How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 41

The relaxed smile had long vanished.

The man, who continued to stare at the bottom of the cliff, gritted his teeth.

“We must find the body, at least.”

At the black-haired man’s words, one of the men behind him clicked his tongue.

“The possibility of survival…….”

“Even I wouldn’t survive a fall like that.”

Of course, Princess Vashrun was a mage.

But she was just a newbie who had barely reached the 4th circle [a measure of magical proficiency].

There was no way she could use Fly magic. Even if she had been hiding her skills, using magic with her hands and feet tied like that? It was absurd.

“Besides, it wasn’t a magic scroll.”

The moment a scroll is torn, the condensed mana spreads out, and then the inscribed magic circle takes effect.

In other words, unlike the magic used by mages, scrolls are accompanied by intense mana fluctuations.

But there was no sign of that.

Then there was only one conclusion.

She must be dead. Even if she miraculously survived, she would be waiting for death with her whole body broken.

But he felt uneasy.

How many people in the world would give up their lives so easily? Especially someone who initially tried to tie up even the princess to offer as tribute.

“You guys go down and find the body, and recover it. I’ll give you one day. No rest. If you don’t find the body within a day, rejoin us immediately.”

It was a carefully planned ambush, aiming for the perfect timing.

The more the situation is delayed, the more traces they leave behind.

Wasting time could even ruin the plan to frame another force.

“Five Unholy Knights, follow me. Just in case, we’ll take a look around. If we find any traces, we’ll start the pursuit immediately.”

The man wasn’t one to move based on hunches.

But today, he had a strange feeling. He felt like he would regret it greatly if he didn’t address it.

“Understood.”

The man called Unholy Knight bowed his head to the black-haired man.

* * *

After escaping the river, Fleta, Ilia, and I moved for quite a while.

Afterward, we found a place to hide and started a short rest to replenish our stamina.

Several times, I felt like lying down and closing my eyes. Of course, Fleta and Ilia must have felt the same.

‘I’m going to die.’

The three of us were definitely exhausted.

We could endure hunger and sleepiness. But being in constant tension, wondering when and where they would come after us, was hard to bear.

So, getting up, I looked at Ilia.

“Get some sleep. I’ll look around.”

“I, I’ll go!”

At my words, Ilia tried to get up with difficulty.

I pushed her shoulders back down and shook my head.

“No, you’re obviously more tired.”

Fleta is a mage, so of course, her stamina would be low.

Even if Ilia’s mana breathing gives her excellent recovery, she can’t match me, who directly manipulates it.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Replenish your strength, and next time, you can stand guard.”

“Of course!”

Leaving the apologetic Ilia behind, I left the resting place and climbed the mountain.

Arriving at a place with a fairly open view, I caught my breath and sat down.

The wind was still cold. Moreover, I had been exposed to the recent rain, so my stamina was greatly reduced.

Rubbing my eyes to fight off the fatigue, I grabbed my sword.

[You look terrible.]

“I can still manage.”

Aphen, seeing my appearance, spoke in a worried tone. Briefly dismissing it, I looked around and put my hand in my pocket.

“What was this called again?”

The small bead I took out of my pocket was held between my index finger and thumb. It came from splitting the magic stone.

[A spirit stone.]

“A spirit stone…….”

I was familiar with the existence of spirits.

Because that was also a setting from the Midland Saga.

……I recalled the novel’s setting for spirits.

But no matter how much I searched my memory, I hadn’t heard of spirit stones.

“So, this bead is a spirit stone with a spirit sealed inside?”

[It’s faint, but I can definitely feel it.]

“What kind of spirit is it?”

Judging by the dark color, I could guess.

[Probably a dark spirit.]

“Then I’m curious. Why was this inside a magic stone that was emitting an evil aura? Dark spirits aren’t necessarily evil, are they?”

[That’s right. Light is good, darkness is evil. These are just concepts defined by ordinary humans. In reality, light spirits aren’t necessarily good, and dark spirits aren’t necessarily evil.]

“Then?”

[But those who use them as a medium can be evil or good. That’s why those fixed ideas are ingrained.]

“For example…… demons?”

[That’s right.]

Demons are beings who live in the deep shadows of hell, in contrast to heaven.

If the beings of heaven use the power of light as their main source, the demonic energy of demons also originates from the power of darkness.

In other words, if we exclude the evil thoughts, the power of the dark spirit and the power of the demon have something in common.

“So, if you combine pure mana and the power of a dark spirit, and insert a wicked aura in between, the magic stone we saw before is created?”

[You’re quite smart.]

“A spirit stone is a tool to seal a spirit so that it can’t escape or refuse on its own will.”

[It’s a cruel method.]

Like a dairy cow milked until it dies.

Like a chicken laying eggs until it becomes old and decrepit.

It must have been used like that.

I stared at the faded bead for a moment, then clenched it tightly in my hand.

“Who would be a technician capable of making spirit stones?”

[No one can surpass the elves when it comes to spirits. But the forest people would never do such a cruel thing.]

“So you can’t think of anyone.”

[My memories are all from hundreds of years ago.]

“I guess finding out will lead us to the culprit.”
The work of sealing a spirit must be a very difficult skill. There would be few people who could do it.

That’s where it starts.

If I slowly dig into the details, the identity of that black-haired man and his background will be revealed.

“Then, is the spirit in this spirit stone dead?”

[Maybe? But you never know. I don’t know how much it’s been exploited. Keep injecting your mana. It might come back to life.]

“Like a plant?”

[Similar. What’s the point of giving water if the roots are rotten? But if the roots are alive, it might recover.]

“Okay, I got it. By the way, how much mana do you have left?”

[I’ve used almost all of it. That means I’m hungry again. So, when are you going to give me another mana stone?]

I feel like I’m raising a glutton.

The mana stones I’ve used on you so far are worth hundreds of gold coins, you brat.

“If I get the chance.”

[Ugh! I’m hungry!]

I realized that I needed to improve my skills quickly, even if it was just to pay for the money Aphen was eating.

Of course, I could find a way to do that in the capital. I have many plans.

But the fact is that I don’t have much of a choice right now. Clearing my mind, I started mana cultivation to recover my strength.

* * *

Four days had passed since we started running.

We had finally escaped from the mountains, but it was fortunate that we happened to meet a passing merchant caravan just as our fatigue was reaching its peak.

Fleta willingly offered the jewelry she was wearing, and the caravan leader gave us two horses, water, and food without hesitation.

Just in case, we didn’t reveal our identities. Ilia, whose face was less known, came forward to trade.

It was a way to leave as few traces as possible.

The reason we bought two horses instead of three was simple: to preserve Fleta’s stamina as much as possible.

How many more days did Ilia and I run across the open plains with Fleta almost being carried?

After a long journey, we were not far from the city.

Despite the hopeful situation, we couldn’t relax.

We had confirmed that six or seven horses, though visible only as dots in the distance, had been chasing us since the day before.

“Young Master, could it be them?”

“Probably.”

The rain had stopped, and it was virtually impossible to erase all traces of the three of us. Moreover, if they had met the caravan, they would have roughly obtained our information.

Thus, the distance between them and us neither decreased nor increased significantly for the time being.

Because we were chasing and running away, desperately spurring our horses.

‘Those tenacious bastards.’

They were truly relentless.

To come down from the mountains and chase us all the way here.

Even if we didn’t have horses, their persistence was remarkable.

We were running without a single moment of rest when it happened.

“…….”

Glancing to the side, I saw Ilia’s eyes were half-closed.

“Ilia! Wake up!”

Ilia, startled by my shout, took out her dagger and slightly cut her hand.

Blood flowed along the red line.

I couldn’t find any words to say to her even at that sight.

Because this was a situation where she had to forget her fatigue and heighten her tension even if it meant doing that.

Biting her lip, Ilia looked at me.

“Young Master, the city…….”

“Middle Point is not far away. At most, half a day.”

Middle Point.

A large city called ‘Middle Point’ as its name suggests.

It was also the place where Ruth gathered information and sent me a letter, and the place where I promised to bring Jess Orlean of the Blue Wind Merchant Guild.

At the same time, it was the name written in the letter I sent to my family from the Moonlight Inn on the night I stayed in the city of Calbrey.

“Half a day, you say? But at this rate…….”

Ilia looked at me with an anxious face.

“I know. We’ll be caught within that half-day.”

Our stamina was the biggest problem, not to mention that they weren’t trained warhorses. The distance would decrease exponentially, and at this rate, we were likely to be caught before reaching the city.

But I had a plan.

If I didn’t have something to rely on, it would have been better to hide in a mountain cave and hope not to be discovered.

But I don’t entrust my life to luck.

“Ilia, wake Fleta up.”

Fleta was half-conscious even on the running horse, she must have been very tired.

When Ilia shook her awake, she looked at me with drowsy eyes.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“Use your magic.”

“……Now?”

“Yes. You said you could do what I asked you to do earlier.”

“Yes, I can…….”

Fleta nodded with difficulty and took a deep breath.

“Speed, just a little bit of speed…….”

It would be difficult to use magic on a horse that was shaking roughly up and down.

Moreover, her stamina was almost at rock bottom.

“Ilia, slow down for a moment.”

At my words, Ilia slowed down and glanced back.

It was a wide plain with no end in sight.

They were still pursuers visible as small dots. But considering the speed of the warhorses, it also meant they weren’t far away.

“Young Master.”

“Just wait a moment, let’s just wait a moment.”

The speed slowly decreased, and soon the horse came to a complete stop.

Cough, cough.

Fleta coughed a few times and raised her head with a haggard face.

“How’s your body?”

“Honestly, I can’t say it’s good.”

“But you have to do it.”

“Is this really all I need to do?”

“I don’t know. We might have to do it a few more times.”

“Hoo. I’m going to die.”

“If you can’t do it, we will surely die.”

Fleta, letting out a low sigh at my assertion, focused her mind.

Then, as she raised her hand, a small wand pointed to the sky following her.

Subsequently, a blue aura flowed out from the mana stone attached to the end of the wand, and at the same time, her hands trembled.

“Heeeuuugh!”

She, who had been haggard until now, suddenly took a deep breath.

“Mana, the master of the world and the will of the world, at this moment, I, who am subordinate to you, wish to manifest my will…….”

Fleta closed her eyes, chanting longer than usual.

Sweat that had already formed flowed down her forehead, and the end of the wand in her hand trembled like a reed.

Then Fleta opened her closed eyes.

“Illusion!”

The magic was manifested.

The mana that spread out from Fleta soared high into the sky.

At the same time, the soaring mana mingled in the high sky, and soon a huge illusion was created.

“Hawk…….”

Ilia, who was watching, let out a groan.

“Yes, an ashen hawk.”

The illusion drawn in the sky was the figure of a hawk gliding with its wings spread. Its size was so large that it would be easily visible even from a distance.

“A gliding hawk is…….”

“It means a request for support.”

The Lindayer family is a family of warriors with a long tradition, and as such, they have experience in countless wars.

In order to issue smooth commands in war, flags with agreed-upon symbols suitable for the situation are effective. A single signal flare cannot convey specific commands.

And I studied and memorized them all.

“Young Master, does that mean…….”

“Yes, they’ll see it and come running.”

All the pieces were gathered.

The middle ground, Middle Point.

Ruth, who is loyal to me.

Earl Lindayer, who shows me trust, though not completely.

In addition, Fleta Vashrun, a person who is invaluable to the Duke.

With those gathered pieces, they will come running at once.

These were the two letters I sent from Calbrey.

The preparation was complete.

It was by no means a vague hope.

Although it is not modern, there is clearly a periodic communication network established in this era.

The Duke would have been furious at the princess’s disappearance, and the Earl and Ruth were by no means people who would take my letters lightly.

It was a judgment based on solid evidence.

“We have to move again. Get ready.”

I changed the situation after confirming that Fleta’s magic was over.

At my words, Ilia grabbed the reins, and Fleta clung tightly to Ilia’s back, panting.

Glancing back, I saw that there were still six dots chasing us. They must have seen the illusion engraved in the sky as well.

Then the moment of choice would have come for them as well.

To judge it as a bluff and continue chasing.

Or to plan for the future.

Of course, neither is a loss for me.

“Fleta, how long does that magic last?”

“At most, several tens of minutes.”

“How many more times can you use it?”

“At most, two or three more times.”

“That’s enough.”

Because anyone in the city who sees it will spread the rumor. Now, all that’s left is to minimize the distance to the city.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Several hours passed, and it was the time when the sunset was slowly setting.

The surroundings became dark, and I could no longer see the figures of those chasing from behind.

At that moment, when the anxiety was amplified.

Doo-doo-doo…….

The ground began to rumble.

Ilia and I stopped our horses and looked ahead.

A wide plain.

Soon, black dots that seemed to be fifty or sixty in number began to appear at the end of it.

Whether they were all knights on horseback, they were approaching at a terrifying speed.

Sssst!

At the same time, light suddenly burst out from between the black dots.

Following that, something was drawn in the sky.

It was the figure of a hawk spreading its wings and opening its beak to cry out.

“A hawk with its beak open.”

A symbol meaning participation in the war.

I turned my head and looked at Ilia.

Her hands and forearms were covered with scars left by the dagger. It was a sight that proved she had been pushed to her limits.

What about Fleta?

She had been moved from Ilia to my back, and she had long lost consciousness due to exhaustion.

“You’ve worked hard.”

When I spoke to Ilia, who was facing me, she slowly lowered her head and began to shed tears.

At that, I also let out a light sigh.

A great shout echoed from behind me.

“The main force! Escort the Third Young Master!”

“The Knights will step forward and repel the enemy!”

Glancing back, I saw the flags with the ashen hawk and the Middle Point emblem fluttering in the setting sun.