How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 125

Living as the Third Son of a Wasted Novel – Episode 126

Chapter 35. Unholy Night

Despite being surrounded by a considerable number of soldiers, Ruth seemed to be holding his own.

Perhaps the terrain, with its narrow entrance to the underground prison, worked to his advantage. Moreover, Baron Trill couldn’t risk harming the prisoner, as their survival was his only bargaining chip.

Ruth, on the other hand, had no such constraints, wielding his sword without hesitation.

Swish!

Ruth cut down a soldier, the sprayed blood splattering across his body as he raised his sword.

“Who’s next?”

The soldiers, looking at Ruth as if he were a demon, began to hesitate.

‘He’s holding up well.’

Nodding, I scanned the battlefield for Harkins, who was in the thick of the fighting.

“The prisoner is over there. We need to break through.”

“Where are they?”

“Over there. There.”

Harkins, confirming the location I indicated, immediately raised his sword and shouted.

“Knights! Follow me! We’re going to rescue the prisoner!”

Knights who had been fighting fiercely from all directions began to rally at Harkins’ call.

Seeing this, I turned my head and looked around. The battle inside seemed likely to end swiftly.

Even considering raw combat strength, Baron Trill’s knights were no match for the Wisdom Knights.

Bringing such a force into the inner castle meant the situation was already decided.

‘As expected.’

It was just as I’d anticipated. Except for a few isolated holdouts, Baron Trill’s knights had vanished.

Did they retreat into the lord’s castle?

Perhaps, like many nobles, Baron Trill had a secret passage leading out of the castle for emergencies.

He must be planning to use it.

Of course, the Duke couldn’t be unaware of such a common precaution. A comprehensive dragnet [a thorough search] would likely be spread throughout the area. Even if it takes time, he will definitely be caught.

Nodding, I headed towards Ruth, following the path Harkins had cleared.

“Third Son.”

“It’s Baron now, you know.”

After this brief exchange, I took Ruth’s outstretched hand and glanced at the two women behind him.

“How are they?”

“They’re simply exhausted. Nothing serious.”

“Is that so?”

“Is the battle over?”

“Almost. The Duke’s forces are probably mopping up the outer castle.”

“A sigh of relief. By the way, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hmm?”

Ruth, looking around for a moment, whispered in my ear.

“We still haven’t found Ilia’s sword.”

“What? I told you to find that first.”

“Time was tighter than expected.”

“Ah, damn it.”

Ilia’s sword is a demonic sword left by Aslahina. If its existence is revealed, we’ll be in trouble.

“What does Ilia say?”

“She said she changed the guard and scabbard to make it look ordinary since it was such a conspicuous sword. She said it wouldn’t look like a famous sword.”

“That’s a relief. Let’s find it first.”

“Should we request support?”

At Ruth’s words, referring to the Wisdom Knights who were gradually securing the area, I frowned.

“Do you have to advertise it to the whole town?”

The Wisdom Knights were seen safely escorting the two women and heading to the underground prison to rescue more prisoners.

The situation here seemed to be under control for now.

Nodding, I looked at Ruth.

“Do you know where it is?”

“I found out in advance before infiltrating and starting the operation. It’ll be in the lord’s castle’s underground armory.”

“Where is it?”

“Let’s find out as we go. There should be plenty of people to ask.”

At Ruth’s words, pointing to the chaotic surroundings filled with defeated soldiers, I nodded.

“Good. Let’s recover it quickly before anyone else sees it.”

* * *

The inside of the lord’s castle was in utter chaos.

Since even Baron Trill had abandoned the castle, his subordinates seemed to be grabbing anything of value, anticipating the inevitable looting.

But that was above ground.

As I went underground with Ruth, a quiet silence, completely different from the chaos above, settled around us.

“You……!”

A few soldiers who were still lingering, not fully grasping the situation, remained.

They panicked and knelt as the blood-soaked Ruth exuded mana and raised his sword.

“Where is the armory?”

“If you go straight that way…!”

“Is that so? I understand.”

Combining Ruth’s memory and the soldiers’ directions, we navigated through the castle and eventually reached a considerably deep location, where the place we were looking for appeared before our eyes.

A place with a distinctly chilly atmosphere.

It was the armory.

“I think this is it.”

At my words, Ruth nodded and opened the armory door. Thanks to the well-placed air vents, it didn’t feel damp or gloomy despite being underground.

Rather, it felt spacious because it was relatively empty, likely because they had distributed many weapons and equipment in preparation for battle.

“It’s over there.”

There was a locked storage box in a corner, labeled as belonging to a prisoner.

Ruth approached and simply cut the lock with his sword.

After opening the lid, Fleta’s wand and several swords came into view.

It was only after lifting a few swords that I found Ilia’s sword. It certainly looked ordinary enough that you wouldn’t suspect it was a demonic sword just by looking at it.

“She disguised it well.”

I chuckled and picked up Ilia’s sword, Samael. At that moment, an inexplicable thrill surged through my hand.

‘A demonic sword is a demonic sword after all.’

The soul of anyone killed by this sword is torn apart and sealed. The sealed spirits can then be used according to the user’s intentions.

I was once again reminded of the dangerous power of this sword as I was putting it away.

Creak…… Thud!

The sound of the armory door closing echoed through the room. At first, I thought it was the wind, but I quickly dismissed that idea.

‘There’s no way a solid iron door would close on its own.’

Swish!

I wasn’t the only one who felt something was wrong.

Ruth drew his sword, and I also turned around, my hand on my scabbard.

“Who are you?”

The figure standing in front of the door was a man wearing a soldier’s coat. I scanned his chest, but there was no insignia indicating he was a knight.

Yes, he appeared to be an ordinary soldier.

But Ruth and I immediately knew he was anything but ordinary.

The man’s upright posture exuded the confidence of a seasoned knight. Even without trying, his domain [an area of influence or expertise] was palpable.

That was all the information we needed.

Ordinary soldiers were irrelevant. Even a knight in the early to mid-levels couldn’t possess such a domain.

In other words, someone who had cultivated their own domain was at least a highly skilled individual.

‘But he doesn’t seem that strong.’

The largest domain I’ve ever encountered was Lordane’s. His domain was so vast that I couldn’t dare to challenge it.

I can’t compare to Count Lindaire because I’ve never truly fought him.

Regardless, I was relieved that this man’s domain was weaker than Lordane’s. I could handle that much.

“I asked who you are.”

As Ruth pointed his sword, the man took off his coat and threw it aside.

Underneath the coat was black armor. The black armor, devoid of any patterns and lacking any shine, seemed ominous.

“The princess should have been abandoned by the Duke and died here.”

The man in black armor smiled bitterly and placed his hand on his sword.

“But like then, you appeared again and interfered.”

The man, mentioning Fleta’s death, tapped the floor with the tip of his drawn sword.

“But it’s not all bad. Thanks to you, the top priority has revealed himself on the battlefield. It’s a good opportunity. Should I say it’s like getting a pheasant instead of a chicken in this case? What do you think, Baron Kain Lindaire?”

He approached me, knowing my identity. Moreover, the phrase ‘top priority’ revealed his allegiance.

“Do you know him?”

Ruth asked.

“It’s the group that attacked me and Fleta on the way to the Capital last time.”

Ruth’s expression hardened as he recalled that event.

“Could it be that top-tier expert?”

“No. I clearly saw that guy’s face. This guy is probably his lackey.”

At first, I wondered why these guys suddenly appeared here. But after considering the man’s words, I understood the reason.

Fleta was supposed to die here.

It meant they were involved in this territory war behind the scenes.

Looking at it that way, the reason they didn’t kill Fleta themselves was simple.

Fleta’s death had to appear to be the Duke’s decision, not the result of external interference.

So, should I assume Rodkius is in league with these guys?

But I couldn’t sense any particular reaction from Alione, who recognized my identity.

‘Alione doesn’t even know about this suspicious alliance.’

If even the family’s heir is unaware, it means only one person knows.

Marquis Rodkius.

As I was organizing my thoughts, the man, whom I called a lackey, powerfully raised his sword.

“Lackey? We’re just working towards the same goal, we don’t serve each other.”

“Instead, you’ll serve a monster with six necks [a chimera, symbol of the Neviros Order].”

As I mocked the chimera symbolizing the Neviros Order, the man tilted his head.

“You know a lot.”

“So there’s a lot I want to extract.”

As I playfully stalled for time, Ruth, sensing my intention, slowly began to move.

He was creating distance so we wouldn’t get in each other’s way during a fight.

“You’re wasting your time.”

The man, watching Ruth and me, chuckled.

Creak-!

At the same time, the door opened and two more figures appeared. Like the man, they were dressed as soldiers, but black armor could be seen underneath.

“What are you going to do now?”

The numbers were reversed. Ruth stopped creating distance and came back to me. For defense, it was more efficient to stick together and cover each other.

Should I consider this fortunate?

Looking at the energy of the two newcomers, they seemed much less skilled than the first man. If that’s the case, I can handle them with Ruth.

“Do you think you can handle it?”

The man, as if reading my thoughts, chuckled and gestured to the men standing on either side of him.

“You must keep them alive. It doesn’t matter as long as they can talk.”

“The captain forbade any unilateral actions…….”

“It’s a golden opportunity to eliminate future problems. Are you just going to stand by and watch?”

At the man’s words, the two men reluctantly raised their swords with uneasy faces, as if they were simply following orders.

From their demeanor, I could tell that this sudden attack wasn’t pre-planned, but a hastily improvised scheme.

‘Since he said that I interfered in the first place, I must have been an unexpected variable.’

If so, it was even more manageable. It meant it wasn’t a trap designed specifically for me.

It was then.

As if mocking my confidence, the three men’s eyes slowly began to burn red. Their red eyes resembled glowing embers.

‘Surely it’s not what I think it is.’

But it was.

The opponents with burning red eyes began to breathe heavily and even draw out mana.

I wondered if the mana would be red since their eyes were red, but it was the same blue color as usual. If so, it meant it was a separate ability.

‘Then there’s only one answer. Mad Blood Grass.’

Mad Blood Grass.

The poisonous grass I discovered while subjugating the Blade Song Orc tribe came to mind. I remembered Grosh, who gained power from the magic stone, using Mad Blood Grass to cast evil spells on his orcs.

The orcs at that time had red eyes and became several times more ferocious and powerful than usual.

In the first place, the organization that provided the orcs with Mad Blood Grass and magic stones to use as guinea pigs was them.

Considering that, it wasn’t surprising that they were now freely using such abilities.

‘This has become troublesome.’

I don’t know the exact numbers, but the orcs who gained power from Mad Blood Grass seemed to have become two or three times stronger than usual.

If you assume the same applies to these men, it meant the power dynamic had shifted dramatically.

“The energy has changed. It won’t be easy.”

Ruth also clicked his tongue, sensing their altered state.

Seeing this, I took a small breath and called out to Ruth.

“Ruth.”

“Yes?”

“Do you trust me?”

Ruth tilted his head as if wondering why I was asking such a question.

“Of course I trust you…… but why now?”

“Okay. That’s enough.”

After finishing speaking, I grabbed several daggers hanging on the armory wall.

Then I threw the daggers with all my might.

The target wasn’t the men, but the lamps illuminating the room.

“Stop him!”

The opponent, belatedly realizing my intention, tried to move, but I shattered the lamps one by one before they could react.

Crash!

In the end, even the last remaining lamp was extinguished.

The inside of the armory was plunged into complete darkness.