My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 62

“Praus’s Disciple?”

Chris had been receiving reports from the Black Light Corps continuously since Praus entered the Pretéum Empire.

In fact, the Crown Prince had been keeping a close watch on Praus ever since he first became interested in him.

He had sent people to Secul to gather information regularly, but the Spirit King’s barrier prevented a view of the inside from the outside.

Thus, until now, they had been unable to acquire any information about the training and growth of the Three Heroes.

This was equally true for the major groups sensitive to information, such as the Secret Garden and the Rexton Trading Company.

However, now that Praus had visited the capital to turn the Three Heroes into adventurers, information had to be revealed, and just a moment ago, he received a report from the Black Light Corps.

“Yes. Among them was a child who attended the New Year’s party two years ago.”

“The one with the black hair who came to the New Year’s party?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…What was their level?”

“Apparently, they knocked out a B-Class Adventurer in one hit and completely subdued Gilder, the head of the Adventurer Guild. Gilder was too injured to continue the sparring test and told the other two disciples to show their skills.”

“And the result?”

He asked while signing the paperwork.

“All three of them passed without any doubt and became B-Class Adventurers.”

‘Come to think of it, there were talks about some strong kids around Praus back two years ago. They mentioned there was an Other Race among them.’

“And the most striking among them was a blonde-haired elf child.”

“An elf?”

“It seems they not only cast multi-magic, but also showed talent in all elements.”

“What?!”

Chris slammed his hand on the table and shot up from his seat.

It wasn’t surprising that he had a fit. Currently, the Other Races had not only lost their homes but were also being slaughtered. On top of that, they were forced into slavery and treated worse than livestock within the Empire.

In such circumstances, having a talent of an Archmage among the Other Races could only be seen as a threat from the Empire’s perspective.

‘If things go wrong, the Empire could be in danger. How could an Archmage’s talent be given not to a human but to an elf? Damn it.’

“You mentioned Praus has three disciples, right? One is a human, one is an elf, and what about the other?”

“They’re from the Beastman Tribe. They looked like a white fox.”

“What a shitshow…”

Chris covered his face with his hands.

‘Two of Praus’s disciples are Other Races. What in the world is Praus thinking, accepting Other Races as disciples? Is he perhaps plotting a rebellion…?’

He still remembered the words spoken at the New Year’s party two years ago.

-I could easily kill everyone here and escape.

‘As if to prove that, Praus knocked out Knight Commander Conver in a single blow.’

He recalled that none present at that time had reacted.

‘It was so fast that one might think the wooden sword didn’t even move, so I suppose it’s not surprising that no one realized it.’

It was still a secret that this was thanks to the blessings given by Ariel.

Afterward, Chris had received orders from his father, Emperor Lupin, to make sure Praus turned to the Empire’s side, but Praus had not accepted any offers.

That fact made Chris even more anxious.
He interpreted it as a sign that he could turn against the Empire at any time.

‘If he really dreams of rebellion, I have to uproot it now. But…’

Was there really anyone in the Empire capable of defeating him?

He had incapacitated the Knight Commander in one blow, subdued the S-Class Inkuro and Urka, and now had a magician with the talent of an Archmage and two swordsmen who could easily take down A-Class Adventurers by his side.

He was an opponent who couldn’t be subdued alone, and now he possessed a talent that seemed to have been bestowed by the heavens, making it impossible to contend with him.

Moreover, as the influence of the Demon Tribe grew stronger, internal turmoil could pose a risk to the Empire.

Knowing all this, the Crown Prince couldn’t move easily.

‘What the hell are you thinking, Praus…’

Chris sighed repeatedly.

Then he suddenly noticed the documents placed in front of him.

‘How could I possibly deal with this anxiety?’

He squeezed his eyes shut, leaned back in his creaking chair, and groaned.

“What will you do?”

“…What do you think we should do?”

“We are the Crown Prince’s sword. If you give us an order, we will put our lives on the line to accomplish anything.”

The leader of the Black Light Corps bowed his head humbly. Chris felt a slight alleviation of his inner anxiety at that sight.

The Black Light Corps was a group where formidable individuals from the Empire gathered.

Among them was someone once known to be an S-Class Adventurer.
He had become a criminal due to some incident, but was saved by the Crown Prince and dedicated himself to the cause.

“First, keep gathering information.”

‘Becoming an adventurer means at least for now they have no intention of attacking the Empire. If they were planning a rebellion, they wouldn’t have become adventurers and would have rather quietly raised their disciples.’

Chris pushed away his vague fear as he came up with the most plausible assumption.

“Understood.”

“And before Praus leaves the Pretéum Empire, bring him to the Imperial Palace. It seems there are many questions we need to interrogate about this matter. Also, let the disciples in.”

“Is that alright?”

“It’s fine.”

“Understood.”

The leader of the Black Light Corps vanished from sight. Chris sighed as he looked down at the documents.

“Revision of the Aus Territory Slave System”

‘If Praus isn’t on the Empire’s side…’

“I’ll have to kill him along with his disciples if things get out of hand.”

He mumbled as he crumpled up the document submitted by Duke Tori and tossed it into the trash.

*

“Is this what an adventurer’s badge looks like?”

Tina asked as she inspected the bronze badge made for adventurers.

B-Class Adventurers receive bronze badges. A-Class get silver, and S-Class get gold. The rest are written on parchment to determine their rank.

“It’s not cool at all. The badge Ella gave me looked cooler.”

Tina mumbled as she looked at the symbol of drinks being poured into gold coins.

While one might think it was well-designed, representing ‘money’ and ‘drinks’, it was understandable that Tina, who knew nothing, thought that way.

“Even if it’s not cool, having this will reduce inconveniences in various ways, so keep it well.”

“Yes!”

They answered while putting the adventurer badges into their pockets.

“Let’s go. We need to buy ingredients before heading home.”

We’ll return home first, then for the next two years, we’ll travel around the Empire collecting artifacts.
After gathering the artifacts, we’ll plant the coordinates near the border and use ‘Teleport’ to send them for real experience.

“Are we going?”

As I stood up, they asked.

“Is there something left to do? I don’t want to leave the kids here for long in this place that reeks of smoke.”

“…Just one thing to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you trying to make your disciples into adventurers? With their level, they could easily pass as members of the Royal Knight Order or Royal Magicians.”

If they became royal knights or magicians, they could surely enjoy various benefits.
Not only would they live abundantly without worrying about money, but they would also receive noble titles.
They could indeed live life on the easy street.

However, that would mean the children’s desire for Slave Liberation could never be fulfilled, and the happy ending I hoped for would remain a dream.

For this world to not break, the royal family had to change.

‘I want these kids to live freely.’

“I don’t want them to live cleaning up after others.”

“What…?”

It wasn’t a choice of words suitable to say in front of the kids, but I managed to express it as I intended.

“That’s not a path for these kids to find happiness.”

I glanced at the heroes.

They all had gentle smiles on their faces.

“…But now that your disciples have shown themselves, others will try to take advantage of them.”

“Take advantage? No one in this world can use these kids.”

“To exploit heroes, you would at least have to risk your life.”

I patted each of the heroes’ heads and turned away.

“Now that the talk is over, let’s leave. Come on, kids.”

“Yes!”

As I opened the guild leader’s office door, I saw a woman with her blonde hair tied up standing outside. She waved at me upon seeing me.

“Ta-da! Praus, I’m here!”

Ariel smiled brightly and waved her hand.

“You’re a bit late.”

“Did you wait? I had some admin stuff to take care of in the Spirit Realm. But I got here early, right?”

“…It wouldn’t have mattered if you hadn’t come.”

I brushed past her as I spoke.

“Hey, how could you say that? I had to come to talk with my lover.”

The nuance felt strange.
To anyone unaware, it could lead to misunderstandings.

“M-Master, are you… dating Ms. Ariel?”

Look, that’s…
…Maria, don’t you know my situation? Are you trying to tease me?

The heroes’ faces were filled with shock. From their expressions, they didn’t seem to be teasing, but I didn’t want to acknowledge it, so I pretended not to hear them.

“…No way?!”

But Ariel couldn’t hold back, raising her voice in denial.
It was quite amusing to see her, who usually appeared so relaxed, flustered.

“No matter how fun Praus is, I have someone else I love.”

“I see…”

“Oh, I see…”

“Is that so…”

The three heroes awkwardly responded. The atmosphere turned unbearably awkward.

“What’s with the overreaction, kids?”

“Ah, I should have denied it, right?”

As we bickered and entered the lobby, gasps of admiration erupted among the adventurers.

“Wow, even again, she’s insane, right? Who’s that woman?”

“Hey… I’ve never seen someone so pretty.”

“Damn, I thought she was part of his party.”

“If he’s strong, does he get to be with someone like that? So jealous.”

I sighed at their whispers, feeling displeased. It seemed I was only increasing unnecessary guilt towards Pasma.

“Master, are you upset? I’ll make them shut up.”

Iris reacted immediately to my sigh.

“There’s no benefit to causing unnecessary trouble. Let’s go.”

And so we exited the adventurer guild.

*

We bought ingredients that could last for a month at the market.
Checking the supplies in the alley one more time, I spoke to Maria.

“Let’s go home, Maria.”

As Maria was about to cast ‘Teleport,’ someone suddenly spoke up from in front of us.

“…Wait a moment.”

A commoner, who had appeared in front of us without warning, spoke.

Afterward, several people were staring at us.

“Who are you, exactly?”

There was something bizarre about it. They looked like commoners, but they didn’t seem like ordinary people.

“Praus.”

“…You’ve come looking for me.”

“Crown Prince Chris has given a command.”

Crown Prince Chris?

“Is it the Black Light Corps?”

“…Do you know us?”

How could I not?
They were the direct assassination unit behind Crown Prince Chris, known for doing all sorts of filthy deeds.
They might be quite tame during this time, but they were a very threatening group that had once slaughtered Chris’s faction and other nobles during the Succession War.

In fact, if a bad ending occurs, Princess Seri is assassinated by this group.

As I nodded, the man at the front spoke in a deep voice.

“In that case, allow me to be quick. Praus, you are summoned by Crown Prince Chris. Come along quietly.”

“And if I don’t?”

“We will take you by force.”

“Do you really think that will be possible?”

I heard the sound of swords being unsheathed faintly from behind.

“…If you continue like this, we’ll have no choice but to respond. The order we received today is merely to bring you back. Comply with the Crown Prince’s mercy.”

“What did he summon me for?”

As I slowly raised my hand, Tina and Iris stepped back from their weapons.

“It’s because of the disciples behind you.”

Information travels quickly. Word that they had become adventurers had already reached the palace, it seems.

“Is that so.”

Well… this could work in my favor. I had something to ask that foolish Crown Prince anyway.

“Alright, I’ll go. Lead the way.”