My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 155

“That power I saw back then was no illusion after all.”

As I listened to Habito’s words, I steadied myself. There was no room for me to engage in conversation.

It would be one minute soon.

Even if my body temporarily took on Iris’s form due to the Copier effect, that didn’t change its essence.

Once the effect expired, a violent backlash would hit me. Since I had mimicked Iris’s strength and movements with an ordinary body, the pain would be far more intense than when I had Pasma possess me.

So, before the effect ended, I had to subdue Habito, who had appeared.

I gathered mana into my sword. Now that I had expelled the Magic Beast, I might be able to inflict a fatal wound on Habito.

“…That’s far enough.”

“!”

He said this while reaching out his hand toward me. A bloody mass was pooling in his grip.

“Even if you are a hero, your body… It has its limits, right? The pain is showing on your face?”

“…So what?”

“My goal is to keep Stella alive.”

“My goal is to kill Stella by any means necessary.”

He chuckled softly as I immediately countered him.

“If you’re trying to kill Stella, I’ll use the demons I’ve planted in the Empire and the Kingdom to indiscriminately slaughter people. No matter how strong you are, you won’t be able to save every human on the Fischis Continent. Isn’t that something you as a hero doesn’t want?”

“……”

I slowly lowered my sword. It wasn’t because I wanted to; as I hesitated, the mana and magic I saw faded from view.

It meant the Copier skill’s effect had worn off.

My forearm felt numb. The backlash had begun. I desperately tolerated the pain that felt like my muscles were being chopped with a knife.

I struggled to keep my expression from warping into arrogance. Just when I needed my Expression Management Skill the most…!

“You’re surprisingly easy to talk to. It would have been better if you were on the side of demons instead of humans.”

Habito splattered blood into the air, surrounding himself and Stella.

“I’ll look forward to the day we meet again. Next time, I won’t let things slide like I did now.”

His voice echoed from beyond the blood barrier.

“I’ll keep watch until the day I kill you.”

The barrier of blood gradually shrank and disappeared without a trace. Habito and Stella, who had been inside the barrier, had vanished as well.

“Ugh!”

[Prauus!]

Only then did I collapse to the ground. I lay there, vomiting blood, barely managing to look up at the sky through my blurred vision.

Before long, I could see the faces of Iris and Ariel. Iris was desperately calling out to me with teary eyes.

This time, I really felt like I was going to die.

I had lost the strength to even take out a potion and succumbed to the pain that felt like my fingers were breaking, losing consciousness.

*

“Iris!”

Not long after Praus had fainted, Tina and Maria finally made their appearance.

When they saw Iris and Ariel desperately working to restore him, they were taken aback.

“What happened…? Why is the Teacher…?”

“Iris, what happened? Why is the Teacher bleeding and collapsed?”

“It’s fine. He shouldn’t be in danger to his life. I’m making sure of that.”

Using Naiad’s water magic and potions, she maintained his energy so it wouldn’t deplete and absorbed mana.

The organs that had begun to bleed due to the shock healed, and broken bones rejoined. The tendons that were on the verge of snapping from the strain and damaged muscles gradually returned to their original state.

“……”

Tina and Maria couldn’t tear their eyes away from Iris, who was shedding tears while staring at Praus. They sensed a deeper connection.

It wasn’t just the feelings of a student towards a teacher that Iris held.

When they had wished for a hug, both had vaguely anticipated Iris’s feelings. However, knowing they couldn’t voice their individual emotions, they chose to ignore it.

In truth, Tina was aware of this full well; that was why she had clung to Praus despite using her wish. She didn’t show it outwardly, but hearing Praus say he would take Iris away had made her very disappointed.

A strange atmosphere began to flow between the three heroes as a few minutes passed.

After they saw Praus’s breathing stabilize and his expression soften, Iris and Ariel finally pulled their hands away from Praus’s body.

“……Why did it take so long?”

“I couldn’t use Teleport, and Tina got hurt.”

“Huh? Where did you get hurt?”

“Just a little.”

Tina casually pointed to her arm. Iris grabbed Tina’s arm.

“Never mind that, just show me.”

“……I got hurt a bit from the Magic Beast explosion.”

Tina reluctantly showed her forearm. Upon seeing the rotting, blackened skin, Iris gathered her mana once more.

“I’ll heal you right away. Just wait.”

“No, it’s fine. I already tried to heal it with Maria’s magic, but it didn’t work.”

“But we can’t just leave it like that.”

“It’s okay to leave it alone. Thanks to the Purification Stone the Teacher gave me, it’s gradually getting better, though it stings a lot.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

And with that, the conversation ended.

They all felt the need to say something, but none of the three opened their mouths. Feeling the awkwardness in the air that was different from usual, Iris spoke as if blaming herself.

“Looks like we’re really not much help.”

The one who was most shaken by her words was Ariel.

While looking at the collapsed Praus, she bit her lower lip tightly to keep unnecessary words from spilling out.

“It’s my fault… If I hadn’t let the mana in the barrier be used against me, my trauma wouldn’t have…”

Seeing Peremus almost made her lose her sanity, and she felt miserable for that.

“……Indeed.”

“Ariel.”

Maria, who had been silent, called out to Ariel.

“Y-yeah?”

“We really are heroes, right?”

“……Yes. Without a doubt, the three of you are heroes.”

Ariel recalled the three who had awakened as heroes four years ago.

“But why does the Teacher seem more like a hero? No, it’s like he should have been born as a hero.”

“Pathetic. A teacher who can’t even help is just holding you back.”

Staring down at Praus, who lay on the soft grass, Iris’s eyes glistened. They were tears born from her anger at herself.

“……Because he’s the Teacher.”

Ariel said softly, catching their attention.

“If a student shows a foolish side, isn’t it the teacher’s role to correct them?”

Though Ariel comforted the heroes convincingly, she understood better than anyone that she was in no position to say such things.

Because of the constraints of causality, she couldn’t provide help and only felt indebted, which weighed heavily on her heart.

“If he chose to be that way, Praus would smile and let you go no matter what mistakes you made. Of course, you rarely got to see him smile.”

It wasn’t like that.

In reality, Praus was fully relying on the heroes.

He absolutely loathed pain and truly wanted to do nothing at all, yet he moved because he couldn’t leave the heroes to die.

Unaware of his true intentions, they couldn’t help but hold him in high regard.

“Anyway, no one gets strong from the get-go. You improve by making mistakes and getting knocked around. Then surely, someday, you’ll become a true hero that will be remembered for ages, surpassing Praus.”

Speaking to the three heroes, Ariel steeled herself internally. She decided to stop the act of only making contracts while looking at Pasma.

“I’m sorry, Pasma. I vowed never to make contracts with anyone else but you… but please forgive me just this once.”

Hearing Ariel’s words, Iris wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Though her eyes were still red, her gaze had returned to normal.

“Then… what we need to do now is to sort everything out before the Teacher wakes up.”

Tina’s words were met with active agreement from Iris and Maria.

Although the atmosphere between the three was still peculiar, they chose to focus on one single goal.

“Let’s quickly tidy this place up and head to the Royal Palace.”

“Okay.”

*

I slowly opened my eyes. The ornate ceiling with special patterns came into view along with a small chandelier.

“What a luxurious ceiling.”

I couldn’t help but marvel quietly as I sat up. As I placed my hand on the bed, it sank in. Such a soft bed it was.

“My body feels fine, but…”

The pain I felt before losing consciousness had completely disappeared. The fatigue felt as if I had been pampered in a sauna for an hour, thoroughly lifted.

Just as I was enjoying that refreshing feeling, a hologram floated before me.

[The skill “Expression Management” has temporarily been released.]

“……?”

Why is this still up?

I frowned in confusion and pressed the hologram repeatedly. However, my finger just passed through it, and it showed no reaction.

As I stared at it with furrowed brows, I heard a voice.

“S-Teacher.”

Startled by Tina’s voice, I turned to my side. There were two Spirit Kings and three heroes looking at me.

Oh no, I didn’t notice they were there…!

Silence fell between us.

“Ah… How long have I been lying down?”

Eventually, unable to withstand the silence, I awkwardly smiled and scratched my head.

“Huh?”

“What?”

The others showed blank reactions to my words.

“S-Sensei?”

“What do we do? I think he hit his head!”

“Don’t make a fuss, Tina. That guy has had a brain injury since he was born.”

“……Not true.”

“You’re speaking to me politely? Praus?! You must have definitely hit your head!”

Why are you making such a shocked expression saying that…?

The heroes seemed ready to rush towards me, placing their hands on the bed. They leaned in to examine me closely. I felt strangely shy and awkwardly smiled.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“T-Teachers don’t speak so warmly!!”

Tina shrieked in a high-pitched voice.

H-How am I supposed to act then?!

Are you saying I should cosplay Praus or something?!

“Still… having a warm conversation is nice.”

“I think I like the Teacher’s tone more like this now.”

“Ahaha… Really?”

I chuckled as I affectionately tousled the heroes’ hair just like usual.

“A smiling Teacher is the best…!”

Tina, spreading her thumb towards me, pinched her cheeks gently. They felt soft. It was a sensation I could still feel because she hadn’t yet lost her baby fat.

As I enjoyed this healing moment, I recalled the events that transpired in the barracks.

“Ah! Right! Speaking of which, what happened to the situation?!”

“I handled it well.”

Ariel replied as she stepped forward.

“So don’t worry about that. But first, would you hear my suggestion?”

“Suggestion…?”

“I really can’t get used to the formal speech.”

“Ah, don’t talk nonsense. What’s this suggestion you’re mentioning?”

As I pressed for a prompt response, Ariel’s gaze briefly shifted to the Phoenix. The Phoenix shrugged its shoulders, seemingly indicating to do as she pleased.

“I want to make a contract with you, Praus.”

“……What?”

What on earth is she saying?