My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 109

“And there are two more requests.”

“You aren’t satisfied with just passing on the inheritance? You want two more demands?”

Naiad expressed his displeasure, as if every wrinkle on his face had been drawn tight.

“Since we’ve met, wouldn’t it be better to make my demands now? It’s not like we’ll see each other again.”

I replied nonchalantly, causing him to scoff in disbelief.

He had a look that seemed to say, ‘What kind of crazy person is this?’, but I just watched him calmly.

“…Why should I grant your requests?”

“I’d prefer not to have to revisit the same place twice. Even though I look like this, I’ve got a busy schedule, you know.”

“You’re just a pathetic human. You have no value. Don’t delude yourself into thinking you deserve to make demands of someone like me, the Spirit King.”

Value. Qualification.

Those are nice words.

From the perspective of a Spirit King, I would merely be a trivial creature. If he so wished, he could kill me at any moment.

However, given his cautious demeanor after mentioning the term ‘player’, it seemed more like a facade of bravado.

It was a rebellious spirit borne out of wounded pride, refusing to act as I wished.

“You’re the one who’s mistaken. My requests aren’t for me. They’re for these children.”

I patted the heads of the heroes, who accepted my touch quietly, their surprised expressions softening.

Even amidst their shock, they displayed a trust towards me.

It was a comforting feeling, knowing that they absolutely believed I would not harm them.

“I’m here to ensure these children don’t die in the war. You wouldn’t want to see heroes fall, would you?”

“….”

His brow furrowed. My threatening words had annoyed him.

However, he couldn’t outright reject my proposition. If the Human World was in peril, the Spirit Realm would be endangered too.

The reason spirits, who lived peacefully, would go so far as to aid humans despite the losses involved in contracts was solely that reason.

“…What are those requests, then?”

Reluctantly raising his hands, I removed my touch from the heroes’ heads.

“My first request is that you hand over Mare, the one you created.”

“What? You want to take the Spirit King’s Sword now?”

“Naiad, if the heroes manage to defeat Glacer, then you already had the intention to give me Mare.”

“How do you know that…? You can’t possibly read minds, can you?”

To have such a mind-reading ability… That would truly be a coveted skill.

If I could read thoughts, gaining someone’s favor would be a piece of cake.

But as far as I knew, there was no way to acquire such a skill in this world.

“I don’t have such powers. I just know the information.”

“So you’re knowledgeable about such things…”

“Anyway, I’d like you to pass the Spirit King’s Sword to me. It’s a weapon that significantly aids in slaying demons. It far exceeds the limitations imposed on spirits.”

“You bastard… Are you really thinking of giving away everything?”

“Do you want to find out just how much I can give?”

“You little….”

He shook his fist in anger but restrained himself, bowing his head and letting out a heavy sigh.

“…Fine. Take it. But who do you intend to have wield this weapon?”

“Maria.”

“Maria?”

I placed my hand atop her blonde head.

Compared to Tina or Iris, who fought wielding swords, Maria had a petite stature.

She relied more on her magical power than physical strength, so her muscles were not as developed.

“This is a sword. While it has magical effects, it may not be suitable for a magician to use.”

“I have a way, so don’t worry.”

“…Alright. I’ll let you have the sword.”

He tilted his head skeptically, but reluctantly agreed.

Great, that makes it two.

Once I collect the remaining two, I can acquire Maria’s final weapon.

“But in return, I’d like to regularly check how the sword is being used.”

“How? Are you planning to come find us every time? That would be quite a challenge, considering there aren’t many who have contracts with spirits in the Human World.”

I subtly tempted him into a contract.

“…I’ll form a contract with the heroes.”

Oh.

I never imagined he would agree so readily. It was quite an unexpected return.

“To be honest, I don’t trust you.”

“Because you don’t trust me, you’ll monitor me through the contract? To see if I’m misusing the heroes or not?”

“The Spirit King’s Sword contains tremendous power capable of twisting the fates of the Human World. If you try to misuse it, I’ll seize it immediately.”

“Do as you wish.”

“Then… the contractor this time will be the sword’s hero—”

“You’ll be forming a contract with the defender, not the sword.”

I stated as if it were a foregone conclusion. Naiad looked taken aback, letting out a scoff as he questioned me.

“What did you just say?”

Contrary to his expectations, the water element suited the paladin much better than the sword hero.

The water element itself wasn’t an outstanding offensive attribute. One could argue that fire or wind had far superior power.

Would it be good for defense, then? Not really.

It fell short compared to the earth element.

Among the elements, water was the most ambiguous one. It wasn’t remarkably strong in either attack or defense.

However, the water element boasted remarkable flexibility in both offense and defense, giving it well-rounded stats.

With Iris’s counterattack-oriented style, which transitions rapidly between offense and defense, the water element was an ideal match.

“I was the sword hero’s contractor! Why would I have to contract with a defender…!”

Naiad pounded his chest in outrage.

It seemed he had built quite a bond with the sword hero. To scold Ariel for being pathetic and harbor such attachments himself was quite the contradiction.

“Leave the past in the past. Back then, you probably had no idea about the synergies of attributes and made reckless contracts, but that’s not the case anymore.”

Even though it was just a game, I understood the significance of attributes and knew which spirits the heroes should contract with to defeat the Demon King.

Of course, I couldn’t compare myself to the experience of a Spirit King who had witnessed it in practice.

And naturally, that didn’t mean my words were one hundred percent correct.

Once reality set in, countless variables could arise.

Still, I had no choice but to act based on the foundation of the game.

The episodes that occurred in the game were transpiring in this reality as well.

“If I had a summoned hero in front of me, I would have instructed her to contract with Phoenix. The sword hero should prioritize attack and evasion over defense.”

“No matter what, if defense is lacking, you’ll die. Are you asking to have them be the first to fall in battle?”

“I’ll be right there to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

The sword hero is the highest damage dealer in the hero party.

It was only natural to prioritize offense over defense. If defense were required, then Iris or Maria would simply cover for her.

“To begin with, currently, the only ones capable of battling Tina… No, the sword hero are those ranked within the top 20 of the Demon World hierarchy.”

To put it bluntly, that’s how it is.

Honestly, I couldn’t gauge how strong Tina really was. How could I measure strength when I’m weak myself?

If an invitation to fight ever arose, I would just have to pretend to be hurt and flee.

“And even if the hero is a defender, the essence remains largely unchanged. They must share the mission of saving this world from demons.”

“The essence doesn’t differ…”

Naiad’s agitation gradually subsided as he sighed upon glimpsing Iris.

“…I may be holding on to too many regrets from the past. After all, humans and spirits are merely beings that take advantage of one another.”

“Yet you seem to value the first hero quite highly.”

“There was no one as pure as she was. I’ve never met anyone so devoid of greed in my life. Yet she was both strong and kind… I found her intriguing, and curiosity turned into interest. That’s why I remember her even now.”

Pure… is it?

Humans can fabricate such images. It’s quite naïve.

Humans, unless they are children, cannot be pure. As he said, humans are arrogant, selfish, and full of greed.

If anything, spirits would be more pure.

“She must have been a good hero.”

Even so, I chose to empathize.

Regardless of whether they were pure or impure, this story wouldn’t have continued were it not for them.

“She was indeed a good hero.”

He seemed to fall into a silence, reflecting on those days. There was a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes.

After remaining in thought for a while, he seemed to have reached a conclusion and changed his expression.

“…For now, I’ll hand over the All-Cutting Sword. We can discuss the contract afterward.”

With a snap of his fingers, the scene changed in an instant.

We suddenly found ourselves in a field.

Under the blazing sun, a cool mountain breeze brushed against us, refreshing and delightful.

As I felt my hair fluttering in the wind, I looked around. In the field stood only three tombstones with weapons planted before them.

A sword, a shield, and a staff.

They were ancient, rusted weapons.

While the stones bore a few scratches, their surroundings were well-kept, free of any weeds.

And it was clear who these tombstones were for without needing to be told.

“Is this… the resting place of the heroes?”

I didn’t know where exactly it was.

Though I had seen it in a game, the precise location wasn’t disclosed.

After passing Glacer’s trial, Naiad only brought me to the place where the first heroes were buried.

“Go.”

I followed Naiad’s footsteps. The low-level spirits, including Glacer, were nowhere to be seen.

This place only held the Spirit Kings, me, and the heroes.

Irene. Brelried. Richard Crystal.

I read the names inscribed on the tombstones.

“A successor to your power has appeared. Irene.”

He murmured softly as he brushed his hand across the tombstone.

“Now I can rest easy. I’ll take the weapon with me.”

He extracted the sword that was stuck in the ground.

It didn’t resemble a Western double-edged sword, but rather looked like a katana.

Naiad began to unsheathe the rusted blade. Although the process was a bit squeaky, as if it were caught on something, he forcibly pulled it out.

Once he finally drew it free, the blade beneath the fully rusted exterior was revealed.

“…Can this sword even be used? It once struck down the Demon King, but there are surely far better swords available.”

“Tina, give it a swing.”

I ignored the perplexed look from Naiad and nudged Tina forward. Despite her confusion, she approached Naiad.

Seeing Tina receive the sword from him, I asked Maria to create a massive ice structure.

“Strike it.”

The All-Cutting Sword possesses the ability to slice through anything. Even if it’s magic.

As instructed, Tina stood before the ice and swung the sword without hesitation.

Crack!

Tina’s empowered strike struck the ice, causing it to shatter into pieces.

“It’s sturdy even if it’s old. But it feels more like I crushed it than cut it…”

Tina glanced at me as if seeking approval.

That was odd. The effect was different from what I expected.

“Master, is this really a good sword?”

“Hand it to me.”

I received the sword from her. The moment I did, a holographic description of the item popped up before me.

[「All-Cutting Sword」 equipped.]
[Skill 「All-Cutting Sword」 can be used temporarily.]
[Current effective range is one kilometer. Maximum range is set to ten kilometers.]
[Current equipment condition is not perfect and cannot exert its full power.]

What? The name and skill appeared correctly.

All-Cutting Sword.

The final weapon of a sword hero that can slice through anything it touches.

Using the skill releases an invisible blade that can even slice through things beyond the laws of the universe.

“Everyone, step back. Maria, make the ice again.”

As Maria created another massive ice structure, I nodded, and she stepped back.

I approached and placed the sword against the ice.

It sliced through the ice as easily as cutting pudding.

Wondering if it was because I wasn’t using much strength, I leaned back and swung with all my might.

Swish!

The ice cleanly sliced apart. It didn’t break; it was cut.

“….”

This was the sword I knew.

But why couldn’t Tina manage to cut it? Was she using too much force?

…No. That couldn’t be the case.

The All-Cutting Sword was a sword that would always ‘cut.’

I wasn’t entirely sure, but I decided to examine the weapon’s functionality first.

I spread my legs apart and took a stance.

“「All-Cutting Sword」.”

Murmuring the skill, I swung the sword through the air.

Yet, as it traced a trajectory, I felt nothing flying through the air.

There should have been some sign of a blade; no sensations could be detected by human senses.

Just as I stood there confused, looking down at the sword—

“What… did you do?”

“…?”

I turned at the sudden voice of Naiad. He was staring at me in shock, pointing.

“How did you just nullify the multiple barriers I had set up in one go?”