I Became the Youngest Disciple of the Martial God

Barter seemed to take my remark as a joke.

“That was a good joke, Luan Bednicker,” said Barter. “I might have actually laughed if not for the circumstances. But you really should work not just on your skills but also on how to read a room.”

Since I wasn’t trying to start a fight, I just nodded in acknowledgment. Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to say what I wanted to say.

“I'd like to ask your permission for Brother Hector's withdrawal.”

“That conversation is over. We don’t have the luxury of finding a safe place.”

“So you are suggesting we leave the cadets here, in the middle of dangerous enemy territory?”

“Not exactly. There's a building we just left, one where we took care of most of the dolls inside, and it's a much safer place than anywhere else. I plan to leave them there.”

“...”

I was silent for a moment. He really was planning to completely abandon them.

If so...

Perhaps Hector's emotions had overruled his judgment...

If I ignored Barter's mocking tone.

This hateful jerk.

There were some people you just wanted to punch, even if they were right, and in my book, this Barter guy was one such person.

“What if there was a much safer place?”

“What do you mean?”

I told him about Headmaster Alderson and the safe haven created by grand magic.

Barter remained silent for a moment.

When I was done explaining, his expression changed slightly.

In a crisis like this, it meant a lot, having a safe place to go.

“It seems reckless in many ways to continue pursuit in this state,” I said. “We should go to the headmaster and regroup.”

However, Barter shook his head. “No. We must continue the pursuit, even if we don't fight the princess. At the very least, we need to know where she is staying.”

“Then what about the cadets?”

“I’m changing the plan. A select few will continue in pursuit while the rest escort the cadets to the headmaster’s safe haven. I’ll be the one to select the team for the pursuit.”

Then Barter listed out the names of those who would join him.

“Myself, Hector, and Marco. The three of us will assess the situation. Luan Bednicker, you will be in charge of the cadets.”

God, this was so damn frustrating. I’d probably have a more successful conversation with a rock.

Hence, I spoke my next words with a bit of a sharp edge: “I'll take Brother Hector’s place.”

“You?” Barter stared at me intently, and for a moment, his emotionless blue eyes reminded me of Sellen.

I was reminded that no matter how different they looked, family was family.

I wondered if anyone thought the same of me and Hector.

After a moment of idle thinking, Hector interjected, “Let him take my place, Sir Bart. Luan is much stronger than I am.”

There was a slight murmur from Barter's men when Hector vouched for me.

Hector was known for his pride, so his words must have been a little shocking to them.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth, Captain,” came an unexpected voice in support of Hector.

That guy is...

I looked up and saw a familiar face.

It was Marco, the man who had disguised himself as a tavern owner under Glenn's orders. The man who, after a short skirmish, I had identified as a member of the Special Forces.

“I can vouch for Luan Bednicker’s skills, Captain,” he said. “He’s far above your average knight. Even without Hector Bednicker, our force will be stronger.”

“...Hmm.”

I wondered what his role was in the unit.

There was a subtle shift in Barter’s expression. His attitude was very different compared to when he was listening to me or Hector.

“...Fine. Let’s do it that way.”

“Elder Brother, I'll join too,” Sellen said, her voice calm. Barter frowned slightly and opened his mouth, most likely to reject her, but Sellen quickly added, “You know my blessing. Even if it's a blood-lit night, the full moon is up. I’m in better physical condition than usual.”

Barter hesitated, then let out a long sigh. “...Hah. All right. Then the four of us—”

Glenn, who had been a few feet away, raised his hand. “M-me too...! I’ll come with you, Sir Barter!”

Such sharp ears he had.

We had been speaking quietly on purpose so that the prince and the cadets wouldn’t overhear.

Barter's expression hardened more than I had ever seen it. “...Your Highness,” he said, “I apologize, but I cannot accept that order.”

“You’re going after my elder sister Ferith, aren’t you?”

“...”

“I’ll be helpful. The blood of the imperial family can feel each other. If you're tracking her, you'll need me.”

I casually chimed in, “Allow him to come. That guy won’t be dead weight.” For all I knew, Glenn might actually be stronger than Marco. Given his ranking in the Tower of Trials and the fact that he hid so much, that was probably true. “Besides, if he’s of royal blood, he must naturally have good resistance to magic.”

Even without a blessing, he would hold up better than most blessed individuals.

Barter glanced at me and said, “I make the decisions, Luan Bednicker. Do not overstep.”

“I was just offering advice. Or guidance, whichever you prefer.”

“They’re the same thing. And you... your words are too informal and rude. It seems like Bednicker’s etiquette lessons are as great as they say.”

“Hahaha.”

“That was not a compliment,” Barter said while glaring at me, but I just shrugged.

“...”

Sellen looked at me in disbelief. It was like she'd never seen anyone treat her brother like this before.

“Hooo...” Barter let out another sigh. “I understand, Your Highness, but you must obey my orders at all times.”

“Of course.”

In the end, he decided that the advantages of the prince's company outweighed the risks.

It was a favorable development for me too.

What should I say? For some reason, I had a feeling I wanted to keep Glenn within my sights.

“...”

Does Glenn sense something?

I could feel his eyes on me, observing.

* * * * *

* * * * *

After showing Hector and the cadets the way back, we immediately resumed pursuit.

It was quite a bizarre turn of events.

Barter Goodspring was in the lead, followed by Marco right behind him.

In the rear were Sellen and I, with the prince positioned between.

This formation was clearly meant to protect Glenn.

Perhaps that was why Barter had allowed the prince to accompany us. Did he feel it safer to keep Glenn close?

I’m going to die of frustration.

He would have been much safer with the headmaster, I grumbled to myself, but I suppose Barter is just that kind of person.

The type who didn't believe anything unless they’d seen it with their own eyes.

...Well, I was kind of like that myself, so it was hard to just curse him out...

Anyway.

Outside of the building was literally an otherworldly demon zone, so we moved cautiously, but for some reason...

“...How strange,” Barter muttered

“Yes. It's too quiet,” Marco agreed.

It was as they said.

It had been about an hour since we’d separated from the group, yet in all that time, we hadn’t encountered a single demon.

Even in the relatively safe building, we would have bumped into a couple of dolls in the time we’d been walking.

Something’s off.

Suddenly, I felt the gaze of a doll watching us from a distance.

It seemed like I was the only one who noticed.

I subtly sharpened my senses to prepare for the upcoming battle, but...

[...]

The doll didn't move. It simply watched with its empty, beady eyes.

“I-I think it's this way.”

Whenever we lost the trail or Barter's memory was too fuzzy, Glenn stepped in to guide us.

I quietly watched his back, and Sellen asked me, “What's wrong?”

“...You said before that either the princess or the prince was responsible, right?” I whispered, in a voice so low that Glenn wouldn’t hear.

Even Sellen had difficulty hearing, and she was close to me.

“That’s right.”

“Looking at the situation now, it’s clear that the princess is the mastermind. But even so, there are still some things that seem off, so I tried looking at it from a different angle.”

“And?”

I lowered my voice even further and said, “Is it possible that they're both members of the cult?”

I saw Sellen pause.

“Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I just want to consider everything.”

“...No. You're right, I forgot about that possibility. I'll keep it in mind.”

Our conversation ended with us nodding to each other.

Barter stopped walking.

We were in front of a building.

“...”

It was without a doubt the most run-down building I had ever seen.

But calling it just a building didn’t give the right impression. It was clearly abandoned and haunted. It gave off a chilling atmosphere in the unique blood-red lighting of the Veiled Side.

However, it was smaller than the other buildings.

To be more precise, it was about the size of a building in the real world.

That makes things even more unpleasant.

It was Barter who spoke up first. “The last time I checked, the princess had entered this building. Your Highness, what do you think?”

Glenn's gaze turned toward the building. “The presence seems to continue inside this building, but I don’t know beyond that. We’ll have to go in to find out.”

In the meantime, I tilted my head and observed the building, remembering where we were and trying to fit it into the altered landscape of this Veiled Side.

I found my answer quickly

“...Research Building 13?”

All eyes turned to me.

Barter asked, “What do you mean?”

“There's a rumor circulating the academy that although there are a total of 12 buildings in the research wing, a nonexistent 13th building appears at certain times...” I counted the research wing buildings in the distance, one by one. “Based on the location, this seems to be the 13th building.”

“...”

The atmosphere sank.

Did I say something unnecessary?

Just as I was thinking that, Barter said, “First, let's go inside.”

Barter took the lead and opened the door.

“AAHH!”

With a loud shriek, a dark figure flew at us.

As Barter quickly drew his sword, I urgently shouted, “Wait!”

I ran past Barter and caught the flying figure.

“Kek.”

Why was it so heavy?

It felt like I’d caught a flying rock. If I'd been any less physically fit, I would have gone flying.

A rare blue-headed someone raised their head and looked at me. “G... Gold-Hair Bednicker?”

It was Mir Giant.

Had she been dragged here too?

But she was not in good shape.

Her hair was disheveled, her breathing ragged, and her eyes spinning.

“Calm down. What happened?”

“Th-this place is weird! We need to run away right now!”

“What are you talking about?”

“A monster! In there...!”

At the same time, hurried footsteps were heard in the distance, and this time, several figures appeared.

It was Evan, and with him were the young heroes Karis, Sharyl, Pam, Zeros, and Charon.

As soon as we stepped into the building, Charon, who was in front, shouted, “Get out of here right now!”

It wasn’t just anyone, it was Charon who shouted that.

Charon was one of the best in terms of situational awareness. Without a moment’s hesitation, I kicked open the door we had just entered through.

“Sir Barter! It’s dangerous!”

Barter was still looking inside, but he snapped out of it when Marco shouted a warning and he finally turned his gaze.

Thud...! Thud...! Thud...!

Heavy footsteps sounded from inside.

A huge creature was stomping down the hallway, so heavy that I could feel the vibrations through my feet.

It was cloaked in darkness, so it was hard to make out its form in the dimly lit hallway.

But I could tell it was thick and tall.

When the last one, Carl, was out, I quickly slammed the door shut.

But it wasn’t safe outside either.

GRAAAAHHH!

Immediately, a swarm of dolls, dozens of them if not more, suddenly appeared behind us.

“Wh-what, what’s with these numbers? There’s so many!”

“They weren't here just a moment ago...”

Amidst the confusion of the young heroes, I turned my focus to Glenn. “There’s so many...” he said.

I wondered if his pale face was an act.

In this uncertain situation, Barter said to me, “Luan Bednicker, guide us to the building you spoke of.”

I nodded and drew my Dark Star Sword.

“Follow me.”

____