My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 237

As Stella died, the hologram that had been set aside disappeared. Could it be that Stella was the cause of this expression management release?

“Praus.”

“…What is it?”

Just as I felt a hint of disappointment at his indifferent tone returning, Ariel called out to me. I turned my gaze from Stella to her. She was pouting with furrowed brows, her mouth moving slightly.

“W-What do you mean by saying father is dead? Don’t tell me it was Paroco…?”

Ariel asked cautiously.

Unsure how to respond, I kept silent.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to say anything; rather, the tightening in my chest every time I thought of Paroco was quite uncomfortable.

It was frustrating to feel like Paroco was truly my father, while at the same time feeling overwhelmingly sad, as if I would burst into tears if someone offered me words of comfort.

Ariel accepted my silence without a word.

“For now, let’s find the body.”

I took one last glance at Stella and began to move forward. No, I was about to.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, pain shot through my entire body.

The backlash from mimicking a follower had finally hit me. I belatedly realized that thanks to Ariel’s bracelet, the skill penalty had been prolonged.

However, the pain wasn’t as bad as I expected. It felt like mild muscle soreness.

It’s true that mimicking an S-Class ability puts less strain on the body compared to mimicking a Hero or Spirit King. But still, even an S-Class ability was burdensome for an ordinary body. Yet here I was, feeling almost no pain—how fascinating.

Could the skill penalty mitigation effect not only alleviate time but also counteract the backlash from the physical differences?

If that were the case, that would indeed be amazing.

I took off the bracelet.

I had expended 3 minutes and 52 seconds of its 15 minutes and 03 seconds of duration.

With barely any muscle soreness and no pain in my joints, it was the first time I felt this good even after using Mimicry.

“Praus, are you hurt?”

“…No, I’m fine. It’s no problem.”

“Hey. Praus…”

“I said I’m fine.”

“It’s not that, it’s just… um…”

Ariel seemed flustered. What was making her so uneasy?

It was strange that she was so concerned just because Paroco died. She, who had never shown any interest in anyone other than Pasma.

“If it’s about my father, there’s no need to worry.”

We would have to hold a funeral, but first I was pondering what to do about Marquis Medis.

That scoundrel had taken away two chances to save someone precious.

The first was taking the medicine to heal my mother.

The second was leaving behind my father, the butler, even when the Demon Tribe had attacked their mansion.

Neither of the two was forgivable, but the more I thought about the second, the more my anger boiled.

Given the wartime situation, it was understandable that Marquis Medis had few knights or magicians under his command.

But abandoning Paroco in the mansion was unacceptable.

He had been a butler under him for years. If there was any shred of affection, he should have taken Paroco with him. If he had, I was sure such a thing wouldn’t have happened.

I would make him pay for this. Only then would my lingering anger subside.

“Hold on!”

Ariel caught up with me, grabbing my wrist with both hands as if she wanted me to listen.

“…What is it?”

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t expect your father to end up like that… I just wanted you to understand my feelings…”

She seemed to be recalling when she mentioned that she would have spoken rationally if family or heroes died at the blacksmith’s.

“Is that so…”

I took hold of her hand, freeing my wrist. Perhaps she thought I was rejecting her apology, as she looked flustered.

“…No need to apologize. Your words were correct. I get it now. Being the one involved, I can’t speak rationally about it. I should be the one apologizing for my harsh words.”

I’m sorry.

Ariel seemed stunned by my apology, blinking multiple times in disbelief.

“No… I—”

“Lord Praus! Are you okay?!”

While I was talking to Ariel, Ella and the magician rushed over.

She seemed to want to say something, but awkwardly smiled and fumbled over her words.

*

Fortunately, thanks to Ariel’s Barrier, Ella and the magician were shielded from the shock.

Thanks to the magician, retrieving Paroco’s body didn’t take long.

“…Who is it? I was told to just find the butler.”

“Father.”

“Eh…?”

Ella blurted out something foolish.

“…What are you going to do about the other bodies?”

“We’ve already dealt with all the Demons around here, so we need to call people. Since the building is in this state, Marquis Medis should be quite troubled.”

“Let him be troubled.”

“Excuse me?”

Could there really be a commoner who could be called that to a marquis?

But who cares? Medis had no right to complain even if I called him a lowlife.

After all, it was because of that guy that I lost my parents… No, Parous’s parents.

Once again, I was reminded that my current gloom was entirely his fault.

“If he demands repair costs for the mansion from me, I will kill Marquis Medis. No, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to kill all of his precious family too.”

“Praus…”

Did she sense the anger in my words?

Ariel placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down, and Ella shook her head with a sad look, signaling me not to say such things.

I was confident. I could kill him and his family without any emotions.

So I hoped that my anger aimed at Stella wouldn’t shift to Marquis Medis.

“I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Suit yourself.”

I said coldly, then pulled out the communication scroll I had been keeping. I also retrieved the magical ink pen designed to write anytime and anywhere.

Naturally, the recipient was a Hero.

The ink pen danced across the scroll.

I wrote to come straight home if Habito died. After hastily scribbling the message, I tore it up.

If I killed all the Demons that had invaded the Human World, then I would hold a funeral for Paroco.

I had no intention of revealing Paroco’s death, so I was planning a small funeral in Secul among those who knew him.

The grave location would be next to where my mother was buried.

Paroco in his lifetime… no, Paroco’s relationship with my mother… no, Parous’s mother…

…Damn it! I don’t know what’s what anymore!

My identity was in turmoil.

Can I truly say I am Lee Han-gyeol, who has possessed Praus?

Even though I repetitively reaffirmed that I was Lee Han-gyeol, my identity wavered continuously.

All of this was due to those unnecessary emotions of Praus.

Even when I tried to maintain my sense and act rationally, the lump in my heart couldn’t help but unravel my reason.

Had I not managed my expression, I might have been unable to control my emotions and could have cried out in front of Paroco’s body.

But I didn’t want that.

If I cried because of Paroco, I felt it would mean I’d be no longer Lee Han-gyeol, but rather Praus.

*

Rustle!

“What the hell is this skill?!”

Habito lost an arm to Tina’s All-Cutting Sword. He never expected that the barrier he forged with all his strength would be cut like paper.

Moreover, he even succeeded in taking down dozens of Demons that had been wreaking havoc in the town by breaking through the barrier. Habito clicked his tongue in dismay at Tina’s wide-ranging skills.

‘That one strike just killed dozens of Demons… How do you even block that?!’

“Not bad. That Demon.”

“I’m even better!”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

Maria, shaking her head at Tina’s nonsensical comments, pointed to the blood that was scattered in the air.

“The All-Cutting Sword recognizes its target through blood. It can even cut magic, right? It’s all about reverse perception.”

That’s why Tina’s strike, aimed at his body, only hit his arm.

“Oh. So that’s how she dodged it? Clever.”

“Tina, you should start thinking a bit more.”

“Maria, I do think! But right now, there’s no need. I can see everything.”

Tina pointed to her own eyes.

“I can see where the Demon energy is used, how much is used, everything.”

As Maria gazed into Tina’s black eyes, she felt an uneasy sensation, as if all her secrets were laid bare.

“Is that so? Then I’ll just keep healing this damn bastard, so you handle Habito.”

“What did Uncle Inkuro do? Why do you keep calling him a bastard?”

“He tried to buy me at the slave market. If this bastard sold me into slavery, I would’ve surely despised humans for life.”

“Whoa… that foolish guy has quite the big chest now—”

Smack!

Maria kicked Inkuro across the face.

“Stop with the nonsense, for real. The only one allowed to look at me that way is my Teacher.”

“You’re being too harsh on me. Anyway…! Got it, I got it.”

Inkuro raised his remaining hand in a gesture of surrender. Maria reluctantly healed his body, her expression sour.

As the severe pain faded, and the bleeding stopped, his previously wrinkled face returned to a calm state.

“…Thank you.”

“If my Teacher dies at all, I would’ve thrown you in a trash can without even saying goodbye. Your death doesn’t concern me one bit.”

“Right, right. So I should express my gratitude to my Teacher? I should bow toward my Teacher’s house in Secul every midnight?”

“Uh, well, that’s a bit…”

Seeing Habito who was focusing on the conversation turned his residual energy into Demon energy.

‘If it continues like this, I’ll die. I need to teleport in this uproar—!’

Habito saw an opening and attempted to teleport. But the gathered Demon energy fell apart, causing him to fail in his spell.

“I don’t know what you were expecting, but you can’t use teleportation. To escape, you need at least 9th-tier mana. But after fighting so far, you’ve exhausted your Demon energy, and my Barrier can erase Demon energy. You won’t escape.”

“You damn Hero scum…!”

His Demon energy sealed, unable to use teleportation, Habito had only one choice left.

“Damn it! I can’t die here!”

Habito squeezed his remaining Demon energy with all his might, planning to wager his life on this attack.

“Do you really not learn, huh? You seem the dullest of them all.”

Tina struck back at Habito, shouting at him as he attempted to use his skill. He yelled back at her, bristling with frustration.

“That’s the only kind of stay-at-home comment you’ll get!”

Reaching his hand towards the sky, Habito crafted a massive sphere of blood. Seeing that, Tina drew her All-Cutting Sword.

“‘Blood’s Judgment!’”

Just as he was about to throw the sphere, the All-Cutting Sword was drawn, creating friction with its scabbard.

“‘All-Cutting Sword.’”

Rustle!

The sphere split in half, becoming two hemispheres.

“‘All-Cutting Sword.’”

Rustle!

The sphere shattered into four pieces.

“‘All-Cutting Sword ・ Continuous Slash.’”

Dozens of sword strikes, so rapid that even Habito couldn’t follow them with his eyes.

By the time he realized it, the sphere had turned to dust, dispersing into the air. He desperately tried to inflict damage by flinging blood.

Tina smirked, mocking him.

“I told you, I can see everything.”

As Habito desperately sprayed blood towards Tina, it fluttered to the ground before collapsing coldly onto the ground.

“Being unable to use Demon energy in this space, and your energy flow cut off, of course, your skills wouldn’t be intact.”

“You cowardly Hero—”

“Oh, naturally, you too.”

The moment Tina sheathed her All-Cutting Sword, Habito’s entire body was shredded like the sphere that had been cut.

“It’s over. This war, we have won.”