The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 182

Chapter 21: Hero: Hunting the Scoundrel

[Memory Recall Completed]

[Congratulations on your promotion.]

I returned to reality.

I was still dazed.

What on earth did I just see?

-You whelp, did you succeed this time? Your soul has become very unstable. Any more and something terrible will happen.

“It’s over. I passed.”

-Is that so? That’s a relief.

Well… is it really a relief?

I obtained a lot of information from Merlin’s memories.

The most shocking fact was the true purpose of the Twilight Church.

The Twilight Church, known as the most famous demon-worshipping group on the Arnia continent and believed to worship Baal, was actually not very related to the Demon King.

First of all, the Seven Apostles were the problem.

Jealousy to resolve inferiority to rival Karina, Greed to have more wealth, Lust to receive more adoration, Pride to control more undead, Gluttony to eat more humans, Sloth to survive.

The high-ranking members were only obsessed with what they wanted, and the common followers blindly praised Baal without knowing anything.

It was a wonder how the organization was run in such a mess.

The worst of all was the Twilight Church leader.

The leader also abused the organization for personal gain, just like the Seven Apostles.

Loyalty to the Demon King?

He didn’t even serve the Demon King in the first place, so loyalty was nonsense.

He spread unfounded rumors that the Golden Branch was the material to undo the Demon King’s seal, and that the Druids knew its location, urging a search.

If the Twilight Church’s members had been competent, or if the Seven Apostles had shown even a little loyalty to the leader, what would have happened?

Before I found the Golden Branch, all the Golden Branches would have already been in the leader’s hands.

Even I would have been caught by him and used as a material for resurrection.

The fact that the true identity of the Twilight Church leader, who carried out this continent-scale scam, was the first Druid, Merlin, also made my head ache.

I had been trying hard to understand him while recalling Merlin’s life.

However, the final destination of his twisted soul was resurrection, using the continent’s destruction and my death as a foundation.

If that’s the case, there’s no choice.

I have no choice but to execute my senior with my own hands.

It was decided the moment Merlin became the Twilight Church leader.

I must kill Merlin.

As I firmly resolved and stood up, Zion opened the door and came inside.

“Zion, what’s going on? I told you not to enter carelessly during training.”

“Young Master.”

Unlike usual, Zion’s voice trembled slightly. Now that I see it, his complexion is also pale.

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s…”

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Zion barely managed to speak.

“The Bryunak Kingdom has fallen.”

* * *

The Bryunak Kingdom.

A small kingdom with a population of 500,000.

It is located in the western part of the continent and boasts a natural fortress with a basin surrounded by mountains.

As someone from the Elden Kingdom in the eastern part of the continent, I didn’t have a chance to go there, but I had heard of the country.

That Bryunak fell overnight.

The cause of the destruction was the appearance of giants.

The enormous giants destroyed the castle and massacred humans.

Bryunak, which had no decent armed forces other than a few Expert knights, had to face the disaster helplessly.

The giant left the ruined kingdom, declaring himself the Great Apostle of the Twilight Church, Wrath.

As the incident was an incident, the rumor quickly spread throughout the continent.

Even though it is a small kingdom, the population is 500,000.

Even in the Earth with a world population of 8 billion, 500,000 is a lot, but in the Arnia continent with a population of less than 100 million, the disappearance of 500,000 people as a whole was enough to cause chaos and unrest.

Some lords who dismissed the continental conference I held as an immature rash act of a presumptuous brat.

As soon as they heard the news that Bryunak had fallen, they rushed to the Calon Empire.

In the end, the continental conference was held on the originally scheduled date.

Huge tents and round tables were set up in the Melbs Plains, and dozens of lords and Seven Stars attended side by side.

The atmosphere of the conference hall was literally a mess.

The lords, terrified that the Bryunak disaster might happen in their own countries, spewed out all the words that came to mind and babbled.

“Those arrogant demon worshippers have crossed the line! We must raise an army right now!!”

“We must be careful. We don’t know where their base is, or how far their forces have infiltrated.”

“How long are you going to be so frustrating? If you dawdle, your country might end up like Bryunak!”

“What? What are you saying! Are you done talking?”

“Sob… I sent my son to Bryunak to study abroad… Thomson left so futilely…”

This seems to need a little traffic control.

“Everyone, please be quiet.”

Perhaps because I put mana in my voice.

The noisy conference hall became quiet in an instant.

After confirming that everyone’s attention was focused, I slowly began to speak.

“Everyone is too excited. Let’s take a breath and talk calmly.”

As soon as I finished speaking, a pot-bellied middle-aged man jumped up from the corner.

“Who are you to decide that?”

“I am Henon, the host of this conference.”

“So, who recognized you, a greenhorn, as the host?”

I don’t know which country’s king he is, but he’s a real 꼰대 [kkondae, a Korean term for an older person who is condescending and often imposes their views on others].

The problem is that there aren’t just one or two of those old farts.

The lords who had no contact with me were all sending distrustful glances.

I thought I had built up some recognition, but was it just my delusion?

As I was wondering how to convince these people, I heard a deep voice from the side.

“I recognized him as the host.”

I looked to the side and saw the Calon Emperor.

The Emperor’s cheeks were sunken, perhaps because he had suffered a lot after the Alex Crown Prince incident.

However, his eyes were clearer and more vivid than ever. It was the dignity of someone who had escaped from lies and chosen the truth.

“Do you have any complaints?”

“Ah, no! Your Majesty!”

How dare he say anything when the strongest guy on the continent says he’ll recognize it.

Of course, the lord bowed his head.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the Calon Emperor who supported my qualifications.

“I am Karina of the Flame. Everyone has heard of my name. I am also the northern wall that protects the Demon King’s seal. I will reveal it here. Henon is my official patron.”

“I am the Sage Orneo. He has deep insight and a kind heart that doesn’t match his age. He even has strong martial power, so he is born as a hero.”

“I’m Pilgrim Tom. If you’re here at this conference, you know what a pilgrim is [a member of a religious order or group]. Henon is a key member of our group and my direct junior.”

“I am the Holy Knight Johann. He is the benefactor of the Holy Kingdom and my close friend. I swear to Belanus that Henon’s qualifications as a hero are more than enough.”

“I am Hans, the commander of the Knights. To be honest, I don’t know much about Count Lloyd. But if I may add a word, my sense as a warrior tells me that the Count is a strong man comparable to me.”

“I’m a loafer called Gazel. I rule the desert. Simply put, if there’s anyone who doubts Henon, come out. I’ll show you what the wrath of the desert is.”

The last of the Seven Stars stepped forward.

“I am Duke Gordon Lloyd. I fully understand that some of you may not trust my son because he is still young. But as a father who has watched Henon from the beginning, my son is fully qualified to be a hero.”

Even the support of his father, Duke Lloyd.

Since the Seven Stars were all saying the same thing, there was no lord with the guts to openly object.

But this is a temporary measure.

They were temporarily pushed back by the halo of the Seven Stars and the Emperor, but they didn’t truly recognize me.

I glanced around the conference hall and pointed to the pot-bellied old fart who had raised objections earlier and spoke to him.

“Lord, may I know your name?”

“I am Eilbek XI, the Duke of the Eilbek Duchy.”

“Your Highness, do you agree that I should lead today’s meeting as a hero?”

When I asked directly, the Eilbek lord snorted and sneered.

“What good would it do if I opposed? Those great people are glaring and warning me. I have to admit it, yes, that’s right!”

“Oh, my!”

“It’s okay.”

I stopped Gazel, who was trying to get up in excitement.

“Is the reason you don’t recognize me because I’m young?”

“That’s also a problem, but there’s a bigger problem. I’m old now, but I participated in the final battle in my younger days. I saw the hero Kyle up close.”

“I see.”

“I see? Heh heh… you don’t know. The hero Kyle’s majestic and overwhelming presence that inspires awe just by looking at him. It was like looking at a dragon.”

The hero Kyle wasn’t like a dragon, he was a real dragon.

For reference, I actually saw Kyle’s true form.

From my point of view, to convince that person and prove my legitimacy… I guess that’s the only way.

“Come out. Coco.”

The Holy Dragon Coco, who had been waiting in the subspace, revealed her huge body.

The large tent that the soldiers had worked hard to set up flew away in an instant, and some lords fell from their chairs due to the shock.

Coco, who had been watching the situation from the inside, spread her wings wide and roared loudly.

Kyaooo!!!!!

Coco especially opened her mouth wide and roared at the Eilbek lord.

After that, she yawned lazily and went back into the subspace.

It was a brief appearance, but the effect was certain.

One of the lords, as if his soul had been threshed, trembled and said.

“What was that just now…”

“Ah, I’m late for the introduction. This is my child, Coco. I don’t know if it’s a son or a daughter because it’s asexual.”

“That’s not the problem… that just now…”

“That’s not it. It’s a dragon. Thank you for expressing it accurately.”

I turned my gaze to Duke Eilbek.

He, who had faced the dragon’s roar head-on, was staring blankly at the air.

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

He doesn’t look okay at all.

Unfortunately, yellow water was dripping from his crotch.

It was a somewhat flimsy bladder for a warrior who had even participated in the final battle.

“Dragon… a dragon…”

“Earlier, Your Highness said that the hero Kyle was like a dragon, so I showed you a real dragon. How is it? Do Coco and Kyle look a bit similar?”

“Dragon… ah… dragon…”

I was wrong.

He had already lost his mind halfway.

Some soldiers came in and supported him to take him out.

The conference room was quiet again.

“Let’s start the meeting.”

The meeting started under my leadership.

No one had any complaints or objections like before.

*

“The Wrath that appeared in the Bryunak Kingdom is a pure-blooded giant. He is the only executive who is loyal to the Twilight Church leader to the bone. Currently, the Twilight Church leader will be waiting for us in the abandoned ruins in the south-central part of the continent. The Bryunak incident is a declaration of war and an invitation to us.”

From the beginning of the meeting, I quickly shared the information I knew.

I added a detailed explanation because not only the lords but also some of the Seven Stars didn’t know much about the Twilight.

“Currently, there is only one executive left in the Twilight. The rest are all dead. We just need to go and catch the leader and Wrath.”

Pilgrim Tom, who had been listening to my words silently, raised his hand.

“Everything is good, but I have one question.”

“Please speak.”

“Where did you get such detailed information? It’s not easy to get information unless you’re an insider.”

About half of the information I just spat out was obtained from Sloth, and the other half was obtained from Merlin’s memory in the Golden Branch.

Since the insider information is certain in either route, I couldn’t tell the truth and just glossed over it.

“It’s valuable information secured from a reliable source.”

“Are you sure it’s reliable? Isn’t it the enemy’s trap? Many lives depend on your decision, Henon.”

“It’s certain information. Please believe me.”

To be exact, it’s information that can’t help but be certain.

When I spoke strongly, the Seven Stars and lords, who had been dubious, eventually agreed.

“I understand. Since I recognized you as a hero, I will trust and follow you.”

“Then what is there to hesitate? The enemy is only two people. Let’s sweep them away by mobilizing the entire army right now.”

I objected to Orneo’s suggestion.

“I’m sorry, but a large army is out of the question.”

“What? Then what are you going to do?”

The answer has already been decided.

It was a small elite force.

“I and the Seven Stars here. The eight of us will hunt the Twilight Church leader.”