My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 174

“Is that so? Other than that, nothing seems off.”

In the end, I managed to calm my party down and started a one-on-one conversation with Ella. I ignored the various protests she raised along the way.

“Yes. I couldn’t find anything unusual. But thanks to that, I can leisurely chat with Lord Praus like this. Hehe.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that. But…”

I looked at Ella sitting beside me.

“Why are you sitting next to me? The attendant placed the tea on the opposite side.”

I pointed to the teacup on the coffee table across from me. Ella casually lifted her bottom and brought the cup in front of herself.

“There’s no rule saying you must speak to someone directly across from you.”

“True, there’s no rule.”

But still, this arrangement is something only a couple would typically adopt!

“Oh, by the way, are you planning to visit Todiah?”

“To Todiah Territory? Why?”

“It seems my father has something he wants to say because of this situation. Besides, you promised to visit before but ended up only fighting and leaving.”

“Back then, I had no choice but to visit for Princess Seri’s broken engagement, but right now, there’s nothing special prompting me to go to Todiah. If there’s something to discuss, we could use a message scroll.”

Now that I had learned about the possibility of the Demon War being advanced, we didn’t have much leeway left.

The heroes had to grow stronger than they currently were. But it would be difficult to get stronger now that contact with monsters and the Demon Tribe was becoming harder.

For now, it was best to increase mana capacity and improve skill proficiency.

As for equipment, I could convince the Spirit Kings somehow; that would be alright.

“Don’t speak so coldly. Lord Praus, aren’t you very interested in subjugating the Demon Tribe? Surely there will come a day when you’ll need to utilize Todiah’s strength. Wouldn’t it be better to get to know each other in advance?”

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

When the Demon War breaks out, Todiah would be the family that could greatly contribute to the Empire’s defense until the Demon King is defeated, so laying down the groundwork beforehand wouldn’t hurt.

“That makes sense… Not a bad idea.”

“If that’s the case!”

“Alright. Let’s head to Todiah Territory.”

Perhaps this was an opportunity to grow closer to Todiah. After all, they would likely be going through various trial and error before reaching Rank 7. I could use that as an excuse.

“Oh, and after speaking with my father, could you spend some time with me? Just the two of us, excluding the party. I want to create some memories with you.”

No, you’re being too blatant…

I had a general idea that this would happen after I said I wouldn’t give up, but I just didn’t know how to deal with a proactive woman.

In my previous world, I wasn’t particularly handsome or skilled, so I hardly had the chance to meet such assertive women.

It wasn’t easy to adapt.

If she were less busy and more available to meet, I might have been smitten, but I simply nodded at the thought.

“I might spare a little time.”

“I promise I won’t disappoint you! Since I want to experience lots of romance before I marry anyway!”

“M-marriage…?”

I was flustered.

No matter how much I wanted to date with marriage in mind, suddenly mentioning marriage was a curveball!

“My father has given his blessing. He said someone as strong as Lord Praus doesn’t necessarily have to be a noble. You’d surely be a great help to Todiah, and I can see that while you may seem indifferent, you take good care of your own people, so you’ll protect me too. Oh, but he told me to correct my behavior when speaking to those above me.”

One misconception everyone had to point out was that I wasn’t actually strong.

I was just an ordinary person.

Not only was I weaker than Ella, but I was actually a weak being who needed protection rather than someone to protect others.

Yet, someone had a twisted expectation that a Grand Duke would willingly hand over his daughter without any conditions. I expected fierce opposition, but instead, they were supporting me…

It was truly a laughable scenario.

“Oh, he said that too.”

“What is it?”

“If you cheat, he’ll kill you.”

That really brought tears to my eyes.

“I don’t want Lord Praus to cheat either. Even if I look like this, I have quite the possessive side. I want the one I love to only have eyes for me.”

Really, how assertive…

“I… didn’t I say I wasn’t thinking of dating yet?”

“I’m not asking to date right away or to marry either. I don’t want to force you. I just want to create some memories.”

“I see.”

Anyway, how does one date in the medieval era?

Would it just be having something delicious to eat and taking a walk? In the modern world, there are many places for couples to go and see, but in the medieval era, I had no idea.

Truthfully, I didn’t even have the luxury to date a girl.

Looking back, I realized I had truly been working hard since coming to this world.

The thought that I had to work even harder until the end of the Demon War made me chuckle unconsciously.

Well then, with my next destination decided, it was time to call my party.

“You guys, stop eavesdropping and come out.”

I stated while lifting my teacup. The door opened, and the heroes slinked out, acting innocent. Were they really eavesdropping?

“As expected of you, Teacher. We thought you might notice us listening in.”

Noticing? Please. The way I was furious when I was trying to talk to Ella alone was enough of a hint.

“Looks like it’s not something that should be done with Praus!”

Urka’s head popped out from the ceiling. Why are you coming out from the ceiling?

“By the way, what’s this about marriage?”

Urka asked. Wait a minute… Is this the start of round two…?

“I can’t allow marriage.”

Now Seri joined in. She had approached and naturally sat next to me, timidly grabbing my sleeve.

“Please, absolutely not…”

Her small voice muttered it reluctantly, but there was a strange certitude in it. Seri bit her lip and furrowed her brows.

“Exactly. Who do you think you are, even thinking about marriage!”

Urka scoffed as she crossed her arms. What do you mean by that…? Am I that hurt?

In an instant, the atmosphere became chaotic again.

The voices around me began to give me a headache.

I had thought I could quietly leave after the Demon War ended, but at this rate, I might genuinely get caught and forced to stay.

Damn it. I never wanted a harem…

—

“Long time no see, Praus.”

As the Todiah household’s attendant guided me, I entered Glair’s office. As soon as I stepped inside, he shot me a cold glare.

“I see.”

I had come to meet Glair Todiah as Ella wished.

“You always manage to stir up trouble whenever I don’t see you.”

I felt too stung to say anything. But my mouth was on passive mode.

“It’s the Emperor’s fault.”

“That’s right! Right!”

“Indeed, the Emperor is to blame.”

“It’s the Emperor’s fault.”

“…Even if it’s you, Praus, do you know that saying this amounts to insulting the royal family?”

Glair glared at my companions. Nevertheless, the heroes seemed unbothered by his gaze, voicing their opinions freely.

“I think it’s too much to discriminate against just the Teacher.”

“Exactly! Right!”

“Dammit. Like master, like pupils.”

He jabbed his pen into the inkwell and stood up. He gestured for me to sit on the sofa at the top of the office. I took the cue and sat down. The heroes also sat down. Ariel and Ella sat down as well. Seri and Urka wanted to join, but I stopped them.

Since there were royal matters at hand, I couldn’t let Seri roam freely just yet. I had Urka stick around as Seri’s bodyguard.

In truth, it wouldn’t have mattered if I had brought them along. However, it was clear they would end up fighting if we all came here together, so I had kept them apart.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I heard Ella has something to say?”

“…There’s a lot I want to say. To be honest, the only thing I can share with you right now is curses.”

“Wow! Quite the harsh review, Teacher!”

I already knew that; Tina, keep quiet.

“Then does that mean you have nothing to say?”

“I wouldn’t say I have nothing…”

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

“I heard you completely annihilated the Black Light Corps and the White Light Corps.”

“Thanks to Sirius.”

“I have heard that. This is why we cannot allow criminals to roam free.”

“That proves the Crown Prince’s incompetence. Even though the Emperor knows Sirius is S-Class, he didn’t bring him into the White Light Corps. Why do you think that is?”

“He must have judged him as someone he couldn’t manage.”

“The same thing. Just by that, you can tell that the Emperor and the Crown Prince think quite differently.”

While the Emperor was a complete villain in this world for conducting massacres against other races, his ingenuity could never be overlooked. He didn’t hold onto the throne until he died for nothing.

“Yet, you’re the only one who could hold a sword directly against the Emperor’s neck and still not be killed.”

“The Emperor knows this as well. He’d probably want to kill me somehow, but he understands that if I’m gone, the Empire will fall.”

Just having the heroes on my side was immeasurable.

I could summon three Spirit Kings at any point.

Not only did I have forged contracts with them, strong as they were compared to high-ranking demons, but with the heroes possessing the ultimate weapon to face the Demon King, I was the strongest in the Human World at the very least.

With beings like that standing alongside me, there was no way they’d be able to kill me.

“…So you’re telling me you knowingly exploited that?”

“I didn’t have the intention of using that method. It was done in a fit of anger.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe.”

I nodded with a smirk.

“So, what are your plans going forward? I hear you’re planning on liberating the slaves of other races and returning their territories, but isn’t there a risk that those races might attack the Empire in retaliation?”

“That won’t happen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m here.”

When I spoke confidently, I could feel the atmosphere shift around me. Along with audible gasps, I heard excited murmurs.

I glanced around the room. The heroes and Ella seemed moved, even if they weren’t saying anything. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing.

“…You really are overflowing with confidence.”

It’s not just confidence.

As long as I had the Resistance under my control, the other races wouldn’t be able to act freely. If they didn’t comply, I could easily make them.

I had intentionally instructed that this information should not be publicly announced but solely shared with the nobility. I had also given them a deadline to handle matters within this year.

This was to make the Resistance owe me a debt. If I let this information out right away, they wouldn’t need my help anymore, and there was a good chance they would try to push me away. That was to prevent that.

Even if this information leaked, the races that had been oppressed until now would likely treat rumors of their liberation with skepticism.

Given how many times they must have felt disappointment waiting expectantly.

“Did you make another move in advance?”

“Something like that.”

I looked at the heroes, repeatedly touching my fingertip to my lips. They knew I was linked to the Resistance, so I gave them a signal to keep quiet. The heroes nodded.

Knock knock.

A knock on the door interrupted us.

“Father, it’s Benos. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

The massive door felt small next to the gigantic man who walked in. He was in armor, making him seem even larger. The golden armor etched with a Phoenix symbol glimmered brightly.

He had hair like Ella and Glair, but his pale blue aura was particularly striking, and his sharp eyes and stern face resembled Glair.

“What brings you here, Benos?”

“I heard a report that Praus invaded our Todiah Family, so I wanted to see your face.”

Invaded…?

Those were quite unsettling words.

“…So you must be Praus.”

As the only male among my party, I was immediately singled out.

Benos’s eyes burned fiercely as he looked at me. He looked just like his father.

“I’ve heard everything, Praus. You’ve shown great disrespect to my father and His Majesty the Emperor! I challenge you to a duel!”

Ah… He’s unexpectedly fired up all of a sudden.

“It seems I have embarrassed our Todiah Family last time, but I am different. Duel me!”

I looked at Glair. Didn’t he explain what went down properly last time?

He shook his head, showing a response of helplessness. I was unintentionally getting dragged into another troublesome incident.

At that moment, Tina suddenly stood up from her seat.

“Before that, let me defeat you first!”

“…You?”

“I’m the Teacher’s student, Tina!”

Benos looked at Tina with discerning eyes. After scrutinizing her for a while, he scoffed.

“Get out of here, little girl.”

“Don’t call me a kid. I’m a proper lady!”

“Hmm. You’re too young to call yourself a lady.”

“Teacher! Please call me a lady in situations like this!”

Tina turned to me with tears in her eyes.

“…I told you to take care of this yourself.”

“Good! Teacher has given me permission… You’re done for.”

Tina declared as she slammed her palm into her fist. “Done for”? What a way to speak…