My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 138

“Duke Kalus, do you think Praus’s plan is really feasible?”

After the noble meeting ended, Chris summoned Duke Kalus and the nobles of his faction.

Originally, there should have been dukes present, but after securing information that Praus had been meeting with the Grand Dukes, they couldn’t be fully trusted anymore, leaving Chris with no choice but to gather those with no contact at all.

“If Praus’s words aren’t mere fabrications, there’s a high possibility that they will fulfill our demands. However, there’s no guarantee.”

“Is that so?”

“…Um, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Kalus spoke cautiously.

“Hmm?”

“If this plan comes to fruition, we will need to strengthen the survival rights of the slaves, but would that be alright? The budget might be cut, and those who purchased slaves might voice their grievances.”

Chris listened to Duke Kalus’s words while thinking about other things.

“Praus, the way he talks always carries a sense of certainty. It’s not just confidence or arrogance….”

Chris felt that, in Praus’s tone, he harbored a mindset that did not consider the possibility of being wrong, rather than a straightforward belief in his own correctness.

“Thinking back, I’ve heard that he has a tremendous information network behind him, but I still haven’t been able to uncover it. I haven’t seen anyone affiliated with that organization either. Does such an organization really exist in the Empire? What on earth is Praus?”

While Chris was recalling Praus’s tone and voice from the noble meeting, Kalus cautiously opened his mouth again.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“…Ah, right. Let’s just observe the situation for now. If Praus can’t pull it off, we’re under no obligation to keep our promises.”

“Yes, understood.”

‘Though I still have many questions, Praus is currently a card we can use against the demon tribe. We can’t just turn hostile toward him.’

At that moment, he thought that completely liberating the slaves might be a good idea, but immediately shook his head.

Doing so would just ruin the achievements his father had established and spread unrest within the Empire.

Above all, he absolutely couldn’t give up the territory and cheap labor gained through domination over the other races.

“Then let’s move on to the next subject.”

Once Chris sorted through his thoughts, he began the faction meeting.

*

“Ho-oh… Is this the proof that I’ve become S-Class?”

Tina, after leaving the Adventurer Guild, was turning the adventurer’s badge around in the sunlight.

As of today, the badge that had once matched the colors of the heroes had turned gold.

Thanks to hunting numerous monsters and completing quite a few requests over the past year, she had quickly risen to the rank of S-Class. Her skills were already beyond S-Class, so there was no need for grading.

Iris, who was shining brightly alongside Tina, opened her mouth.

“Teacher, does this help us?”

“Indeed. Being recognized as an S-Class adventurer by the Empire earns you trust wherever you go, even in the Aioum Kingdom.”

Having influence overseas is quite amazing, after all. Of course, they seemed to feel some rejection towards someone like Inkuro, who had a troubling history, but S-Class adventurers without such baggage were welcomed with open arms.

“It’s remarkable that you can gain trust so easily with something like this.”

“That’s why many from other races jump into adventuring after the slave liberation. The world of adventurers has relatively less discrimination.”

Given the rough atmosphere here, as long as one has skills, no one can discriminate against you.

To be precise, they can’t discriminate; there wouldn’t be anyone wanting to get hit for trying.

In this world, it was an era that didn’t prioritize human rights as modern society does, so the law of the jungle was unavoidable.

If it were truly the modern mindset, the institution of slavery wouldn’t have been legalized in the first place.

“But is it true that you’re going abroad?”

“Yes. I plan to go to the Aioum Kingdom.”

It will take some time to send an envoy to the Aioum Kingdom for negotiations, but, from their standpoint, they would have no choice but to accept.

Even if they were to refuse, when the Demon War happens, they won’t be able to handle Stella Forna. Stella Forna has her sights set on the Aioum Kingdom.

Ultimately, time was on the Empire’s side.

“…It feels a bit strange that we have to do something for the Empire, considering that it is the Empire oppressing our kin.”

“If we manage this, the Empire will further strengthen the survival rights of the other races.”

“Is it ridiculous to think we should do this just for the sake of survival rights? We’re not liberating all of our kin within the Empire.”

“Don’t you want to?”

“I absolutely don’t! Not at all!”

“Maria, that kind of talk…”

Just as Iris was about to chime in, Maria let out a dismissive snort.

“But… it’s because we have you, Teacher.”

“…Because I’m here?”

“With your power alone, you could kill the Emperor, yet you don’t. Isn’t that because you don’t want to repeat the actions the Empire has taken against our kin?”

“…?”

What kind of misunderstanding is this?

Keeping the Emperor alive wasn’t for such reasons.

It was simply easier to unravel the situation by preserving him than eliminating him. After all, he was going to die soon; I had no reason to get my hands dirty.

Moreover, if I were to dethrone the royal family using the heroes and place Seri on the throne, handling the backlash would not be easy.

Given that every aspect such as power, position, and everything was already unfavorable, forcibly placing an Emperor could lead to the rebellious nobles that had been following Chris and constant civil war within the Empire. In the worst-case scenario, it could even cause the nation to fracture.

For now, I had no choice but to watch quietly and wait for an opportunity to arise that would provide justification. That would minimize the chaos within the Empire.

“I may not say it, but I know everything.”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes. If I were to attack the Empire here, it would ruin everything you have so diligently built, Teacher. So I’m holding back.”

Should I commend her for growing up, or is she still the same? Ultimately, the reason she’s holding back is because of me.

Iris, who had been trying to stop Maria from speaking, was nodding her head at some point. She seemed to resonate with Maria’s words.

“It looks like it ultimately hinges on how those at the top behave. The Aus Territory lives in harmony, but other places are not so fortunate.”

“Hopefully, this will improve the oppression that the Elf Tribe and Beastman Tribe face. If they don’t keep their promises, we can step in then.”

There are still three years until the Emperor dies.

Now, we must take steps to ensure that the other races can gradually become more favorable towards us.

“T-Teacher!”

Tina called out to me and clung onto my back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. I struggled to keep my balance.

She definitely wasn’t this heavy the first time she clung to me. The speed at which children grow isn’t just about stats.

“…What is it, Tina?”

“I’m on your side no matter what you do, Teacher! Hehe!”

“That’s reassuring.”

But do you really need to say such things while hanging onto me? It’s heavy. How about letting go now?

“I’m on your side too, Teacher! Don’t I count?”

Iris, not caring about the surrounding glances, appeared to be a bit jealous of Tina, who was clinging to me without hesitation, and tugged at her sleeves.

“Having you around has helped me overcome crises many times. How could it not be reassuring?”

“Ehehe…! Is that so…!”

Seeing Iris’s mood shift with a single compliment filled me with a strange unease. Feeling her emotions so directly made me worry that the smooth relationship I had with the heroes would become rocky.

“…What about me?”

“Thanks to Maria, life has become more convenient, and I’ve received a lot of help in fighting against the demon tribe. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. It’s only natural. Hehe.”

It was amusing how quickly she became smug from my praise, but it was true. Without Maria, life would indeed have been quite inconvenient. I mean, paying for heating magic at home is a thing.

“Are we heading back to the Aus Territory now?”

“Yes.”

Now we have to return to Aus, and collect the equipment we had left for repairs.

*

Creeeak.

As I opened the door to the nearest clothing store from Aus Mansion, a blonde man came rushing out of the workshop inside, as if he heard the door open.

“Welcome… Ah, Mr. Praus! Welcome! Tina, Iris, Maria, hello!”

The man recognized me immediately and greeted us with a smile. The heroes also greeted him warmly.

Having spent a long time in the Aus Territory made our acquaintance feel less distant. At first, Iris and Maria seemed a bit uncomfortable, but now they were in a much better place.

It was likely because the couple who ran this store were special.

“Is the clothing repair I entrusted to you finished?”

“Yes, it’s done perfectly. Just a moment. I had it just around here~”

He began to rummage through the clothes placed in each compartment until he finally found it, bringing out three garments. He set them on the counter.

They had been torn and covered in dirt while farming, but now it was completely spotless, as if made from high-quality fabric.

“Would you like to try it on? Oh, and the shoes have all been repaired too, so please try these as well.”

The set of clothes I left for repair consisted of three pieces.

I picked them up.

[You have obtained the「Quick-Witted Trickster’s Garb」.]

[You have obtained the「Garment of Life」.]

[You have obtained the「Archmage’s Era Garb」.]

These were the final defense artifact pieces I acquired while traveling around the Empire for a year.

These artifacts, which applied in set form, generally provided immunity against magic beasts and increased specific stats, allowing for tactical variations depending on how one wore them.

For example, the ‘Quick-Witted Trickster’s Garb’ would enhance damage and speed.

The ‘Garment of Life’ would boost attribute resistance and basic defense.

The ‘Archmage’s Era Garb’ would enhance magic power and attribute affinity.

Each provided different enhancements.

Though the ‘Archmage’s Era Garb’ was typically associated with mages, when worn by Tina and Iris, who had become Sword Masters, it would significantly increase the damage and range of their aura due to its properties.

A standard build would typically give the Trickster’s Garb to Tina, Life to Iris, and the Archmage’s Garb to Maria, amplifying each of their strengths.

However, it’s also possible to switch garments to mitigate weaknesses rather than enhance strengths.

For example, one could equip the Garment of Life on Tina, whose defense was lacking, and the Trickster’s Garb on Iris, who had low attack strength, effectively balancing out their weaknesses.

Since I planned to decide on this later, I went ahead and distributed the clothes based on the standard builds for now.

I handed the garments to the heroes along with the shoes provided by the outfits’ owners.

The heroes took the garments and entered the dressing room. After sitting on the waiting chairs for a few minutes, I heard a familiar voice.

“Teacher, how do I look?”

I slowly raised my head.