The Villains I Taught Became Heroes

If I pass on the final art of the Moonlight Sword, just like in the game, I’ll satisfy the conditions for the job quest.

If that happens, my life here will come to an end.

It feels refreshing, yet a little sad.

Even though it’s to meet the requirements, I was genuinely invested in Sowol.

“Let’s get started!”

Sowol boldly shouted, not knowing my true feelings.

Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s go!

They say nothing is more enjoyable than seeing your pupil grow.

I patted Sowol’s head and headed to the mountain with her.

The mountain, which had been our training ground for almost a year, was now nothing but a barren land.

That’s how many trees we’d cut down during our training.

Sowol, now completely accustomed to our training ground, grabbed her sword and looked at me.

There was no hint of shadow on her face.

This must be Sowol’s strength.

Great talent, and a pride that matches that great talent.

Sometimes it shone through, but that pride surely accelerated Sowol’s growth.

She was about to inherit the Moonlight Sword, one of the three great sword arts.

Considering the power that comes with this sword technique, the pressure should be considerable, yet Sowol seemed overflowing with confidence.

That sight pleased me.

Yeah. That’s my disciple.

“What I’m about to teach you is the last form of the Moonlight Sword, and it can be said to be the essence of the Moonlight Sword.”

For this reason, I maintained a serious demeanor, unlike usual.

Perhaps sensing the seriousness in my voice, Sowol’s expression turned even more serious.

Locking eyes with her, who was determined not to miss a single word I said, I slowly drew my sword.

“Moonlight Sword’s final form. Moonlight Slash.”

I raised my sword, and the Moonlight Sword began to display a power as strong as its fame.

Proving that.

“The sky…?”

The sky darkened.

A powerful force that changes nature with human strength.

While Sowol looked around in confusion, the moon rose in the sky.

A moon that is both cold and bright.

–Kwahwahwahng!!

The gentle light cast by the rising moon began to transform each beam into sword energy, seizing the surroundings.

The Moonlight Slash, which had been a wide-area attack in the game, boasted a tremendous range in reality as well and began to wipe everything out.

Trees, rocks, soil.

Everything that touched the light began to vanish.

“Hoo…”

Slowly lowering my sword, the night sky and moon disappeared, returning to daylight.

Proving that I had consumed a considerable amount of magical power, I felt utterly exhausted. I smiled at Sowol, who stared at me wide-eyed like a startled rabbit, and pointed my sword at her.

“This is the final form of the Moonlight Sword. Did you see that? Now you try.”

“…Even if you tell me to try…”

Facing those eyes of respect and fear, I felt proud.

Did you see that? That’s your master.

I patted Sowol’s head and explained how to control magic.

Slowly, but surely.

After repeating myself several times until Sowol understood, I stepped back.

“This… isn’t easy.”

Of course it isn’t. It’s one of the three great sword arts, after all.

I smiled at Sowol, who was holding the sword and didn’t know what to do.

Unlike before, it seemed this one would be tough for her to succeed at all at once, and her pretty face was scrunched up.

I gently patted her head and said as kindly as possible.

“Even for you, this won’t be easy. There’s no need to rush. Got it?”

“Yes. Slowly. But surely.”

“Right. I believe in you. I know you’ll succeed in the Moonlight Slash.”

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.

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What I was tasked with at the Eastern Trading Company wasn’t just to teach Sowol.

At the request of the Young Lady, I was also responsible for training the warriors of the Eastern Trading Company.

Typically, my daily routine consisted of focusing on Sowol in the morning and then gathering the warriors of the Eastern Trading Company in the afternoon for overall training.

But lately, that has changed.

I had taught Sowol everything I could.

The rest was up to her to realize.

That’s why these days I focused more on watching the warriors of the Eastern Trading Company.

“Master, could you please check my stance?”

Of course, that included Laila.

She was among the younger warriors, but in terms of talent, she was the most outstanding among the regular warriors.

Her skills were steadily improving day by day, proving that.

“You’re getting close to forming sword energy.”

“Really?”

“You’ve achieved sword and body unity.”

Laila smiled brightly. The other warriors looked at her with envy, but they too had grown significantly compared to before I arrived.

“Master, do you have a moment?”

While I was watching the training warriors, the Young Lady approached me.

Next to her stood some unfamiliar faces.

Upon closer inspection, they were priests from the church.

Sisters? Thinking of Serin, these weren’t particularly special.

I told the warriors who had questions for me that I would come back later and approached them.

“It’s been a while, Brother Lee Hyun.”

Huh? Have we met?

A middle-aged sister greeted me politely, but who on earth was she…?

“I’m Lereila, a senior priest from the church. We worked together before, remember?”

“Oh. Ahhhh! That’s right! Nice to meet you! Hahaha!”

…Who was that again?

But since she was being friendly, I couldn’t just play dumb.

I greeted her as I recalled, and she lightly joined her hands, seeming pleased with my reaction.

“I heard that by the grace of the Lord, Brother Lee Hyun has been staying at the Eastern Trading Company and has triumphed over the cruel Asura sect.”

Ah, I see they came to request assistance.

But why is she the one who came?

I thought Serin would show up.

“Sister Serin is scheduled to join the later reinforcements.”

“I see. That’s a truly blessed event. With the sisters staying at the Eastern Trading Company, we should be able to repel those wicked Asura sect’s minions without issue.”

“I hope so. By the way… are you teaching the brethren and sisters of the Eastern Trading Company?”

“Haha. Yes.”

“When you were first requested by the church, you seemed to refuse…”

The church didn’t have any talented individuals.

Everyone’s minds were so rigid that it was no fun to teach.

But saying that would yield no good results, so I’ll just laugh it off.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing. Also, I have some intelligence.”

Intelligence? What’s that?

“I received word that the Archbishop of the Asura sect is planning to target this place soon.”

“Oh… I see.”

The Archbishop, huh? That sounds like a named boss-level enemy.

Usually, he shows up during the religious war. Is he coming out because we survived the last raid?

Well, whatever.

After all, they’re the ones I need to wipe out during the Religious War Event.

I hope Sowol drops some good items.

“I plan to have the Paladins and priests stay here as a precaution.”

“That’s great news. Thank you for that.”

“May the grace of the Lord be with you… Now, we will check the surroundings.”

After a brief exchange, they departed.

As I watched them leave, the Young Lady approached and asked me.

“So, Master, how’s Sowol doing these days?”

“Hmm. She’s working hard.”

It seemed that lately it wasn’t easy for Sowol to learn the Moonlight Slash, as she had become more sensitive than usual.

Her high pride wouldn’t allow her to be stuck on the Moonlight Slash.

Because of that, everyone in the trading company was a bit worried.

I heard she meditated every night under the moonlight, wielded the sword as if in a trance, and just yesterday, she laughed crazily for hours as if she had lost her mind.

With that story in mind, it wasn’t strange that the Young Lady was asking me.

“It’s just growing pains.”

“If you say so, Master… I will believe it.”

I’m glad she said that.

But her expression is filled with worry, does she really believe it?

“Right now, the important thing is to stop the Asura sect’s attack. As you know, the trading company lord should not wander about carelessly and should always have escorts.”

“Understood.”

Good answer.

I smiled at her once and returned to my quarters.

From sometime ago, the garden in my quarters at the trading company had become Sowol’s training ground.

Sowol sat on a rock in the garden, staring blankly at the sky, and even as I approached, she didn’t move an inch.

She was in a perfect state of no thought.

Watching her, I swung my sword.

Sowol, without even looking at me, dodged my attack, remaining completely focused.

Perfect harmony of body and mind.

Impressive.

Simply feeling the flow of magic and entering a state of contemplation was enough to send shivers down my spine.

I’ve created a monster.

Now that she’s grown this much, will she help me reach the true ending later?

“Sigh…”

How much time has passed?

As the sun’s rays turned to night, Sowol snapped back to reality with a heavy sigh.

Glancing over at me, she slowly raised her sword.

What was she trying to show?

…Could it be that she has already mastered the Moonlight Slash?

“Hoo…”

With a soft breath, Sowol aimed her sword at the air. And in that moment.

–Clang! Clang! Clang!

–Crash!

Hearing the sound of clashing weapons from outside, I instinctively reached for my sword.

But Sowol held me back with a smile.

“You don’t need to step in, Master.”

“Oh. How confident! Could it be that you—”

“Yes.”

Her smile resembled the bright moonlight.

“I’ll show you. The new me.”

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