I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

I realized that connections and influence are the most important things in the world, no matter where you go. I mean, I saw someone turn into minced meat in front of countless people, and yet it only resulted in a fine.

It was originally a duel that both parties had agreed to, and it was Hoon who initiated the duel. Furthermore, it was clear that Hoon died before he could even shout “surrender.” Although I did stop his mouth, there were no rules about stopping someone’s mouth in the arena’s regulations.

When I got out of prison, Ricardo was the first to greet me. And what greeted me was a warm punch.

“…That hurts, brother.”

“It’s the punishment for worrying others. My wife was also worried about you.”

“Is killing someone okay though?”

“Why ask about it all of a sudden? It was a duel to begin with. And it’s not the first time you’ve killed someone.”

Werner had killed people since his days in Dragnity Fantasy 1. He killed those who worshipped demons, or those who had corrupted themselves by making deals with demons, like black mages. Normally, a young boy would be shocked the first time he killed someone, but Werner wasn’t at all flustered after his first murder.

In fact, when he first killed someone, it was his companions who were worried or concerned. Werner, who had once been too weak to even kill a wild animal, seemed to be unaffected by the death. When he saw the body of the person he killed, he calmly said:

[“What’s for dinner tonight, bro? I’d prefer stew if possible.”]

[“…Are you okay?”]

[“You just killed someone… I was asking if that’s okay.”]

[“But these guys were trying to kill me. Besides, they sold their souls to demons, so isn’t it fine to kill them?”]

[“Kid…”]

Werner, who once ruled the slums with kids like Irina(the receptionist at the Adventurers’ Guild of Bekem), had witnessed countless deaths. Moreover, according to Irina, when Werner was seven, after he appeared in the slums, he killed an adult who was trying to rape her.

His companions were worried about Werner’s twisted mindset. At the same time, some feared that if he was taught too much about the value of life, he might become too soft. After all, there had been countless cases where someone who showed mercy or sympathy in critical situations ended up being stabbed in the back and dying.

So, Werner’s companions took turns teaching him the value of life.

The hero Zig, the saint Media, and the archduke Melchior gave Werner this lesson:

[“Werner, killing is not always the answer. It’s truly a last resort. I hope you can judge things for yourself.”]

[“Kid, life is precious. Unless there’s no other choice, never kill until the very last moment.”]

[“If you get addicted to the taste of human blood, you’ll fall into a corruption that’s impossible to reverse. And there’s no one who enjoys killing who is mentally sound, whether they’re good or evil.”]

But the Celestial Mage O Cheonryeong, the thief Squall, the commander Ricardo, and the vampire queen Melissa gave him this lesson:

[“The world is originally a survival of the fittest. Moreover, the moment your enemy targets your life, you have the right to take theirs.”]

[“Kid, do you know what’s the most important thing in the world? There is no such thing. It’s different for everyone. So if someone targets something precious to you, kill them immediately.”]

[“Kid, if someone is targeting you or someone precious to you, just kill them. Cockroaches need to be exterminated right away. Otherwise, they’ll keep crawling back.”]

[“Kid, who are we going to deal with right now? Demons, right? Why are we going to deal with them? Just because they’re demons? No, we’re doing it because they’re causing trouble. If someone messes with you, just deal with them.”]

Young Werner accepted all these teachings.

He learned that all lives are precious. So, no matter how much someone insulted, mocked, caused harm, or stole credit from him, Werner endured. He couldn’t kill them, and if he told his older brothers or sisters, they would definitely get angry and deal with the person. Since life was precious, he suppressed his power and endured everything.

And he also learned that those who needed to be killed, should be killed. Whether they were human traffickers, bandits, or serial killers… anyone who caused harm to others, to “outsiders,” was mercilessly killed. He believed that because life was precious, those who threatened it deserved to die.

The two opposing teachings conflicted in Werner’s mind, and it soon became a scale. The value of life became a scale in Werner, and he willingly threw himself into harm’s way for others and got hurt. And because he did not see evil as life, he made more and more enemies.

Werner proudly boasted about protecting the preciousness of life to Zig, Media, and Melchior.

[“Zig hyung! Melchior hyung! Media noona! I saved people who were kidnapped by bandits today! But then a kid got sick and the parents asked to borrow money for the hospital bills, so I gave them all the gold I had!”]

The fact that he had lent money, which could have bought a mansion, without any collateral or promissory note, left everyone speechless.

Afterward, Werner boasted to O Cheonryeong, Squall, Ricardo, and Melissa in the same way.

[“Elder! Squall noona! Ricardo hyung! Melissa noona! Today, those bandit bastards tried to attack me with weapons, so I killed them all!”]

Werner proudly showed off a black orb containing the compressed bandits, sealed with dark magic.

Of course, Werner was praised for doing such things, with everyone commending him.

At this point, no one knew. They didn’t know that this scale would turn into a weapon that would kill Werner.

In a life-or-death moment, Werner faced a choice where only one of him or Iris could survive. In the past, he would have unhesitatingly chosen himself, but now, that decision was suspended on Werner’s scale.

The lesson that innocent life is precious made Iris’s life weigh heavily. The scale measured the value of Iris’s life, which could be loved more than his, higher than his own.

The lesson to disregard the lives of those who deserved to die made his own life, despite being a murderer of many, seem lighter. And the lesson to not hesitate to kill for something precious led to the conclusion that he should die for Iris, the child of his first love, someone more precious than himself.

Thus, the scale formed in his heart became a dagger that pierced Werner’s chest.

“Brother, I’m hungry.”

The meals in prison were fine, but the portions were too small.

“Alright, let’s go back to your place for now. Your lovers are waiting.”

“Lovers…?”

“I never expected my little brother to become so promiscuous. The women who’ve been causing a fuss to save you, are they your lovers? One older and two younger… Ah, isn’t one of them a bit dangerous?”

“She’s fine, it’s her birthday tomorrow.”

“That’s strange, adding that as a precondition.”

We joked like this as we made our way back to the mansion.

.

.

.

Ricardo dropped me off and quickly left, saying he missed his wife. From what I heard in the carriage, the baby’s name was going to be based on mine, with “Vernia” and “Alten.” I wanted to complain about the copyright fee, considering they blatantly copied my name, but then I realized they’d already given me the mansion, so that was enough compensation.

As I opened the door to my “copyright royalties,” the three women greeted me warmly.

“Master! We’ve been waiting! We were thinking of storming in with Glacies, but Camellia noona stopped us…”

If they had done that, things might have escalated beyond repair… It’s not like it was the French Revolution.

“Ah, you’ve come, Werner. And I only made a suggestion. The one who suggested breaking out of prison was this child. I only gently pressured the opposing side.”

That didn’t sound gentle at all…

“You look much more haggard. How about we eat first?”

Right, as Camellia said, food should come first. I felt like I was going to die from hunger. I followed them to the dining room, where a massive feast covered the table, too much for me to finish alone.

“Oh, we’re fine, so Master, you should eat as much as you can.”

Was she joking? I mean, it’s obvious that they were trying to have me eat alone, but it felt like they were playing a trick on me… Was this some kind of military-style food torture?

Reluctantly, I ate until I was full and decided to leave some behind.

“Ah, Glacies is really good at cooking. Camellia noona and I helped out while we ate, and it was really delicious!”

Leaving handmade dishes in celebration of my release didn’t seem right.

“Hahaha… I’ll eat well. And thank you for preparing the meal, Glacies.”

Manta, please help me finish this food as a true glutton.