My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 102

“Then I’ll be off. I’ll hear the results later.”

“…Yes. Please take care, Praus.”

The princess spoke to me, yet her gaze was directed at the heroes standing to my left and right.

Is she feeling jealous?

If she has a yandere trait stemming from affectionate deficiency, then I knew what needed to be done.

I slowly approached her, whispering softly in her ear so as not to startle her.

“I believe in you, Seri.”

“!”

Just as I spoke those words, I noticed her shoulders tremble slightly just before I fell away. Was that the reaction I was expecting?

I subtly glanced at her face.

Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth was agape enough to see her teeth and tongue. It was bright, but there was something unsettling about her expression.

“Yes!”

Hmm. I guess this is it…?

“I’ll be back.”

I casually ruffled her hair and turned away.

“By the time I return, I hope you’ll be a proper woman.”

…Did I mistakenly mean a proper candidate for Empress?

I decided to think of it that way. Just as I was about to take a step, Urka suddenly embraced me from behind. More accurately, it would be appropriate to say I was picked up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

“Plaus! Why don’t you do that to me?!”

The touch on my back that was made by her arms was very distracting. It was already summer, and the fabric of my clothes had become thin, so this kind of contact could lead to very uncomfortable consequences for me.

For example, I might end up falling for her.

“Let go of me….”

“You could at least say a few words when we part.”

“Why would I flatter you?”

“Hey? Am I not pretty?”

When she asked that, I felt an urge to respond sarcastically, but honestly, Urka was pretty.

Her pink hair suited her well, just like in the illustrations, and her figure was something to admire.

If I had to point out a flaw, it might be that she wore highly revealing clothes as everyday wear, something others would never dare to wear.

[That woman is still dressing so shamelessly.]

“Just let it go….”

“I can’t just let it go!”

That wasn’t meant for you.

“…It means I don’t like what you’re doing.”

“So you admit I’m pretty?”

“….”

“Seeing you refuse to acknowledge it makes you cuter.”

Urka teased me by poking my cheek playfully.

“Stop poking. If you’re over thirty, it’s about time you acted more mature, don’t you think?”

“Hmph. I only do this to you.”

That sounds worse.

“So you really won’t say it? I plan on protecting Princess Seri while Plaus is away, so shouldn’t that earn me some appreciation?”

Though I had no desire to oblige her wishes, her argument was valid.

“I get it without you saying it. Even if I seem like this, I trust you.”

The pressure around my neck loosened slightly from her hold.

“Uh… Is that so?”

“If I truly couldn’t trust you or found you unpleasant, I would have thrown you off when you picked me up.”

In truth, I couldn’t shake her off.

Despite her arms being thin and soft, how could she have such strength…?

As expected, fantasy is still fantasy.

“Geez~ That means you acted like you didn’t want me, but secretly you did—”

“No.”

“Tch.”

As I cut off the part that could lead to misunderstanding, Urka clicked her tongue in disappointment.

Now that I thought about it, her mental age was painfully obvious.

…Is it an insult to Tina? No, maybe they’re both similar.

“Once you’re done, let’s wrap it up. Time is scarce.”

“Got it. Just don’t get hurt on your way back.”

Urka, now behaving herself, adjusted her clothes like a wife seeing her husband off on a business trip.

“…Don’t you get hurt either.”

“Don’t worry. Do you think I became S-Class for nothing? Be careful yourself, and with your disciples too.”

“Yeah.”

I watched Urka thump her chest confidently and then glanced at Seri.

She was smiling, but there was a noticeable tremor in her lips.

It seemed she wasn’t too pleased with this situation.

If Seri had yandere traits and she liked me, it would make sense.

Yandere’s possessiveness is something that can captivate the subculture domain.

I sincerely hoped I hadn’t conveyed any unnecessary information to Urka.

I shook off my worries as I turned my body.

“Yeah! I’ll be back!”

Tina waved her hand high.

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be careful.”

Iris gave a polite bow.

Bow.

Maria simply nodded her head in silence.

The three girls greeted me in their own styles and then turned to follow me.

*

I safely arrived at Todiah Territory using Teleport. The location was the stable in front of the Duke’s mansion.

Here, I planned to head up to the Northern Snow Mountains with the coachman. Teleport wouldn’t work unless it was a place Maria remembered.

“The place we’re going will be cold. So Maria, I need you to cast a Barrier spell not just for the carriage but on everyone individually. It must be unaffected by temperature or weather.”

“Yes. Understood. That’s not difficult.”

“And one more thing.”

I faced her directly while extending my finger. I was about to inform her of how to enter the 8th tier.

“In the future, when practicing, cast your spells as small as possible.”

“Small?”

Maria looked puzzled, unable to comprehend my words.

“To put it simply, make your spells small. But put all of your mana into the spell.”

Compression training.

This was the key training method that would help Maria break through the 8th tier when she was stuck in the 7th.

Since her skills with barriers were solid and it was time for her to surpass the 8th tier, I figured it would be a good time to share this knowledge.

“But the more mana you put in, the larger the spell becomes.”

“That’s the common notion. But the possibilities of magic are endless. No one has dared to try maintaining a small spell while pouring in their mana. It’s a situation of depleted creativity.”

“Depleted creativity…”

That was actually a line from the game.

This compression training was a method the Magic Guild Leader introduced after recognizing Maria’s developing talents, but it was purely an overreach in some ways.

“If you train this effectively, you won’t experience mana overflow, and you’ll be able to employ much more practical magic. You might even push through to the 8th tier.”

“8th tier… Is that really possible?”

I matched her gaze as she appeared discouraged.

She must have thought no progress had been made in months, but at the core, swordsmanship and magic are the same.

Just as one becomes proficient in swordsmanship by wielding their sword more, the same applies with magic—the more one uses it, the more skilled they become.

“You can do it. Have I ever said something to you that could lead to your detriment?”

“No.”

“Then do it. Make it small. Make it as small as possible. If you succeed with one spell, try for two. Once two succeed, aim for three, and gradually increase the number. It will likely be much harder than you expect, but once you manage to do it, you’ll adapt quickly.”

“Understood. I’ll give it a try.”

I gently stroked Maria’s blonde hair, who accepted my request without hesitation. She was grinning foolishly at my touch.

“Ehhehe….”

After laughing for a while, she suddenly seemed curious and tugged at my sleeve.

“Ah, by the way, Teacher.”

“What is it?”

“You’re a swordsman, right?”

Neither a swordsman nor a magician, actually.

I longed to tell her the truth, but it didn’t seem plausible to claim I was an ordinary person anymore.

After all, I was already regarded as a hero by those I had just met, and how would the heroes who had witnessed the majority of the scenes react to this?

I had no choice but to nod my head.

“But how do you know about magic training methods? If I watch closely, it seems you know more than Lady Ariel.”

In reality, what Ariel knew was the same information I possessed. However, I couldn’t demonstrate it myself, so I had trusted it to Ariel.

Moreover, since the structures of mana formation in spirits and humans varied, their training methods differed.

So I had occasionally thrown in advice to facilitate efficient magical training.

“I’ve just read a few documents related to magic studies.”

“But you speak with such confidence for having only read a few times. Who is the person giving you this information Teacher? They must be a great magician, right?”

How unnecessarily perceptive.

Thinking of the Magic Guild Leader who came up with this training method, I felt they could indeed be called a great magician. After all, they were the only one to break through the 8th tier at this time.

But more than that, I was concerned about why Maria was asking such questions.

This meant that those around me were beginning to suspect my vast knowledge and information.

In truth, I had already exposed numerous pieces of information.

Rushing to grow the heroes.

Searching for artifacts.

Facilitating Seri’s ascension to the throne as Empress.

I couldn’t hide it even if I wanted to.

Fortunately, for now, they believed there was some great organization behind me, but someday they would realize all that knowledge and information sprang from my own head.

When that day came, I had no way of knowing how they’d respond.

Some might try to use me, while others might see me as a danger and attempt to kill me.

Especially since matters like corruption could create enemies, I couldn’t simply relax.

I should find a way to preemptively deal with this.

“…Right.”

“I’d like to meet them someday.”

Someday, I would meet the Magic Guild Leader. Whether that would be as a teacher giving guidance or a magician attempting to kill her, I didn’t know.

“Teacher, don’t you have any teachings for us?”

“Now that you’ve reached Sword Master, what you ought to do is draw out the mana within you to increase the size of your Aura Sword. While still engaging in physical training, of course.”

“Is that all?”

“If you can manage the Aura Sword steadily, your next step is to spar with Maria to adapt to fights against magicians. I’ve put it off until now, but it should be possible.”

Since they couldn’t block magic before manifesting the Aura Sword, I had forbidden Tina and Iris from sparring with Maria.

But now that they had fully risen to the ranks of Sword Masters, they should be fine.

“Understood.”

“I understand!”

After ruffling Tina’s and Iris’s hair, I turned my body towards the stable.

*

“Well, it’s an honor to serve you, Lord Praus.”

“Is that so?”

“But why are you going to the Northern Glacier Region? I’ve heard a gigantic Ice Spirit resides there.”

“You’re talking too much. Just do your job.”

His tone was still annoying. Even when trying to get close, his mannerisms made it hard to do so, not that I even wanted to.

“Ah….”

“The Teacher finds it hard to discuss trivial matters. You might find it somewhat cold-hearted, but please understand. She rarely opens up to strangers.”

Iris smiled and translated my thoughts.

How commendable. I’ll have to pat her on the head later. I’d love to give her tail a scratch too.

“Is that so? Uh… if that’s the case….”

The coachman awkwardly scratched his cheek while driving the carriage.