I Became the Youngest Disciple of the Martial God

I walked back to the resting area where Evan was sprawled out on the bed, and I slapped him on the cheek.

“Evan, the sun’s up,” I said. “We need to get going.”

“Ugh...” He groaned and opened his eyes groggily while yawning wide. “Morning... You're up early.”

“...Yeah.”

Even though I hadn't slept at all, I felt better than I had in a long time. My head felt clearer now.

“Come on, let's get moving before people wake up,” I said.

Evan rubbed his face like a lazy cat. “Give me a little to clean myself up...”

Had this guy always been this weak to mornings?

I remembered him being something of an early bird in the training camp... but then again, that place could whip even the laziest person into shape.

So early in the early morning, the usually bustling shopping district was quiet.

Even the merchants, who needed to be out early to prepare for the day’s business, were likely just getting out of bed.

Most of the academy was likely still lost in dreamland... which was exactly why we were moving so early.

We did not take the tram. Sure, it would be faster, but I had a nagging feeling that it would leave a record of my ride that might be used to track me later.

Luckily, the shopping district and the research building were not too far apart. It almost made me feel a bit better about having to go through with this plan.

“We're here.”

“Is this Building 12?”

Research Building 12 was a two-story building, shaped like a “ㄷ.”

Even with the faint morning light, it gave off a gloomy vibe. Had we come in the middle of the night, it would surely have looked like an abandoned building.

“Don’t professors do their research here? Why does it look like this?”

“I heard the research buildings are ranked. Building 1 is very nice, but it gets worse as you go down. Building 12 is basically no different from an out-of-service restroom.”

“Mm...”

Well, what else could I expect from the academy? Like everywhere else, this place was also a meritocracy. I was used to this culture, being from House Bednicker, but still...

“...Mm.”

The moment we stepped inside, Evan and I both let out quiet, instinctive hums.

Something about the place felt... off. Something about it pricked at my senses.

It was hard to put into words—a mix of “eerie” and something like... “melancholy,” if I had to describe it.

I just knew that if we’d walked in here at night, it definitely would’ve been dangerous.

“What a place to do research, in a dump like this...”

“It can’t be easy to earn or keep a professorship here,” Evan responded. “I heard they have to produce positive results every two years or they might be fired.” 𝖗

“I see... But how do you know so much about the academy?”

“Oh, I had a few classes with Pam. You know how talkative she is.”

Back to the task at hand, most of the presences I sensed inside the building belonged to professors... but none of them had anything to do with martial arts, so none of them realized we were here.

With no security around, we made it to our destination, Room 104, without problem.

Creak...

The door opened with an unpleasant sound, and the smell of old dust immediately hit my nostrils.

The room was unusually dark. There was one window, but blackout curtains completely blocked out the morning light.

Whoosh...

I pulled the blackout curtains halfway open to get a better look, and the state of the room finally came to light.

“Wow...”

“...”

Like Sellen had said, there were mountains of occult items and old dolls, and the walls were etched with intricate characters and symbols.

How to describe this...

It was not a place I'd want to spend even a second in.

Not because it was dirty—well, a little bit because it was dirty. Mostly, though, it was because of the atmosphere.

“This place is just... really bad,” said Evan.

“You check the dolls. I'll check out the occult items and see if I can tell whatever the hell they’re used for.”

“Urk.” Evan made a gagging sound and headed for the dolls while I rummaged through a variety of unpleasant items.

Bloodstained handkerchiefs and rotting flower petals, half-broken mugs, bottles of some unidentified liquid, a baby's rattle, a rusted carving knife...

These items had nothing in common except being ominous.

I used fire eyes to see if there were any magic items in the mix, but...

Nope.

There was nothing in this room but old, worthless antiques.

I then turned my gaze to the walls.

Dark magic circles for the creation, maintenance, and enforcement of the Veiled Side’s rules, and laws written in the demon tongue that had to be followed.

Just as I was thinking that Sellen had actually done a good job of copying down these squiggly, worm-like symbols...

“...?”

I felt a strange sense of unease.

Quickly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the note, then compared it to the carvings on the wall.

...There’s another line of demon tongue?

A chill ran down my spine.

It couldn't have been more than a few days since Sellen had visited.

Someone had come here in those few days.

“...Luan?” asked Evan.

“What is it?”

“Something’s off about the dolls,” Evan said, his face unusually stiff as he pointed at a pile of dolls.

“What about them?”

“They... they keep staring at me.”

“What?”

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“Look,” Evan said. He moved slightly, and...

Creak... Squeak...

With the sound of creaking joints, the dolls’ heads turned to follow Evan.

“...Lady Sellen didn’t mention anything like this, did she?”

“No. Also, there’s an extra line of demon tongue.”

“Seriously?”

“Something about this stinks. Let’s bail for now—”

“Hoohoo.”

A short laugh froze us both in our tracks. When we turned around, there she was.

The princess was standing there like a ghost.

“...”

I hadn’t sensed her presence at all.

...In fact, I still didn't. Even though I could see her standing right there, calm as ever, I didn’t feel like I was facing her.

It was like I was looking at a ghost.

The princess’s dark gaze pierced through us. “I'm sure you didn't come here to join the club... Deathberry, what do you think they came here for?”

“...”

“You're right, they're here to interfere, to stop us from creating Paradise.”

It wasn’t worth responding to.

The princess radiated a sinister aura of blatant malice.

In an instant, it hit me. If the princess discovered Evan’s identity, we’d be in serious trouble.

“Go,” I muttered sharply, and then immediately charged at her, thrusting out my palm when I’d covered half the distance to her.

Fwoosh!

The White Sun Form’s second technique, flaming wheel shot toward her.

The princess smiled faintly at the sight.

The next moment...

Creak!

The dolls lined up against the wall suddenly sprang to life, throwing themselves into the path of the flaming wheel.

Like moths to a flame, they moved unnaturally to form a shield to protect the princess.

I heard the sound of shattering glass behind me. Evan had broken the window and made his escape.

“Ahaha,” the princess laughed again. She showed no intent to chase after him; instead, her gaze remained fixed on me the whole time.

So I locked eyes with her too.

Her hair was black, but she couldn’t conceal the royal crimson in her eyes.

Hadn’t Glenn said that the selection criteria for the imperial family was based on the purity of the noble crimson color?

That certainly seemed true.

The princess's eyes were even redder and more beautiful than the scarlet ruby I’d seen in Alderson's treasure vault.

Crack, thud...

Through the charred, burning dolls, I met the princess’s gaze and casually said, “I want to go to the Veiled Side.”

If I fought the princess here, I could probably force her to surrender or even kill her.

But that wasn’t what I wanted.

The princess smiled faintly. “Interesting,” she said. “How do you know about Paradise?”

“You wrote it down here.” I jerked my thumb at the demonic writings.

The princess’s smile deepened. “So you can read it. Hoohoo, looks like Deathberry is going to make some new friends...”

“...”

“Fine. My Paradise won’t turn away any child who wishes to come. Luan Bednicker, you’ll surely like it there, so long as you follow a few rules.”

“Rules?” I asked, pretending not to know. I wanted to compare her words to Lise’s.

“First, you cannot get caught by the inhabitants of Paradise. Second, do not try to leave Paradise.”

“...”

If this “paradise” was the Veiled Word, her explanation was the same as Lise’s.

“And third, you must play with the children in paradise once a day.”

“...”

Well, this was new.

Was this a new addition?

And what did she mean by “play”?

Before I could ask, my surroundings suddenly began to darken.

Creak, creak, creak...

The remaining dolls crawled up the walls and covered the windows with their bodies. It was a disgusting sight, reminiscent of cockroaches scurrying about.

The princess reached out and slowly closed the door.

Eeeeeee...

The princess was unperturbed by the screeching of the door.

In fact, she even smiled and whispered, “Let’s have fun until the full moon, Luan Bednicker. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.”

Click.

The door shut.

The room was plunged into complete darkness.

...

...

...

Silence.

I still couldn’t feel the princess’s presence, but I realized that the atmosphere around me had changed drastically.

My heart was beating faster for no reason, and my breath was quickening.

I fumbled around the darkened room.

Using my memory of where the curtains had been before the lights went out, I found them and pulled them aside.

Whoosh.

“...”

I remembered the light of dawn and sunrise.

It had not been long since dawn.

But this was different.

Outside the half-broken window, the night sky tinged with blood seemed to stretch endlessly...

And a blood-red moon, large and looming, filled half the sky.

This was the Veiled Side.

“...What’s with this atmosphere?”

The sight was uncomfortable and unsettling, so much so that I was about to pull the curtains back closed.

Aaaaah!

In the distance, a desperate scream echoed.

It wasn’t too far away.

I quickly opened the door and ran outside.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Arin O'Handel, like most girls her age, liked dolls, though she didn't buy and collect them herself.

She felt a little embarrassed by the thought of purchasing a doll at the age of seventeen.

Plus, she lived in a dorm, so she’d have nowhere to hide them.

Still, someday...

When she graduated from the academy, if she moved out and got her own place...

She had dreamed of having a corner of her room with a few of her favorite dolls.

“Hic, heek, hik...!”

Now, those ideas had vanished without a trace.

To Arin, dolls were no longer a dream but a nightmare.

With panicked gasps, she ran down the long, dark hallway.

A hallway that seemed to go on forever...

Her shadow, cast by the blood-red glow seeping through the windows...

The sight of a girl running, desperate to live, to avoid death, to escape pain, was pitiful and absurd.

Kehehehehe!

A doll chased after her from behind.

It was only about half Arin’s size, but its face was hideously distorted. In its hand was a huge knife, as large as its own body.

A butcher's knife, stained with rotting blood and chunks of flesh.

Arin remembered the cadets who had been cut to pieces by that knife.

“Hic...”

Tears suddenly filled her eyes.

In the midst of her frantic running, she could barely control her breathing, but she unconsciously started to mutter, “Please save me... I'm sorry, I was wrong, I'll do my homework, I won't skip anymore. I won't eat junk food, so—”

Her next words never came out.

It wasn't just because her voice cracked.

It was because she knew it was meaningless. She had already learned that speaking those words was useless.

Arin tripped and fell.

Crash!

It wasn’t merely a misstep, it was inevitable.

Her legs had long since lost all feeling.

Her body had already surpassed its limits, but fear had forced her to keep running.

Human beings on the verge of death could suddenly display superhuman strength, but even that had a limit.

The chilling laughter came closer.

Almost too close.

The doll stopped running and began slowly walking.

It had probably always been this way. If it had wanted to, it could have caught her at any time, but it had chosen not to.

This was their nature.

They reveled in human fear, despair, dread, and defeat.

“Ugh, hic...”

Arin O’Handel had learned magic, but at this moment, she bore no thought of fighting back.

In her current state, she couldn't use her mana... but even if she could, she knew it would be futile.

There had been an upperclassman, Theus, who was famous for being one of the best in the swordsmanship department.

She’d even heard that Theus had nearly secured a spot in the Imperial Guard Unit.

That upperclassman, who had also been captured here, had tried to lead the surviving students.

His proud face and confident attitude had made her trust him.

Following his lead, she’d had hope that they could escape.

But that hope hadn’t lasted long.

They’d fought with the dolls. Within a minute, Theus had been left on the ground with all his limbs severed.

—Aaaaah... S-save me... Help...! P-please, i-it hurts. It hurts so much... M-Mom...

Theus had tried to crawl away with only his torso until just before he died, when his strength finally ran out and his face was crushed like a fruit.

“H-hick, heup...”

Arin realized that it was now her turn.

She knew death was inevitable, but she didn’t want to die a painful death.

She would rather die comfortably, but she didn’t have the courage to bite her tongue.

Now that she thought about it... Hadn’t someone said that biting your tongue to commit suicide was a myth?

How stupid. To think such pointless thoughts at a time like this...

Arin wanted to laugh bitterly, but she had neither the energy nor the time.

Before she knew it, the doll was at her feet.

Kieeek...

Its gaze fell on her right leg, on her swollen toes and peeled toenails.

Ah. It must be planning to cut those first.

The butcher knife was raised high.

Somehow, the scene felt unreal, even though she had seen it countless times before.

She couldn't even imagine her leg being cut by that knife.

Ah... I get why the stoic senior Theus sought his mother in his last moments.

Arin's voice broke as she said, “...Mom.”

At this moment...

A warm light flickered to her right.

It wasn't the dreary, frightening red moonlight that had haunted her like a nightmare all day.

It was the kind of light that made you feel dizzy when it touched your skin, that brought a sense of drowsiness, but was so brilliant that no one could look straight at it if they looked up.

It felt like sunlight...

...

Arin’s impression was accurate.

What she witnessed was a martial art inspired by the sun.

BAAANG!

The doll shattered.

The demon, a being she hadn't dreamed of facing, shattered like an ordinary doll made of wood.

“Are you all right?” a voice asked.

“...”

Arin looked at the figure with vacant eyes.

The white-haired boy shook his fist off casually. He looked like he had just killed a scarecrow, not a demon.

“You are...?”

“A transfer student. Judging by the color of your tie, you're an upperclassman, right? I'd like to ask you a few questions first...”

His tone was light.

She wondered if he hadn't figured out what was going on yet.

There were often cadets like this. Headmaster Alderson’s personality was so nasty that they thought it was just another of his events or tests.

They were the cadets who died the quickest and most miserably.

“W-wait a minute... This place is dangerous. There are killer dolls everywhere, and there are other people trapped here. And, and this isn’t some kind of test—”

“I know,” the boy said, cutting off her rambling.

“Uh, huh?”

“It's a demon outbreak, and you got caught up in it.”

Arin blinked at him. “W-were you taken here too?”

“Not quite. I chose to come here.”

“You chose to come here? Why...?” She stopped. She wanted to ask why he would willingly come to this hell himself, but...

But then the white-haired boy answered, “To save you all.”

“...”

Then Arin O'Handel's expression twisted. Her lips curled, the tip of her nose twitched, and water formed in the corners of her eyes.

The words she'd been keeping inside her all along...

Please help me.

Trapped in this unknown world, running, terrified, begging, despairing, and running again.

Thousands, tens of thousands of times she's said those words.

Please help me.

But at some point, she had stopped saying them. Because she’d known it was pointless. Because she’d known the plea would not, could not reach anyone.

So the words “Please save me” hadn't come out until she was on the brink of death.

And only then because she was terrified.

More than her current situation, she’d been scared that her voice wouldn't reach anyone. That she would die here in silence, without anyone knowing.

But that wasn’t true.

Her voice had in fact reached someone.

That realization brought tears to her eyes.

“Thank you...” Like a dam breaking, her true feelings, shattered with tears, spilled out. “Th-thank you. Thank you. I thought it was the end, heuk... Thank you so much...”

She bowed her head in gratitude again and again.

The boy, Luan Bednicker, smiled faintly as he watched her.

He didn't know what would come next.

It might have been a foolish decision to step into the Veiled Side alone.

He wasn’t sure, but...

One thing was certain.

I’m glad I came.

He truly thought so.

____