How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 94

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Family- Episode 94

With Gilas tied up in the next room, Ruth and I spread a vast amount of data across the joined tables.

“Gilas, along with the Red Fox Mercenary Group [团, tuán – Chinese for ‘group’], said their mission was to transport the delivered goods to a designated location.”

“That’s right. Only that. They certainly carried out their mission as transporters, but they don’t know the real situation.”

“It seems they really don’t know important internal information. They don’t seem to be lying.”

“Then the next clue is…….”

“The final destination of the transport that Gilas mentioned. We should search that place.”

“But if this is the right place, wouldn’t it be difficult for just the two of us?”

“What else can we do? Now that we’ve come this far, we have to break through.”

“If we dig in earnestly, they’ll quickly cut off the tail. It’s too much for just the two of us.”

“We have to do what we can.”

“Still, if you use your authority, Young Master…….”

I shook my head at Ruth’s suggestion to use my authority as an investigator.

“Galanto can say he’s done his part by providing information. Let’s not get him involved any further.”

“It’s a shame. The scale seems to be getting bigger and bigger.”

“It’s not like we didn’t expect it.”

Just then.

Knock knock!

At the sudden knock, Ruth, with her hand on the sword hilt, approached the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Meir.”

Recognizing the familiar name, Ruth opened the door, revealing Meir with guards behind her.

“What’s going on?”

“The garrison commander has something to deliver and came here directly.”

“What is it?”

Meir silently handed over a letter sealed with wax.

I took it and immediately broke the seal to examine the contents.

“What does it say?”

At Ruth’s question, I smiled and showed her the contents.

*Due to concerns that the security of Leydin may be seriously undermined, martial law is declared in Leydin by the authority of the garrison commander guaranteed by the kingdom law.*

“Martial law has been declared.”

“Galanto finally made a decision.”

*Niels Gorde, the lord of Leydin, who has been accused, is temporarily deprived of his position until his innocence is proven by the kingdom law, and the vacant position is temporarily filled by Galanto Veiner, the current garrison commander of Leydin.*

*In addition, Cain Lindeyer, a secret investigator directly under the kingdom, is appointed as the investigator of the current case, and all the authority of the garrison commander is temporarily applied and granted to Cain Lindeyer in Leydin as the interim lord.*

“He was worried about this and that, but once he made a decision, he didn’t look back.”

Ruth smiled at the extraordinary measures.

“This makes it worthwhile to work.”

“Good. Meir!”

At my call, Meir saluted.

“Yes, Garrison Commander.”

“Mobilize the garrison to arrest the administrator in charge of managing the military supplies of Leydin and seize his home, office, and military supply warehouse.”

Meir nodded at my command.

“As you command.”

* * *

Despite the late evening, Leydin was bustling. Torches were lit brightly everywhere on the main street, and on this day, all the troops were busily moving in a quasi-war system without a single exception.

After sending Ruth ahead, I took all the necessary measures without a moment to catch my breath, and then headed to the lord’s castle while receiving Meir’s report.

“The gate?”

“It’s sealed. From now on, all entry and exit from Leydin is prohibited without the garrison commander’s approval.”

“Except for one person.”

“Yes. I have clearly told the troops stationed at the gate.”

“The person in charge?”

“I heard they just succeeded in arresting him.”

“The warehouse search?”

“In progress.”

“The key to all these incidents is there, so we must investigate thoroughly. No, instead of this, I should go there right away.”

“I understand.”

“What is Galanto doing?”

“He is focusing on maintaining public order.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

I spurred my horse and arrived at the warehouse located deep inside the inner castle.

Many guards were already rummaging through the stored luggage, opening it, and checking the contents, and Ruth, who was standing there, raised her hand when she saw me.

“Young Master.”

“Ruth, what I asked for?”

At my question, Ruth took out a bundle of paper from her arms.

“I found it.”

“You found it easily.”

“When I brought Gilas and asked him, he quickly gave up.”

“So, how about the administrator?”

“Well, he seems to be a small fry too.”

Ruth, who followed beside me, unfolded the bundle of paper.

“Gilas seems to be in charge of simple transportation, and the administrator seems to be in charge of simple storage. He doesn’t even know exactly what kind of goods he received.”

“That’s not all, is it?”

“Of course. It’s a ledger that he carefully recorded.”

I examined the ledger I received from Ruth.

“If you look at it, it is carefully recorded when and which merchant group received and stored a certain amount of goods. I compared the escort records of the merchant group with the data received from the guild office, and as expected, there is a record that the Red Fox Mercenary Group [团, tuán – Chinese for ‘group’] participated without exception.”

“Good.”

“We’re almost there. Now, if we can just find the decisive evidence.”

As if it had been prearranged to match Ruth’s words, one of the guards standing far away shouted.

“Here it is!”

Ruth and I ran to the spot, where boxes with their lids forcibly removed were visible.

“This is…….”

“Opium.”

What was hidden tightly in dozens of boxes was opium that seemed to make my head throb just by looking at it.

“Where is the administrator now?”

“He is being held with Gilas.”

“Let’s go there.”

I immediately turned around and headed to the prison in the inner castle, nodding my head.

“The evidence is out, and the henchmen are caught.”

“Then now…….”

“All that’s left is to catch the higher-ups.”

After that, I quickly moved to the basement of the inner castle, and soon I could see the faces of the detained administrator and Gilas.

“…….”

They were wearing blindfolds at my direction. Perhaps because they couldn’t see anything, they seemed to flinch even at the slightest sound.

When I simply gestured, the guard brought in the merchant who was the starting point of this incident, who had been waiting outside.

The merchant, who had spat out all the circumstances he knew in the underground prison before, tilted his head when he saw Gilas’s face.

“Isn’t that the mercenary who escorted us back then? Why is he here…….”

The merchant, who was lost in thought for a moment, soon revealed his anger as if he had realized something.

“Did that bastard stab us in the back?”

“Calm down.”

“Those sons of bitches aren’t even worth chewing!”

“I told you to calm down.”

Ruth, who approached and pressed down on his shoulder, made the merchant collapse powerlessly.

“Do you remember the name of that administrator too?”

“How could I not remember! That was the guy we were going to hand over the goods to!”

“Take him out again.”

At my words, the guard took the merchant away, and I sat down on a chair in front of the administrator and Gilas.

The administrator, who was still wearing a blindfold and relying only on the sounds he heard, trembled.

“Oh, my lord! I really didn’t know that was a drug even in my dreams! I was only in charge of checking the quantity of goods coming in and storing them! I am really innocent!”

“Then who uses those stored goods and for what purpose?”

At my question, the administrator pointed to Gilas.

“I don’t know that either! The goods that come in at the time the lord tells me every time are directly managed by the lord, and I only record the entry and exit! I am really innocent!”

“I know. That’s why I’m investigating like this.”

After finishing speaking, I looked at Meir, who was standing next to me.

“From now on, treat Baron Niels Gorde as a key suspect and issue an arrest warrant.”

“I understand.”

As Meir nodded and left the investigation room, I looked at the administrator again.

“Do you remember the face of that man next to you?”

“Yes?”

At my words, the administrator stared at Gilas’s face. On the other hand, Gilas frowned and avoided his gaze.

“I, I remember! He’s the guy who was standing next to me every time I received the goods.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

This time, I turned my head and called Gilas.

“Gilas, is this the person who received the goods from the merchant group you escorted?”

“I told you, yes. How can I forget that dumbfounded face.”

After confirming that the two’s testimonies matched, I glanced at the investigator who was recording all the investigation process next to me and nodded.

“Good. Let’s summarize. First of all, Gilas. You only received the escort request, and you didn’t know what the goods were, right?”

“Didn’t I say that.”

“You said you were a beginner mana user?”

“Yes.”

“But why do you do mercenary work?”

“……I can’t do cheesy things like being a knight by nature, and in fact, even if I become a knight, wouldn’t I only be a low-ranking nobody with my skills? On the other hand, if I live as a mercenary, I can live freely while receiving special treatment.”

“How did a person who liked freedom so much get caught up in this?”

“…….”

I sighed softly at Gilas, who was sparing his words at the crucial question.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, but I’m doing this to help you. No matter how I look at it, the real culprit isn’t you guys. Besides, if we bring the lord and investigate, the answer will eventually come out.”

“…….”

“But still, why am I talking to you here? It’s to reduce the time that will be wasted unnecessarily. But if you continue to be uncooperative like that, you’ll end up being tied up with the lord.”

At the sight of him not opening his mouth despite repeated persuasion, I gestured to the investigator for a moment.

“Can you leave your seat for a moment?”

The basis for applying the kingdom law is created only when the investigation is completed under the attendance of the investigator, who has the duty to record and observe every process in detail.

Under such circumstances, sending the investigator out was against the law, but he also knew that Gilas and the administrator were only henchmen, so he eventually nodded.

“I won’t be gone long.”

“Thank you.”

As the investigator left, I bent down and met Gilas’s eyes.

“I’m the only one listening. I swear on my honor to keep the story that comes out from now on a secret.”

At my words, Gilas finally sighed softly.

“……I am originally a contractor who receives requests from Sein Merchant Group.”

“Contractor?”

“A large merchant group like Sein Merchant Group often gets involved in various troubles. Every time, I used to step in as a problem solver.”

“The employer?”

“The employer? I simply receive and carry out requests, so where is such a thing? However, there was someone who scouted me, who was living as a special mercenary.”

“Scout?”

“At the time, I accidentally killed someone and ended up with a very large debt. Because of that, I was about to be sold to the arena, but there was a guy who paid off all my debts instead.”

“That guy then?”

“That’s right. He’s the one who entrusted me with the request to escort the merchant group heading from the north to Leydin. That guy ordered me to create the Red Fox Mercenary Group [团, tuán – Chinese for ‘group’].”

“So, what’s his name?”

Finally, as if everything was over, Gilas opened his mouth in a weak voice.

“Jonathan.”

At the name that came out of Gilas’s mouth, Ruth next to me flinched.

Jonathan.

It’s a name I know. He doesn’t have a title, but he’s a clever guy who acts as Sein’s strategist.

I had encountered him several times in Wind Nest in the past. Of course, I remember deliberately not dealing with him every time because I felt his shady intentions.

“It seems like all the names that should have come out have come out.”

At Ruth’s words, I nodded.

“Jonathan and Baron Niels Gorde. It’s all over if we reveal the relationship between the two.”

Perhaps Jonathan was most likely responsible for both the supply and the sales channels as a supplier.

Baron Niels Gorde would have been in charge of storage and, with his authority, covering up accidents.

And in the center of the two is Sein Lindeyer.

“Young Master.”

Ruth, who called me, whispered softly so that I couldn’t hear.

“Jonathan and Gorde, we can catch them, but it might be difficult for Young Master Sein.”

“Why?”

“In my opinion, Jonathan is a toxic guy who will gladly take everything and die. He knows very well that Sein is the only one who can take care of his family if he is not there. He will probably shut his mouth firmly in any interrogation.”

That’s right.

I succeeded in digging up the incident that had been buried under the surface, but it would still be difficult to cut off Sein’s head with this much.

It’s frustrating, but Jonathan will eventually shut his mouth while taking everything.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to hold Sein accountable.

“Maybe not.”

“What do you mean maybe not?”

At Ruth’s question, I smiled at her.

“It means that if we’re lucky, there might still be a chance to hit him one more time.”