The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 76

76. Incubation: The Mana-Sensei’s Intuition

Aiden is the captain of the Free City’s guard.

Despite being the chief officer responsible for the security of the Free City of Liang, he was dead drunk from morning till night.

Matted hair hanging down like seaweed, a drooping mustache mixed with dust, and yellowed clothes that hadn’t been washed in ages.

To those who didn’t know him, he would be dismissed as a typical corrupt public official, but there was a reason for this.

‘The Mayor has changed.’

It probably started a few years ago.

Back then, Aiden was a man full of pride in protecting Liang.

Even though the merchant guild’s influence was strong due to the city’s characteristics and power was gradually shifting towards them, he believed that the city was truly defended by the guard.

Until that incident happened.

“Budget cuts, you say?”

“That’s how it is. And we’ll also be reducing personnel. Training schedules will also be shortened.”

“That’s absurd!”

“Are you defying my words now?”

The Mayor Yuron that Aiden knew would never show such an overbearing attitude.

Aiden felt a chill in his heart at the unfamiliar appearance of the mayor, who had taken care of him like an uncle since he was young.

Once Mayor Yuron changed, there was no stopping him.

He colluded with the head of the merchant guild, Haman, and greatly increased the guild’s power.

Naturally, the merchants became arrogant and, as expected, began to disregard Liang’s guards like stray dogs.

“Captain! This can’t go on!”

“That’s right. We didn’t join the guard to be scarecrows!”

“Several skilled swordsmen have already left the guard to become mercenaries. We need to find a solution.”

Despite his subordinates’ appeals, Aiden remained silent.

Because there was a limit to what he, as a mere guard captain, could do when the mayor wouldn’t change.

The changed Mayor Yuron’s actions didn’t end there.

Talented individuals who were known for their good work at the city hall were fired one after another, and unknown thugs came in and took their places.

Loyal subjects who spoke out against this were found dead in the dark alleys of Liang for unknown reasons.

In this situation, Aiden, as the guard captain, had been keeping a low profile, drinking heavily, and acting like a fool.

That’s what he had been doing…

He received a call from the mayor in the morning.

The summons after several years startled him.

“Where is my uniform…”

He had even forgotten where he had put his white uniform.

After searching the room for a long time, he finally found the uniform, dusted it off, quickly put it on, and hurried to the city hall.

He couldn’t even remember when his last private meeting with Mayor Yuron was. He didn’t expect anything from the meeting in the first place. Was he going to tell him to abolish the guard altogether this time?

With his shoulders drooping, Aiden stepped into the mayor’s office and felt that Mayor Yuron, who looked ten years older, was different from usual.

“!!”

The recent Mayor Yuron had fewer wrinkles and felt younger day by day.

He dressed well, received daily grooming, and spent a significant amount of time grooming his beard, hair, and nails.

But Aiden was unfamiliar with such a mayor.

Above all, the eerie glint in his eyes amidst his sparkling appearance was the most frightening.

But today was different.

Although his skin was wrinkled, his hair was weak, and his frame was gaunt and frail, his eyes were clear.

The kind eyes of Mayor Yuron that Aiden had seen long ago had returned.

“Mayor…?”

When he spoke in a trembling voice, Mayor Yuron smiled with the good-natured smile he remembered.

“Everything has changed, but you’re still here. That’s a relief.”

That one word was enough.

Aiden knelt down and wept.

“Sob, you’ve returned!”

“I knew you would recognize me right away. Thank you for holding on.”

“What exactly happened!”

After hearing the inside story from Yuron, Aiden was so surprised that he almost bit his tongue.

The notoriously vicious Twilight, a high-ranking executive [a powerful member] , had colluded with Guild Leader Haman to imprison Yuron and act as the mayor.

Moreover, the hero who solved this nightmarish situation was Baron Lloyd, who had appeared like a supernova in the upper regions not long ago.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

“It’s all true. If it weren’t for Henon, Liang would have disappeared from the continental map long ago.”

“This matter…”

“Is naturally top secret.”

That was a good picture for the returned superior and for the demon slayer of the Lloyd family.

“Baron Lloyd is a benefactor to the entire city, but he’s not getting credit for his achievements?”

“So shouldn’t we take care of him, at least?”

“Of course.”

“And before that… now that the head is gone, we need to clean up the remaining remnants.”

A flame blazed in Aiden’s eyes.

The guys who had been eating away at Liang for years had already been compiled into a list.

Mayor Yuron handed over a document with his seal on it.

“I’ll give you a sword, so dance with it. And when the dance is over, bring Baron Lloyd here. With the utmost courtesy.”

“I will obey your command.”

Aiden’s steps as he left the office with his hand on the hilt of his sword were lighter than ever.

From that day on, a great upheaval occurred in all government offices, including the city hall, and the merchant guild.

When the heat wave that had been scorching Liang for years subsided, a cool breeze gently blew.

* * *

I entered the city hall to a grand welcome.

The hospitality that had started at the tavern continued inside the building.

As the eight-horse carriage with Liang’s symbol, a soaring eagle statue, entered the entrance, all the guards took a ready stance with their spears and paid their respects.

The guard captain, who identified himself as Aiden, personally opened the door for me.

The guard captain had been excessively polite to me since earlier.

Did he know something?

When I entered the office, Tom had already arrived and was sitting on the sofa.

He was having a cup of tea with Yuron, and he waved his hand with a pleasant smile when he saw me.

“The hero of Liang has arrived! No, should I call you the hero of the continent?”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“Too much humility is impolite. Henon, your achievements are unique, at least in your generation.”

Tom patted me on the shoulder.

Yuron, who was sitting in the seat of honor, greeted me with a friendly face.

“Your face looks much better these days, Mayor.”

“It feels like a weight has been lifted from my chest after taking care of the pending work.”

“Still, you were locked up for quite a long time. You should refrain from overworking.”

“Hahaha!! I saw with my own eyes how you risked your life and fought fiercely against the monster, so how can I slack off to take care of my old body?”

Suddenly, Mayor Yuron, who had a smile on his face, stood up and bowed deeply.

“On behalf of Liang, I would like to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, we were saved and gained a new life. From today, Baron Henon Lloyd can consider Liang as his own home.”

I could feel his sincere gratitude.

“I was just doing what I had to do, and I’m glad it helped.”

“Haha, Marquis Lloyd has educated his son well.”

There’s a saying, “times have changed.”

It feels like only yesterday that I was criticized by everyone as a good-for-nothing, but now my actions are adding luster to my father’s face.

“Of course, it would be difficult if you welcomed me too conspicuously like just now.”

“I know. I ordered Aiden to do that this time. From now on, I’ll invite you secretly.”

Mayor Yuron also explained how the aftermath of this Greed subjugation was handled.

“As you said, what happened in the basement of the city hall will be kept secret.”

“A high-ranking executive of Twilight is dead. Can you really hide it by forcibly covering people’s eyes and ears? The Twilight Church will definitely find out.”

Even though the Twilight Church had lost two executives to me, it was by no means a soft group.

In particular, with five executives and the leader still alive, complacency was forbidden.

As if he had anticipated my question, Mayor Yuron pointed to Tom, who was next to him, and said.

“We plan to spread rumors in the shadows that Tom here single-handedly dealt with Greed. The Twilight Church will believe the rumors.”

Spreading false rumors that Tom alone caught Greed.

It was quite a clever idea.

In any case, Tom has the brilliant title of Seven Stars [a powerful mage], so even if he caught Greed, the Twilight Church would be convinced.

Above all, Greed was a betrayed Pilgrim, so the rumors would be even more convincing.

Tom, who had been listening to my conversation with Yuron, stepped forward.

“I’m not bragging, but even if the Twilight Church is strong, they’ll be reluctant to touch the Pilgrim’s group. In the first place, they wouldn’t have that much loyalty to Greed. Anyway, I’ll make sure that Twilight doesn’t target you because of this, so don’t worry.”

I could feel Yuron and Tom’s consideration to take care of me.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done. And I, Yuron, am not the kind of person who brags about favors to benefactors. I’ll show you how the mayor of a free city can repay a favor.”

Yuron snapped his fingers, and Aiden, the guard captain who had been in the room until then, brought a large wooden crate and placed it on the table with a thud.

Considering that Aiden, who was physically fit and seemed to be an Expert-level master [a highly skilled warrior], was having such a hard time, it seemed that the contents inside were full.

“Could it be…”

“That’s right.”

When the lid of the crate was opened, a brilliant golden feast unfolded. It was difficult to estimate how many golds were inside. Mayor Yuron kindly explained.

“It’s a total of 1 million gold.”

1 million gold.

It was an enormous fortune equivalent to 1 trillion won in Korean currency [approximately $800 million USD].

I was amazed not only by the scale of the wealth but also by the financial state of the Liang market, which could immediately pay 1 trillion won in cash.

“I can’t accept such a large sum of money.”

“It’s part of the wealth that Greed had unfairly accumulated while running the slave market. He even received bribes, and there were gold bars rolling around in his house.”

“Henon, just take it.”

Tom also recommended from the side.

“I told Mayor Yuron that you have a subspace pocket [a magical storage item]. So he prepared it generously.”

I had to accept it when they said this much.

Of course, I am now one of the richest people on the Arnia continent.

I could build a small kingdom with the mountain of gold I got from the Dragon Lair.

Still, the more gold, the better, so I decided to keep it when I had it.

Swish.

When I opened the lid of the subspace artifact, the 1 million gold swirled and was sucked into the gourd.

When I stroked the gourd, I could definitely feel that the altitude of the golden mountain had increased compared to before.

“I’ll use it well.”

“It’s not over yet. There’s a separate gift I really want to give you.”

Mayor Yuron handed over a scroll sealed with high-quality tassels from his desk drawer.

A shining seal was clearly stamped on the surface of the scroll, which he said was a seal passed down from generation to generation to the mayor.

Yuron added that it was impossible to forge because it was engraved with runic characters [ancient magical symbols].

“What is this?”

“Open it and see.”

I wondered what it was and opened it.

Inside, it was written like this.

[The Free City of Liang hereby appoints Baron Henon Lloyd as the Honorary Head of the Merchant Guild and the Commander-in-Chief of the newly established Guardian Army.

-Mayor Yuron-]

Honorary Head of the Merchant Guild.

Commander-in-Chief of the Guardian Army.

Both are unusual titles.

“I felt it deeply while experiencing this Greed situation. It’s good to nurture merchants, but the fact that the entire city is paralyzed if you give them more power than necessary.”

“That’s right.”

“In that sense, I decided to create a Guardian Army to increase Liang’s public power on this occasion. And I want you to be the commander-in-chief of the army.”

I don’t know to what extent Mayor Yuron will create the Guardian Army, but considering the enormous wealth of the city of Liang, it was clear that the scale would be considerable.

“Unfortunately, it’s difficult for me to stay in Liang. You know that I’m the heir to the Lloyd family.”

“Of course, I don’t mean that you should always reside in Liang and command the army. Normally, the guard captain Aiden here will practically run it.”

“Then the reason I’m the commander-in-chief is… ah!”

I realized it as I spoke.

What Yuron had given me.

He gave me the authority to mobilize Liang’s troops in case of emergency.

If the Lloyd territory was in trouble or urgently needed military force, I could draw troops as the commander-in-chief.

This was an unexpected and enormous opportunity.

“But… this is too much.”

“Baron Lloyd, do you know how I’m going to recruit Liang’s Guardian Army soldiers?”

“Please tell me your opinion.”

“I plan to form it with slave soldiers.”

His words were like this.

In the future, slave trading will be prohibited in Liang, but it’s difficult to eradicate it all at once like cutting a radish with a knife [a metaphor for a clean, immediate break].

The plan was to gradually reduce suppliers and consumers, and to form the Guardian Army mainly with slaves who had nowhere to go at that time.

“Among the slaves, there are those who were forcibly dragged in, but there are also those who became slaves because they really had no family, relatives, or places to live. The plan is to gather those people separately and train them as an army.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Anyway, they would have had to live as slaves for the rest of their lives if it weren’t for you. Since you saved them from a hellish fate, they should at least be prepared to answer your call.”

“What do you think is the size of the Guardian Army?”

“I’m thinking of at least 10,000 or more.”

10,000 troops.

10,000 may seem small in a world with a population of 7 billion, but 10,000 pure soldiers is a really large number on the Arnia continent.

I had the ability to immediately mobilize such a standing army of 10,000, so it was as reassuring as seed money [initial capital for a venture].

“Also, I will appoint a new head of the merchant guild to replace Guild Leader Haman, who was in collusion with Greed, and I will appoint you as the Honorary Head of the Merchant Guild as a way to check the head of the merchant guild, who has wielded power comparable to mine.”

Unlike the Guardian Army, the Honorary Head of the Merchant Guild was truly an honorary position, so I had no authority to interfere with the merchant guild.

However, it wasn’t a big problem since I wasn’t going to stay in Liang and do business.

Rather, there was a small honey clause [a beneficial condition] that the Honorary Head of the Merchant Guild would receive 5% of the annual profits from the Liang Merchant Guild.

Receiving 5% of the profits from a merchant guild that rakes in money every year was the best pension on the continent that was hard to find anywhere else.

I divided the 5% into 3:7, and requested that 7 be sent to the Lloyd Territory and 3 to the Blue Hawk Mercenary Group in Albus Castle.

“Blue Hawk Mercenary Group?”

“Yes. It’s a mercenary group that I’m privately raising.”

Rakan, the leader of the Blue Hawk Mercenary Group, is currently busy raising a private mercenary group based on the Aslan books I gave him.

It looks like it will cost a lot of money, but if a huge sum of money from Liang is deposited every year, Rakan, who is full of merchant spirit, will do his best to promote the mercenary group in order to please me.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“I feel a little more comfortable now.”

“I was just running for my own future, but I wonder if it wasn’t an excessive reward.”

“I wanted to marry you to my daughter and make you my son-in-law. I regret so much today that I’m a bachelor.”

“Hahaha…”

I scratched the back of my head out of embarrassment.

I was grateful for the mayor’s heart to even marry me off, but I had something more important than that right now.

“By any chance, how are you planning to dispose of the corpse of the cursed monster I killed?”

When the story of the monster’s corpse came out, wrinkles formed on Yuron’s forehead.

“That’s a big concern. First of all, I left it in the basement of the city hall, but it’s so ominous. I can’t just bury it in the ground.”

“Could you give me the corpse? There’s a place where it can be used.”

The mayor welcomed the idea of taking the corpse with both hands.

“It would be great if you could do that. You know how to scratch my itch [solve my problem].”

“The same goes for you, Mayor.”

“What relationship could be healthier than helping each other? Come visit Liang whenever you have time. The Free City always welcomes the Lloyd family.”

I was escorted by the mayor to the front door.

On the way down to the basement of the city hall with the guidance of the guard captain Aiden.

Tom, who was accompanying me, asked.

“Why do you want to see the corpse of that terrible monster?”

Usually, Tom is right.

It’s not just any demon, but that cursed monster would be bad luck just to be around.

But among my party, there was a friend who was crazy about mana and evil energy, and the guy who had already smelled it was wriggling inside the gourd.

I have a feeling.

It seemed like I could see the face of that young hatchling this time.