My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 7

I opened my eyes to the sound of sobbing. I glanced at the bed next to me.

“Sniff! Daddy… Sniff! Mommy…”

Iris was curled up and crying.

Reluctantly, I got out of bed. I was still tired from sleeping uncomfortably in the carriage, not knowing what kind of nuisance this could be.

“Iris.”

“Wha-what?!”

Just hearing her name made her spring up in panic.

Surely, she must have been hit every time she talked in her sleep by that guy named Polde. It’s truly unfortunate that the body remembers before the mind does.

“Be quiet.”

“I’m sorry!”

She hurriedly got out of bed and kept bowing to me. Watching her squirm, I casually tossed out a question.

“…Where are your parents?”

“Huh?”

“You were looking for your parents in your sleep.”

I already knew, but I asked anyway.

It was to confirm if it matched the past I knew of Iris.

She hesitated for a long moment, considering whether she should speak.

I calmly waited. For such a delicate subject, it shouldn’t be rushed. Even if she refused, I shouldn’t say anything about it.

If we get closer, she will naturally open up.

“…They died when the Empire attacked the Beastman village.”

“I see.”

This too was no different from what I knew.

Massacre of Other Races.

A horrific event that I thought was one of the Empire’s worst achievements.

The current Emperor of the Empire, Lupin Aiter Pretéum, had been displeased with the Beastmen and Elf tribes who had made their homes in the southern regions.

It was unacceptable that territories, which he believed should be under human rule, were dominated by non-humans.

In response, the Emperor issued sweeping suppression orders.

His command was to kill those who resisted, and enslave those who did not resist.

Thus, a one-sided suppression was carried out, and the Empire gained a vastly larger territory than before.

After the suppression ended, those who had not resisted became slaves.

Iris must have been among the victims caught up in that event.

“Don’t you resent it?”

“…You’re asking if I resent it?”

I nodded my head.

I knew that asking her was just a waste of breath.

However, they were in a position where they had to protect the Empire.

In the game, if even one of the Three Heroes died or if the Empire fell, humanity faced extinction at the hands of the Demon Tribe and a bad ending.

Considering the information we’ve gathered and the events that occurred, I thought this place wasn’t so different from the game.

“Why is it that every time Lord Praus speaks, I feel like you understand all my feelings?”

She looked like she was about to cry at any moment. Her frail appearance made me want to hug her.

“…So, which is it?”

“I do resent it. Truly. But I have no power, so even if I resent it… I have no choice but to endure.”

She clenched her fists tightly, her lower lip trembling as she bit it.

“I see. Understood. Grow stronger.”

If she resented something, would it be the Empire or humanity?

I didn’t want to ask that far. In the latter case, it meant I could die by her hands as well.

Still, the reality was that if I didn’t train her to be a Hero, we wouldn’t survive.

I turned away from Iris and lay down on the bed.

“…Iris.”

I muttered without looking at her. It was late in the early morning with the moon still up, so I figured she would hear me even if I spoke softly.

“Yes?”

“I’ll make a prophecy.”

It was information she didn’t need to know yet, but I wanted to give her a motivation to act more proactively.

“A prophecy, you say?”

“You will one day liberate all the Beastmen from slavery.”

“Huh? Me?”

“I hope that day comes soon. I’m curious about what a world would look like where Beastmen are no longer looked down upon.”

“…What do you know, Lord Praus? What do you see in me that makes you want to help?”

“That’s all I can say. Now sleep.”

“…Yes, Lord Praus. I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep.”

I closed my eyes as I listened to the rustling sounds behind me.

*

I was on my way to buy a large bread and water for Tina.
I left Iris at the inn. She must have been quite tired, so I told her to rest. Despite her insistence to follow, she eventually agreed.

They said it would be near the marketplace.

As expected in a medieval setting, the marketplace was loud and bustling with people.

“Where is it?”

Just as I was looking around, I heard a clang! A clanging sound rolled to my feet. It was a metal bowl just about to break.

“I told you not to beg here!”

“I’m s-sorry!”

“Where the hell do these beggars come from? Damn it, get lost! You’re messing up my business!”

As I lifted the bowl, I saw Tina, who was being scolded by the merchant.

“Hey.”

Tina and the merchant turned to me at the same time. Tina’s shadowed face lit up with energy.

“What do you—!”

[Skill “Killing Intent” activated.]

I glared silently. The merchant flinched and closed his mouth.

‘Geez, there are things you should and shouldn’t say to a kid.’

“What kind of trash are you that makes kids beg? Is that how you make your living?”

Wait? I didn’t mean to say that much?

I was surprised by my own words, yet my facial muscles showed no sign of movement.

“W-what did you say?”

“Tina, come over here.”

“Yes! Yes!”

As the merchant stood there stunned, Tina scampered over to my side. I handed her the bowl.

“Ah, thank you.”

She accepted it with both hands.

“Seriously, are you just going to stand there and show off while letting kids beg? You scumbag?”

“Scumbag? Do you want to die?”

As I acted according to my words, I unintentionally tightened my grip on the sword.

This wasn’t the right timing for this.

We weren’t in a secluded area; we were on the outskirts of the market. Drawing my sword where people could see would be a bad idea.

In fact, as knights were patrolling, causing a ruckus could land me in jail.

“Guh!”

He narrowed his eyes. He seemed intimidated by my presence.

“If you want to live long, you better watch your mouth.”

While it was nice to cow him with just my killing intent, I couldn’t shake the feeling of creating more enemies. This could only work once or twice; it probably wouldn’t work on anyone even slightly assertive.

I had to come up with a countermeasure soon.

“I’m leaving.”

“Yes… yes.”

I turned around, and Tina followed me.

“D-don’t come back!”

The merchant yelled at me from behind, causing me to sigh deeply.

I led Tina to a bench in front of a fountain. As I sat down, she followed suit.

Tina was still wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday.

“Did you get hit yesterday?”

“I didn’t get hit. In fact, they praised me for bringing back silver coins.”

She said with a bright smile.

“Is that so.”

I gently placed some silver coins into the bowl she was holding, just like yesterday.

Her eyes widened as she looked at me.

“You won’t get hit today and be praised again.”

“Ah… um.”

“Why do you care about a beggar like me?”

Both Iris and Tina seemed to doubt my intentions, maybe due to their upbringing.

I wish they could accept my simple kindness without overthinking.

‘What can I say to help them understand…?’

“Don’t ask such trivial questions.”

“Y-yes…”

I savored my internal thoughts. Well, that’s just how my mouth is.

Every time I try to get closer, it feels like I’m pushed further away, making things twice as difficult.

I looked away and handed her the bag with the bread in it. It contained enough for the whole day.

“W-what’s this?”

“Eat. You must be hungry.”

“C-can I really eat this? Y-you’re not trying to kidnap me, are you?”

Kidnap? Is that something someone without a place to go would say to the guy who saved her?

Hearing rustling next to me, I turned my gaze back to Tina.

She placed the bag on her lap.

Glancing at me, she slowly reached for the elongated piece of bread.

Before putting it in her mouth, she looked at me once more, then started munching on it voraciously. She even pulled out some water from the bag and drank.

“If that’s the case, what would you do?”

“Cough! Cough!”

It seemed she choked on my question, causing her to cough repeatedly.

Once her coughing subsided, she looked up at me with a serious expression.

“Are you really trying to kidnap me?”

“No. Kidnap is not my intention. I just want to formally take you in. So, what will you do? Will you continue to cling to those thugs?”

Tina hesitated to answer.

Although I was kind (?) to her, she still had that fear of the familiar person who had hurt her in the past.

If I asked who she would choose between the two, most would naturally choose the latter.

No matter how much someone makes your life miserable, it’s human instinct not to want to step into the unknown.

“…I still don’t know. I truly appreciate your help. But… I’m just not sure if I can trust you yet.”

I felt a heavy sigh coming on but understood her perspective.

In a place where slavery thrived and laws were lacking, there wouldn’t be many with proper morals.

That’s why even the children lived their lives in doubt.

“Alright. I understand.”

“B-but I really appreciate you giving me money and food.”

Tina smiled and bowed her head. It was a quite endearing reaction.

Considering I had helped her in various ways, it only made sense.

“Go play for a bit and then head home.”

“Uh, wait!”

Just as I was about to get up, she grabbed my clothes. As I stared at Tina, she shrank back and removed her hand from my clothing.

“I-I’ll stay in the same spot as before.”

“Okay. Understood.”

With no hesitation, I left her behind.

Convincing her right now would only put more pressure on me. Honestly, I wasn’t persuasive enough for that.

Tomorrow, I hoped she wouldn’t come to see me.

I planned to follow her to find out where she lives.

At the same time, I wanted to observe how much violence was used when begging failed.

If things got too severe, I would have to intervene myself.