The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 90

Chapter 12: Submersion – The Scoundrel’s Reach

The elven warriors who pursued Amelia greatly underestimated us.

It was understandable, considering there were thirty of them, well-equipped with weapons, while our group was in disheveled states from rapidly traversing the forest.

“Amelia, you will pay the price for consorting with humans.”

The warriors slowly tightened the encirclement.

I asked Sasha beside me, “Sasha, are they all Enhanced Warriors?”

Sasha focused for a moment, then nodded with a grim face.

“Yes, they are.”

Then there’s no way to save them.

Even if we spared them here, they would fight to the death against humans until the very end.

It was best to help Sasha restore their sanity and then grant them peace.

“Everyone! This is not the time to fight. Please, come to your senses!”

Sasha stepped forward, causing the Enhanced Warriors to flinch.

But only for a moment. One of them angrily lashed out at Sasha.

“The Shaman, who rebelled against the High Elder and was exiled, should have just preserved her life. Why come here and cause trouble?”

“There’s no need to treat her like a Shaman since she’s with humans. She’s just like Amelia.”

“That’s right. After the collective baptism, High Elder Richard will appoint a new Shaman. It’s okay to kill her now.”

Sasha seemed shocked by their words and collapsed to the ground.

I gestured to Campbell, who understood the unspoken message and pulled Sasha back to protect her.

Sion continued to hold Amelia down, just in case.

With the situation as it was, I was the only one who could fight.

As I stepped forward alone, the Enhanced Warriors gave me puzzled looks.

“What? Why are you alone?”

“Fools like you are enough for me.”

My slight provocation caused them to look at each other before bursting into laughter.

“Kekekekek!!!”

“Kikikik!”

“This guy is seriously crazy.”

“We’ll make sure you die in as much pain as possible!”

One bloodthirsty elf drew his sword, licked the blade, and then charged at us.

The way he rolled his eyes back and ran was like a berserker.

Compared to his fierce momentum, I was very calm.

Even as the distance between us closed, I stood still.

The elf warrior, thinking I had given up, shouted triumphantly.

“Yes! Just stand there. I’ll cut off one of your arms in an instant… Ugh!”

Thwack!

I had been waiting for him to enter my effective range.

As he recklessly charged in, I swung the Scythe Sword in its sheath, striking the back of his head hard.

The series of movements was so fast that he couldn’t even react.

The elf, who had been charging with such vigor, was struck just once and then flailed like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsing to the ground.

“What?”

“What happened?”

“Why did he fall by himself?”

“Is he doing a comedy routine?”

The other Enhanced Warriors, watching from a distance, didn’t understand what had happened and looked bewildered.

But one of them must have had good eyes.

He pointed at me and muttered with a stiff face.

“That human is quite skilled.”

“What?”

“He doesn’t look like it.”

“You fools! Don’t let your guard down. Put all your strength in your legs and attack him all at once!”

He shouted, and they approached with serious faces.

But it was already too late.

It was my turn to attack.

[Wood Control]

[Bind Activation]

The Bind technique, which uses tree roots to entangle opponents, was the one I had used the most since awakening as a Druid.

As such, my proficiency was the highest, and the application methods had evolved far beyond the initial stages.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Perfectly timed.

The tree roots that sprouted from the ground targeted the most troublesome ones first.

The opponents were at a loss, their ankles to their waists entangled by the sturdy roots.

“Huh!?”

“What is this?”

“Why is it so tough!”

By the time the Enhanced Warriors, who were experiencing combat with a Druid for the first time, were panicking, I was already close.

I struck the back of their necks hard, knocking them unconscious.

And, riding this momentum, I rushed at the others.

[Wood Control]

[Bind Activation]

[Stone Control]

[Stone Lance Activation]

[Stone Shield Activation]

By mixing Wood Control and Stone Control appropriately, it was a living hell for the opponents.

They barely managed to cut the troublesome tree roots with their mana swords and tried to retreat, but a flat stone, like a tombstone, blocked their escape route.

Even if they managed to break this, Stone Lances with sharp ends flew continuously, targeting their vitals.

Even dodging all of that wasn’t the end.

I, the final boss, was wielding the Scythe Sword fiercely, so none of the Enhanced Warriors could withstand this continuous combo attack and fell one after another.

“Oh my god…”

Amelia, who was restrained by Sion and lying on the ground, watching the battle, was so shocked that she didn’t even notice the drool flowing from her mouth.

She knew that Lord Lloyd was intelligent and had strong martial prowess, but she didn’t realize he was this far beyond common sense.

“Do you now understand the Young Master’s strength?”

Sion spoke nonchalantly from beside her.

Amelia was too stunned to even answer.

At this point, Amelia realized why her assassination attempt had failed during their first encounter.

The assassination failure was only natural, and it was fortunate that she had escaped from that madman’s grasp.

Just 15 minutes.

That was the time it took to subdue an entire squad of Enhanced Warriors, the elite of the Elven race.

Moreover, it wasn’t even a massacre, but a complete capture.

“That was quite tough.”

My whole body was soaked with sweat.

Even though they were half-baked, they were still expert warriors.

They were agile and knew how to fight, so if I hadn’t used Druid skills, it would have been a difficult fight.

“You worked hard, Mister.”

Sasha comforted me.

But I couldn’t comfort her.

Her eyes were so fragile that they seemed ready to shed tears at any moment.

Sasha, who was mournfully looking at the elven warriors bound tightly to the tree roots by the Bind skill instead of ropes, placed her hand on their foreheads.

“May you find peace in the arms of your mother.”

Sasha removed the black lines connected to the Enhanced Warriors’ brains one by one.

The Enhanced Warriors, who regained their sanity through her touch, covered their faces and screamed as if on cue.

“Kuaaaack!!!”

“Why did I do that!”

“I’ve been having a bad dream all along.”

“Ah… This can’t be…”

The reactions were different, but the emotions they felt were the same.

Like the elven warriors captured in Twin Tail Canyon, they all bled from their orifices and collapsed, dying.

Amelia was confused as the Enhanced Warriors died one after another in bizarre ways.

“What on earth is going on? Sasha, please tell me if you know anything.”

“It’s just the hidden side of the baptism performed by High Elder Richard. An uncomfortable truth.”

Sasha said with a sad face.

Then she approached Amelia and hugged her tightly.

“I’m so glad Amelia didn’t get baptized. Thank you for holding out all this time.”

Amelia, feeling the deep sorrow in her calm tone, couldn’t help but shed hot tears.

“Sasha, I’m sorry… sob… I must have been out of my mind… I was so foolish.”

Sion gently released Amelia, and the two hugged and shared their emotions for a long time.

I didn’t want to break this touching moment, but there wasn’t much time.

Even now, Richard might be performing the baptism.

“Sasha, we need to move.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Amelia, who had heard the whole story from Sasha, also decided to cooperate this time.

“Don’t get me wrong. I still remember the comrades who died in Twin Tail Canyon. I’m just being loyal to Sasha.”

“Whatever you say.”

Although her tone was barbed, her joining was a great help.

She was a warrior with excellent martial prowess, and more than anything, she knew the secret paths to the elves’ sanctuary inside and out.

Following her guidance, we secretly infiltrated the sanctuary.

It was difficult to enter from the outside, but once inside, it was deserted.

To be precise, it wasn’t just deserted, but there wasn’t even an ant roaming around.

The reason was that all the elves in the tribe, except for the minimum security personnel, had gathered in the village square for the collective baptism.

“At this rate, the baptism will be held before we can even do anything.”

“Mister, what should we do?”

Sasha’s voice trembled with anxiety.

Originally, I was going to install a wormhole here, but time was running out.

First, we decided to check the progress of the baptism.

Arriving near the central square, I gestured to the group to hide in the nearby bushes.

Everyone was skilled, so they concealed themselves perfectly, and the enemies, focused on the baptism, didn’t notice at all.

In the center of the altar stood a portly old man wearing a splendid robe, who was obviously High Elder Richard.

“We greet the High Elder!”

“The Great High Elder!!”

“Aaaah!!!”

The elves surrounding the altar in a circle prostrated themselves and revered High Elder Richard like fanatics, and the High Elder looked down at them with a satisfied smile.

The praise continued for a while, but when he raised his hand, they all fell silent as if on cue.

“Blessed children of the forest, faithful souls born from the trees, I, Richard, consider it a great honor to stand before you today.”

Richard was a great orator.

Listening to his speech, there was something captivating about it.

“All this time, we have been foolishly cowering in the forest, even though we have sufficient ability. Until the ignorant human race, who doesn’t even know the beauty of nature, ruins the continent.”

“Ooooooh!!!”

Jeers towards the human race erupted from all directions.

The small stone thrown by the High Elder caused a great ripple and soon turned into a collective frenzy.

“Humans are a weak, stupid, and greedy inferior race. We, the elven race, have a duty as a superior race to enlighten and awaken the inferior race.”

“That’s right!!”

“Today is the day to take the glorious first step to enlighten those ignorant beings. I hope you will receive the sacred baptism and be reborn as true elves.”

“Waaaaaaaah!!!”

The High Elder’s personal guards, who had been baptized earlier, shouted enthusiastically, raising the atmosphere.

Of course, not all elves agreed with this.

Some looked around anxiously.

But when the Enhanced Warriors, who were monitoring the dissidents, glared at them, they had no choice but to participate with forced smiles.

“I will now perform the baptism. Please come forward in the order of the numbers given in advance.”

On the altar was a large jar filled with a sparkling silver liquid.

It seemed to be the mysterious liquid from the Spring of Life that Sasha had mentioned before.

The elf who received number 1 was a young boy who looked to be about ten years old.

Richard’s wrinkled hand gently stroked the crown of the child’s head as he swallowed hard, very nervous.

“From today, you will be reborn as a true elf.”

Richard put a dipper into the jar, filled it with the water of life, and took out a golden branch from his bosom.

Then, the Enhanced Warriors showed a strong reaction.

“Reverence to the fragment of God!”

“Respect to the essence of nature!”

“Love to the mother’s hand!”

The expressions were different, but all the Enhanced Warriors seemed to regard the branch as their absolute god.

Meanwhile, I was calm.

I asked the Heavenly Demon in my mind whether it was genuine.

The Heavenly Demon’s answer.

-It is definitely the Golden Branch. I can feel a familiar energy flowing from that old man. The energy of that damned Druid.

If the Heavenly Demon, who had faced Merlin a thousand years ago, sensed the nostalgia, then it was certain that it was the Golden Branch he had been searching for.

Then there was no more hesitation.

I had to acquire that Golden Branch.

“Sion.”

I called Sion, whom I trusted the most in this situation.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Take this.”

I handed her the wormhole generator.

Sion, receiving the round disc, looked at me with bright eyes.

“You know how to operate the disc, right?”

“I saw you using it last time.”

“Good. Tonight, you will activate the wormhole generator.”

Sion was surprised.

“Are you sure it’s okay? What about you, Young Master?”

“I will stop the baptism. I must prevent even one innocent elf from being sacrificed to the High Elder.”

“Mister…”

Sasha, who heard my determination from the side, made a voice filled with emotion.

Sion also nodded with a firm expression.

“I will carry out your orders.”

“Good. Campbell and Coco, protect Sion while she installs the wormhole. Prevent her from being attacked during the installation.”

“Leave it to us, Vice-Captain.”

“Kkyukkyu!!”

That left Amelia and Sasha.

“Amelia, protect Sasha above all else.”

“I was going to do that even if you didn’t tell me.”

While dividing the roles.

The baptism was performed on the boy who received number 1.

“Let everyone gathered here congratulate Brother Number 1 on being reborn as a true elf. Now, let the baptism begin!!”

As Richard put the golden branch into the silver liquid in the dipper and stirred it, silver and gold mixed together, emitting a colorful light.

But I clearly saw it.

The black lines that naturally permeated between the brilliant lights.

The ominous energy wriggled like a snake, aiming for its prey.

“Stop!!!”

I put all my strength into my stomach and shouted.

The mana-filled shout echoed throughout the central square.

The energy-filled voice rippled like a wave, focusing everyone’s attention.

An uninvited guest who interrupted the baptism.

The faces of the elves who saw this were filled with bewilderment.

“It’s a human?”

“Why is a human here?”

“How did he get in?”

The murmuring grew louder.

Bewilderment turned into panic, and soon into chaos.

It was clear that Richard did not like this situation.

I smiled at the guy who was staring at me and reached out my hand.

“Hey, that’s not yours. Give it to me.”