How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 21

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Episode 21

* * *

A drizzling rain fell through the night.

I pulled up my raincoat to cover my face and body, shielding myself from the biting northern air and rain.

The place I was heading to late at night was the Knights Order.

The reason was twofold.

I wanted to discuss future plans with Gilaine and visit the library to gather information about mana cultivation.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

“Who are you?”

“Cain Lindayer.”

The soldier guarding the Knights Order barracks was taken aback when he saw me.

“Y-Young master? What brings you here alone…”

“You’re working hard. It’s a cold night.”

“A-Absolutely not!”

I patted the guard on the shoulder and stepped inside through the opened gate.

The barracks were empty.

Either everyone had returned to their quarters after finishing their scheduled training, or they were out in the city enjoying a beer.

After walking for a while, rubbing my chilly nose, I finally reached the Knights Order headquarters.

Looking up, I could see light seeping through the windows of the office on the second floor.

As expected. Gilaine hadn’t left work yet.

‘He’s as much of a workaholic as the Count.’

I chuckled and opened the door, stepping inside.

The warm air felt wonderful.

I climbed the stairs and strode down the hallway. Gilaine must have already sensed my presence.

But there weren’t many people who would visit so abruptly this late at night. It was a consideration to give him some time to prepare.

As expected, when I stood in front of the office, I heard Gilaine’s voice from inside.

“Come in.”

Creak-

The door opened, and Gilaine, dressed in a simplified armor, greeted me.

“Young master, you’ve come all the way here so late. If you had summoned me, I would have come to you.”

“Holn said so.”

“Yes?”

“He said the only person who can order the Knights Commander around is the Lord.”

“That rascal said that?”

Gilaine smiled wryly and poured water from a kettle on the brazier to brew tea.

“He has a strong sense of pride. Please understand him with your generosity, young master.”

“Is he always like that?”

“Yes?”

“Always protecting, only saying good things, and not making enemies.”

“What are you talking about…”

“I was just saying. Forget it.”

I was trying to gain the upper hand, but Gilaine just smiled gently.

This makes me feel awkward.

I smacked my lips and sat on the sofa, accepting the tea Gilaine offered.

Gilaine also took his share of tea and sat across from me, wearing a gentle smile.

“You’ve changed a lot recently, young master. Ah, of course, I mean that in a positive way.”

“Is that so.”

“Even though I look like this, I’ve been watching you since you were a baby.”

“Oh, then you must have seen my precious parts.”

“You were general material.”

Gilaine and I shared a brief laugh before falling silent again.

It was Gilaine who broke the silence first.

“Did you come to discuss the subjugation of the Blade Song tribe?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I’m curious, do you have any plans in mind?”

“No.”

“Yes?”

At his bewildered question, I shrugged.

“No. I haven’t even seen them with my own eyes yet. What’s the point of sitting at a desk and talking about this and that? I can only judge after seeing them directly.”

Gilaine nodded at my words.

Indeed, as a knight who directly fights wars on the front lines, he would deeply sympathize with that.

Of course, my words also came from experience.

At least in my military life, there wasn’t a single commander who came to the field and spoke from direct experience.

Whether it was the battalion commander, the regimental commander, or the division commander, they were all the same. They only knew how to sit at their desks and order people around while saying, ‘Back in my day~.’

Fucking military.

Thinking about it makes me feel depressed again.

“That’s right. You can only judge after seeing them directly. But there must be a general framework, right?”

“A general framework? It’s simple: find them, kill them, and come back.”

“If it were that simple, would we have left them alone for ten years?”

“Sir Esteban.”

“Yes, young master.”

“How much do you know about orcs?”

Gilaine tilted his head.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Then how much do you know about foxes?”

“Why foxes all of a sudden…”

“Don’t you hunt foxes every year with the Lord, even if you don’t hunt orcs?”

“That’s true.”

“Where do foxes live?”

“Don’t they live in burrows?”

“Wrong. Foxes don’t dig their own burrows. They steal the burrows of rabbits or badgers, which are weaker than them. So, if you want to catch a fox, it’s easier and faster to follow the rabbit’s tracks.”

Of course, I saw this on Animal Farm TV [a fictional show referencing nature documentaries].

“Also, what do foxes eat?”

“Don’t they eat meat, like mice or weasels?”

“They also eat tree fruits. Just like people eat bread when they don’t have meat. If you put poison in the winter fruits, you can hunt them very easily.”

“I see.”

“Can you say you know foxes without knowing these facts?”

“…I can’t.”

“Then do you know orcs?”

“Well, I know how to kill them, but if what you say is true, then I probably don’t know orcs very well.”

“I know orcs.”

Gilaine stroked his chin.

“Then why would you bring me along when I don’t know orcs? Is it just to inform the Lord of your achievements in detail?”

That too, but there’s another purpose.

Of course, the reason I came today is a little different.

“What I’ve been saying so far is that I want you to trust and follow me no matter what I do in the future.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to hunt orcs in my own way. It might be a little unfamiliar to Sir Esteban or the rangers. There will be a lot of worries.”

Gilaine was quick-witted, befitting his position and skills.

“Are you asking me to be your strength?”

“Yes.”

“Are you worried that the rangers will ignore you?”

“Worried? Far from it. I’m not worried. What nobleman in the world would be anxious that his subordinates won’t listen to him?”

“Then that means…”

“There are only nobles who want to punish but don’t have the power to do so.”

Crack!

A spark flew from the charcoal in the brazier.

After a moment of silence, Gilaine finally understood and nodded.

“I am the sword of Lindayer. A sword doesn’t discriminate against people. I will serve you purely as a sword.”

“Good.”

That’s it. I’ve secured Gilaine’s temporary but unconditional loyalty. I’ve achieved my initial goal.

“That’s all I came for. I’m glad it worked out well.”

“I’m also happy to meet your expectations, young master.”

“Then I’ll be on my way. Sorry for coming so late.”

“Don’t mention it. Come find me anytime if you have anything to discuss.”

“Yes. Then goodbye.”

Just as I was about to get up and open the door, I remembered something and turned to look at Gilaine.

“Oh, is the Knights Order’s library locked?”

“No, it isn’t.”

“I’m going to stop by there for a moment. Is that alright?”

“Of course. The Knights Order belongs to Lindayer.”

“Thank you. Have a good night.”

“I hope you have a good night too, young master.”

Clunk!

Only after coming outside, closing the door, and relaxing could I catch my breath.

Even with the status of a young master, pushing a knight just before the master level was quite difficult.

* * *

Carrying a lantern and a water bottle to quench my thirst, I entered the library and looked around the rows of bookshelves.

The smell of old paper and tickling dust filled my nose. Clearing my throat, I looked around the bookshelves and picked out a book that caught my eye.

[The Intimate Relationship Between Mana and the Body, and a Consideration for Better Utilization by Distinguishing Its Efficacy]

What nonsense is this?

This is rejected for now.

I turned my eyes and looked for something else. However, most of them were things that I couldn’t understand at all, no matter who wrote them.

Take it out and put it back, take it out and put it back.

Just as I was getting annoyed, I found a book covered in dust in the corner.

[About Mana Cultivation]

Rustle-

When I opened the book, the contents that matched the title simply and clearly, not filled with vanity, were revealed.

‘Yes, this is what I wanted.’

Actually, there was no need to suffer like this.

I could have simply gone to Gilaine or the Count, revealed my skills, and asked them, and it would have been easily resolved. Or I could have sat Ruth down in front of me and grilled her.

But the reason I didn’t do that is simple.

Because there will be times when it’s more dramatic and definitely leaves a profit.

Handling mana is clearly one of the cards I have.

Showing your cards when the other person hasn’t even bet is what only the worst players do.

“Shall we take a look…”

I quenched my thirst with water, opened the book, and began to read it carefully.

The introduction is good so far.

Hmming, I read it carefully and found several notable passages.

Underline this.

…….

…….

How much time has passed?

After completely reading the book in my seat, the moon had tilted considerably.

Clack!

It’s a thick book, but because I had been training with novels for over a decade, there was no difficulty in reading it. Rather, it was fun. New knowledge is always like that.

‘Shall we try it?’

I’ve learned the theory.

Of course, I haven’t become proficient just by reading one book.

However, I had already learned a lot of settings through novels, and I had roughly heard about it from Ruth, so it was worth trying.

Well, I don’t know if it will work or not, but anyway, I have to try it myself to know.

Then now it’s practice.

I closed my eyes tightly and sat cross-legged. I put my hands on my knees and took a low breath.

‘Look at this.’

What I felt first was like a fly. No, it felt like a mosquito.

It’s definitely hovering around, but when I try to catch it, it disappears as if it never happened.

I felt impatient, but I forcibly suppressed it and concentrated again. You can’t catch a wild horse by trying to catch it by force. You have to put out a carrot first.

‘Okay. Taste it as much as you want.’

How much time has passed?

A stream of mana hovering around me entered my nose in an instant.

It was a strange experience.

We don’t usually breathe consciously when we breathe. Breathing is very natural.

But mana was a little different.

When you drink high-proof whiskey, you can feel the sensation of it passing through the esophagus and into the stomach sharply.

Mana was like that.

The incoming mana stirred and wandered around every corner of my body. Like a runaway colt, it invaded my territory.

Then, at one point, the mana headed for the mana heart.

At that moment, I grabbed it tightly.

Like snatching an ant caught in an antlion’s pit, or like subduing a wildly kicking wild horse.

Of course, the mana desperately resisted to avoid my grasp.

Thus began a long fight.

* * *

“Ughhh… Cold, so cold!”

The Knights Order is managed by the knights.

It is a custom that has continued for a long time and eventually solidified into the rules of the Wind Knights Order.

Therefore, London, the youngest of the Knights Order, came out early in the morning and was looking around the barracks.

Even though the servants do the cleaning, it was his job as the youngest knight to check and judge it with his own eyes.

“Huh?”

In the meantime, London’s brow narrowed for a moment as he passed by the library.

‘I can feel a presence inside.’

The Knights Order’s library, not to mention other places, is a place where outside access is strictly controlled because books classified as confidential are stored there.

To feel a presence in such a place…

The guard said that he was the first to come to work. Then the person inside is not a knight.

Feeling suspicious, London quietly gathered his mana.

He was still a beginner mana user and not very skilled, but he could easily beat up petty thieves with his bare hands.

‘He’s coming out.’

Footsteps were heard.

London, guessing that he was coming out, hid behind a pillar and held his breath.

Creak…….

The door slowly opened, and at the same time, London carefully peeked out.

It was a figure wearing a black raincoat. London sensed it: a thief!

‘To dare to think of stealing from the Knights Order!’

London jumped out to subdue the suspicious person.

Thud!

“What is this…”

If things had gone as expected, he should have simply twisted his neck and slammed him to the ground, but the man in the raincoat easily flicked his hand away and reached out with his fist.

Thud! Thwack! Thud!

London, who had finished three exchanges in an instant with his hands, feet, and knees, stepped back.

‘He’s not ordinary.’

Thinking that he was not an easy opponent, London spread mana throughout his body.

Explosive power swirled throughout his body, and the moment London, who had jumped out again, tried to subdue the man in the raincoat…

Whoosh!

The man, who had dodged the fist with ease, grabbed his forearm as if water was flowing and tripped him with his foot.

“Ugh…”

He felt like the sky was turning upside down, and soon he fell to the floor.

Before he could recover from the embarrassment, the man standing tall took off his hood, and London’s eyes widened.

“Y-Young master Cain?”

“What’s your name?”

Before he could recover from the shock of being subdued, London, facing the third young master, hurriedly knelt down.

“I-It’s London Berion.”

“Okay, Sir Berion.”

“W-What brings you here, young master…”

“I had something to look for.”

Belatedly, London realized that he had attacked the third young master and panicked.

“I-I’m sorry! I thought you were a suspicious person! I’m really sorry, young master!”

“It’s okay.”

Thump, thump.

Cain Lindayer, who patted him on the shoulder, shrugged as if he was dazzled by the sunlight, and put on his hood again.

“I’ll keep today’s work a secret.”

“Y-You will?”

The knight of the Wind Knights Order was subdued by the reckless third young master.

The moment this rumor spread, it was obvious that he would be subjected to all kinds of ridicule and contempt.

“W-Will you really do that?”

“Instead, you must keep today’s work a secret too.”

“Of course!”

“Okay.”

After finishing speaking, Cain strode away.

London stared blankly at his back and let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

‘But why did I get beaten?’

It felt like he was possessed by a ghost.

Even though he was just a low-ranking knight who had just started handling mana, the opponent was an ordinary person.

‘Damn it! I still have a long way to go!’

London, recalling a thought that was truly like a junior knight, clenched his fist, thinking that he should increase his practice.