My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 22

“That’s quite the story.”

I slightly altered it to explain it to others.

When I fulfilled the Spirit King’s request that I happened upon by chance, I said that he had given me a treasured item and wanted to travel with me for a change.

Dex looked at me suspiciously as he listened to the story, but he didn’t press any further.

After such a long break, the carriage started moving again.

As soon as we set off, Ariel sat next to me. She began to give me glances, hinting that I should talk to Pasma.

“What are you looking at?”

“I want to talk to Pasma.”

[I want to talk too.]

‘Not yet; I’m still not recovered.’

“Buzz off.”

…Wait, there’s no way I can tell the Spirit King to buzz off, right?

It’s a miracle I could even speak in my usual manner without breaking into laughter.

“Indeed, Lord Praus! You’re the only one who can speak in such a tone to the Spirit King!”

What’s this guy so excited about?

I was about to hit Dex for not realizing how serious the situation was, but instead, I let out a sigh.

“Yeah. The only person who would dare insult the Spirit King is this punk. Still… if it weren’t for him, I would’ve had no chance to talk to Pasma again.”

“Really?”

Joy surged in Dex’s expression. He was clearly taken aback by this revelation.

“Is that person named Pasma—”

“Dex.”

“Yes, Lord Praus!”

“If you keep rambling, I will kill you.”

“Don’t worry! At least a hundred gold coins is the minimum I’d expect for this information!”

Damn it. So he’s saying he’ll only tell others if there’s money involved.

I rubbed my temples.

In one corner, Tina and Iris were chatting about the Spirit King.

“Is that person from a fairy tale?”

“I told you so.”

“I can’t believe I get to witness the manifestation of Lady Ariel. Even the Elf Elder hadn’t seen the Spirit King!”

Maria was almost turning into a devoted follower. I worried that an Ariel cult might sprout up soon.

…Wait, is there even a cult?

“So, Praus, who should I be training? They all seem weak to me. I don’t see anything remarkable about them. The only decent one might be that elf girl…”

“Just wait. It’s not the right time yet.”

They’re still ordinary kids who haven’t awakened yet.

But once they do, Pasma and Ariel will be amazed by the three of them.

They’ll witness the talent bestowed upon them from the heavens.

Heh, I can’t wait to see their faces then.

*

The carriage rolled on, and yet another long period passed.

It had already been a week since we left Pretéum.

“Hey, we’re almost near Brih Forest.”

At Delma’s words, I gathered the tent.

It was a massive forest made up of trees that easily surpassed ten meters tall. It resembled a jungle set on a prairie.

“Is that where the monsters are?”

“Yep. Let’s get ready.”

The carriage halted at the outskirts of Brih Forest.

I slipped on Ariel’s shoes that I had cleaned beforehand.

[You equipped “Ariel’s Shoes.”]

[You can now use the skill “High-Speed Movement.”]

With the high-speed movement skill, I could attain a speed beyond human limits.

The best part was that this shoe had no penalties whatsoever.

There were no time limits, nor was there a set number of uses per day.

This artifact was made from the Spirit King’s mana, accumulated over decades.

“It feels a bit wrong to wear the shoes given to Pasma.”

Ariel frowned as she followed me after I stepped out of the carriage, crossing her arms in displeasure.

“There’s no reason to feel wrong. These shoes were meant to be mine from the start.”

“Don’t you think I could kill you and take them?”

“The moment you kill me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. You could never defeat the Demon King without me.”

“Demon King…?”

Dex perked up, having overheard my conversation with Ariel. When did he come down?

“Dex.”

“Yes!”

“Wasn’t the information I just gave you enough? How long do you plan to eavesdrop?”

“Haha… I can’t help it if I accidentally overheard!”

“If you’re so bored, you should deal with the Black Light Corps. I think there are several around here.”

“Hmm. You seem to have a good instinct for someone weak. I don’t know what the Black Light Corps is, but others are tailing us.”

Surprised, Ariel whispered, “Wait, are they real? I thought you were just guessing.”

“Stop being the center of attention. Change your appearance. You stick out too much.”

[It’s true that our Ariel is a beauty, so it’s hard not to notice her.]

How amusing. We both confirmed our feelings for each other, and now we’re worried about who might “steal” her away?

But I don’t think I need to worry about that at all.

What kind of lunatic would try to “steal” the Spirit King away?

“It seems you’re not one to show much on the outside? Just being with me should get you plenty of recognition.”

“You didn’t sign a contract with me, so why should I get special treatment? Stop saying nonsense and change into a normal human form. It seems Pasma prefers that too.”

“…Fine, I’ll do that.”

Seeing her so easily swayed by Pasma’s name, it was clear she’d do anything for him.

Talk about a love-struck spirit…

I suppose that kind of love could sustain her for decades.

Ariel flicked her fingers.

Her appearance changed, transforming into a beautiful woman with green hair. Her clothing now looked ragged, composed of a fabric similar to ours.

“Oh… you can transform?”

This is such a headache. Even having an informant with me is troublesome.

This is exactly why I didn’t want to travel with others.

“Stay back for a moment, both of you.”

I drew my sword and spoke.

[You equipped “Unyielding Revenge”.]

[You can now temporarily use the skill “Ghostly Spirit”.]

“Oh! Will you let me speak to Pasma?”

“No, right now, you and I need to talk.”

As I moved forward, I asked, “Are you planning to train swordsmanship?”

“What… is it a promise?”

Without answering him, I walked a considerable distance away from the carriage.

Only when I was far enough that Dex’s ears wouldn’t catch us did I finally stop.

“I’ll show you the framework of Phantom Dance.”

“Is that what you were going to show? I was curious when you said you had something to discuss.”

“I’ll only show you once, so watch closely.”

Recalling the movements and descriptions Tina shared, I slowly showcased the technique.

I twirled and struck with the sword again at the same position; I took big strides while turning to catch the back.

I repeated several postures, ensuring to give it my all, despite some awkwardness from my fragmented memory.

Once all the movements finished, I wiped the sweat off my chin.

“That’s it. The reason your Phantom Dance breaks rhythm every time you use it is that you focus too much on minimizing your movements.”

“The essence of the Phantom Sword Technique is minimizing movement. What you showed by taking larger strides and spinning around is not efficient movement.”

“But you also need to know how to apply the basics. With just that method, the flow will break. This approach is useful for dodging enemies’ attacks and catching them from behind.”

…That’s what Tina told me.

Since the Phantom Sword Technique is about changing the tempo of your movements to confuse the opponent, it aims efficiently at vital points.

Swinging it multiple times, as the name suggests, is good, but those strikes need to land meaningfully for it to qualify as a true technique. That’s how I convinced Pasma.

The resulting Phantom Dance emerged, maintaining the framework Pasma had created, while maximizing its efficiency.

“…”

He said nothing for some time, deep in thought. Then, as if he realized something, he said, “Let me borrow your body for a moment.”

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

“I’ll try.”

His movements started in the same style I had shown.

As he continued on, he began mixing my movements into his own, enhancing the irregularity as he went.

Similar yet different movements.

There were no extraneous movements. It felt like a seamless, astonishingly fluid and fast sequence that made me feel like it wasn’t my own body.

Once all the movements ended, he halted, breathing heavily, inhaling and exhaling rapidly.

“I see. So this is what it was.”

He stared at the sword he held, panting.

“Thank you, Praus. Thanks to you, I’ve manifested the final form of the Phantom Sword Technique.”

“I keep my promises. You do the same.”

“I will. I intend to keep my promise. But among those three kids, there was no one worthy of being my disciple. They all lacked any talent like you.”

“Don’t worry. Soon, there’ll be a child who will make you reconsider.”

“Is that so?”

Pasma nodded and turned away, and there stood Ariel in view.

“Pasma… you did it.”

“I did, Eri.”

Pasma smiled, giving a thumbs-up.

“Huh? Praus is smiling!”

“This is the first time I’ve seen Lord Praus smile. So that’s how he smiles.”

“Better than that stiff face.”

The kids reacted positively to Pasma’s smile. Though I wanted to clarify that it wasn’t my doing, I decided to let it slide, knowing it would only complicate things further.

“Pasma. I might need your strength to take down the monsters. Is that alright?”

“Absolutely! A friend’s request is always welcome.”

When did I become friends with the Sword Master?

I felt a bit awkward with such kindness showered upon me.

I was merely intending to use them, yet he was offering genuine goodwill, which was quite perplexing for me.

*

I looked up at the darkened night sky.

Tonight, we even built a campfire to celebrate.

“Ariel, do you feel any magic in the forest?”

“Yeah. I definitely feel it, but it doesn’t seem like a strong monster. It doesn’t feel that powerful.”

“Got it.”

I confirmed not only that there were monsters, but also their difficulty.

Now, I just need to lure the monsters out.

I watched the kids, along with Delma and Dex, gathered around the campfire, chatting blissfully unaware. Dex, while listening to the kids, also kept sneaking glances at me.

His expression was a mix of awe and a faint, strained smile.

Could it be that he thinks I can actually use the Phantom Sword Technique?

“Ariel, set up a barrier around the campfire.”

“…Pasma already told me, but I’m curious why you want to bring the monsters out.”

“I plan to make those kids useful.”

I had handed out weapons to each of them.

I gave Tina the “Unyielding Revenge,” Iris the “Unbreakable Glory of the Past,” and Maria received a staff embedded with the artifact gem, “Archmage’s First Footsteps.”

Each received preliminary weapons they’d need, along with monsters at hand.

Preparation was complete.

“Those kids have even less talent than you. You, at least, have overwhelming magical power, even if it’s not useful right now.”

“Who knows, they might awaken one day and become the ‘Hero’ who saves this world.”

I drew the sword that Maria had brought. It looked far superior to the self-defense sword.

“Once it’s all over, let me have a chat with Pasma.”

“Sure thing.”

Upon hearing my response, Ariel cast the barrier. The sudden shift in magical energy made Dex the first to react. Others quickly followed suit.

“Stay still, and don’t move until I tell you to! I’m heading into the forest. I’ll be luring the monsters out, so wait for me.”

“Don’t do anything reckless and stay here!”

“Lord Praus, what are you thinking?”

“Lord Praus! It’s dangerous!”

“Don’t go in, it’s dangerous!”

“Just let me be.”

While everyone tried to dissuade me, only Maria accepted my decision.

Not a single doubt crossed her mind about my strength. Did they seriously think I was a nameless powerhouse?

I pretended not to hear them and focused on the forest entrance.

“High-Speed Movement.”

[Skill “High-Speed Movement” activated.]

With a speed so fast that it was hard for the human eye to follow, it felt like my organs were being pulled.

Even with the artifact’s effectiveness, if the hardware is garbage, it becomes useless.

I sighed and reluctantly reduced my speed as I stepped into Brih Forest.