My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 192

“I’m a Spirit King, am I?”

Suddenly appearing and declaring himself almost a Spirit King left Chris in utter disbelief.

“Technically, I’m not a Spirit King. I didn’t steal that title. The World Tree designated the Spirit King, you know.”

The being crossed his arms, looking a bit wistful.

“I’ve heard that Spirit Kings don’t have a hierarchy.”

“If there was no hierarchy, they wouldn’t be divided into ranks. From the moment I gained consciousness, I wanted to be a king. I wanted to see everyone bowing before me. But in the end, I never got to see it.”

The being spoke as if reminiscing a cherished memory.

“To become a Spirit King, one has to be recognized by the World Tree.”

Watching the shadow openly spill all these secrets left Chris puzzled about the underlying motives.

However, unlike Chris’s complicated thoughts, the shadow had never intended to hide itself. If Chris blabbed about this, he’d just get killed, and the shadow considered this a necessary process for the contract.

“If only the Demon King hadn’t given me his orders, I wouldn’t have bothered with a pathetic creature like you.”

The shadow looked down at Chris with mild disdain.

“But right now, you are the most influential person in the Empire. You have your uses.”

“Just because you were born two hundred years early, you gain the World Tree’s recognition? Doesn’t that seem ridiculous?”

“Then… if you didn’t become a Spirit King, you must be an Advanced Spirit, but why do I feel the presence of a Magic Beast from you?”

“Well… I’m a spirit, but I’m also a Magic Beast.”

“!”

“A-Magic Beast!?”

Chris was so shocked he gaped, forgetting to breathe. The being chuckled at his raw reaction.

“W-Why have you come to see me?”

“I told you. I came to kill Praus.”

“Can’t you do that by yourself? If you were close to being a Spirit King…”

“I could, but that’s not my goal.”

“Then…?”

“Don’t you think it’s unfair?”

The shadow plopped down onto the bed. Startled by the sudden remark, Chris became cautious.

“I think humans should continue to enslave other races. If there are countless sacrifices made, who benefits from simply letting it all go? You’re the next Emperor; isn’t it all just a disadvantage for you?”

“That’s… true, but…”

“Looking closely, Emperor Lupin is quite the fool, isn’t he?”

Even though he was openly disparaging his father, Chris could only remain silent. After all, he thought of his father as a fool too.

“See? You’re the only one who gets hit by the backlash. He doesn’t even clean up the mess he made, does he?”

“……”

Chris felt as though the shadow was reading his mind and articulating his thoughts. He found a strange affinity for this incomprehensible entity, as it was seemingly expressing what he himself wished to say.

“And you know, all of this is because of Praus. How infuriating! Without Praus, the Empire could have dominated other races for hundreds of years.”

“……Right. It was all Praus’s fault.”

Ultimately charmed by the sweet words, Chris slammed his fist against the bed. The shadow’s mouth curled up in a smile.

In fact, the shadow had been using its spirit’s unique empathy skill even before it revealed itself to Chris. The more they spoke, the more familiar Chris would feel, making it impossible for him to refuse the contract.

After all, a contract could only be established with mutual agreement.

“Even His Majesty… why would he…!”

“Praus is evil for the Empire. He must be killed.”

“If I contract with you, can you guarantee that you’ll definitely kill Praus?”

“Of course. Not only will I kill him, but I can also make the other races that have escaped from the Empire regret it.”

It was the deal Chris had longed for. He couldn’t resist.

But even if they had established a rapport, he was by nature cautious. He’d always been someone who reached conclusions after doubting and examining every possible scenario.

“However, if I enter into a contract with you, won’t the Magic Beast emanate from me? What if those who can see mana notice…?”

“Oh please, don’t worry about it. I’m a spirit before being a Magic Beast. Hiding my Magic Beast aura is a piece of cake. Besides, I don’t need to use magic to wield my full strength.”

“Is that so? Then before we conclude the contract, I’d like to set one more condition.”

‘Oh… this guy is pretty demanding.’

Even though an understanding bond had been formed, noticing his cautious demeanor revealed just how much he didn’t trust others.

“What is it?”

“Promise the safety of the Empire. I will be the Emperor of the Empire. I can’t afford to make choices that would put the Empire in danger.”

“That sounds like you don’t trust me. I’m here to provide you the power to kill Praus, after all. Isn’t it a bit much to ask for more?”

“If you promise, I will contract with you right away.”

“The safety of the Empire… alright. I absolutely won’t harm the Empire.”

The shadow raised its hands to signal it meant no harm. Finally, Chris’s expression relaxed in relief.

‘That aside, this kid has some guts. Even with my life in his hands, he’s reciting contract conditions back to me. Interesting. I think I’ll have some fun with this for a while.’

Chris was aware he was being manipulated, but he couldn’t refuse the shadow’s offer. After all, he couldn’t find a way to outsmart Praus using any of his own resources.

‘This guy is trying to use me. Well then, I’ll give him a taste of his own medicine. After all, in a Spirit Contract, the contractor holds the power.’

“What’s your name?”

“Raghur.”

“Raghur… I will contract with you.”

“Good. While our contract is in effect, I won’t harm the Empire. Don’t you worry.”

The moment he snapped his fingers, a magic circle unfurled over the bed. A dark violet magic circle emanated light before shrinking to the size of Chris’s hand. It then seemed to imprint itself onto his palm.

“The contract is complete. From now on, you can use my strength as you wish. Congratulations.”

With those words, light began to seep into the shadowy figure.

As a man with black-violet hair materialized, Chris flinched.

Gazing into the sharply featured face made his head spin, causing him to shake it vigorously.

“What does this symbol signify?”

Suddenly noticing the design imprinted on his palm, he asked.

It looked like a symbol of wood being set ablaze.

Chris had encountered many Spirit Contractors, but he had never seen a symbol like this one. Normally, the design would indicate the attribute of the spirit he had contracted with.

“Oh, that? It doesn’t indicate a property. It represents my goal.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I’m a spirit that wishes mana to disappear from this world. If there’s no mana, I’m the strongest among spirits!”

Raghur whispered this in his ear, bursting into laughter.

“Oh, one more thing. I don’t possess an attribute. I can perfectly wield all attributes.”

“So you’re an all-attribute spirit?”

“Exactly. Now, let’s work well together. Let’s kill Praus together.”

After hesitating for a moment, Chris grabbed Raghur’s extended hand.

He sensed something was off, but understanding the contract had been finalized, he knew he couldn’t turn back now.

“Father, I’ll show you. I can accomplish what you couldn’t. Praus shall die by my hand.”

*

“Teacher, how long must we stay here?”

Tina, sitting atop the roof, yawned as she asked.

“Right now, in the Imperial Palace, nobles and knights are likely gathering for the Emperor’s coronation. Once it finishes, there will probably be a parade across the capital, Pretéum.”

Honestly, I wanted to witness the coronation firsthand, but being a commoner, I couldn’t enter that space. Of course, I could force my way in, but I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary conflict.

Besides, I could always ask Tori about the details of the coronation later.

“Teacher, I’m hungry. Can’t we go get something to eat?”

“By now, it’s about time they emerge.”

Before I finished my sentence, the doors of the Imperial Palace swung open. People gasped as a massive carriage came into view. Chris, adorned in royal attire with a red cloak draped over him, sat on top of the carriage.

“I hereby announce that Crown Prince Chris Aiter Pretéum has officially become His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire!!”

With that voice booming through a loudspeaker, cheers erupted from the crowd.

“His Majesty Emperor Chris!!”

“Long live His Majesty Emperor Chris!!”

In the capital, Pretéum, throngs of people crowded the streets, shouting with fervor. They waved their hands, danced around, and it was pure chaos.

Following the procession of knights, the grand carriage, bedecked with magnificent jewels, rolled on. Chris looked down at the crowd, lightly waving his hand.

In the sky, magic guilds led by the Magic Guild Leader flew around, prepared for any unforeseen events.

“What a spectacle.”

How much money must’ve been spent on this…?

Having the head of the Empire change hands necessitated this level of investment, I suppose, but it still felt excessive.

“Strange.”

“Yeah. Very strange.”

I turned my head at the voices of the heroes beside me. They were frowning at Chris.

“Teacher.”

“What?”

“The Crown Prince’s mana has increased since a few days ago.”

“……What?”

“It hasn’t drastically increased, but it has certainly grown.”

Increased mana?

Had he trained under the Guild Leader in these past few days?

Typically, children of the royal family are born with talents, adapting quickly to swordsmanship or magic.

But whether that level of growth could be achieved in only a few days was questionable.

If his mana had indeed grown without training, then there were only two possibilities.

Either he had formed a contract with a spirit, or he had made a deal with a Magic Beast. However, a deal with a Magic Beast would result in a visible aura, making it easy to detect the discrepancy.

“Iris.”

“Yes, Teacher?”

“Do you see a Magic Beast?”

“I don’t see any Magic Beasts.”

Then could it be that he has a spirit contract?

In this world, contracting with spirits was a fairly common occurrence and could happen unexpectedly. But if he had intended to execute a spirit contract, he would’ve done it years ago.

There would have been no reason to start now. What on earth is he scheming?

“Eriel, can you tell if Chris made a contract with any spirit?”

“If it’s among the wind spirits, I might be able to find out, but at least the blessing within him isn’t of the wind.”

Then I had no choice but to request the summoning of the Spirit Kings from the heroes. Chris couldn’t have suddenly decided to make a spirit contract. There must be a deeper reason behind it.

Was he planning something reckless already?

I regretted letting Chris become the Emperor more by the second.

“Kids, summon the Spirit Kings.”

First, I needed to know which spirit he had a contract with. If he had no contract at all, I would have to confront the Magic Guild Leader.

And should it genuinely turn out that he had indeed made a deal with that spirit, I would have no choice but to kill him.