The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 29

4. Discovery: The Runaway Scoundrel

Arriving at the north gate, the gatekeeper recognized me and waved.

“Well, look who it is. If it isn’t the Ranger Vice-Captain?”

“Burning the midnight oil, I see.”

“Heh heh, we don’t have it too bad. Not when we have Rangers patrolling even on nights like this.”

I asked the gatekeeper, and he said Victor had left through the north gate five minutes ago.

I quickly prepared to give chase.

“Are you trying to imitate Captain Victor, too? What an unusual sight.”

“If the Captain is leading by example, the Vice-Captain can’t just sit still. I’ll head out with you.”

“Understood. Good luck then.”

As soon as the north gate opened, I kicked off the ground.

Tracking Victor’s trail wasn’t difficult.

He didn’t even consider that someone might be following him, leaving clear footprints.

The heavy snowfall obscured the tracks a bit, but to the eyes of a seasoned Ranger, they looked as big as dinosaur footprints.

After walking for a while, I reached the border.

This was the extent of human-cultivated territory.

Victor’s footprints continued beyond the border.

“Awooooo!!!”

A sinister wolf howl echoed from the distance.

I hesitated briefly, but only for a moment.

Soon, I took a step beyond the border as well.

My whole body tensed up.

I lowered my stance, kept my back to the wind, and advanced, focusing all my senses.

Fortunately, my enhanced communion ability allowed me to anticipate dangers to some extent.

Venturing outside the territory, I received danger signals from various places, avoiding them as I followed Victor’s trail.

Finally, I found Victor.

He had his usual leather pouch slung over his shoulder, humming a tune as he strolled along.

I followed him, holding my breath even more.

“Huh?”

Victor sniffed the air.

Then, he suddenly turned around.

I reflexively flattened myself to the ground.

He looked around for a while, tilting his head.

“Must have been mistaken?”

He started walking again.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, the Cheonma Sword at my waist spoke to me.

-Hey, kid.

“What is it? I’m busy right now, so please tell me later.”

-It’s important. It’s about the Golden Branch.

I snapped to attention.

Anything related to the World Tree branch required my full attention.

-There’s a Golden Branch nearby. I can feel it clearly. I don’t know the exact location, but the closer we get to that man, the stronger the feeling of the Golden Branch becomes.

If I played my cards right, I might be able to resolve Victor’s matter and find the Golden Branch at the same time.

I nodded to acknowledge and continued forward.

I arrived at a small clearing in the forest, a truly bizarre place that I had never seen before, even having visited many famous spots on Earth.

“!!”

On this night with a brightly shining full moon.

It seemed that the moonlight was particularly concentrated here.

Surrounded by thickets, this place was like a garden made of ice.

The trees, grass, and ground were all frozen solid, and ice sculptures showed off their beauty everywhere.

The ice reflected the moonlight, making me doubt for a moment that this was the harsh, rugged north.

If this wasn’t the destination, then where else could it be?

As expected, Victor stopped in the center.

I leaned against an ice sculpture at a reasonable distance and watched him.

Thud.

He placed the leather pouch on the ground, and the tied part came undone, spilling the contents.

As expected, the contents were gruesome.

Anthony’s head, eyes rolled back in agony, rolled across the ground.

Since the head was there, the dismembered body must be inside as well.

From the necromancer Raul to the disgusting acts of the Twilight Church, I was truly sick of it.

With an indifferent face, Victor placed the pouch on the ground, knelt down, and shouted into the air.

“My master! Great Seventh Executives of Twilight! Apostle of Jealousy! This humble servant wishes to see his master!”

The voice was loud enough to echo.

Hearing Victor’s words, my mind went blank for a moment.

That’s because, according to the game story I knew, the Twilight’s Seven Executives were the seven strongest beings, comparable to the continent’s Seven Stars [powerful figures or factions].

The Twilight Church recruited seven powerful individuals as counterparts to the continent’s seven guardians, calling them the Seven Apostles.

Greed, Jealousy, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath, Pride, Sloth.

Representing the seven deadly sins that exist at the base of humanity, they were the pillars supporting Twilight and those who had proven their abilities.

How could someone as important as one of the Twilight’s Seven Executives be in this harsh region where even basic necessities were hard to come by?

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

I heard earth-shaking footsteps from the opposite side, and I peeked over the ice statue to get a clear view.

Thanks to my good night vision, I could clearly identify the approaching figure.

A giant Yeti.

A snow monster that only existed in legends was appearing.

Its size was comparable to an ogre.

The tough skin and solid muscles showed how agile it would be.

If such a Yeti were to invade even one territory in the south, most small and medium-sized territories would be devastated.

At first, the Yeti’s presence was so strong that I thought it was one of the Seven Apostles.

But it wasn’t.

The real Apostle was a small, hunchbacked woman riding on the Yeti’s right shoulder.

Blue from head to eyelashes, she was missing everything below her knees, and her whole body was frozen solid, making her look very unnatural.

As soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one who created this bizarre ice garden.

I hid my presence as much as possible and didn’t even breathe.

Fortunately, there was a considerable distance between us, and they were off guard, so I wasn’t detected.

“I greet my master.”

Victor put his hand on his chest and knelt on one knee.

The Yeti leaned in and sniffed Victor, then bared its ferocious teeth and growled.

Even the expert Victor looked disgusted at the drool dripping from its teeth.

“Baby, he’s not food. Eat the meal next to you.”

A cold voice.

If ice were to take the form of a voice, it would sound like this.

The tone of her voice was so monotonous that it might be even more so.

Hearing the somewhat inhuman voice of the woman, the Yeti began rummaging through the leather pouch next to Victor.

Crunch crunch crunch.

What was once Anthony went into the Yeti’s mouth.

The unfortunate people who had been dismembered in Victor’s basement must have become food for this brutal Yeti.

While the Yeti was engrossed in its meal.

The two men and women had a conversation.

“We’re gradually withdrawing from the north.”

“Have you finally found the Demon King’s seal!”

Through Victor’s words, I could tell that their goal was to search for the Demon King’s seal.

In a way, it was obvious.

The Twilight Church was an organization that worshiped the Demon King Baal, and it was only natural for them to infer that the seal was located in the northern mountains where the battle between the hero Kyle and the Demon King Baal took place.

“We’ve found it and we haven’t.”

“I am foolish and cannot fathom the meaning of the exalted one.”

“It is true that the Demon King’s seal is in the northern mountains. However, it is not the form of seal that we imagine.”

“Does that mean…”

“The entire northern mountain range is Baal’s seal.”

“That’s…!!”

Victor was surprised, and so was I.

I had only read the general story while playing Sionlike [a fictional game], so I knew the major events, but not these detailed circumstances.

But now, an important figure in Twilight who had been exploring the north for a long time was revealing a huge secret.

I perked up my ears and focused on her voice, carried by the wind.

“What exactly was the identity of the hero Kyle? How could a mere human think of using the terrain of the vast mountain range to imprison the Demon King…”

“He wouldn’t be called a hero for nothing. Anyway, he sealed the Demon King and disappeared, so it’s a good thing for us.”

“That’s right. And we’ve found a way to break the seal. It turns out there’s a key.”

“What is it?”

“The Golden Branch, also known as the World Tree’s branch. I don’t know exactly how many there are, but if we collect them all, the Demon King’s seal will be broken.”

“!!”

Another surprising story came from the Ice Witch’s mouth.

In reality, the Golden Branch had nothing to do with the Demon King’s seal and was actually the key to breaking the Cheonma’s seal, but it seemed that Twilight was mistaken.

In any case, it meant that the Twilight Church and I were both after the Golden Branch.

“Then…”

“There’s no reason to be in the northern mountains unless we collect all the Golden Branches. That’s why I’m saying we’re withdrawing.”

“Understood.”

“And there’s someone we need to get rid of before we leave.”

“Who is it?”

“Karina. We’ll get rid of that bitch for sure this time.”

The hairs on my body stood on end when Karina’s name came out of the Ice Witch’s mouth.

“Is that true? From what I’ve seen over the years, Karina is strong. She’s suspicious and rarely gives an opening.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already created an Owlbear habitat near Black Castle. All you have to do is lead Karina there, and I’ll take care of her myself.”

So, the Owlbears that had been frequently appearing around Black Castle recently were part of the Ice Witch’s plan.

Then the cannibalistic Owlbear that Sion and I witnessed must have been her work as well.

She seemed to have a mind-control ability, and it was terrifying that she could control a whole tribe of high-level monsters like Owlbears.

Anyway, I accidentally witnessed the Twilight Church operating in the north and even figured out what their future actions would be.

It was more than enough gain, so I decided to return to Black Castle and report to the Commander.

As I was about to return…

“Where are you going?”

I heard a voice from behind.

She must be talking to Victor.

I had perfectly hidden my presence.

“I’m talking to you.”

Yes.

I can just go back like this.

If I go back…

-Dodge! Roll to the right!

As soon as I heard the Cheonma’s voice, I rolled on the ground without hesitation.

Jjeojeojeojeong!!! [Sound of ice shattering]

Ice blades rained down on the spot where I had been standing.

If I had hesitated for even 0.1 seconds, my whole body would have been torn apart and frozen solid.

“Oh? A surprisingly fast rat? I didn’t think you could dodge that.”

This is a disaster.

I thought I had hidden my presence well, but it was useless against a Twilight executive.

Above all, this was a space created by the Ice Witch, and it was a night with a bright full moon, so I was too careless.

As soon as I revealed myself, Victor recognized me.

“You! You followed me!”

“Do you know him?”

“Of course. He’s a bastard, but he’s the son of Marquis Gordon Lloyd!”

As soon as my background was revealed, a smile of joy appeared on the witch’s face, and madness flickered in her eyes.

“You’re Gordon’s son, huh? Good. Very good. Hehehehehe.”

Seeing the woman laughing like crazy, cold sweat dripped down my chin.

The Cheonma’s voice echoed in my head.

-What are you doing! Run away!

I can’t get caught like this.

I ran with all my might without looking back.

“Victor, catch him! Don’t kill him, capture him!”

It was fortunate that the Ice Witch was a cripple.

The ferocious Yeti she was riding didn’t seem to be chasing me because it was eating.

But Victor alone, who was an expert, was a difficult opponent to shake off.

They knew that, so the Ice Witch didn’t bother to move.

I regretted once again that I hadn’t mastered Karina’s secret technique, Sunbo [a movement technique].

“Stop right there!”

I had climbed to the top of the user rankings through tireless effort and had gotten very close to Victor, who was at the beginning of the expert level, but the gap between the two ranks was still like heaven and earth.

Victor’s pursuit speed was incredible.

Even though I was running with gritted teeth, it was hard to shake him off.

No, rather, he was starting to catch up, little by little.

“Do you think you can escape? Just give up.”

I ran frantically.

Victor cleverly blocked the path to the human territory, and as a result, I naturally moved further and further away from Black Castle.

It was a dilemma because if I took even a small step inside, the distance would be narrowed in an instant.

After being chased for a while, I faced a huge cliff, a crevasse [a deep crack in a glacier].

The dark abyss visible between the cracked glaciers was like a huge mouth opening wide.

It wasn’t a gap that could be crossed by jumping.

I finally stopped in front of an obstacle whose depth was hard to guess.

Victor, who had followed me, smiled slyly.

“Is this all you could do after running so hard?”

Now I have to fight.

I drew the Cheonma Sword and aimed it at Victor, who leaned to one side and sneered.

“It’s a meaningless resistance. I can subdue you easily by myself, or I can just stall for time. Soon the Apostle will come to catch you herself. In fact, if I hadn’t been told to keep you alive, you would have died by my hands a long time ago.”

As Victor said, there was no chance of winning.

Even if I was lucky enough to defeat Victor, it would be over when the Ice Witch came.

He grabbed the back of his neck and cracked it, saying.

“Henon, I’ve wanted to kill you from the moment I first saw you.”

“Why?”

“You were too quick-witted. It made it difficult to operate. Damn it.”

“You’ve been working in the north for a long time. The Commander trusts you too. Don’t you feel sorry for your colleagues and superiors who worked with you?”

“Hehehe, the only reason for my life is the resurrection of the Demon King Baal.”

“You’re completely broken.”

“Think what you want. You’ll also learn the greatness of the Apostle if you’re educated by her.”

It seemed that if I was caught, I would be brainwashed and become worse than dead.

As I was about to decorate my end with all my strength, holding my sword, I heard the Cheonma’s voice.

-Hey, kid, stop for a moment. I feel the Golden Branch. It’s right nearby.

I stopped in the same posture as when I was charging.

It was worth stopping.

“Where is it?”

-I feel it behind you.

“There’s a cliff behind me.”

-Yes, there.

I had been doing all sorts of nonsense to find the Golden Branch, but not even a slight clue had come out.

But to be discovered in the crevasse at the moment of desperation.

I guess it was hard to find.

My vision went dark.

A method I didn’t even want to imagine came to mind.

The Cheonma seemed to have the same thought as me.

-Jump. Kid. It’s the only way.