My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 140

“The envoy has contacted us.”

Duke Kalus slammed a document onto the table. The way he tilted his chin up and looked at me was quite annoying.

No matter how old he was or how high his status, he was being rather arrogant. Should I stab him with a hero’s spear?

“…What did they say?”

I casually flipped through the document on the table. It stated ‘Aioum Kingdom Entry Permit.’ It probably outlined that if he did something foolish in his kingdom, there would be consequences.

“It says there that they would like a token of trust so they can have confidence in us.”

A token of trust…

As I pondered for a moment, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind. I snapped my fingers and said to him.

“What about Princess Seri?”

“What did you say?”

“Though Princess Seri is deemed incompetent, she is still a child of the royal family. If we involve her, I believe we’ll gain unparalleled trust.”

“Absolutely not! No way!”

He banged the table and rose in a fit of rage. I gazed at Kalus with strange amusement.

“Why not?”

“W-Well… the royal family is the face of the empire! Introducing someone who could tarnish the glorious image of our empire to foreign lands would be disastrous!”

No, no, it’s clear as day. You’re just afraid that Princess Seri might make a name for herself in public. Perhaps you’re scared that Chris’s faction might crumble.

His inner thoughts were so transparent that I couldn’t help but laugh. I nodded my head a couple of times and rummaged through my inner pocket.

“Then how about this?”

I waved a golden adventurer’s badge in front of him.

“W-What…! An S-Class adventurer badge? Where did you get that…?”

“Well, it’s not mine; it’s from my disciples. They were officially recognized as S-Class just a few days ago.”

I initially hated the idea of being in a master-disciple relationship, but now I think it was a good decision. Each time I introduce them, I can simply say they are my disciples rather than heroes, and I won’t hesitate to present them to others.

Most importantly, as a master with S-Class disciples, I could project a strong image. Being recognized as strong is always convenient in many ways.

“However, even if they are recognized as S-Class, it won’t guarantee immediate trustworthiness in the Aioum Kingdom.”

“That can be proven through our skills. S-Class isn’t something easily achieved. Moreover, we are going after a demon spy, but there’s a chance we might encounter actual demons. If we can catch both the spy and the demons, they will have no choice but to trust us.”

While I said that, the chances were high that we would definitely face demons. The demons don’t trust humans, and they likely have ties planted around the spy, ready to strike at any moment.

In the game, Commander Habito often took on the role of espionage, so one could assume that the scattered demons in the empire and kingdoms belonged to the Fourth Legion.

There must be some with high ranks within the legion as well. Perhaps they would notice something related to the Aioum Kingdom and Stella Forna would come looking for me.

“Forna…”

There was still unease about defeating her. At that time, I was so focused on saving the heroes that I completely discarded any other factors.

There is a lingering guilt about having immediately turned my back when I judged that I couldn’t save Stella Forna.

So, when I finally meet Stella Forna, I would be sure to ask her this first:

“If I were to turn you back into a human, would you consider giving up being a demon?”

Even if I can’t save someone, there is a way to change demons into humans. Surely, her mental state would be shattered, and she wouldn’t be able to comprehend anything properly. But perhaps, just ‘one word’ might suffice.

If she were to respond to that condition with ‘the destruction of the kingdom,’ then I would have no choice but to confront her. I couldn’t simply allow all humans and other races in the kingdom to die for her sake.

Besides, by protecting the kingdom from Stella, I might incur a significant debt from her, yet I might still realize the liberation of the other race slaves from the kingdom.

If she doesn’t agree, then it would be simple to make it clear that there would be no protection from the demons at that moment.

In contrast to the empire, the kingdom is easier to manipulate.

“I acknowledge that you have the competence to be arrogant, but gaining trust based on that alone won’t be easy, will it?”

As I lost myself in thought looking at the document, Kalus sneered. Noblemen really can’t stop looking down on others, can they?

Having never stepped down from their high pedestal their entire life, they act like that. Such people should be dragged down to the depths.

“I already told you. I will prove it with results.”

“…That’s quite the audacity. It’s almost laughably unbelievable.”

“Right? I also feel like I’m about to be laughed at.”

I closed the document and spoke.

“Does he even realize that the first site of the Resistance is under his territory?”

The east isn’t adjacent to the Demon World at any point. This means it’s ‘peaceful.’

With a lower threat of demons, the temperature variation between summer and winter isn’t disastrous for food production, and the proximity to the sea promotes fishing.

Unless some catastrophic disaster happens, it’s quite an ideal environment with no risk of food shortages.

Such a paradisiacal setting becomes hell for other races. It’s truly ironic.

The owners who bought other races as slaves mercilessly exploited them for their profits. They utilized the fact that the other races were sturdier than humans, providing them with insufficient sleep and limiting their meals to just one a day, leading to frequent collapses and even illnesses. In severe cases, they faced sexual exploitation.

Yet, Duke Kalus turned a blind eye to it all.

To him, slaves were merely ‘money’ and ‘means to earn money.’

Todiana and Rexton had similar situations in the past, but after Duke Tori Aus persuaded the emperor, they were able to amend the treatment of slaves under ‘guaranteed rights to live,’ which was relatively better.

However, the amendment concerning slavery wasn’t enforced universally, meaning not all territories were required to abide by it.

Specifically, Duke Kalus’s territory was one where the amendments didn’t apply. Therefore, what I proposed was the enhancement of their right to live. This means I would forcefully impose what they had been denying.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“What do you think of other races?”

“Just useful labor.”

“Is that all?”

“Then what? Do you want me to feel sympathy for them?”

Kalus leaned back into his chair, arms crossed. His posture clearly revealed he was an unworthy noble.

I thought someone like him, more interested in money rather than politics, would be easier to manipulate, but facing him directly, I found him much less flexible than Rexton.

Moreover, he is a loyal follower of Chris. There won’t be any way he would switch sides to my faction, unless the Resistance rises.

“You should be careful with your words.”

“What?”

“If my disciples were here, your teeth would be gone with that last remark.”

“Ha…! Are you warning the duke right now?”

“That’s correct.”

I stood up with the document in hand.

“You don’t have ‘three’ capable S-Class like the emperor does, nor a knight order stronger than the Royal Knight Order.”

“Are you insulting our knight order right now?”

He clenched his fists, seemingly furious.

“I’m not saying your knights are weak. However, I just doubt whether your knight order can defeat higher-ranking demons.”

“Humans and demons are different! Humans lack magic, and there’s no difficulty in killing them! If you don’t apologize right now, I will hold you accountable for threatening a noble!”

Watching Kalus, who was pointing furiously, I couldn’t help but let out a snort. Look at him, he’s a bit amusing!

“This kid! Are you laughing?! You’ve got some guts in front of the duke, huh?”

“Guts? Is that so? Sure, after taking down a few higher-ranking demons, such threats don’t phase me much.”

“W-What…?”

“And real threats are done like this.”

As I focused my energy into my eyes, his whole body trembled uncontrollably. Fear began to consume his gaze as he felt the intent.

I gazed down at him for a moment before turning away. Instilling fear should be enough for now. With this, he should think twice before doing anything foolish.

Or rather, if he does do something foolish, I could use that justification to retaliate against the Crown Prince’s side.

I could steer this however I want. Of course, the actual fighting will be handled by our heroes!

“…I was just joking. No need to be too scared. After all, we’re colleagues who need to handle the same task for now.”

I relaxed the tension in my eyes as I tapped the document.

“Oh, and keep your promise. My request is to strengthen the rights of other races. If the empire gets to monopolize resources and other races start dying for reasons other than natural disasters, I won’t sit idly by. Understand?”

“…”

He trembled. He couldn’t say a word.

Well, Kalus isn’t as strong as Glair, nor does he have the guts like Rexton to lose his cool.

Even as a duke, he is just an ordinary human. His position and standing were what created his image.

The more obsessed he becomes with that illusion, the tighter the noose around his own neck will get.

“Answer me.”

“…Y-Yes, I understand.”

With my sidelong glance, he begrudgingly replied. He inhaled deeply and swallowed hard.

“In the morning, a magician will come. Make sure to travel together. Don’t forget to submit that document before the move.”

“Will do.”

“When we reach Aioum Kingdom, behave. Don’t even think about causing trouble. The moment you act out, war could break out instantly.”

“I’m not that reckless.”

I exited his room with the document in hand.

I headed straight for the reception room where my party awaited. As I opened the door, they stood up, as if they had been waiting.

“Welcome, Teacher.”

“Yeah. Sorry for the wait. We’ll be leaving the morning after tomorrow. I hope you can spend this time freely, but I’d like to make one request of you all.”