My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 38

“Delma, you worked hard.”

“Hmph, talk to me when you need something. Of course, I’ll charge you.”

That’s textbook Tsundere for you.

But honestly, hearing that from the old man doesn’t exactly fill me with joy.

As I watched the departing carriage, I looked up at my house.

After being away for almost a month, I genuinely missed it, but now that I was back, it felt like living in the Duke’s Residence was actually more convenient.

I miss the Duke’s bed!

“Is this the house of Praus?”

“That’s right.”

I confidently replied to Tina’s question. The Three Heroes exchanged glances, their expressions a little underwhelmed.

“More than I expected…”

“It’s kind of… worn out.”

“Yeah.”

They laid bare their honest impressions.

[Oh, what a splendid house. Not bad at all.]

Pasma seemed to take a liking to it. But then again, what would it mean to someone who has only their spirit left?

“Anyway, Praus.”

“What is it?”

“Why is the house so far from the village?”

I have no idea myself. Even when I sifted through Praus’s memories, it’s a house built before I was born, so I couldn’t say.

“I don’t know. It’s my parents’ house.”

I said as I unlocked the door.

That said, it had been a month since I left it empty; I hope no thieves got in. It’s not like there was anything worth stealing here.

Creak.

The old door opened with a strange sound.

I’ve certainly felt like I’ve gone through a year’s worth of events in just a month.

Now, I just wanted to raise the kids, help them become independent, and sell a few artifacts to prepare for retirement.

Let’s enjoy this laid-back life!

Now that I’m at it, village living seems inconvenient anyway. I might as well go to Pretéum and buy a house there.

Just then, the kids and Ariel walked into the house.

“Wow, dust! It seems worse than when I lived with Dink!”

Keep those comments to yourself.

“I think Lord Praus is quite frugal.”

No. How much can an ordinary commoner even have?

Isn’t this a pretty good house? Was it just me who thought so?

“It’s a bit shabby, but it’s not bad…”

Maria said cautiously as she looked around.

“Praus, do you want me to clean up?”

“If your plan is to gather all the items in one place and compress them to get rid of them, then don’t.”

“Don’t you know me too well? Pasma will get jealous.”

[No way…! My friend! Were you aiming for Ariel?!]

Damn annoying couple, please don’t drag me into your mess.

I shook my head vigorously.

“Still, I feel like there are a bit too few rooms to comfortably house women and children.”

Ariel, who had wandered freely into the house, fluttered her winged outfit like a fairy as she peeked into one room after another.

“You’re talking like you’re not one of us. Ariel, you can move between the Human World and the Spirit Realm easily. Don’t even think about settling here.”

“Am I not included in that?”

“No. Your obligation ends with receiving Aura.”

“Is Praus the kind of guy who uses women and tosses them aside?”

‘No, I’m not.’

“If you say something like that one more time, I swear I’ll kill you.”

I really don’t understand how a “no” turns into a “I’ll kill you.”

“No, we haven’t even contracted yet! I could be of help!”

When I replied firmly, she raised her voice, seemingly upset for no reason.

“You’re not planning to contract with me, are you?”

“Um…”

What’s the matter? Why do you look so scared?

Because there are four main attributes, there are also four Spirit Kings.

Spirits can only contract with one creature at a time, but the creature can have overlapping contracts.

So, it’s definitely better to choose one of the Three Heroes than someone weak like me.

It’s not even a dilemma.

“What’s there to be concerned about? Isn’t there no need to think about it?”

“Well… I know Praus is strong.”

Me? Why am I strong?

Just the other day, you were mocking me for being weak.

I was puzzled by her unexpected remark and recalled the illusion storm I shared with her to defeat Urka.

It surely packed enough power to take out a mountain, so it was impactful, but it was ultimately the power of an artifact I borrowed.

As it was from the later stages of my adventure, it had more power.

It wasn’t my strength at all. I was still weak.

“Stop overthinking it, just choose one of those kids. Only they can defeat the Demon King.”

I said as I watched the kids exploring every corner of the house without restraint. Ariel made a strange snort and said something absurd.

“To my eyes, you look more like a hero.”

If I were a hero, I would be dominating this world. Don’t you see how weak I am?

“…Cut out the nonsense. If those kids find out they’re heroes, they’ll feel overwhelmed.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But you seem to care a lot about those kids, even if you look cold-hearted.”

“I just think they should be happy.”

They’re going to face a lot of hardships ahead.

Isn’t it fine if it ends with a happy ending?

“With that blunt tone of yours, it feels like there isn’t any sincerity in your words.”

“Shut up.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to learn to speak a little more kindly.”

I was only limited by my actions. My expression and words were something I couldn’t control.

Still, these days, they sometimes come out more naturally.

Maybe it’s because my Expression Management Skill has temporarily loosened, giving me a bit of flexibility.

Not that my tone has changed at all.

She chuckled lightly and patted my shoulder.

“Well, I’m living in this house now, so keep that in mind.”

“This is your house? Did you sell your sense of propriety for it?”

“And what about your tone, Praus? Despite how it looks, I’m a Spirit King who has lived for hundreds of years! Do you have any idea how it feels to be talked down to by someone who’s only lived for 19 years?”

“I’ve got nothing to say.”

“What does age matter?”

“What?!”

This time, my filtering was on point.

Ariel hopped around, frowning at my words.

But do spirits care about age? Game settings can be so perplexing.

“Now that you’ve called me old, I’m not leaving this house anymore.”

“…Do as you please.”

She probably thinks she’s a toddler like Tina now.

If she weren’t a Spirit King, I would’ve kicked her out by now.

“Praus!”

“What is it?”

“Look at this! There’s so much dust!”

She brushes the dust off a shelf and shows me, as if to make a point. What a troublesome child.

“Lord Praus, you should probably start cleaning.”

“Uh, I’ll help too.”

Iris and Maria murmured this while hiding the clueless Tina behind them.

“Then do it.”

“Got it!”

And thus, the cleaning frenzy began.

*

“It seems like we’ve made a livable house.”

Ariel said, arms crossed and looking satisfied.

“Why are you the one judging that?”

“I helped out too, you know?”

“If your wind magic caused the entire house to be covered in dust, then I wish you’d just go back to the Spirit Realm.”

“Stop with that already.”

You do realize I’m joking, right?

[My friend, don’t you feel like we’re being a bit harsh on Ariel?]

Oh boy… Someone who’s not even a girlfriend is being blindly supportive of her.

“Don’t you think about the stuff you do? Pasma, no matter how much of a lover you are, don’t defend her blindly.”

And whenever Ariel occasionally taunts or pokes fun, it’s extremely annoying. Her mental age is worse than that of a ten-year-old.

I thought it best not to engage too much with her, so I looked over at the three kids standing next to Ariel.

They were looking around the house with proud and satisfied expressions.

Every so often, they glanced my way, like they were hoping for some praise.

I brushed the dust off the kids’ heads as I ruffled their hair.

“You’ve done well.”

The kids smiled brightly as they accepted my touch. Particularly, Maria leaned into me as if asking for more.

“It’ll be uncomfortable, so I’ll heat some water for you. Just wait a bit.”

As I was about to take the matches and head for the bathroom, Maria stopped me.

“Ah, Lord Praus… I can do it. I can use fire and water magic too.”

Alright, from today, you’re in charge of the bathwater!

No need to chop wood anymore! Yes!

“Lord Praus, what can I do?”

“Praus! What should I do?”

“Both of you can relax while Maria prepares the water. I’ll handle the cooking myself.”

I walked into the kitchen to wash my hands and check the ingredients. Fortunately, it seemed dust hadn’t invaded this area.

Grains and vegetables, plus seasonings and spices, were all neatly arranged in the house.

It was perfect for the cooking I picked up during my modern life.

True, the price of seasonings is overwhelmingly high compared to grains, but that’s not my concern.

No matter what, it has to taste good enough for the kids to enjoy.

Today’s dinner menu is burgers.

Being in the medieval era means I can’t make them as delicious as those sold in shops, but compared to commoners who usually fill their stomachs with potatoes or bread, this would be a minor luxury.

Anyway, since I had some bread I bought, I just needed to warm it a bit and slice lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese thinly.

Recalling the recipes for ketchup and mayonnaise I’d seen before, I started making the sauces one by one.

After chopping the meat adequately, I added seasonings and spices to enhance its flavor.

Then I lit a fire with the matches and grilled the meat until it turned golden brown.

[You possess a remarkable variety of knowledge, it seems.]

“Praus can cook too?”

“I can cook a little. I often had to prepare my own meals.”

“But I’ve never seen dishes like this before.”

“Is that so?”

I replied casually as I placed a pot over the fire. This was to boil the soup.

As I stirred the vegetables with seasonings, I checked the patties repeatedly to see if they were cooking well.

While I was at it, the kids finished their baths and poked their heads out, smelling the patties.

“Wow, that smells delicious!”

“Lord Praus, you can cook too?”

“Th-that’s amazing.”

The three kids walked into the kitchen excitedly, watching my cooking.

“Stop talking nonsense and dry your hair. Have Ariel use her wind magic on you.”

“What? You’d use my magic for something like that?”

She looked incredulous. How inflexible can she be?

Living in a medieval setting is already inconvenient; we should make use of magic for easier living.

“Isn’t it unnecessary anyway?”

“I have no room to argue… but then I want some of what you make too.”

“There’s no way you’re getting leftovers.”

In the games, Spirit Kings weren’t meant to be this bothersome.

As I nodded, Ariel smiled with satisfaction and snapped her fingers.

The kids’ hair fluttered in the breeze and dried quickly.

“Put the dishes on the table. It’ll be ready shortly.”

“Roger that!”

The kids answered excitedly and rushed off to gather the dishes. They must really be looking forward to my cooking.

Well, it was probably a type of food they had never tasted before, so their curiosity was understandable.

I spread mayonnaise on the bottom bun and placed the golden-patted meat on top. Then, I added ketchup, layering on lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Finally, I closed the burger with the top bun to complete it.

“Looks good.”

I peered at the burger I had made with satisfaction. It didn’t look bad at all.

The soup I had been boiling was also finished. I tasted it, and the seasoning was just right.

I brought the pot containing the burgers and soup over to the table.

“Eat up.”

“Praus! What kind of dish is this?!”

“It’s called a burger.”

“Burger!”

“The way to eat it is simple. Just grab it like this and take a bite.”

The common way to eat a burger.

Once you squish it slightly to make the ingredients stick, you open your mouth wide and take a big bite.

Even though I made it, the taste wasn’t bad.

“If it’s a bit too big, you can cut it with a knife to make it easier to eat. Eat it however you like.”

The kids watched my eating method with intrigue, but the smaller ones struggled to stuff it in their mouths.

Eventually, I had to cut it up for them.

“Delicious!”

Ariel clasped her hands against her puffed cheeks and exclaimed. After hearing her, the kids seemed to spring into action and begun devouring their food.

“It’s delicious!”

“It’s just as tasty as the food we had at the Duke’s Residence!”

“It’s really good…”

Listening to the children’s excited praises, I suddenly heard a sound of someone licking their lips.

[My friend, shouldn’t I also get to taste it? Let me have a possession!]

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Pasma’s request.

Reluctantly, I let him take possession, and as I took a bite of the burger, I lost myself in it without realizing the kids were there.

“I’ve never had anything so delicious before!”

“Anyway, I’ll be cooking a lot from now on. You all just have to enjoy it.”

I quickly opened my mouth to cover my tracks.

“Me too?”

Ariel pointed at herself.

“You, Ariel, are in charge of the dishes.”

“Eh… That’s too much! Who makes a Spirit King do the dishes?”

“Don’t even think about eating too much if you’re gonna be lazy.”

“Fine! I got it!”

Even the Spirit King was captivated by the taste of the burger.

Thinking I might often have to use cooking to my advantage in the future, I took another bite of the burger.