My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 118

“Huuh…”

Currently, Urka was in a state of unleashed spirit power, much like when we sparred. Her hair was ablaze, with fierce flames swirling around her.

If there was a difference from before, it was the special weapon she held in her hands.

Fire Sword – Flamme.

It was the sword given to Tina by the Fire Spirit King, Phoenix.

Boom.

Every time she swung the sword, a heat emanated from the flames that was unlike anything before. Despite being distanced, I grimaced at the intense heat washing over me.

If Maria hadn’t cast an extra barrier, that heat would have threatened the mansion.

“How does it feel?”

I asked Urka, who was up on the training grounds.

“It’s amazing! I can draw forth flames much stronger than before, and it hardly consumes any mana. There’s no burden in drawing out Ignis’s power either. Right now, I feel like I can do things I couldn’t do before due to lack of mana.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. Until the formal sparring is over, that weapon is yours. Get used to it and defeat Soro.”

“Yeah! Got it!”

Urka, unable to hide her excitement, began wildly unleashing skills into the air.

“That was given to her by the Teacher…”

Tina pouted, clearly displeased. She had gone through the trouble of getting it for me, and now someone else was using it.

I gently pinched and tugged at Tina’s cheek. Soft. Is this what true baby skin feels like?

“Wuuuu…”

“I’m just lending it. I plan to get it back, so don’t worry.”

The Spirit King’s Sword can only unite when all four are gathered. If any one of them is lost, Maria’s ultimate weapon could not be created.

“More importantly, take this.”

I presented Tina with the All-Cutting Sword, freshly removed from any rust.

Thanks to being entrusted to a skilled blacksmith, the All-Cutting Sword had transformed into a sharp Japanese sword.

Honestly, I wanted to keep it. A Japanese sword in another world? I couldn’t resist.

“It’s your weapon.”

“Whoa….”

Tina’s frown from earlier quickly transformed into amazement. Her eyes sparkled as she admired the sleek blade of the All-Cutting Sword drawn from its black sheath.

“It won’t cut you like before.”

“Haha! Awesome! I love it! Time for a test…!”

I grabbed Tina’s shoulder as she started to walk toward the wood.

“Before that, Tina, make me a promise.”

“Huh?”

Tina looked back, perplexed.

“That weapon can cut through anything. Every time you swing your sword, dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people could die.”

Regardless of her abilities, the All-Cutting Sword was indeed a weapon capable of slaying even the Demon King. Using such a blade carelessly could lead to numerous problems.

Especially with Tina, who was usually scatterbrained and playful, I needed to exert sufficient caution.

“Always think before you swing that sword. However, if there are monsters or demons in front of you, there’s no need to think. Swing without hesitation.”

“…So you gave me a sword that dangerous.”

Tina looked down at the sword she held. She gazed at the Japanese sword in its black sheath for a while before suddenly looking up and shouting.

“That means you really trust me a lot, right?!”

“…Huh?”

“Hehehe! Got it! I’ll definitely think carefully whenever I take out this sword against a person!”

“Uh, right…”

Is this really how Tina operates?

I meant for her to feel a certain weight with those words, but it seemed she appreciated the very nuance of me trusting her even more.

Seeing Tina smile so mischievously, I thought she wouldn’t cause any major accidents.

Tina often acts playfully and immaturely, but in crucial moments, she would definitely help out.

So I should be fine.

…Probably.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

While watching the excited Tina, I suddenly felt a tug on my sleeve. Looking to the side, Iris had a displeased frown, her eyebrows knit together.

“Do you not trust me?”

…Are you perhaps jealous?

“…No, you are the one I trust most above anyone else, Iris.”

Among all the heroes I’ve seen, Iris was the one capable of making the most rational judgments.

In her battles, she might seem excited, almost emotionally driven, but she maintained her composure every time.

Even amidst fast-paced battles, her ability to discern exactly what she should or shouldn’t do clearly stemmed from her rationality.

“Eh…! Is that so?”

Her ears perked up. Her white tail swished left and right vigorously. Iris pressed her lips together even as a smile threatened to break through.

It seemed my words genuinely pleased her.

As I gently brushed the hair between Iris’s ears, I continued.

“You know I’m not one to express my thoughts openly.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“I plan to find a weapon that suits you. Just wait a little longer.”

“Nei-hehe….”

What a bizarre laugh.

“Master, what about me?”

As if she had been eavesdropping, Maria asked this time from the opposite side, leaning slightly against my arm.

“I’ll be preparing a weapon for you as well. So don’t be impatient.”

If I provided the ultimate weapons to the heroes at this time, I wouldn’t need to worry about collecting weapons mid-scenario, minimizing the artifact collection route.

I could focus more on the Succession War episode.

“No, it’s not that….”

Not that? Is she talking about trust?

“…You’re more trustworthy than Tina.”

“Your nuance doesn’t sound flattering at all.”

“Hehe, Maria. Master is saying he favors me far more than you.”

Maria glared at Iris, who puffed out her chest proudly as if claiming victory.

“That was never said.”

“If the one he trusts the most is me, then doesn’t that mean you’re not as trusted, Maria?”

“Master, that’s quite annoying. Can I just throw her away?”

Maria pointed at Iris with her chin. A small gust was forming in the hand that wasn’t holding onto me.

“Don’t fight—”

“Hehe! Completely wrong!”

Tina, who had been bouncing around in excitement, clicked her tongue in response, wiggling her index finger left and right. Every one of her actions was ridiculously endearing.

“Master loves me the most! Because he loves me most, he’s taking care of me first!”

“…Nope.”

I firmly stated. The All-Cutting Sword was simply something I had gotten coincidentally while forming a contract with the Spirit King.

“…”

At my words, Tina stopped short. Her expression stiffened, but suddenly her finger snapped, pointing at me.

“See! Master is just not honest! If I’m cute, then just say so!”

Ahh… so that’s how you want to play it?

I chuckled internally at Tina’s antics. The other heroes seemed to find Tina’s performance too silly to keep competing with her.

“Alright, just be obedient.”

I tried to calm Tina down.

“More importantly, Maria, I have a request.”

“A request?”

“I want you to train with Urka from now on. Use only water and ice magic to subdue Urka.”

There were some patterns recognizable during the episode where the White Light Corps went against Soro when the Resistance rose up.

I planned to structure it similarly to teach her the strategy.

Of course, I understood that there was no guarantee Soro would use the exact same skills as in the game. I didn’t assume that Maria’s magic would be identical to Soro’s magic.

However, if Maria could follow my ideas well, Urka wouldn’t panic when she encountered Soro’s techniques.

“I’ll guide you, so let’s give it a try.”

“Alright!”

Just as I was about to head up to the training ground with Maria—

“Huh?! What’s that?”

A woman with red hair stepped in briskly, jangling something behind her. She had a bread smeared with jam in her mouth.

“I went to the dining hall for a bit since I was hungry, and what’s this? Why is that black cat wielding my sword?”

“…Phoenix.”

Crunch.

Phoenix took a bite of her bread, chewed it, and swallowed.

“Plaus, explain. Why is that black cat holding my sword?”

“I gave it to her.”

“That was given to Tina! What right do you have to do such a thing?”

“Tina approved this. I deemed it the best way to increase our win rate.”

“Win rate or whatever. What I want to know is why she’s using a weapon I spent hundreds of years crafting.”

She pointed at Urka, who was swinging the sword on the training ground.

“There’s a reason why we must win this fight.”

“And what does that have to do with me? Do I have to care about the fights of insignificant humans?”

“No, this fight will ultimately impact the Demon War.”

If Urka could defeat Soro, the Commander of the White Light Corps, the emperor would understand not to underestimate the princess forces, while also becoming a fundamental reason for the emperor’s forces to hesitate in their movements.

“…What impact could two S-Class individuals fighting have on the Demon War?”

“The Demon War begins when the legion commander attacks the Empire.”

“Wha…! What are you saying? Do you know the future?!”

Phoenix raised her voice, stepping closer to me.

At that moment, Ariel, who had been silent until now, slipped between me and Phoenix.

“Phoenix, don’t think about taking a swing at Plaus.”

With narrowed eyes, Phoenix glared at Ariel.

“Ariel, you… just like in the Glacier Region, you’re really taken with this guy after Pasma, aren’t you?”

“…I only have feelings for Pasma. I have no intentions of having feelings for anyone else. Just borrowing a favor, that’s all.”

“Oh, is that so? Then could you step aside? I just have a question to ask.”

Ariel surveyed Phoenix carefully before stepping back. Phoenix closed the distance between us and leaned in, her brows furrowing with curiosity.

“Is the power to see the future a Player’s ability?”

“…That could be one way to phrase it.”

“Then what’s the outcome of the Demon War?”

“That’s still uncertain.”

I had nearly said, ‘The heroes will defeat the Demon King and that’ll be the end of it,’ but I changed my wording. I intended to make her more cooperative.

“Uncertain?”

“Our future actions will change the timeline. However, one thing I can say for sure is that if we cannot stabilize the Empire before the Demon War begins, the casualties will far surpass the first Demon War.”

“!”

The surrounding heroes and the two spirit kings held their breath. I felt a surge of confidence seeing their reactions. This was proof they acknowledged the credibility of my words.

Perhaps it was because of the ‘Player’ term written on the ‘World Tree’ that I knew. That information was likely known only to the spirits.

Then I faced a question.

If only the spirit kings knew, how was this implemented in the game? Was it merely a simple Easter egg?

I didn’t know yet, but I’d figure it out when I visited the World Tree someday. For now, I needed to focus on the Empire’s issue.

“And this battle will be the first step towards stabilizing the Empire.”

I pointed toward Urka.

Stabilizing the Empire was the minimum condition necessary to overcome the Demon War.

However, both the Resistance and the Demon War would occur during the millennial year of the Empire’s power. This meant we would have to face invading demons while also enduring a civil war.

The game’s difficulty was justified, after all.

Of course, the Resistance would start just a little bit earlier, allowing for some possible time to fix things. But facing the Demon War while still unstable would lead to a monumental headache.

“So please understand.”

“…Alright. Since we decided to cooperate, I’ll listen to your words. But we need to handle this with care. The Spirit King’s Sword is something that can’t be found anywhere in this world.”

“Understood.”

I intended to merge all the spirit kings’ weapons later. Should I give them some stake in it?

That was a problem for later, whether I’d get scolded or ripped off. Right now, what mattered more was Urka defeating Soro.

“Maria, get ready.”

“Okay.”

Now, it was time for countless repetitions until she got used to it.