My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 77

“Wow, Praus is quite the popular one, huh?”

Ariel pointed towards the villagers.

“Shut up, Ariel.”

Suddenly, a few villagers came to our house, asking if I was the one who took care of the Black Dragon.

In response to their curious reactions, I quickly denied it, but they told me there was an official notice posted on the bulletin board.

And now, Ariel, the Heroes, and I had entered Secul Village to verify the truth.

The villagers whispered among themselves as they made way for us. It felt like I was some kind of endangered species.

“Come on, no way.”

“Yeah, what kind of power could Praus possibly have?”

“But there was a seal stating it was directly issued by the Royal Family, you know?”

Upon hearing about the Royal Family, the villagers’ reactions shifted.

“Thinking back, didn’t we hear a lot of explosions around Praus’ house last year and the year before?”

“Could it be that he was hiding his power?”

“Maybe building a house on a hill was to conceal his strength from us?”

“Sounds plausible.”

With the Royal Family’s mention, public opinion began to accept that I might have indeed slain the dragon. The seal seemed to carry some weight with them.

However, I couldn’t care less about the interest of NPCs who weren’t even extras. Excessive attention would just be a hassle.

We headed straight for the bulletin board, our main purpose.

“…It’s real. Praus’ name is written here.”

Ariel said as she examined the parchment posted on the board.

“Birth of the Hero Who Slayed the Dragon.”

Now that was quite the grand title.

Below the title was a description along with my portrait.

The main content stated that I had defeated the Black Dragon, which even S-Class Adventurers couldn’t handle.

The content itself wasn’t bad, but seeing my name written so prominently irritated me.

Isn’t the content what’s important, not my name? I should really grab the collar of whoever wrote this.

“Haah.”

I sighed as I looked at the phoenix emblem engraved in the corner of the parchment.

Seeing that it was directly issued by the Royal Family, it seemed like they had started eyeing me.

I might really have to deal with some annoyances in the future.

Although proving I was stronger than an S-Class had made my position much easier, it was obvious that now I would be officially treated as a “Hero,” and those high-ranking folks would start trying to use me for their own purposes.

Of course, I had no intention of complying even a little.

While I quietly stared at the bulletin board, an elderly man approached me.

“Where have you been wandering off to? Catching dragons, I see?”

“…Delma, is it?”

“Given what you showed back then, I guess you could catch a dragon.”

Was he referring to that Shadow Storm?

I hadn’t used Shadow Storm to catch the dragon, but with that level of skill, I could have dealt significant damage to the Black Dragon.

“Why did you approach me?”

“I saw you passing by and thought I’d say hello. Got a problem with that?”

“Not really, but shouldn’t you be getting used to that tone by now?”

“……You’ve got no manners.”

Yeah, I shouldn’t be expected to get used to stuff like this.

“Is that something you should be saying, you damn bastard?”

Delma clenched his fists and trembled. Then he let out a sigh and looked at the Heroes beside me.

“By the way, you’re really raising these kids well. I was worried about what you’d do to them at first.”

The Heroes had grown significantly since I first brought them along. They were beginning to mature into young ladies, going through their secondary sexual characteristics.

Now that they were thirteen, they still looked a bit childish, but seeing them pretty already made me anticipate the coming years.

They’d surely turn out just as beautiful as the illustrations I’d seen in games.

“Yeah. They’re growing well. I want to help them grow into good kids.”

If they turned out poorly, I’d be the one in trouble.

“How could they grow well under someone with such a trashy attitude?”

“Are you insulting my Teacher now?”

Maria stepped forward, commanding the attention around her as she glared at Delma.

“……Look, the kids are pretty cheeky, huh?”

He cautiously glanced at Maria, then turned his glare back to me. I was definitely the easiest target.

But I couldn’t tolerate the implication that my teaching methods were flawed.

“That’s on you. How dare you call me trash?”

“You little punk! Where’s your conscience?!”

Delma was pointing at me and yelling when suddenly, out of nowhere, people appeared.

A robed magician and three knights in golden armor approached me slowly.

“Are you Lord Praus?”

“Not quite.”

The knight pulled out a parchment from his chest, alternating glances between my face and the parchment, then frowned.

“Please do not lie.”

“…What do you want?”

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered Lord Praus to appear at the palace. We are the knights sent to escort you.”

An order, huh…

Did you really think that no matter how strong you are, I wouldn’t have to obey the Emperor’s words?

Well, considering a citizen of the Empire had slain the Black Dragon, it wasn’t surprising that the Emperor would issue a command.

Besides, given my position, it would be more advantageous to comply with the Emperor’s command.

Unlike when it was just the Crown Prince, the Emperor was currently the ultimate authority. If things went wrong, the entire Empire could become my enemy.

That would be the worst-case scenario.

In any case, I couldn’t afford to make enemies out of the Empire.

So, I planned to get Princess Seri crowned as quickly as possible, but the timing still didn’t feel right.

‘What motive do they have for calling me?’

“An order? Is the Emperor stronger than me?”

Here we go! Filtering things my way!

“What?”

The knight looked dumbfounded. He shot me a look as if begging me to say I was just joking.

‘Why am I feeling uneasy about not knowing why they’ve called me?’

“I don’t take orders from someone weaker than me.”

Ah, shit.

“Whaaat?!”

The knights stared at me in disbelief. They exchanged looks briefly before cautiously speaking.

“Are you implying you would refuse His Majesty’s order?”

“…I’m just saying I can’t go without knowing anything.”

“Well. That might be… because the Emperor wishes to commend you for slaying the Black Dragon. Everyone, starting from His Majesty, is quite buzzing about your story.”

They probably thought I could be a wild card in the Succession War.

Like it or not, in war, the strong take precedence.

Even if I didn’t want to be cautious, I had no choice.

“Not something I really want to hear. Just because I killed a Black Dragon.”

“Just…! They say it takes seven S-Class Adventurers and the Guild Master to take one down.”

Can’t say they’re wrong there.

If all the best talents of the Empire came together for a hunt, they might manage to defeat it, albeit with great difficulty.
Of course, there would definitely have been victims in that process.

“Indeed, Heroes are different…”

“I am not a Hero. Do not call me that.”

The real Heroes were the kids standing beside me.

I felt that since I was taking the spotlight that should rightfully belong to these kids, it was only natural for misunderstandings to arise, but I was not the protagonist of this world.

“Understood. Since His Majesty is waiting, shall we go?”

“I’m not going alone. These companions are coming with me.”

“Hmm… Alright. But only Lord Praus will meet with His Majesty.”

“Sounds good.”

Once I answered, the knight finally seemed relieved.

“Let’s go right away.”

*

“…You may enter here.”

The Emperor’s audience chamber.

The grand entrance adorned with lavish decorations. In front of those doors stood two knights who looked quite formidable, acting as sentries.

Their gazes were sharp, as if trying to discern whether I was an impure element.

“Others, please follow my lead.”

Even under the knight’s command, my party stood still as if their feet were glued to the ground.

“Go on.”

“Teacher, are you alright?”

“…Who are you asking? Don’t run around and just stay calm.”

I gestured for them to stay put and turned my body. I discreetly adjusted the sword at my waist.

I had previously switched weapons with Tina. Currently, Pasma was right by my side.

[Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.]

“If anything goes wrong… you know what to do, right?”

[Don’t worry. Your body has adapted well. It won’t be a problem no matter what situation you’re put in.]

“Carrying weapons is fundamentally prohibited when meeting His Majesty. It’s best to leave them with us—”

“Then I won’t meet him.”

As I cut him off, the sentries frowned.

This wasn’t just a stubborn remark.

It was a subtle declaration that I intended to safeguard my rights. It meant I had no intention of obediently bowing my head to them.

“We still do not know who you are, Lord Praus. You could be a great man who will elevate the Empire or an assassin aiming to kill His Majesty.”

“If you don’t believe me, then don’t meet me. It’s a simple matter, isn’t it? I’m not the one losing out here.”

“Wha-What are you saying?! Are you really refusing His Majesty’s orders?!”

“What then?”

“I will proceed with forced execution!”

Shink!

The two knights drew their swords.

Considering they were sentries at the entrance to the audience chamber, they were likely quite strong knights.

But not as strong as a Sword Master.

Just as I was about to recite the Whispering Ghost skill while resting my hand on my sword—

“Stop!”

The tightly shut doors of the audience chamber swung open.

A woman with flowing golden hair stepped gracefully through the gap.

It was Princess Seri.

She looked much more haggard than when I saw her a few days ago, but her eyes held an odd glimmer of hope when they met mine.

“Stop it and come inside, Praus.”

“…Princess Seri.”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I see.”

I removed my hand from the sword and walked towards her. The sentries straightened up. Ignoring them, I continued to approach her.

I stopped directly in front of her.

Despite her small frame, she looked quite shriveled and wore a gloomy expression, giving off the impression that she was timid.

Ah, she’s still the same, this girl.

However, her gaze seemed much brighter compared to when we talked in her room.

It seemed like she had made some resolutions in the meantime. I must ask her about it before we leave.

“Let’s go in.”

“Alright.”