My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 103

“Almost there.”

Whoosh!

The fierce wind swept past my ears, which sounded deadly just by being heard.

The relentless howling of the wind and the swirling snowstorm blurred my vision.

“Thanks to that little lady back there, we could come up here easily. Normally, the carriage wouldn’t be able to enter from where the snow begins.”

I had asked Maria to clear the snow along the horses’ path. Because of that, we were able to navigate through the snow that reached halfway up to the horses’ legs without trouble.

Indeed, in the fantasy world, magicians were the best.

“Thanks to you, I can check out the Glacier Region. I’ve only heard of it from the stories of adventurers.”

Listening to his voice filled with admiration, I pulled out a water bottle and spilled a little on the ground.

In less than ten seconds, the moisture froze. It made me realize just how low the temperature was.

“Oh wow… this is amazing.”

“Let’s get down.”

As I completely rolled up the carriage canvas and set foot on the ground, Maria’s Wind Magic had cleared the snow, so my feet weren’t buried.

We pushed through the snowstorm and entered the Glacier Region.

“This place…”

Enormous ice reflecting a harmonious blue greeted us.

The giant blue crystals, so large that I had to tilt my head back to look, sparkled like gems under the sun.

Thinking each one was like a work of art, I walked slowly through the Glacier Region.

Even the Three Heroes walked with their mouths agape at the scenery.

I couldn’t help but feel the same. It was impossible not to be amazed by such a view; the expression management had failed me.

“Eh? It’s not snowing….”

Tina turned back. Beyond the boundary of the Glacier Region, snow was still falling heavily.

“Teacher, teacher! What’s this phenomenon? Is it magic?”

Tina pulled at my sleeve and asked. Just as I was about to answer her, I remembered the coachman was there and fell silent.

The coachman who overheard Tina’s words chuckled and said lightly, “About a year ago, the Magic Guild Leader visited here to investigate. I heard they said this place was created by some kind of magic, but who set up such magic is unknown. There are also speculations that it was the first Hero who did it.”

“The first Hero? But they died, didn’t they? Can they maintain this phenomenon even after death?”

“Well… I wouldn’t know since I’m not a magician. Maybe that little lady over there knows?”

“…Please don’t keep calling me little lady! I’m a grown woman too.”

What kind of grown woman is thirteen?

In fantasy settings, you’re considered an adult at fifteen at the very least.

As Maria huffed in annoyance, the coachman awkwardly scratched his head.

“If it’s true that the first Hero did this, it’s hard to believe how incredible that person was.”

Iris was in awe as if it didn’t matter who created it. Seeing Iris, usually so composed, display such a pure reaction was refreshing.

She looked so adorable that I ruffled her hair playfully.

“T-Teacher?”

“Looks good.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t mind me right now. Just do what you want, like those kids.”

I pointed at the two Heroes acting freely beside us.

“Uhmm… wouldn’t that be a bit hard for you, Teacher?”

I gazed at the two Heroes engaged in their shenanigans, puzzled by Iris’s wry smile.

I could see Tina, who was smashing nearby glaciers to taste them, and Maria still sulking.

“…I see.”

If Iris was like that, it would definitely be troublesome.

“Wow! It tastes terrible!”

Why are you eating that…?

*

I told the coachman he could head back now. It was better not to expose more information.

I didn’t forget to pay him either.

Originally promised a single gold coin, I handed him three coins, and his mouth nearly split open in joy as he bowed repeatedly.

Watching the departing coachman, I turned around to find Maria standing in front of me.

“You’ve noticed, right, Teacher?”

“…About what?”

“There’s no way someone who taught me about magic wouldn’t know. Magic cannot be maintained after death, as there’s no medium to absorb the mana floating in nature. In other words, this Glacier Region being maintained means it’s the work of a living being. And this artificial mana flow…”

“Right, it’s a Barrier.”

“Exactly.”

She made a cute little fist. She seemed pleased that her guess was correct.

“This Glacier Region was created by the Water Spirit King.”

This Glacier Region, formed by the Level 9 magic that alters nature itself, was constructed with such high-level magic that even most magicians would not recognize it as a barrier.

Only a Level 8 Magic Guild Leader would notice.

“The Water Spirit King?”

“Yes.”

He had deliberately left traces in the Human World for the next Hero to find him. And the moment we entered the barrier, the ‘test’ had begun.

“Get ready.”

The Glacier Region may seem like a sanctuary that doesn’t pose threats from the snowstorm and has relatively mild temperatures, but that was far from the truth.

This place was home to monsters that were different from common fiends.

“Huh? Prepare for what—”

Crash!

The first to react was Iris. She shattered a piece of ice taking the form of an icicle that was flying toward me. I stared blankly at the shattered ice crystals scattering before my eyes.

…Wait a second.

Was that aimed at me first?

I may be the tallest, but there are other kids here too! Why target me first when others are much stronger?!

“Just as I expected from you, Teacher. Feeling the presence from afar! If you hadn’t said anything, we would’ve been ambushed.”

What are you talking about?

That’s not what I meant when I said prepare! I didn’t expect monsters would be waiting for us already!

[That’s… A strange presence for a monster.]

Pasma, with his good eyesight, spoke while looking at something on the glacier cliff. To me, it looked like a tiny speck, making it hard to identify.

But thinking about what might be inside the Glacier Region, it could be a ‘Low-Level Spirit’.

The fact that it showed up this far out indicates it was a sentry.
So, at the top of the cliff, it would more than likely be a Low-Level Ice Spirit, ‘Frost’, or a Low-Level Water Spirit, ‘Nymph’.

“That would make sense. It’s a spirit, after all.”

[A spirit?]

“A spirit?”

Pasma and the Heroes looked at me with short exclamations of surprise. Why are you astonished when you can see what it is…?

“I expected it to be… less impressive.”

Let’s not say that in front of the spirits, Tina.

“But I heard spirits generally have gentle natures. Why did it suddenly attack us?”

“Whether it’s a spirit or not… It doesn’t change the fact that it tried to attack the Teacher.”

Before I could answer Maria’s question, Iris coldly interjected. Her narrowed eyes were full of malice.

The aura of past glory began to envelop her. A blue aura was increasingly forming, becoming larger and clearer.

“Teacher, what should we do? Should we just kill them all?”

The ice under Iris’s feet cracked ominously. She looked ready to charge.

“No.”

At my denial, Iris’s body, leaning forward, drew back again.

“…Huh?”

She looked back at me, bewildered. The other Heroes paused in their battle preparations.

“W-Why not?”

“Those spirits are charging to kill us, but they don’t truly intend to kill anyone. Just don’t worry, and subdue them until they’re incapacitated.”

“But just now, if we had been hit, we could have died.”

If there’s any risk of death, I’d heal them.

In fact, during the game, if someone got eliminated during the test, they’d be expelled while their health was restored.

“It’s fine.”

No one responds.

Everyone had strange expressions. It seemed they expected me to say to kill them without hesitation since they tried to kill us. That included Pasma standing beside me.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m actually a kind person, okay?”

“…To meet the Water Spirit King, follow my instructions for now.”

The Water Spirit King looks for two qualities in a Hero.

The first is strength, and the second is compassion.

It’s the ideology that a Hero should be both strong and gentle.

This came from the influence of the first Hero he contracted with.

It sounds absurd to have to show mercy when the other side is out to kill, but I had no choice but to comply.

“Teacher! There’s something huge over there!”

The moment Tina pointed into the air, an overwhelming number of icicles charged towards us.

Are those just threats…?

Am I wrong about the intel I have?

The presence was much more threatening than I’d seen in the game, making me doubt the reliability of my information.

It was then.

Maria cast a Fire Barrier into the air, melting down the icicles raining down like a deluge.

Tina and Iris, who had been poised for an attack, straightened themselves.

“Are you telling us to show mercy against those?”

Maria looked back at me, puzzled.

“Yes.”

“Really… you ask for something difficult. But since your orders have never been wrong, I’ll trust you again this time.”

Flames roared from Maria’s hands.

“I honestly don’t know what’s happening, but I’ll give it a shot since you said so.”

Tina, who had formed her sword aura like Iris, dismissed her aura.

Surprisingly, it was Iris who accepted this the least. She pouted her lips stubbornly and reluctantly let go of her aura.

“I understand. Then I’ll only hit them to the point where they’re not dead.”

As she tapped the blade hilt, her wide-open eyes had already changed into that of a beast.

Are you really going to only hit them to the point of not dying…? Can you loosen up your expression a bit?