Chapter 268
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: Lesson 52. The Back Side of the Tower - 4
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If the first half of the second semester had been a frantic sprint just to catch the Founding Festival and free Asha while tying down Prominence's feet...
...then the second half was when the fully intact Team Rebellion finally solidified their top spot in the tower climb rankings, not only surpassing Ortima but even brushing aside Irema, the immovable pillar of the first-years.
Of course, on top of that, Ban Yu-won was throwing himself into solo tower exploration training—specifically, 'monster creation,' honing his ability to wield his own divine authority in acts of creation.
Zenon's weekly lectures and the space within Orb proved tremendously helpful for that training, free as they were from the pesky interference of Zenon himself or other incumbent students.
And that wasn't all. He was also spending no small amount of time seriously training his swordsmanship alongside Dokgo Yeon.
The trajectories she drew with her sword—or sometimes her hands and feet—each mastered across countless sword styles, were deeply etched into Ban Yu-won's soul. They influenced not just his swordplay but even his Origin Sword, aiding him greatly in reading and controlling the flow of concepts.
Student Council duties were another indispensable part of the routine he'd settled into since the second semester began.
He'd thought things would quiet down after the Founding Festival, but as Ban Yu-won's exploits visibly narrowed the Special Class's foothold, the troublemakers started acting up in response, forcing the Student Council officers to work overtime cracking down on them.
That naturally meant more time mingling with the other officers, and especially with Aire, the other newbie like himself, as they continued co-authoring magic theses together into the second semester, their bond grew organically closer.
Aire, who'd been intrigued by Ban Yu-won's magical talents from the start, often expressed a desire to spar with him in magic...
"Not today. Stay with me."
Mira, fuming at the overly intimate exchange unfolding in the Student Council room, wedged herself between them and kidnapped him.
And today was one such day.
As Ban Yu-won finished up council business and was about to leave with Aire, Mira rushed up from behind, threw her arms around him, and refused to let go.
"We had a magic duel scheduled."
Aire's impassive gaze poured down alongside her calm protest, but Mira, face buried in Ban Yu-won's broad back, snorted without even glancing her way.
"You think I don't know that's a duel where you get all the gains? I've been turning a blind eye out of gratitude for taking on vice president duties, but today's my turn. Give it up."
"Mira, that's a misunderstanding. I'm gaining from it too..."
Just as his understanding of the sword deepened through spars with Dokgo Yeon, duels with Aire brought insights into elemental magic manipulation and mana control.
The spars were hardly a loss for Ban Yu-won himself.
But to be perfectly honest... squeezing them into his packed schedule every single day lately was a bit taxing.
Mira had probably picked up on the strain and fatigue Aire hadn't noticed, pretending to throw a tantrum as an excuse to cling to him.
"Give it up. You're not going anywhere. Stay with me."
"As expected of Mira. You've got a real talent for reeling in guys."
"Quiet down, Shati sunbae."
Maybe she was just sulking because she wanted to play with him, nothing more.
"Yu-won."
Aire, giving up on talking to Mira, turned to Ban Yu-won and spoke.
"Fairies are a mystical, noble race that left its mark even in the Mythic Age alongside dragons. Renowned for their beauty, rarity, and for showering those they favor with boundless gifts."
"Oh my, flattering me out of the blue won't make me hand over Yu-won."
"Yet their whimsy, perversity, and obsessive refusal to let go of what catches their fancy until they've crushed it—even true dragons are said to shudder at it, able to trample fairies like bugs."
"You...!"
Mira's forehead throbbed with a vein at Aire's tactic of feigned praise followed by a brutal takedown.
And what was that? Trample like bugs?
"So do be careful."
"I think you should be the careful one..."
"Then I'll be off. Hoping we can duel tomorrow."
Aire shot Mira one sharp glare before exiting the Student Council room.
Only after she left did the frozen atmosphere finally begin to thaw, prompting sighs of relief from Rika and Vegan—even from the stone-faced Graham.
"Whoa, these first-years are no joke..."
"That's exactly why we made her vice president, though."
The couple who always denied being one—yet were plastered together even now—chimed in.
"Kyahat."
Shati, who'd been gleefully spectating the lovers' spat, let out her signature laugh, her Evil One pupils narrowing into long vertical slits as she addressed Ban Yu-won.
"Dragons are even more obsessive about treasure than that, Planning Chief. Just so you know."
"Yeah... I kind of get that."
It was an itchy metaphor likening him to treasure, but watching Aire's behavior made it hard not to agree to some extent.
As he smiled wryly and sat on the sofa as Mira wished, she half-forcibly yanked his head onto her lap.
The reversed position from usual made him suspect Lucelle's influence might be at play.
"Ah—here they go again. I'm out!"
"I'll head out too."
"Why do you two always sync up like this? It's annoying!"
"That's my line, External Activities Chief."
The currently hottest officer couple put on a performance that wasn't even funny and slipped out together.
Graham, sensing the mood between Ban Yu-won and Mira, swept up the rest of the stragglers and left as well.
But Shati stayed, and noticing Mira didn't protest, Ban Yu-won caught on.
"So it wasn't just about hanging out alone, huh?"
"Sharp as ever."
If it was a matter involving the two of them together, it was probably... an alliance.
Mira and Shati had been working since summer break to establish a fairy alliance centered on her home dimension, A-1. And now, in the second semester, the results were steadily coming in.
Thanks to that, they frequently ventured outside during special activities conducted in teams, diligently uniting the fairy forces.
The fairies, who normally refused to cooperate and treated other races like insects, had recognized the threat of Crimson Spear and the Prominence behind it early on, banding together at an impressive pace to form a power bloc.
All of this could be called an achievement of Ban Yu-won and Mira... and even Ketra, for all that her involvement had been an extreme measure.
"So, what's up? Do the fairies need me for something?"
"Just lie back and listen, my prince."
As Ban Yu-won recalled they'd gone on a special activity just last week, Mira pushed down his attempt to sit up, laying his head back on her lap.
As he lay obediently with his head pillowed on her thighs, debating whether to call out the "prince" nickname, Mira frowned delicately and spoke.
"You might have to come to our dimension soon."
"You're making 'come visit' sound so ominous. Got it. I have prior commitments, so not sure when, but I'll carve out time during break—"
"As soon as possible. I plan to introduce you as my fiancé—and the representative of the anti-Prominence support forces."
Ban Yu-won paused at her words but soon came to a response.
"Yeah, figures it had to come to that."
The fairies were flocking to A-1 dimension to escape Prominence's schemes exploiting him.
They believed mere interdimensional solidarity wouldn't fully shield them from the Ten Great Families' threats, so under unanimous racial consent, a mass migration was underway.
A-1, as an A-rank representative dimension, boasted mana reserves and vast scale rivaling the only ten S-rank dimensions across all dimensions.
Gathering the fairies there shouldn't be too hard.
The real issue was what this migration signified about the fairies' collective will.
The fairies who fled their homes to A-1 couldn't stay there forever.
Everyone knew this was just a temporary measure.
Thus, before the migration, they'd undoubtedly reached another consensus.
To ensure the fairies 'evacuated' to A-1 could safely return home, the root cause threatening their race had to be eliminated.
In other words—from the moment the mass migration began, all-out war between the fairies and Prominence was inevitable.
Which meant Ban Yu-won, sharing their enemy, and by extension the Level Force mercenary group including his sister Ban Yu-mi, could become allies.
'But the fairies wouldn't directly negotiate with my sister or Level Force out of nowhere. The simplest way is through me, tied to their princess Mira...'
It was something he'd half-expected, so no surprise there.
What nagged at him, though...
"The fairies are already planning to clash with them? That's not it, right?"
"'Already'? Junior, you think interdimensional wars are settled in one quick match? Ambushing and wiping out foes in a single night only works in small-scale sieges on towns at best. This war... factoring in Crimson Spear's involvement, it'll start with skirmishes and drag on for at least two years. Plan accordingly."
"Two years..."
Shati's concrete timeline made the vague notion of an eventual showdown with Prominence feel far more real and pressing.
Ban Yu-won felt a headache coming on as he replied.
"So what, does that mean going during the semester?"
"Huh? You went alone to that reckless trolling girl's hometown, but you're not saying you can't come to mine, right?"
Her hand gently stroking his head on her lap remained tender, but she couldn't hide the sharpness creeping into her eyes.
Her fierce jealousy was proof of her deep affection for him.
Only the prince could properly cherish the fragile, delicate, and prickly princess's heart. Before she could sulk further, he raised a hand to caress her smooth cheek, soothing her.
"As if. I wanted to prepare properly to earn approval as son-in-law material, so it's a shame it has to be rushed."
"Prepare."
His words worked wonders; a sudden warmth bloomed in her pale cheeks.
Even her eyes seemed to sparkle more.
"What kind of preparations were you planning? I wanna hear."
"Ah—."
Detecting Mira's attempt to deploy the chicken-skin special barrier unique to disgustingly lovey-dovey couples with her coquettish whine, Shati desperately broadcast interference.
"Aaaa—we're supposed to talk business today, business!"
"Ah... Shati, you're a buzzkill."
"I just want to smack you once... with my divine authority."
"That wouldn't be a smack; it'd be an explosion."
Shati glared at Ban Yu-won's cool rebuttal for no reason.
Anyway, thanks to Shati, Mira regained her senses with a deliberate cough and finally got to the main topic.
"Truth is, you don't need to worry. Everyone knows you're more than qualified to be my fiancé—overflowing with it, even. A-1 has one of the highest concentrations of Union Net users among all dimensions."
"Do the fairies watch Rebellion's channel too?"
"Of course. Especially your recent exploits—they even impressed the haughty fairies."
Her reference to "recently" brought to mind his dramatic reversal against Woo Hyeo-rin.
"...None of them realized I used Senior Ketra's lingering power for that changeling, right?"
"If they knew a human handled changeling in any form, they'd be thrilled, not upset."
Yep, that's the thought pattern of a race infamous across the universe for being psycho.
Ban Yu-won nodded calmly despite the thought, picking up her words.
"I get it's unavoidable. Fine, I'll go. The issue is getting the Chancellor's approval—but it'll probably be okay."
"Don't make that serious face already. Over our long history, plenty of power-hungry fools have lusted after fairy beauty or strength. A madman trying to sacrifice us en masse for some grand scheme is a first, but we'll overcome it."
Mira had seen right through how he'd strategized against Prominence without factoring in the fairies, up to now.
Her assurance they could hold their own was likely meant to ease that burden.
Can we really ally with the fairies that easily?
Can we fight Prominence alongside them and still steer things toward what I—and my sister—want...?
Such doubts lingered, but Mira stretched out her slender fingers to smooth the furrows from his brow.
"Save the unsolvable worries for later. Rest with me now. I'll let you know the date as soon as it's set."
"—Hold on a sec."
Surprisingly, Shati called a stop again.
Mira, who'd finished business and was about to fully indulge in lover's time, lifted her head with genuine intent to shoo her away—
"Having one more force backing Junior in talks with the fairies would be reassuring, right? The forces he could bring right now are basically Rebellion, the club, or the mercenary group."
Shati said it with a resolute expression.
As if she'd been steeling herself to say this all day.
"Shati?"
"It's thanks to you, Junior. A possibility opened up—a pretty huge opportunity, really."
"Senior Shati..."
Ban Yu-won instantly grasped what she meant, his gaze turning grave.
Mira, who'd been there when she seized that 'opportunity,' roughly got it too.
"What, planning to create a force with your divine authority, Shati?"
"I'm going to prove it, Mira. ...To my parents. And claim my legion."
"Your parents?"
"So, will you come with me, Junior? Before Mira... to my home. ...A-4 dimension."
It was a confession of a lifetime, a 'repayment' quintessential to the contract-bound Evil Ones.
But before he could respond, an idle thought crossed Ban Yu-won's mind.
Didn't you say last time you weren't from an upper dimension?
Did you mean not S-rank, so not 'upper dimension'?