My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 36

“Grrr…”

It feels like I’ve woken up from a long sleep. As I stretch and try to get out of bed, I notice something puffing up right beside me.

…What is this?

I lifted the blanket.

There lies Urka, sporting cute pink cat ears, her crimson eyes staring at me intensely.

“Did you sleep well? Good morning, Praus.”

She gives me a wink, her slender tail swishing back and forth, full of curiosity. Why is she here?

“…I have quite a few questions. Can I ask?”

“Anytime! Praus can do whatever he wants with me now!”

I stare at Urka, who has her arms spread wide open, completely off the wall. It’s hard to believe she’s like this, not a minor and all. Just for reference, Urka was supposed to be thirty-five in the game, but since it’s six years ago now, she should be twenty-nine.

“Shut up and answer my question.”

“Okay! What is it?”

She inclines her ear towards me, with a soft voice. I doubt any other girl would smile after being told to shut up, but that’s Urka for you.

Is there a backstory where she’s a ‘sadist’ or something? That would be unsettling.

“Why are you here? This early in the morning.”

“Hmm. Just because?”

“…What’s your business?”

“To see you, Praus.”

With her blunt confession, I sighed.

“That’s not a business.”

“Is that so? Then… I came because I wanted to ask you something.”

Now she seemed to have a more plausible reason. She sat up, her expression turning somewhat serious.

“What do you think about other races, Praus?”

“I don’t think much about it. Is there a reason to?”

“Really…?”

Urka seemed disappointed by my response, pouting slightly.

“So, what do you think about Iris and Maria?”

She looked like she wanted something specific from me, subtly trying to lead my answer.

“They’re cute kids. Since they’ve been freed from slavery, I just hope they can live without worries. That’s about it.”

“You freed them from slavery?”

“Yeah. I bought them and then removed their slave brands, so they should be free now.”

“Y-you’re saying they weren’t even human? Why…?”

“You don’t get it, do you? Why does it matter whether they’re human or not? Everyone has the right to enjoy freedom, no?”

“Are you saying that Praus doesn’t care whether someone is human or a beastman?”

“That’s just common sense.”

Honestly, there are too many ignorant people in this world.

Beastmen and elves are fascinating races. They’re mystical beings that can only be encountered in this world.

Of course, people who have lived in this world wouldn’t empathize. After all, the existence of such races is just ‘normal’ for them.

“So, let me ask…”

Urka fidgeted with her hair, looking hesitant.

“Can you… ‘marry’ me?”

…What?

I opened my mouth slightly without realizing. If I didn’t have my expression management skills, I would’ve blurted out, “What nonsense are you saying?”

But honestly, Urka and I have no significant connection and we’ve only met a few days ago.

It’s natural to think that asking someone like that out of nowhere is impossible.

“I… it doesn’t have much meaning. I’m just asking.”

I know why she’s asking this. She’s been discarded before, after all.

She’s clearly using this question as a means to determine whether she can trust me.

‘It’s not like I can’t.’

“I could.”

After all, if humans and spirit kings can date, what’s stopping me?

“Really?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It doesn’t matter if the other person is a beastman or an elf, as long as they’re not already in love or married, then I don’t care.”

“I’m neither in love with Tori nor am I married.”

She leaned in closer. I pushed her face back to keep some distance.

“I’m not interested in such things. So what do you really want to say? You can’t seriously expect me to marry you.”

“I wanted to see if I could trust you.”

Well, I figured that would be the case…

But she’s still so naive.

If she didn’t have Duke Tori or didn’t grow to be S-Class, she’d probably be selling her body in a brothel.

Or, worse, she might’ve become a slave, living day by day without a shred of hope.

“That confirmation is meaningless. Humans can lie for their own gain. That includes me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll treat others based on what I see and feel.”

That line sounds familiar. Urka said something like that after getting advice from Iris, claiming it was just meddling.

“Sorry, but humans can even calculate feelings. You shouldn’t trust too easily.”

“But I don’t think someone who talks that way would deceive me. They have no reason to say anything disadvantageous.”

“Even that psychology can be manipulated. Don’t trust humans too much. That’s all I can say, Urka.”

“…Hearing you talk makes it seem like you know everything about me.”

That’s not entirely wrong.

I remember checking the game’s settings thoroughly to see if she could help me clear it.

Urka, though appearing later in the game, was quite a popular character among others.

Even if it’s not official, there was a rumor that she’s a virgin.

If there were to be flaws, it would be that she died while trying to protect Tori during the Demon War.

“The S-Class Adventurers are among the seven strongest in the Empire. You wouldn’t know otherwise.”

“Let’s just say it’s not officially stated… it feels like you know my hidden past that I’d rather keep to myself.”

“…Is that so.”

I neither confirmed nor denied it.

“Praus.”

“What is it?”

“If I say I want to trust you, what will you say?”

“I’d call you a fool.”

“What?!”

I answered like that as I got out of bed.

“Why? Trusting you means something. Why am I a fool?”

“Trust isn’t something formed by words.”

Anyone can say that, right?

In this world or the one I lived in, being pure was a sin.

That innocence can cause trouble for those around them.

“So, you’re saying you’re a liar too?”

“If the situation requires lying, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“Then I… want to trust Praus.”

“You’re a fool. Do what you want.”

If she still doesn’t understand after I explain it, then it’s her fault. There’s no need to get angry or repeat myself.

She just has to take responsibility for her own actions.

I grabbed a change of clothes and a towel, ready to leave the room.

Suddenly!

Urka, who came up closer, grabbed my T-shirt sleeve.

“…Praus, can I ask you one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Yesterday you told me to witness the day when slavery disappears and other races live equally with humans.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you really think slavery will be abolished?”

“It will.”

“When? Tori said he would abolish slavery, but he couldn’t. I had to endure empty hopes for more than twenty years… Do you really think it will happen?”

I sighed, muttering under my breath.

“‘Ten years.’”

“Huh?”

“When the Empire reaches exactly one thousand years, a change will occur. Just wait for that time.”

The second Demon War will begin when the Empire hits that thousand years.

Defeating the four army commanders and engaging in a full-scale battle with the Demon King will be the climax.

During the Demon War, the Empire will borrow the strength of other races, greatly enhancing its status, escaping some of the persecution it faced.

That’s when Duke Tori will negotiate with other races to abolish the Empire’s slavery system and return their territories, playing a significant role.

So, during the Demon War, Duke Tori is someone who must not die. Not that it means Urka can die either.

“Ten years…”

“Yeah. Ten years.”

“…Is that a lie to reassure me? Or are you genuinely saying that?”

“You could just watch to see whether my words are true or false.”

After all, Urka is a beastman with a longer lifespan than humans, so she shouldn’t be too anxious and can afford to look to the future.

With that last remark, I opened the door.

“Whoa!”

Bam!

The kids tumbled in one after another. After them were Ariel and Dex, who were scratching their cheeks awkwardly.

“Looks like you fools are here too.”

“Y-you really knew, Lord Praus… You were eavesdropping, huh?”

Blatantly admitting they were eavesdropping? Where’s the guts in that?

I looked at them with disbelief and made my way straight to the bathroom.

“Thanks, Praus.”

Just before I closed the bathroom door, Urka spoke up.

“Yeah.”

I shut the bathroom door.

—

Demon World.

Sharing the same Physis continent, the region had a unique dark purple aura.

Though it had the same sky, sea, and land, it felt foreign as if it were another world.

In such a place stood a building, akin to the Imperial Palace of Pretéum, serving as a landmark for the heart of the Demon World, the Demon King’s Castle, where the current Demon King resided.

“Commander Habito.”

In the highest room of the Demon King’s Castle, a black-haired man sitting in a massive chair summoned the name of the man kneeling before him, bowing his head.

“Yes, My Demon King.”

The man immediately replied.

He was so pale that his skin almost seemed ghostly white.

Wearing luxurious silk garments that only the nobility of Pretéum would wear, he was what the world referred to as a ‘vampire.’

“When do you plan to retrieve the talent you mentioned for the Deputy Commander?”

“I think I can afford a few more months. Humans tend to become desperate the more they taste despair.”

“…Is that so. But you won’t have much time left.”

“Is something the matter?”

“A hero has been born.”

As soon as the Demon King, Blas Weill, mentioned the hero, Habito panicked.

“W-What?! The hero who defeated the previous generation Demon King…?”

“Not quite. However, there’s no doubt they will be a hindrance to our plans to conquer the Physis continent.”

“It seems like we won’t have the luxury of letting things simmer. I’ll retrieve them immediately.”

Habito felt a chill creeping down his back and bowed his head even deeper.

“Do as you see fit.”

A hero.

What kind of being are they really?

They were once the terror of the previous generation Demon King, the ones who defeated him.

Something that neither the Demon World nor the Spirit Realm could achieve was done by mere humans.

Since then, the demon tribes have trembled at the mention of heroes.

When the news spread that heroes had descended upon the Demon World, it was said that one must close their eyes in preparation for doom.

Habito exited the Demon King’s audience chamber and called forth his subordinates.

“Did you summon me, Habito?”

“We’re heading straight to the Pretéum Empire. The time for the Succubus Queen has come, even if it’s not yet ripe.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare immediately.”

His subordinates took their leave. Habito gazed out the window of the Demon King’s castle, looking at the purple sky as he whispered.

“It seems I’ll be visiting the human world after a long time. I might as well see what kind of heroes they are.”