The Villains I Taught Became Heroes

The staff we found in the ruins this time is called the Magic Staff.

It’s a staff that absorbs mana from the atmosphere, making magic stronger. If you get it in the early-mid game, it’s a pretty handy weapon.

But if we’re talking about value, having Lena, who could qualify me as a sage, is way more precious.

I flicked Lena’s forehead, who was staring at me with a blank expression.

“You sometimes underestimate yourself too much. To me, you are my most valuable disciple.”

One of Lena’s flaws is her severe self-deprecation.

Her talent is so amazing that you could call most people trash compared to her.

But since she’s so self-deprecating, she often fails to showcase her true skills.

“Those who can’t love themselves find it hard to be loved. Too much narcissism is a problem, but being overly self-critical isn’t good either.”

“…Y-Yes…”

Are you even listening to me?

Lena was staring blankly at me.

I snapped my fingers in front of her a few times, then sighed at her dazed state.

She’s great and all, but she has moments like this.

“Anyway, since we finished the ruins, shall we have some fun today as promised?”

It’s good to be hardcore, but when it’s time to relax, you gotta let loose.

Since we’re in the big city, having some real fun wouldn’t be too bad.

“Ha! Y-Yes!!”

Finally snapping out of it upon hearing “fun,” Lena nodded her head.

So, what should we do now?

“Is there anything you want to do?”

“Um, well… I-I don’t know?”

“Shall we first go look at some clothes?”

I promised to buy her an outfit.

Right now, Lena is wearing some ordinary clothes she bought in the village.

The completion of fashion is the face. With her silver hair and blue eyes, Lena could look adorable even in rags, but wouldn’t it be better to dress her in something nice?

I led her to a clothing store in Greenhild.

It was a famous clothing store in the huge city, so the variety was completely different from those in the village.

Besides outfits for activities or battles, there were also many dresses one might wear at a party.

“Go ahead and pick what you want.”

“Y-Yes!”

She exclaimed eagerly and began choosing clothes accompanied by her summoned Sylphid.

As I watched, the shopkeeper approached us.

“Oh my~. Mister~. Are you looking for clothes for that young lady?”

“Yes. Is there anything good?”

“That silver hair! Those blue eyes! Ohohoho~! The artistic soul is on fire! I will find something very elegant for you!”

She was so excited and started picking out outfits.

In the meantime, I thought I might as well find a decent outfit for myself.

After a while, while I was selecting a sturdy outfit, Lena came out after trying some clothes.

“Um, how do I look?!”

“…..”

A green Vietnamese skirt paired with a red jacket? How did she even find that?

Forget the intense colors; why are the shoulder pads so big?!

I looked at Lena, who was beaming, alongside Sylphid.

Seeing Lena puffing out her cheeks and her smugness left me speechless.

She looks overflowing with confidence, but is that really the best?

It seemed she and Sylphid had huddled together to pick this out, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the best choice.

Just as I was left speechless by Lena’s bizarre fashion, the shopkeeper came over, bursting into laughter.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! Oh my eyes!”

It seems Lena’s fashion sense was a strong blow to her.

Twisting his entire body in an urge to poke his eyes out, he came to me with genuine concern.

“Mister?! You’re not actually going to buy that outfit, are you?! I can’t believe we have such a non-elegant piece in our store!”

The shoulder pads were definitely avant-garde.

Still, the shopkeeper displayed a look of disgust, showing me an outfit he’d selected.

“Mister?! What do you think of this one?!”

The shopkeeper had picked a bright white blouse and blue skirt.

The clean yet refreshing outfit looked good even to my eyes.

“U-Um, isn’t that a bit… um, not right?”

I learned another of Lena’s flaws today.

Her fashion sense is completely trash.

I mean, thinking back to when she only wore dark clothes as the Witch of Silence…

“Wha-what does Master think?”

With bright eyes, she asked me, and I smiled gently.

“Eh-heh-heh~!”

Of course, I didn’t buy what Lena chose.

I was about to buy her something because she seemed so eager, but the shopkeeper flat-out refused to sell it.

No matter how much one’s face is the completion of fashion, that traffic light outfit was just a hard pass.

But Lena seemed delighted with her new outfit, as a big smile bloomed on her face.

“Since we’re buying clothes, we should also get a robe.”

Now that she mastered beginner magic, Lena could officially be called a mage.

So, she ought to have the right attire to match, right?

“W-Where are we going?”

I led the curious Lena to a small building.

It was a branch of the Ivory Tower, where we could purchase artifacts.

“I’d like to give you one of my artifacts, but that’s a bit too early for you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yup.”

I have something nice, but I’ll save that for when she graduates.

As I chuckled behind Lena, we walked into the Ivory Tower branch, and suddenly, the door swung open violently.

“Get out! You bastards!!”

“Uwaah!”

Three hulking figures were thrown outside.

Startled, Lena hugged her staff and let out a high-pitched scream while I peeked inside.

An enraged middle-aged man, his face flushing red, was visible.

“Uh, uh. M-Master.”

Socially awkward, Lena quickly hid behind me.

Ignoring that, the massive, muscular, bearded man glanced at Lena and me and rubbed his palms together.

“Oh, aren’t you customers? Please, come on in!”

This guy is a pro.

That fierce expression from just a moment ago vanished, replaced by a warm, friendly smile.

If I hadn’t seen that scary face, I’d think that smile was his baseline.

“I’m here to buy a robe that fits her.”

“Hmmm… So? Have you mastered beginner magic?”

“Uh, yes, yes!”

“In that case, this is the best choice! A robe for beginner mages!”

What he pulled out was a brown robe that could also serve as a coat.

It was a sturdy garment with waterproof magic, providing decent physical and magical defense.

In game terms, it’s a store-bought item that’s handy for early levels.

“Is there nothing else?”

I showed him a pendant I had.

It’s proof of being an official mage of the Ivory Tower. Upon seeing it, his expression changed.

“Oh, are you a business partner? Then we have something to talk about. It seems this young lady is your disciple, yes? How far do you plan to raise her?”

“To an advanced mage.”

“Well, that will take at least ten years.”

This guy’s a pro, but he seems a bit lacking in evaluating others’ talents.

Of course, skills like Detection are rare.

“Te-ten years… Ehehe…”

“You won’t take that long.”

I’ll finish it within a year. I pet Lena’s head.

Meanwhile, he brought out a box and revealed three items.

“Choose one of these.”

I recognized all three items.

The first robe was called the Shadow Robe, which deals extra damage when mastering dark magic.

The second was the Nature Robe, which gives additional damage when mastering nature magic.

The third was the Invisibility Robe, which, as the name suggests, grants invisibility.

“In-invisibility?! Then this must be the best choice, right?!”

“Only your appearance becomes invisible; it doesn’t hide your mana.”

“Ah… Ugh. If they can sense magic, it’s meaningless…”

She looked quite disappointed.

What did you plan to do with that?

I squeezed Lena’s head and then picked the Nature Robe.

“I’ll take this one. And make it white.”

“If it’s white, won’t it get dirty easily?”

“Artifacts don’t get dirty.”

“Oh, ooooh!! That’s amazing!”

“Of course, waterproof is a given. Young lady, do you need anything else? Like a staff?”

“I-I have a staff!”

“Hmm… Oh, that’s the Magic Staff. Pretty good, isn’t it? Just make sure to take good care of your weapon.”

“Yes?”

What does that mean again?

As Lena and I exchanged puzzled glances, he gave her the robe casually and said, “You all know there’s a magic tournament happening in Greenhild City. Because of that, there are folks trying to hunt beginner mages…”

“Hunting beginner mages, huh?”

That sounds like fun.

Though Lena turned pale, I urged him to continue.

“Among the beginner mages, there are those with good gear, and these guys attack them out of nowhere to steal their equipment.”

“Oh-ho…”

“That Magic Staff and Nature Robe of yours are treasures that others will definitely be coveting. So, make sure to protect them.”

He grinned and handed over two potions as gifts.

Lena seemed tense, frozen in place.

What a coward.

“M-Master, you’ll stay with me, right?”

“Of course, of course.”

But I have no intention of fighting.

As soon as we stepped out of the shop, another customer approached.

Not me, but a customer aiming for Lena.

“Ohh~. Young lady~. That staff looks nice, huh?”

“Could I borrow it for a bit? Hehehe~.”

They looked pretty shady.

Their gear wasn’t bad; are they mages? Whatever, that’s of no concern.

“Lena.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“Those guys have pretty good stuff.”

“Y-Yeah? So what?”

So what?

“Just borrow it and come back.”

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