I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

At the meeting place of the Badnikers' Council of Elders, the hall was heavy with a subdued silence. Every elder had gathered, and the mood reflected a crisis the family had not faced since its revival.

As always, the first to speak was the council's leader, Agenor Badniker. "The Iron-Blooded Lord is the Badnikers."

No one said anything.

Agenor continued, "This is how the entire empire sees us. It isn't completely wrong. In fact, the family head's absence is a serious blow. We can't afford to leave this situation unchecked."

Faint sighs rose from around the hall. One by one, the elders started to speak.

"It is a relief that the family head has regained consciousness, but we can't expect the same performance from him as before."

"Of course not. The number of missions he handles is unprecedented across the empire."

"Who could fill that void? Even if we mobilize all the family's hidden strength, it won't be enough."

"That statement shows too little disrespect to the main family. The family's overall strength has already surpassed the level of a mere noble family—"

"Enough." As always, Agenor intervened just before the tension boiled over. His voice was cold and edged with steel, so the arguing elders fell silent immediately. "The family faces an unprecedented crisis."

Of course, the Iron-Blooded Lord wasn't dead, the family's finances remained intact, and its core forces hadn't suffered major losses.

Yet no one could deny Agenor's assessment. The family head's absence was serious on its own, but the Iron-Blooded Lord was no ordinary leader. The issue went beyond his strength. His achievements and the symbolism attached to them, in some respects, surpassed even those of the emperor. His ties to multiple factions made his position too complex to summarize.

"The Badniker family must not waver. Not under any circumstances," Agenor said firmly and carefully scanned those around him.

The statement carried an unspoken prompt for opinions and underscored the reason for the meeting. The elders fell into brief contemplation before offering their thoughts.

"The family head usually carries out his missions in secret. He rarely appears in public. If he remains out of sight for a time and focuses on recovery, I doubt anyone will grow suspicious right away."

"However, that can only last a month or two," Assad argued bluntly. "We have identified dozens of Delac's missions. His schedule is already filled through next year. If we refuse or postpone them..."

Silence followed.

Assad went on, "No matter who it is, they will sense something wrong. Whether it is the imperial court, the Goodsprings, the Hero Society, or any other faction. Even we can't fully grasp all the forces entangled with Delac. His false identities alone number in the dozens."

One of the elders asked cautiously, "Is there any chance he might regain his memories within a month or two?"

"Well, the odds are about the same as being struck by lightning while walking down the street. Perhaps even lower," Assad replied.

A quiet sigh followed. This assessment came from Assad, who understood the Iron-Blooded Lord's situation better than anyone. His authority as an Archmage only added weight to his words.

A heavy silence settled over the room again.

"What is the family head's current state? I mean specifically," asked the youngest elder, Phyllis.

Assad answered, "Mentally, he still shows signs of anxiety. You can think of him as the family head before he fully awakened as the Iron-Blooded Lord. In other words, if we expose him to similar experiences, he may awaken into the Iron-Blooded Lord we know."

"Wouldn't that take too much time?" Phyllis asked.

"That is the problem. More importantly, the current Delac is not the same as before. The blessings he lost, the state of the family, and above all, the condition of the continent are nothing like they were when he grew step by step. Even if we attempt to recreate that environment, unforeseen variables could lead to..." Assad's words faded into a long breath.

In essence, the risk was too great. Phyllis had no response and kept silent.

This time, Zenon Anatos, Hector's maternal grandfather, spoke up. "I believe everyone here shares a misconception. Surely, we must restore the family head we knew. The Badniker family, the empire, and this era still need the hero known as the Iron-Blooded Lord. However, what we need right now isn't a flawless hero, right?"

"What are you saying?"

"If the concern is only the missions, a full recovery isn't necessary. What we need right now is Delac Badniker, the nightmare of the Dark Church and the continent's greatest demon hunter," Zenon explained.

The elders still looked puzzled, so Agenor turned to Assad. "Sir Assad, you mentioned that there is nothing wrong with the family head's body, correct?"

Assad nodded. "That is correct. However, as I mentioned earlier, he has lost multiple blessings."

"Are the blessings permanently lost, or are they temporarily inactive?" Zenon pressed.

"I don't know yet. I need to investigate further," Assad replied evenly.

"I see." Zenon fell silent for a moment, considering. "For an ordinary blessing user, losing even a few blessings would indeed be a great disaster. It is nearly equivalent to losing the power to fight demons. But the Iron-Blooded Lord, our family head, is different. He possesses an overwhelming number of blessings, so the anti-demonic effect should still remain intact to some degree."

"What are you trying to say?"

"The family head is still unaffected," Zenon replied.

The Badniker elders hadn't grown old in vain. They started to grasp what Zenon Anatos was trying to convey.

"Sir Zenon, don't tell me—"

"Once the family head receives the minimum necessary briefings, he must resume his missions immediately. We won't refuse any missions or requests he has already accepted. Any delay should be limited to a few days and can't exceed a week."

"That is too dangerous," Phyllis objected at once.

The youngest elder's sharp tone drew all eyes to him.

Phyllis felt the weight of the room's attention, but he didn't waver. Zenon's proposal struck him as excessively harsh. A delay of only a week meant that the Iron-Blooded Lord would be forced back into missions within days, even though he had been on the brink of death just recently. The idea was unreasonable, regardless of the state of his physical abilities.

Phyllis was angry, but he spoke in the calmest tone he could manage. "Surely you aren't unaware of the difficulties involved in the family head's usual missions? Most are S-class missions under Hero Society's ranking. They are S-class missions that no one has completed for many years."

Everyone present already knew this, but Phyllis stated it anyway. "Of course, the family head completed all of those missions. He returned safely, without major injuries. At least, until this incident happened..."

No one spoke.

Phyllis continued, "As you know, one is completely different from zero. There is no guarantee that such a case won't happen again. Moreover, if he has lost all his previous experience—"

"Phyllis," Agenor interrupted calmly. "You are speaking too long. If you want to refute it, just say it."

Phyllis gulped and said, "If we have to send him out on missions, the difficulty needs to be adjusted."

"So start with the lower-class missions and gradually raise the difficulty?"

"That's right."

Zenon stared at Phyllis. "Sir Phyllis."

Phyllis didn't say anything.

"You are a knight. You should know better than anyone. Where are a warrior's senses honed to their peak?"

The battlefield and the line of fire.

Phyllis knew that, yet the image of the Iron-Blooded Lord lingered in his mind from before he arrived. He couldn't forget the sight of him sitting on the bed, dazed, stripped of his memories and blessings. With the veil of intimidation, his face looked younger than expected.

He truly looks like a boy. Is it disrespectful to think that of the family head? Perhaps. Still... Phyllis thought.

"A lack of knowledge can be remedied quickly." Zenon's voice cut off his thoughts. "The family head was exceptional even before he received his blessings. The same applies to his lack of experience. A few real battles should resolve that. Of course, it may be dangerous, as you said. He may even risk death. Still, that is the burden of leading the Badniker family."

Phyllis remained silent.

"Naturally, this is only my personal opinion. I will listen if anyone has a better proposal." Zenon fell silent, but none of the elders spoke.

At last, Phyllis looked at Assad. He stood closest to Delac, once a family elder, later a mentor, and eventually close friend. If anyone would speak, it would be him.

Unfortunately, Assad maintained a stiff expression and didn't open his mouth until the end.

"I don't think there is a better proposal. Very well." Agenor's voice was soft. "The family head will carry out the requests and missions he previously received, regardless of his lost memories and blessings."

Silence prevailed.

"I will explain it to him," Agenor concluded.

Phyllis tightly closed his eyes.

This was what had happened in the meeting hall before Luan met Delac.

***

Delac heard my sigh, and embarrassment crossed his face. It didn't suit him, and it wasn't what I really wanted to say, but the reaction reminded me of a young child caught lying.

He lowered his eyes slightly. I could tell he was lost in thought, but I had no idea what occupied his mind.

I pressed, "Have you lost all your blessings?"

"Not really."

So only a few remain. This could be considered a small blessing, but the severity of the situation left no room for optimism. All I could think was, We are screwed...

Then the Iron-Blooded Lord said something unexpected. "Will you keep this a secret?"

"What now?"

"No one should know."

What is he getting at? I fixed him with a hard look, letting my confusion show.

Delac explained, "I told you before. This is the most critical time for the Badnikers. I heard that the family's power is incomparably higher than what I remember. It is difficult to believe that I was the one who achieved this."

I said nothing.

"The strongest family head in the history of the Badnikers, the embodiment of a Great Family's charisma, the Iron-Blooded Lord, the sword of the imperial family... is that me?" His tone carried a faint trace of humor.

Delac spoke in a voice completely unlike the Iron-Blooded Lord I knew and even let out a slight laugh.

He continued, "I understand the position I hold now. The continent's state is also interesting. The Dark Church's rise has only just begun and the empire's turmoil will only deepen. Whatever the case, this is no time for me to lie in bed and rest."

These words brought me back to my senses. I asked, "Are you planning to go on missions again in this condition?"

Delac fell silent for a moment, then replied calmly, "That is the role I have been given, so I must fulfill it."

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