I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

The Celestial Mage breathed heavily. Although they were individuals who had become complacent in their training after growing old, each of them possessed talents bestowed by the heavens. Each of them likely had skills equivalent to a lower-ranking member of the Black Round Table.

Of course, they perished at the hands of the Celestial Mage, Oh Cheonyeong. Leaving behind the gruesome remains of their mutilated bodies, the Celestial Mage repeatedly clenched and released his right arm, which had turned purple.

“It seems they tried to strike even in their last moments, without missing an opening… That kind of determination deserves some praise.”

Curious about the effects of the poison, the Celestial Mage gathered his energy into his right hand. Then, intense pain spread from his arm, and as he observed the purple color gradually spreading, he quickly deduced the type of poison.

“It’s not a poison that makes someone vulnerable, but it’s a poison that can affect even my body—one that becomes stronger the more I use energy (magical power). The answer is clear.”

It was the one poison his master, the Black Wicked Sword Saint, had once mentioned. A rare and deadly poison made from materials only found in the western continent, and the Celestial Mage had never trained to get accustomed to it.

The Goddess’s Sword’s Blood.

If a warrior is struck by this poison, the more they use their muscles, the more the poison spreads. If a cleric is struck, the more they pray, the more the poison spreads. If a mage or martial artist is struck, the more they use their magical energy, the more the poison spreads.

And since energy is closely related to magical power, the more the Celestial Mage used his energy, the more the poison would spread. However, the Celestial Mage was not flustered. His master had once said that even if someone was struck by the Goddess’s Sword’s Blood, there was a way to detoxify it. The antidote was quite simple: consume as many sweet things as possible, such as sugar and honey, and then rest.

“For now, I’ll have to eat parfaits. I never thought I’d fall for such a trick… I must be getting old.”

Before the Celestial Mage could finish his words, he adopted a combat stance at the presence of a disturbance from behind him. No matter what enemy it was, he was confident he could kill them in one strike. Of course, if he attacked, the poison would spread further, but it wasn’t dangerous enough yet.

However, the moment he saw that face, even the Celestial Mage couldn’t help but freeze.

“Y-You are… Master…”

At the sight of his master, who he thought was dead, a brief moment of weakness appeared.

The Black Wicked Sword Saint didn’t miss this opportunity, delivering a deadly strike that severed the Celestial Mage’s left arm. The Celestial Mage’s blood spilled onto the ground as he grit his teeth and glared at his master’s face. As the darkness cleared, the face of his master, who hadn’t aged a bit even after hundreds of years, was revealed.

“Didn’t I tell you… that affection is like poison? No matter how strong someone is, once they are caught in affection, they will inevitably show a weakness and eventually lose their life.”

“Master… How are you the one from the Black Round Table…?”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

His master took a step closer.

“The Black Wicked Sword Saint, who taught the Celestial Mage.”

The Black Wicked Sword Saint took another step closer.

“Darkwing, the first leader of the Green Forest Thieves’ Guild, who taught the notorious thief Squall Alten.”

The notorious thief Darkwing took another step closer.

“The Sage of the Black Wings, who taught the Vampire Queen magic and sorcery.”

The Sage of the Black Wings took another step closer.

“The Wandering Knight, Garas, who taught the strongest knight, Ricardo Carben, spear fighting, shield techniques, and cavalry skills.”

The wandering knight, Garas, took another step closer.

“The warrior Borona, who taught the former Grand Duke and Warrior Commander, Melchior Winterhart, axe fighting.”

The warrior Borona took another step closer.

“Shepherd Corbus, who taught Saint Media Reyes the holy teachings.”

The High Priest Corbus took another step closer.

“The mercenary Crow Tenebris, who taught the Sword Saint Zig the swordsmanship of the Holy Sword.”

The wandering mercenary Crow took another step closer.

“The father of the renowned swordswoman Camellia Peony, and the master of swordsmanship, Raven Peony.”

Raven Peony took another step closer.

“And the Lancelot of the Black Round Table.”

Lancelot stopped in front of the Celestial Mage. With the same unmoving expression as usual, he revealed a shocking truth.

“All those names point to me.”

The Celestial Mage was so shocked that he couldn’t close his mouth.

“When others spoke of their pasts, didn’t you feel any sense of discomfort?”

“Of course, there were some strange things, but… why did you do this?”

“I recognized your talents. That’s why I taught you my techniques. You, who are overflowing with talent, if I make the first seed mine in that land… then I can control the tree, the branches, and the fruits that will grow in that land.”

“Then what about the appearances you showed us… what were they?”

The Celestial Mage, Oh Cheon-young, remembered.

He remembered the master who had picked up the orphaned child like himself, given him a name, taught him martial arts, and even though he was blunt, he couldn’t refuse the requests of others and was deeply affectionate. The master, who had such deep affection that he took on the sins to save himself, and was dragged to the execution ground.

It was because this master was taken from him that he had founded the Heavenly Demon Cult to overturn the world and vowed never to give affection to anyone again.

“Not just me… but did you deceive everyone?”

He remembered. When his fellow disciples talked about their master, they cursed him for being heartless, violent, or blunt… but they all wore faint smiles.

They all regarded their master as a benefactor, a parent, a close friend, their only understanding person.

“I can’t understand.”

“What do you mean you can’t understand?”

“I’m talking about your psychology of clinging to relationships that have already been severed. You obsess over such trivial bonds… it’s laughable to see you act like a hero.”

Hearing that, the Celestial Mage, in a fit of rage, charged forward.

Once, he had learned from his master, whom he had regarded as the only one who understood him, and now he replicated the technique he had crafted on his own.

The Black Wind Breaking Palm, originally a sword strike, was modified into a martial art technique by Oh Cheonyeong.

Normally, this fatal blow would tear Lancelot apart without leaving a trace… but currently, there were two things the Celestial Mage had overlooked.

The technique was one he had repeatedly trained with, through painstaking effort, when both of his arms were intact, but now, without his left arm, the technique naturally became unstable.

And…

“How foolish… have you already forgotten who taught you this technique? Have you forgotten why I taught you all?”

The source of the technique was the swordsmanship the Black Wicked Sword Saint had taught him. No matter how much he had modified it, it could never reach the level of someone who had mastered the roots of that technique.

“You’re so foolish and pitiful… I can’t bear to watch.”

Lancelot kicked the Celestial Mage with the Black Heaven Leg, sending him flying.

The poison spread from the blow just now, and the technique didn’t work on Lancelot. With his left arm gone and his posture unstable, the Celestial Mage was now at a severe disadvantage.

Lancelot looked at the corpses of those the Celestial Mage had defeated and said,

“Even the maggots served their purpose. I was worried they’d just die like maggots after receiving tribute.”

“Did you… bring them here, Master?”

“Bring them here…? I just put useful poisonous insects into a jar.”

No matter how much they were enemies or those who crossed the line, to the Celestial Mage, they were rivals he had once fought with.

“So, did you give them youth? At the cost of countless lives?”

The Celestial Mage hoped that Lancelot would deny this question. He didn’t want to believe that his master, who had never abandoned righteousness and loyalty, would do such a thing.

“You are more entangled with petty emotions than anyone. The poison that will kill you isn’t the Goddess’s Sword’s Blood… it’s that petty affection.”

The Celestial Mage endured the pain and stood up. He could not forgive someone who had played with his comrades. Now, whether it was his master or anyone else, it didn’t matter.

He was going to kill the one who trampled on the memories of his precious comrades.

“Let’s see who dies first, Black Wicked Sword Saint… you or I.”

Lancelot sneered.

“I told you already… the poison that will take your life is the poison of petty affection.”

“There’s no longer any petty affection for you. I will…”

The Celestial Mage released the affection of the priesthood he once held for Lancelot. If he left this man alive, his other comrades would hesitate to kill him, tangled in affection, and they would surely die.

“No, what will kill you is that petty affection.”

“What nonsense…”

“Didn’t you feel something odd? Among you, there’s a traitor… and that everyone except that young grand mage was my disciple.”

At that moment, the traitor appeared in front of the Celestial Mage with a smile. The traitor then knelt before Lancelot.

“How could you join hands with those who made that child like this! Of all people, you! Knowing how that child sees you…!!!!”

Despite the Celestial Mage’s shout, the traitor charged at him.

The Celestial Mage could have counterattacked before the traitor’s blow reached him.

But the chain of petty affection for his precious comrade bound his right arm, and the traitor’s hand pierced the Celestial Mage’s chest.

“Knowing how that child sees you… and yet… how could you… I always believed you wouldn’t be a traitor… how…?”

The Celestial Mage, always harsh and blunt, had trusted the traitor more than anyone.

But the traitor said nothing and remained silent. He could not refuse the reward that would come from the betrayal and the silence.