The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 17

The Young Master of the Marquisate is a Genius – Episode 17 (17/200)

Chapter 3: The North: The Young Master Finds His Way

Originally, my name was Henon Trees.

In the Elden Kingdom, illegitimate children aren’t allowed to take their father’s surname.

This isn’t just for me, but for all other illegitimate children as well.

So, usually, bastards are given a surname that reflects the characteristics of the territory where they were born.

Like Snow, River, or Lake.

In the case of the Marquisate, the family crest was an oak tree, so my surname was decided as Trees.

Unless there were special circumstances, the father’s surname was rarely passed down. It was a matter of legitimacy.

That’s how I became Henon Lloyd.

In other words, from now on, I had the formal requirements to become the official successor.

“You! Are you out of your mind?”

As expected, Rosalyn, in extreme anger, slammed her fork down and screamed.

Her whole body trembled, unable to contain her rage.

On the other hand, Marquis Lloyd was calm.

“Wife? Is there a problem?”

“How can there not be a problem? No family ever passes down their surname to a bastard when there is an obvious heir.”

“Then our Lloyd family will be the first.”

“Is there a need to create such a special case? Other families won’t look kindly on it.”

“The family that stopped the Demon King was also the first in the kingdom. Who would complain if I want to do it that way?”

When the Marquis showed a firm attitude, Rosalyn turned her anger towards me this time.

“Henon, you’re not thinking of accepting the Marquis’s offer, are you? Refuse it now.”

As she snapped at me, my true feelings slipped out before I could stop them.

“Uh… why would I?”

“What?”

“I gratefully accept it.”

There’s no reason to refuse.

From today, I am Henon Lloyd.

And then I made an excuse.

“Not long ago, the Ragged Mercenary Corps attacked me, didn’t they? I wondered if they would have attacked me if I had been Henon Lloyd instead of Henon Trees. For the sake of my life, I gratefully accept the Marquis’s generous gift.”

The reason is adequate.

Rosalyn was left speechless.

She can’t say anything since it’s her own doing.

She just suppresses her anger.

“I enjoyed the meal. I’ll get up now.”

I got up and left the dining hall.

It was time to train again.

* * *

Why is Marquis Lloyd called a Great Lord?

Is it because his personal martial prowess is strong?

Is it because he is one of the Seven Stars who protected the continent from the Demon King?

Is it because the area of land he governs is vast?

All of that is true, but the main reason he is called a Great Lord is because of the forces under his command.

It is not just the Marquisate, but the lords who support and pledge allegiance to the Marquis that form a huge alliance, which is why Marquis Lloyd is called a Great Lord.

The Molti family is one of the most powerful and prominent families among those under the Lloyd family.

In particular, Lord Molti, the head of the family, formed a marriage alliance with the Marquisate by marrying off his daughter, Rosalyn Molti.

The Molti family, famous for its beautiful rose garden, even has a rose as its family crest.

Rosalyn Lloyd set foot in her parents’ home today for the first time in a long time.

“Dad!”

“Oh! Who is this! Isn’t it my daughter?”

“Daddy!! Waaah!!”

She has to maintain decorum in the Marquis’s castle, but here she is just a spoiled daughter.

Lord Molti, with his white hair, sensed that something was wrong when he saw Rosalyn crying in his arms.

“Let’s go inside.”

In the middle of a garden filled with the rich scent of roses, Lord Molti and Rosalyn sat facing each other and drank tea.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into that bastard…”

Rosalyn vehemently vented her anger.

More than half of the conversation was cursing Henon.

“Gordon is also a problem! Why is he pushing that bastard? Is he still his own son?”

Even complaints about her husband.

Lord Molti silently listened to his daughter’s grumbling.

When Rosalyn had poured out all her emotions, Lord Molti spoke for the first time.

“It must have been hard.”

“I don’t care about it being hard. It’s just that I’m worried that the bastard might take Philip’s place, though that’s unlikely.”

“Why are you so worried when I’m here, healthy and strong?”

“Dad, you don’t know. He’s not the hopeless rascal he used to be. There are more and more people in the Marquis’s castle who support him.”

Rosalyn went on to confess that she had hired a mercenary group to kill Henon but failed.

Lord Molti listened to all the circumstances, stroked his chin, and smiled.

“Hmm… Henon Lloyd… interesting.”

“Dad, this is not the time to be so carefree. How serious is the situation?”

“Rather, I think it’s a good thing.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

The Lord said to her, who was wide-eyed.

“Rosalyn, you know that every noble family in the Elden Kingdom must fulfill their military service.”

The Elden Kingdom is bordered by the Calon Empire to the west and the sea to the south.

In particular, there is a huge mountain range in the north, which was the seal of the Demon King Baal, who plunged the Arnia continent into crisis 20 years ago.

Perhaps because of this, the north became a deadly place where harsh cold and various monsters raged all year round.

The Elden Kingdom built Black Castle, an outpost, under the pretext of defending the north.

And every noble family is required to serve in the military at Black Castle for at least two years each time a generation changes.

“I know. But you can replace it by paying money. Philip has already finished talking about replacing military service with money.”

But the north is a harsh land.

A bleak land with a survival rate of less than 20%.

Even nobles who go there, one out of every two does not return.

As a result, nobles avoided military service and replaced it with money.

As for the king, rather than sending noble children to the north and worrying about them, he regarded it as a good opportunity to fill the national treasury and received money as a custom.

But why is Lord Molti bringing this up?

“Yes. That’s right. Originally, it was supposed to be replaced with money. But… if Henon is formally incorporated into the Lloyd family, is there a need for Philip to serve in the military?”

“!!!”

Rosalyn’s mind flashed.

That’s right.

Not all noble children need to bear the burden of military service.

Usually, only one person per family goes.

Until now, Philip was the only one in the Lloyd family, so of course, Philip was supposed to go.

What if Henon becomes the new Lloyd here?

“Make Henon serve in the military instead of Philip. Gordon won’t be able to refuse that.”

“But he might replace it with money.”

“Haha, does that make sense? Gordon cherishes his territory so much. The reason why he formed a marriage alliance with us and the reason why he is pushing the bastard is all for his territory.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“What is the reason for trying to replace Philip’s military service with money? It’s because Philip has been a strong successor and there was no one to take over the family if something went wrong. But Henon is different. Even if the rascal dies in the north, it will be well-packaged as a noble sacrifice. Besides, you can save a huge amount of taxes that you have to pay instead of military service, so isn’t it killing two birds with one stone?”

Rosalyn hugged Lord Molti tightly, unable to contain her joy.

“As expected, Dad is a genius!”

“Hahaha, I wonder if Gordon is a genius, not me. I wonder if he saw this coming and made Henon a Lloyd.”

“I’m going back to tell Gordon to send Henon to the north. Then I’ll go!”

Rosalyn kissed Lord Molti lightly on the cheek and hurried to the carriage.

Lord Molti waved his hand with a smiling face until his daughter disappeared.

After she had completely disappeared.

Whether the previous smile was a fake, he hardened his face and muttered with a cold look.

“Henon… I have no personal feelings. It’s just that your actions of being born as a bastard and coveting a position that doesn’t suit you are your sins.”

* * *

Today is a special day.

I even skipped morning training.

Instead, I enjoyed the tranquility of the morning over a cup of tea for the first time in a long time.

I practiced the Wood Control skill I got when I was promoted to Novice Druid a few times, and it was quite useful.

I could block the opponent’s path, and I could block the attacks of those stronger than me in advance.

It really depended on how you used it, and the possibilities were endless.

‘That’s right. I have to settle the bet with the Heavenly Demon.’

The Heavenly Demon Sword was currently on the table.

The Heavenly Demon had made a bet with me, and if he lost, he would let go of his anger and tell me the good information he had mentioned before.

“So, I won the bet, but are you still not going to let go of your anger?”

-…

“I didn’t know that the strongest person in the world was someone who didn’t keep his promises.”

After a while, the Heavenly Demon replied.

-I’m not angry. It’s just that it reminded me of the old days.

“The old days?”

-When I see you growing up, it reminds me of the guy who sealed me.

Come to think of it, the person who sealed the Heavenly Demon was also a Druid.

I suddenly became curious.

“Is the good information you told me about before also related to the Druid?”

-That’s right.

“I’m curious. Please tell me.”

-It’s just an old man’s grumbling. Would you still like to hear it?

I nodded.

-As I said before, the one who sealed me was a Druid. A guy named Merlin.

Merlin, the Druid of a thousand years ago.

I remembered the name.

“How did the completed Druid fight?”

-It felt like fighting a natural disaster. But that alone was not enough to deal with me. Anyway, I was a master.”

The Heavenly Demon’s story that followed was amazing.

-The source of Merlin’s power was a huge tree that I had never seen in my hometown. He called it the World Tree. He used the World Tree to create all sorts of bizarre natural phenomena.

“I see. So, what did the Heavenly Demon do to the World Tree?”

-What did I do? Of course, I cut it down.

The Heavenly Demon, who had destroyed the World Tree, felt that something was wrong.

-The cunning Druid used the World Tree, which was connected to his soul, as a medium for the seal. He imprisoned the body and soul of the person who cut down the tree in the sword he was holding.

“So, the Heavenly Demon is in another space.”

-That’s not a problem. I can just tear through the space with my sword. The problem is that Merlin divided the World Tree into 7 pieces.

It was difficult to understand because it was a complicated story.

“Can’t you get out even if you tear the space?”

-It’s not that simple. The branches of the tree, divided into 7 pieces, simultaneously interlock to mess up the space. In other words, it blocked the exit. I can’t find the right exit unless I collect all seven branches of the World Tree, the Golden Branches.

The branches of the World Tree.

Seven Golden Branches.

This was the key to unlocking the Heavenly Demon’s seal.

“I understand what you’re saying. But I don’t know if this is good information for me. It just looks like the Heavenly Demon wants to break the seal, so he’s asking me to do errands?”

The Heavenly Demon, hearing my words, burst into anger.

-You idiot! What have you been listening to so far! Who did I say was the one who fought me?

“Merlin, the Druid… Ah!”

-You finally realized it. It’s the World Tree, which was a clone of the Druid who was successful a thousand years ago. If you get that branch, wouldn’t you, who is the same Druid, have something to achieve?

Since becoming a Novice Druid a while ago, a system window has popped up asking me to upgrade.

I thought that upgrading meant diligently accumulating experience points and increasing empathy, but that might not be the case.

Collecting the branches of the old World Tree, the Golden Branches, may be the path to promotion.

-Do you see it now? Let me tell you exactly. The path to breaking my seal is the path for you to grow as a Druid.