My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 61

Gilder led the way as we walked out of the guild building and headed toward the spacious sparring arena in the backyard.

“So, what do you think the test will entail? I’ve heard it’s usually up to the guild leader’s discretion.”

“Well, since you asked me to administer the test, it’s gotta be a sparring format, right? You said you were stronger than me, so let’s see if that confidence is warranted.”

He crossed his arms and replied with a huffy expression, clearly displeased with my taunt.

Oh dear, this old chap sure knows how to hold a grudge.

“Very well then.”

Still, he didn’t seem resistant. Naturally, I had no worries. The heroes who had already grown to their limits couldn’t possibly lose to an A-Class.

“Here’s the wooden sword.”

He retrieved a wooden sword from the corner of the arena and tossed one to each of us.

Tina and Iris caught theirs with their hands, while Maria lightly caught hers using wind magic.

I didn’t catch mine. More accurately, I couldn’t catch it because it landed quite far away.

“I have no intention of becoming an adventurer, so I don’t need it.”

I had heard about wooden swords before, but they were heavier than I expected. Must be because they’re made from sturdy wood to avoid breaking.

“Is the ‘Teacher’ making his students into adventurers while he sits back and relaxes?”

“That remark is an insult to my Teacher—”

I swiftly butted in, striking Iris on the head to stop her from getting all worked up.

“Just stay put.”

“Teacher, I was saying that for your sake…”

“Don’t claim you said it for me when you were just babbling on your own.”

“…I’m sorry.”

She apologized, looking thoroughly deflated. Her fox ears drooped, and her tail drooped too. Honestly, it was a bit cute.

“Well, I guess it’s best to send Tina in first, right?”

“Tina, take care of it.”

Huh? Is this like issuing a death warrant?

Thanks to my skill, I’m sure I filtered things, but isn’t that a bit much?

Now that I think about it, it always goes wrong when I say something like that at potentially problematic moments. I have no idea who introduced Expression Management Skill into this world, but I’ll definitely curse them out if I meet them.

“How shall I handle this?”

She raised her hand with a bright smile.

Don’t say that while smiling. It’s creepy! Talk to me from ten meters away.

“…Don’t kill him.”

“A little broken bone is fine, right?”

Totally not fine! But at least we have potions on hand, so he wouldn’t die. Just… no, it would hurt a lot, but still.

Nodding, Tina clasped her hands together and stretched out.

“Well then, I’ll keep it moderate like before.”

Was that considered moderate? She looked like she knocked him out in one hit!

“Hah, can I really lose to such kids?”

“I can’t lose with the Teacher watching.”

“Ugh… The rules are simple: Overwhelm me. If you manage to completely overpower me, then the bunch of you without achievements can start from B-Class.”

You might wonder why taking down a guild leader who’s originally A-Class would mean starting at A-Class, but adventurers were fundamentally achievement-oriented.

It’s hard to prove that someone with zero achievements is stronger just because they once beat an A-Class, so dropping them a tier is standard practice.

Naturally, those with accomplishments could receive the same ranking. S-Class was an exception.

“Other than the wooden sword just given, no weapons are allowed. Understood?”

“Got it.”

Tina fidgeted with her wooden sword in her hands, while I placed my hand on Iris, who still looked depressed.

“Iris, try to prevent Tina from attacking too excessively.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m saying if Tina seems like she’ll kill Gilder, then intervene.”

“Since you told Tina not to kill him, isn’t there no need to stop her?”

It was all just precautionary.

Given Tina’s current strength, she could easily take someone out even with a wooden sword.

If she overdid it or thought she could just hold back a bit, it could end in disaster.

There was always a chance that she could make that mistake.

After all, Tina had been fighting primarily with Iris or Maria lately.

Their balance was even since they were of the same hero level, but facing an A-Class was a different story altogether.

If she misjudged her strength even a little, it would surely be a one-hit kill.

“I don’t think that’ll happen, but I’ll follow your words. Your advice is always spot-on.”

“I appreciate that, Iris.”

“Hehe.”

I patted her head with the hand still resting there and stood tall.

“Well, well, I can use defensive magic if needed. Iris shouldn’t even have to step in.”

Maria crossed her arms and said with a tsundere tone, as if to make it clear she wanted to be chosen.

“This time, I’ll leave it to Iris.”

“Y-Yes…”

What is she even being wishy-washy about…?

“Alright, come on in!”

Gilder raised his wooden sword and beckoned Tina with a flick of his finger.

She planted her feet into the ground. It was so fast that it was hard to process.

Before Gilder knew it, Tina had seized his flanks, swinging her wooden sword without hesitation, and at that moment, Iris dashed out.

Iris got her wooden sword in the path of Tina’s swing.

Bam!

The moment the two wooden swords collided, it shattered.

“Iris…?”

“If that attack had hit, I would’ve died.”

“‘Had hit’ means I’m sure I dodged it. That person is quite strong.”

Strong, but definitely not as strong as a hero.

Since heroes have reached their first growth limits, they can even defeat S-Class, so they could easily handle someone in A-Class, given the gap.

“Did I really not react? To a mere thirteen-year-old kid…?”

I quietly observed Gilder’s reaction as he expressed disbelief.

“Iris, step aside. The Teacher said it needed to be handled, so it has to be done.”

I carelessly tossed aside the grip of the broken wooden sword. Iris’s gaze turned to me, and I nodded.

Once she stepped aside, Tina struck her fist against her palm.

“Shall we try again?”

“Without weapons, you mean?”

“Not necessary.”

In a split second, Tina closed the distance and kicked the side of Gilder’s wooden sword.

Crack!

The wooden sword cracked.

“Ugh!”

Gilder staggered but quickly regained his stance, trying to stab at Tina’s throat.

Swish—!

She narrowly dodged by tilting her head to the side, just barely avoiding it.

Whoosh!

Tina’s punch connected directly with Gilder’s solar plexus.

“Guh!”

Boom!

Gilder slammed against one wall, clouds of dust rising.

“Cough! Cough!”

Gilder stood up, gasping for air as he glared at Tina.

But Tina was more focused on examining her own fist than on him.

“The feeling of hitting is a bit odd. Feels like my fist is pushing back…”

“That man’s clothes are enchanted, Tina.”

That was Maria’s remark.

“Enchanted?”

“It seems his clothes have a defensive magic cast on them.”

“Exactly. As expected, the Teacher knows everything.”

In a world where magic exists, it would be strange for there to be no enchantments.

I’d seen it in games before, so it was impossible for me to be unaware.

“What the heck, is she…?”

He barely managed to stand with the wooden sword resting on the ground.

It was remarkable he hadn’t collapsed from Tina’s strike, but considering he wasn’t using his full power, it was a total defeat for him.

“Tina passes, right?”

“…Indeed. You, what’s your name?”

He accepted the reality without resistance. Gilder, rubbing his abdomen, spoke.

“Tina.”

“Right, Tina. You’ve passed. As of now, I officially recognize you as a B-Class Adventurer.”

It was a smooth start. Since Tina had gauged his battle strength, both Iris and Maria should be able to pass easily.

“Next up is Iris. Don’t kill her.”

“Understood.”

Iris discarded her broken wooden sword and walked toward Gilder.

He sensed the intense aura radiating from Iris and quickly raised his hands in alarm.

“Wait. Are the others as strong as Tina?”

“Indeed.”

“Uh… I see. So, it wasn’t just a coincidence that the beastman blocked my attack earlier…”

He let out a hollow laugh.

Tina, who approached me, pointed at Gilder and said, “Looks like he’s finally losing it.” I lightly hit Tina’s head.

“Don’t say such things.”

“Yessir.”

“…I was wondering why he refused the royal orders, but it turns out he was raising monsters.”

He mumbled something to himself as he waved his clothes around.

“It seems that in this state, I can’t just conduct sparring tests. With that hit earlier, the magic on my clothes has shattered. I paid a lot for them… damn.”

“I told you. The only thing you’re allowed to say is, ‘I will comply.’”

“Hey, are you trying to kill me?”

“You were the one who confidently made that claim. Now you’re responsible for your words too, right?”

“You call my words weak? Hey you little—”

“Did you just insult the Teacher?”

Before he even knew it, Iris had stepped before him, clenching her fist tight. I could sense her fist charged with power.

“N-No… that’s not it. Damn… you’re really harsh with your words… well, I guess that’s valid.”

He muttered incoherently, but once he saw Iris’s fist, he was left speechless.

“So what do you intend to do?”

“…With my current state, I can’t proceed with the sparring test. So, I will change the format.”

Even if the format changes, it didn’t matter. An adventurer’s job is simply to prove their strength, after all.

“Show me your skills. I will judge based on that level.”

“But Teacher, why are you evaluating us when you’re weaker than me?”

Tina questioned while pointing at Gilder.

She’d effectively boxed him in; there was no way out of that.

It meant he couldn’t become an adventurer, nor could opposing demons earn the respect of others. Rather, he’d just become a thorn in their side.

I get that being strong can lead to a possessive attitude, but everyone has roles to play, and we need to respect that.

“Strength isn’t everything. Even if we are strong, we are still rookie adventurers. For now, it’s best to follow the words of the combined guild leader.”

Even if they were heroes, they were still just kids, so as an adult, I’d need to help them form proper values.

I guess she understood as she nodded.

“Understood.”

“Iris, draw your weapon and showcase your skill. The intensity should be moderate.”

“Understood.”

Iris drew her sword.

Taking her stance, she jumped by kicking off the ground.

Shatter!

The entire sparring arena cracked. Gilder’s eyes widened in shock.

“What the—!”

“‘Falling Star.’”

“Hey, wait—”

Boom! There was a deafening noise as the ground shook. But surprisingly, the damage wasn’t as extensive as it could have been.

“Geez… you really put too much strength into that, Iris.”

Maria managed to nullify the shockwave just in time.

Thankfully, the shock didn’t spread throughout the capital.

However, the sparring arena was completely wrecked, making it unusable for a while.

“Hahaha, um, I guess so…”

While Iris sheepishly scratched the back of her head, Gilder was left with his mouth agape.

“What the hell…”

“How’s Iris evaluated?”

“I’m going to recognize Iris as a B-Class Adventurer as well. Well, if we’re talking about skill, she’s already at a level where she can stand toe-to-toe with S-Class…”

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to grant her S-Class right on the spot.

That would save us from all the tedious processes. But there were too many eyes on her right now, and that wasn’t a good thing.

The broader the information spreads, the easier it is for intelligent demons to pick it up.

I couldn’t let the young heroes bear that kind of burden just yet.

“Well, for now, I’ll recognize you as B-Class.”

“Yessir.”

“Alright. Next up is Maria. Show us your multi-magic.”

She didn’t need to showcase her full strength.

Just seeing her cast multi-magic would get all of the empire’s people to revere her as an archmage.

“Multi-magic, huh…?”

As Gilder mumbled, Maria began to cast magic.

Like she had shown in Secul, she conjured a firestorm over the sparring arena while simultaneously wielding lightning and ice attributes.

Though the size was small, it was clear how immense the power contained within was without even getting close.

“What in the world?!”

The adventurers and the Royal Knight Order, who had sensed the shockwave from earlier, rushed over just to be left breathless at the sight of Maria’s magic.

“What’s happening…?”

This was their first demonstration of their powers in this world, heralding the arrival of heroes.

Thus, the heroes embarked on their journey as adventurers.