How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 153

Living as the Third Son of a Wasted Novel – Chapter 154

Chapter 41. Sweet Talk

“……You’re leaving now?”

“I have to.”

I yawned deeply as I packed my things in response to Kalandart’s question.

Maybe it was the aftereffects of the Sentence [likely referring to a magical or divine decree], but I felt like I hadn’t slept enough all day. I felt like I wanted to lie down right then and there.

“S, should I see you off?”

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot too, so you should get some rest.”

“Okay…….”

After that, Kalandart stuck to me like glue until I had finished all my preparations and headed out of the house.

I tilted my head at his limpet-like behavior.

What’s up with him? Why is he like this?

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Ah, no.”

“Then why do you look so constipated? Ah, is it because of that? I’ll make sure to deliver it, so don’t worry.”

Even though I was talking about Rahenna’s portrait and letter that I had put in a corner of my bag, Kalandart scratched the side of his head.

“Th, that’s not it…….”

“Then what is it?”

I got annoyed at his characteristic hesitant expression, and Kalandart flinched.

“J, just…….”

“Just what?”

“I, I was just wondering if we could see each other again.”

“Again?”

Why is he suddenly asking for a follow-up?

Hmm, I wonder if he belatedly realized his identity or something.

As I narrowed my eyes and became wary, Kalandart waved his hands.

“O, of course not.”

“What’s not?”

“I, I don’t like guys either.”

“…….”

It’s obviously a given, so why do I feel bad when I hear it to my face?

“Again, huh? Well, if fate allows, we might see each other someday.”

“Someday…… Th, that’s right.”

Ah~ is that what it was?

I snorted at the sight of him becoming gloomy again.

“You should put a mailbox in front of your house or something.”

“A, a mailbox?”

“Yeah. I’ll invite you out sometime. I’ll treat you to the full course then, so look forward to it.”

There are two things you should never believe in this world: the first is when someone says, ‘Let’s have a meal sometime,’ and the second is when someone says, ‘Come over, and I’ll treat you to the full course.’

“R, really?”

“Yeah, you.”

“Th, then we’re now…….”

“Now? Now what?”

“Fr, fr, fr, frien…….”

Ugh, you frustrating guy. Is it that hard to say that word?

I smiled and slapped Kalandart on the back.

“Yeah. Friends.”

A giant raven that can communicate and be ridden. He’s definitely worth being friends with. Yes, indeed.

* * *

After that, I trudged down the mountain and headed straight to the nearest village.

The first person to run up to me there was Rihas, whose brown curly hair was still quite impressive.

“L, Lord G-G-Gongzi!” [Gongzi is a respectful title, similar to ‘young master’].

What is this? Are there humans who walk on all fours?

Rihas, who was running so fast that he tripped over a rock, grabbed my pants leg and looked like he was about to die.

“Where have you been!”

“……I had some business to take care of.”

“L, Lord Ilia didn’t say anything and just told me to wait, so do you know how anxious I was!”

“I get it, so let go of this.”

“I won’t let go! No, I can’t let go! Where are you going again?”

“I’m not going! I’m not going anywhere!”

I dragged Rihas, who was clinging to me like that, to a house, where I met Ilia.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yeah, I’m here. But what is this place?”

“Since it’s such a small village, there were no inns, so I rented a house.”

“Really? What about the person who originally lived here?”

“They are staying at a neighbor’s house for a while.”

“You compensated them, right?”

“I did so sufficiently.”

“If you say so.”

Prying Rihas’s cheeks apart, I threw my bag down and slumped into a chair next to the table.

“Rihas.”

“Yes!”

“Go get some cold beer or something. I’m thirsty.”

“Are you going to disappear again?”

“I’m not going!”

“You promised.”

Rihas reluctantly nodded and headed out of the house. After getting rid of Rihas, I looked at Ilia.

“Ugh, I’m tired. I don’t know why I’m so sleepy.”

“Did you obtain the Sentence?”

“Yeah.”

“Congratulations.”

“No need for congratulations.”

“Isn’t it a powerful ability?”

“It is powerful. But it has its side effects.”

“……Side effects?”

“It does. It has those kinds of things.”

Falling asleep when I reach my limit.

I couldn’t help but imagine myself falling asleep in the middle of a battle.

Well, at least I can die without pain. Should I be happy about that?

“Where’s Rihas?”

Ilia nodded at my concise question.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“You didn’t do anything unnecessary, did you?”

“No. However, he did send a letter to Windnest.”

“A letter?”

“It seems he sent it to find out if you had gone there.”

“Well, he would have.”

Even if he’s an informant, he would have sent it for an interim report, or he would have sent it to confirm.

“……Are you going to keep leaving him be?”

Ilia asked. Her eyes showed that she would gladly take action right away if ordered.

Poor Rihas. To be targeted by Ilia.

“Let’s just leave him be for now.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Of course. What good would it do to expose him and turn things upside down? As I said before, if Rihas becomes useless, Father will just pull out another card. It’s better to just leave him be.”

Rihas is the Count’s informant, but I can fully control the truth of that information. That means I can influence the Count’s perception depending on what I decide to do.

“For now, you should treat him well too. He’s pitiful. He seems to have been suffering for over a month.”

“Still…….”

“There, there, you’re glaring again.”

Oh, how scary.

I changed the subject, afraid of getting more nagging from Ilia.

“More importantly, what about what I asked you to do?”

“Everything has been handled without a hitch.”

“Good job.”

“What are you planning to do from now on?”

What am I going to do from now on?

I’ve obtained the Sentence. I’ve prepared the battlefield to defeat Redran. Then all that’s left is to wait for the right time.

“I need to go back to the Red Castle for now.”

“To Redran?”

“Yeah. There are things I need to tell him, and I need to receive the ship I promised. Ah! I need to find that bastard Ruth too.”

Come to think of it, that bastard Ruth said he would help the descendants of Runcen and acted separately, but I don’t know what he’s been doing or where he’s been all this time.

“Lord Ruth…….”

“He’ll either be back at the Red Castle, or he’ll have sent a letter. So, I’m heading to the Red Castle for now.”

“Understood.”

Thud!

No sooner had I finished speaking than Rihas, with a beer barrel under his arm, entered.

“Lord Gongzi!”

“I told you I’m not running away.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, do you know how surprised I was after you disappeared like that? I searched every nook and cranny of this entire area for a whole month.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve been through a lot.”

I brushed off Rihas’s grumbling and headed straight for the beer barrel. Then I smiled and opened the lid.

Pour, pour, pour!

Then I exclaimed at the golden liquid being poured into the glass. How long has it been since I had alcohol!

After that, I sat back down in the chair and took a big gulp of beer.

……Ah, how much I missed this bitter taste that stimulates every single cell in my body.

As I was enjoying the pleasure, Rihas urged me.

“Please answer me now. What have you been doing all this time?”

“I told you. I came here to prepare to crush Redran.”

“You’ve been preparing that for over a month?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, it seems like there was plenty of time for me to join you.”

“Why? Were you afraid I’d do something bad while you weren’t around?”

“That’s not it, but…….”

Huh? What’s with this guy?

Why is he talking like that? Is he interrogating me right now? This won’t do. I was going to let it slide, but I need to show him the bitter taste of society.

“Rihas.”

Rihas, who had been lost in thought, tilted his head when I lowered my voice.

“Yes?”

“Who was it that got lost while on reconnaissance? I waited for you at the campsite for over a day. Then, with no news, I decided to act separately.”

“That’s…….”

“More importantly, are you even a knight? What kind of knight disappears out of the blue during a mission? This is suspicious. Did you run away because you were scared?”

“R, run away?”

“Then why didn’t you come back? I clearly remember assigning you a reconnaissance mission.”

There’s no way he could have come back.

With a barrier cast by a sorcerer like Kalandart, there’s no way Rihas could have sensed it, even if he died and came back to life.

So, he can’t say that I abandoned him and disappeared. He wouldn’t have been able to find the campsite itself.

“Th, that’s because I got lost…….”

That’s why Rihas has nothing to say, even if he had ten mouths.

For a knight who should be an elite combatant and commander on the battlefield to get lost in the mountains and become a lost child.

If others were to find out about this, it would be quite detrimental to his career. Rihas would know that much, unless he’s an idiot.

It was as expected. Rihas, who suddenly realized that the aftermath of the situation was bigger than he thought, lowered his body.

“L, Lord Gongzi.”

“Hmm?”

“I, I think I was out of my mind for a moment! Please forgive me just this once! I will never forget your grace!”

“Ahem.”

“I, if I get kicked out of the Wind Knight Order, I’ll really have nowhere to go…….”

“A knight with a history of betraying his former lord and getting lost in the mountains…….”

“Lord Gongzi!”

“It seems like it would be hard to make a living as a knight, wouldn’t it?”

“Loooord Goooongziiii!”

Oh, Count Lindaier.

How could you send someone like this?

* * *

After extracting Rihas’s absolute loyalty through coercion, I set off for the Red Castle as soon as dawn broke.

How long had it been since we set off?

We stopped our horses for a moment when we saw the gradually crimson fortress in the distance.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Yeah. We’ve cut down on a lot of time.”

Our group stopped for a moment and admired the appearance of the Red Castle, which seemed to be erupting from the ground like lava.

“What’s the remaining distance?”

“If we hurry, we should be able to make it in time for dinner.”

“There’s no reason not to run.”

At Ilia’s words, I nodded and raised my hand.

“Rihas!”

“Yes, yes!”

Rihas, who had been dejected in the back, quickly jumped to the side at my call.

“Hehe. Lord Gongzi, did you call me?”

“As soon as we arrive at the Red Castle, there must be a warm bath and a meal prepared. You can do that much, right?”

To buy that much time, he’ll have to ride the horse like crazy. Maybe his butt will be shattered when he arrives?

“…….”

“You don’t have much time, do you?”

“Hyahhhhh!”

After hearing my words, Rihas kicked the horse’s side and shot out like a bullet.

At that sight, Ilia sighed softly.

“You’re being too harsh.”

“It’s all his own karma. Why did he have to poke the hornet’s nest when he could have just stayed still?”

“Anyway, let’s get going.”

“Yeah. I want to wash up quickly, eat deliciously, whisper sweetly, and sleep soundly.”

“Yes? Whisper sweetly?”

“I’m going to tell you to sleep well.”

“……Don’t joke around.”

I raised my hand as Ilia glared at me with narrowed eyes.

“I’m kidding, kidding.”

“…….”

“But I’m serious about whispering. Rihas isn’t the only one who poked the hornet’s nest.”

“Are you perhaps referring to Redran?”

“That’s right, Redran.”

Since he poked the hornet’s nest, shouldn’t some sweet honey come out first?

Of course, what will happen after that is obvious.