My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“I’ll buy you some clothes to change into, so wash up and rest for now.”

I immediately took her to an inn. Iris was covered in mud, so I couldn’t bring her anywhere else in that state.

“It’s, it’s okay. I can just wash and wear this.”

She grabbed the tattered t-shirt she was wearing. It looked like it would completely fall apart if tugged even slightly.

“It’s dirty and smells. Take it off.”
“Ah…”

Iris sighed.
Ah, that’s right, she had urinated on herself…
At my tactless words that lacked any decorum, Iris hung her head low.

‘Don’t tell me she’ll cry? She can’t cry.’
“If you cry, I’ll kick you out. I hate the sound of crying.”

Why doesn’t my mouth realize I need to watch what I say now?

Iris was no longer a slave.
Although she hadn’t awakened her hero’s powers yet, demi-humans were basically stronger than humans. Moreover, since she had worked at a construction site, her physical strength was likely better than mine.

She would definitely be hurt if struck. She might even cry.
The thought of a nineteen-year-old making a ten-year-old cry…

Hmm. An absolute taboo that must never happen.

‘Alright, I absolutely must not get angry at Iris.’
“I don’t like getting angry. Behave if you don’t want to get kicked out.”

Damn it. Telling a ten-year-old to ‘behave’? Really?

“Yes, yes! I, I won’t cry!”

Iris sniffled and hurriedly wiped her tears. She forced a smile, but her eyes were still moist.

“I’ll be back.”
“Yes, yes! Have a safe trip!”

She politely bent her waist. What kind of life did she live to make a ten-year-old act like this?
While I had already seen Iris’s past in the game, it seemed I would need to have a serious conversation with her at some point.

“The water and jerky are in the bag. Eat if you’re hungry. After showering, change into my clothes. It would be a bit unsightly if you wore nothing.”
“…Ah, I understand.”

I closed the door and left.

I just needed to buy some clothes and underwear for a ten-year-old girl, right?
Since the other girls would need to wear them too, I should buy multiple sets at once.

“Buying clothes for a slave…”

Iris blankly stared at the door Praus had closed behind him.

“And he didn’t hit me for smelling, either. Polder would beat me severely whenever I smelled…”

She muttered while sniffing her mud-caked, worn clothes.

“What a strange person…”

A strange person. That’s what Iris thought.
His tone was emotionless, and he released an intimidating aura every time he looked at her, yet his actions were considerate.

When she was scared, he gave her jerky and water, telling her not to worry as he wouldn’t harm her.
Instead of scolding her when she was in pain, he gave her a potion.
He bought her for double the price, only to immediately free her from her life as a slave.

Since he was someone she had never encountered before, it was only natural for Iris to find him strange.

‘What kind of person is he… What does he want from me?’

Iris knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
She expected Praus would undoubtedly demand something from her eventually.

“Come to think of it, he did mention something about being a virgin. Could it be…”

‘No, he didn’t seem like that kind of person. If that was his goal, he wouldn’t have nullified the slave contract… Then what is his objective?’

After pondering for a while, she eventually sighed. She couldn’t fathom his thoughts no matter how hard she tried.

“Still… he didn’t seem like a bad person…”

Iris turned towards the bathroom after thinking about Praus.
She intended to clean herself properly before he returned.

‘I, I even had an accident in front of my ma, master…’

As that thought crossed her mind, shame welled up, and her face felt hot, but she vigorously shook her head.

‘I just need to avoid making mistakes from now on. It seems my master is letting this incident slide. Alright, I’ll do my best.’

Although the slave contract was gone, she was still aware that she had been sold, so she was determined to obey Praus’s words, whatever they may be.
That had been her way of surviving until now.

There were no loose, casual children’s clothes like those worn in the modern era. Most were simply practical rags suitable for physical activity.

Of course, there were also more upscale places.
Stores selling luxurious dresses, casual wear, and clothes made of clearly fine silk. However, those places were frequented only by nobles, with prices in a completely different ballpark.

For now, anything suitable for the girls would suffice.
Moreover, since I needed to buy clothes for three people, I had no choice but to prioritize quantity over quality.

As I carried the heavy load back, I decided to take a slight detour towards the inn.
Since I was already out, I planned to meet the second hero who would be begging. Just to get a glimpse of her face, at least.
As much as I wanted to take her with me right away, I intended to make her want to follow me of her own volition.
That way, I could handle the situation more flexibly.

“Where was it again? If I remember correctly, it was in front of a major intersection on October 1st.”

I looked around without stopping as I walked.
Among the people with dirt-caked faces, disheveled hair, and tattered clothes, I spotted a young girl.

It was impossible to tell when she had last bathed. People passing by frowned at her appearance.
The stench must have been unbearable up close.

Well, could a girl leeching off thugs even find the time to bathe? When mere survival was at stake, bathing was hardly a priority.

The kids relying on thugs had to beg for a certain amount of money, and if they couldn’t pay, getting beaten was a daily occurrence, along with going hungry.

You might want to say they could just go to an orphanage for a better environment, but unlike the modern world, orphanages in this world required children to prove their worth.

Were they talented enough to be admitted? What help could they provide the orphanage?
Those were the criteria in this world.

Orphanages did receive support from the Imperial Palace, but their circumstances were not affluent, so they had to be selective.

I approached the hero.
Fortunately, she was still begging.
As I took another step forward, relieved, a foul odor suddenly wafted over, making me want to cover my nose. This was even worse than the smell of Iris’s urine.

“Ah, shit.”

Since I was carrying luggage, I couldn’t cover my nose, so I unconsciously swore. At my words, the girl kneeling on the ground flinched.

[Skill ‘Intimidation’ is activated.]

She started trembling. Ah, right. My Intimidation activated simply by looking at someone.
I was about to turn away but decided to maintain it, as it might be better this way.

I squatted down in front of the girl.
At the rustling sound of my clothes, she uncontrollably trembled. Her long hair obscured her face.

I glanced down at the slightly tarnished bowl in front of her. There was no money in it.

Clink.
I dropped a silver coin into the bowl.

“A, a silver coin…!”
“Raise your face.”

She slowly lifted her head.

Black hair, black eyes.
Her appearance was so caked with dirt, sweat, and grime, and her hair was so long, I almost doubted if she was really the hero.
She looked far worse than the illustrations I had seen. At a glance, she resembled the character, but I couldn’t be completely sure.

She made eye contact with me. Although the grime on her face made it difficult to see clearly, her eyes seemed swollen.
But why did it look like you were about to cry? Was it because of the swear word earlier?

Despite trembling from my Intimidation, the girl tried to force a smile. She seemed scared, yet also pleased.
I suppose so. No one would put silver coins in a beggar’s bowl.

“Name.”
“Huh?”
“Your name.”
“Ti, Tina…”

Tina.
The name of the second hero.

The strongest sword of humanity. A human capable of cutting down anything.
A simple yet overwhelmingly powerful girl.

It was said that no living thing could survive wherever she passed.

“I see. Who gave you that name?”
“My, my parents who abandoned me at six years old gave me this name.”

Even while shaking from my Intimidation, she answered properly. She seemed frightened yet honest. It matched the information I knew.

‘Not bad.’
“You’re a decent one.”

I set down my luggage and handed her the jerky I had in my pocket. Tina blinked rapidly as she accepted it.

“…Where will you be tomorrow?”
“Huh? Ah… Around the market square. Since there are a lot of kids, we change our spot every time…”
“I see.”

If only I could speak more politely, I could avoid unnecessary expenses. But this damn mouth lacked any tact whatsoever.
I stood up to head to the inn.

“Hey!”

She called out to me.

“Th, thank you.”
“…I won’t hit you today.”
“Huh?”

Without sparing her dumbfounded reaction a glance, I walked away.

‘Sc, scary. What is this? What is this?!’

As Praus approached, Tina nearly wet herself from the tremendous intimidating aura that only grew stronger.
The overbearing presence he exuded, far more than the thug she relied on, made her body stiffen.

“Ah, shit.”

With her head lowered and staying silent, he suddenly swore.

‘Am, am I going to die today? If I had known this would happen, I should have bought something delicious with the money I begged for…’

Her eyes started to redden. But just before tears could well up, she desperately held them back.
Remembering how she had always been beaten whenever she cried, she couldn’t bring herself to shed tears.

That’s when it happened.
Clink.
The sound of a coin dropping into her bowl rang out. Catching a glimpse of the silver coin inside, her eyes widened.

“A silver coin…!”
“Raise your face.”

Unable to refuse his commanding tone, Tina lifted her unsightly face that she had thought worthless.

“Name.”

After scrutinizing her face for a while, the man asked a question.

“Huh?”

Tina let out a dumb-sounding voice without meaning to. Expecting to be struck, she tightly shut her eyes when another word reached her ears.

“Name.”

His tone was curt yet seemingly patient, so Tina felt reassured.
Although his hostility was apparent, she didn’t think someone intending to kill would give her a silver coin, so she opened her mouth.

“Ti, Tina…”

Flustered by the sudden interrogation, Tina was relieved the man didn’t ask for any further details.
Then, he stood up and left.

“Th, thank you.”

Relieved that she wouldn’t be hit today, she hurriedly expressed her gratitude.

“I won’t hit you today.”

At those emotionless words, Tina was dumbfounded.
As she watched the man’s retreating back, tears streamed endlessly from her eyes.

“Hick! Huhh…!”

Out of habit, she stifled her sobs, but the tears wouldn’t stop no matter how much she wiped them away.

I won’t hit you today.

Those words kept echoing in Tina’s mind.
Not only did he considerately speak without any emotion so as not to upset her, but his words seemed to demonstrate a complete understanding of her circumstances, leaving Tina unable to hold back her tears.
After crying for a while, Tina muttered as she looked at the spot where Praus had departed:

“Will I… be able to see him again?”

Sniffling, Tina gazed at the silver coin in her palm.