Chapter 140: The Instructor’s Flex (2)

Two weeks before the start of the semester.

When the old priest told Lee Han the reason why he was being suspected as a heretic and was being targeted by the Heresy Inquisition.

Lee Han…

-You must have the list of cardinals and high-ranking priests who are after me, right? Can you give them to me?

-I don’t mind giving them to you, but why do you need them?

-Well, I figured that I should go and talk to them myself. I’d rather talk things out, you see?

-Hehehe, that’s a lie.

-…

Was planning to go back to being an assassin for a bit.

He thought that if he could somehow assassinate the higher-ups who were after him, the temple wouldn’t target him anymore.

Of course, he was confident that he could pull that off.

After all, as long as he used his abilities well, he could even become the ‘Second Coming of the Shadowless Thief’ in this world.

-There’s a reason and value in confronting Tristan head on, but when it comes to the temple, there’s no such thing.

Just as killing flies or mosquitoes wouldn’t make someone feel guilty, Lee Han felt the same way about the high-ranking officials of the temple. He wouldn’t feel like he was getting his hands dirty if he were to kill them.

As Lee Han confidently spoke about what he wanted to do with them, the old priest…

-That’s not a bad idea.

-…?

Casually agreed with him, leaving him shocked.

-…I know I was the one who said it, but is that really okay?

-Hehehe. My discipline isn’t crooked enough to forgive the evil servants who sell the Light’s name. Sometimes, it’s necessary to use extreme measures. Don’t worry, even if you commit that sin, I’ll take it all and go to hell in your stead.

-N-No, I don’t want that…

Now that he could take a look closer at the old priest, it was clear that he was willing to take a step further than him in this regard.

-…However.

-Um?

-Punishing them isn’t the answer.

-…Keep talking, I’m listening.

-Thank you. What I’m trying to say is this. To use your words as an example, pests will keep coming back no matter how much we kill them. It’s like when you find an ant in your house, that means there are already thousands of them scattered all over.

-…Even if we kill them, new pests will keep on appearing, is that what you mean?

Lee Han could agree with his assessment.

There was an old saying that went, ‘If you try to catch a flea, you’ll end up burning down the whole house’.

Though the real meaning was that one could ruin something big because of something small, it could be interpreted this way too.

-If you want to eradicate all the pests, you have to be prepared to burn down the whole house.

In other words, if they wanted to catch them, they’d have to pull them out at once by their roots.

If Lee Han only killed the high-ranking people in the temple, he might feel better and things would be resolved right away, but that didn’t mean more annoying people wouldn’t come after him from the temple at a later date.

The temple had already started to pay attention to him, so the second batch of pests would definitely come out and linger around his ears.

And of course, they wouldn’t come in peace.

-Moreover, the Heresy Inquisition’s Inquisitors are a group of people who don’t know how to give up. They will send more powerful people to attack you, Brother. If they were to send the Special-Grade Inquisitors, even if it’s you, the damage you’ll suffer won’t be small.

-Are they strong?

-Rather than strong, I should say they are not picky about means and methods, so they are not easy to deal with. Instead of you, they will target those around you instead.

-…If that were to happen, the temple and I wouldn’t be able to live under the same sky, you know?

The temple wasn’t a small force, but if he moved alone, he was confident that he could take them down completely by himself in 10 years.

It was not arrogance by any means, it was confidence.

He was a narrow-minded person who wouldn’t just move on after being forced to suffer. He’d only feel satisfied when he returned what he suffered through ten—no, a hundred fold.

-That would be a tragedy. For both you and the temple. That’s why, from my perspective, I think it would be better for you to give the matter some time.

-Time?

…Can time even solve it?

In front of Lee Han’s question, Raphael without hesitation.

-Of course. I won’t be just playing around. Fortunately, there are brothers who are still willing to help a worthless old man like me.

-Hoo.

Lee Han understood what he meant right away.

The old priest had been gradually forming a ‘force’ ever since he returned to the temple.

A former cardinal, the oldest elder of the temple, and a great person who even became a candidate for sainthood.

If someone like him were to form a force, the people who would cooperate would probably be considerable.

-If those who want to cooperate with me gather, then I would also have to carry out my last mission in life.

-Are you trying to reform the temple?

-If necessary.

-…It won’t be easy.

Lee Han had heard from somewhere that it was easier to establish a new dynasty than to save a fallen nation. So he could only see that the old priest was trying to do something even more reckless than what he wanted to do. Even so…

-If someone has to do it, then it should be me.

He casually answered as such.

-…Alright, we’ll leave assassination as the second option for now.

-Thank you, Brother.

-Still, if it seems like it’s going to get annoying, I have no choice but to pick that ‘second option’. Please keep that in mind.

-Hehehe, of course. But don’t worry, as long as I’m holding my position at the Inquisition, neither they nor the inquisitors will be able to move recklessly.

Their attack had already failed once, and the high-ranking priests wouldn’t be stupid enough to move while the old priest was watching them. That would be like openly advertising that the temple was corrupt, and it would only serve as an excuse to increase the old priest’s influence.

-Those who are greedy for power will never create excuses that could possibly take away their power.

-Hehehe, you know the psychology of those in power very well, Brother.

-…It just happens to be so.

Lee Han was able to think so because among the people he knew, there was a certain older sister who was THE embodiment of power itself.

With that, Lee Han and the old priest were about to close their conversation in agreement, but then…

-Anyway, what should we do with these guys?

-…

For the first time, the old priest showed signs of reluctance.

Lee Han was talking about the 11 heretic inquisitors who were captured by him.

Since he still hadn’t decided what to do with them…

The old priest agonized for a moment.

-Hmm, I’ll take those two with me.

-Those two?

One of them was the priest who first opened his mouth and spouted the gnoll-like story of Lee Han being a heretic, while the other was the priest who seemed to be leading the rest of them.

The old priest picked up those two, so Lee Han asked why he was taking them.

-They are the adopted children of the high-ranking priests. These two must have been the ones leading this incident. If they were with me, the high-ranking priests wouldn’t be able to move recklessly. The information coming out of their mouths would probably be fatal to them as well.

As expected. Though the old priest was kind, he wasn’t completely ignorant of politics.

Still…

-…I guess nepotism happens even in the temple, huh?

-That’s proof of their lack of faith.

Amazed by the sight of the inquisitors in front of him, the old priest let out another sigh.

While thinking about how to treat the remaining 9, the old priest…

-Hmm, I think you can do whatever you want with them, Brother… But, if I can make a plea, those brothers were just following their superior’s orders, so please show them mercy.

-I thought you said it didn’t matter if they left this world.

-Hehehe, but they’re still alive right now, aren’t they? Then, there should be a chance for them to taste mercy.

…That’s a convenient excuse for mercy.

Lee Han replied vaguely as he briefly looked at the remaining 9. From the ones writhing in pain to the red-haired woman disguised as a man.

Then he…

-Hmm. Assistant!

-Y-Yes, instructor!!

-I got you some successors.

-Pardon?

-Originally, I was going to keep you thoroughly under my thumb for the rest of the time you are with me, but somehow, things that are worse than you came. So…

-…

-Since you’re their senior, you should handle them well.

-…!!!

Lee Han decided to give the assistant instructor a gift.

The gift was in the shape of ‘Interns’ who’d die if they didn’t do their jobs well.

Back to the present…

“Stand up straight, you bastards! You’ve studied for half the moon cycle, why can’t you still not know this?! I just told you to stand in line properly!”

“…”

“Where’s my answer?!”

“…Sorry.”

“Ha…! Is that way of answering supposed to be appropriate, you bastard?! Are you looking down on me just because I’m so much younger than you guys?!”

“…No.”

“No my ass! That’s exactly what you’re thinking! Answer me, am I right, or wrong?!”

“…No.”

“Answer me truthfully!”

“…I’m being honest.”

“You are denying it, but your voice can’t fool me! What, are you afraid now? Sucks to be you then! You should’ve become an assistant sooner than me! Then you wouldn’t have been humiliated by a kid like this. Pathetic, right?!”

“…”

“Since you’re not answering, I can assume that what I’m saying is right?”

“N-No!!”

“Open your eyes and open your mouth! And don’t yell loudly! If someone were to see us, they’d think I’m bullying you!”

“…Sorry.”

“Why is your voice so small…?!?!”

“…”

And thus, the assistant who finally had received successors had awakened.

Not as a proper senior…

“…That lunatic…”

“Seriously, that fucker needs to vent so badly that he becomes like that, huh?”

“Wow, if I were in their position, I’d kill myself. That’s just terrible, terrible, I tell you.”

…But as a psychopath.

Awakened as a mad dog, Damien turned into a horrible person. He’d pick on the others for trivial reasons, and in fact, he had been doing it for over two hours already. It was a sight that made anyone who saw it get tired of it, and as they kept watching it…

“…He needs to be careful on the way home at night.”

They thought he might get stabbed by the interns while walking down the street at night. But, even though everyone who was watching him felt uneasy about his future…

“How dare you open your eyes wide—!”

Damien was happy.

Really, really happy.

“They say everyone has a hidden talent. Seems like that guy has it too.”

Meanwhile, Lee Han, who was seeing all this unfolding, was amazed. The punk didn’t miss. He hadn’t even taught him all of that, he just knew how to handle his successor properly.

That could be nothing but innate talent.

“Can that even be called talent…?”

“Kunta thinks they are pitiful.”

“This reminds me of my days as a low-ranking mercenary.”

The trio uttered their opinions.

But unlike them…

“That woman…”

There was someone who showed their interest in the interns. To be more specific, the red-haired woman.

“Look at you go, Timid. Thinking of cheating now?”

“T-That’s not it. More importantly, cheating? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“…I’m going to tell Purple Doll that.”

“Why?”

“You know, I should probably consider beating you up.”

“??”

“…Forget it. It’ll only get my mouth hurt if I continue talking. Tch.”

Listening to Status Window guy’s words, Lee Han felt sorry for Purple Doll.

Just how did she end up liking this guy…?

Lee Han grumbled, but Derrick just continued, not even knowing why he was grumbling.

“M-More importantly, Instructor. I-Is that woman’s name Judia Pierre.”

“I don’t know about the Judia part, but she is Pierre. Why? Do you know her?”

“Oh, we don’t know each other, but I kinda know her…”

“Oh, how?”

“You see…”

…While listening to Status Window guy’s story, Lee Han’s gaze shifted to Blackie without him realizing it.

“───!”

Then, he saw Blackie’s face swirled with various emotions–shock, hatred, and anger–leaving him surprised.

But, Lee Han found it understandable.

“She’s one of the three main villainesses in the original work. Judia Pierre, who is called the ‘Blood-Spraying Flower’ along with Irene, the ‘Poisonous Flower.’ She’s a villainess who got to marry Young Master Roen, but divorced him later.”

“…That guy was a divorcee?”

Just how many tropes does he have?

A regressor and a divorcee?

Haha…

Lee Han let out a wry chuckle, realizing that he was indeed the protagonist.

Divorced men were a trend at one point.

…It was a trend that he didn’t want to experience, but it was a trend nonetheless.

That revelation made him feel a small sense of sympathy towards Blackie.