How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 155

How to Live as the Third Son of a Wasted Novel – Episode 156

* * *

I followed the guiding knight, lost in thought.

What had happened to Ruth? Was he framed, or had he truly committed a grave error?

‘This is nerve-wracking.’

Contrary to my worries, the situation took an odd turn.

“Here?”

“This is where the Baron’s knight is being held.”

*Is he mocking me right now?*

The knight led me to a detached building tucked away in a secluded part of the Red Castle’s inner ward.

It was quite isolated, with limited access, making it a rather confined location.

But even so, it was hard to consider such a detached building a prison.

“This is it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“You said he was imprisoned?”

“I didn’t say prison. I said he was confined within the Red Castle.”

I chuckled at the knight’s rigid response.

“Anyone would think he’s some noble lady, locking him up in a place like this.”

As I approached the detached building, two knights guarding the entrance came into view.

They recognized the knight accompanying me and readily opened the gate. Stepping inside, I spotted the troublemaker in the distance.

“…….”

Ruth, shamelessly, was swinging his sword in the courtyard, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

I sighed, dumbfounded, and the knight who had guided me nodded.

“Please, speak with him. I’ll be waiting outside.”

“How long do I have?”

“As long as it’s not too late.”

“Understood.”

I nodded and slowly walked alone into the detached building.

As I approached the garden, Ruth seemed to sense my presence, stopping his sword practice and tilting his head.

“Is it mealtime already?”

*Mealtime, my foot.*

I strode forward, and Ruth’s expression hardened as he recognized me.

“Oh, Young Master?”

“Can you even swallow food right now?”

“That’s, that’s not what I meant…….”

“I gave you time off when you asked, and you go and cause trouble?”

Ruth slowly lowered his wooden sword and began to back away.

“Young Master, there’s an explanation for all this…….”

*Thud!*

I kicked the wooden sword off the ground, caught it, and tilted my head.

“I’ll ask you just two things.”

“Yes?”

“Is it your fault?”

Ruth paused at my first question, scratching the side of his head.

“It’s complicated to explain, but… yes, it’s partly my fault.”

“Really? Then was that fault for my sake?”

“……No.”

“Then I don’t need to hear any more.”

“Yes?”

“You get one chance.”

“Yes? Yes, yes?”

“Dodge skillfully. Then you won’t get hit.”

“Y-Young Master! Just a moment!”

*Foolish Ruth. What if I had refused Redran’s offer? Why would he cause such trouble?*

I was beyond annoyed. I felt like I needed to hit him at least once to feel better, so I swung the wooden sword around and approached Ruth.

Sensing my firm resolve, Ruth shut his mouth and lowered his stance.

I sneered at his determination to avoid the hit.

“Try to dodge, then.”

With those words, I slowly awakened the Hashunar’s crest [a symbol of power or lineage].

* * *

Ilia and Rihas, summoned by me, arrived at the detached building and sighed at the sight of Ruth slumped on the ground.

“Is he dead?”

*Is he trying to make me a murderer?*

I shook my head at Ilia’s question.

“No.”

“He looks dead, though.”

“I said no.”

“…….”

Rihas, looking uneasy, approached Ruth. He touched the back of his head and shuddered.

“There’s a lump the size of a fist…….”

“Quiet, just get him over here.”

“Yes, sir.”

At my command, Rihas lifted Ruth’s body and laid him on the sofa.

Ilia quietly asked, watching this.

“You said he committed a fault?”

“According to Redran.”

“And he’s confined here as a consequence?”

“I suppose.”

“……What crime could he have possibly committed?”

Ilia’s question made me wave the paper in my hand.

“Read it yourself.”

Ilia’s expression hardened as she read the contents of the paper I handed her.

[Murdered 32 bandits, including the leader of the bandit gang near Rosheen Village]

[Murdered 64 bandits, including the leader of the bandit gang near Roik Village]

[Murdered 41 brigands, including the leader of the brigand gang near Beck Village]

[Raided the pirate den near Croc Island, burned 3 pirate ships, and killed all 75 pirates]

“……Why the sudden bloodbath?”

“How would I know?”

*How am I supposed to know why he took over two hundred lives in just two months?*

“Was he perhaps bounty hunting?”

“What’s he lacking? I’ve told him repeatedly to ask me if he needs money.”

“That’s true, but still.”

Rihas, who had belatedly come over to examine the paper, gaped.

“He’s an all-weather man. Bandits, brigands, even pirates… impressive.”

“What’s so impressive about catching a bunch of mere thugs?”

“It is impressive. It’s not like they were just waiting to be killed. He hunted them down and killed them one by one, even though they would have scattered, right?”

*Hmm, now that he mentions it.*

The moment Ruth used mana, they probably scattered in all directions. Considering that, it’s certainly an impressive number of eliminations.

“But does this really give them grounds to hold Sir Ruth? It seems to me that he should be rewarded for his services.”

Rihas shook his head at Ilia’s question.

“It’s probably not that simple.”

“What do you mean, ‘not that simple’?”

“Redran’s logic is probably this: regardless of whether they were evil or not, an outsider killed his territory’s people without permission.”

“Such a far-fetched argument…….”

“It is far-fetched. But I understand it. This record clearly isn’t simple self-defense. No matter how skilled a knight is, causing a bloodbath in someone else’s territory isn’t a good look.”

“…….”

“Besides, Redran and Young Master Cain have intertwined interests, so it’s even more so.”

“Intertwined interests…….”

“Yes. He’s got a hold on someone who might become an enemy’s subordinate. No one would easily let that go.”

Ilia looked at me at Rihas’s explanation.

“How did your conversation with Redran go?”

“As planned. That’s why he let me in here so willingly.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, the important thing is why Ruth did this.”

Just then, Ruth began to stir, his consciousness slowly returning.

“Ughhh.”

Then his eyes closed again, and his head drooped.

Ilia sighed deeply and crossed her arms at the sight.

“I know you’re awake.”

“…….”

“Get up now.”

“……Ughhh.”

Perhaps due to Ilia’s urging, Ruth reluctantly opened his eyes and feigned surprise.

“Oh, Young Master! Ilia! Rihas? How did you all get here…….”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ruth quickly agreed to my words and sat demurely on the sofa, clasping his hands together.

“So, what’s this about?”

Ruth looked sheepish as I pointed to the blood-soaked record on the paper.

“Did you see it?”

“Yes, I saw it.”

“Um, Young Master.”

“What.”

“I have something to tell you in private…….”

*He must be ashamed.*

Tsk, I clicked my tongue and gestured, and Ilia and Rihas left the detached building.

“Now, spill it. Why did you do such a bizarre thing?”

“First of all, Young Master, do you remember what I told you?”

“What you told me?”

*What did he say?*

“……About the descendants of Runcen.”

Ah, that’s right. After obtaining Runcen’s incarnation, I said I would help his descendants to resolve his resentment, didn’t I?

“That’s right. But what does that have to do with this?”

“I found them.”

“You found them?”

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing. It must have been like finding a needle in the desert. How did you do it?”

“It wasn’t that difficult. I know because I experienced his memories.”

“If I remember correctly, you said he was hidden away under a disguised identity.”

“Yes. He was sent to a trustworthy person to be taken in.”

“A trustworthy person, huh? A noble?”

“Yes. A family named Riley.”

“Riley? I’ve never heard of them.”

“Probably not. It’s a family that no longer exists, having been destroyed.”

“Destroyed? Don’t tell me their identity was discovered late and they were killed?”

“No. Their complete destruction is a relatively recent event.”

A recent event?

I narrowed my eyes at the increasingly intriguing story.

“Stop beating around the bush and explain it all at once. So, what does that have to do with what you’ve done now?”

Ruth closed his mouth at my question and fell into thought. *He’s probably organizing his thoughts.*

After spending quite a bit of time contemplating, Ruth finally nodded and opened his mouth.

“The Riley family lost power and was destroyed, but I was able to find a surviving descendant of Runcen who was lucky enough to survive as a member of that family. When I asked her what she wanted, she answered revenge, so I helped her.”

“……That’s too summarized.”

“Ah, is that so?”

I raised a finger to my lips as Ruth hurriedly tried to explain again.

“I think it would be better if I asked the questions.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

“What kind of family *is* the Riley family?”

“Their history is long, but they’re not very prestigious. They were a very small family that ruled a rural territory.”

“What caused the family’s destruction?”

“Outwardly, it’s known that it was the result of rampant bandits and looters…”

“But?”

“While suppressing them, I found some suspicious aspects and, after thinking about it, I believe it’s related to Basarak.”

“Related? Are you saying Redran ordered it?”

“It’s just a guess.”

“What’s the basis?”

“There isn’t any.”

“You only have suspicions?”

“Yes. For now, that’s it.”

*What’s with this confidence?*

Ruth scratched the back of his head at my glare.

“It’s been quite some time since it happened, so it wouldn’t be easy to find evidence now. So, I didn’t pursue it any further. I thought it would be better to just end it by avenging her resentment…….”

“By ‘her,’ you mean Runcen’s descendant.”

“Yes.”

“That woman thought the looters were the enemies of the Riley family and asked you to avenge them.”

“That’s right.”

“In the process, you felt something suspicious but didn’t bother to tell me?”

“Yes. I thought it would be better for her and for me.”

“I understand her, but why *you*?”

“I can’t put aside my duties for personal matters. The suspicious parts can be investigated after Young Master’s wishes are all fulfilled.”

“So, to Redran…….”

“I just made up an excuse that I couldn’t refuse the request of people I met during my travels and suppressed them.”

“Really?”

“Then Redran said he would leave it to Young Master, who would be returning soon, to decide and told me to wait here. I was dumbfounded, but I couldn’t just cause a scene, so I waited quietly.”

After hearing the whole story, I fell into thought.

Runcen’s descendant.

A person who had been living under the care of the Riley family without even knowing her true identity.

She asked Ruth, who had come to find her, to avenge her family’s resentment, and Ruth willingly granted her request.

An incident that could be dismissed as just a happening.

But something flashed in my mind, and I drew a new picture.

“Ruth, are you sure she’s Runcen’s direct descendant?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Where is that woman now?”

“I don’t know. I parted ways with her right after the suppression. I heard she was going to look for work in a nearby city.”

“Work?”

“Yes. After the Riley family fell, she became a mercenary.”

“A mercenary…… Well, anyway, find her and bring her here.”

“Bring her? You mean here?”

“No, to the harbor.”

“The harbor?”

“Yes. We’re going to set sail from there.”

*I have to hand over the merchant fleet I received from Redran to the Blue Wind Merchant Guild.*

Ruth’s eyes widened as I got up from the chair and put on my coat.

“If you suddenly tell me to bring her…….”

“You have one day.”

“…….”

Ruth, flustered, saw my serious face and realized I wasn’t joking. Without a word, he jumped up and headed to pack his things.

Leaving Ruth behind, I left the detached building, and Rihas and Ilia, who had been waiting outside, turned their gazes to me.

“How is Sir Ruth?”

I waved my hand at Ilia’s question.

“It’s nothing, so go pack your things. We’re leaving the Red Castle today.”

“Isn’t Sir Ruth being oppressed?”

“No. Redran has gotten everything he wanted, so he’ll end it smoothly with a simple apology.”

Then I nodded slightly.

“And the plan has changed.”

“……Yes?”

“We have a joker now, so there’s no reason not to raise the stakes. Let’s scale things up.”

With those words, I turned away from the two who were filled with questions and strode away.