My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 56

“Here you are.”

I stood beside Paroco, who had been out of the house.

“…They really are energetic kids.”

He looked up at the moon and said this. I nodded, agreeing with Paroco’s observation.

They were indeed quite lively.

As expected, feeding kids delicious food and providing them warm places to sleep was the best.

After two months, I could feel the children’s wariness had lessened significantly.

“Right.”

“Can’t you not speak in that manner? I’m struggling to adjust.”

I echoed his sentiment.

I would rather have the Crown Prince standing in front of me. What am I going to do with this awkward atmosphere?

“…When are we going?”

I changed the subject.

If I were to point out his tone, it could go on forever, so it was unavoidable.

“Are you still uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that….”

“It’s late to go today, so I’m thinking we’ll take the Marquis’s carriage parked in the village tomorrow morning. I can’t be away for too long myself.”

He finished speaking with a long sigh.

He looked as if he were lamenting to the heavens.

“Praus, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Is it because of ‘loneliness’ that you took those kids in?”

“Nobody takes in kids for such a reason, unless they’re a woman.”

I shook my head firmly.

From the moment I brought them in, I swore to myself. I will never touch the Heroes.

That was never my intention from the start.

I was satisfied with just having a little acquaintance with them.

“But there is a girl. Wasn’t her name Ariel?”

“As I already explained, I have no feelings regarding that. Besides, she already belongs to someone.”

That gentleman is the Spirit King.

If someone like me were to meddle, I’d be easily cut down.

Moreover, no matter how hungry I get for women, I won’t touch someone who already has a master.

Even if Pasma were to disappear, I had no intention of laying a hand on her.

“…I see.”

Paroco seemed to understand upon hearing that she had a master.

“Even if we can let Ariel slide, your attitude towards the kids is different. You pet them and take care of their food; did you happen to like them?”

“I gave them the Slave Brand. Those kids are no longer slaves. And… you’ll come to understand why I cared for those kids in a few years.”

“Can’t you tell your father about it now?”

I nodded my head.

I don’t think Paroco is particularly light-mouthed, but it’s better if fewer people know that they are Heroes.

“Yeah. Still, I’m glad that you’re not struggling as much as I expected.”

“…Is that so?”

Irresponsible.

I nearly let those words slip out.

As soon as I heard his words, my heart suddenly started racing, bringing forth an unknown emotion like when I was in the kitchen.

“Then, have you forgiven what happened back then to some extent?”

That incident.

I know what he is referring to.

“No, is it something I shouldn’t ask…?”

Paroco self-deprecatingly said.

“I don’t think my father’s choice was wrong, but I also don’t want to acknowledge it as the right one.”

In Praus’s memory, Paroco was someone he didn’t want to acknowledge as a father.

And rightfully so, Paroco chose to save the Marquis Medis when he could save either him or Praus’s mother.

“I know that my father didn’t intend to leave my mother to die.”

“That’s why…”

Thinking about it, it must have been a peculiar question for those around.

How did Paroco, who had no connection to the nobility, manage to get employed by the Marquis House?

How did an ordinary commoner living in the village become not just a servant but the steward of the Marquis House?

There were no outwardly known rumors; it was only concluded that he happened to catch someone’s eye, but that was not the whole story.

“I still regret that choice I made back then. There’s nothing more precious than family….”

His words made me feel unexpectedly choked up.

I didn’t even know why I was lamenting now, nor could I pinpoint why his words frustrated me.

“It’s pointless to lament now.”

Yeah. It is pointless.

The dead won’t return.

“Praus….”

“…Mother told Father she loved him until she died. I don’t think it was the same for him, though.”

“I’m sorry.”

He continued to murmur while still gazing at the moon.

Don’t apologize to me…

I couldn’t bear to say that. Following his lead, I raised my head to gaze at the moon.

It was a half-moon.

It must have been a night of a half-moon like today years ago.

Paroco, desperate to save Praus’s mother who had fallen ill, had been frantically searching for a potion shop that day.

Fortuitously, Paroco succeeded in buying the potion.

But misfortune came right after.

A servant of Marquis Medis arrived at the potion shop.

The potion shop owner informed the servant that he had sent potions to the border a day prior, and thus there was no room to create more.

The servant was disheartened.

However, at that moment, the servant saw the potion in Paroco’s hand, who hadn’t left the shop yet, and desperately grabbed him, saying they had to save the Marquis.

In the end, Paroco had no choice but to choose between saving the Marquis or his mother.

Ultimately, Paroco handed over the potion to the Marquis, saying he’d find medicine in another city.

And over the next few days, he managed to get the potion, but by then, Praus’s mother had already passed away.

That was the cause of the conflict between the father and son.

Praus had definitely thought it was possible his mother would die if they couldn’t get the potion, and he had thought he should understand his father.

He had tried to rationalize it, saying it was unavoidable.

But once Praus heard the full story from the Marquis’s servant, he yelled at his father for the first time.

No matter how strict the class system was, and how afraid he was of the repercussions, wasn’t family supposed to come first?

The feelings he had been trying to understand, the emotions he had desperately suppressed burst forth.

Thus, the relationship between Praus and his father grew distant, and soon after, Paroco was employed by the Marquis House.

The fact that Praus lived in this house was largely due to Paroco being appointed by the Marquis.

He seemed to have originally planned to leave.

“Ugh….”

For me, thanks to Paroco’s choice, I couldn’t claim the outcome was all bad since it allowed me to gather capital to save the Heroes.

However, if I were truly Praus, and my mother had passed away, I might still be resenting Paroco today.

I might have cursed him for a lifetime.

“I’m going in.”

I forced my emotions down and nodded my head toward the house. Only then did Paroco lower his head.

The look in his eyes as they met mine was somewhat poignant.

“…Praus, if you ever need help, please let me know. I will support you no matter what.”

At his words, I didn’t reply. I only quietly moved my feet toward the house.

As I stepped into the house, the harsh winter wind disappeared as if it were a lie, thanks to Maria setting up the Wind Magic.

As I reached for the doorknob, Paroco spoke up.

“I’ll look at the moon a bit longer… You go in and sleep first.”

I nodded instead of answering.

I opened the door and walked inside. The first thing I saw was Ariel standing against the wall.

“Did you overhear me?”

I closed the door and asked.

She briefly bit her lip, gazing at me, then nodded.

“…Yeah. Sorry.”

“Forget it. Anyway, the Spirit King doesn’t need sleep, right? If she were awake, she’d probably want to listen.”

I said casually.

Though I felt slightly irritated, I decided to dismiss it as not being my emotions.

I didn’t want to be unnecessarily affected by Praus’s emotions.

I was clearly an outsider and a third party.

“Praus.”

“…I’m going to bed. Don’t disturb me.”

I walked toward my room.

“Sorry. Saying you looked weak… I’m sorry for saying it doesn’t suit you.”

How rare it was to hear an apology from the famously proud Spirit King.

I shrugged in response to her.

“No, you were right. I don’t suit being weak.”

“That’s not… it wasn’t like that….”

Ariel bit her lower lip.

“I’ve lost things too… I know how painful, distressing, and lonely that feeling is.”

Her delicate shoulders trembled. She looked down, hugging her right arm.

It seemed she was on the verge of crying.

“Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to.”

“Again… you say that. I’ve seen so many people. There hasn’t been a single person who didn’t feel sorrow when someone they cherished died.”

What a nosy person.

…Or maybe Ariel is just special.

Here, a Spirit King has been crying for a human she’s loved all along.

It’s a natural cycle of life for beings to be born and die, so while one can miss the contract partner’s death, a Spirit wouldn’t have all emotions buried.

But Ariel was different.

She was the only Spirit King who couldn’t accept that truth.

“There’s no need to hide it.”

I didn’t want to hide it.

My expressions might not reveal my feelings because of my Expression Management Skill, but I wasn’t Praus.

I wasn’t someone who needed comforting, nor did I want it.

“…I’ll sleep.”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

I entered my room and closed the door.

Tina and Maria were sleeping soundly on the bed, while only Iris was sitting on the blanket she had laid out in advance.

“Welcome back, Teacher.”

“Why are you still awake?”

“…I was a little concerned.”

“It’s late. Sleep. You won’t grow tall.”

I didn’t want to say anything more. I buried myself under the covers, pulling it over my head.

“Teacher.”

“I said to sleep.”

“Just one thing, can you listen to me?”

“What is it…?”

I spoke with my eyes still closed inside the blanket.

“No matter what happens, I am on Lord Praus’s side. No matter what.”

“I have no idea what you want to say at all.”

“Just… I want you to understand that.”

She let out a small laugh.

Then, I heard a rustling sound. Iris had crawled under the blanket with me.

And so, another day was quietly coming to an end.