The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 166

20. Bloodline: The Meddling Bastard

“If the Sage would assist me, even just a little, I can reveal the truth.”

The old man was with me when I explored the underwater city. He knows well how bizarre my abilities are.

“To be honest, I have two conflicting thoughts.”

“What thoughts are those?”

“Curiosity to confirm the truth, and fear that I might be opening Pandora’s Box. Those are the two.”

“In times like these, listen to the voice of your true heart, Sage. What do you truly desire more?”

Orneore is a Sage. An existence that accumulates knowledge, matures it, and distills it into wisdom. I guessed he would ultimately pursue the truth, and his decision was as expected.

“I suppose I must verify the incident.”

“A wise decision.”

Just then,

The outer door burst open.

“Sage! Sage!”

“I am in an important meeting. Where are your manners? Knock before entering.”

“This is not the time for that! War has broken out!”

“That is a rather poor joke.”

“Desert King Gazel is leading an army of one hundred thousand across the border and heading north! This is not a drill!”

His expression is too serious for it to be a joke.

A war has truly broken out.

“Why would he do such a reckless thing… What is his reason?”

“Read the declaration of war. It is a document they wrote themselves.”

The declaration of war read:

[I, Desert King Gazel, have only recently opened my eyes to the truth. I have been blind until now. A fool who could not even protect his own family.

But fortune has favored me, and I have witnessed the ugly truth. The schemer who hid in the shadows will now face the wrath of the desert.

I hereby declare that whoever murdered my beloved sister, Sandy Calron, the Empress of the Calron Empire, will suffer eternal torment and bitter revenge.

Flee if you wish, or stand and fight. Either way, it matters not. Those who stand in my way will be crushed, and those who flee will be chased to the ends of the continent.

Tremble in fear. Neither the sun that gathers the sands nor the moon that devours the shadows can protect you.

We will not stop until you die regretting your actions.]

The Desert King’s rage is palpable throughout the declaration. Orneore told me that the Desert King is a master among the Seven Stars [powerful individuals]. What madness drove such a man to draw his sword against the world’s strongest empire?

The timing is also quite coincidental. We were just discussing Empress Sandy with the Sage. And now, Gazel, the Empress’s own brother, has started a war.

In this situation, confirming the full story of the Sandy Empress incident from over a decade ago is no longer a choice but a necessity. We need to know what happened to act decisively.

“Sage, can you guide me to Empress Sandy’s residence?”

We cannot treat this as someone else’s war. If the Empire falls, the Elden Kingdom will be shaken in some way.

The snowball will roll and roll until it reaches the Lloyd estate. Naturally, my training and the Golden Branch search plan will also be affected. That is why I need to resolve this incident as quickly as possible.

Also, I was bothered by the fact that the last place Merlin visited during the Golden Branch test was the desert.

I had already decided to make the southern desert the next search location. With a war breaking out in the planned investigation area, I cannot help but be concerned.

Finally, this war left a bad taste in my mouth.

According to Orneore, the Desert King was a generous and discerning man. What made such a man suddenly become a warmonger?

The possibility of Gazel being insane is extremely low. There must have been a trigger that lit the fuse. Only by finding out what that trigger was could I truly understand the true nature of this situation.

“Leave it to me. When else would I use the name value of a Sage? I will use the excuse of paying my respects to His Majesty after a long time and bring you into the palace with me.”

* * *

Fortunately, there are two good things.

The first is the timing of the war.

It happened after I became a Swordmaster [a master swordsman]. Moreover, my Druid rank is top-tier. Currently, if I wanted to, I could go one-on-one with Gazel. Of course, I should avoid such a thing as much as possible.

The second is my companions.

I have Orneore, the continent’s greatest Sage. Moreover, the old man has plenty of power and fame. So, I was going to get some help from the old man and enter the palace, but…

“His Majesty the Emperor is not feeling well and has refused a meeting with the Sage.”

I was immediately turned away at the door. Rumors of war must have spread to the Imperial Family. To refuse a meeting at a time like this… He just does not like you.

“Sage, didn’t you say you were treated well by the Imperial Family? Was that a lie?”

“Hold on. There must be some misunderstanding. Check again.”

No matter how many times he sent them in, the answer was always a refusal. Orneore sighed deeply and said,

“I would like to stroll around the Imperial Palace for a while. Even if I cannot see His Majesty, they would not deny me that, would they?”

“That’s…”

In my opinion, that official wanted to refuse. But when Orneore glared at him intently, he seemed worried about the aftermath and hesitated. The seasoned old man would not miss that opportunity.

“I’ll go in.”

He entered the Imperial Palace, half by force.

The Empire’s Imperial Palace was incredibly vast, worthy of the name. It was a structure that deserved full marks in both artistry and practicality.

Stone buildings with various architectural styles, pointed spires at the edges, stained glass that divided white light into rainbow colors, gardens that added to the ambiance, and iron statues that established the Empire’s majesty.

Not a single ornament was placed without reason. It was astonishing that this was all created by manpower alone on a continent without heavy equipment like excavators.

Orneore, as someone who had visited the Imperial Palace often in his younger days, fearlessly navigated the vast palace. Several nobles discovered him and tried to greet him, but the old man waved them away.

“I hate troublesome things. Besides, I couldn’t even see His Majesty, so what would I do meeting with those hangers-on?”

We went to a secluded part of the Imperial Palace, which was our destination. Unlike the center where people frequently came and went, this place was desolate enough to be called neglected.

“Is this really Empress Sandy’s residence? I heard His Majesty cherished the Empress a lot?”

“Well, nothing lasts forever. His Majesty has quite a few women around him.”

“Even so, this is too much.”

I cut away the ivy that completely blocked the entrance with the Heavenly Demon Sword. I decided to go to the bedroom first and use the Memory Recall skill, as that is where the most memories would remain.

Just as I was about to step inside,

“What are you doing there!?”

A scolding mixed with annoyance stopped me and Orneore. At the same time, several warriors in heavy armor rushed in and surrounded us in a fan shape.

I wondered what crazy bastard would dare to be so rude to Orneore, but it was someone who could get away with it.

“Prince Alex, I presume.”

“Crown Prince. Get the title right.”

Alex von Aulschmantz Calron. Formerly the Second Prince, but a traitor who betrayed the Crown Prince who trusted him. To this end, he even joined Twilight [a shadowy organization] and borrowed the Hand of Sloth [a powerful artifact or ability].

I heard he has now risen to the new position of Greed… I never expected to meet him here.

As befitting the Imperial Family’s bloodline, he had white skin and dazzling white hair. Indeed, a rare hair color.

“I was worried that your health had deteriorated due to your long seclusion. I am relieved to see you walking around so vigorously.”

Words without sincerity. The superficial greetings are the same in both the kingdom and the empire.

The old man is a supporter of the forgotten First Empress, and Alex is the offspring of the Third Empress, if we go back to the old days. They would wish for each other’s death, not worry about each other’s well-being.

“You have grown a lot in the meantime.”

“It’s not just my height that has grown. There have been many changes. While someone was cooped up in a room, growing old.”

Did he leave his manners in the toilet? He is quite rude for a Crown Prince.

Alex roughly scanned Sandy Empress’s old residence with his eyes. Then, he raised one corner of his mouth.

“Bloodline is unavoidable, I suppose.”

“What do you mean?”

“The desert, I mean. In the end, he couldn’t stand it and started a war, didn’t he?”

“I don’t understand what that incident has to do with bloodline, old man.”

“That dark-skinned woman who died here also had dirty blood. Who knows if she would have rebelled against His Majesty if she had lived?”

Everyone in the Imperial Palace who is worth knowing knows that Orneore is a fervent supporter of Sandy Empress.

This was clearly a provocation, and the old man, who loved Sandy so much, momentarily lost control of his emotions and exuded energy.

Swish

As pressure descended around them, the Crown Prince’s bodyguards placed their hands on their sword hilts. A cold aura emanated from the half-drawn blades.

It was a truly precarious moment. Crown Prince Alex waved his hand in an exaggerated pose.

“Whoa! Calm down. It’s a joke. Hahaha.”

“That’s a bit much, Crown Prince.”

“She’s just a dead woman anyway. Is there any need for us to get worked up? You’re overreacting.”

“…”

Alex is enjoying playing with Orneore right now.

He is inducing rapid emotional changes in the old man, who lives on memories, and feeling pleasure every time he elicits a violent reaction.

Originally, I was not going to interfere as it was a reunion between people of the Empire. But if he crosses the line like that, I have no choice. I decided to help the old man a little.

“Indeed, bloodline is important.”

As I intervened in the conversation between the Crown Prince and the Imperial Duke, Alex’s eyes narrowed.

“And you are?”

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Henon Lloyd.”

“Henon!”

Alex’s eyes widened.

The surrounding bodyguards also buzzed. Some glared at me with burning eyes, igniting their competitive spirit.

Just by looking at the general reaction, I could feel how hot of a potato I am in the Arnia continent right now [a person who is currently very popular or controversial].

“I’ve heard the stories. The rising star of the next generation, right? Frankly, I think the rumors are greatly exaggerated.”

“What are you talking about? Count Lloyd has already surpassed the level of a rising star. I, Orneore, have officially recognized him as the eighth star of the continent.”

“Well, regardless of the Sage’s reputation, verification of martial prowess is another matter, isn’t it? Demon slayer, survivor of Twilight, there are so many absurd rumors.”

As Orneore was about to get angry again, I grabbed his hand and gently restrained him.

“Haha, I fully agree with the Crown Prince’s words. Humans only trust what they have seen with their own eyes.”

“Hahaha! Is it because you’re young? Unlike some people, you have a quick understanding. You’re too good to be with the old man.”

Alex’s greedy gaze wriggled up and down. This was a look of appraisal. Even though he knows that I have repeatedly given Twilight a big middle finger, he is trying to make me his subordinate.

In a way, he is amazing. So, I will give him a definite refusal as a reply.

“Indeed, as expected of the Imperial Family’s bloodline, your thinking is different.”

“Hahaha! That’s right. The blood of the Great Calron Empire is different from others from birth. Very excellent and outstanding.”

“Actually, this is my first time in the Empire, so I studied history a bit before coming. The more I learned, the more I admired the glory achieved by the Imperial Family.”

“Khahaha! That’s understandable. Everyone does. The greatness of the Calron Empire is worthy of praise all day long.”

“That’s right. In particular, I was impressed by the founding Emperor who killed his own brother and ascended to the throne.”

The founding Emperor of the Calron Empire, who founded the country after fratricide [killing of one’s own brother].

This is considered a disgrace even in the Empire’s founding history, and historians do not dare to utter it and keep it quiet.

By properly poking that sore spot, the atmosphere became chilly, and Alex also made a face as if he had eaten shit.

“Why do you have to mention that kind of thing?”

“Because that’s the most memorable part. The first person to establish the Empire was someone who killed his family… Wouldn’t that cruelty and ruthlessness remain in some of his descendants?”

Alex is a half-brother, but he killed his brother and became the Crown Prince anyway. He must have been more severely injured by the previous statement than anyone else. As expected, his face turned red.

“How dare you…”

“Looking at the Crown Prince’s hair, you really inherited the blood thickly. Who knows? Maybe the desire to step on his brother and rise to the top is also in the Crown Prince’s subconscious.”

“You bastard!!!!”

In the end, Alex’s patience ran out. That was the moment when the two letters ‘Henon’ were erased from his recruitment list.