How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 108

Following Dane, we headed to the underground levels of the castle.

I had no idea where we were going. Were we heading to the dungeon?

I wanted to ask, but Dane’s stiff, serious expression kept me from it, so I silently followed him.

As only our footsteps echoed in the silent passage, Dane spoke.

“When I first arrived here, I could tell they weren’t very welcoming.”

“Not welcoming?”

“Of course, it could be because Lord Coles Nide had been in power for too long. They probably saw me as a picky inspector from Windnest. I could understand that.”

“……”

“So, the first thing I did upon arriving was to inspect the castle.”

“Inspect?”

“Yes. Given the atmosphere, I couldn’t just listen to what they told me and leave. I wanted to see everything for myself.”

“So, you ran into a problem.”

“You guessed it. On my first day, I secretly wandered around the castle at dawn and ended up heading underground.”

Only the torches held by Dane and me illuminated the dark spiral staircase.

“Even then, the atmosphere was the same as now. It was dark all around, and I had to rely solely on the torch I was holding. Because of the atmosphere, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find an illegal laboratory underground.”

Indeed, descending into this lightless underground made me think all sorts of things.

“I had many fantasies. Everyone’s faces seemed to be hiding something, their uncooperative attitude, the way they treated me like a stranger.”

At the end of the spiral staircase was a thick door leading underground, with a broken lock on the handle that had already lost its value.

“Looking at this lock, I could imagine countless scenarios. They were definitely hiding something.”

“……”

Dane reached out and pushed the door, and the thick door opened smoothly, the broken lock still attached.

“When I broke the lock and first entered, I had no choice but to draw my sword when I smelled this.”

As he said, the first thing I smelled upon entering the underground was an odor that could only come from beasts.

“Since they wouldn’t raise livestock underground, I concluded that this was definitely a sinister plot, and I moved forward with my sword.”

Krrr… Krk….

At the same time, a sound like scraping metal began to be heard. A tingling sensation ran down my spine, and I also put my hand on my waist, ready to draw my sword at any time, and activated Dark Sight.

As Ebony’s energy settled in my eyes, the basement’s visibility was secured.

Contrary to expectations, there was no ominous laboratory or ugly scene of breaking the law in the basement. There was just an ordinary, wide space.

Then, I saw a light flickering in the distance.

Looking closely, I saw several guards with weapons standing guard, and behind them was a small room surrounded by iron bars.

“And I met that guy and instinctively swung my sword.”

That guy?

Before I could question the incomprehensible words, Dane began to walk towards the iron bars.

The two guards saw us and held out their hands. It was a signal to stop.

“Stop.”

Thud.

Dane and I stopped. It was an impudent order from the guard, but my attention was entirely focused on the inside of the iron bars.

Inside the iron bars guarded by the guards, a huge creature was lying down, breathing heavily.

As the shape gradually became familiar, I groaned without realizing it.

“That’s……”

“Lord Coles Nide’s everything and his legacy.”

It had the head, wings, and upper body, including the forelimbs, of a bald eagle—the national bird of America—but the lower body, hind legs, and tail were in the shape of a lion.

A monster that combined the king of birds and the king of beasts, and was used as a symbol by many nobles.

It was a Gryphon.

‘Gryphon.’

It was a monster I couldn’t possibly not know. The Gryphon was a monster widely known even to people who didn’t know fantasy.

That’s the Gryphon setting in Midland Saga.

For such a being to be in the basement of the Sky Fortress’s inner castle… I couldn’t believe it even as I was seeing it.

“Gryphon.”

“You seem to know it.”

“……How could I not know it.”

As if possessed, I moved closer, and the guard raised his hand.

“Duke Dane, do not come any closer.”

“……I understand.”

Despite the stiff attitude of the guard, whose position and status were far lower than Dane’s, Dane stepped back a few steps without complaint.

At first, I didn’t know why, but as I got closer and looked at the Gryphon in detail, I understood why.

‘Oh my god.’

A large scar was left on the Gryphon’s shoulder.

Looking at the bandage wrapped around the wound, the dark red bloodstains that were clearly from quite some time ago caught my eye. It was not a good sign. It meant that the wound was necrotizing [the tissue around the wound was dying].

‘He said he swung his sword.’

Judging from Dane’s earlier words, I could guess the situation.

Dane, who was wandering around without knowing the inside story, met the Gryphon in the basement and, mistaking it for a monster, swung his sword and inflicted a severe wound.

That’s when it happened.

“The sons of the Lindaier family are all so impatient. Both the Third Son and the First Son.”

An unexpected voice was heard.

Turning my head, I saw Alphons Riegl walking towards us through the door we had entered.

“Sir Alphons.”

“Have you heard the whole story?”

I nodded at Alphons’ question.

“I heard that when Duke Dane visited the Sky Fortress, the garrison showed an unfriendly attitude, and he investigated the castle alone, which led to the accident.”

“An unfriendly attitude. Yes, if you put it that way, it’s true.”

Alphons smiled faintly and looked at Dane.

At that, Dane slowly turned his head and avoided his gaze. It was clear that there was something I didn’t know.

“The letter sent by Count Lindaier clearly stated that the First Son, who would be visiting the Sky Fortress, should be informed of the current situation and asked whether the mission could be continued until a new lord was appointed, and if so, what form the operation should take.”

“……”

“However, as soon as the First Son visited the Sky Fortress, he demanded authority comparable to that of the lord. It was as if the Count had appointed him as the next lord of the Sky Fortress, and he only showed a compulsive desire to control everything.”

The expression on Dane’s face as I glanced at him was as if he had eaten a bug. It meant that Alphons’ words were true.

“The position of lord of the Sky Fortress is a position to which someone who is recognized and respected by all members, regardless of their status, is appointed. The Count also knows this, so he left the position of lord vacant and only asked the First Son to report on whether the mission could be continued.”

“……”

“I understand. I admit that it is not good to leave the position of lord vacant for a long time. But that doesn’t mean that the First Son has the right to arbitrarily enjoy the authority of the lord.”

In short, Dane tried to control the Sky Fortress as soon as he arrived, so they were uncooperative.

And as if to prove that was true, Dane slowly nodded.

“I admit it. I was too hasty. And it’s true that I made an irreversible mistake.”

As Dane clearly admitted his mistake and apologized, Alphons no longer blamed him.

Seeing that, I had a question and looked at Alphons.

“Still, if there was a Gryphon, you could have told me in advance.”

“When Duke Dane first set foot in the Sky Fortress, he looked quite tired from his long journey. Therefore, we decided to properly report all the facts that had been kept secret until now the next day. Who would have known that he would act on his own from the first day?”

“But he actually moved that evening.”

“Yes, even while subduing the guards who were on night duty.”

At Alphons’ words, Dane gritted his teeth.

“The guard stopped me from going underground. When I asked what was inside, he couldn’t explain it properly, so I judged that they were doing something ominous.”

“The guard was just keeping the secrets confidential. And even if something ominous was happening, what right did the First Son have to search the castle?”

Having brought up the subject in vain, Dane shut his mouth again.

With a light sigh at the sight, Alphons looked at me.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll explain the former lord’s plan to the Third Son right here.”

After finishing speaking, Alphons waved his hand, and the two guards began to light the lamps hanging on the underground wall and leave.

Seeing that, I quickly withdrew Dark Sight. I would be in trouble if they found out that my eye color had changed.

In an instant, the surroundings brightened, and the interior of the basement was fully revealed.

The atmosphere and purpose were not suitable for calling it a simple basement used as a warehouse.

As if it were someone’s sleeping place, there were feathers that seemed to belong to the Gryphon scattered on the fluffy pillows and blankets. It must be the Gryphon’s sleeping place.

In addition, there was a huge door on one wall of the basement, and fresh air was seeping in through it, so it seemed to be connected to the outside.

‘Did they dig into the rock and make a door leading to the cliff? And the Gryphon goes out and comes back through that door. Then there’s nothing strange about it.’

Anyway, judging from the appearance of the basement, it was clear that this was the Gryphon’s living space.

“So, the former lord was raising the Gryphon here.”

At my question, Alphons nodded and opened the huge door leading to the cliff.

At the same time as the door opened, the cold wind blowing from the blue mountains rushed into the basement.

As it was late, there was nothing to see. But I could imagine the Gryphon running out of the open door, flying over the cliff, and then returning.

“The lord was thinking about how to embrace this vast blue mountain range.”

“……”

At Alphons’ words, I recalled Coles Nide’s dream that I had heard from Roben.

To bring the blue mountain range under complete control and reclaim the northeastern wasteland.

Of course, I thought it was impossible.

But now that I saw the Gryphon, I could guess what Lord Coles Nide had in mind.

Lord Coles Nide was clearly trying to tame the Gryphon and use it like a warhorse. A warhorse that flies in the sky.

Just having the ability to fly exponentially increases its range of action. If we only consider the theory, if we succeed in raising the Gryphon and have a large number of them like warhorses, it is not impossible to bring the blue mountain range under control.

But that’s just theory. A dream that can never be achieved with a single Gryphon.

“……I know what the lord was thinking. But that’s not possible with just one Gryphon. The blue mountain range is not just a neighborhood mountain.”

“We knew that too.”

“Besides, this Gryphon seems to be male, but let’s say we’re lucky enough to catch a female Gryphon in the wild and succeed in taming it. Even if we do, how long will it take to commercialize it if we only breed one or two every few years? And if we inbreed the born offspring, we don’t know what imperfect appearance the next generation will show.”

Alphons, who was walking towards me, stood next to me and looked at the Gryphon.

“That’s right. Catching a female Gryphon in the wild is like picking a star from the sky, and even if we do catch one, it would be impossible to breed them with just two, even after decades.”

As if agreeing with my words, Alphons nodded and then raised his eyes.

“The lord did not fail to recognize such obvious facts. But the lord did not give up and made efforts in various ways, and soon he was able to see the fruits of his efforts. Unfortunately, he passed away before the plan was fully realized.”

“Fruits?”

At my question, Alphons nodded.

“What the Third Son is worried about is that even if we succeed in raising the Gryphon, the number will be very small, so it won’t be enough to cover the blue mountain range…… right?”

“That’s right.”

“But I have never said that the Gryphon’s breeding partner is a Gryphon.”

What? Not a Gryphon?

At my bewildered appearance, Alphons turned around.

“Follow me. There’s more you need to see.”