My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 163

“Praus!!”

As our party entered the office, Kalus shouted.

“I can hear you just fine without you raising your voice.”

“…What now? Are you sick or something if you don’t get angry?”

What kind of filtering is this?

“Are you trying to make a joke right now? Also, what’s this about being sick?!”

“Stop with the useless chatter and tell me why you called me.”

“You started it…!”

Seeing him tremble in frustration was oddly entertaining. There was no one in this world who could tease a duke like this, except for me, who was filtered.

“Ugh… Anyway, just take a look at this first.”

He handed me a scroll.

It looked like a new transmission scroll had come in. I unraveled the scroll and began to read.

“Praul, I never expected you to insult me so much in the S-Class duel and then send me a letter using honorifics.

However, that’s all it is. Honestly, I think it’s downright shameless. I thought this letter would show your remorse, but I’m greatly disappointed that you’re trying to use me instead.

So, I don’t know what proposal you have in mind, but even if I regret it, I will not accept your proposal.

However, I commend you for monopolizing resources from the Aioum Kingdom. Keep that in mind as you strengthen the survival rights of the other races.

Please continue to devote yourself to the Empire going forward.”

Well then.

I expected this reaction.

After all, I had just made the Emperor eat dirt in the S-Class duel and managed to take 10,000 gold coins from him, so it’s no wonder he’s angry.

But I’m not backing down one bit.

“What kind of proposal did you make to His Majesty—”

“Give me one more.”

“What?”

“I think I need to say something properly since His Majesty seems a bit out of it.”

In Praus language, of course.

“Hey you crazy bastard, is His Majesty your friend?!”

“Shut up and hand it over quickly, before I take it by force.”

“You little bastard….”

Kalus grumbled as he threw the transmission scroll at me. I tossed him a pouch with twenty gold coins, and only then did his expression soften a bit.

I hope he keeps that expression.

*

“Hey…! Hey!! Are you crazy?! What did you write to His Majesty?!”

The second transmission scroll I sent was clearly effective, as Duke Kalus was trembling while holding the scroll.

“Thinking about it, this seems to suit me more. I decided to go straight instead of trying to go around.”

“You damn bastard!”

He hurled the scroll at me with a furious face. Tina skillfully caught it and handed it to me.

“Don’t throw things at the Teacher. You’re not a child. That’s a bad habit.”

“W-what?!”

As Tina clicked her tongue, Kalus’s fist trembled in irritation. It seems he was getting angrier now that even a kid was telling him off.

“Stop it.”

“Yes~”

Tina snorted dismissively at Kalus.

By the time their bickering died down, I started reading the contents of the scroll.

“I get the general meaning, but how dare a commoner like you bring up the Imperial Family? No matter how strong you are, trying to touch the Imperial Family is madness.

You’re seriously looking to get yourself killed. Come to the Imperial Palace right now; let’s see if you still have the guts to say that in front of me.”

The Emperor’s response wasn’t bad. It was clear he had written it while suppressing his anger, but it also indicated he was willing to listen.

“Teacher, what did you write to get this reaction?”

“I just wrote something suitably provocative.”

What I had written was this.

“The moment you die, the Empire will fall into chaos, and the royal family will be greatly shaken. How many of your children do you think will survive then?

But I know the way for all your children to survive. Do you wish to hear my thoughts?”

The Emperor had no choice but to understand the implications of my words.

He had wiped out all his siblings during the Succession War to ascend to the throne, so there was no way he didn’t know the chaos that would arise from it.

Moreover, while one might think the Emperor is a ruthless man based on his personality, he actually cared for his children more than expected.

Though he usually appeared indifferent, he would willingly give up his rights if he thought his kids had the capability.

He wouldn’t want to see his children undergo the same experiences he had.

“We’re going to the Imperial Palace. Prepare yourselves.”

“Hey! Praus! What did you write to His Majesty?!”

“…Kalus, do you really believe the Crown Prince can become Emperor?”

“What?”

“On this day, I want to wish for that very thing.”

If the Emperor accepted my proposal, the Succession War could be avoided. But if he didn’t, then I would just carry out my plans as I wished. It was a proposal that held no potential loss for me.

*

As soon as we arrived at the palace, the Royal Knight Order welcomed us.

“His Majesty is waiting. Let’s go right in.”

As I moved, the party followed.

Then, I felt two knights reach out behind me. My group was blocked.

“Everyone except Praus will have to wait in the reception room. And Praus, please surrender your weapon to us for a moment.”

“Why?”

“You have no right to refuse. If you do, we will have to order you to exit the palace as well.”

“If you don’t tell us the reason, we have no choice but to reject that order.”

As Iris began to emit a powerful aura, the knights flinched. They say strong people recognize each other.

Though it didn’t quite register for me at the moment.

“Stop it, Iris. There’s nothing to gain from fighting the imperial family.”

The imperial family had to hold their heads high until the end of the Demon War.

“I’ll go in alone. Everyone wait in the reception room.”

“…Understood.”

“Then just one moment.”

Maria quickly slipped between the knights and hugged me tightly.

“Eh?”

“Ah! Maria!”

“Maria, no cheating!”

She lifted her head from my embrace, mumbling something.

“Teacher, I’ve set up a fail-safe. I’ll know immediately if anything happens to you, so please be careful.”

“……Thanks.”

As I observe, it seems the heroes recognize my strength, but they seem to care more about my safety.

Is it because I’ve nearly died multiple times?

“Please be careful. If anything happens to you with the Emperor, I’ll wipe out all the humans in the Empire.”

“Uh…?”

I flinched at her formidable statement.

“…..Do you really think I’m going to let that happen?”

“Of course not. I’m just… saying things as they are. Have a safe trip.”

With that final comment, Maria let go of me. She waved goodbye with a naive smile, but knowing she was sharpening her sword against humans made that smile feel a bit ominous.

Things must be different from the game.

In the game, episodes continued without needing to manage the heroes’ rage.

But in reality, the stronger the heroes grew, the more cautious I had to be with my actions.

These heroes could just as easily derail my plans as the Demon Tribe could if I touched them the wrong way.

“Alright.”

I turned away.

Once everything is done, I should nudge them toward independence. By then, they should be around twenty years old; they wouldn’t want to live with an old man, would they?

Please don’t, for the love of all that is good.

If anyone confesses out of nowhere, I’m dead. And not in a good way, either.

*

In the Emperor’s office.

From the massive work desk to the couch for resting, it looked no different from any noble’s office.

But this office seemed more like a library, filled with extensive bookshelves crammed with books. It felt like every book published in the Empire was here.

“Ah, so you’ve arrived.”

The knights ushered me into the office and closed the door. The distinct clanking of armor quickly faded. They were likely waiting outside.

“Now let me hear why you sent me such nonsense. Surely you haven’t forgotten what you’ve done to me?”

I steadied my breath.

“……I came for a trade, not to dwell on petty past grievances.”

With a lively stride, I stepped right up to his desk. I looked the Emperor directly in the eye. For a time, we simply held each other’s gaze in silence.

In exchanging glances, I realized one thing.

At least for now, no matter what I said, he wouldn’t try to kill me.

As long as the Demon Tribe was still a threat, I was still a valuable asset to the Emperor.

“Trading and bringing up our Imperial Family… that’s quite the audacity. If you hadn’t made contributions to the Empire, I would’ve had you executed by now. Trading, my foot.”

“……So? What do you want to say?”

“I just wanted to see what kind of face you’d make while spouting such foolishness. I wondered if you’d still have the guts to say the same things to my face.”

“Can I say them again then?”

“Ha… I didn’t expect a hero to be this much of a lunatic. To be so brazen in front of the Emperor of the Empire, no less.”

“Drop the status. You think you can uphold your status because I’m keeping it safe for you?”

Veins popped on his forehead as he glared at me with bulging eyes. Ignoring his glare, I opened my mouth.

“After you die, your carefully raised successor may not be able to ascend the throne. Is that alright with you?”

“……I heard you were messing around with Seri behind my back. In any case, the only force you can rely on is the Duke Aus’ faction. Other dukes won’t align with you.”

“I know.”

“Knowing that, do you really think you can win a power struggle?”

“Yes.”

“Hah, ha ha. I see. I’ve let you off the hook too easily ever since I owed a huge debt to the Duke Aus. I’ll have to tell the Crown Prince to strip him of all his power after I’m gone.”

That would effectively mean stripping the nobility.

It truly seems that both the Emperor and Crown Prince have a talent for making their opponents infuriated. Even in the game, I thought I was going to die from stress, and reality was even worse.

“……Is that so? Then let’s change the subject. What if I were to kill the Crown Prince?”

“What?”

That was a question I should never have dared to voice.

That was crossing a line.

There was no way the Emperor would remain calm upon hearing that I intended to kill the heir he had nurtured for decades.

“How dare you!! Which foolish mouth dares to utter such blasphemy against the Crown Prince!!”

I intentionally put a smirk on my face as I looked down at the Emperor who couldn’t hide his outrage. I tried my best to appear as scheming as I could.

“Well… It seems you’re finally in the mood for a trade.”