I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

The Celestial Mage descended deep into the underground. From the moment he first saw this building, he had felt the ominous energy emanating from this place.

When he opened the massive iron door, what came into his sight were faces that seemed quite familiar. Or rather, faces that had once been familiar.

The Heavenly Thunder Sword Master of the Blue Sky Sect, the Poisoned Demon King of the Four Heavens Sect, the White Flame Sword King of the Kunlun Sect, the Mournful Devil of the Scattered Stars Sect, and the Plum Blossom Sword Saint of the Volcano Sect — all of them were once people who had rivaled the Celestial Mage in their youth.

“It’s been a long time, trash from the righteous factions… To think that you all have returned to your youthful forms without even reaching the realm of Reverse Flow in the Dao of the Mind. How truly surprising.”

Then, the Poisoned Demon King answered. His voice was thick with the anger and resentment of a defeated man.

“We formed an alliance with the Black Round Table to kill you! And thanks to the sacrifices they prepared, we were able to regain our youth.”

They had all regained their youth by absorbing the life force of children provided by the Black Round Table. Of course, in exchange for their youth, they participated in experiments conducted by the Black Round Table, offering knowledge on acupuncture and sorcery. The number of children who died as a result of these exchanges was beyond count.

“Hah… To think that those of the righteous factions, who once prided themselves on their honor, would resort to such dark sorcery… The honor of the righteous factions has been buried in the ground. No, it’s more fitting to say it’s been thrown into the cesspool.”

“Shut up! I will avenge the sect you destroyed!”

“How cowardly. You attacked our main temple first, and now, when the tables are turned, you’re angry. You look like a monkey now. A child of mine once told me… ‘If you pick up a sword to kill someone, you must be prepared to be stabbed by that sword yourself.’ That child was clever, but you’re even worse than a child. How pathetic.”

Hearing the Celestial Mage’s taunts, the Heavenly Thunder Sword Master stood up and launched a deadly strike. It was a blow powerful enough to split even the city wall like tofu, but the Celestial Mage grabbed the strike with his bare hands and twisted it away.

“You’ve improved somewhat. Though, that’s only because you’ve relied on sorcery to gain strength. I have no intention of praising you for that.”

The time when they had rivaled the Celestial Mage was merely a tale from their youth. He had continued to be rigorously taught under the Black Sword Master, and after even performing his mentor’s funeral, he had become a completely different person.

O Cheon-young, the disciple of the Black Sword Master who had suddenly appeared in the Central Plains, had elevated swordsmanship into a divine skill and, using that martial art, created the Heavenly Demon Cult, causing the entire Central Plains to tremble in fear. There had been some movements to suppress him, but they all ended up just becoming figures in tales of heroism, which only further raised the Celestial Mage’s renown.

And when there was no one left who could rival him, he turned toward the western continent, where he first met the succubus rogue Squall, and together they traveled, eventually joining a party of heroes.

“Today will be different, O Cheon-young. Finally, the chance for revenge has arrived! Today, I will kill you and fulfill my long-awaited revenge!”

“How shameful. You attacked first, and now you speak of revenge? Your voice sounds uglier than a butchered pig’s cry. And… Do you really think you can stop me?”

“Yes, of course I can! Even though I could reach the realm of Reverse Flow, I refused it in the name of fate! But we, who have refused to care about means and methods, will surely defeat you!”

At this, the Celestial Mage began to laugh. It wasn’t a taunt or mockery, but a pure laugh because the words coming from the Heavenly Thunder Sword Master in front of him were simply too amusing.

“What are you splitting?”

“Have you made a mistake in your thinking? The only reason you’re still alive after losing to me is not because of your strength.”

His eyes, which had seemed lifeless as if they had lost all vitality due to age, now began to radiate a murderous aura.

“It was simply because I found your so-called morality and rules amusing, and kept you alive. But now… you’ve done this for something as trivial as youth… There’s no reason to keep you alive anymore.”

The Celestial Mage’s body may have aged, but his energy had not withered. Rather than weakening, it seemed as sharp and cold as a finely honed blade.

“Come at me. Let’s end this long-standing enmity here. For the honor of my master, the Black Sword Master, I will take your lives, those who could not resist the temptations of the Black Round Table.”

Unexpectedly, the Poisoned Demon King gave a reply.

“You’re saying something ridiculous.”

“What?”

“Even the Black Sword Master… No, there’s no need for me to tell you more. To a martial artist, words are unnecessary. Come, let’s fight.”

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Camellia silently stared at the red sword given to her by Werner. Since meeting her father, she had avoided going out and even speaking with Werner. After all, her father was one of the main causes of what had happened to Werner’s body.

Things that she had spent decades searching for but couldn’t find, things that hadn’t appeared even at her mother’s grave — it all made sense now.

Her father was no longer the stiff but kind man he once was. He had now fallen to the level of a disgusting evil aligned with the Black Round Table. If he were to target Werner’s life again… what would she do?

She was troubled. No matter how evil he had become, he had once been a father she cherished. But if that father were to target the innocent child’s life again, she had sworn she would face him with all her strength.

“But you know too, don’t you? If you go after your father with all your heart now, you will be chopped into pieces in less than ten seconds.”

The spirit of a silver-haired girl that emerged from the red sword Camellia held was stroking her head, whispering sweetly with a tempting voice.

“Then, let’s run away. Honestly, it’s scary, isn’t it? Oh, if following your father is a way, then it’s a way. No one will blame you, right? You’ve always been someone searching for your father… Going to his side is only natural.”

“… Shut up.”

“Then do you want to fight? Honestly, let me tell you, excluding that brat who handles the holy sword and that old martial artist, even if all your companions gathered together, your father would kill them all in 30 seconds. Bang bang~.”

“Who are you, suddenly appearing as a spirit and spouting such nonsense…?”

The silver-haired girl let out a small chuckle, swallowed the response she wanted to give, and instead spoke in a formal and superficial manner.

“I am the previous owner of this sword… and someone who can give you power.”

“What…?”

“Don’t you need it?”

Camellia instinctively knew. The girl before her was someone who could provide her with enough power, and… she wasn’t someone who would just give away power out of kindness.

“There must be a price, right…?”

“You’re quick to catch on. Unlike someone who would throw a tantrum and ask for it… Honestly, receiving power from someone without paying a price is quite shameless, don’t you think? The basics of any deal are…”

“Enough with the small talk, just tell me the price.”

“Geez… How is it that everyone is so disrespectful and lacks manners… Fine, the price I’m talking about is…”

The girl smiled softly, her grin turning sinister, and then she made her offer to Camellia. The wicked smile born from curiosity and amusement was enough to make even Camellia briefly feel afraid.

“It’s your lifespan. I don’t need money or anything like that. I will give you power in exchange for the same amount of your life.”

It was an offer that could be seen as the temptation of a demon. Selling her lifespan to gain power was something that, in the past, would have been a ridiculous proposition she would scoff at.

But now, she was different.

“Then I will give you my lifespan.”

“Oh… How much? 100 years? 200 years? 300 years? Ah, a half-elf’s lifespan is long, so compared to a human’s, its value may be relatively less.”

She started to think. How much of her lifespan would she need to sacrifice to protect Werner, and at the same time, how could she spend as much time with him as possible? The answer was simple.

“When that child dies, let me die with him. If you subtract the time I have left until he dies… I won’t need the rest.”

Camellia wanted to protect Werner, who had approached her with a bright smile when she was lost after losing her family. And since Werner had grown, she had always been troubled by her changed feelings. But now, she knew the answer, and she decided not to hesitate anymore.

“Wow, this guy is seriously a weirdo. His taste in women… whatever.”

The silver-haired girl said this and placed her finger on Camellia’s forehead, infusing her with power.

“The precision of your techniques, your reaction speed, your strength—all will be different from before, so try to adapt. Oh, and that weapon has been modified by me, so don’t worry…”

Before the silver-haired girl could finish her sentence, Camellia headed toward the building where Werner and the others were. Watching her retreating figure, the silver-haired girl muttered to herself.

“All these daughter-in-law candidates are just so rude…”