My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 55

“It’s changed a lot around the house in just two months.”

Paroco said as he looked around the house.

With five people living here, we had to add several pieces of furniture, so we couldn’t help but rearrange the entire place.

“Marquis Medis told me about what you did at the New Year’s party.”

What I did…?

As the memories flooded back—insulting the nobility and the Royal Family, and knocking down the Knight Commander—I felt my head go blank.

I was left speechless by the sheer absurdity of my actions, unable to muster even a single excuse.

“I think an explanation might be necessary. Can you provide one?”

“Well…”

I hesitated to speak. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what excuse to come up with; it was because of my tone.

Paroco isn’t my father, but I was Praus.

Since I was inhabiting Praus, it was inevitable that I hesitated to speak to Paroco in a commanding tone.

After all, he was my father—sort of.

The memories of Praus that lingered in my mind were creating a sense of unease.

“What about…?”

“… It’s nothing significant.”

I reluctantly opened my mouth at his urging.

“You’ve become quite rigid with your speech. To be fair, it’s understandable since we haven’t lived together for several months.”

“That doesn’t really matter…”

Ah, can’t I drop the honorifics at least for this moment?

It felt even more uncomfortable than when I spoke informally to the Crown Prince.

“Hmmm. It’s fine to speak like that with me, but you’re not using that tone elsewhere, are you?”

Instead of answering, I shut my eyes tightly and then opened them again. I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

“I’m just glad to see you seem to be doing well. If your teenage angst is acting up, parents should understand that.”

Teenage angst? Is that supposed to hit at age twenty?

“Teacher, am I going through a rebellious phase?”

“…No.”

Please don’t interrupt and just stay quiet. This is getting troublesome.

“So who are those kids and who is this lady? I have a rough idea, but…”

He pointed at the Heroes and Ariel.

I don’t know what he expects, but please don’t say anything wrong.

“This is Ariel, just a woman living with us… nothing special, really…”

“Huh? So you’re living together without any feelings involved?”

“It just turned out that way… Ah, I can’t take this.”

I took a few quick steps towards the parchment.

If I couldn’t express myself with words or even facial expressions, then I only had one choice left.

I grabbed the ink pen and quickly scrawled on the parchment.

Then I showed it to Paroco, who gazed at the parchment in silence for a while before muttering.

“The circumstances forced Ariel and these kids to live together…?”

I nodded.

The girls, who had been a step behind, crept closer to read what was written on the parchment.

Upon reading the words Paroco had just spoken, they exchanged surprised glances between me and the parchment.

“Praus is using honorifics?!”

“Teacher has someone to speak formally to?!”

“If the Teacher is using honorifics, that means it must be someone important! So they’re the grand teacher!”

“If the Teacher is using honorifics, how much respect must he have?!”

Can you all be quiet? My head is already pounding as it is.

“Even if it’s for circumstances, bringing a grown woman and children here… especially if they’re from different tribes. Did you really buy a slave or something?”

I scribbled on the parchment again.

“That’s true, but I didn’t buy these kids thinking I could do anything with them. So why…?”

Paroco’s relentless questioning was understandable, but I couldn’t tell them that they were Heroes.

“…I can’t explain, but I assure you it’s not for anything bad…”

This was a feeble excuse considering I couldn’t be honest about it, but there was nothing else I could do.

Whether they believed me was secondary, but I didn’t want to trouble Paroco either.

I didn’t know if it was my feelings or Praus’s, though.

“It really has changed a lot in just a few months.”

It wasn’t that the atmosphere had changed.

It was me who had entered the inner self of Praus.

“… For now, I won’t press further about your silence. You’re of an age where you can take responsibility for your actions.”

I felt relieved inwardly at his surprisingly lenient treatment.

“But still, don’t act informally around high-ranking individuals.”

His tone sounded like a warning.

Hearing a parent’s scolding after a long time felt oddly nostalgic.

But speaking informally and in a commanding tone was an unavoidable instinct for me.
If I could have changed it already, I would have.

“… I’ll handle that… myself.”

“Marquis has already told me about how you behaved at the New Year’s party with the Royal Family and the nobility.”

I awkwardly averted my gaze.

“Do you really believe that was responsible behavior?”

“Well…”

“In this world, the only time your rudeness is forgiven is in front of me. The nobility may have appreciated your abilities, but if it weren’t for that, you would surely have faced execution.”

Paroco said this seriously, with his arms crossed. The friendly smile he usually wore had changed to a serious expression.

But for some reason, I instinctively knew that his reprimand wasn’t an accusation of my arrogance.

“Praus, don’t you know who I’m working so hard for?”

“…”

Who was it for?

It was something that anyone here could easily see was for myself.

I knew from the moment I possessed Praus that he had a special fondness for Praus.

Regardless of how much he earned as the Marquis House’s steward, there were probably few who could afford to regularly send dozens of gold pieces a year to their son.

“I cannot lose you as well.”

I had no words in response to his statement.

Even though he wasn’t my real parent, it still clenched my heart.

“You’re a smart kid, so I thought you would understand after all this. When you next meet nobility, please fix your tone.”

I felt sorry for Paroco, but as long as my Expression Management Skill stayed active, it would have to remain a personal desire.

*

“It’s delicious… You would have no issue working as a chef in a noble house right now.”

Was that the demeanor for a noble house’s steward?

He sampled the food with an elegant touch and left his impressions, looking somewhat surprised.

“Right?! Please eat more, Grand Teacher.”

“Grand Teacher…?”

Tina placed several ribs on Paroco’s plate.

“The meat is so tender!”

“Y-yeah… thank you.”

In front of him, the three Heroes happily munched on the rib meat, looking as if they owned the world.

“I’ve tried various foods in the capital, but nothing has the perfect seasoning and taste of what you made, Teacher. I honestly wanted to buy your food.”

Maria praised while nibbling on a rib.

Dinner tonight featured rib soup and the skewers I had prepared myself.

Taking the opportunity to buy ingredients in the capital, I had stocked up on meat.

As they didn’t sell just ribs, I had to ask the meat merchant for a whole cut and bought everything.

If Ariel and Maria hadn’t used Wind Magic to move everything, I would have suffered immensely.

“It’s delicious…”

Iris didn’t say much, but she wagged her tail and smiled happily.

“Praus.”

“What is it?”

“How did you come up with the idea of wrapping skewers in batter?”

Ariel asked with a cheerful smile, almost shining with happiness.

“That’s already an existing dish; you just don’t see it at the market.”

The reason fried skewers were hard to find among common folk was that they burdened merchants.

It involved a lot of work, and not only did they have to buy meat, but they had to buy the ingredients for the batter as well.

From a merchant’s viewpoint, they had to maintain their profit margin, which made it challenging.

Moreover, the oil for frying was incredibly expensive, so even if they wanted to, it was hard to do.

I could argue, “Why not just raise the prices?” but the majority of people going to the market were those struggling to make ends meet day by day.

In a place like that, it would always be difficult for expensive food to gain popularity.

After I explained this roughly, Ariel exclaimed, “You’re more knowledgeable than I thought, Praus.” as she grabbed another fried skewer.

“Praus, do you dream of being a chef?”

It was my father’s voice, who had been quietly listening.

“Well, no, not really.”

“If you do dream of being a chef, you could ask Marquis to let you in as an apprentice chef.”

“That’s… alright.”

I planned to live my life as a bum.

Once the Demon King was defeated and the Demon Tribe disappeared, I just wanted to sell a few artifacts and live quietly in a calm village.

Whatever kind of companion I would have, I wanted to live a peaceful life, maybe even have a child or two.

“Now that you’re an adult, you should take care of yourself.”

“I have enough money already.”

“If you use the money I gave you wisely, you’ll live comfortably, but I want you to have various experiences, Praus.”

“It’s something to think about.”

It was such an awkward sentence to say to Paroco.

I couldn’t even retort if he slapped me, a sigh slipped out.

“Drink tea.”

I almost let out a “La,” but I managed to hold it back.

“What is this?”

“Jujube tea. It helps settle your stomach after eating greasy food.”

I also shared it with the kids and Ariel.

I patted the children’s heads as they happily gulped down their servings.

Once again, I collected the dishes and made my way to the kitchen.

Ariel had unexpectedly stood beside me.

“You’re going to wash the dishes, right?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Ariel now washing the dishes without complaining felt bittersweet.

I might be the only one in this world who made the Spirit King wash dishes.

Just as I was cleaning the kitchen that had gotten messy from cooking, I heard Tina calling from the living room.

“Hey, Grand Teacher!”

“Huh?”

“Teacher, what was it like when you were a kid?”

“I was a little rascal.”

“I can’t imagine you as a rascal, Teacher.”

“I was just a normal child who enjoyed each day without any worries. But… something happened that changed everything. No, was I made to change?”

Something happened…

-I’m always watching over you.

As I listened to Paroco, someone’s voice echoed in my ear.

[The skill “Expression Management” has temporarily been released.]

As I faced the hologram appearing before me, Ariel peered through it to see my face.

“Praus? Why are you making that expression?”

“… It’s nothing.”

My tone had returned to my own, no longer Praus’s.

It was an unnecessary sentiment.

I didn’t want to act out some dramatic scene. No matter what past Praus had, I didn’t want to reveal it.

I turned my head sharply to hide my expression from Ariel.

“Mind your own business.”

“Then don’t make such a weak expression. You know it doesn’t suit you, right?”

Damn it, did my emotions trigger the skill’s release?

Then I absolutely have to avoid that. My feelings and Praus’s feelings are entirely different.

“Well, even so… you’re still a good kid, just like in the past.”

He seemed to stumble over his words as he was about to fall into nostalgia, as if not wanting to reveal any further.

“Right! Teacher is truly a good person.”

“Even if your tone is a bit stiff and harsh… you always do things for us.”

“If it weren’t for you, we would have quietly died somewhere. You’re our benefactor, Teacher.”

The excited voices of the three Heroes twinkled in my ears before fading away.

The message saying the Expression Management Skill had been released also disappeared. The swirling chaos in my emotions gradually subsided.

“Then I’m truly glad to hear that.”

I glanced at Paroco’s gently spoken back, quieting my gaze away.