How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 76

I supported the staggering Lordain and quickly retreated.

Meanwhile, Lordain, who roughly shook his head and regained his senses, frowned.

“What are those things?”

“…I wonder.”

The knights, with blue light shining in their eyes, turned their heads like living creatures and stared at me and Lordain.

For a moment, I was flustered, wondering if they were alive, but upon closer inspection, that wasn’t the case.

They were knights, but not knights. To be precise, they were merely well-made sets of armor.

Grieves [armor for the legs below the knee], gauntlets [protective gloves or hand coverings], full plate mail, a helm, and even a long sword. But inside those armors, there were no bodies that should have been there.

Swish!

All five armors drew their swords simultaneously. As if they had rehearsed, the sound of them drawing their swords at the same time sounded like only one sword being drawn.

“Phantom Knights, huh?”

I nodded at the term referring to beings whose armor is enchanted but lacks substance.

“I guess so.”

“They don’t seem to be offering a welcoming greeting.”

“They seem to be sentinels guarding this sword.”

“Sentinels?”

“They must have been worried about tomb robbers. Maybe they activate when the sarcophagus is touched?”

“Alright. So, they’re just guys we need to smash, right?”

Lordain clenched and unclenched his fist, loosening his neck joints.

“Can you fight?”

“I can manage. Except for the slight noise in my head.”

“Should I help you?”

“Do you think I’d lose to soulless puppets like these? I don’t need it.”

Lordain growled and stepped forward, and as if responding to him, the five armors charged simultaneously.

Lordain, drawing his sword like lightning, gently caressed the five swords, deflecting them all at once.

Clang!

After exchanging blows a few more times, Lordain twitched his eyebrows.

“Tch.”

What’s wrong?

Mana flared around Lordain’s body for a moment.

Following that, Lordain’s outstretched left hand struck the chest of the armor standing at the front.

Thwack!

A sound like hammering a rock echoed as the armor flew helplessly away, embedding itself in the stone wall.

At that, Lordain twirled his sword in his right hand and grinned.

“Who’s next? You?”

Crack!

Lordain, crushing the helm in his grip as if squeezing an apple, stretched out his sword and slashed another Phantom Knight horizontally.

“One more behind you…”

“I know.”

Lordain, dismissing my warning, dodged the sword attacking from behind by crouching, then immediately rose and launched a high kick.

Crash!

With a piercing impact sound, the helm shattered and scattered in the air.

That left only one knight remaining.

Lordain leaped towards him and cleaved him in half with a two-handed sword strike.

The process was lengthy, but in reality, it was instantaneous. Like a fight scene in a movie that passes in a flash, it didn’t take long for Lordain to dust off his hands and finish.

“Worthless things…”

It was then, as Lordain grumbled and sheathed his sword, that the armors began to rise again.

The crushed helm re-formed as if it were being hammered out of metal. The severed armor pieces reassembled neatly, and the broken ones gathered their fragments to be perfectly restored.

“What is this?”

The armors that rose again charged towards Lordain once more.

Of course, even so, nothing would change.

Lordain still easily subdued the Phantom Knights, and they were once again sprawled out in a miserable state.

But the problem was that they kept getting up. They must have been absorbing the mana spread here to restore themselves.

“This has become troublesome.”

“Pardon?”

“I said it’s become troublesome.”

Lordain’s words reminded me of when he frowned after clashing swords a little while ago.

“Is there a problem?”

“Their durability is weak. Frankly, it’s easy to destroy them if I concentrate my power. But if they keep coming back to life, it’s a headache.”

“Why?”

“Try fighting them yourself.”

Myself? I can do that.

As I drew Aphen and stepped forward, the Phantom Knights raised their swords and aimed at me.

They’re just soulless shells anyway. Watching the surging Phantom Knights, I stretched out my sword, intending to block them lightly.

Yes, I stretched it out…

‘What is this?’

There was no weight on the sword clashing against mine. They intentionally removed the force. Because of that, my center of gravity shifted forward, and my posture was slightly disrupted.

‘A feint?’

Are these empty shells using such advanced psychological warfare?

Unlike my complicated thoughts, I quickly crouched my upper body.

I could feel it without looking. The Phantom Knight, readjusting the lightly deflected sword, swung it.

Watching the sword narrowly pass over my head, Lordain chuckled.

“Feels different, right?”

“These guys’ swordsmanship…”

“Yeah. They’re no pushovers.”

Lordain, baring his white teeth, stepped forward and instantly subdued the five Phantom Knights.

But that was it. Absorbing the surrounding mana again, they stood up in perfect condition.

‘Undying, immortal sentinels, huh?’

I was speechless at Kerwyn’s arrangement.

Living beings were not suitable as sentinels because they had to guard for an eternity.

And if traps were set, they would eventually be bypassed if appropriate sacrifices were made.

But what about Phantom Knights? As long as mana is supplied, they can silently perform their duties even after hundreds of years.

Moreover, they may not be able to use mana, but their swordsmanship is quite excellent.

But after exchanging blows a few more times, I had to change my perception of them.

‘Scratch that, their swordsmanship is quite excellent.’

Calling it excellent was rather an understatement. They were strong. Incredibly so!

What level of skill would this be? Among the people I’ve crossed swords with on the continent, it seemed like they surpassed everyone except for Count Lindaier, who was a master.

It was fortunate that these guys couldn’t manipulate mana. If these guys were mana users, I would have been the one rolling on the floor.

But that didn’t mean they were still easy opponents. Unlike humans with limited stamina and mana, these guys didn’t have stamina.

If it turned into a prolonged battle and my mana was depleted, my defeat would probably be a foregone conclusion.

For a moment, I imagined my stomach being pierced by their long swords.

‘To subdue these guys, I need to deal with that magic sword first.’

The black energy flowing out of the sarcophagus like mist was still consuming the five Phantom Knights.

That must be the cause of controlling the Phantom Knights. At the same time, a plan came to mind. If I could neutralize the energy emitted by the magic sword with Aphen, it seemed like it could be resolved somehow.

Finishing my thoughts, I called out to Lordain, who was violently smashing the Phantom Knights.

“Lordain.”

“Huh?”

“Try to keep them from coming to me.”

“Do you have a good idea?”

“I have something worth trying.”

Lordain nodded slightly at my words and instantly increased his speed.

Then, he began to drive the Phantom Knights into one corner. It was to give me time.

Taking advantage of the gap, I quickly approached the sarcophagus.

The sword was still emitting a murderous aura, and Aslahi, who was holding the sword reverently, was in eternal sleep.

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I summoned Aphen.

“Do you remember when you greedily sucked up the magic stone back then? Can you do it now too?”

“[Greedily! There’s nothing you can’t say to a lady!]”

“Lady or whatever, can you do it or not?!”

“[I… guess so?]”

“I hope so.”

It seemed certain that the energy coming from this sword was controlling the Phantom Knights.

To stop this, it was time to reuse Aphen’s ability to absorb all the energy from the magic stone in the mountains back then.

Where should I stick it?

I saw a black gem embedded in the center of the magic sword’s cross-guard. If I had to do it, it would be there.

With that in mind, I raised Aphen high when…

“…”

Aslahi opened her eyes.

Aslahi’s eyes, which had been as still as if she were asleep, were empty, as if her soul had been taken away.

At that moment, my concentration wavered.

By the time I realized it was a fatal mistake, it was already too late, and my weakened sword could not make a decision.

Following that, Aslahi’s white hand suddenly shot up and struck my abdomen.

“Cough!”

As the strength left my lungs, my body floated against gravity.

After that, I flew like a thrown baseball and crashed into the wall. I heard an unpleasant sound from my ribs.

I couldn’t help but cough roughly. The red blood spreading in the air was clearly visible.

Fortunately, I didn’t die thanks to instinctively drawing up mana.

If a rib or two was the price for my carelessness, it was a cheap price to pay.

Rationalizing myself like that, I barely regained my posture and supported my defenseless falling body.

My landing posture was not good, and my left hand and right ankle were strained. The throbbing sensation indicated that it would last a long time if I didn’t take immediate action.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

Lordain asked, seeing my struck figure.

“No.”

“That means you’re okay. By the way, what suddenly hit you? Was there a trap or something?”

Lordain, who had instantly subdued the five Phantom Knights, rushed to my side.

Supported by him, I struggled to get up and pointed to the sarcophagus with my chin.

“See for yourself.”

At my words, Lordain looked at the sarcophagus with a puzzled face.

At the same time, a white hand was suddenly raised above the sarcophagus, which had been quiet until now.

Thud!

Following that, the hand rested on the edge of the sarcophagus.

“…”

Soon, Aslahi, with a pale face devoid of blood, raised her head.

And Lordain, seeing that figure, gritted his teeth.

“That damn woman has come back to life?”

Lordain muttered a greeting that was anything but welcoming, and massaged his grip.

“Maybe. Anyway, Lordain.”

“Why.”

“I think it would be better to release my companions now.”

“I don’t think your companions have a clear answer.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Not?”

“I was thinking that even the power that binds my party should be conserved.”

“If it’s because of that woman, well, it’s a bit unexpected that she’s revived, but she’s still a woman who lost to me once. What’s changed even if she’s revived as an undead?”

“I wonder. I have a slightly different opinion.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Aslahi, who had finally risen completely from the sarcophagus, raised her sword.

Then, she knelt with the tip of the sword on the ground, and slowly raised her head to look at us.

Her pale face still had an empty look. It was as if she was being led by something without her own will.

Following that, a black aura began to rise distinctly around her sword. It was not an ordinary aura. It was an aura of death filled with destruction.

Kieeeeeek-!

The wailing of dead spirits filled the chamber.

At that, Lordain and I unconsciously took a few steps back. Lordain, belatedly realizing that he had stepped back, frowned.

“Okay. I’ll correct myself. I’ll do as you say.”

Lordain, feeling that something was wrong, immediately changed his words and sent the spirits far away.

Thud! Thud!

The party, including Pleta, fell to the floor unconscious.

“You were so confident because you won once in the past.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Anyway, so is it different now?”

“…”

Lordain, who had been silent for a moment at my question, swallowed hard.

“That woman used to give off a strange aura, but back then, it felt like she wasn’t fully utilizing that power. No, I should say she was restraining it rather than utilizing it. But it’s different now. It’s like a monster that’s been unleashed. Is that sword the one you said captures thoughts?”

“Probably.”

“A human who died and came back to life and a sword that exudes an evil aura. Ominous thoughts fill my head.”

“Does anything come to mind?”

“What would come to mind? A dead knight revived with evil power.”

“A Death Knight?”

“Yeah. A Death Knight.”

A Death Knight.

Thus, Aslahi returned to us as a Death Knight.

“Damn it. I’ve only heard of Death Knights as legends.”

Lordain’s sigh, mixed with embarrassment and annoyance, flowed out powerlessly.