How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 130

Living as the Third Son of a Wasted Novel – Chapter 131

Chapter 36. Bluewind Merchant Guild

It was a letter from Jess Orléans, the head of the Bluewind Merchant Guild and the one to whom I had entrusted the salt purchase.

Upon seeing it, I immediately set a course for Freyport. Originally, I had planned to stop by the capital first, but Jess Orléans’s eagerness in sending the letter made me think he was quite anxious, so I made this decision.

‘I’d like to tell him to handle it himself, but…’

It’s not a small amount of money at stake, so it’s right for me to see and judge directly.

So, quite some time has passed since Ruth and I departed from the west towards the east coast. Now, Ruth and I were on horseback, facing the wind blowing from afar.

“The sea, huh.”

The salty smell mixed in the wind lingered at the tip of my nose.

“Yes. Judging by the approximate location, it seems we’ll be at the east coast soon.”

Ruth unfolded the map, roughly estimated our current location, and shrugged without much emotion.

Well, he had been rolling around in the south until recently, so it’s understandable.

On the other hand, I felt a bit excited.

Had it been too long since I saw the sea? Back on Earth, I could see the sea on all sorts of media without having to go out of my way.

But in the world of Midland, it’s hard to see the sea. Especially in a situation where we’re based in the cold and desolate North.

“Seafood…”

“Are you drooling?”

“Of course. I rarely get a chance to eat it otherwise.”

Does this place have a refrigerator or anything?

It’s completely different from Earth, where you can eat fresh sashimi every day if you want to, even inland.

Ugh, thinking about it makes me drool even more.

“Sashimi.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to eat sashimi.”

At my assertive words, Ruth made a strange expression.

“Sashimi?”

“Yeah. Sashimi that’s freshly caught and sliced.”

“…Most nobles avoid eating raw fish, considering it a barbaric custom.”

“Avoid? Why would they avoid something so delicious?”

“How odd. I didn’t expect a young master who was born and raised in the North to enjoy sashimi.”

Did I show too much excitement at the thought of sashimi?

Worrying that I might be raising unnecessary suspicion, I waved my hand.

“I just read a book and heard that it’s a delicacy.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ve tried it too, and it wasn’t that bad.”

“Good. Let’s get there quickly.”

“Heh, you’re full of energy today, aren’t you?”

If you enjoyed the benefits of advanced civilization and then fell into a place like this, you’d be like me too.

“Shut up and just follow me quickly.”

“Hey, Young Master! Wait for me!”

I chuckled and kicked the warhorse’s belly, rushing forward. Ruth hurriedly followed behind.

* * *

Freyport was originally just an ordinary, unremarkable fishing village.

But after the war broke out and the kingdom was divided, it took advantage of its geographical location in the center of the eastern coast of the continent and became a hub for entrepôt trade [a trading post or center for import and export].

And in that Freyport, one man’s ambition began to take shape.

‘Jess Orléans, the Corrupt Merchant.’

Jess Orléans, who would later earn the moniker of the Devil’s Arms Dealer, rose to become a wealthy merchant through the war boom, based in Freyport and dealing in munitions [military weapons, ammunition, and equipment].

A natural talent for reading the political situation, a willingness to make unconventional attempts, and business acumen to complement it all.

In short, he was destined to succeed.

‘Well, that’s a story for the distant future.’

The current 모습 [Korean word for appearance or state] of Freyport right before my eyes felt desolate, to the point of being deserted.

I had imagined a scene with countless sailing ships going back and forth across the sea for trade, but the reality was that only small fishing boats doing odd jobs were sparsely floating around, making me feel deflated.

“Welcome to Freyport. Are you a traveler?”

At the greeting of the guard guarding the gate, I handed over a silver coin.

“You’re working hard in the cold.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that…”

As the saying goes, no one in the world dislikes money. The guard, who had changed as warmly as if he had seen an old friend with a single silver coin, I asked what I was curious about.

“Where is the Bluewind Merchant Guild?”

“The Bluewind Merchant Guild? Ah, were you a mercenary who came after seeing the recruitment notice?”

Hmm? Recruitment notice?

Judging from the context, it seems that the Bluewind Merchant Guild is recruiting mercenaries.

“Then, unfortunately, you’ve come in vain.”

“In vain?”

“The Bluewind Merchant Guild has been seeking mercenaries and sailors for quite some time, but for some reason, they’ve been sending people back recently.”

They’re hiring mercenaries and sailors.

I understand preparing the necessary manpower in advance to sell the salt, but what does it mean that they’re sending them back?

“But it seems they’re giving some travel expenses to those who came in vain, so stop by. The Bluewind Merchant Guild is in the center of town, so it won’t be hard to find.”

The guard nodded and opened the gate.

After passing through him, Ruth and I were silent for a moment before finally meeting each other’s eyes.

“They recruited people and then sent them back…”

“Could something be wrong?”

“There wasn’t anything in particular in the letter.”

“When was the last letter you received?”

“It’s been quite a while.”

“Then it seems like a problem arose recently.”

“Probably. Let’s go quickly.”

After roughly grasping the situation, Ruth and I spurred our horses and began to enter the center of Freyport.

The Bluewind Merchant Guild was located in the center of town, as the guard had said. And in front of it, a group of people were gathered with angry faces.

“Making us go through all that trouble for nothing, what is this?”

“Do you think giving us just a few coins will make it all right? Give us several times more!”

Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be mercenaries. Combining it with the story I heard from the guard, they were probably causing a ruckus because they weren’t satisfied with the compensation for coming in vain.

“That amount is not small. It’s the level of a short-term request!”

And in front of them, facing the mercenaries, was a young man.

“Isn’t that Leo?”

“It is. He’s changed quite a bit, I almost didn’t recognize him.”

As Ruth said, the young man was Leo.

His slender body was the same, but his aura had changed. The Leo in my memory was always intimidated because of his status, but now, unlike then, he was standing up to the mercenaries without easily backing down.

‘He seems to be doing well.’

Seeing his positively changed 모습 [Korean word for appearance or state], I thought it was a good thing I sent him to Jess.

“My worth is different from others, so I should get double!”

“Our merchant guild has done the minimum. Everyone else has accepted it, aren’t you the only ones being unreasonable now?”

“This little brat, running his mouth…!”

Even at the sight of the mercenary raising his fist, Leo did not back down.

Perhaps if he accepted this demand, it would set a precedent and others would make the same unreasonable demands.

Thinking it was a good time to intervene, I called Ruth.

“Ruth.”

“Yes?”

“Deploy.”

“What do you take me for, a hunting dog?”

“More like a Pokémon than a hunting dog?”

“Pokémon? What’s that?”

“There’s such a thing. Anyway, go and resolve it quickly.”

At my urging, Ruth muttered, ‘Pokémon? What’s that?’ and approached the mercenary.

“Who are you?”

At the sight of Ruth, the mercenary glared.

On the other hand, Leo narrowed his brow, seemingly not recognizing Ruth properly, who was wearing a hood.

“Who am I, you ask?”

“Yeah. Who are you to suddenly interfere? Do you want to get beaten up too?”

“Beaten up?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Crazy?”

“Are you messing with me?”

“Messing?”

“This bastard…”

As Ruth continued to catch his words with a sly face, the mercenary, unable to 참지 [Korean word meaning ‘to endure’ or ‘to bear’], swung his fist.

Seeing him, Ruth smiled and swung his fist as well.

Crack-!

The fists collided in the air, and an eerie sound echoed.

“Kkeueo…”

The mercenary, looking at his own fist that was horribly crushed and twisted, groaned and staggered.

“This bastard!”

“Are you saying you want to do it properly?”

At that sight, the mercenaries who were in the same gang rushed at Ruth at the same time, extending their fists.

Of course, knowing Ruth’s identity, I could only feel that the mercenaries were like moths flying into a flame.

The sounds that followed were impact sounds like crack, crunch, and thud. It felt strange to actually hear sounds that I would only hear in movies.

“Kkeuaaaak!”

“My arm, my arm!”

“Keoeok…”

Ruth, who had broken all the mercenaries’ arms equally, kicked the fallen guys with his feet and gnashed his teeth.

“How dare you eastern bumpkins try to mess with a northerner?”

After finishing the punishment, Ruth dusted off his hands, turned around, and looked at Leo.

“Isn’t that right, Leo?”

Only then did Leo’s eyes widen like lanterns as he recognized Ruth’s identity.

“Ruth-nim?”

“Oh, you recognize me now? I’m a little disappointed.”

“Then that person is…”

Soon, Leo turned his head and looked this way, and I slightly raised my hand.

“Long time no see, Leo.”

“Young Master!”

* * *

Afterward, guided by Leo, we headed to the most luxurious inn in Freyport.

Even so, it’s just an ordinary fishing village, so it’s lower grade than the inns in other big cities, but Ruth and I aren’t the type to care about that.

After simply unpacking, Ruth and I came down alone and sat facing Leo.

“The food?”

“I ordered it.”

“Don’t worry about the money and fill it with seafood.”

“Of course, I did.”

“You little rascal, you have some sense.”

At Ruth’s compliment, Leo smiled brightly.

At that friendly 모습 [Korean word for appearance or state], I also smiled and looked at Leo.

“By the way, doesn’t the Bluewind Merchant Guild have any employees? Why are you taking the lead in such a thing? If Ruth and I hadn’t been there, you would have suffered quite a bit.”

Asking the reason for his actions in front of the mercenaries earlier, Leo smiled brightly.

“That’s why I stepped up, Young Master.”

“You knew and still stepped up?”

“Anyway, the merchant guild and the mercenaries have a symbiotic relationship. If we had forcibly dealt with it using force, regardless of right or wrong, we would have favored our own, so the relationship with the mercenaries would have become awkward. Either way, it was our side that put up the notice this time to gather people.”

“So.”

“So I thought it would be better to take a hit or two. That way, the mercenaries would be the first to cross the line, so we would have a justification to respond strongly.”

At Leo’s explanation, Ruth chuckled.

“Even so, to face the rough mercenaries head-on, you have quite the guts. Good job. That’s how a northerner should be.”

“Well, thanks to Ruth-nim, my plan was ruined.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault now?”

“I can’t say it’s not.”

“This bastard?”

Ruth reached out and grabbed Leo’s cheek, pulling it. Watching the two of them getting along well despite meeting after a long time, I changed the subject.

“By the way, why are you sending people back after going to the trouble of putting up a notice and recruiting people? Did something happen?”

The answer to the question came not from Leo, but from elsewhere.

“I’ll explain that.”

Turning my head at the voice, there was a figure standing at the inn door.

A slender figure with chestnut hair and a gentle-looking impression, it was definitely a face I remembered.

“Jess Orléans.”

At my call, Jess, who smiled brightly, bowed politely to me.

“It’s been a while, Baron Kain.”