How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 190

“Hah, hah…”

“Hoo…”

Five exhausted knights and Ilia faced each other.

Barely a few minutes after the strange confrontation began, new figures appeared.

“What’s going on here?”

Unlike the other knights, this one wore blackened armor that seemed to absorb light. His sword hung loosely as he rested a hand on his hip.

The leader of the enemy, the cause of all this, Redran Basarac, had arrived.

“L, Lord.”

The five knights, flustered by their lord’s appearance, quickly straightened up.

Redran, observing them, tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

“Hmm.”

Redran’s gaze swept over the five knights. He noticed three of them were wounded by Ilia, their vitality visibly draining.

Surely, Redran’s eyes must have registered the white lines [a visual representation of life force being drained, often seen in fantasy settings] as well. However, he didn’t react, instead turning his attention to Ilia.

Then, as if piecing together the situation, he nodded.

“I don’t know what trick you used, but the fact that five of you couldn’t subdue one woman is utterly incompetent.”

“Lo, Lord.”

“If you’re thinking of making excuses, shut up and get out of my sight right now.”

At Redran’s command, the five knights trembled, their lips quivering.

But they couldn’t possibly disobey their lord’s command. In the end, they staggered and retreated.

With that, Redran, followed by over twenty newly arrived knights, stepped forward.

“Ilia Frost.”

“Baron Redran.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again like this. How long has it been? Was it when Cain Lindayer last visited the Red Castle?”

“……”

“It’s strange. Very strange. I heard that you weren’t even an Expert [a rank of skilled warrior or mage] back then, so how can you be unscathed against my five knights?”

Ilia didn’t answer, simply staring silently at Redran.

“You’re not going to answer? That’s a shame. I can’t read minds. But I do know how to extract those thoughts.”

As soon as Redran finished speaking, the Red Knights behind him spread out in a circle, surrounding Ilia.

“You are now a mercenary, not a knight. And mercenaries prove themselves only with force, not honor or power, and move strictly according to profit.”

“……”

“You have sufficiently proven your strength by fighting my knights. So, I’ll make you an offer. Ilia Frost, would you like to come under my command?”

“Come under your command?”

“Yes. Come under my command.”

“You must know what I’ve done so far.”

“Ah, of course, I know that you’ve disturbed and plundered my territory. But that’s something I can fully tolerate for the sake of the greater cause.”

“Tolerate, you say.”

“Yes. I’m different from that fool who abandoned talented people like you as mercenaries. I’ll bestow upon you a title and land. Which territory do you want? Sargos Territory? Bellot Territory? Or Trot Baron’s territory? Just choose, and I’ll make you a feudal lord.”

At Redran’s words, Ilia tilted her head slightly. To others, it might have looked like she was deep in thought.

But I, who have been with her for a long time, know better. That’s the gesture Ilia makes when she’s angry.

She must be upset by the implication that I abandoned her.

“……”

“I’m not one of those rigid types who live and die for paltry honor. A past as a mercenary? I’m about to take over the East. I have the ability to cover up and manipulate such trivial pasts as much as I want.”

“So, what do you want in return?”

At Ilia’s question, Redran smiled bitterly. He must have been sure that she was slowly coming over to his side.

“Just give me a simple testimony. Tell me who ordered you to plunder my supply train and disturb my territory.”

“You must be hoping that ‘who’ is Cain.”

“Well, you’re not stupid, either.”

“So, you’re saying you’re going to turn against Lindayer, but can you handle it?”

“Would I, who will take over the East, be afraid of Lindayer and cower in fear?”

Redran’s confidence was justified.

If he could win the war and reveal that I, who had signed a non-aggression pact, had unfairly intervened, Redran would probably receive solid support from the anti-royal faction.

If that were the case, it wouldn’t be impossible to actually fight against Lindayer. The justification would be given to Basarac.

But all those plans have a prerequisite. And unfortunately, Redran won’t have the chance to meet that condition.

And Ilia was thinking the same thing.

“The plan is plausible.”

“Hmm?”

“But that plan is just a futile delusion that can’t be realized. So, there’s no way I’ll join you.”

At Ilia’s words, Redran’s eyebrows twitched.

“My plan is a futile dream?”

“Because you won’t be able to win me over, nor will you win the war.”

“Ha.”

Redran, who started with a snort, soon bent over and burst into laughter.

“Haha! Hahaha!”

“……”

“Why? Because of that savior or whatever, that damn Flores? Nonsense! Did that bitch bring tens of thousands of troops? No. She’s just leading a rabble of northeastern rats with her bare hands. And you’re saying I’m going to lose the war?”

“……”

“Or, do you believe that the great Cain Lindayer, who abandoned you here, will somehow do something about it? How utterly foolish.”

“Shut your mouth, Redran.”

At Ilia’s threat, which rarely showed anger, Redran also erased his smile and drew his sword.

“My generosity is over now. You wouldn’t expect good treatment for a mercenary who isn’t even a knight. Good. I’ll personally brand that beautiful face with an indelible mark. A dirty scavenger.”

As Redran raised his hand, the Red Knights simultaneously lowered their stance and prepared for battle.

“My castle’s torture technicians are eagerly waiting for you, imagining your soft skin. Knights! Subdue that bitch. It doesn’t matter if you cut off her arms.”

After that, as Redran lowered his hand, the Red Knights began to unleash mana all at once.

Even in that precarious situation, Ilia slowly raised her sword and wore a bitter smile.

“……Can’t you hear what this mountain is telling you, Redran? That you shouldn’t have set foot here.”

“What did the mountain say? Ah, did it say that evil spirits live here? But what a pity? I can’t hear anything.”

“Then you’ll start hearing it now.”

Caw-! Caw!

As soon as Ilia finished speaking, dozens, hundreds of crows, which no one knew when they had landed, began to cry out in the forest.

“……Crows?”

Redran, who had briefly turned his gaze to them, frowned and looked back at Ilia.

Saaaaa…….

The Ilia he looked at was now emitting a dark blue aura in all directions.

The Red Knights, noticing that something strange was happening, were about to rush in all at once.

“Wh, what is it?”

“Ugh…….”

The Red Knights, who had seemed ready to crush their opponent in an instant, were stopped.

Their gazes were fixed on Ilia, as if their feet were stuck to the ground.

And that was the same for Redran.

Sweat was running down Redran’s cheeks, who had widened his eyes and frozen.

‘Is it true that those who prosper by sorcery will perish by sorcery?’

It wasn’t difficult to guess what was reflected in Redran’s eyes. I was also included in this realm and seeing the same thing.

It was the form of an evil spirit.

The dark blue aura that leaked from Ilia’s eyes took shape like long horns.

The magic sword in her hand was also glowing dark blue, and the draped cloak had become black wings, shadowing Ilia’s back.

Looking at Ilia, who had transformed into such a terrifying form, I recalled a conversation I had with Rahenna a long time ago.

“If you lure Redran and the Red Knights to that mountain, Ilia will defeat them.”

“Will it be that easy? From what you’ve said, he doesn’t seem like an easy opponent.”

“That’s why Rahenna needs to help a little.”

“You know that my illusion is only to deceive the opponent’s eyes, not to make non-existent power spring up, right?”

“Ilia already has the ability. It’s just difficult to meet the conditions to unleash that ability properly.”

“That child has such an ability?”

“Yes. Ilia has the power to do that.”

“Well, I understand. That’s your job to figure out.”

At the same time, an old memory that I had temporarily forgotten also came to mind.

In the past, in the Great Forest, the powerful Elven Guards had stiffened like the current Red Knights due to the ability Rahenna had unleashed.

And Rahenna said at that time.

「What do I look like to you?」

What did the Elven Guards see Rahenna as at that time?

I can’t know that. At that time, I didn’t share the same thoughts as the Elven Guards.

But now I had the same experience as Redran and the Red Knights.

A ghostly elusiveness that couldn’t be caught no matter how much they chased. A track record where no one who crossed swords with her survived. In the end, the place they struggled to corner her was a strange and gloomy mountain said to be haunted by evil spirits.

Decisively, the unbelievable defeat shown by the six Red Knights who had fought earlier.

Those were the ingredients, and the result of those ingredients was what I was seeing now.

“Eeek…….”

Still, perhaps because he was the leader, Redran, who belatedly came to his senses, gritted his teeth.

“Come to your senses! That’s an illusion! The essence is already determined! That bitch is just a knight who hasn’t even become an Expert! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

It was a great speech.

But Redran, what if the essence you know is wrong?

Kkieaaaa-!

Ilia, who had summoned the incarnation of Aslahina and was also a dark blue evil spirit, began to move with a terrifying cry.

After that, Ilia’s sword was swung, and an attack that confused the opponent’s eyes was unleashed.

It was Aslahina’s swordsmanship, which I had experienced dozens of times while sparring in the Blue Mountains, but still wasn’t used to.

Puhwak!

And that attack was not something that the knights, whose eyes were already deceived, could block.

In an instant, holes were pierced in the necks of two knights, and a wind-leaking scream flowed out.

“Heoeok…….”

“Heoeok, heoeok…….”

The pain didn’t end there.

White chains, which were emitted without exception from the pierced necks, were connected to Ilia’s sword, and the scene took on the shape of shackles that bound the necks of slaves.

“Keuheok, keueoeok!”

“Kkeueaaaa…….”

The evil spirit, which had captured the screaming souls, began to mercilessly rampage through the Red Knights.

‘Aslahina’s incarnation, Rahenna’s illusion, and the collaboration of the evil magic sword.’

In an instant, she inflicts fatal wounds on the opponent with all her might. The energy consumed by that is refilled with the absorbed souls, and the time to maintain the power of the incarnation also increases.

It was a power of evil principle that I created, but it was hard to watch with my eyes open.

And the horror that power showed was not something that only I felt.

“Everyone, unleash your power! Knock her down! Fight back!”

Even Redran’s Red Knights, who had been thoroughly trained as combat weapons, couldn’t come to their senses from the fear that stimulated their instincts.

At least a few mustered the courage to unleash their power. But rather, that was a misstep.

In a situation where it was difficult to face the opponent with a clear mind, becoming a berserker who half-lost his reason would only become a sacrifice to Ilia’s power.

“Heueoeok…….”

“N, no! Give it back, please give it back!”

After that, the knights who were cut down by Ilia began to wave their hands and try to grab their souls.

Kkiiiii…….

However, even those desperate gestures were soon buried in the strange cry of the magic sword.

“Evil spirit.”

Humans struggling to grab the souls being pulled out. And the dark blue evil spirit, wielding the battlefield with pure white shackles on them.

“Could it be that it was a real evil spirit…….”

Redran, who was watching the terrible sight, muttered powerlessly, perhaps feeling that the tide had already turned.

Seeing that, the very few Red Knights who were still conscious hurriedly grabbed Redran’s body.

“Lord! You must take cover!”

“The battle is over. At this rate, we’ll be annihilated. We must get out of the mountain now, even now!”