My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 252

“I’ll take care of the Purification Stone.”

Just after the Heroes set out to cleanse the remnants, Sequoia extended her hand.

“Go ahead.”

I handed it over gladly. Purifying the magic contained in the Purification Stone would take a considerable amount of time, and if I lost it or had it stolen, the Demon King would be reborn, so it was best to leave it to the World Tree.

“You seem rather unbothered. This is a Magic Beast, after all; it would be incredibly powerful if you possessed it.”

“If I did, I’d become the Demon King. I don’t need it. I’m going to live peacefully without fighting anymore.”

I’m so tired of fighting! How much longer do I have to endure with this weak body? Let me live in a peaceful world!

“Peacefully… well, after ten trials, we finally obtained peace. I can’t thank Praus enough.”

Yggdrasil bent down once again.

“Wouldn’t it have been nice if you had just said that from the start? Then I could have focused on releasing the expression management instead.”

If the Expression Management Skill had been released a bit earlier, perhaps I could have smoothly solved a significant problem. Although now it’s just a pointless assumption.

“It seemed like Praus would just treat this world as a mere game. I know it’s shameless of me to say since I dragged him here against his will, but ha ha…”

“A game world, huh…”

I glanced at the hologram floating in the corner. All the other holographic messages had disappeared, but this one still remained.

[Do you wish to delete the skill “Expression Management”? (Deleting will cause the hologram to disappear.)]
[YES] [NO]

“Hey, Ygg—”

“Yawn~!”

I was about to ask the World Tree a question that suddenly came to mind while staring at the hologram, but my words were interrupted by a yawn from behind.

“Um, World Tree, is it alright if I split again? I’m getting tired.”

“…Go ahead, Initina. Thank you for your help, too.”

“The Demon Tribe is an enemy of Spirits, so helping is only natural.”

She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at me.

“You, you were like a Hero. Thank you for saving this world.”

Coolly saying that, she turned and vanished. The World Tree, looking at the spot where Initina had disappeared, asked me.

“How did you come up with the idea of summoning Initina?”

“In the absence of a Hero, I needed someone who could match a Hero’s strength. Among those I know, Initina was the only one who fit that bill.”

“I see. You thought about such things even while fighting.”

The World Tree sighed softly in admiration.

“Indeed, Heroes are different!”

“Hero? I don’t want to be called something so grand.”

“But it was Praus who subdued the Demon King, right?”

“I didn’t do it out of a sense of duty, nor did I want to enjoy any glory. I just did what I needed to survive in this world.”

“By that reasoning, the Heroes I designated would be the same. The reason they fought in the Demon World wasn’t for the Empire, or for any rights or honor they would enjoy in the future. It was for Praus.”

“…Me?”

I tilted my head, pointing at myself as Yggdrasil shook her head up and down.

“Think about it. Who have those kids followed and listened to until now?”

“Well, that’s…”

It was me. I realized once again that I had always been the one giving orders to the Heroes. They had completely trusted and followed my words.

“Everything from awakening as a Hero, breaking through limits, to fighting against the Demon Tribe was all because Praus directed those kids.”

I knew she wasn’t trying to elevate me, but somehow it felt awkward.

“When those kids found out they were Heroes, they reacted rather blandly, didn’t they? Almost as if they couldn’t care less.”

“Well, that’s…”

True enough. When they learned the fact that they were Heroes, their reactions were surprisingly unimpressive.

“They simply had no interest in that. Their only focus was you, Praus.”

Listening to the World Tree’s words, I nodded, almost unconsciously.

Thinking about it, this world already had a harsh worldview regarding Other Races. Realistically, it would have been quite difficult for the Three Heroes to achieve harmony.

Yet somehow, the Three Heroes had grown steadily without any deviations.

If any of the Heroes had decided to destroy the Empire instead, there would have been no way such results could have occurred. It’s possible a war between the Empire and the Other Races might have broken out, leading to their mutual destruction before they even reached the Demon World.

“Anyway! Do you know how hostile the gazes were from the remaining Heroes, who were determined to stay by Praus’s side because of the limit break?”

“Maybe it’s your fault.”

“It wasn’t my fault?!”

Yggdrasil protested with a voice full of injustice.

“How can someone raise kids with so much love like that?”

“I didn’t raise them. They grew up on their own.”

“…That sounds like the worst thing a guardian could say.”

“All I provided was sufficient food, clothing, and shelter, along with health care and basic education.”

“Isn’t that what a guardian is supposed to do in the Human World?”

She smirked while challenging my words.

“Since I didn’t let the Heroes die and brought them this far, I’ll consider it raising them.”

“…Those kids would surely have grown up well even without me. According to what you said, they reached the Demon King even in the first run without me, right?”

At my sharp remark, the World Tree’s eyes widened.

“Well, I don’t know how the process of reaching the Demon King went, but they would have certainly grown as Heroes and challenged him.”

“That’s true. However… there has never been a round like this 10th round with you present where the Heroes are mentally stable, smiling happily. The trials in this world were far too harsh for young Heroes.”

The World Tree smiled ruefully. Her awkward smile looked sorrowful.

“Thinking about it, I have indeed forced the kids into doing things they shouldn’t have to do.”

“If someone hadn’t taken on your duty, this world would have been doomed. In the end, someone has to do the hard work, even if that means dressing it up as fate or a mission.”

“…Are you comforting me? I prefer the kinder Praus over the indifferent one.”

It wasn’t exactly comforting. I could say this now because everything had ended well. If we hadn’t killed the Demon King, or if we had failed, I wouldn’t have been able to say this.

No matter how good the process is, if the outcome is bad, the entire process loses value in this world.

“Oh! By the way, Praus, have you decided what to ask of me? I can take two requests. One would be to send you back to that world. What might the other one be?”

“…Before that, can I ask two questions?”

“What are they?”

“What happens if I delete the Expression Management Skill I have?”

“Oh, are you talking about the hologram floating next to you?”

“You can see it too?”

“Of course! I had it displayed for ease of understanding for my contractor!”

So I was ultimately in the World Tree’s palm, huh? I started feeling a bit bitter about that.

“First, if you answer that, deleting the Expression Management Skill means deleting the hologram.”

“I already know that.”

“In other words, it implies you’re going to treat this world as ‘reality.’ Since there can’t be a hologram in reality.”

Treating this world as reality… huh. To me, even the hologram and magic felt utterly unreal.

As a player who once enjoyed this world as a game, I couldn’t help but feel a disconnect between my understanding of reality and the reality of this world.

“I see.”

“Then what about the other request?”

“That would be…”

*

A few hours later, as I leisurely exited the Demon King’s Castle, the Heroes had arrived in front of it.

“Ah! Teacher!”

“Did you finish everything in just a few hours?”

“We resolved most of it, but it seems eliminating the magic and finding the hidden Demon Tribe would be quite difficult.”

“Really? Then let’s leave the rest to the Empire. If I report to Seri, she’ll handle it well.”

Although people might feel uneasy about the remaining magic, the Demon World was still attached to the Fishis continent. One day, when the magic is completely eradicated, this land will belong to the Empire, so there will naturally be a large-scale investigation to clean up the remnants, even without my orders. I just needed to drop them a hint.

“Got it.”

Before I knew it, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the Demon World magnificently. Shielding my eyes with my hand and looking at the sky, I felt the era of peace had finally arrived.

“Then shall we head back, Teacher?”

“Indeed.”

Before exiting the Demon King’s Castle, I had already contacted Seri via a delivery scroll.

「Demon King subjugation complete. Returning.」

With that message sent, I figured that Fretium was probably quite busy now. The Heroes had accomplished what no one ever thought possible—the subjugation of the Demon King—so they must be preparing for a grand celebration.

“Ah, before I go, let’s make one thing clear.”

At my words, the Heroes’ attention gathered.

“The subjugation of the Demon King is solely your achievement.”

“Huh?”

“Wait a moment, Teacher, that’s…!”

The Heroes began to panic, waving their hands.

“That’s not true! If you hadn’t been there, we would have died at the hands of the Demon King! You single-handedly cornered the Demon King!”

“I don’t desire to be worshipped, nor am I someone worthy of it. So let’s say the kill of the Demon King was entirely your achievement.”

“But…!”

“Shall we go with that?”

That’ll make it easier for you to become independent from me. Although I still don’t think you’ll want to separate from me if you declare how much you like me.

Even so, the remaining choice I made might end up affecting the happiness of these kids.

That cannot happen. I really hoped the protagonists of this world, who had trusted and followed me this far, would find happiness.

“Got it?”

The Heroes nodded reluctantly, even though they wore displeased expressions.

“Alright, then…”

I glanced around at the Heroes and turned around.

“Let’s go back. It’s a return for the Heroes.”