My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“…What are these?”

I looked at the three bags filled to the brim.
Tina’s bags were mostly filled with food like dried provisions including hard tack, bread, and fruit.
For Tina, who must have often suffered from hunger, food would have been more important than anything else. I could understand that much.

But did she really need to buy enough to last a month when a week’s worth would have sufficed?
Excessive rations would cause storage issues and become a burden.
We would be stopping by Aus to buy more food anyway, so buying this much would only lead to waste.

It seemed I would have to start by teaching them the concept of economy.

“Um… Should I return some?”
“No, it’s fine. But you must have had a lot of money left after buying just this, right? What did you spend it on?”
“I figured I couldn’t spend an entire gold coin, so I left some.”

She took out the money pouch and handed it to me. I accepted it and looked inside. There were still many silver coins remaining.
After securely tying the drawstring, I returned it to her.

“Okay. Use it whenever you need to.”
“Oh… You’re not taking it back?”
“I have no intention of taking back what I gave you.”

I shifted my gaze from Tina’s bags to Iris’s.
Iris had four bags.

Should I call it a perfect balance?
It gave the strong impression that she had only bought ‘necessities’.
Extra clothes, enough rations for a week, a sleeping bag and lamp for outdoor camping, and small weapons like daggers.

“Did you all happen to split up?”

Since Tina had bought so much food, I had assumed the others bought non-food items, but it didn’t seem that way.

“I thought it would be more time-efficient for each of us to buy what we wanted individually rather than going together.”
“I see.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling of wastefulness.

After sealing Iris’s bags again, I turned my head.
It was Maria’s turn.
I opened a bag. The first thing I saw were rolled-up pieces of parchment.

“What are these?”
“Magic scrolls.”
“Magic scrolls?”

Why buy those now?
I glanced at the other bag. Protruding equipment immediately caught my eye.
Swords and spears. It seemed she had bought various gear as well.

“Since you said we’d be hunting monsters, I thought I should prepare thoroughly.”
“Hmm.”

Maria’s intention was so blatant that I almost let out a wry smile.
It was obvious she planned to kill monsters, prove her strength, and ask to be taken as a disciple.

Still, it wasn’t a bad thing.
If she showed the will to fight monsters, she would surely awaken as a hero.
Of course, there was no chance of me accepting her as a disciple.

“Don’t cower when you see the monsters.”
“Th, There’s no way I would!”
“We’ll see how long you can keep that claim.”

The bag inspection was over.
With the clothes I had bought and the sleeping bags for the night, we should have no issues camping outdoors.

“We’ll depart early tomorrow morning. Prepare accordingly. If you want dinner, go downstairs and buy it with the money I gave you. I’ll be resting.”
“Understood.”

The children hurriedly left. They seemed honest with their instincts. I counted the number of bags to be loaded onto the carriage before diving onto the bed.

How long had it been since I had a good night’s sleep, really?
Thinking that I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly from tomorrow onwards brought tears to my eyes.

“Wh, Who are these children?”

He asks me about the three children who will become heroes, after observing them for two days while pretending ignorance.

“Don’t play dumb.”
“Ha, haha! Your words make me feel embarrassed.”

Dex awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“There are a few things you must follow before we depart.”
“What is it?”
“First, I won’t permit the Secret Garden to tail us. If anyone other than you… No, they’re already here.”

Those belonging to the Secret Garden placed absolute trust in their leader. They were like a cult, willing to sacrifice their lives for their leader.

This was largely because the leader understood their hardships better than anyone and helped alleviate them. Still, being willing to sacrifice their lives seemed insane.

“…As expected, you are quite formidable. I cannot let my guard down.”

At Dex’s words, members hiding in the shadows emerged one by one. My hunch was first-rate, it seemed.

“Woah, there are a lot of people now!”
“An amazing magic. I didn’t sense anyone around.”
“Did you notice them right away, Lord Praus?”

The heroes expressed amazement as they watched the members appear from the shadows.

“It was obvious.”

I glanced around at them.
Their attire was similar to Dex’s, just without the robes. They wore all-black outfits covering their entire bodies.

“Lord Praus, we apologize for our impudence. Please spare our lives.”

‘They think I’m going to kill them. But the feeling of being secretly watched is a bit unpleasant.’
“Would you spare someone secretly spying on your husband or wife?”

Here we go again. My absurd mouth strikes again.
The members who had lowered their heads towards me stirred. Unable to refute my point, they remained still like statues.

“Um, Lord Praus.”

Worried his subordinates might do something reckless, Dex stepped forward.

‘What, you weren’t going to say anything either? Let’s be reasonable, shall we? Reasonable.’
“I know you make a living through information. But don’t try to learn too much about me. You’ll die.”
“Understood.”
“Dex.”
“Yes.”
“I only permitted you to accompany us on this journey. If anyone other than you tries to follow, consider what might happen.”
“I understand. Disperse.”
“B, But leader!”

The members desperately protested.

“Don’t worry. This person isn’t as reckless as Inkuro.”

When did he observe me enough to be so confident? It hasn’t even been a full week since we met, hardly enough time to build trust.

“Moreover, this is an opportunity to obtain information on someone of this caliber. He must consider my level appropriate.”

Honestly, I’d prefer if no one followed me at all, regardless of rank. There was no benefit in others learning the information I possess.

However, since I couldn’t prove my strength to Delma, I had no choice but to bring him along.

“We wish you luck, leader.”
“Have a safe journey.”
“Don’t worry. With Lord Praus by my side, I can easily protect myself.”

This guy, is he trying to rely on me?
You’re the escort, not me. I’m the weakling, remember?

“I, I see. If it’s this person who even made an S-rank adventurer cower…”

Watching the members readily accept his words left me dumbfounded.
No, I only defended, right? What’s with this cowering nonsense?
The actual heroes and these people, just what kind of misunderstanding were they operating under?

Unable to speak my intentions due to the filtering, it was difficult to clear up the misunderstanding, which only compounded as it piled up, driving me to the brink of madness.

“Have a safe journey, leader.”

With those parting words, the members vanished. Witnessing their departure, Dex finally let out a sigh of relief.

“I’ve dismissed all the members.”
“It would seem so.”

As the surrounding presences disappeared, Tina approached me.

“Praus, Praus.”
“What is it?”
“Who were those people earlier? Could it be! Are you the head of some massive organization?”

The head, she says.
She asked with such pure, shining eyes that I felt compelled to answer, even reluctantly. Dex was also focused on me intently.

He seemed to view it as an opportunity to gather information, his expectant expression utterly ridiculous.

“Do I look like someone who belongs to an organization to you?”

Did she think an ordinary villager could join an organization?
Commoners should be grateful just to live safely until their deaths. It’s easy for them to fall into slavery, so the idea of being valued as talent was laughable.

I really should have been born a noble instead.
As I grumbled inwardly, Tina lowered her head.

“N, No, I guess not… S, Sorry.”

I felt bad for interrogating the child unnecessarily. I patted Tina’s shoulder and spoke as I removed my hand, an unconscious action.

‘I’m an ordinary villager without the ability or talent to join an organization.’
“I’m not the kind of person suited for organizations.”

Hmm. The nuance felt a bit off, but the filtering came out reasonably well.

“Unsuited for organizations… Could it be because he possesses a strength that organizations cannot handle…? If he can overwhelm even an S-rank adventurer, most organizations wouldn’t be able to accommodate him.”

I watched Dex suddenly mutter to himself. I didn’t know what strange delusion he was having with that serious expression, but I wished he would stop.

“Dex.”
“Yes! Lord Praus.”

‘I can’t exactly tell him to keep his eyes closed throughout the escort.’
“…I dislike attracting men’s attention.”
“My, My apologies. Then I shall bring the female deputy leader, who is around my level.”

That’s not what I meant.

“She has large breasts. The kind that spill out a bit when you grab them. Lord Praus’s hands are smaller than mine, so they’ll feel even bigger to you.”

Seeing him make such an appeal, he must have overheard my preference for large-breasted women. But how did he know the size of my hands? You madman.

“…Never mind. In any case, I’ll request your escort services for a week. In exchange for exclusive information, handle any tailing from other groups as well.”
“Could it be… You even noticed the Black Light Falcons tailing us?”

The Black Light Falcons?
Was he referring to the Crown Prince’s exclusive assassination squad with the right of succession?

Had they already caught wind of me? That was too fast, wasn’t it?
The Black Light Falcons squad usually tailed S-rank adventurers—
—Ah, Inkuro was an S-rank adventurer too.

I felt a chill run down my spine. I really should have just bought Maria and returned quietly.
If word had reached the Crown Prince’s ears, the likelihood of clashing with the imperial family had increased.
In a situation where they were already troubled by the demons, after the spectacle with Inkuro, it was obvious they would try to use me.

“Lord Praus, while I can handle other groups, the Black Light Falcons will be difficult even for me. They are a monstrous group in terms of physical ability. If they were adventurers, they would all be A-rank.”

So that group was currently keeping an eye on me? How vexing.

“Does that mean you can’t handle it?”
“…Not that I can’t, but it will be difficult for me alone. Instead of that, how about you directly drive them away, Lord Praus?”

This guy must be insane.
Unlike other groups, if the Crown Prince issues an order, the Black Light Falcons will carry out their mission even if it means sacrificing their lives like kamikazes.
They weren’t the kind who could be easily driven away with Intimidation.

“Then deal with them if they become a threat to us.”
“I will do so. But please understand that I may need to request your assistance, Lord Praus.”
“…I suppose.”

I reluctantly agreed and turned away. I helped the children carry their luggage over to the carriage.
Was it because of the equipment? This was quite heavy.
Although the weight was considerable and straining, I somehow managed to load it onto the carriage.

“Th, Thank you.”
“No need. We’ll be using it.”

Pat.
I placed my hand on Iris’s head and spoke as I removed it. It was an unconscious action.

At my gesture, Iris’s ears and tail perked up, and her eyes widened. Tina, Maria, and even Dex beside her wore surprised expressions.

“How long are you going to stare? Hurry and load it up.”
“Ah, y, yes!”

After loading all the luggage onto the carriage, the children climbed aboard as well. Delma yawned and peeked into the tent before snorting derisively.

“Let’s go.”

Crack!
I whipped the horses, and they started moving with a “Hiiing~!” sound.
Thus began our first journey together with the heroes.