Chapter 319
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Lesson 62. Changes - 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Once long-term explorations wrapped up, teams typically dove into extended special activities.
But this semester, they were skipped entirely. The aftermath of a grand conflict that might happen only once every few hundred years had thrown the entire dimension into chaos.
With so many variables swirling in the universe right now, if students headed out for special activities and something went wrong, even Union Academy couldn't just brush it off.
The Chancellor announced the cancellation of special activities for this semester and extended the break by two weeks.
Even Union students, who aimed for the top of the Tower and beyond to divine thrones, couldn't help but cheer at the extra rest time.
Ban Yu-won was no exception.
"Then, let's kick off Rebellion's end-of-term party now."
Still, as student council president, Shati had a knack for hosting gatherings. She declared solemnly and lit the candles on the cake.
Atop the end-of-term cake that Lucelle had baked herself were sugar sculptures of delicate figures striking all sorts of poses. Mira scowled at the one of Lucelle in a wedding dress hugging Ban Yu-won in a tuxedo, then snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, the Mira figure and Lucelle figure swapped places perfectly, creating a scandalous scene where the groom had just ditched his newlywed bride for some other woman.
"Aaaah, Mira sis!"
"You started the provocation."
"Stop fighting and let's start the meeting!"
Shati slammed the desk, shouting.
The heat infused with her exquisitely controlled magic spread out, melting all the sugar figures on the cake into a gooey mess that coated it like frosting.
Ban Yu-won marveled at Shati's precise control as he blew out the candles in one go.
"Alright, let's eat and talk."
"It looked so nice, and you melted it all..."
"My figure was all alone off to the side, looking lonely. So I melted them all to make them one big happy family."
"Senior, please never get interested in any humanity completion plan, I beg you."
Ban Yu-won sliced the cake into exactly seven perfect pieces with his knife skills.
The others froze at the count, but after handing out one piece each, he pulled two toward himself and smiled casually.
"I know. But since this is to wrap up a year of Rebellion activities, I wanted to save a share for Yeon too."
He neatly packaged one piece into his inventory, then shrugged as he cut into his own with a fork.
"What should we talk about? I'll start. We can't avoid discussing the Rebellion channel..."
"I don't care about that."
Aire, who had been magically manipulating the sugar stuck to her cake to remake her own figure, spoke quietly.
"Yu-won, come to Melodia like we promised."
"Hmm."
Lucelle started to glare at her but recalled his visit to her dimension over summer break and shut her mouth.
Fortunately—or not—Mira stepped up, a bit thicker-skinned than Lucelle.
"Fairy Tail wants to invite you again too. You're basically the savior of all fairies. Of course... the fairy queen who can't hold her liquor might pester you a little."
"Melodia sponsored Fairy Tail. If you're doing greetings, Melodia first."
Mira grinned at Aire, who wouldn't back down, and added,
"Right, so stop by Fairy Tail first, then we all go together. As Fairy Tail's successor, it makes sense for me to thank you alongside Yu-won."
"The promo chief rebelling against the vice president..."
"She says whatever to senior."
The mood finally lightened a bit.
They were probably pretending to fight on purpose to ease things.
...Probably?
"I'll handle Melodia alone. It won't take long, right, Aire?"
"It'd be fun to spend the break debating magic together."
Something felt off. He'd always treated Aire like just a friend, but at some point, she'd started approaching him more openly...
Aire looked disappointed at his plan to drop in and leave, but it opened doors for the others.
"Honey, straight to Fairy Tail after Melodia, right?"
"My parents joined the war this time. They're a bit upset they didn't get to properly greet Master back then."
"Ah, aaaah! Our kingdom's guardian knights too! The crown prince—they kept begging me to bring you..."
"Sorry, everyone."
But they all sank just like Aire soon enough.
"I've got a place to go alone. Might wrap up quick... but ideally, I'd spend the whole break there."
"Ugh."
Mira, sensing his strong resolve, threw herself into his arms.
"Then I'll hug you a ton right now."
"Sorry I couldn't pay you more attention, Mira."
"It's fine. Just make it up to me before you go."
Ban Yu-won patted her back with a wry smile.
Lucelle, guessing where he meant, sighed and backed off.
"Next time, we go together. I have debts to repay too."
"Yeah, got it."
"Light, you too."
"Huh? Where's Yu-won going— Oh, got it! I don't know, but anyway!"
With Rebellion's biggest topic—Ban Yu-won's plans—resolved anticlimactically, the group quietly enjoyed cake and champagne.
Then Shati spoke up as if it just hit her.
"What about Professor Yumina? She's not one to skip these."
"She's swamped as vice chancellor now. Probably can't dream of personal meetups till second year starts. How's Professor Campanella?"
"Ah— The shock of that physical heartbreak must've been too much. She's been down lately."
"...She doesn't blame me, does she?"
"No way."
Shati shook her head firmly.
"If anything, she's blaming herself... saying it turned out that way because of her. Might sound cheeky, but could you meet her sometime? She's got a soft heart."
"We'll run into each other plenty from now on anyway."
"Huh?"
Shati's ears perked up.
The others looked shocked too.
Mira, nestled in his arms, sensed something and lifted her head to stare.
"Honey, no way?"
"That no way is right. I'm set on Artifact Creation as my major."
"Kyaa—!"
Mira clapped in delight.
Her own major, after all.
Sharing lectures and campus dating with him already had her heart racing.
"No, wait. Promo chief, you."
Shati, on the other hand, pointed at the flashy petal-shaped gem brooch still pinned to his chest, looking incredulous.
"You're Professor Yumina's proxy. And you're picking Artifact Creation over Magic Combat Studies?"
"Thought it through practically."
Why does "practical" come up here? Isn't it really just about sweet times with his pretty fairy girlfriend— She eyed him suspiciously.
"Professor Yumina's already close to me. Means private lessons anytime."
"Saying something huge so casually..."
"But not with Professor Campanella. And she's teaching stuff that boosts my abilities directly. To cover both, major here makes sense."
"Fair enough..."
Everyone knew his swordsmanship, honed under Dokgo Yeon herself, was top-tier. But what shone brighter was his power to wield concepts freely, blending magic and rituals for massive effects.
Yet what symbolized Ban Yu-won most vividly was his familiars and artifacts—always moving at his will, aiding his actions toward better outcomes.
Without Eve, without Lilith, without Tike.
Without the Executioner's Longsword or Requiem, he wouldn't be standing here.
"Felt like I need to learn artifacts and objects from the ground up."
Above all, the sword of death left from Dokgo Yeon's final struggle.
Forged from the Chancellor's dagger and the Executioner's Longsword, infused with her essence, it had reached irreparable rupture clashing with Xenon.
Carelessly breaking it would unleash the death inside, causing catastrophe. For now, he didn't dare touch it, just storing it safely in his inventory.
To repair and wield it properly, he desperately needed foundational knowledge of artifacts.
"Can't butt in when you're thinking so sharply... Not sure what Professor Yumina'll say."
"Noona will be fine. I'm the expert at coaxing her."
"Such a playboy."
"Yeah, Shati, don't fall for guys like this. Find a good one."
"Our Mira wasn't so transparently obvious before."
Shati shook her head and shoved the last cake piece into her mouth.
"If we all just became one, no fighting over one guy."
"I said no humanity completion plan?!"
Later, on major declaration day.
Yumina, catching wind of Ban Yu-won's reasons for Artifact Creation, flexed her vice chancellor powers for the first time to birth Union Academy's first dual major system.
Impossible without achievements like the magic papers he and Aire produced, but it became official. Thanks to it, he became Magic Combat Studies' rep student and Artifact Creation's freshman.
* * *
S-rank dimension spaceships were a cut above from the get-go.
"This spaceship was made just for you, Aire?"
"Yu-won, like it?"
"Uh..."
Ban Yu-won stammered, lest he blurt out he'd take it if he liked it.
Perfect timing—Misty popped her head from behind, cheeks flushed, and yelled,
"Aire, thanks so much for letting us ride...! Booking spaceship tickets is brutal. I was thrilled when you approached us first..."
"Misty, you booked first-class and canceled."
"Shut it, Reshu."
Aboard Aire's ship: her, Ban Yu-won, and fellow Melodians Misty and Reshu—four total.
So why take a spaceship home instead of Union Academy's spatial transfer during break?
Ban Yu-won hadn't known, but many S-rank dimensions disliked Union Academy's tech interfering deep into their cores.
Made sense on reflection.
Most dimensions obsessed over defense, alerting and attacking anything crossing their walls.
Liking Union's magic that pinpointed planetary innards for student drops? Weird.
Thus, S-rank dimensions usually sent appropriate-aged candidates via special barriers at enrollment, returning via spaceship—not Union—on breaks.
S-rank students often came from wealth, so parents booked tickets, or like Aire, got lavish support with ships picking them up at the Academy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Master, this is insane! Especially the cockpit... Could you let me nibble just a bit?]
'Grasp the structure and copy it—that's gratitude enough.'
Ban Yu-won lamented his sudden industrial espionage role and gazed out the spaceship window.
Aire's ship matched Lilith's speed, so not even 30 minutes after entering the dimensional wall, it was prepping breakthrough.
"Melodia soon."
Aire sat beside him calmly.
Ignoring Misty's glare of envy bordering hate, she leaned her head lightly on his shoulder.
"I hope the dragons' homeland suits you."
The ship pierced the dimensional wall.
In space, a star blazed so brilliantly from sheer mana it hurt the eyes.
Thought it was a sun at first—but no.
That was Melodia, heart of S-9 dimension.
The star Aire called the dragons' homeland.