Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 175

Lesson 34. Free Subordination - 10

―Hahaha!

The moment the Constellation laid eyes on Luciel, it burst into laughter.

―My foolish yet beloved bride, you couldn’t wait for me and came to find me yourself!

“Master!”

Luciel, already under the Constellation’s influence, rushed towards Ban Yu-won with a grimace. Her pink ears and a luxurious tail, somewhere between a fox and a wolf, were visible. Despite her endearing approach, Ban Yu-won couldn’t help but frown.

―How foolish and lovely! My bride who comes willingly into my arms, can you hear the sound of chains binding us?

“You shouldn’t have come, Luciel.”

Luciel’s response was firm. With the physical distance between her and the Constellation reduced, the toxic mist it emitted increasingly affected her Heart Furnace. Yet, she stood her ground.

Ban Yu-won widened his eyes. As soon as she entered the domain, he could see the thread of sinister Magic Power extending from the Constellation’s manifestation and connecting to her. It wasn’t something that just appeared; it had likely been there since before she was born. This proved why she had to be here now.

“To break this cursed connection, finding the starting point is the quickest way.”

―Break it? You don’t know my power, bride. From the moment my power was planted in you, we became one. Even if you’ve found a master, that doesn’t change. Can’t you feel the furnace of emotions boiling within you? It’s finding its true master!

Ban Yu-won had a small realization. Implanting a Heart Furnace in an unborn child was a curse in itself. He understood the Constellation’s nature and acknowledged that Luciel had a clear grasp of her situation.

There are two ways to Dispel a curse. The first is to overlay it with a higher curse, spell, or object. Ban Yu-won had fed his soul fragment to Mira, who was dying from a curse rebound, interfered with a solitude spell to make a hand drill the curse’s core, and became Luciel’s master to redefine priorities.

The second is to kill the curse’s caster or force them to lift it. They couldn’t kill the Constellation, nor would it release Luciel. But with the curse’s caster and victim together, Ban Yu-won might be able to analyze and interfere with the curse’s workings.

‘Luciel must have guessed that her Heart Furnace curse wouldn’t be resolved unless she confronted the Constellation directly.’

If the Heart Furnace had been resolved when Ban Yu-won became Luciel’s master, the concept would have vanished or changed. But it remained, and though it was used beneficially, its essence was still the Constellation’s power. Luciel, who wielded the Heart Furnace, was aware of its special nature and the lingering danger.

In a way, the Constellation’s descent was Luciel’s greatest chance to break free.

“I reject you!”

Luciel, now beside Ban Yu-won, summoned lightning with her artifact to dispel the toxic mist approaching her and glared at the Constellation, the forest’s ruler.

“A vulgar transcendent who forces desires on a contractor and covets the contractor’s daughter… I’m sick of you controlling our tribe and my emotions and life.”

And she declared, “I have nothing to return to you, even if you force power upon me. The master of the descendants of the nine-tailed fox and the food spirit is already decided.”

She declared nullification against a transcendent who imposed a false contract and curse on her.

“My master is Ban Yu-won, the only one.”

―Interesting, very good. Yes, you have the right to be so arrogant. But I can’t let you remain deluded forever.

“Tsk!”

At the moment the Constellation’s voice gained strength, Ban Yu-won leapt into the air with Luciel, stepping on the void. As the Constellation advanced, the mist shrank and compressed, stretching out like hundreds, thousands of whips sweeping the air. But Ban Yu-won, with three-dimensional maneuvers timed to 0.01 seconds read by the Origin Blade, dodged the whips flying at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second with artistic perfection.

“Are you okay, Luciel?”

“Of course. But do you think my declaration had any effect?”

Ban Yu-won nodded silently. Only he could see the line connecting Luciel and the Constellation. When Luciel declared nullification, he saw it crack.

It was something Luciel couldn’t have done before. With Lucia’s help, she awakened the nine-tailed fox’s blood, understood the power of words, and imbued them with the power of spells.

―Even as a manifestation, you read my movements and intentions and keep dodging… You’re quite peculiar. But as I said, no one can leave my domain, and with my bride here, it’s over.

The Constellation’s voice remained annoyingly arrogant, indifferent to Luciel’s rejection. Its power grew stronger, pouring a violent amount of Magic Power into Luciel despite the unstable connection, forcibly maintaining what she wanted to sever.

―Come to me, bride. Open your eyes and acknowledge your true master!

“Master… I’m ready.”

Luciel gritted her teeth, resisting the Constellation’s overwhelming Magic Power, curse, and will, and spoke.

“So I’ll leave the rest to you, Master…”

“I have something in mind.”

Ban Yu-won observed the transformation and extension of the Constellation’s Magic Power with his golden eyes. He analyzed and understood how its power worked, intending to make it his own.

“But I’m not sure if it’ll work. It’s ultimately wordplay. That’s the core of my power, though.”

“Then it’ll work.”

He identified where to apply the concept.

He resolved to interfere with Luciel’s internal concept. His past mistake of trying to manipulate her emotions, causing her to rampage, now served as a valuable lesson.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

Ban Yu-won reached out and manifested his power, seizing and severing the connection between Luciel and the Constellation. Snip.

A distinct sound of scissors seemed to echo in Ban Yu-won and Luciel’s ears. The moment the curse was disrupted and broken, a profound curse enveloped Ban Yu-won, but Celon, who had been storing Magic Power for this moment, deployed a barrier.

―Don’t try to snort at a magic-specialized Constellation with a curse.

“Thanks.”

―Just finish it quickly.

The connection Ban Yu-won severed was, unfortunately, temporary. Luciel still harbored the Constellation’s power, and unless something was done, the connection would eventually revive. Thus, Ban Yu-won intended to directly interfere with Luciel’s internal concept.

Since connecting with Luciel, he had instinctively thought it was possible.

―Foolish, the power planted in my bride is beyond human meddling. Only a transcendent, the master of curses and power like me, can control the endless power crystal properly!

“Why do Constellations love curses so much?”

―As you grow stronger, situations arise that can’t be overcome with mere force.

Agreeing with Celon’s astute observation, Ban Yu-won began his work. He placed his hand on Luciel’s smooth abdomen and manifested his power. He saw the Heart Furnace within her losing its connection to its master and threatening to rampage. As the Constellation said, if left unchecked, it could rampage, destroying Luciel’s sanity and possibly causing severe physical damage. But compared to when she first entered the academy, Luciel had grown significantly. Despite sweating profusely, she kept her eyes wide open, enduring the impulse.

“Ugh, Master…”

“I’m concentrating, so no seductive sounds.”

…Or maybe she was just feeling Ban Yu-won’s touch.

With the Constellation’s attacks flying in rapid succession to disrupt him, Ban Yu-won couldn’t afford to be distracted by Luciel’s voice. He filtered out all external stimuli except what he needed, focusing entirely on his power.

‘Heart Furnace, found it. Now, let’s… reverse it.’

Heart Furnace means the furnace of the heart. Reversing it forms the word “Core,” which is a dictionary term. The core of a reactor, the part that generates energy through nuclear fission. Reversing the Heart Furnace doesn’t create a reactor inside Luciel, of course.

[Converting the concept of Heart Furnace to Core. Perfectly extracting the Star Trace and transforming the concept.]

[The depth of the Star Trace has reached 35.]

―What――――!

But with Ban Yu-won’s power to completely reverse the form of power and define and construct the concept as he wished, it was possible to make it the “core of the furnace,” the “source of energy production.”

Initially, his goal was to completely transform the Constellation’s power into his own, erasing its traces. But――.

[The Mutation power creates a miracle. The depth of Mutation has reached 70!]

[Perfectly twisting and evolving the concept within Luciel. Wildness and Core combine to birth the power Wild Core.]

[Wild Core uses the concept of Wildness as fuel to generate explosive power. The more Wildness is burned, the more the power holder’s body, Magic Power, and Soul grow permanently, and they can gain significant power temporarily.]

A power that not only allows for permanent growth by consuming Wildness but also grants greater power when needed――.

A power that is a perfect superior version of the Heart Furnace was born.

―What… did you steal my power?

Even when the connection was severed, the forest’s ruler, who seemed composed, now trembled as if sensing the change in Luciel.

―Impossible. A mere human controlling a Constellation’s power is unheard of.

Several seniors had experienced this before, and Ban Yu-won agreed with the Constellation inwardly. He was too surprised by the change in Luciel to speak.

“Master.”

Luciel, on the other hand, completely freed from the Constellation the moment her concept evolved, regained her vitality instantly. No, she seemed even more energetic than before――naturally, as she was burning all the Wildness she had accumulated into the Core.

Ban Yu-won felt her core concept growing in real-time.

“Master!”

“Luciel, there’s something we need to clarify first.”

Stopping Luciel from embracing him in excitement, Ban Yu-won asked. This was crucial for him.

“I’m not your master anymore.”

“What…?!”

The Heart Furnace was perfectly transformed, eliminating any interference or suffering from the Constellation… In fact, when the transformation to Wild Core was completed, Ban Yu-won had also severed the concept of subordination within her.

If he could interfere with internal concepts, removing the concept of subordination was a natural choice.

“Master, why…?”

“Because I want you to be free.”

Of course, Ban Yu-won wasn’t foolish enough to pretend not to know Luciel’s feelings for him. But he didn’t want to see her swayed by her circumstances anymore. Luciel, who had been at the mercy of others’ will since birth, now had the chance to make her own decisions, free from masters or Constellations.

“Yes, I am free.”

Perhaps understanding his intentions, Luciel smiled brightly, reassuring the slightly bitter Ban Yu-won. Then she whispered, embracing him.

“And this is my choice, Master.”

“…Ah.”

Seeing the concept of subordination he had just erased reappear within Luciel, Ban Yu-won held his forehead. The initial depth was even 50. It showed how deeply Luciel felt for Ban Yu-won.

“Can’t we just date normally without this?”

“Master!”

“Aaaah!”

Luciel succeeded in breaking free from her chains. But Ban Yu-won ultimately failed. That was all there was to it.