The Villains I Taught Became Heroes. – Chapter 38

When I returned from doing laundry, there was a rather funny scene.

The scene was of two pretty girls sitting awkwardly at a proper distance, glancing at each other shyly.

They seemed interested in each other but could only look at each other without talking, reminding me of students sitting next to a new friend on the first day of a new semester at school.

‘It’s quite a feat to summon a spirit with a similar disposition as yourself.’

Seeing Lena desperately shooting me a “Teacher! Help!” look with her eyes, I didn’t think I needed to observe any longer.

That awkward atmosphere was visible to a blind person.

“You summoned a spirit. Well done.”

“Eh, ehehe. Th-thank… Um, um, Teacher. There. I.”

Mumbling and hesitating, Lena ran over to me.

What is she trying to say, even standing on tiptoe to whisper in my ear?

“Are, are spirits all, um, like that?”

“What do you mean by asking if they’re all like that?”

“Ah, that. I mean… um, like… that?”

“You mean if they’re all so cold? It varies between individuals.”

“Is, is that so? Teacher, have you not made a con-contract?”

“Me?”

I raised my hand. Then, using mana, I summoned the spirit I had contracted with.

– Kyahahaha! You called me?! Wow~! Where is this place? Mmm~! It’s a place with the scent of nature! But you’ve been too much, haven’t you? Even though we made a contract, you’ve left me in the spirit world for too long? If you keep doing this, there will be trouble~. Hmph! Kyahahaha~! How was that? The heroine of a play I did before acted like this! Oh? But who’s this girl? Oh my~! She has immense mana, doesn’t she?! If I hadn’t contracted with you, I’d want to make a contract with her immediately with that overflowing mana? Hello? Young lady? Are you happy? I’m a water spirit! Want to guess my name? Kyahahahat! Why are you making that face~! Hyun. Hyun! This girl. She’s cute~. I want to gobble her up? But from now on…

I dismissed the spirit I had summoned. I thought my ears would explode.

After a moment of silence, Lena made a rather fed up expression.

“Are, are spirits ex-extreme… opposites?”

“Well, it’s not quite like that… There are bound to be individual differences.”

I also didn’t expect to get such a chatterbox when I first contracted a spirit.

The chatter was so intense that I considered contracting a different spirit.

However, that one had twice the base stats and growth potential compared to other spirits and was a rare water spirit, so I just went with that one… Thinking back now, I wonder if it was a good decision.

“I-I see…”

“Well. If you’re unsatisfied with your current spirit, you can summon a different one.”

Just as having a chatterbox with the friendliness of a golden retriever like the one I contracted would be troublesome, having such a quiet one would also be tiring.

Especially with Lena’s personality, it would be hard for her to approach first, so issues with intimacy with the spirit would become a problem later on in a situation like this.

“I… I guess I’ll have to do that…”

Lena nodded slightly and approached the spirit.

The method to unsummon a spirit is to withdraw the mana injected into the ring. Now that she knows how, she should be able to do it right away…

Why isn’t she doing it?

***

Lena couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth.

She wondered if it would be right to just send back the spirit that had come all this way.

Lena stole glances at the wind spirit sitting awkwardly beside her.

The wind spirit was doing the same. With a somewhat fearful look, a slightly shrunken look.

Just as she had done, it was reading the other’s expression.

“Um, um… I.”

Twitch. When she spoke, her shoulders trembled.

The beautiful green girl’s body was shrinking.

“…Do. Do you… have. have nothing to say?”

After speaking, Lena closed her mouth.

How much time had passed? During that time which others might have found frustrating, Lena waited.

Just as her teacher Lee Hyun had done for her.

-….I. I.

After a long wait, the green girl opened her mouth.

How much courage must it have taken? How much strength must she have squeezed out?

– …I don’t. Kn-know how. to. to talk… I-I’m not good. at. at talking either…

“……”

– I wa-was always, a-alone. So… I-I’ve never even. ma-made a contract… So… So…

“Yo-you. Mu-mustered. Co-courage.”

Lena was also stuttering.

However, the green girl did not point that out.

Because they were the same.

Because they were the same, they did not feel discomfort.

– Ah. Oh. Um. I. I know. I’m. I’m frus-frustrating. You. You may not. want. to make. a contract. I-I understand. Mm.

Lena silently gazed at the green girl.

This spirit is herself.

A girl who, like herself, felt awkward interacting with others and was always alone.

Lena knew well how painful and frightening that was.

‘If it weren’t for Teacher…’

She quietly turned her head.

If it hadn’t been for Hyun watching over there with his arms crossed, she would have lived alone like this girl for the rest of her life.

She would have only lived envying others.

That was when Hyun reached out his hand to her.

Then, shouldn’t she also reach out her hand to someone?

‘But someone like me…’

An inferiority complex pierced her heart.

Would it be right for her, who can’t even properly serve as one person, to reach out her hand, claiming to save someone?

Lena unconsciously tried to turn her head to look at Hyun.

– What’s important is how you want to act.

At that moment, Hyun’s words came to mind. Whether to reach out her hand here or not is something she has to decide.

The one this girl is looking at in front of her eyes is herself.

Not Lee Hyun.

Then she has to decide. Lena tightly closed her eyes.

She could choose a different spirit, as Lee Hyun said, a spirit with a more amicable personality.

No, maybe that would be better.

Because for someone who lacks confidence and finds it difficult to interact with others like herself, such a spirit would be better.

But then what would happen to this girl?

Would she have to live alone in the spirit world for the rest of her life without receiving salvation from anyone?

Just like herself before meeting Lee Hyun.

Would she have to live resenting herself for the rest of her life?

‘No… that’s not it.’

Lena reached out her hand. The green girl, the wind spirit, who saw the white hand before her, slowly raised her head.

“Um, um. Wo-would… You. Li-like to… ma-make a con-contract with… me?”

– …Is, is it okay?

“Ye-yes.”

-…Th-thank you! My, my name is Sy-Sylphid. Ca-call me any, anytime!

The green spirit, Sylphid, who had been shrouded in fear, brightly smiled and took Lena’s hand.

At the same time, the energy of wind began to swirl around Lena’s mana.

Feeling that, Lena closed her eyes.

It should be fine, right?

“Len, did you just make a contract?”

“Ye-yes.”

As Sylphid, who had told Lena her name, disappeared, Lee Hyun approached.

Lena hesitated, worried that Hyun might be disappointed. With her eyes tightly shut, she waited, tilting her head at the hand that touched the top of her head.

“Huh?”

“Get along well from now on.”

She wasn’t scolded. Satisfied with just that, Lena smiled brightly.

.

.

.

A month had passed since making a contract with the wind spirit Sylphid.

After contracting a spirit, Lena seemed to accept the mana of nature a bit faster.

Thanks to that, her magic skills were improving day by day, and she could now completely cast elementary magic.

“Seems like you’ve gotten used to Magic Arrow and Multiple-Magic with it too.”

“Ye-yes…”

Chanting spells in her head and interpreting them in multiple ways to manifest magic.

It’s not an easy task, but she was able to somehow manage it.

“Ah, um, will. will this much. be. be enough?”

“More than enough. Even if Magic Arrow is one thing, you’re better than me at Multiple Magic Arrow.”

I meant it.

Lena’s Multiple Magic Arrow, which brought to mind that terrifying barrage of dark magic in games, was nothing short of a monster’s magic.

‘She chants a spell once, and hundreds of Magic Arrows are shot out?’

No matter how much better she accepts the mana of nature after contracting a spirit, this is something that can’t be done without high talent.

If things continue like this, a year would be enough to raise her.

“Let’s end the lesson here for today and go to the village.”

“Wo-wow!”

I smiled slightly at the delighted Lena.

“We’ll also go to the bathhouse.”

“Ohh…”

“Soak in the hot water to relieve fatigue… Let’s have dinner in the village. You can order whatever you want.”

“Re-really?!”

“Yeah. Since you’ve completely mastered Multiple Magic Arrow, the basic magic, I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat as a gift.”

“Ah! I-I’m so excited!”

We headed to the village. After passing through the always peaceful village, we arrived near the marketplace. Something different from usual caught my eye.

“Hm?”

It was a group of adventurers.

Adventurers here? Are they guys who are going to cause trouble like last time?

I walked with my hand slightly on the hilt of his sword, and I saw one of them talking to Luceia.

‘Definitely… Those adventurers coveted Luceia’s necklace back then.’

Are those guys the same type?

Thinking that I should intervene if that’s the case, I approached, and that was when…

“Lee Hyun! Come over here!”

“What is it, Noona?”

“These people…”

“Hello. I am Baltin, a high-rank adventurer belonging to the Adventurers’ Guild. I’m here because the necklace this lady has is the key to the ruins we have been searching for, so we would like to purchase it.”

The adventurer Baltin, who had been trying to talk to Luceia, spoke politely, and I looked puzzled at Luceia’s necklace.

“Hmm…”

“This is my husband’s memento. I can’t give it to you.”

“Can’t you lend it to us for a moment?”

“On what basis should I trust you to lend it?”

Luceia seemed to be very wary.

Lorian, who was next to her, seemed to recall a past memory and began to sob.

“Hm… Luceia, entrust that necklace to me. I’ll use it and definitely return it to you.”

“Huh? Well, if it’s you, Lee Hyun, I can trust you, but…”

Luceia nodded and handed the necklace to me.

Receiving it, I raised the necklace and spoke to Baltin.

“Ruin exploration. We would also like to participate.”

I glanced slightly at Lena.

Unaware of my intention to properly train her in the ruins, Lena only smiled awkwardly.

‘I can’t miss a good opportunity to train Lena.’