My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 88

“What did you just say?”

Acker’s face was flushed with anger.

Not only was he overwhelmed in an instant, but he was also treated like a weakling.

This was not merely trampling on his pride; it was a blow to his dignity all at once.

Tina, who had jumped back and returned to her spot, was chuckling. It was downright wicked.

“I called you a weakling!”

What the hell. I didn’t mishear that.

I had only asked to take it easy instead of finishing it off in one go.

But with slang mixed in and calling him a weakling, my head was spinning.

“Teacher.”

“What is it?”

“Did you tell Tina to say that?”

“I never said such a thing.”

Iris looked at me with disbelief.

Wait, what kind of image do they have of me?

Even though I may speak bluntly thanks to my Expression Management Skill, I had no intention of teaching Tina to use that kind of language.

Tina was a hero.

One of those who would rise up as an emblematic figure of the Empire after defeating countless demons.

What good would come from her accumulating a bad reputation?

“Then what did you whisper just a moment ago?”

“I told her to strike swiftly but not to finish you off at once. It was to make you feel the difference in ability.”

Those devoted to martial arts generally have a strong sense of pride in their own power, so just showing the ability to overwhelm you would be sufficient provocation.

But who would have thought that she would use words to completely shatter your rationality?

You’ve grown up, Tina.

…In a bad way.

“Then does that mean what Tina said was of her own accord?”

“Exactly.”

“Impressive, Tina.”

Maria, who had been listening from the side, exclaimed briefly.

“I’ve got to try that too.”

Don’t!

Now there’s another one here to mess with my mind.

“Then we can say that Tina has grasped your intentions quite well.”

Regardless of how you interpret it, it’s her own heart, but how many people could actually call Acker a weakling?

“Praus has ruined the kids. Boohoo.”

“Shut it, Ariel.”

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as I heard Ariel’s exaggerated sniffles and then opened them again.

I looked at the sparring arena. There, Tina and Acker were poised in a standoff.

“That little brat…”

“If you have time to talk, draw your sword. Otherwise, you’ll take a beating from me.”

Can’t we just provoke a bit and then finish it off?

While it was good that they were following my intentions, it was too much.

“Is it because they’re next to Praus that the brats are so cocky now? What kind of disciple training have you done?”

Acker drew his sword. It was a striking double-edged sword with a blue blade.

“This won’t end well, you annoying brat.”

“Yeah, it won’t. You’ll get beaten and start crying.”

“Y-You little brat!!”

In the end, the verbal sparring was won by Tina.

The fact that an adult was arguing with a thirteen-year-old was already a sign that the balance was off.

Moreover, given his elevated status, he likely had never heard such humiliating words throughout his life.

Anyway, in the end, he succeeded in breaking Acker’s composure, so I suppose it wasn’t a bad outcome. The cleanup would be up to me.

“If you think you can ask for mercy now, you’ll die—”

“You sure talk a lot.”

Once again, in the blink of an eye, Tina closed the distance and chanted her skill from a low stance.

“‘Ascension Sword’.”

Clang!

He blocked Tina’s attack with swift reflexes, but his body was lifted off the ground.

“Ugh! What kind of power…!”

“Farewell. ‘Destruction Strike’.”

Tina’s powerful sword strike headed towards him. Since his feet hadn’t touched the ground yet, Acker had no way to dodge.

Just as the sword was about to make contact, water manifested in mid-air and shielded his body.

In an instant, the force of the sword was neutralized.

“…?”

“‘Waterfall’.”

Clang!

Tina changed her stance and blocked the falling blue sword overhead. Judging by how her sword was trembling, it seemed powerful.

“It seems quite strong, but not on Iris’s level.”

Just as Tina was about to push Acker’s sword down, a sound like danger followed.

Splatter!

“!”

The ground Tina was standing on cracked. The pressure pushing down on her intensified, while water twisted around Acker’s sword.

“Nereid, you’re slow.”

“See, Acker can’t do anything without me.”

A blue woman appeared behind Acker. She was a figure I recognized from the game.

Her name was Nereid, one of the water spirits.

She had made barely any appearances in the game, so I almost forgot about her, but seeing her now jogged my memory.

She was the water spirit contracted to Acker and was themed around having a crush on him.

However, Acker used her strictly for utility, holding no personal feelings, making her crush remain forever unanswered by the time the game ended.

“I didn’t call for you, meddler.”

“If I hadn’t shown up, you would’ve been skewered by that last attack. Save yourself for when you need to become my husband.”

“Shut up. I could win without your help.”

“Stubborn as ever. Acker can’t win on his own against that one; she’s crossed the threshold of Sword Master.”

“What?!”

Acker jumped in surprise at Nereid’s words.

It was shocking for him, an eleven-year-old, to be told that he’d achieved Sword Master status.

And that wasn’t all.

The knights focused on the sparring and the Todiah Family members were all gaping in shock as well.

If it were someone else, they might have laughed it off, but being a high-tier spirit, Nereid’s words carried weight, and everyone seemed to be believing it.

“In that case, it’s indeed going to be tough for me alone. Lend me your strength, Nereid.”

“I’ve been waiting for that.”

The moment Nereid placed her hand on his back, the ground beneath Tina sank even deeper. It was a boost in strength from the spirit.

“I’ll crush you like this!”

“Ugh!”

With the added power of the spirit, he seemed unable to withstand it, twisting his body to evade.

Acker swung his sword, launching multiple strikes. Yet, Tina expertly evaded the incoming attacks while maintaining her distance.

While doing so, she stole a glance at me.

“Teacher, shall I go serious now?”

“Yeah. Just don’t kill him.”

“Is it alright if I blow off an arm?”

“No.”

“…Then I’ll just hold back enough so that nothing gets amputated.”

She licked her lips as if disappointed.

“Who do you think you are, to talk to me like that?!”

Boom!

Acker’s sword narrowly grazed Tina’s neck.

While he was holding back, the current Acker could not be underestimated, even if Tina was at her level.

“No way. I’m just not interested in making things difficult for my teacher.”

Tina, stepping back a bit, got ready.

“You annoying little brat!!”

Finally, with rage boiling over, Acker gripped his sword with both hands and settled into his stance.

“Die! ‘Dragon Slash’!”

“Wait… Acker!”

In a panic, a knight tried to intervene, but it was too late.

As his sword swung, a dragon’s form made of water surged towards Tina.

Seeing the approaching dragon, Tina halted and pulled her sword back. The smug smirk on her face had vanished.

She kicked off the ground and shouted at the incoming dragon.

“‘Illusion Serpent Slash’.”

A series of piercing sounds echoed rapidly.

Her upper arms, thighs, and side were punctured in five places. At that moment, the blue dragon that had been approaching her collapsed and drenched the ground.

“How did that attack reach from that distance…?”

Even though it was a range he couldn’t reach, it meant she had tapped into the power of Aura.

She must’ve infused her own strength into the wind magic.

“Ugh!”

Acker groaned painfully, his body twisting.

He pressed his hands against the punctures at his side. However, due to the hole in his forearm, he couldn’t apply enough pressure, and blood leaked down to the ground.

“T-This brat… how did she block ‘Dragon Slash’…?”

“Because I’m stronger.”

What she likely performed was some form of skill nullification.

In terms of fighting games, it was akin to “parrying”.

Since we had transported into this game world, the phenomenon of nullifying the opponent’s skill wasn’t surprising.

The condition for activating skill nullification is to execute a stronger skill at just the right timing.

Though she certainly didn’t know this, she instinctively recognized that she could break Acker’s skill.

Is this true talent?

“If it were two years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to block it. I’d have surely been knocked out. But not anymore. I’ve been taught by my teacher.”

Tina said calmly, looking down at the fallen Acker.

“An ordinary kid… I mean, I used to be one…”

“From now on, don’t call me a little kid. If you call me a kid, the real kids will be the ones showing up.”

Tina was still making absurd logical comments, but perhaps thinking the duel was over, she sheathes her sword and spoke formally.

Luckily, it seemed like she wouldn’t be cocky outside of sparring. That was somewhat reassuring.

“Acker! Pull yourself together.”

Nereid infused energy into his body. The bleeding began to slow.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The knights approached, forcing a recovery potion into Acker’s mouth, tearing his clothes, and spraying potion onto his body.

The situation began to stabilize. Looking at that, Tina raised her head toward the Todiah family.

“…Next up.”

The knights, quietly amazed, looked at Tina, standing gracefully in the arena.

“Is that the disciple of Praus…? Then the others must be at the same level, right?”

“Acker couldn’t even fight back and lost… This isn’t something that would happen unless she were at least an S-Class Adventurer…”

“How can a mere thirteen-year-old…?”

Yes, yes. Keep on admiring her.

Raise the image of the hero. Don’t pay attention to someone like me.

“So, the one who raised her is Praus? It seems he’s not just strong but also an excellent teacher.”

…Huh?

“I heard he was Pasma’s hidden disciple who died decades ago.”

W-What are you talking about?

“Not at all.”

[That’s right. They’re wrong. I’m Praus’s disciple.]

That’s not it either.

“If he took me on as a disciple, maybe I could reach the level of Sword Master.”

“Shall I give it a try?”

Please, don’t overestimate me with your poor delusions.

That’s only possible because Tina is a hero.

Kids who don’t even have a name and end up being called Knight 1, Knight 2, or something like that—how could they become Sword Masters? What kind of dog’s name is Sword Master?

Just as I was diligently poking fun in my mind.

“Are you not going up?”

“I’ll go.”

At Tina’s urging, Ella stepped forward. Glair grabbed her arm as she moved to enter the arena.

“Ella, I’ll go first. You’re stronger than me.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m strong. I just want to see the skills of the disciples raised by Lord Praus.”

“Still…”

She smiled at Glair, then gently pulled her arm away and stepped into the arena.

Acker and the knights descended, and in the arena, Tina and Ella faced each other.

“Are you ready?”

Tina and Ella nodded almost simultaneously.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

Ella flashed a sly smile.

“Then… I’ll begin.”

The referee knight raised his hand.

“Start!”

No sooner had his hand dropped than Ella reached for Tina.

“‘Spirit Wind’.”

Boom!

With the sound of the air bursting, a cracking noise rang out.

Tina drew her sword and blocked Ella’s Spirit Wind with it.

“…”

Tina’s grip on the sword trembled. Surprised by the sudden shock, she looked back at Ella after glancing at her sword.

“If you want to hold back, you can. But I’ll go all out.”

“It’s heavy. To think a suppressive attack would be this powerful… Ella, you’re strong.”

Tina repeated clenching and unclenching her fist in acknowledgment.

“I guess I won’t have any time to relax this time. I’ll go all out too.”

A sword aura gradually began to form around the blade Tina was holding.