Chapter 297
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: Lesson 58. Spartoi - 2
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Asha could no longer hold back.
From the moment she saw the dragonkin soldiers Aire had brought along, her unease had been growing, and it exploded when she witnessed Fairy Queen Yura throwing herself at Ban Yu-won without a care for time or place. The final blow came when Lucelle finally contacted her homeworld and dragged along her mother, father, and a horde of beastkin.
This war wasn't Ban Yu-won's alone, yet somehow, the more forces you mobilized, the more favor you earned with him. Wasn't that the structure it had turned into?
In fact, even as Lucelle fawned over him shamelessly, Ban Yu-won was patting her head, thanking her and praising her thoughtfulness.
To put it bluntly, she was nothing more than a lunatic who, blinded by a man, had uprooted not just her family but the very foundations of her homeland!
'But to deal with a lunatic, I have to become one myself.'
This was the truth Asha had learned surviving this harsh world: if you just cower and back away, you'll never gain anything.
She was already frustrated at making no progress with Ban Yu-won, and if she kept trailing after him like some background sidekick, she might end up attending his wedding with the other Rebellion members as a guest, biting her handkerchief in misery.
'No way in hell...! It's time for me to pull out my pillar too!'
Asha decided to fully leverage the position she'd gained with Aire and Melodya house's help before. She would summon the entire Guardian Knight Order—knights who normally protected the nation and answered only to the command of the throne.
Ban Yu-won might underestimate her dimension after single-handedly wiping out one of its planets, but the Guardian Knights under her direct command were truly formidable.
The ceaseless invasions from dimensional pirates and threats from outside dimensions weren't repelled thanks to the solid militaries of the Guardian Alliance nations or their seamless coordination.
It was simply because Asha—because the knights led by Asha—were that strong.
The Guardian Knights of D-13 dimension couldn't surpass level 100 due to innate limitations of their birth dimension, but when Asha led them, they became extraordinarily empowered.
As a child, she'd vaguely thought it was the power of the holy sword, but now she understood the real reason.
'Probably some magic cast by my dragon ancestor. Tricks woven into the armor and swords passed down through generations in the Guardian Knights, or maybe some magical contract.'
Either way, the important thing was that the Guardian Knights of Camelot—in D-13 dimension—would shine brighter than anyone in this war.
Not only could she show off her commanding, heroic, and dashing side to her unreliable comrades, but with overwhelming performance surpassing even the beastkin from an E-rank dimension, Ban Yu-won might say something like, 'As expected of Asha! I knew the dowry you brought would be the best!' and make her his first wife!
'Ideally, he'd take only me as his wife, but he doesn't seem keen on ditching Lucelle or that damn fairy...'
The naive girl who'd indulged in self-serving fantasies had overcome that by killing her ancestor with Ban Yu-won's help.
Now it was time to realistically assess her future with him.
This wasn't the moment to dream of romantic one-on-one love like in fairy tales.
In this fierce competition, what mattered was securing a position as close to Ban Yu-won as possible, claiming the biggest spot in his heart.
Yes—at the very least, she had to outdo Dokgo Yeon, who hadn't even kissed him yet, right?
"Dokgo Yeon couldn't bring any forces anyway."
"That's true, but staring at me while you say it pisses me off a bit."
She'd only wanted to brag a little about her advantage, but Dokgo Yeon narrowed her eyes viciously, reached out, and pinched Asha's cheek.
"Ow ow ow ow! Yu-won, this witch is bullying me!"
"Overcome crises with your own strength! How long are you going to keep invoking the chief's name?!"
"You're just being petty! Ow ow ow!"
Ban Yu-won watched Asha, who had picked a fight with Dokgo Yeon only to get schooled without landing a single hit, with an indescribable expression. Deciding to let it be for Asha's mental growth, he turned his gaze outside the spaceship.
The group was now heading back to Asha's home dimension, D-13, piercing through the dimensional barrier once more to recruit elite troops from Camelot planet in preparation for the coming war.
"Perfect timing. We can wrap up that loose end from last time too."
He'd planned to bring just the Rebellion members since they were only picking up soldiers, but Aire had boarded the spaceship as if it were the most natural thing. Now she sat possessively in the seat next to Ban Yu-won, sipping tea leisurely as if that were natural too.
"Loose end?"
"Whatever awakened the dragon's tomb. The danger Asha's ancestor left behind on purpose... probably dragon remnants."
Come to think of it, there had been talk about returning to Asha's homeworld.
Ban Yu-won pulled out his ever-present thermos to have some tea himself, noticing Dokgo Yeon's stare fixed on it. He chuckled and poured cups for the group first.
"Everyone, have a cup. Looks like there might be a fight..."
"I wasn't fully prepared then, but touching the dragon factor again should completely unseal it. Can't wait for the loot."
"Hold on, Aire."
Asha, freed from Dokgo Yeon's grasp thanks to the cocoa Ban Yu-won offered, approached with one cheek puffed up red and spoke.
"We're going to my homeworld—why are you more excited than me? And why are you sitting next to Yu-won?"
"You don't know the details of this incident."
"Ugh...! N-no, I do. My ancestor, the true dragon, tried to use me to do something bad to the dragons, right?"
"Exactly. And it'll happen in Camelot."
At Aire's cold declaration, Asha twitched her brow, recalling her father's self-serving behavior.
The dragon's tomb had been found not in Camelot, but in Galahad, the weakest member of the Guardian Alliance.
So she'd vaguely assumed that whatever happened would be confined to Galahad, as Aire had implied...
"Not Galahad?"
"Galahad's dragon tomb only surfaced as a side effect of whatever seal was broken in Camelot. Galahad was just a satellite from the start—its entire history built solely for that tomb."
"I don't get what you're saying. Whatever, who cares about Galahad's history now."
"Oh—and how's Galahad doing?"
"It's done for."
Asha gave Ban Yu-won, who had suddenly chimed in, an immediate answer.
Considering the chaos that had unfolded there, it was no surprise the planet hadn't maintained its nationhood.
In the end, they'd been played by dimensional pirates—but after Ban Yu-won excavated the ruins, their attempts to seize it had halved the nation's forces, and the other alliance members learned they'd tried to swallow a treasure rivaling the holy sword.
According to reports Asha still received sporadically from her nation, with the core royals all dead, their already scant forces splintered fighting over succession, only to be completely wiped out by intervention from other alliance planets without leaving a trace.
Ban Yu-won, whose actions had massively influenced this disastrous end, looked momentarily stunned by the hopeless tale but soon shrugged it off.
"They got greedy beyond their station. Deserved ending."
"Nice, befitting a transcendent."
"Aire, does that mean you just called me a psychopath?"
"Don't state the obvious and focus ahead. We're about to breach the dimensional barrier."
As Ban Yu-won was about to bicker with Aire, Dokgo Yeon's voice cut in, drawing his eyes forward. The spaceship had already pierced the barrier and was racing through familiar space.
They were returning to D-13 dimension not as sneaks, but as honored guests.
Of course, that was because the next leader of the Guardian Alliance, Asha, was aboard.
"By the way, what's with those spaceships approaching from afar?"
"Our dimension isn't advanced in dimensional tech, so high-level pirates can toy with our authority controls easily. That's why we're visually confirming. Give me the mic for a sec."
"Yeah...!"
"Aire, move."
Buoyed by confidence now that they were nearing her homeworld, Asha shoved Aire aside with her hip—even as the dragonkin tried to cling to Ban Yu-won's side with regal airs—and stuck right next to him, accessing the Guardian Alliance comms network.
"This is Asha Light Camelot, heir to Camelot."
―Un, understood. An honor, Your Highness.
"Princess."
―Y-yes?! Right away, Princess!
Even though they were pre-authorized visitors, the fleet that had surrounded them quailed at Asha's single word and sheepishly backed off.
Asha, who always seemed lacking when with the Rebellion members, was suddenly controlling such a force with one sentence. She looked different now.
Noticing Ban Yu-won's gaze, Asha stuck out her neck and puffed up proudly.
She might have looked even more heroic without that, but Ban Yu-won decided against pointing it out.
This suited her better, he thought.
"Looks like As Light's gender still isn't widely known. Melodya house even officially broadcasted it."
Meanwhile, Lucelle—who had claimed the seat opposite Ban Yu-won the moment they boarded—tilted her head and muttered in wonder.
Aire, pitifully ousted from Ban Yu-won's side by Asha's hip-check, glared at Lucelle with jealousy over her unshakeable position, comparable to a Simmons mattress.
"D-13 is a backwater dimension. Few can even access Union Net properly. And that king? He wouldn't spread news that boosts Asha's status or influence. He'd hide it if anything."
"Backwater? And Father is..."
Asha opened her mouth to retort Aire's curt tone but soon lost the will and shut it.
Even she thought her father was capable of exactly that.
"But don't worry, Asha."
Despite her harsh words, Aire didn't like seeing her friend hurt. She took Asha's hand and softened her voice.
"That man can't defy Melodya house. He might strut around without you, but now that you're back, he'll move according to your will."
"I just wish Father would think of me a little more... No, no. You're right, Aire."
It seemed Asha's hurt went deeper than that.
Maybe too heavy to air here, she just clammed up.
"Thanks again, Aire. I could bring these reinforcements thanks to you..."
"For a precious friend, a fellow dragonkin. Melodya house will move anytime for Asha."
"Aire..."
The two dragonkin suddenly clasped hands, creating an oddly bashful atmosphere.
Ban Yu-won thought this was nice in its own way but said nothing.
Camelot's spaceship landing platform came into view.
A mecha dragon was rampaging on it.
...What?