The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 81

11. Elf: The Waited Scoundrel

Viscount Piento was confident he could control Henon as he pleased, keeping him under his thumb.

Even though Henon had recently gained fame, rumors spread by word of mouth were bound to be exaggerated.

Besides, rumors had to be somewhat plausible to be believed, and too often they were completely absurd.

His successful military service in the North could be attributed to Count Karina of the Frontier, another of the Seven Stars [a group of highly influential figures], being too preoccupied with Marquis Lloyd to keep Henon in the rear.

But rumors of him being a demon slayer or single-handedly capturing Albus Castle were hard to believe.

Viscount Piento dismissed these as ridiculous nonsense made up by ignorant people craving a hero.

So, Viscount Piento decided to test Henon.

As soon as he heard that Henon had become the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, he sent letters to the lords who commanded over a hundred soldiers.

As expected, many lords shared his thoughts, or perhaps they were conscious of the Piento family’s power, or maybe both.

All the lords who received the letters changed their course and gathered under his banner.

With five thousand troops gathered under Piento’s banner, it was inevitable for a man to feel a bit puffed up.

For a moment, he even thought he might be able to surpass the Lloyd family.

‘After all, Molt Territory has fallen, and Young Master Phillip is missing. If I can make Henon a mere figurehead here, I might be able to seize control of the entire Lloyd family in the future.’

To realize this, he first needed to understand what kind of person this bastard Henon was.

He wrote a summons and sent a messenger to call him over.

It was an absurd situation where a vassal summoned his lord, but Viscount Piento deliberately committed this rudeness.

‘He can choose not to come while upholding his pride, or he can get angry at me and send a summons in return, or he can whine and tell the Marquis, which would be the best.’

No matter how the situation unfolded, Henon would reveal his true colors, and he would have nothing to lose.

So, Viscount Piento waited with pleasant anticipation for how his opponent would react.

But then, an unexpected event occurred.

Hennon obediently led his soldiers and responded to the summons.

He was taken aback and felt unpleasant, but soon he smiled as he saw the number of soldiers Henon had brought.

‘Only four hundred… and the pure Lloyd Marquisate troops are only a hundred.’

It was clearly pathetic compared to his five thousand troops.

Viscount Piento knew that the Lloyd Marquisate was currently facing the Hilton County and had no spare troops to send.

Even so, he thought that if they squeezed to the limit, they could bring a total of eight hundred troops, including those from small and medium-sized lords.

‘To bring only half of that, four hundred, even though bringing eight hundred would still be lacking… is this the limit of a bastard?’

It seemed that he had only mobilized the minimum number of people, thinking he was being considerate of the territory residents’ hardships.

Viscount Piento found Henon’s attempt to act like a kind lord annoying.

Acting like that might win the hearts of the territory residents, but it meant losing in the power struggle among nobles.

After all, the influence and power of nobles were determined by the number of soldiers loyal to them.

“Nice to meet you. I am Henon Lloyd, the viscount who has been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces.”

Frankly speaking, his first impression was passable.

A height that far exceeded the average.

Glossy black hair.

Deep green eyes that seemed to draw you in.

A sturdy body at first glance.

He looked like a hero who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

However, in the cutthroat noble arena where heavy responsibilities were exchanged with every word, appearance was only a secondary matter.

Rather than appearance, what determined a noble’s status was their lineage, that is, their bloodline, and how outstanding their personal abilities were.

And in this regard, Viscount Piento was convinced that Henon showed a clear disqualification.

‘Let’s poke him a bit.’

As planned, he gave a signal, and Baron Kante began to provoke Henon.

“I guess it can’t be helped since he came from the bottom…”

“What did you just say?”

Henon snapped and took the bait, and Viscount Piento inwardly cheered.

“I didn’t say anything, though?”

“You’re being overly sensitive.”

“To be hard of hearing already at such a young age.”

Since ancient times, it has been said that if three people gather, they can make one person a fool.

But here, there were not three, but dozens of people gathered.

It was only a matter of moments to find fault, tear him apart mercilessly, and create a bad reputation for Henon.

He thought it was good enough up to this point.

That was until the chair Kante was sitting on suddenly broke.

“Kkeuaaaaaack!!!!”

Oh, dear.

Of all things, a sharp rock turned Kante into a hemorrhoid patient.

The banquet hall became a mess.

Baron Norn, who was hit by a flying chair leg, and Baron Kante, who was rolling around pathetically while clutching his buttocks.

Besides them, there were also the petty lords who were flustered and panicking.

Only Henon, with his arms crossed, was calmly observing the situation.

Viscount Piento’s eyes narrowed as he witnessed this.

‘Could he have intended all of this?’

That couldn’t be.

Viscount Piento denied it.

No skill he knew of could automatically break a chair and send the chair leg accurately to its target.

Moreover, Henon was sitting in his seat without any movement.

Still, it was strange.

Of all people, the chair of Baron Kante, who had taken the lead in teasing Henon, broke.

Moreover, the chair leg accurately struck Baron Norn, who had openly mocked Henon, and the last chair leg flew straight at him.

Of course, Viscount Piento, an expert, easily avoided the blind attack, but this situation, which had overlapped several times by chance, was unsettling.

‘The flow has changed.’

What he wanted was an atmosphere where Henon was publicly beaten down, but the ones at the forefront were showing shameful figures, and conversely, Henon was worrying about them.

‘This is not good.’

The lords were currently following him, but that was only because they mistrusted Henon as an immature bastard; some of them would have sided with Henon if he had decent abilities.

He had to reverse the atmosphere.

To do that, he had to expose Henon’s true colors.

From the start, he didn’t trust the petty lords like Baron Kante, who was stabbed in the butt and collapsed, or Baron Norn, who was crying after being hit by a chair.

He decided to use the move he had prepared in advance.

* * *

A commotion was settled.

Baron Kante, who had a tunnel opened in his lower region, was carried out on a stretcher.

Baron Norn also made a fuss about wrapping bandages around his face and left, leaving the air feeling chilly.

“Haha… This is quite a day with many unexpected incidents.”

“We should see it as a jinx to ward off the negative energy that will be present in the upcoming battle with the elves.”

I smoothly brushed off Viscount Piento’s words.

Some of the lords looked surprised that I seemed normal, unlike the rumors of me being a scoundrel.

“Now, now! Don’t we have a big event ahead of us? Let’s eat heartily.”

Viscount Piento resumed the banquet.

The meal began again.

The word ‘elf’ was not even mentioned among the topics on the table.

They asked about each other’s well-being, mentioned unusual events that had occurred in their territories, or talked about the relationship between the Empire and the Kingdom.

Some even discussed the tobacco craze that was currently popular in the Calon Empire.

‘It’s truly a bizarre scene.’

This must be the limit of the nobles here.

They are about to face a war with the elves, but none of them show any signs of tension or consider strategies and tactics.

I was dumbfounded by how they acted as if they had already secured victory.

These guys, who are used to being fed, are the type who would ask for wine even if an enemy threatened them with a knife right in front of their eyes because they are thirsty.

Then, let’s see what Viscount Piento is doing.

He quietly drank wine, then called his adjutant next to him and whispered something.

The adjutant, who received the order, went outside the tent, and Viscount Piento, who made eye contact with me, gave an awkward smile and made excuses.

“The wine was not good, so I asked them to change it.”

A sly man.

Even while smiling like that, he must be thinking about how to mess with me.

It was then.

A commotion was heard from outside.

“How dare you! A lowly thing laying hands on someone!”

The shouting was so loud that it could be heard inside the tent.

The nobles, who were chewing on their steaks, stopped using their forks and knives.

Soon, an adjutant came in, knelt, and said to Viscount Piento.

“Lord, it seems you need to come out for a moment.”

“What’s going on?”

“Marquis Lloyd’s maid has assaulted Young Master Frankie.”

I have a feeling I know who that maid is.

The adjutant who was reporting deliberately raised his voice so that everyone in the hall could hear.

Then, the lords buzzed.

Viscount Piento said with an unpleasant expression.

“What? My nephew was hit by a maid?”

“What safety is there to lie?”

“Lead the way for now.”

Even while he was talking to the adjutant, the commotion outside grew louder, and the level of swearing also increased.

The lords, including me and Viscount Piento, came out in droves to see what was going on.

“Do you know who I am!?”

“I don’t particularly want to know the name of a ruffian who tries to touch a woman’s body without permission.”

“How dare you! A mere maid!”

“Be thankful that the lords you and I serve are different. I held back from cutting off that dirty hand.”

As expected, the maid the adjutant was referring to was Shion.

She glared at Frankie, Viscount Piento’s nephew, with her purple eyes flashing.

Frankie was sweating profusely, but he thought it would be shameful to be intimidated by a mere woman, a maid at that, so he shouted back.

“Quiet!!”

Viscount Piento calmed the hall.

Frankie saw Viscount Piento and ran to him like a dog seeing its owner, telling him everything in detail.

“Uncle, Marquis Lloyd’s maid is crazy! Do you see this?”

There was a bright red handprint on one cheek.

He had already been hit by Shion.

I approached Shion and asked.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. More than that, I’m sorry. My hand went out reflexively.”

“It’s okay. Did he start it first?”

“Yes, he was openly flirting in a way that was obvious to anyone.”

There are two possibilities here.

Either Frankie is such a rude guy that he would lay his hands on a woman even in a place like this.

Or he was told in advance by Viscount Piento and deliberately did it.

I leaned towards the latter.

Perhaps the whisper Viscount Piento gave to the adjutant at the banquet was the signal.

“Haha! It’s become awkward.”

Viscount Piento, who had listened to Frankie’s explanation, scratched the back of his head and approached.

“It’s a shame that this happened before the war.”

“I think so too.”

“There’s no need for allies to get angry with each other. If you hand over the maid to our side, we’ll cleanly forget about this incident.”

As expected, he only spouts crap.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. From what Shion told me, your nephew tried to lay his hands on my woman first. Rather, I want an official apology from Frankie.”

Viscount Piento grinned as if he had caught me in a trap.

“According to my nephew, he didn’t even touch her; the maid attacked him first.”

“You need to get your facts straight. To be precise, he tried to touch her and got hit.”

“Frankie is a noble with Piento’s precious blood. Surely, you’re not saying you trust the word of a lowly maid over a noble?”

At this point, I could see Viscount Piento’s scheme.

If Frankie’s words are true and I try to protect Shion to the end, I become a fool swayed by a maid’s words, unable to see the truth.

On the other hand, if I readily give up Shion, I will be branded as an incompetent superior who cannot even protect his subordinates, losing the trust of my men.

No matter which option I choose, my image will be tarnished, and Viscount Piento intends to seize the initiative based on this.

There is only one way for me to escape this.

That is to prove that Frankie’s claim is false and Shion is right.

Shion stepped forward and said,

“It’s not just one or two people who saw Frankie harassing me. Everyone here saw it.”

As soon as Shion finished speaking, Viscount Piento smiled as if he had been waiting for this moment and conducted a poll.

“I ask those who witnessed the situation: Did my nephew really harass the maid?”

Then, several soldiers from the Marquisate’s guard came forward to testify.

“I saw it. Shion was standing still, but the young master suddenly approached her.”

“That’s right. She politely refused several times, but he persistently approached her.”

At the same time, soldiers and knights from Piento’s side also came forward to give their accounts.

“No. That maid seduced Frankie first.”

“Rather, Frankie is the victim. When he refused her several times, she must have been offended and dared to lay her hands on him.”

“She’s a very sly woman. Even now, she’s pretending to be innocent, giving me the creeps.”

After that, testimonies claiming Frankie’s innocence poured out from Piento’s side.

The Marquisate’s guards who sided with me numbered only about a hundred, while the soldiers Viscount Piento brought numbered two thousand.

They were pushing with the difference in numbers.

Viscount Piento, who had become elated, said to me.

“Do you believe it now?”

“The credibility of the testimonies is questionable. Even people who weren’t here are recklessly insisting on things.”

“Viscount Lloyd, it’s troubling if you’re already so stubborn at such a young age.”

“Then, are you saying that all two thousand people here are testifying that Frankie is the perpetrator against my maid?”

Viscount Piento nodded.

“That’s right. Isn’t that so, you guys?”

“““That’s right!!!!”””

The soldiers from the Piento family answered all at once, as if trying to show their loyalty.

The total number of troops gathered here was five thousand.

Of those, two thousand was nearly half, so the pressure was immense.

“I would like to ask the knights and soldiers who are not from Piento as well. They must have seen the commotion that happened here.”

The soldiers from other families sweated and expressed their reluctance.

“Well, I don’t know?”

“I didn’t see it because I was on perimeter duty.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“Uh… well… that’s… ahem.”

In the first place, what the truth was didn’t matter.

Viscount Piento was showing off his influence to make even lies seem like the truth.

And what made this unreasonable claim possible was the enormous number of two thousand.

“Viscount Lloyd, it’s troubling if you continue to insist. Would we want to ruin our relationship over such a trivial matter? If you hand over the maid, I will overlook this incident.”

The cunning man licked his snake-like tongue, and his eyes gleamed as if intoxicated with victory.

I crossed my arms and stared into the distance.

Viscount Piento, thinking I was contemplating, smirked.

“What are you pondering so deeply?”

“I’m waiting. It’s about time they arrived.”

“Waiting for what?”

“For the moment when truth overcomes lies.”

Viscount Piento frowned at my nonsensical words.

“If you keep acting like this…”

“Ah, they’re here sooner than I thought.”

Boo-ooo-ooo!!!!!

A horn sounded in the distance.

Following that, a large army appeared over the hill.

At first glance, it was a number reaching thousands.

The sudden appearance of the unidentified army caused confusion throughout the entire camp.

And I stepped forward.

“Everyone, cease your response! They are allies!”

I rode forward at the head of the group.

The soldiers’ equipment gleamed in the sunlight, and a blue falcon soared on the flags fluttering in the wind.

The mercenary leader Rakan, who was at the front, saw me, dismounted, and knelt.

“I greet my lord.”

Rakan, whom I had seen in a long time, was completely different.

His already sturdy body had become much more solid, and his skin was tanned as if he had worked hard training the soldiers.

The mercenary unit he led had also grown into a strong force that was incomparable to when I saw them at Albus Castle.

Back then, they had a strong feeling of free mercenaries without formality, but now they were a regular army with standards and systems.

“You’ve trained a lot.”

“It’s all thanks to you, my lord. How could I let the kids play when the money is coming in?”

“It seems like the number of people has increased a bit too?”

When I saw them last time, the Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps had a total of two thousand men, but now it had increased by one thousand to three thousand.

“These days, our mercenary corps has a reputation for good welfare, so applicants are lining up, and we’re in a situation where we have to pick and choose.”

A bald, expressionless man next to Rakan looked familiar. The guy with the axes crossed on his back made eye contact with me and bowed his head.

“I greet my benefactor.”

“You’re definitely… the slave I saved at Liang Restaurant.”

“That’s right. I’m Yucal.”

The mercenary leader Rakan stroked Yucal’s head.

“This guy is a real find. He became a user [skilled axe fighter] in less than half a year after learning the axe.”

I felt that his eyes were alive since the last time I saw him, and he was indeed a promising seedling.

“Everything is thanks to my benefactor. If you give the order, I will go into a fire pit.”

It seemed that his loyalty to me had been excessively patched, but it wasn’t bad.

I was also looking forward to his future growth.

The visitors who came were not only the Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps.

Liang’s guard captain Aiden led a group of soldiers and stood before me.

“It hasn’t been long since we parted, but we meet again. I greet the Supreme Commander of the Guardian Army.”

“Aiden? I don’t remember calling you.”

“Liang is a place where all news is heard. Mayor Yuron judged that you needed help and sent three thousand Guardian troops as a matter of urgency.”

It was Mayor Yuron’s arrangement.

He is a grateful person in many ways.

In that way, I had six thousand troops under me, led by Rakan and Aiden.

“Oh, right, I have something to tell you all.”

I briefly told them about the current situation of the Allied Forces.

I explained that some lords, led by Viscount Piento, were taking the lead in tearing me apart.

Even Aiden and Rakan raged at the words that Shion was being treated as a mere maid and being driven away.

“Isn’t Shion a strong woman who even fought with the Twilight Executives? That’s ridiculous.”

“Just give the order. I’ll wipe out those pigs full of oil in their bellies right now.”

“Haha, thank you for your kind words, but they are also soldiers that I have to command. There’s no need to shed unnecessary blood ahead of the battle with the elves, so just match their rhythm.”

Leading Rakan on the right and Aiden on the left, I returned to the camp in high spirits with six thousand troops behind me.

The Guardian Army of Liang and the Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps, who had been told in advance, glared at the nobles as if they were about to start a war, exuding murderous intent.

Some soldiers put arrows on their bowstrings or openly drew their swords and licked them with their tongues.

“Who are those people?”

Viscount Piento, who was very nervous at the sudden appearance of the armed forces, asked me in a subdued voice.

“Let me introduce you. This is Rakan, the leader of the Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps. You must have heard the name at least once.”

“I am Rakan, who currently serves Viscount Lloyd as my lord.”

“And this is Aiden, the captain of the Liang Guard and the vice-commander of the Guardian Army.”

“I came to help the hero of Liang. I’m Aiden.”

Every time a name was mentioned, the nobles’ faces turned pale.

The Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps was famous as a mercenary corps with thick bones [experienced and resilient] in the Elden Kingdom’s territory war, so at least the nobles here couldn’t not know them.

Moreover, what about Aiden behind him? He is from Liang, a leading free city on the continent, and has Mayor Yuron backing him.

In particular, the nobles focused on Aiden and Rakan’s attitude of treating me as their lord or hero.

“Let’s stop the introductions here. Let’s talk about what we couldn’t talk about earlier. Where did we leave off?”

Viscount Piento’s face hardened in real time.

“Oh, right, we were talking about your nephew harassing my maid.”

“Get your facts straight. Your maid hit my nephew.”

Is he the type who doesn’t want to lose and keeps pushing?

Thinking this was the time, Rakan and Aiden stepped forward.

“I saw it, and your nephew was harassing Shion.”

“I saw it too. How can you do such a shameless thing to a woman from another family?”

Viscount Piento, hearing these words, foamed at the mouth and went wild.

“Don’t talk nonsense! What did people who weren’t even here when the incident happened see and testify!”

As expected, empathy is essential for people.

You truly feel what it’s like only when you experience the same thing.

“I saw it from afar.”

“Me too.”

“Don’t lie!”

“Viscount Piento.”

When I spoke with mana, the surrounding atmosphere calmed down. I sent my energy to Viscount Piento for the first time.

“Think carefully. Including Rakan and Aiden, all six thousand of my soldiers saw your nephew harassing my maid.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

“Viscount Piento.”

I cut off his words.

“This is your last chance. What do you think about this?”

Viscount Piento looks around.

Swords are drawn, and arrows are aimed.

A cold air swirled around.

He’s quick-witted, so he’ll know.

That if he answers incorrectly here, a sea of blood will unfold on the plains.

If he still holds his head high in this situation, I was seriously thinking of erasing the name Piento from the map of the Arnia continent.

I had enough ability and power to do so.

How much time had passed?

Viscount Piento, who could not dare to meet my cold gaze and was only sweating profusely, finally surrendered.

“It seems my nephew made a mistake. I deeply apologize.”

You should have done that from the start.

He’s finally lowering his tail.

Now that the superiority has been roughly determined, I need to receive compensation for the tricks he’s been playing on me.

I drew the Heavenly Demon Sword and handed it to Viscount Piento.

As I suddenly handed him the sword, I solemnly declared to Viscount Piento, who was sending me a puzzled look, not knowing what my intention was.

“If you have committed a crime, you must be punished. As the commander of the Allied Forces, I issue my first order: Viscount Piento, immediately execute Frankie, who is guilty of disrupting military discipline in a state of war.”