My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 113

“Oh, you’ve arrived, Lord Praus.”

As soon as I returned to the Duke’s residence, the butler rushed over, breathless yet elegantly placing his hand over his heart and slightly bowing at the waist.

“…Is there something going on?”

He was Tori’s loyal subject. The kind who would heed only Tori’s words and would risk his life for him.

The fact that he urgently sought me meant that I must have issued an order for him to bring me in the moment I arrived.

The only problem that could have arisen during my absence would be the noble assembly. It seems things have gone quite awry.

“Has something happened to Duke Tori?”

“…That is something Duke Tori will explain to you himself. Let’s go.”

The butler moved swiftly, and we exchanged glances before following him.

*

“Oh, you’ve come.”

As soon as we stepped into the office, he sprang up from his seat.

“First, come and sit here.”

Tori gestured toward the sofa and guided us. As we cautiously seated ourselves, several maids entered, placing tea and cookies in front of us.

“But… it seems like there are more people with you?”

Tori’s gaze was fixed on a woman with red hair. A Phoenix taking on a human form.

“…Though she appears human, she is, for now, a Phoenix.”

“P-Phoenix? Are you referring to the Fire Spirit King?”

His mouth dropped open, his eyes blinking in disbelief. Seeing him so shocked made it clear just how significant the Phoenix’s status was, but I was only feeling slightly uneasy.

The title of Fire Spirit King might sound grand, but based on the terms of our contract, she was practically a glutton.

“You certainly have a knack for surprising me every time.”

I could only imagine how shocked he would be to hear that I also made a contract with a Naiad.

“This doesn’t seem like the time for frivolous chatter. The reason you sought me urgently was that something has gone wrong in the noble assembly, right?”

“Y-Yes…”

I wished for no issues to arise in the noble assembly, yet it appeared that things weren’t going as I had hoped.

After all, it wasn’t likely that one of the largest plotlines in this world, the ‘Unification of the Empire’, would resolve easily.

“Then hurry up and explain.”

What sort of problem has occurred that required my immediate attention?

“First, the information you passed on to Princess Seri has indeed entered verification. Since multiple nobles are involved, it will take some time to investigate, but if it is all deemed true, it would greatly help in diminishing Crown Prince Chris’s influence.”

The information I had given to Seri was based on quests from the actual game, so it should be concluded as true.

If that happens, insiders would begin to suspect each other for passing on information to the enemy faction, leading to division. Just as I had anticipated.

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“However, that was where the good news ended. It seems that all those who attended the noble assembly, even among my faction, believe that Princess Seri is unfit to be Empress.”

“…Why’s that?”

“Setting aside the issue of gender, the nobles seem to think that the only thing Princess Seri has to offer is ‘Praus’. In simpler terms, just because you’re capable doesn’t mean Princess Seri can be capable too.”

It wasn’t surprising that they would think like that, given the deep-rooted image of her being inept.

However, all I did was support her; it was her strength that propelled her forward.

To judge her as incapable from that perspective meant that the nobility lacked the vision to recognize talent, or perhaps they were ignoring it in order to align with the Crown Prince.

“Moreover, she intends to walk a path that is completely opposite to that of the Emperor and Crown Prince… It seems they do not look favorably upon her. Yet, Princess Seri bravely proposed solutions to the issues plaguing each territory. She stated she could be of help. But since the nobles all ignored her, her voice diminished.”

Hearing what transpired in the noble assembly made me slightly regretful.

Perhaps I should have gone farming right after the assembly.

I seemed to have been overly trusting of how Princess Seri would behave during the noble assembly.

Now that I thought about it, she had only just made her debut.

No matter how capable Seri was, she wasn’t fully at peace with her self-worth yet, and still needed someone to guide her.

If a Hero had played that role in the game, then I should have stepped into that role in reality.

From the nobles’ perspective, I must have been a “variable” they couldn’t predict, which is why they couldn’t easily refute Seri’s words.

Still, I chose to ‘neglect’ her with the hope that she would grow. I aimed to make her as independent from me as possible.

That decision had now resulted in the failure of this assembly.

“I see.”

Even so, this wasn’t the end of the world. So far, this was within the realm of anticipated problems.

After all, I never expected any of the nobles to align with Princess Seri’s faction.

The discord I caused among the dukes was more about diminishing their power than trying to recruit them to my side. So, it couldn’t be called a complete failure.

However, the real problem seemed to lie ahead.

If Seri had been taken advantage of, Tori would surely have defended her. His status as a Duke gave considerable weight to his words.

Having taken measures to counter Duke Kalus in the previous noble assembly, sentiments towards Princess Seri must have changed significantly.

Yet, if she was still utterly defeated, it was highly likely that the Crown Prince had maneuvered behind the scenes.

The nobles must have concocted some schemes to prevent Princess Seri from gaining their support.

If that was the case, perhaps it would have been better to reveal the information I had rather than indulge in trickery. It could have benefitted from leverage through threats.

Even so, there was still ample quest information available. I could just wait for another opportunity to arise.

“What did the Crown Prince say during the assembly? He wouldn’t have remained silent.”

“Among those in the empire, you’re probably the only one who calls him ‘that guy’.”

“So what was his response?”

“The Crown Prince said nothing at all.”

I had to doubt my ears at his statement.

“Really?”

“It doesn’t mean he said absolutely nothing, but at the very least, he didn’t interject or mock when Seri spoke at the noble assembly.”

That Crown Prince wouldn’t react like that…

Thinking back to the last assembly when he couldn’t hide his agitation, it was impossible for him not to react.

He must have been anxious since his position was being threatened, potentially even the throne he aspired to. Not feeling uneasy would be even stranger.

Could it be that he obtained something beneficial before this noble assembly?

For him to act without worry meant he likely wielded some significant ‘influence’…

What could it be? What could it be?

Suddenly, I recalled Tori’s wording and muttered without thinking.

“ …’The Crown Prince’?”

“…”

“Does that mean there was someone else who rebutted Princess Seri besides the Crown Prince?”

“Hm…”

He took his time to sip his tea. While I was on the edge of my seat, he remained so relaxed.

Clink.

He set his cup down on the saucer. His leisurely demeanor conveyed an elegance that made me scoff unintentionally.

“Spit it out already.”

“The person who rebutted Princess Seri was Soro.”

“… Soro?”

A figure I did not expect popped out, and I repeated her name multiple times in my mouth.

That psychopath and ignorant woman rebutted Seri? She wasn’t one to verbally hit back at others, was she?

That role should mostly fall to her younger brother, Ter.

This meant someone had to have instructed Soro on how to act during the assembly.

And there was only one person in this world who could do that.

The Emperor.

Emperor Lupin Aiter Pretéum.

Soro was the only one able to command the White Light Corps.

“She was particularly obstructive concerning issues related to slave liberation. She even punctuated it by saying, ‘As long as I’m around, there will absolutely be no liberation of other races from slavery, so don’t fantasize and stay humble as before.’”

The level of disrespect towards the Emperor’s daughter had crossed far beyond the line.

No matter how much she had been regarded as inept until now, she was still royalty. To say something so brazenly indicated that the Emperor’s directive was assured.

She wouldn’t harbor any personal grudge against Seri.

In other words, the Emperor probably wanted to convey this to Seri:

“I have nothing to give you, so kindly give up.”

“A declaration of war…”

At my words, he nodded.

“Right. I, too, didn’t expect that woman would issue such a declaration. And now Urka has gotten caught up in this.”

“…Urka?”

For decades, Urka had eagerly awaited the liberation of slaves from other races, so there was no way they would remain silent.

“Right. They said they would conduct a ‘Formal Duel’.”

“What? Urka against Soro?”

His statement made me facepalm. My head was pounding.

Of course, it would have to be that way. Given their personalities, neither would simply fight with words.

Both of them had been assessed as S-Class. They must take pride in their strength. It made no sense for them to engage in a verbal fight.

Especially since the issue of slave liberation was a deeply personal matter for Urka.

They must have responded with an attitude like, ‘Eh~ that doesn’t exist, so forget it.’ How could they hold back?

“A formal duel… it’s a meaningless duel. Can it be canceled?”

“It can. But the public would probably think, ‘Even among S-classes, Urka is weaker than Soro.’ Would Urka be able to accept that?”

“… I doubt it.”

“S-Classes take great pride in their own strength. If someone immediately tells you that you’re weak, can you bear it?”

For me, that would be easy, since I quite liked being weak.

Survival was more important to me than that kind of pride.

Nonetheless, I wasn’t entirely unaware of Urka’s feelings.

I also got really riled up when I was told that I wasn’t good at the game. I understood their anger.

“Rather than let their pride suffer a bruise, they’d rather fight to the death, I suppose.”

“First, we should meet with Princess Seri and Urka. Where are they located?”

“Since the assembly ended, Seri hasn’t left her room, and Urka is probably training in the dedicated training area.”

Is she succumbing to her hikikomori instincts…?

It seemed I’d have to take care of her again. From what I gathered, she had been working hard without me, so I should provide some comfort.

“Got it. I’ll go meet both of them. By the way, was there anything else that happened during the noble assembly?”

“… I get the feeling I realized I was touching a foe I’d rather avoid. Is that trivial?”

His lackluster statement prompted me to rise from my seat. It wasn’t even worth answering.

“Touching a foe you’d rather avoid would be mutual, wouldn’t it?”

“…Is that so? Since you defeated the Black Dragon.”

No, not just me.

The Heroes were right here.

“Right. With you having defeated Urka, we have no worries at all. So, in that context, I hope you guide her to be able to defeat Soro. I’m sure if it’s you, she would cast aside her pride and be willing to learn.”

Though he meant the Heroes, I found myself pulled into some troublesome business.