I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

At the bottom of my fading memories, where even the colors are fading, my childhood was filled with happy scenes. My father was a little stoic and domineering, but he was a skilled swordsman and a just knight elf. My mother restrained him, and I had a younger sister who looked just like me.

My father, once a renowned swordsman, taught us swordsmanship, and my mother, once a famous magician, taught us magic. Although I didn’t understand magic well, I enjoyed swordsmanship and progressed faster than anyone else. My father even praised my talent and taught me real sword techniques, not just self-defense.

Every day, I learned swordsmanship, and my father was scolded by my mother for teaching us real sword techniques. It wasn’t a wealthy life, but every day was happy.

A minor dispute led to a war, and the war reached our village. My mother tried to evacuate the villagers but was hit by an arrow and died.

My father became a little quieter, but he still took care of my sister and me with devotion. He tried to protect the villagers that my mother tried to save.

The villagers, tired of the poverty brought on by the war, tried to sell my sister and me as slaves. Knight elves were all valuable slaves. Since my father was too strong, they tried to sell us, half-elves, to get food. My father, enraged, slaughtered all the villagers, adults and children alike, and took us into the forest.

At least it seemed like my father, my sister, and I could live happily together. But God was cruel, and a group of strangers called the Black Round Table attacked our home. I managed to escape, but I was separated from my family.

I spent my whole life searching for my father and sister. Whenever I ran out of money, I worked as a mercenary, and my swordsmanship skills became widely known. Because of my skills, I was invited to participate in a great quest. The participants of that quest were all exceptionally strong, even if they were slightly weaker than my father. Except for one, Werner.

At first, I thought he was just a boy begging for a piece of bread. We were tired, so we were a little interested when the boy said he would show us an interesting magic trick if we gave him a piece of bread. We thought he would just make a coin disappear, but what he showed us was…

“Let the lightning fall.”

A huge bolt of lightning struck the head of the old man. The old man, who had seen the boy’s talent, wanted to take him on the quest, and although I was initially hesitant about taking a young boy, I had no choice but to agree since the boy himself was so eager.

The boy, who had blue eyes like mine, my father, and my sister, was named Werner. The members of the group fiercely competed in rock-paper-scissors to decide whose last name to give to Werner, and I also wanted to give him my mother’s last name. But in the end, I couldn’t beat the thief in that kind of game.

Werner Alton was his full name. We cherished Werner like family, and he grew stronger every day.

After completing the quest, Werner followed the leader and Media, and I went back to search for my father and sister. But I still couldn’t find even a trace of them. Disappointed, I returned to my companions, and Werner had completely changed. He looked at the world with disgust, and his forehead was furrowed as if everything in the world was a bother.

When I asked the other companions why, they either genuinely didn’t know, pretended not to know, or told me to get lost if I wasn’t there. I could only watch helplessly as Werner changed.

But the Werner from before was in front of me.

“…Sister?”

“Sorry, I forgot that I was talking to you because I was lost in other thoughts.”

It was the Werner from back then. He would call me ‘sister’ and cling to me, desperate for our praise.

As was his habit, Werner was biting his nails.

“You still haven’t gotten rid of your nail-biting habit, have you?”

“I do it unconsciously…”

I didn’t like indulging in the past, but I felt a little good as memories of the old days came to mind. If I had been by your side instead of on a quest to find a fragment that was impossible to find, would you have changed like that?

“So, what’s your business?”

“You’re not surprised to see me like this, Sister.”

“I was a little surprised. I just didn’t feel the need to show it.”

I was a little surprised, but since it was for treatment, I didn’t feel the need to point it out. Werner scratched his head and told me his real reason for coming.

“I’m going back to the capital.”

“Do you have some business in the capital?”

The only remaining companion in the capital was the leader of the knights. He was a loyal, machine-like man in a good way, and a jerk in a bad way.

“… I’m going to return to the Royal Magic Academy.”

My sanity almost snapped. The one thing that reassured me when Werner ran away was that he had also quit his job as a Royal Magician. It was a dirty and dangerous job. As a Royal Magician, you had to be loyal to the Royal Family and participate in wars and massacres whenever they commanded. I thought he had run away because he was disgusted with that job.

“Why? Why are you trying to get involved in that dangerous place again?”

“You don’t like it, Sister.”

“Of course. Not just me, but anyone would try to stop you.”

Whether it was the old man, the thief, the leader of the knights, or any other companion, they would all try to stop you. If they allow him to enter that dirty job, I will personally go and confront them.

“What if I still want to go even if you try to stop me?”

“Then… I have no choice but to stop you by force.”

I knew from my father how foolish it was to try to bind someone with force or violence. But even so, I couldn’t ignore my precious person walking into danger on his own.

“But, Sister…”

Werner had a bittersweet expression on his face. It was an expression he had never shown me before.

“I have to go. It’s the only choice I have.”

“But, Werner…”

“Sister, I have something to confess.”

Werner suddenly took off his upper garment and revealed his upper body. It was a little embarrassing, but I wasn’t looking at him with sexual intent.

Werner pointed to his side, where there was a red scar.

“I can’t use great magic anymore.”

“What…?”

“My magic circuits were destroyed when I was stabbed by some magic sword or something.”

“Since when…?”

“… There were a lot of things that happened while you were on your journey.”

That was why the other companions were so worried about Werner. They pitied the youngest member who had lost his special skill. I was foolish not to know that.

Suddenly, I remembered something I had said. I had lightly mocked Werner with the spell he used to use for great magic. He had lost something he cherished so much… Now I understood why he had stormed out. He must have been desperately trying to hide his tears.

I had mocked him without knowing that. My heart was bound by an invisible chain, and that chain was dragging me to hell. Was I really qualified to tell Werner what to do?

I didn’t know why he had changed, and I had even poked at his wound.

“Werner… I…”

“I know what you’re worried about, Sister.”

Werner patted my shoulder. I felt the warmth from the day when Werner came to me, worried about finding my family, and patted my back.

“It’s okay now. It’s really okay now.”

Werner added the word ‘now.’ It meant that it wasn’t okay in the past, but it was okay now. How painful it must have been, and it was even more painful for me, who knew better than anyone what it felt like to lose something precious.

“Okay… if that’s what you want.”

I didn’t have the right to stop him when I couldn’t even be by his side when he needed me the most.

“So, Sister…”

“What is it?”

“Won’t you come to the capital with me?”

I had no reason to refuse. I thought I had been given a second chance to protect my precious little brother.

“… If that’s what you want.”

“I’m grateful for this, so I’ll have to buy you a meal next time, haha.”

Werner stood up with his pure smile from his childhood.

“Oh, since it’s been a while since I looked like this, let’s do it like we used to.”

“What…?”

“Thank you, ‘Sister’.”

My heart started to flutter at the word ‘sister,’ which was no different from the past. I realized that Werner was somehow reminiscent of my father.