My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 40

“……Praus.”

I was in the carpentry shop, placing an order for a bed frame when Ariel, in her commoner attire, came to visit.

“What’s going on? Ariel. Shouldn’t you be supervising Maria’s afternoon training by now?”

“There’s a problem.”

Worry seeped into her voice.

“Problem…?”

I immediately sensed something was off and looked at the carpenter.

He seemed more captivated by Ariel’s beauty than focused on our conversation.

Even in commoner clothing, she was a stunning beauty that was hard to ignore.

“Praus, who is this lady?”

“I don’t know. More importantly, let’s keep the bed frame order in mind. Get a mattress ready too.”

I placed a silver coin on the counter. The carpenter frowned at my tone but seemed to serve me diligently when it came to money.

“Count on it.”

“Got it.”

I left the carpentry shop and headed towards home.

During daylight, the village was busier than expected, and there were ears everywhere.

There weren’t even any secluded back alleys, making it unsuitable for secret discussions.

As I climbed a hill near my house, I glanced at Ariel. She was fidgeting, hand on her mouth, looking agitated.

“It seems like there’s no one here. Explain what’s going on.”

“Um, yeah. It’s just that… I had a suspicion. I think someone contracted with Sylphy in the capital. I got a message from her.”

Sylphy was a mid-level wind spirit.

“So?”

I casually asked while walking up the hill.

“They say a high-ranking commander has infiltrated the capital.”

“……What?”

I turned my head sharply, staring blankly at Ariel. The seriousness displayed on her face was enough to assure me of the information’s reliability.

While I involuntarily let a curse slip in astonishment, my exterior remained calm.

Inside, though, I was burning with anxiety.

“Is it true?”

“It’s true. What gain would I have to lie about this?”

This didn’t make sense.

In terms of storytelling, we were still in the early stages.

Right before the heroes took their first step toward growth.

But the fact that a high-ranking commander had come to the capital—was this some kind of thunderbolt from a clear sky?

At this rate, if they fought the demon tribe, it would be an absolute defeat.

The heroes would remain weak and have their lives trampled by the commander, leading to the demonic takeover of the Pretéum Empire, not to mention the kingdom.

This was the worst possible ending I envisioned.

Shit. Damn it!

What the hell? Have I missed something in the last month?

I desperately racked my brain, expanding my thoughts.

I quickly calculated why a commander would come to the capital, listing the possible scenarios.

Where did the “variable” arise?

Then I hit upon the most plausible explanation.

“Because this is ‘reality.'”

“What did you say?”

“Just talking to myself.”

Right. This was reality.

I couldn’t think of anything else.

In games, it was common for the boss to wait until the protagonist’s party arrived, or for episode progression to stall. Naturally, there was no growth.

But what about reality?

When the protagonist moves, the enemies move too.

They don’t just wait around like in games.

Still, there was no reason for a high-ranking commander to come here.

Despite all the changes in developments and exposed information, commanders just wouldn’t act out.

That meant their purpose was something other than us.

Something else.

There were countless possibilities when it came to the capital, making it hard to filter through.

“Damn it. What has come?”

“Though she has pale skin, she appears human and is wearing clothes suitable for the nobility. And they say she’s a handsome guy.”

Do we really need to specify handsome? Useless.

Anyway, it only reminded me of one commander.

“Is it Habito?”

“Habito?”

“The vampire Habito. He’s one of the four commanders, ranked lowest among them yet the most annoying.”

His attacks revolved around blood, making him a nightmarish foe for humans.

Just a slight graze from his skills could drain one’s blood in less than a second.

To defeat him, heroes must possess mana that surpasses his.

But right now, the heroes couldn’t even meet that minimum requirement.

“You seem to know a lot more than expected.”

“……The demon tribe is humanity’s enemy. It would be strange not to know about a high-ranking commander.”

“No. Not knowing would be right.”

I stared at Ariel, who was adamantly denying my words.

“I didn’t even know that information, and I’ve lived for hundreds of years.”

“……Really?”

Hmm. It’s true that back when the Demon War broke out, I heard a few comments like, ‘Who’s that guy?’…

But how could I possibly remember that?! Even remembering the major events feels overwhelming.

I just assumed that as the Spirit King, I’d know everything. Maybe I’ve been holed up in the Spirit Realm too long.

“Well, uh, that’s that.”

I pulled my gaze from the air and scratched my head awkwardly.

“Pfft! I think this is the first time I’ve seen you flustered.”

She grinned, revealing her teeth.

“Now you finally look a bit more human.”

“……Shut it.”

“I won’t ask how much information you have now. So you don’t need to worry too much.”

Ariel seemed resigned. She probably felt she wouldn’t get to hear much from me for a while.

“Ahem. Moving on… so what’s the reason for coming to the capital? No, I think I understand.”

Even if he were a commander, coming without his underlings suggests he’s here to accomplish something quietly.

It would be hard to perceive this as a prelude to war.

Moreover, there was only one reason Habito would risk his life to infiltrate the empire’s capital.

“He’s looking for someone?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Because it’s obvious.”

I thought of the daughter of the count who had been sold in the slave market.

The noble girl of the Aioum Kingdom had fallen into slavery.

Her name was Stella Forna.

The only daughter of the Forna count family.

“Isn’t it a bit early…?”

My guess was that Stella hadn’t experienced enough despair yet to be made a deputy commander.

Furthermore, the reason her family fell was due to the demon tribe’s manipulation, so she likely felt more resentment towards them than the humans right now.

It was evident that she was underprepared and had come to the capital at a recklessly ordered command.

Yet in the demon world, no one apart from one person could give him commands.

Someone higher in rank than the commanders, someone all demon tribes respect.

Yes, that could only be the Demon King.

So he must have received orders from that guy.

I didn’t know the details, but I understood the context.

“You plan to make her a deputy commander.”

For Habito, it wouldn’t matter if Stella was in despair or not.

If she was already hopeless, he could just take her away. If he felt she wasn’t ready yet, he could just turn her into one.

“Make her a deputy commander?”

“Habito’s target is Stella Forna. She has the potential to become a Succubus Queen.”

“What, what?!”

Ariel jumped, startled.

“You, how can you say such things so calmly?! We need to notify someone immediately!”

Her voice rose in excitement.

This isn’t a calm situation… what can I do?…

“What are we going to do? Shall we rush over? If we ride the Wind Magic, it might take a bit, but we could make it somehow.”

“No, we’re not going.”

“What?”

Don’t say something crazy.

We have three rookie heroes who haven’t even grown yet and one chump armed with just his killing intent! You want us to meet a high-ranking commander? That’s insane.

Furthermore.

“They’ll come to us anyway.”

If they come to Secul, we could take it as the Demon King recognizing the birth of a hero.

“And there’s an S-Class Adventurer waiting there. He’s really pissed about not being able to buy Stella.”

I chuckled at the thought of him.

If they were fighting Habito in a capital infused with Grand Anti-Demon Magic, even an S-Class Adventurer might stand a chance.

I intended to pin my hopes on that.

Truly it would be like getting a nosebleed without touching my face!

Honestly, I regretted not being able to buy her at first.

But for me, ensuring the heroes’ growth was the priority, and Stella would have been a hindrance.

Someday, Habito would come for Stella, and her presence would cause him to interfere with us, potentially leading to bad outcomes.

But in the end, none of that happened, and Habito wouldn’t come here directly.

In hindsight, it was the right choice.

“So what are you thinking if they do come here?”

“I’ll kill them.”

That was the only way to deal with the demon tribe. Upon my assured declaration, Ariel looked at me, surprised, but then relieved.

“See? You seem more like a hero than I thought!”

“……I am not a hero. Just a regular town person A.”

“Town person A?”

Ariel tilted her head in confusion.

“By the way, how’s Maria’s magic lesson going?”

“She’s picking it up well. Seems she’ll break through the second tier pretty soon?”

Just a few hours had passed, right?

Scary. The power of the hero.

…Though, didn’t I also reach the second tier in just one day while gaming?

*

In the seldom-seen black market of the Pretéum capital.

Two men were in a standoff over a single woman.

Inkurow blocked Habito’s way, glaring at him as he held the unconscious Stella in his arms.

“Put her down.”

“Do you always act like this over a girl? You must be the type who has no popularity.”

“I just dislike anyone touching my belongings. You parasite.”

Sighs escaped Commander Habito while S-Class Adventurer Inkurow appeared tense.

A hostile atmosphere weighed down on them like a heavy pall.

“Let her go.”

“And what if I don’t?”

“What are you asking, punk? You’ll pay the price.”

A massive Zweihänder suited his grand figure was drawn.

As he brandished his weapon, the intense aura pouring out was carefully observed by Habito.

“You’re a pretty strong human, huh?”

“And you look incredibly weak?”

Snap.

Inkurow’s expression turned to ice.

“Weak? Me?”

Habito, who held the fifth rank in raw power among demon tribes, bore an undercurrent of inferiority due to being last among the commanders.

That was the very nerve that Inkurow touched.

“Ha, fine. Since I’ve come this far, I’ll take a human life with me.”

A dreadful smile spread across Habito’s visage. The moment he snapped his fingers, crimson blood erupted from the ground.

“Shall we get this started?”

“Ah, wait a second!”

At that moment, Inkurow reached out his hand.

“Let’s fight somewhere else. I don’t want to pay for repairs if we mess up the surroundings again.”

He recalled the thousands of gold he lost previously and broke out in a cold sweat.