How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 212

Living as the Third Son of a Wasted Novel – Episode 213

Chapter 52. The North

An endless ridge stretched before us. Above, the untouched perpetual snow, hundreds of years old, reflected the sunlight.

A spectacle one might only see once in a lifetime: a griffin soared across this landscape.

Three people were riding on the saddle atop the griffin: me, Illia, and Redran, whose face had turned a sickly blue.

Lost in thought, Redran gripped the saddle as if it were his lifeline, a far cry from his usual arrogant demeanor.

“Scared?”

Redran grimaced at my question, shouted over the roaring wind.

“Shut up.”

“Looks like you are.”

“…Where did the confident man who looked down on everything go?”

Illia chuckled softly at my teasing. Redran glared at me, his face reddening.

“You didn’t say we’d be going like this!”

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t, either. How else are we supposed to cross the Azure Mountains? That’s why I asked if you get motion sickness.”

“How would I know? I’ve never flown before, you bastard.”

“Well, now you know.”

“…Why are we even crossing the Azure Mountains? You’re not planning to subjugate the monsters there, are you?”

“What if I am?”

“You’re completely insane.”

I chuckled at Redran’s outburst and rummaged through my pouch.

“We’re going because there’s a reason to go.”

The northern terrain that Kerwyn had told me about might have changed over the years. As the saying goes, even mountains and rivers change in ten years.

It was true. There were slight differences in the details between the terrain Illia had meticulously scouted and Kerwyn’s information.

‘I would have been in trouble if I had relied solely on Kerwyn’s words.’

Muttering inwardly, I tapped the griffin’s head when I finally saw the terrain I was aiming for.

“Let’s go down there!”

Kyaaak-!

Hearing my voice, the griffin screeched and began to glide down.

It certainly understood human speech. It was intelligent. It was even called a spirit animal before being a monster, so I guess that made sense.

“Good heavens.”

Redran squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden descent. On the other hand, Illia and I had experience riding Kalandart, so we could enjoy the sense of speed.

The griffin landed gently on the ground and crouched down to make it easier to dismount.

I jumped to the ground and stretched, loosening my stiff joints.

“Not a bad flight.”

Kyaak-! Kyaaak!

The griffin nudged me with its beak, pleased with my praise. I took a chunk of meat out of my bag and threw it to him.

“Good job. You can go back now.”

The creature snatched the meat and swallowed it whole without chewing, then began to fly away again.

Illia marveled softly at the sight.

“It seems to have plenty of energy, even after carrying three people.”

“You can say that again.”

“You could command the Azure Sky Knights directly on a griffin when they deploy later.”

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it, but it’ll be difficult. What if that guy gets hurt on the battlefield?”

“Ah, that’s right. The griffin’s safety would be the top priority to keep producing hippogriffs [a mythical creature with the front half of an eagle and the back half of a horse].”

“Exactly.”

I nodded and turned my gaze. Unlike Illia and me, Redran was hunched over, retching.

“We should find a place to rest first.”

“Indeed.”

Illia approached Redran, who was half-exhausted, to support him, but Redran brushed her arm away with a pale face.

“I don’t need it.”

It was a brusque response, but Illia didn’t seem to mind and withdrew her hand.

I chuckled at the sight and turned to look around.

The North…

It was an endlessly wide plain. It felt like the Manchurian fields [vast grasslands in Northeast Asia], where winter was much longer than other seasons. The chilly air, typical of a subarctic climate, was palpable.

It was more ordinary than I thought, considering it was a place untouched by humans for hundreds of years. The North I had imagined was a hellscape where people couldn’t live.

“Lord, I see a forest in the distance.”

Illia pointed to a spot far away. Following her hand, I saw a vast forest of conifers in the distance.

“The forest is quite large.”

“Not as big as the Great Forest, but still considerably large.”

The forest covered a much larger area than indicated on the map Kerwyn had given me. It must have been because so much time had passed.

At the edge of the trees, unmelted snow drew a white skyline. I nodded at the sight.

“We’ll stick to the plan. Let’s use that forest as a base camp and carve out a route to our destination.”

“It would be nice if there were wild horses around.”

“I agree. It’s too restrictive to move around without horses.”

Should we have tried to bring horses somehow?

No, on second thought, that’s impossible. Taking horses across those rugged Azure Mountains would be suicidal.

Even if we managed to bring horses around the mountains somehow, it would take too much time and effort, resulting in a net loss.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The North was teeming with monsters.

There was nothing more foolish than standing idly in such a dangerous place. Knowing this, my companions and I began to walk towards the distant forest.

* * *

Immediately after arriving at the forest, Illia went to scout the area, while Redran and I began to set up a campsite where we could rest comfortably.

“What is that, anyway?”

Redran, who was gathering wood to make a bonfire, stared at the bag with subspace [a pocket dimension or space within a space] and gaped.

“You could call it a magic pouch.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched camping supplies pop out of the small handbag.

It was ridiculous. To think there was such a convenient item.

“Is it an enchanted bag?”

“You can see that, can’t you?”

“How do you have such a treasure that even the royal family might not have?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t steal it.”

After working together with Redran to create a fairly comfortable-looking campsite, Illia appeared with a few rabbits in her hands.

I took the rabbits and skillfully prepared them, asking Illia.

“How’s the area?”

“It’s quiet. There don’t seem to be any particular dangers.”

“Is that so?”

Originally, this was news to welcome with open arms.

But this wasn’t the kingdom; it was the North. So, I felt even more puzzled.

“No dangers… It’s not bad news, but it’s a bit unsettling.”

“I think so too.”

Redran, who was starting the bonfire, frowned at our conversation.

“What’s so strange about it? Isn’t it good if there are no monsters?”

“Think about where we are.”

Redran regained his sense of reality, which he had momentarily forgotten, and nodded.

“Right. This is the North.”

“A hell where monsters are rampant year-round. Many explorers have gone to the North, but none have returned.”

Hearing my words, Redran narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“You’re not here to find some ruins, are you? To get a bag like that one you have now?”

“I have no interest in treasure hunting, and I don’t have time for that.”

“Then why are you in the North…”

“Because I have something to do.”

“Something to do?”

I began to skewer the prepared rabbit meat onto a branch, dodging Redran’s repeated questions.

“You’ll find out eventually. You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you now.”

“…”

Redran gave me a suspicious look at my evasive answer, but he didn’t ask any further.

“Well, I’ll follow along for now. I can’t go back alone now.”

“That’s a good attitude.”

While keeping an eye on the rabbit meat roasting nicely, I pondered and recalled the goal of coming to the North.

Strengthening the barrier.

After the Race Wars, Kerwyn formed a vast barrier to prevent monsters from the North from crossing over.

But at some point, the barrier began to be attacked.

The culprit was obvious: the Neviros Order.

Noticing this, Kerwyn later resided in the Volum Mountains and solved the problem by becoming a power source herself, injecting magic.

Of course, the problem disappeared afterward.

Kerwyn was a powerful mage, and no human in the world could defy her power.

But now, after much time has passed, Kerwyn’s life was coming to an end. And as if sensing this, the barrier was also weakening due to unknown factors.

That’s where my job was determined.

Take Apen to strengthen the barrier. Furthermore, if possible, eliminate the source that weakens the barrier.

It was a simple mission, but the problem was that there was too little information about the North.

‘I have to be careful.’

Because I don’t know what’s in this neighborhood.

Moreover, Kerwyn’s words about meeting a different race because I would need help in the process of strengthening the barrier bothered me.

How am I supposed to meet them and ask for help?

I sighed softly and looked back at Illia and Redran.

“Anyway, let’s rest here today and make a plan in earnest from tomorrow.”

Hearing my words, Illia took out a map and examined it.

“Considering we don’t have horses, the distance to the destination is considerable. It won’t be an easy journey, considering the threat of monsters.”

“It’s a headache that we don’t have a ride.”

“If I had known this would happen, wouldn’t it have been better to use the griffin to break through at once?”

“I heard that the North is also full of flying monsters. As I said before, it would be troublesome if the griffin got hurt.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, let’s postpone the details until tomorrow and get a good rest today.”

After speaking, I grabbed a well-cooked skewer and handed it to them.

With that, the simple meal was finished, and we decided on the order of the night watch and set up our beds.

Then, Redran, who had drawn the last turn and was lying down in a good mood, opened his mouth in a passing tone.

“It’s a comfortable place to sleep. I’d believe it if you told me it was a forest I used to play in when I was young.”

I chuckled at Redran’s words.

“Anyone would think we came on a picnic.”

“I’m not kidding. Who would believe it if you called this forest the North?”

Illia, who was preparing for the night watch, nodded at Redran’s grumbling.

“Baron Redran is right. As I said before, when I scouted the area, the forest seemed strangely peaceful.”

“That much?”

“Yes. This forest is by no means small, so there should be monster droppings or traces. Considering this is the North, it’s definitely strange.”

The forest is peaceful…

After Illia agreed, I, who had been lying on the blanket, got up again, feeling an inexplicable unease.

“Could it be that the numbers have decreased because they couldn’t withstand the winter?”

“That could be the case, but…”

“No, it’s definitely strange. It’s the North, where monsters are rampant, but it’s so quiet.”

Illia narrowed her eyes at my repeated doubts, and Redran, who had been lying down, slowly got up.

Looking at them, I smiled bitterly.

“There are forests of this size even in the kingdom’s interior. And every year, people are brought in to subjugate the monsters. But no matter how much they subjugate, there are bound to be monsters that survive.”

“…”

“Even if the forests inside the kingdom are like that, this is the North.”

Illia got up with a tense face and put her hand on the scabbard, opening her mouth.

“The fact that there are many monsters in the North can’t be a lie, can it?”

“It’s one of two things. Either this forest isn’t the North, or the monsters have been wiped out.”

Redran, who had gotten up, growled softly.

“If it’s the latter, by what?”

At Illia’s short question, a bleak wind swirled through the night forest.

At that, the gazes of Illia, Redran, and I turned to the forest surrounding us.

Thud… Thud…

Focusing, I could hear the sound of bare branches swaying in the distance.

I was sure. There was someone else in this forest besides us.