How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 144

The darkened forest was silent.

Even the sounds of insects, normally heard in the mountains at night, were absent. Ilia, perhaps sensing the strangeness as if a mute button had been pressed, looked at me.

“Do you think they will appear?”

“It’s like an uninvited guest entering the house. They’ll probably show up in person.”

“…They will be hostile, I presume.”

“Well, that depends on them.”

Humans and monsters—all races with intelligence have their own distinct personalities.

And that goes for Druids as well.

If there’s a personality like Rahenna who prioritizes rational judgment, there must be Druids with the opposite personality.

“If we have to fight…”

“Don’t worry too much. I should be able to handle it, if possible.”

Despite my words to reassure her, Ilia didn’t loosen her grip on her sword. Perhaps it was because of her experience witnessing Rahenna’s power up close.

Of course, I had the same concerns.

If the Druid living here was as strong as Rahenna and blindly hostile to us, that would pose a significant danger.

But after much deliberation, my conclusion was, ‘It’s not that dangerous.’

Rahenna said that Druids usually try to kill humans outright if their identity is exposed.

Yet, she told me to go here without much caution. That is proof that the Druid here is not that dangerous.

Of course, I could be jumping to conclusions. Maybe the Druid will be hostile.

But even so, it’s not like we’re helpless.

‘Because I have this.’

I nodded slightly, thinking of the scroll in my possession.

The scroll Rahenna gave me had a faint trace of her power. Maybe the Druid here can sense this energy too. If so, that’s where the conversation begins.

Well, if it’s really dangerous, I can just turn around, take Ilia, and get out of here. With Aphen’s help, there’s no need to fear the power of magic.

I was organizing my plans when it happened.

Caw- Caw-

For the first time in the quiet forest, something other than me and Ilia’s breathing was heard.

It was a crow.

A crow, appearing from nowhere, landed above the forest and began to cry.

What was surprising was what came next.

The single crow soon multiplied as time passed, and eventually, like a black cloud, they gathered throughout the forest and began to wail.

“Crows…”

Ilia groaned at the flock of crows that had grown to hundreds, thousands, beyond dozens.

“There are disgustingly many.”

Caw- Caw-

Now, it’s hard to tell whether the dark shadow is the forest or the crows. Ilia frowned at the ear-splitting cries.

“This isn’t a natural phenomenon, is it?”

“Probably not.”

At my answer, Ilia lowered her upper body.

She was in a stance ready to draw her sword. Instinctively, she must have felt that she would soon face something.

‘What will they look like?’

Rahenna was a handsome, pure white wolf.

But not all Druids are the same shape. So, I was imagining what the Druid we would meet this time would look like.

The forest fell silent in an instant.

The crows that had been crying from all directions closed their beaks at the same time as if they had made a promise. The swaying branches stopped, and the blowing wind died down.

“Something is coming.”

Ilia uttered a short warning.

Of course, I felt it too. A powerful energy was approaching this place.

The forest?

No. My intuition screamed that it wasn’t coming from the forest.

Then the only options left are underground or the sky… Unless they transformed into a mole, it must be the sky.

I looked up and saw the night sky, dark because even the moon was covered by clouds.

And I could definitely feel something flying in from the distance.

Quietly drawing on the power of Ebony, I opened the Dark Eye [a skill that enhances vision]. Then, as if the clouds were clearing, my vision recovered in an instant, and what I clearly saw was an aircraft.

‘What’s so big?’

It was a giant bird.

No, it wasn’t just giant. That enormous size was by no means normal.

The wingspan alone seems to be 6 or 7 meters [approximately 20-23 feet]. At that size, it’s bigger than most bears, let alone humans. If it opens its beak, it can easily swallow a child.

Soon, Ilia also discovered the giant figure and called me in a flustered voice.

“Is that what you’re looking for…?”

“Probably.”

“What do we do now?”

No matter how strong a knight is, that only applies to battles on the ground. Humans can’t fly.

So Ilia was unusually flustered.

“Let’s wait and see.”

Magic and spells are clearly different in nature. So they won’t attack us recklessly for breaking through the barrier. Maybe that guy is on high alert too.

The situation was as I expected.

It didn’t approach immediately but just started circling around.

Thanks to that, I was able to observe it in more detail, and I shook my head at what I learned.

“It’s a crow.”

I thought it would be a mystical beast like a griffin or a wyvern [mythical creatures], but its identity was just a huge crow.

I clicked my tongue at the anticlimactic feeling when it happened.

“Hmm?”

The crow, which had been circling for a while, began to glide away in the distance.

The way it glided down so smoothly despite its large size was quite a sight. Although it was a crow, for that moment, I could have believed it was a legendary divine beast.

Thump!

The crow, which had landed gently, shook its wings.

“…”

The feeling of facing an abnormally large crow in the quiet, dark mountains.

Moreover, the thousands of crows that had been noisy until now were staring at me and Ilia with their beaks shut.

If you only consider the atmosphere, it feels like you’re the main character in a horror movie.

But unlike the atmosphere, the situation was a bit complicated. The guy who landed far away was just standing there blankly, looking at me.

‘What, should I say hello?’

It’s a funny thought, but well, I can’t say I can’t.

Determined, I subtly raised my right hand.

Flinch!

I saw it. I definitely saw it.

The giant crow flinched and took half a step back when it saw my raised hand.

At that strange reaction, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘That guy, is he surprised right now?’

What a funny guy.

I subtly took a step forward with my right foot.

“…”

Then the guy also took a step back.

When I took another step with my left foot, the guy also stepped back. The way he followed my actions was like looking in a mirror, and I couldn’t help but feel playful.

“Wah!”

Caw-!

When I lowered my upper body and shouted loudly for a moment, the guy jumped up like a spring and flapped his wings.

I’m sure of it. That was a surprise. A huge one.

“L, Lord Kain?”

Ilia shouted, seemingly embarrassed by my appearance.

“Why?”

“I, isn’t it dangerous?”

“What?”

“If you stimulate him like that…”

“Well. I don’t know, but that guy.”

Looking at the guy who had jumped back, I smiled slightly.

“I think he’s afraid of us?”

It was the moment when Ilia made a face as if her strength was gone at my words.

Cawwww!

The guy who had stepped back cried out loudly.

I crouched down for a moment at the ear-splitting sound as big as it was.

Swoosh…

Following that, black smoke began to rise from the ground.

“Lord Kain!”

Ilia, clutching her sword, looked for me with the momentum to jump out as soon as I gave the order.

“Wait.”

But I raised my hand to stop her.

I still didn’t feel hostility from the other party. It wouldn’t be too late to make a judgment after the situation became clear.

Besides, that appearance is just like when Rahenna transforms.

How many seconds had passed since the black smoke that had risen wrapped around his body?

The figure that reappeared was not a crow, but a human figure.

“…”

He was wrapped in a black robe.

After that, the man’s face was faintly visible under the pressed hood. At first glance, he looked like a young man in his twenties.

Just like Rahenna’s human form, his appearance was exceptionally beautiful. Should I say it’s more like a sculpture than a sculpture?

I couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the face that had all the handsomeness that exists in the world.

The guy who revealed his appearance raised his hand, pointed at me, and opened his mouth.

“You, you…”

“Me?”

“What are you?”

Suddenly speaking informally and asking for introductions.

I missed the intellectual conversation I had with Rahenna when I first met her, and I sighed softly.

Of course, not all Druids have the same personality, but I never dreamed there would be this much of a gap.

“Kain.”

“K, Kain?”

“Is there another Kain?”

“N, next to you?”

“Ilia.”

“I, Ilia?”

Why do you keep stuttering?

But that handsome face stutters, so it feels like a bit of innocence and a protective instinct…

What am I thinking right now?

I glanced to the side and saw that Ilia had already relaxed and was loosening her grip on her sword.

…Damn looksism [prejudice based on appearance].

If I, from Earth, wore such dark clothes and stuttered like that, I would be wary of being a psycho.

I crossed my arms at the burst of annoyance.

“Then who are you?”

“H, huh?”

“We said our names, so wouldn’t it be common sense for you to say yours too?”

“I, I’m…”

The guy shrugged at my urging, and Ilia stopped me at the sight.

“Lord Kain, I think he’s surprised, so wouldn’t it be better to soothe him slowly…?”

“…?”

Is that the Ilia I usually know?

Ilia, who was always like an ice floe, stepped forward with a relaxed expression.

“First of all, I apologize for entering this mountain without prior notice. My name is Ilia Frost. This is Lord Kain Lindayer, whom I serve, and we came here after hearing the story of Rahenna Grantry.”

“R, Rahenna!”

The guy who heard Rahenna’s name had a bright expression on his face, with no trace of his timid appearance until now.

“T, that’s right. That energy was R, Rahenna’s.”

Energy?

As I tilted my head, the guy carefully raised his index finger and pointed at my chest.

“R, Rahenna’s energy.”

“Are you talking about this?”

When I took out the scroll from my arms, the guy had a full, shy smile as if a cat had faced catnip [a plant that excites cats].

…Let’s put aside the fact that Ilia’s body flinched at that smile.

“Do you want this?”

At my question, the guy hurriedly nodded his head, keeping both feet firmly on the ground and leaning only his upper body forward.

‘I don’t know what kind of guy he is, but.’

Every time I moved the scroll from side to side, the guy’s head moved with it. From that appearance, I could tell that the relationship between him and Rahenna was not ordinary.

‘Then…’

I nodded slightly and gently shook the scroll in my hand.

“If you want it, I can’t say I won’t give it to you.”

“R, really?”

“But first, some answers.”

“W, what kind?”

“Your name.”

“K, Kalandart.”

“Okay. Kalandart, do you have an alias?”

Druids with powerful abilities tend to have aliases based on their specialized abilities.

If he’s a Druid recommended by Rahenna, he’ll definitely have an alias.

Of course, asking for an alias may be a sensitive matter in some ways, but the guy who identified himself as Kalandart opened his mouth without hesitation as I expected.

“M, my alias is N, Necromancer.”

He was blushing as if he was embarrassed to say it.

“Necromancer?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I see.”

Necromancer Kalandart.

The moment I learned his identity, I could feel the gears of my plan meshing perfectly.