The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 171

20. Bloodline: Breakthrough of the Wastrel

I had heard the Emperor’s story.

A fool who didn’t intend to kill Empress Sandy but was tricked by Duke James, losing the woman who loved him most in the world.

…Is that how I should evaluate it?

I glanced at Old Man Orneo next to me, and he seemed quite shocked. I couldn’t see his face because of the mask, but his breathing was rough, and his fingertips were trembling slightly.

Pachel drew his sword. A furious light of hatred streamed from his eyes. He had intended to kill the Emperor from the start.

“I find it very irritating that you think of yourself as a victim.”

The Emperor lowered his head. He was speechless, at least to Pachel.

“You must have had your own reasons. I understand that much. But what about my life, which was almost hell because of you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I told you to drop the worthless apologies. You’ve already made your choice. Now it’s time to pay the price.”

Pachel’s sword flashed.

If I left it like this, the Emperor’s head would fly off. From Pachel’s perspective, he was a man who deserved to die, but if he died now, it would be quite troublesome.

I moved the Heavenly Demon Sword to block Pachel’s sword.

Clang!!

“What are you doing?”

“Think rationally. What do you think will happen if you kill the Emperor here?”

Outside, the Imperial Guard knights, including Commander Hans, were still waiting.

Of course, their weapons had been confiscated and they were bound with ropes, but a master like Hans could easily break free.

If the Emperor died, we would have to fight them. It would be an unnecessary battle that could result in casualties. I didn’t want to sacrifice my precious comrades.

Besides, the Emperor still had things he needed to do. Killing him before he completed them was premature.

I explained this to Pachel.

Fortunately, he was a man who could control his emotions for the sake of his goals. I suppose that’s why he’s the vice-master of the information guild.

A tense moment passed. I sat facing the Emperor and met his eyes.

“Your Majesty, do you regret it?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to atone for the sins you committed against Pachel and Empress Sandy?”

“Of course, I do.”

“If there is a way to atone for him, would you do it?”

“If there is a way, I will do anything.”

The Emperor clenched his fist and made a firm resolution. I hoped that expression would remain the same even after he heard my proposal…

“It’s simple. Depose Crown Prince Alex and put Pachel in his place.”

“!!”

Orneo, who was next to him, jumped up. Pachel also turned his head and glared at me. His gaze was sharp, so I shrugged my shoulders.

“What are you so surprised about? The Crown Prince’s position was originally yours, Pachel. I’m just saying you should get back the position that was unfairly taken from you. Is that too much to ask?”

“I’m sorry, but Alex is also my son. I can’t depose the Crown Prince on my own without a justifiable reason that everyone can accept.”

“What if there was a justifiable reason? A very critical one at that.”

I glanced at Pachel. He quickly understood my intention and stepped forward.

“Crown Prince Alex, whom you call your son, is a murderer who killed his brother, former Crown Prince Reynold.”

The Emperor’s body swayed. He had received too much shocking news that was bad for his heart today. At this rate, I’ll assassinate him with my tongue instead of a sword.

“That can’t be… Reynold died in an accident while hunting.”

“Just like with Sandy. It was childbirth with Sandy, and now it’s an accident. Isn’t it a similar picture?”

“The idea that he was assassinated because he was a member of the Imperial Family is a prejudice. This is a conspiracy and a slander. It’s true that I wronged Sandy and Pachel, but don’t touch Alex.”

“You still don’t believe it. I have no choice.”

I had no choice but to present the evidence again.

That idiot Alex borrowed the power of Twilight to assassinate Crown Prince Reynold, and he received help from Sloth and Pachel, who were the most wary of it.

In short, it was like entrusting a fish to a cat.

The Black Night, the information guild, couldn’t possibly miss Alex’s weaknesses. Naturally, they had secretly collected and stored all the evidence.

Before carrying out the plan, I had asked Sloth in advance to put the evidence in the subspace.

A crystal ball appeared in the air.

The video reflected in the ball vividly showed Alex secretly talking in Sloth’s office.

Even the audio was clear, and the entire process of how he would assassinate Reynold was described in detail.

In addition, a list of people Alex had contacted in advance to eliminate Reynold, a secret letter he had written to a powerful figure in the provinces to cover up the incident (with a clear seal), and a statement of compensation secretly delivered to those involved in the operation were all revealed one after another.

If you still deny the facts after confirming all this evidence, you’re simply blind.

“How could this be?”

The Emperor couldn’t speak. He covered his face with a look that aged him ten years.

The first son tried to kill him with his own hands, but he survived by the skin of his teeth and burned with murderous intent towards his father, and the youngest killed the second to get the Crown Prince position.

It was truly a fantastic job of raising children.

“Do you believe me now?”

“Ah… what have I been doing all this time…?”

“We’ll be on our way now. I hope you make a wise decision.”

I had found out the whole story of the Sandy Empress incident and given information about the Reynold incident, so I had achieved my initial goal.

From now on, I would see what attitude the Emperor would take.

He could turn ruthless and try to capture us, but that was unlikely in a situation where the country was experiencing a disaster due to the northward advance of the Desert Kingdom army.

Rather, the Emperor would need Pachel to resolve the broken relationship with the Desert Kingdom.

“If you ever want to contact us, send a message to Marybo’s Tavern in the back alley. We’ll be waiting.”

I left the hot springs with my companions. I checked several times to see if the escort troops were chasing us, but the Emperor didn’t follow us. It was as expected.

* * *

The northward advance of the Desert Kingdom was unstoppable.

Desert King Gazel used swift horses and camels to carry out rapid mobile warfare, and this strategy worked perfectly.

He had conquered the south and south-central regions and had already reached the outskirts of the capital city, Osdin.

The situation was filled with anxiety.

The Empire made a significant decision.

The Emperor declared a personal campaign.

Hundreds of thousands of troops gathered under the Emperor’s banner and stood against the Desert King’s army on the plains.

In addition, Duke James, the powerful figure of the Empire, also led hundreds of thousands of troops and tightened the Desert Kingdom army from both directions.

A total of two hundred thousand troops surrounded the Desert Kingdom army of one hundred thousand. A tension that felt like it could cut the skin flowed between the two countries facing each other on the vast plains.

Desert King Gazel’s ger [a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia].

Unlike the cold winter wind blowing outside, this place was heated by the excitement of the warriors.

“Finally, the Empire has realized the seriousness of the situation!”

“What’s the point of recruiting soldiers now? Half of the country has already been devastated.”

“Even if they have a lot of numbers, they’re just a disorganized mob. If we launch an all-out offensive, they’ll scatter in panic.”

“Your Highness, let’s destroy the Empire and become the new masters of the continent. We’ll make it happen.”

Unlike the warriors whose morale was soaring, Gazel sat quietly and kept pouring alcohol down his throat.

He knew how to judge the situation coldly and accurately.

‘Everyone must be excited now because they’ve won consecutive victories. But the moment we lose even once, it’s over.’

It was already enemy territory far from the desert. It was the result of advancing without looking back. Defeat would directly lead to the destruction of the Desert Kingdom.

On the other hand, even if the royal army won the battle, it would be difficult to swallow the Empire. The Empire was that vast. Even if they defeated hundreds of thousands of soldiers gathered on the plains, hundreds of thousands more troops would stand in their way.

In the end, it was an unreasonable conquest, and the Desert King was aware of this from the beginning. Nevertheless, the only reason he raised troops and came this far was because of Empress Sandy.

‘The thought of my sister suffering and dying in another country makes my blood boil.’

The hypocritical Emperor was openly denying it, saying that Sandy died from childbirth. He had no intention of stopping the advance until he received a confession from the Emperor.

Just as he was about to pick up the bottle again out of frustration, a warrior rushed in from outside in a hurry.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!!”

“Catch your breath. What’s wrong?”

“The Empire has sent an envoy!”

“An envoy?”

The Empire had sent envoys several times before.

They repeated the same words like parrots, saying that they would give up some of the southern territories, so withdraw the troops and make peace.

It was useless to Gazel, who was originally hoping for the Emperor’s recognition and apology. He sent all the envoys back.

Since then, the Empire had continued to send envoys, offering different conditions, and Gazel, annoyed by this, eventually killed the envoy who came.

He thought they wouldn’t send any more after that… but they still hadn’t come to their senses and sent an envoy again.

“They’re just bugs spouting worthless nonsense. I ordered them to be killed, didn’t I?”

“That’s… a little difficult.”

“What do you mean it’s difficult?”

“That’s…”

While the warrior was hesitating, a commotion was heard outside.

“Stop!”

“Where do you think you’re going… Keuheok!”

“Block them! Block them!”

At the same time, a sense of pressure pressed down on the entire ger. It was a powerful force that momentarily froze the Desert King’s muscular body.

“What’s going on outside?”

“Two crazy envoys are rushing towards this place, saying they want to see Your Highness.”

“They’re coming here alone?”

“Yes.”

It was crazy. This was a formation where hundreds of thousands of troops were stationed. It wasn’t a place to enter by force.

But why was the commotion so close? The Desert King got up, half expecting it.

It was at that moment.

Kwaaaang!!

With a roar, a guard warrior rolled in from the entrance. Gazel approached and examined his subordinate. It seemed he had been hit properly and was unconscious.

At the same time, the tent opened and two men entered.

One of them was wearing a hood so deep that he couldn’t be recognized, but the man walking in front confidently revealed his face.

Black hair swaying, eyes like shimmering green jewels. A tall figure with a head taller than others, and muscles densely packed all over his body. Above all, a powerful aura that consumed everything around him.

Even the desert warriors, who were quite experienced in survival, felt a chill and unknowingly took a step back.

‘A “real” one.’

During the war with the Empire, he had met countless knights with high reputations, but not a single one had demonstrated skills worthy of their fame.

But the man in front of him was different.

No matter how that man became famous, he was a real powerhouse who would demonstrate skills higher than his reputation. Gazel’s beast-like instinct was whispering that.

Even surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops, the man was relaxed. He exuded confidence that he could break through this army at any time if he wanted to.

The man, who was walking slowly as if he was out for a stroll, finally stood in front of the Desert King.

“Greetings to Desert King Your Highness. Thank you for the excessive welcome.”

Transforming the hundreds of thousands of troops rushing to kill him into a welcome greeting… Gazel, as a fellow warrior, began to be interested in the man in front of him.

“Who are you?”

“I am Count Henon Lloyd from the Elden Kingdom.”

“Henon? Are you the upstart who claimed to be the eighth star of the continent?”

“That’s right.”

Recently, he had heard rumors from a sorcerer about some arrogant guy. A young man was calling himself the star of the continent.

As Gazel, who had participated in the final battle twenty years ago, it was ridiculous. He knew the position of the Seven Stars, including himself. They were all monsters who had shed a layer of human skin.

At that time, he thought it was just a bluff.

He thought it would soon be proven to be a false rumor.

But now that he faced him directly, he knew.

The rumors were actually understated.

“You have spirit.”

It was the Desert King’s own highest praise.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“But it seems like you’ve come to the wrong place. The Empire and the Desert Kingdom are at war right now. Why is an unrelated third party interfering?”

The Desert King was curious as to why the man had broken through hundreds of thousands of troops to get here.

What kind of answer would he give?

A smile appeared on the face of the man who heard the Desert King’s question.

A strange energy swirled in his eyes as he crossed his arms.

He was a human who exuded a captivating atmosphere that was hard to define with the word handsome, an atmosphere that drew people in.

As he received the gazes pouring in from around him, the man calmly recited.

“I have come to end this war.”