How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 265

Activating Hashunar’s Seal was more of an instinct than a rational decision. The moment I felt death approaching, I did what I thought was safest.

After creating some distance and turning back, I saw Lordain and the black-haired man already locked in fierce combat.

From the black-haired man’s sword, which burned with red light in his eyes, a terrifying aura of about 1 meter radiated. Of course, Lordain’s aura was just as intense.

They moved like snakes, their footwork a blur, relentlessly attacking each other without leaving any openings.

It was blinding. Every time the man’s crimson mana and Lordain’s blue mana clashed, it felt like space itself was tearing apart.

I came to help Lordain, but what could I possibly do in that fight?

“Kid.”

Taking advantage of a brief separation from the man, Lordain landed in front of me. Then, placing his hand on the ground, Lordain said to me.

“I have a favor to ask. Just buy me 10 seconds.”

A favor? From Lordain?

There was no time to wonder if he’d lost his mind. The black-haired man was already charging fiercely at me.

“5 seconds. No more.”

I didn’t wait for an answer and dashed forward. At the same time, I squeezed my mana heart to its limit. Mana surged through my body, pushing me to the breaking point.

The black-haired man’s sword aimed precisely for my arm. It’s a relief it wasn’t my neck. That meant he didn’t intend to kill me outright.

Reflexively, I raised my sword to deflect the attack, infusing it with mana to the absolute limit.

Crack!

The aura surrounding my sword shattered with an unpleasant sound. I gritted my teeth at the overwhelming difference in power. My mana heart writhed, injecting mana into the sword again.

The black-haired man gave a faint smile.

“This is quite peculiar. How do you recover so quickly?”

The man, who even noticed the mana tunnel [a pathway for mana flow], swung his sword repeatedly. I jumped to avoid the downward swing, but I had no choice but to block the upward attack that quickly changed course.

The aura surrounding my sword shattered, and the impact traveled to my shoulder.

Is my arm broken? No, just a simple dislocation.

I switched the Afien in my right hand to my left. It’s a shame I never learned the left-handed sword technique.

The man twisted his waist and slashed strongly at my waist. I wanted to use Hashunar’s Seal.

But Lordain was behind me. I had no choice. I gritted my teeth and angled my sword, intending to deflect the blow.

A strong impact resonated through me. I tried to deflect it as smoothly as possible, but frankly, it felt clumsy even to me.

“Ugh!”

A groan burst from my mouth against my will. Following that, something thick surged up my throat. It tasted fishy, like blood. Evidence of a serious internal injury.

Damn it. Is this what a Master [a high-ranking martial artist or magic user] is like?

Like a kite with a severed string, I flew through the air and crashed into the wall. Then, I fell weakly and rolled on the floor. Still, my mind was alive, and I barely managed to brace myself on the ground and crouch down.

‘Damn it. What did you want?’

As if answering my grumbling, Lordain raised his hand.

-Grooooaaan…

It was a strange, hard-to-hear cry. And that cry came from a giant that seemed to be about 10 meters tall.

If you gathered rocks, dust, clay, stones, etc., and shaped them by hand, would they look like that? The thing, which had been crouching in the shape of a human, slowly rose.

Not just one, but five of them.

“What… is that?”

Despite the terrible pain, curiosity came first. Then, Afien, who had been silent since the battle began, opened his mouth.

[Earth spirits. And quite old ones at that. Impressive spirit magic.]

“That’s a spirit?”

I would have called them rock giants, earth giants, or something like that. Who would think of such a brutal thing as a spirit?

Lordain dusted off his hands and stood up. Then, he raised his sword to his shoulder and glared at the black-haired man.

“Shall we try again?”

It’s a fight between Masters. Both are skilled, so one mistake could lead to defeat. In that situation, it wouldn’t be easy with five giants joining in.

“Really…”

The black-haired man shook his head.

It wasn’t a gesture of anger or trouble. Just annoyance. A gesture that seemed to fit that level of emotion.

The man stared straight at me and spoke again.

“Variable after variable, and more variables… You have a natural talent for ruining things. But it’s okay. The result won’t change anyway.”

The man smiled.

“The water has already been spilled [an idiom meaning the situation cannot be reversed]. There’s no turning back. Kerwin, that woman was just a secondary target. It would be nice to eliminate her, but if not, it’s just a little inconvenient.”

A job? What job?

Before I could question the unknown words, Lordain stepped forward.

“Well, we can ask you about the details after we catch you.”

“Stop.”

The man reached out and stopped Lordain.

“Let’s not do that, you should know better. This fight is over.”

“Says who?”

“See you again.”

Ignoring Lordain’s words, the man left a farewell and slowly crumbled.

Literally. The man, who had collapsed as if he had lost consciousness, didn’t move at all afterward.

But that was only for a moment. Soon, the man’s body began to burn. A terrible smell of burning flesh wafted through the air. Eventually, only bones remained, just like when those Unholy Knights died. Just like in the Capital’s prison.

“This is crazy.”

I shook my head. My head is a mess. There were too many things to think about.

But after filtering everything out, the last thing left was the thought that I wanted to rest.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Lordain approached and asked. I grabbed his outstretched hand and struggled to get up.

“You talked like you could crush anyone in an instant…”

Lordain clicked his tongue at my grumbling.

“I did at first. But it was strange.”

“Strange?”

“That guy, he felt like he was getting stronger as we fought. Honestly, I was sure I could win without taking too long at first.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That’s what I mean. I was consuming power, and he felt like he was gaining power. So I ended up using spirit magic. Damn it, I’ll have to wait a long time to gather the energy I used then.”

“Wait, wait a minute. You kept gaining power?”

“That’s right.”

I suddenly thought of Ilia. And her incarnation, Aslahina’s power.

“That bastard is a Death Knight. Did he steal your life force while fighting, Lordain?”

“Do you think I’m such an idiot that I wouldn’t notice that?”

“Then…”

I couldn’t continue. My legs buckled, and I knelt on the ground. Once again, blood surged up my throat and I coughed it out roughly. The internal injuries I sustained from the previous clash seemed more severe than I thought.

Should I drink an elixir?

Damn it. I only have a few left, so let’s save them. I’ll get better if I rest anyway.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I need to rest… but anyway.”

I coughed a few more times, wiped my mouth, and stood up again with Lordain’s support.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute. I have too much to think about.”

I suppressed the churning in my stomach and pondered.

First. He’s a Death Knight. From what I can see, the power he has is due to Neviros’ authority. And that authority can be given across bodies. That’s why the black-haired man showed a different personality today.

Second. His skills have increased dramatically. The last time I remember, he was at the level of a top-tier Expert. But today, Lordain assured me that he was at the Master level.

Third. If that power can be transferred, why did he just leave? Shouldn’t he have fought to the end to harm us?

Despite the thoughts that kept coming, I couldn’t resist the closing of my eyes.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I instinctively knew that quite some time had passed.

In addition, the surrounding scenery that came into view was different. It wasn’t the tent I had been seeing so often, but a rather ornately decorated building.

I could instinctively tell. We captured Antioch Castle.

As I slowly got up, I felt someone sitting next to me. When I turned my head, I saw Rahenna with a pipe in her mouth.

“Rahenna.”

“You’re awake.”

“Yes. Um, so…”

“The siege was a victory.”

“How many days have passed?”

“Two days. Your internal injuries were quite severe. The opponent must have been quite strong.”

“Yes. He was damn strong.”

I shook my head for a moment to regain my senses and asked Rahenna.

“Where are Ruth, Ilia, and Lordain?”

“They’re on the battlefield.”

“Battlefield?”

“Didn’t I say we took the castle? Marquis Rodkius’ southern army is attacking this place to retake it.”

Staggering out of bed, I approached the window. Only then did I realize that I could hear something noisy from afar.

“…Are they defending well?”

“They’re defending too well, that’s the problem.”

“Yes?”

Rahenna lowered her pipe, blew out smoke, and tilted her head.

“I’ve lived quite a life, so I think I know humans to some extent, but I still don’t understand. Is the meaning of this castle that great to them?”

“It has meaning. It’s a strategic point aimed at the Marquis Rodkius’ territory right in front of it. Of course, they want to take it back, don’t they?”

“I’m saying that because it doesn’t seem like such a simple matter.”

I narrowed my eyes at her incomprehensible words. Rahenna’s eyes were a little strange. It was a strange atmosphere, mixed with pity and a little anger.

“Ruth, that child was also wondering. She said she didn’t understand why the opponent was continuing such unnecessary attacks.”

“Unnecessary attacks?”

Rahenna nodded slowly at my question.

“There have been four attacks in the two days you’ve been lying down.”

“…Four attacks? What’s the damage?”

“Tens of thousands have died.”

“Tens of thousands?”

“That’s right.”

That doesn’t make sense. Marquis Rodkius has no reason to waste troops like that unless he’s crazy.

From the beginning, Duke Bashrun predicted that if there was a future battle, it would be a battle on the Plains of Plane, didn’t he?

I felt a chill and sat on the bed, deep in thought.

Why is Marquis Rodkius so attached to this castle? It’s a strategic point, but it’s not a place that he has to recapture at the risk of his life. After all, the final outcome will be decided in a large-scale battle.

We are an expeditionary force. It’s not easy to endure in enemy territory for a long time. Wouldn’t it be better for the opponent to drag out the time?

That’s when it happened. Something flashed through my mind.

At the same time, I could feel the uneasiness and questions that I had been holding in my heart were finally changing visibly.

I’m not sure. But it can’t be explained unless it’s this. And realizing that conclusion, I jumped up.

“Damn Twilight Operation, that was it.”

How stupid, how incredibly stupid!

Why now, when I had all the sources?

I spat out curses to myself and said to Rahenna.

“I need to see Duke Bashrun.”