How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 13

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Episode 13

* * *

He said he came after having a dream and receiving instructions.

It was laughable.

Was there anyone in this world who yearned for the Great Emperor more than she did?

He, who hadn’t even appeared to her, a mere fledgling without a single memory of him, claimed to have dreamt of him.

She was tempted to twist his neck in one swift motion and throw him to the wild beasts as food.

However, Kerwyn didn’t do that.

No, she couldn’t.

Perhaps, just perhaps.

And then, he appeared before her eyes.

“Bellang.”

“It’s been a while, Kerwyn.”

Kerwyn waved her hand.

This sub-dimension was hers. Here, she was the creator.

Mana surged.

Time briefly stopped for everything within the space, except for Kerwyn and the Great Emperor Bellangas.

Then, Kerwyn, who had been sitting on the throne, leaped up and flew forward.

The Great Emperor gently caught her and held her in his arms.

* * *

He didn’t know what had happened.

When he came to his senses, the Great Emperor was gone. He felt it instinctively. Time had passed.

“It was an excellent messenger. I received it well, Cain Lindayer.”

Kerwyn’s expression was different from before.

Her empty and indifferent eyes seemed to have gained a bit of life.

However, he could still sense something hidden behind that vitality.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It was a good opportunity to revive old memories. It would have been better if it were real, though.”

It would have been better if it were real.

That meant she had realized it wasn’t the real Great Emperor.

“Did you know?”

“Wouldn’t it be obvious with a little thought? Unless it’s black magic, you can’t bring back the soul of the dead. But it’s alright. I feel like I received an unexpected gift. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to alleviate my loneliness in the future.”

She gave a faint smile and nodded.

“Alright. How much do you want as payment for this magic?”

“Fifteen hundred gold coins.”

He could have asked for more.

But everything in life is best in moderation. Anyway, he was confident he could rake in money with a rake if he had the time.

“Good. I’ll deliver it directly to the Lindayer family as promised.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“You can give it to me. You don’t have to go to the trouble…”

“A corpse can’t carry gold coins. And I don’t have any talent for black magic, so all the more reason.”

What?

“Are you planning to kill me?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the reason?”

“Because there’s no reason to keep you alive.”

How absurd.

Shouldn’t she be grateful that she gained new knowledge and enjoyed a reunion with her lost lover thanks to him?

Why is the flow going towards a bad ending instead of a happy ending?

‘Don’t get excited.’

He instinctively felt that he didn’t have many chances. If he said something like, ‘Killing is bad,’ his head would be blown off in an instant.

First, let’s find out the fundamental reason why she’s trying to kill him.

Is it because he knows her identity and hideout?

“If it’s because of what I saw and heard, I won’t reveal it even if I die.”

“Why should I hesitate between certainty and uncertainty?”

He couldn’t argue with that. The dead tell no tales.

“If you’re so worried, you can place a Geas [a magical compulsion] on me. You can erase all my memories of this place.”

“It’s faster and easier to remove your senses and cut off your limbs than to use high-level magic for such a thing. But for you, wouldn’t death be better than such a life?”

“I have a family waiting for me.”

“Are you asking me to kill your family with you because you’re lonely?”

“…”

What was he supposed to do?

Just listening to her, it seemed like she was going to kill him no matter what he did.

‘That’s true.’

Thinking about it, something felt off.

To her, he was no different from an ant that would just die if she pressed down on it with her finger.

If she was going to kill him anyway, why was she dragging it out like this?

“What’s the reason you have to kill me?”

“It’s the opposite. There’s no reason for me to let you live.”

Looking at the situation, she seemed to be constantly looking for a reason to keep him alive.

It was frustrating. What was she trying to do? She wouldn’t want to joke around with him.

‘Wait a minute.’

That’s when it hit him.

He felt like he had been hit in the head with a hammer.

Was it right? Could it be? Was this the right thing to do?

He didn’t hesitate for long.

“…I can’t die here.”

“Why?”

Now it was all or nothing.

And he felt instinctively. This was the only way he could survive.

“Because your Great Emperor wouldn’t want the kingdom to perish.”

She narrowed her brows.

“So you shouldn’t take my life.”

“What does that have to do with your life?”

“Within the next ten years, the kingdom will be torn apart.”

“Now you’re trying to play the role of a prophet, not just a messenger.”

Ignoring her sarcasm, he continued to speak.

“First, nobles who covet power will revolt against the royal family. To the south, barbarians will cross the sea, and in the western Great Forest, other races who have been hiding from humans will emerge.”

“Are you saying the Second Race War will happen?”

It will definitely happen.

Because that’s how the novel unfolds.

“And the prelude to that war begins the moment your power runs out, doesn’t it?”

“What did you just say?”

What he just said was a simple inference.

However, it was a fact that monsters would pour down from the north within 10 years.

The weakened kingdom would lose its power and collapse, and then the things he had mentioned earlier would happen one by one.

‘However, the beginning of that is the invasion of monsters swarming in the north.’

The basic premise of the novel Midland Saga is a war for the hegemony of the continent.

That’s all.

‘Yes.’

That was the problem.

Because there was no need to know the fundamental cause and reason for that war.

It’s like not wondering why the old man became a fisherman in Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’

To wonder about that is like doubting the theme that runs through the novel.

1. Why is Kerwyn Aphen hiding in the Volum Mountains?

2. Why does she say that the Lindayer family is parasitic on the mountains?

3. Why does she endure hundreds of years alone, even though her loved one has died?

As he began to doubt, the detailed settings hidden behind the novel began to emerge.

Doubt soon turned into conviction, which inspired courage.

He raised his head and met her gaze confidently.

“Because you are stopping that war right now.”

“…”

“Let me say it again. The moment your power to control the north runs out, the Great Emperor’s kingdom will collapse. That’s why you shouldn’t kill me.”

“You’re quite the prophet now.”

For the first time, she didn’t say she would kill him.

Plus, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

It was a gesture acknowledging that his thoughts were correct.

“But that’s still not a complete reason to keep you alive.”

“If you save me, the Great Emperor’s legacy will live on.”

“Why?”

“Because now that I know why the kingdom is collapsing, I won’t let it happen.”

“The kingdom has already lost its chance. I went directly to urge them to prepare for the future, but they didn’t listen.”

Clearly, the kingdom was also at fault for not recognizing the forgotten her. But wasn’t that too much?

“It would have been fine if you had revealed your identity from the beginning.”

“There’s nothing more dangerous than a ghost of the past distorting providence. I’ve already defied fate once.”

“That’s why I’m going to do it. I’m not a ghost of the past. I’m the master of this era.”

“I don’t know if you have the ability to do that, but the reason for working for the kingdom is absurd. The kingdom is destined to perish.”

“Then why are you monitoring the north from here? Isn’t that different from what you said to me?”

“Didn’t I say that too? It’s a promise with him.”

It must mean the promise with the Great Emperor.

“And the term of that promise is running out, as you said.”

He fell silent for a moment at her words, which calmly predicted her own death.

“Let’s get to the point. Explain again why I should let you live.”

“No, isn’t it the kingdom of the Great Emperor you love! Why isn’t protecting it a reason?”

“I clearly said that it was the kingdom’s proper destiny and providence. That’s not a reason.”

“Then why are you stopping the monsters in the north, defying providence? Isn’t that different from what you said to me?”

“Didn’t I say that too? It’s a promise with him.”

The same conversation was repeated endlessly.

He was frustrated to the point of choking because he couldn’t understand what she was trying to do with him.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because many people die when war breaks out!”

Once the frustration came out, it didn’t subside.

“If the kingdom is destined to perish, if it can’t be helped, let’s just say that’s the case. But what about the people who are left behind when that kingdom disappears? They die to monsters, they die to other races, they die to barbarians, is it some kind of buffet to chew, tear, taste, and enjoy?”

Thinking about it, he got even more angry.

Why should he speak for them?

Anyway, this world is in a novel, and if he goes back, those people will turn back into text.

But aren’t you different?

Aren’t you a human in the same novel as them?

“You can’t control their fate just because promises are important and providence is important. Just because you lost that one chance, do people who don’t know anything have to die? What kind of bullshit is that?”

What’s the difference between a woman like you and Holn?

Even if it’s not equality, shouldn’t you at least give them an equal opportunity?

“A legendary hero? A light of the kingdom? Do those people know? That even you, whom they respect, are no different from the rotten nobles. Well, it’s better not to know.”

He was just trying to get a magic and a lot of gold.

Everything went wrong because of this crazy bitch.

A great sage? Sage my ass.

This woman is just a crazy psychopath. The writer who created this woman’s character setting must be crazy too.

“Just kill me if you’re going to kill me. I’d rather die than listen to your shitty philosophy.”

Maybe he can go back to reality if he dies?

He’d rather take a 50/50 gamble than talk to that crazy woman anymore.

“…”

How many minutes did that eternity-like silence last?

“Cain Lindayer.”

“What?”

Kerwyn, who had been silently facing his anger and glare, nodded.

“Now there’s a reason to let you live.”

What?

* * *

“Wake up, Ruth.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

With a wave of Kerwyn’s hand, Ruth, whose wounds had been completely healed, was shaken awake from the rocky field.

“L, Lord Cain?”

“How’s your body?”

“It’s stiff, but… uh oh!”

Ruth, who opened his eyes, looked around.

The raging cold had disappeared, and the rising sun was casting warm sunlight over the peaks of Maneloph.

“Did something happen to me? The weather is like this…”

Ruth, whose memories had been cut off by Kerwyn, looked around with a bewildered expression.

“Tsk, you acted like you were good because you were a high-level mana user, but your stamina is worse than mine.”

“That! Don’t tell me I lost consciousness?”

“Yeah. You were out for a while.”

Ruth, who seemed flustered, shook his head.

“What are you looking around for?”

“How much time has passed?”

“Don’t make a fuss. Only a day has passed.”

Not much time had passed.

It was just that the weather had changed due to Kerwyn’s powerful magic. However, from Ruth’s point of view, it would feel like quite a lot of time had passed.

“Okay. I needed to rest anyway.”

“Didn’t you say you had business here?”

“The business is over.”

“Already?”

He looked at the three coniferous trees standing tall in Maneloph and replied.

“Yeah, I saw it all.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Ruth nodded, scratched the back of his neck, and approached the horse tied to the tree.

Then, he admired the horse, which had recovered its stamina with Kerwyn’s magic.

“Huh, these guys. How did they get so energetic in one day? Lord Cain, are you sure it’s only been a day?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

In fact, he also felt like quite a long time had passed, like Ruth.

It must mean that the meeting with Kerwyn was so memorable.

He nodded and touched the sword on his waist, leaving Ruth, who was busy taking care of the horse, behind.

‘My shoulders feel heavy.’

Sreureung….

He felt like his hair was standing on end as he drew his sword.

The appearance of the sword was no different from when he first left the territory.

However, the small jewel embedded in the center of the cross-guard proved that it was not the same sword.

‘The Sword of Radiance.’

The Sword of Radiance.

The sacred magic sword that Kerwyn Aphen made for the Great Emperor, and that the Great Emperor wielded for the sake of humanity.

He remembered what Kerwyn said when she gave him this sword.

“Cain Lindayer, I hope you don’t forget what you said yourself.”

It was just something he did to avoid marriage.

But that event eventually returned as a shackle to save the kingdom that would be shattered by war.

“…Damn it.”

He had once thought that he wanted to become the protagonist in a novel and live as a hero.

But now that the opportunity has come.

He couldn’t say that he felt good at all.