Chapter 296
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Lesson 58. Spartoi - 1
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I had a dream of the past.
A dream featuring a vulgar beast whose intentions were plain as day, and a foolish man who couldn't even control a single one of those beasts, groaning in frustration.
If it had been up to her temperament—and if this had been her homeland—she would have bound both of them so they couldn't throw tantrums or act spoiled, tossed them into a den of monsters, and disciplined them until their rotten minds were fixed.
But this wasn't her homeland, and those two weren't her subordinates—they were comrades.
"That beast seems to like a strong approach."
Above all, the two of them had talent.
The man not only possessed innate martial talent but also showed glimpses of the qualities of a ruler, however immature.
And the beast had that madness of hers—if only her nature could be refined—she had the potential to serve him without flaw.
"You get it, so stop pretending you don't. I'm telling you not to half-heartedly compromise with a beast that won't listen to reason."
She was convinced that pairing those two would benefit not just them but the whole team immensely.
They already had good feelings for each other, so it wouldn't hurt anyone.
So she gave her advice.
With the lightest of hearts, even laced with amusement.
"Try getting along with the beast, just the two of you."
She even arranged the perfect environment for them to bond, then turned her back on them.
So when the two quickly got together—it wasn't entirely her doing, but at least fifty percent of it was her handiwork.
It was a satisfying outcome, and as expected, the team made a huge leap forward afterward...
But who could have known she'd end up developing feelings for that man—feelings that were anything but ordinary?
Who could have foreseen that she'd one day regret her actions that day, her advice to him—
"—Ugh."
Overcome by a surge of nausea, Dokgo Yeon snapped her eyes open and bolted upright.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat, as if she'd been tormented by a nightmare.
Her head spun, and her stomach churned.
Perhaps reflecting her anxious heart, her inner energy was raging out of control inside her.
It wasn't quite qi deviation, but given the nature of the power she wielded, even a slight lapse could release death energy that would wreak havoc on her surroundings.
"Was I that upset?"
With war looming, watching everyone proudly bring their planet's forces had made her seethe with resentment at her own inability to do the same.
She'd hated seeing them all fawning over Ban Yu-won, clinging to him—so she'd sought a solitary space, just for a quick nap, only to dream of that hated past.
Dokgo Yeon felt disgust toward herself, but first things first: she clamped her mouth shut, closed her eyes, and focused on calming her rampaging energy.
Death—a power that no one but her father, the cult leader, could even comprehend in its true form. A power that spanned all dimensions, one only she had mastered and could wield.
Of course, mastering it had involved indescribable agony in training, indirect experiences of countless deaths, insights unique to her that couldn't be passed on to others—plus numerous limitations, and it still wasn't fully perfected.
But it was undoubtedly a transcendent force, a lethal weapon capable of inflicting fatal wounds even on beings whose level and age she couldn't hope to match.
"No, Ban Yu-won might even make this power his own someday. He might wield it even more masterfully than I..."
If that happened, it would be the moment he transcended humanity and ascended to the realm of gods.
When that time came, would she still be by his side?
Of course she would.
He needed her help, he was grateful to her, and...
As her thoughts reached that point, her energy finally settled.
She suppressed her anxiety about the urgent present, her sorrow over an irredeemable past—all with hope for the future. She swept away irrelevant distractions and focused solely on Ban Yu-won.
"I'm no lovestruck girl in her first romance—what's wrong with me?"
A nightmare over one mere man, her energy going berserk, and to rein it in, fantasizing about a future with him.
Absurd.
To be swayed by emotions she'd thought she'd never feel in her lifetime.
Dokgo Yeon hadn't fully admitted her feelings for Ban Yu-won even now, when they called each other by name. She couldn't package it in that embarrassing word "love," but she couldn't deny harboring special feelings for him alone—feelings on par with it.
And that made it all the more infuriating.
If the Divine Cult's martial force, her Dragon Slayers, had been with them, those fake dragon soldiers wouldn't have dared act up—wait, no, that's not the point.
Her grievance was about that nightmare she'd just had.
If she'd known Ban Yu-won would become this special to her, she never would have carelessly paired him with Lucelle.
"But back then, that was the best choice... it was."
The best.
And the worst.
Because she herself had done it—no one else—she couldn't say a word even seeing him paired with another woman.
Just seeing him hold hands with another woman made a thousand fires boil inside her.
If she spotted traces of him spending the night with one, her mind would churn all day, and she'd want to claw that lovable face to shreds in rage.
Dokgo Yeon was newly surprised to discover she had such an utterly ordinary girlish side.
No, but to be precise, the weird ones were the other women.
How could they so easily share him when no one could possibly divide him up?
She wanted to bundle him up and hide him away where no one could reach, to have him look only at her—how could they calmly decide the order to spend nights with him...?
"I... I can't forgive them."
Finally realizing why she'd sought solitude, Dokgo Yeon shot to her feet.
Slothy, that vulgar blonde beastkin, had appeared and latched onto Ban Yu-won, reigniting the competition around him.
With every woman on this planet utterly unhinged and going wild, she couldn't take it anymore and slipped away alone.
But now, thinking calmly, this wasn't the time to act like it was someone else's problem.
How dire was the situation for him to be fooling around with women? She needed to grab Ban Yu-won, who's grinning like an idiot without a clue, and smack some sense into him.
She could let loose after the war—hell, she could even step in herself—no, no!
"No more pretending. If you don't properly reflect on yourself, your martial arts won't advance."
Wanting to pull him away from the other women wasn't because the situation was serious—it was just jealousy.
Thinking of offering her own body as compensation for holding him back now wasn't because she was vulgar—it was just because she wanted to cling to him.
Everything was crystal clear.
Perfect, except that facing her feelings head-on left her embarrassingly flustered, too much for even her to handle.
"Yeon, there you are?"
"Eek!"
Right on cue, Ban Yu-won burst in after finding her spot, and Dokgo Yeon let out a scream she never wanted to make again.
Seeing him look a bit flustered as he stared, she was convinced he'd heard that voice—and grew even more embarrassed.
"Uh... Yeon?"
"H-How did you know I was here?"
For reference, Dokgo Yeon was inside the spaceship they'd arrived on.
Ban Yu-won had found her quickly because the ship was practically Lilith's clone.
"You okay? ...Were you crying?"
"No way! My body transcended emotions long ago—it's perfectly controlled by my inner energy and will!"
Ban Yu-won had no idea what she was babbling about, but he perfectly grasped that she was extremely embarrassed.
An "eek!" from her? He wouldn't hear that again even if he offered her ten thousand gold.
Saying it aloud might get him killed.
"More importantly, what's going on? Weren't you agonizing over which of those crazies to spend the night with?"
Flustered by his sudden appearance only briefly, Dokgo Yeon quickly regained her composure and shot back sharply. Feeling some strange stability at her sight, Ban Yu-won unwittingly smiled as he replied.
"No way I'd have that kind of leisure in this situation. Slothy just got a little carried away from excitement at seeing me after so long. The others just went along with it... yeah... Sorry we're short-handed."
After trying to cover for Slothy and the group, Ban Yu-won apologized to Dokgo Yeon with a face that had cleanly set everything aside.
Watching him, Dokgo Yeon unwittingly let out a soft chuckle.
Was it his quick attitude shift that amused her, or relief that he wasn't recklessly chasing skirts...?
"As long as you handled it yourself, that's fine. That's what I want from you. You can swing women around, but I won't tolerate you being weakly swayed by them. Got it? Keep it that way from now on."
"Yeah, I'll be careful. They're all so headstrong, they might not let me lead them easily."
"Hmph, as if. They're trembling in fear of displeasing you with a single word."
In truth, she was the same, but Dokgo Yeon firmly believed she didn't show it.
Even more satisfied seeing him nod with a wry smile, she reached out and patted the bed beside her.
"Come sit."
"Oh? Right, the reason I came looking for you—the magic circle's been altered, so now—"
Dokgo Yeon patted the spot beside her more roughly.
"Come. Sit."
"Okay."
Didn't she just tell me not to let women lead me?
What's this mean? Implying she's not a woman?
Ban Yu-won was baffled, but his body—accustomed to being her disciple for over half a year—obeyed as if on instinct, moving to sit beside her.
What happened next was something he'd never forget.
Very cautiously, ever so gently, she rested her head on his shoulder.
Then, in a quieter voice, she asked,
"Do you... um... find it dissatisfying?"
"N-No, not at all."
"I wasn't done yet."
It apparently wasn't about her leaning on him.
Ban Yu-won watched her carefully, even minding his breath.
She let out a sigh and continued.
"I mean... me interfering too much. Whether you fool around with women or not, I have no right to say anything about it."
"...Can I say what I really think?"
"Go ahead."
"Well... I'd say I'm glad, actually. I was hoping you'd say something..."
Dokgo Yeon's body stiffened.
Ban Yu-won slowly reached out, covering her hand with his as he continued cautiously.
"I mean... it means you think of me as special, right? You and I... we're special like that, so it doesn't feel bad."
"Is that so..."
She flipped her palm and gripped his hand tightly, closing her eyes softly.
This was her limit.
Caught mid-embarrassing thought, half-exploding in panic, somehow leading to this situation.
But she lacked the courage for more words or actions.
Still, no regrets.
His words made her so proud and happy her mouth threatened to split into a grin.
Normally, there'd be more to say here.
Even if dissatisfied, endure for now—after the war, I'll handle it myself...
That killer combo.
"I-It won't work."
"Yeah, I get it. Don't push yourself."
Having encountered more rational thought than Dokgo Yeon, Ban Yu-won could guess her embarrassment and patted her lovingly before slightly pulling away.
"Anyway, let's talk business."
"Business?"
"Yeah."
To quickly free her from embarrassment and break the odd mood.
Ban Yu-won got to the point of why he'd sought her.
"Let's go pick up As Light's soldiers."