Chapter 208

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 208

Chapter Title: Lesson 41. Paper Please - 3

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Even though the meteor shower on a scale that could have ended Earth with a single misstep had been handled by his son, his wife had reverted to her twenties, and two stunning beauties he’d never met before had come over to visit, Ban Ju-seok—Ban Yu-won’s father—wore a grave expression.

It was probably because of the single sheet of paper sitting right in front of him.

"Thanks for everything so far, dear. Let’s set each other free from now on."

It was a divorce application.

"Hold on! Time-out! This isn’t right, Eun-young!"

His father was so flustered that he even called out her name—which he rarely ever used—to try and stop her, but his mother’s resolve was ironclad.

"We agreed on this from the start when we got married. Staying on Earth like this will just put you in danger too. We have to leave. That’s why I came back—to tell you that."

"Even so, do we really need to go as far as divorce?!"

"Sigh."

His mother let out a deep sigh.

"It’ll be hard for us to meet again from now on. Holding on like this will just tire us both out, don’t you get it?"

"What’s a little tiredness? Dear, I’ve got no one but you."

"Stop talking nonsense and let’s have a serious talk. You think I’ve got another man or something? This is all for your sake."

"If it’s for my sake, then all the more...!"

Ban Yu-won had reached the end of his patience by then and bolted from the room.

Ban Yu-mi, who had been standing there with her mouth agape at the first truly serious conversation she’d ever heard from their parents, got dragged out with him.

"Hey, stay here. It was just getting good."

"It’s not like we’re watching some morning soap opera."

The ending was obvious anyway.

Their emotions were crystal clear to read, so rather than waiting around for an awkward scene between the two, it was better to just give them space.

But once they were actually outside, Ban Yu-mi’s face had darkened.

She was always so obvious, trying to hide her true feelings even after getting caught every time.

"If Mom and Dad divorce, it’ll be my fault. What do I do...?"

"Divorce? We’ll be lucky if they don’t make a third kid today."

Ban Yu-won snorted in response, and Ban Yu-mi shot back with a face that screamed she couldn’t accept it.

"They’re literally talking about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠divorce right now, and you’re saying...?"

"Mom didn’t pull out those papers because she actually wants a divorce."

"?"

Ban Yu-mi tilted her head at his firm declaration.

For a split second, he cursed himself for thinking his sister was cute, then continued.

"I’m at a level where I’ve got this much resolve. If she doesn’t want to lose me, she’d better hold on tight right now. That’s basically what it means."

His father would naturally cling desperately, of course. And with that assurance that his father wouldn’t stray, his mother could leave Earth with at least a bit of peace of mind.

So in truth, it was a warning letter disguised as a divorce application.

To prevent his father from cheating while she was gone... and also a certificate to reconfirm that their love was still going strong.

"Even so, does it have to go that far? I hate stuff like that. It’d be better if they just said it outright."

Ban Yu-mi looked queasy after his explanation, but Ban Yu-won gave a wry smile and shrugged.

"Mom’s not usually like that, but given the situation... Like she said, they might not see each other for years. It’s understandable she’d want some kind of document for reassurance."

"...Years."

Ban Yu-mi’s expression darkened sharply as his words made her suddenly recall what lay ahead for her.

She might think she was fully prepared, but this was ultimately a half-forced choice swept up in circumstances.

It wasn’t surprising for his ever-confident sister, who loved dragging everyone else along, to lose some of that confidence now.

Wondering how he’d ended up as her therapist, Ban Yu-won sighed deeply but decided to console her anyway.

"Dad might not get to see you much, but you’ll be sick of me."

"Really?! ...Why?"

Ban Yu-mi brightened for a moment before hastily putting on a straight face and asking.

"Because we’re on the same path. You’re going to reclaim the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Prominence family, and I’m currently locked on by that family’s young master—or whatever he is. To resolve that, I’ve got no choice but to deal with Prominence somehow. And the best way is to team up with you. Get it now?"

"I get that you’re treating me like an idiot!"

"Don’t swing at me so fast again. And what’s wrong with calling an idiot an idiot...?"

"Argh...!"

Ban Yu-won grabbed his sister’s hand as she reached for him and wrestled it down until she calmed, then continued.

"You said you’re going to work as dimensional mercenaries with Aneri and build your skills, right? You’ll be busy from now on. Get properly ready before you leave."

"I know that much!"

"Say proper goodbyes to your friends too."

The grip on his hand tightened fiercely.

Then, with her head bowed, she spoke in a thin, trembling voice he’d never heard from her before.

"...That too, I know."

Always showing that pitiful side to soften hearts.

Ban Yu-won sighed inwardly... and gently squeezed and patted her much smaller hand.

"Ah... "

Her eyes widened, but she soon melted into his arms and started sobbing quietly.

Siblings weren’t supposed to hold hands and hug like this.

Whatever. This much should be fine.

The next day, Ban Yu-mi officially handed over the guild master position of Oculus Ruber to Kang Mi-yeon.

Everyone who didn’t know the full story was shocked, but the executives got the details.

"No way. Without Yu-mi unnie, it’s not even Oculus Ruber anymore!"

Yu-jina, a junior who had always adored Ban Yu-mi, reacted the most fiercely.

Lee Hyun-ji tilted her head and asked.

"What does Oculus Ruber even mean? I thought it was just some random name."

"You didn’t even know that...? It’s red eyes. Red eyes."

Kang Mi-yeon, freshly promoted from sub-master to guild master, pressed her throbbing forehead and replied. Lee Hyun-ji looked even more confused.

"What’s that supposed to be, some horror thing? Red mask sounds more like bloody gore, at least that makes sense."

"Sorry, Hyun-ji unnie, but we’re having a serious talk, so could you step out?"

"Whoa, did you hear that bitch just now? No matter what, I’m the senior here!"

"Hyun-ji, sorry, but could you step out?"

"You too, Mi-yeon!!!"

"Haa..."

Ban Yu-mi sighed, feeling a twinge of anxiety at how quickly things had devolved right after the handover.

Ban Yu-won, who had thought it was a mess even before, coldly tapped the table to refocus everyone.

"I assume you all know the situation Earth is in. We don’t know how long the barrier will hold, but..."

Even as he said it, he inwardly thought—somewhat arrogantly—that Earth’s barrier might last his entire lifetime unless he intervened.

"As long as it holds, outsiders can’t enter or exit Earth, and the constellations’ interference will be limited too. In a way, you could say disasters like this one won’t happen again, but..."

"Earth’s tough enough on its own."

"Exactly. As you’ve realized, Earth is a special dimension. Mana density has been high ever since dimensional evolution, and it’s only getting higher. Soon, H- or I-rank dungeons by Earth standards could pop up without surprise."

Lee Hyun-ji and the others, who wouldn’t have dreamed of tackling a G-rank dungeon without Ban Yu-won, couldn’t help but sigh.

"I wish my chest size would grow that big..."

"Hyun-ji, get out for real."

"Don’t get mad just because Earth’s leaving you behind, G-rank! Some of us are solidly B-rank!"

"You...!"

"‘Solidly’ is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠actually a phrase people use like that, huh..."

"No, Yu-won. It’s not common. Don’t worry. She’s the weird one."

Ban Yu-won desperately tried to steady his reeling mind.

Was this the plight of the lone guy in an all-women company he’d heard so much about?

"Hey, enough with the jokes. We don’t have time."

Ban Yu-mi said sternly.

"I’ve got about a month before I leave Earth. The goal is to clear as many dungeons as possible to level you all up. If you lose the top guild spot while I’m gone, I’ll really kill you."

"Eeeh, how are we supposed to hold number one without you?!"

"Quiet."

Surprisingly, it was Kang Mi-yeon who silenced the whining Lee Hyun-ji.

Having steeled herself in the meantime, she slammed the table with a fairly serious expression.

"Yu-won already made us good weapons. If we grind dungeons nonstop with him for a month, we can easily pull into Earth’s top ranks. Hyun-ji, Ji-na, think of it as our last gift to Yu-mi and go all out for one month."

"Mi-yeon..."

Ban Yu-mi’s eyes welled up at Kang Mi-yeon’s words. Kang Mi-yeon cleared her throat awkwardly and continued cautiously.

"Still, we might need some motivation, right? Wouldn’t proper rewards lead to better results?"

"...?"

Kang Mi-yeon wasn’t particularly materialistic, and she’d become sub-master more to look after others than for power or money.

For her to mention rewards made Ban Yu-mi uneasy for some reason, and she met her gaze with wavering eyes.

"U-Unnie."

"Unnie?!"

Ban Yu-mi was shocked at the unfamiliar word from her dongsaeng’s mouth.

Kang Mi-yeon continued with uncharacteristic caution.

"Unnie, just let me go on one date with Yu-won..."

That day, a blood rain fell on the Oculus Ruber guild.

Later, Ban Yu-won heard from Lee Hyun-ji that ahead of a G-rank dungeon raid, he’d equipped Kang Mi-yeon with a good weapon and trained her intensely—which apparently hadn’t sat well.

From his perspective, he’d just wanted his sister’s second-in-command and unique power holder to get stronger, but to a woman who’d lived her life training, that kindness and attention had been fatal.

What a lesson learned.

Though the guild atmosphere was a total mess.

With a blank expression, he checked the messages from his classmate that had arrived on the mirror.

Did they need a reply? No. No need to worry about someone from another dimension.

Right now, and forever, the only thing he needed to care about was this beautiful star.

Somewhere in his mind, a part of him was surely leaping with joy at the long-overdue contact from Ban Yu-won, regardless of the content...

But as always, he crushed that weak side of himself without mercy, pulverizing it as he rose from his seat.

"Your Highness, it’s time to deploy."

"Right."

The valiant and beautiful prince of the star.

Having forgotten his original name and purged all unnecessary emotions, the only thing left in As Light’s mind was a thirst for battle.

As Light donned his helmet, becoming the perfect prince once more, and headed back to the battlefield.

There was one month until the new term began.