How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 231

I knelt and buried my face in the grass for a long time.

How long has it been since I smelled the fragrant grass?

These are things I couldn’t feel in the cold and desolate North, where death loomed over everything.

“…….”

Okay, that’s enough reminiscing about the good old days.

I closed my eyes and savored nature, then slowly got up.

What I need to pay attention to now is that this place is a forest full of greenery.

If it’s here, the Dark Elves could definitely leave a signal.

This is a good start. I nodded, firmly remembered the location of the cave, and slowly moved my steps.

First, I had to find out where this was.

There were no traces of people. It must be a secluded area.

But it didn’t seem like a particularly dangerous place either.

Let’s go to where there’s water first.

I nodded, got up, and slowly moved my steps. With each step, the grasshoppers jumped away from me.

How long had I walked like that?

As I passed the boundary where the forest ended, my vision suddenly widened. At the same time, a completely new sight came into view.

“The sea.”

The blue waves surged and crashed against the white sand. Countless white foams then rose.

The sea. Was the last time I saw it when Redran occupied the Red Castle? A lot of time has already passed.

I touched the incoming seawater with my hand and looked around. It was still a natural landscape with no artificial features.

“It doesn’t seem like a place where people live, does it?”

[I agree. That’s why I’m more anxious.]

I agree. I expected it wouldn’t be that dangerous, but the fact that it’s so peaceful makes it feel even stranger.

“If I look at the direction the sun is setting, it definitely seems like the South.”

[Let’s walk for now. Something will come out, right?]

“I guess so.”

I nodded and got up. Then, I walked slowly along the coast, keeping to the forest so I could hide at any time.

As the red sunset faded and complete darkness fell, I saw a widely spread wooden fence in the distance.

A wooden fence so densely built that even a rat would have difficulty passing through.

However, it was too weak to be used to block enemies, and it was unnecessarily excessive for the purpose of simply marking a boundary.

‘What is it for?’

I kept my distance from the newly appeared wooden fence and continued to walk along it.

In the process, I was able to find out a few things.

First of all, the purpose of the wooden fence was clear. It was to surround the cave where the magic circle was hidden and the forest that contained the cave.

In addition, the ecosystem of the forest surrounded by the wooden fence was artificial. There wasn’t a single beast that occupied the top of the food chain, let alone a stray dog.

On the other hand, there were plenty of herbivores such as foxes and deer.

But it’s not a pasture. It’s not like they’re raising cows or sheep.

Then is it a private garden? If so, the person who manages this place must be the worst gardener on the continent.

Then there’s only one answer.

‘A hunting ground.’

Great nobles often create hunting grounds for their entertainment and to show off their power to guests visiting the estate.

The more similar the hunting ground is to nature, the better it is evaluated. It was also important how alive the wildness of the game being raised was.

If you think about it that way, this forest was perfect as a hunting ground. And it belongs to a noble with considerable power.

[It fits well with the conditions you mentioned, right?]

“It shouldn’t be dangerous, it should be a controllable area, and the supply of goods should be smooth.”

[Yeah, yeah.]

There’s a saying that the darkest place is under the lamp [meaning the best place to hide something is in plain sight].

It’s definitely a place that no one would suspect.

They freely invite guests and provide entertainment. And most of those nobles don’t have the curiosity to explore dark, damp, and deep caves.

The guests who have finished hunting will promote how wonderful this hunting ground is. That way, suspicion is removed. Who would suspect that there is a disrespectful magic circle in this hunting ground?

‘There won’t be any intruders either.’

Unless they are suicide attempters, no commoners would enter a hunting ground cherished by nobles. There are also no treasure hunters who think there are gold and silver treasures in the hunting ground.

In addition, the maintenance of an artificial hunting ground is done by releasing game captured from the wild.

Of course, carriages will be coming and going countless times for that purpose. No one would suspect whether there are Dark Elves or foxes and deer in the carriage.

It is also easy for the Unholy Knights who handed over the Dark Elves to escape. Because the sea is right next to it. Even if a ship takes them away in the late dawn, no one will know.

“So, what I need to find out is decided.”

[Whose hunting ground is this?]

“That’s right.”

I nodded and lightly jumped over the wooden fence, taking advantage of the darkness. Then I continued to walk. Towards the faintly visible light in the distance.

* * *

“Kaind, from the Beinode territory. You’re a mercenary?”

“Yes.”

“Beinode is in the central region, what brings you to this southern region?”

“I heard that the mercenary work on merchant ships here pays well.”

“You’re from the inland and you’re going to get on a ship now? What about seasickness?”

“I’ll find out when I get on.”

“You’ll be groaning and paying a penalty.”

The guard muttered to himself as if he wanted me to hear it, then nodded.

“Well, your identity seems certain. But if you don’t want to see the inside of a prison, it’s best not to act rashly.”

“I understand.”

“Welcome to Malluga.”

The gate guard, who repeats it hundreds of times a day and now seems to have no emotion, returned the identity card with a dry welcome.

The effect of the identity card made by Marquis Irfe, the head of the palace, was certain. I passed through the castle gates without difficulty even though it was late at night, and slowly strolled through the city.

More than that, the guard said Malluga.

It was the moment I finally knew my location.

Malluga, a fairly large port city, was, as far as I knew, within the territory of Count Adrian.

And Adrian is known as the faithful right-hand man of Marquis Rodkius. So the existence of that hunting ground is also understandable.

Anyway, I’ve fastened the first button [meaning I’ve taken the first step].

The next step is to get more detailed information.

But before that, it would be better to decide on a place to stay first. Having made a decision, I slowly walked through the city of Malluga and began to look for an inn.

“The atmosphere is quite lively.”

The atmosphere of the southern city resembled its warm climate and had a passionate aspect.

The northern region, where the Lindaier estate is located, is far from abundant. Therefore, the residents live in a way that does not waste unnecessary energy.

On the other hand, this place is different. Even late at night, it is full of drunks showing off their drunkenness to the world.

To put it nicely, it’s a good place to live, and to put it badly, it’s a disorderly city.

The inn that I found after carefully choosing a quiet place was noisy enough by my standards. This place is like this, so I don’t even have to look at other places.

Before entering the inn, I glanced around. Then I found a boy pulling a cart and giving off a strong smell of horse manure.

“Hey, kid.”

At my call, the boy who was pulling a cart full of hay turned to me. His face was full of annoyance.

“What?”

“Do you work at this inn?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

What a rude fellow.

I clicked my tongue and took out a silver coin from my pocket, and the boy’s eyes widened.

“If you do me a favor, I’ll give you this.”

When the boy heard my words, he roughly put down the cart and rubbed his hands as he approached. As expected, money is the best, regardless of the era.

“Yes, anything I can do.”

I rolled my head [meaning I thought hard] at the boy’s words.

Malluga, Malluga, Malluga…….

I pulled out the information I had memorized in my head and then asked the boy what day it was today and nodded.

“Do you know Peter’s Brewery?”

“Yes? Peter’s Brewery?”

The boy tilted his head and then snapped his fingers.

“I know. You mean the place that’s about to go bankrupt and rot?”

“……Well, anyway.”

“But why are you going there? The alcohol they make there is only bought by sailors who have no money. There’s a rumor that it only tastes like spoiled vinegar.”

“That’s my taste, so don’t worry about it.”

“Eww……. Anyway, I understand. What do you want me to do there?”

“Tell them I want to order Scotch Ale.”

“How much?”

“Seven barrels. All export grade.”

“Seven barrels? That’s a waste of money.”

“Isn’t that none of your business?”

“That’s true.”

The boy kept repeating what I told him and nodded as if he remembered it.

“Okay. You’ll be at this inn, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be back.”

I shrugged my shoulders as I watched the boy run away, even abandoning the cart he was pulling, and entered the inn.

“Bath? Alcohol? Sleep? Meal?”

The maid, who asked as soon as I entered with a busy face, looked over my appearance and shrugged her shoulders.

“What are you worried about? I think you need a bathroom the most?”

The maid, who saw my ragged clothes and dry skin covered in stone powder from the battle in the North, picked out a key and threw it.

“Single room, 3rd floor. The bathroom is in the basement. Payment is in advance.”

At the word ‘prepaid’, I took out a gold coin and threw it, and the maid’s eyes widened.

“Are you thinking of living here?”

“I don’t know how much it will cost. Give me the change later.”

“If that’s the case. Do you need anything else?”

“Meal. Any menu is fine.”

“Are you going to wash first?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll prepare it accordingly. Is there anything you can’t eat?”

“No.”

When the maid heard my words, she turned around without answering as if she was done with her business. It’s a very busy inn.

I licked my lips and went up the stairs to the assigned room.

There was a single bed and old but clean bedding, as well as a small table. There were nails hammered into the wall so I could hang my clothes. It was an inn in a remote area, but the room had everything.

After quietly unpacking my luggage, I pondered for a moment.

‘Should I wash?’

I dyed my hair, but there may be people who recognize my clean face.

But it’s strange not to wash on purpose. It could attract more attention.

Why worry? It’s a problem that will be solved soon anyway.

I nodded and headed to the bathroom, taking only my pants, shirt, and Aphen.

How long has it been since I soaked my body in warm water? I’ve managed to endure it since heading to the North from the Sky Fortress.

It felt like my body was melting comfortably in the hot water.

Good, good. It’s cool. Very good.

I was uttering all sorts of rhetoric and heading to the dining hall with a light heart after finishing my enjoyable bath.

The boy I had asked to run errands was waiting in the dining room. Perhaps it was a desire for the silver coin, the boy who was constantly turning his head found me and raised his hand.

“Mister!”

Then the boy turned around instead of coming this way. Why?

The reason was soon revealed. A man was following the boy’s gesture.

The boy, who guided the man and brought him here, held out his hand to me.

“He said he would respond directly because you were going to order. How bad is his business that he’s going out of his way to find you like this? Right?”

I smiled and handed the silver coin to him, whispering in case the man heard.

“Well, you did a good job.”

“Mister, quit now. I’m telling you, that brewery has a bad reputation.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The boy, who was in a good mood because of the unexpected windfall, smiled and left.

On the other hand, the man who came up to me sat across from me, grumbling as if he had heard what the boy had said earlier.

“It’s not like I’m doing this because I like it. I’m sick and tired of being called rotten vinegar.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Thank you for understanding. Anyway, what brings you to this southern region? ……Count Kain Arphen?”

I smiled at the man’s words, who whispered my name accurately at the end.

“I followed the stench and ended up here.”