My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 269

“…I’ll go visit Duke Tori for a moment.”

I said while looking at the contents written on the delivery scroll. The heroes examined my face closely before nodding.

“Shall we go together?”

Maria, who had stopped training, asked.

“I’ll go alone. This matter…”

I don’t want to inform you of it just yet.

“Still, don’t you need to teleport there?”

“It’s fine. They said a magician would send me over.”

“Hmm? Teacher, you seem a bit restless. What’s wrong? What did it say—”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s something I need to resolve.”

I replied to Tina casually, but I couldn’t hide my anxious heart.

If it weren’t for my expression management, what expression would I be making right now?

I would probably be frowning and showing my emotions to the heroes without a filter. Pathetically.

Though expression management made everything inconvenient, it was serving me well at this moment.

Soon enough, a magician appeared at our house in Secul.

“Lord Praus?”

“Yes.”

“Duke Tori has summoned you. Let’s go at once.”

I nodded seriously. Just before placing my hand on the magician’s shoulder, I glanced back at the heroes.

I could feel their confusion in their eyes, but it seemed they hadn’t picked up on the atmosphere yet.

“I’ll be back, so stay put.”

“Have a good trip, Teacher!”

“Take care!”

With the heroes seeing me off, I arrived at the duke’s mansion.

Following the magician’s guidance, I headed to Tori’s office. Tori was busy rolling his pen, handling documents as usual.

“Duke, I’ve brought Lord Praus.”

“Good. Well done.”

The magician deeply bowed and then left the office, closing the door behind him.

“Sit there for a moment.”

His tone was surprisingly calm. I sat on the sofa and opened my mouth.

“Where’s Urka?”

“There’s no need to panic.”

What’s he talking about? Shouldn’t I be panicking?

I’ve kept the fact that she’s pregnant under wraps for four months.

“You were the one who decided to go inside with that kind of resolve, after all.”

I inwardly scoffed at Tori’s blunt comment. He didn’t stop talking as he continued to move his pen.

“It’s not like I have any regrets now… Still, it feels a bit disconcerting, I suppose.”

It was understandable, considering I heard that the person I once liked was not only having sex with another man but was even pregnant.

“Is Urka okay?”

“If you’re asking whether she’s eating well and doing fine, then yes, she’s doing perfectly fine. Pregnancy doesn’t change her personality.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? I thought you were off hunting monsters at the border.”

Actually, four months ago, Urka told me she’d be busy dealing with monsters at the border and that it would be hard to meet.

I had wondered why she hadn’t returned, but since Tori had informed me of the situation at the border, I let it slide.

“Urka wanted it that way. She thought you’d be burdened if she told you.”

I don’t know what she was thinking.

Since she asked me to go inside her, does she plan to raise the child on her own?

“So you knew about it?”

“I noticed as her belly started to protrude unusually about a month ago. She seemed to want to hide it.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Urka told me not to say anything, but I went and said it anyway. Raising a child alone as a beastman woman in this world is no easy task. I thought at least having you by her side would give her some stability, and that’s why I spoke up.”

It might have been meddling from Tori’s side.

He said that as he let out a heartfelt sigh, looking a bit troubled.

“She may act tough, but deep down, she probably wished for your presence. For sure.”

“Is that so? Then I should head over right now.”

I stood up from the sofa as I spoke.

“You’re still calm at this moment. How can you take everything so calmly?”

“Well, you see….”

It was all thanks to expression management.

If someone pressed their ear to my chest right now, they would immediately notice my heart rate had nearly doubled.

“There’s no point in worrying about it now. It’ll only make Urka anxious for no reason.”

“Is that so? Maybe you being inside her was the best way to make Urka the happiest.”

Tori looked at me with astonishment, reminiscent of the expression of the current duchess upon giving birth to her first child.

“So, where’s Urka? Can you finally tell me?”

“On the first floor. She’s in the guest room near the kitchen.”

“Got it. I’ll go.”

“Be careful not to surprise her. Otherwise, you might get your hair pulled.”

“Did that happen to you?”

He chuckled lightly at my question. Seriously.

Just as I was about to leave the office with a smirk, Duke Tori added a parting comment.

“Please take good care of Urka.”

“…Okay.”

I followed Tori’s directions and made my way.

There were still tons of things to resolve, and now the worst situation had unfolded.

I had no intention of scolding Urka or regretting what happened that day. I was just a bit angry at her for hiding the truth from me till now, fearing it would be a nuisance.

I went down the stairs and headed for the guest room closest to the kitchen. The unusually spacious mansion felt even larger today; surely that wasn’t just my imagination.

“This must be it.”

I stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. I gently knocked on the door.

“Yes…!”

A voice came from inside. I opened the door at the familiar voice of Urka, who seemed to be inviting me in.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a room furnished like any other guest room, and there was Urka, the pink-haired cat beastwoman, wandering around in a long dress.

My gaze soon landed on one particular spot—her noticeably protruding belly, clearly visible even beneath the oversized dress.

“L-Lord Praus?!”

She gasped, startled at the sight of me, twisting her body to cover her belly as if hiding treasure.

“Uh, um… that is to say…!”

Facing the reality I had speculated about, my mind went slightly hazy, and a line of text popped into my head.

[The skill “Expression Management” has been temporarily deactivated.]

Ah… why now…

No, perhaps it’s for the best. If expression management is deactivated, I can face her honestly with my feelings.

“Phew. There’s no need to be flustered.”

I spoke as casually as I could.

I can take responsibility. I have enough money to raise a child.

However, the issue was that there were still many things I needed to do, and having a child could be a weakness for me. Especially if this fact reaches the royal family or the demon tribe; it would serve as a perfect material for blackmail.

Moreover, how the heroes would take this news would be a problem too. Not only the heroes but eventually, I’d have to explain it to Seri as well.

There were countless things weighing on my mind, but for now, I decided to focus on speaking with Urka.

“Urka.”

“Ah… Lord Praus…”

“Let’s sit down for now.”

I said with a smile on my face. Urka’s eyes widened in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected me to smile in this situation.

I sat on the bed and patted the seat next to me. Urka obeyed and took a seat beside me.

Now that I was closer, I could see her bulging belly even more clearly.

Urka cautiously hugged her belly with both arms, glancing around nervously.

Not knowing where to start the conversation, there was a long silence enveloping the room.

“…Why are you so restless?”

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and gently patted her to help calm her down. This was all to ease the anxious Urka.

“…I’m sorry for not saying anything.”

It seemed she was aware she had done something wrong.

Well, that’s fine. After all, it was something that both Urka and I wanted.

We had been together multiple times even after our first experience, so it wouldn’t be strange if she got pregnant.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I felt like… if I told you, it would be shifting the responsibility to you. I asked you to go inside me….”

“No, even so, we did it together.”

“I didn’t want to become a burden to you. You’re supposed to carry out the Slave Liberation for other races, right? So this child would just be a hindrance, wouldn’t it?”

Her sentiment was admirable. I understood her desire not to be a nuisance to me.

But still, that wasn’t right.

“When did I ever say it would be a hindrance? Why are you just thinking and deciding things on your own? Do you really think I wouldn’t be able to take responsibility for one child?”

“That’s not it… But it must be burdensome for you.”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with you in the first place.”

“Then do you… love me?”

Love.

Do I love Urka…?

I asked myself, but I couldn’t easily find an answer. Yet now, I had to say something, even if it sounded artificial.

“I love—”

“No lying. Lord Praus.”

“…”

I glared at Urka, who cut me off, as I chewed my lower lip in frustration.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not sure, but I think I have to take responsibility. This is our child, after all.”

I carefully reached out my hand towards Urka’s protruding belly. As I gently stroked it, Urka’s eyes moistened.

She had been sending signals of rejection, but she probably wished to hear those words deep down. She must have been feeling anxious all this time.

“Urka, let’s go to our home.”

“Our home… you mean the one in Secul…?”

“Yeah. Starting today, let’s live together.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry. Just because we have a child doesn’t mean I’ll postpone or get confused about what I need to do.”

I spoke with determination.

I will protect this child and save the world as well.

“Are you sure? The heroes might be shocked…”

“It’s fine. I’ll convince them somehow.”

Even though I confidently said that, it wouldn’t be easy for the heroes to accept this news. Yet, I couldn’t just wish away the child that had already been conceived.

“So let’s go together.”

I tightened my grip on her hand to ease her anxiety.

Urka looked at the hand I was holding and let a single tear fall. Finally, she smiled as if shaking off her vague fears.

“Okay. Lord Praus.”