The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 14

2. Conspiracy: The Despicable Bastard

“The target is you, Henon Triss.”

The Ragged Mercenary Company’s goal wasn’t to rob the estate’s tax carts, but to assassinate me.

“Who hired you?”

“That, I cannot tell you.”

“The Marchioness? Or Phillip?”

“I do not know.”

Mercenary Captain Gavin maintained his ignorance, but honestly, it was too obvious who had made the request.

Who else would want to kill me at this point other than Rosalyn and Phillip?

It wouldn’t be easy to get past this.

A battle was about to begin.

I asked the Heavenly Demon.

“Heavenly Demon, can you identify which of them are User-level warriors?”

After a moment, the Heavenly Demon spoke.

-The one in blue on the left, the one with the scar on his face on the right, the big guy in the front, the one with the hood covering his face at the very end, and finally, that captain is a User.

“As expected, Heavenly Demon, you truly are the best in the world.”

-Ahem! What are you saying, of course…

Just as the Heavenly Demon, weak to praise, was getting embarrassed, I ordered Zion.

“Zion, are you ready to fight?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Then I’ll tell you quickly. There are five User-level warriors among them.”

“…Yes?”

Zion looked at me in surprise.

Well, that was to be expected.

Estimating someone’s level just by looking at them from a distance wasn’t something anyone could do.

“How did you know?”

“No questions. Just answer. We don’t have time.”

I quickly told her who the User-level warriors were.

“Did you confirm?”

“Yes.”

“When the battle starts, tie them down first. Your abilities should be enough.”

Zion was growing day by day.

She was already technically skilled, but her sparring with me and the recent battle with the necromancer had matured her even further.

Even though these mercenaries used mana, they weren’t properly trained like knights, so she might not be able to win, but she should be able to hold out.

“What about you, Master?”

“I’ll take the captain.”

After finishing my conversation with Zion, I loudly addressed the soldiers.

“Listen up, everyone! They have no intention of letting us live. If you don’t want to die, take up your swords and shields!”

The soldiers looked visibly frightened, but they followed my orders to survive.

Thirty against fifty was numerically disadvantageous, but not entirely hopeless.

That was assuming there were no mana users.

They were solely mine and Zion’s responsibility.

“Listen carefully! I don’t expect you to win. Just hold out without dying! Then I will kill their captain.”

There’s a psychology to this.

If you tell them to turn the tide when the situation is unfavorable, it further demoralizes them. Because they think I need to show them something more.

On the other hand, if you tell them to hold out until you win, it’s much less burdensome.

It’s like instilling the perception that time is on their side.

“How pathetic.”

“It’s all going to be a waste, you’re all going to die anyway.”

The Ragged Mercenary Company members, standing a short distance away, sneered at us.

Captain Gavin gave the order.

“Go! Kill them all and skin them alive!”

“Waaaaaah!!!!”

The momentum of the fifty soldiers charging in a frenzy was terrifying.

The soldiers’ agitation was palpable.

There were two ways to handle this.

Either reassure them not to be afraid, or,

“Uwaaaaaa!!!!”

“Haaah!”

Charge from our side and show them something.

Zion and I, who were at the very back, stepped on the shoulders of our allied soldiers and jumped forward.

The mercenaries were surprised by Zion and I’s reverse charge, but they didn’t stop their advance.

‘I have to show them. Overwhelming force that will boost our side’s morale!’

I wrapped the mana surging from my lower abdomen around my body and forcefully rammed my shoulder into the first guy coming at me.

Kwaaaang!!

With a roar, the guy I rammed into flew 3m into the air before collapsing.

The impact was akin to a traffic accident.

The guy who fell to the ground writhed with his whole body twisted before his movements ceased.

It was a movement that couldn’t be shown unless you were a mana user.

The mercenaries, who had seen their fair share of combat, immediately recognized it.

“What? He was a mana user?”

“The bastard illegitimate child was a User?”

Gavin, who had been watching the situation with his arms crossed at the very back, subtly adjusted his posture.

“Hoh, so even a bastard was hiding something? I didn’t hear about this from the client. I’ll have to renegotiate the price.”

He still seemed relaxed.

Looking to the side, Zion went to the mana user I had pointed out in advance and swung her sword.

“Hehehe, you’re quite the looker. I’ll spare you and then keep you around for…”

“Shut up. Your breath stinks.”

Thwack!

One of the mana users, who was smirking while underestimating the small woman, had his head cut off.

It was the result of underestimating Zion.

The quick and concise swordsmanship made me realize how harshly she trained on a regular basis.

The mana users were suddenly reduced from five to four.

Only then did they come to their senses and pay attention to Zion.

She was already running towards another mana user.

“That woman is a master! The small fries can’t handle her! You User guys, gather and take care of her!”

Gavin hurriedly gave the order.

Perhaps it was because they were stimulated by the fearless bravery displayed by Zion and I?

The eyes of the Marquisate soldiers were filled with venom.

“Yeah, either way, we’re going to die. Let’s give it a shot.”

“Even the maid is fighting like that, we can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“Uwaaa! Let’s goooo!!!”

One guy, with his eyes rolled back, started it off, and the rest followed suit.

When thirty soldiers pounced like beasts without anyone running away, the mercenaries also became flustered.

Soon, the enemy and ally were mixed together.

The smell of blood and sweat, the smell of iron.

Screams, shouts, cries.

Severed arms, legs, necks.

Life and death crossed paths.

And I…

Clang!!

I swung my sword towards the target I had been eyeing from the start.

Gavin, who easily blocked the attack with his thin rapier, grinned, showing his yellow teeth.

“Hehehe, I thought it would be boring, but who knew it would be this fun.”

“Will you still be able to laugh later?”

I drove Gavin like an angry wild beast.

Judging by his outward appearance alone, he was no match for me.

So I thought the match would be over quickly, but…

‘As expected, I can see why the Heavenly Demon said he was a formidable master.’

He wasn’t the type to fight with brute force like the opponents I had met so far.

Softness (柔) [A fighting style emphasizing yielding and redirection of force].

Like a slippery snake, he deflected all my attacks, so there were no effective hits.

His body balance was also good, and his joint mobility was surprisingly wide.

I could see why he had survived all sorts of perverted psycho acts so far.

It was because he had that kind of skill.

“Heh heh!”

Swish!

The guy who had been blocking with his rapier suddenly attempted a thrusting counterattack.

The sight was like a snake coiling its body and instantly moving its head to snatch its prey.

Surprised, I leaned back to avoid a fatal blow.

Gavin licked his lips as if regretting that the counterattack had missed.

“Too bad. No, I’m not. Because I can enjoy it a little more.”

“Just pick one, you crazy bastard.”

What a headache.

He was the type to defend all the time and then counterattack whenever he saw an opening.

Even when playing games, the guys who used to play cheap (running away and messing with the attacker’s hands and feet) were the most annoying.

As I became more cautious, he smirked and sneered.

“You’re so relaxed? How long do you think your subordinates will last?”

That was the problem.

If this continued, the one-on-one with Gavin could turn into a one-on-many.

It was also uncertain how long Zion would last.

In the end, I had to take the risk and attack first.

‘Should I use an acorn [a consumable item that grants a temporary power boost]?’

I hesitated and shook my head.

I had already used two acorns.

Now I had to settle it with my own abilities.

Somehow.

“Haaah!!”

I charged again.

The swordsmanship I learned from the Heavenly Demon.

The enlightenment I gained from sparring with Zion.

The sword strikes, in which everything was deeply embedded, unfolded dazzlingly.

Gavin, who had been relaxed all along, focused and blocked my attacks at this moment.

Even so, he was constantly looking for my openings.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of iron against iron made a loud noise.

I deliberately showed a sloppy opening to catch Gavin, who was only aiming for a counter.

It was to set a trap and immediately catch him if he eagerly fell for it.

But the quick-witted snake never went for the obvious openings.

He had a good sense.

“Is that what you’re calling a trap right now? Even a child wouldn’t fall for that.”

On top of that, he added fuel to the fire with his annoying chatter.

While we were fiercely aiming for each other, a variable suddenly intervened.

Flash!!

Something sparkled from Gavin’s wrist and dazzled my eyes.

Surprised, I paused for a moment.

“I got you!”

Gavin thrust his sword like lightning, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

I hurriedly twisted my body, but felt a burning pain in my side.

“Ugh.”

I quickly retreated to create distance.

The blood flowing from my side stained my clothes red.

And a message appeared.

[You have been poisoned by the enemy’s ‘Paralysis Poison.’]

[Skill Self-Purification is activated.]

[You are immune to abnormal conditions.]

[Skill Tenacious Vitality is activated.]

[Vitality and recovery are increased.]

[The injury is healing quickly.]

Paralysis poison?

He was doing all sorts of things.

Gavin, thinking he had seized the victory, straightened his lowered posture and tapped his foot while laughing.

“It’s over.”

“What was that? Something dazzled my eyes.”

“Are you talking about this?”

On Gavin’s wrist, with his sleeve rolled up, there was a bracelet with a piece of glass attached to it.

Who would have thought he would use glass for such tricks.

The mercenary’s pettiness far exceeded my expectations.

“You’re using all sorts of tricks.”

“You nobles always think you have to fight elegantly. But this is reality. Winning is all that matters.”

“You despicable bastard.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. So, how do you feel now? The poison should be kicking in soon?”

Was he talking about the paralysis poison?

To be honest, I felt nothing at all.

The wound on my side looked severe because the blood had soaked my clothes, but in reality, it had almost healed.

I could show him that I was fine, but…

‘Let’s pretend to be poisoned.’

Until now, even when I set traps, he was too cautious to fall for them.

But he would have no choice but to fall for this.

Because he didn’t know I was a druid [a person with magical connection to nature].

“Kuh! What did you do? My head is spinning and I can’t move my body.”

When I deliberately staggered a bit, he burst into laughter and was overjoyed.

“Kehahaha! That’s the paralysis poison I put on my sword. Even the best knights couldn’t move against this poison.”

He slowly approached.

Holding my breath and waiting.

Still some distance left.

“It was quite an enjoyable fight. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to receive more reward from my sister.”

“Sister? What are you talking about.”

“Didn’t I tell you? My older sister is the head maid who serves Marchioness Lloyd closely.”

The distance was three steps.

Come a little closer.

“So it was the Marchioness who commissioned it.”

“Poor guy. A mother trying to kill her son. When you look at it, the nobles are even worse.”

“If you feel sympathy, will you spare me?”

“I can’t do that. I have to skin you alive and send it to her so I can make a living.”

The distance was down to the last step.

Almost there.

“Then goodbye. You bastard illegitimate child.”

He came within range.

He was off guard and stabbed his sword into my heart.

Now is the time!

“Haaah!!”

With a powerful shout, I twisted my body as much as possible to avoid his attack.

Gavin’s eyes widened.

“No! How!”

There was no time to answer.

He had one arm outstretched.

His posture was completely broken.

The first and last opportunity had arrived.

“I finally caught you! You eel-like bastard!”

I swung my sword at him.

If this went on, wouldn’t it be my victory?

“Uwaaaah!!”

With surprising flexibility, he avoided my decisive blow!

Then he tried to create distance between us.

Was the last opportunity going to fly away like this?

If the distance widened like this, it was over.

I had to stick to him no matter what.

Please!!

[Skill Power of Nature is activated.]

[The surrounding environment becomes your ally.]

A system message appeared before my eyes at the perfect timing.

A tree root that sprouted from the ground bound Gavin’s ankle.

Gavin, who was trying to step back, was trapped as if nailed in place.

“What! What is this! Keoeok!”

Thwack!!

Instead of answering with words, I hit the back of his neck with the pommel [the knob on the end of a sword handle] attached to the end of the sword handle.

The blow landed accurately.

Before losing consciousness, Gavin muttered.

“This is impossible…”

“It is possible.”

“You despicable bastard… this isn’t fair…”

Finally, the word despicable came out of his mouth.

I felt good and grinned.

“Thanks for the compliment.”