The Villains I Taught Became Heroes chapter 34

34 – The Silent Witch – 2

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“Yes, yes?! Si, si, Silent Witch?”

I closed my mouth, watching Lena, who tilted her head.

The Silent Witch is one of the routes of Ragnarok.

It was a mid-boss from the story of Lacey, a female character who primarily wields daggers.

A villain who, from the moment of appearance to the exit, unleashes all sorts of dark magic without uttering a word, hindering the protagonist.

A beautiful lady with silver hair and clear eyes, but due to her malicious dark magic, erratic patterns, and the constant barrage of magic without cooldown, she was considered the worst character by players.

Could she be a namesake?

Thinking about the ruthless dark magic combo of blood and tears, she doesn’t seem like the type to stutter and only blink her eyes like this.

However, beyond her overflowing talent, it’s not just her silver hair and clear eyes that catch my attention, but also the name, Lena.

Ugh. How did another villain end up in the choices again?

Now, let’s think.

If I accept her as my disciple, I could consider it as another route lost, just like during my school days.

So, there’s only one route left. If I prioritize stability, it might be better to give up and find another person.

But the ones I’ve found in the church and the information guild so far haven’t satisfied my criteria.

If I’ve investigated and still found nothing…

“Uh, excuse me…”

Seeing Lena hesitating and speaking to me, I sighed.

Fine. Instead of wasting time trying to find another talented disciple, it’s probably better to just accept her.

“Why, why are you… doing that?”

“It’s nothing!”

“Hyak!”

Let’s think positively.

The Silent Witch not only appeared in Lacey’s route but also in other character routes, casting dark magic.

If I capture her well now, I won’t have to witness that filthy dark magic pattern.

I’ve already accepted the complications that come with teaching So Wol.

Adding one more won’t make a big difference, right?

“Heeheehee…”

I looked at Lena, who was trembling like a newborn fawn.

Her silver, long hair was covered in dirt and grease, and her pretty face was smeared with mud here and there.

Her hands were full of wounds, and her body looked endlessly frail, as if she hadn’t eaten properly.

In short, she was a miserable creature even among miserable creatures.

“Do you… live alone?”

“Huh? Y-Yes.”

“Ah, I see.”

Children, without growing up under adult protection, tend to shrink like that.

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If that’s the case, then there’s one thing I can do.

Raise them with love and affection.

If I nurture them enough to fulfill a human role, perhaps I can properly teach them magic and achieve my goal.

Yes, let’s try that for now.

“Where do you live?”

I asked Lena as kindly as possible.

The place she led me to after hesitating was a cabin in the woods.

It’s called a cabin, but it was practically a dilapidated ruin.

Can anyone live in a place like this?

“Here, right here.”

But Lena seemed proud, considering it her own place.

I gazed at the ruin, or rather, the cabin, while Lena hesitated before cautiously speaking up.

“I, I, I lost… consciousness.”

“Hmm?”

“When I woke up, the cabin was… there.”

She started energetically but trailed off.

Lena spoke in a faltering voice, trying to explain that when she regained consciousness about two years ago, she was in this forest.

She remembered her name, Lena Stella, but didn’t recall why she was in the forest or how she ended up here. Alone, she started living in this forest, finding this cabin back then.

It seemed this might have been the cabin where a forest ranger used to live before leaving the forest. Lena sustained herself by finding edible things in the forest and selling them in the village.

And this time, she found me on her way back from selling herbs and mushrooms.

“How did you differentiate between medicinal herbs and poisonous ones?”

“I, I just… knew.”

“You don’t know who your parents are, where you lived, or why you were here, but you know that?”

“Ah, s-sorry…”

No need to apologize, yet why that self-deprecating posture?

I shrugged my shoulders and nodded as I watched Lena, who was shivering again.

She doesn’t know what I know.

Of course, these are settings that can be discovered while playing the game.

Lena, the Silent Witch, originally belonged to the dark sect of the Asura School.

She conducted numerous experiments on orphans secretly gathered from the dark sect, and the girl who survived those experiments until the end was Lena.

Creating Lena as a heartless mine with no fear or tears, they aimed to overthrow the Asura School and become the central figures. However, the dark sect, in the process, plotted to take Lena away for future purposes.

In the game, later, she would be reclaimed by the Asura School and become a mine following their orders.

In other words, for now, we can consider her to be in a state before being reclaimed by the Asura School.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No. Nothing.”

If I leave her alone, she’ll become a cruel, silent witch who knows nothing and enjoys destruction under the influence of the Asura School.

But as my disciple, I can’t just let her turn out like that.

“Shall we go in for now?”

“Yes…”

***

‘W-Who is entering here for the first time!’

I had heard that occasionally when I went to the village.

What to do when inviting guests into the house.

First, bringing out tea is a priority.

Thinking so, Lena opened the door of the cabin and swiftly entered.

‘There were good herbs to use for tea!’

“Here, sit here for a moment. Please, make yourself at home…!!”

Pointing to the collapsing wooden chair, Lena hastily spoke and went inside.

There was undoubtedly tea leaves she had planned to use when she made a friend someday.

Carefully grinding those dry ones, she gently placed them in the tea pot with missing teeth. After brewing the tea with a clean cloth, she poured it into an old cup and offered it to me.

“Here, please.”

‘Will she like it? Surely she won’t get angry just because I served such tea?’

“Thank you. Hm… But living here won’t be easy.”

“Huh?”

“It’s dirty, cramped, you know. And there’s quite a bit of clutter.”

“Oh? Um, does that mean Master will be living here?”

Rena blinked her eyes and looked at Lee Hyun.

Until now, Rena had always lived alone.

But now, there was someone to live with.

‘Could this be the family I’ve only heard about?’

She had seen them occasionally when she went to the village.

Siblings who always got along, unlike herself who was always alone.

Considering that Lee Hyun wasn’t much older, Rena thought he might be like a big brother.

“Uh, hehe!”

“From now on, call me Ren.”

‘A nickname!!’

She had heard it when she went to the village sometimes.

A term of endearment used among friends.

For Rena, who couldn’t get along with anyone and struggled to speak properly, having such a nickname was something she truly wanted.

Was that why Rena’s expression began to soften as if it could melt away at any moment?

“Uh, hehehehehehe! I-it’s Ren…”

She wanted to say it one more time. Rena, clenching her fists tightly, twinkled her eyes.

“Ren. Let’s start with cleaning.”

As if sensing that, Lee Hyun called her by the nickname and got up from his seat, swallowing the tea.

Seeing him, Rena also moved quickly.

Cleaning. It was something she usually didn’t care about.

She never thought about being in damp and dark places.

Until yesterday, at this time, she might have been daydreaming in a corner, but not anymore.

With the teacher, family, and brother Lee Hyun, wasn’t it a joint effort between the two of them?

A historic moment.

Lena tried to move with a hesitant smile, but stiffened abruptly.

What if I clean it incorrectly?

What if I make a mistake and disappoint my mentor?

Her hand, frozen with fear, refused to move.

Watching her tremble, Ih-yeon firmly grasped Lena’s stiff hand.

“You clean from top to bottom. Not here, start wiping from there.”

“Y-Yes…”

“It’s okay to be wrong, to make mistakes. I’m your mentor. Don’t worry, I’ll guide you if you go astray.”

“Uh-huh…”

Nodding, Lena began cleaning.

The words “It’s okay to be wrong” lightened the weight in her heart more than she knew.

“I have to work hard!”

She couldn’t afford to lose focus.

Lena grabbed a cloth and began cleaning absentmindedly.

Their momentous first joint task ended as they finished cleaning the cabin. Ih-yeon gestured for Lena to sit.

“From now on, I’ll teach you magic.”

“Wow, really?”

“The first thing you should do is…”

*Gulp.*

Ih-yeon placed a book in front of the anxious Lena.

Thick books began to pile up one after another.

“Focus on understanding magic and the fundamentals of spells.”

“…”

“Studying! Studying is the path to survival!”

At his resolute words, Lena remained silent for a while before timidly raising her hand.

“Alright, questions are good. Try everything.”

“I-I, I don’t know how to, to read.”

Watching Lena stutter and bow her head, Ih-yeon chuckled.

“This seems like it’ll be more work than I anticipated.”