My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 85

“……What brings you here so suddenly?”

Chris was the first to step out to meet Duke Tori, who unexpectedly visited the Imperial Palace.

From Chris’s perspective, Duke Tori was one of the noble families he needed to be most wary of. He was the only noble who acted against Chris’s way of thinking.

“I have business to discuss. I have already informed His Majesty the Emperor.”

Duke Tori, completely taken in by Praus’s words, planned to offer his teachings to Princess Seri today.

He originally intended to invite those with expertise in teaching to educate Princess Seri, but they all refused for fear of incurring Crown Prince Chris’s wrath after teaching her—even his political mentor.

As a result, he had no choice but to come himself.

“Business… Could it be about the slave system reform proposal?”

“Oh, right! You rejected that, didn’t you?”

Duke Tori recalled Chris’s rejection of the proposal to reform the slave system for other races, which would only apply in his territory.

“I am aware of the reasons for your rejection, but I just can’t understand it. Since you’re already here, it would be great if we could discuss that too.”

Duke Tori forced a bitter smile.

“Then that’s not the main reason for your visit?”

“No, it is not.”

“Then what is it?”

“I came to provide teachings to Princess Seri.”

“What…?”

As soon as Chris heard Duke Tori’s words, his mind became a whirlwind.

Setting other thoughts aside, he couldn’t understand why Duke Tori was inclined to support Seri.

After being excluded from knowledge acquisition under the guise of marrying well until now, Chris couldn’t fathom the intentions behind the timing of wanting to teach her.

“What kind of teachings are you talking about?”

“Knowledge that a royal should naturally be aware of, such as politics, economics, and the general trends of the times.”

Since he had already mentioned it to Emperor Lupin, he candidly shared the information.

‘His Majesty seemed quite surprised when he heard. At the same time, he appeared intrigued.’

“What’s your reason for wanting to teach her now?”

Chris was already considering that this might signal Duke Tori’s intention to position himself as a future emperor candidate.

“Even I’m not entirely sure about that. I can only follow the request of someone else, you see.”

Duke Tori shrugged as he spoke.

“Someone else…?”

“Shouldn’t we move to the reception room if we are going to talk? It seems there are many listening ears in the hallway.”

“Let’s do that.”

Although Chris disapproved of Duke Tori’s hidden motives, he had no choice but to permit his entry.

*

“Is this the reason for your rejection?”

Duke Tori took out rolled parchment from his sleeve and laid it on the table. As he unfurled the string, the parchment spread out.

The content was as follows:

“Providing survival rights and financial support for living is understandable, but other races should be subjected to control. Even if they are housed in the Empire, it’s still hard to call the situation stabilized. Hence, if the standards for liberation from slavery are lowered, they could become a threat to the Empire, and thus, the proposal to lower the criteria for liberation from slavery is rejected.”

“Do you think there’s anything incorrect in this statement?”

Chris was resolute.

“It’s not that His Majesty’s words are wrong, but do you not think that they become a threat precisely because they are enslaved?”

‘It’s frustrating. Other matters may vary, but regarding other races, it requires imperial approval without fail.’

In fact, this had been in place long before Crown Prince Chris delegated authority to Emperor Lupin.

Not long after the massacre incident occurred, Emperor Lupin ordered each territory to provide full reports on how other races were being utilized.

That was to completely crush the will of other races.

Now, as the demon tribe had begun to stand out, the Empire faced new risks, and the treatment of other races had deteriorated considerably, as they were deemed useful in the battlefield.

“If that continues, other races will be concentrated in Aus territory. The problem of concentrated labor forces is significant. Additionally, as the number of those given slavery brands and subsequently liberated increases, the nation will inevitably become unstable.”

His words weren’t entirely wrong.

If a growing number of other races decided to destroy the Empire, it was indeed threatening.

However, he overlooked the atmosphere in Aus territory.

It was a surprisingly decent place for other races to live.

Rather than rejecting them, many were increasingly inclined to accept them, feeling sympathy.

Moreover, more and more other races were actually being liberated from slavery and creating households with humans.

Certainly, the anger from the massacre and the loss of their homes would remain in their hearts forever, but not all lived their lives staring at that event.

Instead, other races learned to adapt while living in Aus territory, understanding how to merge with humans.

If they worked diligently, they could be liberated from slavery.

Duke Tori had genuinely worked hard to improve the slave system to reach this point.

The previous heads of the Aus family were not considerate of other races like Duke Tori.

Chris felt exasperated, seeing only one side and failing to understand this.

“I believe they should at least be given a minimal home and freedom after we’ve taken their territory.”

“We’re already offering them considerable flexibility. I will not entertain any objections to this matter.”

Chris pushed the parchment toward Tori, sighing as he looked at the notice placed before him.

‘This won’t get through to him. If this is how he thinks now, then as emperor later, there’s no doubt other races won’t be well treated. Naturally, they won’t be happy about me trying to grant freedom to other races.’

“Then… may I ask just one thing?”

“What is it?”

As Duke Tori rolled the parchment back up and tied it, he hesitated for a moment about whether to speak.

If he said this, Chris would learn that he was allied with Praus.

Yet, he wanted to know despite the risk of this fact being uncovered.

He had told Praus he would support him, but his heart still harbored unease.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no chance for Princess Seri.

So he planned to clarify his stance through this question.

“Are you seriously considering making slave branding illegal?”

Making slave branding illegal would be tantamount to denying all the efforts Duke Tori had put into reforming the system until now.

“How do you know… No… Is it Praus?”

Chris’s brows narrowed sharply, an expression of hostility gleaming in his eyes.

‘In that case, it must have been Praus who told Duke Tori to teach Seri. That implies Praus is aligned with Seri.’

In an instant, Chris expanded his thoughts and reached a conclusion—he considered that he might need to eliminate Seri.

“Please answer me.”

Had it not been for Tori’s urgings, Chris would have been scheming to kill Princess Seri on the spot.

No matter how strong Praus was, it would mean nothing if Seri were to die.

“…What will you do if that is the case?”

“Is that… true?”

Observing Duke Tori’s unease, Chris responded with a light smile.

“So that’s it… Did Crown Prince Chris always intend to oppress other races from the start?”

“Correct. Rather, I wish to ask the Duke of Aus why you are so keen on protecting other races. Is it because of Urka?”

“Not anymore.”

‘I understand that I cannot make her happy.’

Duke Tori recalled the expression on Urka when she looked at Praus.

A face filled with sheer happiness.

Realizing that someone else could bring her that expression, which he had only seen in her childhood, brought him more relief than regret.

He had not been able to make her happy, so perhaps this time, someone who could keep Urka happy had finally emerged.

“I simply wish for other races to live freely and happily like humans.”

“I also wish I could grant them freedom and make them happy. However, other races remain a danger.”

“…The only thing I’ve done is to ally with Praus.”

Duke Tori stood up from his seat. There was no longer any hesitation. It was clear what he needed to do—teach Princess Seri to enhance her potential.

“Duke Aus, it seems you and I really do not get along.”

Chris had anticipated that Duke Tori wouldn’t join his faction, so he showed no particular emotional reaction.

“I think so too, Your Highness.”

In the end, he realized that Praus was correct.

Duke Tori stood up, bowed, and strode towards the reception room door. Just before he grabbed the doorknob to open it, he cast a sidelong glance at the Crown Prince.

“I hope we don’t cross paths again.”

“…Well, I can’t say for certain.”

With that final exchange, the two parted ways.

*

Knock, knock, knock.

“Princess Seri, Duke Tori Aus has requested an audience.”

“Yes, please come in.”

Princess Seri, who responded to the knight waiting outside, hastily gathered her hair and tied it up. She was trying to appear as respectable as possible.

Of course, tying it up wouldn’t necessarily make her seem respectable.

The door opened, and as she stood up from her spot at the table, she closed the book she had been reading.

“It’s been a while, Princess Seri.”

“Ah, Duke Tori, it’s been a while.”

“Have you been well?”

“Recently, I’ve been doing just fine.”

“My apologies for intruding.”

Duke Tori chuckled softly as he entered the room.

“This place is still so barren.”

“Haha… well, I suppose this kind of room is normal for me.”

Taking Seri’s self-deprecating tone seriously, he replied firmly.

“You shouldn’t say such things. You are someone who will become the Emperor. You must carry yourself proudly wherever you go.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Seri bowed her head under Tori’s admonishment. When she raised her head again, she cautiously asked.

“I’ve heard about the discussions, but… do you really plan to teach me?”

“Indeed. I’m also someone who hopes you become the Emperor.”

As Duke Tori said this, he glanced at the book titled “Fundamentals of Politics” resting on the table. It was something he had given her.

“Oh… this…”

Realizing Tori was looking at the book, Seri cautiously picked it up.

“It’s a book about the understanding of politics… Praus gave it to me.”

“Is that so? How far have you read?”

“I’m on the fourth one.”

“…What did you say?”

Duke Tori couldn’t believe his ears at Seri’s words.

It was hard to believe someone could get through such a thick book, which would be challenging to read even once a day, four times.

“Oh… Praus said if I memorized this all in one day, he’d make me a delicious dish.”

Her golden eyes sparkled with peculiar emotions as she smiled subtly.

“I really want to eat that delicious dish.”

She hugged the book tightly to her chest, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

‘And I want to receive plenty of compliments as well.’

“In that case, you should be able to answer most questions.”

“Of course.”

With Seri’s confident answer, Duke Tori thought that perhaps she might not be entirely without potential.

As he took the book from her, he suddenly remembered Praus and gazed out the window.

‘By the way, Praus said he was visiting the Todiah family because of the Princess’s engagement. I hope he is doing well.’

*

“Good to see you, Glair Todiah.”

“Good to see you, Glair Todiah.”

“Wait… Praus!”

“You bastard…”

‘I’m here to say something, but looking at your expression, it seems you won’t listen at all.’

“I won’t talk for long, so let’s settle this with a match.”

What the heck.

There must be a reason for acting this way only around higher ranks.

His Expression Management Skill was clearly trying to mess with me.

“What?”

Ah, I don’t even know anymore.

“The Todiah family only starts to understand each other after a fight, right? Bring it on. I’ll take you on.”