The Villains I Taught Became Heroes

As Sowol and I arrived at the church, the priest welcomed us as always.

“Welcome! May the light be with you…”

I greeted him back and looked around.

It was about time they showed up.

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

A beautiful woman came walking leisurely from inside the church.

It was Serin.

Was it surprising to see her? Sowol lightly grabbed my clothes.

What’s there to be so surprised about?

“Saint! It’s been a while.”

“…Yes, it has. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Me neither. I thought you’d be off relaxing at a resort since you requested leave, but you’re at the Academy…”

With a playful grin, she glanced at me and approached Sowol.

Then she started whispering something in her ear, and Sowol’s face turned bright red as she began hitting Serin.

“HA HA HA HA!! That hurts! Ouch!”

“You can hurt a bit more! You’re saying useless things!”

I grabbed Sowol, who was fiercely attacking Serin.

I didn’t know what was happening, but knowing Serin’s mischievous nature, I could guess Sowol was being teased.

“Don’t mess with my disciple.”

I pulled Sowol back and glared at Serin.

She waved her hands at me with a smile, then sighed deeply and got to the point.

“As you said, the Giant Rockworm had the Asura sect’s mark on it. It was so faint that if it weren’t for a priest like me, no one would have noticed.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was a Giant Rockworm that appeared in the artificial ruins before you came.”

I had been uneasy since then and had requested an investigation from the church about the Rockworm’s corpse and if there were any heretic traces nearby.

And that’s what the result revealed.

“By the way, it’s strange. I didn’t expect the Asura sect to use the Yellow Umbrella cult’s powers.”

“Yellow Umbrella cult? What’s that?”

“The Yellow Umbrella cult is a heretic group characterized by people carrying yellow umbrellas. They have weaker individual combat skills but possess unique abilities, one of which is controlling monsters.”

That wasn’t mentioned in the game.

So, I focused on Sowol’s tale as she reminisced with a bitter smile.

“It was when I was looking for my master to fight the heretics. One day, we fought against a heretic cult that hypnotized people with monsters, claiming that being food for monsters was the path to truth. That was the Yellow Umbrella cult. They attacked us using various monsters. Thanks to that, we suffered quite a bit, but we managed to defeat them.”

“Could a survivor have joined the Asura sect?”

“No. There were no survivors. Perhaps they had joined the Asura sect before that.”

I snapped my fingers while listening to Sowol and Serin.

I roughly understood how things happened.

It would pop up during the religious war event, but one of the Asura sect’s powers is to summon the dead from the underworld and steal their powers.

With this, the Asura sect had tormented players with numerous techniques.

Perhaps in the game, the Asura sect wiped them all out in their thirst for power, which is why I didn’t know about it.

“Does the Asura sect have such power?”

“Scary, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that impressive. The souls they can summon belong to the same category. That is to say, the same heretics.”

“Even so, if they could use the powers of heretics at will, we couldn’t underestimate them.”

“Well… that’s true, but it’s not like we don’t have countermeasures, so don’t worry too much.”

What was important now was the Asura sect members that might be inside the Academy.

I wasn’t about to let them cause chaos and stir up trouble.

“By the way, why did such traces of the Asura sect show up there after so long?”

Serin thought hard with a serious face, but I had a rough idea.

Originally, the Asura sect showed themselves a bit later in the story.

Before that, they usually caused chaos by moving other heretic groups under their command.

But now, another problem arose.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just that you’ve been really helpful.”

Originally, she would have belonged to the Asura sect and been a loyal sect member sharing the Eastern Trading Company’s resources while operating within the Academy.

But she wasn’t part of the Asura sect; she had become a saint of the church and was eliminating heretics.

The heretics she had taken down were no small number, which meant the Asura sect faced a lack of funds and lost many of the heretic groups they were supposed to manipulate.

The Asura sect’s goal was to plunge the world into chaos to manifest Asura.

Ideally, they would have used the movements of the heretics and the chaos she would create within the Academy to their advantage.

But since that plan fell apart, the Asura sect had no choice but to act directly.

“There are many high-status individuals among the first years. If they were to die within the Academy, the resulting chaos wouldn’t be small at all.”

The heir to the Deorent Kingdom.

The Third Prince, who is said to be the most beloved by the Emperor.

Not just them, either.

Many notable figures’ relatives were gathered among the first years; what would happen if they suffered significant damages?

“They would move from each country to investigate the neutral zone of the Academy. With mutual suspicion, of course.”

What if the Asura sect exerted just a bit more power during that process?

If they get caught in a scheme of their making, the countries would clash, and the chaos would be far greater than that caused by the heretics.

“The church doesn’t dismiss that possibility either. So, there’s talk of sending more personnel to the Academy…”

Sending more church soldiers to the Academy, a neutral zone, would be challenging. After all, the Academy was a neutral zone. No other military forces could be stationed there outside of those already held within the city.

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

“Oh. Leave it to me. I can’t let those Asura sect members share the same sky as me.”

What’s more, if they’d try to ruin the main story, I couldn’t forgive them.

“Anyway, Serin. Stay alert and keep searching.”

“Got it. By the way, you’re pretty bold. With you, the Saint, and the Colorless Crown Lord from the Ivory Tower here, they’d still be trying to pull tricks?”

“Well… if they succeed, they might gain a lot, so there’s no reason not to try. Of course, they’ll be pulling tricks elsewhere as well. Don’t rely too much on just this side.”

“Understood. Anyway, thanks for your hard work.”

That was the end of what I had to say.

Serin headed into the church, and naturally, it left just the two of us, so I looked at Sowol.

“I brought you along since I thought you should know the progress. So, stay vigilant.”

“Uh… why just me?”

Of course, Lena would fight the Asura sect too, but this was something I hoped the church would take care of.

So, naturally, it was necessary for Sowol, who belonged to the church, to know about it.

There were also several other reasons, but I didn’t have to explain them all, so I just lightly tapped her back.

“I think you’ll do well.”

“…That means you trust me?”

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

I was serious.

Sowol had always done better than I expected.

“…If I manage to catch one of the Asura sect’s lackeys, will there be any reward?”

“A reward? Well, besides a praise sticker, what else is there?”

I shook a praise sticker I’d taken from my pocket lightly.

Sowol’s eyes began to sparkle at the sight of it.

“Are you still collecting them?”

“Of course! It’s my treasure!”

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

Seeing the praise stickers in it made me think she was quite impressive.

Who would have thought she would hold onto them for years?

“Don’t you remember? If you collect ten…”

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

I patted Sowol’s head.

As she accepted my touch with a smile, she gently grabbed my arm.

“By the way, are you finished with your business?”

“Kind of. Should we head back soon?”

“Already?”

“If you’ve wrapped up everything, you should go in and rest.”

“Uh…”

“What is it?”

“I’d like to walk around with you a bit more since I’m out… Is it not possible? I have some things I want to buy… I want to visit the village outside the Academy.”

“Hm…”

She wants to wander around together.

Yeah, I don’t really have anything else to do.

“Sure. You’re cute.”

“Woohoo~! Of course~!”

Nostalgia hit me as I spoke to Sowol, and she smiled joyfully and stood by my side.

“Then let’s go!”

*

It reminded me of past memories.

Going out to the village, eating Tanghulu, and enjoying light shopping with her.

Spending time together felt no different than before.

In fact, it was more enjoyable.

This time, I wasn’t young like back then.

Now, I had become a beautiful woman suited for Lee Hyun’s taste.

‘At this level, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a date, right?’

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

It was obviously a date to anyone who looked.

The thought made my heart flutter.

“Fu fu fu fu~.”

Sowol hummed a tune as she entered the room.

Ripa, Arisha, and Lena, who had been resting together in the living room, looked up to greet her.

“Y-you’re back…?”

“Where did you go?”

“I was going to go have dinner, but… you took so long… Did you eat?”

Sowol responded to their greetings with a perfect smile.

Ripa, who was curious about her bright demeanor, couldn’t hold back and asked,

“Did something good happen to you?”

“Yes! Something good happened!!”

“Wow! What is it?”

“I went on a date with my master!!”

At her bold statement, Lena stiffened, and the laughter faded from Arisha’s face.

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