My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 169

“Stop it.”

As I murmured that, Tina and Iris came to an abrupt halt. Despite the screams echoing around us, it was as if they had heard my voice and decided to freeze in place.

Tina and Iris, who had been watching Ter groan while clutching his arm and Soro desperately trying to stem the bleeding from his belly, turned to look at me.

“Is it over?”

“Yes. Maria, eliminate the meteor.”

“Excuse me?”

“You should be able to with your mana, right?”

“Well, I can, but… what’s going on all of a sudden?”

“The Emperor wants to make a deal.”

I hurriedly showed Maria a hastily scribbled sentence. She sighed as she looked at the delivery scroll. It seemed she was trying to avoid saying it.

“…Understood.”

As Maria lifted her staff, the meteor began to levitate. Pointing her staff at the meteor hovering over Pretéum’s sky, she said, “Cancel.”

Boom!

The flaming meteor exploded. In that moment, darkness lifted over Pretéum’s sky. It felt like watching a massive fireworks display.

I worried about what would happen to the fragments that fell when the meteor detonated, but fortunately, there were no debris raining down from the explosion.

“That’s all done.”

Despite my shout, a few members of the White Light Corps still seemed intent on resisting, drawing their swords toward the heroes.

Sirius, the only one not in a near-death state, was excitedly removing the ice from his wounds.

“Hah, Soro… that bitch until the end…!”

“…Sirius, enough.”

“Shut up, Praus! You’re still on my kill list!”

To target me now… what a truly foolish human.

Seeing him charge toward me, I tightened my grip on my sword.

As he approached within striking distance, I remained still, planning to counterattack when the moment arose, but then Tina and Iris moved beside me and repelled Sirius.

“Ugh!”

A large X-shaped wound opened on Sirius’s torso. The red stains began to soak through even his black clothing.

If he had been in decent condition, he could have dodged that, but after taking Soro’s ice magic head-on, the chill had seeped into his muscles, dulling his movements.

No matter how quick your reflexes, if your body can’t keep up, it doesn’t matter.

In the end, Sirius collapsed under the blows from the two.

“Shall we continue? If so, I’ll gladly take you on.”

I turned my gaze from the fallen Sirius to the White Light Corps members.

“Ugh…!”

The members stood their ground, raising their swords yet not daring to charge. They understood the risk; to rush us meant death or serious injury.

“Go treat the leader.”

“Teacher, are you okay? Wouldn’t it be better to make sure they’re dead? Soro and Ter are pretty strong, you know?”

“No. It’s sufficient.”

Now that we had displayed overwhelming power, they wouldn’t recklessly charge at us. If they still did, it would mean they either wanted to ensure our demise or were looking to commit suicide.

Moreover, by the time they healed completely, the heroes would only have grown stronger, so there was no need to worry.

Speaking of which, I expected Soro to be whimpering after being attacked by Urka, but it seemed the effect wasn’t as strong as I thought.

It was proof that the White Light Corps had a strong sense of pride and was much simpler-minded than I had estimated.

“Quickly, go.”

“….”

The members cautiously moved toward Soro and Ter. Yet here they were, pretending to care…

“Teacher, knights are coming up the city wall stairs.”

“Though the fight is over, stay alert. Knights or magicians could still attack.”

The Magic Guild had likely exhausted most of their mana blocking the meteor, so they should be fine; it was the knights scattered throughout Pretéum that posed a problem.

Dealing with countless knights would be a task in itself, but the public reputation fallout from killing them could be problematic.

The Black Light and White Light Corps operated mostly in the shadows, but the Royal Knight Order was a ‘symbol of protection’ to the people of the Empire.

“Maria, teleport us to the Imperial Palace.”

“Are we just leaving them, Teacher?”

“Now that the fight is over, they are irrelevant.”

Just before Maria cast the teleportation spell, Ter, receiving treatment from a member, grunted and forced open his mouth.

“Ugh… Praus… what is your objective, really? You don’t think killing His Majesty the Emperor will let you seize the throne, do you?”

I halted Maria’s teleportation and approached him. The members recoiled, drawing their swords in alarm, as if to say, “Don’t come any closer.”

I stopped walking and locked eyes with Ter. His gaze lacked strength. He looked ready to faint at any moment.

“I’m not interested in the throne.”

“Then why have you taken the entire populace of Pretéum hostage and threatened His Majesty? What’s the meaning of all this chaos?!”

“The path I intended was obstructed by the Emperor.”

“What?”

“That’s all there is to the story.”

With that final remark, I turned away. By now, I could feel the heroes had come closer, looking up at me.

“Let’s go, Maria.”

“Teleport.”

*

“Ugh! You can’t pass!”

The knights at the palace entrance shouted in a panic as they saw us suddenly appear.

“Step aside, if you don’t want to die.”

As I glared at them, they faltered under my killing intent, consumed by fear, struggling to even hold their swords properly. I brushed their blades aside with my hand and calmly walked past.

“If you understand the current situation, guide me to the Emperor.”

“W-We can’t let you see His Majesty!”

“Let us through.”

It seemed Lupin heard the knights’ raised voices, as a voice echoed from within. The knights exchanged startled glances before reluctantly biting their lower lips and opening the door.

He welcomed us in with the same posture as yesterday. Though it seemed the desk had moved a bit?

“You have come, Praus.”

Lupin nodded in greeting as the knights glanced at us and then exited, closing the door behind them.

“So it has come to this… so, what conditions are you here to offer me?”

“No, that’s not right. The order is wrong here.”

“What do you mean?”

“First, you need to atone for the trouble you’ve caused me.”

For someone who had never once bowed his head in his life, it was time to make him do so at least once.

“What are you saying…?!”

“What am I saying? Before any negotiations, you will bow your head and apologize to me.”

Let him taste a bit of humiliation.