The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 44

6. Recapturing: The Considerate Bastard

“So it has come to this.”

After hearing about Peter’s betrayal from Zion, I couldn’t hide my bitter feelings.

I didn’t particularly want to blame him.

Peter was also trying to find his own way to survive, and it just didn’t align with mine.

On the other hand, Campbell was furious, snorting like a bull.

“That bastard! We saved his life, and he repays us with betrayal? He’s a shameless scoundrel, the likes of which aren’t found even in the North. Vice-Captain, let’s go and chop his head off right now!”

“Are you truly an idiot? If we openly deal with Peter, we’ll be advertising to Young Master Phillip that we’ve caught on to Peter’s betrayal.”

It’s a relief that at least one of them has a brain. If Zion had a similar intellect to Campbell, it would have been quite exhausting.

“Zion is right. It’s too early to make Peter pay the price.”

“But Master, Campbell isn’t wrong either. Peter is supposed to carry out the Albus Castle operation with us. It’s difficult to move with a traitor behind our backs.”

Her concern was valid.

“I have a separate plan for that.”

“Understood.”

Since I had been doing well so far, Campbell and Zion didn’t raise any further objections.

The solution wasn’t anything special.

I was just thinking of giving Peter one more chance to return. The choice he makes then will determine his fate.

* * *

After being discharged from the North.

The atmosphere in the inner castle was like the calm before a storm.

The servants gossiped about the temporary heir competition that had been staked on the recapture of Albus Castle.

As a result, some of them avoided me unless it was absolutely necessary, fearing they might be targeted if they talked to me.

It was convenient for me.

I lived freely in the inner castle without anyone’s interference or obstruction.

Currently, I was swinging my sword in the empty training ground.

Even while busy with the territory war, I didn’t neglect my training.

I had been training intensely for six hours already.

The muscles in my body were clearly defined, and sweat poured down like rain, soaking the floor.

At the same time, I was conversing with the Demonic Heavenly Sword in my mind. The Demonic Heavenly Sword pointed out my shortcomings for about an hour, and then diligently filled the rest of the time with his grumbling.

“It’s a shame you were discharged from the North.”

-In what way?

“I realize how precious the opportunity to cross swords with Karina every morning was.”

-In the Western Continent, there aren’t many opportunities to receive sparring guidance from masters. Where I was, I was beaten by my master every day.

“I wish I could train with such a master, even occasionally. Campbell feels lacking.”

-You think exactly like those guys on our side.

While we were having a trivial conversation, something was caught in my spread-out senses. I perked up my ears and heard two sets of footsteps. One was Zion’s familiar footsteps, but the other was unidentifiable. The footsteps themselves were so light and subtle, and there was no sense of bloodlust, which made it even more ambiguous.

“Master, I’m here.”

I clearly felt that two people had come, but only Zion was visible. For some reason, the back of my head tingled.

-Kekeke…

The Demonic Heavenly Sword is laughing.

For some reason, it’s ominous.

My intuition sounded an alarm.

And then.

Whoosh! Clang!

Reflexively, I turned my body and brought my sword up, and sword met sword in the empty air, sparking.

It was the spot where the back of my head had been just a second ago.

I looked at who had made such a cowardly surprise attack, and surprisingly, it was the neatly dressed old butler, Sebastian.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Please forgive me. After hearing from my daughter that you had reached the Expert level, I couldn’t believe it and committed this rudeness.”

Sebastian, Zion’s father and the head butler of the Marquisate [the territory ruled by a Marquis].

He was a loyal servant who had been by Marquis Lloyd’s side for decades.

On the surface, he was an ordinary butler, but everyone who knew anything knew that he was a famous assassin in the Empire.

In fact, he was the Lloyd family’s hidden secret weapon and, along with the retired Sword Master Marquis, accounted for a significant portion of their strength.

“To be able to discern my hidden self, you have truly reached that realm. I am deeply moved.”

Sebastian had maintained a strictly neutral position within the family, not taking anyone’s side.

However, blood is thicker than water.

Since his own daughter, Zion, had joined forces with me, it was safe to say that he was somewhat friendly, as any human would be.

“Thank you.”

“This old man has made a fool of himself, so I’ll be on my way. By the way, Marquis Lloyd is not feeling well today and skipped breakfast. I came to deliver this message.”

Sebastian turned and walked away.

Looking at his back, a good idea came to mind.

“Butler.”

“What is it?”

“I have a request.”

“Please command me.”

I scanned Sebastian up and down.

He appeared to be an ordinary old man, but the druid’s intuition caught the knife-like sharpness hidden within him.

“I want to spar with the butler.”

That’s why I wanted to compete.

Perhaps it was a competitive spirit.

Recently, after reaching the Expert level and becoming a beginner druid, I haven’t had a proper one-on-one match with someone more skilled than me.

I wanted to clash with Sebastian, who was said to be the Empire’s best assassin, without any regrets, and find out where my current position is.

“With me, you say?”

“That’s right. Are you busy, perhaps?”

“No, but most of the techniques I use are for assassination and are not suitable for sparring. I don’t know if it will be helpful to you.”

Sebastian indirectly expressed his refusal with a look of embarrassment.

The reason the old butler is refusing to spar is probably because he wants to maintain his neutral position.

That’s why I brought up the reason why he had no choice but to spar with me.

“There’s one more condition. I want Zion to watch our sparring match.”

“!!!”

Sebastian’s white eyebrows twitched at the mention of his own daughter’s name. Zion, who was listening to the conversation next to him, also had a surprised expression.

“Zion, learn a lot.”

It was a short sentence, but Zion, who immediately guessed the meaning contained within, bowed his head.

Recently, Zion had been facing a wall. I had already crossed the wall, and Campbell had also gained inspiration during the battle with Niflheim and crossed the wall, so the next turn was hers.

She had also accumulated solid experience from her long service in the North, wielded her dagger on battlefields where lives were at stake, and devoted a considerable amount of time to training on a regular basis.

The problem was that her progress had stagnated since facing the wall. I had noticed that she was cutting back on sleep and increasing her training time to overcome this.

As a maid with a strong sense of professionalism, she didn’t show any signs of fatigue in front of me, but how could I not know her struggles when we were together every day?

I wanted to show such Zion how Sebastian, her superior and senior, fought against a druid like me.

‘It would be good if she could gain some clues on how to become stronger in the future by watching the sparring match. And I can gain experience at the same time.’

There’s no way Sebastian, who is a master of perception, wouldn’t know my consideration. In the end, the old butler could only let out a hollow laugh at the problem involving his own daughter.

“Goodness. I can’t beat you, Master. I’ll have to take off some clothes after a long time.”

As Sebastian took off his black butler’s uniform, Zion naturally accepted it. At the tacit consent, I also shook off the sweat and tried to pick up my sword, but…

Phew!

A dagger grazed my cheek.

A faint wound appeared where it grazed, and a streak of blood flowed down.

“The sparring match is over. If I had applied poison, you would already be dead.”

That sneaky old man pretended to hand the clothes to Zion and threw the dagger hidden inside.

A fatal blow that induced a moment of carelessness.

Now I knew a little bit about how the assassin’s fight differed from the swordsman’s.

“1:0. Let’s go with a best-of-five series.”

“If that’s what you wish, Master.”

“By the way, the same attack as before won’t work.”

“We’ll see about that.”

With that, Sebastian blended into the surrounding environment. It was a sight that was hard to believe even when seen.

“Water Lizard Footwork?”

“No, it’s a skill called Camouflage. If you mix it with Water Lizard Footwork, it becomes like this.”

Spot!

A chilling sensation on my side.

Before I knew it, my collar was torn.

What if I wasn’t a druid immune to poison and the dagger was coated with deadly poison?

“…2:0.”

“One point left.”

“Why didn’t you teach Zion such a good skill?”

At my words, Sebastian glanced at Zion. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared intently at this side. I could feel her determination not to miss a single scene. It was as if she were a student who had stayed up for three nights before an exam.

“It’s not a skill that can be taught. You have to see, feel, and experience a lot to naturally acquire it.”

Even I could see that it was an extraordinary skill.

Still, Zion hadn’t been idle.

She had been running harder than anyone else.

Wouldn’t it be possible for her to gain clues about the Camouflage skill by making today’s sparring a nutrient?

‘Who’s worrying about whom?’

A burst of laughter came out.

I can’t lose in vain like this.

I have to give it my all.

“I’m going to do it properly from now on.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Sebastian, who had melted back in again.

I sharpened my senses beyond the five senses.

The Demonic Heavenly Sword also helped me.

-Right cheek

Whoosh!

The sound of a fierce wind rang in my ears as soon as I tilted my head to the left.

“Ho? You avoided that.”

“I told you I was going to do it properly!”

[Wood Control is activated.]

[Restrains the target.]

Sebastian knew that I was a druid, so he fearlessly raised trees from the ground.

Even if he camouflaged himself, the Demonic Heavenly Sword found his location amazingly. When I used Bind on that location,

“!!”

Sebastian’s camouflage was released as his ankle was tied to a tree root. I swung my sword with all my might at him, who had a surprised expression.

Clang!

As expected, the old butler’s movements were quick.

He quickly removed the roots and nimbly avoided my attack.

It was the epitome of evasion.

However, even such Sebastian could not have predicted the continuous chain of attacks.

Spot!

One side of the neat butler’s uniform was torn.

The Demonic Heavenly Sword I threw had grazed his clothes.

Sword throwing was a technique I learned in the North.

It was something that knights who shouted for honor would never do, but in the North, they threw not only swords but also goblin dung to survive.

Besides, I was a druid, so I could use deadly skills even without a sword.

On the other hand, Sebastian, who was fighting a druid for the first time, didn’t know that a swordsman would abandon his main weapon, so he took a hit properly.

The greatly surprised butler stared blankly at me. I shrugged my shoulders because I didn’t have a taste for old men.

“Is this your first time seeing someone throw a sword?”

“A battle that is not bound by formalities. You have grown far beyond what this old man had hoped for.”

“2:1. Let’s start again.”

I shouldn’t give him time to react.

I started to pour out the skills I had used to kill the Owlbear.

[Stone Control is used.]

[Snipes the opponent.]

The sharply rising stones from the ground hindered Sebastian’s path.

His forehead began to be covered with cold sweat as he witnessed the use of druid skills that exceeded his imagination.

“Amazing.”

While flustered, he skillfully retreated, using the sharply rising Stone Lances as stepping stones. I closely followed Sebastian’s back.

‘The best defense is offense. I have to relentlessly push him so that he uses the threatening skill, Water Lizard Footwork, for evasion rather than attack.’

In the end, the battle progressed into a war of attrition.

I tried to tie up Sebastian by tearing up the entire training ground floor, and I stabbed Stone Lances whenever I saw an opening.

Sebastian ran away for more than 30 minutes.

Later, I grabbed the Demonic Heavenly Sword again and swung it.

The fierce sparring that had been going on like that ended only after all of my Affinity had run out.

Ting

As my Affinity dropped, I felt dizzy, my head was spinning, and my vision narrowed.

Sebastian’s dagger, which had rushed in like lightning, cut my bangs slightly, taking advantage of the momentary staggering.

The sparring match ended with the falling hair.

The score was 3:1.

“I admit defeat. I learned a lot.”

Sebastian was silent for a while even after hearing my answer.

The butler’s uniform he was wearing was soaked with sweat, and his breathing was slightly disturbed.

Only then did I realize.

Not only was I chasing him, but Sebastian, who was running away, was not in a comfortable state either.

Although he lost, it was a great thing that he had troubled an opponent equivalent to the family’s elder for half an hour.

In addition, the fact that he scored a precious 1 point was amazing in itself.

“I’m getting old too. You have grown remarkably.”

“No.”

“I enjoyed sparring with you very much. If you’re okay with it, would you like me to spar with you again later?”

“I’m always welcome.”

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Sebastian, who bowed his head, turned and disappeared.

He’s an old butler on the verge of becoming a Sword Master.

I heard that I was not a novice who unilaterally received teachings from such a person, but at least at a level where mutual feedback was possible.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen my father’s breathing disturbed…”

Zion couldn’t close his open mouth. Her eyes were still red with congestion due to the aftermath of excessive observation. It was as if she were a student who had stayed up for three nights before an exam.

“Zion, go in and rest.”

“It’s okay. I have to clean the training ground.”

“I’ll clean it. I have to go to Albus Castle in two days, so save your strength. That’s an order.”

It was a consideration to rest and organize today’s sparring in her head, and Zion, who had a quick understanding, understood and went inside.

Time passed quickly like that.

The three days promised with the Blue Falcon Mercenary Commander were fast approaching.

* * *

Albus Castle.

High walls and a deep moat surrounded three sides without any gaps. Even the back side is a steep cliff.

The new Lord of Albus, who had executed his brother and tried to kill Peter but failed, looked down from the fortress that could be called an impregnable fortress.

“So you’ve finally come.”

The 3,000 troops that I saw with my own eyes were much more substantial than when I only heard about them. The strategist next to him opened his mouth.

“It’s okay. Our fortress can never be penetrated head-on. Besides, didn’t reinforcements come from the Hilton family?”

That’s right.

Originally, he had to defend against the 3,000-strong Blue Falcon Mercenary Corps + Lloyd Family Allied Forces with 500 soldiers he had scraped together, but just yesterday, 300 reinforcements arrived from the Hilton family.

Compared to his soldiers, most of whom were serfs who had not received proper training, the soldiers of the Hilton family had excellent equipment and looked like they had shed a lot of blood on their weapons.

It is almost impossible to capture the fortress until winter passes, as 300 elite soldiers have been added to the 500 that can be defended.

The problem is…

“Lord! Something terrible has happened!!”

The head butler is running as if he’s out of breath. The Lord of Albus seemed to know what was going on without even listening.

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go that way.”

The Lord, who hurriedly entered the inner castle with a waddling gait, put his hand on his forehead after seeing the tragedy that had unfolded inside.

Slap! Smack!

The maid who fainted from the pain had been slapped so much that she couldn’t recognize the shape of her face. At that rate, scars would remain for the rest of her life even after time passed.

“Sir Horman.”

The person who had brutally assaulted the maid was Sir Horman, the knight who had led 300 soldiers from the Hilton family.

He was not just an Expert, but a knight who had reached maturity, and his skills alone were a proven talent.

Of course, his personality, which was inversely proportional to his considerable skills, was also famous.

“Oh! Lord! Have you come? I had some complaints anyway.”

“What is it?”

“How do you educate your subordinates? Even a simple task of pouring tea, the maid couldn’t do it, and my clothes got wet.”

That’s not it.

He must have been trying to touch the maid’s body parts, and when she refused, he exercised unilateral violence.

It wasn’t just once or twice, and even though it had only been two days since he arrived, his tyranny was at a level that he couldn’t bear to watch.

But what can I do?

We’re the ones who are desperate.

The Lord bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay. I’ll let it go this time because of my Lord. Please manage it well so that this doesn’t happen again next time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Lord of Albus swallowed his anger and took the maid out.

Sir Horman, who was left alone, picked up a bottle of alcohol on the table and drank it down.

“Damn it! I have to stay in this rural territory for the winter. Anyway, that new strategist is the problem.”

It is said that rolling stones take out the embedded stones [a proverb meaning newcomers often displace established individuals].

Due to the strong argument of the strategist who was suddenly recruited into the Hilton family, he, who made a lot of noise even in the Count family, was kicked out to the countryside.

It’s ridiculous that he’s wearing a top hat and a mask, and even his actions are annoying.

He made a sudden request while sending Horman here.

‘I heard that Henon of the Lloyd family is climbing the cliff to attack the Lord’s Castle. Just in case, please keep an eye on that side. After all, he is a hero who eradicated the Twilight Great Cadre, isn’t he? He may have hidden strategies.’

“Hidden strategies my ass! If you actually came and saw this place, you wouldn’t be able to spout such nonsense.”

As soon as he came here, Horman checked the cliff first. And then he laughed. The cliff with a slope of over 90 degrees was so steep that even he could not climb it.

Okay. Let’s say he climbed up through extreme probability. What can he do alone? That’s why Horman can’t help but think that the new strategist is feeding him water [deceiving him].

“Was it Henon? A guy who goes around bragging about defeating the Twilight Great Cadre. There’s no way. I wish he would climb the cliff instead. I’ll sew him up with a spear as soon as I see him.”

Horman, who was muttering, grabbed the bottle of alcohol roughly and poured it into his throat until no more alcohol came out. Either way, alcohol was the only thing that could relieve his boredom.