How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 91

“I’ve certainly heard of such a thing, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in person.”

“It’s the first time I’ve shown it, too.”

“There were instructions not to spare any support for the one who presented this. But it’s a bit odd. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like something the third son of the Lindaier County family should possess.”

“Do you not believe me?”

“Just one question. Who is your superior?”

“The Chief of the Royal Court, Marquis Hallin Irphe.”

Galanto let out a soft groan.

“It doesn’t seem like you picked it up somewhere and are impersonating someone. Fine. So, does the Third Son sincerely want a reinvestigation of this case?”

“Yes, I do. So, while we’re on the subject, I’d like to ask again. Will you cooperate?”

A moment of silence followed my question.

In fact, asking for cooperation doesn’t even make sense. The moment I presented the badge proving I was an investigator, Galanto was in a position where he had to listen, even if I was making unreasonable demands.

But I used the expression ‘request’ to gauge his reaction, and Galanto would know that.

“Before I answer, I have a few questions. Is the Third Son convinced that those caught this time are innocent and that there is someone behind them?”

“Yes.”

“And that Lord Gorde is involved behind the scenes?”

“I can’t be certain, but that’s what I suspect.”

“Ahem…”

Seeing Galanto hesitate, I calmly urged him.

“You must make a choice, Knight Galanto.”

Galanto seemed to instinctively feel that his choice would determine his entire life.

But his 고민 [Korean: worry/anguish] didn’t last long.

Soon, Galanto, having made a decision, nodded with a firm face.

“I understand. I will do everything in my power to help.”

“Thank you.”

“But only in the realm of assistance. I have no intention of directly using force.”

“Of course. As I said before, I only need your cooperation.”

“I understand. What kind of cooperation exactly?”

“First, where is Baron Gorde now?”

At the question of the lord’s current location, Galanto slowly shook his head.

“I heard he left the castle gates just past noon. I haven’t received a report on his exact destination yet, so I don’t know where he is.”

“So, he’s not in the castle.”

“That’s right.”

“He’s quite clever. He must have thought that if he left his post, I wouldn’t be able to dig any further. But now, that has become poison to himself.”

Clearly, Baron Gorde’s choice was very wise. If he, who held the key to the problem, disappeared, I wouldn’t be able to investigate further.

But the problem is that I have the authority of an investigator. And Baron Gorde’s actions, not knowing that, would backfire on him.

“I have three requests.”

“What are they?”

“First, do not reveal to anyone that I have started a reinvestigation. Since the lord is away, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“I understand.”

“Second, help me access all past gate entry and exit records. What is the maximum storage period?”

“One year.”

“That’s enough.”

“What is the third?”

“I want to meet and interrogate the merchants who have been arrested. This must not be revealed to anyone either.”

“All three emphasize secrecy.”

“Yes. We must move discreetly. It would be troublesome if Baron Gorde found out and made a move.”

“I’ll assign someone to you.”

Galanto nodded with a determined look.

“A trustworthy knight. His sense of justice is unparalleled. You can get guidance from him.”

“I understand. Then, in the meantime, you…”

“As if nothing happened, I will be engrossed in my duties as usual. So…”

Galanto, who had been hesitant, finished the remaining wine and looked at me with burning eyes.

“Bring me the truth as soon as possible.”

* * *

Late that night.

A young knight came to find me and Ruth, who were resting in our lodgings, planning for the future, having postponed sleep.

The knight, with a steadfast gaze, who quietly came to me, introduced himself as Meir and bowed his head.

“Sir Galanto sent me.”

“Nice to meet you. You know what you have to do, right?”

“Yes. I was told to diligently assist you in whatever you wish to do.”

“You came quite late.”

“The garrison commander took some time to revise the inner castle duty roster.”

“Change the roster?”

“He must have thought it would be easier to have reliable people on guard.”

“Thorough.”

Nodding, I pointed to what Meir was holding in his hand.

“Is that what I asked for?”

“Yes, it is.”

When Meir unwrapped the bundle he was holding, garrison uniforms came out.

“This one’s a bit bigger. Ruth, it must be yours.”

“Yes.”

Meir stepped back in embarrassment at the sight of Ruth and me undressing on the spot.

“Meir, was it?”

“Yes? Yes, yes. It’s Meir.”

“You don’t have to be so formal. I’m not the type to stand on ceremony.”

“B, but…”

“The chance to see the bodies of the tournament champion and a wind knight is rare.”

Ruth, who was changing clothes next to me, burst out laughing at my joke.

Meir seemed to relax a bit at the casual atmosphere and smiled slightly.

After we all changed our clothes, Meir nodded.

“From a distance, you’ll undoubtedly look like guards.”

“How much time will we have once we enter the castle?”

“You can assume it’s okay until dawn.”

“That’s only about three or four hours. Let’s go, we need to move quickly to buy time.”

After leaving the lodgings, we moved on foot without speaking, so as not to attract attention.

Fortunately, the sky was very dark as even the moon had not risen. In fact, I had nothing to fear as I had the authority of an investigator, but there was no harm in being discreet.

The guards guarding the inner castle must have heard the story in advance, as they opened the side gate without a word when they saw Meir.

“Have they all been informed?”

“Yes. The guards on the route are all trustworthy people. They all owe their lives or have received great favors from the garrison commander.”

“He must be a good superior.”

“He is a true knight.”

“I suddenly thought of asking, what is Baron Gorde’s reputation like?”

Meir’s face hardened at my question.

“Neither good nor bad. To be precise, you could say he has no interest in Leydin at all.”

“Then?”

“All the lord is interested in is power. It’s common knowledge that he was pushed out of the political arena and came to a minor position, but he doesn’t seem to have given up his ambition to return to the central aristocracy.”

“He would need a lot of money for that.”

“That’s right. But the strange thing is that even though he has such ambitions, there are no signs of him committing any irregularities. After all, you need a considerable amount of political funds to become a central aristocrat.”

“That’s true.”

“But the lord doesn’t show such behavior, so I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

“He may be earning gold through back channels and acting in a way that doesn’t get him caught on the surface.”

“What do you mean?”

“No, it was just a thought.”

I smiled and quickened my pace.

After passing the entrance to the inner castle and feeling that we had gone in quite deep, I called Meir to a halt.

“Just tell me the way to where they are imprisoned.”

“Yes? Then I…”

“You take Ruth to where the gate entry and exit records are kept and help her with the work.”

I had already explained to Ruth what to do in advance.

“I understand.”

After hearing the way to the prison from Meir, I waved my hand lightly and immediately took action.

The prison was located in the basement of the inner castle. After finding a spiral staircase, I went down through it, and I heard footsteps from the front.

Glancing out, I saw two guards yawning widely as they came up the stairs.

I looked at their chests, but I couldn’t see any markings.

‘I heard that the guards who were recruited by the garrison commander had markings on their chests.’

In other words, they are guards outside the garrison commander’s arrangement.

A lot of thoughts came to my mind in an instant.

Should I go back up and wait for them to pass?

But waiting for their slow footsteps after going back up would be a waste of the time I had.

But using force would cause troublesome things later.

‘Leave force as a last resort.’

Anyway, my current outfit is that of a guard. I decided to proceed for now, and if I got caught, I would use another method.

As I walked down the stairs with my hood pulled down, I soon met the two guards.

Their faces were tired. I could feel their desire to finish their shift as soon as possible and rest.

Without giving me any attention, the two passed by naturally. It was when I thought I had succeeded.

“Hey.”

A guard called out to me.

After taking a deep breath, I turned around. A guard was looking down at me with a tired face.

“I don’t recognize your face, why are you going down there?”

“I’m going to deliver a message to the seniors who have been deployed.”

“Are you a rookie?”

“Yes.”

“What are you delivering?”

“There have been revisions to the changed duty roster.”

When I adapted the story I heard from Meir appropriately, the guard nodded.

“Really? I don’t know why they suddenly change the roster and make so many people tired. Okay. Good luck.”

After finishing speaking, the guard turned around and went upstairs, yawning with a tired face again.

I felt a bit underwhelmed because it was resolved too easily.

After going down all the stairs, the gloomy scenery of the underground prison was revealed.

After that, there was no need to recall the way Meir had told me. Because a loud shout kept ringing out from one side.

“You bastards! You sons of bitches who will fall into hell! Are you even human!”

Following the colorful curse words, I moved my steps and soon saw two guards with markings on their chests.

“Who are you?”

“Cain.”

“That way.”

The guard guided me to the prison with a gesture, as if he had been told in advance.

As I moved my steps towards that place, I picked up a chair used by the guards.

After that, a spacious prison came into view.

“You goddamn sons of bitches! I didn’t do it! It’s unfair… huh?”

A man with a thick beard was shaking the iron bars.

The man’s condition was not good, even as a joke. One eye was severely swollen and sunken as if he had been beaten here and there, and his whole body was covered in blue bruises.

Glancing back, I saw four more men.

Like the previous man, they were injured all over their bodies, and they didn’t even have the energy to shout, as if they were just bowing their heads and staying still like dead mice.

“Who are you!”

At the man’s question, I put the chair I had brought in front of the iron bars and sat on it silently.

After taking out paper and a pen from my jacket pocket, I looked at the man.

“Who am I?”

“……”

Feeling intense hostility in the man’s gaze towards me, I tilted my head.

“The person who will get you out.”

“Get us out? Who are you?”

“Weren’t you about to grab any passing rat and whine about how unfair it was?”

“Is this bastard mocking me? Huh?”

“It’s not mocking. It’s openly teasing.”

Thud!

The man who hit the bars revealed his yellowed teeth that he couldn’t clean properly.

“If I ever get out of here, I’ll kill you first.”

“Oh, I’m scared.”

“You bastard, I remembered your face.”

“I don’t know about women, but it’s a bit much for a man to remember my face.”

“You son of a bitch!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As if his anger had reached its peak, the man started hitting the iron bars and spewing all sorts of curses.

It was already expected. No, I provoked him for this situation.

A person who is agitated tends to add facts that didn’t exist and exaggerate the facts that do exist.

And the information obtained from such a person is mostly worthless. So, to get proper information, it was necessary to calm the other person’s emotions first.

After expressing his anger for dozens of minutes, the man eventually collapsed from the futility that followed.

“……”

“Do you feel like talking now?”

“……If you’re thinking of making fun of me, I wish you’d just get lost.”

“It’s true that I teased you, but I’m not free enough to come all the way here just for that.”

“Then.”

“I would have said it. I came to get you out.”

The man who raised his head at my words glared at me.

“How?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll try to figure it out. Weren’t you desperate to grab at straws?”

“Are you really a guard? No? What the hell is your identity?”

“My name is Cain Lindaier.”