My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 121

“Excuse me.”

The guide who had led us here opened the door and entered. He bowed deeply towards us and placed a parchment on the table.

“What’s this?”

“I have come to ask whether you’ll be placing a bet on this duel. If so, please indicate how much you would like to wager.”

A bet, huh.

It was one of the gambling systems where you wager money based on predicting the winner of a formal duel. The structure was similar to horse racing or casino gambling in the world I came from.

However, the process of placing bets and recording them was somewhat analog.

Anyway, due to this gambling system, many people struggling in poverty flocked to the duel arena. For something as special as an S-Class duel like today, the entry fee would likely be two or three times higher.

I figured the entry fee might be around 1 silver. Considering that’s the livelihood for a commoner for a month, it was a hefty sum.

The payout on Urka’s side, written in the contract, was 22.5 percent, while Soro’s side showed three times that amount. It also stated that Soro had a 96 percent probability of winning, with clear odds drawn.

What a terrible bet. A 4 percent chance of winning?

I let out a hollow laugh while looking at the contract written on the parchment.

“I’ll bet on Urka to win. The amount is five hundred gold.”

I marked a symbol below Urka’s name, writing my name and amount.

I hadn’t planned on doing it, but I filled it out out of hope that Urka would win.

“Is anyone else placing a bet?”

The guide spoke, and the heroes showed interest, but I had told them not to. The Spirit Kings had no interest in human money and simply stared at the arena.

Tori and Seri seemed apprehensive as well, possibly because the Emperor was watching, and they each wagered ten gold on Soro. I acted as a proxy for Seri.

“Praus, I’m fine….”

“It’s enough for just me to be in the Emperor’s eye.”

I thought it was only courteous to do so.

The person we had to fight was the Crown Prince, not the Emperor. Of course, since the Emperor was siding with the Crown Prince, it was already a foregone conclusion that I’d be in his bad graces.

“Well then, I’ll take it that only the three of you are betting, and I’ll be keeping a copy of each contract.”

If the bets failed, this contract would instantly become a loan shark contract. A debt to the Emperor.

If you couldn’t repay this debt, men became forced laborers, and women became prostitutes. Essentially, it meant they would fall into slavery.

This happened even to those who were human if they fell into debt like this.

“Then have a good time—”

“Wait a moment.”

“…Yes. What is it?”

The guide, who was about to leave, paused and looked at me. I pointed beyond the barrier and asked.

“Just one thing. Why is Ter the referee?”

Above the arena I pointed to, Ter stood between Urka and Soro. My heart raced at the sight of him appearing late.

“…It’s to guarantee the life of the two. Since this duel is between those regarded as the strongest in the Empire with an S rank, the Emperor’s [His Majesty the Emperor] grand consideration led to Ter being chosen as the referee, as there is concern for potential casualties.”

To guarantee the lives of two people?

That’s ridiculous. Having someone directly under the Emperor certainly doesn’t ensure impartiality.

It was clear they sent Ter to intervene if he needed to favor Soro. That meant I had to strategize on this side as well…

“You think too much, Praus.”

Tori, who had been watching the arena, said casually. As soon as the guide spoke, Tori slipped away before he could catch her.

“…What do you mean? I thought I had already explained the meaning of this duel?”

“If you’ve done your best, just trust Urka. We can’t do anything about it now anyway. No matter what tricks they pull over there, believe Urka will win.”

They’re not that easy either.

Soro and Ter are considered some of the strongest beings in the world. Even if Urka had been trained and given artifacts, if Ter intervened in the duel, it would be very difficult to find a chance of winning.

But as Tori said, I could no longer do anything, so I decided to ‘at least’ trust Urka for now.

—

“…Wow, I never thought I’d see this.”

Stretching, Soro continued to warm up. Watching quietly, Urka sighed and brushed her hair back.

“Yeah. I should have just knocked you out before it got to this.”

Urka squinted her eyes shut before opening them. Her pupils had turned into those of a beast. Seeing her, Soro stopped stretching and grinned lightly.

“Do you really think you can beat me?”

“…I’m stronger than before.”

“Pfft! How? No matter how talented someone is, there are limits. Plus, you’ve already hit your limit. It’s impossible to grow in just a few days. If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly.”

Seeing Soro speak firmly, Urka burst into laughter.

“Do you think I’m you? Limits?”

“What?”

“You don’t know anything, so stop chattering and finish your stretching. I’ll wait.”

Snap.

Urka’s provocation before the duel twisted Soro’s face in anger. The killing intent in the arena became so thick it was clear even from the spectator stands.

“Enough of the mind games.”

One more individual ascends into the duel arena. A man with the same white hair as Soro, Ter approached the two.

Even with Ter’s appearance, Soro’s killing intent showed no sign of receding. Because of that, those watching from the stands began writing Soro’s name on their papers.

Some were receiving contracts and paying money from the guides managing the stands. Everyone was betting on Soro to win.

The nobles present in the personal space were no different. Most placed their bets on Soro winning.

The Emperor’s unspoken pressure might have played a part, but the nobles knew how exceptional Soro of the White Light Corps was, so they didn’t hesitate.

However, there were two among them who hesitated.

Duke Rexton, who was particularly sensitive to money, and Duke Todiah, who had personal ties to Praus.

Looking over the contract, Rexton questioned the guide.

“The payout is 22.5 percent? Is this correct?”

“Indeed. Moreover, based on calculations for the probability of winning the duel, it has been assessed that Soro has a 96 percent chance of victory.”

“…Is that so?”

Rexton stared at the contract with a frown, recalling the two previous noble meetings.

‘All the corruption was true, and it has become clear that liberating slaves builds a better market infrastructure than maintaining the slave system. Plus, considering Princess Seri reported many nobles during the second noble meeting, that too might be true. The one who provided that information was Praus.’

Rexton’s mind wandered to the utterly indifferent face of Praus, and he couldn’t help but smile inadvertently.

‘Trust overflowing to the point of bursting, huh?’

“…Can I ask you something?”

He subtly placed ten gold coins he had stacked on the table towards the guide. The guide gulped. Ten gold coins far exceeded the amount of tip an ordinary guide could accept. The guide hurriedly pocketed it and bowed deeply.

“Yes. Please feel free to ask anything.”

“I’d like to know who Praus has bet on. If you don’t know, fetch someone who does.”

“Understood.”

The guide once again bowed deeply and promptly moved away. As the sound of the door opening and closing echoed, Rexton mumbled.

“If Praus bet on Urka to win, then this duel will likely result in Urka’s victory. He’s definitely not someone who would stay quiet if he’s targeting something in this duel.”

His eyes drifted toward the contract’s stated odds before landing on a wine glass sitting on the table. Inside the glass was a 70-year-old vintage wine.

He picked it up and gazed down at the arena. Despite the killing intent radiating fiercely from Soro, Urka was calmly staring up at him.

‘If Urka wins this duel, I should just go along with what Praus said and not intervene too much in the royal succession.’

He despised the thought of suffering a loss, and his personality was swayed by Praus’s intentions.

Rexton tilted the wine glass and let it swirl around in his mouth.

Meanwhile, on the Todiah side, a heated argument ensued.

“What the hell did that bastard do to you for you to react this way?!”

The previously defeated Acker shouted at Ella, who had been blown away in the heroes’ sparring.

“That’s not what you should say out of personal feelings, Brother. If there’s even the slightest hint that Praus intervened in this duel, Urka will likely win.”

“Don’t say insane things! That’s the same as saying His Majesty [His Majesty the Emperor] intends for Soro, whom he trusts, to lose! Are you crazy?! Did you lose your mind hanging out with that guy?!”

“Brother, you’ve experienced the strength of Praus’s disciples firsthand. The one who trained and raised them is none other than Praus. There’s no doubt he would have given Urka special training.”

“Ella, if you have eyes, look straight at the contract! Soro has a 96 percent chance of victory! 96 percent!”

“Still, there’s bound to be variables….”

“Hah, this is driving me crazy. Look, I know you like Praus, but this is a question that goes beyond money; it’s implicitly asking if His Majesty [His Majesty the Emperor] is loyal to the royalty. But now you want to risk drawing His Majesty’s attention with your personal feelings? Are you insane? For real?!”

Crash.

The door to Todiah’s private space opened, and a massive man clad in golden armor strode in. His much darker hair than that of Ella or Acker flowed gracefully.

“Are you still fighting?”

“Benos, brother.”

Benos Todiah.

The eldest son of the Todiah Family and a knight who is currently recognized for his swordsmanship in the Royal Knight Order, on the verge of becoming a vice-captain.

He had come not as a representative of the Todiah Family but as a temporary envoy to control the spectators.

“The commotion is audible from outside. Enough of this.”

As Benos spoke, Acker pointed at Ella, about to say something, but he took a long breath instead. Placing his hands on his waist, he nodded and opted to answer on behalf of Ella.

“Father, have you decided on the betting?”

“…Benos.”

“Yes?”

“Who do you think will be the next Emperor?”

It was a question entirely unrelated to betting. Benos appeared puzzled by the sudden inquiry and murmured his response.

“That’s, well… it must be Prince Chris. He holds the first line of succession, and the other royal children have yet to demonstrate their capabilities. It seems like Prince Chris will be the one recognized by Emperor Lupin [His Majesty the Emperor].”

‘Is that really the case? Praus single-handedly defeated the Black Dragon, which couldn’t even be beaten with an S-Class army. He has the strength to knock down even the Demon King as a hero. Moreover, backing him is the Empire’s top Information Guild… even the Secret Garden’s information network is formidable enough to get one over the royal family with ease.’

“It seems you don’t think Prince Chris will be the one.”

Caught up in thought, Benos, recalling what he said, flinched.

“…Well, I’m not certain.”

“Then where do you think the answer lies?”

“I…”

The actions of Praus until now had begun to shake the two Grand Dukes’ blind faith in the Emperor.

While the two Grand Dukes contemplated and made their decisions, the betting among the spectators wrapped up, and the declaration of the actual duel was about to begin.

[Now, let’s get started! We will commence the formal duel between Urka, who is S-Class, and Soro, also S-Class!]

“First of all, I will be the referee. You all must follow what I say, regardless of the circumstances. It may not please Urka, but within the Empire, I’m the only one who can stop this damned sister from acting up.”

Urka shot a glance at Ter and scoffed.

“Don’t interfere.”

“…I’ll try to do just that.”

“Ter, hurry up and start! I’m itching to cut off this b*tch’s ears.”

At Soro’s words, Ter mumbled, “Just take it easy,” and lifted his hand high.

“Begin!”

With his words, his hand descended.

And Soro’s mouth stretched into a grin.

“I’ve been waiting!! ‘Iceberg’!”

A massive form of ice spread up from beneath her feet. The towering ice, far taller than the height of the duel arena, rapidly advanced towards Urka.

Seeing this, Urka placed her hand on Flamme, which Praus had given her.

‘Just as Praus said.’

Grinning, Urka drew her sword just before the ice would make contact and shouted her skill.

“Fire Magic, ‘Explosion’!”

Kuwakwa-kwa-kwaah!!

With a cloud of dust, the ice shattered in the air. The tiny shards of ice crumbled without resistance, falling to the ground.

“Let’s take it slow. This is one of the few chances to smack down someone who insulted me and the Beastman Tribe.”

As Urka moved forward, clearing the dust, Soro ground his teeth.