
"Appointing you vice leader might have been a mistake."
"I know. I'm content just being your bodyguard."
"Hoo."
Dokgo Yeon let out a sigh and nodded.
"Looks like you still can't grasp how much I've grown. ...Giving your subordinates trust is a leader's duty too. Follow me."
"Yes!"
Dokgo Yeon burst out of the room and headed with Heukseol toward the Blue Wave Division's quarters, where they had slandered her.
She already had the Cult Leader's approval.
Of course, the enemies didn't know yet—but since they had bared their fangs at her in her absence, they'd have to accept this much.
"Eek, the Dragon Subduer Leader...!"
"It's the Vice Leader."
The guards at the gate startled at the sight of Dokgo Yeon approaching slowly, but before they could raise their voices, she swung her short sword with a cold voice.
Shruk. Only after she sheathed it did the two headless bodies crumple to the ground.
Heukseol was inwardly stunned by Dokgo Yeon's speed—so fast she couldn't even track the draw and strike—but quickly moved to catch the bodies before they hit the floor.
"No need to hide them. The Blue Wave Leader will already sense this."
"Mil... I mean, Leader. Do we go in like this?"
"No."
Dokgo Yeon briefly infused her bracelet with death energy, then hurled it high into the air.
It shot up like it had wings, halting at about a kilometer up before disgorging the giant trapped within.
The otherworldly monster, hundreds of meters tall, enhanced by Dokgo Yeon's power, plummeted wreathed in black death.
"What the...?!"
Heukseol's eyes widened in shock.
Before Dokgo Yeon could explain, the mountain giant crashed with a horrific Kwaaaaang!, smashing and flattening the entire Blue Wave headquarters.
"Dokgo Yeon――――――――!"
A wounded beast's savage roar echoed immediately after.
The giant's appearance and fall had been too sudden—even for powerhouses like Dokgo Yeon, evasion was the best they could manage, let alone blocking it.
Much less for the weaker ones.
Most regular members hadn't even reacted before being crushed to death—effectively annihilating one of the Divine Cult's proud armed divisions at this point.
"As expected of the weakest. Crushed to death by a single lumbering brute."
"You can't say that, milady..."
Heukseol, dumbfounded, forgot her professional demeanor and protested.
She hadn't missed it.
Dokgo Yeon had personally infused her energy into that intimidating giant, temporarily empowering it.
Filled with the deathly sword energy that always gave her the edge against peers, it had briefly embodied the concept of death itself upon impact.
If they could withstand that, they could've crushed her head-on without backstabbing from behind!
Whirlic, tak.
Whether the Blue Wave Leader, barely surviving the mountain giant meteor, screamed her name in rage or not, Dokgo Yeon casually retrieved the bracelet—like sucking a Pokémon back into a Poké Ball—and re-fastened it to her wrist.
She then flashed her arm proudly at the dazed Heukseol with a soft fu fu chuckle.
"Ban Yu-won gave me this bracelet. I didn't like how girly it looked, but it's practical, and he insisted I take it, so here we are."
Didn't you just say you'd sworn off women?
Guess milady's got about a hundred girls tucked away.
That's why she can toss them aside so casually.
Of course, voicing that might earn her a mountain giant strike, so Heukseol wisely shut her mouth and stepped back.
With just one of Dokgo Yeon's artifacts—not even her personally—the Divine Cult's prized division had been utterly demolished.
Any further interference would just be overstepping.
"You've finally joined hands with the Union's scum!"
Unfortunately, not everyone read the room like Heukseol.
The Blue Wave Leader, who had barely escaped the mountain giant meteor, drew his longsword and charged at Dokgo Yeon, eyes bulging as he bellowed. He had no time to flee.
"Mocking the Divine Cult's orthodoxy with that wicked power, and now trampling the lives of warriors loyal to the Cult Leader like dirt!"
"Shut up, worm."
"Kuhak?!"
Dokgo Yeon stepped forward, appearing before him, and swung her short sword.
One slash severed his legs below the knees, shortening his overly tall frame. Now he couldn't glare down at her and shout.
"Everything I gained from the Union will be used for the cult. You're the one whose intentions are suspect for trying to disband the Dragon Subduers, the cult's elite."
"Grrr, the Dragon Subduers just backed the wrong horse—!"
Before he could react, blue energy surged from the Blue Wave Leader's body, legs or no.
A ferocious wave of blue qi crashed toward Dokgo Yeon—but the next instant, her single slash dispersed it entirely.
"From this moment, the Blue Wave Division is no more. Still don't get that it was you who backed the wrong horse, not the Dragon Subduers?"
"There's no law like this! How much have I devoted to the Divine Cult!"
"Ha."
Dokgo Yeon sneered at the Blue Wave Leader, who had lost his forces, his power, and screamed in rage all at once.
"If you swore loyalty to the Divine Cult, you should've known that I am the Divine Cult."
Her final slash cleanly severed the Blue Wave Leader's body—and the remnants of the headquarters behind him—sending them crumbling.
The dead could no longer make excuses.
"Let's go. The Dragon Subduers haven't finished their tasks yet. As their leader, I should lend a hand, however small."
"Yes, Leader!"
Though Dokgo Yeon had entered Union Academy and revealed an unexpected girlish side no one foresaw, Heukseol felt her heart pounding fiercely upon realizing her overwhelming power had not waned but advanced further.
Her enrollment in Union Academy had been a success.
Just half a year ago, she had hesitated to deal with rivals personally—now she could crush them openly like this!
"And once it's all done... yes, I should report to the Cult Leader."
"He'll surely praise you greatly."
Dokgo Yeon had displayed truly overwhelming might today.
Of course, that it was directed inward rather than outward might be a slight blemish...
But in the Divine Cult, only power and legitimacy mattered.
For Dokgo Yeon, whose legitimacy had been questioned for entering Union Academy, purging impure elements like the Blue Wave Division was essential to solidify her position.
Thus, the Cult Leader had permitted this despite knowing it weakened the cult... and with Dokgo Yeon handling it decisively, her status was secure unless she made a grave mistake.
"—Yes. She taught the Profound Body Art to an outsider."
—As long as she didn't violate the cult's laws. Probably.