My Disciples Think I’m Strong

I merely glanced at his extended hand without grasping it. Embarrassed by my attitude, he clenched his hand and forced a smile.

“Why were you looking for me?”

While the Duke’s personality seemed a bit removed from typical nobility, it was unlikely he would urgently host a meeting like this without reason.
It was safe to interpret that he clearly wanted something.

“Ahem, Lord Praus. Please use honorifics when addressing His Grace.”
The attendant cautiously offered advice.

‘It’s not going as I intended. How about His Grace speaks informally to me as well, since it has come to this?’
“Shouldn’t you also lower your speech?”

There was likely no one in this world who would refer to a Duke as ‘you’.
They would be executed immediately, for no commoner would dare speak informally to a high-ranking noble.
Only someone with the Emotionless Mask skill like me could act so brazenly.

“Very well. I shall speak as you wish.”

He accepted it coolly.
Was it alright for a Duke to do so with a commoner like me?

Feeling the immense class divide between us, I wondered how he would react upon learning I was not actually a Sword Master.

Not only had I impersonated a Sword Master before a high-ranking Duke, I had even spoken informally to him.

Wouldn’t this warrant a life sentence of hard labor?

Suddenly, cold sweat began trickling down my back.

I absolutely couldn’t be found out. If exposed, I would die.
It wouldn’t simply end with a fine.

I would undoubtedly have my limbs torn off or be doomed to live as a slave for life.

It was already too late to claim I wasn’t the Sword Master, just an ordinary villager.
I had boldly spoken informally to one of the mere four Dukes in the Empire.

The unintended rumor had begun, and from this point on, I had no choice but to play the Sword Master until my death.

This was driving me insane.
Unless I disabled the Emotionless Mask skill, the thought of committing further rudeness, let alone informal speech, was making me feel faint.

“Have a seat first. You must be tired from your long journey.”
“…Very well.”
“Proprietor, bring this establishment’s finest desserts and tea.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”

As I became aware of the reality, everything started to feel burdensome.

The attendant descended, and the children took appropriate seats beside me.

…Beside me?

Tina and Iris had claimed the spots next to me. Maria and Dex were seated at another table, while Aerial seemed displeased as she fidgeted before finally sitting beside Tina.

“Why are you sitting next to me? There are plenty of other seats.”
“It is a disciple’s duty to protect their master!”

What was she going on about now?

“…Disciple? What nonsense?”
“Ah~ Since Maria called Praus ‘Master,’ I wanted to do the same.”

Please don’t do things I didn’t ask for?
I have no intention of accepting you as a disciple, you know? Naturally, the same goes for Maria.

Why were they constantly pestering an ordinary villager like me to be their master…?

“Lord Praus, I have proven my worth to you. Could you accept me as your disciple as well?”
“Tina, Iris. I have nothing to teach you. Don’t be swayed by Maria’s arbitrary ‘master’ talk.”

Whether I did anything or not, they would grow stronger with each encounter against the demons.
At most, I had intended to offer guidance for a few years to minimize their trial-and-error process.

However, that didn’t mean I would make them my disciples.
Did it make any sense for a mere villager to instruct heroes destined to save this world?

“You keep doing astonishing things, yet you won’t take disciples. Ah! Praus, could it be…!”

Tina seemed to have caught on to something, raising her eyebrows.

Had she realized I was weak?
I hastily moved to cover her mouth.

“You want to attract attention from others, don’t you?!”
“?”

What was this nonsensical talk?
I could only stare in bewilderment as she became excited, her eyes sparkling.

“I got it from that expression!”
“Pfft!”
“…Don’t laugh, Aerial.”
“Ah. Yes, you’re right. You intentionally showed the Aura Sword to the adventurers to attract attention to yourself, didn’t you? Kekeke!”

For a Spirit King tasked with guarding the world, she sure enjoyed taunting others in such an immature manner.
Oh, world.

“As expected, Praus is quite entertaining.”
“Am I a jester?”
“Oh! It suits you well.”

Aerial clapped and wholeheartedly agreed.

I really felt like hitting her.
…No, if I did, my wrist might get severed.

“Why don’t we form a circus troupe?”
“Shut it. I don’t want to waste time unnecessarily.”
“Kekeke. Understood.”

I averted my gaze from the casually laughing Aerial. Duke Tori had been observing her with interest.

“You seem to emanate a peculiar aura.”

That was Duke Tori’s impression.
Currently, she was suppressing her mana while dressed as a commoner, so to him, she likely appeared as nothing more than an exceptionally beautiful commoner woman.

“Heh. So this person has keen senses as well.”
“Who might you be?”
“I’m afraid I cannot tell you that.”

Look at that insolent manner.
Upon closer inspection, Aerial’s speech was just as crude as mine.

While my rudeness stemmed from the Emotionless Mask skill, her very nature seemed to be that way, making Aerial’s quality even worse.

[As expected of Eri. She clearly draws the line, making her trustworthy.]

I nearly let out a mocking laugh at Pasma’s words.
It seemed there were still some naïve ones here.

“Do you speak to me in such a manner because you don’t know who stands before you? If you’re trying to ingratiate yourself with Praus with such brash—”
“Don’t try to force human culture on me. You might end up dead, you know?”
“This woman…”

The atmosphere grew tense.
From Duke Tori’s perspective, it must have seemed like an ordinary commoner was disrespecting him.

“It might be better to just tell him, Aerial.”
“Aerial?”

At my words, Duke Tori paused briefly. He seemed to contemplate, as if searching his knowledge.

“…Could it be you’re referring to the Wind Spirit King, Aerial?”

I didn’t answer. Aerial simply shrugged her shoulders.
Seeing that none of us, including those who had accompanied her, denied it, Duke Tori’s face registered shock.

He immediately bowed his head towards her.

“My apologies. I failed to recognize the Wind Spirit King.”

No matter if they were a Duke or even the Emperor, humans were no match for a Spirit King.

While S-rank adventurers could band together and attempt to subjugate her, it was still a stretch.

To fully subdue her would require at least the strength of a demon army commander.
Or a hero who had grown powerful enough to devastate an entire continent.

“Could it be, Praus, that you’ve made a contract with the Spirit King?”
“It’s not—”
“Almost.”

Aerial cut off my words and spoke. I stared at her intently.
She looked at me with an ominous grin. Her snickering was starting to get vexing.

[It seems Eri has taken a liking to teasing you.]

Tease all you want, I suppose. This was fine.

However, it was best not to make such claims before the Duke.

He already mistook me for a Sword Master, so claiming I had contracted with a Spirit King as well, who knew what it would lead to.

Moreover, this was a city within Duke Aus’s territory that he governed. If he chose to spread rumors, it wouldn’t take long for word to spread throughout his vast lands.

And once it spread across these vast lands, no human in the Empire – no, the entire Physis Continent – would be unaware of me.

Shit. How did it come to this?

Was it from when I had decided to gather the three heroes?
Or when I killed Dingk?
Or when I blocked Incurou’s attack?
Or when I showed the adventurers the Aura Sword to drive them away?

I inwardly screamed in agony.

“Ooh! Lord Praus! So you had made a contract with Lady Aerial! That’s why she didn’t attack you despite your rude speech!”

Here was another oblivious fool adding fuel to the fire.

“Enough. You’re noisy.”
“As expected of the Master! The best!”

Tina made a fuss.

“As I thought, I wish to have Lord Praus as my master.”

Iris earnestly responded.

“When you said to use me, you meant as your disciple, Master. Keep your promise.”

Maria insisted.

With the three children being stubborn, I had no choice but to endure.

“Go ahead, Praus.”

With a snap of her fingers, wind enveloped Aerial’s body.
When the whirlwind subsided, she had long, flowing golden hair and a green dress, just as she had first appeared before me.

Duke Tori was greatly shaken by her transformation.
Having witnessed what he had been skeptical about, he seemed bewildered. Aerial, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care at all.

“As a Sword Master, you should be able to teach Tina and Iris a great deal. Moreover, you’ve even made a (verbal) contract with me, the Wind Spirit King.”

Why were the only people around me those who acted on their own accord?
Why should I have to bear the risks of taking these children as disciples?

From the very beginning, I was never a Sword Master.

It just so happened that I had temporarily borrowed Pasma’s power, and the ‘Unwavering Vengeance’ was a sword meant for Tina, not me.

Originally, I had intended to have Pasma teach Tina the basics of swordsmanship and the Mirage Waltz while she wielded that sword.

But then Aerial suddenly gave me the ‘Wind Blade – Aura’, rendering the Vengeance obsolete.

“Speak properly?”
[Or do you truly intend to contract with me?]

He used magic to transmit his words directly into my mind – telepathy.
While it didn’t seem like a joke, there was only one answer I could give.

“…No, I don’t.”
“Kekeke. I thought you would answer that way, Praus.”

She covered her mouth as she laughed.

“Not only did you contract with the Wind Spirit King, but your swordsmanship is also at the Sword Master level…”

Duke Tori covered his mouth as he muttered.

“It’s almost as if… the Sword Master who died decades ago has returned.”
[Is he referring to me?]
“Yes, Pasma.”

I answered without realizing it.

“Ah, Pasma. That was the name. While decades have passed, as the Empire’s last Sword Master, it’s only natural for a swordsman like you to know of me.”
[…The feeling of someone remembering me is more touching than I expected. If I had known, I truly should have taken at least one disciple.]

Pasma spoke with an emotional tone.

“With how noisy you are, even by my side, how could I not know?”
“Even now…?”

Oops. I had answered without thinking again.

“I see. So you were…”

He paused briefly before speaking.

“Pasma’s ‘disciple’ at one point.”

Pasma’s disciple? What was he going on about now?

“From what I know, Pasma never took a disciple during his lifetime. But seeing a Sword Master like you emerge, it seems the rumors weren’t mere hearsay.”
[This is a misunderstanding.]

Yes, it was a misunderstanding.

[Rather, Praus was my teacher. He perfected the Mirage Waltz that I couldn’t complete!]

No, what were you saying?

With so many people around, I couldn’t bring myself to retort at Pasma.

“In that case, why don’t you register with the Adventurer’s Guild? As a Sword Master who has contracted with a Spirit King, you could immediately become an S-rank adventurer.”

Become an adventurer?
What nonsense. The moment I officially registered, I would have to mind the higher-ups.

Especially if the Emperor gave an order, I would have to obey without refusal. The reason other adventurers didn’t mind was because of the substantial compensation.
But my situation was different.

I was weak.

“I have no intention of becoming an adventurer. Naturally, I have no desire to be embroiled in the pointless politics of the nobility.”
“…It seems you do not wish to step forward despite possessing such abilities. Well, you have plenty of time, so for now, relieve your stress with some sweet desserts.”

Looking behind me at his words, people in maid attire stood unperturbed.
In their hands were various types of desserts – cakes, cookies, macarons, all exceptionally sweet treats.

As soon as the Duke finished speaking, they moved into action, setting the desserts and tea on the table.

“Please, help yourselves.”
“Master! Master! Can I eat this?!”

Tina excitedly pointed at a chocolate cake.

“Ah, what a delicious scent.”

While Iris spoke calmly as if unaffected, her tail swished quite vigorously, betraying her composure.

“Ah, it looks delicious…”

Glancing to the side, I saw Maria swallowing in admiration.

“You may eat.”

At my words, the children began eagerly devouring the desserts. After observing them for a while, I turned my gaze towards Duke Tori.

“Then tell me what it is you wish to request of me. You’ve obtained your justification.”
“…It’s nothing like that. This is a pure gesture of hospitality—”
“Hah!”

I let out a derisive snort.

“A high-ranking noble like a Duke, the ultimate authority governing the entire territory of Aus, should clearly know that they wouldn’t have the leisure to personally meet a single person. It would be better to state your main purpose quickly?”

The smile on his face vanished at my words. After a momentary pause, he opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“I want you to defeat an S-rank adventurer for me.”

I see. Slowly, it was time for Aus’s greatest bodyguard to appear.
But for him to ask me to defeat an S-rank adventurer? Was he insane?