How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 205

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 206

Kerwin resided in Maneloff Peak, the highest peak in the Volum Mountains, and it didn’t take long to reach there.

‘It’s definitely easier than before. Back then, it felt like such a long way.’

The memory of coming to Kerwin to sell magic after declaring to Count Lindayer that I would earn gold to break off the marriage with Fleta flashed by.

It was tough back then. The wind and rain were fierce, and I couldn’t handle mana, so my body was weak.

But now, my strength is on a completely different level than back then, and I reached the high peak in one go with Ruth, without resting even once.

And then, I faced the scene from my old memories.

Three coniferous trees firmly rooted in front of the peak. Ruth tilted her head in front of the trees, which were spaced at regular intervals as if measured with a ruler.

“I have a strange sense of déjà vu. It’s as if I’ve been here before.”

Ruth had met Kerwin with me in the past, but she had forgotten everything because her memories had been erased.

I hesitated for a moment. Should I continue to hide Kerwin’s existence from Ruth now?

The answer was no.

Unlike then, Ruth is now my most dedicated right-hand woman, no matter what anyone says.

It’s not just that. Ruth believes my words that a war is about to break out, but she hasn’t fully grasped the urgency.

It’s like agreeing without much thought to the worries of old-fashioned elders. She acknowledges the problem but doesn’t truly internalize the danger.

So, going to see Kerwin now was a good opportunity to truly awaken Ruth’s mind to the impending threat.

“Young Master, this place is……”

“Ruth.”

“Yes?”

“Swear now.”

“Suddenly, a vow?”

“I’m not kidding.”

Ruth immediately changed her attitude and took a stance at my words, which I spoke with a stern face.

“A vow is……”

“Everything you see, hear, and experience from now on, you will keep secret forever until I give you permission.”

There was no grand ceremony. She didn’t kneel or draw her sword. Ruth simply put her fist to her heart with a normal face.

“I swear on my honor and life that I will keep the secret, even if I fall into hell.”

“Good.”

After hearing Ruth’s oath, I drew my sword.

“This sword is a magic sword.”

Ruth tilted her head as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“I expected it. It has a different atmosphere than a simple masterpiece.”

“It’s not just a simple magic sword.”

“……Yes?”

Listening to Ruth’s question, I pointed Ahphen, which I had drawn, to the center of the three coniferous trees.

“Kerwin Ahphen, the lamp of the kingdom and the great wizard, entrusted me with this magic sword, delegating the Emperor’s will to me.”

The amber jewel embedded in the cross-guard of Ahphen, which I was holding, slowly began to glow with golden light.

“Kerwin Ahphen? That legendary figure entrusted something to the Young Master? No, more than that, the light of that sword is……”

Before Ruth, who was showing clear signs of shock, could finish speaking, the light gathered in Ahphen headed for the three coniferous trees.

Saaaaa…….

The aftermath was the same as before.

A burst of mana swept through, and then a huge marble door appeared under the desolate high peak covered in clouds.

“D, d, door……”

With a bewildered word, Ruth’s hand slipped from the scabbard.

“Y, Young Master, what is that door?”

“Ruth, are you ready to face the truth?”

I left Ruth, who had her mouth shut at my question, and slowly walked to the door.

Koo Woong…….

Then, the huge door slowly began to open.

“Oh, my god……”

The inside of the opened door was a completely different space from the high peak where strong winds were blowing.

Ruth, dumbfounded, turned her head from side to side and compared the outside and the inside of the door.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“There are dangerous people, but it’s not inherently a dangerous place.”

Ruth made a bewildered expression at my ambiguous answer.

Whether she understood or not, I stepped into the opened door, and Ruth waved her hand at my appearance.

“Y, Young Master?”

“So, aren’t you coming?”

What could Ruth do when I said I was going?

Ruth, who carefully stepped inside with a half-dead face, once again opened her mouth wide at the realism that didn’t feel like a fantasy.

The ceiling that could only be seen by tilting her head back and the countless murals that spread out in all directions, centered on the ceiling, overwhelmed the viewer.

Ruth lost her words at the gruesome sight of dragons, humans, different races, monsters, and angels and demons intertwined in one place, shedding blood.

“Here is……”

“Should I call it Kerwin’s house? No, a hideout would be more appropriate.”

“A hideout? No, more than that, is that person really alive?”

Ruth hurriedly asked back at the mention of a person who had been forgotten in history.

“Yes. Still alive.”

“How can a human still be alive?”

“I don’t know. Because he’s a great wizard, he may have found his own way.”

“……”

Ruth eventually closed her mouth at my nonchalant answer. She must have thought it was best to observe the situation silently.

Leaving Ruth behind, I moved my steps towards the end of the corridor that seemed to have no end.

How long have I walked? Soon, a door made of silver marble appeared.

It’s the same as I remember. Kerwin will probably be waiting behind this door.

“Ruth.”

“……Yes.”

“Shall I give you a warning?”

“A warning is?”

“If you don’t want to get subdued again this time, it’s better to be quiet.”

I think I gave the same warning back then. Of course, Ruth couldn’t stand it and opened her mouth, and Kerwin immediately subdued her.

I smiled at the old memories and slowly opened the door.

The heavy door opened lightly as I pushed it, unlike its appearance.

The interior that was revealed afterwards was a huge hall filled with white. However, unlike its size, there was no furniture inside, so it felt very desolate.

“……”

However, that desolate feeling was soon erased the moment I saw something in the center of the hall.

The Throne of Radiance.

The throne that Kerwin had presented to Emperor Bellancass, who unified the continent, was emitting a reddish-golden aura.

And on the throne, a figure was sitting in the same form as in my memory.

Silver hair and eyebrows and eyes of the same color that flowed down to her knees, and even transparent pale skin.

“It’s been a while, Kain Lindayer.”

Kerwin Ahphen tilted her head as she saw me enter.

* * *

The place has changed.

A huge table was already in the white hall. A feast was set on it, and servants lined up behind me and Ruth, who were seated.

Of course, the servants were not human. They had no legs and were floating in the air. Moreover, they had no facial features, so it was even more unsettling when you looked at their pale faces.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Kerwin was sitting at the head of the table in a neat outfit.

As she reached out her hand, a teacup was placed on her hand as if she had been waiting for it, and Kerwin skillfully savored the scent of the tea.

“Who is that child who came with you?”

“She is my escort knight, Ruth Meyer.”

“Ah, the one you brought last time? I remember.”

Ruth made a sullen expression at Kerwin’s words. Well, she must be in a state where her memories have been erased.

“H, if you don’t mind, may I ask you one thing?”

As her story came out, Ruth carefully asked with the most polite expression in her life.

I was curious about that. What will happen? Will she flick her finger and blow Ruth away like before?

“Ask.”

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Kerwin looked at Ruth with a face as if she were looking at a mischievous boy.

“S, are you by any chance Kerwin Ahphen, the lamp of the kingdom?”

“A lamp……. I don’t particularly like that name, but it’s true that I’m Kerwin.”

“I, I’m sorry!”

What are you sorry for?

Kerwin let out a faint smile at Ruth’s sudden apology.

She certainly looked softer. In the old days, she had a sharp atmosphere that seemed to cut you just by touching her.

‘Ah, is it because of that?’

Kerwin has been living in this remote mountain range for hundreds of years, essentially sealing herself away.

The magic I sold to Kerwin in such a lonely life would have allowed her to find some peace by looking at the face of the beloved Emperor every day [referring to the magical recreations of the Emperor’s image].

Moreover, by passing on the will left by the Emperor to me, she must have felt somewhat relieved.

“Anyway, I want to talk to my daughter after a long time.”

Kerwin opened her mouth as she put down her teacup. As I released the scabbard I was wearing, she gestured and pulled it with magic and held it in her hand.

“Yes, how was the world you went out to after a long time?”

It was like watching a mother and daughter reunite after a long time. Kerwin kept smiling while holding the sword, and Ahphen trembled as if responding to it.

That’s how the short reunion time ended.

After talking with Ahphen, Kerwin handed the sword back to me and nodded.

“I have read all of Ahphen’s memories. I roughly know how you have spent your time.”

She read my memories? Then she knows all my every move at once? I feel a little embarrassed.

“……I can’t even dream of lying.”

“Were you going to lie?”

“Of course not. I was just saying it.”

I threw a joke in a roundabout way, but Kerwin nodded with a soft atmosphere.

“To be honest, I never dreamed you would do this much.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. I was quite impressed by your actions, which moved only for the kingdom without any personal gain.”

“Thank you for recognizing me.”

I nodded, drank tea to quench my thirst, and slowly brought up the main point.

“Anyway, may I ask you why you called me here?”

Kerwin nodded at my question.

“There is something you need to do.”

“If there is something I need to do……”

Something I have to do?

I paused for a moment and pondered, then organized my thoughts and nodded.

“Is there something wrong with Kerwin’s power?”

“You guessed it similarly.”

Something went wrong with Kerwin’s power.

It was a natural thing. In the first place, I was already doing a good job of saving the kingdom without Kerwin urging me.

In that situation, the fact that she called me meant that something had happened in a place that was not related to what I was doing at all.

And that would be related to the barrier in the north that Kerwin was blocking, an area that I couldn’t handle with my power.

“I remember hearing that there was still a lot of time left before Kerwin’s power ran out.”

“That’s right. So I was thinking it was strange too. But after reading Ahphen’s memories, I can roughly guess.”

“You can guess?”

“If things go according to plan, the barrier protecting the north will last for about 5 or 6 years without any problems. But what does it mean that the barrier is weakening?”

What does it mean? The answer is obvious.

I nodded with a bitter face.

“They are trying to move faster than expected.”

The culprits who caused the tribal war and the true masterminds of the Midland Saga. It meant that the Nebiros Order and the Unholy Knights had begun to move in earnest.