The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 62

8. Liang: The Thug to Talk To

The conversation with Pug didn’t last long.

To be precise, I wanted it to last longer, but the terrified guy blurted out everything he knew, as if he was about to tell me the color of his underwear.

“So… you bought slaves from the Liang Merchant Guild Leader?”

“Yes. Major deals in Liang can only be made by having connections with the Guild Leader. The vigilantes I brought were also brought with the Guild Leader’s permission.”

“Is the Guild Leader a native of Liang?”

“No. He came from another region a few years ago, but he had so much money and dealt with so many rare goods that he quickly rose to the position of Guild Leader.”

The Liang Merchant Guild.

A core organization in Liang that allowed commoners to stand shoulder to shoulder with nobles if they had enough money.

The head of that organization was very suspicious.

“What’s the Guild Leader’s name?”

“Haman.”

“Haman, huh… I see.”

I got pretty much everything I needed to know from Pug.

As the silence grew longer, Pug became anxious and begged for his life, but this guy had already crossed the line multiple times.

It was too late to show mercy.

“Goodbye.”

“No!!”

Swish!

Pug’s shoulders were suddenly empty.

His obese body collapsed.

Sion spoke up from the side.

“Young Master, what are you going to do?”

“You heard it too. I’m going to take down that Guild Leader guy.”

“Are you going to go when the sun rises tomorrow?”

“No. Right now.”

Haman had handed over the troops in his possession to Pug, so he must be waiting for the results.

If he heard that dozens of people were taken care of all at once, he would definitely take some kind of action.

If he increases his forces or hires experts, it doesn’t matter because we can just smash through with force, but if he avoids conflict and hides in the shadows, it becomes troublesome.

So, I had to grab him by the scruff of the neck before he hid.

“I found out where he is, so I’m going to hit him in one go.”

“Hehehe, good. My body wasn’t fully warmed up with those small fry anyway.”

“I will follow your will, Young Master.”

Sion and Campbell also seemed to welcome it.

I said to Tom, who was hesitating in the back.

“I’m going to a dangerous place, so stick close to me.”

“Okay.”

“Young Master, shouldn’t we leave Tom behind? I’ll get a good inn.”

“No. Tom is coming with us.”

Sion and Campbell, who didn’t know Tom’s identity, gave worried looks, but in reality, he was the least of our worries here.

* * *

The Liang Merchant Guild building.

Located in the southwest of the free city, this building was taller than Liang’s city hall.

On the top floor of this building, which symbolized the power of merchants, a man with a sturdy body and dark skin was contacting someone through a crystal ball.

Surprisingly, there was a man in a top hat wearing a mask beyond the crystal ball.

It was Greed, one of the Twilight executives.

“Should we open the black market tomorrow?”

-Yes. How is the slave procurement going?

“It’s going smoothly. The kingdom prohibits slave trading, and the empire allows it, but there are no suitable places to trade, so they are all flocking to Liang.”

-Good. Use the disguised merchants to gather as many useful slaves as possible and send them.

“Understood, Apostle.”

That’s right.

The Guild Leader of Liang, who could be called the leader, was actually a puppet of Greed.

The Guild Leader received slaves from the suppliers, kept them, and then auctioned them off to the consumers when the market opened.

However, there was a blind spot here, which was that among the people who bought slaves, there were disguised merchants planted by Twilight in advance.

The Twilight disguised merchants, who were supported by Greed’s money, bought slaves in reverse at the black market and then sent them to Greed.

Originally, Haman was going to send the slaves to Greed as soon as he received them without this cumbersome procedure.

However, if the black market was not opened, the slave suppliers would not be able to check whether their slaves were being sold at a fair price, and the buyers, who were an important pillar in maintaining this system, would turn their backs.

That would lead to suspicion of Liang’s trading structure, which would inevitably lead to a reduction in market size, so he had to do this annoying task.

“Apostle, and this time, a rare slave has come in.”

-Rare? What kind of slave is it?

“It’s an elf from the Eastern Great Forest.”

-That’s rare. Elves are rare, but those from the Eastern Great Forest hardly ever come out.”

“But it’s not just any elf. It seems to be a High Elf.”

-!!!

High Elves are a noble race that is the leader among elves.

Their lifespan is long, and their beautiful appearance is said to be the best on the continent.

However, what Greed coveted was not such external factors, but the essence of the High Elf’s soul.

The clean and immeasurable glossy soul was the best sacrifice to complete the curse.

-Send the High Elf to me immediately.

“I want to, but it’s ambiguous.”

-Why?

“The supplier who gave us the elf wants to get the maximum price through the auction.”

-Damn it, what kind of guy is the supplier? If he’s an average guy, just ignore him or assassinate him.

“It’s the Great Elder of the Eastern Great Forest Elves.”

-······

Even Greed couldn’t answer this time.

-An elf… sold an elf?

“That’s right.”

-This is quite a thing.

“If we want to continue to receive elf slaves in the future, we need to maintain a relationship with the Great Elder. It’s a pity to end the relationship by stealing one High Elf.”

-I can’t help it. Then give the disguised merchant a large sum of money and be sure to bring the High Elf. Secure it no matter how high the auction price goes.”

“Understood.”

Greed changed the subject.

-And be careful. There are rumors that Lloyd Territory in the north has been watching Liang recently.”

A relaxed smile appeared on the face of Guild Leader Haman.

“Wasn’t the Lloyd family already a setting sun? The one-legged Marquis is a toothless tiger, and I heard that his children are not doing well.”

-I thought so too. But that bastard is quite something.

“I’ve heard the rumors too. Henon the Demon Slayer, right? He’s showing some talent, but he’s just one person. Don’t worry.”

Greed nodded at Haman’s relaxed attitude.

-I’m glad I set you up as the Guild Leader. How’s the Liang Market [referring to the city’s administrator]?

“I’ve locked him up well. He won’t see the sunlight except when he’s dead.”

-Keep him alive in case we need him. I’ve been acting as the market for a long time, and I’m getting bored. I’m not the type to do the same role for a long time.”

“Everything is for the resurrection of Baal.”

In Haman’s eyes, looking at the crystal ball, the loyalty to the Twilight Church was burning fiercely.

-Good. Report the results by tomorrow.”

The call was disconnected.

Haman, who jumped up, touched the portrait hanging on one side of the office.

When he touched both ends of the corners and turned it clockwise, the wall pushed out with a clunk, revealing a hidden secret room.

In the secret room, an old man tied tightly with ropes was gagged and muttering.

The old man was the market [administrator] of Liang.

When the gag was removed, the market [administrator], gasping for breath, spat out words like a machine gun.

“What are you doing? Liang is a free city. It’s not too late now, so release me and return the city to its original state.”

“The old man still hasn’t come to his senses. We don’t need you anyway. All the citizens will think you’re still healthy.”

Haman gagged the market [administrator] of Liang and locked him in the secret room again.

Just as the wall returned to its original state,

Knock knock knock

A knock on the door was heard, and the secretary reported in a very urgent voice.

“Haman-nim [a respectful title], there has been an intruder.”

His face frowned.

“Why are you reporting such trivial things? If you see a fly, just swat it.”

“That’s… you should come out and see… Kuaaaak!!!”

Kwaaaang!!!

The door was shattered.

The three sons and one daughter [referring to the protagonist’s group], covered in blood, entered the room with a chilling aura.

Even Haman, who was always calm, almost lost his composure.

The man who came in at the front had a beautiful appearance, but he was radiating a frighteningly eerie look.

He smelled a strong scent of blood even from a distance, and he smiled at Haman.

“Yeah, you said it well. Flies are best when they are caught.”

* * *

One hour before the meeting with the Guild Leader.

I had arrived at the Merchant Guild building with the information I had obtained from Pug.

Hiding nearby, I scouted the area, and the security was very tight.

“The security in a building where merchants socialize is more heavily guarded than most lord’s castles.”

I couldn’t back out just because the security was tight.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, so I decided to deal with it in one go.

When I showed myself at the entrance, the guards, who had freely passed through the castle gate, crossed their spears here and glared at me.

“Who are you? Visiting hours are over. Get lost without loitering and getting beaten.”

I didn’t need to step up against these thugs.

I muttered a word quietly.

“Sion. Campbell.”

Swish!!

The necks of the two gatekeepers flew away, and red blood soared vertically.

The two dead gatekeepers collapsed.

Other soldiers who saw this scene from the inside screamed and alerted the danger.

“Intruders! Intruders!”

“Lock the door first. Anyway, this door can’t be broken unless an ogre comes…”

“Uwooooo!!!!”

Campbell, roaring, swung his thick bastard sword like a windmill and directly hit the iron door.

The sword, filled with mana, received Campbell’s tremendous power and crumpled the door like paper.

“T, the door is broken!”

“It’s a monster!”

“What are you talking about! Stop them! Stop them!”

A scene of chaos unfolded.

Sion, who was moving zigzag among the bewildered soldiers, quickly struck the back of their necks to knock them unconscious.

Campbell also sent soldiers flying with the flat of his sword, and each opponent who was hit flew through the air and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

“Nothing special.”

There were many in number, but there were no plausible guys. They were all beginners who couldn’t even use mana or runners who had just 벗어난 [escaped] beginners.

“You guys! What are you making a fuss about here!”

Finally, the elite soldiers appeared.

The guys with scars on their faces and sturdy physiques came out of the building.

Judging by their energy, they seemed to be Sword User level.

Of course, they were just Sword Users.

In front of Sion and Campbell, who had the skills to overwhelm even Experts of the same level, they were like mice in front of a cat.

“Euryah!!!”

“Haat!”

The cleanup took about 3 minutes.

The User knights couldn’t even resist properly and were constantly hit and knocked unconscious.

And the man who appeared.

“Hmm…”

The one who was humming seemed to be the strongest of those I had met so far.

Then, the eyes of Sion and Campbell, who couldn’t hide their boredom while dealing with the soldiers, sparkled.

“He’s a master.”

“That guy is mine. Get out of the way, maid.”

“The pig can’t handle that guy, so I’ll fight.”

“I can give up food, but I can’t give this up.”

“You’re giving up food? Even a dog passing by would laugh.”

Sion and Campbell, in front of a master who was obviously an early Expert, were arguing fiercely among themselves.

This seemed to require traffic control.

I stepped forward, pushing them aside.

“This guy is mine.”

“Ah…”

“Tsk!”

Sion and Campbell smacked their lips in disappointment.

The Expert master, seeing us treating him like a delicious delicacy, was so angry that he drew his sword and charged.

“I’ll blow all your heads off!”

[Wood Control Activated]

[Casting Bind]

When I slightly tied his ankles, the guy who was charging like a boar staggered.

I thrust my sword into the gap.

With a metallic sound, the enemy twisted his body and barely blocked it.

“Hoo? Is it true that even if it rots, it’s still a crucian carp [an idiom meaning someone retains some skill despite declining]?”

The Expert master proved his class.

But so what?

Swordsmanship, movement, mana, special skills.

Nothing worked for me.

After that, the guy was only busy defending.

I didn’t give him a chance to attack even once, and the guy, who was being pushed back without 정신없이 [mindlessly], finally had his back against the wall.

Now there’s no place to escape.

“W, wait a minute! Let’s talk!”

Stab!

The Thousand Demon Sword pierced the guy’s heart.

Even Sebastian, who was about to become a Sword Master, had a hard time when sparring with me, and now I was at a level where I could cook these novice Experts on the palm of my hand [easily defeat them].

“Ah, right. I had to find out where the Guild Leader’s office was before killing him.”

“Wouldn’t it be on the top?”

Campbell was right.

On the top floor, there was a large door decorated like a boss room that anyone could see.

The secretary, who saw us covered in blood, rushed inside in a panic, but it was already too late.

Because I broke the door with my foot.

Kwajijik!!

Guild Leader Haman was a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven beard.

The fact that a person who looked so normal on the outside was a hypocrite who controlled Liang’s slave market made me even angrier.

“Who are you! What are you doing invading here? If you block the city right now, you’ll be caught without a place to go… Keheok!”

Haman himself didn’t have much power.

When I punched him in the stomach, he knelt down and collapsed.

I was about to have a sticky conversation with this guy like Pug, who I sent to the afterlife.

“Wait a minute.”

Tom raised his hand.

When the guy who had been still until now stepped forward, the eyes of the group were all focused.

“What’s wrong?”

“I hear the sound of gears. There seems to be a hidden space somewhere here.”

Tom used informal speech, but it was so natural that none of us found it strange.

Tom, who had been listening to the wall for a while, stopped near a large portrait.

“It’s here.”

From then on, Tom touched the portrait with skillful hands.

He turned it to the left, turned it to the right, pressed the center and sides, and pulled it.

After about a minute of doing that, suddenly a clunking sound was heard from behind the portrait, and the wall was pushed to one side.

“No! How did you break through that? It was a locking device specially commissioned by the Imperial Treasurer.”

Guild Leader Haman was shocked.

However, Tom didn’t show any emotional fluctuations, as if it was a natural thing.

Eventually, a hidden space was revealed behind.

In the secret room, there was an old man struggling with his limbs tied up.

It seemed that there was someone I had to talk to before the Guild Leader.