How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 243

Living as the Third Son of a Wasted Masterpiece – Chapter 244

58. Red Shark Supply Base

“The Golden Honor is in sight!”

A crew member’s shout faintly reached my ears as I was dozing off.

At the same time, Taylor, who was guarding the bound Unholy Knight and the captured pirates, woke me up.

“Get up.”

“……Ugh, how long have I been asleep?”

“The sun will be up soon.”

We left late in the evening, so have I slept for about half a day?

I rubbed my eyes and put on the clothes I had taken off.

“Sorry for resting alone. Get some sleep when we arrive at the Golden Honor. I’ll take care of the aftermath.”

“It’s alright. I can handle this much.”

“Even if you’re okay, rest. You won’t have time to rest in the future. It’ll be troublesome if you run out of energy then.”

“……Alright.”

I patted Taylor on the shoulder and went up to the deck.

It was a dim dawn. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, so the world was tinged with blue.

A crew member who saw me pointed to the Golden Honor, which was quietly floating in the distance. I could feel the deck of the Golden Honor becoming busy, as if they had spotted us approaching.

“Stop, stop!”

Soon, as the distance closed, a signal to stop was heard from the Golden Honor. Of course, they must have recognized us. It was probably just a minimal confirmation procedure.

As the crew lowered the sails, the ship slowly began to stop. When it came to a complete stop, a familiar face appeared above the railing of the Golden Honor. It was Fleta.

Confirming her, I stood at the railing of the forecastle and raised my hand.

“How have you been?”

Fleta, who was also raising her hand, flinched at the sight of the dried bloodstains on my cloak and clothes.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. Everyone else is safe too.”

“Then what are those bloodstains?”

“It’s a long story. More importantly, are you going to keep us standing here like this?”

“…….”

Fleta turned to the captain and nodded. After the captain’s order was given, a boat was lowered from the Golden Honor.

Confirming the approaching boat, I turned to the crew and gestured.

“Taylor and I will go over to the Golden Honor, so you guys anchor the ship in a safe place and wait.”

“Understood.”

“Taylor! Let’s go!”

At my shout, Taylor led the prisoners out of the cabin. Then we crossed over to the boat and approached the Golden Honor.

I climbed onto the Golden Honor first using the lowered rope ladder and immediately leaned against the railing.

“Throw them.”

At the word ‘throw,’ Taylor grabbed the two prisoners by the scruff of their necks and tossed them up. To think he’d treat people like basketballs. He really isn’t human.

On the other hand, Fleta narrowed her eyes when she discovered the two prisoners who had been tightly bound and dragged along.

“Who are those people?”

“The Unholy Knight and his pirate lackey.”

“Really? Where and how did you catch them?”

“Let’s talk about the details later. More importantly, where’s Lordain?”

“He’s sleeping.”

“How carefree. What about Jeskal and Peter? Not back yet?”

“No. Then did you destroy the ring?”

“Yes. But it’s strange. Wasn’t the sea area Jeskal and Peter headed to closer from here than us?”

At my question, Fleta nodded.

“Yes. It’s much closer.”

“And yet they’re late.”

“Maybe it’s taking time to infiltrate deep into the island and get out.”

I nodded at Fleta’s words.

“I hope so. Anyway, let’s go to the conference room. Call Lordain too. There’s something to talk about. Taylor, move the prisoners and get some sleep.”

“Alright.”

“Understood.”

Fleta and Taylor, nodding their heads, headed to the cabin.

After confirming that, I called the captain. The captain looked quite flustered at my blood-stained appearance and the prisoners.

“You know how to read maps, right? Is that too obvious a question?”

“Yes, yes. I can read them.”

Nodding, I handed over the stolen map and sailing log. I had torn out and kept the sensitive information separately, so it should be fine to look at.

“Based on this log and map, can you organize the ship’s movements? Where it went, where it spent time, and how long.”

“Understood.”

Having roughly settled things, I sighed and looked up at the sky. The unusually cloudy weather, unlike the South, created an uneasy feeling.

And this kind of ominous feeling usually comes true with amazing accuracy.

* * *

Even though it was daytime, the cabin was dark because there was no corner for light to enter.

The bound Unholy Knight remained silent. On the other hand, the pirates were spewing out all the information they knew, shedding tears and begging for their lives.

After confirming that the situation was roughly sorted out, I looked at Fleta.

“Fleta, can you make it so they can’t hear us?”

Fleta nodded and waved her hand.

A blue aura briefly swirled around her hand before heading towards the prisoners.

“They won’t be able to hear us for a while.”

“Good. Let’s get organized.”

Nodding, I pointed to the map that the captain had organized.

“The place where their ship first departed is an island some days away from here. It’s probably not the main base. It should be seen as a supply base.”

“What’s the possibility of it being a trick?”

“The sailing log, map, and the pirate’s testimony all match. The possibility of false information is low.”

“I see.”

“According to that guy, it was an island used as a base by the Red Shark Pirates. Of course, it’s now been taken over by the Neviros Order.”

“Anyway, what’s next after departing from there?”

“They probably patrolled the sea. As you know, experiments on humans were being conducted on nearby islands. Or they may have set sail to commit piracy for another experiment.”

“……How wicked.”

“I agree.”

“Anyway, then the next clue is set. If we investigate that supply base, we can find out where the real main base is. It’ll shorten the time a lot.”

As Fleta said, if we had searched the entire Southern Archipelago as originally planned, it would have taken months, or even half a year longer.

It was fortunate that we narrowed down the scope early on with the signal left by the Dark Elf and the help of the Dryad.

But not everything was resolved yet.

“The problem is that they’re stronger than I thought.”

Lordain, who was sitting in a corner with his arms crossed, snorted at my words.

Ignoring him, Fleta nodded.

“They didn’t die even after being pierced through the heart…… you said.”

“Only for a moment, though.”

“Is everyone like that?”

“I don’t know for sure. All I can guess is that it’s a characteristic of exceptional guys. At least the guys I met in the Basherun Territory War or in the North weren’t like that.”

“Even if it’s only for a moment, it’s tricky. I’ve heard that in duels between knights, a split second determines victory or defeat.”

“That’s right. It means the choices are reduced. We’ll have to cut off their heads for sure.”

“Taylor struggled too, you said.”

If Taylor, who was probably asleep right now, were here, he would have jumped up and down. But what can I do when it’s true?

“That’s right.”

“An Expert-level knight struggled. And there may be more than one such knight……. That’s not good news.”

I silently nodded. It certainly wasn’t good news.

“It’s like a new mission has been created.”

“We’ll have to find the source of that power and also find a way to defeat it. After all, we have to defeat them to punish Rodkius.”

“That’s right.”

“The situation is not good. It doesn’t seem easy to charge in head-on.”

“That’s right. So we need reconnaissance first. Planning comes after that. Lordain and I will go to the supply base.”

“I’ll go with you this time.”

At Fleta’s words, I shook my hand firmly.

“No.”

“My magic might be needed to investigate that place.”

“No. It’s dangerous.”

“If you’re going to treat me like a doll like any other lady, stop it.”

“I don’t intend to do that. I’m saying it because it’s really dangerous. You heard? Their level is beyond imagination.”

“Isn’t Lordain going with you?”

At Fleta’s words, Lordain, who had been yawning, shrugged his shoulders.

“Why don’t you just take her? I guess I’m tired of seeing the sea.”

“What’s not allowed is not allowed. You don’t know what dangers there might be. In the worst case, we might meet the black-haired man, and then you, Lordain, would have to take care of him.”

“I can take care of that guy and protect that woman too.”

“He’s at least an Expert-level [a very skilled and experienced warrior]. It won’t be easy.”

“Are you saying that I’ll have a hard time taking care of just one guy? You have a nasty mind.”

“I’m considering the worst-case scenario. Why are you acting like a child?”

Why are you suddenly being so stubborn? You’re so annoying. I wish I could just slap you on the back of the head.

On the other hand, Lordain clicked his tongue, seemingly uncomfortable with my words.

“Kid.”

“What?”

“You don’t know me well.”

“I don’t know you well?”

At my question, Lordain’s reddish-brown eyes gleamed fiercely.

“You’re arbitrarily setting my limits and trying to fit me into your plan. Of course, I won’t stop you if you like that way. But if there’s a misunderstanding in that plan, I have to correct it.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“I guarantee it. Are you worried about that black-haired guy or something? If he appears in front of me, I’ll smash him to pieces. Or those Unholy Knights or whatever? I can kill as many of those fly-like guys as there are.”

Lordain, crossing his legs, tapped his toes.

“So raise my standards in your head. Don’t act like a miser like you are now.”

It’s confidence that’s overflowing.

If it were a normal person, I would just treat him like a crazy person. But because the opponent is who he is, I felt a strange sense of trust.

“If you’re so confident, why did you struggle against Aslahina back then?”

“You little brat, that was in the lake.”

Well, I heard that Lordain is very skilled in earth elemental magic. If it was in the lake, that ability would have been sealed.

Suddenly, I remembered the Elf Elder, Glorian, who appeared with a huge Ent [tree-like humanoid creatures] army in the Great Forest.

……Well, maybe I’ve been evaluating Lordain too much only in terms of swordsmanship.

After much deliberation, I nodded.

“Certainly, if a magician is with us, the options will be wider. Alright. Let’s take Fleta too.”

“You won’t regret it.”

Fleta, who finally got permission, nodded triumphantly.

“Then do we leave Jeskal, Taylor, and Investigator Peter on the Golden Honor?”

“We need someone to guard the flagship. I’m going to have Peter interrogate the captured Unholy Knight.”

“The personnel distribution is over.”

“Now the problem is when Jeskal and Peter will return…….”

Thump!

As soon as I finished speaking, the cabin door opened and the captain appeared. The captain, who was panting as if he had run in a hurry, raised his hand and pointed towards the deck.

“The ship that took the other knight has returned!”

“He can’t be a gentleman.”

Lordain chuckled.

But without stopping there, the captain continued to speak.

“But, well…….”

Am I the only one who somehow anticipates what will come next?

“Only the crew members returned.”

I knew it.