The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 57

Chapter 7: Summons – The Found Prodigal

Until recently, Zion had been going through a terrible slump. No matter how much she honed her skills and trained her body, her abilities remained stagnant. She realized that the “wall” that her father, Sebastian, and Young Master Henon had repeatedly mentioned had arrived.

At first, she welcomed the wall. Once she crossed it, she could step into the realm of an Expert. Although she had lived her entire life within the Marquisate, she vaguely understood that reaching the Expert level at her age was extremely rare.

However, her anticipation quickly turned into hellish waiting. To overcome the wall, she reduced her sleep and increased her study, spurring herself on, but there was not even a fingernail-sized change. In the meantime, she had to fulfill her duties as a maid, so her mental strength was depleted day by day.

Then, she ended up oversleeping. In front of Young Master, no less. She felt very ashamed. She was even filled with self-loathing, thinking, ‘How far have I fallen?’

“Excessively lazy. Grounded. Eat this and reflect.”

The punishment that Young Master gave her was a ladder to overcome the next wall. Young Master Henon accurately identified what she lacked most and handed her the most needed spirit herb.

Every word and action he uttered seemed cold on the surface, yet she could feel the warmth within. With the help of Young Master, she experienced a new world.

After reaching the Expert level, there was nothing to fear. She naturally learned the assassin’s essential skill, camouflage, and her confidence doubled.

Only now did she feel that she could be of help to Young Master Henon. Until then, she had been worried about whether she could keep up with his incredible growth rate, but now she felt she could stand proudly by his side.

“I was completely mistaken.”

Only today did Zion deeply realize how futile her inner thoughts had been.

Even when she saw the demon, she felt it was manageable. Meeting the demon, who had only been spoken of in stories, made her body heavy, but that feeling disappeared with Young Master’s vigorous shout.

Campbell, who was gluttonous like a pig and couldn’t even remember her name, but was definitely strong, and herself, whose qualities as an assassin had greatly improved recently, could inflict fatal damage on the enemy while Young Master fought the demon.

In her head, she was already imagining herself defeating the demon and being praised by Young Master, so she unknowingly raised the corners of her mouth.

Until a violent pain struck her side.

Splat!!

The pain was so intense that her consciousness became muddled, and red lifeblood poured down like rain, creating a small puddle on the floor. Only after suffering a fatal wound did Zion admit that she had taken the demon too lightly.

Looking to the side, Campbell was also unable to move because his thigh was badly cut. After all, a demon is a demon. It only seemed easy because Henon was strong and dealing with it smoothly, but it was not an opponent to be taken lightly at all.

-Kekekeke!!! This Dantaleon’s body cannot be harmed even by Aura Blades or divine power.

The demon was telling the truth. According to that, no one here can inflict meaningful damage on Dantaleon.

‘Ah… I should have stopped Young Master. Even if it was a little regrettable, I should have taken refuge while the territory citizens were sacrificed to the demon and waited for the Marquis.’

Even if it was a ruthless and heartless decision, she should have given the right advice as Henon’s closest aide. The safety of the lord was much more important to her than the territory citizens.

But even regret was too late. Blood was seeping out from her tightly pressed side. Campbell next to her was unconscious. All that was left was to watch her lord, who was struggling alone, eventually being finished off by the demon.

‘This is the end.’

It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t expected anything in the meantime. Henon’s actions were that unconventional. There was nothing he did in an ordinary way. Every time he moved, he always reaped several times the harvest.

Perhaps that’s why. At some point, she developed absolute faith in Henon. Yes. It was probably from when he caught the necromancer Raul in Cave Manor.

Young Master will do it. No matter how difficult the problem, he will solve it. Because it’s Henon. Because he’s a prodigal who is out of the ordinary.

That complacent mind eventually led to this. No, she thought it did, until Young Master Henon drove the demon Dantaleon into a corner.

“Dantaleon, your arrogance is the cause of your defeat. I’ll end it now.”

Henon surges forward. In response, all the surrounding environment assists him. The sight was so amazing that Zion didn’t even blink and vividly captured every scene in her head.

Eventually, their battle continued even in the sky. Dazzling light flickers. It was around that time that the inner castle gate opened and Marquis Lloyd arrived.

“Zion! Oh no! The injury is serious.”

Sebastian hurriedly wrapped her abdomen with bandages to delay the bleeding. Marquis Lloyd drew his sword and prepared to support Henon. Zion said to the Marquis.

“Marquis…”

“Don’t talk. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“You don’t have to help.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Young Master. Just watch quietly. He will definitely win.”

Flash!!

As soon as she finished speaking, the sky trembled. Dazzling light drove out the darkness and brightly illuminated the surroundings. Zion wasn’t the only one who saw this scene. Marquis Lloyd, Sebastian, and all the residents of the Marquisate witnessed it.

The view clears.

In front of everyone, Henon was standing proudly in the sky, and the demon was revealed to be dead with a sword piercing its body.

Whose victory it was was obvious.

“How on earth…”

Even Marquis Lloyd, who had helped save the continent from the Demon King in the past, was speechless at the sight of his son’s martial prowess.

Zion felt that it was understandable.

She has no idea how or by what means he drove the demon into such a corner and eventually annihilated it.

But she didn’t want to dig into the method.

Young Master Henon, who had completely changed since he came back from the graveyard.

Judging from watching him from the closest side, he was always moving in the right direction, even though his personality was somewhat eccentric.

Now Young Master Henon will become a hero.

So many territory citizens watched him defeat the demon.

Everyone will pay attention to him and praise him.

But Zion wanted to use a different expression than hero. Somehow, that word suited Henon better.

“It’s like he’s the protagonist of this world.”

Protagonist.

For some reason, Zion thought this word fit Henon perfectly.

In that case, she is a maid next to the protagonist. Just an insignificant supporting character… or could she be more than that…

“I’m dizzy.”

I must have lost too much blood.

In her fading consciousness, Zion decided to become stronger.

The master she serves will soar more splendidly in the future. She needs to develop much more to keep pace with him.

She felt that the road ahead was even longer, but the more she did, the more Zion’s heart fluttered with anticipation.

Eventually, Zion fainted due to the bleeding.

There was a faint smile on her unconscious face.

* * *

I landed on the ground with Dantaleon’s corpse on my shoulder.

The demon was stronger than I expected, so the scale of the battle became quite large.

The eastern area of the inner castle was literally devastated by the collision between me and Dantaleon.

And Marquis Lloyd was standing blankly in the middle of the collapsed building debris.

“I see the Marquis.”

When did he come?

If he came, he should have helped earlier.

Anyway, now that the Marquis has come, I don’t have to worry about the aftermath.

Since I can’t see the injured Zion and Campbell, Sebastian must have already moved them for treatment.

“What happened? I’ve heard roughly, but I want to hear it again from your mouth.”

I told the whole story for about 5 minutes.

In fact, there wasn’t much to say.

Rosaline was tricked by Twilight and summoned the demon, and I smelled it and chased after it and defeated the enemy. — That was the end.

The Marquis listened silently.

When my story was over, he slowly looked at me.

Torn and tattered top.

Ragged bottoms.

Soot-covered face.

Scratches all over the body.

Was it because of my appearance?

He hugged me tightly.

“You’ve worked hard. I’m proud of you.”

An embrace from my father.

I’m not used to such intense displays of affection.

On the one hand, I thought that Marquis Lloyd had wanted to build this kind of relationship with Henon for a long time.

However, interference from the surrounding environment, his position, Henon’s prodigal behavior, and other variables must have distanced the father and son.

Both Henon and the Marquis.

It was a regrettable relationship in many ways.

“No. I couldn’t save my mother. When I first saw the demon, it had its arm in its mouth. I’m sorry I was late.”

Rosaline was an enemy to me, but she was a wife to Marquis Lloyd, so the mental shock must be great.

“She made the wrong choice and paid the price. Besides, you and that woman were incompatible. You don’t have to worry about my feelings.”

I was momentarily embarrassed by the direct hit that came deep inside. It seems that Marquis Lloyd will try to be honest with me in the future.

“Anyway, to defeat a demon at such a young age. Even I couldn’t do it. Today, you have more than proven yourself to be the rightful heir to the Lloyd family. No, to exaggerate a bit, you have shown that you have the qualities to inherit the title of Marquis right now.”

Seeing the Marquis say this, I realize that I have really done a great job.

“I’ll give you something separately soon, so take good care of yourself until then.”

The Marquis turned around.

He paused for a moment and added.

“Rest is good, but go near the inner castle gate before that. There seem to be quite a few people waiting for you there.”

With these words, the Marquis walked away.

I headed towards the inner castle gate as the Marquis said.

There were knights and soldiers who had taken refuge at my command.

Men with shaggy beards and large bodies who found me rushed in tears.

‘Why are you doing this? It’s embarrassing.’

“I see the Young Master!”

“I see the Young Master!!!”

Subordinates kneeling on one knee with disciplined greetings. Did they go to Nonsan Training Camp [a famous military training center in South Korea] during the short time I defeated the demon? Suddenly, the level of military discipline is like a new recruit.

“Young Master, please kill us.”

“Yes. We abandoned our duty to protect Young Master and were rather protected by Young Master. We have committed a crime, so please punish us.”

After the territory war, the knights respected me to some extent, but they didn’t offer such blind loyalty.

It seems that the fact that I defeated the demon Dantaleon in front of their eyes was deeply engraved in their minds.

“You said you wanted to be punished. If you want, I’ll punish you.”

Swish

The knights were embarrassed because they didn’t know that I would really take action.

“Why? You asked me to punish you, so I’m trying to punish you. Is there a problem?”

“Ah, no.”

These guys are just Hollywood in action.

I almost cut off the head of the person in charge.

Instead, I raised my sword and pointed to the devastated eastern area.

“As you can see, the inner castle is a mess due to the battle with the demon. If you feel guilty for not participating in this battle, help with the repair of the inner castle area. Atone as much as you sweat.”

This is a reasonable order.

The knights and soldiers bowed their heads in unison.

“We will obey your command!”

After finishing the cleanup like that.

When I headed towards the inner castle gate, an unexpected sight unfolded.

This place, which was usually deserted, was crowded like a flea market and waiting for me.

“There he is! He’s coming!”

“It’s Young Master Henon!!”

“Waaaa!!!”

When people saw me, they cheered like they saw a celebrity.

Only then did I realize that these were the crowds who had watched Dantaleon and me fight in the sky from the ground.

I was the person who was fighting, so I was out of my mind, but these people were watching the huge clash from below, so they looked up at me with admiration, respect, awe, and adoration.

One of the elderly villagers, who looked old, came out as a representative and said to me.

“Young Master, what happened to the demon?”

Everyone held their breath and looked only at my lips.

I gave them the answer they wanted.

“The demon has been defeated. And it will continue to be defeated in the future. I declare that as long as the Lloyd family exists, things from the darkness will never be able to set foot on this land.”

“Waaaa!!!”

A crazy cheer continued endlessly.

In an instant, the inner castle gate became a melting pot of enthusiasm.

The excited atmosphere continued until I raised my hand and told them to stop.

“So trust me and the Marquis and focus entirely on your livelihood. I’ll dismiss you now.”

With those words, I turned my back.

Even after that, I could hear the crowd shouting at the top of their lungs from behind for a long time.

“You really defeated the demon!”

“Ah, Henon is amazing.”

“Demon Slayer! A Demon Slayer has been born in the Lloyd territory!”

“Demon Slayer! Demon Slayer!”

“Thank you for protecting the territory!”

“Young Master is the hero of all of us!”

The territory citizens all praised me as a hero. However, I didn’t get carried away or get drunk on the floating feeling. To be exact, I couldn’t.

‘Twilight moved faster than expected. Since I failed properly this time, I’ll prepare more meticulously and rush in next time.’

This world is moving fast, and the speed at which the mainstream is approaching is faster than I expected.

As someone who knows the fate of the continent, even the achievement of defeating the demon right now was a means to prepare for the next.

‘I have a lot to do.’

Through this incident, I have virtually solidified my position as the official successor, but I also had to resolve the issue with Philip and completely bring the Marquis family under my influence.

On the one hand, I had to reach the realm of Master in swordsmanship by receiving the teachings of the Heavenly Demon, and I had to become a higher-level druid by finding the Golden Branch.

And…

Right now, I have the corpse of the demon Dantaleon in front of me. Unlike humans, demon corpses do not rot. So, I was planning to put it in a coffin and store it in the basement of the inner castle for now.

But suddenly, the subspace gourd hanging on my waist shook violently.

Thump! Thump!

I’ve never had this happen before, so I wondered what was going on, but suddenly the lid of the gourd popped open!

What appeared from the opened subspace gourd was unexpectedly the Dragon Egg.

“Why are you coming out?”

The Dragon Egg, which had been quiet since I first met it in the north, was the first time it had shown its will and acted on its own.

The Dragon Egg rolled around on its own and went next to the demon corpse.

I was very surprised by what happened next.

Suddenly, it forcibly extracted energy from the demon’s corpse and began to absorb it all.

Slurp! Slurp!

It reminded me of a child sucking on a Jjujju ice bar [a popular Korean ice cream bar].

I waited quietly.