My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 244

Crackle!

For a brief moment, sparks flew, and the electric shock spread out into the air, hitting the wolves directly.

“Yipe!”

With a short cry, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Before Maria, who had swiftly killed all the nearby wolves, could bask in her glory, Iris shouted.

“They’re coming!”

“You all take a break.”

Maria stepped forward in front of Tina and Iris, who were raising their swords. Once again, sparks flew from her staff.

“‘Lightning Field’.”

A blue light spread out on the ground, excluding only the area we were standing in, with sparks leaping upwards. The crackling sounds echoed from all around as the monsters in the depths of the forest screamed.

“Killing them one by one is annoying. If I use too much skill, the demon tribe will swarm us.”

“But it’s not good to steal my spotlight, you know?”

Tina, arms crossed and pouting her lips, showed her displeasure. Although Maria had made things easier, I wondered what was bothering her.

“Fufu. Was it to show off to the Teacher and earn some points?”

“W-How did you know?!”

“What to do~? I was planning to kill them all and take the glory for myself.”

Maria, lost in superiority, teased Tina.

“Ugh…! That’s so cowardly! I’ll do it next time!”

Do you all realize we’re in the Demon World?!

While I felt sick with nervousness, these girls showed not a hint of anxiety. They acted as if they were at home, just like usual.

“There won’t be another chance! I’ll single-handedly take down the Demon King—”

Before Maria could finish her sentence, a monster sprang out from the bushes.

“Kieeek!”

“Oh? Guess one was left?”

Before Maria’s staff even pointed at the creature, Tina moved first. However,

“‘Ascension Sword’.”

Before Tina could swing her sword, Iris chopped off the monster’s head. The headless monster fell to the ground, splattering blood in midair.

“Ugh! Iris! You had to jump in too?!”

“I just killed it because it was a threat. I’m not particularly interested in glory. As long as the four of us can return safely…”

“Hey! That’s my turn next!”

“…Alright. Next one is Tina’s.”

Iris nodded as if she had no choice. Yet despite saying that, her eyes were darting around, her ears perked up high.

With her alert posture, it seemed like I had nothing to worry about if I stood near Iris in terms of monster attacks.

“Alright! Teacher, you better watch closely! I’m going to put on an amazing show!”

“…But what’s so great about showing off?”

“That’s when the Teacher will fall for me!”

With her thumbs up, Tina’s eyes sparkled. Iris and Maria exchanged bitter smiles at Tina’s foolish declaration, which hadn’t changed even in the Demon World.

“Foolish Tina.”

“I’m not foolish?! Think about it! A strong disciple who can protect the Teacher versus a useless disciple. Which is better?!”

With such an extreme comparison, Iris and Maria hesitated to respond.

“Um, Tina. That’s a bit of an extreme example—”

“Of course it’s the strong disciple!”

“Guess you’re not listening…”

“‘Ooooh~ Look how strong my disciple is!’ is exactly what the Teacher wants!”

Tina snapped her fingers and spun around, pointing at me.

“That’s the kind of disciple the Teacher desires! Right?!”

She demanded my agreement. No, she insisted on it.

I looked around helplessly before reluctantly replying, “No.” It didn’t particularly matter to me either way as long as we could kill the Demon King.

“In that case, you should just agree with me! Damn it!”

Crouching on the ground and holding her head in despair, I wondered if she was really a hero.

“Hmm. Even if Tina shines, I doubt the Teacher would prefer her over the stronger Teacher…”

“Gah! Is that so?!”

Tina jumped up quickly.

“Then I’ll prove my strength by killing the Demon King! If I kill the Demon King, that means I’m stronger than the Teacher!”

“Isn’t the Teacher capable of taking down the Demon King by himself?”

If I could take him down by myself, then why would I have rescued you?

“Then I’ll catch him faster than the Teacher!”

Tina declared as she started running toward the Demon King’s Castle. In this ridiculous situation, where she was making up a timing game for herself, there was no way I could laugh.

“Uooooo!!”

Her nonsensical war cry was just a bonus.

“Don’t run! You fool!”

“…Teacher, will that be alright?”

I sighed as I watched Tina diminish in the distance.

“Well…”

It wasn’t alright. Nope. Not at all.

By yelling like that, she was effectively announcing, ‘I’m here!’

That would only attract the attention of the demon tribe and monsters in the Demon World, making it impossible to avoid a fight.

How long had it passed?

Kaboom!

The sound of enormous purple trees collapsing, which couldn’t be witnessed in the Human World, sent dust soaring high into the sky. Each time shrieks and crashing sounds were heard, clouds of dust piled up ominously.

While I was dumbfoundedly staring at where Tina had vanished, she suddenly appeared in front of me, wiping an unknown substance off her cheek with her palm.

“How long are you going to stand there? Hurry up! I took care of everything!”

I glanced at Iris and Maria in turn.

“I think we should go. I can’t feel any living creatures around here.”

“I don’t sense any moving monsters either.”

Although it wasn’t ‘fine’, I didn’t feel worried.

After all, she was the hero I trained. However, can we keep it quiet?

*

The distance from the Cartroad Mining Area to the Demon King’s Castle was considerable. Assuming we traveled using High-Speed Movement, it would take at least four days.

Considering the need to eliminate any lower demon tribe or monsters along the way, it would take even longer.

So, after defeating countless monsters, we finally took a break when the moon rose at night.

“Not being able to wash for four days! Maria, can’t we Teleport straight to the Demon King’s Castle?”

“To use Teleport, you need to know the place.”

“Tch! Why does the Demon King have to live deep in the Demon World? Always sending his subordinates instead. How cowardly!”

Tina poked the campfire with a stick, expressing her indignation.

“I understand not wanting to stay in a place like this for long, but keeping a pace is better. We’re going to kill none other than the Demon King. Conserve your stamina and mana to maintain peak condition.”

Even if there wasn’t a commander-grade demon, it was by no means a relaxed situation. If the Demon King was as strong as I had assumed, it would still be bearable, but the current Demon King has regained some memories thanks to the thread of fate.

He’d probably be far more powerful than I expected.

“Couldn’t we just go back home?”

“Teleporting ultimately uses mana. If the Magic Beasts form a barrier, it won’t be easy.”

Due to the nature of heroes, they have innate immunity to Magic Beasts, and I had the Purification Stone with me, but if it were a regular magician, just entering this place would render them powerless.

“Still, it’s so far away. Even with High-Speed Movement, four days to arrive.”

“Where do you think you’ll arrive in four days?”

If I hadn’t received the shoes from Ariel, I would have taken even longer or wouldn’t have been able to keep up at all.

Even using the ‘High-Speed Movement’ skill, I was running until I was out of breath. Despite exerting all my strength, I could see them adjusting their pace for me.

“That’s true. If it weren’t for the Teacher’s pace adjustment, I would have exhausted myself.”

He’s saying the opposite.

There was no pace adjustment; it was just something I had to do.

“Before we arrive, let’s review things once more. You all remember what I told you about how to take down the Demon King a few days ago, right?”

I asked while listening to the crackling fire.

“Yes.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Yeah. I remember.”

“I’m glad to hear you remember.”

Speaking in the Demon World, it was better to keep our conversation to a minimum. With this being the Demon World, I couldn’t tell where the Demon King might be eavesdropping.

“Generally, that’s right, but there will be some parts that are incorrect. Find the correct strategies as we fight.”

“Got it.”

“Good. I’ll take watch for four hours. The rest of you will split into shifts of forty minutes each.”

“It’s unfair for the Teacher to do four hours alone.”

“It’s alright. What matters most is minimizing your fatigue.”

“Still…”

“If you’re sorry, repay it by killing the demons.”

Standing up, I said. The heroes looked at me uneasily before reluctantly nodding in agreement.

*

We eliminated all the demon tribes and monsters along the way to the Demon King’s Castle for the next four days. Even after planning the shortest possible route, we ultimately arrived at the Demon King’s Castle just before dusk on the fourth day.

The towering majesty of the Demon King’s Castle, reaching up to the sky, was incomparable to any other palace I had seen before, including the Imperial Palace of the Pretéum Empire.

“It’s really massive. I’m really curious how they manage to clean such a place.”

Oh, that’s what you’re concerned about?

I gazed at the guards guarding the Demon King’s Castle hidden in the bushes.

“…Should we just charge in?”

“For now, I don’t sense any signs nearby.”

“Is that so? Then hand me the Purification Stones you have.”

“The Purification Stones?”

Despite her confusion, they willingly handed me the shards of the Purification Stone. I gathered the ten fragments in one place and spoke.

“Maria, combine these Purification Stones. You can do it with magic, just like you did with attributes and spells.”

What was possible in the game was achievable here as well. With certainty in my voice, Maria reached out to the fragments and released her mana.

The ten shards of the Purification Stone merged to form a sphere.

“Uh? Something that felt constrictive has disappeared.”

Tina said, looking around her body. Iris and Maria showed similar reactions, relief washing over their faces.

We were now in the very location closest to the Demon King, the source of Magic Beasts.

It wouldn’t have been easy to overcome the Magic Beasts with just the fragments. However, if it was the Purification Stone itself, the story would be different.

While the fragments provided localized magic immunity and removal, the Purification Stone had the power to exterminate the magic within a defined area.

This means it could be unfurled even in the Demon World. Grand Anti-Demon Magic.

“By combining the Purification Stones, we’ve formed a domain. You will be relatively free from the Demon King’s magic.”

However, how effective it would be against the Demon King himself was uncertain.

At least in the game, the domain buff would function to support against mental-based magic like ‘Illusion’, while also weakening the Demon King’s defenses to grant a damage boost.

Regardless of whether it worked or not, there was no reason not to use it.

“Alright, then we’re ready. Tina, Iris. Cut off the guard’s neck. The moment you cut, we’ll enter the Demon King’s Castle.”

“Yes!”

With that, Tina and Iris dashed out simultaneously, leaping high into the air above the two ogre guards.

Although the ogres reacted late and tried to dodge, the two girls precisely severed their heads.

The instant the ogres collapsed without even a last cry, I was about to step out of the bushes.

“Teacher!”

Maria grabbed onto my clothing.

“Teacher! The demon tribe is gathering at the Demon King’s Castle!”

“What…? Their numbers?”

“I don’t know. At least thousands… No, it looks like it could be in the tens of thousands.”

I furrowed my brow. Tens of thousands…

Were they drawn in by the power of the Purification Stone? Or did the Demon King gather the demon tribe, knowing we were approaching the castle?

I was momentarily flustered, as this had never occurred in the game, but it didn’t matter which was the case.

After all, I would have to deal with any remaining demon tribes after killing the Demon King. If we could take them all down at once, that was good enough.

“What should we do? Should we deal with the demon tribe first, and then fight the Demon King?”

“No. That’s not a good choice.”

The strategy I had in mind was to have the heroes and the Demon King clash, so he would have no time to focus on the Purification Stones. A Demon King would be able to break the Purification Stones without effort.

However, if we engaged the other demons here, and the Demon King intervened, not only would we give him a chance to shatter the Purification Stones, but we would also make the battle more difficult.

With that, we wouldn’t be able to capture the Demon King.

The Demon King was a being that could only be defeated by focusing all our strengths even against three opponents. It would be impossible to kill him comfortably in the midst of chaos with other demons interfering.

“Phew…”

It was a moment for decision. Who would I leave here while I ascended to the Demon King’s Castle?

In truth, the choice was already determined. There’s really no easy way to get through to the very end.

“Maria, take Tina and Iris and head to the Demon King’s Castle.”

I said while equipping the bracelet Ariel had made for me.

“Huh? What about you?!”

“I have no choice.”

“No matter how much of a Teacher you are, you can’t possibly kill that many demons!”

“I know. But it’s something I have to do. Understand that everyone here is risking their lives.”

Yet I didn’t intend to fight without any preparation.

“Tina!!”

Tina looked back at me, her expression urgent as if she sensed the demon tribe gathering around the Demon King’s Castle.

I drew my Glass Sword.

“I want you to use All-Cutting Sword five times against this sword! Can you do that?”

“Huh?!”

“Hurry up! We don’t have time!”

“Four!”

I would use every means at my disposal to ensure I wouldn’t watch the demon tribes ascend the Demon King’s Castle.