The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 41

6. Reclamation: Crisis of the Scion

“Please help the Albus barony.”

Earl Lloyd’s face showed a hint of bewilderment at my request.

“The Albus barony? Is something going on there? I’m curious why their name has come up.”

At the Earl’s words, I jumped up from my chair and opened the dining hall door myself. With a creak, Peter stood outside with a somber expression.

I had told Peter in advance to be near the dining hall around this time. I bowed to the Earl as I entered with him.

“I apologize for reporting so abruptly. Given the nature of the matter, I have disregarded formalities.”

“What formalities are there between family? Rather, this young man who just came in looks familiar. Have we met somewhere?”

Peter stepped forward at the Earl’s words.

“I briefly showed my face at your Lordship’s birthday party last year. I am Peter Albus, the eldest son of Baron Albus.”

“Ah! So you were from that family. Pleased to meet you.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would greet you with a smile, but… unfortunately, I don’t think I can right now.”

Peter then told everyone in the dining hall the story he had told me.

The fact that his uncle, Larry Albus, had executed Peter’s father, the former Baron Albus, and borrowed knights from the Hilton family to try to get rid of his son, Peter.

Upon hearing the news, Earl Lloyd slammed the table with his fist and roared.

“What! Is that true!”

Koo-ooo-ooo.

An unprecedented heat haze rose, and the room filled with suffocating pressure.

The complexions of the servants, including Rosalyn, who had no martial prowess, turned pale, and even Phillip, who had learned some martial arts, looked uncomfortable.

Sion and Campbell seemed much better than Phillip, perhaps because they had trained their mental strength in the North.

And I…

[Self-purification is activated.]

[Immune to all status ailments.]

As expected, I felt nothing.

Rather, I felt it was more bearable than before.

That’s because I had been sparring with Karina every dawn at Black Castle, unknowingly enduring the aura of a current Sword Master.

Recently, the experience of fighting for my life between master-level monsters like Niflheim and Karina had further broadened my inner vessel [capacity to withstand external pressures].

“Calm yourself, Earl.”

Only after hearing my words did the Earl realize that he had momentarily lost control of his energy and withdrew his aura.

“Ahem, I apologize.”

Once the suffocating energy disappeared, all that remained was a chillingly cold and heavy atmosphere.

Soon, the Earl spoke.

“So Baron Albus passed away like that. It’s truly regrettable.”

“No, our family has served the Lloyd family for generations, and it is regrettable that we can no longer do so.”

“There’s no need to be so polite. I know how great and empty your sorrow is from losing your family.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“And…”

Earl Lloyd looked at me.

“Henon, there must be a reason why you brought the eldest son of the Albus family to me. Tell me what it is.”

I shrugged at the Earl’s gaze.

“The Hilton family mercilessly seized and ran away with our vassal [a person or state that is subordinate to another] who served us. This is a clear provocation against our Lloyd family. Shouldn’t we show them what the price is?”

“Continue.”

“Since Peter is here, please put me at the forefront of the reclamation of the Albus territory. That is the reward I desire.”

“!!!”

Everyone’s eyes widened as if they didn’t expect me, who had just returned from the North, to make such a statement about going to the battlefield again.

“Helping the Albus family is something we should naturally do, but it’s a bit ambiguous to call it a reward. So tell me something else.”

“No. It’s something we should do. In that sense, wouldn’t it be better to have a direct descendant move rather than just sending subordinate knights?”

Revenge for the family.

Assistance for Peter.

All true.

Yet, the real reason I’m saying all this is to bring Phillip into the ring.

Although I gloriously returned from the North after defeating a Twilight executive, I am still a bastard with nothing to my name.

It’s still said that Phillip is physically unmatched.

So what should I do?

I have to constantly prove my worth.

I am telling the Earl.

The real reward I want is to ask him to test whether Henon is the right person to take responsibility for the Lloyd territory in the future.

And the clever Earl immediately grasped the implied intention and opened his mouth.

“Huhu… Phillip.”

“Yes?”

He answers reflexively, startled.

“You help too.”

“What do you mean?”

“This matter. How can you be a member of the Lloyd family and turn a blind eye to the difficulties of your vassal?”

As expected.

The Earl put Phillip in the arena as I intended.

The justification is perfect.

If Phillip backs out here, it’s not just a matter of face, but it’s the same as stepping out of the heir competition.

He glanced at Rosalyn, and only after seeing her subtly nod did he open his mouth.

“I understand.”

“Good. And I think we should make this clear.”

The Earl paused for a moment before continuing.

“I will entrust the ‘temporary’ heir position to the one who makes the main contribution to reclaiming the Albus family this time.”

It was truly a bombshell declaration.

The hall became as quiet as a mouse.

Rosalyn was so surprised that she couldn’t open her mouth, Phillip raised his head sharply, and Sion and Sebastian’s eyes flashed.

Campbell… well, he must have liked the food because he ordered another plate of steak.

“It’s only temporary. It can change at any time, so don’t be greedy or make unnecessary noise that interferes with reclaiming the Albus family. That’s all.”

With those words, Earl Lloyd took Peter with him, saying he wanted to hear additional explanations, and left the banquet hall.

“Let’s go too.”

Rosalyn and Phillip got up. They left without making eye contact with me, exuding an icy aura.

In the end, only we were left in the dining hall.

The banquet hall became quiet.

Campbell’s chewing on the steak was particularly loud. Perhaps a little embarrassed by the attention, he picked up any sound.

“Vice-Captain, this place makes good steak.”

“Eat a lot.”

“He’s like an animal.”

Sion, who was scolding him from the side, expressed her opinion on this territory war with a worried look.

“Things have gotten too big.”

“Why?”

“We honorably retired from the North, and our reputation is soaring. If we just dragged out the time, the situation would have been favorable, but if we end up in a head-on confrontation like this, it will be difficult.”

Sion was skeptical about reclaiming the Albus barony.

“I know the Young Master’s monstrous martial prowess well, but there is a limit to what an individual can do. We have no wealth and no power to wield. Shouldn’t we take a step back now?”

Her opinion was reasonable.

We have no power.

We have no money to wield power.

…or so you’d think.

Suddenly, I felt the ancient artifact I was wearing on my waist, the magic gourd, felt heavy.

Inside, there is a mountain of gold scraped from the Dragon Kyle’s lair. It is enough wealth to buy the entire Elden Kingdom.

So, in my opinion, this match was a match where the option of defeat was deleted from the start.

‘Victory itself is a matter of course. But…’

Why did the Hilton family, a great family of the kingdom, provoke the Lloyd family so openly without even thinking of hiding their identity?

Rather, this was what I was curious about.

It’s a war without justification.

Even if they win, they will only get the Albus territory and be showered with criticism. The kingdom’s situation will also be disturbed due to the clash of two giant families.

“…Well, I’ll find out in time. Then let’s rest today and move out tomorrow.”

Sion had already noticed that I had made up my mind.

She, who had been watching me push forward like a bulldozer once I made a decision, decided to follow me silently this time as well.

“As always, the Young Master must have made separate arrangements. By the way, I wonder if the pig I brought from the North will earn his keep.”

“Oog, whadya sayin’?”

“Nothing.”

It seems Campbell is very happy with the southern food.

* * *

Rosalyn and Phillip, who had heard the shocking news at the banquet hall, hurried back and held a meeting.

“The Scion [a descendant or heir] of the Earl’s family is finally coming up here. I should have nipped it in the bud when he was young.”

Rosalyn gritted her teeth.

Phillip was not much different.

“I get goosebumps when I think that his heinous behavior was all to induce carelessness. He is clearly a monster with multiple personalities.”

Regardless of victory or defeat, Rosalyn and Phillip did not like the fact that they were in a heir war on the same level as Henon. Henon must have aimed for this and said to the Earl that he would be at the forefront of the territory war.

The two mothers had to participate because they had to watch Henon’s fame grow if they stayed still, and they had to endure the disgrace of standing by and watching the vassal’s family being reclaimed.

In the end, it became a passive action swayed by the intentions of others, not an active action. Rosalyn bit her lip in resentment.

“Now that it’s come to this, I have to thoroughly trample on him. I have to send people to my parents’ house to hire a mercenary group.”

There is a way to use the knights of the Lloyd family, but this time they decided to solve it with their own strength and prove it.

No matter how much a rootless Scion without power flutters, it is just a frog in a well [an idiom for someone with limited experience or knowledge].

“He has no money or power to move a military group. No matter how much Karina is a patron, she won’t be able to mobilize the Northern forces to protect the kingdom for just a territory war.”

“That’s right. Besides, the rumors that the Margrave of the North is frugal are famous. We are financially superior, and the knights of the Lloyd family will look at us and ignore Henon.”

Looking closely, the situation is much more optimistic. Rosalyn’s voice tone rose as she got excited.

“The bastard must have been so excited that he made a reckless move because he made a small contribution in the North. This is a great opportunity for us.”

On this occasion, Rosalyn planned to make Phillip the temporary heir and mobilize all her capabilities to solidify him as ‘official’ rather than ‘temporary’.

“Nothing has changed. We only need to win once. Then it’s over.”

On the other hand, Henon is over if he loses only once. Rosalyn and Phillip were well aware of how advantageous this fight was.

“What about the Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps? If it’s them, who are raising their stock these days, they will find the Albus territory. In fact, it’s like using a butcher’s knife to catch a chicken [an idiom for using excessive force for a simple task].”

“Good. Phillip, you take care of that. I’ll give you as much money as you want.”

The plan is progressing smoothly.

All that’s left is to enjoy Henon’s defeated face to the fullest.

* * *

Central and southern Arnia Continent.

Abandoned ruins.

A desolate wasteland, called a cursed land, where no one even approaches, with an old castle standing tall.

A ghost castle where the sound of crows sitting on the edge of the fortress adds to the eerie atmosphere. A vast joint [meeting place] spread out in the basement of that place.

Perhaps because of the dark interior, the joint, which has an occult atmosphere, has a circular table and eight chairs with abnormally high backs placed in a circle.

Five of the chairs were already occupied, and the members, who were of different sizes and genders, had distinct personalities.

The identities of these people are the great executives of Twilight.

They were the seven apostles under the Pope.

“So? What’s going on?”

A small boy, [Gluttony], who was clearly bored, yawned and expressed his dissatisfaction.

Then, a masked gentleman wearing a bowler hat, [Greed], answered from the side.

“[Jealousy] was defeated.”

“!!”

Silence descends on the hall.

Then, a blonde beauty wearing a pure white robe, [Lust], across from him, said with shining eyes.

“By whom?”

“Rumor has it that he was defeated by Gordon Lloyd’s illegitimate son, a retired Seven Star, but in my opinion, it seems that he was defeated by Karina of the Red Flame, who is also a Seven Star.”

“Hmph! I knew it. She’s always been obsessed with jealousy and followed that woman around, but she finally caused an accident. I hated seeing her whine with inferiority, so it’s better this way.”

A lich [a type of undead creature], [Pride], whose whole body was made of skeletons and whose eyes were filled with ominous energy, also added.

“In the first place, she was too weak to be called an apostle of Twilight. She was only occupying the position because there was no suitable talent. If there had been a decent junior, she would have been replaced long ago.”

The booming voice of a muscular man, [Wrath], who was too big to put a chair aside and sat cross-legged on the floor, echoed through the joint.

“So, did we gather for just this kind of thing?”

“Just wait a little longer. The Pope will be here soon.”

He can’t be a gentleman.

As soon as he mentioned the Pope, one corner of the dark joint opened with a chilling metallic sound.

Then, the great executives, who had been messing around until now, hardened their expressions and stood up all at once.

“We meet the Pope.”

“Glory to Baal.”

“Glory to Baal!”

The Pope of Twilight was wearing a hood so deeply that his identity was not visible.

Even the face was a black abyss, and if you looked at it carelessly, you would fall into a vortex that would unknowingly erode your mind.

That’s why the great executives tried not to make eye contact with the Pope.

Everyone is seated.

Silence follows.

Looking at the empty seat, the Pope opened his mouth.

“Where is [Sloth]?”

“He’s probably too lazy to come. Is this the first time?”

Lust grumbled.

“Tell him to attend next time.”

“Yes.”

“And as you all know, Jealousy was defeated. Is there anyone you can recommend as the new Jealousy?”

Even though his direct subordinate, the 7th executive, had died, the tone of the Twilight Pope was as calm as ever.

The 7 executives got goosebumps on their spines at the attitude as if they were asking what to eat for breakfast.

“…There’s no answer. I’ll leave it vacant for the time being.”

“I understand.”

“Did you find Baal’s seal? What about the clues about the golden branch?”

The great executives could not answer.

All those trivial matters were the responsibility of Niflheim in the North, that is, Jealousy, and with her death, all important information was buried in the North.

“I don’t know well.”

“If you don’t know everything, what do you know? I set you up as great executives, but do you have anything to do?”

Kugugugu

The ground shakes.

The entire castle shook like crazy.

Stone debris fell from the ceiling.

It was just that the Twilight Pope was in a bad mood for a moment.

The eyes of the great executives who saw the Pope causing an earthquake with just his mood were filled with various emotions.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m disappointed. Then I’ll have to give you specific orders. First, find the Druid. If it’s the Druid, he’ll know the location of the golden branch.”

The executives expressed their disapproval at the sudden order.

“If you’re talking about Druid…”

“He is a human who freely controls plants and animals. Consider it the destiny of the doctrine and find him unconditionally.”

“I understand..”

“Tell Sloth today’s contents as well. He is the most capable of you when it comes to information.”

The abyss in the hood shook for a moment, and the Twilight Pope changed the subject.

“Lastly, how is the preparation to welcome the Demon King going?”

Thinking this was the time, the great executives spoke in a rush.

“We have eroded about half of the Calon Empire. It’s big, but it seems like it will all be back in our hands soon.”

“The Holy Kingdom is also our puppet. Recently, it has been paralyzing the continent in connection with the Empire.”

The Twilight Pope nodded for the first time.

It’s a sign that he likes it.

“Not bad. Is the only thing left to make the guy who interfered with our work in the North pay the price?”

“I will report on that part.”

Greed, a masked gentleman wearing a bowler hat, stepped forward.

“In the case of Karina, she is crouching in the North, and her personal power is strong, so it is difficult to touch her right now. Therefore, we are shaking the Elden Kingdom first and attacking the Lloyd territory.”

“Under attack…”

“We have moved the rival Hilton family, so there will be a response soon.”

“I’ll be waiting for good news.”

The Twilight Pope, who confirmed the sadistic smile and strange eyes from Greed, slowly got up and returned to the door he had entered.

“The meeting is over. Everyone go back.”