My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“Nngh…”

It had been a long time since I woke up feeling so well-rested. As I stretched and was about to get out of bed, there was something puffy right next to me.

…What’s this?

I lifted the blanket.

There was Urkha lying down, her pink cat ears twitching as she stared intently at me with narrowed eyes.

“Did you sleep well? Good morning, Praus.”

She gave me a sly smile. Her slender tail swished back and forth, expressing her curiosity. Why was this girl here?

“…I have several questions. May I ask?”
“By all means. You can do as you please with me now, can’t you, Praus?”

She spread her arms wide as I stared at her in disbelief.

The thought process and behavior of this adult woman showed a complete lack of prudence.
For reference, Urkha’s initial age setting in the game was thirty-five. But this was six years earlier, so she should be around twenty-nine.

“Stop that and answer my question.”
“Okay. What is it?”

She listened attentively with a soft tone.
Only Urkha would smile even after being told to ‘stop that’.

I hope her background didn’t include something like, ‘masochistic tendencies’ or ‘nymphomaniac’.
If so, I might need to give her a reality check.

“Why are you here this early in the morning?”
“Hmm. Just because?”
“…What’s your purpose?”
“I wanted to see Praus.”

I sighed at her blatant overture.

“That’s not a purpose.”
“Is that so? Then… there’s something I want to ask Praus.”

She stated a plausible purpose.
Sitting up, she looked at me with a somewhat serious expression.

“What does Praus think about other races?”
“I don’t think anything special. Is there a reason I should think about that?”
“I see…?”

She pursed her lips, seemingly unsatisfied with my answer.

“Then what do you think about Iris or Maria?”

It seemed like she wanted a specific answer. She was subtly trying to lead the conversation in a certain direction.

“They’re adorable children. Since I’ve already liberated them from slavery, I just hope those children can live without any worries. That’s about it.”
“You liberated them from slavery?”
“Yes. Since I purchased them and removed their slave brands, wouldn’t that liberate them from slavery?”
“But you’re not human? Why would you…”
“I don’t understand. Why does it matter if I’m human or not? Doesn’t everyone have the right to enjoy freedom?”
“So Praus… doesn’t really care about things like human or beastkin?”
“Isn’t that just obvious?”

Honestly, there are too many uneducated people in this world.
Beastkin and elves are such fascinating races. Aren’t they wondrous beings that can only be found in this other world?

Of course, those who have lived in this world would be unable to empathize. In this world, the existence of such races is ‘natural’.

“Then, um…”

Urkha fidgeted, twisting her hair as she hesitated.

“Would you be able to ‘marry’ me too?”

…Huh?

I unintentionally parted my lips slightly. If I didn’t have the Emotionless Mask skill, I would have gaped and said, “What nonsense is this?”

After all, Urkha and I didn’t have any particular connection, and we had only known each other for a few days.

If someone I had just met suddenly proposed marriage, wouldn’t the obvious response be to refuse?

“It, It doesn’t mean anything. I’m just asking.”

I understand. I know why she asked this question.
She had already been rejected once before, hadn’t she?

It was clear she said this as a means to judge whether I was someone she could trust or not.

‘It’s not like I can’t do it.’
“I can.”

If a human and a Spirit King can be together, why not?

“Really?”
“Why not? It doesn’t matter if the other person is a beastkin or an elf. The only exceptions are if the other person already has a lover or is a married woman. Other than that, I don’t care.”
“I’m not Tori’s lover, nor am I a married woman.”

She leaned in as she spoke. I pushed her face away, creating some distance.

“I’m not interested in such things. So what are you really trying to ask? Surely you’re not actually proposing marriage to me.”
“I was just checking if Praus is someone I can trust.”

Well, I had expected as much…
But she was still so naive.

If she didn’t have Duke Tori and couldn’t have grown into an S-rank, she might have ended up selling her body on the streets.
Or become a slave, living each day without any hope.

“That’s a meaningless way to check. Humans can lie as much as they want for their own benefit. I’m no different.”
“Don’t worry. I judge people based on what I see and feel from them.”

That line sounded familiar.
It reminded me of when Iris had advised Urkha, and she had dismissed it by saying something like this.

“But even those feelings you sense can be calculated by humans. You shouldn’t trust so easily.”
“However, someone who speaks that way doesn’t seem like they would deceive me. They have no reason to say something that would be detrimental to themselves.”
“Exploiting even that psychology is what humans do. Don’t trust humans too much, Urkha. That’s all I can tell you.”
“…When I listen to Praus, it feels like you know everything about me.”

It wasn’t a lie.
I did recall thoroughly reading through her setting materials and every line of dialogue, just to check if she would be helpful for completing the game.

While Urkha appeared later, she was quite a popular character among fans.
There were even unofficial claims that she was a virgin, circumstantially.

If there was one flaw, it would be that she ends up dying while protecting Duke Tori until the very end in the Demon-Human War.

“You’re one of the 7 strongest in the Empire as an S-rank adventurer. Of course I would know about you.”
“How should I put it… it’s not just officially known information… it feels like you know the past I’ve lived, the flaws I don’t want to show anyone.”
“…I see.”

I neither confirmed nor denied it.

“Praus.”
“What is it?”
“If I said I want to trust you, what would you say?”
“I’d call you a fool.”
“What?!”

I gave that response as I got out of bed.

“Why? I’m saying I want to trust you. Why would that make me a fool?”
“Trust isn’t something that can be achieved just by saying it.”

Anyone could say it with words.

In this world or the world I came from, purity was a sin.
Because the existence of that purity could make those around them suffer.

“Then does that make Praus a liar too?”
“If a situation arises where I have to lie, I won’t hesitate to do so.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then… I’ll try trusting Praus.”
“What a fool. Do as you please.”

If she didn’t listen properly even after I explained, that was her own fault. There was no need for me to get angry or repeat myself several times.
She would just have to take responsibility for her own actions.

I gathered a change of clothes and a towel, intending to leave the room.

Grab!
Urkha, who had approached unnoticed, grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

“…Praus, can I ask one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“You told me yesterday. That someday, I would live to see the day when slavery is abolished and other races can live equally with humans.”
“Yes.”
“Do you really think the slave system will be abolished?”
“It will.”
“When? Tori said the same thing. That he would abolish the slave system. But he couldn’t do it. For over twenty years, I’ve been… subjected to false hope… Do you really think it will happen?”

I sighed and muttered in response.

“‘Ten years’.”

“What?”
“Exactly ten years from now, when the Empire’s year reaches 1000, a great upheaval will occur in the Empire. Wait for that time.”

The Second Demon-Human War breaks out in the year 1000 of the Empire.

It was the final chapter where the four Demon Lords were defeated and an all-out war against the Demon King took place.

After the Empire had to rely on the power of other races during the Demon-Human War, their standing rapidly rose, allowing them to break free from the Empire’s oppression to some extent.

There, Duke Tori negotiated with the other races, playing a major role in abolishing the Empire’s slave system and returning the territories of other races.

That’s why Duke Tori couldn’t die in the Demon-Human War. Not that Urkha could die either, but still.

“Ten years…”
“Yes. Ten years.”
“…Is that a lie to reassure me? Or are you being sincere?”
“Instead of asking me, wouldn’t it be better to simply watch and see if my words are true or false?”

After all, as a beastkin with a longer lifespan than humans, couldn’t she just observe the future without being impatient?

With those final words, I opened the door.

“Uwah!”

Thud!
The kids came tumbling down. Behind them were Aerial and Dex, awkwardly scratching their cheeks.

“Even the idiots are here, huh.”
“W-Well, as expected of Lord Praus… You knew we were eavesdropping all along.”

He outright admitted to eavesdropping. Where did he get such gall from?

I gave them a disdainful look before heading towards the bathroom.

“Thank you, Praus.”

Just before I closed the bathroom door, Urkha approached and spoke.

“Sure.”

I closed the bathroom door.

The Demon Realm.
Despite sharing the same Pysis Continent, this area had a unique violet-black aura.

The same sky, sea, and land felt as alien as being in a different world altogether.

In this place stood a building like the imperial palace of Pretium, a landmark signifying the center of the Demon Realm – the Demon King’s Castle where the current Demon King resided.

“Demon Lord Habito.”

On the highest floor of the Demon King’s Castle, in the throne room, a black-haired man seated on a massive chair called out the name of the man kneeling before him with his head bowed.

“Yes, Demon King.”

The man immediately responded.
He was a pale-skinned man, almost white as a sheet.
Dressed in luxurious silk robes that only Pretium’s nobility would wear, he was a being known in this world as a ‘vampire’.

“When do you intend to retrieve the candidate to become a subordinate Demon Lord that you mentioned?”
“I plan to give it a few more months. The more humans taste despair, the more desperate they become, you see.”
“…I see. But we may not have that much time.”
“Has something happened, perchance?”
“A hero has been born.”

At the Demon King Blas Wail’s mention of a hero, Habito was taken aback.

“Pardon?! A hero, you mean the one who defeated the previous Demon King…?”
“It may not be that. However, there is no doubt they will interfere with our plans to conquer the Pysis Continent in the future.”
“I suppose we won’t have the leisure to let them mature fully. I will retrieve them immediately.”

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Habito bowed his head even lower.

“Do so.”

Heroes.
What kind of existence were they?

They were the ones who had killed the previous Demon King, the very symbol of terror.
It was mere humans who had accomplished what no one in the Demon Realm or Spirit Realm could.

Ever since, the demon race trembled at the mention of heroes.
Was it any wonder that in the Demon Realm, if news spread that heroes had descended, they would close their eyes and await obliteration?

Habito left the Demon King’s throne room and summoned his subordinates.

“You called, Lord Habito.”
“We depart for the Pretium Empire immediately. Though not yet fully matured, the time has come to create a Succubus Queen.”
“Understood. We will prepare at once.”

As his subordinates left, Habito gazed out the window of the Demon King’s Castle. Looking up at the violet sky, he quietly recited:

“It’s been a while since I’ve visited the world of humans. While I’m at it, I should check what kind of heroes they are.”