Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 28

Lesson 7. It's Definitely Not Because I Like You - 3

When Ban Yu-won returned to the room, he could see Light sitting at the table, having pulled the chair out just a tiny bit, and squeezing himself into that narrow space.

It reminded him of how cats always do that when you visit a friend's house.

They always find a way to squeeze themselves into tight spaces.

Apparently, it gives them a sense of security or something.

He never thought he'd understand cats, not being one himself, but who would have guessed there'd be a cat sympathizer here?

"......"

As he was thinking this, their eyes met.

Unable to bear Light's characteristic gaze that seemed both pitiful and angry, Ban Yu-won spoke first.

"You're quite talented, how did you manage to squeeze into such a tight space?"

"Ban, are you trying to make fun of me for having an unmanly small build?"

He had never really thought about it before, but Light's physique was indeed rather delicate.

However, Ban Yu-won thought this was only natural and had no intention of teasing him about it......

Wait a minute, does he still think he hasn't been found out?

"I wasn't thinking anything like that at all."

"...Sorry. Actually, I was just venting. Go ahead and scold me."

"I don't even want to scold you......"

Ban Yu-won sighed as he replied, then pulled out the opposite chair to sit down, but then realized he had just returned from the dungeon and hadn't even washed up yet.

Noticing the reason for his hesitation, Light said,

"I haven't washed up either, so don't worry about it."

"I'm the one who's worried. I smell."

"I kind of dislike you."

If I say I dislike you too here, he'll definitely get upset.

Ban Yu-won, who hated irrationality, knew well that sometimes there was irrationality that had to be accepted and overlooked.

If you don't accept that, it's impossible to have a conversation with 'women'.

Of course, this is just based on his experience.

'Alright, I'm prepared.'

Realizing there was no escape, Ban Yu-won obediently pulled out the chair and sat down.

He felt like sighing at Light's transparent gaze fixed on his face, but he held it in and said,

"If you have something to say, go ahead."

"It's just some grumbling to myself."

"Grumbling that you want someone to hear, right?"

"Do you really have to nitpick everything to feel satisfied?"

Ban Yu-won decided to zip his mouth shut.

Accepting the irrationality.

He was accepting it.

As Ban Yu-won silently waited for him to speak, Light, pouting his lips, began to talk.

"You might not believe it, but I was also one of the top talents in my world."

"......"

"It's not a lie. My fa... father, mother, siblings, and everyone else. They all admired and praised my talent."

"......"

"That's why I was able to contract with this holy sword, our national treasure. Everyone had expectations for me. Everyone believed in me alone......"

Your Majesty, the king of some unnamed country in some unnamed dimension, are you okay with this?

It seems your daughter is casually spilling her identity all over the place.

Which family passes down a holy sword as a family heirloom generation after generation?

Just say it's a country! You could just say it's a small country!

Trying to hide it only makes me more curious about what kind of country it is!

"But what is this."

Light's voice grew a bit louder, then quieted down again.

"How dare they, they treat me like a burden......"

"Just because they're a Constellation, they think everyone will listen to what they say. What a loser."

"You can say that. You......"

Oops, I tried to agree with him but ended up provoking him again!

"You were chosen, so you have the right to ignore it. But me? I've just become a prop for the two chosen by the Constellation. And an extra who dies right away at that!"

"That's something that hasn't even happened, and that choice was just that Constellation's whim. If you let those words sway you, that just shows that you're weak-hearted......"

"Yes, I am weak-hearted."

This is bad.

Light's self-deprecation, having fully entered a negative mode, knew no bounds!

"It's a Constellation. A transcendent being far stronger than humans and knowing far more. I don't understand how you and Dokgo Yeon could dismiss it so easily."

Light, thoroughly discouraged, muttered as he squeezed himself even deeper into the space.

"But I can't do that. I'm sorry, Ban. It's useless telling you all this."

"What's the point of being friends? This much is nothing......"

"Were we friends?"

The moment he heard those words, Ban Yu-won froze and thought.

He knew he was insensitive, but really... Can't I just hit this bastard once?

But looking at Light's expression, it didn't seem like he was about to say something like 'Did you think we were friends? Go buy some bread, you punk.'

If anything, he looked a bit touched.

"You thought of me as a friend... Thank, you."

"Yeah, we're friends. If you're grateful, stop having such ridiculous thoughts from now on. How can someone so much stronger than me say such things?"

"After catching up to a third of my lifetime's worth in just one day, what are you even saying......"

Light grumbled as he stared intently at Ban Yu-won.

It was as if waves were rolling inside his deep blue eyes.

"It was the same with the giant spider. While I was struggling and fighting a difficult battle, you grew rapidly even during the fight and ended up finishing it off much more cleanly than I did."

During today's battle, Light's combat ability dropped sharply from the moment his sword was caught in the spider web.

It was from that point that the attitude of the young swordsman, who had been full of pride and confidence as much as his outstanding abilities, changed to how it is now.

Unless one was a fool, it was clear that the problem Light was carrying was extremely serious, but perhaps that was also why the Constellation had singled him out as a sacrificial lamb.

Ban Yu-won decided not to discuss that for now.

"If you're talking about your sword getting tangled in the spider web, don't worry too much about it. Not getting caught was purely due to my ability."

"That's what people usually call talent. You're overflowing with it. Diverse and overwhelming talent......"

Light's expression looked extremely pained as he said those words.

Speaking of talent, Light, as the contractor of the holy sword, should also be brimming with it.

For some reason, he was looking at Ban Yu-won with an expression of longing for something he didn't have.

Perhaps this was related to why he was disguised as a man?

"If I had been chosen in that situation."

Light spoke as if talking to himself.

"Would I have been able to firmly reject that offer like Dokgo Yeon did?"

"You......"

"I don't have confidence. Because I have no talent. Because I have to do something. To climb the tower, even if it means making a deal with the devil......"

Ban Yu-won quietly listened to his continued words.

"So...... if it had been me, I tremble at the thought that I might have sacrificed you all without a second thought."

Light closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Curling up his body in a gesture reminiscent of Ruciel, he muttered,

"Actually, that's what annoys me the most, makes me the angriest, and scares me the most."

*

When Ban Yu-won came out after finishing his shower, Light, who had finished showering before him, was already lying in bed.

Remembering how his sister would also eat or take naps to relieve her depression, Ban Yu-won chuckled softly.

"I'll make some hot chocolate. Come out and drink it if you want. It's warm and sweet."

When the cold wind blows, hot chocolate is indeed the best.

Whether it's blowing outside the window or in one's heart, it's very effective.

He poured hot chocolate into a mug that he had imbued with warmth to create a pseudo-thermos state, placed it on the table, and smiled at Light who was stubbornly not answering.

Then he went outside.

"Perfect timing. I'm glad I don't have to go in."

"Huh!"

Dokgo Yeon was in the hallway.

He thought his heart was going to drop.

"Why are you here? This is the men's dormitory......"

"It's not a crime if you don't get caught. Did you know that?"

Dokgo Yeon said something that sounded familiar, smiled seductively, and pointed her finger at the ceiling.

It probably doesn't mean there's a bug stuck up there.

"Are you telling me to follow you to the rooftop?"

"Actually, I went to the tea house in the annex, but it was too crowded to have a leisurely conversation. So......"

"So you just barged in here, is that it?"

"That's right. Shall we go then?"

Of course, he had no right to refuse. The two headed for the rooftop.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter anyone else on the way.

The quickly reached rooftop was also quite prettily decorated with flower beds and benches, but likewise, there was no one there.

Perhaps everyone had gone to the library, training room, or to a cafe or restaurant.

Or maybe, given what happened today, they were all trembling in their rooms.

While he was thinking this, Dokgo Yeon chose a bench to sit on and patted the spot next to her.

Ban Yu-won sat down obediently next to her and opened his mouth.

"So...... what did you want to talk about?"

"I came to check on the state of that burden."

"You really......"

It's surprising that she's concerned about Light's condition, but to casually refer to him as a "burden" is truly shocking.

What could be going through this woman's mind? As he looked at her with suspicious eyes, her gaze turned fierce.

Her eyes were already frightening without any whites, but when she glared, it reached a level where she could probably kill someone with just her gaze.

"That's quite a rude look."

"I was just surprised by your choice of words."

"It's the truth, isn't it? A fool who only knows how to wield power, with zero talent or adaptability. Utterly pathetic."

Ban Yu-won rubbed his forehead.

If Light were to hear these words now, wouldn't he try to offer Dokgo Yeon as a blood sacrifice?

"What's so messed up about Light? He's skilled in swordsmanship and has many other abilities."

"The problem is that it's all the sword's ability."

"......"

"Shall I list them one by one? Controlling the movements of an opponent who provoked him during class was the sword's ability, and pulling out the wings of light in the tower was also the sword's ability. His keen senses and combat instincts are also thanks to the sword. You saw it too, didn't you? How his movements slowed dramatically the moment his sword was caught in the spider web in the tower."

Of course, he knew well. His eyes, which could see concepts, had clearly observed the power derived from the holy sword.

But for Dokgo Yeon, who didn't even have the All-Seeing Eyes, to catch all of that.

This incredible observational skill, could she really not be a teacher?

However, Dokgo Yeon's words didn't end there.

"It's already a mess, but if he loses his grit and spirit on top of that, it's over. There really won't be any point in being together."

"Hey, pick one - either worry or insult."

"Is that so? Then shall I just insult? A worm unworthy of the sword, an idiot who relies only on form without grasping even the edge of intent......"

"I was wrong, stop it."

Dokgo Yeon smirked.

"But seeing how you defend him, it seems you must have comforted him well. Whether with words... or with your body?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

As Ban Yu-won responded with disgust, Dokgo Yeon laughed again.

But she couldn't keep laughing as she watched Ban Yu-won take out a thermos from his chest and pour its contents into a cup.

"What's that?"

"Keep your hands back and talk. It's hot chocolate."

Smelling the sweet scent of cocoa, she had already reached out and was firmly gripping the cup.

If he had said he was going to drink it alone, a blood festival might have broken out right here, so he obediently poured out all the hot chocolate and handed it to her.

"Ho, hooooh......"

As she took a sip, the cross in her pupils began to spin round and round.

Even without saying it out loud, it was clear that she was deeply impressed right now.

"I see, so this is how you comforted him...!"

"Well, I wish that were the case. ...So, are you okay?"

"Are you worried about me now?"

Dokgo Yeon shot a look at Ban Yu-won as if it were ridiculous, but after drinking the hot chocolate, her expression became calm again.

Finally, with a deep sigh, she asked.

"Did you figure it out with your ability?"

It was as good as saying she wasn't okay.

"No. Your face just looked that way."

"To think I've become weak enough to be read by someone who doesn't even know me properly."

Did these guys make some kind of group agreement? Why are they so desperate to treat their classmates as strangers?

I should have gone to S University after all. There was even a girl I had promised to enter S University with.

...Though she was just a classmate.

As he recalled the past with a sullen expression, Dokgo Yeon sipped her hot chocolate and let out a light sigh.

"I'm blaming myself, so there's no need for you to look so down. ...Did you say hot chocolate? May I have another cup?"

Praising himself for bringing plenty of hot chocolate, he filled her extended cup to the brim once more, and she received it with undisguised joy.

Then, as if it were nothing, she opened up about her inner thoughts.

"I was just a bit irritated. That I had similar thoughts to that lowlife who calls himself the Observer of Manan."

"What nonsense are you talking about now?"

Ban Yu-won frowned at the unexpected words.

Dokgo Yeon spoke firmly, turning away without showing any expression.

"It was essentially the same. I was also thinking of cutting them off if those two weren't helpful."

"How can that be the same as that crazy woman...!"

"That's why I was more irritated. If I had thought more radically, if I had become more obsessed with the idea of taking only the capable ones up, if I had lost myself to the tower's magic..."

Even if she didn't kill them directly, wouldn't she have reached the level of indirectly allowing them to die?

That's why, as soon as she heard the words of the Observer of Manan, she rejected them with excessive anger, Dokgo Yeon confessed.

"I see."

"Yes."

"Then you're a fool too."

"...Ugh!"

At that moment, Dokgo Yeon turned and thrust her palm towards him.

Ban Yu-won saw death approach right up to his nose, only to dissipate at the last moment due to her transcendent mana control.

He thought his heart was going to drop.

But at least outwardly, he didn't flinch, and Dokgo Yeon, as if she had expected this, snorted and continued speaking.

"You're saying that those two have talent, aren't you?"

"...Of course. No matter how amazing an artifact is, how could they have come here without their own talent? Your standards are strange. That crazy woman just didn't have an eye for talent."

"My standards are strange, you say."

"The talent you're talking about is almost entirely limited to the realm of mind and spirit, isn't it?"

Dokgo Yeon didn't answer.

She kept pointing out that Light was merely being controlled by the sword, but from Ban Yu-won's perspective, Light clearly had an innate talent for wielding the sword.

It's just that he tended to rely too heavily on the powers of the holy sword, that excellent artifact.

This was something he could tell just from the faint language concept he had read from Light.

The same goes for Luciel.

She had ridiculous potential in physical abilities and combat techniques, but she couldn't properly control the active concept called Shimro.

Her inherent talent is so brilliant it could be called dazzling, it's just that the demerit is so large that it doesn't stand out.

Thus, when Dokgo Yeon called the two incompetent, her evaluation of their mental aspects had a greater influence than their talents.

"...Alright, I'll trust you."

In the end, Dokgo Yeon nodded and took a step back.

"If we train them, we'll know the results sooner or later. From now on, I'll educate them with all my heart. You'll have to cooperate too."

"As much as you want. I had something I wanted to try with Luciel anyway."

"If those two can overcome their mental barriers and grow as you say, I'll admit you were right."

But, Dokgo Yeon said, opening her cross-shaped eyes wide and looking straight at Ban Yu-won.

"If the results are not satisfactory, then you'll have to take responsibility."

"...What?"

"The price for making me change my mind and spend time on that idiot, you'd better think carefully about it from now on."

"Huh? Wait a minute."

Dokgo Yeon disappeared from the spot without answering him.

Left alone, Ban Yu-won realized that he had put a leash on himself by carelessly running his mouth, and hit his own mouth hard, but that didn't make the words that had come out go back in.

It was the day when the secret contract between Dokgo Yeon and Ban Yu-won began.