My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 232

“Teacher! I missed you!!”

“Don’t come near.”

“Phew!”

I pressed my palm against Tina’s face, feeling something foreign on my hand.

But she seemed intent on ignoring my words and aggressively reached out her arms toward me. Honestly, it felt a bit perverted.

“Calm down and try to suppress your excitement first.”

“I-I worked hard?! It’s been a while since we met?! I think I deserve a hug!”

Tina grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward her. With my lack of strength, I was helplessly led to her like a balloon.

At that moment.

Just as I was about to bury my face in Tina’s chest, Iris and Maria rushed in between us at the same time.

“Ah! Why are you stopping me?”

“Tina. Just look at yourself.”

“Ugh. How much of a mess have you made…?”

With Iris’s insight and Maria’s sigh, Tina’s head drooped down as she inspected her own state.

“I’m clean, though?”

“The clothes are fine because of cleaning magic. But what about the blood on your hair and face?”

“Aaah~! Teacher! I made sure those 2nd Corps guys can never mess with us again! I did well, right? So, hurry up and praise me!”

She spread her arms wide, exclaiming.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at her.

No matter how much she fought against demons, her energy was way too high for someone who just came back from a battle.

The battlefield she fought on must have been littered with countless corpses, yet she didn’t seem to mind at all. Her mental state seemed remarkably stable. Whether that was a good thing or not was debatable…

“Do I really still smell? Am I dirty? Should I go take a bath? I think there are no demons in sight now!”

“…We stopped the Legion, but it’s not over yet.”

We still hadn’t dealt with the 4th Legion in the Aioum Kingdom, and we hadn’t defeated the Demon King, the root cause of this war.

Honestly, I wanted to storm into the Demon King’s Castle right now and kill Blas, but I wasn’t ready yet.

I also needed the Purification Stone from Ella and to alleviate the fatigue from battle.

Even if the Legion invaded the Empire, countless residual demons would still be lurking in the Demon World.

Most of the higher demons had died in this battle, but the demon race was still very much alive.

“Tina, Maria. Hand over the equipment you got from the Spirit King.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Here you go!”

I took the ring and necklace that Maria and Tina handed over.

[You have obtained the “Handcrafted Ring of the Will of Orient.”]

[Equipping it increases your mana capacity by 200%.]

[Duration is 12 minutes.]

[You have obtained the “Handcrafted Necklace of the Tenacity of Naiad.”]

[All magical resistance increases by 100%.]

[Duration is 11 minutes.]

I returned them to her. These were items I absolutely needed to equip before facing the Demon King.

If the Three Heroes teamed up with these items, we would surely be able to defeat the Demon King.

“Wait a minute. When I brought them, they were just a necklace, but now I can feel the mana flowing in them! Is this your ability, Teacher?!”

“I suppose you could say that.”

“Oh~! As expected, Teacher is amazing!”

I held Tina back again as she attempted to leap at me.

“Let’s save the hugs for later. I’d like you to focus on this first.”

I looked at Ariel beside me. She locked eyes with me and slowly walked toward Tina. Ariel showed Tina the broken sword she was holding.

“…Isn’t this the sword you often used, Teacher?”

She looked puzzled, noticing my unwavering sense of revenge.

“Do you feel anything?”

Originally, I was thinking of heading to the capital’s blacksmith as soon as I killed Peremus, but since it would take time for Ariel to repair it, I suggested to show it to Tina first.

With her keen insight, there was a chance she might see something.

“…Is it because of Pasma?”

Tina was well aware that Pasma was connected to that sword. Not only Tina but all the Heroes knew. It was Pasma who taught them the Phantom Sword Technique.

She held the sword and scanned it thoroughly. After staring intently for a while, Tina began shaking her head.

“I’m sorry. I don’t feel anything. I sensed something strange before I reached the realm of ‘Heart’s Insight’… but now it just feels like a chunk of metal.”

Nothing. Her words felt like a death sentence.

I discreetly glanced at Ariel’s reaction to Tina’s words.

Taking on a resigned expression, she looked like she had already known, but she couldn’t suppress her emotions as tears streamed down her face, her lower lip trembling as she struggled to hold back sobs.

“Um, Ariel… W-well, we haven’t repaired it yet, so we don’t know for sure.”

Tina hurriedly attempted to comfort Ariel, fidgeting in distress.

“…Yeah. That’s right? There’s still a chance…”

She forced a smile at Tina’s reassurance.

However, the fact that Tina, who had the insight to see the essence, couldn’t find any trace of the spirit meant there was a high likelihood Pasma wouldn’t be seen even after the repair.

“Let’s go get it repaired for now.”

*

“Hmm. I think it’s better to toss this sword away.”

The blacksmith scratched his head, looking troubled.

“W-why is that?”

“…Even if I repair it, it wouldn’t be usable as a sword. Once a sword breaks, it easily breaks again.”

“Didn’t you repair it last time?”

I recalled how I had entrusted the Unbreakable Glory of the Past and the Unwavering Revenge Sword to him while searching for artifacts hidden in the capital.

“I did. But back then, it was just in a wrecked shape, not shattered like this. This… there’s no answer.”

“…But I’d still like you to fix it. Even if it’s not usable as a sword, that’s fine.”

“Hmm.”

He gave me a skeptical look and examined the Revenge Sword. After looking at our expressions, he nodded.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

“Then can you set aside your other work and do this immediately?”

“If I put my current work aside, it’ll cost more—”

“How much more?”

I pulled out my coin pouch and asked. The blacksmith glanced at it and sighed.

“Including the repair, I think it’ll be about a gold coin?”

“Please take care of it.”

I handed him two gold coins straight away. His lips lifted slightly.

“Alright. But I’ll try my best, but don’t expect too much.”

“I get that, but please do your best.”

“…It’ll take about a day, so come back around this time tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

As soon as our conversation finished, the blacksmith took the Revenge Sword and headed into his workshop.

“Let’s go.”

With my business done, I was about to exit the blacksmith’s shop. The Heroes followed me. However, Ariel remained still, staring at the entrance of the workshop.

“Ariel?”

“…Ah, yeah. I-I should go.”

She seemed reluctant to move, even while answering.

“Just staring at it won’t make it come out any faster.”

“…Praus.”

Just as I was about to step out, she called my name in a low voice.

“Is there any way to see Pasma again? Or a way to communicate?”

“…I don’t know.”

My blunt tone suppressed her hopes. She pressed her lips together in silence as she looked at me.

“Then… does that mean we have to give up just like that?”

“…Well. If we can’t find a way, we’ll have to let go eventually.”

“Let go? You mean…”

I wanted to soothe her, but as long as I couldn’t completely release my Expression Management Skill, my words always came out rational and cold.

In a sense, that could be seen as realistic, but for the parties involved, it was the worst thing to hear.

“Praus, you relied on Pasma a lot too… but you tell me to let go as if it’s nothing?”

“…I didn’t mean it lightly. It’s just how it has to be.”

“No matter what you say…!”

“Don’t believe that you can do what I can’t.”

This world is changing. Depending on my actions.

Yeah, just like reality.

It’s been a long while since I began to perceive this world as reality, and most of what I knew before became meaningless.

Just looking at the current situation proves that.

Who would have expected that the Revenge Sword with Pasma’s essence would break?

I should have been prepared from the moment the holographic text indicating it had no durability did not appear?

…But now, it no longer mattered.

“If that was the case, why did you bring me along? Why did you let Pasma meet me?”

“To retrieve your artifact, and because I thought Pasma’s abilities would help me—”

“Praus…!”

Ariel grabbed my collar. Tears streamed down her face as she glared at me. Each sob made my heart race faster.

“Ariel!”

The other Heroes held onto Ariel’s body and arms to stop her. But that only made her grip on my collar tighter.

“Don’t tell me you really have no sympathy?”

“…I only intended to extend our ties a little longer in exchange for using you.”

“That’s not what I want to hear! What I want to hear is…!”

“Stop being stubborn, Ariel. You knew this day was coming. It was only the moment that was unprepared.”

Her voice, devoid of even a trace of warmth, stunned Ariel into silence.

“If that’s the case, then that’s just too much… I haven’t even prepared yet…”

Who would have thought the sword would break? I had been so diligent about its maintenance…

“That’s why it’s unavoidable.”

Pasma is already a dead person.

It might have been a causal relationship permissible in a game world, but there is no way to bring the dead back to life in this world. At least not to my knowledge.

If I knew a way, I would have revived Leoness.

“Don’t joke around… You’re able to speak so rationally because you’re not the one affected. Do you think you could speak like this if your family or one of us died?”

“…”

I couldn’t say a word.

While my Expression Management Skill played a part in it, it was true that I could only see things rationally because I was a third party. If I had been one of the involved, I would never have been able to say such things.

Ariel looked at the Heroes holding her from both sides, then slowly released her grip on my collar. She then began to walk away.

“…Praus, don’t assume everyone can accept reality as easily as you do.”

Ariel wiped her tears and suddenly vanished from sight.

“Haa…”

I sighed, looking at the spot where Ariel had just been.

Honestly, it wasn’t as if there were no options.

It’s just a matter of possibility, but if I used that method, it could lead to not only seeing Pasma again but potentially bringing him back to life.

However, that would mean I’d have to sacrifice a lot. Perhaps even my chance to return to my original world.

That’s why I intended to keep quiet for now. Since I didn’t yet feel the merits of that choice.

“Do you also think I did something wrong?”

“Yep. Totally.”

Tina’s candid remarks made me smile bitterly.