Chapter 227
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Lesson 45. Founding Festival Preparations - 2
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Tuesday afternoon.
The lectures had all wrapped up, and the group had gathered at the café in the annex—As Light predictably absent, of course—to enjoy some desserts and coffee. That's when the café suddenly buzzed with excitement.
Lifting their heads, they saw a famous first-year student, already well-known among the freshmen, approaching right up to the table where the Rebellion members sat.
Ban Yu-won let out an involuntary sigh. The guy shot him a sharp glare before turning his gaze to Dokgo Yeon, who was seated across from him.
"Dokgo Yeon, I challenge you to a special match at the masked ball."
Of course, it was none other than Lucein Rownpalmer Equinas Ortima.
Ban Yu-won had half-expected something like this, but he hadn't thought Ortima would come to them first.
At this point, it was starting to look less like a crush and more like outright obsession.
As he watched Ortima, a sudden curiosity struck Ban Yu-won.
"What exactly do you want from Dokgo Yeon?"
"Shut your mouth. You don't have the right to question me."
His attitude was as prickly as ever, but at least he hadn't called him a maggot this time. Small mercies.
Even after all this growth, did Ortima still not see him as human?
Who knew... These days, Ban Yu-won felt like he wouldn't lose much even in a head-on clash.
If we're talking pure Life, I'm still way behind, but with Yu-won Arts and Origin Sword complete...
Ban Yu-won had those thoughts, but he had no intention of picking a fight with Ortima right then and there.
After all, the chance to settle who was stronger would come soon enough.
"What do you want from me?"
At that moment, Dokgo Yeon repeated Ban Yu-won's question verbatim.
She had the vibe of someone who bantered casually with everyone, but hearing her actually do it was surprisingly rare—and awkward.
She'd only ever used it against Ortima before... and Ban Yu-won still didn't know why.
No way... She couldn't actually have feelings for him, right?!
Like, she couldn't seriously acknowledge him just because Ban Yu-won hadn't managed to kill him despite trying, could she?!
No, that didn't make sense.
Dismissing the ridiculous notion even as it made him uneasy, Ban Yu-won glanced at her.
For some reason, Ortima mistook her words for something else and actually cracked a faint smile.
"Three dates with you, whenever I want."
"Pfft."
Lucelle finally burst out laughing at the completely unexpected response.
Ban Yu-won barely held back his own guffaws upon hearing it!
And why not? Given Ortima's usual high-and-mighty demeanor, demands like "Become my slave" or "Marry me" wouldn't have been out of place. Who could've guessed he'd hit them with something straight out of a teen rom-com?
"Puh-hut."
"......"
Fortunately, Ortima didn't have time to snap at Lucelle.
He was too entranced by Dokgo Yeon, who had burst into laughter herself.
His eyes roamed greedily over her face—those black irises with cross-shaped pupils that could look downright eerie to a stranger. It was creepy as hell.
"That's true love right there."
"What kind of twisted mind falls for the guy who cut off your own arm?"
"And not only that—he tried to kill your friends, yet he strolls in here with a straight face like it's nothing. Impressive brass."
As Ban Yu-won and Lucelle whispered, Dokgo Yeon stopped laughing and replied seriously.
"I've already agreed to a special match with Ban Yu-won, so go partner with Ullike Prominence."
"......What?"
Ortima glared at Ban Yu-won again, but he just shrugged.
The rumors hadn't spread yet, apparently, but the special match list would be announced alongside the tournament prelim schedule anyway. Everyone who mattered would know before the Founding Festival.
And when that happened, they'd all get a clearer picture of Ban Yu-won's strength.
Or... maybe Prominence's true nature.
"Tch."
Ortima clicked his tongue loudly, cutting through Ban Yu-won's thoughts.
"I heard you'd offended Prominence, but I didn't think you'd be foolish enough to challenge one of the Ten Great Families head-on."
"Ha, those Ten Great Families are always the ones starting shit, then bitching when we push back."
"B-Bitching? Do you have any idea who you're talking to like that...?"
As Ortima bristled at Ban Yu-won's crude language, the ambient mana responded to his will. It thickened instantly into a dense, murderous pressure that bore down on Ban Yu-won with horrifying weight.
Ortima's signature ability: dominating mana to unleash attacks at near-instant speeds.
Of course, as long as it was within Origin Sword's range, Ban Yu-won could evade, nullify, or even counter it effortlessly. But there was no need to reveal such cards against a guy he'd fight later anyway.
Instead, he circulated Yu-won Arts, manifesting the Golden Diamond concept within his body to shrug off the pressure with ease. He smirked at Ortima.
"So what, just roll over and die without resisting? If you Ten Great Family hotshots are so superior, why bother joining Union Academy and competing with the likes of us? Oh, right—how far'd you get in last week's dungeon dive? We cleared 160 rooms. If the tower's too tough, maybe watch our footage and take notes, huh?"
"You maggot..."
"Yeah, so the maggot cleared 160 rooms. You?"
This wasn't the early semester anymore. Ban Yu-won wouldn't be intimidated by Ortima's bluster.
He didn't need to put up with the "maggot" crap one syllable at a time.
Ortima, seeing Ban Yu-won casually resist his 'Divine Word of Dominion,' brushed off his collar with an irritated scowl.
"Vulgar trash."
He clearly had no comeback.
Ignoring Ban Yu-won as best he could, he turned back to Dokgo Yeon.
"Dokgo Yeon, a woman like you doesn't belong at the side of some filthy, worthless man."
"I'll decide where I belong."
"Of course..."
Ortima, who never conceded to anyone, actually nodded obediently at her words!
"You're just unaware right now. The power you possess, the status and rights that are rightfully yours—things your narrow view hasn't let you see yet. I'll make sure you reclaim them all. Just wait."
"......"
Dokgo Yeon didn't respond, but Ortima nodded firmly, as if resolved, and turned to leave.
He'd clearly come straight to the annex café just to say that to her.
Why not just confess already? Ban Yu-won thought, sneaking a peek at Dokgo Yeon's expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Ban Yu-won?"
"Nothing. Just curious how you feel about Ortima."
Caught off-guard by her glare, he blurted out the truth.
Lucelle shot to her feet.
"Master, are you jealous? Do it to me too—look, all these fans commenting on my channel—"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Ehehe."
Lucelle's goal was always skinship.
Ban Yu-won pulled her into his arms to calm her down. Watching this, Dokgo Yeon let out a short sigh.
"That guy probably knows the secret of my dimension."
She dropped a bombshell that left Ban Yu-won utterly baffled—light-years from what he'd expected.
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
"What do you mean? You two must've thought the same. That maggot knows the source of my power and wants to steal it. Why else would he spout nonsense about dating me?"
What the hell was she thinking?
What misunderstanding was this?
"......"
"......"
Leaving Ban Yu-won and Lucelle to exchange bewildered looks, Dokgo Yeon pressed on in a slightly faster tone than usual.
"The idea that he's attracted to me as a woman is impossible from the start. I could even read the desire in his eyes—the lust for the source of my power."
"Dokgo Yeon... that's not the kind of desire you're thinking of..."
"Foolish. You can't gain it by teaching her. Among outsiders, maybe only you could manage it, Ban Yu-won."
"......Hold up, stop."
This wasn't about martial arts or anything.
This was straight-up denial of reality on a desperate level. She probably didn't even see it that way herself.
Ban Yu-won had caught hints of this mindset from her before, but he'd never imagined she believed it this deeply.
He knew she didn't think highly of romantic entanglements between men and women, but this went beyond...
Well, yeah, I was freaked out at first. Definitely. But now...
As Ban Yu-won debated whether to say it, Lucelle grabbed his sleeve with a look like she was about to launch a nuke.
"Master, let's just kill her?"
"As embarrassing as this is... yeah, no choice."
He had no idea how things had escalated here, but letting Dokgo Yeon keep thinking like this didn't sit right.
And there was no guarantee another Ortima wouldn't show up.
"Dokgo Yeon, go on a date with me."
"What?!"
In the end, Ban Yu-won had to step up.
Of course, he'd recorded her voice cracking in shock without missing a beat.
Play it back later, and she'd probably try to kill him—joyfully.
"A-Are you teasing me too?"
"Can't you go on a date with me? Please?"
"Jeez, Master really is such a playboy."
Ban Yu-won pleaded earnestly; Lucelle sighed like it was inevitable.
Dokgo Yeon debated whether to draw her sword and punish these cheeky punks right then.
But...
A date...
"......"
"C'mon, just once."
Ban Yu-won clasped his hands in mock aegyo.
But he knew from experience that his charm worked more often than not.
"......I don't know what scheme you're cooking up, but fine. I'll humor you."
Dokgo Yeon finally nodded.
She didn't notice the faint blush creeping across her cheeks.
Ban Yu-won grinned.
"Great. It's late today, so tomorrow afternoon. No morning lectures, so we can both skip lunch."
"If it's something trivial, you're dead."
"A date with you could never be trivial. It's valuable enough that Ortima offered it as a special match prize."
Dokgo Yeon frowned at his words.
"That's because that maggot has ulterior motives—ugh, never mind. It's illogical. I'm just worried it'll be a waste of time."
"I'll plan something good. Ronica's got plenty of fun spots."
"......"
Excitement slipped into Ban Yu-won's voice. Lucelle pouted at him.
"That's blatant favoritism, Master."
"Favoritism? What're you on about?"
"Sigh, whatever. You owe me a date next."
Lucelle turned to Dokgo Yeon.
"Alright, Dokgo Yeon. You're coming with me to prep for the date."
"What? Does a date even need prep? It's tomorrow..."
As Dokgo Yeon floundered, Lucelle shook her head vigorously.
"Tomorrow's too late! You weren't planning to go out with Master in that gloomy getup without a second thought, were you?"
"G-Gloomy?"
Dokgo Yeon was speechless at Lucelle's bluntness—the girl who bantered like no rare artifact ever could.
But Lucelle was unyieldingly firm, dragging her along with maybe a hint of jealousy.
"We're off then! Wait up for us, Master!"
"Y-You beast! Why so strong... Beast!"
Lucelle had grown too strong over break; pure strength couldn't resist her. Dokgo Yeon was dragged away helplessly.
Ban Yu-won never could've predicted this dynamic back in the first semester—
He smiled warmly at the sight, murmuring to himself.
"Would've been nice if you'd joined us since you were here, right?"
No one answered.
Instead, a student who'd been quietly sitting in the corner stood up just as quietly and left.
But Ban Yu-won had definitely seen that student flinch the moment he asked Dokgo Yeon out.
They called this killing two birds with one stone.
As he grinned and rose to leave, his mirror vibrated.
[Ullike Prominence] ― I heard about what happened today. I'd like to meet once as a condition for accepting the special match. You wouldn't say no to me, would you?
Two birds with one stone? Canceled.