The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 27

The Young Master of the Marquisate Is a Genius – Episode 27 (27/200)

Chapter 4: Discovery: The Worried Young Master

I won the bet against Sword Master Karina.

To be precise, it was embarrassing to even call it a win.

She didn’t even get a scratch, and only her epaulet was slightly torn.

Still, the tip of my sword grazed her.

That alone was a miracle.

Karina, being a master, knew better than anyone how I had overcome the extreme odds to achieve this result.

“I didn’t expect it. You feigned not blocking my attack even though you could have. Plus, a surprise attack at the last moment, adding a strange binding skill. Collapsing the ground with a pre-prepared trap and then creating a foothold in the air to finish it off…”

Karina looked at me with profound eyes.

It wasn’t hard to guess that there was admiration in her gaze.

“I’ll take back what I said.”

“What are you referring to?”

“The part about you resembling your father.”

“Why is that?”

“In certain aspects, you seem more tenacious and meticulous than your father. I’m curious to see what will happen as you continue to grow.”

That was truly high praise.

I felt awkward about how to respond.

“There’s no way. The Marquis is the person I respect the most. Being compared to him is an honor in itself.”

“That’s annoying. Don’t be so pretentious in front of me from now on.”

“I won because I’m good.”

“Much better.”

The bet was over.

Now it was time to settle the results.

She had agreed to teach me her ultimate skill that had made her a Seven Star if she lost, no questions asked.

“A promise is a promise, so I have no choice. It’s an overstatement to call it an ultimate skill, but I’ll teach you a decent technique. It’s nothing special once you understand it. It’s the technique I showed you during our sparring match.”

What Karina taught me was the technique of kicking into the air when trapped in a pit.

“I call this skill Air Jumping, or Shunpo [a technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow]. People without talent can’t master it even if they learn it for a lifetime.”

She demonstrated it before my eyes.

Moving while floating in the air not only increased the range of motion to an absurd level but also had the effect of catching the opponent off guard.

After showing a splendid demonstration, she raised her nose and said.

“Actually, I never imagined I would lose the bet. I know it’s a somewhat difficult technique for you, who is still a beginner, but I’ll tell you the principle, so take it step by step…”

“It’s a technique that utilizes the wind. It’s not just about stepping on the air but about instantly compressing the air to create extreme mass and then using it as a stepping stone to leap. It’s truly ingenious.”

Karina’s eyes widened.

She was so surprised that her mouth remained open.

“What? How did you know?”

I was too flustered during the battle to pay attention.

After calmly examining it, I noticed a small whirlwind at the point of the leap, that is, under her feet, and Karina used it as a stepping stone.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed.

But to my eyes as a Druid, it was observed very clearly.

“The wind of the North must favor the Commander.”

The wind doesn’t lend its power to just anyone, so it’s a technique that people without talent can’t use, just as she said.

But what about me?

Could I be better at using this technique than anyone else?

Even more than Karina, who developed the technique herself.

Seeing my eyes sparkling with anticipation, the red-haired commander grumbled with a look of dismay.

“This is just great. It feels like I didn’t teach you the technique, but it was stolen.”

“There’s no way. I’ve only grasped the principle, and I’ll need a lot of practice to actually use it.”

‘If I complete it, I’ll be able to leap multiple times, not just once like Karina,’ I thought, but didn’t bother to add aloud.

“Well, a bet is a bet. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Even though it was a bet, she is the commander of Black Castle.

The act of regularly sparring with me and teaching me secret techniques was clearly out of consideration for Marquis Lloyd.

Karina smiled faintly and patted my shoulder, as if sensing my sincerity from my bowed head.

“I hope you survive until your service is over. You have to leave with a smile when you’re discharged. The atmosphere at Black Castle has been ominous lately, so always be careful.”

Since coming to this world, had I ever heard such words from anyone other than Zion?

My heart warmed, and my chest felt ticklish for no reason.

At the same time, hearing that the atmosphere was ominous made me think of something else.

I promptly reported the Aul-Bears [a type of monster] devouring their own kind that I had witnessed while patrolling with Zion.

The commander’s expression turned serious when she heard the story.

“I’ve never heard of this before? Did Victor fail to report it?”

“I was too busy with the bet with the Commander to report it to Victor. It’s my fault.”

In fact, I didn’t report it because I didn’t trust Victor and felt uneasy, but I made an excuse for now.

“It’s good that I know now, but from now on, be sure to report to the captain.”

“Yes.”

I could feel from her tone that Karina trusted Victor quite a bit.

I couldn’t stir up a hornet’s nest with just suspicion, so I decided to stop here.

“I’ll be on my way now. I have another patrol in the morning.”

“Okay. Good work.”

* * *

After that, Karina came out several times at dawn to demonstrate Shunpo, and I captured every scene in my head as if I were filming a video.

Although on a small scale, she also manipulated the wind, so she was also a Druid in a broad sense.

This was, to some extent, in line with what the Heavenly Demon said, that all fields ultimately merge with nature.

‘That’s right. The active skill Wood Control, which I’ve mainly used so far, has focused on binding using tree trunks or roots. But trees aren’t the only thing in nature. The stones rolling on the ground and the wind flowing over them are also nature that I can control.’

First, I tried to feel the wind.

Feeling it itself was easy.

The North was always a place where fierce, cold winds blew.

The problem was that it was very difficult to bind and control this wind.

‘Finding the Golden Branch is also not something that can be solved in a day or two. Let’s take our time and do it slowly.’

As I was determined and immersed in meditation,

The air subtly distorted behind me.

“Is that Zion?”

Training with the wind has naturally made me better at sensing the presence of others.

Zion’s footsteps are getting lighter day by day.

I caught him because I’m a Druid, but now even Campbell might be completely caught off guard by Zion if he puts his mind to it.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s better to see it for yourself than to explain it in words.”

Late at night.

The place Zion led me to was Black Honey.

Was he suggesting we have a drink alone at night?

Creak!

The rusty hinges screamed, announcing the arrival of a guest.

Surprisingly, candles were illuminating the interior, and the waitress Erica was sitting at a table with an uneasy expression.

Erica was momentarily delighted to see Zion, but her expression soured when she saw me next to him.

It seemed that today’s appointment was supposed to be just between Zion and Erica, and I was an unwelcome guest.

Zion soothed Erica.

“It’s okay. He’s someone you can trust.”

“You don’t mean…”

“That’s right. I’m sorry. The Young Master knows about it too. The fact that you and Victor are dating.”

“How could you do this!”

“Just listen for a moment. The Young Master has been suspicious of Victor from the beginning, even before you told us the story.”

Listening to the conversation between the two girls, I roughly understood what was going on.

In the meantime, I indirectly extracted information about Victor through Zion, who was friends with Erica, and finally, she seemed to have something to say today.

“Really?”

“That’s right. So don’t worry. He’s someone who will believe you even more than I do.”

Erica looked back and forth between me and Zion with trembling pupils.

“It’s okay. Tell me slowly. We’re ready to listen.”

She took a sip of honey tea, perhaps feeling a little relieved that even I said this.

“It’s already been almost two years since Victor and I started dating. At first, I was just happy. He was a handsome, kind, and sincere man.”

Her story continued.

“The biggest drawback was that he was a Ranger. Every time he went out on patrol, I waited anxiously for him to survive.”

“I see.”

“Yes. But Victor never disappointed me. He always came back smiling and didn’t even have a minor injury during that long time.”

The story that followed was about how much she loved Victor and how well Victor treated her.

To be honest, there was no substance to it, but I listened silently because I was worried that she would get scared and shut her mouth if I pressured her unnecessarily.

“Then one day.”

Is this finally the main point?

“I’m a waitress at Black Honey. All sorts of stories go around here. Then I heard Leon, the gatekeeper of the North Gate, cursing my boyfriend.”

“What did he say?”

“Every time Victor goes out on patrol alone at night, deserters or casualties occur. He asked if he had been cursed by the Demon King Baal.”

I would have been angry enough if I were Victor’s girlfriend.

“You must have been angry.”

“Of course. Leon isn’t even a Ranger. I know best how hard the Rangers work at Black Castle. I criticized him for not acknowledging their hard work and for saying such insensible things.”

“So?”

“I told Victor. Victor was cool about it, saying it was okay. I let it go too. And that night, I finished work at the bar earlier than usual and secretly visited Victor’s dorm.”

“What for?”

“To… comfort him. I thought he must have been very upset.”

Erica’s face turned slightly red, as if she was embarrassed.

“Was that the first time you made a surprise visit like that?”

“That’s right. Victor is a man who values appointments. When I went, the curtains were drawn on the window, and candlelight was faintly seeping inside. But…”

From here, Erica’s voice began to tremble.

“I couldn’t hear it well because it was mixed with the sound of the wind, but I definitely heard it. A person’s scream.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The scream came from Victor’s dorm. A little later, Victor came out with a large bundle on his shoulder. He went in the direction of the North Gate, as if he was going out on a night patrol. As soon as Victor left, I went into his dorm, just in case.”

As a result, Erica didn’t see anything in Victor’s dorm.

Empty bottles rolling on the floor, rumpled bedding, leftover bread, candles with dripping wax.

On the surface, there was nothing particularly wrong, but the only thing that bothered her was…

“The smell of blood. The terrible smell of blood. Even if a Ranger always has monster blood on them, this was too much.”

And the next day, the news of Leon’s desertion.

It was so coincidental that Erica called Zion.

She desperately asked us with tearful eyes.

“It’s not, right? It can’t be. Leon is my hometown friend. He’s not the kind of friend who would ever desert. But why… sob…”

Zion hugged Erica tightly.

“Erica, for now, don’t tell anyone about this except us. Treat Victor the same as usual.”

“Okay.”

“Nothing has been revealed yet. And Victor is an excellent Ranger. I’ll go and ask Victor separately about what’s going on soon.”

After that, Erica cried in Zion’s arms for a long time.

After calming her down, we left Black Honey.

The night wind was cold.

I said to Zion, who followed me out.

“Zion.”

“Yes.”

“From today, monitor Victor’s house every night. If there’s anything strange, or especially on the days he goes out on night patrol, report to me unconditionally.”

“Understood.”

Zion is excellent at hiding his presence, so he should be able to avoid Victor’s eyes.

I hoped my worries were unfounded.