I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

The trip to the south finally began, and it seemed I could relax for the time being, at the very least until we entered the south.

Nothing interesting happened during the time we spent in the carriage. After all, there was no way a carriage with the Badniker emblem on it would get into trouble.

Delac spent time concentrating on meditating or reading his journal, unaffected by motion sickness. Naturally, he gave off the impression that he wasn't easy to talk to.

That meant my conversation partner became Ludwig. If I were asked about the best decision I made before going to the south, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to answer that it was convincing Ludwig.

After all, the alternative would have been riding alone with Delac in the carriage. Of course, I wouldn't have felt too awkward or burdened, but I would've felt ridiculously bored. Obviously, Delac was the worst travel companion.

Meanwhile, Ludwig was quick-witted, talkative and eloquent. There was nothing more disastrous than a person with no talent for storytelling talking too much; fortunately, Ludwig told stories in a fun way, so I rarely got bored. Moreover, he was quick on the uptake. The moment I expressed my desire to take a break, he closed his mouth immediately. In short, he was the most ideal travel companion, unlike the Iron-Blooded Lord.

"By the way, where is the first place we are stopping? Are we going straight to the labor camp?" Ludwig asked.

"No, I am going to stop by Sandstorm Hill," I answered.

"Sandstorm Hill? The dwarf village?"

"That's right."

"Why there? Are you going to buy a weapon?"

"Oh? Actually, that sounds like a good idea."

Ludwig's words immediately caused inspiration. Come to think of it, I didn't have the equipment for Luzard yet. I would mainly be active as Luzard in the south, so I needed an appearance that fit the role, along with weapons and armor suitable for the desert. It would be best not to use the Seven Sins Sword or Yin-Yang Dao.

I nodded to myself while Ludwig continued, "Hmm. Sandstorm Hill is a bit far from Rahild. It is a slightly roundabout route. Is that okay?"

"It's fine. You can go ahead and stay near the Rahild Labor Camp with Father first. This is my personal business," I answered.

Ludwig thought for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "No. Once we enter the south, you should continue to travel with me."

"Why?"

"It will help improve the quality of the disguise. In addition, I can buy some time if things go wrong."

Ludwig saw my puzzled expression and continued his explanation. "What if someone starts suspecting us and digging into our past movements? It is more convincing to have a planned route than to suddenly appear out of nowhere. In any case, I wasn't planning to go straight to Rahild. I intended to wander around a bit."

"Ah."

Listening to him, I had to admit that it made sense. Apart from that, I felt a bit awkward. I hadn't planned to bring Ludwig or Delac with me when I met Seren. I only intended to exchange brief information, not a deep conversation, so I had thought it would be more convenient to go alone. Now, I probably had to reveal my purpose.

I said, "Actually, I have someone to meet at Sandstorm Hill."

"Who?" Ludwig asked.

"Seren."

"Who is that? Your girlfriend?"

"Seren Goodspring."

Ludwig paused upon hearing my answer. The meditating Delac also looked at me with wide eyes. It was the expected reaction coming from Badnikers when the name Goodspring was said.

I spread out my hands as a signal to calm down, saying, "Don't overreact. Seren is one of the few children her family doesn't acknowledge, and her connection with the Goodsprings is faint. It is just like how I used to be. Hahaha."

Once I said that, I realized it was a joke I shouldn't have made in front of Delac. I shut my mouth again.

Then Ludwig said, "So, the Goodsprings' daughter. Ah. Thinking about it, wasn't the one previously engaged to you called Seren?"

"That's right, but we hadn't met when we were engaged. She was a classmate with me at the training camp. After that, we took classes at the academy together."

"Really? If you are still in touch, I guess you must get along pretty well."

"Well, I guess," I said.

Honestly, I'd never felt like I got along with Seren. If someone asked if we were close, it would be hard for me to answer with a yes. Apart from that, I thought Seren Goodspring was a reliable person. On the other hand, it would be difficult for us to go to the labor camp together. I was just meeting Seren to exchange updates on the situation and information.

"Okay. Aside from that, have you thought about how you are going to enter the labor camp?" Ludwig wondered.

"Of course. Honestly, it isn't that difficult. Luzard is from a lesser race, after all." My tone became a bit cynical as I spoke.

Still, this was the reality of the empire. There was great respect for the seven races that had made great contributions to the founding of the empire; on the other hand, there was a trend of ignoring, hating, and discriminating against the lesser races throughout the empire. That sentiment transcended regions, no matter where one went in the empire. That was what it meant to be a lesser race.

The lizardmen were somewhat better off as lesser races went, but that didn't really apply in the south from what I remembered. In the past, lizardmen mercenaries could be encountered quite often in the south, yet even those who were skilled were often ignored.

I wondered why that was. Perhaps it was because the fear of dragons still remained in various parts of the south. After all, the lizardmen looked quite similar to dragons in appearance. That could be why the southerners hated them so much.

I suggested, "Isn't it possible to enter right away if I cause trouble near the labor camp?"

"For example?" Ludwig asked.

"Well, what about assault or theft?" I answered, though I was thinking of something relatively minor just in case. For example, I could beat up someone who picked a fight, or eat without paying at a delicious restaurant.

"Who knows? Rahild isn't a place where such petty criminals can enter."

"Uh, really? Then what should I do?"

"I need to think about it a bit more. We still have time, so there might be an identity I can make use of."

"By the way, what are you planning to disguise yourself as?" I asked.

Ludwig replied, "I originally thought I would imitate a typical desert nomad, but that doesn't seem like it will work. I have no choice but to use my trump card."

"Trump card?"

"Yes. Wait a minute," Ludwig said. He then took out some miscellaneous tools from his backpack.

Art supplies? I thought. What he had vaguely resembled the palettes I had seen street artists carrying. Soon, though, I saw Ludwig use them on his face and realized they were makeup tools.

"Uh..." I muttered. It became difficult for me to understand what was happening in front of me. I wouldn't normally use this expression, but it truly was a magical sight.

By whitening his face, adding blush to his cheeks, attaching eyelashes, adding shine to his lips, and wearing a wig, Ludwig became a woman. Moreover, she was a beauty so striking that she was bound to catch anyone's eye when walking on the street.

"Voila. How is it?" Ludwig asked.

"I never thought you had such a hobby," I said.

"Well, makeup is fun. If you want to call it a hobby then it is a hobby." Ludwig hummed mischievously. His voice had become much lighter. His tone could be called relatively neutral, but it was enough to pass as feminine. He said, "I thought about it and decided it would be best to act as an inexperienced young lady. You will be the guide and mercenary I rescued in the desert. Father will be the reliable knight I trust."

Ludwig swept his hair back in a familiar motion. Judging from his attitude, it seemed he often dressed as a woman. He said, "I will take on the role of the only daughter of a successful trading company. Her name is Abel Romance. For reference, the Romance Trading Company actually exists."

"Is it okay to impersonate her like this?" I asked.

"She isn't a noble, so it will be fine."

"What are the chances of getting caught?"

"Very low. After all, southerners know very little about the capital. We might run into someone who is familiar with the capital, but there is nothing to worry about. Abel Romance is a real woman, after all."

"Will the fact that she is a real person cause any problems?"

This time, it was the Iron-Blooded Lord who replied, "The Romance family is an ally of the Badnikers. Even if questioned, we can coordinate our stories or appease them."

"That sounds reasonable," I said. Seeing Ludwig's expression, I asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ludwig answered, "I think you've gone through a lot of things. It is hard to believe that you are younger than Brother Aerts."

"I often hear such words, but it feels a bit strange to hear that from you," I said. Come to think of it, that seemed to be true.

Ludwig continued, "In any case, there will be special training until we reach the south."

"Special training?"

"Yes. Inside the carriage, I will only act as Abel and you as Luzard. Any time either of us acts as Ludwig or Luan, we will be punished."

"What kind of punishment?"

"Not eating, maybe?"

"Let's not joke about food."

"Then how about a flick on the forehead?"

"Not bad."

"Father will do it."

"Wow."

It turned out we had to risk our lives.

I suddenly called out, "Wait. Let me ask one question before we start."

"What?"

"What kind of personality does Abel have?"

"Personality?" Ludwig thought for a moment before suddenly slapping me on the cheek.

Slap!

"I said I was thirsty!" Ludwig cried out dramatically before explaining, "It is this kind of personality, more or less."

I remarked, "She has a terrible personality."

Ludwig nodded and said, "Yes. The more terrible the personality, the less suspicion there will be."

"Then what about Father? Shouldn't he change his appearance?"

"That is true, but there is nothing major to change. Black hair and tanned skin are actually common in the south. Just adjusting his hairstyle and changing his eye color will completely change the impression he gives off." Ludwig explained with a grin, "I'll take care of that, so don't worry."

***

The carriage trip lasted about a week before coming to an end. That was because carriages normally couldn't be used in the desert area. Strictly speaking, it wasn't quite impossible to use them; there were types of carriages that could be used in the desert. Still, they were very expensive and inefficient.

However, the desert was so vast that we couldn't just walk recklessly. The only mounts in the desert were camels, so I decided to buy three.

"That... I'm sorry, but lizardmen can't ride camels," the camel seller told me.

Well, I decided to buy two, cursing inwardly. Dammit.

I reluctantly accepted it, since the sight of the lone warrior Luzard riding a camel would be quite absurd.

The scorching sun pierced my scales and the hot air filled my lungs with every breath. The vast sandy terrain shimmered strangely, the heat haze adding an eerie ripple to the landscape.

This is definitely the south, I thought. I'd never expected to come back to this tiresome land of death and weathering.

The human heart was very strange. Back when I was active here, this place had been a miserable hell I wanted to escape from as quickly as possible. Now that I'd come back after so long, bittersweet emotions rose inside me.

Of course, this wasn't the time to be immersed in sentimentality. We stepped straight into the desert.

As I walked, I found that a lizardman's body seemed to be quite advantageous for walking in the desert. It was much easier to withstand the heat compared to a human body, and I could walk barefoot on the sand. I truly felt the toughness of the lizardmen mercenaries I had seen in my previous life.

At this speed, we would be able to reach Sandstorm Hill within four days. Three of those days passed peacefully without incident.

Unfortunately, there was a saying in the south: In the desert, plan for when things don't go as planned. There was no deep meaning to it. It just meant that things rarely went as smoothly as planned.

By the time we reached Sandstorm Hill, we suddenly felt the desert tremble faintly and looked behind us. Amid the sand dunes, I saw a group of people running and screaming. Judging from their outfits, they looked like a caravan. A huge sandstorm was following them.

Ah.They've come out, I thought.

The reason why this place was called Sandstorm Hill wasn't because sandstorms were frequent. It was because this was an area where dangerous monsters were concentrated.

Those monsters were sandworms. These giant worms usually hid behind the dunes, but once prey approached, they dug under the ground and approached frantically. They were large and fast, overturning and scattering the sand in the aftermath. That made their movements resemble a sandstorm. This time was no exception.

"Hmm?" Ludwig narrowed his eyes and took out a telescope with a handle. It resembled the opera glasses used by nobles with poor eyesight when watching performances. He remarked, "This caravan looks like a group of dwarves."

"Oh, really?"

"They might be craftsmen from Sandstorm Hill. That's good. The dwarves here are closed off and picky, but they can't treat their benefactors that way. It should help to have them indebted to us."

That was nice to hear.

"Okay. Then I'll go and come back. No..." I stopped for a moment, then said in a more serious voice, "I will go instead."

Everyone had to focus. This was the debut of the lizardman swordsman that the south had to pay attention to, Luzard.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!