How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 107

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 107

Chapter 32. Sky Fortress

The Sky Fortress was designed to be self-sufficient to some extent, as it couldn’t rely on the surrounding cities or villages for support.

Of course, that didn’t mean they could enjoy a life of abundance. It only meant they could maintain a minimum standard of living. Without the supply convoys from the Lindayer family and the royal family twice a year, they wouldn’t last long.

‘Even so.’

The Sky Fortress, built amidst the blue mountains that seemed to draw curves on the map, was truly majestic.

As we followed the guards through the narrow canyon, the first thing that caught my eye was the sturdy double wall spread out over a wide basin.

The bridge connecting the narrow canyon to the basin looked ready to be raised at any moment to prepare for invasion, and the watchtowers towering high inside the walls seemed capable of securing a view beyond the canyon.

“It’s the third son of the Lindayer family! Lower the gate!”

At the shout of the guard at the head, the drawbridge that had been raised began to slowly descend.

Following the lowered drawbridge, the gate opened, and a man came out to greet us from the center.

“Knight Alphons Riegl welcomes the third son’s visit to the Sky Fortress.”

Perhaps it was because he was exposed to a lot of ultraviolet rays in the highlands, but the man had a coppery skin tone.

He looked to be in his early to mid-thirties, wearing a badge on his chest indicating his affiliation with the Wind Knights.

According to the information I had gathered in advance, Alphons Riegl was a close aide to Lord Coles Nide and served as his advisor.

Currently, there was no one as familiar with the situation here as him in the Sky Fortress.

Firmly aware of that, I dismounted and responded to Alphons’ greeting.

“It is an honor to meet the guardians of the blue mountains, whose prestige is widely spread across the continent.”

Alphons’ stiff expression softened a little at my greeting.

“Please forgive me for not going down to the foot of the mountains to greet you, even though I received a letter informing me of your arrival. It was difficult to find the time while managing the troops……”

“I am aware that the guardians are performing a noble mission. Besides, I have been ordered to serve as a knight attendant, so please treat me as a Wind Knight trainee, not as the third son.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

*Understanding, my foot.* Dane Lindayer came all the way down to the foot of the mountains to greet them.

I had a sense of what kind of attitude they would show in the future. They would thoroughly regard me as just a knight in training.

At my greeting, Rihas, who was next to me, also bowed his head.

“I am Rihas Rody. I have also come to the Sky Fortress to serve as a knight attendant.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Rihas. I hope you feel and learn a lot here.”

“Thank you for the welcome.”

After introducing himself, Alphons was about to lead the way when he suddenly looked at Loven, who was standing behind us.

“That person is……”

Alphons trailed off as he looked at Loven.

“He is my guide who took care of directions and errands on the way to the Sky Fortress. Although he is an outsider, can he stay here temporarily until we return?”

“If he is the young master’s employee, there is no reason why not. However, I will assign him to the quarters where the laborers stay. Young master, please come with me to the inner castle. I will guide you.”

There was no need to force things and stay with Loven even in a place like this.

Loven, who briefly met my gaze, nodded as if he understood my intentions, and disappeared following the guidance of another soldier with his luggage and horse.

“Were there any inconveniences on the way?”

“There weren’t any major difficulties. It’s just that many annoying things stuck to us.”

Alphons nodded at my words, referring to monsters.

“Perhaps it was because the number of your party was small.”

“Is the supply convoy different?”

“Since there is a certain scale of mobilization, petty monsters tend to avoid them on their own.”

“That’s a relief.”

At my answer, Alphons nodded as he looked at my cloak, which was soaked in blood.

“Anyway, I don’t think I need to tell you more about the situation in the blue mountains. It seems like you’ve experienced it enough.”

“Painfully so.”

Nodding, I passed through the outer walls of the Sky Fortress and entered the inner walls.

Then, another scene unfolded.

If the outer walls of the double walls were strictly for combat, the inside of the inner walls was a space for living.

There were shabby but seemingly cozy houses, pubs that seemed to be used as rest areas, and a smithy next to the barracks where soldiers trained.

“It’s quite large for a simple fortress.”

“It is the result of continuous expansion over a long period of time. If you look at the original blueprints from when it was first built hundreds of years ago, it is much smaller than this. Ah, that is the castle where you will be staying, young master.”

And at the innermost part of the Sky Fortress, a small castle where the lord seemed to reside stood firmly.

The back of the castle was a cliff with nothing else. When I glanced down, I couldn’t see the end because of the clouds below.

“The back of the castle is a cliff.”

“Yes. It is the most open place in the Sky Fortress. From the top floor, you can see the blue mountains and the northeastern part of the kingdom. When the weather is clear without a single cloud, you can even see the northern cities faintly.”

“Even the northern cities?”

“Yes.”

Well, I heard that you can see Songdo, Incheon [cities in South Korea] from Lotte Tower [a tall skyscraper in Seoul] when the weather is good, so it’s not an impossible story.

The two guards who were guarding the castle gate bowed their heads when they saw Alphons and me.

“Let’s go in. I’ve had someone prepare a warm bath in advance. Ah, it’s almost dinner time, so I’m thinking of holding a small banquet to welcome the young master’s visit. I hope you will attend and grace the occasion.”

What I had been carefully observing from the castle gate to here was Alphons’ treatment of me.

From what I had heard, the people here treated Dane like a passing dog.

But strangely, Alphons didn’t show any particular hostility or disregard towards me.

The reason was not difficult to guess. Dane was here not as a knight in training, but to inspect the Sky Fortress, which was without a lord, on behalf of the Count.

On the other hand, I came as a simple knight in training. It meant that there was no need to be wary of me like Dane.

‘I have no idea what’s going on.’

Well, I’ll find out soon enough.

After entering the castle, the accommodation I was assigned to consisted only of a living room with a bed and a desk, and a small bathroom.

Judging from the fact that Rihas was assigned to the room next to mine, it seemed that they had no intention of treating me as the third son at all.

But there was no need to worry about it. It’s not like I’m going to live here for thousands of years anyway. I just need to finish my work and leave.

I went straight to the bathroom, washed myself clean, and put on the clothes I had taken off again.

I heard that the Sky Fortress is always short of supplies. So, it would be a luxury to expect new clothes and towels every time like in the territory.

When I rummaged through the closet, there was a white cloak that the guards used. Replacing the blood-soaked cloak with it, I transformed into a cleaner appearance.

After opening the door and coming out, Rihas was already waiting in the hallway.

“Have you come out?”

“You came out quickly.”

“I can’t keep the young master waiting.”

“Still, I’m in knight training for now, so don’t make it too obvious.”

“I understand.”

Rihas smiled and came next to me.

“I heard that the banquet hall was prepared by converting the internal conference room. It seems you can go up to the upper floor.”

“Really? Then let’s go.”

The inside of the castle was quiet.

There were no maids or servants that you would usually see. Well, this is a special place called the Sky Fortress, so there would be hardly any ordinary people.

As we went up the stairs, a fairly large hall appeared.

Food was already set on a long, wide table in the center. It wasn’t a feast. It was all warm stew, smoked meat, bread, cheese, and some wine and fruit.

Of course, this would be a great dinner in the Sky Fortress.

And around the table, there were a dozen people who had arrived earlier.

Alphons was also there. He was sitting on the left, leaving the lord’s seat empty, and on his right was someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.

It was my brother and the eldest son of the family, Dane Lindayer, with hair a little darker, closer to charcoal gray than mine, and eyes that seemed a little weary.

“Ah, have you arrived?”

Seeing me enter, Alphons stood up from his seat. As a signal, everyone except Dane stood up from their seats and looked at me.

“Nice to meet you. I am Cain Lindayer, here at the Sky Fortress for knight training. And this is Knight Rihas Rody, who came with me for training.”

Starting with my words, the people here introduced themselves one by one.

Excluding Dane and Alphons, there were a total of twelve people, half of whom were Wind Knights and the rest were commanders who controlled the troops here.

“You must be hungry, please sit down.”

Guided by Alphons, I sat in the center and received the wine he poured. At the same time, the rest of the people began to pour wine into their glasses.

As everyone held up their filled glasses, Alphons smiled and opened his mouth.

“To the knight training of the third son.”

I also responded to that.

“To the Sky Fortress and the guardians who protect the blue mountains.”

We toasted in a friendly atmosphere, and I mingled with them on the outside while watching Dane out of the corner of my eye.

Dane just sipped the wine without saying a word.

I wondered about it.

‘What the hell happened?’

What made Dane, who was always confident, so dejected?

The small banquet ended as early as its size. Considering the mission of the Sky Fortress, they couldn’t afford to get drunk senselessly, so it was even more so.

Thus, only Dane and I remained in the hall as everyone left.

After going to close the door of the hall, I looked around, but there were no listening ears. It seemed to be a consideration to allow the brothers to reconcile after a long time.

Returning to the table, I poured wine and sat in front of Dane.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while.”

Dane, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth at my greeting.

It was hard to believe that he was the Dane who had always shown high self-esteem.

“I didn’t know I would meet you here.”

“Is that so?”

“I also didn’t know that I would feel happy to see your sharp tongue.”

Dane, who let out a weak laugh, drank the wine.

“More than that, I received a letter and knew it, but did you really pass the knight exam? As a formal knight, too?”

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

“My ominous premonitions never seem to be wrong.”

“Ominous premonitions?”

“When I saw you when you came back from the capital, I suddenly had a thought. Maybe you will soon catch up with the advantages I have. And that anxiety has now become a reality.”

The advantages Dane was talking about must have meant swordsmanship and mana.

“Now that I’m jealous, what childish feeling would that be?”

Dane poured wine and handed me a glass.

“Anyway, congratulations on becoming a knight. Lindayer’s power has become stronger.”

Although we are rivals, one thing was certain. What Dane ultimately pursues is the revival of the Lindayer family.

That’s why, just as he congratulated me on the day I won the tournament and enhanced the family’s honor in the past, he can still congratulate me on passing the knight exam now.

“Thank you.”

Dane and I lightly clinked glasses and drank the wine.

“That’s right, the reason you came here isn’t really knight training, is it? My father wouldn’t bother with such unnecessary procedures.”

“That’s right.”

“Then the reason you came here is obvious. Let’s see who can clean up the chaotic Sky Fortress first, something like that.”

I also nodded at Dane’s words; he didn’t bother to beat around the bush.

“Probably.”

“Then I can roughly guess what you’re going to ask me now.”

“Will you answer?”

Dane chuckled at my question.

“There’s no reason why I can’t.”

He’s going to answer? I thought he would refuse. From Dane’s point of view, I would be a competitor.

But Dane, as if laughing at my thoughts, let out a bitter smile.

“Because it’s not a problem that you can solve even if you know it.”

“……”

“It’s better to see it with your own eyes than to explain it in words.”

“What do you mean by seeing it directly?”

“Follow me. I’ll show you the truth of the Sky Fortress.”