I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

I sat in my office in the Small Iron Hall, looked out the window, and saw the Badniker mansion shrouded in darkness. It was a mansion in the heart of a massive forest, and practically a forbidden area.

Seeing it again, I couldn’t help thinking that setting up a home in this place didn’t make sense. Then again, thinking about it, the ancestors of the Badnikers were fairies. It wasn’t that strange.

”You look a bit hot,” a somewhat subdued voice said.

I spotted the bird perched on a tree branch and replied, ”I came from the north. I was dragged here without having time to change clothes.”

”Why don’t you take off your coat?”

”I’m not sure.”

It was almost April now. It was still spring, but the Badniker mansion still felt a bit chilly. Maybe it was partly because the sun had set, but judging from the humid weather and damp air, a spring rain was likely to fall today or tomorrow.

Assad asked, ”You went to see Delac, right?”

He already knew everything.

I nodded. ”Yes.”

”How is he?”

”He is dying. His condition seems to be worse than I thought. I can understand why the elders, including you, are talking about the next family head.”

”That’s right.” The bird-shaped Assad gave a small nod. ”This is top secret, but I will tell you. In a few days, I’m going to cast a spell on Delac.”

”Is it eternal sleep magic?”

”It is a spell that puts the subject into a semi-permanent sleep.”

”That means...”

”Yes. I’m going to put him to sleep until I find a solution.”

It was a reasonable method, but Assad’s tone was somber. I guess it was like admitting that there was no way, at least right now.

”So if you find a way, you can wake him up at any time?” I asked.

”The spell isn’t that convenient. The eternal sleep magic is... How should I put it? It is about stopping the subject’s time. Due to that, it is also called time-freezing magic. I’m not sure if you know this, but spacetime is a concept that even archmages must treat with the utmost care. If you touch it carelessly, an unimaginable disaster might occur.”

”So when exactly can he be awakened?”

”Once every ten years. If I miss that time, I will have to wait another ten years. It isn’t an efficient spell. Honestly, there is so little information about this spell that there might be side effects I’m unaware of. Still, isn’t it better than letting him die?”

That was true, but I still had doubts.

I was about to think of something else when Assad suddenly said, ”You don’t want to be the family head, right?”

”Yes?” I replied.

”In my opinion, there is no one more suitable than you.”

”I have to disagree with that.”

I looked down from the Small Iron Hall. From here, I could clearly see the outdoor training grounds. There were two men training in different training grounds.

First, Heero was wielding a sword to the left. It didn’t seem like simple training; it was more like he was sparring with a virtual opponent. Watching his movements, I could tell the opponent he had in mind was Ludwig.

I remarked, ”First of all, isn’t Heero’s potential amazing? It is rare to find a talent who can become an A-class hero at this age and achieve solid results. His influence in the Hero Society is also at a level that can’t be ignored.”

Then I looked at Hector, who was training at the other training ground. He was using a sword style I had never seen him using before. Every moment was restrained and formal. It was probably imperial swordsmanship.

It was a conventional technique, but I thought it had good compatibility with Hector. If he fought with such a rigid textbook style but occasionally slipped in the Afterimage Sword, it would be far trickier for his opponents to handle.

I continued, ”Brother Hector might be a part of the imperial forces, but if the family commands it, he will immediately abandon that position. He has already formed his own faction in the capital, so it won’t be long before he is a key figure who will lend strength to the Badniker name.”

The third person wasn’t present here, but I mentioned one more name. ”Raizen has become the master of a massive trading company at a young age. Luck, momentum, boldness, and skill. It wouldn’t have been possible if he had been missing even one.”

I shook my head and continued, ”Compared to them, I don’t have anything. Of course, I am stronger than the three of them. I somehow ended up clashing with the Dark Church a lot and played an active role. But—”

”You just gave the right answer,” Assad cut me off.

”Huh?”

”Among the Badnikers, you only need those two things. ”The sparrow flapped his wings lightly and hopped up to a higher branch to look down at me before continuing, ”Do you think Delac is particularly skilled in those areas? Of course he is intelligent. However, politics isn’t something that can be handled with intelligence alone. Delac didn’t have that luxury. That is precisely why retainers exist.”

I listened quietly.

”You just have to do what you are doing now. Keep getting stronger and smash those church bastards. For the rest, we Badnikers will support you,” Assad said.

The bird’s eyes shone brightly. A damp wind blew from somewhere, while green mana fluttered like green leaves and enveloped me.

”Influence in the Hero Society? An aristocratic faction? Resourcefulness as a businessman? We can all do that. It isn’t difficult.”

The moment I faced this loving yet coercive presence, I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort. I seemed to finally understand what it meant to be the head of the Badniker family.

This... Isn’t this just being a puppet? I thought with a sigh.

Then Assad spoke as if he understood my reaction in a different way. ”If you really don’t like it, just take on the role of acting head for ten years. You are sixteen years old now. By the time it is over, you will be twenty-six. That is still young. Then you can do whatever you want and have everything you desire.”

Assad had lived a long time and spoke like ten years was nothing, but that actually wasn’t the case. In the coming years, the church would start fully revealing its forces and a full-scale war would break out.

In the midst of chaos, I didn’t know how great the impact of the Iron-Blooded Lord’s absence would be. Nor did I know if I would be able to shoulder the burden of that absence.

I wondered, ”When will the sleeping spell be performed?”

”A few days from now.”

”Please be precise.”

”The day after tomorrow. As you can see, Delac’s condition keeps deteriorating every moment. Even right now, he is slowly getting worse. It is best to do it while he is still somewhat stable.”

I said nothing, and Assad continued, ”I won’t announce Delac’s death. We will say that he is away on a long-term mission and put you forward as the acting head of the family.”

”That doesn’t seem like a lie that will last a long time.”

”Right. This is just an act to buy time. The jackals who have been waiting for the downfall of the Badnikers, such as the Goodsprings, will rush forth,” Assad remarked cynically. ”It can’t be helped. There is a big difference between publicly declaring he is in a critical condition and carrying on the ruse to the end. So your succession ceremony won’t be officially held. However, I will leave the family’s treasure sword to you.”

”Treasure sword?”

”Michael, Delac’s sword.”

I couldn’t help laughing. Luan Badniker, who had once sold a treasure sword, was now in a position to inherit the family head’s treasure sword.

”Let’s stop here today. Things will start getting busy tomorrow.”

As Assad said those words, his mana started to fade. The bird’s eyes returned to their original color.

The bird looked at me with bright, alert eyes for a moment. Then it flapped its wings and flew away.

I had been properly caught this time. It felt like I was now thoroughly entangled with the Badniker family when I had wanted to avoid them so much.

Now that I thought about it, the real problem wasn’t the Iron-Blooded Lord. Rather, it felt like his presence had just been blocking me.

Of course, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, the power of the Badnikers was indispensable to fight against the church. That was the case even if the Iron-Blooded Lord was absent. Being able to formally manage such a massive force could actually be a positive development. And yet, it didn’t seem that simple.

”It’s hot,” I muttered.

I suddenly felt stuffy, so I took off my coat and hung it roughly on the chair. At that moment, something fell with a soft noise. It was a letter. I picked it up curiously and found that it had a black rose seal.

”Ah.”

I remembered now. This was the letter that the Iron-Blooded Lord had given me. To be precise, it was a recruitment proposal for his Hero Society clan.

”Have you read the letter I gave you?”

”The letter?Ah.No.”

”I see.There is no need to worry about that.”

The conversation we had in the past passed through my mind. This was the letter I’d been given by the Iron-Blooded Lord when I was at the Hero Society.

It was a letter I had never intended to read, an object I had forgotten even existed. Maybe that was why I tore off the seal and opened the letter.

I’d thought it was just a trivial recruitment letter. However, the letter started with an opening that I never would have imagined.

I’m sorry to greet you through a letter.

Please understand if my handwriting is a bit clumsy. I’ve only written a letter a handful of times.

I don’t know where to start, so I will get to the point right away.

I wondered if the main point was really about recruitment as I continued to read, but the letter once again went beyond my expectations.

During the time I met you at the capital and offered you a mission, I suddenly thought that perhaps you didn’t want to join Black Rose.

It was only later that I realized just because the other children wanted it doesn’t mean you would as well.

It seemed this was the first time I was seeing something handwritten by the Iron-Blooded Lord. His personality seemed to be visible from his handwriting.

First of all, his handwriting wasn’t as bad as he claimed. Rather, each word was precisely formed, with sharp, almost rigid edges. I somehow pictured the Iron-Blooded Lord writing this letter in a dark room with only a candle burning.

Back then, you didn’t answer to the very end. Perhaps it was just my selfish greed making me want an answer.

At some point, I started finding it very difficult to read people’s hearts. Was it because I found myself in a position where I must be careful with every word?

There were times when a careless word from me caused consequences and I regretted it. That is why I can’t easily express any praise or criticism.

Still, when I saw your actions, I wanted to praise you for doing a good job.

No. It seems a bit different from praise. This...

Here, the handwriting changed a bit. It seemed to represent the Iron-Blooded Lord’s troubled state of mind at the time.

Perhaps it was pride, but I found it difficult to show it. I don’t deserve to be proud of your growth.

At some point, I stopped being able to know how others truly perceived me. From their gazes, I could only feel fear or awe. My friends, colleagues, and family members were no exception. I was always slow to notice such things.

Once I realized it, I closed my eyes and ears even more. I was unable to read the hearts of others, so I refrained from speaking recklessly and lived my life while avoiding bumping into them as much as possible.

After all, my caution could hurt those close to me, while my affection could be a burden to them.

Naturally, the Council of Elders took my place. The purpose of such an organization was to act on behalf of the family head, so it wasn’t wrong in principle. I thought it was the right choice at the time. Yet seeing the way you grew up, I changed my thoughts a bit.

I guess I ran away in the end. Even if it was difficult or painful, or if I made mistakes, I should’ve faced my children until the end, just as any parent would.

As I was feeling confused in many ways, Assad recommended the medium of letters. Now that I’ve tried writing one myself, I understand. This is a suitable means of communication for me. I can carefully organize the words I want to say over a long time and convey them.

Of course, I can still cause hurt with carefully crafted words. I only hope this isn’t one of those times.

An image of the Iron-Blooded Lord came to mind again. There was a faint trace of embarrassment on his face before he crumpled the letter he had just written and discarded it. There was a trash can full of such letters.

At this point, I realized the letter I was holding was slightly crumpled.

I pictured myself heading to Spirit Mountain with you. To be honest, I was somewhat looking forward to such a moment.

It is because I have been waiting a long time for someone of my blood to grow enough to fight side by side with me. Possibilities lie dormant in the blood.

Of course, I will respect your wishes, but if you were to come with me, I would truly be ■ ■... satisfied.

”Kukuk.” I couldn’t help laughing, because I could easily predict the words hidden underneath the part covered by ink. Maybe it was I would be happy or I would feel good.

I sat in my office and chuckled for a while. Coincidentally, the Iron-Blooded Lord had given me this letter just before I poured out sharp words toward him in Taon’s office. In other words, he of all people had written me a recruitment letter so carefully and respectfully that anyone who found out about it would be surprised.

But what had I said at that time?

”You wouldn’t show me any mercy, support, advice, or even criticism if I became half-disabled and wandered the empire like an abandoned person, unable to use anything I learned from the Badnikers.”

”If you had the awareness of a father, shouldn’t you have given me at least one more chance?”

”You didn’t expect much from me.I wouldn’t expect it either.”

My face was hot. I felt a sense of shame, thinking to myself that I was still incredibly immature despite my age. Now I seemed to understand why the Iron-Blooded Lord had told me to throw away the letter.

”Hah...” This time, I sighed. At the same time, a certain lump that had been in my heart for a very long time melted away and disappeared somewhere.

After experiencing countless emotions all at once, I stood up.

”Okay.”

My hesitation had disappeared. It was enough to feel the helplessness and self-loathing I’d experienced when I wandered through the eternal winter of the giant’s stomach only once. This time, I would act according to my heart.

”Let’s give it a try.”

I was ready to accept whatever the result would be.