How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 213

The attack began without warning.

Redran, who had leaped away from his initial position, leaned against a tree trunk for cover, his expression tense. “There are a lot of them.”

As Redran said, the number of presences we could sense was considerable. I made a quick decision.

“I’ll move in first.”

“What about us?”

“Redran, follow close behind me. Ilia, come in a beat later and watch our backs.”

Ilia nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Confirming his understanding, I pushed off the ground, Redran immediately tailing me.

“What do you think they are?”

Redran chuckled at my question. “Whatever they are, they’re not monsters. I’ve never heard of monsters moving this stealthily.”

“Then humans?”

“That’s ridiculous. Humans in the North?”

I nodded, agreeing with Redran’s retort. I licked my lips, sharpening my senses.

One, two, five… eleven, twelve… There were more than a dozen presences immediately detectable. It was too late to identify them individually. We were already surrounded.

Then there was only one option.

“Break through.”

“A good choice.”

I immediately concentrated mana in my feet and leaped into the air, soaring several meters. I thrust Ahphen forward.

[Is it a fight?]

‘Can’t you tell? Light it up, quickly!’

[Leave it to me!]

At Ahphen’s words, an intense white light burst from the tip of the sword, light magic illuminating the surroundings like a spotlight.

The light, like a flare shot into the darkness, brightly lit the forest.

And what came into view in the illuminated space was…

“Humans?”

Redran’s bewildered voice came from behind.

As he said, the beings who had climbed onto the surrounding trees and encircled us had human forms.

They seemed to be blinded by the light Ahphen had emitted, momentarily covering their eyes with their hands.

‘They’re people, but what are they? Their skin is dark?’

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, their skin was as dark and smooth as ebony.

“What are you dawdling for?” Redran clicked his tongue and stepped forward when I hesitated for a moment after confirming they were people.

Afterward, Redran, like a runaway tank, rushed forward and swung his sword at one of the opponents.

Clang!

But what came back was the familiar sound of mana colliding with mana.

The implication was simple: the opponent also wielded mana.

And there are no monsters in the world that wield mana.

Swish-!

Black figures began to surge around the penetrating Redran. I quickly moved forward as well, to prevent him from being surrounded.

‘Two on the left, three on the right.’

After instantly reading the opponents’ movements, I swung my sword horizontally, a choice made to prevent their approach rather than to attack.

Clang! Clang!

Mana collided with mana in the swung sword, and blue flames erupted in a burst.

‘Their skill isn’t that high. At best, beginner mana users?’

The assessment came with one clash. There were many of them, but not to the point where we couldn’t handle them.

I nodded and immediately shouted at Redran. “Redran, capture them alive!”

Redran replied briefly to my shout. “Which one?”

“That one.”

I pointed to the guy who was watching the situation from the safest place.

Obviously, that kind of guy is usually the commander.

After briefly sharing the plan with Redran, I shouted at Ilia. “Ilia! Cover our backs!”

“Understood.”

Ilia, who had followed like a shadow, began to check the ones I had shaken off.

The given gap was short, but Redran and I, sensing the opportunity, gave our all to chase the target.

As a result, the guys quickly gathered to block our way, as if they had grasped our intentions.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Redran’s eyes burned red as he looked at the ones blocking the way. Following that, he brought down his sword three times like chopping firewood, using the monstrous strength he used to tear apart trolls with his bare hands.

“…….”

The guys blocking the way had no choice but to clear the path, overwhelmed by Redran’s momentary monstrous strength.

Confirming the path that Redran had opened, I quickly dug toward the target.

The guy who saw me thrust his sword as if he was embarrassed.

But it was too slow. What, are you playing house?

Clang!

I lightly parried the sword, then stretched out my fist and struck the guy’s stomach.

“Kuheok…….”

He fainted one hundred percent. I’d bet my entire fortune on it.

I grabbed the nape of the unconscious guy and turned my sword to his neck.

“If you come any closer, this guy dies.”

A hostage situation.

An act that wouldn’t work at all if the opponent was a monster.

But they wielded mana and systematically formed a formation to pressure us. That meant they had intelligence.

And having intelligence meant that conversation was possible.

Of course, it is possible to wipe them all out if I want to, but it’s not too late to accurately grasp the situation first. That’s why I captured one in the first place.

“They stopped.”

Redran, who had already withdrawn his red eyes, let out a hollow laugh.

As Redran said, the guys who were gathering around didn’t come closer, keeping a certain distance after seeing their comrade caught.

Only then did we have the leisure to properly grasp the opponent’s appearance.

And the appearance of the opponent we examined was unexpectedly very familiar.

“They’re Elves?”

I nodded at Redran’s bewildered words. “Yes. They are Elves.”

The appearance as if the goddess of beauty had directly sculpted them, the hair like silk, and the pointed ears protruding through the hair.

The appearance was no different from the Elves I saw in the Great Forest.

The only difference was that their skin was dark.

‘Dark Elves.’

It was said that there were many different races in the North who had been defeated and pushed out in the racial wars.

In that sense, there was nothing strange. Although the Elves and Druids, who were different races, lived in the kingdom, they were special cases.

But I couldn’t help but laugh at the sensation that was transmitted to my hand afterward.

Ebony, the spirit of darkness that was revived with the help of the Elves in the past.

Ebony was currently residing in the ring on my hand, and at the same time, she was trembling very fiercely right now.

Woo-! Woo!

Ebony started to cry. In addition, her emotions poured in through the ring.

Hate, sadness, resentment, pain, fear.

All kinds of negative emotions were directed at the Dark Elves.

I looked at the Dark Elves in front of me with that terrible emotion.

“I’ll ask you just one thing.”

“…….”

“Have you ever cooperated with humans?”

I clearly saw it. The eyes of the Dark Elf at the head were shaking violently at my question.

Now there was nothing more to ask. I let out a bitter smile and kicked the Dark Elf I had captured back to them.

“What are you doing?”

Redran frowned at my appearance. He must be asking why I was sending back the hostage I had managed to catch.

But I shook my head.

“There’s no need to be gentlemanly anymore.”

“……Anymore?”

I bared my teeth at Redran’s question.

“Where the hell were they hiding? They were hiding in the North like rats?”

The work of sealing the spirits is impossible with human technology alone.

But the Neviros Order managed to create magic stones. How did they do it?

The answer is simple.

The race most closely related to spirits in this world cooperated with the Neviros Order.

But I couldn’t find such an ominous Elf in the Great Forest.

Then where and who was it? The answer I had been searching for a long time was unexpectedly here.

“Thank you for relieving me of any guilt.”

After finishing speaking, I squeezed out Mana Heart, and soon blue flames spewed around my body.

* * *

“Kuheok…….”

“Keuheok, keueuheuk…….”

The fallen Dark Elves groaned in terrible pain. Some of them resisted to the end and were broken in several places.

Ilia, who was watching the horrific scene, as well as Redran, clicked their tongues.

Regardless, I moved my steps and squatted in front of the Dark Elf who looked the most intact.

“Name.”

The Dark Elf, who raised his head at my question, filled his eyes with anger.

It’s a pity. He doesn’t even know what his situation is.

Slap!

My hand that was swung slapped the Dark Elf’s cheek.

“Keuheok…….”

The Dark Elf spat out blood as if his mouth had exploded. Broken teeth were visible in the red blood, and I picked them up with my fingers and crushed them.

White powder scattered in the wind.

“Do you want to live eating only porridge for the rest of your life?”

“…….”

“If so, keep your mouth shut.”

When I raised my hand again, a faint voice was heard from afar.

“Stop, stop it!”

When I turned my head at the dissuading voice, I saw the Dark Elf who had been captured by me at first and fainted, but had regained consciousness.

His appearance, which would be middle-aged if he were human, trembled when he met my eyes.

“Those children are not at fault.”

“Not at fault?”

I got up at those words. After that, I slowly approached him and opened my mouth.

“Not at fault? Then who should I find the fault with?”

“……Tell me what you want.”

“Answer what I ask.”

“Kuaaaak!”

A gruesome scream echoed as I gave strength with the intention of grabbing and breaking his arm.

At that, Ilia, who had only been watching, came and carefully grabbed my arm.

“Please stop.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t they in a helpless state?”

“…….”

I sighed at Ilia’s eyes, which seemed sad for some reason.

“They are the ones who cooperated with that damn Unholy Knight and the Neviros Order.”

“I know.”

“Have you forgotten that countless citizens of Capital, including Rihas’s father, died because of them?”

“I remember.”

While affirming, Ilia did not let go of my arm. I shook my head as I felt strangely complicated.

“Okay, I got it.”

After that, I turned my head again and looked at the Dark Elf, and slowly opened my mouth.

“What’s your name?”

“……Gale.”

“Okay, Gale. From what I see, this forest seems to be your territory.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, of course, your family must be staying in this forest too. Right?”

“…….”

Unless he was an idiot, he would have understood what my words meant. It’s a disturbing threat, but there’s no better way to do it.

As I expected, Gale’s eyes began to tremble. I looked at him and slowly opened my mouth.

“If you answer what I ask with all your heart, I promise that there will be at least no innocent sacrifices.”

“……I will try to help as much as possible.”

I nodded at the trembling Dark Elf’s answer.

“I know that you cooperated with some humans.”

Gale’s eyes shook again at my question.

“Did they send you?”

“No. But they made me come here. So tell me everything related to them.”

“……The elder in the village will know more about that than I do.”

“So.”

“I will guide you to him.”

“Okay. Guide me. But if you trick me and plan to set a trap… I hope you do your best.”

Deudeudeuk…….

I stabbed my hand into the tree trunk that the Dark Elf was leaning on.

The hand containing mana easily penetrated the trees like tofu, and soon the finely crushed powder fluttered in the hand that was pulled out.

“I’m very angry right now.”