My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 133

We moved to the forest territory created by Orient and joined the two heroes. Luckily, Tina and Iris had not crossed over to the Demon World, so we were able to find them quickly.

“Tina, Iris.”

“Master!”

“Teacher!”

The two heroes, out of breath and gripping my arms, looked at me with joy. However, when they noticed the blood splattered on my clothes, their eyes widened in shock.

“M-Master! Blood!”

“Teacher! Are you okay?”

They rushed over to check my condition. Despite suffering significant injuries from battling Peremus themselves, the concern they showed for me made me feel like a father receiving care from his daughter.

Is this what a father’s heart feels like? Fine, if I end up having kids someday, I’ll definitely make sure to have a daughter.

“I’ve been healed. You don’t need to worry. More importantly… it seems you did well against Peremus. Good job.”

I patted Tina’s head with my blood-free hand and then did the same for Iris.

The two heroes awkwardly smiled at my words while trying to hide their arms behind their backs. They probably sustained sprains or fractures from taking Peremus’s punches multiple times. No matter their traits as heroes and the training they had done, they were still young and couldn’t fully withstand his strength.

“Do you remember the potion I gave you? Drink that. It should help with the numbness.”

“…Yes.”

As I watched the two heroes shakily pull a potion from their bags, Orient pinched my arm insistently.

“Um, could you please return that sword now? Peremus has discovered that my mana is connected to the roots of the World Tree, so I need to move the World Tree’s roots as well. Please hand it over.”

Seeing Orient confidently extending her hand, I shook my head.

“Spirit King Orient, believe it or not, this sword is no longer just a sword to maintain the Sanctuary.”

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“This sword, once drawn, can no longer retain the functions of the Sanctuary.”

“What?”

At my words, her expression turned blank. The eyes staring at me were wandering aimlessly.

I understood her reaction, but it was all true.

In the game, once you drew the ‘Guardian of the Sanctuary,’ it would bind as a hero’s sword, and its capabilities would change entirely.

Originally a sword that should possess the ‘Sanctuary’ skill, it had transformed into ‘Absolute Domain’ when I used it, and that was the reason.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Before it was drawn, this sword’s ability was ‘Sanctuary,’ but the ability I used was ‘Absolute Domain.’ Unlike Sanctuary, Absolute Domain slows down time and heightens sensitivity, but it doesn’t prevent entry into the domain.”

“C-Could it be…?”

“Right. It means this sword is no longer for protecting the roots of the World Tree.”

“How dare you…! How dare you deceive me, the Spirit King?!”

“I’m not deceiving you. This sword was originally made for that purpose.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

It’s true, though.

All artifacts in this world were created solely for heroes. If you’re upset, take it up with the developers.

“If you don’t believe me, you can try inserting it into the roots of the World Tree again. If it doesn’t work, I’d like you to give this weapon to a hero to use.”

As I spoke nonchalantly, Orient fumed with anger. I could feel her killing intent growing. My skin tingled and goosebumps formed.

Then, I felt the ground tremble. It seemed she was about to unleash a skill on me at any moment.

Watching passively, the heroes and Ariel stood protectively in front of me.

“Orient, calm down for now. Praus isn’t trying to harm you,” Ariel said.

“Ariel… while I would understand just about anything since you’re my… ch-friend, this is different. Protecting the roots of the World Tree is my mission. It’s difficult to endure without the Sanctuary.”

“No matter how you unfold the Sanctuary, elite-level demons can break through. It’d be much better to continually change the root’s position.”

“Shut it, thief!”

She trembled with hostility toward me, then shouted loudly.

“While it’s true I asked for this sword, you handed it over.”

I shrugged, deflecting her anger lightly. She promptly approached me and snatched the white sword, Guardian of the Sanctuary, from my hand.

“I’ll go try it! Just wait!”

With that, Orient vanished. Two minutes later…

“Eek! Ariel!! This jerk is a bad person!”

Throwing the sword away, she started pointing at me repeatedly. Seeing Orient’s teary face, Ariel gave a wry smile and empathized fittingly.

“Well, he’s not a good person…”

Hey, you should deny that! Look at how hard I’m working for the world.

I picked up the sword while ignoring Orient’s noisy complaints, brushing the dust off the white blade as I said, “Don’t worry. The demons won’t attack the roots of the World Tree.”

“…How can you be so sure?”

‘Because the heroes are here.’

“Because I’m here.”

…?

I spoke with such confidence that I momentarily failed to understand my own words.

I’m not even a hero, so what does it mean that I’m here?

“You’re not even a hero.”

Right? Given how weak I am, I truly don’t know what I’m saying.

Still, having said it, I decided to uphold my pride until the end.

“Anyone can deal a blow to Peremus.”

“Well… that’s true… But the difference between having the Sanctuary and not having it is about psychological security.”

It’s certainly unsettling to lose something you once had.

As I pondered over how to articulate my thoughts, Iris stepped forward and spoke.

“Still, you don’t need to worry.”

“Hmm? Why’s that?”

I felt a bit displeased. Why was she using informal speech with me while speaking formally to the much younger Iris?

“For the past three years, Master has never once spoken incorrectly. I’m sure you can protect the roots of the World Tree, Master.”

I appreciate the faith, but you know, I’m way weaker than you think, right? I have no sense of responsibility at all! If it gets dangerous, I’m totally bolting!

“That… we’ll just have to wait and see!”

With a huff, she turned her head away. Watching her, Iris shifted her gaze to me and quietly smiled.

It felt like she was asking, ‘Did I do well?’ I responded not with words, but by patting her head.

“…Anyway, Ariel, I’m going to adjust the roots of the World Tree.”

“Orient.”

“What now, you damn human? If you’re trying to say goodbye, just stop.”

Damn human? That’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?

“…You should contract with Maria.”

If I were to contract Orient, who could draw the power of the World Tree directly, Maria would be able to use much stronger magic, even if she cast the same spells as before.

“Huh? I don’t even know why I should listen to you.”

“For the safety of the Spirit Realm, it would be better for the Spirit King to contract with a hero. Ultimately, your role in protecting the roots of the World Tree would mean nothing if the Human World is destroyed.”

“That… that’s true— Ah, you really tick me off!”

Orient flinched at my unexpected retort.

“Why do you keep saying things that are right? It’s so annoying.”

“…So what’s your answer?”

“I’ll think about it!”

She said that and vanished with a teleportation.

Even if she says that, she’ll end up contracting with Maria eventually. If that happens, it’ll also be possible to obtain the ‘Earth Sword – Terra’ and craft Maria’s ultimate weapon.

“By the way, Master, we killed one demon. Won’t the demon tribe come to kill us?”

Maria, who had been quietly watching, cautiously asked me.

“Not for now. They’ll need time to regroup as well.”

Even though the possibility of the Demon War breaking out this year keeps popping into my head, I rather thought the demon tribe wouldn’t invade.

We eliminated two of the strongest subordinates in the first legion. One of them was of Deputy Commander rank.

They definitely wouldn’t invade immediately, taking time to reorganize. Plus, they’d have learned that we also had the strength to fight back against them.

So, while we had the time, we needed to hurry and farm for the strength to counter the demons.

“First, let’s return to Aus Territory.”

*

“Peremus… two of your strong subordinates have died. One of them was a Deputy Commander who could lead the legion if something happened to you.”

“I’m sorry. The heroes were also aware of our movements.”

“Hah… A being ranked second in the Demon World, and you’re whining about heroes, and you think that’s an excuse?”

“The penalty from Orient’s magic seal—”

Wham! Wham!

“Gah…!”

Blas’s thorns pierced into his chest. The impure ‘curse’ seeped into Peremus’s sturdy body, severing every single nerve cell.

“Gah!”

Such immense pain caused even Peremus to let out a groan.

“If you couldn’t use magic freely, you should have moved to a place where you could. All of this happened because you were overconfident. Am I wrong?”

“…Y-You’re right.”

Peremus gritted his teeth as he responded. Blas withdrew his thorns, and only then did Peremus’s nerves began to recover.

“Hah! Hah!”

He caught his breath, shaking off the pain he never wanted to experience again. It was unacceptable to appear disheveled before the Demon King.

“Whew… Demon King… I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a person on the human side with magical power similar to yours, Demon King.”

At Perumus’s words, Blas’s ears perked up, intrigued by the revelation.

“…Is it the one Habito mentioned?”

“Correct. He possesses strength far surpassing any hero. The one who killed Pero was that man.”

“How was he?”

Recalling the time he was thrashed by Praus, Peremus hesitated.

“…He had strength comparable to mine.”

“What?”

“I’ve only crossed blades with him once, but he easily shrugged off my magic and then counterattacked.”

“A being that isn’t a hero… exists like that? And S-Class adventurers are noticeably inferior to you?”

“That man left a mark on my body, and he was even stronger than him. Perhaps even stronger than a hero…”

The two higher-ranking demons were discussing words that would have caused their necks to fly off if Praus had heard them.

“To think someone like that has emerged. This war might not be easy.”

“It seems that the man Habito mentioned managed to defend against all of Pero’s attacks. He had a wound on his abdomen, but aside from that, he had no other injuries.”

“That means…”

“Yes. As you know, Pero’s attacks are notably complex. Avoiding them with just a single injury means there’s likely someone among us demons who has shared Pero’s attack style with him.”

It was a misunderstanding no one intended.

With Peremus’s words, darkness gradually clouded Blas’s face. An aura of menacing ferocity began to permeate the air.

Blas despised nothing more than the betrayal of a fellow demon tribe member over losing to humans.

“Looks like we need to investigate if there’s a spy among the demon tribe.”

“A demon… siding with humans? That’s truly insane.”

Blas Weill rose from his throne.

“Fine, if you understand Pero’s attack patterns, then they must be a demon among your ranks. Find out who they are. Raising the legion comes after that.”

“Understood.”

“I won’t tolerate any traitors in the legion.”

Peremus deeply bowed his head and stood up to leave the chamber.

“I will kill the one who brought such humiliation upon me… no matter what.”

He recalled Praus and started walking toward the region where the first legion was located.

So, the confrontation between humans and demons concluded with the death of a deputy commander-level demon.

And one year passed.