Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 165

Lesson 33: The Star of Jade - 5

Returning to the village, Ban Yu-won found Canid kneeling. The one scolding him was none other than Luciel. Ban Yu-won immediately understood the situation and quickly set down Slothia, who had been riding on his back. It was a wise decision.

“I’m sorry, Luciel. But I was thinking about the future of our tribe…”

“No matter what, leaving me behind and getting close to Slothia is too much! Did you want to make me look like a fool? I hate you, Dad!”

“Ugh!”

Oh, that’s the infamous “I hate you, Dad” attack that only daughters can wield. It seemed to work even on the Beastman tribe, as Canid twisted in agony. It was quite amusing, but Ban Yu-won couldn’t just stand by and watch, so he decided to intervene.

“Luciel, we’re back.”

“Master!”

―Squeeze

Luciel spread her arms and hugged him tightly, pressing her head against his chest.

“It’s not fair. You were getting along with Slothia while I wasn’t around… It’s okay to bring in other women, but please do it where I can see.”

“That’s torture.”

“Then it’s okay now since Luciel is watching?”

Slothia interjected, asking with a serious expression while subtly grabbing Ban Yu-won’s arm. Luciel blinked in surprise.

“Slothia, why are you suddenly… so forward?”

“It’s mating season.”

“Haha, so that’s why you were so rude to someone else’s man.”

“Yeah, because I’m going to mate.”

Ban Yu-won shrank back at the barrage of explicit words that civilized people wouldn’t normally utter.

“Dokgo Yeon, I’m starting to get scared of the Beastman tribe. Especially the parts that seem like they might get censored.”

“Hmph, now you realize? Your very existence is a violation of censorship.”

What should he do? There were no allies here. If only Light were around, he could have turned the situation around by teasing him, but why was he never there when needed?

Ban Yu-won lamented as he quietly slipped away from Luciel and Slothia, who were still in a standoff, along with Dokgo Yeon. After all, a man intervening in a woman’s fight never ends well.

“So, son-in-law, have you really finished the work?”

“Yes, would you like to check?”

Ban Yu-won summoned Tike to display an image. After completing the work, he had Tike float in the air to capture the view from above. A perfectly aligned ochre line cut through the forest like a barrier, surrounding the territory of the Wolf Fang tribe.

Considering that the Wolf Fang tribe occupied about one-fifth of the Jade Star, it was clear how impressive Ban Yu-won’s half-day work was.

“Son-in-law, are you perhaps a Transcendent?”

“A Transcendent isn’t some kind of martial artist… I’m just a human.”

A Transcendent is someone who has surpassed the limits of existence. Everyone knows that a Constellation is a Transcendent.

“But isn’t it strange? Your presence isn’t that strong, yet your soul’s rank is high, and you possess excessively powerful abilities. Some Constellations create avatars by permanently consuming their power to act in the human world. Honestly, if you weren’t a student at Union Academy, I would have suspected you were an avatar of some great Constellation.”

“That’s a thing, huh.”

An avatar, Ban Yu-won thought of the Constellations he fought in the tower before, “Wings of Justice” and “Claws of the Dark Forest.” The creatures he fought were indeed controlled by the Constellations, but they weren’t quite avatars.

But yes, if it were an artificial life form meticulously created with a part of the Constellation’s soul, it could be called an avatar. Incidentally, the rare concepts he gained from fighting them, Light Wings and Dark Claw, were held by Ban Yu-won’s mechanical servants, Light Wing and Black Wolf.

“I tried a few experiments during the collection process… With Slothia’s abilities, we could easily turn this wasteland back into a forest. Of course, as the territory of the Wolf Fang tribe.”

“Perfect. Once everything is over, I’ll ask for that. But who knows when this battle will end…”

“We have to finish it within two weeks.”

The special activity period is a maximum of two weeks.

“As you know, this is also a barrier that traps us. We can’t win by just holding out.”

“Of course. But this was the best strategy because…”

The enemy isn’t only on the ground. Canid gritted his teeth as he spoke, and Ban Yu-won recalled the previous special activity.

“Did they bring a spaceship?”

“Yes. That’s why we had to limit the battlefield.”

“I knew it…”

Ban Yu-won imagined it. Continuous attacks from high above the Beastman’s territory, while Beastman tribes closed in from all sides. It was impressive that they managed to hold out in such a situation.

“It’s not a boast, but our tribe is the strongest. And as the representative, I am even stronger.”

“It seems so.”

“Haha, those who resist the temptation of the Constellation’s power grow even stronger.”

Canid spoke proudly. The Constellation that granted Luciel the Heart Furnace was Canid’s contracted Constellation. While Ban Yu-won viewed contracts with Constellations as akin to slave contracts, those with firm resolve and deep soul cultivation could manage the power without being swayed and grow significantly.

Canid was one such person, enduring even when his contracted Constellation coveted his daughter. The primal magic and Wildness hidden within his body were more threatening than anything Ban Yu-won had encountered—even more so than Dokgo Yeon. Yet, thinking of him as the man who had been kneeling before his daughter, Ban Yu-won felt a complex mix of emotions.

“Now that the hero is back, let’s resume the feast!”

Whether he knew what his son-in-law was thinking or not, Canid threw an arm around Ban Yu-won’s shoulder and shouted energetically. It seemed everyone was already trying to calm their battle-high spirits with a drinking party.

Canid leaped with Ban Yu-won to the widest branch of the tallest tree, the plaza, where everyone greeted them with cheers.

“The successor has arrived!”

“Did you see that earlier? Handling trees better than the Lazy Queen, our tribe’s future is bright!”

“Our hero! Sit over here.”

“Nice to see you all.”

The Beastmen, inheriting the blood of various animals, greeted him with bright smiles. Ban Yu-won was particularly wary of the Ox and Cat Beastmen, but with Slothia already eyeing him, he didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble, so he controlled his gaze as best as he could.

“Luciel, stop fighting and come over. You should be sitting next to your master!”

“Ah, yes!”

Luciel, who had been in a standoff with other women, hopped across the branches and quickly settled beside Ban Yu-won. As Ban Yu-won was captivated by the nimble movements characteristic of the Beastman tribe and the seemingly contradictory movements of certain body parts, Luciel noticed and leaned in with a seductive smile.

“I learned a lot from my mom.”

“Even if you learned in just one day…”

“I’ll show you how much… tonight.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ever since they arrived on the Jade Star for special activities, Luciel had been more proactive than Ban Yu-won had anticipated. Perhaps Slothia’s unexpected involvement had provoked her. Until now, he had managed to maintain a balance, but he might really have to brace himself now.

‘The concept of Subordination was what kept me tied up until now, but seeing that other Beastmen have no qualms about Luciel serving me as her master… I guess this is normal.’

Before coming to this star, Ban Yu-won only knew Luciel from the Beastman tribe. Even though they had formed a contract and she served him as her master, he wasn’t sure how far their relationship could go. When they went on a date before, he had declared that he would act as he pleased from now on, and Luciel had seemed happy about it—but that was just to reassure her.

In truth, Ban Yu-won hoped that Luciel would eventually move away from her passive stance of accepting everything about him and demand something closer to a typical romantic relationship, or at least a friendship. But up to this point, Luciel had focused all her actions on Ban Yu-won, simply wanting to serve him.

‘It’s not wrong. That’s the common perception of Luciel’s tribe, and it’s the way of life she desires. But still, something…’

Having enrolled in Union Academy, where many intelligent beings from various civilizations mingled, he wondered if she didn’t have the desire to express herself without relying on a master-servant relationship.

Whenever Ban Yu-won thought about his relationship with Luciel, he always reached the same conclusion. But he couldn’t bring it up with her, knowing she would blame herself and become despondent.

‘…It’s just because we’ve been together for a short time. Since I’m the one receiving, I have to consciously be considerate.’

Since he couldn’t dissolve the master-servant relationship, he always arrived at the same conclusion. If asked why he kept pondering the same conclusion, he wouldn’t have an answer.

“Luciel, come here.”

“Yes♡”

Ban Yu-won embraced Luciel, trying to convey his sincerity through physical affection. The sight of them flaunting their relationship elicited another round of cheers from the drinkers.

“Truly a perfect pair. They suit each other well!”

“Who would have thought our princess would find such a match, who would have!”

“Sniff, I can still picture our princess crawling around as a toddler…”

“…Princess?”

There was a word that caught his attention. When Ban Yu-won looked at Luciel and asked, she blushed and replied.

“Ah, well, since I’m the chieftain’s daughter, they jokingly call me that…”

“Our tribe is essentially a nation. Previously, several noble families gathered around our family to form a village, but as more people relied on our strength and joined us, it became a nation.”

Canid explained, pouring alcohol by chopping off the bottle’s neck. Indeed, a tribe occupying one-fifth of the star could be considered a kingdom. It was natural for Luciel to be called a princess.

“Hmm, you mentioned families… So, Slothia needing to leave descendants means the traits of Beastmen are hereditary?”

“That’s right. A wolf can’t give birth to a mutt.”

Canid confirmed with a hearty laugh. But Ban Yu-won couldn’t help but ask, looking at Luciel’s mother, Lucia, who quietly leaned against him.

“What about mixed breeds?”

Lucia, no matter how you looked at her, was a fox. Wolves and foxes are both canines but distinctly different animals.

“You’re sharp, son-in-law. Typically, they inherit the traits of either the mother or father strongly. But sometimes, a new species emerges, inheriting traits from both.”

“That’s almost like explaining it all. So, Luciel is…”

“Yes, exactly. That’s why her soul’s rank was overwhelming from birth.”

Canid confirmed. Luciel, embarrassed by the discussion of her origins, buried her face in Ban Yu-won’s chest.

“Luciel is a hybrid of the Devouring God Wolf and the Nine-tailed Fox.”

“Oh, wow.”

An explanation beyond imagination had emerged.