My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 65

I knew she would be moving into the palace after the Succession War, but I had no idea which floor she lived on, so I asked Ariel for help in finding the princess.

With her Wind Magic, it was no difficult feat to locate the princess.

Thanks to Ariel, I found myself face-to-face with Princess Seri in less than five minutes.

“W-why are you here…?”

“That’s not for you to know.”

Princess Seri, appearing more mature than two years ago, was starting to resemble the illustrations I had seen in the game.

“Is this your room?”

It was the last room on the third floor, the farthest from the dining hall and bathroom on the first floor.

Just from the room’s location, it was clear what kind of treatment she was receiving.

I had never imagined she would be tucked away in such a corner already.

In the game, the past was only briefly mentioned through flashbacks, so there was relatively little information to go on.

“Maria, remember this well.”

“…Got it.”

That instruction meant I would be asking Maria for a Teleport to this location. Maria knew this and nodded without further comments.

“I’ll come by tonight. Don’t be startled if I appear suddenly.”

I whispered into Princess Seri’s ear before stepping back.

“W-what…! I-I’m old enough to know everything!”

As if she really knew anything. How foolish.

The princess’s face flushed red as she shouted like a child throwing a fit. Even after I had whispered, she was raising her voice unnecessarily.

It was uncomfortable enough already with the Black Light Corps following me.

“I’m not interested in that. Just remember what I said.”

Though it was an unavoidable contact, there wasn’t any benefit to the other siblings overhearing that I was having a secret conversation with Princess Seri.

As I turned to leave after conveying my message, my sleeve was suddenly grabbed.

“W-wait a moment!”

“…What is it?”

I spoke while trying to stop the heroes from barring Princess Seri’s path.

“How did you get in here?”

“I received a summons from Crown Prince Chris.”

“C-Crown Prince Chris asked you…? What did he say?”

What was I supposed to say to that? Other people were watching.

Unable to contain my frustration, I sighed. I released the princess’s delicate hand and leaned in closer to whisper again.

“I’ll come by tonight.”

“…I see.”

Hearing it again, she finally seemed to understand my intentions.

It wasn’t an attack; rather, it was for a discussion.

While her judgment was still lacking in many ways, you were a hundred times better than that foolish crown prince.

I turned back and began to walk away.

*

In the Demon King’s Castle.

As a rare figure appeared, the demon tribe members cast their eyes downward and quietly withdrew.

A hulking blue figure, with its muscles unnaturally bulging, swayed heavily. It stood almost three meters tall.

Its body was marked with numerous scars, but the deeply cut wound from its shoulder to its side left a significant impression.

Every time it stepped forward boldly, the ground shattered and debris flew.

“Huh… It’s been a while since I was here.”

The giant man let out a fierce breath as he stopped in front of a massive door.

A vile magical energy seeped from the door, causing his mouth to twist into a grin.

With a hefty push, he opened the door.

The first thing that came into view was a long red carpet. At the end of the carpet sat the Demon King, Blas Weill, in his chair.

“Have you arrived, Peremus?”

“The second-in-command of the Demon World, Peremus, greets your Excellency, the Demon King.”

Second-in-command of the Demon World. It meant he was the second strongest being in a place where strength equaled power.

In truth, Peremus held the other demon tribe members beneath him through sheer force, with Blas being the only exception.

“Indeed. It’s been a while, Peremus. Have you been recovering well?”

Blas looked over Peremus’s body as he asked.

Peremus touched the largest scar on his body and replied.

“It took a long time, but I’ve made a full recovery.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Blas nodded leisurely.

“I didn’t expect you to suffer such wounds from a mere human.”

“Indeed. I never imagined that the attack of a human could leave such marks on my body. Even considering I was careless, the final blow could have killed me.”

Peremus recounted the duel from back then.

After hearing from Blas that a strong being resided in a human village, Peremus had crossed into the empire alone.

Just before heading to the shabby village that didn’t seem worth destroying, a man had stopped him.

That man was none other than Pasma.

Pasma boldly declared in front of Peremus.

-Demon tribe scum! You shall go no further!

Even though Pasma spoke boldly, the result was Peremus’s victory.

Though Peremus sustained significant injuries in the final attack, Pasma met his end when Peremus’s fist shattered his bones and organs.

Pasma was beyond recovery from the recovery potion or magic and died on the spot.

At the same time, Ariel, the Spirit King of Wind, was called back to the Spirit Realm for several days due to the termination of their contract.

‘Perhaps because it was a long-awaited strong opponent, the pleasure when my fist burst through his body was exceptional.’

He clenched his fist tightly.

‘Yet it’s a shame I couldn’t hear his name before I killed him.’

Peremus acknowledged Pasma.

Even though he had used the power of the Spirit King, to leave such a grave injury on him in a place devoid of Grand Anti-Demon Magic, Peremus couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

“Indeed. It’s true that once in a while, beings with power rivaling that of a hero are born in the human world. They’re commonly referred to as S-Class Adventurers.”

“S-Class Adventurers… Hehe, what an amusing title.”

Peremus laughed heartily.

“Havito has supposedly faced two S-Class Adventurers.”

“He killed them both?”

Blas shook his head. Peremus stood there dazed, thinking the direction of his nodding head was wrong.

“Don’t tell me he was defeated?”

“He didn’t die. However, it seems he lost most of his minions. It had been detrimental that they were under the Grand Anti-Demon Magic for so long, but ultimately, it’s true that Havito was on the back foot.”

“Is that so? Then he must face some punishment.”

A strange twist appeared on Peremus’s lips.

Blas’s brow furrowed slightly at Peremus’s smirk, which, despite being from the same demon tribe, was rather grotesque.

“…That’s not a conversation for you to have. Havito also fell into carelessness, just like you did. Considering how Havito usually retrieves information from the human world, he’s actually worthy of praise.”

Peremus felt a bit pinched at the implication that he was also careless, leaving him speechless.

“Regardless of the S-Class Adventurers being so exalted, it turns out they’re nowhere near the level of a Deputy Commander without the Grand Anti-Demon Magic. What we really need to be wary of are the heroes.”

Blas’s assessment was indeed accurate.

S-Class Adventurers were even lower in level than Pasma, let alone heroes.

“Heroes…? Did a hero who died hundreds of years ago reincarnate or something?”

“Havito mentioned that a black-haired man in a town called Secul is said to possess magic comparable to mine.”

“Ha! Hahaha! You mean the Demon King himself?! That can’t be—”

Peremus laughed heartily, then abruptly halted when his eyes met Blas’s.

“Does it sound like a joke?”

“…No, it doesn’t.”

He quickly lowered his head.

Despite the minuscule difference in their ranks, Blas was the one who had defeated Peremus and claimed the position of Demon King.

He couldn’t afford to provoke Blas even slightly in fear of losing his own life.

“Once the reorganization of the demon tribe is finished, we will invade the human world. By then, you shall kill that hero.”

“A hero…?”

“If you don’t believe me, it would be better to check it out yourself. Don’t you think?”

Blas intentionally provoked Peremus’s pride. He knew how obsessed Peremus was with strong opponents.

It was much more convenient to make Peremus deal with the hero than for himself to confront them directly, and should Peremus fall to the hero, Blas judged it would be easy to kill him in a weakened state.

“That makes sense.”

Peremus’s lips trembled upon hearing Blas’s words.

Although he barely managed to suppress his excitement in front of the Demon King, it was impossible to hide it entirely.

His muscles began to twitch as if they were bursting with organic movement.

‘Hehe, a hero. If there’s a hero capable of defeating the Demon King, I can hardly wait to see how much pleasure it brings me.’

“Manage your body while also reorganizing the state of your troop.”

“Understood.”

After listening to Peremus’s response, Blas waved his hand to issue an order.

Hiding his smile until the very end, Peremus exited the Demon King’s audience chamber.

As soon as he emerged, what caught his eyes were a pale-faced Havito and a lifeless blonde woman.

“…Havito?”

“Ah, isn’t it Lord Peremus? Are you well?”

“Hmph. I’m not in such a state that I need your concern. But what’s with that woman?”

“She’s the child I intend to use as my Deputy Commander. She will become the next Succubus Queen, you see. I thought I should report that she’s nearing completion.”

“Are my eyes deceiving me?”

“Oh, that’s because she’s experienced despair beyond what a human can bear.”

Though Havito spoke nonchalantly, the despair he had inflicted on Stella Forna was not something a human should have to endure.

He had suppressed every desire a human could have—hunger, elimination, sleep, and lust—resulting in the worst kind of despair.

No one treated a slave this way, but Havito had neither guilt nor conscience.

He continually suggested to her that all this was brought upon by human beings, deepening her despair toward them.

Every time her despair towards humans amplified, he rewarded her by relieving some of her suppressed desires, yet forced shame onto her that a human could not bear.

By making her eliminate herself in front of others or engaging in perverse acts in public, he gradually caused her to forget the shame a human might have.

To become a perfect Succubus Queen, the emotion of shame had to be completely eradicated.

“You’re a madman.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Havito grinned.

Seeing a handsome face committing such acts, Peremus clicked his tongue and walked away.

Havito murmured as he watched Peremus’s back.

“If I can be of help to the Demon King, I’ll do anything.”

*

That night.

As we were finishing dinner at the inn and each spending our time freely, Maria sat on my bed and spoke up.

“By the way, Teacher, must you meet that woman? I don’t see any reason for a private meeting.”

Maria said with uncertainty. The other heroes also wore somewhat dissatisfied expressions. What’s wrong with you all?

“Do you still doubt me?”

“No, it’s not that… But going to a grown woman’s room, especially at night… isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

She wriggled her fingers, flapping her ears, while her elf ears, peeking through her hair, turned completely red.

Ah, so Maria didn’t like the idea of me visiting another woman’s room at night, huh?

…Why? Could it be she likes me?

To be honest, I was still uncertain about whether her feelings were liking or love, but I was genuinely grateful that she cared about me.

“Do you know the easiest way for other races to achieve Slave Liberation?”

Tina raised her hand confidently.

“Me! Burning down the royal palace!”

“No, Tina.”

“Wasn’t that it?”

Iris asked back, surprised.

What on earth, are you planning on going off the deep end since you’ve gained power? Please, think normally.

“So, what is it?”

Maria asked, hinting at her curiosity.

“It’s for someone sympathetic to other races to become Emperor.”

“Well…”

“Right. Princess Seri is that person. She’s the only one in the royal family willing to accept other races.”

It was such an unexpected revelation that they widened their eyes in surprise. Even Ariel looked over with a similar expression.

“However, Teacher, you only met Princess Seri at the New Year’s party, and this is your second time, right? How do you know that?”

“Well… I happened to find out.”

I couldn’t say I learned it through an artifact, so I brushed it off vaguely.

“Anyway, I intend to become a ‘force’ that supports Princess Seri, who is willing to accept other races, to become Emperor.”