My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 219

Sure! Here’s the translation in a comedic anime style:

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I asked Ariel to modify the communication scroll, and now we can interact with the Human World without any issues. I specifically instructed her to let me know immediately if anything happens to Seri.

I planned to stay here as long as possible until the Heroes achieved their limit-breaking feat.

Still, it should be much quicker than the two years I anticipated. Considering their growth so far, the Heroes should be worth looking forward to.

Thus, starting from the very next day they arrived in the Spirit Realm, the Heroes jumped right into their training to gain enlightenment.

“Hmm. I definitely feel the mana better now, but… even if you tell me to read the essence of the sword, I’m still clueless…”

As I quietly watched Tina eyeing her sword, Iris came over.

“Teacher, could you swing the sword once for me?”

“Have you already caught on?”

“Well… to be honest, I’m not quite there yet, but I think I should give it a try.”

Iris spoke timidly, yet it seemed like she sensed something.

“Alright.”

I drew the Revenge Sword and infused Pasma into my body. Iris prepared herself without drawing her sword.

“You must swing with all your power! That way, I can truly understand.”

“Are you planning to take it barehanded?”

“Ah, is that not okay?”

“You could die.”

Even though the bodies of the Heroes are tough, if my mana is powered by the World Tree, she wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Sure, she could take some physical damage, but the reason I aim for the undefeated stage isn’t merely to withstand physical blows; it’s to endure the magic of the Demon Tribe.

“Alright, dying would be troublesome, so I’ll draw my sword.”

Iris pouted and drew the Guardian of the Sanctuary.

“Pasma.”

“I understand.”

Aura flowed into the sword. Since I intended to strike deliberately, even swinging at full force wouldn’t cause her significant harm.

“Truly, that aura… What a stunning color. It’s crystal clear, as if all impurities have been removed, leaving only clean and pure mana.”

Seeing Iris speak with admiration, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. After all, it’s the mana of the World Tree.

“I’m going.”

Utilizing Pasma, I kicked off the ground and charged fiercely. In an instant, I reached Iris and swung the sword with full power.

Kaaang!

The aura-laden Guardian of the Sanctuary was cleaved away, creating a splashing sound.

“Kuugh!”

Iris groaned as she braced herself against the impact. If it were a weapon with durability, it would be sliced. If she had taken that barehanded, she would have received injuries that couldn’t be healed with potions.

“…A failure, it seems.”

“Huh? Was that… not it?”

Her fox ears drooped. I placed my hand between her ears as a gesture that she didn’t need to shrink away.

“Don’t worry about it; try again. I’ll support you as many times as you need.”

Just as she was resetting her stance, there was an explosion sound from the side, filling the surroundings with black dust.

“What…!”

“Maria!”

I hurriedly sheathed my sword and called for her as I pushed through the rising dust. Tina and Iris followed suit behind me.

In the center of the dust was a blonde elf coughing and blinking away tears.

“Haah…”

“What happened?”

I asked with a muffled voice. Maria looked at me and waved her fingers, using Wind Magic to clear the dust in an instant.

“Ah, um… I was combining the ninth spell, but it went haywire and exploded.”

The ninth spell…?

“Is it really this difficult? Would breaking through the 9th tier first make it easier, as you said, Teacher?”

Is it because her mana is so sensitive? Maria, being an elf familiar with mana and spirits, also embodies the magic affinity of a Hero.

Perhaps she might be the first among the Heroes to gain an insight. If she played her cards right, she might break her limits in just a few months, not even needing a full two years. I’m getting excited!

“Since you’ve tried the 9th tier of magic, always keep the 9th tier in mind while using the 8th tier. That way, breaking through to the 9th tier will be smoother. I can’t offer advice on overlapping the spell structures, so take your time and don’t rush.”

I patted Maria’s head while looking at her face. Her expression wasn’t very cheerful.

Since the training began, many Heroes had shadows cast over their faces.

Unlike when they grew just by fighting, now they had to think a lot and deal with cumbersome matters, which must be frustrating.

I didn’t think they would suddenly lose motivation, but it felt like they needed a boost of passion right about now.

“I only have one question for you.”

“What is it, Teacher?”

Honestly, I didn’t expect anything good by asking this. However, I couldn’t think of a solid way to motivate them at that moment.

“Um… do you… like me?”

“Eh…?”

The Three Heroes’ faces all went blank simultaneously. It didn’t take long for them to flush red and cover their faces.

“W-What’s with the sudden question?!”

Maria’s face, not just her cheeks but also her ears and neck, turned bright red as she shouted, trying to hide her embarrassment. With her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, her pointy ears were prominently visible.

“Ah… Aah… I-I mean, I do… like you… but… um… doing it this way feels a bit unfair to a first confession…”

Iris’s sunken face stood out even more, possibly because of her white hair. She stuttered out her words while unable to meet my gaze.

“……”

Tina kept her lips sealed, shyly twirling her fingers while stealing glances at me. Although she usually proclaimed, “I love my Teacher!” she was quite modest right now.

And seeing the reactions of these three girls, I realized something clearly.

They didn’t like me merely as a teacher.

This question was somewhat aimed at predicting their reactions, so I wasn’t exactly shocked. However, I didn’t expect them to be so openly honest about it.

“So… it’s like that…”

Since I had anticipated it, this was merely confirming the suspicion.

Now, let’s get to the crux of the matter.

Throughout our training and sparring, I often kindled their enthusiasm by giving them powerful “wish rights.”

This time, I decided to use the same strategy, but with a stronger twist. Even if it meant selling myself out…

“I won’t limit what you can ask for; just don’t question whether it’s possible or not.”

The Heroes began to flush red again as they focused on what I was saying.

“If you can break your limits by the end of this year, I will grant you any request you want.”

The Demon War won’t start until next year, so as long as they achieve it within this year, there’s plenty of time to spare.

If they can break their limits as Heroes, we can definitely secure victory in this war.

In the game, Heroes achieved their limit-breaking during the Demon War, causing the Empire to be pushed back to half, but in reality, I can’t just watch that happen.

Otherwise, it would lead to the deaths of millions in the Empire.

Just a single breath from Ecabel caused casualties nearing a thousand, giving me PTSD; I couldn’t bear to witness millions dying in a sane mindset.

“W-What can we ask for?!”

After the war, I wouldn’t need to boost the Heroes’ spirits anymore; this would be the final offer.

“Of course, asking for ludicrous amounts of gold is something I can’t fulfill.”

This was a way to manipulate their feelings… no, their affection.

Others might call it despicable, but I’m a cunning person; I’d do whatever it takes to achieve my goals.

If I can’t fulfill my objective of saving this world, everything I’ve built until now would vanish, and I would forget everyone I’ve been with.

That alone feels too lonely.

Even if I chose to return to my original world, I still wanted to keep the experiences I gained in this world.

That way, I could say I cleared the game with a smile, that I saw the happy ending.

“Um…”

Tina gently approached and tugged at my sleeve, pulling it slightly. After twice tugging, she slowly raised her head.

Her face was bright red, lips pressed tight as she looked up at me. She looked like she was about to die from embarrassment, but it seemed she was barely managing to endure it.

“Well… um, Teacher… can we, um… get married… too?”

“……Huh?”

Ah, so that’s the angle you’re going for?

Tina whispered, and I found myself tightening up at the tremor in her voice. Regaining my composure, I barely managed to smile.

“Whoa, Tina!”

Maria pointed at Tina, berating her for being sneaky. Iris took a step back to watch the two of them bicker. Then she grabbed the shoulders of both Heroes.

“It’s okay, Maria. The Empire allows polygamy and polyandry.”

“Wait, what does that mean…?”

“You can share the Teacher…”

I couldn’t help but smack my forehead.

What insanity is this? Does Iris even understand what she’s saying?

“But I want to monopolize the Teacher.”

Iris’s compromise was met with Tina’s firm refusal.

“But that way, our relationship will definitely sour. I… want to monopolize the Teacher too. I want my scent to be the only one coming from him. But if that happens, we’ll definitely end up fighting. I don’t want that.”

“Yeah, I think Iris has a point. If someone wants to monopolize, let’s just set a date. On that day, we won’t interrupt whatever each of us is doing, right?”

“Still, I don’t like that…”

With the opinions not bridging, I had no choice but to intervene.

“Well, anyway, it’s this year. Don’t get overly excited just yet. There’s no guarantee you’ll achieve it within this year.”

Breaking through limits isn’t something that happens easily.

Thus far, their growth was guided by my accurate information and careful stepping through each stage, but this time, the vague and ambiguous parts are too numerous.

They would need to figure all of that out by themselves, which isn’t going to be easy. I don’t even know what I’m doing.

“Don’t worry! We’ll totally pull it off this year!”

Tina declared with a warrior’s spirit as she ready to charge into battle.

“So when we turn 20… we get married!”

“But, Tina…”

“Huh?”

“If you ask for all three of us to marry you, Teacher, you can ask for two more requests from us.”

“That’s not—”

“Isn’t it okay? Once we get married, you’ll be doing everything with the Teacher anyway. This includes petting, kissing, all of it…”

I almost shot back in a panic, but surprisingly, Tina responded calmly.

“Oh, I see. Tina… I thought you were a fool… but you’re a genius.”

“Iris sometimes says things that are too much too.”

Laughter erupted among the Heroes. At some point, the atmosphere returned to what it usually was.

“I’ll properly break through my limits and bring back the spirit sword. Just wait patiently, okay, big brother?”

Tina’s calling me “big brother” seemed to spur Iris and Maria into action, who instantly began confronting Tina.

Watching the three of them bicker, I felt a twinge of regret.

—

Half a year had passed since that promised time…