Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Lesson 14. Level Force - 1
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Among the group, the one he'd believed to be the strongest—with nothing to worry about—had come bursting out pale-faced and vomiting blood. Anyone would be shocked.
Especially since, while he'd been tangled up with nobodies like Irecto (of course, without Lucelle and Eve, he couldn't have beaten either Irecto or Parell), he'd heard that Dokgo Yeon had single-handedly stood against not just Ortima, but even the Constellation. Ban Yu-won couldn't bear feeling so pathetically inadequate by comparison.
No, he'd even gotten special prep from the Chancellor himself on how to deal with Ortima, and this was the result!
"The Chancellor went that far for you? You're really loved beyond belief."
"Hmph. If that's the case, you should've blocked that bastard Ortima properly from the start. ...What the hell does he take people for?"
Ban Yu-won shot back curtly at Dokgo Yeon's incredulous words, then checked her complexion again.
The Life Candy he'd given her (made from the elixir of life, no less) had dramatically restored some color to her face, but that didn't mean her internal injuries were fully healed—nor were her external wounds minor.
The moment things settled, they'd returned to the annex lodging and put her to bed, but he was still anxious about whether they needed a proper healer.
Of course, Dokgo Yeon had insisted she was already fine and hated the idea.
"Sorry, Dokgo Yeon. Honestly, I figured you'd be fine anywhere, so I didn't worry much..."
"Getting worried over by you is humiliating enough, so wipe that weird look off your face. Sneaky suits you best."
This was definitely an insult.
Ban Yu-won started to back off with a displeased expression... then turned his gaze to the woman tending to Dokgo Yeon right by her side: Aneri Dedota.
According to her, she'd shown up to rescue Dokgo Yeon from the pincer attack by Ortima and the Constellation Wandering Night Lantern.
...Or, put another way, she'd saved the near-death Ortima and calmed the situation.
"So, what exactly are you? Be honest. You're definitely not an enemy... but you're not from Gelas either."
"As expected, you noticed. You're sharp."
So she'd thought he wouldn't figure it out?
As Ban Yu-won stared piercingly, Aneri looked a bit embarrassed but opened her mouth to speak.
"Weren't you curious how someone not from Gelas ended up as your bodyguard?"
"I figured Ortima pulled some strings."
Of course, that hypothesis had been proven wrong.
So what was the real answer? It was something that truly made Ban Yu-won's head throb.
"I'm not with Ortima... Actually, I'm a mercenary hired by Professor Yumina."
"What?"
Aneri gave an awkward smile as she pulled something from her bosom.
It was that very floral ornament Yumina had stuck on the heads of the Rebellion members on their first day of special activities.
This explained why Yumina had stayed so nonchalant despite the highly suspicious guides.
"I was tasked with shadowing you all covertly and keeping things from escalating. But damn that dungeon—I couldn't get anything done right."
"...No."
No, she could've just shown that from the start!
As Ban Yu-won glared, Aneri explained defensively.
"I couldn't be overt or cooperate openly to fool the enemy's eyes. I tried dropping hints indirectly instead..."
Indirectly...
A few instances came to mind.
And every time, Lucelle and Dokgo Yeon had inevitably ruined it.
...What must this woman have thought of him then?
"Looks like my attempts just ended up angering the rest of your party instead."
"Ha... Did you have to go with that approach?"
Ban Yu-won pressed his forehead and sighed.
Lucelle hid her flushed face with both hands, looking like she wanted to crawl into a hole. Even Dokgo Yeon cleared her throat awkwardly.
And Light was eyeing all three of them strangely.
Aneri giggled and admitted frankly.
"The method was my choice, sure. But I just wanted to."
"You're one seriously problematic woman."
"Can't help it—I'm a fan...!"
"A fan?"
What fan?
"Of Rebellion, obviously."
"Rebellion?"
The moment she said "Rebellion," her demeanor brightened instantly.
"The Rebellion channel's huge in other dimensions too! It's the hottest thing right now. Even in my mercenary circles, the popularity is off the charts..."
Incidentally, her "mercenary circles" involved dimension-hopping via dimensional ships for dispatch missions—a long explanation ensued.
"Other dimensions...?"
Ban Yu-won's mind reeled at the unimaginable words.
What was this?
Rebellion known in other dimensions?
"Why so surprised? Uni-tube, based on Union Net, serves the entire multiverse."
Uni-tube was the name of the external site hosting Ban Yu-won's videos.
Listening to her explanation, Ban Yu-won learned the shocking truth: Rebellion videos were spreading across other dimensions' networks, enabled by the dimensional integrated comms network—Union Net.
"So... our channel's videos have been spreading across all dimensions...?"
"Precisely, all dimensions with Union Net access. Even here in Gelas. Though access is limited."
He checked, and it was true.
Here too, he could access the video site where uploads happened—'Uni-tube'—and even upload with a simple process!
"Union's top-dimension citizens all have full Union Net membership, so access is easy anywhere. It's one of the perks Union Academy students get, right?"
"...I assumed lower dimensions had restricted network access."
But thinking back, no one had ever said you couldn't access the network in Gelas.
They could already communicate via mirrors, so some form of network access was obvious—he'd just been too dumb to realize!
At this point, it was probably so obvious no one bothered mentioning it... Ban Yu-won felt shame for the first time in a while.
"No wonder top channels have billions of subscribers. It's not just Union's population—it's multiversal scale..."
"That's how I could contact Aneri Dedota and hire her too. She's a Rebellion fan club member."
Just then, Yumina entered, speaking up.
"Professor Yumina!"
"Glad you're all safe. Good work, Aneri."
"Haha... I don't feel like I helped much."
Yumina, looking utterly exhausted, scanned the room (lingering on someone in particular) before slumping into a nearby chair.
Word was she'd held off the Exodus fleet almost single-handedly until their retreat.
Whatever they'd gone through in the dungeon, could it compare to her fatigue?
He wanted to let her rest, but... Ban Yu-won couldn't hold back his question.
"Professor, we have a fan club for our channel?"
"I made it."
It was self-made, as he'd half-suspected!
Yumina pulled out a platinum card from her bosom, inscribed with [Rebel Force ― No.0].
Rebel Force was the fan club name, and No.0 meant she was the president...
A sudden thought struck him. Turning, he saw Aneri shyly pull out a gold card marked No.7.
An early member, no less!
No wonder she could communicate with Yumina...!
"I accepted Yumina's request mostly to meet the Rebellion members in person. Oh, before meeting you all, my favorite was actually Light? But in reality, he was meh, and instead, Ban Yu-won, you were ri—"
"No need to go into that."
"Vulgar bitch...!"
Lucelle, unbothered by fan clubs or whatever, bared her teeth in open hostility.
Yumina chuckled softly at the sight before speaking.
"Things are mostly wrapped up. Even with an escape route pre-dug, dragging in Exodus was idiotic. The Principal's talking with the other Ten Great Families' reps now—however mighty House Ortima, they can't help but feel the pressure. At least in Union."
However, she frowned dissatisfied.
"We probably can't pursue it further. I'd love to expel him, but... this won't surface publicly. For better or worse."
"Wasn't expecting that from the start."
It wasn't about evidence or justification.
Though Rebellion bore the brunt, the Chancellor and Ten Great Families were using it to pressure Ortima.
In exchange for no expulsion, they'd extract something else.
The bear does the tricks, the handler pockets the money—apt indeed.
He understood, but couldn't accept the outcome. As Ban Yu-won pouted...
"Expel him? Thank goodness we didn't. Much better to keep him where I can see him."
Dokgo Yeon chuckled lowly.
"I need to kill that worm myself to vent. So he stays in sight, right?"
"...Student Dokgo Yeon?"
Yumina shot her a reproving look, but Dokgo Yeon just snorted.
If there was a next time, that would be when she claimed Lucein Ortima's head.
"Anyway, we'll assume he won't interfere with us anymore? Whether he's missing an arm or an eye."
"Already concluded as dungeon monster injuries. Tragic, but contracted Exodus monsters—no helping it."
Yumina shrugged.
So that was the resolution.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Korea's opinion manipulation was amateur hour by comparison.
"Then Irecto and Parell never existed either, right?"
"Yes. But the Chancellor took interest in Parell being Exodus from the start. Who knows what'll happen. Maybe more Exodus ties inside the Academy..."
Only then did Ban Yu-won realize his huge mistake.
"Should've spared them for intel... Sorry."
"Even if spared, House Ortima would've reclaimed or silenced them. You did fine. Grunts like that wouldn't yield much anyway."
"That just makes it scarier."
"It's fine. Focus on your growth from now on, not this."
That was likely her true wish as their advisor.
With that, the talk ended. Yumina sighed deeply, leaning back.
Then, half-closing her jewel-like eyes, she signaled Ban Yu-won.
"All this exhaustion... I crave something sweet and warm."
"Ahem, great idea. Warm sweetness melts frozen body and soul."
"Dokgo Yeon, you turn into a different person at the mention of sweets."
As Dokgo Yeon chimed in, Lucelle grabbed his sleeve eagerly, and Light subtly signaled.
Ban Yu-won chuckled, pulling out his thermos. Soon Aneri was eyeing him with sparkling anticipation too.
"Is that your special hot chocolate, Ban Yu-won?"
"How do you even know that?!"
He still didn't want to get chummy even knowing her identity, but she'd secretly protected them on Yumina's orders—couldn't be too cold.
Reluctantly pouring for Aneri too, he turned to the last person remaining.
"So? Want some?"
"...Yeah."
The girl who'd followed them silently from dungeon escape to here—Aire—nodded faintly.
Ban Yu-won poured seven cups of hot chocolate and passed them around.
"Hoo... No."
Light sipped, sighed contentedly... then suddenly scowled.
"But why is she here?!"
"You brought her, you lunatic!"
"Why spill all our secrets in front of an outsider?!"
Valid point, but Yumina didn't mind, so Ban Yu-won hadn't stopped it!
Then Aire cleared her throat and spoke.
"Can I talk now?"
"Go ahead."
"First... Ban Yu-won, sorry."
Gripping the cup tightly with both hands—clearly loving his special hot chocolate—Aire bowed to him.
Light and Yumina looked stunned.
"Forgive my arrogance. I'll pay whatever price you want."
Arrogance? Ban Yu-won just laughed.
The magic interference hadn't really upset him—it felt more like a fair match. And she'd apologized directly, so...
"You helped Light in the dungeon? That's enough."
"...Thanks. And..."
Turning to Yumina, Aire bowed politely again... and made her request.
"Professor, like I said before, I want to transfer to Class 11."
"Transfer...?"
"Switch classes? From Special Class to the special admission one...?"
Lucelle and Light tilted their heads, murmuring.
Ah, so that's why Yumina hadn't minded Aire's presence—such talks were ongoing.
Ban Yu-won nodded in understanding, but Yumina smiled after draining her cup.
"Of course not."
Well, yeah. Figured as much.