My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 48

It has already been over two months since we officially started training.

Thanks to my advice and guidance, the children were growing remarkably without any trial and error.

“Eriel, how did it go with what I asked a few days ago?”

I spoke to Eriel, who was doing the dishes. She waved her hand to create some wind and dried the wet dishes.

Feeling proud as she placed the beautifully dried dishes on the rack, she turned around to look at me.

“Are you talking about making a contract with the Spirit Kings?”

“Yeah. Have you talked to them yet?”

“I’ve spoken with them, but they want to observe a bit longer. They said that since there’s no movement from the Demon Tribe, they can’t act on mere speculation.”

That was certainly a valid point.

While I wouldn’t hesitate knowing what would happen in the future, they had no choice but to be cautious.

After all, the Spirit Kings were the highest authorities in the Spirit Realm. They couldn’t just act impulsively.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

“But they said they would intervene immediately if any movement from the Demon Tribe is detected, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Got it.”

For now, that was enough. Since they showed no signs of turning a blind eye, I figured Eriel had wrapped things up nicely.

“Thanks, Eriel.”

“……What’s this? You’re thanking me? If you’re grateful, can you give Pasma more time to talk?”

Just for the record, I had been giving Pasma time to talk to the children every day after putting them to bed.

Do you know how much mental stress I’m under being part of this couple’s scheme?

Damn, once I raise all the heroes, I need to get a girlfriend too.

“If there’s something to be thankful for, then be thankful. You think I’m trash or something?”

“You are trash. Just look at your rude attitude, everyone would say you’re trash!”

It’s not like I wanted to act that way.

It just happened to be the way my mouth wanted to move.

…But even trying to make excuses now feels too late.

I couldn’t change this concept anymore.

In that case, I’ll just come out and say it boldly.

“If I’m trash, then everyone in the Empire must be trash as well.”

“Have you sold your conscience or something?”

“…..Anyway, how far has Maria progressed in her magic training?”

“She’s at the 4th rank. As for Wind Magic, since I’m helping her, she’s close to the 5th rank, but the process of breaking through the ranks seems to take a bit longer.”

I pondered as I touched my mouth, deep in thought.

Four ranks in just two months.

That was quite an impressive growth rate.

Even in the game, she never reached the 4th rank in just two months.

I can’t remember exactly how many days it took, but I know it took at least a year.

Thinking that I reduced that time to ten months with my guidance and the education from the Spirit Kings made me feel quite proud.

“Don’t be too hard on her. That kid’s talent is real. I guarantee it. She will surely become stronger than any combination of the Spirit Kings. Perhaps she might even reach the unknown 10th rank.”

I didn’t have much to counter that.

After all, they needed to grow perfectly before the Second Demon War.

Considering the Demon War was expected in ten years, her breaking through to the 4th rank in just two months was fast, not slow.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You know about Tina and Iris, right?”

I nodded.

Pasma had explained about the two heroes to me every time he possessed me.

[Tina is a genius, so there’s no need to bother her. She may struggle to understand some things, but when it comes to swords, she seems to be fine on her own. She has already turned the Phantom Sword Technique into her own and is modifying her own style.]

He also said something like she seems to be gaining stamina just by breathing, almost as if he was witnessing her peak period.

Then he told me about Iris.

[Iris has also turned the Phantom Sword Technique into her own, but she’s quite different from Tina. While Tina wields her sword instinctively, Iris, on the other hand, is more logical. Her eye coordination is incredible to the point that she can read every single attack.]

He didn’t hold back in praising Iris either.

As he said, the two kids were perfectly mastering the Phantom Sword Technique and modifying it to suit their own styles.

Since that process would invariably involve trial and error without my guidance, I was generously explaining things.

“That aside, this year is already coming to an end.”

Today was December 31st.

Tomorrow was January 1st, the day the children would turn eleven and I would turn twenty.

……Tomorrow, Urka would turn thirty. I have to make sure to tease her later.

“Let’s wrap up today’s training here for now; let’s take a break for today and tomorrow.”

Even though I needed to make the heroes grow as quickly as possible, I sometimes wondered if I was pushing them too hard at such a young age.

However, I couldn’t stop them from wanting to do this themselves.

I didn’t know what motivated them, but they were striving to grow on their own, which meant I had less to worry about.

I opened the front door and looked for the heroes who were training outside.

The heroes were gathered around knights dressed in golden armor.

Hearing the door open, the children turned their heads sharply. Iris swiftly snatched a letter from the knight’s hand.

“Ah, Master! A letter has arrived!”

Just as Iris was about to dash over, Tina grabbed her arm.

“Iris! I’ll be the one to deliver it!”

“I got it first, Tina!”

“You took it from me when I was going to take it myself. I’m delivering it!”

“No, you’re not!”

“Hand it over!”

Zwoop!

Tina’s hand tightly gripped Iris’s arm. Iris swatted off Tina’s hand.

“Are you challenging me?”

“Give it to me!”

The two began a fierce duel at an invisible speed, deflecting each other’s hands while trying to seize the letter.

It was a true battle—a battle between the one trying to protect the letter and the one trying to snatch it away.

It was indeed a rather pointless fight.

On the other hand, Maria watched the fight from a distance and suddenly raised her staff.

“「Wind」!”

A powerful gust of wind engulfed them.

For a moment, the letter was swept up from Iris’s grasp as she became distracted by the wind hitting her.

“Maria! Don’t interfere!”

Just as Iris was about to jump away, pushing Tina with her foot.

“「Gravity」!”

The gravity magic of the Wind attribute.

Boom!

With significant force, it weighed down on Iris. Despite that, Iris held her ground firmly.

“Sorry, but the letter is mine now.”

“Are you serious about wanting to fight?”

Bang!

An incredible leap.

The ground cracked open. A crater larger than even Inkuro could make formed.

Defying gravity, Iris soared into the air and managed to snatch the letter from the air.

“Ah! Iris……!”

“I told you I got it first! If you come at me again, I’ll really hit you!”

Iris landed back on the ground, her fist clenched as she warned Maria. Maria replied with a blatant click of her tongue, frowning.

“Tch.”

Maria, you weren’t trained to use magic for these kinds of things…

Is fighting on a different level when it comes to heroes?

It was just a simple letter, yet the three kids were in conflict over it. I could only shake my head in disbelief.

But who’s going to fix that broken ground? Can recovery magic even do that?

While I sighed at the thought of having more responsibilities, Iris happily approached me.

“Master! Here’s the letter!”

She held the envelope out to me with both hands.

I patted her head as a way to thank her.

Ever since I could remember, whenever they did something commendable, they’d come over and offer their heads up to me, and I’d naturally get into the habit of patting their heads.

I wondered when this all started.

Yet, the heroes being affectionate isn’t a bad thing, so I let it be.

…But really, when did this all happen?

Lost in thought, I noticed the letter envelope I was holding tightly.

It was a high-quality letter envelop with golden patterns on a black background. I looked around to confirm where it came from, then suddenly froze.

Because there was a symbol of the Royal Family embossed neatly at the mouth of the letter.

This was a letter from the Royal Family.

“……This is becoming a headache.”

It felt like the time was drawing near. The time to meet the one person I most didn’t want to see.

The knights confirmed that I had received the letter and bowed before turning around.

That gesture meant this letter wasn’t for Eriel or any of the heroes; it was for me.

“What does it say?”

Iris, unable to contain her curiosity, asked. I stared at the letter for a moment before replying.

“It’s from the Royal Family.”

“From the Royal Family? Does that mean it’s from the Emperor…?”

“Just because it’s from the Royal Family doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the Emperor.”

That place is crawling with people who want to use others.

Especially those looking to establish their own positions by bringing strong individuals on board.

Crown Prince Chris has the highest chance of becoming the next Emperor, but that doesn’t mean other kids don’t have a chance.

In fact, in the game, the choice of who becomes the next Emperor is actually a branching point.

Depending on who you choose, the continuation of the narrative will be smoother or will hit some bumps along the way.

Of course, I knew who the most helpful person among the royals was.

“Let’s hurry up and open it!”

Suddenly, Tina chimed in. Maria also came up beside me.

Is there really a reason for the Royal Family to summon me at this time?

I recalled hearing from Tori that the Crown Prince had summoned me for an official sparring session.

If it’s about things I’ve done that gotten me summoned, it would be nothing but a rotten rope.

Sighing, I carefully opened the envelope.

As the opening revealed the contents inside, I unfolded it.

“A New Year’s Party Invitation.”

I tilted my head at the words written at the very top.

……Why is this out already?

It felt ominous.

To my knowledge, the invitation should be sent when the Three Heroes turn seventeen, or more precisely, in the year the Emperor dies.

In other words, it was a story about seven years in the future.

Yet sending this to us now could only mean they were preparing for the ‘Succession War’ already.

Moreover, the fact that this episode had come up indicated that the reasoning of my actions had been drastically skewed in terms of the scenario’s sequence of events.

As someone who already knew whom to choose, this left me with a predetermined conclusion, but it also made me understandably anxious.

Once expectations started to diverge, blind faith would be reckless.

So, this time I should use the artifact I obtained from Aus with the nobles.

That ‘choker’ would surely point me in the right direction.

I sighed again as I looked at the words written on the invitation, “To Lord Praus.”

Speaking of which, didn’t I tell Ella something like “Royal Family is a damn joke! I’ll win it all!”?

In the end, I’d have no choice but to head to the Royal Family if it turned out unfavorable.

……Ah, but is my speech okay in front of royalty?