The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 77

Chapter 10: Hatching: The Dedicated Scapegoat

The Dragon Egg’s hatching rate is currently at 50%, half the total.

Absorbing the Intermediate Demon Dantaleon raised it by 30%, and the Lesser Demon’s heart from the Black Moon Market raised it by 20%. If I absorb the Curse Monster that Greed painstakingly nurtured, it should easily exceed 100%.

“I’ll go down alone from here.”

Pilgrim Tom and Captain Aiden are trustworthy, but I wanted to witness the moment the Dragon is born in solitude.

“We’ll be waiting above, so call us immediately if an emergency occurs.”

“Understood.”

I descended to the City Hall’s basement.

As Mayor Yuron said, the mess from last time had been completely cleaned up, and the vast pit had been filled with dirt, leaving only a space of about ten square meters.

From the coffin sitting alone in the middle, an eerie aura flowed out, despite it containing a corpse.

However, it was only eerie to ordinary people; the Dragon Egg, having smelled the savory scent, was already causing a commotion in the subspace.

“Alright! Alright.”

As soon as I opened the subspace gourd, the Dragon Egg, which immediately revealed itself, bounced on the floor and opened the coffin lid on its own.

Then, it took a spot right next to the Curse Monster, which was lying coldly, and began to absorb the eerie energy as if a vacuum cleaner was turned on at full power.

The more the Curse Monster’s energy was absorbed, the more the hatching rate increased, but the Dragon Egg also showed off its innate gluttony, maintaining its eating speed like crazy.

How much time had passed? The Curse Monster’s corpse evaporated. All the energy was consumed by the Dragon Egg. At the same time, the system window I had been waiting for so eagerly appeared before my eyes.

[Dragon Egg Hatching Rate — 100%]

[Hatching conditions have been met.]

[A Hatchling is born!]

Crack—! Cracking—!

Small cracks appeared on the eggshell.

The hairline cracks, barely visible, spread like a spider web, soon becoming thicker and clearer.

Finally, the upper part of the shell popped up like popcorn in a microwave.

That was the beginning.

The shell scattered in all directions.

A dazzling light spread out.

It was a flashing white lightning.

Kwaroooong!!!

The underground chamber shook with an unexpected thunderbolt. Surprised, Tom and Aiden heard the sound from above and called down to me.

“I’m fine! I’ll go up later.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes!”

Only after hearing the okay sign did they go back up.

By that time, the lightning that had been running wild gradually gained order, gently enveloping the underground chamber like flowing water and rotating.

It was such a beautiful sight that the expression ‘mesmerizing’ was fitting, and I stared blankly.

The scorching white light swirled and gathered towards the center of the Dragon Egg as if summoned.

Spot!

The last piece of light permeated.

The Hatchling hatched.

The Dragon’s appearance, which was revealed for the first time, was very cute.

Skin inlaid with obsidian [a black, glass-like volcanic rock]. White teeth that make you feel good just by looking at them. Wings fluttering powerfully. Sparkling eyes.

The child looked at me, smiled brightly, and ran towards me.

“Kyu!!”

I felt a soft sensation from the black Hatchling rubbing its head against my chin.

According to the Dragon Kyle, who had fallen into eternal sleep, the Hatchling had awakened long ago but was still in the egg because the conditions were not met.

In short, this little one had been with me every moment inside the egg.

Perhaps knowing what efforts I had made to awaken it, its attitude towards me was extremely affectionate.

“Alright! Alright.”

“Kyukyu!”

Perhaps because it was just born, the Hatchling was still the size of a puppy. But as time passes, it will grow to the size of a house. When that time comes, it seems possible to ride it.

“From today on, your name is Coco.”

Since its skin is black and it smelled like sweet chocolate when it hugged me earlier, I named it Coco, which has a similar pronunciation to chocolate.

“Kyukyu!”

Coco seemed to like the name I gave it, showing its white teeth and circling around me.

With Coco on my shoulder, I came out of the basement.

Tom and Aiden, who had been stamping their feet because of the loud noise, rushed over as soon as I appeared.

Then, they tilted their heads, looking at the unfamiliar creature sitting on my shoulder.

“Lord Lloyd? You went down and brought back a friend I’ve never seen before.”

It was still a baby, so it looked more like a black lizard than a dragon. However, Tom, who was a pilgrim, immediately noticed that Coco was a dragon.

“You don’t mean…”

I put my finger to my mouth to silence Tom.

“Hehe, it’s amazing the more I look at it.”

I returned to the inn with Tom, who was exclaiming in admiration.

While I was gone, Campbell had been constantly eating, and the height of the dishes piled on the table had increased even more.

Fortunately, the landlady had received a generous amount of gold and Mayor Liang had certified us as VIPs, so she closed the store and showed off her skills properly.

Sion, who had been picking at a chicken roll with a fork across from me, jumped up and ran over when I arrived.

“Young Master, you’re here!”

Sion’s eyes naturally turned to Coco, who was sitting on my shoulder.

“Young Master, who is this child?”

“Kyuwoo!”

Coco, who had been sticking to me like glue while walking, exceptionally jumped and clung to Sion.

Come to think of it, Sion would occasionally take the Dragon Egg out in the sun, wipe it with a handkerchief, and take care of it meticulously.

Perhaps remembering that time, Coco seemed to have a liking for Sion.

“…Cute.”

As befitting an assassin, there was no exaggerated reaction, but her flushed face clearly showed how much she adored Coco inside.

If she were a normal noble lady, she would have hugged Coco and jumped around in excitement.

“Huh? What’s that lizard?”

Campbell, who seemed to have finally finished his meal, approached, patting his bulging stomach.

As I said before, Coco remembers everything that happened inside the egg.

That means it clearly remembers Campbell’s attempt to fry the Dragon Egg into a fried egg.

As expected, Coco showed clear hostility towards Campbell. The suddenly attacking creature bit Campbell’s finger.

“Oh! A lizard full of energy! It would be delicious if boiled.”

The problem was that Campbell’s thick finger was too much for the fragile teeth of a newly born Hatchling.

Perhaps angered by Campbell, who laughed heartily and treated it like a snack, crackling electricity burst from Coco’s entire body.

“Ouch!”

Even the ignorant Campbell, who was unfazed by physical attacks, was startled by the elemental attack with electric properties.

Coco, who had given Campbell a taste of its power, climbed back onto my shoulder and struck a triumphant pose with its hands on its hips.

“An electric lizard, huh? I wonder if it tastes good.”

Campbell was still smacking his lips, thinking of swallowing it, and Coco repeatedly bared its teeth, trying to spark electricity at Campbell.

It seemed like it would take time for those two to become friends.

“Henon, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Just then, Tom called me aside.

I left Coco to play with Sion and went up to the guest room to settle down alone with him.

As I took a sip of the beer that the landlady had brought, Tom spoke first.

“I haven’t had a chance to properly thank you since the subjugation operation because you’ve been busy and I’ve been busy. So I want to take this opportunity to say thank you.”

“Weren’t you with Mayor Yuron? I’m embarrassed, so you don’t have to praise me anymore.”

“Mayor Yuron only saw the end of the battle, didn’t he? On the other hand, I was with you throughout the entire operation, so I’m sure of how greatly you performed and how much worse the outcome would have been without you.”

Certainly, Tom had been struggling in Greed’s scheme in the City Hall basement.

The Iron Maiden, a sealed relic that he had ambitiously prepared, was wasted on a decoy that Greed had deceptively placed, and he himself was completely excluded from the battle with Greed, trapped in a tentacle prison.

Even after barely escaping the tentacle prison, he was tied down by the Curse Monster’s debuff and the fraudulent unique trait of Oppression of the Strong, so even though he was unlucky, it was a bit ambiguous for a capable person with the title of Seven Stars, the best on the continent.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was a battle that I could never have won without the Aura Bullet that Tom-nim [honorific suffix] gave me.”

“In that sense, I want to give you that Aura Bullet as a gift.”

Tom, who took out a six-shot revolver from his chest, grabbed the barrel and handed the gun over with the handle facing forward.

“It’s the weapon that Greed used. Looking at it, it’s a much more advanced form than the magic engineering tools I had. I’ve put six Aura Bullets that I got from the Pilgrim’s Gathering in here.”

Aura Bullet.

For me, who hasn’t yet become a Sword Master and can’t use Aura Blade, there is no more useful gift than this.

Moreover, the Aura Bullet is an instant kill weapon that can kill even a 30-year veteran mercenary if a child aims well, and he wouldn’t give six of those weapons to just anyone.

That means Tom trusts me that much, and I can imagine how much he praised me at the Pilgrim’s Gathering to get the bullets.

“Thank you.”

“At the point when you caught the traitor Milo and took care of the evil deeds he committed, you are already no different from a pilgrim. I’m just showing a favor that is appropriate for that.”

Tom then handed me six palm-sized circular plates.

“What are these?”

“I was embarrassed to just wash my mouth with Aura Bullets [idiom for giving insincere thanks]. These are my personal possessions, but I’ll give them to you specially.”

The appearance of the circular plates seems ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the runes engraved on them and the subtle aura they emit were unusual.

“Do you happen to know about teleportation?”

“Are you talking about instant movement?”

“That’s right. With the current technology of the Arnia continent, long-distance teleportation is impossible, even for short distances. But with Aslan era technology, it’s definitely possible.”

“You’re saying that teleportation is possible with these circular plates.”

“That’s right. If you install them at the point you want to move to, the circular plates will link together to form a passage in space. The technical term is wormhole, and you can move freely through it.”

In the Arnia continent, which is similar to medieval Europe, long-distance teleportation ability is a fraudulent ability that is difficult to refute even if you are criticized.

It was such an amazing gift, but this was not the end.

He gave me a brooch with a sword and a gun crossed in an X shape on a shield, which is a symbol of the Aslan Empire.

“All the pilgrims on the continent have this brooch. In short, our Pilgrim’s Gathering recognizes you as a formal pilgrim. It’s just an accessory made for gypsies to play with, so feel free to accept it.”

“No. I will consider it an honor.”

Tom bursts into hearty laughter at my humble appearance.

“I heard you were a Scapegoat, but you’re a polite young man.”

“Lord Lloyd told me not to mess with people who give me money, food, and gifts.”

“Kuhahaha! A proper educator.”

“I’m truly sorry to only receive precious gifts. Come with me to Lord Lloyd’s territory. I’ll treat you lavishly.”

Tom, who had always been outspoken since meeting in Liang, showed reluctance for the first time.

“No. I’m fine.”

“I’m uncomfortable.”

“I’m uncomfortable too.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“I’m talking about Gordon.”

Tom glanced at the Heavenly Demon Sword hanging from my waist.

“I cheated and sold that sword as the best sword on the continent. Hehe.”

Immediately, the voice of the Heavenly Demon, who was burning with anger in my consciousness, resounded.

-What is that young-looking old man saying! Of course, I am the best sword on the continent!!

“I thought it was a relic of the Aslan Empire, but it wasn’t. It was just a perverted sword that only wanted to be held by a woman, so I appropriately disposed of it to Gordon, who likes swords.”

How can this be?

There was another person besides me who knew the secret of the Heavenly Demon Sword.

I had been wondering since Tom sold the Heavenly Demon Sword to Gordon, but finding an ally here turned Tom, who was already likable, into someone I liked even more.

-What? A perverted sword? Brat, draw me right now and cut that guy down!

“At first, I had high expectations because it was an Ego Sword. But it only made nonsense about wanting to be held by a woman’s hand 24 hours a day, so I appropriately dealt with it to Gordon, who likes swords.”

-Then would I like the rough hands of a calloused man more than the soft hands of a woman!

“Besides, it kept spouting nonsense about Heavenly Demon, the Central Plains [a region in China], and the Murim world [martial arts world], which I couldn’t understand, and it was so noisy. You’re lucky to be carrying that sword around.”

“Hahaha…”

I glossed over it with an awkward laugh.

Even if Tom was a knowledgeable pilgrim, the Heavenly Demon, who mentioned the distant Central Plains continent, would seem like a crazy person.

Even if it were me, if I didn’t have the Murim knowledge I gained from Earth, I would have dropped the Heavenly Demon Sword at the bottom of Lake Heinz a long time ago.

“And Henon, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“I can’t be shameless enough to receive a bag of gifts and not grant a small favor. Please tell me anything comfortably. I will do my best to listen as far as my ability reaches.”

“I’m relieved to hear you say that. The request is simple. Take responsibility for Sasha.”

After the battle in the City Hall basement, the High Elf Sasha was temporarily entrusted to Tom because her appearance and race were so unique that she seemed to get along with the pilgrims.

“I was going to make her a new pilgrim by making her my disciple. There was also an Elf pilgrim on our side.”

“It seems like there was a problem.”

“Rather than a problem, she doesn’t eat and just stays still all day saying she wants to go to you, so what can I do? I have to do what she wants.”

So that’s what happened.

She originally stuck to me, saying that I smelled good, but I didn’t know she wanted me this much.

Anyway, there were things I wanted to ask about the battle with Greed, so I decided to meet her again.

“I understand. I’ll take care of Sasha.”