How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 89

Living as the Third Son of a Trash Novel – Chapter 89

After finishing a glass of beer and entrusting the task to Ruth, I left the pub and headed straight for the shopping district.

The assumptions I discussed with Ruth earlier were all based on circumstantial evidence. To weave those circumstances together into a coherent truth, a solid framework was essential.

‘Why did they do such a thing?’

Why?

What was so important that they had to cover it up at all costs?

And what was their motive?

To uncover these answers, reconnaissance was the first step.

Since I needed to buy something anyway, I stopped by a jewelry store first.

“Welcome.”

Even though this was a provincial area, it was still a fortified city, so there were shops catering to nobles, and the jewelry store I visited was one of them.

The old man with a monocle looked me over, his face brightening as he bowed.

Perhaps it was thanks to my neatly dressed appearance after removing the dirty cloak; he seemed to think I was a young master from a wealthy family.

“Are you looking for something in particular?”

“I’m looking to buy a piece of jewelry.”

“There are many kinds of jewelry, sir.”

“I’m looking for a ring. I have a gemstone, and I need a setting for it.”

In fact, the gemstone usually accounted for the largest part of the price of jewelry, so the old man, looking somewhat disappointed, shrugged.

“If you’re looking for a simple band, we have some in the back.”

“The material I’m looking for is Orichalcum.”

The old man was visibly startled at the word Orichalcum.

“Excuse me? Did you say Orichalcum?”

“Yes, Orichalcum.”

Orichalcum was one of the rarest magical metals, surpassed only by a few legendary ones.

Even with minimal impurities, there’s always some loss in mana manifestation through metal, but Orichalcum is the dream metal with the least loss of all.

Even the royal family couldn’t dream of using it to make weapons; it was primarily used to make small accessories for wizards.

Even Afien [MC’s sword] only had some parts around the gemstone set with Orichalcum, so further explanation was unnecessary.

“Don’t you have any?”

“N-no, of course not. There’s no way Orichalcum would be in a rural place like this… You can only find that in the Capital.”

I expected as much, but I was still disappointed to hear that they didn’t have any.

“Then, do you have platinum?”

“Y-yes, of course, we do! Please wait a moment.”

Perhaps still reeling from the shock of the Orichalcum request, the jeweler quickly changed his demeanor and headed straight for the display case.

‘Platinum isn’t a bad alternative for now.’

It wasn’t suitable for use as a weapon, but platinum was a much better metal for manipulating mana than steel.

After rummaging for a while, the old man brought out a dusty box.

“A magician pawned it as stolen goods a long time ago. It was too expensive, so it never sold…”

I nodded at his questioning gaze, which seemed to ask if I was still interested despite its history and price.

“Show it to me.”

The owner, now excited, opened the box and began to explain as he took out a ring.

“Since it was used by a magician, it seems they attached a mana stone to the groove you see here. Since you’re planning to set a gemstone anyway…”

As the owner said, it seemed perfect for my purpose, as there was already a groove to set a gemstone.

I briefly took the ring and tried to manipulate mana through it. It seemed the old man’s words were true, as I felt less resistance compared to steel.

“I’ll take this. How much is it?”

The price the old man quoted was neither excessive nor too low. Considering it was stolen goods rather than a custom order, it felt a bit expensive, but the advantage of obtaining it immediately was significant.

“Please set the gemstone right away as well.”

“Of course.”

As I handed over the spirit stone containing the dark spirit, Ebony, the old man brought out his tools and skillfully began to adjust the ring.

‘Whether I like it or not, Ebony is being sealed like Afien.’

Being sealed also meant that it couldn’t absorb mana on its own.

Like Afien, Ebony also needed me to inject mana directly, so I chose jewelry as the method.

“By the way, sir.”

“Yes?”

“I’m staying in Leydin temporarily while traveling, and I’ve heard rumors that there will be an execution soon.”

“Ah, you’ve heard the rumors? Yes. Some heinous criminals were caught.”

“What kind of criminals warrant a public execution? Did they kill someone or something?”

“Oh my, the world is a bit more complicated than that. If we publicly executed everyone who simply killed someone, the square would constantly be stained with blood.”

“Then?”

The old man sighed deeply as he touched the ring.

“They’re the ones who got caught distributing drugs. Very nasty people.”

“Drugs?”

I perked up my ears at this.

“Yes! Not just buying and selling them discreetly, but I heard they were systematically distributing them in large quantities.”

“Large-scale distribution, huh.”

“No matter what else, they deal with drugs very strictly here. They were caught red-handed. Ah, those guys were so brazen; they disguised it as tea leaves in a trade wagon and got caught.”

Fortunately, the old man seemed lonely and eager to talk, so he explained, spitting with indignation as he spoke.

“The sons of bitches should have confessed and died quietly when they got caught, but I still vividly remember them shouting that it was unfair as they were being dragged away.”

“Did you see it yourself?”

“Of course! In the first place, the Leydin garrison commander revealed all the contents of the wagon in front of all the citizens to prevent any further rumors, but they still had so many excuses to make!”

“Hmm.”

“It’s not that other crimes are less serious, but drugs are particularly vicious. Once you’re addicted, you can’t escape, and you commit all sorts of crimes to get money, right? Robbery or murder is a one-time thing, but drugs continuously fuel other crimes.”

The old man looked around for a moment and asked me.

“Besides, I probably shouldn’t be the one to say this, but wouldn’t the higher-ups hate drugs even more?”

“Is that so?”

“An old man like me doesn’t have much time left, but if a young person gets addicted, who will work? A young man who should pay taxes, have children, and live diligently becomes a cripple. Besides, it’s not just them who are ruined; they harm the people around them.”

In short, he meant that there was a strong resentment against young people who should be working hard becoming addicted to drugs and becoming debilitated.

To put it nicely, it could be said to be a crime that destroys society itself.

Well, the real reason is probably more about preventing the lower classes, who have to pay taxes, from becoming disabled.

“They’re bad guys.”

“They’re terrible. They deserve to die.”

I nodded a few times, and the old man, even more excited, continued to speak, so I cautiously brought up the topic.

“You said they disguised themselves as merchants, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Were they affiliated with a trading company?”

“I don’t know about that. They were dragged away as soon as they were caught.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Well, if you want to hear the detailed inside story, go to the pub near the north gate. There will be someone there who saw everything that happened from beginning to end. It’s perfect to enjoy with a snack, so there will be a lot to hear.”

The old man, who had roughly finished his work, handed me the ring with the spirit stone firmly attached. I received it, put it on my finger, and nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Oh my, I’m more grateful that you bought it like this.”

* * *

As the afternoon sun cast long shadows, I headed to the north gate and entered a pub, taking a seat at the bar.

I tossed a coin to the waitress who approached and ordered a beer, then called over the innkeeper who was wiping dishes.

“What is it?”

The owner, initially looking as if he had no intention of being a drinking companion, completely changed his expression at the sight of the silver coin I tossed.

“Oh my, customer, is there something you’re curious about?”

“I heard there was a big commotion at the north gate the other day?”

“Ah, those guys? You’re late with the news. It’s been over a week.”

“I’m traveling and arrived here today. I’m bored, and that story sounds interesting.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I’ve told the story so many times that my mouth hurts, but since I received something…”

The owner, examining the silver coin under the lamplight, laughed heartily and brought a glass of beer for himself, standing opposite me.

“Okay. Where should I start?”

“What were they caught doing?”

“I don’t know the details, but I heard that the Leydin garrison commander happened to be on patrol.”

“The garrison commander?”

“That garrison commander is a tea lover, and he was thinking of buying some on the spot since tea leaves had arrived from the north.”

“Hmm. And then?”

“The merchants opened a box as if there was nothing wrong and handed over the tea leaves, but the commander’s expression was a bit strange as he smelled them.”

“Strange?”

“Well, he said it wasn’t the scent he knew. So, when the commander asked if it was defective, the merchants said that tea leaves are easily altered and that they would find a good one.”

“And then?”

“The garrison commander thought so and asked them to open the box in the deepest part where the preservation was best. They had to turn all the luggage upside down, but what could they do? The garrison commander asked for it. So, the merchants took out the box that was laid down below and opened it.”

Then, the owner stopped talking for a moment and leaned over, whispering as if he was telling an important secret.

“But wouldn’t you know it, when they opened the box that was laid down below, opium came out!”

“Opium?”

“That’s right! The one made with poppies!”

The owner laughed, as if excited.

“They were caught red-handed, so what excuses could they make? They were immediately taken into custody and headed to the castle’s prison. They’re really stupid guys.”

“Stupid?”

“Looking at them, it seems like they were trying to sneak it in and sell it, but those guys who were so brazen couldn’t even distinguish one box of poppies and openly revealed it, so isn’t it funny? Anyway, you have to be smart to do bad things.”

“Is that so.”

“Anyway, you never know what will happen. I’ve seen those people a few times before, but I never dreamed they would do such a thing.”

“Yes? You’ve met them a few times?”

“They’re the ones who stayed at my inn a few times before. Every time they came, they appeared as beggars and ate up the alcohol and food as if they were starving.”

I perked up my ears at the owner’s words.

Beggars? Besides, they ate the food as if they were starving?

“What do you mean?”

“I heard they ran all the way from the north without stopping at a village or city. Well, if I had that much of that stuff, I’d want to get rid of it quickly.”

Hmm, that makes sense.

“So, when is the execution?”

“Well. They were shouting that it was unfair as they were being dragged away, so I wonder if they’re investigating, but if they were caught in the act like that, I don’t think it’s possible to overturn the charges. Well, I don’t know. Anyway, all I know is this. Was it interesting?”

At the innkeeper’s words, I smiled and raised my beer glass.

“It was interesting.”

“If you want to talk about that, you can do it all night! Look over there. They’re still having a blast with this story. It’s good to buy them a few drinks and join in.”

The innkeeper pointed to a group of men in guard uniforms, who seemed to have just finished their shift, were debating, spitting as they spoke.

I glanced out the window.

Anyway, it seemed like there was some time left until Ruth came. The more information, the better, so I nodded.

“Please send some beer to match the number of people.”

The owner nodded with a broad smile at my words.