The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 131

16. Disguise: The Award-Winning Wastrel

The Galanah Guild.

Branch Manager Declan was pacing around his office like a dog needing to pee, gnawing at his fingernails.

Knock, knock.

“Oh! Finally, news!”

The door opened, and a secretary with red-rimmed glasses entered.

“What’s the news?”

“I’ve brought the payment documents.”

“Oh, dear God.”

Declan slumped down, looking dejected.

There was a reason the branch manager was acting like this.

Just a few days ago.

Adventurer Kahn, claiming he would subjugate the Forest Keeper, entered the infamous Demon Beast Forest with just a small party.

Kahn was like a comet, sweeping through Silver and Gold requests recently.

Declan believed that although he was currently Silver rank, Gold was a certainty, and his actual skill was probably somewhere between high Platinum and low Diamond.

It was already a headache that a promising adventurer was digging his own grave, but that wasn’t the end of it.

Apparently, there was a conflict with Asher’s gang, who were known as the neighborhood bullies of Galanah and held a tight grip on the guild.

So, Declan had tried to mediate between them on the guild’s behalf.

Whether it was Kahn or Asher, both were talents the guild needed to keep.

“What? Asher led his gang into the Demon Beast Forest?”

It was obvious what Asher was up to.

He was probably trying to stab Adventurer Kahn in the back.

Killing someone in the Demon Beast Forest made it easy to dispose of the body and come up with excuses.

Declan cautiously predicted Kahn’s death.

He figured only Asher’s gang would return.

But the prediction was wrong.

Both Kahn and Asher were completely silent.

“Just how far in did they go?”

If both died, it would be a complete disaster.

There was a reason Declan was so anxious.

“Secretary… a cigarette, please.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Just one, please.”

“It’s only been three days since you quit.”

“I can’t take it.”

Under stress, his whole body craved a cigarette.

He had sworn to his wife that he would quit.

It had all gone to waste again.

The secretary, who had placed the payment documents on the desk, stared blankly out the window.

Then, she noticed something and her eyes widened.

“Branch Manager.”

“What?”

“You can keep quitting smoking… Aah!”

Declan pushed the secretary aside and leaned out the window.

In front of the guild building, Kahn and his companions were covered in all sorts of filth and dust.

Even the head Kahn was carrying on his shoulder… could it be…

“That crazy bastard, he really caught the Forest Keeper!”

He had solved the Forest Keeper request that even the Seven Stars [a group of highly skilled adventurers] were reluctant to take on.

And that too with just a four-person party.

Declan’s heart raced as he hurried down to the first floor.

How far should he go to accommodate this man who had achieved a national-level feat?

Now, Declan’s head was filled with different kinds of complexities.

* * *

We arrived at the Galanah Guild building.

Our appearance, more disheveled than ever, was bound to attract attention.

Above all, the Forest Keeper’s head hanging from my shoulder looked like a demon’s head to anyone, and adventurers and locals alike came to see it.

“Hey, Kahn, that corpse… is it what I think it is?”

“It is.”

“Oh, God, the Forest Keeper was a demon. And you caught that demon.”

“A demon slayer has emerged.”

“I heard that a demon slayer named Henon is famous in the Elden Kingdom recently, and our empire has a rival.”

“Didn’t Lord Lloyd disappear for an unknown reason? Kahn can inherit the name of the new demon slayer.”

The crowd was so dense that it was difficult to move forward.

The person who pushed through the crowd was Declan, the branch manager of the Galanah Guild.

He was panting heavily, as if he had rushed out.

“Mr. Kahn! You’re safe.”

“Thanks to your concern.”

“We have a lot to talk about. This way.”

I had a private meeting with Declan in the branch manager’s office.

I sent Campbell and the others to the accommodation first, as they must be tired and needed to wash up and rest.

“What exactly happened?”

I slowly unwound the story.

Telling him what I could tell him and hiding what I needed to hide.

As for Asher, I said he died from monsters while trying to ambush us.

The branch manager didn’t seem to believe that part at all.

“It’s unfortunate about Asher, but I’m glad that at least Mr. Kahn is safe.”

Branch Manager Declan held my hand tightly.

“The number of monsters in the Demon Beast Forest has been increasing rapidly year by year, and the number of higher species has also increased, which has been a headache. You have solved the Demon Beast Forest issue, so Mr. Kahn is our hero.”

“No, don’t praise me too much.”

“Praise? I’m just telling you the truth! It was a place that adventurers alone couldn’t handle. So, this year, I asked Lord Galanah to bring in the Seven Stars no matter what.”

“So, there was such a backstory.”

“That’s right. But as Mr. Kahn knows, the Seven Stars’ fee is a bit expensive, isn’t it? Every time we call them, the entire territory, including our branch, is shaken.”

“Hmm.”

“Even if we spend that much money, it’s all for nothing if the Seven Stars say they don’t want to come. We requested Duke James, Holy Knight Johann, and Sage Orneo last time, but they all refused.”

Declan’s eyes were dripping with honey as he looked at me.

I don’t think he even looks at his wife like that.

It was a bit burdensome.

“But Mr. Kahn didn’t turn a blind eye. You boldly accepted the request and saved Galanah.”

“I was just acting for my own benefit.”

“Of course. I’m sure you were. Mr. Kahn has done a great deed that is hard to calculate. We have to give you a reward worthy of that.”

What kind of reward would he give?

Honestly, I had so much money that I didn’t care about it, and I was curious about the rank.

“I actually started this request to send one of my Silver-ranked party members, Merian, to Gold rank in one go. Now that I’ve completed the request, is it possible for her to rank up?”

Declan stared at me blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Kuhahahaha!! What are you talking about? Rank up? You have a surprisingly innocent side. We’re in a situation where we have to give Mr. Kahn the branch manager position if you ask for it.”

‘You’re not really going to ask for it, are you?’ – Declan added timidly before continuing.

“Let me say it again, Mr. Kahn has achieved a feat worthy of the Seven Stars. You even completed it with a small party, so it might be even more than that. I’m assuming that there is a Seven Star in front of me right now.”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“That’s excessive modesty. If the rumors spread, you’ll be treated the same way elsewhere.”

Judging from the atmosphere, Merian’s Gold promotion seemed to be going smoothly.

“So, Merian will be Gold…”

“Not Gold.”

Declan shook his index finger from side to side.

“Even if she didn’t contribute to the boss raid, just surviving there is worth a two-step promotion. We will take responsibility and make Merian a Platinum-ranked adventurer.”

Merian is getting a two-step promotion?

To be honest, I thought I would get a two-step promotion.

Then would I get a three-step promotion?

I felt a little excited.

“Thank you for seeing Merian that way. Then, will I become a Platinum rank along with Merian?”

“Puhuh!!”

Some saliva splattered on the desk.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It was too funny.”

“It’s okay.”

“Platinum? You’re making funny jokes.”

“Then Diamond?”

“That’s not it either.”

Declan, who was looking at me with a serious expression, lowered his voice.

“Orichalcum. That’s the adventurer rank I expect you to receive.”

Orichalcum is one rank above Diamond.

Only a very few people in the entire Arnia continent escape Diamond and receive the Orichalcum rank badge.

To become one of those Orichalcum adventurers felt surreal.

“Is that okay?”

“It’s okay. You’ve achieved that much. Honestly, I’d like to give you the Adamantium rank badge, but it’s impossible because it requires the Emperor’s approval.”

“That’s a relief. It would have been really burdensome if I had received Adamantium.”

“Hahaha! I can’t give you the Orichalcum rank badge at my level either. I can only go up to Diamond. From Orichalcum onwards, you need the approval of the local lord, but the lord will probably allow it.”

From the lord’s point of view, I solved the Demon Beast Forest issue and saved the money to bring in the Seven Stars, so I was a great benefactor or something.

“If the Forest Keeper is subjugated, the monsters will disappear, so won’t the branch run out of work?”

“You’re worrying about everything. There’s always been plenty of work, never a shortage. There will still be monsters left in the forest, and it will take a long time just to clean them up.”

* * *

A week had passed since the Demon Beast Forest Keeper was subjugated.

As per the conversation with Declan, our party received tremendous rewards.

First of all, Gold.

We received 20,000 gold as a request reward.

In Earth terms, that’s 2.5 billion won [approximately $2 million USD].

That far exceeds the prize money for most world sports competitions.

Bron Ajussi [term of respect for an older man] foamed at the mouth and fainted when he saw the shiny gold bars.

Originally, I was going to divide this prize money equally among the party members.

I would take about 10,000, and Campbell, Bron, and Merian would take 3,000 each.

But Bron and Merian adamantly refused.

“That’s not right. We all saw who took down the Forest Keeper. How can I covet the prize money when my junior did it all?”

“That’s right. We just watched. I think you should give Campbell Ajussi 5,000 gold and Kahn-nim can take the rest.”

I have a lot of money too.

Honestly, 20,000 gold is a huge amount of money that can support someone for a lifetime, but for me, who has a mountain of gold, it’s something I can live with or without.

“Kahn, everyone else doesn’t want it, so give me 10,000…”

“No.”

Campbell’s greed was immediately blocked.

Considering what he helped with, it wouldn’t be a waste to give him 10,000 gold, but for some reason, I just didn’t like him and didn’t want to give it to him.

Of course, I said that and added 2,000 more to give him about 5,000.

I also gave Bron and Merian 1,000 gold each, about 1.2 billion won [approximately $1 million USD].

Bron and Merian adamantly refused, but I reluctantly accepted it when I pushed it on them with the power of the party leader.

After that, it was the promotion ceremony.

Before that, our party was personally invited to Lord Galanah’s dinner.

The lord’s reaction was similar to that of Branch Manager Declan.

He thanked us for solving the problem of the Demon Beast Forest monsters that had killed many of his people.

The atmosphere was friendly.

However, it was quite an ordeal for me.

“You were from the Blue Mane Mercenary Corps? Seeing you, I think I know why the mercenary corps is famous.”

“You’re only about twenty years old? Hehe! What a talent!”

“Come to think of it, my youngest daughter is about your age. She’s at the perfect age for marriage. What do you think of a noble lady?”

I was really in trouble.

“Hahaha! Regardless of social status, I am an adventurer by nature. I’m worried that I might unintentionally hurt the heart of a young lady as I travel all over the continent.”

“Huh? You’ve made a lot of money, so why do you need to travel around? Now that things have come to this, settle down in Galanah.”

Even Declan, who was present, was trying to seduce me!

“That’s right. What will other adventurers do if an Orichalcum adventurer does the legwork? You should slowly pick and choose designated requests and live comfortably. It would be even better if you became an adventurer exclusively for the Galanah branch. We’ll give you generous terms.”

It was clear that there was a secret conversation between the lord and the branch manager to keep me here.

“300 gold per week. We will give you 100,000 pyeong [approximately 82 acres] of land near the newly reclaimed Demon Beast Forest. And if you marry the lord’s daughter, your title will automatically rise, won’t it?”

This was almost torture.

Torture that politely refuses.

After refusing for a long time, the lord and the branch manager, who understood that I really had no intention, looked disappointed.

And after hearing that I was going to the Holy Kingdom, they each added a word.

“The Bellanus Holy Kingdom… Even though they treat high-level adventurers well, it’s still a religiously strong area.”

“If you want gold, I don’t recommend it. There are more than one or two scammers who slash the price you should receive by more than half and cover the rest with the will of God.”

“Hahaha, I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

* * *

The rank awarding ceremony was held successfully.

Bron and Merian were promoted to Platinum.

Bron was promoted by one rank, but he had been stuck in Silver for 15 years, so he looked overwhelmed even with Platinum.

Campbell became a Diamond-ranked adventurer.

He secretly aimed for Orichalcum, so he was the only one among us who showed dissatisfaction.

“Tch! The world doesn’t know Campbell-nim’s strength!”

“You got promoted to go to the Holy Kingdom anyway. Don’t be obsessed with the rank.”

“Don’t get Orichalcum and be arrogant.”

“Sigh.”

Despite Campbell’s complaints, our party became incredibly famous.

Words spread faster than birds.

The fame of the rising supernova party in Galanah and the newly emerged demon slayer Kahn spread beyond the empire to the Holy Kingdom and the Elden Kingdom.

Anyway, putting aside the fame.

It was time to move towards the next goal.

We decided to go to the Holy Kingdom to find the Golden Branch.

Bron Ajussi and Merian, who heard the next destination, expressed their reluctance.

“It seems like my journey ends here. I’m sorry.”

It seemed that Bron Ajussi was very overwhelmed by following us.

“I’ve already exceeded my goal by becoming Platinum and holding a huge amount of money. Right now, my heart wants to get married as soon as possible and settle down in Galanah.”

If I were twenty-year-old Henon, I would have felt sad about his statement that he was leaving the party.

But I was not actually twenty years old, but Kim Cheol-soo, who was much older than that, so I fully understood Bron Ajussi’s heart.

“I understand. Live happily.”

“Meeting my junior was the luck of a lifetime. I only have a grateful heart for meeting my benefactors. Come to Galanah whenever you have time. I will always be waiting for you here.”

The hairy uncle is about to cry again.

I was going to break up the party quickly.

“Hwaaaa! Ajussi! How can you leave like this! If you’re going to go, you have to go all the way together!”

“Hic! Hic! I’m sorry! Campbell.”

The two giants were hugging and crying, and honestly, it was a sight I couldn’t bear to watch.

I left them to drink and cry to their heart’s content, and I had a private meeting with Merian alone.

“Merian, you heard where we’re going, right? We’re going to the Holy Kingdom. It’s a good thing for you.”

She is a saintess.

She is a symbol of the Bellanus Church.

Of course, the place where she should be is the Holy Kingdom.

But why?

Merian’s expression was dark.