I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

There were times when notoriety had to be used, and now was such a moment. At this point, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to separate Luzard from the group.

A lizardman mercenary who happened to stay in this village had dared to interfere with the Iron-Blooded Lord's event. First of all, it was direct insubordination against the will of an imperial duke, so it wasn't a minor crime. I thought that it wouldn't be difficult to go to the labor camp now.

"It can't be..."

"This is too unfair."

Of course, the dwarves already had great favorability towards me and didn't seem easily convinced.

I turned around when I saw the dwarves crying and said, "Live well."

"Vulcan, will we meet again?"

Of course, it would be difficult for that to happen. I was heading to the labor camp. It meant throwing myself into a place that was completely cut off from the outside world. If things went well there, I would deal with that Gustav guy and then leave the south. Naturally, the name of the lizardman Luzard would disappear.

"It might be possible if Vulcanus watches over us," I replied in a cliched manner. Then I turned my back to Sandstorm Hill.

The dwarves didn't try to stop me.

***

The black-scaled lizardman left and silence surrounded the remaining dwarves. The flames that covered the entirety of Sandstorm Hill had now subsided and disappeared. The somewhat darkened hills had fallen into silence, but it wasn't a gloomy or heavy silence. A sense of tension hovered between them as if something big was about to happen.

Konjian asked, "What are you going to do now?"

His gaze fell on the oldest dwarf, the one who had performed the duties of a master before Master Visid. Visid was dead, so it could be said that the old dwarf was the leader of Sandstorm Hill.

The old dwarf said, "Vulcan said it would be difficult for us to reunite. That is probably the case. From now on, he will probably engage in an escape from the Iron-Blooded Lord in this vast desert."

Konjian asked, "That must also be for our sake, right?"

"Yes. If he doesn't draw attention to himself, the Iron-Blooded Lord might come after us."

In other words, that lizardman was prepared to die. Even if he was Vulcan, risking his life for unfamiliar dwarves was almost unbelievable. The faces of the dwarves once again filled with emotion.

A young dwarf exclaimed, "I can't accept this! We can't let Vulcan, who has appeared for the first time in centuries, leave like this!"

"That's right! We have to stop it somehow!"

At the young dwarf's cry, the old dwarf sighed with a determined expression. He said, "I am also in favor. Vulcan is our dwarf hero. He isn't just a figure from the legends or myths. He is a hero who actually saved our lives. We can't let him die in vain."

"Then?"

"We must spread the news. At the very least, we dwarves should know what he is like. Even though Vulcan said it isn't the time, if we wait that long, he will surely lose his life. If that happens, it will be too late." The old dwarf looked around with a determined expression and asked, "You guys... Are you ready to let go of your hammers for the time being?"

***

Some distance past Sandstorm Hill, it was only after walking for some time that I realized there was a weapon hanging from my waist.

Ah, whoops, I thought. I had brought the Black Dragon Fang with me.

—It's okay, Vulcan!

The sudden voice startled me. I calmed my surprised heart and scolded Vulcanus. "Hey, at least turn on a blinker when you enter."

—What do you mean by blinker?

I didn't realize I was copying my third senior brother's speech habits. I quickly corrected myself. "Please give me a warning before you say anything.Or lower your voice a bit."

—Yes! I will keep that in mind!

Vulcanus replied in a voice that was completely unconcerned.

By the way, what do you mean by Vulcan?Isn't that acting already over now? I asked.

Vulcanus replied in a serious manner.

—Ahah! It's not acting! Through my great insight, foresight, and divine power, I have appointed you as a messenger of God! Moreover, my followers even witnessed you wielding my breath to your heart's content. From now on, in name, you are the true Vulcan, the messenger of Vulcanus!

I was speechless.

—To commemorate you becoming my messenger, I will grant you the Black Dragon Fang! Hahahat!

As Vulcanus laughed heartily, I narrowed my eyes and replied, What are you hiding?

—What? How dare you insult a god—

"They say that people get angry when they are exposed."

—This Vulcanus isn't a person, but a god!

"You are changing the subject, I retorted. Vulcanus said nothing, so I continued, Honestly, if you don't speak up, I will take this Black Dragon Fang back to the temple and abandon it."

I didn't really intend to do so, but somehow, I wondered if this bluff would be enough to draw out Vulcanus' true intentions.

Vulcanus hesitated at my threats and coughed loudly.

—Cough! Do you know? This is an era of sorrow!

"An era of sorrow?"

—That's right. It is an era where the faithful doubt a god's majesty, power, and very existence. How can it not be an era of sorrow? Especially in the desert! All sorts of miscellaneous gods are active!

This was the land of barbarism known as the south. Here, all sorts of superstitions and religions flourished. Due to this environment, the presence of the Dark Church was far more deeply embedded than one would expect. Needless to say, it was the southern part of the empire where the church started to be prosperous in earnest. In the process, the natives naturally abandoned their belief in gods.

—Among my glorious thirteen brothers, only the three kings still receive steady faith.

He was referring to the three dragon kings. Named Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, they were the thunder dragon, sea dragon, and dark dragon gods respectively. Certainly, these three had many believers even before my death.

—Normally, even if such a small village were to forsake this Vulcanus, it wouldn't be a big deal, right? But now I am in a position where I have to risk myself to prevent it. If even they forgot, this Vulcanus would no longer be able to claim the title of Fire Dragon God!

It was much more serious than I thought.

I said in a puzzled manner, "They have been regularly offering tributes, though. Before the Dark Church started scheming, they seemed fairly devout."

—Their tribute wasn't out of faith. It was for the Breath of Vulcanus and to preserve tradition.

That statement was difficult to refute. In fact, they had immediately abandoned their god when they found there was a way to replace the Breath of Vulcanus/ At this point, I had a rough idea of what Vulcanus was trying to say.

So you're going to use me?If I make a name for myself in the south as Vulcan, faith in Vulcanus, the Fire Dragon God, will naturally increase, right?

—That's right. It wouldn't be bad for you as well! You get the Black Dragon Fang! Then you can use my power to your heart's content! As the messenger of a god, think of the fame and power that will follow you!

I was speechless.

—How is it? Doesn't it make your mouth water? You want to accept, right? You want to be Vulcan!

Vulcanus acted like a sulky child.

I sighed. I'd heard that the southern gods, the thirteen dragon kings, were particularly human-like. However, it was well beyond my imaginings when I actually met one. At this point, the appearance that the Martial God sometimes showed when he was pouting was like that of a fairy.

Ah.That's right! I suddenly remembered. My thoughts suddenly went back to the Martial God. I ignored Vulcanus' tantrum and drew the Seven Sins Sword.

—How dare you neglect this Vulcanus!

"Martial God?Can you hear me?"

Vulcanus realized who I was contacting and closed his mouth. I was able to focus on the Seven Sins Sword again.

Are you there?Can you hear me?Do you know who I am?Hello?

However, there was still no voice. I wondered why this was happening.

I was feeling puzzled when Vulcanus suddenly spoke up.

—Hmm. I don't feel anyone in that sword right now!

"Huh?"

—It means I don't feel any faith!

It probably wasn't faith in the usual sense, but the divine will or intent of a god, judging by the context.

—Since when has it been like this?

"Um, I don't know.We talked a lot until around a while ago," I answered Volcanus.

—Hmm...

Vulcanus thought for a moment.

—First of all, it seems that this Seven Sins Sword isn't in perfect condition! If it is fully restored, his thoughts might awaken again.

"Restored?"

—That's right. From what I can see, the current state of the Seven Sins Sword has passed the third level. Just reaching the fourth level will bring about further changes!

"Um..."

—Your current level is enough to handle that fourth level! What you need is a fragment that can fully restore the Seven Sins Sword! There are fragments of the Seven Sins Sword in the south as well. If you get your hands on one, he will awaken!

"Ah, I see," I responded. I'd thought he was a useless god, but he was surprisingly helpful in this aspect. Maybe this was knowledge that only a god could know. So I asked, Where are the fragments of the Seven Sins Sword?

—That...

Vulcanus was about to answer when he suddenly took a breath and spoke in a sly tone.

—I will tell you if you promise to carry out Vulcanus' will as Vulcan!

It felt more like I was dealing with a crafty person than a god when talking to him. I looked at the Black Dragon Fang with cold eyes and sighed, saying, "I'll think about it a bit more."

—So be it! Kuhahaha!

Vulcanus burst out laughing like it was already decided.

Just then, I stopped and looked ahead. There were two camels waiting at a place quite far from the village. Ludwig was sitting in front of them. It seemed he had secured our belongings and escaped on camels before the village completely burned down. Certainly, he had good sense when it came to that part.

Ludwig was leaning against a nearby rock, applying wound medicine to his face. He saw me and complained, "Ouch, it hurts..."

It was my fault for his somewhat swollen face, so I felt a bit guilty. Still, I replied, "So why did you do something that deserves to be punished?"

Ludwig was silent as I continued, "At the very least, you are my older brother, so you were not hit as much compared to others."

"Okay, but your formal speech just makes me angrier. There is no one watching, so can't you speak as usual?" Ludwig replied.

"Is that so?" I asked as Ludwig stood up and stroked the camel. I looked around and continued, "Father?"

"He hasn't come yet. More than that, what happened? You need to share the situation."

"Um. So..." I summarized the situation for Ludwig.

He heard it and looked at me like I was insane, saying, "Crazy guy. You seriously went against Father and broke his resolve?"

"For now, yes. Who knows what might happen later? I don't know what he is thinking."

"If Father stepped back, then he is following your will for the moment. If the fight had continued, who do you think would've won?"

Well, I had a high probability of losing. Even if I borrowed the power of Vulcanus, the Iron-Blooded Lord was the Iron-Blooded Lord. Delac was returning to his past self even now, at least in the combat aspect. As for everything else, I wasn't so sure.

"In any case, Father's identity has been discovered. Will things get a bit troublesome? Dwarves aren't tight-lipped, so it is only a matter of time before this spreads," Ludwig continued.

"I've thought about it for a while," I said, then told him about the plan that would lead Luzard to enter the labor camp.

Ludwig looked interested after hearing it. "Hmm. It is a bit far-fetched, but I think it should be okay. If we leverage Father's authority, handing you over to the camp will go smoothly. There is no way anyone will suspect the one who risked his life to fight the Iron-Blooded Lord."

"Right?"

"There are a few things we need to review, but if it goes well, this can turn out favorably."

I watched as Ludwig nodded alone and reviewed various things. After some time, I expressed a thought that suddenly came to me. "By the way, Ludwig. Can I ask you a sudden question?"

"What is it?"

"What kind of person is our great-uncle?"

"Great-uncle... Do you mean Father's older brother?"

"Yes."

Ludwig paused as if thinking about it. His brow was deeply furrowed. After a moment, he answered, "What are you talking about? Father has no older brothers."

"What?"

"He is the eldest son."

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