The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 39

6. Reclamation: The Determined Scoundrel

A patron?

Karina’s proposal was unexpected.

“Are you saying you’ll back me?”

“Yes. Of course, I can’t interfere in your succession battle. I have to protect the North. Using Black Castle’s forces in a family feud would be quite controversial.”

There’s such a thing as reputation in society.

Karina can’t provide direct support, but that’s not the main thing.

The mere fact that the Star of the North is behind me will put immense pressure on my opposition.

“However… if you lose the succession battle, or decide you don’t want the title of Marquis, you can always return here. The North is always open to you, Henon.”

Her offer to be my insurance.

I’m incredibly grateful and reassured.

“Thank you. I won’t refuse.”

“I was going to force it on you even if you did. You’ve contributed greatly to the North, after all.”

Karina chuckled and pinned something on my chest. It was a golden brooch, shaped like a sword surrounded by flames.

“This brooch is my emblem. Anyone who knows anything in the Elden Kingdom will recognize it. And those who don’t aren’t worth bothering with.”

In addition, Karina handed me a letter.

The letter contained a personal message to my father, Gordon Lloyd, and a signed pledge stating that I was Karina’s protégé.

“Give the letter to your father and keep the pledge. I have two copies as well.”

“You’re surprisingly formal.”

“I know. I used to be just a sword-swinging fool, but after sitting at a desk for so long, I’ve only gotten more pretentious.”

“Not at all. You’re impressive.”

“You’re flattering me, so it must be time for you to leave. Go on now.”

Karina did everything she could within her limits.

It was really time to go back.

* * *

The day of my and Sion’s discharge was approaching.

Everyone, including Commander Karina, came to see us off.

“Hahaha!! Vice-Commander, come back to the North!”

“Let’s take a vote! All in favor of the Vice-Commander re-enlisting in the North!”

“Aye!”

“Aye!”

“Re-enlist! Re-enlist!”

I waved to the guys who were joking around.

The look in their eyes was full of deep trust and affection.

Considering the contempt they showed me at first, calling me a naive noble, they’ve really changed a lot.

And Karina’s farewell.

“Remember. The North is on your side.”

“Come visit the Marquisate when you have time. I’ll treat you well.”

“Hehe, that sounds good. I’ll look forward to it.”

While I was saying goodbye to Karina and the Rangers, Sion was having a deep conversation with Erica separately.

Erica was also leaving the day after us. I went over to her and gave her a quick greeting.

“I’m really leaving now.”

I waved and opened the carriage door, only to find an Orc inside.

“Yo! You’re here, Vice-Commander.”

Looking closely, it’s Campbell.

They look so alike that I get confused sometimes.

“…Why are you here?”

“Today’s my discharge day too. I was wondering if I could hitch a ride.”

The fact that he’s being discharged at the same time as me is very suspicious and coincidental.

I glanced at Karina, but she didn’t show any particular expression, so she must know about it.

“You’re not going to leave without me, are you?”

It’s Campbell, no one else.

I decided to take him with me.

I think I know why this guy was discharged today and was already in the carriage.

“Giddy up!”

With the horses neighing and the wheels rattling, Black Castle gradually faded into the distance.

It finally felt like I was discharged.

Sion seems to be feeling it too.

“Sion, we’ll be seeing your father soon.”

“That’s right.”

“You don’t seem too happy.”

“The North was hard on the body, but easy on the mind. But the Marquisate is easy on the body, but hard on the mind.”

I understand.

Sion has always been stuck to me like glue.

She must have received a lot of cold stares and glares from the Lloyd family members without me knowing.

“Vice-Commander! There must be a lot of delicious food in the Marquisate, right? I want to stop eating hard Northern bread. And goblin poop, too.”

Campbell scratches the back of his head with an innocent expression.

The carriage pulled by six horses isn’t that small, but it feels cramped with Campbell sitting across from me.

“You’re naturally following me.”

“Haha! Of course. I have nowhere to go and I’m not sure what to do in the future.”

I’ve heard Campbell’s old stories to death at Black Honey [a tavern in Black Castle].

He lost his parents early and worked as a mercenary since he was a child. He came to the North because he heard he could make a lot of money by serving there.

He looks almost forty, but it’s hard to believe that he’s still in his early twenties.

“So, Vice-Commander, please accept me. Oh! Should I call you Young Master now?”

“Call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Then I’ll just call you Vice-Commander.”

“Suit yourself.”

Even though he pretends to be so carefree, I knew that Campbell came to help me.

Karina must have thought that she could spare Campbell, so she allowed him to be discharged.

Campbell was one of the best warriors in the Ranger Corps, except for Victor, so he would be quite helpful.

He’s a top-tier Sword User, and the warriors of the North are all overwhelmingly skilled compared to others at their level.

…Or so I thought.

“Expert?”

“That’s right. For some reason, I gained a level after surviving the pit that day. Should I show you my Mana Sword?”

Originally, enlightenment comes unexpectedly.

Especially when you overcome a desperate crisis where your life is at stake, your brain often connects to the unconscious.

Campbell was originally a top-tier Sword User who was facing a wall, and it wouldn’t be strange if he reached Expert at any time.

He must have used this opportunity as nourishment to leap to the next level.

“Congratulations.”

“I have to work harder to stay by your side, Vice-Commander.”

“That’s right. If you keep drinking every day like you did in the North, I’ll kick you out of the Marquisate, so behave yourself.”

“You have to let me drink! That’s too much!”

Sion is quiet, but Campbell is noisy, so it’s fun to bicker with him. It seems like the road to the Lloyd Marquisate won’t be boring.

We stopped by Cave Manor on the way back.

Village Chief Harrison brought all the villagers out to welcome me when he heard I was coming.

“Welcome, Young Master.”

“There was no need to welcome me so grandly. Aren’t you all busy working?”

“The harvest is over and it’s almost the off-season. Even if it were a busy time, we would have to step up when the Young Master comes. You are the benefactor of everyone here.”

Harrison’s chin was a little thicker than when I saw him before. He must be healing the grief of losing his son with alcohol.

The reason why that village chief is still alive is because of the people of Cave Manor.

I patted him on the shoulder.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Not as hard as the Young Master who suffered in the North. And I heard you caught a high-ranking executive of the Twilight Church.”

I was a little surprised.

Did the rumors spread so quickly that even the village chief of this backwater knew?

Campbell, who was next to me, explained.

“As soon as the battle was over, the Commander sent the news that Niflheim had fallen to the royal capital and the Marquisate.”

“We already knew that you were extraordinary, so we were calm even after hearing the news. Other villagers were surprised, though.”

Campbell looked at Village Chief Harrison with curious eyes.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re just showing respect because he’s the son of the Marquis. Did something happen with the people here?”

“Who might you be…?”

“I’m a mercenary named Campbell. I’m from the North.”

“The North! A veteran! I knew you looked extraordinary.”

“Haha! You’re making me blush by praising me so much. Then, shall we have a drink together and hear about what our great Young Master did?”

“I’d like that.”

I didn’t say I was going to drink.

They’re just drumming up excitement on their own.

I glanced at Sion to ask for her opinion, and she nodded slightly.

She didn’t say anything, but she must have felt stiff from living in the carriage for so long.

The drinking party started in an instant.

“Euhahaha! So, the Young Master at that time, you see. He killed an Owlbear in one shot with a strange technique, and I thought the hero Kyle of the continent had come back to life!”

“It was Necromancer Raul. The Young Master cut down the ghouls with a single blow. Finally, the black magician prepared an evil magic, but it was no match for the Young Master’s might.”

I can’t listen anymore.

I tried to get up early, but Campbell and Harrison grabbed me.

“Why are you leaving already? Stay a little longer.”

“That’s right. Even the maid is sitting quietly and drinking well, but what’s the point if the main character leaves first?”

“I’ve told you five thousand five hundred times that it’s Sion.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“I didn’t expect anything anyway.”

Unlike them, I don’t get drunk.

I’m just listening to their compliments while I’m perfectly sober, and this is just as bad.

“I’m going to practice my sword, so enjoy yourselves.”

“As expected! A hero is different.”

“The Young Master will surely become the Lloyd Marquis. A toast to that day!”

“Cheers!!”

I left the drunken ramblings of the guys who weren’t hateful and went out to the open space.

It was only when the surroundings became quiet that I could breathe a little.

When I drew my sword and stood still, the voice of the Heavenly Demon wormed its way into my head.

-Why are you standing still?

“I was replaying the feeling of when I cut down Niflheim.”

-Still, now that you’ve reached the pinnacle, Expert, you’re talking like a swordsman.

“Experts must be divided into levels, right?”

-That’s obvious. Rather, the higher the level, the greater the gap between the same levels. To the lower-level people, everyone may seem like a monster, but to the same monsters, the gap is like heaven and earth.”

I agreed with the Heavenly Demon.

That’s what it was like when I fought Victor.

If Sion hadn’t helped me and the Heavenly Demon hadn’t told me about his attacks in advance, could I have caught Victor so easily?

Could I have cut off Niflheim’s head with just my sword without Druid skills?

‘Ultimately, I have to aim for the harmony of Druid abilities and swordsmanship. To do that, I have to see the two abilities as separate and take the time to train them separately.’

During the Druid test, I only used Druid abilities, and when I trained with the Heavenly Demon, I tried to solve everything with swordsmanship.

That was right.

The better I understand the abilities on both sides, the more dramatically the two abilities will fuse when they reach the extreme.

-There’s a long way to go. Swing your sword more.

“I understand.”

Just as I was about to swing my sword, something was caught in my senses, which had become much sharper as I became an Expert and a beginner Druid.

“Who is it! Come out.”

It wasn’t an opponent exuding murderous intent, so I didn’t draw my sword first. When I stared at one spot, the bushes there shook and a figure appeared.

The man, wearing clothes that were somewhat flashy for commoners, was covered in dirt and his face was grimy. The man, who had torn his sleeve and wrapped it tightly around one arm where blood was flowing, knelt down when he saw me.

“Please help me. I’m being chased.”

The man’s words didn’t make sense at first. This is Cave Manor and it’s under the jurisdiction of the Lloyd Marquisate. What madman would show off his power here?

But it was true.

Not long after, several masked cavalrymen appeared with swords, along with the sound of horses neighing.

The cavalrymen surrounded the dirt-covered man.

The man, even while injured, gasped for breath and prepared to make a final resistance by drawing his sword.

His eyes were fierce and full of venom.

“You’ve escaped all the way here. Thanks to you, we’ve had quite a hard time, so let’s finish this quickly.”

“You cowardly bastards. I’ll curse you even in death.”

“Hehe, there have been so many people who have said that and left, but we’re still living well.”

They’re funny guys.

They’re clearly treating me like a backdrop, even though I’m here, and talking among themselves.

They don’t even think I’m a threat.

Even if they don’t know who I am, it’s an absurd act, so I gave them a scolding.

“You villains! Do you know where this is! This is the territory of the Lloyd Marquis, the Seven Star [one of the most influential noble families in the kingdom] and the guardian of the continent. I don’t know where you came from, but if you retreat now, I won’t take your lives.”

“Shut up. Get rid of him.”

When the knight who was picking his ear said that, the knight next to him spurred his horse and rushed at me.

It was clear that he intended to blow my head off in one blow by using the power of the cavalry charge.

But… it was too slow.

The movement of the horse wasn’t very threatening to my vision, which had already reached Expert.

After lightly dodging the horizontal strike, I jumped to the side and shoved the Heavenly Demon Sword into the guy’s left armpit.

Thud!!

With the sensation of crushing his heart, the masked knight fell off his horse and died.

The surroundings became quiet.

Only then did I realize that I had become a participant in the stage they had set up.

“I was clearly going to let you go. But not anymore. Don’t bother running away. It’s annoying to catch you.”