How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 28

“Phew!”

Ruth’s swung sword struck the orc’s leg.

Whoosh!

The leg, severed and flailing in the air, caused its owner to lose balance and fall.

The orc opened its mouth to scream in pain, but thanks to Silence, it could only gape like a goldfish.

‘Drosh is.’

Drosh, whose spell was interrupted, was panicking and slowly backing away.

Too old to fight with a weapon himself, huh? Drosh pointed at me as he retreated.

At his gesture, an orc charged at me.

Ruth, unable to stop it in time, turned to look at me.

I simply nodded, and Ruth, understanding, refocused on killing the orcs.

Two rangers stood beside me, swords drawn.

The bloodied orc raised its arm high and hurled its battle-axe at me with all its might.

Clang!

The two rangers stepped forward, their swords meeting the axe and deflecting it.

However, the orc, eyes red with fury, didn’t give up and charged forward. Its spirit was commendable, but it was a reckless charge.

After catching my breath, I lightly flicked my sword.

Slice!

Though silent, the sharp sensation of cutting flesh traveled through the sword to my hand.

Slash!

The orc, its wrist severed, lost its balance and stumbled past me.

Thud!

As if to finish the job, the two rangers plunged their swords into the back of the fallen orc’s neck.

“…Kurgh.”

The magic scroll’s duration wasn’t long.

The orc, with a sword in its neck, coughed up blood and whimpered.

But those few minutes were enough to clean up the situation. Ruth, covered in blood, was slaughtering orcs like a demon.

Slash!

The longsword drew a line, instantly severing limbs, followed by a kick that shattered a skull.

“Die.”

Ruth, as if waiting for this moment, kicked the dead orc’s body and grinned.

It was a scene proving that neither Blood Frenzy nor anything else mattered before a knight who had transcended human limits.

Leaving the scattered orcs behind, Ruth kicked off the ground in search of his next target.

“Krrrk…”

Drosh, who had been watching him, finally turned away.

He must have realized that now was his only chance to escape.

But it was too late.

Thwack!

A bolt, tearing through the air, pierced Drosh’s right knee.

“Krrraaagh!”

The source of the bolt was soon revealed.

Swish…

Like shadows, rangers began to emerge from the surrounding bushes, one by one.

All of them looked only slightly tired, with no visible injuries.

Thwack! Thud! Thwack!

Three more bolts followed, piercing Drosh’s arms and remaining knee. Unable to withstand the impact, Drosh cried out and slammed his knees into the ground.

“Young Master.”

Gillean appeared among the rangers. He, too, looked no different from usual, except for the bloodstains here and there.

“Sir Esteban.”

“Except for those who fled in all directions, there are no more orcs here…”

Crack!

Ruth removed the head of the last remaining orc besides Drosh.

Thud.

The severed head rolled and came to rest beside Drosh.

“Now that’s the last one.”

“Kurgh…”

Surrounded by humans, Drosh knelt on the ground, whimpering in terror.

“Shall I kill him?”

Swirling his sword once, Ruth held it to Drosh’s neck and looked at me.

The blade was so sharp that blood began to flow from the cut skin.

“Not now. There’s much to learn.”

I shook my head.

There were still many questions to ask. Understanding my intention, Ruth grinned.

“I will assist you.”

What kind of assistance was he talking about?

It must be a kind of help that was hard to say out loud.

Shrugging, I looked at Gillean.

“I will withdraw first. Sir Esteban, please stay here and finish the cleanup.”

“Understood.”

With a flick of my hand, Leah approached me.

“Sir Esteban will escort you, so don’t worry and recover all the weapons and traps you can.”

“Yes.”

Next, I gestured and called out a dozen rangers. All of them were quite large and looked like they could use their strength.

“Bind Drosh and drag him to the camp. I plan to interrogate him there.”

“Understood.”

“Ruth, you must escort him strictly. Can you do that?”

At my words, Ruth, who was glaring at Drosh as if he would devour him, smiled.

“With my life on the line. Absolutely.”

* * *

Back at the camp, Ruth and I immediately led Drosh to a secluded warehouse.

What followed was simple.

I asked questions, and Ruth helped Drosh answer them.

“Krrraaaagh…”

“Quiet.”

Ruth stuffed a rag into Drosh’s mouth to stop his screams.

Ruth held a sharp dagger in his hand.

And the pieces of flesh scattered on the floor… hmm.

Suppressing the nausea-inducing sight, I asked Drosh again.

“So, one day, an agent of God appeared and granted you power?”

“Krrwok, Krruuk…”

Drosh nodded repeatedly with the rag in his mouth.

Was this the same guy who had terrorized the North for ten years?

Well, no one could stand before Ruth’s hands, no matter how strong.

“You learned how to use magic and Blood Frenzy from him, and your power increased each time you offered a sacrifice, right?”

“Krrk, Krreeuk!”

“The god that the agent serves had six heads?”

“Krrrlrk!”

“You said the agent was definitely human, right?”

Confirming that he had calmed down, Ruth removed the rag.

“Kurk… Yes. I learned it. Everything.”

“Even how to use the magic?”

“Krrrk! He didn’t teach me much. Krrrlrk, I researched the rest myself.”

“That research must have required many sacrifices. So you raided remote villages and took captured humans as prisoners. Right?”

Ruth’s eyes flashed, and Drosh flinched, sensing it.

“Kurrrk…”

Drosh had learned evil magic. It was close to blood magic. Sacrifices were needed to increase his power, which was why he periodically attempted raids.

The ability to raise particularly strong warriors must also have been due to magic. And the ability to evade pursuit was probably due to the increased intelligence he gained from the magic.

“Hmm.”

Leaning back, I stroked my chin.

The outline was roughly clear.

Someone with malicious intent taught Drosh evil magic. And he is a demon worshiper who uses the sigil [symbol] of a six-headed monster.

Who could he be? Why did he teach Drosh such things?

Let’s rewind the situation.

He gave power to the monster. Why? What could he gain from the monster having power?

‘Weakening the North.’

Count Lindaier is a powerful figure who dominates the northern continent. Weakening the North means weakening the Count. He wouldn’t unleash a guy like Drosh in his own backyard, so it’s the same as trying to keep the Count in check.

At the same time, weakening the North means weakening the kingdom.

Everyone knows that the Count is a staunch royalist [supporter of the monarchy]. In other words, it’s the work of a group dissatisfied with the kingdom.

‘And this is the starting point of that plan.’

If they had planned strategically, they wouldn’t have just unleashed Drosh alone.

I caught the tail end of the situation in the experimental stage, before it had even properly begun.

‘Who could it be?’

I searched my mind.

Who would stand against the king and plot to swallow the continent?

Several candidates came to mind.

But I can’t jump to conclusions. It’s just a hunch for now.

‘There’s another reason why I have to go to the capital.’

The kingdom’s founding anniversary.

It’s a grand festival attended by the heads or representatives of all the families on the continent.

The next puzzle starts there. I need to gather clues to solve this perplexing question.

Having finished thinking, I stared at Drosh.

‘Should I kill him or take him with me?’

What if I take him alive to the territory?

The Count would do the same thing I did. He’s definitely capable of that. There would probably be an interrogation, and the Count would find out the information I got.

Would that be good or bad?

‘Too many cooks spoil the broth [too many people involved can ruin something].’

No matter how outstanding the Count is as a warrior and politician, he won’t be more predictive than me, who knows the novel.

It’s better if only I know for now.

Ruth?

At my gaze, Ruth shrugged.

He looked like a hunting dog, waiting anxiously to kill him, which made me smile faintly.

‘He’s decided to become my man.’

If he has a loose tongue and blurts it out, there are plenty of excuses to make. If I just say I killed him because I couldn’t trust what an orc was saying, what could they say?

For now, only I know about the existence of the mana stone.

Having sorted out my thoughts, I got up and straightened my clothes.

“Ruth.”

“Yes.”

“Kill him.”

Drosh tried to say something at my words, but the rag was stuffed back into his mouth.

Swish!

Ruth drew his longsword and bared his white teeth.

“Go to hell and atone.”

Thud!

Slowly, so that he could savor the pain as much as possible.

The sword pierced Drosh’s heart as if seeping into it.

* * *

Everyone was back at the camp.

The rangers looked satisfied with their accomplishments. In particular, they were even happier that no one had died, even though some had been scratched and cut.

“Young Master, let me pour you a drink.”

“Me too! Me too!”

“I was first!”

At the victory celebration, the rangers eagerly offered me bottles of alcohol.

“I’ll accept them all, so take your time.”

The alcohol tasted even sweeter after accomplishing something.

“Ha! You should have seen the orcs trapped and panicking in the basin. It was practically the same as us catching them all.”

“What are you talking about? You were just comfortably pulling the strings from the ridge. We were the main players who ran around and lured them out.”

“Shut up. Everything you guys did was thanks to the plan Young Master laid out, you bastards.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s right.”

The rangers argued about who had done better. Of course, the conclusion mostly ended with my story.

As I watched them and sipped my drink, Leah approached me.

“Have a drink.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“What hard work? Young Master did it all.”

“Where’s Garrid?”

“His face is so red that he hasn’t even come out of the dorm.”

“That must be a sight to see.”

Garrid, who had completely withdrawn from this subjugation, hid like a rat when I succeeded.

“My hometown is a village in the northwest.”

“Really? That’s close to here. Your hometown people must be happy.”

“It’s also a village that was turned to ashes by the Blade Tribe.”

Ah, this is embarrassing.

“That’s why I volunteered when I first went to find the basin. If I could just catch those guys, I really felt like I would sell my soul.”

“Your contribution was great. If it weren’t for you, we would have wasted time looking for the basin. It’s the same as you doing it all.”

“What are you talking about? It was possible because of Young Master’s information.”

“I plan to tell the truth about your contribution without any lies. Look forward to it.”

She had made a great contribution to catching Drosh, so her promotion was a sure thing.

“Well, that’s good for me.”

“Even if that doesn’t happen, I plan to make you Raven instead of Garrid.”

“Why? Young Master, don’t tell me you…”

This woman is jumping to conclusions.

But I guess I’ve been hanging out with only men too much. I didn’t think much of it, but now that I’m looking into her eyes like this, I feel a little strange.

But this body has no intention of dating the text in the novel.

“The stronger the background, the better. Wouldn’t it be a good background in the future if my friend is the head of the rangers?”

“Hmm. This is embarrassing.”

Leah smiled, as if realizing my intention belatedly.

“I also welcome noble friends. I’m willing to do anything I can for a friend’s request.”

“Then, for our friendship.”

I held out my glass, and Leah also clinked glasses with me.

“You know that the bounty on Drosh’s head is 500 gold coins, right?”

“Yes.”

“Money is power. It’s also authority. I’ll give you 200 gold coins, so use that to build and grow your power. So that you don’t get swayed by guys like Garrid.”

200 gold coins is a huge sum of money.

It’s an amount that you can retire and start a new life with right away.

Leah, knowing its value, swallowed hard.

“That much?”

“I plan to announce to the outside world that all 500 gold coins will be given to the rangers.”

“Yes?”

Leah tilted her head for a moment, then smiled as if she had realized something.

“300 gold coins back into Young Master’s pocket?”

“Yes.”

“What are you going to use it for, hiding it like that?”

“A man always needs a slush fund [secret fund].”

“Should I think of it as the price of trading for the Raven position?”

“I’m losing a lot more, though.”

“I am deeply grateful for your grace.”

Leah and I, who had exchanged silly jokes, laughed.

“Young Master.”

Then, Gillean, who had been sharing drinks with the rangers he had fought with, approached me.

Leah bowed lightly and left the seat.

“Sir Esteban.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“The Commander’s help was great.”

“Well, I’m someone who doesn’t even know about orcs, so how could I have been of help?”

It was the story we shared in the territory before we left.

I laughed, realizing it was a joke, and Gillean smiled as if he was enjoying it too.

“When do you plan to return?”

“The sooner the better. There’s not much time left until the founding anniversary.”

“Then will you leave straight away tomorrow morning?”

“I’ve already told Ruth to prepare.”

“The Lord will be surprised.”

“He’ll be heartbroken. He’ll suddenly have to pay out 500 gold coins.”

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

Turning my head, I saw Gillean with a gentle expression.

“I will continue to watch you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I am loyal to the Lindaier family, and I have sworn to work for the family’s prosperity.”

“I know that well.”

I can roughly guess what he’s going to say.

But let’s not show it. There’s no need to ruin the atmosphere.

“These days, I’m confused about what the path to the family’s prosperity really is.”

I don’t know if it’s right to remain neutral.

That’s what he means.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to do as the Commander wishes?”

“I think I need to watch a little more. But I can’t deny that my heart is wavering.”

It’s not the right time yet, but he’s starting to waver at my appearance?

Is he trying to play hard to get with me?

“Let’s watch a little longer.”

Anyway, I have a lot more to show in the future.

I guarantee that Gillean will eventually be on my side.

Well, let’s put that aside for now.

Right now, I need to return to the territory and think about how to win over the Count.