The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 82

Chapter 11: Elf – The Surrendered Bastard

In any world, insubordination during wartime is punishable by immediate execution.

A commander has the discretion to punish subordinates under military law without a trial.

However, to implement this, the commander must have the authority to control the entire unit.

As expected, Count Piento, who had no intention of recognizing me as the commander of the allied forces, reacted violently.

“That’s absurd! Are you telling me to personally behead my nephew?”

“The crime has been revealed, and if we overlook it, the discipline of the entire unit will be compromised. Count Piento, please make a decision.”

Count Piento, on the verge of losing his nephew due to his schemes, gritted his teeth and said.

“Even if my nephew touched a maid, what’s wrong with a noble handling a lowly woman?”

So, that’s how he’s going to play it.

Since he’s losing logically, he’s resorting to unreasonable arguments based on social status.

He’s the type I hate the most.

“There’s some truth in what you say, Count. Then, I’ll give Prince Frankie a chance to restore his honor.”

Even a rat bites a cat when cornered.

I decided to give him a way out.

I shifted from a coercive tone to a softer one, gently manipulating Count Piento.

“What kind of opportunity are you talking about?”

“What way is there for a noble to restore his lost honor? Let’s determine right and wrong through a duel.”

In the Arnia continent, when discord arises between nobles or families, they often determine right and wrong through a trial by combat.

It’s a way to prove justice with force, a clean and sure way to settle things without further argument.

Count Piento, hearing my proposal, seized the opportunity.

“Good! But it’s okay to send a great warrior to duel in Frankie’s place, right?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll step up myself on my nephew’s behalf. Who will step up on your side?”

Count Piento seems quite confident in the trial by combat.

Now that I see it, his aura is considerable, and judging from his trained body, he seems to be at least an Expert [a skilled warrior, a rank in martial prowess].

Sion, who was very angry today from being harassed, whispered in my ear.

“Master, if you allow me, I will wipe out the Piento family and return.”

Sion has been an Expert for quite some time, so she has the ability to do exactly what she said.

But I told her not to step up today.

If Sion, who is just a maid, shows great strength in front of everyone, many people will be surprised.

Rather, it would be a better spectacle for me to prove my ability by winning the duel myself.

“I, Count Lloyd, the master of the maid Sion, will be the champion.”

The noble camp became noisy when I came forward.

Count Piento’s eyes widened.

“Are you serious?”

“Would I dare to lie in a sacred trial by combat? My maid was assaulted, so I will step up myself.”

“As far as I know, you’re around twenty years old.”

The reason Count Piento is talking about age is to indirectly say, ‘How much could a guy around twenty have handled a sword?’

“Does age matter in a trial by combat?”

Count Piento had a sly smile on his face when he saw me speaking boldly.

He thought that I was making the wrong decision, driven by youthful blood, with insufficient skill.

“Of course, it doesn’t matter. If you accept the result, Count Lloyd, you can come out.”

“Let’s write a pledge.”

“I agree.”

We skipped the witnesses since everyone here is a witness, quickly wrote the pledge, and swore that both sides would duel honorably.

The pledge stated that if I win, Prince Frankie will be executed, and if I lose, Sion’s custody will be handed over.

A 10-minute wait time was given.

Sion, Campbell, Rakan, and Aiden gathered around me.

Since they are colleagues who know what achievements I have made in Liang and Albus Castle, not a single person was worried about me.

They were even thinking about the dinner menu.

“Shall we have fondue for the first time in a while?”

“Cheese is too greasy.”

“How about roasted turkey?”

“That’s refreshing. Let’s go with that.”

On the other hand, the Piento Count camp was busy.

Several people came and diligently advised him, probably advising him on what skills or swordsmanship I use.

But it’s futile.

They don’t even know that I’m an Expert.

Soon, the trial by combat began.

A circular barrier was set up on a wide plain to create a stage, and Count Piento and I stood side by side, pointing our swords at each other.

It was a pretty sunny day, but the air was cool at the place where the trial by combat was held.

“I heard you’re a demon slayer.”

Count Piento spoke first.

“That’s right.”

“Amazing. It’s not easy to gain such fame at a young age.”

“It just happened that way.”

Count Piento, who was pretending to praise me, suddenly twisted his words and threw a curveball.

“How much did you give them?”

“What do you mean?”

“How much did you give the bards to create such a fake reputation?”

He didn’t believe the rumors in the first place.

He smiled fiercely, revealing his white teeth.

“If you doubt it, come in and check it out yourself.”

“I won’t refuse.”

Count Piento’s figure became blurred.

As expected of an Expert, his body was quick and he used orthodox footwork.

At the same time, the Cheonma-gation [a technique or skill] was activated on my side.

-It’s on the right.

-Block the left and attack the leg.

-It’s a frontal stab.

I often sparred without using Cheonma-gation for intuition training these days, but I decided to use all the means I could to show an overwhelming gap to everyone watching this duel.

Whoong! Hoo-oong! Hoo-ooong!

Count Piento’s sword scratched the air.

The fierce attack that he poured out with great momentum subsided over time, and the cold sweat on his temples gradually became thicker and clearer.

“This crazy!!”

Customers who have experienced Cheonma-gation always express extreme satisfaction.

“Do you have mind-reading skills or something?”

“No way.”

“That’s ridiculous!!”

“It’s just that the sword path is obvious.”

The opponent’s sword, whose reason is paralyzed, shakes even more, and on the other hand, my swordsmanship learned from Cheonma becomes sharper and sharper.

As the sword dance of the two men became fierce and sparks flew, the spectators could not hide their surprise with their mouths open.

“How can this be! He’s fighting evenly with Count Piento, who is said to have a knack for swordsmanship.”

“His swordsmanship alone is decent.”

“The rumor that he’s a demon slayer might be true.”

On the other hand, there were still some foolish nobles who predicted Count Piento’s superiority.

“Count Piento hasn’t used his full power yet. It would have been over long ago if he had used Mana Sword [a sword imbued with magical energy].”

“He’s giving a lesson to a bastard who doesn’t know his place. The result is already decided.”

Even as they were talking, the situation of the duel changed rapidly.

Count Piento, who had been attacking from the beginning, was now gasping for breath and was only focused on defense.

The difference widens in all elements such as strength, skill, stamina, physique, and agility.

It was the difference between a noble who had become complacent with peace while only having the title of Expert and one who had been fighting for his life until recently and had even trained fiercely.

“Keuheuk!”

“I’ll finish it now.”

“Don’t be arrogant!”

Boo-oooong!!!

A blue aura lingered on Count Piento’s sword. When his patience reached its limit, he took out Mana Sword. Nobles and soldiers who witnessed the symbol of the Expert burst into exclamation.

“Oooo!!!”

When a normal sword and Mana Sword collide, the old sword breaks in an instant, the ordinary sword chips, and the treasured sword endures a few times before the blade becomes dull. This was an absolute law like the phenomenon of an apple falling down.

“You seem to have learned properly somewhere, but that’s it. I’ll finish it now.”

When the blue sword was drawn from top to bottom.

A dazzling emerald light soared.

Even if a person who is ignorant of swordsmanship saw it, the sword energy that emitted a much darker concentration than Count Piento’s Mana Sword wrapped around the Cheonma Sword.

“No way!!”

“Count Lloyd was also an Expert!?”

“How did he become a master at such a young age?”

The nobles’ exclamations of shock erupted.

It wasn’t just them who were surprised.

Even the knights and soldiers of other families who had underestimated me as a bastard were stunned.

The only ones who were calm were the guards and colleagues of the Marquis who had seen me fight the demon Dantaleon.

Clang—!

The broken blade flew into the air.

Count Piento’s sword, which collided head-on with my Mana Sword, was broken.

The Count, who could not believe the sight in front of him, stared at me with a blank gaze, then knelt down with a thud.

I put the Cheonma Sword to his neck and said.

“Do you admit defeat?”

“······”

Silence.

I didn’t expect an answer.

I sheathed my sword and turned my body.

“Please take responsibility for the result.”

When I went down to the arena, the swarming crowd parted to the left and right at once, clearing the way.

In this way, it was proven that the bastard of the Lloyd family had many forces and was excellent in his personal abilities.

The eyes of the vassals looking at my receding back were clearly different from the beginning.

* * *

The Molty Territory is famous for its beautiful rose gardens.

With the family’s emblem being a white rose, colorful roses bloom throughout the territory, pleasing the eyes of the territory’s people.

But it was different these days.

The white rose, which symbolized purity, had long since been corrupted and turned into a sticky, blood-scented red rose.

“Please! Save me! Please!”

“Humans who cannot even control their emotions are not worth living. Die now.”

Chwaaak—!!

Blood splattered on the floor.

The body of the human whose neck had disappeared collapsed.

The Molty Territory people who witnessed death in front of their eyes screamed.

“The child was starving, so I couldn’t stand it. I stole it impulsively to feed him even a piece of bread. Please have mercy. Great Elves.”

“That is proof that you are inferior. Keep in mind that the power to decide your life or death is in our hands.”

A knife was stuck in his heart and an arrow pierced his eyeballs.

Some elves repeatedly mutilated the corpse of the already dead man, revealing their sadism without regret.

The sight of them wiping the blood splattered on their faces with the back of their hands and grinning was similar to a demon rising from the demon world.

Human hunting.

It was something that had been happening all over the Molty Territory, which had recently been occupied by the Elves.

The Elves demanded strict compliance with the law from the humans in the occupied territory, gathered the criminals who violated it, released them into the forest, and performed a ritual of hunting them with swords and arrows.

And there was one who watched this barbaric ritual intently from the hill.

It was the Elf Elder Richard.

He stroked his white beard with a cane and returned to his office only after all the humans had been hunted.

When he entered the room, an Elf warrior with tattoos all over his body was waiting in advance.

It was Chief Warrior Scott.

“I greet the Elder.”

“What’s going on?”

“The human army has come nearby.”

“What’s the number?”

“That’s…”

Scott hesitated and continued.

“It’s about 10,000 people.”

“What?”

It’s at least 5,000 more than expected.

“Did the army suddenly fall from the sky?”

“It’s almost like that. According to the reconnaissance team, a human named Henon brought an additional 6,000 troops.”

“Henon? Are you talking about the successor of the Lloyd family?”

“That’s right.”

“What means did that human use to mobilize so many troops?”

“I couldn’t find out that far.”

Elder Richard stroked his white beard.

“Is there any news from Liang?”

“We sold the traitors who opposed human rule, but the money was not collected. It seems that there is a problem locally.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t trust humans.”

Originally, the Elder’s plan was to sell the Elves who opposed his will as slaves, receive the money, and use it to run the occupied territory.

However, no money came back from the slave market in Liang, so it was a failed deal as a result.

“Elder.”

“Why.”

“About Sasha…”

“That story is over.”

“I’m sorry.”

Richard reacted sensitively when the story of High Elf Sasha came out.

Scott, realizing that his life would be in danger if he dug deeper at this time, simply bowed his head.

“It’s convenient to have that money, but it’s okay if we don’t have it. Rather, find a way to defeat the human army.”

“I already have a plan.”

Scott confidently puffed out his chest.

Elder Richard’s eyes were filled with interest at his confident attitude.

“What’s your plan?”

“All military units are the same. It’s simple to solve if you kill the commander.”

“If you’re talking about the commander…”

“Henon Lloyd.”

Scott’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

“I will send an elite assassination squad to eliminate him without anyone knowing.”