I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

Episode 294

What did I do? Ramon suddenly wondered. How had he, who was just a goblin, ended up trudging through an endless field of white snow?

No one clearly remembered their very first memory. However, one could at least identify their oldest memory.

His was of the disgusting smell of the sewers, the crawling maggots, the irritating squeaks of rats in the sewers, and the heat. No, was it hot back then? He didn't remember.

There had been a group of goblins that had barely survived in the sewers of a rotten city. In any case, it was clear that they weren't sane. Ramon was born into that group, but even then, he always had questions.

How could they drink that filthy water? Wasn't it disgusting to eat sewer rats raw? Why did they always insist on fighting to resolve every conflict? Shouldn't everyone make concessions with each other and find a compromise?

Ramon had expressed such an opinion and was beaten up. He might've been beaten to death if he hadn't run away.

Ramon thought about it after he was kicked out of the group. The place he was born and raised in was never where he truly belonged. So where was he meant to be?

One day, Ramon, who was covered in wounds, caught his first glimpse of the world beyond the sewer cover.

"Buy fruit! The seasonal apples are amazing!"

"The flowers are very beautiful! If you buy it now, I will give you three for the price of one!"

"How much is this?"

"Wait! If you aren't going to buy it, then don't touch it!"

Even when he couldn't understand their language, and despite being born a monster, Ramon was moved by what he saw. He was swept away by a tidal wave of emotions that overwhelmed him.

People dressed in fine clothes walked down the street with graceful movements. Despite such a large crowd of people, no disputes broke out. The simple gesture of taking a bite of an apple allowed him to sense the dignity of an intelligent being.

Ramon instinctively realized it. He didn't belong here, he belonged there. He wanted to get out of this smelly gutter and go toward them.

However, he couldn't do so. He looked down at his rags and found his face turning red. That was the first time Ramon ever felt shame.

I need to cover myself.

Before he even knew the word "clothing," Ramon realized the first of the three basic human needs. He roamed the garbage dumps near the city and collected discarded human clothes one by one. It took quite a long time.

He searched for clothes that fit, read discarded books to learn the language, and watched the world beyond the sewer to compare his pronunciation with theirs.

A year passed, or perhaps even longer. After getting ready, Ramon went out into the city with a trembling heart.

It was a scene he had watched countless times from beneath the manhole cover, but now he had the hope that he could finally be one of them.

"One, apple, please..." he said with clumsy but unmistakable words. Then he held out a precious silver coin with trembling hands.

Of course, Ramon was almost beaten to death again. Violence more horrific than anything he had ever suffered at the hands of his own kind came crashing down on his body.

It wasn't instinctive violence to eliminate competitors. Rather, it was malice, hatred, and disgust. Eyes filled with such emotions engraved on Ramon something even more terrible than physical pain.

He ran away again. Then he thought about it. Why couldn't he be like that? What was the difference between him and them?

On a day when it was raining heavily, the place he ran to was another garbage dump. Ramon found a broken mirror there. He was wearing a bug-eaten shirt, torn pants, shoes with loose soles, crooked glasses, and a worn coat.

He saw the appearance of a monster.

Laughter emerged from his mouth. "Haha..."

He sneered for the first time in his life and came to a realization: A monster was a monster, no matter how good his imitation.

If neither the sewers nor the surface were where he belonged, then where was he supposed to be? He couldn't figure it out.

From then on, the garbage dump became Ramon's home. He avoided other beings as much as possible and continued his life by eating food waste. However, he didn't give up his interest in the broken clothes, tools, books, and toys that humans sometimes threw away.

Ramon was exceptionally smart. He read books alone and fully awakened his capacity for language. It became possible for him to speak. His fluent pronunciation was no different from that of a human.

Still, what was the meaning of that? He didn't have anyone to talk to.

It was like that for several years, until one day, near the garbage dump, he saw a kid being beaten up by another kid.

Ramon had come to understand the concept of play, but even to him, their violence clearly fell outside that category. Beating someone up until blood streamed from their nose and mouth? No one would call that a game.

The moment Ramon saw that, he remembered his past self who had been beaten up by his own kind.

"Kieeeek!"

"Uwahhh!"

"M-monster!"

There was no need to fight. All the children ran away the moment he showed up.

Ramon realized that he had committed an irrational act. It had been discovered that there was a monster living in the garbage dump, so he didn't know if he had to leave this place now. Why had he done such a stupid thing?

Just then, the boy lying on the ground staggered to his feet and met Ramon's eyes.

Ramon was instinctively nervous and bared his teeth. He roared as if imitating a fierce beast.

The boy shuddered, but that was all. He stuttered, "T-thank you..."

Eventually, he bowed his head and left.

An indescribable emotion rose in Ramon's heart. His heart was full, his vision was blurred, and something warm flowed down his jaw.

"Ugh, ah..."

That was how Ramon's life began. After that, he lived in the garbage dump and helped many people: a lost child, an old man with a twisted back, a woman who lost a valuable item, and so on. He didn't show up openly, but secretly helped them. He didn't have the confidence to face them yet.

There was only one exception.

"Ramon! You're here!"

It was the first boy he'd saved. The boy called Tom was the one who gave Ramon his name.

"Today, I brought bread from Aunt Rosa's house! There's something inside. It's cooled down, but I think you'll still like it!"

Ramon took a bite and nodded. "It is apple jam. It is delicious."

"Right?"

"Mm. Thank you for today."

"Why bother saying such things between us?"

Ramon thought this kind of life wasn't bad. The garbage dump was a barren and smelly place for humans to live in, but it was a pretty good place for a goblin. There was a roof to shelter from the rain and wind, and even though it was just food waste, the scraps could fill his stomach. It was also quite fun to find treasure among all manner of trash.

The conversation he occasionally had with his little friend was quite special for Ramon as well.

However, the peace didn't last long.

"T-there really is a goblin!"

"Oh gods! We have to kill it right away!"

One day, several city residents with weapons rushed in and drove Ramon away. He was kicked out of the garbage dump just like that.

He later found out that the reason was Tom, the boy who often came to the garbage dump. To be precise, it was the boy's parents.

Tom reeked of garbage every time he came home, so his suspicious mother followed her and saw her son talking to a goblin.

Ramon left the garbage dump, but he strangely felt uneasy. Was it because this place was something that couldn't be called a home at all?

If that was the case, what was a home? From what he read in the dictionary, it was a place where he could eat and sleep. In other words, it was a nest.

However, Ramon didn't feel that the garbage dump was his home. It gave the impression of just being a temporary shelter.

Then what about the sewer infested with his own kind? Was that his home? Wasn't it the place where he was born and raised?

No. It wasn't his home either. Ramon thought that he might not have a home for all his life.

After leaving the garbage dump, he was forced to rummage through trash cans again to survive.

Then at some point, his condition deteriorated rapidly. His vision became blurry and his breathing became short. His intestines seemed to be twisted up. On top of that, he felt hungry.

Ramon lost consciousness while trying to take a bite of rotten bread. As his consciousness blurred, he had a thought. Wouldn't it be easier to just die like this?

***

When he opened his eyes again, Ramon was lying on a bed in a shabby house.

"Hello, goblin."

That was when he met Lanfero.

The young man wearing a thick coat was more lanky than big. He was sipping a cup of tea with a very dignified posture that didn't match his appearance.

"You are the goblin of the garbage dump, right?" Lanfero asked.

Ramon said nothing.

"It is strange. I heard that you know how to speak."

"I do," Ramon said.

"Oh. You have wonderful pronunciation. You must've practiced quite a bit, right?"

"What do you want from me? I don't have money or anything to give you."

"Oh dear. You've been tainted by the darker side of civilized society." Lanfero smiled. "I didn't help you expecting anything in return."

"That is impossible."

"What is with that reaction?"

"Humans never give anything unless a price is paid, right? I can't even eat a piece of bread if I don't have money."

"Well, you're not wrong."

"No offense since you saved me, but you didn't have to."

"Why?"

"I think dying right then wouldn't have been so bad."

"That isn't right." freёweɓnovel.com

Ramon raised his head upon hearing Lanfero's unexpectedly firm voice.

"Don't easily give up on your life. Every person has a role. Is it your role to die after rummaging through trash cans?"

Ramon was silent.

"Listen, there are plenty of fools who do good deeds without asking for anything in return. If you ask me, you seem like someone who qualifies."

"Huh?"

Lanfero's smile gradually faded and he stared at Ramon with his ruby-like eyes as he said, "I saved you because I was asked by the people of the city. Grandmother Oller said she was worried when she didn't see you show up to carry her things. Lamber sometimes entrusted you to fix his pots, right? You gave Amy food when she ran away from home."

Ramon said nothing.

"I also heard that you saved a kid called Tom the first time you met. Did you expect anything in return from him at that time?"

Ramon didn't answer. Then Lanfero chuckled mischievously before asking, "By the way, what is your name?"

That was how his life began. Ramon got to know Lanfero, Araxad, and Corrupted. It was quite a rollercoaster of nonstop activity.

Among clan members who had no sense of finances, Ramon tried his best to keep the clan running like an actual clan.

***

"Hoooo..." Ramon stopped with a groan.

It was just like that day when he met Lanfero. His mind was hazy and he felt hot, just like when he was unconscious from a high fever. Through his blurred vision, he could see an old sword.

A fierce snowstorm swirled around him, making it nearly impossible to see. However, he could still tell the direction thanks to his compass.

He had already asked Ymir for directions. It was back when he playfully touched Mjolnir. He'd done it secretly so that Luan wouldn't hear.

It was a half-gamble, but it was a success. Ymir had given only Ramon directions.

After that, Ramon put a sleeping pill in the stubborn boy's tea. It wasn't a very effective drug. There were times when they had to grab some sleep whenever possible, so he'd prepared it just in case. However, it was enough to put the tired Luan to sleep for a while.

Young Master Luan must live, Ramon thought. It wasn't just due to the matter in the ice cave, either.

Ramon had an eye for people. The boy had a mysterious charm and would become a much more important person in the future. He would be indispensable not just for Corrupted, but also for the Hero Society. So Ramon's role today was to pave the way.

He gripped the hilt of the sword and pulled. However, it didn't easily slide out, perhaps because it was hardened by the ice.

Ramon burst out laughing. He'd been told that this was a sword even a child could easily draw. And yet, his physical strength was inferior to that of a child.

I am like this even at the very end.

After all the lies and leaving so dramatically, he recalled a previous conversation he had with Luan.

"Do you know? From where I'm standing, you look like someone desperate to throw your life away. You just asked whether you look like a small and weak goblin to me."

"I've never thought that way since meeting you. Senior, aren't you the one who thinks of yourself that way?"

"You don't think you can help in a normal way, so you want to sacrifice your life to contribute to this mission. Isn't that right?"

Luan was right. He was a rough, unruly boy who was sly and quick to react with emotion to most things, but every now and then, he showed a sharp side. He'd seen through it very accurately.

Ramon always lived with such self-deprecating thoughts. He had an inferiority complex, especially since he only had office skills compared to the other strong clan members.

So was this the price? He'd always disparaged himself as a small and weak goblin, so would he die without being able to lift a sword a child could wield, without being able to help his companions?

No!

Ramon gritted his teeth.

No way. The years he'd lived and his identity as a member of the Corrupted clan wouldn't allow him to tolerate such an ugly end.

Me too. I'm a hero too.

He raised his strength to the limit despite it feeling like his frozen fingers were falling off. In fact, a few did fall off. It didn't matter, though. His blood vessels had to be frozen as well, as no blood flowed and he didn't feel pain.

Ramon held the hilt of the sword with bloodshot eyes.

"Uwaaaah—!" His scream echoed through the snowstorm.

He had never been a great hero, and he wasn't the rightful bearer of Mjolnir, a relic of the giants; but at least here, he could pull out an old sword for his companion.

Ramon looked at the drawn sword. There was joy in his half-opened eyes.

Today... He smiled slightly. Brother Lanfero, it is today.

At this moment, in the stomach of a giant, in order to open a path for a young hero who could still protect the world, he had found it.

This is... my role...

For the goblin who once filled his stomach with food waste and slept in the sewers, it was a wonderful role that was too noble. It was also a fitting end.

Just...

If there was one thing he regretted, it was that he couldn't introduce the young hero to his other family members. He didn't want to give up that role to someone else.

Well, it wasn't bad to have this much regret. No one could get everything they wanted.

Before he knew it, he no longer felt the cold. Ramon's body slowly crumpled as he drew the sword. He slowly closed both eyes.

The intense snowstorm gradually stopped, and gentle snowflakes fell from the sky. They honored the rest of the great hero with green skin, warmly covering his body.

Goblin Ramon was a C-class hero belonging to Corrupted. He was seventeen years old.

At the end of the giant's stomach, he stopped the eternal winter.