My Disciples Think I’m Strong

[Skill ‘Intimidation’ is activated.]

“What are you… Ugh!”
“Didn’t you hear me?”

I took a step towards him. I tried to open my eyes as wide as possible, but my facial muscles wouldn’t move.
This Poker Face skill is really useless as hell.

“Kugh! Ugh!”

Still, regardless of my expression, it seemed the intensity of my Intimidation increased, as his body started convulsing.

“Sp, spare me… Ugh!”

The man crouched down.
Unable to continue speaking, he pleaded with his expression while grabbing his neck.

‘If I leave him like this, he might actually die. Was I too intense?’
“Pathetic. Unable to even resist.”

Please, speak properly.
Don’t provoke him, he’ll die. Because of me.

It seemed that while I couldn’t show any emotion, I could instinctively regulate the intensity of my Intimidation.
Intimidation’s intensity was supposed to change according to my mana, right? But how much mana did I even have? I couldn’t feel anything at all.

“Khuaah!”

As I turned my gaze elsewhere, the man finally inhaled and let out a pained groan.

“Haah… Wh, who are you…?”
“None of your business. My business isn’t with a bug like you, but with this one here.”

I looked at the fox-eared girl.
As my gaze fell on her, this time the fox-eared girl flinched and trembled. Her face showed far more fear than when she was being beaten.

“Get away from her.”
“Ye, yes?”
“Get away from that girl.”
“But… she’s my slave—”

‘You talk too much. For real.’
“Open your mouth one more time, and I’ll kill you.”

As I looked at him again, he immediately went limp.
I walked over to the fox girl.

Her red eyes were consumed by fear. Likely due to my Intimidation.
I looked down at the girl with white hair and fox ears. A white tail could be seen near her tailbone. It was currently dirty from rolling in the muddy ground, but it would surely be a beautiful white once cleaned.

Still with the plump cheeks of a ten-year-old, she looked very young. This little girl would grow into a beauty in the future, as beautiful as the Imperial Princess.
I looked forward to how she would turn out when grown up.

“You’re swollen.”

Her face, arms, wherever she had been beaten, had already started swelling. No bruises had formed yet, but the reddened areas would likely turn purple in a few hours.
I should buy a potion once we enter Pretium.

“Don’t, don’t touch my slave!”

Just as I was gently reaching for her injuries, the man shouted.

‘If you were so scared, why didn’t you run? Stay about a hundred meters away if you’re afraid.’
“Come any closer, and I’ll kill you.”

I warned him, then looked back down at the fox girl.
She was wearing a tattered t-shirt that seemed to have been mended countless times. I slipped a finger under the collar and lifted it slightly.
Just below her collarbone in the center, a slave brand was visible.

“How vile.”

I muttered in disgust without thinking.
The fox girl and I made eye contact. She trembled as tears fell, and a faint ammonia smell wafted up.
The muddy ground must have hidden it, but it seemed she had urinated from my Intimidation.

“Vi, vile?! An, anyway, she’s my property, so gi, give her back!”

Ignoring the man’s protest, I took out a piece of jerky and water from my bag.

“Open your mouth.”
“Eh…?”

Unlike humans, her sharp fangs were bared like a beast’s. I stuffed the jerky into her open mouth, then placed the water in front of her.

“Don’t cry. I won’t hurt you.”

At my words, she looked up at me blankly. Her face was still stiff, but she didn’t seem to be trembling in fear like before.

“Wha, what are you doing?!”
“How much?”
“What?”
“How much for this slave?”

I looked at him. He let out a small groan and took a step back.

“Hah? I’m, I’m not selling her!”

He put on an unnecessary show of defiance.
With only misplaced pride left to match his status, he stubbornly refused. Quite irritating.

“So… you won’t sell her?”
“Th, that’s right!”
“Then how about double?”
“What?”
“I’ll pay you double what you paid to purchase this slave.”

I spoke while extending my index and middle fingers.

“Double…?”

He gulped. Despite facing my Intimidation, his eyes changed when money was involved. He didn’t seem like the same person cowering just moments ago.

“Bu, but still—”
‘If he refuses this too, I’ll have no choice but to kill him.’
“Don’t even think about refusing. If you do, I’ll kill you right here.”

Reluctantly, I pointed my sword at Polder and glared at him with all my might.
Since I had spoken those words, I had to follow through with action. A bluff only works when words and actions align.

“Kughh!”
“What will you do?”
“I’ll, I’ll se, sell her…”
“Good. Hand over the slave contract. And I’ll need to meet the slave trader who introduced me to this child.”

I spoke while relaxing my gaze.
There were two conditions to release a slave.

The first was to burn the existing slave contract.
The second was to go to someone capable of using dispel magic, including the slave trader, and have the slave brand removed.

Only after fulfilling those two conditions could the slave contract be nullified.

“The, the slave contract is at my house.”
“I see. Then let’s go there immediately.”
“Wa, wait a moment…”
“What is it?”
“Before that, I’d like to confirm if you really can pay the money.”
“…How much did you buy her for?”
“Twenty silver coins.”

Twenty coins? That was enough for a common household to live on for two whole years.
Her appearance must have inflated the price quite a bit.

Then if I had to pay double, that would be forty silver coins.
I had enough money to pay that amount, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of regret. Moreover, since I needed to purchase another hero at an auction, I had to be mindful of my funds.

“Here it is.”

I took out two gold coins from my money pouch and showed them. One gold coin was worth twenty silver coins, so the calculation matched perfectly.

“You, you really do have the money. Ve, very well. Let’s go.”

I put the gold coins back into the pouch and turned around. I spoke to the fox girl, who was still crouched down.

“What’s your name?”
“Ai, Iris…”

The fox girl hesitantly muttered her name.

“I see.”

Luckily, it matched exactly.

Iris, the greatest shield hero of humanity.

That’s how she was described in the game.
However, contrary to that description, the actual weapon she wielded was not a shield, but a sword.

She was a hero specialized in a fighting style that blocked everything with a sword and delivered lethal counterattacks.

“From now on, I’ll be your master.”
“I, I’m…”
‘I know. I know who you are.’
“I’m not interested in your introduction. Get up.”

As rude as the words coming out of my mouth were, I felt like slapping myself in the face.
Hearing my curt tone, she struggled to stand up. She subtly covered her lower body, seemingly self-conscious about her accident.

Since I couldn’t give her spare clothes immediately, all I could do was look away.

“Ah, I almost forgot to ask something important.”
“Yes?”

Polder, who had been walking ahead, stopped in his tracks.

“Just to be sure, but you haven’t raped this child, have you?”
“No, no! I bought her because the trader said demi-humans made good labor regardless of gender. And I was told virgins fetch a higher price when reselling later… so I was preserving her.”
“So you intended to resell her eventually.”
“As you can see, with her looks and being a virgin, I’ve heard I could fetch triple the price after she matures and I resell her.”

It was an understandable reason.
It was fortunate this person was a rational human being.

‘If you had done anything vile to a young child, I truly wouldn’t have forgiven you.’
“You’re lucky. If you had raped this child, I would have beheaded you right here.”

Polder gulped.
It would have been ridiculous for me, who hadn’t even swung a sword once, to make such a threat.

“Let’s go.”

“What’s this?”

Those were the coachman’s words upon seeing Iris, dirtied from rolling in the mud, with bruises all over her body from being beaten.
He had the look of someone with a lot to say.

Unlike the modern world with properly established laws, even in this medieval era with a slave system, people still had basic human decency, so such a reaction was understandable.

‘I don’t want to explain why I bought this child, so it’s better to just brush it off.’
“I know you have something to say. But just be quiet.”

I spoke nonchalantly with my arms crossed. I didn’t intend to speak in such an overbearing tone, but the meaning got across, so it should be fine.

“You shameless brat!”

…I guess not?

“Praus, you went to Pretium to buy a slave?! With the money your father Paroco worked hard for… And a young child, at that!”
“Stop your nagging. Let’s just go to Pretium.”
“You brat, if Paroco finds out about this, he’ll—”

Whether my father finds out or not.
In Praus’s memories, ever since becoming a butler, his father had never once returned home, only sending money every month.
That meant he essentially didn’t care how I spent the money.

Of course, I didn’t intend to waste the money Paroco had provided. This money would eventually become the foundation for saving the Empire in the future.

“Mind your own family business. I have my reasons for spending it.”
“…Alright, I got it.”

As I glared at him, the coachman abruptly turned his head forward. It seemed he lacked the courage to face my Intimidation.

“Get on.”

Polder climbed onto the carriage. I grabbed Iris, who was struggling to get on, by her armpits and lifted her up.

“Ah… Th, thank you.”

I waved dismissively and got on the carriage myself.
The carriage started moving, passing the windmill construction site and arriving at Pretium’s massive gate.

“What is your business here?”

A faint golden sheen on the armor.
A crest resembling a phoenix emblazoned on the chestplate.
An aura of fortitude no less than other martial artists.

Even without being told, it was clear the gatekeeper belonged to the Imperial Knights.

“I’m the coachman Delma from Secul.”

The coachman showed his identification.

“Ah, Mr. Delma. It’s been a while. What’s in the carriage?”

So the coachman’s name was Delma.
Delma introduced his cargo, including his reason for entry, to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper nodded and granted us entry.

We safely entered Pretium.
Honestly, I wasn’t awed by the sight of Pretium through the gaps in the canopy.
I had already seen massive buildings in the modern world, which even boasted more advanced technology.

If anything, the only thing that made me pause was the Imperial Palace visible from the entrance.
Its sheer scale was far grander than the castles I had occasionally seen in photographs from the modern world, so I couldn’t help but gaze at it.

“Is this far enough?”
“You worked hard.”
“Damn brat. Are you my superior to be talking down to me? I want to rip out your tongue. So when do you plan to depart in a few days?”

It seemed he could withstand my Intimidation if I didn’t exert any power into it. He still flinched whenever I raised my hand, but there was nothing to be done about that.

“I’m thinking about two weeks.”

The hero to be sold at an auction would be in one week from now.
Before then, I planned to acquire the second hero as well. When I returned to Secul, I intended to have all three heroes together.

“Two weeks… That’s a long time. If I leave first, find another coachman.”
“I will. Go on, Polder.”
“Uh, um, don’t look at my face when you speak, okay? It, it makes me uncomfortable when you look like you’ll kill me just by making eye contact.”

‘Uncomfortable? Hah, how ridiculous.’
“It’s probably better than the devastation brothel women feel when looking at your mug during sex?”

“……”

He didn’t say a word until he got home.
I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to roast him that harshly.