How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 192

A few days later, under the cover of late night, Ilia arrived at the Trot Baron’s lord’s castle.

I didn’t need to ask how she bypassed the tight security. Her pale face said it all.

“Was the flight enjoyable, Ilia?”

Ilia sighed lightly at my question.

“I don’t think I’ll be joining the young master’s knight order anytime soon.”

“Everyone has a first time, so don’t be too disheartened. You’ll get used to it.”

I thought about how modern people have conquered the sky with all sorts of rides, including amusement park attractions and flying vehicles.

On the other hand, flying would be quite a challenge for the people of Midland who have never experienced it.

“Anyway, you made it here without being late. I was just about to head out.”

“Head out where?”

“I have somewhere to be early tomorrow morning. I’ll explain in detail when we depart, so get some rest today.”

After waving my hand dismissively, I was about to leave when Ilia grabbed my sleeve urgently, a side of her I hadn’t seen before.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Um, that day, I…”

“That day? What about that day?”

“…I heard that I tried to attack you, young master.”

“Who told you that?”

“Kalandart told me.”

She seemed to be referring to the time after I finished off the Red Knights, when I lost my mind because I couldn’t control the power of the Demon Sword.

Hearing Ilia’s words, I scratched my forehead and sighed.

“So you heard about that?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry about it… but you’re the type who will worry. You’ll probably kick the blanket while lying in bed trying to sleep, right?”

Ilia looked mortified at my question.

“If you’re worried, I can’t help it. But in my opinion, it’s better to use that energy to focus on training. I need someone to fight with me, not someone who’s afraid of their own power.”

“…Yes.”

Ilia, who had her head bowed, replied in a voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz.

“If you understand, go and rest. As I said before, we have to leave early tomorrow morning.”

“Early morning… may I ask what the mission is?”

“Well, it’s not really a grand mission.”

After hesitating for a moment, I slowly nodded.

“We need to put some meat on the scarecrow, catch some sneaky rats, and there are a lot of things to do in many ways.”

* * *

Before the sun had risen, in the dim dawn, I woke up early and went outside with Sella and Ilia.

“You’ve memorized everything I told you, right?”

Sella, who was mounted on a warhorse, nodded firmly at my question.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then let’s go.”

Disguised as mercenaries like Ilia, I led Sella and Ilia out of the central city where the lord’s castle was located.

Afterward, we headed to a fortress built on the outskirts of the Trot Baron’s territory, on the border facing Redran’s army.

The purpose of heading there was clear: a front-line inspection.

In any case, Sella was currently being called the Savior, but in reality, she only had a title; she hadn’t shown anything substantial.

So, this front-line inspection could be said to be the first step in officially introducing Sella to the outside world.

Of course, that didn’t mean we were just going for a leisurely stroll. As I said, we didn’t have much time.

After driving for several hours and arriving near the fortress, I sighed as I looked at the outpost built away from the fortress for security.

“This is a bit much, though.”

There was no expected reaction. The outpost was so quiet that I wondered if we had arrived at the right place.

I could roughly guess why, though.

“Umm… is it already shift change?”

A guard, shivering as he stood up, saw me and my party appear through the fog.

Even though he couldn’t confirm our identities due to the thick fog, he didn’t give the agreed-upon password. I shrugged.

‘I guess it can’t be helped.’

The winter in the northeast is harsh. It must have been difficult to stand guard all night without even being able to light a fire.

Besides, it was a relatively safe rear area, not an area that actually faced the enemy.

But no matter what, we had to maintain standards. What if we were enemies who had secretly infiltrated?

“I am Ilia Frost, heading to Karok Fortress for a front-line inspection. State your identities and positions.”

Ilia’s quiet voice, stepping forward, was carried through the fog, and the soldier who had risen slowly asked back, faltering.

“Ilia? Ilia Frost?”

Ilia slowly began to draw her sword at his still half-asleep appearance.

“You better watch your mouth before I cut your tongue out.”

The soldier, seeing Ilia’s face reflected in the rising mana and the cloak symbolizing the Frost Mercenary Corps, turned pale.

Afterward, the soldier began kicking his colleague, who was still dozing off next to him.

“H-hey! Wake up!”

“Ugh, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“I-Ilia-nim [term of respect] has come here.”

“Ilia? That person came here? What nonsense… Huh!”

The soldier, who had risen with an annoyed expression, also widened his eyes as if they would pop out after confirming our appearance.

“O-oh…”

“N-no abnormalities during patrol!”

The commotion caused by the two guards suddenly caused the surrounding area to become noisy.

They must have started paying attention to what was going on after hearing the conversation here.

“Lead the way to the fortress.”

When Ilia presented the pass given by the Trot Baron, the two soldiers began to guide us to the fortress without saying a word.

After entering the fortress, Ilia received a signal I had secretly given and kicked the two guiding soldiers in the back of their knees.

“Ugh!”

“Ugh…”

As the two soldiers knelt on the hard, frozen dirt, Ilia looked down at them and coldly opened her mouth.

“For soldiers in charge of guarding to be dozing off during their duty, the military discipline is terrible. Who is leading you?”

It wasn’t the two soldiers who answered Ilia’s question, but a middle-aged man who came running from afar.

“W-wait a minute!”

“Who are you?”

“I am Beks, the captain of the guard in charge of the outer perimeter of the fortress.”
The captain of the guard… not a noble? Well, a noble wouldn’t be the captain of the guard in a small fortress like this.

Ilia, confirming him, raised her hand to block Beks’s path.

“These are soldiers who failed in their duty. I wouldn’t mind if they were executed on the spot.”

“Excuse me, but who are you…?”

“I am Ilia Frost.”

“R-really?”

At Beks’s question, Ilia silently presented the identification badge guaranteed by the Trot Baron, and Beks’s expression turned to shock as he confirmed it.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“N-no, there couldn’t be.”

At Beks’s words, Ilia smiled bitterly and drew her sword. Then, she raised it high as if she were about to strike down immediately.

“Wait.”

At that moment, Sella, who was standing behind, shouted.

“I plan to decide on punishment after a fair and thorough process, so stop.”

At Sella’s command, Ilia lowered her raised arm. Afterward, Ilia neatly sheathed her sword and turned to bow politely to Sella.

“Understood.”

Hearing Ilia’s answer, Sella slowly turned her head and looked at Beks.

“Guard Captain Beks.”

“Yes? Y-yes!”

“I’m sure you know that the crime of neglecting troop management is not light.”

“I-I deserve to die.”

“Who is the commander in charge of this fortress?”

“C-Commander Mason.”

“Bring him here. We will discuss the details then. In the meantime, I will inspect the military camp.”

At Sella’s words, Beks glanced back and forth between Ilia and Sella for a moment before scratching the back of his head.

“H-however, I’m sorry to ask, but who should I say is looking for him…?”

“Tell him Sella Flores is looking for Commander Mason.”

“A-alright!”

Sella Flores.

Beks, who had faced the Savior, who had only been rumored like a legendary figure, hurriedly ran off somewhere.

“…Flores?”

“Is that the Savior?”

Afterward, the soldiers of the fortress surrounding us began to steal glances at Sella, murmuring.

However, the gazes were more of a sense of incongruity than respect and awe, and Sella, feeling burdened by it, avoided their eyes and moved towards the wooden fence.

“Hoo…”

Sella took a breath as she finally felt less of the gazes after climbing onto the high wooden fence.

Then, she immediately turned her head and looked at Ilia.

“I’m sorry if I was rude earlier.”

“You can be even harsher. I am now assigned to escort you.”

“…”

Sella, seeing Ilia’s calm face, looked relieved and then looked at me.

“I did what you told me to do, but is there a reason why you’re doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Going on a front-line inspection without any notice, punishing soldiers, and ordering the fortress commander around.”

Is there a reason? Of course.

“It’s much more intuitive and clear to experience it directly than to explain it a hundred times.”

“…What do you mean.”

“You said it yourself. You don’t have any abilities right now. Then shouldn’t you create those abilities first?”

“I don’t really understand.”

“Okay. Then let me ask you a few questions. If you were an ordinary soldier, not Sella, what would you think about the rumored Savior?”

Sella, who was lost in thought for a moment at my question, opened her mouth.

“Well, I haven’t actually seen anything, but I think I’d feel like there’s an important person.”

“Yes. That’s right. Anyway, all the lords of the northeast are now united under one will, believing in the Savior. But that’s just a one-sided feeling. It’s not something you’ve actually seen and felt in front of you.”

“So that means…”

“Existing only as a rumor also means that everything will disappear like a mirage when it’s all over. So, I’m going to bring that rumor into reality and engrave it in people’s minds.”

“Engrave my existence?”

Nodding, I pointed to Ilia with my chin.

“There’s a great precedent right here, right?”

“Ilia…?”

“Just now, people treated you, the Savior, like a strange animal. But would they have looked at Ilia with the same eyes?”

“I think I know.”

Sella nodded and let out a weak laugh.

“They couldn’t connect me to the Savior. On the other hand, in Ilia’s case, she has the achievements and reputation of actually being active, so they look up to her.”

“Do you know why those things are necessary?”

“…The more my influence grows, the less the royal family will be able to think of me as just a puppet.”

“You understand very well. Then you can understand why I brought Ilia with me today, right?”

Sella was lost in thought at my question.

Watching her, I leaned against the wooden fence and crossed my arms.

‘It’s worth raising her this much.’

Sella often belittled herself, saying she had no abilities, but I thought a little differently.

She definitely had abilities to show as strengths. It’s just that they weren’t the type to shine easily.

‘First of all, I’d say she has excellent adaptability.’

Even though her family had collapsed, she didn’t give up and became a mercenary to start a new life.

But would it have been easy for a woman to become a mercenary on her own? She probably went through countless difficulties in the process.

Later, when she met me and headed to Capital, her life changed again.