My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 145

The Fourth Legion, dominating the southern regions of the Demon World, was in chaos.

There, demons were casting spells and swinging weapons at each other with the intent to kill.

There was no trace of hesitation in their movements—only a clear intent to murder.

“Graaah!”

One demon shouted as its arm was severed. Moments later, its head was cleanly chopped off. One demon collapsed lifelessly, and the magic energy from its body was absorbed by another demon standing calmly.

Demons, like any other race, could grow stronger through training, but there was an even more effective way for them to mature.

That way was to kill their own kind. By killing their opponents and absorbing their magic, they could grow at an astonishing rate.

Such scenes were unfolding in all legions at that moment.

This situation arose after Pero’s death, as the Demon King ordered for the legions to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Habito was watching the demons spar while humming a tune, leisurely swirling a wine glass filled with human blood.

“Hehehe, keep getting stronger.”

Just as he was about to take a sip from his wine glass, he felt a tremor and heard a voice in his mind. It was a telepathic message.

[Lord Habito.]

“What is it?”

He paused his glass and inquired.

[Currently, Praus, along with his disciples and the Spirit Kings, has crossed into the Aioum Kingdom.]

“Praus is in the Aioum Kingdom? What for?”

His brow furrowed deeply.

[It seems they are going to resolve the friction occurring between the two nations over resources located in the border region.]

“Why would heroes do that? Isn’t that something nobles are supposed to handle?”

[I’m not sure of the specifics. I apologize.]

His subordinate preemptively apologized.

Unlike the Aioum Kingdom, it was not easy to gather information in the Empire. In cities where Grand Anti-Demon Magic was embedded, using magic would cause one to become a target.

Habito pondered for a moment and swiftly came up with an answer.

“Is that so… Does that mean we’re not even worth their attention?”

Clang!

The glass in his hand shattered into pieces. As the shards pierced his skin, not a single drop of blood was shed—only a smear of human blood stained his hand.

“Feeling quite proud after killing Pero, huh? Just a human.”

Though he said this, he remained wary of Praus in his heart. His true strength was unfathomable.

Currently, Praus had officially killed the 11th-ranked Black Dragon, and not only that, he had even dealt a blow to the 7th-ranked Pero. Reports claimed that he had managed to attack the 2nd-ranked Peremus, something that Habito could hardly imagine.

“But Stella said his physical body is no different from an ordinary person… How on earth did he kill Pero and injure Peremus?”

[What should we do?]

He clicked his tongue at his subordinate’s question, trying to suppress his annoyance.

“It doesn’t matter what we do. If he has crossed into the Aioum Kingdom, let’s leave it to ‘KyouKyou.’”

[Do you think ‘mind control’ would work on him?]

“Probably not. So… yeah. It might be best to try solving it with human methods.”

[With human methods, you say?]

He smirked at the brilliant idea highlighting his mind.

“I’ll give her direct instructions. You keep gathering information on the Empire as you have been.”

[Understood.]

With that final response, the telepathic link was severed.

Habito licked the blood off his hand, a smile lingering on his face.

It was then.

“…Is it Praus?”

“Is it Stella?”

Habito glanced sideways at the voice coming from nearby. There stood Stella Forna.

With her shimmering golden hair framing her lifeless eyes and deep dark circles, her pale skin radiated a decadent beauty.

“It seems you’ve become quite adept at hiding your presence.”

“I had to kill them.”

Habito smiled at the reddish stains visible on her black attire.

She had just returned after killing a higher-ranked demon in the legion. Habito felt satisfied seeing her magic energy much thicker than before.

“With that energy, you’ll soon rise to the 7th rank.”

“That’s enough of that. Can I head to the Aioum Kingdom now?”

“What for?”

“I owe that man a debt.”

“If you’re talking about the clone you killed…”

“No. I have a response I need to give him. Plus, I’m planning to dismantle the noble families that agreed to sell me into slavery while I’m at it.”

“…I see. Then how about this?”

Habito explained to Stella the idea that had just popped into his mind. Stella replied, “I don’t know how meaningful that will be, but I’ll go ahead with it,” in a lackluster tone, before turning and walking ahead.

‘Let’s go answer that question. Praus.’

Watching Stella’s back as it emanated an incredibly ominous and intense energy, he muttered softly.

“A hero who isn’t trusted… This should be interesting.”

*

“You absolutely must not cause any incidents, no matter what. Understand?”

In front of the Aioum King’s audience chamber, a representative of the delegation earnestly warned me.

“Anyone who looks at me would think I’m the one causing trouble.”

I replied with a snort, and he stared at me in disbelief.

What’s the matter? Why? I’ve never caused any trouble! It’s purely from the filtering of misconceptions!

He sighed, as if I were wasting his breath, and looked around at the rest of the group.

“Everyone else, please be cautious as well. Do not speak unless permitted by the King, and wait patiently. Once again, I remind you, we are meeting the king of a nation. Do you understand?”

This was the third time he reiterated. The group began to listen casually. With a heavy sigh, he examined us anxiously before turning to the knights by the door.

“We’re ready.”

“Good. It seems the discussion has come to an end, so we shall enter. Show respect to His Majesty.”

The knights guarding the entrance maintained their impassive expressions as they watched us, then placed their hands on the door.

As the door opened, the sight within the audience chamber unfolded.

The space was smaller than the Emperor’s audience room, but the intricate murals, chandeliers, and gleaming metallic decorations suggested that an extravagant amount of money had been poured into it, rivaling the Imperial Palace.

Within, knights and nobles stood in formation, awaiting us.

Stepping boldly onto the red carpet, we entered. The heroes had evidently grown accustomed to this, walking straight ahead without awkwardly glancing around.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

As I got closer, the King of Aioum Kingdom, Luke Aioum, spoke. This man was as old and white-haired as the Emperor.

At Luke’s words, the delegation promptly bowed their heads, and their representative opened his mouth.

“Thank you very much for granting us this audience, King Luke.”

He calmly spoke and glanced at me.

He was giving me a hint to lower my head, still standing upright without bowing. I felt that if I opened my mouth, useless words would slip out, so I just nodded my head.

“Right. I’ve heard. You are Praus. Your reputation has already spread widely throughout the kingdom.”

“…”

“…?”

The King tilted his head in confusion and stared at me suspiciously.

“Hey, isn’t His Majesty speaking?”

Since I couldn’t keep silent forever, I resignedly opened my mouth.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty Lupin.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Are you a king?”

Damn. I knew this would happen.

Thud!

The representative of the delegation standing next to me slapped his forehead. I could see him cursing me with his eyes.

The knights and nobles present were also staring at me in shock.

“Pfft!”

A small laugh erupted in the silent audience chamber.

Glancing back, Phoenix was desperately trying to suppress her laughter. Ariel beside her poked her in the side.

“Phoenix…”

“No, look at that Praus guy! He always tells us not to cause trouble, yet he causes chaos everywhere he goes! It’s absolutely hilarious!”

“Where did you pick up the phrase ‘absolutely hilarious’…”

While Ariel critiqued her, the knights snapped back to their senses and placed their hands on their swords.

“How rude…!”

“How dare you act so recklessly in front of His Majesty Luke!”

This was exactly why I didn’t want to speak.

But the waters had already been spilled.

Starting from the worst possible image wasn’t new to me, so I had no choice but to proceed.

“I didn’t come here to meet the king; I came here to negotiate. I have a clear purpose.”

“What an insolent brat!!”

“You! I challenge you to a duel—!”

“Silence!!”

The Knight Commander next to the King shouted. With one loud voice, he quelled the knights’ actions.

“…Praus, I understand your achievements have made waves throughout the Physis continent. However, there are manners that must be observed. How could one propose a deal irrespective of status?”

That was a fair statement.

In a world of hierarchy, my actions were akin to breaking the common sense. Among the people living in this world, no one could comprehend a commoner speaking casually to a king.

“No state would overlook acts that undermine hierarchy, whether it be in the Empire or the Kingdom. Beware.”

After the Knight Commander finished speaking, a brief silence fell.

The King’s eyes, seated on the throne, landed squarely upon me, his gaze displeased.

“Go back and tell them. There is no way we will relinquish the resources located at the border.”

The faces of the delegation turned ashen. They shot resentful glances at me, but I simply ignored them.

After all, it would be unreasonable to return to the Aioum Kingdom without achieving anything.

I took a step forward. The knights reacted as though they anticipated me posing a threat to the king.

“Let me tell you one thing.”

“…?”

The King’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Since I arrived here, the demons hidden in the Aioum Kingdom are on the move.”

I had killed two higher-ranked demons.

The one they were most wary of would surely be me. They would undoubtedly be monitoring my every move from somewhere, whether it be the Empire or the Kingdom.

Thus, I planned to use that to my advantage.

“What?!”

The King stood up in shock, trembling. The nobles and knights in attendance also appeared bewildered.

The demons lurking here must be panicking.

The thought of potentially meeting the same fate as the Countess Forna might have left them uneasy. Whether they were being coerced or brainwashed, mere association with demons typically meant immediate execution.

However, I intended to provoke not the underlings but the one behind them. I wanted these pawns to become frightened and pass the message on to the demons.

“My sole objective is to hand over all resources located on the border between the Pretéum Empire and Aioum Kingdom to the Empire. If you accept this condition, I will find and subdue all the demon’s pawns left in your Kingdom.”

If proposing a deal across ranks was prohibited, then I just had to present an offer they couldn’t refuse from the start.

“Now, choose. Will you face the demons blindly, or will you seek my help to ensure the Kingdom’s safety?”

“You insolent wretch!!”

The Knight Commander pulled out his sword, pointing its tip menacingly at me. Other knights followed suit, drawing their swords as they readied to strike.

“Ha!”

As I scoffed, the Knight Commander flinched.

“Seems you’re mistaken. I have already killed two higher-ranked demons. I accomplished what no one has managed to do up to this point. I believe I have ample right to speak, don’t you think?”

“Grrr!”

At a loss for words, he gritted his teeth, glaring at me.

I felt all eyes present in the room turn toward me, prompting a slight smile to form on my lips.

“Now, what will you choose?”