The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 11

Drunken Scoundrel

They lost contact with the village chief next door, huh.

“Has this happened often?”

“Well, it’s Harrison. It’s not unusual for him to forget things after drinking.”

“Then what’s so strange about it?”

“Even though it happened frequently, he’s never been out of contact for this long.”

I confirmed the location of Cave Manor, where Harrison was the village chief.

I had to visit a total of nine manors for this mission, and Cave Manor, where Harrison was the village chief, was the seventh in order.

“Since I have to go there anyway, I’ll let you know then.”

“Yes, please.”

* * *

After that, I visited the other manors in order.

Every time I visited a manor and revealed my identity, the villagers, including the village chief, were terrified and prostrated themselves.

It was a journey that made me realize how great my notoriety was.

“Come here?”

In one manor, a child cried whenever he saw me, so the villagers begged me to take a look.

It was as if they thought that if the child cried, the famous scoundrel Henon would hit him to shut him up.

Instead of assaulting the child, I gave him a cookie I had brought from the estate.

When I smiled along with the child who was beaming, the expressions of the villagers who watched this became strange.

“Sion.”

“Yes.”

“Should I just hit him? It seems like people want me to act like a scoundrel.”

“No. Even if that’s the case, I like you much better as you are now, Master.”

If the protagonist says so, then so be it.

While moving between the manors, Sion and I sparred from time to time.

Perhaps because Sion was also in the protagonist position, his skills noticeably improved as he sparred with me.

Since I was growing and Sion was growing with me, the gap narrowed, but it didn’t shrink significantly.

Still, compared to other people, we were both steadily getting stronger.

The Demonic Heavenly Sword also helped a lot from the side.

At first, it was obvious that he was reluctantly giving advice because he didn’t want to fall into the toilet, but these days, he was the one who spoke up first.

Perhaps because he was an old man who had lived for a thousand years, he was lonely.

-You can’t swing the sword like that there.

-Your flank is open!

-You should memorize the blood points first. How are you going to use internal energy without knowing the meridians [energy channels]?

Starting with advice.

-I used to be, once upon a time…

-When I was in my prime…

-So, unifying the Murim [martial arts world]…

The rest of the time was filled with his boasting.

As I listened to the chattering of the talkative Heavenly Demon like a radio, I suddenly became curious.

“By the way, Heavenly Demon.”

-What.

“Who did you lose to that you were sealed in a sword?”

-Why are you asking that!

The Heavenly Demon became prickly when a topic he didn’t like came up.

Certainly, this old man only liked stories about how strong and good he was.

“I’m curious. If you hadn’t been sealed in the sword, we wouldn’t have met. Did you really meet a dragon or something?”

After pausing for a moment after receiving my question, the Heavenly Demon said.

-The guy who imprisoned me was a human.

That’s a bit unexpected.

From what I’ve heard, the Heavenly Demon was almost the strongest on the continent.

Was there a hero who could seal the Heavenly Demon a thousand years ago?

-At the time, I had nothing to fear. After conquering the Central Plains, I couldn’t stand the boredom and went on a journey to a new continent.

“And then?”

-As soon as I arrived, I applied for duels with the local masters. Their levels were terrible. Then I met him.

Is it finally coming out?

-He was…no. Anyway, he wasn’t a sword user. He was like a Taoist, but if I fought him again now, I could win easily.

In the end, there’s nothing of substance.

I was about to ask more, but a soldier outside said that we had arrived at our destination.

The place we were visiting this time was Cave Manor, which the first village chief had mentioned before.

As I got out of the carriage, I could see the scenery of Cave Manor.

The exterior was no different from the manors I had visited so far; it was just a rural village.

The only unique thing was that, unlike most manors located in plains, this place was nestled against a mountain.

“Welcome. I am Harrison, the village chief. Are you newly appointed? I’ve never seen your face before.”

The village chief, with a gentle impression, greeted me with a generous smile.

Everyone smiles like that when they first see me at any manor.

But once I reveal my identity, they can’t control their expressions.

“I’m not a manager. I am Henon, the son of Marquis Lloyd. You’ve heard of my reputation, haven’t you?”

I said nonchalantly, expecting the same reaction as always.

But a slightly different reaction came back.

“Ah! You’re Henon! I’m so glad to see you! You’ve come at a great time!”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Village Chief Harrison, who bowed 90 degrees and welcomed me excessively.

If I were an ordinary person, I would have thought that Village Chief Harrison was just a kind person.

But who am I?

I’m none other than Henon, the notorious scoundrel of the Marquisate.

He’s welcoming me like this even though he knows who I am?

‘It’s unnatural.’

Why is he so happy to see me?

With the recent news that he hasn’t been in contact, my suspicion deepened even further.

“Please, eat. It’s humble, but I’ve prepared it with all my heart.”

“Hmm, shall we enjoy it then?”

I played along and went to the village square.

The villagers who had set up a dining area outdoors all seemed to be genuinely welcoming us.

As a result, the soldiers I brought from the Marquisate naturally puffed up their shoulders and became elated.

“Hahaha! It’s meat! It’s meat!”

“To drink wine in a rural area like this! What a windfall.”

“Hehe, you didn’t have to go this far. This is embarrassing.”

The soldiers quickly loosened up and began to revel.

Village Chief Harrison, who was watching this with a satisfied expression, offered me food as well.

“Please, try it. It’s ham sausage made from freshly caught pork. It tastes amazing. Try it with the wine.”

I was suspicious, but I didn’t want to act strangely when nothing was certain.

I took a bite of the sausage and took a sip of the wine that came with it.

The moment the sweet and bitter red wine went down my throat, letters suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[Skill Self-Purification is activated.]

[The sleeping pill in the wine induces a status abnormality.]

[The status abnormality is nullified due to the passive skill.]

Ah, so there was something wrong.

It’s the moment when suspicion turns into certainty.

I glanced to the side and saw Sion about to take a sip of wine with a faint smile, swept away by the festive atmosphere.

“Hey, give it here.”

I snatched Sion’s wine glass and poured it into my mouth in one gulp.

[Skill Self-Purification is activated.]

[The sleeping pill in the wine induces a status abnormality.]

[The status abnormality is nullified due to the passive skill.]

Sion, who had her wine glass suddenly taken away, looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

Her face read, ‘This scoundrel has been quiet lately, but he’s starting again.’

I stole the wine and glanced at Village Chief Harrison.

The village chief, who had been smiling, flinched and wavered for the first time.

“The wine was so delicious that I couldn’t resist.”

“Hahaha! That can happen. Please, wait a moment. I’ll bring the whole wine jug.”

As the village chief left his seat, I had a brief opportunity to be alone with Sion.

I quickly said in a low voice to her, who still had a dumbfounded expression.

“There’s a sleeping pill in the wine. When the wine comes, pretend to drink it and fall asleep.”

Sion’s eyes widened.

Just as she was about to answer, Village Chief Harrison came back and sat down.

“Hahaha! Let’s start again. This time, the lady won’t be short of wine either.”

“Lady is too much for a lowly maid. It’s an undeserved title.”

“To ignorant people like us, any woman in the Marquisate is a lady. Hehe.”

After that, Sion held the wine in her mouth and secretly poured it onto the ground when no one was looking.

I casually asked the village chief.

“Come to think of it, the village chief next door was wondering why you haven’t contacted him recently. What happened?”

“Haha, nothing happened. I just like to drink so much that I must have forgotten again. I’ll send someone right away tomorrow.”

Sweat was beading on Village Chief Harrison’s forehead as he smoothly brushed it off.

“…I see.”

The drinking party lasted for about an hour.

Not only did they drink quickly in a short amount of time, but they also had sleeping pills in them, so the soldiers all passed out.

In my case, the sleeping pills and drunkenness were recovered due to my passive skill, so I was wide awake.

Looking to the side, Sion seemed fine too.

Still, I wanted to know what their intentions were, so I deliberately staggered.

“Ugh, did I drink too much? I’m a little sleepy.”

“Hahaha, you certainly drank a lot. Go inside and rest comfortably.”

The village chief lent me his house.

I pretended to sleep there, and before long, people came in.

“Are you sure he’s asleep?”

“Yes. He drank several glasses of wine with sleeping pills in it.”

“Move the maid too.”

The men brought ropes and tied my wrists and ankles, then lifted me up.

As I came outside, I squinted to assess the situation.

Surprisingly, not only me but also thirty soldiers and Sion were tied up and loaded onto a cart.

“Move out.”

Along with the rattling wheel sounds, the manor people dragged us up the foot of the mountain.

How much time had passed?

Before I knew it, the Marquisate soldiers, including Sion and me, were in front of a strange cave.

The dark cave entrance looked like a beast opening its mouth.

Village Chief Harrison couldn’t enter recklessly and hesitated outside the cave for a long time.

Then, a grating voice that sounded like scraping iron plates was heard from inside.

“Hehehe, come in.”

“Yes, yes!”

Only then did the people hurriedly drag the cart into the cave.

The interior was brighter than I thought because torches were lit in various places.

When we reached the deepest part, a foul smell permeated the surroundings.

The stench was so bad that it was hard to pretend to be asleep.

I couldn’t believe that people lived in a place like this.

“Hehehe, I smell fresh flesh.”

Finally, the owner of the voice revealed himself.

It was a man who had deeply pressed down his hood, but even the loose hood couldn’t hide his gaunt, emaciated frame.

Red light flashed between the hood.

I instinctively guessed who he was.

‘A black magician.’

Black magicians existed on the Arcania continent.

They mainly used necromancy, domination, summoning, transformation, and all sorts of other magic.

Of course, they were active in the shadows, and as far as I knew, most black magicians were members of the , a gathering of demon worshippers.

“Raul, as promised, I brought as many as thirty sacrifices, so please release my son and the villagers!”

Listening to Village Chief Harrison’s words, I roughly understood how things were going.

That black magician must have taken the manor people hostage and threatened them.

Village Chief Harrison must have been pacing back and forth, only worrying.

He couldn’t go anywhere to complain because he was afraid that his captured family would die.

In such a situation, we came along to be sacrifices, so he must have thought this was his chance to commit such a reckless act.

I now knew for sure why Village Chief Harrison had welcomed us so warmly.

“Hehehe, that’s right. I have to reward a good child who kept his promise. I’ll return your son and the villagers.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“It’s a touching family reunion. Then come out!”

When the black magician gestured, there was a clanging sound of iron bars moving from the dark place inside where there were no torches.

And an ominous howling echoed.

“Grrrrr…”

“Kaaaa!”

“Kruk, kruruk.”

I had a bad feeling.

And ominous premonitions always come true.

The beings that emerged from the darkness were the villagers, including Village Chief Harrison’s son.

But their condition was strange.

Their flesh was already purplish and rotting in places, and all their hair had fallen out or only a few strands remained sparsely.

The focus of their eyes was off.

Some were missing one eye, and others were missing both eyes.

The terrible stench emanating from them tormented my nose.

That’s right.

They were already dead and had become undead.

They had turned into ghouls.

Village Chief Harrison, who had witnessed a scene he didn’t even want to see in his dreams, collapsed as if his legs had given way.

“Why…”

“The reaction is too lukewarm. I went out of my way to reunite you with your family.”

“Didn’t you say you would save them!”

“I did save them, didn’t I? In this industry, this state is alive. In our terms, we say they have found true freedom.”

“Uaaaa!!!”

Village Chief Harrison, unable to contain his anger, rushed at the black magician Raul.

Raul waved his hand.

Then, one of the ghouls next to him suddenly became ferocious and rushed at Harrison!

Tragically, that ghoul was once Village Chief Harrison’s son.

“Kaaaaaak!”

“Ugh!”

The ghoul frantically struggled to tear off Village Chief Harrison’s flesh.

The village chief was instantly covered in blood.

The villagers all became stone statues and stood blankly at the terrifying scene.

“Ah, by the way, our newly born babies are very hungry. You’ll have to become food too.”

From the beginning, the black magician had no intention of keeping his promise.

Should I run away as it is?

Or should I fight against the undead who were once family?

Neither option was easy to choose.

Even in the midst of the chaos, Harrison continued to be attacked by the ghoul.

His forearm was torn off, and one of his ears was gone.

Blood gushed from the spot where the missing ear had been, soaking the floor.

“Ah, Jacob, it’s your father. Please, come to your senses.”

The father desperately hopes that his son will come to his senses.

He himself already knows.

That his son will not return.

Nevertheless, he denies reality and hopes that Jacob will smile again and greet his father.

And…

Swish!

Thud!

The ghoul Jacob’s head flew into the sky.

The headless Jacob’s torso, which had been struggling on top of Village Chief Harrison, soon slumped down.

The village chief, who had come to his senses, discovered the silhouette of a familiar man standing in front of him.

“He, Henon?”

That’s right.

I, who had been pretending to be asleep until just now, couldn’t stand it any longer and drew my sword.

“How…I clearly saw you drink the wine with the sleeping pills in it.”

I told the rambling Village Chief Harrison.

“A scoundrel doesn’t get drunk. Because he’s always drunk.”