My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 76

“I’m off to the border area again.”

Ella said as she was leaving the mansion.

“I need to keep an eye on the movements of the monsters there for a few days.”

“Sure. Take care.”

I had nothing else to say. It wasn’t that I was completely devoid of emotion, but it was the best kindness I could offer her.

“…I’ll be back to Todiah in about two weeks. I’ll send you a signal with this then. You must come to visit.”

She handed me the Transmission Magic Scroll I had given to the princess. I nodded as I took it from her.

Anyway, I was planning to visit Todiah Territory.

There were quite a few useful artifacts in Todiah Territory. Notably, that was where Tina’s ultimate weapon lay.

And I intended to see the Water Spirit King, who lives hidden in the snowy mountain areas of the north.

Specifically, I planned to defeat the ‘Ice Spirit,’ the minion of the Spirit King, to have a chance to meet him.

“Alright.”

Although the reason for going to Todiah wasn’t entirely because of Ella, spending a day or two with her couldn’t hurt.

After all, the heroes were still young and probably wanted to have some fun.

“Then we’ll see you then.”

As I replied, Ella smiled brightly. Seeing her smile made my heart flutter a little.

“Um… you were amazing, Lord Praus.”

“Thanks.”

I patted her shoulder and turned away.

Ella stood outside the mansion, waving at me.

The heroes simply stared at her without returning the greeting. After watching her for a while, they all turned away at almost the same time.

Did they have a fight with Ella? Their reactions seem a bit chilly.

“How about we grab a bite before heading home? What do you all think?”

I threw the topic in the air to lighten the mood.

Regardless of my feelings, Duke Rexton had given me some money.

An impressive 800 gold coins.

He even expressed his thanks for planning to turn the Cartroad mining area into an industrial complex to generate profit.

It seemed he was still worried about the neutrality issue.

“No. I want to eat the food made by my teacher.”

“I also prefer what the teacher makes.”

“Me too.”

Is it a problem that my tongue has been corrupted by the seasoning?

In this world, seasonings are expensive, so most food that commoners eat is bland. It’s not easy to experience stimulating flavors, making my food taste relatively better.

Also, it might be that my cooking doesn’t suit the era’s background.

“Alright. Let’s eat when we get home.”

“But, teacher.”

“Yes?”

“That blue-haired girl… I mean, are you and Ella… a couple?”

It was an unclear question whose intent I couldn’t grasp.

I looked at Tina in confusion, then at the other heroes. Iris and Maria’s ears perked up.

What’s this? Their reactions are strange.

It can’t be jealousy from Tina…

Are they worried they might be neglected?

I did think that if I were to become a couple with Ella, I might be a bit indifferent to the heroes.

My priorities might shift.

However, no matter who confessed to me, I had no intention of dating anyone at the moment.

After all, I was tangled up in how to deal with the demons, and I had no time to focus on a romantic relationship.

“No. I turned them down because I don’t have the luxury right now.”

“I see.”

Somehow, this made them look a bit pleased. The other heroes looked similar.

It’s unlikely the heroes have feelings for me, but if by some chance they did, I would certainly reject them.

They’re still too young, and I thought it would be easier for them to connect with kids their own age for relationships.

“…So how about we go buy ingredients for dinner today?”

“Yes!”

Tina’s mood lifted instantly as she answered energetically. The others laughed and agreed.

*

“Whew…”

Rexton opened the window while puffing on his cigarette.

He watched the backs of Praus and his group, who hadn’t exited the mansion yet, and let out a long sigh.

“I thought I could easily squeeze money out of him for a comfortable life, but he suddenly brings up the Succession War.”

He recalled the conversation he just had with Praus and took a long drag. The longer he inhaled, the more smoke he exhaled.

The Succession War has been a topic of discussion among the nobles several times.

Depending on the outcome of the Succession War, many nobles would experience fortune and misfortune, so it couldn’t be overlooked.

Most opted for safety by supporting Crown Prince Chris, but some nobles chose other princes.

More precisely, they had no choice but to select different princes.

The nobles who chose other princes had been cast aside by Crown Prince Chris long ago.

And if they became emperor, they intended to strip those titles or execute them.

Thus, to survive, they had to reluctantly choose other princes.

They understood that losing this war would put their households at risk.

Yet an unexpected variable like Praus had intruded into the mix.

“A commoner becoming a force in the Succession War…”

Generally, it was impossible for someone who wasn’t even a noble to interfere in politics.

However, the Succession War was a different story.

The Succession War wasn’t politics.

It was a blood-soaked fight for a single throne, the position of emperor.

Because brute force would take precedence over diplomacy, it wouldn’t be strange for Praus to insert himself into it.

That’s why Rexton couldn’t help but perceive Praus’s words as a threat.

He started to consider the vague possibility that Praus alone could potentially topple Chris’s faction, as he gazed at the receding figure of Praus.

“If what Praus said is true, the tide of war will change.”

Thus, the information he needed to know immediately was, “Whose faction is he going to join?”

“It’s not the princess that he’s recently engaged to… So let’s exclude her. The second prince also has a good amount of power, but… I don’t have any information on whether they’ve contacted each other.”

As he pondered, he crushed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and rummaged through the drawer.

Inside were documents containing information about Praus.

He had gathered it specially, sensing something unusual about him ever since he caused a stir at Wyrang’s Indulgence.

“Plaus has visited the imperial family several times due to Crown Prince Chris. The only imperial person he has frequently interacted with is Crown Prince Chris. However, if Praus was going to join Crown Prince Chris’s faction, he wouldn’t have told me to maintain neutrality.”

After reading through the meticulously gathered documents, he sighed.

“I can’t know with the information I have. This must be the most recent data.”

Tap, tap.

He kept tapping his fingers on the table, then spoke up.

“Is there anyone out there?”

“You called for me, Your Highness.”

The butler, waiting outside, entered without any fuss. He smiled kindly as he looked at Rexton.

‘If it’s the butler, I can trust him.’

“Send a request to the Secret Garden. Investigate if Praus has met anyone in the imperial family and bring me the details. Money is no object.”

“Understood.”

“This matter must be kept to a minimum. Don’t let anyone else know, and I want you to handle it personally.”

“Understood. Your Highness.”

After watching the butler leave and close the door, Rexton recalled the scene of Praus subduing the Black Dragon.

After reliving the moment, he marveled once more.

“He’s really strong. It feels like watching a legendary first hero.”

‘That’s why I must never become his enemy.’

If this were to be presented in a noble meeting, it was easy to see how they would treat him. They would either be scared or say something absurd about using and discarding him.

Considering Praus’s position, Rexton thought it prudent to hide matters related to power as much as possible.

However, since knights and adventurers had witnessed the scene of him defeating the Black Dragon, it was impossible to conceal it completely.

So the only decision he could make was one.

“It’s best to keep the fact that Praus will participate in the Succession War a secret. That way, it will give me more freedom in my position.”

Rexton’s movement was slightly different from Praus’s expectations, yet his thoughts did not stray far from Praus’s intentions.

This could also mean that Economic Rexton began to regard Praus more highly than Crown Prince Chris.

*

In the southern part of the Demon King’s Castle.

A pale man was wandering through the wide corridor inside the smaller castle of the 4th legion commander.

He stopped in front of a certain door and pushed it open without hesitation.

Bang!

“Stella.”

Commander Habito called out to Stella Forna, the 5th ranked vampire, who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed.

“…Ah, Lord Habito.”

Stella scratched her disheveled hair and propped herself up.

“Now that you’re a demon, you don’t need to sleep much, do you?”

“Sometimes it’s just more comfortable to keep my eyes closed.”

“Is that so?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and gently caressed Stella’s cheek.

No matter how much she had become a demon, there was still a human scent lingering on Stella’s body, making her appear like potential prey to the vampire.

However, now that she was his subordinate, he had no intentions of feeding on her.

Suppressing his desires, he pulled his hand away and asked.

“So, what was it like? How strong is Praus?”

Habito recalled being overwhelmed by Praus’s killing intent while questioning Stella.

“…Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“Not sure?”

“You told me to keep a close watch on Praus, and I transformed through Manifestation, but his power felt strangely different.”

Stella had sensed the vast mana and weak physique when she borrowed Praus’s power through Manifestation.

“It felt strong yet weak at the same time.”

“What do you mean by that?”

That was the best expression Stella could come up with, but to Habito, it sounded incomprehensible.

She pondered briefly before continuing.

“…I could definitely feel immense mana, but utilizing that mana didn’t feel like it belonged to him.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Didn’t he actually use skills?”

“Yes. But it felt like he was using the magic force he possessed. I can’t explain it well. Still, it’s certain that his physique is no different from that of an ordinary person, so he seems unimpressive.”

“An ordinary person? But heroes are supposed to be exceptional physically.”

The confusion in information forcibly interrupted their conversation.

‘There’s some discrepancy, but still, Praus did defeat the Black Dragon alone. I should consider that his power is real.’

“I’ll take that for now. We’ll look into it further later. For now, just rest.”

“…Yes.”

As soon as Habito left, she lay back down again.

Feeling the cozy touch of the bed, she closed her eyes and recalled what she had just been thinking.

Should she live as a human or as a demon?

She murmured to the air, recalling Praus’s words.

“When the magic stabilizes, I’ll destroy Aioum Kingdom, which abandoned me, and make sure to kill you humiliatingly, Praus.”

You can look forward to it.

For a while, a low laugh resonated continually throughout the room.