The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 23

The Young Master of the Marquisate Is a Genius – Episode 23 (23/200)

Chapter 3: The North: The Exceptional Scoundrel

The next day.

I, along with Zion and the other Rangers, set out on a search mission.

The weather was clear.

Above, a cloudless blue sky stretched out, and below, the white snow glittered in the slanting sunlight.

It was much colder compared to the Lloyd Marquisate, but perhaps because I was wearing thick clothes, it wasn’t too cold, except for the visible breath.

I learned on the way that the Rangers’ mission was to establish a boundary line.

Here, the boundary line refers to the area where humans can safely operate, starting from Black Castle and extending north.

Of course, humans can’t reside permanently that far north.

Karina had hoped to build even a small manor beyond the North Gate, but the proposal was withdrawn due to opposition from several subordinates.

Instead, the Ranger unit periodically patrols, gradually expanding the area considered safe for humans.

They define the safe zone and drive out or eliminate any monsters roaming within it.

However, the monsters also cross over into human territory for reasons such as food or territorial disputes.

It’s the Rangers’ fate to constantly walk the line between life and death, clashing with monsters.

“Disperse from here,” Commander Victor said.

The area is vast, and the number of Rangers is small.

It would be safer to travel together, but that’s practically impossible given the area they need to cover.

Therefore, it’s common to divide into groups and patrol different areas.

Zion, Campbell, and I were formed into a group of three.

“Assign us a patrol area, Commander.”

The area allocation seems to be the commander’s responsibility.

Victor rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment before pointing to a spot on the map spread out on the ground.

“Your group will patrol here.”

Campbell frowned when he saw where Victor’s finger was pointing.

“This isn’t even part of the established territory yet, is it?”

“We plan to make it part of the territory soon.”

“It’s a bit risky for just three people to go. We should set aside a day and develop this area together with a larger group.”

“I went out alone for a bit last night and scouted it out. It’s fine. It’s perfect for training new recruits.”

“If the Commander says so…”

Campbell nodded with a reluctant expression, while Zion and I remained silent, still not knowing what was going on.

Seeing the three of us leaving, Victor said,

“If anything happens, there are signal flares, so launch them immediately if an emergency occurs. I’ll come to rescue you right away.”

“Understood. Don’t be late.”

Thus, Zion and I set off to a new area from our first patrol.

Even if nothing else, the scenery was good.

The accumulated snow crunched under our feet with each step, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

I remembered what I had heard earlier and asked Campbell.

“Campbell, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier, Commander Victor said he went out separately at night.”

“That’s right.”

“So, does that mean the Commander had drinks at the bar yesterday and then went out alone to patrol in the dark without any visibility?”

Campbell shrugged.

“The Commander is just a bit eccentric.”

“I heard the North is dangerous, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“It is dangerous. But the Commander is fine. He’s an expert, after all.”

Expert, huh?

It’s a realm that anyone who wields a weapon wants to reach.

But only a very few have actually reached it.

“He’s the most senior Ranger and a survivor who has lived in the North for over seven years. Here, the one who endures the longest is the strongest.”

“I think I’ve heard that.”

“Maybe that’s why he often goes out somewhere alone. For us, it’s a good thing because the Commander takes care of the monsters in the area.”

Is he diligent?

In any case, he’s a rare type.

We continued to explore new areas.

We walked silently for five hours without a break.

The walking speed was also quite fast.

Almost half of it was running.

“Hoo, haa.”

Eventually, Zion was the first to show signs of heavy breathing.

She hadn’t neglected physical and mana training, but the conditions were harsh.

I had abnormal stamina thanks to the Druid’s abilities, and even the lost stamina was being recovered in real-time.

When Zion showed signs of struggling, we stopped and took a break.

Campbell looked at me, who wasn’t even out of breath, and was greatly impressed.

“As expected, the Vice Commander is amazing. Usually, new recruits start panting after walking for only two hours in the highlands because they can’t adapt.”

“Is that so?”

“Usually, we rest for about 20 minutes after walking for three hours. It’s a bit much for the first day. That young lady is also amazing. She’s even a woman.”

“It’s Zion, though.”

“Ah, right. Zion.”

Zion pouted, feeling that her pride was hurt by the fact that the group had stopped because of her.

Regardless, Campbell squatted down in front of a tree in the corner and rummaged through something.

At first, I thought he was relieving himself, but he called us.

“Come here, both of you.”

When I got closer, Campbell put his finger on the ground, then brought it to his mouth and sucked on it.

“Hmm, salty.”

“What is it? Did you find some kind of edible tree fruit?”

“No, goblin poop.”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

“What did you say?”

“I said goblin poop. It seems there are goblins around.”

Zion’s face contorted horribly.

I asked, just in case.

“Do you have to taste monster poop to become a Ranger?”

“You don’t necessarily have to. But strangely enough, all the Rangers who have survived for more than a year have tasted poop. Hehe.”

Looking at Campbell, who was grinning mischievously, I couldn’t help but want to punch him.

Anyway, we had to be careful since there were goblins nearby.

Campbell didn’t seem too wary.

“Goblins are the most common monsters in the North. They’re at the bottom of the food chain. There’s not much to worry about.”

“I see.”

“They often come here because they’re pushed out of territorial disputes, so we just need to clean them up.”

Soon, we were able to find a group of goblins, just as Campbell had said.

The number was only five.

It was a number that I could handle alone.

But why?

I had a bad feeling.

I couldn’t explain it.

But my intuition was telling me that something was wrong.

“Well, we can’t go back empty-handed. New recruits, watch closely. I’ll show you my skills.”

“Wait.”

I stopped Campbell, who was about to step forward.

“What’s wrong?”

“Let’s go back.”

“What? We have a fully prepared meal in front of us, and you’re turning it down? What’s the reason?”

“That’s…”

How should I explain it?

I can’t express it clearly.

But my gut is telling me that it’s dangerous to go in there.

“I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling.”

“That’s not very convincing. You’ll be working with other team members besides me in the future, and no one will listen to the Vice Commander’s orders if you talk like that.”

“You should listen to what the Young Master says.”

“Don’t take sides unilaterally just because that young lady is serving her master. That’s even worse.”

“How many times do I have to say it’s Zion? Please memorize my name already.”

“Ah, right. Sorry.”

Zion believes me now even if I said beans could be made into tofu because of the miracles I’ve shown her several times, but for Campbell, that’s a natural reaction.

“Alright. I have no reason to stop you. I’ll help you from behind if anything happens.”

“Kuhahaha! I’ll take care of it quickly, so don’t worry. I’ll show you my skills.”

Campbell kicked off the ground.

The way he charged was like a bison.

The goblins, who were gathered in a circle around a bonfire, were flustered by his sudden appearance.

“You guys! You’re caught!”

Campbell’s spear swung horizontally, and two goblins’ heads flew off at once.

Then, he hit another one in the side with the spear shaft, knocking it unconscious.

He was truly valiant.

I thought it would end like this, but…

Zion shouted urgently.

“Young Master! There!”

I looked where she was pointing.

I saw bamboo tubes peeking out from the bushes across the way.

Now that I saw it, the goblins who were lying in ambush were preparing to shoot poison darts, holding long, cylindrical tubes to their mouths!

“Be careful! It’s an ambush!”

At the same time as I shouted, projectiles were already being fired from the tubes.

Even with the unexpected attack, Campbell showed excellent reflexes, spinning his spear like a windmill.

However, he couldn’t block all the poison darts.

One poison dart hit his shoulder accurately.

“Keeuk! Keereureuk!”

“Keereureureuk!!”

The goblins, thinking this was their chance, swarmed in.

There were over thirty of them, roughly.

“Damn it!”

I drew my Heavenly Demon Sword and jumped in.

Zion followed me from behind.

Campbell was staggering and unable to exert his strength because the poison dart had a paralyzing effect.

The remaining goblins had to be dealt with solely by Zion and me.

“Zion! Protect Campbell.”

“Yes!”

Campbell leaned against a tree trunk, and Zion guarded him in front.

And I fought alone against the goblins who were narrowing the semi-circular encirclement.

I was literally running rampant.

As I circulated mana through my body, vitality surged.

I cut off arms, blew off heads, rammed with my shoulder, and kicked chests with my feet.

As expected, goblins were easy opponents.

“Young Master, be careful! They’re shooting poison darts!”

These guys always pull out one last trick when you’re about to let your guard down.

I definitely dealt with the goblins with the tubes first, but it seems one was left.

My neck stung.

I hurriedly put my hand on the wounded area and pulled out a black, discolored poison dart.

“Oh, God. It’s over.”

Campbell, who was having difficulty moving due to the paralysis poison, looked for God when he saw me getting hit by the poison dart.

It seems he thought that Zion alone wouldn’t be able to handle this many goblins if even I was hit.

“Woman. Abandon me and the Vice Commander. Just get out of here. You seem agile, so you should be able to do it if you’re careful of the poison darts. When you reach a safe zone, request support with a signal flare. Then a rescue team will come.”

Zion shook her head at Campbell, who was speaking skeptically.

“Are you really stupid? Please memorize my name. My name is Zion.”

“What does a name matter when you’re dying…”

“It matters. You’re not going to die. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but please trust the Young Master a little.”

The scene that unfolded before them was me, who had been hit by a poison dart, rampaging like a wild beast.

Campbell’s eyes widened.

“What is it? Doesn’t the poison dart work on the Vice Commander? What kind of body is that?”

[You have been poisoned by paralysis poison.]

[Skill Self-Purification is activated.]

[You are immune to all abnormal statuses.]

The system window kept popping up in front of my eyes.

The stinging pain was still there.

But that didn’t slow down my movements.

It was the same as before.

Maybe it was because I was excited, but it felt like I was even faster.

“Kkyiluk!”

“Kkyilureuk!”

The goblins, whose trump card had been nullified, were visibly flustered.

I gave those guys a fair stab.

Lower-level monsters who couldn’t move well and couldn’t use mana were no match for me, no matter how many there were.

The number of casualties increased rapidly, and they slowly began to retreat.

Of course, I wasn’t going to let them go.

“I’ll catch you all! Hryaat!”

I roared and charged like lightning.

It is said that in the safari, a male lion doesn’t care how many hyenas attack him. [This refers to the lion’s dominance and power despite being outnumbered.]

I felt like I had become that male lion.

I caught almost all of the fleeing goblins.

Except for one.

The cunning guy pretended to be dead, and when I moved away, he suddenly jumped up and ran without looking back.

It seemed impossible to catch him without a ranged weapon.

At that time, I activated an active skill.

[You use the skill Wood Control.]

[Bind is activated.]

A tree trunk that sprouted from the ground wrapped around the goblin’s ankle.

The guy, who was busy running away, fell ungainly, and I threw the Heavenly Demon Sword at him.

Swaaaeek! Thwack!

It was a perfect finish.

“Wow…”

Campbell, who was watching, exclaimed.

Dozens of goblin corpses were scattered around me.

I had finally killed all the goblins who had been lying in ambush.

Zion seemed to have expected the result and was calm.

In the meantime, Campbell, who had recovered a bit from the paralysis poison, staggered towards me.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine. Anyway, the Vice Commander is really amazing.”

“It’s something you could have done too if it wasn’t an ambush. There’s no need to praise me.”

“No, even if you could handle the goblins, what was that about being fine after being hit by a poison dart, and above all, what was that thing that caught the goblin at the end?”

“Just… I was lucky.”

I glossed over it with luck because it was annoying to explain everything about being a Druid. [A Druid is someone with a mystical connection to nature, often possessing magical abilities related to plants and animals.]

More than that, there was something to address.

“Do goblins usually use such high-grade poison that can paralyze even a high-level mana user like you? Are the goblins in the North a bit different?”

The goblins I knew used crude weapons and were low in intelligence.

But the goblins I met today were different.

They used poison that could paralyze Campbell and even ambushed us.

It was as if they knew we were coming in advance.

“That’s what’s strange to me too. If all the goblins were like the ones we met today, half of the Rangers would already be corpses.”

“So, you’re saying that even you, who have worked here for several years, are seeing this for the first time.”

“That’s right.”

Something was strange.

What are the chances of being ambushed by a special goblin force on the first patrol?

Of course, the North is so rugged that it’s not strange for anything to happen, but an unpleasant intuition tickled the back of my head.