The Villains I Taught Became Heroes - Chapter 96



95 – Religious War – 7

****

How much did she hear?

I locked eyes with Lena, who was looking at me with trembling eyes.

What was reflected in her gaze was doubt and disbelief.

“What are you talking about? You can’t possibly believe the nonsense that Asura spouted, right?”

“…I-I’m sure the shadow of Asura said so. M-Master’s wish is… to leave this world.”

“…What does that mean?”

Sowol approached me with a frown.

She had heard everything.

Then what I had to say here was…

“It’s all a lie.”

A desperate excuse.

After all, the shadow of Asura had already been obliterated.

Since I couldn’t interrogate that thing, all I had to do was keep it to myself.

“Another world? What kind of ridiculous story is that? Hahaha. This guy. Hahaha.”

I ruffled Lena’s hair playfully.

Though puzzled, Lena accepted my affection and didn’t say anything more.

Sowol was looking at me with suspicious eyes, but she too remained silent.

I had to be careful.

“I’m tired. Should we head back for now?”

“…Yes. Let’s do that. Everyone, can I ask you to clean up?”

“Understood!”

At Sowol’s command, the paladins began to move.

With the shadow of Asura captured, there was no danger here.

So the paladins would be enough.

“I’ll help you.”

—

I took the recovery medicine, but my strength had not fully returned. Sowol supported me, and leaning on her, I moved.

“You’re not seriously worrying about the useless words spat out by the shadow of Asura, are you?”

“…Of course.”

Sowol smiled softly as she looked at me.

“I believe in you, Master.”

This kid. She doesn’t really believe, does she?

Contrary to my expectations, Sowol didn’t say much after that.

She seemed to be suspicious of me, but her silence made me even more anxious.

But there’s a saying about stirring up trouble. So I just let it be.

“Teacher!!”

While I was resting in the accommodations set up in the Deorent Kingdom, Arisha burst through the door.

Does this kid not know how to knock?

She ran over to me like a puppy and hugged me, smiling brightly.

“A guest has come from the church!”

So it has come.

The final event of the religious war.

I went outside with Arisha.

I could see people who appeared to be envoys from the church talking to Sowol about something.

One of them, who made eye contact with me, drew a holy symbol.

“We are always receiving much help from Brother Lee Hyun. I’ve heard that you have played a significant role in saving the world once again.”

“I merely did what I had to do.”

“The church wishes to express its gratitude for this event and elevate Brother Lee Hyun to the rank of saint.”

“Haha. I appreciate the sentiment.”

Becoming a saint would allow me to use all the church’s artifacts, but I would have to give up my role as an academy instructor.

I still have things to do.

While it’s nice to be able to use the church’s power, I wonder if it’s really necessary with Sowol around.

“Are you refusing?”

“With the saintess present, does the church really need another saint?”

“Ah. But the Pope is aware of the deeds you have done for the world, Brother Lee Hyun.”

“Those merits. I would like to share them with the paladins and priests. My fight against the Asura Church was merely to settle my personal grudge.”

“Even so…”

He continued to hope for my elevation to sainthood several more times.

But I refused until the end, and eventually, he could only lower his head and let out a sigh.

“If you refuse that much, there’s nothing I can do. But I hope you won’t refuse the gift from the church.”

“I will graciously accept that.”

He lightly raised his hand. The waiting people brought forth a long box.

“It is the holy sword. It was used by the saint Yerbankis in the past.”

The holy sword.

It’s an item you can receive after completing the religious war event.

I never expected to receive this. It’s usually something the protagonist gets.

“Everyone fought together, but it feels a bit strange for me to receive it alone.”

“I think it would suit you well, teacher!”

“It’s, it’s alright. If it weren’t for you, we all would have been unable to move and would have fallen victim to the shadow of Asura.”

“Yes. It seems right for the master to receive it.”

All the disciples were hoping I would accept it.

If that’s the case, then it must be right to accept it.

I graciously took the box, and after drawing a protective sign, he smiled with satisfaction.

“I pray that the Lord will protect you, brother.”

“Thank you.”

Now that he had finished speaking, he stepped back, and I grasped the holy sword.

The holy sword, a top-tier piece of equipment, began to emit a soft glow the moment I held it.

“What can I do with this holy sword?”

“Well, you can lead the holy knights of the church. You can also use divine power. And if you harness the power contained within the holy sword, you can unleash powerful techniques.”

“What kind of techniques are you talking about?”

“Sanctuary Declaration. It can inflict damage on those who possess powers contrary to divine strength and can also restore the health of allies.”

“I see… As expected, the master is amazing.”

So-wol, smiling brightly, took my hand.

“It feels like you know everything.”

What does this mean? I faced So-wol and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

“W-w-w-what!!”

So-wol’s face turned as red as a ripe apple.

For someone who keeps overthinking and reading the room, this must be a nice experience.

I gently patted So-wol’s head.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I will be with you all.”

Until the very end.

So-wol looked at me as if I was being unreasonable, then pouted her full lips.

“If you want to kiss me, please do it here from now on.”

This girl?!

“How unfair! How unfair! How unfair!! Only So-wol gets to do it!!”

“I-I want to receive it too!”

Oh dear. These kids are something else.

Like affectionate puppies craving love, I also kissed the foreheads of Arisha and Lena, who were fidgeting beside me.

Only then did they seem to relax and bounce around happily as I strapped the holy sword to my waist and said,

“Alright. Now that we’ve received everything, let’s head back.”

***

It didn’t seem like it had been long since we left the academy, but in that time, many things had happened there.

The most notable was the battle with the descendants of the Mage Empire.

I heard that the students of Class A, led by Ludwig, had thwarted a large-scale terror plot created by the descendants of the Mage Empire.

Perhaps because they had defeated the shadow of Asura and stopped such a terror? The reputation of Class A was growing even more.

But for So-wol, that wasn’t what mattered.

“Did you find out?”

“Yes.”

Using the information guild, the investigation of the Eastern Merchant Association, and even the power of the church, Sowol completed the investigation on Lee Hyun.

“It’s just like before. Everything about this master is clean. It’s completely blank.”

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There were no records from over a decade ago when he first appeared in a village.

No hometown, no friends, nothing related to him.

As if.

He came from another world.

“I even met with those who were involved with this master to confirm. They said he moved as if he knew the place from the very first time he went there.”

“According to the records and research of the Ivory Tower, other worlds are indeed known to exist.”

Though it no longer exists, it is said that in ancient times, when the Mage Empire thrived, there was a thing called dimensional magic.

Records indicate that through dimensional magic, they were able to draw upon and use the powers of other dimensions.

“What? So, does that mean the teacher is someone from another dimension?”

Recalling the words spoken by the shadow of Asura, Lena nodded slightly.

In a way, Asura was also a being that existed in another dimension.

If so, could it not be possible that Lee Hyun is such a being as well?

“…I understand the master’s actions.”

Lee Hyun was kind to everyone, but he was wary of anyone getting too close beyond a certain line.

Sowol looked at Lena and Arisha.

Both of them. No, including herself, all three possessed a charm that could captivate any man.

Yet, despite that, Lee Hyun remained unmoved by them.

As if he had something important before him.

As if he had a goal more significant than living happily with someone from this world.

“What if he is thinking of leaving this world? If that’s the reason he doesn’t want to get involved?”

“…I, I don’t want that.”

“…But I think we should do what the teacher wants.”

She didn’t want Lee Hyun to leave.

But she wanted to grant him what he so desperately desired.

She didn’t know what to do.

Arisha lowered her head with a gloomy expression.

Sowol and Lena couldn’t bring themselves to say anything else, knowing they understood her feelings.

“I hope the teacher is happy.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Me, me too, I, I agree.”

Everyone fell silent.

They didn’t know what to do.

But they all knew they couldn’t just stand still.

Thus, Sowol let out a heavy sigh.

“How about we just confine him instead?”

“I, I thought about that too… but I can’t defeat the, the master…”

—

They were all the same. If it were just a simple spar, it would be different, but I had no confidence in winning while blocking what he desired.

“…But I can’t just stand by, can I?”

Sowol stood up and said coldly.

“I’m not planning to give up.”