My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 97

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“If it’s something only the Justia Temple can grant?”
“Scarlet Mana.”
I was startled in that instant. Of all things—Scarlet Mana.
Scarlet Mana was the power imbued with Justia’s blessing—a force that burned all the brighter against evil.
Needless to say, it was granted only to priests.
“Must I convert to the faith?”
“No. This is merely a token of gratitude.”
“I confess it seems excessive.”
I had saved a priest of Justia. Prevented the town from annihilation. But was that truly worth receiving Scarlet Mana freely?
“You may well feel that way. Yet I have judged you to be righteous and strong, and…….”
The High Priest lifted the staff that lay beside him. The crimson jewel blazed with fierce light—like his own eyes.
“Should you strike down evil with this power, it serves us well.”
He meant to use me. And simultaneously, he was accepting me as one of his own.
I nodded. He placed his hand over my chest and began to murmur something.
“Let this blood burn all the brighter with the blood of the wicked.”
Boom!
In that instant, a ball of flame surged into my heart. Like a tidal wave.
Waves of fire filled every vessel of my blood. It felt as though they were driving deep into my very bones.
No pain, no malice—only a burning sensation.
The mana began to settle into place. Where the fiery tide had swept through, warmth lingered. Like embers, slowly glowing.
The High Priest withdrew his hand. Only then could I breathe. The inside of my lungs burned.
I looked down at my hands. A crimson aura rippled at my fingertips.
Justia’s power. Mana that burned with the blood of the wicked. And to me, the wicked were only one thing.
Those who would harm my students.
The Guardians.
18. Independence
The journey back from the Justia Temple.
As I entered Aspenhel, familiar streets came into view. The weather was clear and bright.
An ordinary scene. The people passing by, the city’s scent, Gai chattering beside me.
“Unbelievable. You went through all that trouble and only you came away with mana, sir?”
After the interrogation, Gai seemed unchanged. Exactly as he’d always been.
Yet something felt subtly different. He was being deliberately provocative, you might say. Needling me, picking quarrels without reason.
His shamelessness was remarkable. Where intention ended and performance began, I couldn’t quite say. I studied Gai intently.
“I’m beginning to understand your feelings.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, sir?”
“The urge to split you open and peer inside.”
To see what dwells in that dark interior of yours. Gai flinched and stepped back.
“Brother, you’re frightening me.”
“I’d make sure it didn’t hurt.”
My house soon came into view. I’d returned with several pieces of good news, and my steps felt light.
A favorable relationship with the Justia Temple. Information about Gai—they’d certainly be plea…….
“Jenia, are you insane?!”
The moment I opened the front door, a voice crashed over me like a wave. My eardrums ached.
“What are you doing? Is this adolescent rebellion? Let Bella down?!”
Cesare was howling his lungs out. Another fight, then. But today felt different from the usual.
Bella hung limp, bound by tentacles. It was a sight I rarely witnessed—and our eyes met as she dangled upside down.
“Master, there’s a reason for this.”
“That’s right. Bella doesn’t have strange hobbies or anything!”
“Shut it, Cesare.”
I observed my students. Bella bound and helpless, Cesare protesting, and Jenia with a large backpack slung across her shoulders.
“Jenia. Are you going somewhere?”
Jenia nodded.
“I’m leaving Balanus, Master.”
……What?
Silence fell. Everyone went rigid. Only Bella, dangling in the air, creaked.
Jenia doesn’t joke. This was one hundred percent sincere. I barely restrained the urge to try talking her out of it, and asked instead.
“What made you think that?”
“Well……. Because I’m a Half-Monster, Master?”
That was all she said before stopping. My head throbbed. There was much I wanted to ask, but for now, I held back.
“Come down, sister. The blood’s rushing to my head—my face is all red.”
Jenia’s eyes rolled about without moving the rest of her face.
“If I let go, will you really let me go?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t want to.”
Had puberty come late after all? Or had she regressed to childhood? Whatever the case, there was only one solution in a moment like this.
I rushed at her directly. I saw her hesitate. But it lasted only an instant.
—Screech!
Tentacles lashed toward me with a whistling sound. Noticeably faster than before. Her situational awareness had sharpened too.
But she was still a child. To catch me, she would have needed to use all her tentacles.
I planted one hand on the floor and pushed off simultaneously. My body spun hard, launching me into the air.
The tentacles that had been aiming for my ankles thrashed through empty space. I grabbed Jenia’s shoulders and slammed down.
—Thud!
The impact resonated through the floor. As I cut off her Mana, the tentacles went limp and slack.
“Ugh, no more of that weird stuff……”
“I told you not to use that word.”
Bella was in the state that Arkel had prevented from getting worse. I stood up, keeping Jenia held firmly against me.
“I need to talk with Jenia for a moment. Arkel, explain the situation to the others, will you?”
“Yes, Master.”
I carried the struggling Jenia upstairs to my room. She looked ready to bolt at any second.
I set her down in my chair and kept a tight grip on her arm, pinning her thigh down with my leg when she tried to escape.
I used to do this when the children wouldn’t listen. Fifteen years later, and here I was doing it again.
“Jenia. What does being a Half-Monster have to do with running away?”
“If I’m a Half-Monster, I cause damage, don’t I?”
“Are you talking about compensation? That’s not because of your race—it’s because of your personality.”
It wasn’t anything new. Just the property damage Jenia had caused would’ve run into hundreds of thousands of Batz.
Something must have happened for her to act like this all of a sudden. Jenia turned her head away sulkily.
“Jenia. Even if you are a Half-Monster……”
“I want to leave home.”
“We’re family, so no matter what others say……”
“I want to leave home.”
I spent roughly ten minutes trying to convince Jenia. But her answer remained the same.
“I want to leave home.”
Who was she taking after to be so stubborn? Since reasoning wasn’t working, I reached for my backup plan.
“I’ve met Kihano. So I asked Gai three questions.”
Jenia’s shoulders gave a little start. She wouldn’t meet my eyes, just stealing glances here and there.
“And I stopped by a village where they live with goblins……”
“With goblins?”
“Are you curious?”
Jenia took the bait eagerly. How could a curious cat resist walking past a fish shop?
“If you want to hear it, stay home.”
“But……”
I watched her struggle between worry for her family and curiosity. Since the former seemed to be winning, I dangled the bait once more.
“Listen to the story, and you can run away tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
I released my grip, and Jenia behaved herself. That bought me a day, at least. She nestled against my side, chattering away.
“So what did you ask him?”
“Arkel’s explaining downstairs—let’s go.”
Coming down, everyone was sitting on the sofa. Gai seemed to be shut away in storage somewhere, as he wasn’t around.
Cesare and Bella’s expressions were grave. Which part were they listening to?
“To maintain the disguise, I raised Master’s body temperature. It wasn’t pleasant. Her face flushed at once, her breathing grew ragged, and that delicate, vulnerable appearance……”
He wasn’t wrong, but for some reason I felt odd about it. Jenia scurried over to Arkel.
“Big brother. What questions did you ask Gai? What about the goblins?”
“We passed over that part. But have you given up on running away?”
“No. I’m planning to run away after I hear the story.”
Arkel looked at me. I nodded once, and he seemed to understand well enough.
As Arkel resumed his explanation calmly, I took Cesare and Bella toward the kitchen.
“How far did Arkel get?”
“We heard that Gai didn’t kill Hayden. And that he wanted us to live.”
Cesare’s expression was complex—almost as if he couldn’t bear to believe it. Bella looked absorbed in thought as well.
“At least Gai won’t cause immediate harm. The real problem is Jenia.”
“Did something happen to Jenia?”
Cesare glanced toward the living room and lowered his voice. The crux of the matter was this:
One, rumors had spread widely that Jenia was a Half-Monster.
Two, Jenia had overheard talk that anyone sheltering or concealing a Half-Monster should also face punishment.
Three, commissions were being canceled because Domus harbored a Half-Monster.
Bella released a long, heavy sigh.
“I tried to stop her from running away, and she tied me up instead. She’s so stubborn. What should we do?”
Jenia lacked perception. She prioritized her own desires over whatever others around her might say.
Yet once family was involved, her principles shifted. This wouldn’t be easy to untangle.
In the meantime, Cesare looked at me with obvious unease.
“You’re really sending her away tomorrow?”
“Yes. I promised Jenia we wouldn’t lie to each other.”
Jeremiah came to mind then—how she’d let her disciples go freely whenever they sought independence.
Jenia’s reasons for leaving felt somewhat uncomfortable, I’ll admit. But if a disciple wants to leave, you must let her. That’s what a true teacher does.
* * *
The next day. The sky was clear. There was no shadow of doubt in Jenia’s expression.
She wore a large backpack on her shoulders, standing at the front entrance with her head bowed slightly.
“Thank you for raising me, Master.”
“Go well.”
The other disciples waved to her in turn. Jenia left the house without a backward glance.
The moment the door closed, all eyes darted about. We’d explained the details beforehand.
Arkel and I slipped out immediately. I could see the back of Jenia’s small head. I muffled my footsteps and followed her.
Arkel whispered low.
“You said it seemed like Jenia had already chosen where to go.”
“That’s right. I didn’t see blankets or dishes in Jenia’s backpack.”
Jenia hadn’t prepared for sleeping outdoors. She might have been planning to stay at an inn. But she hadn’t taken any money either.
That could only mean one thing—she had somewhere to stay lined up. She wasn’t leaving recklessly.
Jenia had found a new home. Letting her go with a smile would be the mark of a true teacher. Independence is a necessary rite, after all.
But I had no intention of letting Jenia leave like this. Independence? Not a chance.
I am a terrible teacher.
So I had to follow my disciple.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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