My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 112

[Ehri…….]

Pasma’s soul trembles. I look at her with pity.

Seeing her lover sad because of herself seemed unbearable.

“……”

What should I say in response to her question?

Unfortunately, there were no items in the game to bring the dead back to life.

If there was any possibility, it would be an Easter egg, but there were no Easter eggs that resurrected the dead in the strategy guide community.

Even if players couldn’t find it, in reality, finding an Easter egg seemed almost impossible now.

So, there was only one thing I could say here.

“Don’t misunderstand. I am not a god.”

I just knew more about this world than others.

To those who know nothing, I might seem like a divine being, but in the end, I was just a mere human.

“Y-Yeah… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said something so pointless.”

[Hey, couldn’t you have said that a bit more kindly? How could you say that to Ehri…….]

If I didn’t lack facial expression control skills, I might have been able to offer her a bit more comfort.

But saying vague things like this would only make it worse.

If it were in the game, it would have been okay to cling to false hopes and expectations.

However, now that it was reality, such hopes and expectations were merely traps that destroy people.

“What difference does it make if I speak kindly? You are dead, and there is no power to turn that back. I’m only stating the facts.”

“……Is Pasma listening next to me?”

Ehri, who heard my mutterings, scratched her head awkwardly as if she hadn’t realized.

“Because I have a sword.”

I said, showing my vengeance.

“Ah… I see. I showed a shameful side to him, even as a Spirit King.”

“What does it matter if you look ashamed? What’s so important about such a status now?”

What benefit is there in worrying about trivial things? Especially since no one is watching.

“Of course… I am the king who governs the spirits. Even if it’s tough, I need to stay strong…”

“There are only you, me, and Pasma here. What status do you need to think about?”

“What? Is that supposed to be comfort?”

“It is not comfort.”

If I genuinely wanted to comfort her, I would have chosen my words carefully so as not to hurt Ehri. But rather than comforting her, I made her face reality.

I believed that would help later.

I gradually looked up at the sky, which was turning black.

“I cannot revive Pasma. But I will definitely kill Peremus, the one who killed Pasma. I promise.”

“……That’s comforting, isn’t it?”

Ariel, who smiled languidly, looked up at the sky with me.

“Thank you, Praus.”

“I didn’t say anything worthy of thanks. I was just stating what must be done.”

After all, he was an enemy we would have to face during the Demon War. We had to reach a definitive conclusion, whether we died or he did.

We couldn’t face the Demon King without killing Peremus.

“By the way, Praus, you knew those kids were heroes from the beginning, right?”

“……Yes.”

“Then you knew the heroes’ power could be transferred?”

The setting allowed heroes’ powers to be transferred if one borrowed the power of the World Tree.

However, that was just a setting.

If the powers of a hero were to be transferred, the protagonist would also have to be changed, but it seemed the company had no intention of implementing that as there was no option for transfer.

It was merely to indicate that such a setting exists.

“I knew, but I didn’t think those kids would ever transfer their powers.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I am here.”

I answered with a tone that suggested there was no need to even say it. Upon hearing that, Ariel smiled as if relieved.

“Ha… haha! That’s right. You’re here. I’m really glad that you’re a good person.”

I thought of using Ariel’s feelings if necessary.

Can someone like that really be called good?

“……Let’s go back now.”

I said this instead of responding, turning my body.

Just when I was about to head back to where the spirits were, at the entrance, many spirits, including the Heroes and Spirit Kings, were watching us.

They seemed to be waiting for our conversation to end.

“Teacher! We made a contract!”

She raised her left hand high to show the flame pattern on the back of her hand. Then she lifted the red sword in her right hand.

“I got the sword too!”

She shouted while showing off the ‘Fire Sword – Flamme.’

Did she really give it to her?

I never imagined I would obtain the Spirit King’s Sword in such a ridiculous manner, following Ariel.

Both a child insisting on a contract and a Spirit King being swayed by such a child were impressive in a bad way.

“You are Praus, right? You will need to serve me meals from now on. Otherwise, I might just terminate the contract, you know? The weapon has to be returned too!”

“……Why the heck should I do that annoying stuff?”

“You’re going to need my power, after all.”

That was true, but I didn’t want to agree to it.

The thought of having someone more bothersome than Ariel tagging along made my head already throb.

“Phoenix, if you can’t manage the Spirit Realm like Ariel, don’t do it. If you burden me for no reason, I will kill you.”

“Don’t worry. I’m a Spirit King. I can just offload some of it to Ignis and Ifrit.”

Declaring outright that she would abuse her power, I felt sorry for the two spirits serving such a person as a higher-up.

“Ariel will do the dishes.”

“Huh? Dishes?”

“Well… doing the laundry would be good for you.”

“What what?! Are you treating the Spirit King like a maid?!”

“If you don’t want to, go hungry.”

“I think you have a misunderstanding. I’m the one holding the power in this contract! Do you really think I can defeat the Demon King without my power?!”

I adequately ignored Phoenix’s loud complaints. It felt like my ears were going to be clogged up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naiad approaching Ariel.

“Ariel, are you… still unable to get away?”

“……I probably won’t ever be able to.”

“That’s why I told you not to give it at all….”

“I can’t help it. I still love him. If someone you fall head over heels for shows up, you’ll understand me then.”

“……That day has already passed.”

That day had already passed.

It implied that there was someone liked before but no longer liked.

It was a line from the game, seen in an episode where Ariel and Naiad drew a bit closer.

At that time, players had asked the developers who Naiad loved, but they had never revealed it officially.

Naturally, as there was no description in the scenario, everyone was in doubt.

But now, I felt I understood.

I knew who Naiad had loved.

Why Naiad said such things to Ariel.

With Naiad’s ambiguous words, Ariel tilted her head. He no longer threw glances at her.

“Praus, it seems another one has joined us. Or perhaps it’s two.”

“Looks like I’ll become an old person with a hunchback at this rate.”

“Hunchbacked old man? What a strange word.”

I began to think that soon, I might need to expand the house in Secul.

Every time I went out looking for artifacts, it felt like more and more companions were joining, like in a shounen manga….

Not a misunderstanding, right?

“Teacher! Pet me!”

I sighed as I looked down at the black-haired girl presenting her head. She was one of the causes of my headache.

“……From now on, think before you act.”

“Ehhehe. I did think and act!”

Sigh, the backtalk.

She just seemed happy with the pat I reluctantly gave her. She was cute, so I let it slide.

“Teacher, who should I make a contract with?”

Maria asked bluntly. It seemed she was sulking as she wasn’t getting praised while the others were.

“Earth attribute.”

Earth attributes play a significant role in absorbing and releasing mana.

In fact, the source of mana starts from the earth. That’s where the roots of the World Tree touch the ground.

Additionally, Spirit King Orient plays a role in planting and managing a part of the power that the World Tree possesses in the Human World, distinguishing him from other Spirit Kings.

Thanks to that, mana could flow even in the Human World.

“Have the monsters near the border area I told you to clean up dealt with?”

“Yeah. It’s all cleared.”

“Good. That’s a relief. We’ll be heading there next.”

There, we would obtain Iris’s ultimate weapon and Maria’s ultimate weapon by acquiring the Spirit King’s last sword.

“Are we heading there right away?”

“No, first to Aus Territory.”

Even though there was no signal coming through the transfer scroll, I needed to resolve any issues in case Seri made a mistake at the noble assembly.

As we farmed artifacts to prepare for the Demon War, making the princess ascend to emperor was also important.

The empire would have to achieve harmony to withstand the Demon War much more easily.

“Let’s get ready.”

Even though there wasn’t much luggage to pack, we could still leave as we were.

“Aren’t you coming back soon! Praus!”

“Bring back lots of tasty food!”

Low-level spirits jumped up and down, raising their hands high. It seemed the effects of the food were significant.

But hey, I’m not your chef?

“U-um, please be careful on your way back…”

Glacer timidly said, hiding behind the low-level spirits.

“Glacer, show some confidence!”

“Show it!”

“Confidence is overflowing. It’s just that dealing with people is a bit tricky.”

Glacer made excuses that weren’t really excuses, and I couldn’t help but smile inwardly at their bickering.

“If anything happens, send a signal. Iris and I are connected. If you ever need help, I hope you tell me.”

“……I’ll do that.”

“So you’re going to Aus Territory, right? I’ll use teleportation.”

Naiad creates a magic circle below our feet.

Myself, the heroes, and the two Spirit Kings step onto the magic circle.

“Take care.”

As we received Naiad’s farewell, we left the Glacier Region behind.

*

Upon returning to Aus Territory, we faced a single problem right away.

“What? Urka and Soro?”

It seemed the two S-Class heroes were going to have a formal duel.