The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 134

17. The Fake: A Scoundrel’s Recommendation

The Holonium Grand Cathedral is the most iconic piece of architecture and the most sacred place within the Theocracy of Bellanus.

It’s surprising that the Golden Branch is supposedly hidden in a place like this.

‘Entering will be difficult, let alone thoroughly exploring this vast place.’

Of course, I could try to enter by disguising myself as a foreign believer visiting the holy site.

However, the limitations would be immediately obvious.

I’d be confined to wandering around restricted areas under strict surveillance, making a proper search impossible.

Considering it hasn’t been discovered yet, the Golden Branch is likely in a secluded location, even within the cathedral’s grounds.

Is there a way to freely roam the Grand Cathedral, a place where even the Pope and the Saintess reside?

‘Let’s think about this a bit more carefully.’

I was pondering the problem when it happened.

The massive doors of the Holonium Grand Cathedral burst open, and a group of soldiers poured out in a rush.

A Holy Knight, who appeared to be the captain, led the charge, shouting urgently.

“Search immediately!”

Ding! Deeng! Ding!

The cathedral bells began to ring, causing ordinary believers to fall prostrate and remain motionless.

Still, their eyes were filled with curiosity.

What could be happening that would cause knights and soldiers to move so urgently?

I was curious as well.

‘Should I follow them and see what’s going on?’

I subtly got up and slipped into the shadows of the nearby alleys.

[Wind Control]

[Blink]

I used the air as a foothold and propelled myself onto the roof of a building.

The central district of the Theocracy was a bustling area, so most buildings were four or five stories high, and no one noticed me lying prone on the high roof.

Clang, clang

The pursuit was easy to track.

The white plate armor worn by the Holy Knight made a distinctive metallic sound with every movement.

I followed them across the rooftops, keeping them in sight.

At the same time, I activated Life Control.

[Life Control]

[Shared Vision]

[Taming]

In the meantime, my proficiency in Life Control has increased considerably, so controlling a mouse is now a piece of cake.

The mouse scurried and stuck itself to the soldier’s calf.

I could vividly hear and feel what they were talking about, as if I were holding a camera right next to them.

“Catch the woman who escaped!”

“What a nuisance. How did she even manage to escape?”

“I heard she hid inside a corpse and then made her escape.”

“That vicious woman.”

Corpse? Escape? Flee?

Several key words caught my attention.

“She’s just a powerless woman. There’s a limit to where she can hide. Let’s search quickly and finish this.”

As the Holy Knight said, they soon located the escaped woman.

The woman was hiding in a garbage dump on the outskirts of the Theocracy, a place where people rarely went.

Her body was covered in scratches, and she was staggering from significant blood loss.

Even so, her eyes burned with a fierce and venomous light.

“Found her. You goddamn bitch. How many people are suffering because of you?”

The woman defiantly raised her middle finger.

Then she spat out venomous words.

“The Bellanus Church is finished. You devils are calling yourselves God’s soldiers, and a woman like a demon king is acting as the Saintess.”

“That damned bitch! You don’t even have the right to die in peace. You will suffer in the repentance room [a torture chamber] forever.”

The Holy Knight and soldiers tightened their encirclement.

‘Don’t come any closer!!’ The woman desperately threw pieces of trash and shouted, but it was useless.

“I’d rather choose death than be caught by you.”

The woman brandished a sharp piece of metal and held the pointed edge to her neck.

It’s time to step in.

I couldn’t let that woman die, especially since she seemed to possess valuable information.

“Stop! Everyone freeze!”

I revealed myself.

The Holy Knight and soldiers were visibly flustered by the sudden appearance of a man in the garbage dump, a place where no one was supposed to be.

“Who are you?”

“Just a passerby.”

“Then keep passing by.”

“You missed a few words. A ‘meddlesome’ passerby.”

As I declared my intention to intervene, the enemy’s blades turned towards me.

“Crazy bastard.”

“Everyone I meet today is crazy.”

“A guy who doesn’t know how precious his life is.”

“If you show off, you have to pay the price, right?”

Only the Holy Knight remained focused on preventing the woman’s escape, while the soldiers surrounded me.

“Haaam~”

I yawned for a moment, feeling a sudden wave of boredom.

Come to think of it, I’ve been bustling around quite a bit today.

I don’t feel physically tired, but I guess I’ve accumulated some mental fatigue.

“How dare you yawn? Die!”

A flash of sword light struck the guy who rushed in first.

Their level is the lowest of the low.

They couldn’t even perceive the motion of me drawing and sheathing my sword.

Swish―!

Blood splattered in the air.

A soldier whose wrist had been cleanly severed.

The opponent, suddenly deprived of his hand, didn’t immediately comprehend the situation.

He just stared blankly at the life force gushing from his wrist.

“Kkeuaaaaaack!! My hand! My hand!”

“It’s just the beginning.”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

I walked slowly.

As if taking a leisurely stroll.

I was overflowing with composure.

On the other hand, the Theocracy soldiers were not composed at all.

With each step I took, screams and shouts echoed around me.

Every time blood splattered, the enemies were consumed by fear and panicked.

But even that was only for a moment.

As everyone around him died, the only remaining soldier knelt down and desperately begged for his life.

“P, please save me.”

Puk!!

Even words are a waste.

I silenced him by plunging the Demonic Heavenly Sword into his heart.

Now, all that’s left is the captain-level Holy Knight.

“Who the hell are you?”

The Holy Knight was visibly terrified.

While undertaking this mission, he never once considered the possibility of his own death.

It was supposed to be a simple matter of catching an ordinary woman.

He was just planning to kill the woman before sunset and then secretly enjoy the alcohol he had hidden away.

But what is this?

A passerby comes along and interferes.

He initially thought that was manageable.

Because there are many crazy people in the world.

But this crazy guy had an adjective attached to him.

The adjective ‘incredibly strong’.

It was even more apparent because he was a Holy Knight.

The gap between him and this guy.

It was an overwhelmingly wide wall of power.

“Why are you persecuting us, someone like you?”

I can’t even bring myself to laugh when I see the Holy Knight suddenly using honorifics.

“You guys also persecuted a powerless woman. Didn’t you realize you might be persecuted yourselves?”

That’s why people need to experience things from each other’s perspectives.

The Holy Knight unleashed a burst of sword energy as a last resort.

The white mana sword looked quite impressive, but only up to a certain point.

The moment the emerald light spread, the Holy Knight’s sword was sliced in half, along with the mana sword.

“Mercy…”

“Were you going to show mercy to that woman?”

“You goddamn bastard! Bellanus will never forgive… Keheok!”

In the end, the Holy Knight revealed his true colors.

I finished him off before he could complete his sentence.

Now it’s time to rescue the woman.

I went to her and found her lying unconscious in the garbage dump.

I checked her pulse and it was normal.

She probably lost consciousness due to the overwhelming relief.

‘Let’s take her to Merian’s house for now.’

I hoisted the unconscious woman over my shoulder.

Just as I was about to leave.

An unexpected uninvited guest blocked my path.

“Put the woman down.”

It was a woman’s voice.

Her face and hair were completely concealed by a mask and hood.

But both her voice and her figure seemed somehow familiar.

“Who are you?”

“You don’t need to know. But I’m taking that woman.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Are you the type who needs to learn the hard way?”

The woman produced two daggers and held them in a reverse grip [a grip where the blade points downwards].

An assassin type.

She seemed to be planning to deliver a swift and deadly blow.

First, I gently placed the unconscious woman down on the ground to ensure she wouldn’t get hurt.

“Don’t get hurt by meddling unnecessarily. Just leave.”

“…Since you don’t seem to be related to the Theocracy, I won’t kill you.”

A tone that implied she was absolutely certain of victory.

It was arrogant confidence.

The woman’s figure blurred.

At the same time, a warning bell rang in my head.

Clang!!

The Demonic Heavenly Sword, which I hurriedly swung, collided with the woman’s sword, sending sparks flying.

The unidentified person’s offensive gradually intensified.

She relentlessly aimed for my blind spots.

Each attack was a fatal blow that would lead to death if it connected.

“Not bad. Then can you block this too?”

The woman widened the distance between us.

Then, wires emerged from her body, suspending the two daggers in the air.

Like a spider’s legs.

She had used the Water Lizard Steps [a movement technique] earlier.

At this point, I was certain of the woman’s identity.

“Hey. Don’t tell me…”

“I have no personal feelings. I’ll just knock you unconscious for a moment!”

Two swords rushed at me from the sides, and the opponent charged in from the front.

It was clear that she intended to narrow my angle of avoidance and ensure her attack landed.

I don’t know why this girl is here, but I have to put her in her place in situations like this.

[Stone Control]

[Stone Shield]

Kwakwakwak!!

The stone wall that rose from the ground effectively blocked her attack and obstructed her vision at the same time.

“Huh?”

[Wind Control]

[Blink]

[Haste]

Using wind skills, I perfectly closed the distance and caught up with her, who was making confused noises, and struck the back of her head hard.

Taak!!!

“Ouch!”

She staggered, unable to withstand the pain.

Even in that disoriented state, she managed to turn her body and throw a dagger.

I lightly tilted my head to avoid it and placed the Demonic Heavenly Sword against her neck.

“You’ve gotten quite strong. But you’re still far behind.”

I grabbed the hood with my hand and pulled it back.

Then, a cascade of purple hair flowed down.

The movement skill Water Lizard Steps, the camouflage technique, and the unique assassin’s attack that she used when she first dashed.

Finally, even the spider leg attack that Nata used.

The woman who ambushed me was Zion.

“Long time no see?”

* * *

After that, Zion was thoroughly scolded for failing to recognize me.

Actually, it was somewhat understandable that she didn’t recognize me.

Because I was wearing a hood and had wrapped the hilt of the Demonic Heavenly Sword tightly with a black cloth to prevent my identity from being discovered.

Besides, my face was covered with camouflage cream given to me by Tom, so she couldn’t have possibly known.

Still, I felt the need to scold her.

Because she had left with just a letter, without my permission.

She seems to have become stronger for sure, but I still have to reprimand her for her actions.

“I’m sorry, Young Master.”

“Don’t do that next time.”

“I understand.”

“Did you learn a lot from Nata?”

“I still have a long way to go.”

Zion answered humbly, but I could sense that she had become considerably stronger in the fight just now.

Water Lizard Steps. Camouflage. Spider legs.

All the skills she uses have become more refined.

Her movement speed has also increased, her strength has improved, and it feels like her overall stats have increased significantly.

Now, she’s definitely not at the beginning of the Expert level, but at least at the intermediate to mature level.

“So, what brings you to the Theocracy?”

“I was trying to secure a place in advance before Young Master arrived. But the situation in the Theocracy was unusual.”

As expected, Zion had a similar feeling to me. This stuffy atmosphere where the whole country seems to be going crazy.

“And I have news to tell Young Master. It’s the identity of the Saintess, Repli. She is actually the Great Executive of the Twilight Church, Lust.”

It’s absurd.

The Saintess, the representative of the Bellanus Church, was the Great Executive of Twilight [a dangerous cult]?

At this point, I can’t even begin to guess how far the roots of that pseudo-religious group have spread.

“She framed me at the Consort Selection Ceremony and sent Holy Knight Johann to deal with me. Now I understand their actions.”

“I was also surprised.”

I shared the news I had gathered with Zion.

That I had disguised myself as the adventurer Khan and that I am currently an Orichalcum adventurer.

Above all, Zion nodded approvingly when I told her that I had secured the real Saintess, Merian.

“As expected of Young Master.”

After finishing the reunion with Zion.

I took the unconscious woman and returned to the shantytown.

An unexpected situation unfolded here.

Merian recognized the unconscious woman at a glance.

“Roro unni [a respectful term for older sister]!!”

It turns out that Roro is a neighborhood sister who was captured a long time ago.

She is also close to Merian.

She said that after she used her divine power, the Holy Knights rushed in and captured her.

Roro, who regained consciousness, reunited with Merian and burst into tears.

After giving them some time to sort out their emotions, I asked her.

“What happened after you were taken to the cathedral?”

When I asked about her experiences at that time, Roro’s face darkened rapidly.

Her hands and feet trembled, and she was overwhelmed by extreme fear.

“Heeuk… Heuheuheuk…”

“Unni, are you okay?”

“Eueung…”

Roro, who was sobbing, revealed the horrors she had experienced.

The things she had endured inside the cathedral were so shocking that she couldn’t even express them in words.

In fact, she was treated worse than livestock.

Among the details she shared, the point I focused on was the exploitation of divine power.

“Exploited divine power?”

“Yes. The Archbishop brought a strange magic tool. We had to periodically channel our divine power into it. I don’t know what it’s used for.”

“Roro unni, what happened to my older sister?”

Come to think of it, Merian’s older sister was also captured by the cathedral.

Roro shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

“We despaired of our lives and attempted suicide several times a day. Your older sister was one of them.”

Oh dear.

Merian’s older sister died.

Merian’s mother fainted after hearing the news.

Merian also bit her lip tightly and ran out of the house.

“I’ll go out.”

I followed her to offer comfort.

Merian was standing blankly on the highest hill in the shantytown.

Her brown hair fluttered in the wind that was blowing at that moment.

That figure was so simple and unadorned.

It was her true self, without any pretense.

Maybe that’s why.

She seemed more approachable and friendly than ever.

I could understand why Bellanus favored Merian so much.

“You’ve come.”

I simply nodded without answering.

“I’ve been thinking a lot. I’m just an ordinary girl, so why should I risk my life? Even if I decide to do it, will anything actually change?”

Her monologue.

“But Khan-nim was right. Even if I remained passive, sadness and danger still found me. Maybe my sister’s death is my fault.”

“That’s excessive self-blame. It’s not your fault.”

“No. It’s true. Bellanus-nim also said it. That I’m someone who will do great things. But I just cowardly ran away. In the end, I was punished.”

She calmly spoke the words that had been pent up inside her.

I listened silently.

“Who will it be next time? Mother? Roro unni? Or Khan-nim? Someone will be sacrificed again because of me.”

“That won’t happen. Besides, I’m not weak enough to be swayed by someone’s fate.”

“Hehe, that’s right. The most useless worry in the world is worrying about Khan-nim.”

Merian smiled bitterly and looked around the shantytown, lost in thought.

Then she slowly opened her mouth.

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to play the role of Saintess.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I don’t know where to start, though.”

Is there a way to help Merian?

And find my Golden Branch at the same time.

I racked my brains.

Then a good idea came to mind.

“Merian, let’s do this.”