The Villains I Taught Became Heroes - Chapter 66



65 – Jealousy – 1

***

As we arrived at the church with a surprised So-wol, the priest at the front greeted us as always.

“Welcome. May the light be with you…”

I returned his greeting and glanced around.

It should be about time.

“Hey. Long time no see. I heard you were alive, but I didn’t expect to see you here.”

A beautiful woman walked in leisurely from inside the church.

It was Serin.

So-wol, perhaps surprised by her appearance, lightly grabbed the hem of my clothes.

It’s not like she doesn’t know her, so why is she so surprised?

“Saint. It’s been a while.”

“…Yes. It has been a while. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Me neither. I thought you’d be going to a resort since you applied for leave, but here you are at the academy…”

With a playful smile, she glanced at me before approaching So-wol.

Then she began to whisper something in her ear, and as So-wol listened, her face turned bright red, and she started playfully hitting Serin.

“Hahahaha!! That hurts! It hurts!”

“You can hurt a little more! For someone saying useless things!!”

I caught So-wol as she attacked Serin, not knowing what it was all about, but considering Serin’s mischievousness, I could guess that So-wol had been teased.

“Don’t tease my disciple.”

I pulled So-wol closer and frowned at Serin.

She smiled at me, waving her hands dismissively, then let out a deep sigh before getting to the point.

“As you said, there were traces of the Asura cult on the giant rockworm. They were so faint that if it weren’t for a priest like me, I might not have noticed them at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before you all arrived, a giant rockworm emerged from the artificial ruins.”

Since then, I had been uneasy and had requested an investigation from the church.

To examine the corpse of the giant rockworm and see if there were any signs of the cult in the vicinity.

And now, the results had come in.

“By the way, it’s fascinating. I didn’t expect the Asura cult to use the power of the Yellow Umbrella cult.”

“The Yellow Umbrella cult? What’s that?”

“The Yellow Umbrella cult is a sect characterized by people carrying yellow umbrellas. They may have weak individual combat abilities, but they possess unique skills, one of which is the ability to control monsters.”

This was a story not mentioned in the game.

As such, I focused on So-wol’s tale, and she smiled wryly as she reminisced about the past.

“It was when we were attacking the cults in search of my master. One day, we fought against a cult that used monsters to deceive people, claiming that becoming prey to monsters was the path to truth. They were the Yellow Umbrella cult. They controlled various monsters to attack us. Thanks to that, we suffered quite a bit, but we managed to defeat them.”

“Could it be that a survivor from among them has joined the Asura cult?”

“No, there were no survivors. Perhaps they had already joined the Asura cult before that.”

I snapped my fingers at So-wol and Serin’s conversation.

I could roughly guess how things had unfolded.

During the religious war event, one of the powers of the Asura cult was to summon the dead from the underworld and strip them of the powers they had in life.

Using that, the Asura cult had tormented players with numerous dark arts.

Perhaps in the game, the Asura cult had wiped them out in their quest for power, which is why I had been unaware of it.

“The Asura cult has such power?”

“That’s terrifying.”

“It’s not that impressive. The souls they can summon are of the same kind. In other words, only those from the same cult.”

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“Even so, if they can freely use the powers of the cults, they shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“Well… that’s true, but it’s not like there aren’t ways to counter it, so let’s not worry too much.”

What was important now was the Asura cult members who were inside the academy.

I had no intention of watching them stir up chaos for no reason.

“By the way, why did the traces of the Asura cult, which had been so hard to find, suddenly appear there?”

With a serious expression, Serin pondered, but I felt I had a rough idea.

In the original story, the Asura cult revealed itself much later.

Before that, they would manipulate other cults under their command to create chaos in the world.

However, another problem arose here.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s just that you’re doing so well.”

Originally, she would have been a loyal follower of the Asura cult, sharing the wealth of the Eastern Merchant Association with them and acting within the academy.

But instead, she had become a saint of the church, dealing with the cults.

The cultists she had brought down were certainly not few, and because of that, the Asura cult had lost many of the cults they needed to control, along with a lack of funds.

The goal of the Asura cult was to lead the world into chaos and realize Asura.

If things had gone as planned, she would have utilized the movements of society and the chaos she would create at the academy.

But since that has turned to vapor, there was no choice but for Asura Church to act directly.

“There are many from the upper echelons of society among this year’s first-years. If they were to die at the academy, the ensuing chaos would be anything but small.”

The heir to the Deorent Kingdom.

The third prince, said to be the most beloved by the emperor.

And it’s not just them.

Relatives of prominent figures from all walks of life are positioned in the first year; what would happen if they were to suffer significant harm?

“They will likely move from each country to investigate the neutral ground of the academy. All while harboring suspicions of one another.”

What if, in that process, Asura Church exerted just a bit more power?

If they were to get entangled in the schemes they create, the countries would clash, and the chaos would be no less than that caused by the social turmoil.

“The church is not ruling out that possibility either. That’s why there’s talk of sending more personnel to the academy…”

Sending more combatants from the church to the academy would be unreasonable. After all, the academy is a neutral zone. No forces other than those already stationed there could be deployed within the city.

“At least it’s fortunate that both the Saint and you are here.”

“Ah, leave it to me. I cannot allow myself to be under the same sky as those Asura Church b*stards.”

Moreover, if they intend to ruin the main story, that would be even less forgivable.

“Anyway, Serin. Don’t let your guard down and keep searching.”

“Got it. By the way, you’re quite bold. With you, the Saint, and the colorless lord of the Ivory Tower all here, how can they even think of pulling something?”

“Well… from their perspective, if they succeed, there’s much to gain, so there’s no reason not to try. Of course, they’ll be scheming elsewhere too. Don’t rely solely on this side.”

“Understood. Anyway, take care.”

That was all I had to say.

Serin entered the church, and as we were left alone, I looked at Sowol.

“I brought you along because I thought you should be aware of the progress. So always stay alert.”

“Um… why did you only bring me out?”

Of course, Lena also fights against Asura Church, but this is something I’d prefer the church to handle.

So naturally, Sowol, who belongs to the church, should be aware of it.

There are various other reasons, but I didn’t need to explain them all, so I just lightly tapped Sowol on the back.

“I believe you’ll do well.”

“…Does that mean you trust me?”

“I’ve never doubted you even once until now.”

I meant it.

Sowol has always done far better than I expected.

“…If I manage to catch one of Asura Church’s minions, will there be some kind of reward?”

“What reward could there be besides a praise sticker?”

I lightly shook the praise sticker I took from my pocket.

Upon seeing it, Sowol’s eyes began to sparkle.

“Are you still collecting them?”

“Of course! They’re my treasures!”

Saying that, Sowol pulled out a notebook from her belongings.

Seeing the praise stickers inside, I thought she was quite impressive.

I never expected she would hold onto these for years.

“You’re not forgetting, right? If you collect ten of these…”

“I know. I know. You promised to grant a wish, right? I’m curious about what wish you’ll make.”

I gently patted Sowol’s head.

She accepted my touch with a smile and softly grabbed my arm.

“Um, have you finished everything you needed to do?”

“Something like that. Shall we head back soon?”

“Already?”

“If you’ve taken care of everything, you should go in and rest.”

“Uh…”

“What is it?”

“I want to wander around a bit more with you… Is that not possible? I have some things to buy… I want to visit the village outside the academy.”

“Hmm…”

Wandering around together.

Yeah. It’s not like I have anything specific to do.

“Alright. You’re pretty, so why not?”

“Uhuhuhuhu~! Of course~!”

Recalling old memories, I spoke to Sowol, and she smiled as if feeling good, standing next to me.

“Then shall we go!”

***

I recalled memories after a long time.

Going out to the village with him, eating tanghulu, enjoying light shopping.

The time spent with him felt no different from then.

No, it was even more enjoyable.

I wasn’t young like back then.

Now, I had become a beautiful woman suited to Ihyun’s taste.

‘Isn’t this enough to be called a date?’

A young man and woman strolling through the village, eating delicious food, enjoying a pleasant time together.

Anyone could see this was a date.

Thinking that made my heart start to race.

“Hehehe~.”

Humming a tune, Sowol entered the room.

Rifa, Arisha, and Lena, who were gathered in the living room resting, looked up to greet her.

“Did you… have a good time…?”

“Where did you go?”

“I was going to have dinner… but you came back late… Did you eat?”

In response to their greetings, Sowol answered with a perfect smile.

Rifa, puzzled by her bright atmosphere, couldn’t help but ask.

“Did something good happen?”

“Yes! Something good happened!!”

“Wow! What was it?”

“I’m going on a date with the Master!”

At her bold words, Lena stiffened, and the smile vanished from Arisha’s face.