The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 116

15. Accusation: The Deliveryman Scoundrel

“Get out of our country.”

I whispered to Archbishop Francis.

Archbishop Francis’s face, his pride shattered, turned crimson.

He seemed both unable to understand why I wasn’t in pain, and also annoyed by my defiance.

“This… this can’t be happening.”

“Archbishop, hasn’t Baron Lloyd’s innocence been proven by now? We’ve waited long enough.”

Rebecca rose from her throne and questioned Francis.

Archbishop Francis, sweating profusely, hurriedly began to babble.

“It’s not enough yet! The holy relic is just the first test. There is a real test.”

Then he called John, who was standing in one corner.

“It seems the evil spirit possessing Baron Lloyd is of a considerable level. The holy relic alone is not enough to discern it, so Sir John must help.”

That’s absurd.

Everyone in the hall felt that way.

You could easily guess that from the distorted faces of Charlie and Philip.

Rebecca’s voice rose in anger.

“You said you would judge only with the holy relic at first, so why did you suddenly change your mind?”

“Just as people are different, so are demons. In my view, the demon possessing Baron Lloyd will only reveal its true nature when its life is in imminent danger.”

“That’s ridiculous. I can no longer trust the Archbishop, so please leave.”

Despite Princess Rebecca’s expulsion order, Archbishop Francis remained unmoved.

His mad eyes were filled with a determination to eliminate me at all costs.

“Sir John! Execute it.”

Clang, clang, clang.

A giant man in full plate armor strode towards me.

The royal knights rushed out and blocked the path between me and John.

At the forefront, Count Hornet drew his sword halfway from its scabbard and addressed John.

“Sir Knight John, do not approach any further. As a Seven Star Knight [a high-ranking knight], your fame is well known, but this is the Elden Kingdom, so I hope you will observe national etiquette.”

John looked down at Count Hornet with sunken eyes.

“Dealing with demons is the most important task of the Belanus Order [a religious order dedicated to fighting evil]. There is no room for national etiquette here. I would wield my sword even against the Emperor of the Empire if he were possessed by a demon.”

Thump, thump, thump.

The floor shook, and a faint vibration spread through the soles of my feet, causing the ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to dance precariously.

This phenomenon occurred simply because John was emitting his energy.

The reputation of the Knight of Terror was indeed well-deserved.

“Kugh!”

Count Hornet, who directly faced the force, groaned and took a step back.

The royal guards also struggled to raise their spears, but they had already lost their will to fight.

Rebecca, perhaps not expecting a holy knight from the Divine Empire to cause such chaos in the middle of her kingdom, wrung her hands with a pale face.

If this continues, it will be a disaster.

I sensed it was time to step in.

Drawing up Iwon Mana [a unique type of internal energy] from the depths of my dantian [an energy center in the body] to its peak, I shouted.

“Stop!!!”

Clang!!!

It was the first time since reaching the upper level of Sword Expert and organizing Iwon Mana that I had raised my energy to its full potential.

Moreover, Iwon Mana was an energy with a better quality than mana of the same level, resulting in high efficiency.

John’s energy, which had been pressing down on the entire palace, was momentarily lifted.

John’s eyebrows twitched at the powerful energy, and the nobles looked at me with surprised expressions.

Slowly rising from my chair, I looked at Archbishop Francis and opened my mouth.

“Fine. I’ll play along with your unreasonable tune. I will accept the executor’s interrogation. But!”

I fixed my gaze on John.

“This place is too cramped, so let’s move to another location and receive the judgment separately. Surely you won’t say that’s not allowed either.”

Archbishop Francis tried to insist on following, but he closed his mouth when he sensed the cold atmosphere around him.

The impoliteness he had committed so far was considerable.

Even the mighty Calon Empire would not act so rudely towards the Elden Kingdom.

Due to the Archbishop’s actions, not only the anti-imperial nobles but also the pro-imperial nobles were showing hostility.

“Archbishop, it’s okay. I will judge well on my own, so leave it to me.”

Francis was uneasy at John’s assertion.

He wanted to have all the situations under his control, but things were not going as he pleased.

On the other hand, I, who had been trying to skip Francis from the beginning, welcomed the private meeting with John.

If the Archbishop had said he would follow, I would have run away to make a place for just the two of us.

If I fled with all my might, John would be the only one who could keep up.

“···Understood.”

A plain on the outskirts far from the capital.

I moved there, and John followed me.

We faced each other in the wind.

It was time to show Karina’s letter and clear up all the misunderstandings.

“Actually, I have no intention of fighting Sir John. The reason I called you here is to resolve some personal matters.”

Instead of an answer, a huge hammer flew.

Kwaaaang!!!

The moment the mace struck the ground, a roar echoed, and the ground for dozens of meters from the epicenter collapsed.

[Blink]

If I had been hit properly, I wouldn’t have been able to recover my bones.

That’s how brutal John’s attack was.

I was able to survive by reflexively kicking off the air [using mana to propel oneself].

“What are you doing?”

When I asked angrily, John calmly recited.

“Do you know what you should be most careful of when dealing with a demon?”

“I wonder.”

“The unique strong power of the demons? Or the evil mana? None of that. You can just destroy those things with a stronger power. Rather, the serpent’s tongue that confuses the mind is the most terrifying aspect of a demon.”

John was the same person the Seven Stars had described.

He had a thorough belief in serving Belanus and punishing evil, but he tended to be one-sided in the process.

“I understand what you’re saying, Sir John, but everyone has their own circumstances. At least look at the letter and items I’m going to show you and then judge.”

“There’s no need for that. As Archbishop Francis said, it’s enough to confirm whether the demon inside you is revealing its true colors.”

There’s no one more stubborn than this stubborn person.

John’s figure blurred.

Before I knew it, he appeared in front of me and swung his mace around like a windmill.

Whoo-oong!!!

I used Blink to evade again.

John’s eyes narrowed at the evasion skill that kicked off the air.

“You’re quite impressive at a young age. Or is that also the power of the demon?”

“······It seems it’s no longer possible to have a conversation.”

I like peaceful things.

But if the other party continues to be arrogant, there’s nothing I can do.

Tom’s letter said that John listens to the words of strong beings to some extent.

Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to use force and forcibly present the letter in front of his eyes.

“Are you perhaps going to confront me?”

“The cause and effect are wrong. You are picking a fight right now. I’m just moving accordingly.”

“I was just going to rummage through your body with a hammer filled with divine power to see the reaction.”

“Usually, that kind of behavior is called picking a fight.”

A moment of silence flows.

John raises his hammer.

“I almost got played by the demon’s tongue again.”

“What more can I say to a fool who has blocked his eyes and ears? I’m too lazy to persuade you, so come on in.”

Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time I’m facing a master-level expert alone?

The lust I met in the north was a fight that I intervened in while Karina was one-on-one, and the greed I met in Liang was also a half-baked master.

Naturally, the muscles in my whole body tensed up, and I tightened my grip.

‘If I fight with swordsmanship alone, I’ll definitely be pushed back. But if I only fight with druid skills, I’ll also be pushed back. I have to mix the two appropriately.’

Just as I was deciding on a strategy, John, with his hammer on his shoulder, was rushing towards me, his momentum like a beast pouncing on its prey.

“For Belanus!”

“Sigh.”

The hammer falling vertically was covered with a faint aura.

It was not a mana mace but an aura mace [a weapon imbued with life force].

First, I decided to clash with it once.

When I drew up Iwon Mana with all my might, a dense emerald-colored sword energy burst out from the Cheonma Sword.

“Uwaaaa!!!”

Kwaaaang!!!!

Along with a roar that seemed to burst my eardrums, the shockwave spread widely across the plain.

The air screamed, and the ground rippled.

That’s how John was a master in name and reality, and I was also a skilled person who had almost reached the ranks.

But the difference between a master and an expert was clear.

Even though it was a sword full of mana, I was pushed back more than ten steps in the head-on collision.

Two lines of the number 11 were deeply carved into the ground along the path I was pushed back.

-Aigo! You rascal! My back is going to break.

Cheonma [the sword spirit] grumbled in my consciousness.

Come to think of it, I’ve never collided with an aura weapon before.

With ordinary weapons, the more they collide with the aura, the more the teeth break or the sword breaks entirely, but the Cheonma Sword was intact as far as I could see.

“That’s a good sword.”

John recognized the value of the Cheonma Sword [Heavenly Demon Sword] at a glance.

“You can’t have it, even if you wanted it.”

“I have no intention of taking it.”

While I was wasting time with pointless conversation, Cheonma [the sword spirit] advised me.

-Hey kid, a head-on fight is not the answer. Make the most of your strengths and drag this out.

I agreed with Cheonma’s idea.

I planned to use my fraudulent stamina recovery skill to find an opening as much as possible.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A storm of attacks.

There’s no reason to get hit like a fool.

I retreated using a combination of Instant Step and Haste.

John was fast, but my speed was not inferior to his.

Besides, Cheonma Navigation activates immediately when I’m about to be caught.

-Fold to the right and dodge to the left.

-It’s a vertical attack. Dodge horizontally.

-I’ve been watching since earlier, and you keep telegraphing your feints with your eyes. Don’t fall for it.

No matter how skilled John was, Cheonma was far above him.

Under the guidance of the best, I smoothly avoided his attacks.

“You dodge around well!”

“It’s just the beginning.”

[Summon Wood Golem]

[Summon Stone Golem]

I summoned ten golems, my signature attack.

John looked bewildered when ten giants suddenly appeared around him.

“What is this…”

“Attack!!”

I tried to find an opening while the golems attacked.

But I underestimated John too much.

John, who was only embarrassed at first, soon came to his senses and began to swing his mace, and the golems were shattered like fallen leaves.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

-You little brat, such a big attack won’t work against such a simpleton.

It was an invincible army that had turned thousands of Elven troops into scarecrows, but to John, it was just a toy robot.

John didn’t even bother trying to find the core.

He simply dismantled all the limbs with a hammer and crushed the torso; the core contained somewhere disappeared as well.

‘Golems are good for dealing with a large number of weaklings, but they seem helpless against a small number of experts.’

I gathered useful data this time.

For now, I decided to put the golems aside and actively use other PvP [player versus player] skills.

[Wood Spear]

[Stone Spear]

I cast the newly acquired skill.

Sharp stone spears rising from the ground fell from the sky like air-to-ground missiles.

This level of attack would be a light shower for John, who was wearing aura-infused heavy armor, but it was enough to annoy him.

[Giant Wood]

[Giant Stone]

On the left, a large wooden hand.

On the right, a large stone hand.

Using Instant Step, I created a scene of using nature to the extreme while floating in the air.

“I’ve never seen that technique before. What the hell are you?”

A voice full of confusion.

It’s not enough yet.

John needed to be hit more.

I tried to sandwich John between the enlarged palms and smash them together.

Of course, the paladin tried to avoid it, and I predicted his actions to prevent him from moving.

[Bind]

Tree roots from the ground tried to tie up John.

As the opponent was who he was, I cast an upgraded Bind, and tree roots with sharp thorns wrapped around the target’s ankles like snakes.

“These trees cannot hold me.”

John tried to escape by putting strength into his large body, but that was what I wanted.

Because I had hidden a decisive weapon for this moment.

I took out Tom’s gift, which I had stored in the subspace.

It was a hemispherical gravity field generator.

[Activating the gravity field generator]

[Creates a gravity zone favorable to you in a specific area for a certain period of time.]

[Remaining uses 1/5]

[Charging required]

When I infused mana, the gravity zone was formed with a click.

John’s body suddenly became heavy.

For a brief moment, he staggered and lost his balance.

And that was enough.

Because both palms were already close at hand.

Whack!!! Kwakwakwakwang!!!

The shockwave spread again as the wooden palm and the stone palm collided strongly.

The huge palms shattered in an instant from the force of the collision, turning into stone fragments and dust clouds in the air.

John, who was hit head-on by the attack, couldn’t control his body because his head was ringing.

In a situation where his vision was blurry and he couldn’t see clearly, he clicked his tongue at the young man fighting on par with him.

“Amazing. If you are not possessed by a demon, you may become the successor of the hero Kyle in the future.”

A brief moment of staggering.

He will recover soon, but I don’t miss that moment.

The emerald light that split the fog of stone and wood fragments horizontally.

From the beginning, all attacks using druid skills were just groundwork to obscure John’s vision.

“Ha!”

The distance narrowed, and John’s face zoomed in for a moment.

My Cheonma Sword was already being fired towards John’s abdomen.

Just before the attack hit.

John muttered briefly.

“That was quite a novel attack. I’ll give you credit for that. But narrowing the distance with me was your miscalculation.”

As a close-quarters battle broke out, John put down the mace he had been wielding and showed an amazing defense by grabbing the Cheonma Sword that was stabbing in with both hands.

Even if he was a master and used aura, his palms would not be able to withstand the Cheonma Sword filled with dual mana.

Blood splattered, and his palms were completely torn.

Normally, it wouldn’t be strange if both arms flew away, but because it was John, it ended with just his palms being scratched.

As John grabbed the Cheonma Sword and flicked it to the side, the sword spun around and plunged into the ground far away.

It was clear who was at an advantage since both John and I were unarmed.

“Thank you for coming in yourself without having to go get you.”

John, who was optimistic about his victory, raised his fist.

The moment I get hit by one blow, I’m groggy.

But it’s okay.

Because I didn’t intend to end it with a sword from the beginning.

“I should be the one thanking you. For being so careless. Coco!!”

“Kkyu!!”

Coco, the baby dragon I brought just in case, jumps out of the subspace gourd.

Coco ran straight at John’s face and stuck to it like a sticker, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Ugh!!”

John, whose eyes suddenly went dark, struggled, grabbed Coco with his hand, and blew him away.

“Kkyuooooot!!!”

Coco rolling around on the floor.

He did his part well enough.

In the meantime, the revolver I took out was already aiming at John’s thigh.

“It’s over.”

Taang!!!

The gunshot echoed throughout the plain.

There’s no way I could miss a shot fired right in front of me.

Blood spurted from his thigh.

John, who lost his balance, staggered and then knelt down.

[Aura Bullet Ammunition]

[2/6]

No matter how much of a master he is, he can’t fight with one leg destroyed.

Even if he does fight, he can’t chase me with one leg when I use Instant Step and Haste.

I took away his mobility.

John, who sensed defeat, looked up at me with a blank expression.

“What the hell are you…”

I slapped Karina’s letter on his forehead, which he couldn’t close.

And I answered.

“What else would I be? I’m a postman delivering letters and packages. Stop being stubborn and take it.”

He’s a pain in the neck customer in many ways.

It was the hardest delivery in the world.