My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 18

“…What is this?”

I looked at the three bags stuffed to the brim.

Tina’s bags were filled mainly with jerky, dried fish, bread, and fruits—food, primarily.

For Tina, who must have often suffered from hunger, food was undoubtedly more important than anything else. I get that; I understand.

But, why did she buy enough to last a month when just a week’s worth would have sufficed?

Excess food creates storage issues, not to mention it becomes a burden.

Since we were going to stop by Aus to buy more food anyway, buying like this was bound to be wasteful.

It seemed I had to teach them a thing or two about economics.

“Um… should I return it?”

“No, it’s fine. But, you must have a lot of money left after just buying this, right? What did you spend it on?”

“I figured I shouldn’t spend all my gold coins, so I left some behind.”

She pulled out her purse and handed it to me. I accepted the purse and looked inside. There were still plenty of silver coins left.

I tied the opening tightly before handing it back to Tina.

“Okay. Then use it whenever you need.”

“Ah… you’re not going to take it back?”

“I have no intention of taking back what I’ve given you.”

I turned my gaze from Tina’s bags to Iris’s.

Iris had four bags.

What a perfectly balanced setup. It really felt like she had bought only what was necessary.

Clothes to change into, food for a week, a sleeping bag and a lamp for outdoor camping, and small weapons like daggers.

“Did you all travel separately?”

Seeing Tina bought a ton of food, I thought the others might have bought other stuff, but it didn’t seem like that was the case.

“I thought it would be more efficient time-wise to buy what each of us wanted separately than to travel together.”

“I see.”

That wasn’t wrong, but it still gave off a sense of wastefulness.

I packed Iris’s bags again and turned my head. Finally, it was Maria’s turn.

I opened her bag. The first thing that caught my eye was the rolled-up parchment.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a magic scroll.”

“A magic scroll?”

Why is she buying this now?

I stole a glance into the next bag. I could already see some equipment sticking out.

Swords and spears. It seemed she had bought various gear too.

“Since you mentioned we’d be hunting monsters, I thought it was wise to prepare thoroughly.”

“Hmmm.”

Maria’s intention was too transparent that I almost wanted to scoff.

It was obvious she was planning to prove herself by killing monsters, likely hoping to be accepted as my apprentice.

Still, there was nothing wrong with that.

If she showed determination to fight monsters, she could surely awaken as a hero.

Of course, I had no intention of accepting her as an apprentice, but still.

“Just don’t get scared when you see a monster.”

“Th-That won’t happen!”

“I wonder how long that confidence will last.”

The bag inspection was over.

I had bought some clothes, and we had sleeping bags for the night, so camping wouldn’t be an issue.

“We’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning. Prepare accordingly. If you want dinner, go down and buy something with the money I gave you. I’ll be sleeping.”

“Understood.”

The kids rushed out, seeming honest to their instincts. I counted the number of bags to be loaded onto the carriage before diving onto my bed.

How long had it been since I had a good sleep? Really.

Thinking about how I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly from tomorrow made me tear up.

*

“What on earth are these kids?”

Looking at the three would-be heroes, he asked me. He had watched them for two days but pretended not to know.

“Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“Ha, haha! It’s a bit awkward when you say it like that.”

Dex sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

“There are a few things you must abide by before we leave.”

“What are they?”

“First, I won’t allow any tracking from the Secret Garden. If anyone other than you… no, it seems there are some already.”

Those belonging to the Secret Garden had absolute trust in their leader. They were as devoted as cult followers, ready to lay down their lives for the leader.

This was largely due to the leader understanding and alleviating their hardships better than anyone else. Still, giving up one’s life seemed crazy.

“…You’re truly impressive. I can’t let my guard down.”

As Dex called them out, members hiding in the shadows began to emerge. My hunch was spot-on.

“Wow, there are so many people!”

“What incredible magic! I didn’t even notice they were around.”

“Did Lord Praus discern this all at once?”

The heroes marveled as they saw those emerging from the shadows.

“That’s to be expected.”

I glanced around. They looked like they were dressed similarly to Dex, just without robes; they wore full black clothing.

“My apologies for the intrusion, Lord Praus. Please spare our lives.”

“Who would think I’d kill you? But the feeling of someone watching me from the shadows is rather unsettling.”

“If someone were spying on you, would you spare their life?”

Here we go again. That annoying mouth.

The members who had bowed their heads in front of me seemed to stiffen like statues, as if they had no words to retort my remark.

“Um, Lord Praus.”

Dex stepped in to stop any foolishness from his members.

“Don’t worry. This person isn’t someone who would act recklessly like Inkuro.”

How can he be so sure? It hadn’t even been a few days since we met, and trust was barely established.

“Besides, this is quite an opportunity to gather information on someone of this caliber. Surely they feel the same way about me.”

Honestly, I wished no one would follow me. Knowing what I knew shouldn’t benefit anyone else.

But as I hadn’t proven myself stronger than Delma yet, I had no choice but to take them along.

“I wish you good fortune, leader.”

“Come back safe.”

“Don’t worry. I’m with Lord Praus; I can protect myself.”

This brat wants to rely on me?

You’re supposed to be my bodyguard. Not me being weak.

“Right. If it’s this person who had S-class adventurers at their wit’s end…”

Seeing the members accept without hesitation left me dumbfounded.

They’re just defending themselves; what do you mean they’re having a hard time?

What is wrong with the heroes and these kids, thinking such misconceptions?

With filtering making it difficult to express exactly what I meant, clearing up misunderstandings wasn’t going to be easy; they just kept piling up, driving me insane.

“Be safe. Take care, leader.”

With those parting words, the members vanished. As I watched their retreating figures, Dex finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“It seems they’ve all left.”

“Looks that way.”

Once the presence around us faded, Tina rushed over to me.

“Praus, Praus!”

“What is it?”

“Who were those people just now? Don’t tell me! Is Praus the head of a huge organization?”

Head? How rude.

Seeing her eyes sparkle with curiosity made it a bit hard to answer. Dex also focused on me, as if thinking this was his chance to gather information. His expectant look was downright ridiculous.

“Do you really see me as someone who would belong to an organization?”

Does she think a normal villager could somehow join an organization?

For commoners, just staying safe and living to an old age is a feat; it’d be fortunate for them not to become a slave. The notion that they could become an asset in an organization was ridiculous.

I should have been born a noble instead.

As I mentally grumbled, Tina bowed her head.

“Th-That’s not… no… I’m sorry.”

I felt bad for digging into a child’s curious nature. I lightly tapped Tina on the shoulder.

“I’m just an ordinary villager who doesn’t have the ability or talent to join any organization.”

“Someone who doesn’t fit into an organization, huh… Well, it makes sense. It’s likely someone with immense strength that even organizations can’t handle. Being able to overpower S-class adventurers means any ordinary organization wouldn’t be able to manage you.”

I caught sight of Dex muttering to himself, and I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or if he had lost his mind.

I’d really like him to drop this strange misconception.

“Dex.”

“Yes! Lord Praus.”

‘How can I tell you not to keep your eyes open during your guard duty?’

“I… dislike receiving attention from men.”

“I’m sorry! Then, I’ll bring along a deputy who is at a similar level as me. The deputy is a woman.”

That’s not what I meant.

“She also has a sizable chest. When I squeezed it, some spilled out. Your hands are smaller than mine, so it would feel even bigger.”

Hearing him make such an innuendo, it was as if he had overheard me say I prefer women with large breasts. But seriously, how does he know the size of my hands? What a crazy dude.

“…Enough. Anyway, I’ll rely on you for guarding for a week. In exchange for providing information exclusively, handle any tails from other groups.”

“Could it be… you’re aware of the Black Light Corps tailing us?”

Black Light Corps?

Are they referring to the assassination squad directly under the first Crown Prince, the one with the highest claim to the throne?

Have they already caught a whiff of what’s going on? That seems too quick.

Typically, Black Light Corps would be assigned to S-Class adventurers――

Ah, Inkuro was also an S-Class adventurer, wasn’t he?

I felt a surge of regret. I should have just quietly bought Maria and returned.

If the information reaches the Crown Prince’s ears, the odds of facing the Royal Family will increase significantly.

Given the current struggle with the Demon Tribe, the Crown Prince would certainly use me to his advantage.

“Lord Praus, I might not be able to handle them, but the Black Light Corps is a formidable opponent. They boast extraordinary physical skills. If they were adventurers, they’d all probably be A-Class.”

So they’re already eyeing me? This might really get messy.

“So you’re saying you can’t handle them?”

“…Not that I can’t handle them, but doing so alone would be tough. How about you simply take care of them directly, Lord Praus?”

Has this guy gone mad?

The Black Light Corps isn’t like other groups; they execute missions including suicide the moment they receive orders from the Crown Prince.

It’s not something that can be dealt with by mere killing intent.

“So, if they become a threat to us, deal with them as necessary.”

“Understood. However, please understand that I might need to ask for your assistance, Lord Praus.”

“…Fine then.”

Reluctantly agreeing, I turned my body and grabbed the bags from the kids, who were struggling with them.

With gear inside, they were pretty heavy.

It was difficult due to the weight, but somehow, I managed to load them onto the carriage.

“Th-Thank you.”

“No, it’s ours to use anyway.”

I absentmindedly patted Iris on the head before retracting my hand.

As soon as I did, her ears perked up, and her tail stood tall, her eyes wide. Tina, Maria, and even Dex looked shocked.

“How long are you going to keep staring? Hurry and move.”

“Yes, yes!”

Once all the bags were loaded and the kids climbed aboard, Delma yawned widely before glancing into the tent, snorting dismissively.

“Let’s go.”

With a slap to the horse, it started moving with a ‘hee-haw!’ sound.

Thus began the first journey with the heroes.