How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 114

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 115

Late at night, after the boisterous banquet ended.

I faced Loven alone in the conference room.

“So, you’re going to take on the role of lord of the Sky Fortress?”

“Yes.”

“Has this been discussed with the Count?”

“Not yet.”

“But the way you talk, it sounds like it’s already decided.”

“Well, I have a plan in mind. I believe the Count will not be able to refuse my proposal.”

“You seem quite confident. So, what do you intend to do after becoming the lord?”

“I have things I need to do, so I plan to find a proxy for the time being.”

“Don’t even think about asking me. I don’t want to take on such a heavy responsibility.”

“Yes, I wasn’t planning on asking Sir Loven to do that.”

“Then who are you thinking of?”

“Sir Alphonse would be the most suitable. He has proven his ability by leading the Sky Fortress well even after Lord Coles’ passing.”

“But I’m worried he’s been overshadowed by Coles for too long.”

“That’s something Sir Loven can help with from the side.”

“What can an old man like me do to help?”

“You’ve spent over twenty years in the *Sudogisadan* [Capital Knights Order], yet you’re so dramatic.”

“Alright. Since I’ve decided to stay in the Sky Fortress, I’ll have to earn my keep. Besides, it’s Coles’ will, not someone else’s.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“That can’t be all, can it?”

At Loven’s question, I nodded and handed him a document that I had been organizing for the past few days.

“This outlines the plan for how to train the Hippogryphs in the future.”

Loven tilted his head without even reading what I handed him.

“Isn’t that already decided? To have them carry knights, patrol the *Pureun Sanmaek* [Blue Mountain Range], and subjugate monsters.”

“That’s just a short-term goal. Eventually, as the security in the northeast stabilizes and becomes self-sufficient, their value as a subjugation force will diminish.”

“You mean you have something else in mind.”

“Yes. I want to utilize Sir Loven’s experience to train them into a systematically trained regular army, not just a monster subjugation force.”

“A regular army? They are already powerful soldiers.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I want to create a special military force that only the Sky Fortress can possess.”

“…….”

At my words, Loven twitched his eyebrows.

“Are you saying you want to create a knight order?”

A knight order.

It sounds grand, but a knight order is what you make of it.

If I create a knight order, gather talent, and appoint them as knights, that’s a knight order.

Whether others will recognize that knight order is not something I need to worry about.

The Hippogryphs already have enough potential. Their value will naturally be proven over time without much effort.

“Broadly speaking, yes. I want to create a knight order.”

“Well, will the Count accept it willingly? You are still a young lord. Raising a private army could be seen as plotting treason.”

“When I become a minor lord, I will receive a title befitting the position. That will give me enough qualification to establish my own knight order.”

“You’re saying you want to create your own knight order with the Count’s support? The Count isn’t a fool; he won’t just give you funds.”

“No. Of course, it’s my knight order, so I have to create it with my own ability.”

“You’re not thinking of the knight order as just a neighborhood patrol, are you?”

“Of course not.”

At my firm answer, Loven shook his head.

“I’m curious about the source of your confidence.”

The source of my confidence.

Well, I do have something to believe in.

“There is something. Anyway, please proceed step by step according to the plan I gave you.”

Only then did Loven begin to slowly read the plan I had handed him.

It took quite a while. Loven didn’t skip a single word, carefully trying to understand it.

“……You have big dreams.”

“Do I?”

“The theory is passable, but who is there to put this into practice? You said you’d appoint a proxy, so you won’t be doing it yourself.”

“Shouldn’t the knight order commander do it?”

“Knight order commander?”

Loven, who had been looking at me silently, finally realized my intention and frowned.

“Are you telling me to take on the role of commander of this knight order?”

“What else can I do? As Sir Loven said, I don’t have anyone suitable, and I can’t do it myself.”

“Too much time has passed since I retired from active duty. My whole body aches when it rains.”

“That’s why you’re even more needed. Even if we can somehow find talented trainees, finding a veteran is like finding a star in the sky. Besides, I think you’re still in good shape.”

“This guy really…….”

“Just think of it as nurturing successors in your old age. It’s not like I’m asking you to fight on the front lines. Lord Coles and his wife would want Sir Loven to fulfill his unfulfilled dreams.”

“Why are my wife and Coles coming up here!”

“That’s just an expression.”

As I shrugged, Sir Loven leaned back in his chair and let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re the most shameless person I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“In return, if you take on the role, I’ll give you a gift.”

“A gift?”

“I’ll let you name the knight order yourself.”

“The name of the knight order.”

“Think about it. The knight order that Sir Loven personally named and nurtured gaining fame on the continent. Isn’t that the ambition every knight dreams of?”

“The name of the knight order?”

“Well, of course, something like the Loven Knight Order wouldn’t work.”

“Are you even saying that right now?”

Loven answered curtly, but I could see his eyes wavering.

He showed a similar reaction when I suggested the play with the Griffin’s treatment, and he eventually agreed. Loven will probably accept it.

“……Ambition. I’ve been given a daunting task in my old age.”

As expected, Loven, who had been pondering deeply, let out a hollow laugh and finally accepted my proposal.

“I’ll teach them the way I learned.”

“Yes. Unless it’s a knockoff of the Wind Knights, that’s what you should do. Besides, if it’s the *Sudogisadan’s* [Capital Knights Order] method, I welcome it with open arms.”

“To do that, you’ll need considerable funds, as I said earlier.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Even though Hippogryphs are the main force, you need someone with the ability to handle mana to lead them on the battlefield. That means you have to recruit free knights, but do you know how much they cost?”

To lead on the front lines, you need to have the skills that your subordinates can trust and follow, so his opinion was reasonable.

But I couldn’t think of many people right now.

Even though he’s my escort knight, Ruth is still a member of the Wind Knights, so it’s impossible.

Ilia probably has the ability and is smart enough. But I have plans to use her elsewhere, so recruitment was necessary after all.

“Don’t worry about the funds; just make a plan.”

“Even if we postpone recruiting knights until we have a foundation, we need at least 2,000 gold coins as initial capital. Is that possible?”

……2,000 gold coins as initial capital?

Well, we have to take care of the food, clothing, and shelter of all the knights, buy weapons, and build new training facilities, so we need that much.

If I empty out everything I earned from the tournament, I can roughly match it.

“Yes. I have that much.”

“You’re richer than you look? But that’s just the initial capital. You’ll probably need three or four times more as time goes on.”

It was definitely a scene that made me realize why knight orders are called money-eating hippos.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to back out. I’ve always wanted to create my own force that would move according to my will.

In that situation, I met the Sky Fortress and the Griffins, which have unlimited potential, so I can’t miss this opportunity.

“Don’t worry.”

“Are you sure? If you give up halfway, there will be more than one or two people who will be in trouble.”

“Don’t worry. I’m the type to keep my word.”

“If that’s the case.”

Loven nodded, put the document with my plan in his arms, and nodded.

“I accept.”

“I understand. Then I will return to Wind Nest as soon as it dawns. I’ll complete all the procedures there and send you a letter.”

Is there about three or four hours left until morning?

Feeling the drowsiness coming over me, I got up from my seat and held out my hand to Loven.

“I look forward to working with you in the future. Commander.”

“I’m hearing the word ‘commander’ now, which I couldn’t even hear when I was on active duty. The world is a strange place.”

A new passion was already blooming on Loven’s face.

* * *

I only closed my eyes for a moment, but it was already completely bright.

Feeling the fatigue that hadn’t completely gone away, I roughly washed up, packed my bags, and came out to find Alphonse waiting for me.

“Are you going back?”

“I have to. I have to go back and report to the Count about what happened.”

“I’ll provide you with troops to escort you out of the *Pureun Sanmaek* [Blue Mountain Range].”

“Yes. Please do. Where are First Prince Dane and Sir Rihas?”

“They’re waiting for you in the barracks, warming up.”

“Is that so?”

With the thought of what kind of commotion it was from the morning, I headed outside the inner castle.

The training ground was full of guards who seemed to be off duty. They were drawing a circle, watching the two people sparring.

“Oh, Third Prince.”

Some people recognized my face and made way for me.

As I trudged along the path that had been created, I saw two men sweating and lightly exchanging swords.

“What’s with the swordsmanship from the morning? Hurry up and prepare to return to Wind Nest.”

“Oh, you’re up?”

Dane sheathed his sword when he saw me.

“You come too.”

“I just washed up.”

“Really? Then can I take it as a forfeit?”

“Forfeit?”

Rihas, who was catching his breath in front of Dane, smiled brightly at my question.

“Anyway, the First Prince, the Third Prince, and I are the only three returning to Wind Nest, right? So we were deciding the night watch order by sparring.”

“If you forfeit, you’ll be in charge of the middle watch all the way to Wind Nest. Are you okay with that?”

Generally, the first and last watches are the best. There’s nothing more annoying than waking up from sleep to stand guard and then going back to sleep.

Well, that’s fine. If it’s a little entertainment before leaving, it wouldn’t be bad to join in.

Besides, there are many eyes watching around. I’m going to be the next lord, so it would be good to show off my skills appropriately.

Nodding, I crossed my arms and looked at Dane and Rihas.

“It’s no fun just betting on the watch. How about betting on the drinks at the village we stop by on the way?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea?”

When Rihas agreed to my suggestion, Dane also smiled.

“Okay. Drinks too.”

“Then the story changes.”

Dropping the backpack I was carrying, I took out my sword and stepped forward.

The guards who were watching whistled, waved their hands, and cheered at the sight.

“What are the rules?”

I asked, drawing my sword after taking off my cloak, and Dane smiled.

“Only pure swordsmanship without mana. Three wins.”

“What’s the score between the two of you right now?”

“Two to zero. But his swordsmanship is quite sharp for a newbie.”

“What does it matter? I’m going to win anyway.”

“Look at this guy? His confidence is sky-high?”

Without bothering to answer, I drew my sword and provocatively raised my hand and beckoned.

At the sight, Dane smiled and drew his sword as well, aiming it at me.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

“When have you ever gone easy on me?”

Perhaps because the long-standing worries had been relieved?

The Dane of the past, who always seemed to be carrying a heavy burden, was gone. He was just enjoying the situation itself.

‘It must be a good sign.’

Let’s just think of him as a simple and steadfast cousin.