My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 207

Ecabel transformed back into a girl to meet the Demon King. Blas’s gaze sharpened as she elegantly walked into the audience room.

“Your Majesty, why did you summon me?”

There was an unmistakable hint of disappointment in Ecabel’s voice, having been interrupted at such a good time.

“… You’ve caused quite the ruckus, Ecabel.”

“Ruckus… you say?”

“The signal from Raghur that was connected to me has been cut off. This signal never disconnects unless Raghur is dead.”

Ecabel recalled how she had hopelessly given a critical strike to Praus. Only then did she realize the gravity of the situation.

“Explain. What happened?”

“… I encountered Praus and engaged in battle with him to assess his strength…”

“What I ordered you was to kill the Beastman connected to Praus and spread the demons. Why did you fight him?”

Blas’s eyes widened. She met his gaze and quickly knelt, bowing her head deeply.

“I apologize. I intended to slay the Beastman connected to Praus as per Your Majesty’s words. However, the moment I tried to kill him, Praus severed my arm and saved the Beastman. Because of that, I could not avoid the battle.”

“… And Raghur as well?”

“Yes.”

‘Raghur… I thought he was somewhat useful, but your ambition to burn the World Tree was nothing but a flicker in front of Praus.’

Blas erased any lingering thoughts about Raghur.

“B-but do not worry too much. As commanded, I killed the Beastman connected to Praus, and while spreading the demons in the Beastmen’s Forest, I caused significant damage. They should no longer be a hindrance to us.”

“But our plan to spread the demons and separate humans from Beastmen has been thwarted, thanks to Praus.”

The blatant rage in his voice tensed up the other commanders in the audience room. They knew they would face death if his fury was directed at them.

“An insignificant human is now manipulating our entire Demon Tribe! All because of one human!”

Bang!

As Blas slammed down on the armrest of the throne, the throne cracked and splintered.

“How can you possess the title of commander and still be so weak? Despite being in the single digits of rank! Do you truly wish for me to take charge?”

“No!”

All the commanders rejected his words. If he took charge, it meant dealing with the commanders and promoting those below them.

“From one to ten, you’re all utterly useless. Being toyed with by a mere human.”

“We will definitely kill him next time.”

Peremus spoke with his head lowered.

“Next? Where is the next?”

Under Blas’s questioning, he could only hang his head further, offering no words of defense. He regretted speaking out of turn.

“Don’t think about a next time while you’re lucky enough to be alive. If you act on your own when we raid the Human World, I won’t forgive you. Do you understand, Peremus?”

“… Yes.”

‘Damn, no matter what scheme I come up with, it’s like he knows everything and resolves it. That bastard.’

Blas gritted his teeth.

“Ecabel, how was the fight?”

Blas noticed that all the elite troops he had housed inside Ecabel were now gone.

“Praus’s combat strength exceeded that of a hero. Not only did he penetrate my scales, but his movements were beyond what Raghur and I could follow. Even the heroes were either as strong or stronger than him.”

“Is that so? So he’s grown well under that guy.”

He let out a sigh.

Despite critiquing the commanders, Blas knew very well they were not weak. Being ranked just below him, he understood the value of their abilities more than anyone.

Yet, seeing them return defeated by Praus or heroes made Blas foresee a not-so-distant future.

‘Though the heroes currently can’t take on the commanders alone, I have a feeling they will one day reach that level.’

He thought about completing the army quickly and raiding the Human World, but it was impossible to hasten it further.

Of course, there were ways to speed things up, but he knew that doing so would lead to a shortage of numbers, so he couldn’t rush them.

“I’ll settle all debts accumulated by the time we raid the Human World in two years. Prepare well by then. This will be your final chance.”

“Understood.”

While Ecabel felt relief inside, her mind was fully occupied by Praus.

‘Next time, I will definitely bring him over to breed with me.’

Such consistency in her nature.

*

Bang!

“Chris!!”

Lupin burst into Chris’s office in a hurry. Chris instinctively stood up from his seat.

“Y-Your Majesty…?”

Lupin, who came rushing in, was catching his breath, and Chris sensed an unsettling aura.

“Your Majesty, what brings you here?”

“Chris, what kind of order did you give?!”

Once his breathing stabilized, Lupin shouted, pointing at Chris. The sudden outburst shocked not only Chris but also the knights following behind.

“Excuse me?”

Lupin’s frustration mounted even more at Chris’s dazed response, and he kicked the nearby drawer.

Everyone present jumped in surprise. They were taken aback at Lupin’s unusually intense reaction, as he was someone who maintained composure in any situation.

“What did you command the knights?!”

“W-well… I heard that demons spread from the Beastmen’s Forest, so I instructed them to close the gates. To prevent the demons from entering the Empire.”

“And what about the Beastmen outside? Didn’t you clearly say you would support them until they could be independent and live on their own?”

“But I did not promise military support.”

As Chris said, he had not promised military support. After all, who would make military promises when there was a possibility of a demon incident occurring?

But there was something more important than that promise.

“Are you issuing commands knowing that Praus is behind the Beastmen?”

“What are you…?”

“You fool! It’s obvious how Praus would react to such an order, and yet you give it?!”

“Y-yes, I have sensed that for a while now, but Your Majesty, you are too swayed by Praus. Why do you care so much about a commoner when you have an absolute position?”

“You still don’t understand a thing!”

In his frustration, Lupin thumped his chest.

“It was thanks to Praus’s consideration that you were able to maintain that absolute position. If he had only chosen to, he could have easily toppled the royal family. Why do you think he hasn’t done so?”

While he knew the answer, Chris didn’t respond. It was due to the remnants of his stubborn pride.

“Because he doesn’t wish to see the Empire fall. There’s no reason for him to destroy the currently stable Empire. He has tried to adhere to the proper line of succession as much as possible. Do you understand?”

Lupin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sitting heavily on the sofa nearby, he waved his hand at the knights.

“… Everyone leave.”

“Understood.”

The discussion from here was not something anyone else should hear, so it had to be dismissed. The knights complied with his order and exited immediately. Once he confirmed the door was closed, he spoke.

“Praus knows you made a contract with the Corrupted Spirit. And yet, he didn’t come to kill you. Do you know why?”

“I… don’t know…”

“How can you be this foolish? It was only through my persuasion that you are still alive! Only! Soon enough, Praus will come to kill you. I have no longer any justification to stop him.”

He blamed his son yet also felt self-reproach. He felt utterly powerless that he couldn’t protect his son.

At that moment.

“… There’s no need to hurry.”

A strange voice interrupted the father-son conversation, causing everyone’s gaze to shift backward. There stood Praus, casually walking past the knights into the office.

“P-Praus?! When did you…!”

Everyone stared at Praus in shock.

“Just wait a moment.”

“Don’t worry. I’m only here to give a warning today.”

“A warning…?”

“Yes.”

Lupin stood in front of Praus. Seeing that his expression was not as bad as he had expected, he thought that perhaps there was a chance for survival.

“I’ll give you a week. Declare to the citizens that you are unworthy of the throne and that you will choose the next Emperor. And that the next Emperor is to be Seri.”

“What?! How dare you—”

Bang!

In an instant, all the knights present were slammed against the wall. They were subdued by Maria’s gestures.

“Shut up. The teacher is speaking. If you don’t shut your mouth, I might kill you all.”

The knights, unable to resist Maria’s Wind Magic, found their bodies pinned against the wall, unable to utter a word.

“Step down from the throne while it’s still a good time. This is your final warning. Do you understand, Chris?”

“…”

“Silence will be taken as agreement.”

As Praus said this and started to turn away, he placed his hand on his sword.

“Oh, and.”

“Gah!!”

Praus used High-Speed Movement to approach him in an instant and without hesitation, swung his sword.

Chris’s armored wrist was cleanly severed. His hand, now detached from his forearm, hovered in the air before helplessly crashing to the ground.

As blood sprayed, he reached for the hand lying on the ground and removed the glove. There were no markings upon the back of his hand.

Having confirmed that Raghur was dead, he carelessly tossed the hand aside.

“Praus!!”

“I told you to be quiet!”

“Stop!”

Maria halted the flames and ice surrounding Lupin and Chris. Tina and Iris, who were rushing in, also froze in place.

“… If it weren’t for the Teacher’s words, I would have already shoved something down your throat for that absurd order. So don’t provoke me and just stay still.”

“C-cry! P-Praus…!”

“I warned you. This is a warning. Losing one hand isn’t going to kill you. Or do you really want me to finish you off?”

As the killing intent radiated from Praus, the two could not voice a single word.

“I said it. You have a week. If you don’t declare it to the citizens within that week, I will behead you and feed your carcass to the monsters.”

Faced with Praus’s killing intent, all they could do was tremble in fear.

“Please, let this not be the last choice of your life.”

Praus made that statement, but Chris’s choice would indeed be his last.

Considering he had made a contract with Raghur, he never had any intention of letting Chris live from the beginning.