My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 258

“Phew… It’s cold.”

I blew onto my hands while looking at the white snow piled up in the yard. Is it winter again already?

It has been over four years since I gained the ability to understand what they are really thinking through the True Word. I was getting along well with the Heroes, just like always.

The year after I defeated the Demon King, the Heroes and I traveled together. Maria suddenly exclaimed, “I want to teleport anywhere in the Physis continent!” and we ended up wandering around.

Thanks to the fortune we received from defeating the Demon King, which came from Seri, I had no worries about money and was having various experiences.

Originally, Seri intended to grant noble titles to the Heroes, but since they refused, the noble title discussion fell through.

However, it seemed that the Heroes still held a strong status even in the Empire, because guests occasionally visited our home in Secul.

Some came seeking enlightenment to become stronger. Every time that happened, the Heroes would mention me and say, “Learning under the Teacher will make you the strongest!” I could confidently say it was the moment the Heroes’ status would plummet.

Ariel and Pasma were also doing well.

A month after Pasma became a Spirit, he came to visit us. When I first saw Pasma’s face, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

Should I call him a typical Western handsome man? He was so stunning that it was the first time I had seen someone with such distinct features.

I thought maybe he received an appearance buff by becoming a Spirit, but he said that the World Tree’s appearance hadn’t changed. At first, I couldn’t believe the shocking statement that he was the same as he was born. To have the looks that could charm a Spirit King…

Anyway, even now, the two of them occasionally come to visit. Other Spirit Kings would also come to our house from time to time for meals. They were absolute foodies.

Emperor Lupin passed away in 997, just as I knew. I heard that he closed his eyes peacefully after seeing how Seri managed the Empire.

I didn’t attend the funeral upon hearing the news. Because me and Lupin… no, we and Lupin could never be on good terms until the end.

Since Lupin’s death, Seri urged me to quickly leave heirs, but I could only respond with an apology. My top priority was the Heroes, not Ella, Urka, or Seri.

Though I told her I couldn’t choose her as my partner, all I heard in the end was that she wouldn’t give up. Because of that, this relationship was still ongoing.

Ella and Urka felt similar to Seri, but they showed disappointed reactions as if they were resigned.

“What a pity. There’s no good husband like Praus.”

“I expected that. In the end, it’s those kids you’re choosing.”

When I mentioned choosing the Heroes, Glair got angry, but Ella stopped him.

I heard Inkuro was still messing around with women. When he said, “Just because I don’t have arms doesn’t mean I don’t have something,” I thought, well that’s just Inkuro for you. You could say he had insane self-esteem. No, he was just a crazy guy.

Anyway, not much changed since I killed the Demon King.

Perhaps it’s because, from my perspective, the Heroes are still minors. Well, that’s true until today.

From tomorrow on—

“Brother! Why are you out here in the cold?”

Tina, who had completely matured, opened the door and came out. Although her youthful appearance remained, a maturity I hadn’t seen years ago was evident in her demeanor and actions, despite her short phrases.

“…I just wanted to get some fresh air.”

“You say that sometimes. If you’re going to be a downer, do it in front of me. Then I’ll help you out.”

“Knowing you, you’ll just hug and kiss me while comforting me.”

“That’s what comfort is about. There’s nothing more honest than the body.”

What a potentially misunderstood statement.

“Anyway, Iris has finished dinner, so hurry up.”

“Okay.”

When we returned from our journey around the Physis continent, Iris suddenly said she wanted to learn to cook from me.

I felt like she was trying to win my favor, but honestly, I was a bit happy. It had been tough preparing meals alone every day, so having a helper was a relief.

So, I taught her thoroughly. In a way that would suit a Korean palate.

“Ah, brother, come here and sit down.”

Iris’s speech was always military-like, but at some point, she started using polite speech. She thought that changing her way of speaking would help close the distance between us.

“I made galbitang as I learned from the cooking Teacher.”

“Oh. It looks delicious.”

“It will definitely be.”

“Where is it!”

Tina picked up a piece of ribs from the bowl and stuffed it into her mouth. Isn’t it too hot?

“Ah! Tina! You haven’t let your brother eat yet!”

“Oh! It’s delicious! Iris has really improved~”

“Getting praise from Tina doesn’t make me happy at all…”

Iris murmured while checking my reaction. Not caring about her blatant appeal, Tina kept shoving ribs into her mouth.

“Stop eating, you pig!”

“Who’s the pig? If we’re talking, Iris is the fatter one. Just look at how her breasts are sticking out!”

“Breasts don’t matter!”

“Tina! You’ve been too much lately!”

“What?!”

“Don’t fight—”

“Come with me. Let’s settle the hierarchy this time.”

“Sure. I’ve been wanting to do that!”

“Don’t!”

Iris took off her apron and accepted Tina’s challenge. Ugh, my head is throbbing. Are you two turning twenty tomorrow?

“What about Maria?”

“Ah, she’s probably still sleeping. Ever since we returned from our journey, Maria has been obsessed with drawing.”

Iris said, holding back the eager Tina.

“Really? It’s taking a while. I thought she’d give up midway.”

“She seems to enjoy bringing her imagination to life.”

“Fair enough.”

In this peaceful era after the Demon King’s defeat, Maria was transcending magic into art instead of using it for killing.

She became interested in painting, saying the fireworks she showed before heading off to defeat the Demon King were incredibly impressive, and she wanted to see beautiful things not found in this world.

“Was I talking about that?”

Maria rubbed her eyes and stumbled out of her room.

“Oh, Maria.”

“It seems it’s already time for dinner.”

After yawning, Maria glanced at me and naturally snuggled into my arms. I patted the back of Maria, who had grown as tall as me.

“Mr. Praus~ Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Maria whispered seductively in my ear. I pushed my lips away and said.

“No.”

“Why not? I’ll be twenty tomorrow! It’s the day of the promise.”

“You’re already grown up, but if we sleep together, it’ll be problematic.”

“Hmph. Even if you say no, I’ll pounce on you. So there!”

Sleeping together isn’t what I thought…?

Well, I guess at this age, they know everything. I understand, but let’s not go there, okay?

“…Let’s eat first. I’m hungry.”

I concluded the situation by changing the subject.

I was having dinner again with the Heroes, who remained the same as always.

As I watched the lively atmosphere fill the house, a smile naturally spread across my face.

I hoped this atmosphere would last a little longer as I picked up a rib and took a bite.

—

“It’s one minute until midnight.”

We sat across from each other at the dining table, sipping on tea. It felt like a familiar setup.

“Recently, you don’t say that staying up late will make you short anymore?”

“Now that we’ve all grown up.”

“Hehe.”

As Tina beamed, silence fell upon us.

Were we tense? The atmosphere was completely different from dinner.

After all, this time, their responses would determine my choice, so perhaps it was only natural?

A silence filled with anticipation enveloped the house.

“Midnight.”

Someone said it absentmindedly.

Midnight.

The imperial era of a thousand years had arrived.

“Twenty-nine today, huh. Ugh~ I feel so old.”

I stretched and briefly lamented my age.

“…Then, as promised, shall we begin?”

“Yeah!”

“I’m ready.”

“Let’s do it.”

I took a deep breath and used my skill.

“True Word.”

As I invoked the True Word skill, the focus in the Heroes’ eyes disappeared. Thanks to my triple layering, I could cast the True Word on all three of them at once.

Looking into their gray-tinged eyes, I felt a pang of guilt. Delving into someone’s innermost thoughts isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. It felt like knowing something that shouldn’t be known.

But since I promised, I had no choice.

This situation mirrored that of five years ago.

The questions I had to ask were exactly the same.

I repeated the question I had posed to the Heroes five years ago.

“Are you okay if I disappear? Tina, would you like to start?”

“No! It’s not okay! There’s no way it could be okay! My only beloved brother disappearing… If, if that really happened, I’d search this world thoroughly to find you. If you went to another dimension, I’d somehow request the World Tree’s power to get to you. A world without you holds no meaning. So please, don’t ask such a frightening question and stay by my side forever.”

Not missing a single word was impressive.

Though her speech had shortened, her response was exactly the same as five years ago. Should I call it pure or unwavering?

I gazed at the silver-haired Beastman sitting next to Tina.

“…How about you, Iris?”

“If my brother disappears, I… I would surely cry. After crying until I’m exhausted, I’d come looking for you myself. How could I let my brother, whom I like so much, disappear? I wouldn’t allow you to just go, with my love all messed up like this. I’d make you take responsibility. I’d grab you however I could, and ask while crying: Why did you disappear? What happened? Did I do something wrong? If we talk it out, everything will surely be okay.”

It felt like a new phrase of “to ask” was born, but the context remained the same. She was saying she’d find me no matter what. That she wanted me by her side.

Could I really leave in this situation…?

The Heroes were beings who deserved to be happy. It was so clear that if I left, it would end in a sad conclusion, so I couldn’t possibly choose to go to that other world.

“Maria, what about you?”

“Is it okay for you to leave after giving me this fluttering feeling? Isn’t that a bit too much? You’ve been ignoring my feelings this whole time, at least you can’t disappear. I’m willing to stake my life for Mr. Praus. I could endure against the entire world as my enemy. But I can’t imagine a world without you. You can’t be replaced by anyone.”

While her tone had changed and her vocabulary expanded, the essence of Maria’s sentiment was the same.

In the end, all three were saying they loved me and that they needed me.

Contrary to my expectations, their feelings hadn’t changed in the five years since then.

Feelings are fleeting, and five years is ample time for the illusion to wear off. Yet, they all presented the same answers as five years ago when they were still less mature.

I now fully understood what that meant.

That the happy ending to the Heroes’ story was none other than me.

“How was it?”

The three asked anxiously after the True Word became undone.

They looked at me with nervous anticipation. Without saying anything, I went behind them and gently stroked their heads one by one.

“…Go wash up and come to my room.”

“Does that mean—”

“Yeah. You all won.”

I lost to your unwavering feelings.

“Yay!”

I saw the Heroes high-fiving and headed towards my room first.

Having made a decision, it was finally time to choose.

“World Tree.”

I called out the World Tree as I perched on the edge of my bed.

“Did you call?”

The Yggdrasil immediately reacted and smiled at me.

“Looks like you’ve finally made a decision.”

“Yeah. For the Heroes’ story to end happily, I have to be here.”

I will remain in this world.

I will stay and continue to watch over the Heroes’ happiness until the end.

I pulled out the hologram I had shoved in a corner.

[Do you want to delete the skill “Expression Management”? (If deleted, the hologram will disappear.)]

[YES] [NO]

“If I delete it, I won’t be able to go to that other world. You understand that, right?”

“Yeah.”

I moved my finger to the YES button on the hologram. As my finger was recognized, the YES button lit up.

[Skill “Expression Management” will be deleted.]

[The hologram is being deleted.]

As the hologram disappeared before my eyes, the abilities of the artifacts I had were no longer visible.

“Ha ha, my prediction was correct, wasn’t it? I told you that you would eventually become the real Praus!”

“Indeed. I have become the real Praus.”

In truth, even if I became the real Praus, nothing changed.

Only the option to go to that other world and the Expression Management skill had disappeared—no other changes.

“Well, that leaves one wish. How will you use it?”

“Well, I’ll think about it later.”

“Is that so? Just let me know whenever. The hero who saved the Heroes.”

“I’m not a Hero. If I were, I wouldn’t be this pitiful.”

“True. If I weren’t your contractee, I would have died long ago!”

The Yggdrasil chimed in cheerfully.

After chatting with the World Tree about trivial matters, a cautious knock came from the door.

Knock, knock.

“Brother, can I come in?”

Hearing Iris’s trembling voice, the World Tree smiled and said.

“Then, enjoy your time with the Heroes.”

“Yeah.”

The World Tree vanished.

“You can come in.”

The Heroes stepped in, their hair still damp. They were all wearing white gowns. The subtle flesh visible through the gowns indicated that they weren’t wearing anything underneath.

The Heroes slowly approached me.

Feeling the maturity of the now-adult women, my heart began to race.

Just as I was calming my pounding heart, Iris suddenly dashed over and kissed my lips.

The sensation of soft and plump flesh entering through my slightly parted lips made me feel dizzy. When she pulled back and looked directly into my eyes,

“I love you.”

She whispered her declaration of love.

Her dilated pupils and flushed cheeks seemed to announce Iris’s excitement. In that moment, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “I do too.”

“Ah! Iris! Why did you go first—!”

“Move aside, it’s my turn!”

Tina and Maria lunged in, ruining the mood, but I embraced them, thinking this was just part of the Heroes’ charm.

“Let’s take it slow. We have plenty of time.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Yes, dear brother.”

“Yes, Mr. Praus.”

Thinking about handling all three of them at once, it seemed this night would be incredibly long.