My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 196

‘I can’t believe it. That Praus guy… able to use mind manipulation magic like me?’

Raghur broke into a cold sweat. He was caught off guard by Praus’s unexpected abilities.

‘So, the Demon King wasn’t wrong to be wary.’

With a crunch of his teeth, he glared at Praus through Chris’s eyes.

‘How can a mere human possess such mental abilities?’

Praus, surrounded by swords, remained completely unfazed. Watching him made Raghur feel a sense of defeat.

‘Damn it. Did he read all my moves? If Praus hadn’t dispelled the illusion right before activating his magic, I would have been trapped.’

Illusion.

It was a skill that Raghur gained under the Demon King’s protection.

The illusion skill could imprint oneself into the opponent’s brain, as well as trigger trauma to create confusion.

After dispelling the illusion, the target forgets everything they saw under its effects.

In other words, it meant everything Raghur had discussed and interacted with so far had been erased from Chris’s memory. Including the memories of their contract.

While it was true that Raghur came to the Imperial Palace to cast an illusion on Chris, he left the palace right after casting it.

He had made contact with Chris through the illusion after escaping to a position where neither the Heroes nor the Spirit King could sense his presence.

Thus, he had said, ‘This place is the Imperial Palace, yet it’s not the Imperial Palace.’

When Chris raised his voice to summon the knights, nobody came in, because everything was happening in Chris’s mind.

‘Anyway, now that the illusion is dispelled, Chris won’t remember me, but the contract will remain intact. I can simply reestablish contact when necessary. He won’t be able to break the contract on his own.’

Just as he had said, even though the memories due to the illusion were gone, the contract was not severed. Chris still held Raghur’s power.

“Since the plan has changed, I need to report to the Demon King. Praus is not just a powerhouse. His information might even surpass that of the Demon Tribe, so I need to express caution.”

Raghur stood up from his seat.

“My role here ends. If there’s something concerning… it’s the symbol on the back of his hand. I should hope it gets glossed over.”

‘After all, only the Demon King and I know the meaning of that symbol.’

The burning tree symbol etched on Chris’s hand.

It represented Raghur’s unwavering determination to burn down the World Tree himself.

“Oh, speaking of which, the Demon King asked me to bring the ‘S-Class Siblings’ with me. I heard they were defeated by Praus’s disciples and returned to the village they lived in. What was their name again?”

*

“What’s happening…?”

Chris snapped back to attention as he broke free from the True Word’s bindings. Pressing his head, he let out a soft groan, possibly due to a headache.

“…What’s going on right now?”

He scanned the situation.

Logia glaring at me, the Imperial Knights pointing their swords at me, and myself raising my hands, plus the Heroes who were about to charge to protect me.

At first glance, it was a scene just before a battle erupted.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Does your head hurt? Did that Praus scoundrel do something…!”

“No. The headache is gone. More importantly, what’s the situation right now?”

What situation, you ask? The very person who had been observing everything and was furious was the one questioning it?

I had no clue what kind of scheme was at play.

For a moment, I wondered if it was a side effect of the True Word, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I had been using True Word on numerous people until now.

None of them had ever shown symptoms like short-term memory loss.

“Praus! What did you do to His Majesty the Emperor!!”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Who else could it be if not you!”

“Are you saying you just tried to assassinate His Majesty, the newly crowned Emperor Chris? Praus?!”

“I told you, I didn’t do anything!”

With everyone shouting around, my head was about to burst. I wished I could make the Heroes put down their swords right then and there, but I had to hold back.

If the conflict escalated here, it would only worsen our situation.

“What is this? Something feels off. I can’t remember… No, that’s not important right now.”

I kept my eyes on Chris, not wanting to miss any of his reactions. Memory…

“Hmm. Huh.”

He took a deep breath, brushing back his golden hair, gazing intensely at me.

“Logia, did I mishear? What did Praus say to me?”

“His Majesty asked if you were connected to the Demon Tribe.”

“I’m connected to the Demon Tribe…?”

His gaze darkened with hostility.

The way he looked directly at me exuded a confidence that didn’t seem to fit someone who had just been pressed for answers moments ago.

I didn’t know what was happening, but his reaction had suddenly changed.

“Praus, are you implying that I’m linked to the Demon Tribe?”

“… Perhaps.”

“As the Emperor of the Empire, do I look like someone who would heed the words of mere demons?!”

“…”

“How low do you think of me to deliver such an insult, Praus?”

“That’s not an insult, I merely questioned the increase in your mana.”

“My mana increased?”

At my words, he looked down at his hands, frowning slightly. His reaction was indeed different.

It seemed like he had been trying to hide a secret before, but now it appeared he genuinely didn’t know the truth.

“… Oh. So my mana training has indeed been beneficial.”

“What?”

“Did you not know? I practiced mana alone before stepping into the throne?”

…Is that for real?

Having already used True Word, I had no way to distinguish whether his words were true or false.

Moreover, his reactions before and after the spell were too contrasting. I was confused whether it was an act to create confusion or a sincere statement.

“Feeling threatened now that my mana has suddenly increased? Even so, to dare link the Emperor to the Demon Tribe! You must know how great an insult that is, right?”

Aah, damn it.

The backlash from my aggressive inquiry was indeed upon me.

“As long as I’m Emperor, I hereby issue a prohibition for Praus and all of Praus’s companions currently here from entering the Imperial Palace. If you break this, you might face the death penalty, so you should prepare yourselves.”

“That’ll be a significant loss for the Empire, you know?”

Maria spoke up.

“I don’t care. Anyone who doesn’t follow my command doesn’t need to remain in the Empire.”

Chris’s firm demeanor made the Heroes furrow their brows. However, they did not challenge him. It seemed they were gauging my reaction, keeping quiet.

“You mentioned you had business with Altero? Once everything is settled, leave. If you use Teleport to come back before I call for you, you should be prepared for an outright war with the Empire.”

Chris turned on his heel and strode away before we could respond. It seemed he didn’t care to hear our answers. Wow, he’s acting tough.

Logia shot me a glance before following after Chris. The Imperial Knights slowly lowered their swords, seeming cautious as well. They didn’t seem to want to die just yet.

“Please leave once you’ve finished your business.”

“I apologize for intruding, Prince Altero.”

“…No. Just go.”

The knights filed out in a rush. The last knight silently closed the door behind him.

Only after seeing that did I let out a sigh.

What’s with those changed reactions after using True Word?

What am I missing?

I could see something was being hidden, but for some reason, I couldn’t quite grasp the concrete clues.

I felt like I was on the brink of understanding, but now that the prohibition was in place, the situation was hardly favorable.

Given the circumstances of entering, I’d have to face an even greater risk than before.

Of course, I could still force my way in, but I had to save that for when I had proof that Chris was linked to the Demon Tribe.

If I take risks like this again, the relationship with the Empire would plunge to its lowest.

That’s not what I wanted.

“Lord Praus, what is the meaning of this?”

“Listen well. Never associate with Chris. If you feel threatened, tear the scroll of transmission without hesitation. Do not write a single word. Understood?”

“Yes. Understood.”

After hearing Altero’s response, I spoke to Maria.

“Let’s get moving.”

“Is it really okay to leave like this?”

“There’s nothing we can do right now.”

“But if we return like this, won’t we come back empty-handed?”

“It’s fine.”

I had a hunch about who was behind Chris.

I didn’t have solid evidence, but if I eliminated all the possibilities, it seemed I could assume that Raghur was the one behind him.

In response to the question about meeting the Demon Tribe, if he only recognized Raghur as a Spirit, he might well answer that he hadn’t met any.

Perhaps he had erased his memories using the illusion skill. Chris’s reaction earlier made it seem like he was questioning himself.

But the real problem isn’t who’s backing him, but rather why he’s attempting to use Chris.

Does he dislike me?

Is he trying to incite internal conflict? What is his aim?

This was a variable that didn’t exist in the game, so I would have to gather information myself.

“… There are still moves left.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

But this move would lead to a long-term engagement.

Thinking of how Chris slipped away, I placed my hand on Maria’s shoulder.

“I’ll need your help once again.”

“Anything to help the Teacher!”

Maria’s spirit was ignited.

*

“Your Majesty, it seems you’ve had a tough time due to Praus since morning.”

“… No.”

Chris answered as he flopped into the chair at his desk. Leaning back against the backrest, he let out a sigh.

‘What is it? What on earth happened? My memory is too hazy. Why did Praus ask if I was connected to the Demon Tribe? And why does it seem that my mana has indeed increased?’

He still felt uneasy about the response that Praus provided regarding his mana training. It came out too smoothly, as if it were a pre-prepared excuse.

“I’ll be leaving now. I’ll draft a curriculum concerning mana training and return.”

“Got it.”

“Wishing you a calm day ahead.”

Logia politely bowed and exited the Emperor’s office. As soon as Logia left, Chris scowled.

“Increasing mana occurs either through training or by making a Spirit Contract. But I haven’t made any Spirit Contracts up till now. Naturally, I haven’t undergone any training.”

Then how?

While he was pouring his questions into himself, he noticed an odd feeling and gazed at the back of his hand. The moment he casually slipped off his black glove, his eyes widened at the design visible below.

“What’s this? This symbol?”

‘Have I unknowingly made a contract with a Spirit? But symbols should always relate to attributes, so what’s with this burning tree symbol…?’

As he gazed intently at the symbol, something brushed against his mind, but he ultimately couldn’t recall what it was.

“Could it be that this is the reason Praus interrogated me?”

Clenching his fist while looking at the back of his hand.

“I don’t know what it is, but it seems showing this to others wouldn’t do me any good.”

He donned the glove again and picked up the paperwork to begin his first task as Emperor.