Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 160

Lesson 32. The Pace is Too Fast - 4

[No matter how I look at it, I’m prettier than her.]

Lilith, rolling around inside the spaceship assigned to the Rebellion group, measuring various things, spoke with a voice that was both artificial and beautiful. The artificial part came from the overly clear tone, the oddly strange accent, and the slight noise mixed in, as if it was a recording being played back.

Ban Yu-won, who had been checking coordinates and was now staring out at space, replied in disbelief.

“Pretty? What’s your standard?”

[Soul? A form where concepts harmonize?]

That was an area Ban Yu-won didn’t fully understand yet. It seemed Lilith, as a familiar created by Ban Yu-won and sharing some of his powers, had her own criteria.

[Anyway, I’m prettier than this piece of junk! It would have been nice if Master had boarded me.]

“Special activities are supposed to be conducted with a spaceship registered with the academy. So, let’s postpone your test drive.”

Ban Yu-won repeated the explanation he had given earlier while examining the concepts within her.

Lilith: [Evil Machine 1,000, Life 1,000, Evil Thunder Power 880, Soul 750, Ever-changing 100, Space Transcendence 200, Resonance 128]

The core keywords that made up Lilith were Evil and Machine. Perhaps she was the ultimate mechanical lifeform, akin to the mechanical monsters like the armored beasts that appeared in the tower. The depth of these core concepts was precisely 1,000.

Considering that Eve’s Phantom Beast, with Life as its core concept, had reached 650 through diligent growth, Lilith had surpassed it in one leap. But it wasn’t just an evolution; it was achieved by devouring the precious artifacts Ban Yu-won had acquired, so it was only natural that Eve was upset. That’s why Eve was currently wrapped around Ban Yu-won’s arm, sulking and seeking comfort.

[Even though I caused trouble during my incubation, as long as I can be more helpful to Master than Eve, that’s what matters, right?]

“You call her ‘sister,’ huh?”

[Of course, since Eve was born first.]

That wasn’t really what he wanted to discuss. For reference, Lilith’s current form was a round metallic sphere, about the size that could be held in both hands… similar to the magic orb Ayre carried around. Thanks to devouring the Ever-changing, she could now absorb most concepts and transform like Eve.

“But you don’t seem much different from Eve. How do you speak?”

[Eve can speak too, you know?]

Ban Yu-won’s head snapped around at Lilith’s nonchalant reply. However, Eve, wrapped around his arm, pretended to yawn, feigning ignorance. Lilith rolled smoothly through the air, chattering away.

[Ever-changing opens up all possibilities. Even insignificant monsters communicate, so why wouldn’t we be able to?]

“Now that you mention it…”

If she could transform into anything, mimicking human vocal cords wouldn’t be difficult. Ban Yu-won knew that the intelligence of his familiars, including Eve, Lilith, Tike, and Livi, was above average human levels. They just needed a way to communicate in human language.

Yet, despite having had the Ever-changing for some time, Eve still hadn’t spoken. There must be a reason for that. Ban Yu-won patted Eve’s head, who was still pretending not to notice.

“Ban Yu-won, are you enjoying talking to that tin can?”

“It’s quite fun.”

[Tin can? How rude to call such a pretty and sophisticated lady by such a derogatory term!]

Dokgo Yeon, who had been with Luciel, approached and spoke to him. When Ban Yu-won looked back at Luciel, he saw her sitting quietly with her head down, lost in thought.

“Is she feeling any better?”

“Not at all. That woman is still worrying about you, not her dimension.”

Luciel had been in that state ever since the special activity dimension was decided yesterday. It was almost certain that external interference would occur during this special activity. And it just so happened to be in Luciel’s home dimension. She was worried that she might cause trouble for Ban Yu-won.

“You should be comforting her. Whatever happens where we’re going, it’s not Luciel’s fault.”

“I know. I tried to comfort her, but it didn’t work.”

“You can’t even comfort a woman’s heart.”

Dokgo Yeon clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“Maybe you should just…”

“Hmm?”

“…”

If he had just taken her down, such worries would have become trivial. Dokgo Yeon was about to say that but stopped, as if something was holding her back.

“Ugh…!”

Seeing her suddenly turn pale and clutch her chest, Ban Yu-won jumped up.

“What’s wrong, Dokgo Yeon? Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine. You should be worrying about that woman instead of me.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“If you ask again, I’ll get mad.”

Usually, when someone responds like that, it means they’re not okay. Ban Yu-won alternated between looking at Luciel, who still had her head down, and Dokgo Yeon, who was unnecessarily angry, then sighed.

“Let’s all have some hot chocolate and calm down. We still have a long way to go to our destination.”

“I do like that, but lately, you have a habit of bringing it out whenever you’re in trouble.”

“But you’ll drink it anyway. Luciel, come here. If you keep sulking like that, I’ll hug you.”

“…!”

Luciel’s ears perked up as she sat with her head down. She hesitated to get up, then sat back down, seemingly more interested in something other than hot chocolate. Her actions, which clearly showed her thoughts, were rather cute. Ban Yu-won decided to resolve her conflict.

“If you come now, I’ll give you a hug.”

“!”

At those words, Luciel ran over as if she had been waiting for it. Yes, if words don’t work, other means should be used. Ban Yu-won chuckled softly and pulled out a thermos of hot chocolate from his inventory.

“…”

“Hey, Dokgo Yeon, why are you suddenly glaring at me? It’s scary…”

As the three of them enjoyed their hot chocolate, Ban Yu-won suddenly thought of Light. Was he okay? Could it be that Ryu Cheol-myeong had gone there? If he turned the spaceship around now and headed for Light’s home…

‘No.’

He shook his head firmly at the absurd thought that had suddenly crossed his mind. Luciel worried about Ban Yu-won, but he worried about her just as much. He had heard about the concerns she held. Even though Luciel called him Master and served him without asking for anything in return, relationships couldn’t be one-sided. Naturally, Ban Yu-won wanted to save Luciel and her home. So, as the headmaster said, this was the best course of action. But he couldn’t help but worry about Light. Unintentionally, he had chosen Luciel over Light, putting both in difficult situations.

‘Light… you better not get hurt, or you’ll be in big trouble.’

He had to be okay. Ryu Cheol-myeong’s target was Ban Yu-won, not Light, and also Dokgo Yeon and Luciel. So he had to be okay. He hoped so.

When Light emerged from the tower and returned to his dimension with Yumina’s help, the first thing he saw was the sky filled with airships.

“Your Highness, you’re back!”

“This is terrible, the Dimension Protection Alliance has betrayed us…!”

“It’s an invasion by Exodus, Your Highness! Exodus has colluded with part of the Protection Alliance…!”

Knights and nobles of the kingdom rushed to him, clinging to his clothes and whining. They were always so weak and dependent. Ever since Light had taken up the holy sword and charged to protect the kingdom, it had been like this.

“Betrayal by the Protection Alliance? Internal strife is nothing new.”

The joyful times of climbing the tower with like-minded companions felt like a lie. Light’s voice, responding to his retainers, carried a weariness he couldn’t shake off.

“Your Highness? But your appearance is somewhat…”

“Your voice too.”

“Now’s not the time for that! Your Highness, let me brief you on the situation. Please, come inside! Your support is urgently needed!”

“Yes, yes! Hurry, escort him!”

“His Majesty has been coughing! He has a direct decree for you, Your Highness…!”

“Really? From Father.”

With a light sigh, Light crossed the palace. It hadn’t even been half a year, but Light had matured significantly, and he was no longer swayed by every word from his retainers. But there was one exception. The one who had ordered him to wield the holy sword… the king.

“You’ve come, ‘Prince.’”

How does it feel when the one who birthed you calls you a prince? How does it feel? Light struggled to suppress the growing impulse within him, biting his lip, and bowed to the highest man in the land.

“Have you been well, Father?”

“The envoy from Exodus mentioned your name.”

The king’s cold voice echoed in his mind.

“It seems you’ve been making a name for yourself at the academy.”

“Are you saying this invasion is because of me?”

“No. But it wouldn’t be without influence.”

And that was something that didn’t matter at this point, the king added.

“Our forces are insufficient. As Light, prove your worth as the wielder of the holy sword and protect the nation.”

“Father, I can no longer wield the holy sword…”

“The holy sword?”

In a nation in crisis, he couldn’t say he was afraid of the holy sword’s side effects and couldn’t wield it. Yet, knowing how much effort Ban Yu-won and his companions had put into Light’s ‘treatment,’ he couldn’t let it go unmentioned.

“I am… strong even without the holy sword, Father.”

“Indeed, it seems you haven’t wielded the holy sword. Your face looks weaker.”

“Is that… how I appear?”

His teeth ground together. Seeing his expression turn grim, the king, perhaps sensing what Light wanted to say, softened his stern face with a wry smile.

“I’m joking. You are my son, and I know your talent and strength better than anyone.”

“Then――.”

“But now is not the time for jokes.”

Ah. Light recalled the moment he first wielded the holy sword. No one had told him what he had to endure. He had grasped the sword with nothing but excitement.

“Draw the holy sword, As Light. With the great power inherited from your ancestors, protect this nation.”

“…”

The king was probably right. The situation the nation faced was dire, with explosions echoing even to the palace, indicating the severity of the crisis. He couldn’t avoid drawing the holy sword. The nation’s fate rested on Light’s shoulders. Before enrolling in the academy, it had always been like this. Now he felt like he was wearing his own clothes. Clothes everyone in the kingdom said suited him well. Clothes that were utterly sickening and loathsome. The clothes of a guardian.

“Father.”

“Do you still have something to say?”

“Do you remember my name?”

“As Light, I told you to stop joking.”

“My real name.”

The king hesitated at Light’s tearful voice. But the silence didn’t last long.

“The situation is urgent. Hurry, As Light.”

“…Understood, Your Majesty.”

As Light turned and left the palace. He abandoned himself and took up the holy sword once more. Until the end of the break, he never let go of the holy sword.