How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 93

Living as the Third Son of a Trash Novel – Chapter 93

Chapter 27. Evidence

Late at night, after the sun had completely set.

I met with Galanto alone, presenting all the data I had compiled. He began to examine it meticulously for a long time.

About an hour passed.

Galanto, having put down the data, rubbed his temples as if his head was throbbing.

“……”

“What do you think?”

“With this much, it seems we can assume there’s something there. But these are all circumstantial, aren’t they? Without clear evidence, it’s just a theory.”

“That’s right. What I’ve shown you is ultimately just circumstantial. However.”

I handed over the ledger organized by the guild office’s female employee.

“This is a list of escort requests that meet specific conditions and have come into Leydin in the last six months. It also includes the mercenaries who carried out those requests.”

“What did you find here?”

“Among those who carried out the numerous requests, there will be mercenaries who are recorded multiple times.”

Galanto carefully scanned the ledger at my words and soon nodded.

“Indeed.”

“Did you find them?”

“The Red Fox Mercenary Group.”

“Correct.”

The Red Fox Mercenary Group.

A very small mercenary group with a total of only four members. However, records showed that they regularly took on escort requests from the north to Leydin.

Moreover, the mercenaries mobilized for the requests they carried out were mostly in numbers of 20 to 30. Just to escort a single wagon.

“I remember the name. I recall that the smuggled goods we seized this time were also escorted by them.”

“That’s right. And some of them are currently staying in Leydin.”

“Confirmed?”

“I’ve identified their accommodations and even their range of activity.”

“Hmm.”

Galanto, clenching and unclenching his fist while repeatedly reading the data, looked up with a tense expression.

“Looking at the data, it seems the Third Son suspects the Seine Trading Company, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Isn’t the owner of the Seine Trading Company your brother, Seine Lindayer?”

“Unless there’s another with the same name, yes.”

“So, in any case, that Seine Trading Company is committing vile smuggling, and the Red Fox Mercenary Group is in charge of transporting that criminal enterprise?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s still just speculation.”

“If they were transporters, why would they still be staying in Leydin? If it were me, I would have left for the north immediately.”

“According to what I’ve found, not all of them are staying. Perhaps those who remain are assessing the situation. They’re likely staying in Leydin to exchange information about the current state of affairs with those higher up.”

“……So, what are you planning to do?”

“Either way, the key is this mercenary group. Therefore, I plan to capture them and conduct a thorough investigation.”

“We can’t apprehend them on such mere speculation.”

“Mere speculation?”

“That’s right. The Red Fox Mercenary Group being involved is also just a guess……”

“Knight Galanto.”

“…….”

Cutting off Galanto’s words, I looked directly at him.

“I understand what you mean.”

“You understand?”

“Yes. So, let’s consider what I’ve said so far as not a request for cooperation.”

“Not a request?”

I began to put all the data back into the bag I had brought.

“Then what are you going to do?”

I briefly postponed answering Galanto’s question and roughly finished packing. Then, I got up from my seat, straightened my clothes, and met Galanto’s gaze.

“It’s a notification.”

“A notification?”

“Yes, a notification.”

“What does that……”

“What happens from now on will be carried out independently by me, and you, Knight, will have heard nothing about it beforehand. It seems you prefer it that way.”

I will share the information, but not the responsibility. Sensing my intentions, Galanto bit his lip and clenched his fist tightly.

Was he reflecting on himself for hesitating to act, waiting only for definitive evidence despite the sufficient suspicion?

If so, Knight Galanto must be feeling a great deal of self-reproach right now.

* * *

Equipping myself with proper gear after a long time made my whole body complain. I hadn’t missed a single day of being armed when heading to the Great Forest, but after only a few days of being without it, I was in this state.

Feeling amused, I let out a hollow laugh, and Ruth, who was also armed, tilted his head.

“What’s so amusing?”

“It’s nothing.”

I cleared my throat and looked at the building in front of me. It was a shabby building located in a damp alley on the outskirts of Leydin.

“This is the place, right?”

“Yes. I confirmed they moved into this place.”

“Okay. What are their distinguishing features?”

“Brown hair and a scar across the bridge of the nose. The little and ring fingers of the left hand are cut off.”

“Good.”

It was quite fortunate that the Red Fox Mercenary Group was still in Leydin, not in the north.

If they had already left, it would have taken a considerable amount of time to catch them. Or I would have been racking my brains to find another way.

Thump!

Opening the door of the building where one of the Red Fox Mercenary Group members was said to be, the first thing I felt was a smoky haze.

It was caused by the cigarettes being smoked everywhere. And those who were smoking were all holding cards or drinks.

A feast of alcohol and gambling under dim lighting. Feeling bitter, I glanced at Ruth.

Ruth shook his head lightly.

He wasn’t on the first floor.

Looking around, there were two staircases, one leading upstairs and the other to the basement. I gave Ruth a simple hand signal.

‘You go up. I’ll check the basement.’

Ruth nodded and headed upstairs, and I moved in the opposite direction, heading down the stairs to the basement.

The basement, like the first floor, was full of gambling tables. The only difference was that it was more damp and gloomy.

Passing through the narrow corridor, I began to open each of the connected rooms one by one.

Each time the door opened, the gazes of the men who were disturbed were fierce. One of them, perhaps in the middle of a losing streak, even got up to vent his anger on me.

“This bastard is ruining my luck……”

“An apology.”

He was just a slave to gambling who would become docile with a single silver coin.

As I continued, I reached the room at the end.

Opening it, I found a man with brown hair and a scar across his nose, holding a card with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Gillas.”

At the call containing his name, he slowly put down the card.

“Who are you?”

“The leader of the Red Fox Mercenary Group, right?”

His eyes twitched, and he slowly took the cigarette out of his mouth.

“So?”

At his affirmative answer, I gestured outside with my chin.

“You’ll have to come with me.”

“Where to?”

“To a quiet place where we can have a conversation?”

“Who are you?”

“Would it click if I said I’m from the royal palace?”

Tick!

At my answer, he flicked the cigarette with his finger.

As I lightly dodged the embers flying towards my eyes with a nod, a fist was already flying towards my face.

‘Useless resistance.’

Simply knocking away the flying fist, Gillas used the recoil to spin his body and aim for my temple with his elbow.

In response, I slightly raised my mana and put it into my fist, aiming it at Gillas’s elbow.

The collision of fist and elbow.

Gillas’s faint smile came into view. Indeed, in a normal situation, it would be natural for the fragile knuckles to be shattered.

Crack-!

But the result was the opposite. Rather, my fist lightly broke Gillas’s elbow.

“Kkeueaaak!”

Gillas, rolling his eyes back, grabbed his left arm.

His forearm was dangling loosely because his joint was shattered.

“You son of a bitch!”

Gillas, flashing his whites in anger, pulled a sword from his waist with his good hand.

Those around him, finally realizing that the situation was no joke, hurriedly ran outside.

“What are you? Who sent you?”

“I wonder if you’d know even if I told you.”

“Who sent you!”

“If I had to say, I’d say the head of the palace affairs.”

“What? What kind of dogshit is that?”

“See? I told you you wouldn’t know even if I told you.”

“Are you trying to play games with me, you bastard?”

“You’re the one who asked, why are you getting angry?”

“You bastard, I’m going to kill you.”

Saaa……!

A faint but clear blue energy was forming on his drawn sword.

‘Look at this, a mercenary who uses mana?’

He was definitely someone with something.

Swish-!

Before I had time to think deeply, the sword came piercing in. After lightly dodging it, I took out a dagger from my pocket.

“A dagger? I’ll split your head open with it.”

Gillas, with a sneer, swung his sword.

He looked confident, filled with mana. But how long would that confidence last?

Pasut!

Soon, mana also settled on the dagger I was holding. Of course, with a much bluer and denser energy than Gillas’s.

Clang!

Deflecting Gillas’s sword and simultaneously rotating the dagger once, I gripped it in reverse.

“You, you…….”

Seeing that, Gillas, flustered, bit his lip tightly. He must have felt that he couldn’t win.

But realizing that it was already too late to regret, Gillas scattered his sword again.

Kang! Kaang!

Blue sparks flew in the dark, narrow room. Blocking and deflecting each thrust, I succeeded in cornering Gillas.

Kagagang!

Finally, after deflecting his sword, I reached out my remaining hand and struck his solar plexus.

“Keueok…….”

Gillas, hit in a vital spot, foamed at the mouth and collapsed powerlessly.

“That’s why you should have just come with me when I told you to.”

“Kind-nim!”

Glancing back at the sound of my alias being called, Ruth, who had already come down to the basement, was waiting for me outside.

“I’ve caught him, let’s take him and get out of here.”

“Understood.”

Ruth carried Gillas, who was half out of his mind, over his shoulder.

Then, going back up to the first floor, we saw the thugs who had felt the commotion and rushed out.

“What are you doing here……”

“Move.”

Kudangtang!

Soon, the two bulky figures who were trying to put their hands on my shoulder fell awkwardly backward.

To others, it might have seemed like the bulky figures had stumbled over their own feet.

In fact, it was a kind of martial art that used the narrow space to strike. Because it was filled with mana, they would probably have to lie down for a few days due to internal injuries.

“Let’s go.”

Thus, Ruth and I, who had opened the door and came out, ran into the darkness and quickly returned to the accommodation.

Even then, Gillas was lying limply, unconscious.

After sitting him on a chair and tying him up so he couldn’t move, I stuffed a wad of cloth into his mouth.

“Cold water.”

“Understood.”

As if he had anticipated and prepared for it, Ruth quickly returned with water and splashed it on Gillas’s face.

“Keueok!”

Gillas, belatedly regaining consciousness, widened his eyes and looked around.

After blinking his eyes, Gillas soon realized that he had been kidnapped and flared up.

“Uueup! Eup!”

Seeing him trying to shout something, I gestured to Ruth.

At that, Ruth smiled and picked up the dagger on the table, aiming it at Gillas’s lower body, and Gillas’s complexion, who had been watching the scene, turned bluish.

“It’s precious, isn’t it?”

Nod, nod.

“I trust you won’t do anything unnecessary.”

Seeing him nodding repeatedly, I slowly took out the cloth, and Gillas slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t know anything.”

“I haven’t even asked anything yet.”

“…….”

“By the way, you have a very unique history. You refuse any other requests and only continuously take on escorting specific trading companies, and when you return from here to the north, you return empty-handed.”

I gained confidence from his flinching at my pointing out.

“And if you’re a mercenary who uses mana, wouldn’t you take on more difficult and important requests and be active? Not just taking on trivial escort missions like you. Isn’t that right?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’ll ask you directly.”

“What?”

“You weren’t just in charge of escorting during the journey, were you?”

“……Bullshit.”

“What bullshit, it’s true.”

Tak!

I slammed the list of requests that the Red Fox Mercenary Group had carried out in the past where Gillas could see it.

“These are the requests you’ve been in charge of.”

“…….”

“But it’s very strange. Even if I searched all the trading posts in Leydin, I couldn’t find a merchant who bought the goods that this trading company brought. Isn’t that strange? So I looked elsewhere, and what do you know.”

“…….”

At Gillas’s reaction of biting his lip, I presented other data.

“This is the entry and exit management record of the inner castle. Your name is clearly written here. This is also a difficult part to understand. Why would you, who only took on escort duties, follow the trading company into the inner castle? Was there a reason to maintain the escort even inside the safe Leydin?”

“…….”

“Let’s change our thinking. If you had to see and confirm the whereabouts of the goods with your own eyes from beginning to end, if there was a reason why you absolutely had to, it would make a little more sense, what do you think?”

At my question, Gillas’s eyes began to shake. Feeling that the timing was right at that sight, I took out the last question I had prepared.

“So Gillas, where were the goods you escorted supposed to go?”