My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 273

It’s been almost a month since I wished upon the World Tree.

Me and the Heroes were continuing our lives as usual.

We went out to play, enjoyed delicious food together, and shared our beds.

After the Demon King was defeated, the world flowed peacefully.

The resource issues between countries were resolved thanks to my assistance to the Aioum Kingdom, so there were no significant conflicts between nations.

While there were only the Empire and the Kingdom on the Fishis continent, I heard that both the Beastman Tribe and the Elf Tribe were trying to establish their own nations to preserve their cultures.

If Leoness were to be resurrected, I might get to see the restored Beastmen’s Forest once again.

However, since Spirits cannot stay in the Human World for an extended time, I had to find a way.

Having contracted with the World Tree, it was impossible for me to contract with Leoness.

Ultimately, I decided that I would ask about the method when the World Tree brought news of Leoness later.

As I wrapped up my thoughts and sipped my coffee, Maria suddenly stepped out of the room, bundled up in her clothes.

“Praus.”

“Yeah?”

That title still felt strange. Just calling me Praus seemed sufficient. Or “Teacher”… No, it might not hold much meaning now.

Lost in my momentary stupor, Maria approached me, clutching a giant sketchbook under her arm.

“I heard from the Elves that the Beastmen’s Forest has improved a lot since we last visited.”

“Yeah. That’s right. The Magic Beasts have been purified well, and they’ve built a village in the areas where trees were destroyed in battle, filling the gaps in the forest.”

“Yes, that’s right. So I’d like to go there and draw for the first time in a while. Could you come with me?”

“Together?”

“Yes.”

“Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway.”

“Hehe, thank you—”

“Wah!”

Suddenly, Tina threw open the front door while running outside. The winter wind mixed with the warmth inside the house.

It was cold. No, it seemed cold.

“What audacity! How dare you chatter away without Tina-sama!”

She seemed to be getting more impertinent by the day. Even though she was already twenty, she still looked naive. As I chuckled at her confidently crossing her arms, Iris, with her nose slightly reddened, also entered.

“It really is a winter morning. It’s so cold. Ugh!”

Iris’s fluffy fox tail trembled.

“Should we pack a lunch before we go? We can eat there.”

“Sounds good! I want fried food!”

Maria exclaimed with sparkling eyes. At that, Tina slammed her hands on the table and strongly appealed to me.

“Ah! Me too, me too! I want fried chicken!”

“Fried food isn’t the best value because of the oil, but it does taste good.”

Iris nodded, seemingly agreeing, crossing her arms. After learning to cook from me, she had become quite the chef.

“Then how about we show off our cooking skills today?”

I slid my chair back and stood up.

“I’ll help you, big brother.”

“Okay.”

It wouldn’t take long if the two of us worked together, so it would be nice to quickly prepare the lunch box and teleport to the Beastmen’s Forest before lunchtime.

“Let’s start—”

“Praus.”

Just as I was about to confidently say that since we were frying oil, I was thoroughly donning my apron, something turquoise appeared in the air.

“…Yggdrasil?”

I muttered in surprise. As I brushed my hand through the turquoise hair, I instinctively felt she had news related to Leoness.

“…Did you succeed?”

“Hmph! Of course. Who am I? The god of this world! A being that deserves to be revered, an entity that all creatures look up to and can’t be dared to define! I am the World Tree! There’s nothing in this world I cannot do!”

Ignoring the increasingly shameless remarks of the World Tree, I replied casually.

“So what about Leoness?”

Upon mentioning Leoness, the chatty Heroes turned their gazes toward me and the World Tree. Particularly, Iris’s ears perked up. I guess it mattered to her because they were both Beastmen.

“She has successfully become a Spirit. But her time in the Human World will barely be limited to five minutes.”

“Five minutes?”

That was way too short. Was I really going to have to ask about the Spirit Contract?

“But Praus is my contractor. You’re a something between god and human who can utilize my power.”

“What do you mean by a something between god and human?”

“Something ambiguous, like a hybrid that’s similar to a god but not quite a god—ugh!”

I gave the World Tree a light whack on the head. She squatted down, grooming her head with her little fern-like hand. After trembling for a moment, she sprang up and protested.

“Why did you hit me?!”

“Just felt like it.”

“I’m your contractor, you know?! I’m the World Tree! I should be respected!”

“Alright, alright.”

I gently patted the place where I had hit her and took a step back. Upon reflection, she was really quite childish.

“Anyway… that means I have the authority, right? To manifest Leoness in the Human World?”

“Hmph! That’s correct.”

After receiving my pat, she boldly huffed, as if to say she would grant me special favors.

“You called the Spirit King, didn’t you? Summoning Leoness in the Human World, who isn’t even a High-Level Spirit, is an easy task.”

“Is that so?”

So I could show Leoness the restored Beastmen’s Forest. Honestly, I was beginning to feel happy about it.

“Should we summon her right away?”

“No. I’ll go.”

“Huh?”

Her head tilted sideways. The expression of confusion was amusing to watch.

“Guys, the destination has changed for today.”

I glanced around at the Heroes.

“Today, we’re going to the Spirit Realm.”

*

“I’m starting to regret contracting with you, Praus.”

As I opened the dimensional portal connected to the Spirit Realm, the World Tree whined as I stepped inside.

“Why?”

“Because you use the same abilities as me, it makes me feel like I lack dignity.”

“Still, the Spirits respect you and only you, right?”

“Spirits with self-awareness might, but Low-Level Spirits won’t.”

“Oh, there wasn’t much of a difference when I met those Low-Level Spirits.”

“That was when my Expression Management Skill wasn’t completely active.”

“Really?”

“I guess Low-Level Spirits might see it as there being two World Trees.”

“…Is that true?”

As I chatted with Yggdrasil, we made our way to the Spirit Realm’s center, listening to the gentle sound of the valley water and stepping on the earthen ground.

“It’s always nice to be here. The air feels good no matter when you come.”

“Right? It feels like just breathing makes me healthier.”

The Heroes following behind remarked as they looked around. Although Secul was a town with good air, it was truly nothing compared to the Spirit Realm.

“The Human World is rotten. Humans indiscriminately destroy nature.”

The World Tree casually commented with a smile, seemingly having lost all affection for the Human World.

“Hmm~ Hmph~ Hehehe~”

As we walked, a hum arose from deeper inside the forest, making us turn our heads. Eventually, the others were also looking toward the sound.

“Oh!”

A blue Spirit, gazing at the valley water, suddenly turned around when it sensed our presence.

“Hello!”

“Welcome! World Tree-sama!”

The small Spirit, Nymph, greeted us vigorously, wearing a blue dress, her blue skin gleaming in the light.

She waved her tiny hands excitedly before glancing between Yggdrasil and me with a puzzled expression. Her head slowly tilted.

“Huh~? Is that the World Tree? Why are there two?”

“I told you?”

“…Hmm.”

I pondered for a moment, observing Nymph. She seemed to be completely at ease, asking, “Why~?”

Does she really recognize me as the World Tree?

I slowly approached her and patted her head. She didn’t reject my touch. Instead, she rubbed against my hand, seemingly enjoying it. It felt as if I were petting a stray cat that was familiar with people.

“Nymph.”

“Yes~?”

“This one is fake.”

“What?!”

I pointed at the World Tree, who was crossing her arms, watching me closely. Nymph looked at my thumb, then fixed her eyes on her.

“A fake~? Is there even a fake World Tree-sama?”

“There is.”

“Hey! Praus! What are you talking about?!”

How flustered must she have been to resort to informal speech?

Clutching my clothes tightly, she stepped ahead of me, looking desperate.

“No, the fake is this hoodlum who’s a brat, okay?”

“A brat? What’s that?”

“Uh… It means garbage.”

“Is it okay to teach her that?!”

“Shut up, will ya?!”

Nymph growled in response to my retort, gesturing for me to go away. I shrugged and took a couple of steps back.

“Low-Level Spirits really are cute.”

“They are.”

“If we have a child, will it be that cute?”

“It would be cute… Huh? What?”

I reflexively agreed but then realized the meaning of her words and glanced to the side. The Heroes were looking at me with knowing smiles.

Chills ran down my spine, feeling that upon returning, I would be squeezed hard.

*

After a brief episode, we arrived at the colossal tree.

Around the World Tree, Low-Level Spirits and self-aware Intermediate Spirits were frolicking freely.

In the center, there sat a familiar woman with light brown hair.

She had lion ears on top of her head, looking as if they were an extension of her hair, and beneath her tattered clothing, a lion tail peeked out. Contrarily, the tip of her tail was brown, unlike her hair.

Seeing Leoness before my eyes made my heart flutter.

What is this feeling?

She seemed dazed, staring up at the sky as the Low-Level Spirits dashed and flew around her, as if she couldn’t grasp that she had been resurrected.

“Ah, Praus. Leoness has just become a Spirit, so her memories might still be confused.”

After the World Tree’s advice, I nodded and slowly approached her without making abrupt noises.

I squatted down before Leoness, facing her.

“Leoness.”

Her yellow eyes, which had been gazing at the sky, slowly turned to me. As I met her listless, empty gaze, a spark of life started to gradually emerge.

“Praus…?”

I smiled at the growing surprise in Leoness’s eyes.

“Did you do well?”