The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 86

12. Subjugation: The Maniac’s Wild Laughter

Everyone worried about advancing into the Raven Forest.

Even if I were an Elf, I wouldn’t just let an army of humans, practically begging to be eaten, pass through. I would definitely set up ambushes and harass them with every means possible.

If I didn’t have countermeasures against the Elves’ attacks, I might have hesitated to go through the Raven Forest.

But I was a Druid, and I had an overpowered scouting skill that could preemptively block their schemes.

It was Life Control, a new skill I acquired upon becoming an intermediate Druid after passing the Golden Branch test in Liang.

Life Control is a skill that allows you to possess a specific plant or animal in the vicinity, sharing their senses.

I realized it was an S-class skill the moment I first used it.

First of all, the radius was quite wide.

Drawing a concentric circle around me, I could use Life Control on any target within several kilometers.

Moreover, the distance increased even further in a forest, where the Druid’s connection to nature is maximized.

The targets that Life Control worked on were quite diverse, but the most efficient target to use was a tree.

Trees have low intelligence and are close to nature, so they accepted me without much resistance when I activated the skill.

However, Life Control didn’t work on trees with high spiritual power or self-awareness, such as the Cursed Greatwood I saw in the battle against Necromancer Raul.

Also, possession didn’t work on intelligent beings who think like humans.

Even Sion and Campbell, who had a high affinity with me, unconsciously activated a defense mechanism and repelled me.

Among ordinary animals, there were some that I could use Life Control on.

Mainly small animals like squirrels and rabbits, and on good days, I could even share the vision of badgers, foxes, and baby boars.

In the future, as my Druid rank increases and my skill proficiency improves, I expect the number of applicable targets to increase, along with the ability to exert powerful control.

[Life Control Activated]

[Initiating Vision Sharing]

[Target — Common Broadleaf Tree]

Anyway, I had a lot of fun with Life Control.

While advancing, I possessed trees and captured all the activities of the Elves moving busily in the distance to confront us.

I observed every trap they set in each terrain and memorized the locations without missing a single one.

“Lord Lloyd, it’s too dangerous.”

I showed Aiden how to remove the traps to reassure him. Riding that momentum, I used Life Control again to check the Elven ambushers lurking beyond the traps.

You probably know what happened next. Sniping enemies whose locations were completely exposed was as easy as pie.

For reference, I could function normally while activating Life Control, probably due to the principle of soul separation, like the Great Divorce [a theological concept about the separation of good and evil]. Anyway, the performance was certain, so I decided to stop trying to understand the complex game system.

“As expected of Lord Lloyd. I was worried for nothing.”

Aiden looked at me with sparkling eyes before returning to the Guardian Army’s camp. I felt like someone who was already a fan had upgraded to a fanatic fan today.

I had overcome one hurdle, but it wasn’t time to rest easy yet. At the end of the Raven Forest was the Twin Tail Gorge. As expected, the enemy would be hiding there, preparing a full-scale attack. Only by breaking through the gorge could we say we had completely overcome the Raven Forest.

Several days later.

As planned, we arrived at the Twin Tail Gorge.

It was truly a naturally formed strategic location.

The reason it was named Twin Tail was because there was a narrow path in the middle, and high cliffs surrounded the path like twin braids.

To pass through this place, one had to go through the small trail between the cliffs, making it perfect for the Elves located above to attack.

However, directly attacking the cliffs was also ambiguous.

In the first place, the cliffs on both sides weren’t as ridiculously steep as the cliffs I climbed at Albus Castle, but they were enough for the defending side to take full advantage of the terrain.

Rushing through the trail would result in being relentlessly attacked, and attacking the cliffs would cause massive losses against the enemies holding out above.

The Twin Tail Gorge was a place that created a difficult situation where one couldn’t move forward or backward.

“Everyone, stop!”

As soon as we arrived at the gorge, I stopped the advance and gave the soldiers, who had been running non-stop, a rest.

I planned to give the soldiers, who had been marching hard with an average of four hours of sleep a day, proper sleep for at least a few days.

The smoke from the bonfires rose here and there, and the savory smell of stew tickled the nose. Soldiers who took out bread and wine from their pockets quenched their thirst and filled their stomachs.

In the meantime, I stood at the very front and stared at the Twin Tail Gorge.

[Life Control]

[Vision Sharing]

[Target — Sparrow]

I cast Life Control on a sparrow gliding in the sky. The vast Raven Forest and Twin Tail Gorge came into view at a glance as the vision was shared.

‘As expected, they’ve prepared thoroughly.’

The Elven army was swarming on both cliffs.

About a thousand soldiers on each cliff had oil barrels and arrows ready, and large rocks were tied to ropes.

What kind of world is this that Elves openly think about setting fire arrows in the forest?

Usually, the Elves I knew loved the forest and communicated freely with animals.

I even know that they don’t use saddles or put horseshoes on their hooves when riding, as a sign of respect for the horse.

‘A twisted world, or something.’

Anyway, according to what I confirmed through the sparrow, the Elves were extremely excited at the thought of tasting human blood and flesh.

If we pass through the narrow path of the gorge as it is, they will shoot fire arrows to roast us or drop rocks to flatten us.

So, stepping into that place without any countermeasures is crazy.

“This is not enough! Prepare more fire arrows and rocks. I’ll turn all six thousand of those humans into ghosts here. Cut the logs and fix them in advance. Drop them with the rocks.”

The woman shouting in a high-pitched voice in the center was somehow familiar.

Looking closely, it was the assassin who tried to assassinate me last time.

She was skilled enough to escape from me, and she was a high-ranking officer who could command an army of two thousand.

I had a feeling that she might be directly connected to Richard, the leader of the Elves.

Listening to the woman, she seemed to think that the human army would definitely pass through that trail.

After grasping her psychology, I roughly figured out how to break through the Twin Tail Gorge.

With a solution in mind, I summoned the executives.

It sounds grand to say executives, but there aren’t many.

My exclusive maid, Sion. The Northern mercenary, Campbell. The Blue Hawk Mercenary Captain, Rakan. The Vice Commander of the Liang Guardian Army, Aiden. The High Elf, Sasha. The baby dragon, Coco.

That’s all.

The meeting place was my tent.

Coco flew around in the air, showing off, and Sasha clapped her hands and giggled at the sight.

Sion held Sasha tightly in her arms, and Campbell was munching on a roasted chicken leg that he had somehow obtained.

Aiden was still moved, looking at me with admiring eyes, and the mercenary captain Rakan leaned against the wall, dozing off in the corner.

If someone saw it, they wouldn’t be blamed for mistaking it for a leisurely afternoon club room scene rather than a war situation.

The reason they are so comfortable is because they trust me that much.

No matter how difficult the obstacles, I have always overcome them with better-than-expected results, so they must think I will do so this time as well.

I was grateful that they trusted me, but I still had to convey the plan seriously, so I put on a little weight.

“Attention.”

As soon as I opened my mouth, my noisy colleagues straightened up and focused on me.

“Everyone knows what situation we are in now, right?”

I told them that the Elven army was waiting for us with a gruesome momentum, ambushing the bizarre terrain of the Twin Tail Gorge and both cliffs.

“If what the lord says is true, it’s quite difficult. How about getting out as quickly as possible before they react?”

Rakan suggested.

Aiden retorted.

“It’s impossible. It’s not just one or two people, but as many as six thousand soldiers. No matter how fast we advance, they can see everything from above and react immediately.”

Aiden is right.

Rakan just shrugged.

This time, Campbell opened his mouth.

“Or let’s turn off the torches, silence the noise, and sneak out at night.”

Sion’s answer.

“The Elves aren’t stupid; they would have anticipated and prepared for that.”

“Elves also wake up when the sun rises and sleep when the sun sets like humans. I bet 10 silver that they are morning types.”

“What if they’re not? Are you going to entrust the lives of thousands of people to the vague assumption that the Elves will be careless at night?”

“I was just saying. Don’t get so worked up.”

Even if they discuss it among themselves, they can’t come to a conclusion.

Eventually, my colleagues looked at me.

“Does the Lord have any good ideas?”

Is it my turn to step up?

I spat out the idea that came to my mind while exploring the cliff earlier.

“At first, I came up with the same plans as you. To pass through as quickly as possible or to pass through as secretly as possible. But everything was unrealistic.”

“I agree.”

“So, I changed my perspective and opened up a completely different path.”

“I’m curious what it will be like.”

“The plan is simple. I will break through the gorge. To be exact, ‘only I’ will break through.”

Silence fell in the tent.

Sion tilted her head.

“Master, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Are you going to go to the gorge alone?”

“That’s right. To be precise, I’m going with scarecrow soldiers.”

The quick-witted Rakan clapped his hands and reacted.

“That’s right! You’re saying that you’ll organize a fake army and the Lord will become bait.”

“That’s right. I’ll go in with the bait and pretend that the army has entered. In the meantime, the Guardian Army and the Blue Hawk Mercenary Corps will be divided into two and attack each side of the Twin Tail Gorge.”

My colleagues nodded, saying it was a pretty good suggestion. Only Campbell scratched the back of his head, so I asked.

“Campbell, is there anything bothering you?”

“It’s good to create a fake army, but I think the Elves with good eyesight will recognize the scarecrow soldiers even from the top of the cliff.”

“That’s a valid point. You may be right. To prevent this, I plan to prepare a means to block the enemy’s view separately.”

“If the Vice Commander says so, then that’s it.”

The way to block the enemy’s view was nothing special.

As soon as I entered the gorge, I was going to summon Stone and Wood Golems to sweep the dirt floor with a special large broom to create a hazy sand smoke around me.

Originally, the trail on the gorge side was not easily visible from above because it was covered by trees, but I thought that if the sandstorm was thick, the visibility would be even more limited.

The strategy meeting seemed to be over at this point. Until Sasha shyly raised her hand last.

“Sasha? Do you have anything to say?”

“Uncle, can I help you a little?”

“You’re already taking care of Coco. You’re helping enough.”

“No. Not that. I’ll spread fog on the day of the operation.”

I doubted my ears for a moment.

“Spread fog?”

“Yes. Although it’s only for an hour or two and the range is narrow, I think it’s possible enough here where there’s a lot of fog anyway!”

It’s amazing that a girl like Sasha can manipulate the weather. As expected, not just anyone can become an Elven shaman.

It was best to eliminate risk factors as much as possible in carrying out the operation, so I decided to accept her help.

“Then I’ll ask you, Sasha.”

“Yes! Leave it to me.”

The meeting is over.

Now all that’s left is execution.

* * *

The preparation period for the operation took about three days.

Considering the Elven spies, only three hundred elite soldiers who could be trusted were selected and proceeded.

They gathered straw and wood from the forest and made scarecrows.

After that, they put helmets and swords on the scarecrows, and from a distance, the armor and weapons that shone in the sunlight made them look like real living soldiers.

Instead, the scarecrows could not move on their own, so they were supported by makeshift carts made of wheels and footrests on the bottom, and then the scarecrows were tied together with ropes.

The scarecrows, tied in a row like dried fish, were arranged so that they could move together by pulling the handle once.

Flags with large areas were deliberately hung on the scarecrows, so that the flags fluttering in the wind further obscured the already limited visibility due to the fog and sandstorm.

At first, I was going to go in alone, but I changed my plan in the middle.

I selected about a hundred elite soldiers with nimble bodies and good voices from among the elite soldiers who participated in the production and came with me.

Of course, I explained all the outlines of this operation to them and consisted only of people who agreed.

“Keep in mind. The probability of dying is higher than the probability of living. Will you still follow me?”

“I will follow you to hell if you are there!!”

“Good. Hide around the Golems when the Elven attack begins.”

If they survive after this operation, they will be awarded a hefty reward of at least 1,000 gold or more.

1,000 gold is a huge sum of money that you can live on for the rest of your life if you save it.

In case of death, 2,000 gold will be paid to the bereaved family, and the deceased will be given the honorary title of 7th grade meritorious vassal.

“Then let’s go.”

The scarecrow army set off and entered the gorge.

Not long after entering, white fog filled the air thanks to Sasha’s powerful magic.

The fog was so thick that you couldn’t see anything in front of you.

Of course, it wasn’t a big problem for me, who had already figured out the way and had Life Control.

[Stone Golem Summon]

[Wood Golem Summon]

The Golems were dispatched.

The soldiers who came with me looked at the Golems with wonder, but they didn’t make a fuss because it was such a tense moment, and they marched silently.

One hour after entering the gorge.

The Elves must have confirmed that I had entered, but there was no particular reaction.

I felt like I knew the psychology of the Elven woman who is the commander right now.

‘I’m hesitating whether to attack because I can’t see the bottom at all.’

If they waste the prepared arrows, logs, and rocks in vain, it will be a disaster for them.

But what to do.

You’re the one in a hurry, not me.

If the six thousand troops get out of the gorge, there will be no more sections to stop them.

It means that they will completely escape the Raven Forest.

‘If you’re the commander, you’ll have no choice but to issue an attack order in the end.’

I bet on the psychological pressure she was receiving.

And my bet was not wrong.

Kwararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararararar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