My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“Gulp, gulp. Is Lord Praus going to accept that proposal? Gulp, gulp.”

Dex, seated across from me, asked while vigorously cutting into his meat. The gulping sounds were quite unpleasant.

“I don’t want to accept it. And don’t talk while eating.”
“Master, this is delicious too! Eat it. Go on.”

She speared a cube-cut piece of steak with her fork and offered it to me. Savory juices oozed out.

“Go ahead.”

After staring at it sullenly for a moment, I reluctantly put it in my mouth.

The meat was so tender, it seemed to melt in my mouth. It felt like I was finally experiencing proper cuisine in this world.

“Master! How is it?”
“I’m not your master.”

After retorting to Tina, who had eagerly asked for my impression, I looked at Duke Tori, who was dining at the head of the long table.

“Why aren’t you eating properly? If it doesn’t suit your palate, I can have other dishes prepared.”
“I feel hesitant thinking that everything I’m eating now is a ‘debt’.”
“Oh? Would you prefer something simpler?”

Iris, who had already popped a chunk of steak into her mouth, asked with a muffled voice.
…What were you saying?

“Eat as much as you want.”

I waved my hand dismissively at Iris and glanced at Maria, seated across from her.
Maria was silently eating while gazing admiringly at the food.

She seemed so innocent like this, yet her resentment towards humans was quite the problem.

“It’s my first time tasting such delicious food. To think I would even set foot in a ducal residence.”

Delma, seated in the corner, was even shedding tears of joy.
He seemed to be at the happiest point in his life.

Yet I felt this was the most miserable moment for me.

Gulp!

Dex swallowed the meat he had in his mouth.

“So, Lord Praus, do you intend to deal with the S-rank adventurer?”
“My apologies, but the request for Praus is not to ‘deal with’ but rather ‘subdue’.”

Duke Tori corrected Dex’s words.

That was understandable, given how precious that person was to him.
The reason Duke Tori was particularly considerate towards other races was because of that person.

The problem was that the person was Maria Gevra.
A beastkin who harbored immense resentment towards humans.

“You should know better than anyone how difficult it is to defeat an S-rank adventurer.”
“Which is why I’m asking someone like you, a Sword Master. You can wield the Aura Sword, which even S-rank adventurers failed to achieve.”

So that Aura Sword was fake, an equally useless skill like Intimidation.

I wanted to speak up. I truly wished to break free from this misunderstanding.
But would they understand the distress in my heart?

Gulp, gulp!
Slurp!

The sounds of eating echoed from all around.
Seeing them mindlessly stuffing food into their stomachs, I was at a loss for words.

Go on, eat up. Damn it.

“Take some more time to think about it. Don’t consider this meal a debt, but rather an investment.”

Make investments in someone worthy, will you? That’s just throwing money into the void.

If this man lived in the modern era, he would undoubtedly invest recklessly and go bankrupt.
He should be grateful for being born a noble.

“Wow~ There are so many rooms!”

Tina ran carelessly down the hallway. Iris and Maria were also looking around in awe.

“This annex is unused, so you won’t need to worry about others. I’ve summoned some servants, so you shouldn’t face any inconvenience during your stay.”
“Is there a reason to go this far?”
“That girl… ‘Urkha’ is all I need you to defeat. It’s all I ask.”
“…I’ll consider it.”

Consider what?
How could I, with my own hands, defeat an S-rank adventurer?

This was a problem that could only be resolved by the person directly involved. The power of a Spirit King or a hero could not be borrowed.

In the game, it was a request I could barely complete even after immensely powering up Iris. For him to give such a request to a weak human like me…
Damn it, what a hellish game!

“I hope you’ll think positively about it. I have some matters to attend to now, so I’ll take my leave. The servants will arrive shortly, so make yourselves comfortable for the next few days.”

He extended his hand towards me. I simply nodded. Retracting his hand awkwardly, he turned and left.

“Praus! Ah… I decided to call you Master! Master!”
“Don’t call me Master.”
“This whole place is ours for the next few days?”
“It’s not ours. But who knows how long we’ll be staying.”

Ah, request or not, I wanted to disappear right now.
The Duke’s considerate actions felt burdensome. The pressure to repay his expectations made me sigh involuntarily.

“Tina, don’t be so childish—”
“It’s fine for a child to act like a child. You too, Iris.”

I spoke to Iris, who was about to scold Tina. However, she shook her head defiantly.

“B, But the reason I’m sticking with Lord Praus is…”
“You’ve already proven your worth. Don’t needlessly tie yourself to me. I won’t abandon you.”

The words were mine, but the tone was quite crass. It was an unsuitable way to provide proper guidance to a child.
Would I end up becoming a villain like this?

As I inwardly lamented, Iris appeared relieved and smiled instead.

“…Yes. Heheh.”

Iris also began moving, peeking into the open rooms, seemingly contemplating which one to sleep in.

“Hmph! Just like children.”

Maria scoffed as she watched the two of them.
With her arms crossed and an uncomfortable expression, I tapped her head lightly.

Tap.

Startled by the sudden touch, she looked up at me with blinking eyes.

“You’re a child too.”
“D, Don’t treat me like a child. I’m practically a great mage capable of wielding all attributes.”
“A true great mage of your age could manifest any magic from all attributes.”
“!”

Of course, I was referring to the protagonist from another novel.
But you were still the protagonist of this game, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Just because you’ve awakened and can use some magic, you think you have the world in your hands? Don’t be arrogant.”
“…Yes.”

She bit her lower lip in vexation.

“And at your age, you should be more lively. I know you have a sorrowful past and the treatment you’ve endured.”
“If you know, you shouldn’t say such things.”
“But isn’t it different now?”

I moved the hand that had tapped her head to gently stroke her hair. Maria flinched at my touch before swatting my hand away.

“E, Even if I call you Master! It doesn’t mean I’ve given you my heart.”
“I don’t ask for that. You can use me. But it wouldn’t be bad for us to get along while we’re together.”
“I hate all humans. Enough to want to kill them. Yet you’re telling me to get along?”

‘Hmm, that’s a bit scary. For the hero I saved to have such a fate.’
“You? Me?”

What was this provocation?
There were so many better things I could have said in this situation.
Like, ‘But I want to be friends with you,’ or, ‘I understand your feelings.’ Plenty of options, really.

Was this mouth of mine born to be hated?
Shit. I really felt like crying.

As I stared intently at her, she snorted, “Kek,” and took a step back.

“N, Not now! But someday, for the prosperity of the elven race, I might even bring down the Empire. And if, Master, you stand in my way, we might have to fight—”
“That won’t happen.”

I cut off her words and spoke firmly.

“What?”
“Neither you bringing down the Empire, nor us fighting.”

If Maria brought down the Empire, it would undoubtedly lead to a bad ending.
The game scenario writer had intentionally twisted things to provoke conflict between characters, but this was an issue that inevitably needed resolution.

The best approach was to resolve the conflict with minimal violence, and for that, Duke Tori’s help was essential.

To abolish the Empire’s slave system and secure a territory where elves and beastkin could live, someone politically adept was indispensable.

And the most suitable person for that was Duke Tori – the only noble who was friendly towards other races and trusted by them.

“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“Why are you so certain?”

‘Because that’s the scenario.’
“Because that’s your fate.”

At my words, Maria’s eyes widened. So did mine.
Such a cringeworthy line had come out of my mouth!

“I… I don’t understand the meaning.”

As long as I followed the proper route, she wouldn’t end up massacring humans. While her resentment towards humans might persist, she wouldn’t oppress them.

“For someone destined to become a great mage, you don’t understand much.”
“Wh, What does being a great mage have to do with this?!”
“You’ll understand someday. So be careful not to stray down the wrong path.”
“The wrong path…?”

Maria’s voice lowered. Oh, had I misspoken?

“Humans have already taken the wrong path, so why can’t I?”

She grew serious as she confronted me, exuding a more intense intimidation than ever before.

“Is it okay for humans to massacre and enslave my elven race, but not for us? Humans were the ones who did wrong, so what did I – what did we do wrong? Ah, unlike the noble humans, is our mere existence the mistake?”
“Maria.”
“I’m truly grateful that you saved me from being sold into slavery. But Praus, you had your own ‘purpose’ too, didn’t you? We’re just using each other. Don’t overstep your bounds.”

Receiving the full brunt of a hero’s hostility made my body tremble. This was terrifying.

“If you don’t want to call me Master, then don’t. I can grow stronger without you anyway.”
“Maria, watch your words.”

Iris, who had somehow inserted herself between Maria and me, spoke up. Tina, who had been excitedly exploring the rooms, now stood by my side as well.

Both of them were the opposite of the innocent demeanors they had shown earlier.

Particularly Tina, who had a serious expression as she rested her hand on her sword’s hilt.
A faint intimidation emanated from her, suggesting she would unhesitatingly draw her blade if told to cut down Maria.

“What are you doing to Lord Praus?”
“Iris… Haven’t you come to your senses, even after suffering like that? You were a slave too, weren’t you? Why are you clinging to the human, Praus?”

Maria questioned Iris with an incredulous tone.

“Because he’s the only one in this world who has respected me.”
“What?”
“Because he gave me ‘freedom’.”

Iris’s matter-of-fact response left Maria briefly silent.

She understood Iris’s position.
That she too had been a slave, and an immense sum had been spent to rescue her.

“…That may be true, but… Does that mean we should just laugh and overlook what the humans, what the Emperor did to other races?”
“What are you talking about? My point was, why are you getting angry at Lord Praus?”
“What?”
“Your tone is undoubtedly harsh, and you give the impression of being inconsiderate towards others, but Lord Praus hasn’t done anything wrong to you. You should be grateful to him. For a lifetime.”
“What are you saying, you…”
“Regardless of the reason, he saved you from hitting rock bottom, didn’t he? If it weren’t for Lord Praus, wouldn’t you have been too afraid to even resent humans, let alone look forward to tomorrow? Or perhaps you wanted to die.”

Because once branded a slave, even suicide was not permitted.
Iris added those words as she gave Maria a chilling gaze.

“Iris, are you done talking?”
“No, not yet. Maria, don’t you realize that Lord Praus is looking out for you?”
“Looking out? He’s just using me.”
“Using? Pffft!”

Iris burst into laughter. The unexpected laughter seemed to freeze the atmosphere like ice.
Her laughter abruptly ceased as she grew serious and took a step towards Maria.

“So what have you done for Lord Praus, then?”
“What?”
“No, let me rephrase. What has Lord Praus ‘demanded’ from you?”
“That’s…”
“When he told us to prove our worth last time? Lord Praus already knew we could grow stronger.”
“S, So he was using us.”
“How does Lord Praus benefit from you growing stronger?”

Maria couldn’t open her mouth in response to Iris’s logic. She clenched her fists and stared at the ground.

Was Iris always this articulate? In the game, she had seemed quite taciturn.

“If you grow stronger, does Lord Praus grow stronger too—”
“That’s enough.”

I stopped Iris’s continued probing.

With the heroes still not fully grown, it would do no good for a fight to break out.
If they fought over petty matters and deepened their emotional rift, it could become a problem when facing the demons.

“…Understood.”

Iris let out a sigh and replied. Tina finally removed her hand from her sword as well.
While Tina didn’t say anything, an unusual aura emanated from her gaze.

“Maria, that was my mistake. Don’t dwell on it.”

Upon reflection, the problem was that I had failed to consider her past deeply and pushed the wrong button.

Yet my mouth couldn’t utter a simple apology.

“No… I’m sorry.”

Still, she seemed grateful for having been rescued.
For now, that was enough. At least this argument didn’t make her hate me.