My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 16

Creak.

I entered the inn and opened the door.

“Come in.”

“…Yes.”

Maria rolled her eyes anxiously.

Well, it’s understandable to be scared entering a closed room with a man she doesn’t trust yet.

“I’m not going to do anything. Just come in.”

If I were to do something to her, it would land me in trouble instead.

Thanks to the medieval setting, there seems to be a somewhat flexible approach to crime, but I had no intention of committing any.

Maybe it’s because the era is medieval, but my mindset is modern.

“Mmm…”

Hearing footsteps, Iris and Tina, who were snuggled up on one bed, shifted in their sleep.

“Uh… Lord Praus…?”

They rubbed their eyes and sat up. Still half-asleep, they struggled to fully open their eyes.

“Have you finished everything you needed to do?”

They turned their heads in the dark room, trying to find me.

As Iris sat up, pulling the covers down, Tina curled up and finally opened her eyes.

“Praus? You’re back?”

“Yeah. I’m back. I brought the last one.”

Shyly shrinking back, Maria entered the room late. Her eyes met those of the two sitting on the bed.

“Lord Praus, who are these children…?”

“People who have lived through hardships just like you.”

Humans, Beastmen, Elves.

A variety of races.

In any case, I gathered all the heroes.

“It’s late. Let’s all sleep now, and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. You two should get some rest too.”

I took off my shoes and laid down on the empty bed.

Tina yawned, then flopped back down, quickly falling asleep.

Iris was staring at me intently. She seemed like she had something she wanted to say.

“Do you have something to say, Iris?”

“No, not at all. Sleep well.”

Saying this, she pulled her blanket up to her head, at which Tina whined and pulled the blanket back.

“…Maria.”

“Yes, yes?!”

“Your voice is too loud.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“There’s a bag over there. You look like you just washed up, so dig through the bag and find something to wear. Take off your robe and put it in the bag.”

I pointed to the bag neatly placed next to the drawer. She replied that she understood and began rummaging through it.

Not long after, I heard the sound of clothes changing. I closed my eyes.

At some point, all noises faded away, and I cracked my eyes open slightly. Raising my head, I found Maria standing at the foot of my bed.

She seemed to be waiting for my next command.

“How long are you going to stand there?”

“Uh, um? But…”

“Come here.”

I patted the space next to me.

Since there were only two beds, Maria had no choice but to sleep with me, whether she liked it or not. I couldn’t exactly leave a precious hero to sleep on the ground.

But misinterpreting my pure intentions, Maria hesitated. She instinctively seemed to think I would do something to her.

Seeing her frightful face, I wondered if I had done something wrong.

“Are you planning to sleep standing up?”

“Y-yes, but…”

“Stop overthinking.”

“I’m not?”

I didn’t bring the hero here to do something inappropriate.

I didn’t buy her to make my side stronger either.

I saved her merely to survive.

I couldn’t bear to see the Empire fall to demons and the world perish.

Now that I’m trapped in this game world, I had no choice but to see an ‘ending’ to return to my original world.

That’s the cliché of getting trapped in a game.

Even if I couldn’t go back, to keep living, I had to ultimately defeat the Demon King.

“I didn’t spend a fortune to buy you for some petty pleasure. Push aside those ridiculous thoughts.”

“Yes…”

‘What should I say to reassure her…? I can’t exactly tell her I’m a person who’s been trapped.’

“Don’t worry. I dislike women with small chests.”

…What? Is that even a thing to say?

Twitch! For some reason, the other bed creaked.

Glancing at the shaking bed, I looked back at Maria. She wore a bewildered expression at my absurd comment.

“Ah, I see.”

Well, I managed to get her to move.

“Well then… I-I’ll excuse myself.”

It wasn’t intended, but here we are, a man and a woman sleeping in the same bed.

While we wouldn’t do anything like what people might imagine, it still felt a little inappropriate. It would have been better if we were siblings instead.

To let her sleep more comfortably, I turned my body to the other side.

“Sleep now.”

Saying that, I closed my eyes.

I could hear rustling behind me. I felt the mattress shaking. Maria had climbed into the bed.

“Good night, Lord Praus.”

I didn’t respond.

My body was too exhausted to respond anymore.

*

“Looks like he won’t wake up today…”

“Doesn’t seem like he’s dead, does it?”

“Be careful with your words. Just because Lord Praus isn’t hitting anyone, he’s really scary when he gets angry.”

At Iris’s warning, Tina’s eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth.

The two were watching the sleeping face of Lord Praus, wondering how he might react.

Seeing him breathe rhythmically, they felt relieved.

‘Looks like he hasn’t woken up. I wonder what happened yesterday? He’s done a lot in just this past week.’

“Let’s not wake him. If he gets hungry, he told us to eat dried meat, so let’s wait while eating this.”

Iris, who grew used to living in the inn with Lord Praus, rummaged through her bag and pulled out dried meat. She shared it with Tina.

“This dried meat is delicious.”

Tina munched on it, wearing a happy expression.

Maria woke up to the sound of their voices and raised her body. Just as if she had been waiting, Iris approached Maria.

“Ah? You’re awake too? Would you like some dried meat? There’s water too.”

Iris offered the dried meat and water. Sitting at the edge of the bed, Maria accepted them, saying, “Thank you.”

“What do you want to do today? Staying in the inn is getting boring.”

“Lord Praus must have something in mind. He wouldn’t act without purpose.”

Maria watched the two speak calmly as they sat on the bed.

“What about you two?”

“I’m Iris. This is Tina. We’re both ten years old. What’s your name?”

Her white fox ears flapped, and her tail swayed lightly. It was a sign of curiosity.

“My name is… Maria… I’m also ten.”

“Oh really? Let’s get along well.”

“No need for formal speech. We’re the same age.”

“…Should I? Got it.”

A moment of silence followed as the conversation momentarily halted.

Maria, looking down at the dried meat, carefully spoke up.

“…Are you two also slaves bought by Praus?”

“I am, but Tina was living close to that jerk… Dink, I think? And Lord Praus took her in.”

“I lived an almost slave-like life too. Begging every day and getting beaten… But Lord Praus isn’t like that. I’ve been with him for about a week now, and he hasn’t asked anything from me or laid a hand on me once.”

Tina said, smiling innocently. That smile exuded pure sincerity. Maria sighed softly at that.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Eh?”

“Slaves are people too. Being human, who do they think they are to hit others? Just because they have a bit more money or strength, can they trample on other lives?”

Tina looked at Maria with a puzzled expression, unsure of what to say. She glanced at Iris for help.

“Yelling at Tina won’t mean anything.”

Having gotten too absorbed in the discussion, Maria bit her lower lip in regret.

“…Sorry. You did nothing wrong.”

“Ah, no. It’s okay.”

Iris instantly understood why Maria was reacting this way.

She felt that Maria had a similar past to hers by intuition.

“You too, huh?”

At Iris’s words, Maria’s long ears twitched.

“…It’s the same for other races sold as slaves to the Empire.”

Maria clicked her tongue and glanced back. Praus was still sound asleep, breathing steadily.

‘He’s a force that even S-Class adventurers can’t compete with. I’ll definitely become his disciple and become strong, so there won’t ever be an elf that becomes a slave again.’

Admiration for the strong had been lodged in Maria’s heart long before she became a slave.

This was due to an S-Class adventurer saving her village moments before it was destroyed by monsters.

Even at a young age, witnessing that made her dream of becoming strong like an S-Class adventurer. She had hoped to protect many people and keep them from losing their smiles.

But that wish vanished as her village burned and her family died.

What remained was resentment towards humans and a desire for vengeance against those who killed her family.

“That’s true.”

Iris nodded in agreement, smiling lightly. But that’s all she could say.

The conversation dwindled, leaving a heavy silence between the three. Meanwhile, Tina, munching on the dried meat, looked between the two before speaking up.

“Speaking of which, there was a huge explosion noise yesterday. Maria, did you hear it?”

At Tina’s question, Maria nodded.

She had been nearby when the explosion echoed throughout the capital. There was no chance she wouldn’t know.

“What was that? There was a bright light outside!”

“Seriously. It felt like the sun had risen at night.”

Hearing the two talk, Maria cautiously chimed in.

“Do you know… that Lord Praus is strong?”

“Yeah! We know that!”

Tina exclaimed, clenching her fist in excitement.

“T-Tina! Shh! You’ll wake Lord Praus!”

“Oops…!”

Iris quickly covered Tina’s mouth. Suddenly aware of her own raised voice, she bowed her head low.

“…How do you know?”

Maria quietly asked, watching their actions. Iris slowly removed her hand from Tina’s mouth.

“Of course, I know because he saved me. The way he killed Dink with a single stab was incredible… it made me realize how a huge skill gap can make someone toy with others.”

Recalling that moment, Tina was excited.

Though there were some exaggerations, Maria who witnessed Lord Praus’ battle could only understand.

“Indeed! Considering what he showed yesterday, there’s no way he’s weak.”

“Yesterday, what he showed?”

Hearing Maria’s mumble, Iris asked.

“That explosion you heard yesterday was from Lord Praus’ battle with Inkuro, the S-Class adventurer.”

“With an S-Class adventurer?!”

“Iris! Shhh!”

Iris exclaimed in shock, and this time it was Tina who covered her mouth.

“I thought he was strong, but to think he could fight an S-Class adventurer… did you watch from there, Maria?”

Maria nodded. Iris’s gaze shifted to Praus.

‘Lord Praus didn’t seem to have a single injury. His clothes were fine, and now, as he sleeps peacefully, I can’t imagine he got hurt in that fight.’

Iris’ judgment, viewing Lord Praus as objectively as she could, led her to one conclusion.

“Could it be that he defeated the S-Class adventurer?”

“…I’m not sure. Lord Praus was mainly on the defensive. But he proved the skills gap with just one strike.”

‘A gap between him and an S-Class adventurer? Just how strong could he be…’

“Oh, I see.”

“Wow… Lord Praus is truly an amazing person.”

Tina said in pure admiration. However, Iris, who sat beside her, couldn’t hide her bitter feelings.

“…Why did someone with enough power to shake the world take us in?”

Still, Iris did not comprehend her own value. She always pushed the matter aside, thinking it would be explained when the three of them gathered.

Because of this, she felt anxious.

She was scared that she might revert back to her former life as a slave, as if nothing had happened.

Having already tasted the lavish life that Praus provided, she never wanted to go back to being a slave again.

She desperately sought to find her value, but now at just ten years old, it was impossible for her to help Lord Praus. The only thing she knew how to do was move heavy objects.

“Well, I don’t know about that, but we must be of some help to Lord Praus.”

‘Could I be of help to Lord Praus? Then maybe I’ll get to eat delicious meals often?’

‘Help? Could I really be of any use with this body that can’t do anything?’

‘Whatever it is, I will find it out and seize that opportunity to become his disciple.’

While the three of them thought in different emotional states, Lord Praus, who had already woken up, was drenched in cold sweat.

‘Crap, what should I do? Should I pretend to be asleep? I can’t find the right timing.’

Pretending to sleep, Lord Praus listened to the children’s voices, which sounded like a hero’s tale.

‘Why do they think I’m strong…? Why don’t they see how weak I am!’