How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 67

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 67

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Elven Forest.

The name of the forest located in the heart of the Great Forest.

It is an area where elves reside in earnest, a secluded region that has remained hidden from the outside world for centuries.

Just before reaching it, we were once again stopped by a dozen female elves.

‘Who is it this time?’

First, it was the Elven Patrol.

Second, the Elven Guard led by Mirang.

And now, this third group of elves we’ve encountered.

Who are they? Their numbers were small, but their presence was far more imposing than any we had faced so far. Ruth was even gripping his sword tightly, his face etched with nervousness.

“Don’t say a word from now on. Just stay quiet,” Mirang warned, her own face tense, before stepping forward.

“Mirang Hareyan, commander of the outer guard, is here to request an audience with the guardian of the Elven Forest…”

“Silence.”

The elf calmly cutting off Mirang’s words with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Swish-!

Instantly, two arrows tore through the air, piercing Mirang’s thighs.

“Kuh….”

Mirang, now kneeling powerlessly, seemed to grit her teeth against the pain. Blood began to pool on the ground around her. Yet, she raised her head, her expression indifferent, as if it were nothing. But her trembling lips betrayed her agony.

“To guide a human here… an unbelievable sight.”

The elf, clad in silver armor and bearing a long scar stretching from her cheek to her chin, clicked her tongue.

Mirang clutched her thigh and spoke with difficulty, her voice strained. “If I had stopped them, I would have lost many subordinates. Since they didn’t arrive with an army, I decided to bring them in for questioning.”

“Questioning? He’s wearing a sword on his waist. How is that questioning?”

“Still, there was a human from Bashrun [a duchy known for its complex relationship with the elves] who had some interaction with them, so I treated them as envoys.”

“A human from Bashrun?”

The elf, who had been interrupting, turned her gaze to me and my party.

Fleta, who had been standing silently, stepped forward.

“That would be me.”

“You are from Bashrun?”

“Yes. I am Fleta Bashrun, the rightful successor and first heir of Bashrun.”

The eyes of the elf narrowed as she faced Fleta.

“I won’t mince words, Princess Bashrun. What brings you all the way here? Do you admit that you have broken the treaty?”

“That treaty doesn’t apply to Bashrun.”

“Indeed. Because you of Bashrun forcibly crafted the treaty to suit your own tastes. But your human companions don’t appear to be from Bashrun.”

“What do you mean?”

“All humans except you were to be killed by Mirang Hareyan. In the process, your right arm was to be severed by Mirang Hareyan’s deliberate attack. And we will hold Mirang Hareyan accountable for harming the human of Bashrun in violation of the treaty, banish her from the Great Forest, and send her to the Bashrun Duchy to atone for her sins.”

“……What despicable nonsense is this?”

“No. Mirang Hareyan is the only one who committed a despicable act here.”

“Are you going to trade my right arm for the sake of the Great Forest?”

“If that’s what it takes! No human who sets foot in the Elven Forest can leave without paying the price. Do you want war? Then come to the Great Forest! We will fight you at any time.”

As if dumbfounded, Fleta tilted her head.

She says she will kill all the party members and then cut off her right arm. And all the blame will be put on Mirang. And Fleta is dumbfounded because she is announcing all those plans.

But objectively, it was a neat response without any unnecessary additions.

‘She’s smarter than I thought.’

She didn’t take Bashrun’s life as per the treaty. The cutting off of her right arm was the guard captain’s unilateral action, and as a sign of regret, she will send the guard captain.

The final touch was the declaration that if they were to antagonize them, the elves would not stand still.

I felt like applauding.

Even Mirang, who is no different from a noble, is being sent as a prisoner. Can the Duke ignore this and burn down the Great Forest?

Regardless of whether it is despicable or not, it was definitely a flawless job.

‘Humans used to be in the same boat in the past.’

The current humans are at odds with each other for their own benefit. In such a situation, would the Duke try to waste his power by waging a full-scale war with the elves alone?

Probably not. Moreover, Fleta’s trip to the Great Forest is no different from her own decision.

So I was curious. It was a different look from the elves I had met so far, who were boring and old-fashioned.

“Lahenna.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“What are those guys?”

“They are the guardians of the Elven Forest, the Elven Guard, who possess both literary and military skills, and arrogance to match.”

Elven Guard.

In human terms, the Elven Forest is the royal family, and the Elven Guard is the royal guard.

“Are they strong?”

“They are proficient in both archery and swordsmanship, and even handle spiritism [magic involving spirits] skillfully. You probably have no chance of winning.”

“Even Ruth?”

“Worrying about winning or losing would be a luxury.”

Ruth, who had been listening quietly, didn’t say anything and just held his sword tightly.

No, couldn’t he? Ruth, who would have usually joked around, is keeping his mouth shut. It’s proof that Lahenna is right.

If they are strong enough that Ruth can’t handle them, then they are not guys I can do anything about with force, even if I die and wake up.

Moreover, if there are about a dozen of those guys here right now, even more so.

“But they’re not elders.”

“That’s right.”

They are strong. But not as strong as the elders.

“No one in the Great Forest can threaten me except for the elders.”

At the same time as Lahenna’s words came to mind, the scarred elf opened her mouth.

“Step back, human bitch of Bashrun. Did you say you use magic? If I flick a finger, I will cut off both arms, not just the right arm.”

It’s a threat that doesn’t feel any emotion at all. That’s why it felt more real.

Fleta must have sensed it too. That elf is the type who will do it if she really does it, and she has the skills to do so.

I glanced at Lahenna out of the corner of my eye. She was in the midst of filling her pipe with leaves with a nonchalant face.

So I asked just in case.

“Lahenna, if a fight breaks out, you’ll be able to protect all of us, right?”

“Well. I don’t think I have an obligation to protect everyone.”

What kind of cold water is this all of a sudden?

“Didn’t you say you would help my party in the Great Forest?”

“At that time, your party consisted of only those two human swordsmen. The child of Bashrun was not there.”

“Are you doing this because of the resentment that has built up in the Bashrun family?”

“Oh, did you notice?”

“I don’t think this is the time to joke around.”

“I told you. The karma accumulated in the name of Bashrun will somehow come back.”

“…….”

She will not judge with her own hands.

But Bashrun will somehow face the day when they will face their karma.

That was what Lahenna had said. And she must be thinking of now as that time.

After finishing speaking, Lahenna leisurely took out a pipe from her bosom, put it in her mouth, and lit it.

Soon, the smoke coming out of the long stem spread out in a hazy manner.

“Surround them! The human of Bashrun must be captured!”

At the command of the scarred elf, a dozen Elven Guards spread out in a circle.

Clack!

At the same time, over a hundred Elven Guards aimed their bows at us.

I wasn’t afraid. Because Lahenna is here. But at the same time, I was worried. If she doesn’t step in, Fleta’s right arm will be cut off.

“Isn’t this too childish?”

At my words, Lahenna shrugged.

“It was a joke.”

“Yes?”

What kind of absurd sound is this again?

“I said it was a joke, but you’re hard of hearing.”

“What is that…….”

It was then.

Thud!

Most of the Elven Guards, except for the Elven Guard, began to collapse powerlessly.

‘What is it?’

I raised my head and looked around. Lahenna’s cigarette smoke, which I thought had scattered in the wind, had become a thick fog and was engulfing all directions.

What’s even more amazing is that the fog doesn’t even come close to the party members.

“Cigarette…… smoke?”

“Yes.”

Lahenna, who answered my guess with certainty, opened her thick lips and spat out smoke again.

“Let’s receive Bashrun’s karma later.”

At the same time as she finished speaking, the scarred elf shouted.

“Don’t breathe the smoke! Summon the spirits!”

The Elven Guards belatedly stepped back and summoned the spirits of the wind to scatter the surrounding smoke.

But it was a little late. Most of the Elven Patrols had already lost consciousness and collapsed.

The scarred elf, unable to hide her anger, raised her sword and aimed it at Lahenna.

“Humans are using evil tricks! Kill them all now!”

“Human. That’s unpleasant.”

At Lahenna’s grumbling, an Elven Guard gritted his teeth and rushed towards Lahenna.

The speed was unusual. With a fast movement comparable to a knight who handles mana, he quickly straightened his sword and headed towards Lahenna.

“It’s dangerous!”

But Lahenna leisurely raised her pipe.

Clack!

The Elven Guard’s sword, which drew a smooth curve, was blocked by the pipe as it was.

‘It’s blocked?’

I didn’t see it wrong. A mere pipe blocked the sword.

At this moment, everyone except Lahenna, regardless of whether they were enemies or allies, questioned her.

“Eek!”

The Elven Guard, whose sword was blocked by just one pipe, put strength into the sword again.

The elf’s face turned red from how much strength he gave, but the pipe remained unmoved.

Perhaps because he felt Lahenna’s unknown power, the remaining Elven Guards who were about to rush in also stopped moving.

In the silence that flowed for a moment, I carefully opened my mouth.

“How did you do that?”

“I cast a spell. That it will never be cut.”

“Does casting a spell mean that the pipe turns into steel?”

“You’re stupid. I never said I cast it on the pipe.”

She didn’t cast it on the pipe?

Ah, did she cast a spell on the Elven Guard?

As if to tell me the answer, Lahenna slowly began to lift the pipe.

Then, surprisingly, the Elven Guard’s sword was gently pushed away by the pipe.

“What is this…….”

The Elven Guard’s eyes widened in embarrassment. His unbelievable face looked like he was watching a well-made play.

“……Magic is more amazing the more you know about it.”

“That’s because it’s a power that has been forgotten since hundreds of years ago.”

“Because all those who know the solution have disappeared?”

“Yes. But since the tool called a book will transmit old knowledge, it is not a pleasure to enjoy for long.”

After finishing speaking, Lahenna struck the Elven Guard’s abdomen with her palm.

Pow-!

The Elven Guard, who flew dozens of meters as it was, collided with a huge tree, causing a cloud of dust.

Afterwards, the Elven Guard, who had lost consciousness, collapsed powerlessly, and the scarred elf glared at Lahenna with a nervous face.

“……Who are you.”

“Isn’t it common sense to reveal yourself first when you want to ask the other person’s name?”

“I am Elven Guard Ollie. I’ll ask again. Who are you?”

When the Elven Guard, who identified herself as Ollie, asked again, Lahenna leisurely put her pipe in her mouth and answered.

“Well.”

Afterwards, Lahenna, who spat out hazy smoke with an indifferent face, let out a bitter smile.

“Let me ask you, young elf.”

Soon, Lahenna’s appearance blurred as she was enveloped in a blue aura.

“Who do you think I am?”

Afterwards, she reappeared, not in human form.