My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 170

“I’m, I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me because you have bad hearing. You heard me just fine.”

“You little punk!!”

Bang!

Lupin slammed his hands down on the desk and stood up, his inability to contain his anger was almost laughable. He was shaking, pointing a trembling finger at me.

“Are you daring to insult me, the Emperor?!”

“Seems like you still don’t get the situation.”

I glared at him from across the table. Lupin flinched and took a step back.

“Hey.”

“Hey… hey?!”

“Looks like you still have some pride left. If you need to see blood to come to your senses, I can arrange that.”

As I laid my hand on my sword, his pupils quivered. But that was all. Maybe it wasn’t enough to provoke him; his head remained held high.

Then I guess I should show him an example.

Just as I was about to draw the sword with force, Pasma appeared before me as if protecting the Emperor.

[Praus, stop. It’s one thing to speak informally, but asking the Emperor to bow his head is rather rude, even for me.]

“…….”

Loyal even in death, is it?

Well, given that he was treated extraordinarily as a Sword Master in life, I could understand his attachment to the Emperor.

Since I had already owed him a favor, I wanted to go along with Pasma’s opinion as much as possible.

However, bowing one’s head carried a lot of significance.

Among them, the biggest was that it was a declaration that I was not beneath him.

Deals should be made on equal footing to yield the best results. As long as he views me as beneath him, there’s no way a proper deal can be established.

“Sorry, Pasma.”

I muttered as I drew my sword, prompting Lupin with it.

“I’m not going to wait forever.”

“Do you really think this is a good idea, considering what happens if you kill me?!”

“I know. Oh, I know it all too well. But with this attitude, any deal we make would be meaningless. If that’s the case, I might as well just kill you and liberate the Other Races myself.”

As I took a stance to thrust, he ground his teeth, making a crunching sound.

While one might guess he would choose death over setting aside his pride just by looking at his demeanor, the truth was he feared death.

When I met the Emperor in the audience chamber, he had asked about my well-being from a distance, a clear sign of becoming increasingly sensitive to the concept of death over the years.

“Die, Emperor Lupin.”

In that moment, as I prepared to strike—

“I’m sorry!”

Emperor Lupin apologized and lowered his head. Finally, for the first time, that heavy head had bowed. It was such a refreshing, almost exhilarating feeling, something I never experienced even in the game. Was this what it felt like to turn the tables?

I lowered my sword.

“What are you apologizing for? Don’t lift your head, just answer.”

“……I failed to recognize your strength and made you toil unnecessarily over trivial matters.”

“Again.”

“…Again?”

His voice faltered. I struggled to hold back laughter.

Wow, it seems I’m the only one who can pull this kind of stunt on an Emperor. What a thrill.

“And… what else is there?”

“Isn’t there another cruel mistake committed during your life that you shouldn’t have made as a human?”

“Um….”

Are you thinking about this?

Wow, this is bad. He forgot the worst mistake he made in his life. Without a doubt, he deserves to be bound and thrashed.

“……Apologize for the Massacre you committed. In front of these children.”

I pointed at Iris and Maria standing behind me. The two stared blankly at my finger as I pointed at them.

They are the protagonists of this world.

The ones who will lead the charge in killing demons more than anyone else. They deserved to hear the Emperor’s apology before anyone.

“Ugh! F-Fraus… how could you subject me to such humiliation…!”

“It must be quite the joy to feel an emotion you won’t experience forever once you’re dead.”

At my taunt, his shoulders began to tremble violently. He was feeling the humiliation of experiencing this for the first time in his life. But, humiliation has a way of becoming familiar if endured long enough.

“……I committed the wrong of slaughtering your kin in a moment of greed and made them slaves. I apologize. I’m sorry.”

“Looks like that’s settled. Anything else to say?”

The two exchanged glances briefly, looking flustered as they bit their lips. Now that they faced the situation, they seemed at a loss for words.

If Urka were here, she would have unleashed a flurry of insults by now.

Maybe she would have even beaten him to a pulp, leaving him with black eyes.

…Hmm. Now I want to see that.

“Nothing to say?”

“Well….”

For them, this situation must be utterly bewildering. I understand.

Who would’ve expected to hear an apology from the architect of the Massacre all of a sudden?

“Apologies should… be shown through actions, not words.”

Iris said with a sorrowful face, her voice trembling.

“……That’s right. Immediately free the slaves and return the territory you seized from us. Right now.”

Maria spoke, trying to suppress her emotions, uttering her words as calmly as she could.

Both seemed to have quite a lot to say about the Massacre, even if I, being human, wasn’t showing it outwardly.

“There’s no need to rush. We can talk about that from now on.”

I sheathed my sword. Only then did the Emperor start to watch me cautiously as he lifted his head.

“You’ve had quite the struggle holding that heavy head down.”

“Fraus… do you truly believe this is the end? For your continued existence in the Empire, wouldn’t it be better to not have me as an enemy?”

“That’s laughable. I could destroy the Empire any time I want. You’d do well to think about your own position before speaking. And the Empire won’t escape the threat of demons; in that situation, isn’t it you who would be in trouble for making me an enemy?”

“Ha! You’re quite the clever one…!”

“I’ve been told that often. So why don’t you stop sulking and come have a seat?”

“Su… sulking?!”

“I want to finish this deal and go to sleep, you know? Kids can’t grow if they stay up this late.”

“Ugh!”

I pointed at the couch with my thumb. Lupin barely managed to contain his anger and walked to the sofa I indicated.

In the meantime, I gathered the parchment, ink pen, and inkwell that lay on the desk and placed them on the coffee table.

“Now, shall we start the discussion?”

“……What you asked for was the liberation of the Other Races and their independence. Is that correct?”

“What are you talking about? That was a condition before we fought. Considering the mutual losses we’ve sustained, my mood is not exactly cheerful.”

While the Emperor had undoubtedly suffered the greater loss, the victors always held the rights, after all.

I looked forward to seeing Sirius’s reaction when he learns about the troll business. He’d probably end up executed without a chance for defense.

“So what else do you intend to demand?”

“I want the revocation of Duke Tori’s authority, a promise that the Other Races will be treated equally to humans in the Empire, and laws established to impose fines if the Other Races are treated like slaves.”

“Your demands are quite excessive.”

“Not even close.”

I should attach more delicate conditions.

Ultimately, what I desired was the ‘harmony’ between humans and Other Races. I hoped from now on, humans and Other Races could live together as equals.

Of course, this was the potential that could emerge when I thought positively.

Realistically, achieving harmony would be very challenging.

However, even if I couldn’t find a way for all humans and Other Races to coexist, I could impact those I could reach.

By using Tori and Leoness—the leaders of the Resistance—who had been empathetic publicly towards the Other Races, I could definitely create a far better outcome than what was achieved in the game.

“And even if the Other Races gain independence, accepting trade with the Empire is a must. This part can be flexible; anything deemed unreasonable can be rejected, but outright refusal to trade is forbidden.”

I detailed other conditions that would ensure equality between humans and Other Races. Throughout my speech, the Emperor just scoffed and didn’t particularly challenge me.

“Then are you saying you’ll stop Seri’s external activities and won’t oppose placing Chris on the throne?”

“Not only that, but I also promise to protect the princes if danger befalls them. Naturally, if the Empire faces threats from demons, I will absolutely not turn a blind eye.”

This was because among the happy ending conditions in the game, the Empire must not fall.

“……So you’re saying you’ll accept the Other Races as equals while I protect the Empire?”

It seemed the Emperor didn’t consider the deal entirely unreasonable, as his tone lacked any displeasure. Fortunately, he didn’t appear to have any major complaints about the deal. Truth be told, he wouldn’t have agreed at all if I hadn’t asserted myself.

“However, if I, the one who commanded the Massacre, remain Emperor, the Other Races will not welcome me.”

“Why would they welcome you? They would likely try to assassinate you.”

“Then…!”

“Regardless, to abolish slavery and grant independence to the Other Races will require months of preparation. Once everything is finished, just step down from the throne and live quietly until you die.”

“What will you do if the Other Races threaten the Imperial Family?”

“Don’t worry about that. If the Other Races attempt to take down the Imperial Family, I’ll stop them.”

Though I said that, it’s unlikely to happen.

The Resistance was already in my grasp. As Leoness met with Other Races and absorbed them into his organization, it would become easier to manage them.

Even if they gained independence, the purpose of the organization would diminish, but if they didn’t want to lose their dignity to humans again, they would need a strong military to convince them. And with the demon problem still hanging over them, they wouldn’t resist too much.

“……We just fought to the death not too long ago. Can trust really be built so suddenly?”

“I have no interest in trust. I need you to achieve my goals, and I will use you for that.”

“Is that so….”

I wrote down the conditions I mentioned and the Emperor’s terms on the parchment. I also noted that everything needs to be fulfilled within this year. Just so you know, I was the one in charge here.

“This is a treaty. Don’t think about breaking it. If you do, even the Royal Knight Order and Magic Guild you still trust will fall to my hands.”

“…I’ll be careful.”

As I double-checked the contents of the treaty, I signed, and the Emperor sealed it.

With that, the treaty was established.

“The public announcement regarding the liberation of the slaves should be made after all procedures are complete, but let the nobility know subtly. They’ll need time to prepare.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

With the discussion wrapped up, I got up from my seat. I rolled up the two pieces of parchment and tied them with a string. It contained a weighty matter not easily encapsulated in mere scraps of paper.

“I’ll visit again next time. Let’s try not to raise our voices and greet each other with smiles then.”

“You’re kidding. I’ll never share a smile with you until the day I die.”

“……That’s enough for me. I shall take my leave.”

I smiled as I left an amused grin behind. Holding the parchments carefully, I headed towards the office door.

Just then—

“Your Majesty! The White Light Corps and Black Light Corps were completely defeated by Fraus…!”

Chris rushed into the office, kicking the door open and was startled by the sight of blood on me.

“F-Fraus, you…!”

“Oh, one more condition.”

Seeing Chris, I felt I had to say one more thing. I hadn’t planned to include this in the treaty at all.

“……What is it?”

“If that bastard becomes Emperor again and attacks the Other Races, I will strip him of all his imperial authority and place Seri on the throne. At that point, I will kill anyone who tries to obstruct me, with utmost disregard for noble politics. Understand, Chris?”

“You bastard! What the hell are you saying?!”

I gave Chris’s shoulder a light pat. It was a signal for him to tone it down.

Having said what I needed to, I left the office. The heroes hurriedly followed behind me.

“Phew!”

As the office door clicked shut, I let out a deep breath.

I figured I had successfully passed the first hurdle on the way to a happy ending.

Alright, now I can focus on the Demon War.

“Let’s head home, kids. Time to wash up and sleep.”

“Yes!”

The heroes energetically echoed back with no room for hesitation and flocked to my side.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“Thanks a bunch!”

Their grateful remarks were just a bonus.