The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 133

Chapter 17. Fake: The Troubled Prodigal

Kalron Empire.

Galanah.

Bron woke up to the morning sunlight.

The lodging was a complete mess.

It was the aftermath of the farewell drinking party held before parting ways with Khan and his group.

“Ugh, my head.”

He staggered and drank water from his canteen.

His mind cleared up a bit.

He woke up two hours later than usual.

He hurriedly tried to put on his clothes but paused.

“There’s no need to go early anymore.”

It felt like he had been dreaming for the past few months.

At first, he thought Khan was just an ordinary adventurer from out of town.

True to his nature of enjoying teaching, he acted like a senior.

There had always been cases like this before.

The reactions of people varied each time, but most were dismissive and contemptuous.

Sometimes, naive juniors would follow him around, but eventually, when his shallowness was revealed, they would look at him with pitiful eyes and leave.

‘But Khan was different.’

He was already complete.

There was no need for him to interfere.

The scene of him cutting down a troll in the hunting grounds with a single blow was shocking enough to appear in his dreams.

Having lived as a Silver-ranked adventurer for 15 years, he had seen all kinds of people.

Even for Bron, Khan was a mutant who didn’t fit any mold.

So he thought to himself.

‘I want to do more with this guy.’

And Bron seized the opportunity to turn his life around.

He entered the Forest of Demonic Beasts, which he thought he would never go to in his life, and even ventured to its deepest part.

The Forest Keeper he met there.

Ashel and his gang, who ambushed them from behind, trying to kill them.

Khan casually dealt with enemies who made his heart tremble just by facing them.

At this point, he wondered if there was anyone in the Arnia Continent who could give him a hard time.

In the end, Bron got the chance to turn his life around thanks to meeting the right person.

He obtained seed money of a whopping 1,000 gold.

His rank also became Platinum, so it became easier to receive requests in the future.

It was all thanks to his connection with Khan.

‘Thankful fellow.’

Although they had parted ways now, Bron decided never to forget him for the rest of his life.

He went to the Adventurer’s Guild.

As soon as he opened the door and entered, everyone’s attention was focused on him.

He had definitely become a celebrity.

“Haha! Bron, old man. How have you been?”

“We’re a Gold-ranked party, but we want to take on a Platinum-ranked request.”

“Bron, I heard you actually saw the Forest Keeper. Can you tell us about it?”

It was a busy but fulfilling day.

Bron felt like it was his birthday.

Those who had ignored him before now approached him with smiles, as if they had never done so.

Even Aron and his gang, who used to bully him, had disappeared, so there was no psychological burden.

“Are you free after work?”

He even received a date proposal.

The woman was Ria, who ran a clothing store in Galanah.

The things he had only dreamed of were happening in reality.

After making a date appointment, he returned to his lodging.

The emotion Bron felt as soon as he closed the door was not joy or excitement, but emptiness.

“Should I have asked to go with them…”

Even though he knew he would be a nuisance, even though he knew he was just a showy, empty shell, he wanted to go on an adventure with Khan.

If he had asked, Khan would have readily agreed.

That’s why he couldn’t ask.

A senior who can’t act like a senior isn’t a senior.

He wanted to be a real senior to him, even if not to others.

“Huh?”

A strange pouch caught Bron’s eye as he was cleaning up the mess.

It was hidden under the bed.

Could it be that Khan and his group forgot it?

‘This is a mess.’

Could he run and deliver it now?

His mind became complicated.

Let’s check the contents first.

He untied the pouch.

Then, a golden wave unfolded.

“Whoa!!”

Inside were gold nuggets.

There were so many that he couldn’t count them.

A note was placed on top.

He reflexively picked it up and read it.

[Wishing you happiness, Bron. I probably won’t be able to make it to the wedding. Instead, I’ll give you a generous wedding gift. Hoping to reunite in Galanah. -Khan-]

The pouch contained 5,000 gold.

This was enough to live off for the rest of his life.

Bron’s vision blurred in an instant.

“Haa, my image as a senior is ruined until the end.”

At that moment, Bron made a decision.

To somehow be helpful to his junior.

A colleague once said this.

‘I could die for him.’

At the time, he laughed inwardly, calling him a fool for throwing away his only life for someone who wasn’t even family.

But now he understood.

He could die for Khan.

‘Junior, I hope to see you again someday. For that day, I will also become a real senior.’

* * *

Back to the present.

The Theocracy of Bellanus.

Immigration checkpoint.

The gate was in chaos.

Honestly, he didn’t want to cause such a conspicuous incident.

But how could he stand by and watch a bald priest extorting bribes and even sexually harassing someone right in front of him?

He went straight up and punched him in the face.

“Cough! Cough! I’m sorry…”

“No. I’ve met a lot of guys like you, so I know. You think you’re sorry now, but you’ll forget as soon as you turn around, you goldfish.”

“I’m not…”

He punched the priest, whose pronunciation was slurred because his teeth had been knocked out, several more times, using the technique of hitting the same spot over and over again.

Before he knew it, an old man in fancy clothes rushed out from inside the gate, followed by a hundred soldiers and twenty knights.

“What on earth is going on? Who are you to assault a priest of the Theocracy at the immigration checkpoint?”

The soldiers all pointed their spears at us.

The knights also drew their swords.

The old bishop was ready to order an attack with just a wave of his hand.

“I am this kind of person.”

When I shook the Orichalcum-grade badge [the highest rank for adventurers, signifying exceptional skill and contribution], the bishop’s eyes, which had been burning with hostility just a moment ago, trembled violently.

“Pu, put away your swords, everyone! Please wait a moment.”

So this is why rank is power.

His tone was also much more polite than before.

“Are you really an Orichalcum adventurer?”

“!!!”

The crowd watching at the immigration checkpoint whispered all at once at the word Orichalcum that came out of the bishop’s mouth.

They weren’t adventurers, so they didn’t know who he was even after seeing the badge, but the bishop confirmed it directly.

“I’ve never seen an Orichalcum adventurer before.”

“Amazing. He must be incredibly strong, right?”

“Of course. Even Diamond adventurers are hard to find, but Orichalcum is really… you have to see them as national-level power.”

The crowd’s atmosphere put even more pressure on the Theocracy’s bishop.

“Ahem! Orichalcum, you say. That’s quite unexpected. May I ask your name? I might know you.”

“Khan.”

“!!!”

Khan.

It was a name he couldn’t not know.

Wasn’t he the adventurer who recently subjugated the Forest Keeper in Galanah and received an Orichalcum-grade badge?

The incident was so famous that even the bishops and priests of the Theocracy, as well as the Kalron Empire, had heard about it at least once.

“Are you really Khan?”

“Have you been living a lie? Of course.”

“I have heard of your esteemed name, but why did you lay a hand on our Theocracy’s priest…”

“That priest touched my butt and harassed me.”

The bishop made a dumbfounded expression.

That was because Khan’s butt was, even to the naked eye, an excessively hard mass of muscle.

On the other hand, the bald priest who had been beaten was dumbfounded.

Harassment?

He had forcibly grabbed his wrist and made him touch his butt, hadn’t he?

Just as he was about to open his mouth in frustration,

“Isn’t that right?”

My gaze was fixed on him.

A subtle energy was scattered.

The bald priest’s mind became faint at the feeling that his heart was being constricted.

“That’s…”

“Why? Do you want to deny it? You touched my butt, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”

“That’s… I did touch it, but…”

“He admitted it himself.”

Once he admitted it, it was over.

The bishop also sighed and waved his hand.

“Brother, I didn’t know you were that kind of person.”

“No! I never!”

“There’s no need to hear any more. Take him away immediately and confine him to the repentance room.”

“Uwaaa!!!”

The perverted bribe-taking priest was arrested.

As the situation ended, the old bishop rubbed his hands together and put on a business smile.

“Khan, welcome to the Theocracy. And I sincerely apologize for this unfortunate incident.”

“I’m not usually this petty, but I got a little excited. I’ll be lenient for Bellanus’s sake.”

“As expected, you have a great personality. Not just anyone can receive an Orichalcum rank.”

The bishop then offered to show me around the Theocracy, volunteering as a guide, but I refused.

“The foundation of an adventurer is wandering. That kind of treatment is for nobles. Not paying attention to me is helping me.”

“But…”

“I’m fine. Then I’ll go in.”

My group, including me, went in without a word.

Thanks to the big incident, Merian entered the Theocracy naturally without even being inspected.

“Merian, guide us home.”

“Yes.”

Merian’s house was in a remote shantytown even within the Theocracy.

After walking through a spiderweb-like alleyway for a long time, there were rows of tents where gypsies would stay.

Merian, standing in front of one of the tents, stared at it for a moment before shouting loudly.

“Mom! It’s Merian!”

An old woman came out from inside.

She looked exactly like Merian, so anyone could tell she was her mother.

Seeing her, the mother widened her eyes and grabbed Merian’s thin wrist, pulling her inside.

“Have you lost your mind! How did I send you away, and now you’re back here? It’s dangerous here. Leave again now.”

It took a long time to explain the situation to her mother.

The mother kept disbelieving until she heard about the commotion at the immigration checkpoint from a neighbor, and then she finally seemed to believe it.

“Why is such a precious person traveling with our Merian?”

“Orichalcum adventurers are rare, but there are a few if you search the entire continent. But the Saintess is only one.”

I told the mother that Merian was the Saintess.

As expected, she reacted with utter shock.

But unlike Merian, the mother seemed to believe it quickly.

“She was different from a young age. Not just her divine power, but more than anything, she had a prenatal dream.”

“A prenatal dream?”

“Yes. Before giving birth to Merian, Bellanus himself came to me. He told me to raise her well because she was a precious child. At the time, I thought it was just a passing dream, but after hearing the adventurer’s words, I’m convinced.”

Merian’s eyes widened as if she was hearing the story of the prenatal dream for the first time.

She had been denying that she was the Saintess all along, but now she might believe it a little.

“Adventurer, please, I beg you. Take Merian out of the Theocracy, anywhere is fine. This place is too dangerous for Merian.”

“The Saintess is the symbol of Bellanus. The current Saintess is fake. Merian has been deprived of her position.”

“It can’t be helped. My daughter’s life is more precious to me than anything. I can’t bear to see her branded as a witch for claiming to be the Saintess.”

The conversation with the mother drew a parallel.

In fact, I couldn’t strongly appeal because I fully understood her feelings.

Anyway, survival would be the most important issue for the two mothers and daughters.

On the other hand, the basis of my argument was only the intuition of a druid, so I had no choice but to be pushed back.

“I understand what you’re saying. Spend some time with your daughter first and then reconsider.”

I came out and looked around the shantytown.

Of course, I didn’t walk around openly.

The Theocracy was a place with many eyes and ears, and an Orichalcum adventurer was conspicuous by his very existence.

If the news that we were staying at Merian’s house got into the cathedral, it could cause unnecessary harm, so I moved around with my hood up.

How far had I moved?

Just as I was about to check what kind of neighborhood it was and go back,

The voice of the Heavenly Demon echoed in my head.

– Brat.

“What’s wrong?”

-I sense the energy of the Golden Branch.

I’ve finally found it.

The information Zion gave me was real.

The fourth Golden Branch was in the Theocracy.

“Can you tell me where it is?”

-It’s a bit far, but at this distance, I can specify the direction.

“Let’s go right away.”

I walked with an excited heart.

I came out of the shantytown.

As I went to the place the Heavenly Demon guided me, the crowd gradually increased.

The houses got better and the roads got cleaner.

I was heading to the center of the Theocracy.

‘The Golden Branch is in such a crowded place?’

The appearance of the Golden Branch is an ordinary tree branch, but the energy it emits is unusual.

If it was in such a crowded place, someone would have already sold it or taken it.

The solution to the question would have to wait.

First, I continued to move as the Heavenly Demon guided me.

-This is the place. The energy of the Golden Branch is felt the most strongly. It’s definitely inside this.

I was speechless at the place the Heavenly Demon guided me to.

A neat white stone building bathed in sunlight.

A vast area like several soccer fields combined.

A towering spire that you have to look up at for a long time to barely see the roof.

The clear ringing of bells from the top.

Ding! Deeng! Ding! Ding!!

When the bell rang, all the residents walking nearby stopped and prostrated themselves towards the building.

It was a ceremony to pay respect to Bellanus.

I prostrated myself following the others to avoid standing out.

Even so, I continued to talk to the Heavenly Demon in my head.

“Heavenly Demon, is it really here?”

-It’s certain.

“This is a problem.”

The building the Heavenly Demon pointed to.

The place where the Pope and the Saintess reside.

It was the Holonium Grand Cathedral.