How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 61

Living as the Third Son of a Trash Novel – Episode 61

“L, Lord?”

Ilia stammered, her face hardening.

Realizing belatedly that she had misunderstood, I sighed and flicked her forehead.

“Ugh…”

“Don’t get any unnecessary ideas and just sit on the bed. I don’t have those kinds of hobbies, and you’re not my type. I’m just going to check your condition.”

At my words, Ilia wore a complex expression, a mixture of relief and displeasure.

“Understood.”

Still suspicious, Ilia slowly removed her armor and carefully adjusted her collar.

Annoyance surged within me at the sight, and I frowned, prompting Ilia to quickly move and sit on the bed.

“Have you learned about Mana Cultivation?”

“How can I cultivate mana when I can’t even feel it…”

“That’s even better, in a way.”

It meant she was a blank slate.

That was easier.

Reaching out, I grabbed Ilia’s calf, causing her body to flinch.

“Relax your body. I’ll teach you the posture from now on.”

With a face mixed with anxiety, Ilia began to relax her body.

I reached out and unhesitatingly began to touch her body. After correcting her posture here and there, she finally assumed the lotus position most suitable for Mana Cultivation.

She seemed uncomfortable and tried to wriggle around, but I stopped her by placing my hand on her shoulder.

“I’m going to make you feel mana from now on.”

Twitch!

At my words, Ilia’s body twitched.

Mana.

She couldn’t help but be surprised that I was going to make her feel something she had so desperately wanted and yearned for.

“But this is only in the realm of assistance. The success or failure will probably depend on your effort and talent.”

“…”

“But you can look forward to it. In my opinion, you are qualified enough.”

Standing behind her, I raised my right hand and placed it on her shoulder.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath slowly. Relax your body naturally, but you must sharpen your senses. It will be difficult, but you must maintain that state.”

“Yes.”

She gently nodded, closing her eyes.

‘Good.’

What I was about to do was a technique using the Mana Tunnel I had obtained from the Emperor’s library.

I had been training Ilia in the territory and going through trial and error in my spare time, and only now had I finally reached the completion stage.

Strictly speaking, this was not the Emperor’s technique. It was created by Jescal Heiklans, who later acquired the Emperor’s legacy.

[If you can use the Mana Tunnel to draw in raw mana, shouldn’t you be able to emit it as well?]

A modified version of the Mana Tunnel.

It was a method similar to Mana Drain, a magic that forcibly injects mana into a specific object.

However, that didn’t mean the same effect could be achieved with magic.

Mana Drain, which transfers mana by a set amount of formula, had a very high probability of causing severe side effects such as mana poisoning due to the injection of excessive mana.

But the Mana Tunnel was different. Unlike magic, it didn’t have a formula, so the caster could freely adjust the amount.

“Feel the foreign sensation, and keep maintaining and remembering that feeling, so that you can feel it even without my help.”

That didn’t mean it was a technique that could make just anyone feel mana.

It was only useful for those who, like Ilia, were already breathing mana unknowingly due to their innate talent.

Those who were 98% complete but lacked that final 2% and spent their lives wandering and wasting time.

It was just a support to help such people’s talents bloom, a slight nudge to open the floodgates.

Of course, that small support would be an invaluable opportunity for the person in question.

“I’ll start.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I began to gather mana, and Ilia also closed her eyes and completed her preparations.

“It will hurt a little.”

Will it succeed or fail?

Well, I’ll know the result tomorrow.

* * *

I woke up in bed late in the morning.

I was exhausted from helping Ilia until late at night, keeping her extremely tense.

It didn’t feel like I had slept at all.

I got up groggily, put on a shirt, and left the room after strapping on my sword.

I went down to the first floor and saw Rahelna and Ruth having breakfast.

“You’re awake.”

Ruth was biting into toast, and Rahelna was leisurely enjoying tea.

The sight of them exuding different atmospheres at the same table was quite amusing.

I went to the table and sat down, and Ruth, who was next to me, ordered my meal for me.

“You were so disgusted yesterday that you didn’t want to join us, but what brings you here today?”

Ruth glanced at Rahelna and shrugged.

“Whether I like it or not, we have to work together in the future, so I can’t keep being difficult.”

“So, have you become friends?”

“Well, she reminds me of my late grandmother.”

“I agree.”

I chuckled and looked around.

Ilia was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Ilia?”

“I haven’t seen her since I woke up early this morning, so she’s probably still asleep.”

Ruth clicked her tongue, looking displeased.

“She’s lost her discipline since she left the Knights. Tsk.”

“Maybe.”

“Huh? Then did something else happen?”

“No. Just… something.”

As I vaguely changed the subject, Ruth suddenly narrowed her eyes.

“Come to think of it, you told Ilia to stay behind last night.”

“I did.”

“What did you do to make Ilia so out of it that she’s sleeping in?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“I think I know.”

“What is it?”

“If a young man and woman are left alone in a room late at night…”

“What are you thinking? Be quiet.”

“Even though Ilia is no longer affiliated with the Knights, isn’t that a bit too fast?”

“Nothing happened.”

“You’re quite bold. Still, to make up your mind so easily about someone who used to be your subordinate.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Ignoring Ruth’s grumbling, I quenched my thirst with milk and began to eat the breakfast the waiter had brought.

“Oh, some people are working hard, covered in dust, far from home, without even a chance to date. The world is so unfair.”

Rahelna, who had been silent, tilted her head, listening to Ruth’s playful complaints.

“If you’re envious, you can do the same. I know there’s a place in this village that satisfies desires.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Sometimes when I come down to Leidin to buy books, I see groups of drunk people going there.”

“Ah, well, yes. But, well, I don’t really want to go that far…”

Even if Rahelna’s essence was an old woman who had lived for hundreds of years, her appearance was still that of a young woman.

Perhaps that was why I sighed at the sight of Ruth blushing and clearing her throat.

“Stop with the useless talk. How are the preparations going?”

“Well, yes. Now that we have Rahelna, the number of people has increased, so I’m thinking of just getting a wagon. It’ll be quite expensive, but the outskirts of the Great Forest have a lot of barren land, so it’ll be difficult to supply materials. I think it’ll be better to just load as much as possible onto a wagon.”

“Good idea. It’ll be easy to manage since we won’t need a coachman. Right, Rahelna?”

At my question, Rahelna, who was reading a book with a haughty expression, nodded slightly. I had subtly lowered my tone, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Excuse me? You don’t need a coachman?”

“She’s a druid. Why would she need to control a horse with reins?”

“Ah, so you can communicate with horses? That’s amazing.”

“It’s more than just communication.”

The image of the raccoon dog politely bringing me the rapier was still vivid.

“Oh, right, elves also talk to, what was it, plants, right?”

“To be precise, it’s not talking, it’s reading memories.”

Ruth scratched the back of her neck at Rahelna’s correction.

“Well, that’s what they say.”

“Anyway, what’s next after getting the wagon?”

“Ah, after getting the wagon. I’ve been thinking about it, and the Duke’s family controls the outer boundary of the Great Forest, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Can we get permission?”

“Maybe.”

“In fact, almost no humans have set foot in the Great Forest since the Tribal War. It’s dangerous, and it’s a strictly controlled area.”

“I suppose.”

“Then we might have to sneak in.”

I had already mentioned it to Pleta, but I didn’t know what would happen. Pleta didn’t have the authority either.

“Let’s go to the Duke’s family first. If we get permission, we can go in legitimately. If we don’t have permission, we’ll have to find a way.”

“Ah, and I’ve also been thinking about the equipment we should bring.”

“Equipment?”

“Yes. Elves’ main weapon is the bow, right? Usually, you’d bring plate armor and a tower shield. Oh, it’ll cost a fortune, though.”

Plate armor and a heavy shield.

At Ruth’s words, I glanced at Rahelna. She was the expert on the Great Forest.

Rahelna, sensing my gaze, closed her book and shook her head.

“It would be helpful in a battle where you can see each other, like on a plain. But that’s the Great Forest.”

“Um, can you explain?”

“As I said before, elves can read all the memories of the Great Forest.”

Rahelna continued calmly.

“That means that even from hundreds of meters away, elves can know if we’re walking or running, sleeping or awake, what kind of conversations we’re having. Armor and shields are good defensive tools, but can you wear them even when you’re eating, sleeping, and resting?”

“…”

“If you show a weakness even for a moment, an arrow will pierce you. But if you continue to march, constantly tense and heavily armed, you’ll slowly wither away.”

At Rahelna’s answer, Ruth scratched her head, looking frustrated.

“Oh, then isn’t that like walking into the tiger’s mouth? Is there a good solution? But if we do guerrilla warfare together, the elves have the Great Forest to help them, right?”

“Ruth.”

I quietly called Ruth, who had been listening silently.

“Yes.”

“That’s why we came all the way to Leidin to bring Rahelna, right?”

“Yes?”

“The Great Forest isn’t just full of bushes.”

“…Yes?”

“We heard why we don’t need a coachman earlier, right?”

After keeping her mouth shut for a moment, Ruth’s eyes widened.

“Ah, animals.”

“Yes.”

“Can we use them to get information too?”

Rahelna nodded slightly, and Ruth exclaimed softly.

“Then we’re on equal footing.”

“At least we can fight guerrilla warfare on equal terms.”

“I see.”

“It’s going to be a blitz anyway. We didn’t come to fight a war with the elves. We only need to catch the elf scout once.”

“So the primary goal is capture.”

“But we can’t be completely safe. Let’s get something useful from the Bashrun Duke’s family.”

“By useful, you mean…”

“They’re a family of magic. It shouldn’t be difficult to get an artifact with a shield spell. It’ll cost a lot of money, but it’ll be cheaper than a full set of plate armor.”

“Ah, I see. I didn’t think of that.”

While Ruth and I were discussing the map and Rahelna was leisurely enjoying tea and reading, there was a knock.

Thump-

The sound of a door opening came from upstairs. Naturally, Ilia was the only one left upstairs, so Ruth frowned and raised her head.

“Hey, what time is it…”

Ruth’s scolding trailed off.

I felt like I knew why.

When I looked up, Ilia was visible on the stairs.

Her always neat appearance was nowhere to be seen, and she was coming down the stairs in her sleepwear.

“Hmm.”

Rahelna, seeing Ilia, slowly took off her glasses and placed them on the table.

Then she turned her head to look at me and gave me a meaningful smile.

“Did you do this?”

“Well. Maybe.”

I shrugged, feigning ignorance at Rahelna’s question.

“You, Ilia, you…”

On the other hand, Ruth’s mouth was wide open and she couldn’t close it.

It was understandable.

The scars that had been etched on her arms and face from her rough life as a training knight had disappeared.

The freckles on her cheeks had disappeared, leaving her skin smooth, and her blue-black hair was shiny as if she had applied oil.

These were the typical changes in appearance that occurred when the Mana Heart was opened.

‘Maybe it’s because she lived so roughly. It’s a huge difference.’

My body had lived comfortably as a nobleman and maintained perfect condition due to my innate talent, so there were no significant changes.

But Ilia’s transformation was truly dramatic.

To exaggerate a bit, it was as if she had undergone plastic surgery.

“Lord.”

Ilia, who was walking towards me, was filled with passion.

She knelt down in front of me with a resolute expression and lowered her head.

“I don’t know how to repay this grace.”

Ilia, her voice filled with tears, took a deep breath.

“If you allow it, I will repay you with my life.”

“There’s no need to risk your perfectly good life. Get up.”

“…”

“I said get up.”

“Understood.”

Only then did Ilia get up, her eyes filled with tears of joy.

I could only imagine how much she had suffered, but in reality, I had only slightly added a spoon to a ready-made meal.

Opening the Mana Heart required sufficient effort and talent.

Still, if she was grateful, there was no need to spoil the mood.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Sit here. The bacon is very delicious today.”

Ilia’s eyes widened for a moment at my words, and then she wiped away her tears and opened her mouth.

“Yes. I will enjoy it.”

She nodded, giving the brightest smile she had ever shown.