Chapter 89
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Lesson 19. Changeling - 4
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Ban Yu-won had spared Mira for three main reasons.
The first was that her mental state was far from normal.
This wasn't some excuse to seek leniency due to diminished capacity.
Simply put, from the very first moment he'd laid eyes on her, Mira's body had been a swirling nexus of all sorts of negative emotional concepts. And unlike those who'd merely drunk the potion, she was fundamentally—and far more severely—under the constellation's sway.
He had no idea how long she'd been in contact with it.
But even at the stage where she was receiving conditional sponsorship from the constellation (which she'd hidden, though Ban Yu-won had spotted it right away), her mind had already been substantially eroded by it.
A thick fog must have clouded her reason, and her judgments and actions likely weren't purely her own will.
'She must have had an incredibly good rapport with that constellation. ...Or maybe bad, depending on how you look at it.'
Of course, no matter how much she'd fallen under the constellation's influence, it didn't erase the crimes she'd committed.
Still, Ban Yu-won thought it unreasonable to let a misguided crush spiral out of control and turn her into a complete wreck.
Especially since her curse wasn't the type to take lives—and thanks to his intervention, it had been stopped before it could.
The second reason was his resentment toward the Chancellor and the other professors' attitudes in handling this incident.
Fine, letting students compete healthily and grow was one thing.
But their policy of not intervening no matter what happened—until someone actually died—felt like they were saying, "Got it? Now go kill each other." It was intolerable.
And this case involved a constellation, no less.
If they'd stepped in before things escalated, Mira would have ended up as just another victim, with no ripple effects on the other students.
Instead, they'd left it to the students, nearly allowing an irreversible disaster.
During his meeting with Ban Yu-won, the Chancellor had emphasized that his role wasn't detoxification, but execution.
Was that meant to be a hint for him?
No—it was just a test to see if he could properly carry out an execution.
Detoxification ends once the poison is gone.
But execution rebounds on the caster.
The Chancellor had likely planned to use Ban Yu-won to resolve the incident and punish the culprit Mira in one fell swoop.
The academy's treatment of its students, and the fact that he'd been ordered by such an institution to drive Mira to her death...
Ban Yu-won didn't like any of it. He had no desire to play the executioner, condemning a female student to a fate worse than death.
More than pity for Mira herself, he was furious at the Chancellor's view of people as mere chess pieces, so he'd rebelled.
Even knowing what the Chancellor wanted, he'd snatched away Mira's punishment midway.
With Ban Yu-won resolving everything, the academy could do nothing.
If Ketra kept quiet, Mira could continue as a student council executive.
The incident had lost its head and tail, leaving only the body—so the Chancellor and a few others might be displeased...
Solo exploration privileges? Nice to have, but not essential.
Ban Yu-won never regretted acting on his own judgment.
He wouldn't this time either.
Finally, the third reason was simple: he wanted Mira for himself.
She was a fairy with the extraordinary authority of a changeling.
And in this Union Academy, which gathered geniuses from across all dimensions, she had the skills to deceive its members and forge fraudulent contracts.
No need to even mention the magical abilities she'd honed over two-plus years here, or the knowledge she'd gained as a senior in Artifact Creation.
If he could decide her future, wasn't it far better to keep her alive and useful than let her become a vegetable?
'Opportunities to force a one-sided contract where I'm in complete control don't come often.'
And on a slightly different note, assuming he saved her for the first two reasons, he couldn't just leave her be after freeing her from the curse. That necessity to bind her with a contract was why he'd done it.
Influence from a constellation or not, the fact that she'd tried to harm an unspecified number of academy students—and Ketra specifically—was undeniable.
Even with the curse lifted, there was no guarantee her mental state would improve, so naturally, someone had to hold the leash.
"So, I have no intention of doing anything weird to you, Senior."
"For now, you mean."
"Now or later..."
Their 'contract' had been successfully forged, and now he could confirm the radiant golden concept shining within her body.
In exchange, Ban Yu-won had freed her from her torment, and Mira had to give everything to him.
It was essentially a slave contract, but still just a 'contract,' not outright 'subjugation.'
Ban Yu-won quickly shook his head to dispel the sudden image of Lucelle that flashed in his mind.
"Anyway, relax. Eighty percent of this was to prevent any recurrence of this kind of rampage."
"And the other twenty?"
"Ulterior motives."
"Honest, at least."
Mira took a sip of her freshly ordered coffee, smiling faintly as if reassured by the answer she'd wanted.
It was a café mocha.
"Sweet."
"Of course it is."
"Yeah, delicious."
He was dumbfounded.
Just dozens of minutes ago, she'd been writhing in agony, drooling uncontrollably. Now here she was, smiling with elegant poise.
They said a woman's transformation was innocent—maybe it was a passive skill women came with by default.
Ban Yu-won found himself entranced by her aristocratic beauty anew, until her gaze snapped him back to reality. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"What do you want to do from now on?"
"I get to decide?"
"As long as it's not dropping out."
"No plans for that."
Mira stated it flatly, took another sip of coffee, pondered for a moment, then added,
"Staying in the student council sounds good. It'd help you out, right?"
Her casual attitude oddly unsettled Ban Yu-won.
Then it hit him.
It was natural for her to resent him for forcing a contract while holding her weakness. But she seemed to accept her changed circumstances too readily, adapting too quickly, which felt off.
"Well, yeah, sure."
"Alright, then I'll wrap things up with Ketra."
So lightly.
As if it were nothing, she spoke Ketra's name and drained her cup.
As she rose to leave, Ban Yu-won grabbed her in a panic.
"You sure that's okay? Ketra Senior, he..."
"Ketra will forgive me. Probably."
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
Isn't it that love-hate feeling you had for Ketra?
Ban Yu-won faltered as he met the overly clear eyes of Mira, who was half-standing and looking down at him. Words failed him.
In that moment, he realized her mind hadn't fully recovered—it had merely been hastily rebuilt on the brink of collapse.
His true feelings slipped out unbidden.
"Did I really do the right thing...?"
"At the very least, I'm grateful."
Despite his blunt words cutting corners, Mira seemed to understand everything.
With her characteristic enigmatic smile that hid her inner thoughts, she said,
"Thanks to you, I feel reborn. Maybe you're a greater 'changeling' master than I am."
"Changeling? Don't be ridiculous..."
—Ting-a-ling.
The café door opened, and a customer entered.
Seeing the familiar face, Mira shrugged and sat back down.
"Saved me the trip."
"Mira!"
Evidently, unlike before, Ketra had been looking for Mira this time.
Come to think of it, the talisman he'd given Ketra was different from the one-time-use potion that cleanly fulfilled its role and vanished. It activated the moment harm was directed at him.
He must have seen the curse activate and bounce off him harmlessly, perhaps even grasping its structure and principles.
"Mira, you really... with Junior Ban Yu-won?"
Ketra's eyes widened at her appearance. He strode over, then blinked in surprise upon noticing Ban Yu-won seated across from her.
"How's Junior here? What were you two talking about?"
"Secret."
"Secret? You..."
Mira elegantly gestured for Ketra to join them at the table.
Watching him comply despite his confused expression gave Ban Yu-won a glimpse into their dynamic.
"Explain, Mira. Did you really cause this incident? And why are you two together?"
"I'll keep it simple, so listen quietly."
Despite being the one who should beg forgiveness, she brazenly laid down the law.
"If it's about the potions, yeah, that was me. I wanted a contract with a constellation. The curse on you was for that too."
"What, you..."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a direct curse on Ketra; it was designed to swap targets, so if it backfired, he'd take the hit instead. But at this point, details didn't matter.
"I nearly got in huge trouble because this guy found out... but it's all resolved now."
"...You knew. Junior Ban Yu-won gave me a talisman. One that nullifies external interference. Because of it, all my scheduled exams today got swapped for assignments."
"Glad you survived. Honestly, I survived thanks to him too."
"Yeah, I see."
The culprit (alleged) spoke coolly, and the victim (alleged) nodded in acceptance.
Ban Yu-won wanted out of this space with them, but the atmosphere wouldn't let him slip away alone.
"So, you came to confront me about it?"
"No, that's fine. No one got hurt, after all. I just wanted to know why you'd curse me. I thought we were pretty close..."
"About that."
Mira didn't bat an eye as she said,
"Truth is, I've always hated you, Ketra. That's why I cursed you."
"...What?"
"I'll apologize, so let's use this as a chance to cut ties."
"Hold on."
"We'll have to see each other as student council execs, but... or do you want me out of the council?"
"No, that's not it. It's fine. But..."
"Good, no problem then."
Did this woman really think there were no issues?
Ban Yu-won sighed in disbelief.
The next instant, without warning, a dagger flew from Ketra's bosom toward Ban Yu-won's throat.
"Junior Ban Yu-won, what did you do to Mira?"
"Whoa..."
Fast. Strong.
He hadn't even seen Ketra's hand move.
As Ban Yu-won marveled at a true 'senior's' prowess, Mira's eyes flashed. She raised a hand, conjuring a lump of deep purple magic above it.
The café clerk gaped in shock at the sudden menace unfolding inside—somehow amusing amid the tension.
"Mira, you...?!"
"Touch that man, Ketra, and I won't forgive you."
"But you're clearly not right. It has to be something this junior did to you."
The student council vice president wasn't just anyone, it seemed.
He'd pierced right to the truth!
But Mira just snorted.
"You really know nothing about me."
"...Nothing?"
"Put the dagger away. Before I really fire."
Ketra suddenly went limp, meekly withdrawing the blade from Ban Yu-won's throat.
Mira dispersed her magic orb and spoke to him calmly, as if the standoff never happened.
"Thanks for forgiving me this time. Looking forward to working together as fellow execs starting tomorrow, Senior."
"..."
It was a dismissal.
Ketra retreated with an unconvinced look.
Mira, ignoring him already, ordered another café mocha. (The clerk took the order while trembling.)
He glanced back at her one last time, pressed a hand to his forehead, and sighed.
He'd finally realized he could never have a proper conversation with her.
"Junior Ban Yu-won, later... let's talk. Just us."
"Sure."
"Alright, then... see you."
Ketra left through the café door.
Ban Yu-won stared at his receding figure through the window before speaking.
"There were better ways to handle that."
"I was just fulfilling our contract."
"Bullshit."
"It's true. I can't waste my emotions on that man anymore."
And with that, Mira murmured to her fresh coffee,
"Everything I have is yours now."
"...Huh?"
Ban Yu-won wanted to ask what she meant, but fearing more odd words from her unstable mind, he clamped his mouth shut.