The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 22

The Young Master of the Marquisate is a Genius – Episode 22 (22/200)

Chapter 3: The North: An Adapted Scoundrel

A blizzard raged in the North.

Commander Karina gazed out the window, lost in reminiscence.

‘Uncle, I like you!’

‘Kuhahaha! You’re too young to like me. Come back when you’re older.’

A shameful memory from the past.

Looking back, it was just the innocent infatuation of a teenage girl.

Even knowing that, her face flushed at the mere thought of it.

Marquis Lloyd wasn’t handsome.

He was just a burly, good-natured man.

She didn’t know why she had such a crush on him.

Was it because he had defeated the Demon King?

Or was it because he acted the most normal among the Seven Stars [an elite group of powerful individuals]?

In any case, the Marquis was the tacit center of the Seven Stars, a group of highly individualistic people.

Indeed, after he lost his legs and retired, their regular meetings ceased altogether.

Afterward, Karina went to the North.

The stated reason was to protect the Demon King’s seal while improving her personal skills.

But deep down, she also hoped.

She hoped that the Marquis would be grateful to her for protecting his territory by going to the North.

And that he might look at her differently.

It was a childish but pure thought of a young girl.

Later, he informed her of his arranged marriage through a letter of greeting.

He also mentioned that he had children.

He even mentioned a woman he truly loved.

She was an elf, but she died shortly after giving birth.

When he said he was heartbroken, she bit her lip and sent him a letter of consolation.

‘I was such a fool.’

Looking back now, she realized how naive she had been.

Just as she was getting older, an unexpected visitor appeared in the North.

‘I am Henon Lloyd.’

Fair skin, a sharp nose, and a tall stature.

He didn’t resemble her uncle at all.

He must be the son of that woman he truly loved.

That’s why she didn’t like him.

For a moment, she even had bad thoughts.

‘Should I assign him to the front lines?’

Even in the letter he sent after a long time, there was no mention of her well-being.

It was solely a letter from a parent asking her to place Henon in the rear.

She immediately threw the letter into the fireplace.

‘Please assign me to the Ranger Corps. I want to serve on the front lines.’

However, Henon acted differently from what she had expected.

He took a simple test.

She had him infuse mana into his sword, stick it into the ground, and then try to pull it out while she suppressed him with her killing intent.

In fact, it was a test designed to send him back.

She would have felt uncomfortable if the Marquis’s son died in the North, no matter what.

The difficulty was set so that only a mana user close to or at the Expert level could pass.

‘An easy test.’

The result was far from Karina’s expectations.

Henon showed an amazing performance.

He easily overcame her killing intent, which she had been steadily developing since reaching Sword Master [a high rank in swordsmanship], and moved.

No, that’s not it.

It would be more accurate to say that he didn’t feel the pressure at all.

‘What the hell was that? What ability is that?’

Even as someone who had met all sorts of opponents in her life, it was a sight she had never seen before.

Even a Sword Master of the same level would be affected to some extent when she unleashed her killing intent.

To be completely free from its influence like Henon, one would have to be at the level of the hero Kyle, who was a Grand Sword Master, one step above her.

Of course, Henon couldn’t be at the level of a hero.

She became interested.

More than anything, his relaxed yet confident demeanor.

She found a piece of her uncle in him.

Marquis Lloyd’s younger self was right before her eyes.

That’s why she accepted him into the North.

There was no reason to refuse him after he passed the test.

However, she was worried.

She was a veteran who had spent 20 years in the North, so she knew this area better than anyone else.

The men of the North were rough.

No sane noble would come here unless they were completely insane.

In the first place, they would just pay their way out of service.

Commoners who had committed crimes or serfs who couldn’t repay their debts were the main members of Black Castle.

Could Henon, even if he was a bastard, adapt well to such a group, even with a maid in tow?

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking broke her train of thought.

The person who entered was the supply unit commander, whom she trusted next to Ranger Commander Victor in the North.

He was known as the North’s social butterfly because he had a cheerful personality and loved to spread rumors.

“Commander!”

“What is it?”

“Something interesting is happening.”

“If you find it interesting, it must be something trivial.”

“No, it’s not. You know that new noble recruit?”

Karina, who had been thinking about Henon until just now, perked up her ears.

“The recruit is about to get into a fight with Campbell. Let’s go watch.”

So it finally happened.

She hesitated for a moment whether to go or not, but that time was short.

In the past, when such disturbances occurred in the North, she often went to watch.

Besides, Campbell was a huge brute.

There was no way a noble bastard could win against such a bear, so her role would be to stop it midway.

“Let’s go together.”

“Hehe, I’ll guide you.”

She followed the supply unit commander to the Ranger’s quarters.

The situation had already unfolded.

The walls of the quarters were broken, and Campbell and Henon were facing each other.

Campbell’s size was still intimidating.

In contrast, Henon didn’t seem to be a match at all on the surface.

“Commander, you’ve arrived?”

When she appeared, Victor came over and handed her two baskets.

It was a tradition in the North.

Fighting alone was boring, so betting on the outcome was always involved.

Everyone seemed to have bet on Campbell’s victory, as his basket was piled high with money.

On the other hand, Henon’s basket had only 1 silver in it.

“At least one person bet on the recruit’s victory.”

“It’s the money the maid who came with him put in. She must have put in money because he’s the master she serves.”

A maid with purple hair.

Her name was Zion, wasn’t it?

She thought she was just a maid who came to take care of things, but she managed to resist the killing intent she had unleashed and take a step forward.

Her determination not to give in, even with bloodshot eyes and coughing up blood, was impressive.

She was skilled enough to be in the upper ranks even in the North, so if she bet on Henon…

“I’ll bet on the recruit too.”

“Are you serious?”

“Consider it money to throw away.”

“We’re happy either way. Hehe.”

She crossed her arms and watched the duel.

Henon fought well.

Surprisingly, he wielded a high-level swordsmanship.

Did her uncle use such swordsmanship?

It didn’t seem to be the family’s swordsmanship, but it was a well-organized swordsmanship.

He perfectly utilized the principles of soft swordsmanship, recognizing that his strength was inferior to his opponent.

His mana capacity was, of course, good, and his mana control was also excellent.

Even in the face of Campbell’s relentless attacks, he remained calm and didn’t lose his composure.

He seemed to have expected a long-term battle from the beginning and maintained his pace well.

“The recruit fights pretty well, doesn’t he?”

“I’ve never seen Campbell struggle like this before.”

The murmuring grew louder.

The atmosphere towards Henon was changing.

Just a moment ago, they were looking at him like a young pup.

That’s when it happened.

“Huh?”

Karina doubted her eyes.

Campbell deliberately showed an opening because Henon wasn’t coming in.

It was a subtle opening that others might not have noticed, but she, as a Sword Master, could recognize.

Of course, Henon rushed in with his eyes wide open.

Honestly, she thought it was over here.

Until a tree trunk suddenly sprang up from the ground and turned the opening Campbell had deliberately shown into a real opening.

‘What was that?’

He was full of surprises.

Campbell overcame the crisis with his unique improvisation, and then a dogfight ensued.

The two men rolled on the ground.

Campbell was choking Henon, and Henon was grabbing Campbell’s… anyway, it was terrible.

“Oh my! How could this be!”

“Wow… that must hurt a lot.”

“Ah, I feel like I’m hurting just watching.”

Karina acknowledged it after watching this fight.

Henon was not the docile noble-born bastard she had assumed.

In an emergency, he didn’t hesitate to throw sand like a common street thug, and if necessary, he grabbed the opponent’s vitals.

Henon was just a wild beast, a scoundrel.

She didn’t know what had made him so tenacious.

However, Karina saw in that figure the young Marquis who had been crazy with the single-minded determination to defeat the Demon King 20 years ago.

“He’s definitely her uncle’s son.”

A smile spread across her face.

If he was her uncle’s son, there was nothing to worry about.

He would figure things out on his own.

“I’ve never seen such a dirty fight in my life.”

“Is the recruit really from a noble family? Isn’t he from some back alley gang and the rumors are wrong?”

“He’s a real psycho. I see why he came to the North. The recruit really got one over on us. Hahaha!!!”

“What did you say the recruit’s name was?”

“What does it matter! From now on, the recruit’s nickname is the Undying.”

“The Undying? Because he doesn’t die? Isn’t that too grand a nickname?”

“No. It’s short for Ball-Sack Slaughterer.”

“Kikikik!!!”

The sound of men laughing.

The North was already welcoming Henon.

Finally, she looked at the maid Henon had brought with him.

The purple-haired maid was skillfully beating up a man.

“If you try to touch me again, that hand will be gone.”

It seemed like there was no need to worry about her either.

She turned around and headed to her office.

Victor followed and said.

“Commander, aren’t you going to collect your winnings? It’s a whopping ten times the amount.”

“No, give it all to the maid who bet on the recruit instead of me.”

“If I had known, I would have bet on the recruit too.”

She waved her hand dismissively at his words and went inside.

Now that Henon was assigned to the Ranger Corps, he might show outstanding performance, but he might also return as a cold corpse at any time.

Still, she hoped that he, who had shown her a good spectacle, would survive in the North for a long time.

* * *

Black Honey.

It was called the only haven for soldiers serving in the North.

The exterior was a shabby tavern, but the interior was quite spacious.

It was run by a woman for generations, and the manager’s daughter and employee, Erica, was rumored to be a beauty.

In fact, she was cute and pretty enough to be treated like an idol in this male-dominated society.

But she wasn’t my type.

I guess Zion has raised my standards.

Zion was definitely much prettier.

My welcoming ceremony was held here.

I paid 100% of the money.

Where did I get that money?

After the duel, Zion gave me a whopping 10 gold.

For reference, 1 gold is equivalent to a family of four’s monthly living expenses, so 10 gold was a considerable sum even by my standards as a noble.

When I asked what it was, she said that she had placed bets on me and Campbell.

Only Zion and Commander Karina bet on me, so the two of them swept all the prize money.

As expected, betting against the odds has a low probability, but once you win, it’s amazing.

“Keke! To the Ball-Sack Slaughterer! Cheers!”

“I’ve never seen such a crazy guy before.”

“He’s a guy who fits in the North.”

The North was harsh, but once they recognized a member, there were no warmer people than them.

Perhaps because they lived with death so close, they were careful with each other.

Even Campbell, who was the vice-commander, showed a laid-back attitude and welcomed me.

Even now, Zion and I were sitting side by side, and Campbell was sitting across from us, gulping down a large orc beer mug.

“Campbell, is it okay down there?”

“Kekekeke, I checked if it was working last night, and it’s fine.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Actually, I was so out of it that I didn’t even know what I was grabbing.”

“It’s okay. It’s fine as long as it’s not broken. Even if it was broken, I wouldn’t have had any use for it anyway.”

Campbell offered the vice-commander position to me as a matter of principle.

But since I didn’t know anything yet, he decided to follow me around exclusively and teach me this and that for the time being.

I also gladly accepted because I wanted to blend into the North, not because I got the vice-commander position because of my desire for honor.

“I’m sure the vice-commander is capable. But you still need to know that the North is a dangerous place.”

“I’m keeping that in mind.”

“Especially our Rangers, who are at the forefront, have a high mortality rate. The vice-commander and the maid next to you should be careful.”

“It’s Zion. Please call me by my name.”

“Ah, right. Zion. You’re quite a prickly lady.”

Campbell, who emptied his beer mug in one gulp, said.

“Let’s head in early. It’s our first patrol tomorrow.”