The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 25

4. Discovery: The Witnessed Scoundrel

The sparring session with Karina was utterly one-sided.

She moved at speeds I couldn’t even track, and I was helplessly beaten.

*Thwack!* A sharp impact struck the back of my head and abdomen, and each time, a bitter taste rose in my throat.

The most humiliating part was that Karina hadn’t even drawn her sword, using only her bare hands.

“Won’t you draw your sword?”

“I make it a rule to show my weapon only to opponents worthy of it.”

In other words, I wasn’t an opponent worth drawing her weapon for.

Was the difference really this extreme?

I knew that Sword Masters were among the best on the continent, but I never imagined I’d be toyed with to this extent, as if I were nothing more than a plaything.

Facing such an impossibly high wall, despair began to darken my heart.

-Pull yourself together! Brat! You idiot! You’ll be devoured by a Heart Demon! [A Heart Demon is a manifestation of inner turmoil that can corrupt one’s martial arts practice.]

At that very moment.

The Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed in my consciousness.

-Recently, you’ve shown remarkable growth and impressive performance. Even so, the wall is still high. Why try to fly when you can’t even walk! Take it one step at a time!

The Heavenly Demon, also a martial artist, understood my feelings and pulled me out of the mire.

It felt like being doused with cold water.

I barely regained my senses.

I shook my head to clear out unnecessary thoughts, gripped my sword tightly once more, and ignited my fighting spirit.

I strained my eyes, trying to catch even a glimpse of my opponent’s shadow.

Noticing this change in me, Karina scanned me up and down with an intrigued look.

“I’ve felt it before, but I quite like your passion. You resemble your uncle a lot.”

“Thank you.”

“But there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“When you sparred with Campbell before, a tree root clearly came up from the ground and tied his ankle, right? Was that your doing?”

As expected, Karina, being a Sword Master, accurately witnessed me using the Druid’s power during the duel for the position of Vice Commander.

I could acknowledge it, but I didn’t yet know what kind of person Karina was.

Information related to the Druid is the next most important secret after the Heavenly Demon Sword, so I denied it first.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So, that tree root that made Campbell lose his balance wasn’t your doing?”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Hmm, then let me ask something else. What’s the secret to perfectly passing the test I gave you last time?”

This was also due to the Druid’s power.

She had deliberately unleashed tremendous killing intent, and I had dispelled the abnormal status with a passive skill.

It was a different question, but the answer was the same, so it was difficult to tell her this as well.

“Well, maybe I just got lucky.”

Two vague answers in a row.

Karina crossed her arms and leaned to one side.

Pouting and looking at me with a dissatisfied expression, she soon smiled and laughed.

“A man with many secrets, huh? Quite intriguing in its own way.”

Muttering to herself, she made a surprising proposal.

“Alright. I’ll make an exception since you’re my uncle’s son.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know for sure that you’re hiding something. Frankly, I’m a bit curious. So, how about this? I’ll spar with you every day at this time, just for a little while.”

Sparring with the best in the Elden Kingdom every day is an enormous benefit.

Of course, there would be a *quid pro quo* [something given in return] to reveal my secrets.

A rather difficult matter.

As if guessing the internal conflict in my mind, she continued.

“I’m not just trying to get your secrets unilaterally. I’ll also put up one of my secrets. I’ll teach you the ultimate move that made me a Seven Star.”

Gulp.

I swallowed hard.

Noticing my anticipation, she smirked.

“Of course, I’m not giving it to you for free. There’s a condition.”

“What condition is it?”

“100 days. Succeed in landing an attack on me even once within that time. Then I’ll teach you the ultimate move. But if you fail, you have to tell me your secrets. Every single one. Everything.”

The condition is to touch Karina’s body with a sword.

Extremely difficult.

If I lose the bet, I’ll have to reveal all my secrets, so there’s a high possibility of loss.

However, if I refuse even this, the morning sparring itself will be off the table.

She has conceded a lot.

The Sword Master’s secret is not something to be put on the betting table, even as a joke.

What should I do about this?

As I carefully weighed the pros and cons, a voice echoed in my head.

-Brat, accept that woman’s proposal. It’s a perfectly achievable condition.

It was the Heavenly Demon’s voice.

He spoke as if he had already calculated the odds.

And his calculations are more accurate than mine.

I finished my deliberation and accepted the bet.

“Alright. I look forward to working with you.”

Upon hearing my acceptance, Karina smiled.

“Hehe, I knew you’d accept. There’s still about 10 minutes left, shall we do more?”

“No. I think that’s enough for today.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not satisfied. I haven’t had my fill yet. Shall we go then?”

She vanished from sight in a flash.

And I reaffirmed that the commander of Black Castle is quite the pervert.

* * *

Time flows like water.

The climate of the Lloyd Territory, which is temperate, should be entering the lush early summer season by now.

In contrast, the North is always winter.

Cold, snowy, hands freezing, face twisted in sleep.

I’ve heard that even regions like Alaska or Siberia have their surfaces slightly melt in the summer.

Mercilessly, the Northern Mountains don’t even have that.

Perhaps because the weather is the same, the daily routine was repeated like a squirrel on a wheel.

Waking up at dawn.

Swinging my sword while sweating, I would soon meet Karina on her morning stroll.

Getting thoroughly beaten by Karina and receiving feedback from the Heavenly Demon on what parts were lacking.

When the training was roughly over, I would head out the North Gate with the rangers.

We would divide into teams to patrol the area inside the territory, but these days, it had been changed from teams of three to teams of two.

Isn’t a team of two more dangerous?

Of course.

However, casualties and desertions due to monsters have recently surged, so we had no choice but to switch to teams of two.

So, I sent Campbell away and patrolled with Zion alone.

“Damn it! It was better when I patrolled with the Vice Commander.”

Campbell didn’t seem to want to be separated from me, but what could I do?

For me as well, it was more comfortable to patrol with Zion, who allowed me to freely use my Druid abilities.

Besides, it becomes difficult to achieve my real goal when I’m with him.

The reason I came to this harsh land where death lingers nearby.

It is to find the World Tree Branch, the key to unlocking the Heavenly Demon’s seal and helping my growth.

Even while patrolling with Zion, I didn’t neglect the task of finding the Golden Branch using the Heavenly Demon’s navigation.

So far, no clear clues related to the Golden Branch have appeared in the patrol area, and the Heavenly Demon said he would let me know when he was certain.

*Rustle, rustle.*

I patrolled the assigned area with Zion, stepping on the deeply sinking snow.

Now, I’ve become so accustomed to patrolling that I’m quite skilled at it.

In particular, the ability to commune with nature has greatly increased in the process of keeping my body in a state of high tension for several hours while surveying the surroundings.

Look at me now.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint, I can roughly sense in which direction an ominous feeling is coming from.

And if I go that way, monster droppings invariably appear.

I used to criticize Campbell for dipping goblin poop in the early days, but that’s all part of a newbie’s memories.

Without hesitation, I tore off a part with my finger and put it on my tongue.

A bitter and repulsive taste.

“Owlbear.”

“They’ve been appearing a lot lately.”

“Victor says they’ve recently moved their habitat near Black Castle.”

Owlbears are quite troublesome creatures.

It would be a mistake to think of them as ordinary bears.

Even meeting a wild bear in the mountains is difficult to deal with, but Owlbears are twice as strong and agile, making them difficult monsters.

Moreover, their fur is white, so they are naturally camouflaged in this place where everything is a snowfield.

“We’ll take care of it since it’s entered our patrol area.”

“It’s dangerous. Shouldn’t we request support?”

“That would just lead to more unnecessary deaths. It’s best to handle it ourselves.”

Excrement and footprints, broken branches, stripped bark, monster meat that had been eaten and discarded.

Having been here for a long time, I naturally followed their trail with the tracking skills I had learned.

More than anything else, the Druid’s intuition accurately pointed out the direction they were in.

Eventually, I found them.

There were a total of three Owlbears.

They were surrounding the corpse of an Orc in the middle and having a feast.

Orcs alone have an average height of 2m and strength surpassing humans, but in the harsh North, they are at the bottom of the food chain.

I closed my eyes, focused, and surveyed the surroundings.

After Campbell was almost ambushed before, this process has become a habit.

When there was nothing caught by my senses, including the Druid’s intuition, I finally focused on the three Owlbears.

“Zion, we’ll ambush them when they’re focused on eating.”

“Understood.”

I stopped breathing.

I read the flow of the air.

The distance between me and them is only ten steps.

I was about to pounce the moment I saw an opening, but.

“Kuaaaaaaa!!!”

One of them suddenly attacked a member of its own kind next to it!

It happened after only bones were left of the Orc’s corpse.

Due to the Owlbears’ abnormal behavior, Zion and I stopped our charge and waited, holding our breath.

“Kuaaaaa!!!”

“Kua!!”

It was utter chaos.

The same species tore each other’s skin with sharp claws and devoured the flesh.

It was an obviously abnormal situation.

Tearing at necks and breaking bones.

Even though a thigh was torn off, they were still gnawing on the flanks of other members of their kind.

Zion, who watched this, said.

“Why are the monsters doing that?”

“I don’t know either. But look at their eyes.”

The Owlbears’ eyes were bloodshot.

Red blood flowed down their cheeks.

Even Zion, who had a strong heart, covered his mouth to prevent a scream from escaping.

What on earth is going on, as I was trying to guess, the Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed.

-I think I know roughly what’s going on. Before I was sealed, I wandered the continent and saw a similar scene.

“Really?”

-Of course, brat. Do you take my age for nothing!

“I never said that.”

-Ahem, anyway, that’s a side effect of brainwashing. Their minds have collapsed, making normal thinking impossible.”

Hearing the Heavenly Demon’s words, one question sprang up.

“Then does that mean there’s a black magician nearby who specializes in brainwashing?”

-How would I know that! I’m just judging from what I see!

That’s strange.

Except for Black Castle, it’s impossible to maintain food, clothing, and shelter in the North.

In a place like this, is there someone capable of brainwashing monsters living alone?

My mind becomes complicated.

As I was lost in thought, the cannibalism had already ended.

The last survivor was stuffing the corpses of the other two into its mouth.

It was too hard to watch, so I decided to give it peace.

“Zion, we’ll take care of it.”

“Yes.”

As if thinking the same thing, Zion rushed at it as soon as I finished speaking.

The creature, which was devouring the flesh of its own kind, sensed the killing intent and turned its head towards us and roared.

“Kuaaaaaaa!!”

A sturdy bear paw swung wildly.

It was fast, but not difficult to avoid.

Zion, lightly evading with the Water Monitor Footwork [a specific martial arts technique], slashed the creature’s ankle with a dagger.

It was an excellent choice that removed its mobility first.

*Slash!!*

A scream of pain echoed.

I didn’t miss this opportunity and used a Druid skill.

[Activating Wood Control.]

[Restraining the target.]

I’ve used this so often that my proficiency has increased a lot, and the tree roots quickly shot up and tightly bound the Owlbear.

I blew off the head of the bear that couldn’t move an inch.

Only after the monster’s head was separated from its body did its bloodshot eyes return to normal.

“As expected, Young Master’s binding technique is amazing no matter how many times I see it.”

Even Zion, who had witnessed my skills several times during patrols, shook his head, as if he thought it was a cheat every time he saw it.

“I’m not one to refuse praise, but the Owlbear we just dealt with was a greatly deviated one.”

“Still, it’s a tremendous development. Who in the South would be able to catch an Owlbear so skillfully? Even several user-level knights would have to struggle to catch just one.”

I affirmed Zion’s words with silence.

If an Owlbear suddenly appeared in the territory, would Philip be able to catch it?

He wouldn’t be able to catch it alone, and they would barely catch it by swarming it.

What if several of them attacked?

The Marquis or Sebastian would have to step in directly.

I can lightly handle one of those Owlbears, using Druid skills.

Not only that.

I’ve reached the point where I can face three or four of them alone, so it’s understandable that Zion is impressed.

“Let’s return for now. We need to report this situation.”

“Understood.”