The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 83

Chapter 11: Elf: The Wise Fool

The day after the duel trial.

The defeated Piento family executed Frankie, who had caused the scandal, and displayed his head as a warning.

Consequently, the lords who gathered at the command post for the operation briefing swallowed hard upon seeing Frankie’s head.

“Good morning, everyone.”

The atmosphere was subdued.

The nobles who openly ignored or sneered at me, finding fault with my lineage as they did yesterday, had all disappeared.

That’s because the Blue Hawk Mercenary Corps and Liang Defense Forces I brought numbered a whopping six thousand.

Moreover, I had proven myself a formidable expert at a young age by defeating Baron Piento in a one-on-one duel, so they wisely kept their opinions to themselves.

“Let’s begin the strategy meeting now.”

A map was spread out on the wide table.

It was a detailed map of the eastern part of the Arnia continent and Molty County.

Due to a lack of terrain information, a separate map of the Eastern Great Forest was not obtained.

“As you can see, the Elves have occupied all the major strongholds of Molty County. According to the testimonies of escaped survivors, it is already a living hell.”

I had learned about the atrocities committed by the Elves in Molty County by interrogating the bandit leader who attacked me before.

I shared only a portion of his testimony.

The lords were aghast when they heard about the horrific treatment of the people of Molty County.

By the time the story of the human hunt came up, they were furious and flew into a rage.

“We must cut off the ears of those damn pointy-ears and pickle them in salt!”

“That’s not enough. We must wipe out the Elven race entirely.”

“Let’s advance our troops immediately! We have as many as ten thousand soldiers. How many could those forest-dwelling bastards possibly have?”

The nobles, who had been making a fuss for a while, quieted down when I raised my hand as a signal.

“Now, I hope you all understand. This war must not become a protracted one. We must end it swiftly.”

“Commander, you’re stating the obvious. What’s so scary about those pointy-ears? Let’s recapture Molty Castle within a week.”

It’s good to be motivated.

I just don’t know if they have the ability to turn that motivation into results.

“There are two paths to Molty Castle. The first is to cross the plains, but we must break through two fortresses.”

Molty Castle is structured so that you can only enter the main castle after capturing the two fortresses that defend the outer regions.

If we ignored the fortresses and attacked Molty Castle first, we could be surrounded by the fortress troops waiting in ambush.

“I’m curious about the other option.”

“The Raven Forest stretches out to the right of the advance route. If we break through this forest, we can attack Molty Castle directly without having to face the fortresses.”

Upon hearing the two options, the nobles unanimously chose the first.

“The Raven Forest is out of the question. Even if the pointy-ears are fools, aren’t they a race that has lived in the forest their entire lives?”

“I agree. In the forest, it’s difficult to secure a clear view, and it’s as dark as night even during the day, making it easy for a small number to face a large number. There’s no need to accept such a penalty.”

“Besides, aren’t Elves good at archery? Let’s just attack the castle. As we attack, the humans inside the castle will help us.”

It seems they’ve done some research on the Elves.

I understood why they chose the first option.

But I was uneasy.

Would the Elves really be so naive as to rely solely on the fortresses built by humans and wait for the enemy?

“It’s a good plan, but as the supreme commander of the allied forces, I would like to propose a strategy to you all.”

“What is it?”

“How about dividing our troops into two, with half going through the plains and the other half breaking through the Raven Forest?”

The lords rose up like a swarm of bees to object.

“Commander, have you not been listening? The Raven Forest is out of the question, I say!”

“We might be able to get through, but many soldiers will be harmed in the process.”

Baron Piento, who was still angry from losing the duel trial yesterday, added a word.

“I’m offering advice because you seem to have little experience in conducting war, but good luck like at Albus Castle doesn’t happen every time.”

Since my personal abilities are outstanding, now they’re criticizing my lack of experience?

These nobles have a habit of always trying to control others by taking advantage of any superiority they have.

“Then let me ask you. Do my dear lords really think that if we push straight through the plains with ten thousand soldiers, Molty Castle will fall on its own?”

“Wouldn’t it? What means do those damn pointy-ears have to stop our mighty army?”

“Very well. Let’s assume that you have successfully captured Molty Castle according to your wishes. What then?”

The lords tilted their heads at my words.

“Once we capture Molty Castle, it’s over. Are there more factors to consider?”

They only think of one thing and can’t think of two.

Either way, the key stronghold of Molty County is Molty Castle, and that’s why the lords believe that the war will end once they retake it.

However, my opinion differed.

Would it really be over if we only occupied Molty Castle?

In the first place, their base is the deep and vast Eastern Great Forest.

There’s an old saying, ‘Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots.’ [Eradicate the source of trouble completely.]

It means that anything that could cause disaster or worry should be eradicated completely.

I believed that if we didn’t resolve the root cause in handling this matter, winning the war would be meaningless.

For example, let’s say we drive the Elves out of Molty Castle.

The retreating enemy would huddle in their home, the Great Forest, and catch their breath.

Then, when the human army weakens, they will bide their time and look for an opportunity to attack again.

I made this point to the nobles and persuaded them.

“The reason why we need to divide our troops into two is because of this. The Raven Forest is the entrance to the Eastern Great Forest. If we pass through the Raven Forest, the enemy will mistakenly believe that we are aiming for Molty Castle. In the meantime, we will strike the enemy’s real base, which is empty.”

The lords jumped at the mention of going to the Eastern Great Forest.

“The Raven Forest is dangerous enough, but you want to go deep into the Great Forest? You must be crazy!”

“It’s not even worth considering.”

“Even if you are the commander, if you insist on such unilateral command, we will withdraw from this matter.”

“That’s right. We are only helping, and we don’t see any reason to take unnecessary risks.”

Don’t they know that if the teeth are gone, the gums suffer? [If the leader falls, the followers suffer.]

If the allied forces fail to achieve any results in Molty County and are disbanded, their territories will be defeated one by one, but they don’t grasp the situation.

It will be even more difficult to gather the allied forces again at that point.

“Then how about this method?”

Baron Piento said.

What’s his scheme?

“Originally, our allied forces were about five thousand, but thanks to the commander’s power, we have gathered a force of ten thousand.”

“That’s right.”

“So, the 1st Army, which was the initial allied force, will strike the plains, and the 2nd Army, which follows the commander, will go to the Raven Forest. How about that?”

Baron Piento continued.

“Instead, we’ll bet on whether the 1st Army captures Molty Castle first or the 2nd Army subjugates the Elves in the Great Forest first, and the side that achieves it first will have full authority over the distribution of Molty County’s territory.”

He’s quite clever.

His intention is to avoid a situation where he is directly under my command by dividing the troops, and to monopolize the credit through individual actions, thereby swallowing the entire Molty County after the war.

“Commander, you liked dividing the troops into two, didn’t you? It seems like everyone here would be satisfied with this. What do you say?”

Look at those eyes gleaming with greed.

He’s desperate to take Molty County.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

I couldn’t stop those who wouldn’t listen, and it was more dangerous to force them to go against their will, so I let them do as they pleased.

I wasn’t particularly interested in Molty County.

To me, who is moving to prevent the destruction of the continent, a small border territory of a small kingdom was very trivial.

Frankly, if I opened the sub-dimensional gourd and poured out gold mindlessly, it would be possible to buy the entire territory.

Right now, the most important thing was to stop the Elves’ attacks, which would be a threat in the future, and to solidify the influence of the Lloyd family.

“Hehehe… Since the commander said it himself, there’s no going back on it later.”

The lords, led by Baron Piento, rushed out.

Only Zion, Campbell, Aiden, and Rakan remained in the tent.

“Lord, are you really alright with this?”

It was Rakan who spoke.

“It’s a bit much to say this, but even I think the Raven Forest seems a bit dangerous. The few Elves I met during my long mercenary life were all worth a hundred men in the forest.”

On the other hand, Zion and Campbell showed no particular change in emotion. Aiden, who was curious about this, asked.

“Zion and Campbell, you don’t have anything to say? I guess you’re okay with going to the Raven Forest.”

“No. I also think that the plan to attack the fortress on the plains is the better option.”

“Then…”

“But I trust Young Master. If you said you were going to the forest, you must have an appropriate plan to overcome the difficulties. We have been catching demons, stopping curses, and destroying castles like that all along.”

As expected, Zion and Campbell are different because they have been following me for a long time.

That’s right.

I had a way.

I admit that the Elves are advantageous in the forest.

They are probably ten times more advantageous than humans.

But I am a Druid.

How advantageous is a Druid in the forest?

If Elves are advantageous in the forest, Druids are the forest itself.

At least in the forest, I had no confidence in losing a fight.

* * *

That evening.

As always, I went to see Sasha.

Originally, I was going to leave her behind because I thought this battlefield was too dangerous for Sasha, who is just an ordinary girl.

However, Sasha begged me, saying that she couldn’t ignore the affairs of her own people, so I had no choice but to bring her along.

Looking back, I think it was a good decision.

She played with the baby dragon Coco all day long, taking my place when I was busy and distracted.

And Coco seemed to like Sasha too, and followed her well.

“Kyu!”

“Uncle!”

Sasha and Coco hugged me at the same time when I arrived.

The sweet scent of chocolate and the subtle scent of lavender tickled my nose.

I had rarely felt a sense of stability since entering the world of the game.

But why?

Only in the moments I spent with Sasha and Coco did I feel a little more at ease.

“Did anything happen?”

“No. What about you, Uncle?”

“Nothing happened to me either.”

“How did the operation go today?”

I wasn’t sure if I needed to tell her about the operation since she was still a minor, but since she was also involved, I told her about the plan to directly invade the Great Forest through the Raven Forest.

“You thought well. I think that’s the best plan.”

Today was the first time someone sincerely agreed with my plan. Even Zion and Campbell believed in me, but they didn’t believe in the plan.

“Why do you think so?”

Sasha hesitated for a moment at my question before continuing.

“The Elder will never give up.”

Sasha had refrained from mentioning her tribe, and I hadn’t asked her about it separately.

If such a young girl was sold as a slave, it would be a wound for her, so I didn’t want to stir up that part of her.

She was telling her story for the first time.

“The Elder?”

“Yes. Elder Richard.”

“Who is that person?”

“The person who started this war and sold me as a slave.”

I was startled.

Sasha’s explanation was as follows.

“Our Elven tribe has a sacred pond called the [Spring of Life], which has been passed down from generation to generation. Only shamans who have inherited the blood of the shaman can manage the Spring of Life.”

“Could it be that you…”

“That’s right. I am the shaman of the Elven tribe. I haven’t been in charge for long, though. It’s been vacant for over ten years.”

It was surprising that a girl like Sasha was a shaman representing the entire tribe.

There was a reason why she showed such excellence in the battle with Greed.

“But the Elder brought an Elf to the Spring of Life and had a strange ritual performed.”

“A ritual?”

“Yes. He called it baptism.”

Baptism. Ritual. Offering. Blessing.

Lately, any words of this kind that are often intertwined with the Twilight Church have never sounded good.

“The Elf who received the baptism suddenly became incredibly strong. It was really amazing.”

“He became stronger after receiving the baptism?”

“Yes. He dipped a branch into the Spring of Life and had the Elf drink the water of life.”

A word that cannot be taken lightly has appeared.

“Wait, did you just say a branch?”

“That’s right. It was a golden branch.”

This can’t be.

The third Golden Branch was sleeping in the Elven forest.

It’s so amazing that I accidentally discovered it while listening to Sasha’s story.

Of course, I would have to confirm it, but a branch with mysterious powers is not common on the Arnia continent, so it seemed certain that it was the Golden Branch.

“But the baptism was a bit strange. The people who drank from the Spring of Life and became stronger were all eager to wage war with humans. Even the Elder was like that.”

“So he planned a war with humans?”

“Yes. I was against it. Later, I restricted access to the Spring of Life. Then the Elder sold me… Hng!!”

I hugged the sobbing Sasha tightly. She buried her face in my chest and cried. I could feel how burdened and difficult it must have been for her, even though she hadn’t shown it.

“Kyuu…”

The smart baby dragon Coco also flapped its wings and patted Sasha’s head. It was a very cute sight.

I wonder how long I comforted her.

When Sasha calmed down, I heard the voice of a maid from outside.

“I have brought some tea.”

It was time for tea.

Sasha would feel a little better if she drank a warm drink.

“Come in.”

The maid, wearing a hood, came in with a tray of steaming tea.

Normally, Zion would bring the tea, but today a maid I had never seen before was doing it instead.

“Zion must be busy?”

“That’s right.”

The maid’s gaze was fixed on Sasha as she walked over. At that moment, the maid’s pupils dilated, and she stumbled.

“Ah!”

I quickly moved my body, grabbing the maid with one hand and catching the swaying tray with the palm of my other hand.

“Oh dear. You have to be careful.”

“I’m sorry. I will make sure this mistake doesn’t happen again.”

I stared intently at the maid who was answering calmly and took a sip of the tea.

At the same time as the hot liquid passed down my throat, a system window appeared fiercely.

[You have been poisoned with paralysis poison.]

[Self-purification activated]

[Immune to status abnormalities]

[The poison has been purified]

I knew it.

I thought it was strange.

The maid, who had taken out a dagger from her bosom, swung it at me like lightning.

A clean trajectory that accurately cuts only the Adam’s apple.

-The assassin is quite skilled.

The voice of the Heavenly Demon echoes in my consciousness.

If I had been poisoned with paralysis poison, I would have been helpless, but in a normal state, that’s impossible.

I slightly tilted my head to avoid it easily, and the assassin was greatly surprised and trembled.

“Who sent you? Was it Baron Piento?”

The assassin did not answer.

I also didn’t ask the question expecting an answer.

Because it’s something that can be found out by force.

[Wind Control]

[Instant Step]

Paang!!!

My figure stretched out with the sound of the air being torn.

It was truly tremendous speed.

The assassin, who was clearly flustered, rolled on the floor without hesitation and barely avoided a fatal blow.

“Oh? You avoided that?”

If you’re at a level where you can avoid an Instant Step strike, you’re a real expert.

I wonder if Baron Piento had the ability to hire someone like this.

The question was soon resolved.

The assassin’s hood, which had been disguised as a maid, was removed due to rolling on the floor.

At the same time, two pointed ears popped out next to her.

Without having to interrogate her, her affiliation was revealed.

“It was an Elf. Did the Elder send you?”