My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 193

“Not a water attribute, huh? Did you call me just to ask something so trivial?”

“Not fire either. By the way, Praus, make me something delicious. I’ve been working nonstop and haven’t had a tasty meal lately.”

“Earth attribute isn’t it either. And could you please stop calling me? I’m busy, you know?!”

You guys really drag out each reply, don’t you?

Knowing it’s all for the sake of the world, isn’t it a bit unfair to push me like this?

If I only had the strength, I would’ve given each of those Spirit Kings a light smack upside the head, what a pity.

“Ariel, you said it’s not a wind attribute, right?”

“Yeah.”

That means Chris hasn’t made a contract with a spirit.

Various attributes exist in this world, but they derive from the four main elements: water, fire, wind, and earth.

For example, if the contracted spirit is of light attribute, since light is a derivative of fire, it would be possible for the Phoenix to recognize it.

However, all of your Spirit Kings replied “no.”

That can be interpreted as having not contracted with a spirit.

Eliminating the possibility of not having contracted with a spirit leaves us with the conclusion that either they made a deal with a Demon Tribe or trained their mana.

But if they made a deal with a Demon Tribe, their body would have to be infused with magic. Given that heroes clearly call it mana, it probably isn’t that.

So did they train instead? In the meantime? Why?

Did they think they needed to grow strong as an emperor?

It feels a bit unsettling to conclude for only such a reason.

I don’t quite get what’s going on. The possible scenarios are so misaligned. Is there some variable I’m unaware of?

“Teacher, what are we going to do?”

“For now, let’s observe. After the parade is over, we’ll have to press on.”

Despite seeing the carriage gradually getting farther away, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease. But right now, I didn’t have enough information to come up with an answer.

“Naiad.”

“What?”

“Why won’t you tell me what you talked about with the World Tree?”

I pressed Naiad, who has been avoiding answering this since a few months ago.

“As I said last time, the World Tree has imposed silence. I cannot speak.”

“Then take me to the Spirit Realm.”

“Again, I must remind you, I cannot take you unless you’re someone who has made a contract with a Spirit.”

“Isn’t this precisely why I’m here?”

With a mountain of information I need from the World Tree, it’s frustrating that I’m barred from the Spirit Realm just to adhere to the rules.

“Rules are rules.”

“Are you saying the Spirit Realm and the World Tree should wait until a crisis hits before they realize what’s important?”

“As long as I am here, not a single root hair of the World Tree can be disturbed.”

The World Tree really is too much.

It wouldn’t hurt to at least give a heads-up to the Spirit Kings.

If the World Tree proves that I’m a necessary human to them, the Spirit Kings would surely be more accommodating.

Sigh “Let’s move after this parade ends.”

It would probably be late at night or even dawn before my day wraps up.

*

“Ah, wait a minute!!”

As soon as I saw the sign saying ‘Magic Guild Leader’s Laboratory,’ I put my hand on the door handle.

Clink! Clink!

The door was locked.

“Right now, the Magic Guild Leader is exhausted from a long workday. It’s not good to force your way in!”

A guild member shouted and stopped me. It seemed the lingering aftertaste of the Meteor incident from last time had made him hesitant to use force.

Of course, if he had, the heroes following behind wouldn’t have stood idle.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just say a few words and leave. Plus, your voice will only make the guild leader more irritable.”

My words made the guild member gasp, covering his mouth. I felt a bit bad about troubling him, but I had come too far to turn back empty-handed.

“Tina.”

“Yes!”

With a yank, Tina pulled the door handle right off. The guild member’s eyes widened like saucers. Tina handed the handle to him, and in a delayed reaction, he screamed.

“Eep!”

“Shh. The guild leader will get upset.”

“…D-Do you realize this is destruction of property?”

I placed two gold coins on the guild member’s hand.

“……?”

“That should be enough for repairs. The other one is yours.”

“Are you… bribing me?”

“If you don’t want it, just give it back.”

As I reached for the coins, the guild member clutched them tightly in a panic.

“W-Well, I don’t know what you need, but… it’s still a nuisance.”

“Enough already. Since I’ve taken my money, I’m going into the laboratory. Don’t stop me. If you try to, I might just have to take that wrist off.”

[Skill 「Killing Intent」 activated.]

As I tightened my gaze, fear consumed the guild member’s face. Shaking in panic, he hurriedly backed away from me.

“Eep! I-I’ll find someone to repair it!”

“Good. I hope you manage.”

As the guild member faded into the distance, Tina waved her hand. Once she lowered her hand, she turned to me and said.

“Teacher, that guild member looks a bit pitiful.”

“What…? He was disrespectful to the Teacher…”

“You’re silly! He was rude to the Teacher, so he rightly deserves punishment.”

“But honestly, doesn’t it feel like you, my teacher, is the bigger jerk?”

Ariel poked fun at me, pointing with her thumb. Iris was quick to respond, as if waiting for just this.

“Normally, you might think they’re villainous, but… they really aren’t true evildoers, right?”

“That’s true. Even if they seem like this, they’re kind to their own people.”

“Exactly. Kind-hearted. Teacher.”

What are these kids rambling about? I’m getting embarrassed.

Seeing this, Ariel chuckled warmly, breaking the moment.

“Looks like you’ve really got a crush on your teacher, huh?”

“Ariel, shut it.”

“Looks like you hit a nerve there.”

After finishing our small talk, I pushed aside the broken door. The door opened easily, revealing the Guild Leader’s laboratory.

It felt like every research book in the world was piled up in this space.

The papers beside the books were filled with consistent handwriting; it must all belong to the Magic Guild Leader.

“Magic Guild Leader, I hope you can spare a moment of your time.”

“You’re noisy. What audacity do you have to come for me?”

“If I’d had any shame, I wouldn’t have referred to you right from the start with the Emperor.”

“…I see.”

At my words, Magic Guild Leader Logia nodded without hesitation. Hey, what does that make me…?

“By the way, why are you visiting me at this hour when it’s almost midnight?”

“Is this even a residence? This is the guild leader’s office located in the Magic Guild Facility. Oh, or was it the laboratory? Either way.”

I spoke boldly. Logia chuckled derisively.

“You’re certainly a man with no restraint. I truly admire how you keep a poker face and can throw such words at me without batting an eye.”

“No need to go on and on with the compliments. I hear enough of that.”

I retorted smoothly and walked toward where he was seated.

“Indeed, you’ve got magical runes on your ears. So even if you’re insulted, you hear it as praise.”

Seems like it’s not stuck on my ears, but rather on my mouth?

“I didn’t know that. Thanks for the diagnosis.”

“What I am saying is that I’m calling you a madman.”

“This world is one that must be a bit crazy to actually live in. Being called a madman just means I’ve adapted well.”

I tapped on his desk lightly.

“…So, why have you come? Did you really come at this hour to chat?”

“I want to ask something. About the Crown Prince… no, about Emperor Chris.”

“I don’t know what you want to ask, but I have nothing to say concerning His Majesty the Emperor.”

He’s back to being prickly again.

“I just want to ask one thing. If you answer this question, I’ll leave quietly.”

“…What is it?”

Seeing my intention to leave, he seemed a bit more open. I spoke straight away.

“Did you teach Emperor Chris the mana training method?”

“…That much is true.”

His answer was a beat late.

An odd silence fell. It felt like he was racking his brain to come up with a lie. Normally, I wouldn’t want to use any skills, but I had no choice.

“「True Word」.”

Logia’s eyes, which had been looking straight at me, lost their spark.

“Magic Guild Leader Logia, did you teach Emperor Chris the mana training method?”

“Yes.”

The confident response and the dimmed gaze confirmed that the True Word skill had indeed worked.

Yet, for some reason, I felt uneasy. Was I not hearing the answer I wanted?

No, that’s not it.

The current scenarios I imagined all felt misaligned. Was there some hidden context about the royal family I didn’t know?

Given the situation, there was only one choice left for me. I had to meet Crown Prince Chris… no, Emperor Chris, directly.

*

While Praus was interrogating the Magic Guild Leader, Chris entered his office.

“Phew… I’m exhausted.”

Finally finishing all his schedules just before midnight, Chris murmured. After taking a bath, he went straight to his bedroom to lie down.

“How was it? Being the emperor.”

Floating in the air, Raghur asked.

“It was nice. I no longer need to rely on Father, I now hold all the power. From now on, I am the top of the Empire.”

Having been advised by Raghur that it’s better to speak informally, the newly crowned Emperor had dropped his honorifics with him.

“That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

Raghur swam through the air above him, reminiscing about Praus from earlier that day.

“Oh, right. It seems Praus has already caught onto the fact that we’ve formed a contract.”

“What?”

“Well, he’s not completely aware. He’s just suspicious.”

He said it with a grin, but inside he felt anxious. He hadn’t thought Praus would notice right after the contract was sealed.

Raghur had been careful with his mana, ensuring that magic didn’t leak out. Still, realizing that Praus had sensed it made it clear just how bothersome he truly was.

“Really, Praus seems to have knowledge surpassing even the Demon King. It’s almost like he knows the entire world. If that’s the case, it makes sense he could kill Pero. It implies he was aware of Pero’s attack patterns.”

“What should we do?”

“Don’t worry. We just need to cover it up. There are plenty of excuses to make. He could say he trained under the Magic Guild Leader, took potions, or even gained insights by reading spellbooks himself. There are plenty of options, right?”

“Do you think that’ll clear the suspicion?”

“Probably not. But since we’ve formed a contract, we can’t completely hide the mana that’ll inevitably show. So, you need to keep displaying your growth. All you need is a pretext to justify growing stronger to assert your influence as Emperor, isn’t that enough?”

“If that doesn’t quell their suspicion, then this contract with you ends here. I’ll need to change my plans.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Alright. By the way, Praus is surprisingly cute looking. I bet Ecabel likes him.”

“…Ecabel, does she have that kind of taste?”

“My boss does prefer strong genetics, but she also appreciates good looks. She says it’s disappointing to mate with an ugly one. That’s what she said.”

“Is that so?”

After that, Raghur continued to ramble on until he suddenly realized the Emperor had fallen asleep. Looking down at him, Raghur chuckled softly.

“Good night, Emperor.”