How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 29

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 29

Chapter 11. Return

“It’s the castle.”

Wind Nest came into view in the distance.

The castle’s atmosphere was serene. The biting wind contributed to this, and the fact that it would be a while before the weather warmed up only added to the feeling.

When we departed, it was a sizable group, as we were also taking supplies, but on the return, it was just Gilian, Ruth, a carriage carrying Drosh’s body, and a few coachmen.

A truly simple composition.

However, the castle’s reaction to our arrival was anything but simple.

“It’s the Young Master! Open the gates!”

The heavy castle gates swung open, and the drawbridge lowered, kicking up dust.

Perhaps it was because a messenger had been sent ahead before our departure. It felt as if they had been preparing in advance.

To top it off, as soon as we entered the castle, a completely different scene unfolded, as if the earlier tranquility had never existed.

Knights stood lined up on either side of the main road.

Clang!

Upon confirming our arrival, the knights drew their swords in unison and raised them high, assuming a position of honor.

“Waaaah!”

“Glory to the Wind Knights!”

“The light and hope of the territory!”

The territory residents behind the knights cheered and scattered flower petals. I had no idea where they had found flowers in this season.

Feeling awkward, I hesitated for a moment, and Gilian offered his hand.

“It’s a path for you, Young Master. Let us proceed.”

He announced the victory as plainly as possible.

He neither excessively inflated my achievements nor diminished those of others.

The problem was whether people would take it at face value. Given my image, I was concerned that they might think I had stolen Gilian’s accomplishments.

“The Nightmare of the North has knelt before the Third Young Master!”

“Glory to the Third Young Master!”

“Long live the Wind Knights! Long live the Third Young Master!”

My worries were unfounded.

I was mistaken. It wasn’t important to them who had achieved the victory. It seemed that the only thing that mattered was the fact that the Blade Tribe had been defeated.

I took the lead, followed by Gilian and Ruth.

How long did we walk, receiving the knights’ salute and the territory residents’ welcome?

The plaza came into view.

A towering gallows caught my eye. It was clear who it was for – a place for Drosh.

“Cain.”

And in front of that gallows…

The Count stood in full dress uniform.

If he was coming out to greet us so formally, it was obvious how pleased he was with the victory.

Thud!

I dismounted cleanly and knelt in obeisance.

The cheering around me subsided. Silence filled the plaza, where a large crowd had gathered. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for my next words.

“I, your son, have returned after punishing the cruel Nightmare of the North, the Blade Tribe, who oppressed the good people of the territory, in the name of Lindayer.”

The cringe was overwhelming, but what could I do? He would like this.

Glancing at the Count, I saw him smiling for once, even though he was usually so stern.

Of course, it was just a slight movement of the corners of his lips, but that was enough of a change.

“I express my gratitude on behalf of the family for your achievements.”

A brief remark.

However, the meaning behind it was by no means small.

Following that, the Count approached Gilian, who was still kneeling.

“Esteban.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“I have merely assisted the Young Master.”

“That is the most difficult thing of all.”

Next, the Count approached Ruth.

Ruth’s body was trembling, as if he was extremely nervous.

Well, how much attention would he have received from the Count while working as a mere subordinate?

“Lord Meyer.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“I express my gratitude for your dedication.”

“I have only done what I ought to do.”

The Count chuckled and patted Ruth on the shoulder, causing Ruth to bow his head even further, as if he wanted to bore into the ground.

“Hang his body on the gallows.”

At the Count’s command, soldiers moved to transfer Drosh’s body from the carriage.

Then, it was hoisted onto the gallows so that everyone could see it clearly.

“Chief Butler.”

At the Count’s words, the Chief Butler, who was standing beside him, bowed his head.

“Yes, Lord.”

“Open the warehouse and release food and wine. Today, everyone belonging to Wind Nest will commemorate the Third Young Master’s achievements and remember the death of the vile culprit.”

“Waaaaaah!”

The plaza was filled with the cheers of the crowd at the Count’s words.

* * *

“Hooah, I’m melting, melting.”

Soaking in the tub to relieve the accumulated fatigue, nothing in the world could be more enviable.

The castle was bustling outside. Everyone was moving to celebrate Drosh’s death with a festival.

“Young Master.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

“It’s me!”

I turned my head at the sudden call and saw Leo standing there. Leo, holding a tray with a glass on it, bowed his head and scurried over to my side.

“It’s been a while, Leo.”

“I don’t know how long I’ve been waiting.”

“Is your body feeling better?”

Leo smiled and nodded.

In fact, Leo is the one who has undergone the biggest change, more so than Ruth or I. He has risen from a mere stable boy to my exclusive attendant.

His attire has also been upgraded to a neat dress uniform, and he has received training to assist me.

“Young Master.”

Leo handed me a glass of juice with ice in it.

Ah, a cool juice while soaking in warm water. It felt like I was being compensated for all the hardships I had endured.

“By the way, how did you catch him?”

“Catch who?”

“The Blade Tribe, I mean.”

“Ah, that guy?”

Leo nodded with wide eyes.

“The entire territory is buzzing about it. How you caught him, Young Master.”

“Hmm. What’s the reaction like?”

“What do you mean by reaction…?”

“Is there any talk about me stealing the Knight Commander’s credit, or anything like that?”

“Oh, no. The Knight Commander has already stepped forward to announce it.”

“Announced it?”

“He said that he was only following your orders, Young Master. That everything was your plan.”

“I see.”

That Gilian, the more I see of him, the more I like him.

“Who is the Knight Commander? He’s someone who would speak his mind to the Lord if something was wrong. Who would doubt you, Young Master, when someone like that steps forward to defend you?”

I’ve scored big points with such a person, so it seems like it will be quite easy to do anything from now on.

“So, Young Master, wouldn’t you give me a little hint as to how you caught him?”

“Are you that curious?”

“Yes, I’m very curious!”

Alright. I was getting bored being alone in the tub anyway.

I drank the juice and told Leo about what had happened. Of course, I adapted the story about the magic stone and the demon appropriately.

That alone was enough.

Leo constantly exclaimed ‘Wow,’ ‘Ah!’ and ‘Really?’ as if he were listening to a heroic tale.

“That’s roughly what happened.”

“Amazing. Wow, that’s really amazing.”

I’m starting to feel embarrassed listening to it.

Knock, knock!

It was then.

A small but clear knock was heard. Leo got up and opened the door to reveal a maid.

“Young Master.”

“What is it?”

“The Lord said that there will be a banquet tonight.”

“I figured. Who else is attending besides me?”

“The Lord, the Wind Knight Commander, the First Young Master, and…”

“It’s me, little brother!”

What?

A figure entered through the open door.

A slender physique. He was taller than Dane, with long, gray hair tied back.

Sane Lindayer.

The second young master of the Lindayer family, who likes to manipulate people with the gold in his hands.

It’s our first meeting. I haven’t met him once since entering the novel. I heard he was away on business to develop the territory, but he’s back?

“Get out.”

The maid stepped back at Sane’s words.

Leo, on the other hand, looked at me. Sane’s eyebrows twitched at that.

“What are you doing? Get out.”

“Go ahead, Leo.”

There’s no need for a shrimp to get caught in a whale fight.

After Leo left, only Sane and I remained in the room.

“Little brother, it’s been a while!”

Sane walked over and sat down next to the tub.

Then, he scanned my body up and down. It was uncomfortable to be looked at like an object.

“Do you have something to say?”

“…You seem to have changed.”

Changed?

“Wow. Where did my skinny little brother go? Look at those muscles. Your eyes have become sharper too. It’s been a while, but you’ve changed too much.”

“What’s your business?”

“Oh, you’re dropping the honorifics now? So, you’ve been racking up achievements, huh?”

“…”

“I heard. You gave your brother a hard time? I’ve been planning this all along, but you stole the show.”

Is he talking about the bet with Dane?

“So, you’re going to the founding anniversary this time?”

“That’s what happened.”

“Yeah. You’ve been stuck in the north all your life, so you must be frustrated. You should go to the capital this time, smell some powder, and chase some skirts [enjoy the social scene and flirt with women].”

Sane chuckled and scratched his chin.

“But, how did you win over Gilian, that guy?”

“Win over?”

“What did you say to make him turn all the credit over to you and wipe his mouth clean? He’s as stubborn as an ox.”

“Are you talking about the subjugation [the act of defeating or bringing someone under control]?”

“Yeah. What did you bet? He said he didn’t want a sack of gold or a woman.”

Look at what he’s thinking. What a dirty bastard.

He doesn’t think I did it, no matter what? Well, I guess it’s understandable. He’s seen what I’ve been like all this time.

Still, isn’t this suspicion too low-level?

“I don’t know. Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

“Ah. It’s a secret that can’t be told? But little brother. Even so, I have a little worry.”

“Worry?”

“I’m worried that our good little brother might have other intentions.”

This guy or that guy.

I don’t know how their repertoire is the same.

“Other intentions?”

“No matter how hungry you are, you shouldn’t try to take what belongs to others, little brother.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really don’t know?”

Sane smiled and tossed the shawl that was about to fall into the tub over his shoulder.

Then, he leaned down and met my gaze. Sane, who was looking at me with drowsy eyes, licked his lips.

“Don’t act up too much. Behave yourself while I and your brother are treating you like a good brother.”

“…”

Sane got up, fiddling with the fancy ring on his hand.

“Well, it’s good that you’re trying to work hard as a member of the family, even now. It’s very commendable. But little brother, you have to know your place.”

Sane stepped back and slowly drew his finger across his neck.

“You may not know it, but there are people in the world who will do anything for money.”

After speaking, Sane turned and left the room. I was left alone for a moment, and cold air filled the empty room.

A threat.

I laughed. It’s not that I didn’t expect it. Dane is a stubborn and inflexible guy, so he would refrain from such cowardly threats.

But Sane is different. He’s the kind of guy who would put poison in my food if necessary. He might hire an assassin to put a hole in the back of my head.

‘That’s why I’ve been training so hard.’

Of course, I’m safe as long as I’m in the territory.

No matter how reckless Sane is, he wouldn’t do anything stupid in the Count’s territory.

The problem is outside the territory.

Ruth can’t be by my side 24 hours a day. So, I gritted my teeth and swung my sword. At least I need to be able to protect myself.

As a result, I gained mana.

If Sane, unaware of this, moves first, it means I’m ready to counterattack.

If I had acted relying only on the knowledge in the novel, I would have been greatly restricted.

‘Money.’

Well, other things aside.

It’s not that all of Sane’s words are unreasonable. I agree with the statement that money can do anything. It’s also true that there are people who will do anything for money.

Yeah. It’s true that I can’t afford Sane’s wealth right now.

That doesn’t mean I can just sit still.

“Leo!”

I called out in a loud voice, and Leo, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Go and tell Ruth. Tell him to come to me after midnight tonight. Tell him to be discreet so that others don’t know.”

“I understand.”

I watched Leo nod and head out, then I downed the remaining juice.

Wealth, the power of gold.

That’s Sane’s weapon.

But, so what?

I can earn that kind of money too.