My Disciples Think I’m Strong

“What you need to know is that from now on, I’ll kill you.”

Huh…? Kill? Me kill that guy?
I was certainly angered after seeing Tina get beaten, but I had no intention of killing. I don’t want to become a murderer.

Of course, I did want to give that guy who was beating the kids a good thrashing, but still.

In any case, the words had come out of my pierced mouth, so I could only move with tearful eyes.
I approached him step by step.

“Don’t, don’t come any closer!”

The man drew his sword and shouted.
The hand gripping the sword trembled, and his legs were slightly shaking too.

It seemed he was cowed by my Intimidation.
If this continued, I could favorably control the fight.

‘Stay still. Then I can knock you out or whatever.’
“Stay still. I’ll cut your neck.”

Damn it. The one who needs to stay still is this mouth of mine.
I pointed my sword’s tip at him and measured the distance.

“Do I look like an idiot who would just offer my neck?!”

The man overcame my Intimidation and charged at me, leaning his upper body forward in an unusual stance.

Hey! Hey! Don’t overdo it! Just stay there!

While I hesitated, the man quickly approached me, closing the distance in an instant.

Oh, seriously? I’ve hardly engaged in sword or fistfights…

Before I knew it, the man was right in front of me, motioning to swing his sword.
Under these circumstances, I had no choice but to rely on Sylphie’s Ring’s effect and attempt to evade and counterattack.

Just as I was about to shift my stance, his foot caught on a rock. He lost his balance and started pitching forward, sword-first.

Shunk!

My sword accurately pierced the man’s neck.

“Kuhh! You bas…! Kuhh!”

The man’s face contorted in agony. Blood gushed from his mouth.
After making a few choking sounds, his eyes rolled back, and he breathed his last.

What the hell was that?
Where did he impale himself on my sword?!

I first tried to remove my sword, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him away. As I pulled out the blade, blood spurted from his neck wound.
I looked down at the lifeless body sprawled on the ground. There were no longer any signs of life.

“Kyaaahh!!”

The children, who had been dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, finally screamed.
As their screams echoed through the slums, other people gradually gathered.

“What’s going on? What happened?!”
“Murder!”

‘Hey, I’m innocent, okay? This guy came at me and impaled himself!’
“He wasn’t even worth dealing with. To die without landing a single blow against someone who didn’t even move an inch.”

Please! Don’t say things that will lead to misunderstandings!
My head was already pounding!

I looked at the blood on my sword and wiped it on the ground. I couldn’t bring myself to sheathe it with the blood still on it.
The best option would have been to wipe it clean first, but with all eyes on me, it was unwise to resheathe it.

I put away my sword and looked around.
Everyone had faces filled with fear. Everyone except one person.

“Amazing…”

Tina gazed at me in admiration, her eyes shining. She staggered towards me as she got up.

“Did, did you aim for that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You accurately aimed for that vital spot, as if you knew he would impale himself…”

No. Absolutely not. If I had known, I wouldn’t be such a worthless extra.

“You’re mistaken.”
“Are you hiding it, Mister?”
“Not ‘Mister.'”

Calling a nineteen-year-old ‘Mister’ was too much.
In this world, nineteen was considered a young adult.

“Then… what should I call you?”
“Call me Praus.”
“Is that your name?”
“Yes.”
“Then… Praus.”

She seemed to have abandoned using honorifics.

“What is it?”
“First of all, thank you for saving me.”
“I was just passing by and got annoyed.”
“Passing by… There’s no way someone like you would come to the slums.”

She gave a slight smile.
I averted my gaze, feeling awkward.
As if telling me to look at her, Tina tugged at her clothes. I glanced sideways at her. She had a slightly troubled expression.

“Now I have no one to rely on. What should I do?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Is your offer to take me in still valid?”
“…Of course. I keep my word.”

I really hoped she would come. I didn’t want to keep causing trouble because of Tina.

“You’re not going to do anything weird to me, are you?”
“I have no interest in brats. Rest assured.”
“Okay.”

But it seemed like I needed to clean up before leaving.
I couldn’t just leave the body behind. And since others had witnessed it, I couldn’t simply flee either.

Even in this medieval world, murder was still prohibited.
I felt a subtle sense of guilt at that moment.

Suddenly, there was the sound of clanking footsteps from behind.
Figures in golden armor – the Imperial Knights.
They must have been patrolling nearby and heard the screams.

“What’s going on here?”
“Someone explain, anyone.”

No one answered the knight’s question. They refrained from speaking rashly.
Everyone shrank back from the knight’s gaze… No, why were they looking at me?

“You! You killed this man!”

‘Ah, well, there were circumstances involved.’
“…Yes. But he was trash who deserved to die.”

Inwardly, I tore at my hair.
The uncontrollable filtering made me feel like I was going to explode from frustration.

“Hey, you black-haired one! Do you know it’s a crime to commit murder outside of a formal dueling ground?”
“What if I didn’t know?”

I turned to face the knights squarely.
The two knights who made eye contact with me simultaneously recoiled.

“Withdraw your Intimidation! If you don’t, we’ll execute you on the spot!”

The knights warned me.

Oh boy… This is getting complicated.
Just what kind of feeling was this Intimidation, for everyone who met my gaze to react this way?

‘This guy is dangerous.’

That’s what the knights thought.
For that brief moment, the imposing presence they sensed from him was similar to what the Knight Commander exuded at full power.

It felt like facing an immense wall, instilling the possibility that they could end up like the corpse on the ground, leading them to be wary of Praus.

“Whew… Just who are you?”

While they should have addressed him rudely based on their position, the knight decided not to provoke Praus any further.

“…Just an ordinary commoner.”
“An ordinary commoner who can instantly target and pierce a vital spot that even apprentice knights struggle against?”

‘Huh? Defeat apprentice knights?’

Confusion arose in Praus’s mind.

The dead man’s name was Dingk.
A man who had once tried to kill several apprentice knights, he had quite an infamous reputation in the back alleys.

Although he had finished serving his prison sentence and was currently just a thug in the slums, he was known among the knights as a formidable fighter.

‘He clearly received professional training. Just that brief display of imposing presence alone sets him apart from being ordinary. He’s definitely hiding his true strength.’

“In, in any case… No matter what reason you give, murder is still murder. Even if the other party was a past murderer, you killed someone, so you can’t avoid being taken into custody and investigated.”
“I suppose so. Very well, I’ll comply with the investigation.”

Praus thought it was unavoidable.
Whether he had intended it or not, murder was murder.
The price he had to pay would be heavy, no matter what.
Thanks to his Emotionless Mask skill, Praus’s face showed no emotional disturbance, but inwardly, he felt a sense of guilt.
Just as he was about to be taken into custody, someone interrupted.

“Over here!”

It was Tina.

“Can I come too?”
“Who are you?”
“Someone Praus saved.”
“Saved? …Alright, come along then.”

The knight spoke curtly and sheathed his sword.

The Imperial Knights’ interrogation room.
It was a dimly lit place with torture devices right beside it.
There, Praus was being questioned while bound.

“So… You’re saying you were just standing there with your sword extended, and he came and impaled himself on it. Is that right?”
“Yes. I had no intention of killing him.”

Bang!
The knight interrogating him, Utop, slammed the table at Praus’s nonchalant attitude.

“Does that make any sense?! That guy has defeated several apprentice knights before. He would never impale himself like that! Say something believable!”
“But that’s the truth.”
“Ah, this is maddening. Really. Then why did you even fight?”
“It was to save a child. Again, I absolutely had no intention of killing him.”
“Even if it was to save a child, the fact that you drew your sword means you intended to kill your opponent, no matter how you look at it.”
“…What a shitty situation.”

It really was a shitty situation.
Praus felt wronged. He truly had no intention of killing.

He might have thought about killing the guy in a fit of rage, but his reason was still intact.
He had simply wanted to stop the kids from being beaten any further out of good intentions, yet he was being treated this way, which was infuriating.

“So what will my treatment be?”
“One of two options. Either go to prison and serve your sentence, or pay a fine. Even if you go to prison, since the other party was a criminal, you won’t be there too long.”
“How much is the fine?”
“Fifty gold coins. For reference, that includes the cost of cleaning up the scene.”

‘Well? Fifty gold coins is outrageous, wouldn’t you argue?’

Fifty gold coins.
If Praus could have changed his expression, he would have burst out laughing with his mouth agape.
On the other hand, he could also understand their reasoning.
Regardless of the circumstances, murder was still a crime, so he had no room to argue.

‘A human life cannot be bought with money…’

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, as the saying went.
Since Praus would have to spend time in prison if he didn’t comply with their demands, he decided to choose preserving his time over money.

Gathering the heroes was his top priority right now.

‘It’s an unexpected expense, but I should focus on the fact that I successfully brought Tina in.’

“Very well. I have money in my luggage, so I’ll pay with that.”

‘What, he’s… really going to pay?’

“…Are you really just an ordinary commoner? Fifty gold is an amount even a commoner would struggle to earn in a lifetime. Only nobles could afford to pay that much—”
“It would be better not to pry into unnecessary matters.”

Utop faltered when facing Praus.
Every time he met Praus’s emotionless gaze, he felt a subtle hostility that sent chills down his spine.

“…Very well. Let’s proceed that way.”

Knock knock knock.
Utop knocked on the Knight Commander’s door.

“Knight Utop here. May I enter?”
“Come in.”

At the Commander’s words, he opened the door and strode in. After a crisp salute, he walked briskly up to the desk.

“I’ve heard the report. About the one who killed Dingk.”

The Knight Commander spoke with interest while seated. Utop answered with his back straight.

“Yes, sir.”
“What was the culprit like?”
“Not only did he kill Dingk in a single strike, but his unwavering expression in any situation seemed to prove he considered himself strong while also conveying that he could handle any situation.”

The Commander listened to Utop’s words with interest.

“Moreover, he dominated his surroundings with an imposing presence similar to yours, Commander. Considering his willingness to casually pay the exorbitant sum of fifty gold coins… I suspect Praus’s status as a commoner may be a front, and he could be someone from the underworld.”
“The underworld… Well, there are countless unknown strong individuals in the underworld, so that might not be wrong.”

The Knight Commander nodded a few times at Utop’s words.

“…Ah, is that all your impressions?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I see. So that’s the feeling you got. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes, sir! Thank you for your hard work!”

After a crisp salute, he left with a refined gait. As the sound of the door closing was heard, the Knight Commander smirked and stood up from his seat.
He slowly walked over to the window.

Outside, the released Praus was walking and conversing with Tina.
Watching their retreating figures, the Knight Commander muttered softly.

“The level of skill to kill Dingk in a single strike is not uncommon among the knights. But someone capable of exuding an imposing presence similar to mine is exceedingly rare. I should keep watching him.”

As Praus grew more distant, the Knight Commander quietly piqued his curiosity about him.