Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Lesson 19. Changeling - 5
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The next morning, despite it being exam period—when students should only have eyes for their test papers and opponents they needed to knock down in spars—the atmosphere at the Academy felt strangely chaotic.
The reason was obvious. Mira, the Student Council's publicity director, had shown up at the student cafeteria that morning with her golden hair dyed pitch black, as if someone had dumped ink over it.
Not only that, but her emerald-green eyes, which had sparkled like embedded gems, had turned a sinister purple, glowing with an ominous light.
Of course, that didn't detract from her beauty as one of the Academy's renowned beauties.
Far from it—some students were openly praising her, saying things like, "She looks so much more mature all of a sudden," or "Her fairy-like allure has exploded," comments that would have made her cringe if she'd heard them face-to-face.
"The anonymous forums are just spewing nonsense."
"It's the timing. Everyone's just shocked."
Light, sitting beside him and peering into the mirror together, wore a sullen expression.
The reason was simple.
The drastic change in Mira's physical condition signified a "contract with a Constellation."
That was why the students were reacting so dramatically.
The signs of a Constellation contract varied, but the greater the physical changes, the higher the likelihood she'd received immense power from a mighty Constellation.
"Wasn't she already one of the top third-years even without a contract? And now she's contracted one..."
"It's fine, Light. You're strong too."
"That's not... what I mean."
—First-year Class 11, As Light. To Sparring Room 13.
At that moment, his Student ID vibrated, calling Light's name.
The two had been waiting together for the comprehensive sparring evaluation.
"Ugh, seriously... I'll be right back. Stay here."
"I have a spar too, dude. We'll talk in the room tonight."
"Damn it."
He seemed to want to chat more with Ban Yu-won, lingering reluctantly, but eventually stuck out his lips in a pout and grumbled his way into the sparring room.
He's seriously like a girl.
The more he trained in spear arts, the more feminine not just his looks but his aura became—and it was making things increasingly awkward for Ban Yu-won, his roommate.
Exposing Light's true identity to the Academy now would be ridiculous, and he couldn't exactly tell him to tone down the cuteness before his desires went haywire.
To top it off, Lucelle's advances were escalating, and as of yesterday, he'd taken on an emotional landmine of unstable mental state.
I should've made the contract terms more detailed to avoid misunderstandings... but no, I had to show off. Anyway, what the hell? I perfectly dismantled the curse. And when I reflected it back at Mira, the backlash should've hit the Constellation who cast it—the curse's original owner. Yet now that Constellation contracted with her?
Is that Constellation a pervert?
No, I already suspected that, but if anything, it felt more S than M...
Ban Yu-won was lost in deep thought about the Constellation's sexual preferences when his own name was called.
—First-year Class 11, Ban Yu-won. To Sparring Room 7.
"Yeah, yeah, on my way."
Ban Yu-won first sent Mira a message asking why she'd ended up contracting with that Constellation, then headed into Sparring Room 7.
Glancing at the person entering from the opposite door—a cute girl with golden bobbed hair—he recognized her as someone he'd seen a few times before.
"Misty! It's Misty!"
"W-what? Don't call me so casually, you underachiever. I have the proud family name of Aiole."
Misty Aiole, a first-year Class 1 student who took Magical Combat Studies with him and secretly idolized Aire, was his sparring opponent.
"Perfect timing, actually. I've been dying to test the magical prowess that the princess raves about firsthand."
"Magical prowess? Sorry, but—"
—Sparring preparation.
At the mechanical voice prompt, Ban Yu-won and Misty instinctively assumed their stances mid-conversation.
The start was declared immediately. Misty conjured hundreds of stone arrows in the air and launched them at him.
A swift incantation worthy of a Special Class mage, backed by an overwhelming barrage!
"Try blocking this! ...Huh?"
But Ban Yu-won was nowhere to be seen.
She'd only averted her eyes from him for the split second it took to trigger her spell.
Flustered but quick, she chanted her next spell, summoning massive stone slabs into the air. She rolled to one side, triggering a detection spell that sent shockwaves through the ground to pinpoint his location.
That was when she realized Ban Yu-won was already right behind her.
"What? You use magic...?"
"Sorry, magic's too slow."
The moment Ban Yu-won drew the Executioner's Longsword and tapped it against Misty's throat, the sparring room's protective magic activated with a sharp clang—like shattering glass—from her body.
She'd exceeded the regulated damage and been ruled combat-ineffective.
—Winner: Ban Yu-won.
"Ah..."
Misty slumped to the floor, dejected, without even getting to unleash a proper spell.
As the victory was declared, Ban Yu-won sheathed his sword—only for her to suddenly shriek.
"Why didn't you use magic?!"
"Elemental magic's slow. Moving myself is faster. Plus, spars only count the result, so the method doesn't affect the score."
"What kind of logic is that...?! I can't accept it—rematch with magic only!"
"Sure, we can do that in Tuesday morning's Practical Combat Synthesis class."
They shared not just Magical Combat Studies but also Practical Combat Synthesis on Tuesday mornings.
That class aimed to build real-world experience by fighting various opponents under different conditions, so they could certainly spar with magic there.
"Ugh... I really can't stand you. What does the princess even see in a guy like you?"
"She likes someone else, so relax. And sorry, but can you head out now, Misty? I have back-to-back spars here."
"It's Aiole!"
The winner earned a chance at consecutive spars.
The more you won in a row, the fewer spars you needed overall, speeding things up.
Misty stormed out in a huff, and Ban Yu-won waved cheerily as he prepared for the next one.
He won his next three spars in a row, then faced Dokgo Yeon as his next opponent.
"Huh? What's this?"
"It means your ranking has climbed that high, Ban Yu-won."
Dokgo Yeon replied calmly, gripping her short sword.
But Ban Yu-won shrugged and raised both hands.
"Don't you have another spar after this? Against that guy? Save your energy and stock up on stamina."
"Not very manly of you. Running away?"
"Nah. Since it's just about the result, I'd rather cleanly boost your ranking than introduce needless variables."
Dokgo Yeon frowned, displeased by his nonchalant attitude, but eventually sighed and sheathed her sword.
"I wanted to face you on the official stage too..."
"Ask me once I'm stronger. Won't take long."
"You always talk so slick."
It sounded like an insult, but a faint smile played on Dokgo Yeon's lips.
Ban Yu-won smacked his own body hard to dispel the protective barrier, sealing his defeat, then gave her a thumbs-up and turned away.
As he headed for the door, Dokgo Yeon called out to his back.
"That story about witnessing a tragic love's end last time—is it related to the woman who's the talk of today?"
"Spot on. How'd you guess?"
"The guy who picked you up last week was from the Student Council too, so I suspected... and it was her. Be careful with that woman."
Dokgo Yeon said bluntly.
"She has that look people get when they don't value their own lives much. No telling when she might snap. Get tangled up, and it'll be a headache."
"..."
Dokgo Yeon didn't miss how Ban Yu-won flinched at her words.
"Already tangled, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Why are you so popular with troublesome women?"
He wholeheartedly agreed.
But did Dokgo Yeon realize she was the ringleader of those troublesome women?
Probably not.
Not wanting to point it out and get beaten up needlessly, Ban Yu-won clamped his mouth shut and left the sparring room.
His Student ID vibrated the moment he stepped out, displaying a simple string of text.
—Comprehensive Sparring Rank: 8th
"Not bad."
Of course, it wasn't finalized yet.
If he wanted, he could challenge someone higher up once and swap ranks.
Conversely, lower-ranked folks might challenge him if he seemed easy, but there were limits, so... his spars were probably done.
"Written exams: five subjects done between yesterday and today. Magical Combat Studies replaced with a term paper till finals. Some others swapped for assignments too..."
One practical Wednesday, one written Thursday, and exams were over.
His written scores were sure to be perfect, and practicals had all been top-tier so far—grades looked promising.
"Yeah, ace the rest with perfect scores, and you'll crack top five."
"?!"
He whipped around in shock at the sudden voice behind him. There stood a woman with beautiful obsidian hair cascading softly and purple eyes—Mira.
Ban Yu-won replied with a awkward expression.
"How do you know that, senpai?"
"Student Council execs get some database access. Professors manage the rest, but a little Chain Changer tweak to permissions..."
"You've always been pitch black inside."
"Yeah? Matches my hair now, right?"
Mira didn't argue, just smiled softly and approached him.
"Came to tell you myself. About the Constellation contract."
"That Constellation's a pervert, right?"
"Yeah."
She nodded at first, then frowned as if hearing something from the Constellation, adding,
"The Constellation... 'Keeper of the Purgatory Cemetery' seems thrilled about yesterday's farce."
"Farce..."
It had been a farce.
The play between Mira and Ketura, which should've ended in tragedy, had been ruined by Ban Yu-won's intervention—making their conclusion a bit less heavy, a bit more comical.
Mira's emotional shifts and actions amid it all had been utterly unpredictable, even to him... and apparently, the Keeper liked that.
Definitely a pervert.
"Can't explain in detail—too embarrassing—but anyway, he offered a contract without demanding compensation, so I said yes."
"You sure that's okay?"
That Constellation was the culprit who'd manipulated her mind to cause this mess—the one who'd driven her to death's door with a curse, even if she'd failed.
Accepting a contract from that entity? He couldn't help worrying.
"If something happens, you'll fix it, right? It's still inside me."
She replied casually, stroking her abdomen.
Ban Yu-won knew exactly what she meant.
Yesterday, he'd fed her a fragment of his soul encased in a Magic Core, swallowed with coffee.
He couldn't have saved her otherwise, but his soul fragment (he'd allocated 10) was still stuck in her.
—Looks like leaving it in was the right call, since she ended up contracting the Constellation anyway.
"True, but... don't make gestures like that."
"Why?"
"Feels... like it means something else. Just don't."
Mira tilted her head, genuinely puzzled, but stopped rubbing her abdomen.
"An order? I'll obey then."
"No, not an order. Sorry."
It was just a contract, not enslavement.
Right?
—Woooong
Ban Yu-won was at a loss on how to handle Mira, whose black hair and worsening condition made her even more precarious, when his Student ID buzzed opportunely.
The Chancellor was calling.
"Finally... it came."
"Getting in trouble because of me?"
Why was she smiling while saying that?
She looked genuinely delighted and happy.
"I'll comfort you sweetly, so do your best."
"Gives me chills."
He thought "sweetly" was the last word that fit her, then gripped his Student ID.
Space transfer activated immediately.
—Impressive results.
The moment Ban Yu-won was summoned to the office, a doll sitting on a mat atop the desk pointed at him with a finger and shouted.
Today, it was dressed like a stereotypical British gentleman straight out of Sting's songs.
—Victory in a direct clash with a Constellation—truly satisfying. A perfect exorcism. Well done, Ban Yu-won.
"...I have no idea which tune to dance to here, Master."
Ban Yu-won, who'd been tense, deflated and slumped his shoulders at the Chancellor's words.
He'd braced for a "behave yourself" threat, but this mad British gentleman was thumping his cane on the desk and clapping.
—What do you mean 'which tune'? Strange talk. Did I ever give you direct orders?
"You clearly told me to dispel poison—er, curse—"
Ban Yu-won trailed off mid-reply.
No, the Chancellor hadn't explicitly ordered action.
He'd asked if he'd taken the Student Council's request, then hinted at the incident's core.
One could call it "nudging action," but he hadn't specifically told him to punish or save anyone in his stead.
"Wait. You said you'd grant solo exploration rights if I resolved this. That means you had a clear intent to maneuver me—"
—No matter how it played out, it was enough to test if you had the skill and guts for solo exploration. And you did. Thus, I grant you solo exploration privileges.
The Chancellor declared it flatly, thumping his cane again.
Ban Yu-won sensed an extra space appear in his Student ID.
It would update when he entered the tower alone, no doubt.
—Solo privileges include priority access. Not just weekends—anytime you're free on weekdays too. Use them well.
"Hmm, still not fully convinced..."
—You judged and redeemed the wicked on your own. Bear the responsibility yourself. Nothing more needed.
That had been his plan anyway.
The British gentleman eyed Ban Yu-won's lingering dubious expression, then spoke.
—Commanding retainers is also a ruler's necessary accomplishment. You must feel the change yourself.
"Change? Hmm, not really..."
Ban Yu-won tilted his head and summoned his internal concepts.