The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 78

11. Elf: The Scoundrel Who Stepped on My Back

The road back to Lord Lloyd’s territory.

It hasn’t been long since I actually came to Liang, but having experienced such dramatic events in succession, it feels like several years have already passed.

Originally, the order I received from Lord Lloyd was to catch the tail of Greed hidden in Liang and dig up clues.

After finding out where he was hiding, Lord Lloyd planned to cooperate with the Mayor of Liang to drive out the Twilight executive from the city.

But since the Mayor of Liang was Greed himself, and then Harman, the next person in power, was also a member of the Twilight Church, it was somewhat understandable why I had to go through all this trouble.

Still, it was a journey with great gains.

Fortunately, I met Seven Star Tom, caught Greed directly, and also thwarted the terrible plot of the ancient curse.

Moreover, the auction items I obtained from the Full Moon Black Market and the reward money given by Mayor Yuron amounted to a tremendous fortune equivalent to an estimated value of 1.2 million gold.

And that’s not all.

I became the head of the Liang Honorary Merchant Association and the Commander-in-Chief of the Guardian Army, receiving a lifetime pension and becoming a talent capable of immediately mobilizing a corps-level force.

There are only a handful of nobles in the Elven Kingdom who can wield as many troops as I can in such a short period, so my value has skyrocketed.

Coincidentally, the Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps, which is like my personal guard, has also grown rapidly in the Albus territory, adding to my reassurance.

In addition to this.

I became a member of the Pilgrims’ Gathering, a closed but influential group, and I am very satisfied with the Aura Bullet, Wormhole Generator, and Brooch I received from them.

But above all, the biggest gain from this trip to Liang is the cute Coco, who is now flying around in front of me.

And Sasha, the High Elf, who sat right next to me in the carriage, staring blankly out the window.

“Sasha.”

“Yes?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

I had something I was curious about regarding Sasha, but I hadn’t had time to ask due to being preoccupied after the fight with Greed.

Now we are on our way back to Lloyd territory, and since I am in the carriage alone with Sasha except for Coco, I decided to ask her now.

“Do you remember everything that happened in the city hall basement that day?”

“Yes.”

“What exactly did you do then?”

I didn’t specify exactly, but Sasha understood what I was talking about.

When Greed took off his mask and used his Illusion Eye, I would have been trapped in the illusion forever and defeated if it hadn’t been for her help.

Greed’s illusion was that powerful, capable of defeating even a Sword Master if they had no resistance to that kind of skill.

At the time, Sasha was able to freely enter and exit the illusion despite having zero martial power, and she provided crucial help in allowing me to escape the dream.

“Uncle’s soul was bound by a nasty string.”

Sasha said that the nasty string came from Greed’s Illusion Eye.

“So, I cut the string.”

“How?”

“I can do it. Watch.”

As Sasha closed her eyes, a strange energy emanated from her, and her silver hair began to rise strand by strand.

It was neither mana, nor energy, nor internal energy, nor anything else.

If I had to explain it, it was closer to spiritual energy.

I finally realized.

The High Elf Sasha has a talent for being a shaman, a sorceress.

When I think about it, Sasha has shown aspects of being a shaman from our first meeting.

She immediately smelled the scent of my World Tree, which had swallowed the Golden Branch, and stuck to me, saying it smelled good, and she accurately recognized not Henon, who was probably only about twenty years old, but the soul of Kim Cheol-soo possessed within him.

Her silver eyes are not only dreamy but also spiritual eyes that can see the other side of the reversed world.

If so, a question arises here.

If she is the tribe’s shaman, the most protected being, why was she caught in the slave market?

When I asked about this, Sasha’s face clouded over rapidly.

“That’s…”

Just as Sasha was about to answer.

Thump! The carriage stopped abruptly with a sound.

“Kyu!”

Coco, who was flying in the air, spun around and regained her balance, and I reflexively wrapped my arm around Sasha’s waist to prevent her from hitting the front seat.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“Stay put inside.”

“Kyu!”

I gave Coco and Sasha a firm warning, opened the carriage door, and came out. Sion and Campbell were already outside waiting for me.

“What’s going on?”

“Young Master, a group of bandits has appeared ahead. There are quite a few of them.”

“Bandits?”

“It’s hard to believe, but yes.”

“How many are there?”

“About a hundred.”

It’s not surprising to encounter bandits while traveling in the Arnia continent.

The problem is that this is Lord Lloyd’s territory, which I will manage in the future.

It was especially ironic that a three-digit number of bandits suddenly appeared in this situation, especially after recently winning the territory war with the Hilton family and the atmosphere being good.

Campbell, who had become quite plump from eating so well in Liang, clenched his fists and bared his white teeth.

“I’ve been itching for a few days, so this is perfect. Vice-Captain, just give the order and I’ll run right over and break all their necks.”

I shook my head at Campbell’s words.

“You two stay here and guard the carriage. Prepare for a possible attack from behind and protect Sasha and Coco. I’ll take care of those guys.”

“Understood. What a shame.”

Since the bandits appeared in Lloyd’s territory and numbered over a hundred, I had to keep them alive as much as possible and ask them questions.

“This is the land where the pillar of the Great Elven Kingdom and the great Seven Star, Lord Gordon Lloyd, reigns as the rightful ruler. By what right do you block our path!”

The bandits chuckled and sneered at the ceremonial shout.

“Hehehe, a noble lord who looks like a sissy.”

“How much can we get if we rob him?”

“Look at the carriage. Just selling the gold scraps attached to it would be enough to drink heavily for a month.”

“We should also catch that noble if possible and get a ransom. I hope he’s from a wealthy family.”

The way they look at me is like they’re looking at a moving gold mine.

Bandits are originally blinded by greed, so I guess that’s to be expected, but the question here is their audacity to do business in Lloyd’s territory.

Just in case, I vigorously waved the flag with the oak tree, the symbol of the Lloyd family, from side to side and issued a final warning.

“If you retreat now, I will not pursue you. So, disband and return to your respective homes while I am showing mercy!”

Of course, that’s a lie.

From the moment they met me, those guys were already caught.

I plan to chase after them and wipe them out without exception, but I’m just saying this.

“Hahaha! You still haven’t come to your senses.”

“You have to keep your nonsense to a minimum. You’re still not aware of the situation, like a flower in a greenhouse.”

“Leave that guy to me. I’ll beat him up properly.”

Thankfully, the bandits’ actions matched my expectations perfectly.

The leader, who seemed to be the biggest of them, pointed his finger and ordered.

“There are only three of them anyway, so it’s a waste of arrows. Run and catch them all.”

“Waaaaaaa!!!!”

The roar alone is worth seeing.

Seeing the guys surrounding me from all sides with their eyes turned over, I told Sion and Campbell, who were behind me, in a low voice instead of drawing the Heavenly Demon Sword.

“Never kill them. Keep them all alive. Think of it as part of your training. Anyone who accidentally kills even one person will have their evening training extended.”

“Tch! I’m at the biggest disadvantage.”

“Understood.”

Honestly, it’s embarrassing to even consider whether I’ll win or lose against these losers.

It was easier to bet on whether I would accidentally kill someone or not.

“Euhahaha! I’ll catch you first!”

The way he’s rushing in, full of confidence because he has a lot of friends behind him, is quite a sight.

Since he seemed to have a cavity, I swung the Heavenly Demon Sword in its scabbard and knocked out his right tooth.

Thwack!

“Kuweeeck!!”

The first guy screamed and fell.

The guys who thought the first guy was hit by accident rushed in one after another and received a fair extraction of their healthy teeth.

For reference, anesthesia is expensive, so I didn’t use it.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Don’t these guys brush their teeth?

Dirty yellow teeth flew through the air like popped popcorn, and each time, the guys with blood streaming from their mouths grabbed their jaws and rolled on the floor.

When more than ten guys fell after being hit by the scabbard, the leader, who was watching the situation from behind with his arms crossed, urged his subordinates with a displeased look.

“There are only three of them! If you don’t want to die by my hand, catch them right now!”

“Uaaaaaa!!!”

They still don’t get it.

The leader grabs the back of the neck of the guy who’s really coming with his eyes turned over because he told them to charge, and throws him at the guy coming towards him, knocking them both out with one hit.

He slams the back of the head of the next guy coming with the blood-stained scabbard, and punches another guy who’s flustered by the sight.

The bandit, who had a straight hook accurately planted in his jaw, collapsed with the whites of his eyes showing.

“Uh…uh?”

When the guys who went first were defeated so easily, the others hesitated.

But it was already too late.

This time, I rush in first.

Like a male lion attacking a pack of hyenas, I stirred and trampled through the guys.

I subtly tripped the guy running at full speed, causing him to fall, and at the same time, I stomped on his right shoulder to prevent him from ever holding a spoon again.

I kicked the guy trying to chop down with an ax from behind in the abdomen, causing him to cough and curl up like a bug, and then struck his head to silence him.

At this point, even if they were idiots, the guys would have roughly felt it.

That I was not an opponent that could be solved by pushing with numbers.

When the trust in the number of people they firmly believed in collapsed, the solidarity of the group crumbled and turned into a disorganized mob in an instant.

“Damn it!”

“In that case, catch those guys!”

“Surely those young ones aren’t strong either.”

The next targets were Sion and Campbell, who had been fidgeting with expressions that they wanted to jump out throughout the battle.

The two men and women, who were twisting their bodies due to frustration, greeted the bandits with bright smiles like the owner of a newly opened restaurant seeing their first customer.

“Welcome~”

“Welcome.”

The customers hesitate after seeing Campbell’s muscular build.

Then Campbell, worried that the bandits wouldn’t flock to him, hurriedly threw his weapon to the ground and showed his palm with the most friendly smile possible.

But damn looksism [discrimination based on appearance].

The popularity vote was overwhelmingly won by Sion.

“Damn it!!”

Campbell, who had only taken down two or three people, enviously watches Sion beating up a dozen men next to him.

Around that time, I had already arrived in front of the bandit leader.

The guys who were blocking the space between the leader and me as his personal guards were each hit once fairly, and they were foaming at the mouth and rolling around.

“Ha…to be defeated by just three people. Useless guys.”

Oh! The leader has some spirit.

I thought he would be scared when all his subordinates disappeared.

Come to think of it, his body is quite solid.

His right hand also has calluses typical of someone who often holds a sword.

That guy is a professional swordsman.

“He doesn’t seem like the type to be a bandit leader?”

“Of course not. Do you think I want to do this kind of thing?”

“But what to do. I don’t really want to know about your personal affairs.”

“Me neither. I’ll just beat you up and drag you away.”

Energy flickers on the shoulder of the guy who drew his sword.

He is a Sword User who has properly reached maturity.

He is at the level of a knight who can make a living in most territories.

That’s why he had such confidence.

“Die!”

But in front of him is an expert master who has fought countless life-and-death battles with master-level powerhouses.

Honestly, his movements are so obvious that I could yawn.

When I dodged a few times, the enraged guy shouted.

“How dare you use such pathetic evasion techniques? Draw your sword quickly. Otherwise, I’ll slice you from head to toe in an instant.”

I didn’t draw the Heavenly Demon Sword until the end and roughly blocked the guy’s sword with only the scabbard.

The more we exchanged blows, the more information we gained about each other.

The bandit leader’s face gradually turned white as he realized that I was no ordinary master.

On the other hand, I tilted my head.

I thought he was a swordsman from the bottom because he had a thick beard and shabby clothes, but the swordsmanship he used was too orthodox for that.

Usually, those mercenaries pursue unique and free swordsmanship without formality and break through the realm only with their own subjectivity.

But this guy is like.

His movements and the way he swings his sword are so good that I would believe he was a swordsmanship academy instructor.

Quite some time has passed since I entered the Arnia continent, and I have accumulated quite a bit of data from fighting countless knights and mercenaries.

My intuition told me that.

This guy is definitely not a mercenary but a formal knight.

“Where did such a monster come from… Damn it!”

The bandit leader, who was sweating profusely, drew his sword in a large horizontal arc to create distance, then turned his body and ran away.

Of course, it was within my expectations.

[Wood Control]

[Bind]

The tree roots bound his ankles.

The guy who didn’t look down because he was trying to avoid me fell with a thud.

I stepped on the back of the fallen guy, drew the Heavenly Demon Sword for the first time since the battle began, put the blade to his neck, and opened my mouth.

“Tell me honestly. What side are you a knight from?”