I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

To be honest, I hadn't thought I could completely convince the stubborn Badnikers in one night. It seemed that Heero, Raizen, and Everan had taken it positively, while the rest were acting while watching closely. Still, this much was fine. I had already accomplished my original goal.

After that, I just ate my meal and occasionally joined in my siblings' conversation. For the moment, the atmosphere of the Badniker family meeting didn't seem to be too bad. Of course, that didn't mean today would somehow create a deep bond like what the siblings of other families had.

For the moment, I decided not to think too much about those things. For some reason, I thought that these people wouldn't easily forget today, and that if we met by chance in this vast empire, we would at least ask each other about our well-being from now on. For now, that level of closeness would be enough.

"This will be an unforgettable day," Olivia remarked.

"You think so too, Sister?" I asked.

"Yes, me too. Although I think this guy will feel it even more," Olivia said while lifting up the collapsed Aerts and helping him to his feet. She muttered, "Wake up. I poured an entire potion on you, so why are you still like this?"

"My punches went deep into his bones," I answered.

"Hah." Olivia put on her coat and prepared to leave, saying, "I have to go early tomorrow morning, so I'll be leaving now. I'll take this guy with me as well."

"I'm surprised you're taking care of him."

"He is my younger brother."

"Ah," I muttered. She didn't just mean they were half-siblings.

"I understand your thoughts. Honestly, I prefer this direction over the one the family head put forward. It means we will be judged by our achievements, not by our actions against the Dark Church," Olivia said with a laugh. "That means I should also set a clear goal. Before the year ends, I will make the Black Peony Mercenaries one of the top ten mercenary groups in the south."

Top ten sounded easy, but it was a daunting goal considering the vastness of the southern lands. The number of mercenary groups in the south alone reached tens of thousands. Of course, most of them were just trash and hardly worthy of being called mercenary groups.

I didn't have anything more to say, so I just cheered for her. Olivia gave me a rare smile and left. Afterward, the atmosphere naturally shifted towards ending things. In gatherings like this, once one person left, it usually set the flow for others to leave as well.

I couldn't help having that thought as I watched my siblings leaving one by one. Still, this was enough to say that the First Badniker Family Meeting had successfully concluded.

***

The next day, a welcome face came to visit me. It was one of the great teachers in the family, the doctrines teacher Junian. I'd heard she was currently staying at the main house, but I hadn't managed to meet her. This was an unexpected occurrence.

Verita was also next to Junian. She averted her gaze as if she had done something to feel guilty about.

Junian told me, "Sister Razbet must return to the main church with me."

"Huh?" I exclaimed in surprise. Junian didn't even ask how I had been doing.

Junian glanced at Verita and complained, "How long have you been out of contact for the Inquisitor's Office to contact me? Understanding the situation and delivering information is the basic skill of an inquisitor."

I looked at them with a puzzled expression.

Then Junian finally explained the situation. "This friend is on the verge of being expelled if she doesn't report her survival right away. I was going to drag her there, but she insisted that she had to pay her respects to you before leaving. That is why we came here like this."

"Aha."

Verita looked at me before finally saying, "I'm sorry, Brother. Once I stop by the main church and report in, I will rejoin you right away. It won't take long."

"Yes, take your time. It isn't urgent. I told you the location, right?" I replied.

"Yes."

"Okay. Take care and I'll see you later."

"I understand. By the way..." Verita stared at me for a moment before closing her eyes tightly and asking with a determined expression, "Do you have any cookies left?"

"Cookies? Why all of a sudden?"

"Um, I can't forget what I tasted last time."

"Aha."

It was unexpected and surprising. For some reason, Verita gave off the impression that she didn't care about desserts. She normally seemed to be the type to not care about the taste as long as it supplemented nutrition. Then again, maybe that was just my own prejudice.

I nodded and said, "Go to the kitchen on the first floor of the Small Iron Hall. Tell the chef I sent you and ask him to make some pastries. He will make them for you. It will be a long trip, so it would be a good idea to pack some snacks."

"Ah, that's true. Thank you." Verita lowered her head, but she somehow didn't look very satisfied.

Thus, the two nuns left the main house. After that, everyone else left one by one. Heero returned to the Hero Society with Nero, while Hector, Raizen, and Everan headed to the capital together.

Thinking about it, the latter three could have quite a bit of synergy together. Hector often attended various gatherings, events, balls, and banquets in the capital. Based on the nature of those occasions, he had to pay attention to his appearance, which meant he was sensitive to fashion. Naturally, that paired well with Everan, the owner of a rather successful fashion store in the capital. Raizen also had overwhelming financial power, and it would be a perfect opportunity for him to try and gain connections with the capital's nobility. If it went well, all three of them will benefit.

I heard that half a day after the three of them left, Aerts woke up and followed after them. Come to think of it, he was also a merchant. On the other hand, Olivia seemed to have already left for the south early in the morning.

It was Lina, the third daughter, who behaved unexpectedly. The exceptionally quiet third daughter of the Badnikers glanced at me before leaving. Then she gave me a small nod and said, "Um. You are even more impressive than what I heard from Coralis."

"Who?" I replied.

"Coralis. Don't you know? Didn't you participate in the promotion trial together?"

I recalled the Hero Society gymnasium where the promotion match had been held. A grand spell had completely destroyed one side of the massive stage, large enough to hold thousands. It was said that Coralis was a strong candidate to be the next archmage. I was a bit surprised, though. I hadn't expected Lina to know her.

"She seems to think of you as a rival," Lina continued.

"Me? Why? I'm not even a mage," I replied.

"Who knows? The mindset of a genius is sometimes difficult to understand." Lina smiled and waved her hand. "In any case, that is all I have to say. I understand what you said. However, I'm busy with just my research. Once I enter the mage tower this time, I don't know when I will come out again. If fate allows, let's meet then."

"Let's do so."

"Take care."

I nodded and amiably parted ways with Lina. It was only after she left that I had a conversation with Ludwig.

Ludwig said, "To be honest, I'm in the most awkward position right now."

"What are you saying all of a sudden?"

"Father has lost all his memories."

"Ah."

I was convinced by Ludwig's explanation. The number of people who knew that he was alive was extremely small, including the Iron-Blooded Lord. Aside from him, the others had only learned this fact recently.

In other words, the Iron-Blooded Lord was Ludwig's only direct superior, yet that person had lost his memory. It could be said that Ludwig was like a sack of barley dumped in a corner, or a duck egg left by the Twilight River.

I smiled and said, "It worked out well."

"Huh?"

"From now on, treat me as your direct superior."

Ludwig laughed incredulously. Then he saw my expression and erased his laughter. It seemed that he realized this wasn't a joke. He said slowly, "Um. It is true that some rights can be delegated to the future family head when the family head is absent, but—"

"You still don't trust me?" I interrupted.

"Honestly, no."

"Then you can watch a bit longer. We're heading south together anyway. You can judge after seeing me in action. Decide for yourself whether I'm worth following or not."

Ludwig's voice was filled with disbelief. "Have you already decided that I am going with you? I remember telling you that I would think about it."

"You haven't said anything yet, so it must mean you're going with me. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"There is no choice. I understand. What exactly do you need me to do in the south?"

I said with a smile, "Find Gustav's whereabouts. Do some background digging on him if possible."

"Gustav? Are you referring to the Big Boss of Ulkah?"

"That's right."

Gustav was famous in the west, but most people who didn't follow politics, current events, or crime wouldn't know him. The empire was so large after uniting dozens of kingdoms that news from other areas often felt more like the affairs of a foreign kingdom. However, as expected of Ludwig, he grasped the situation immediately.

"I heard he was caught. Wasn't he imprisoned in the Utgard Camp?" Ludwig asked.

"Things got messed up. There is a high probability that he is at the Rahild Labor Camp right now."

"Ah. That makes sense."

Ludwig didn't ask dumb questions like, What? You already know where he is, so why are you asking me to find his whereabouts? He knew as well as I did that the Rahild Labor Camp was an incredibly large place.

He continued, "The last time I checked, I think the capacity of the Rahild Labor Camp was around 20,000 people. The crime rate in the empire has continued to rise since then, so it might've increased even more now."

"20,000 people? Just laborers?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Are you joking?"

No matter how large, the fact that it had 20,000 laborers meant it was almost as if a small society had formed in the labor camp. Just that population alone was sufficient to make it comparable to a quasi-city. Factoring in the overseers, administrators, construction specialists, and emergency medical staff, perhaps it could really be called a city.

"That's right. So my new boss' first mission is quite difficult," Ludwig said.

"Is it okay?"

"What do you take me for? No matter how dangerous the labor camp is, it can't be as bad as the Dark Church's headquarters."

"That is true."

"Rahild sounds just right. There are some rumors circulating there, so I wanted to stop by at least once."

"Rumors? What are they?"

"What do you think?" Ludwig lowered his voice before continuing, "Of course, it is the Dark Church guys."

***

It was time for me to leave as well.

I had come almost empty-handed, so I didn't have much to pack when I left. I put my valuables in a separate pocket of subspace and threw on whatever clothes I had in the Small Iron Hall. I would have to buy new clothes anyway if I was going to the south.

I was thankful that the main Badniker territory was located roughly in the southeastern part of the empire, but it would take two weeks at the earliest to reach the south.

I was tidying up the few belongings I had in my room when the door opened without any warning. I wondered what rude person had barged in without knocking. Then I was convinced when I saw his face. It was a familiar face I had been running into a lot lately: Archmage Assad.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"Luan Badniker. I heard nonsense that you were going to kidnap Delac. Is that true?"

"Um..." I trailed off.

Assad had gotten straight to the point. I usually preferred this manner of speaking, but it made me a bit uneasy right now.

"I would normally dismiss it as nonsense, but you are the subject of the rumor," he said.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I concluded that a crazy person like you really could do something like that."

It was rude saying that right to my face. I said in a resentful voice, "Sorry, but you have misunderstood me."

"Did I misunderstand?"

"Well, not exactly. It is true that I said that during the meal. I also expected that my words there would reach the ears of you and the Council of Elders. If I were to guess, it was Brother Aerts who chased after you and reported to you, right, Sir Assad?"

Assad finally changed his expression and looked at me in a somewhat bewildered manner. He asked, "Did you say such nonsense just to call me here?"

"You could say that."

Assad sighed deeply. "You know, Luan. You might be the future family head, but there are lines you shouldn't cross. What do you think would've happened if some other fool had spoken such nonsense about kidnapping the family head?"

I replied, "They would be dead, or left half-paralyzed at best, right? I apologize for being a bit rude. It couldn't be helped. If not for that ridiculous rumor, how could I gain a private audience with you or the other elders?"

I might've encountered him a lot lately, but that didn't mean Assad was someone I could easily meet. I didn't even know where he lived or where he normally rested. I knew he stayed somewhere within the main house, but that didn't mean I could go and find him directly.

"Okay. Then go ahead and speak. You said all that nonsense to meet me. What is it that you want to say?"

"Haven't you heard it already? Father needs a break."

Assad remained silent as I expected. Meanwhile, I strategically considered what to say next.

Suddenly, however, he unexpectedly said, "Yes, I will admit it. You have a point."

"Huh?"

"I agree with the opinion that Delac needs a break."

I was a bit taken aback. I hadn't expected this strong archmage to agree with my opinion.

The thing he said next was even more shocking. "Before I came here, I had a discussion with the elders. In short, the treatment of Delac is up to me."

"Huh?"

"It means that depending on my decision, I can leave Delac to you."

I asked with wide eyes, "How did you persuade those people?"

"I tricked them. Your achievements in the last year weren't inferior to Delac's. I just suggested the possibility that if you worked together for a while, Delac could recover while securing some achievements."

"Aha."

"As I told them, Delac being with you wouldn't necessarily mean he could rest well. It is inevitable that you will get involved with the church and demons. But," Assad murmured in a strange tone, "Even so, if he could temporarily put aside his duties as the Iron-Blooded Lord, then that alone would be meaningful."

"Mm. Then...?"I asked.

"I just have one condition."

I knew it. I hadn't expected things to work out easily, so I asked casually, "What is it?"

"You know Delac is in a precarious state right now. He can't use his full strength, which could prove dangerous in many ways. His body must not come to harm. So prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That you are stronger than the current Delac, and that you are qualified to be his protector."

"Don't tell me..." I trailed off.

Assad made a shocking declaration. "Compete with the current Delac and win. That is my condition."

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