My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“There will be a brief carriage inspection.”
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, it’s a special order from the Duke. We’ve been instructed to inspect any carriages entering the city of Aus. We’re searching for someone named ‘Praus’ and ordered to bring them directly to him if found.”

A drop of cold sweat trickled down my spine at the voice coming from beyond the tent flap.
Ah, those damn adventurers, did they blab so quickly? More importantly, how did they learn my name?

“Hmm. With this, the information about Lord Praus being the Sixth Sword Master loses quite a bit of value. What a pity. It was rather valuable information.”

Dex clicked his tongue as the information he intended to sell was spreading. This guy was quite the greedy one.

“This is why I don’t want to breathe the same air as those with loose lips.”
“It’s for your own benefit, after all.”
“It’s only natural. Still, Lord Praus doesn’t go around blabbering my identity despite knowing it, so he’s trustworthy.”
“I don’t trust you at all.”
“Aye, we’ve been through thick and thin for over a week now, haven’t we! Hahaha!”

Dex’s vulgar laughter reverberated inside the carriage just as the tent flap suddenly fluttered open.

“Is Lord Praus here?”
“I’m Praus. What is it?”

I confidently rose from my seat. When our gazes met squarely, the gatekeeper flinched.

“…You’re not an impersonator, are you?”

It was Tina who responded to the gatekeeper’s question.

“Praus wouldn’t impersonate anyone.”
“Tina, it’s not ‘impersonate,’ it’s ‘impersonator.'”
“…Ah, I see?”

Tina scratched her head sheepishly at Iris’s correction.

“Then what’s an impersonator?”
“It means lying. About your name or identity, and such.”
“That’s really bad. Lying like that. If you lie, you get needles in your butt.”

Wasn’t this true innocence?
Surely no one meant it that way, yet my butt felt a prickling sensation for some reason.

Iris gave a wry smile at Tina’s innocent remark.

“In that case, Lord Praus, His Grace has summoned you. Could you spare a moment to speak with him?”
“For what reason?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked for what reason I was summoned.”

From his perspective, it must have seemed absurd for someone who appeared younger to speak so rudely.
But as a gatekeeper of the city, even if not a member of the Imperial Knights, he should be quite a capable knight, no?
Would I be alright?

“His Grace will explain that himself. Please come with me.”
“It’s not funny. If you don’t state a proper reason, I won’t go.”
“Does that mean you’re refusing His Grace’s order?”

Intimidation emanated from the gatekeeper. The others reached for their weapons before me.

“Since you’ve set foot in the territory of Aus, it would be wise to follow orders. Unless you intend to commit treason right now?”

‘Aye, of course not. Would I do such a thing?’
“I said I would go if I was properly informed of the reason.”
“To show such disrespect to His Grace! This is unforgivable—”

Before I knew it, Iris had her sword at the gatekeeper’s throat. It was a speed I couldn’t react to even if I didn’t blink.
The gatekeeper’s sword remained sheathed. He froze, merely rolling his eyes to look at Iris.

“I don’t know who you are, but if you draw that sword, I’ll kill you.”

Iris, your actions were impressive, but let’s not kill anyone, okay? You’re kind of scary.

“D, Do you really think this is alright? You people are—”
“It will be fine.”

The one who answered the gatekeeper was Aerial.

“Although it’s still a bit of a struggle, I could probably crush even a Duke right now. I did give you my weapon, after all.”

Aerial’s gaze briefly turned towards me.

“You! Are you openly plotting treason right now?!”
“To speak of treason before a Spirit King. Such an insignificant human nation.”
“Wh, What?!”
“Hey, if you raise your voice in front of me one more time, I’ll wipe out this entire city.”

As Aerial grew serious, the gatekeeper seemed to sense the ominous aura and clamped his mouth shut.

[Praus, get ready to restrain Eri.]
“Why?”
[She’s terrifying when angry.]

Was she that scary…?
The trembling in my voice suggested she truly was.

Well, as a Spirit King on par with a demon army commander, she could likely devastate an entire region with mere casual remarks.
But for me to be so rude and dismissive towards such a Spirit King…
…Could I really live a healthy life to the end?

“I don’t think I can restrain her if it comes to that.”
[Well, perhaps you could. Eri does seem to quite enjoy conversing with you.]

Wasn’t she placing too much trust in me?
While I had no intention of NTR-ing her, it would likely be awkward in various ways if I got involved.
Still, if the parties involved were fine with it, I had no room to speak.

“…Iris, stand down.”

At my words, Iris glanced at me and withdrew her sword.
The gatekeeper finally exhaled, though he remained tense.

“You lot are dangerous. You will never be allowed into the city of Aus. I will issue a ban.”
“What’s going on?”

Another gatekeeper holding a halberd approached.

“There’s someone here named Praus, who His Grace is searching for, but those in the carriage have been deemed dangerous individuals, so…”
“I see. In that case, we can’t let the carriage in. It would be troubling if we let such dangerous people into the city and they caused a terror incident.”

We had to enter, at least to obtain the artifact.
They really did say a careless word could incur a debt of a thousand coins. What suffering was this useless skill causing me, truly.

But once the words were spoken, there was no taking them back.
So now, we needed evidence to explain why we had come here.

“Dex.”
“Yes. Ah, if you ask me to deal with them, I could, but I’d rather not take on such a dangerous task if possible—”
“Enough nonsense. Show them the wolf ears. I’ll leave the explanation to you.”
“Ah, those, you mean.”

Dex clapped his hands, then retrieved a pouch from his luggage and held it out to them.

“What’s this?”
“The ears of the wolf monsters that were in the Brihi Forest.”
“What?!”

At Dex’s words, the gatekeepers opened the pouch. Seeing the dozens of ears inside, they gulped.

“Then you… no, you’re the ones who dealt with the monsters in the Brihi Forest?”
“Come to think of it, the adventurers did say the Sixth Sword Master had dealt with the monsters.”
“While their speech is crude, they don’t seem to be bad people.”

Dex spoke to the gatekeepers with a smile. If you’re going to compliment, just compliment. Why insult too?

“Look at these children too. Aren’t they pure?”

Iris had already pointed her sword at the gatekeeper’s throat, so such sentiment was poisonous at this point.
However, separate from that, the clear evidence seemed to give the gatekeepers pause.

“It seems best to bring them to His Grace first.”
“But you said they were dangerous?”
“Still, if we turn them away on our own accord, we could be reprimanded.”
“Ah, man. This is just the kind of headache I hate.”

The halberd-wielding gatekeeper scratched his head before looking us over.

“If you promise not to cause any trouble, I’ll permit you to enter.”

The gatekeeper reluctantly spoke.
The only person who could respond normally was one.

“Very well.”

Dex grinned as he answered.

Somehow, we managed to enter Aus.

“I’m going insane, insane! Praus! No matter how strong you are, what kind of madman picks a fight with a Duke?!”
“I didn’t start it.”

My unruly mouth acted on its own, contrary to my intentions.

“Lunatic…”

Delma shook his head as he stared straight ahead.
The carriage moved according to the knights’ guidance. The knights watched us rigidly, not fully dropping their suspicion.

Still, the carriage’s speed had slowed significantly upon entering the city, allowing ample opportunity to observe the streets.
Sights unseen in Pretium were visible in Aus.

The number of beastkin and elves stood out prominently.

They seemed to interact and coexist quite harmoniously with the humans, without any outward unsightly appearances. Save for the occasional beggar, that is.

Iris and Maria couldn’t take their eyes off the scenery. Dex glanced at them before speaking.

“The territory of Aus seems to be quite a livable place for beastkin and elves who lost their homes in the past massacre.”

At his words, Iris and Maria looked at Dex.

“Why is that?”
“So my kind aren’t slaves here?”

Dex shook his head at Maria’s question.

“They are slaves. Due to the Emperor’s decree mandating slavery for other races, even the Duke had to comply. However, this place is far more livable for other races compared to the capital or other regions. Masters who take in slaves of other races must guarantee their right to survive as people. Acts that deprive them of basic rights, such as denying food or preventing them from bathing when filthy, are strictly prohibited.”
“You seem quite knowledgeable?”
“I’m quite well-versed when it comes to the Empire.”

He answered my question with a casual smile before continuing.

“Anyway, aside from that, there are also masters who pay their slaves or grant them vacations.”
“But they’re still slaves in the end… Their freedom is taken away, and they can’t live as they wish.”

Dex fell silent for a moment at Maria’s words.

“Since ancient times, when wars were waged, the defeated nation would be annexed by the victor, and the people of that nation would inevitably become slaves.”
“That’s because you humans arbitrarily attacked—!”

Maria rose from her seat, about to confront Dex. Everyone in the carriage looked at her. Aware of their gazes, she bit her lower lip and sat back down.

“This may not be much consolation, but I’ve heard that Duke Aus was the only one who defied the Emperor’s wishes and opposed the massacre.”
“!”
“Apparently, since most of the Empire’s southern regions are part of Duke Aus’s territory, there was frequent interaction between beastkin and elves in the process of governing those lands. It was also on the Duke’s orders that adventurers and the knight corps were sent to support you when you were attacked by monsters.”

That’s right. He was the most upright nobleman in the Empire.
Despite holding the lofty rank of Duke, he devoted his utmost efforts to caring for those beneath him.

Thanks to that, the citizens’ loyalty towards Duke Aus was unquestionable, and the satisfaction with life in this city was higher than any other city.
—Or so the scenario stated.

“Duke Aus is someone who strives to show benevolence even to slaves, so meeting him won’t be a wasted encounter, Maria.”
“I see. There’s no harm in meeting him.”
“Master…”

He was a fair and rational person.
Yes, he was a good person to that extent.
Still, to summon us immediately upon our arrival was a bit much, no? Meeting such a highly-ranked person was daunting.

“We’re here.”

The carriage stopped along with the knight’s footsteps. I immediately disembarked.
Following the guidance of the patrol knight, we arrived at what was undoubtedly an expensive-looking tea house where a single cup of coffee would likely cost a gold coin.

If they asked me to calculate the tea cost, I would punch even a Duke. My fists were quite painful, you know?

“Enter.”

Jingle~!

“We’ve been expecting you. Lord Praus. And your companions.”

Upon entering the tea house, a neatly dressed middle-aged attendant placed a hand on his chest and bowed.

“I see.”

His dignified courtesy elicited my usual arrogant response.

“His Grace is waiting upstairs. You may proceed directly.”

Without waiting for our response, the attendant turned on his heel and walked ahead.

Observing his receding figure as he ascended the stairs, a blond middle-aged man in a flamboyant uniform and cloak rose from his seat as we reached the second floor.

The cloak bore the phoenix emblem I had seen countless times in the capital.

“This may seem rather abrupt, but might you be Lord Praus?”

He spoke while holding his head high.

‘That’s me.’
“It’s me.”

At my natural rudeness, the Duke blinked a few times before smiling.

“So you are the Sixth Sword Master of the Empire, Lord Praus! A pleasure to meet you. I am Tori Aus, the Duke of Aus. Welcome to my territory.”

Watching the sinisterly grinning Duke Aus extend his hand, I could only let out a sigh.