The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 200

Chapter 23. Side Story: The Accompanied Thug (End)

“Pardon? You really don’t have to.”

“I want to do it. Don’t refuse.”

I went to Cave Manor after a long time.

Cave Manor is a small manor about a day’s journey from Lloyd Estate.

Now that my movement speed has increased, it only takes an hour to get there.

At first glance, it’s an unremarkable manor, but a big incident happened here in the past.

A necromancer named Raul, who came from the Twilight Church, kidnapped the villagers and turned them into ghouls. To make matters worse, he attached various body parts to create chimeras [monstrous creatures made of different animal parts].

The manor’s village chief, Harrison, also lost his son Jacob to the necromancer.

At the time, I was a novice druid and borrowed the power of acorns to defeat Raul, but his dead son could not be brought back.

Was it because that incident bothered me?

Since then, I’ve visited Cave Manor whenever I had the chance and built a friendship with Harrison, who likes alcohol.

After defeating the Demon King and becoming unemployed, I visited even more often, and today a different topic came up.

“You want to see the sea?”

“Hahaha! Just think of it as a drunkard’s nonsense and ignore it. Where else would I go at my age? I’m just dreaming.”

Harrison brushed it off lightly.

On the other hand, I was deep in thought.

I had recently thought of a place to go.

“Pack your bags right away.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve lived in a mountain village, so you probably haven’t seen the sea in your life, have you? I’ll show you the sea.”

“Oh, my! You really don’t have to.”

“This is an order as the young lord. Pack your bags. Tell the rest of the villagers to come out if they want to.”

That’s how a travel package was created on the spot.

Of course, I was the guide.

“Isn’t the sea quite far from here?”

“It’s okay. I have a way.”

I really do have a way.

With Tom’s help, I recently created a wormhole generator.

It was a bit far from the Lloyd territory, so I had to go through Gallanah in the middle, but anyway, if I took the wormhole twice, I could arrive in a day.

Swaaaaaa!!!!

The cool sound of the waves and the dazzling white sand.

The salty wind caressed my tongue.

The bright sunshine and palm trees that I couldn’t see in the estate welcomed us.

“This is… the sea?”

Harrison stared blankly at the blue waves.

I understand why he’s reacting like that since it’s his first time seeing the sea.

But it’s too early to be surprised.

A group of people approached from over there.

“Welcome to Poseidon Land! Aloha~”

Doo-doo-doo-doo~~

A fish-man wearing a ridiculous seaweed costume and playing a tambourine approached us while doing the hula dance.

The child fish-men following behind gave necklaces made of coral and seashells to me and the people of Cave Manor.

Village chief Harrison stared blankly at the necklace and the fish-men alternately.

“Wh-who are you?”

“I’m an employee working at Poseidon World, and these are my assistants.”

“No… that’s…”

“Can you guide me to Ilina?”

I said, instead of Harrison, who was out of his mind.

“You want to see the president? Who are you?”

The fish-man narrowed his eyes and looked at me, then jumped up.

“Hero! You were a VVVIP! I’ll guide you to the president.”

We boarded a submarine elevator that was pre-arranged on the beach.

The long cylindrical elevator is maintained by buoyancy.

The principle is that it goes underground when ultra-high-density liquid metal is removed, and it goes back to the ground when it is injected again.

It’s a collaboration between the pilgrim craftsman who made the Dragonbone Sword, my druid abilities, the wisdom of Sage Orneo, and the Aslan Empire.

In particular, the elevator walls were made of transparent material so that you could visually enjoy the beautiful sea to your heart’s content as you went down.

“Wow!! There are so many fish!”

“So this is what the sea is like.”

The children were excited and jumped up and down, and the adults were too busy gaping and watching. Some sentimental middle-aged women even shed tears when faced with the spectacle.

As soon as we reached the lowest floor, the employee guided us to the palace I had visited in the past.

The palace was very different from before.

The gatekeepers who were holding spears and glaring were all gone.

Instead, the fish-men, wearing seaweed skirts and shell necklaces like the guides, showed their healthy teeth and waved their hands.

“Aloha~”

The sign on the front gate of the palace had these large letters written on it.

[Poseidon World Information Center]

[If you have any questions, please come here.]

[Employees are someone’s precious sons and daughters, so please refrain from using abusive language and profanity.]

We arrived at the audience chamber.

The atmosphere inside was very different from before.

The food piled up like a mountain because of the Twilight’s great executive, Gluttony.

It was all gone, and the sea wood paper (paper made from sea trees, only used in underwater cities) took its place.

There were so many documents that the ministers I saw last time were sweating profusely and focusing all their efforts on organizing them.

On one side of the audience chamber, a strange conversation took place between humans and fish-men.

“So when is the seahorse tea coming?”

“I contacted the knight. He’ll be here in 10 minutes.”

“Is there a map here? What if I get lost?”

“Here’s the map, and there are information centers at every tourist attraction, so you can ask there.”

“What if they sell defective souvenirs? I bought it for 20 gold, but it broke quickly.”

“Which store did you buy it from? If you tell us the store name, we’ll contact them and exchange it for a new product.”

Ilina was working in a separate space above the audience chamber.

When I opened the door and went inside, she was stamping the approval documents with her horn-rimmed glasses on.

Gold coins and jewels were piled up like a mountain on one side of the room, and several familiar faces were visible.

It was Elder Orneo and Theodore.

“Elder, long time no see?”

When I raised my hand and greeted him, Orneo, who was drinking coconut juice, jumped up.

“Who is this! Isn’t he the first director of Poseidon World?”

“Please don’t call me by that embarrassing name.”

“You are the first director. Without your ideas and druid power, we wouldn’t have dared to decorate the underwater city as such a tourist destination.”

I gently pushed away the constantly nagging Elder Orneo and said to Theodore.

“Theodore, long time no see. Is the Swift Wind Tribe doing well?”

“Of course. Too well, that’s the problem. The things humans brought are convenient and useful. Our tribe has completely changed.”

“That’s a relief. Can I ask you a favor?”

“Tell me.”

“This person is Harrison. He’s from our territory. Can you give them a special package tour?”

“Hehehe, of course. This Theodore is famous as an S-class guide even in Poseidon City.”

Theodore, who was excited, led Harrison and the people of Cave Manor out of the office.

A sudden silence.

Ilina took off her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes.

“Don’t overdo it and take it easy.”

“Thanks to someone, I’m busy. Thank you so much.”

I felt a strange itch on the back of my head at the slightly thorny words.

The elder, who was lying on the hammock and sucking on a coconut, helped me out of trouble.

“Still, if it weren’t for Henon, the fish-men would have lived forever cut off from the continent. They would have been isolated and fallen behind while the continent was developing.”

“I agree with that point. I am grateful to my benefactor. But… I’m too tired.”

“Instead, you’re raking in money. I went ashore last month, and among the imperial nobles, anyone who hasn’t been on a Poseidon tour can’t even join the conversation.”

After defeating the Demon King, Prime Minister Ilina quietly came to me.

What she wanted was harmony with the surface people.

The fish-men, who had suffered from the Kraken [a legendary sea monster] for a long time, did not want any more conflicts and wars.

However, they didn’t want to be trapped underground forever, even though they knew there was land above.

The idea I came up with here was to turn the underwater city into a tourist destination.

By turning a place with extreme cultural differences into a tourist destination, we pursue natural exchanges between the two regions.

This was a method that was often used on Earth.

Ilina, who received my idea, immediately started working on it, and in just one year, the underwater city became the best tourist attraction on the Arnia continent.

‘Making money is just a secondary purpose. The real thing is to instill a favorable image of the fish-men in the minds of the continentals while touring.’

Right now, there are overwhelmingly more people coming from the continent to the underwater city, but as time goes by, there will be more fish-men advancing to the surface.

If they advance without any preparation, they may experience conflicts between races like elves and humans, but after conducting such tourism projects for several years, the treatment will be completely different.

If they come on a package tour, they will be high-ranking people such as nobles or royalty, and they will volunteer to protect the fish-men without anyone telling them to because they have seen the benefits of the underwater city.

“Prime Minister.”

“Yes.”

“I have a dream.”

Let’s borrow a famous saying from a pastor on Earth.

“What dream is it?”

“Someday, a fish-man child, a human child, and even an elf child will hold hands as brothers and sisters.”

“Ah…”

“There will be no racial superiority between them, and only love will exist. That is my dream.”

“Ah ah…”

Ilina stared at me with tearful eyes. To be honest, I copied it, so I feel a little guilty, but it’s okay because I said it with good intentions.

“As expected, not just anyone can be a hero. I am learning the benefactor’s great will again today.”

“Don’t praise me too much.”

“No. I’ve been forgetting my gratitude for a while due to the recent heavy workload. No matter how difficult it is now, wouldn’t it be like when the Kraken was there? I will do my best to bring the world that the benefactor dreams of forward as soon as possible.”

Ilina focused on the documents again.

Orneo and I made eye contact.

He smiled and raised his thumb.

I keep wanting the coconut drink that the elder is holding in his hand.

I should take a sip later.

The beach where the twilight is setting.

The golden waves beat against the white sand.

The sound of seagulls squawking.

Two men standing there.

It was me and the Heavenly Demon Elder.

For several months after defeating the Demon King, the Heavenly Demon’s whereabouts were unknown.

Apparently, he was wandering around the Arnia continent.

He said he did all the traveling at once to relieve the stuffy feeling he had accumulated during his time trapped in the sword.

I understood his feelings, so I left him alone to travel comfortably.

I wasn’t worried because he wasn’t an elder who would get hit and run away; he would hit back if he went anywhere.

The Heavenly Demon, who had toured the entire continent, rested at the estate for about two months and said just one thing.

“I’m going back home.”

We crossed the vast Eastern Great Forest.

There were many powerful monsters in places that even the elves dared not pass. But for me and the Heavenly Demon, who were Grand Sword Masters, it was like morning exercise.

When we came out of the Eastern Great Forest, a wide sea unfolded, no different from the west.

The Heavenly Demon floated a small boat there and lightly climbed on it.

“Are you really going? Please reconsider.”

The white beard of the Heavenly Demon, wearing a black robe and a bamboo hat, fluttered in the sea breeze.

My heart ached as the moment of farewell came.

When I think about it, the reason I was able to face this moment was thanks to the Heavenly Demon.

I was indebted to the elder countless times while traveling with him on the long journey to defeat the Demon King.

He had notified me of crises with the Heavenly Demon Navigation only thousands of times, and your swordsmanship guidance was a high-quality education that I could not receive anywhere on the Arnia continent.

Although it was a temporary alliance created by the elder’s desire to escape from the sword and my desire to become stronger at first, emotions beyond that have intervened now.

“Receive my bow.”

Once, twice, three times, four times…

A total of nine bows were made.

Nine bows.

“I have received teachings that are no different from a disciple, but I have not even properly greeted you. Please forgive this unfilial disciple who is now paying his respects. Master.”

I had always called the Heavenly Demon Elder or Heavenly Demon, but it was not awkward at all to call him Master for the first time.

That’s how much the Heavenly Demon was already established as a great master in my heart.

“Hehe, when I face you like this, I remember your wickedness that tried to drop me in the toilet at first.”

“Do you have to bring that up at a time like this?”

“Back then, I was going to cut you down with one sword as soon as I got out of the sword.”

“……”

I should be glad I became a Grand Sword Master. Otherwise, I would have died even after catching the Demon King.

“But I don’t know when this brat became so mature. Even though I’ve lived this long, I still don’t know the world.”

“Let’s just end it by saying that I’m great.”

“Shall we have a cool life-or-death match here?”

“No. I was wrong, so put that sword away.”

Psht.

I laughed and the Heavenly Demon laughed too.

A deep hug once.

This is enough.

Because the Heavenly Demon and I already know each other so well.

“I’m going.”

“Please come back. I’ll be waiting.”

The Heavenly Demon, who was rowing across the horizon, suddenly turned around and added a word.

“Brat.”

“Yes?”

“Come over to the Eastern Continent if you’re bored. There are many fun things here too.”

“I’ll go visit you soon. Please settle down well until then.”

“Hehehe, a demon who has returned after a thousand years… I think I’ll be branded as a public enemy of the Murim [martial arts world], but isn’t that also fun?”

With those words, the Heavenly Demon disappeared over the horizon.

Even if he becomes a public enemy of the Murim, my master will not be defeated.

I suddenly wanted to go to the Eastern Continent.

For some reason, I think I’ll visit there someday.

It was a strong premonition unique to druids.

The Heavenly Demon also left.

The continent has also been stabilized to some extent.

A true era of peace has arrived.

Seeing my acquaintances living happily made me full even if I didn’t eat……

‘I want to eat.’

I’m not not eating; I can’t eat.

Because there is no rice here.

The damn Arnia continent where wheat is the staple food.

I finally felt that the time had come.

It’s time to go back to Earth.

I need to eat white rice and spicy kimchi stew, with a half-boiled fried egg on the side to live.

“I’ll be back for a while.”

I greeted everyone around me.

I’m so used to wandering around that they think I’m going somewhere again this time.

It’s true that it’s a trip, but this time the scale is a bit large.

It’s not an overseas trip; it’s a dimension trip.

[Life Control]

[Summon World Tree]

Igdrasil [the World Tree in Norse mythology] is magnificent no matter how many times I see it.

Now all I have to do is touch the World Tree and ask it to send me to Earth.

I was about to gently touch it,

“Are you really going?”

A familiar voice coming from behind.

It was the maid, Sion.

“I told you. I’m going.”

“Please take me with you too.”

Surprisingly, Sion is following me.

“You? Do you know where I’m going now?”

“I don’t know. But I, as a maid, should naturally follow where Young Master is going.”

It’s not like Sion can go if she wants to. If Igdrasil doesn’t send her, it’s all for nothing. As if guessing my thoughts, Igdrasil’s voice spread through my consciousness.

[I can send one more person. Instead, the seat will be in economy class.]

Whether it’s economy or three-conomy, I don’t care if it’s a low-cost airline as long as I can go.

What’s important is…

“It’s a completely unfamiliar other world. All existing common sense will be turned upside down and won’t work. In the worst case, you won’t be able to use mana and you might become an ordinary person. Are you still okay with that?”

“If there is such a risk, I should accompany you even more. Because I have a duty to protect Young Master.”

Sion.

A companion who started this journey with me.

The most precious being to me.

I forgot for a moment.

That as much as I cherish this woman, this woman cherishes me too.

That deliberately dropping her off is the same as violence to her.

“I’m sorry. Let’s go together.”

“…Yes!!”

Sion, who is now brightening up and nodding.

A bright smile formed on her face.

It was the same smile I saw when I defeated the Demon King.