My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 93

“Are you okay, Praus?”

Seri asked, fidgeting with her clothes until they showed signs of wear.

The princess, dressed in a formal suit made from fine cloth similar to what Duke Tori was wearing, was quite restless. For Seri, who rarely wore pants, this outfit felt unfamiliar and a bit awkward.

“You look pretty.”

“R-really?”

Her face turned red as she twisted her golden braided hair.

After a quick once-over, I called for a servant.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Lord Praus.”

A beastman servant who was organizing the dressing table turned to me.

“I’d like you to tie her hair in a ponytail. It’ll look much neater that way. Since her hair is long, gather it at the top instead of the bottom.”

I moved behind Princess Seri and gathered her voluminous hair with both hands.

“L-Lord Praus?!”

She seemed noticeably flustered and turned her head to look at me. I ignored her reaction and continued speaking to the servant.

“This position looks good. Use a hair tie that has as little decoration as possible.”

“Understood.”

The servant brought several simple hair ties and searched for a color that would suit the princess’s golden locks. The chosen one was blue.

Her hair, now tied up, revealed her fair neckline, and she appeared much more refined. She looked pure and innocent.

“How do I look?”

“You look much better.”

Seri beamed with a bright smile.

“By the way, Praus.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you wearing formal attire instead of a dress?”

She asked, subtly brushing her hands against the black pants she was wearing.

“It’s for the atmosphere.”

“The atmosphere?”

“Until now, no women have attended the nobility meetings. There’s this culture that questions a woman’s presence. If she shows up in a dress, it would only highlight her femininity.”

“Femininity…”

“In simpler terms, it becomes a subject of mockery. The nobility meetings are filled with old fogies.”

In the past, there was a strong oppressive culture that commanded women not to be involved in men’s affairs, and this world was no exception.

Therefore, for a woman like Seri, attending a noble meeting was an unprecedented event in the empire’s history, sure to draw everyone’s attention.

And if she were to make a ‘bomb declaration,’ it would surely attract all kinds of attention.

“Technically, I’ve attended these meetings since I was young. But calling them old fogies outright feels off.”

“Sounds like it stings a little.”

“……”

A wrinkle formed on his forehead. I let out a chuckle.

“I’m just joking. Over these past two months, while going in and out of the Duke’s residence, I haven’t gotten that feeling from you. It’s probably thanks to the flexibility gained from accommodating other races.”

“When you think about it, you seem to know a lot about nobility for a commoner.”

“I just learned from listening to the stories.”

“Stories? You mean those writings commoners churn out as fantasies?”

You could just say they’re novels, but such a long-winded negative explanation.

“…Something like that.”

“A waste of parchment. It’s better to train and become a knight during that time.”

“Not everyone has a talent for strength. If all the citizens of the empire had talent for strength, who would want to be farmers?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

Anyway, I was finally ready to set off after Seri.

“Let’s head out. To Pretéum.”

The heroes had already been sent to the border between the empire and the demon tribe. I had asked Ariel to lead them, so I doubted anything major would happen.

They had made remarkable progress in just these last two months.

Especially, Tina was evolving rapidly. She was becoming much more agile and sharper.

According to Iris, Tina was venting her frustrations from having fought on par with Ella by taking down most of the monsters on her own.

If she kept up this momentum, it wouldn’t be long before the heroes were classified as A-Class Adventurers.

Everything was flowing smoothly.

However, what slightly worried me was that with Princess Seri attending the noble meeting today, it meant that Chris’s targets for control would include not only the princes but also Seri.

In other words, this meant that if Chris ascended to the throne, he might kill not just the princes but also Seri.

Perhaps this situation could happen even before his ascension.

Moreover, since the engagement issue got sidestepped because of me, the Crown Prince would surely be accumulating significant anger.

But I wasn’t too worried.

I looked at the red spirit hovering beside me.

[What’s the matter, my friend?]

“…I have faith, Pasma.”

[Don’t worry. I’m always ready to fight.]

“Right.”

With the Sword Master’s power and the artifacts ‘Glass Ring’ and ‘Red Gem Necklace’ brought from Todiah Territory, I truly felt secure.

*

The noble meeting was set to take place in an annex built inside the imperial palace.

“It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Seri muttered, gazing up at the palace’s city wall. I stood beside her and replied.

“Indeed, it’s been a while. I’ve been away for two months.”

“By the way… it really turned out just as I said, didn’t it? I honestly didn’t think you would become my guard knight.”

“Just for today.”

“Will you not do it for the next noble meeting?”

The noble meetings only occurred once a year.

I believed it would be sensible to send heroes who were gradually becoming stronger as their combat capabilities increased. They wouldn’t falter no matter where they went, after all.

However, the problem is that there was no one to oversee the heroes.

Though Tina was human, she still had a rather naive aspect, meaning there was no one to guide them should anything happen.

Iris and Maria harbored grudges against the royal family because they were from other races, leaving far too many imperfect elements.

In truth, they were only able to keep them in check because they thought I was strong, but realistically, if they went on a rampage, I was uncertain whether I could control the heroes.

Therefore, I was left with no choice but to follow her lead.

“No. I’ll play the role of guard knight during the noble meeting.”

“Fufufu. Thank you.”

Seri smiled sweetly as she slyly leaned against my arm. Just as she was about to try holding my hand, Urka interjected.

“Praus!”

“…What is it, Urka?”

Urka, who had come along as Duke Tori’s guard knight, glared at me in annoyance.

“When did you get so close to Princess Seri?”

“…I don’t know if we’re close, but we became comfortable with each other by being together.”

“Why won’t you play with me?”

Do you even know how busy I’ve been?

Heroes who insisted on having me serve them meals because the duke’s food was bland, the Spirit King who griped about not being let speak to Pasma at night, and the princess who wanted me to stick by her whenever she achieved something—what a mad whirlwind it had been.

…Come to think of it, those were all rather trivial matters. What did I even do for the past two months?

The only things I felt good about were finding artifacts in Todiah Territory and fostering the heroes. Even that was largely their doing rather than mine…

“That’s a childish question.”

“It’s not childish. And somehow, Princess Seri… the way she looks at you is becoming weirder. It’s as if—”

“Let’s just drop it there, Urka.”

A chilling voice pierced through my and Urka’s ears. Despite the spring weather drawing close to summer, I felt a wave of cold wash over me.

“Please don’t cause any trouble.”

Though she smiled, it didn’t resemble a genuine smile.

Her eyes were wide, but her mouth merely curved up slightly, leading to a truly eerie grin.

“Ah… y-yeah. I-I’ll drop it.”

Urka flinched and slowly backed away. His tail fur bristled.

The look in the princess’s eyes drew a line of tension.

“Thank you.”

“Have we shared enough stories? Can we go in now?”

“Let’s go in, Duke Tori.”

Duke Tori asked as he observed our conversation, to which Seri answered. Urka pointed at the princess as two of them walked ahead.

“What’s with that expression?! Praus, did you see the princess’s expression? Didn’t it give you chills?”

I glanced between Urka’s fidgety demeanor and Seri.

…No way, right? It can’t be ‘that kind of attribute,’ can it? No way.

*

We stood before the meeting room door of the annex where the noble meeting was being held, thanks to the Movement Magician waiting at the entrance of the imperial palace.

“Once you enter, you’ll meet the noblemen who arrived early. They might already be chatting. Oh, and the Crown Prince arrived early today.”

“Understood.”

“And… no, never mind.”

For a brief moment, the magician’s gaze shifted to the princess. He mumbled something and then backed away.

Given that he worked at the royal family, it would be impossible for him not to gather information about them.

It was likely that he had questions about her, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“Come on, let’s go in.”

Duke Tori led the way. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, I spoke up.

“Don’t be nervous, Seri. Most of the nobles attending the noble meeting are below you.”

“Y-yeah.”

She sounded stiff, likely because she was nervous.

Being in front of others made her seem frightened.

“Don’t worry. I’m right behind you.”

“!”

As I said this, I watched the door slowly open wider. Glancing sideways, I noticed Seri looking up at me, seemingly surprised.

Her round eyes gradually narrowed, turning into a gentle smile.

“…Yes!”

The door fully opened to reveal a large round table surrounded by nobles engaged in discussion.

The moment Duke Tori stepped into the meeting room, many turned their gazes toward him.

“How have you been, Duke Aus?”

Someone began the greetings, leading to a flurry of formalities exchanged in the meeting room.

Seeing the majority of the nobles bow their heads with handshakes made me realize just how high Tori’s position was.

They were addressing him casually without a trace of formality. What a remarkable position that puts me in.

“It’s been a while. Crown Prince Chris.”

“…Yeah.”

I could already sense the tension between Tori and Chris.

As the nobles started to feel the unwelcome vibes between them, someone absentmindedly spoke up.

“Is that…?”

“Huh?”

“W-who is that?”

Questions emerged from the nobles’ lips.

The gazes of those inside the meeting room fixed on a woman who had just entered behind Tori. Her golden hair was flowing gracefully.

“It’s nice to see all the familiar faces. I’m glad to see you all.”

While the nobles were in a daze, the first to react was none other than the Crown Prince, who sat at the head of the table. He rose swiftly.

“Why… why are you here…?”

Chris’s eyes widened, his voice becoming agitated.

“Seri! How can you…!”

“I just wanted to learn a bit more about the world, dear brother. I don’t want to keep being a useless royal locked away, only following your words forever.”

As Seri flashed a relaxed smile, Chris ground his teeth in frustration.

Observing their starkly contrasting reactions made me smile internally.

Here begins the change!