How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 115

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 116

Chapter 33. Unexpected News

The gate guards greeted Dain, Rihas, and me as we returned to Windnest after our long journey.

“Welcome back.”

It’s what I always hear upon returning, but only after hearing it do I truly feel like I’m home.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Rihas, looking gaunt after having his mind and purse emptied by night watch duties and bar tabs, announced our arrival.

“You’ve worked hard, Rihas. Return to the Knights and get some rest.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Your knight training isn’t completely finished yet, so be mindful of your actions.”

“Understood.”

As my conversation with Rihas ended, Dain looked at me.

“Cain, are you planning to see Father right away?”

“I should.”

“Right. There’s no need for me to go with you now.”

“Unless you enjoy being compared and scolded.”

Dain nodded, remembering his misdeeds at the Sky Fortress.

“It’s better to get the scolding over with sooner, but I want to postpone Father’s scolding as much as possible.”

“I understand.”

“It’s best to rest well at the Knights and then see him with a clear mind.”

Dain sighed deeply, as if he was very worried.

Well, even I find him difficult to deal with, so it’s better to manage your mental state a bit before meeting him.

As we headed towards the inner castle, Rihas and Dain parted ways to go to the Knights.

Suddenly left alone, I entered the Lord’s Castle with an unfamiliar feeling.

A servant who had been waiting, having been notified in advance, took my luggage, and a groom led the horse away.

The person who appeared next was the familiar-faced butler.

“You’ve arrived.”

“I notified you in advance this time,” I joked, remembering him scolding me for returning without notice last time.

“I’m most grateful.”

“There’s much to be grateful for. More importantly, where is the Lord?”

“The Lord is in his office. Would you like to see him right away?”

“There’s no need to drag things out.”

“I will inform the Lord immediately.”

“Do that. By the way, are there any letters for me?”

The butler nodded at my question.

“There are, but not addressed to you personally, young master.”

“Then?”

“It’s from an informant planted by the Lindaier family.”

“So, it’s for the Lord.”

“But it’s something you should also be aware of.”

“Is that so? What is it about?”

At my question, the butler pointed towards the office.

“It would be best to hear it directly from the Lord.”

* * *

The Count’s face, as he worked in his office, remained as indifferent as ever.

“You’ve come.”

“Yes, I have returned.”

“Where is Dain?”

“He’s at the Knights. He said he would visit after I report to you first.”

“The competition is over, I see.”

The Count, realizing that I had won the competition with Dain, nodded.

“Then, I will now report the results of the Sky Fortress inspection.”

The Count nodded as I silently prepared the report.

“I understand. Let’s hear it.”

After that, words flowed mechanically from my mouth. I had memorized the words I had to say countless times while coming from the Sky Fortress to Windnest, so it was only natural.

At first, the Count listened with his body leaning against the back of his chair, but as my story progressed, he adjusted his posture.

“The report.”

At the brief command, I handed over the prepared documents. The Count read it carefully for a long time and smacked his lips.

“Coles really made a mess.”

The Count, mentioning Coles Nide’s name, sighed lightly.

“Is this why you resisted returning so much, even when I told you to come back?”

“Yes.”

“He left a great gift without being able to repay it. What a pathetic man.”

The Count clicked his tongue and then picked up a quill pen, took a blank piece of paper, and began to scribble on it.

“In honor of Lord Coles Nide’s achievements, I intend to give the Nide family a fitting reward.”

After placing a period, the Count folded the paper, put it in an envelope, poured wax, and stamped it with his seal.

“Is that the end of the report?”

“Yes, but I have something else to say.”

“Something to say?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

What came out of my mouth next was the agreement with Dain and the request for the position of Lord of the Sky Fortress.

The Count’s reaction, as he listened silently, was subtle. It was an expression that was impossible to tell whether it was positive or negative.

“You give up the position of head of the family, but you want to be a sub-lord? That doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t mean a sub-lord as the heir to the family.”

“Then?”

“It’s just that I want to obtain the name of sub-lord as a title befitting the important mission I have received.”

“An important mission?”

“I will take on the important task of maintaining security in the northeast by taking charge of the Sky Fortress.”

“You want the fiefdom [land granted by a lord] that you receive as a sub-lord to be the Sky Fortress? But the heir to the family is still Dain Lindaier?”

“That’s roughly it.”

“That’s a crazy story. I’ve never seen such a case anywhere on the continent.”

“You can just attach a justification. You can say that First Son Dain is focusing on heir lessons and his range of activities is narrow.”

“Taking heir lessons?”

“In fact, which noble family is as careful in determining an heir as our family? Most of them determine the succession of the eldest son very early on and start lessons from then on. People will probably think that the selection was late, so they started late.”

“…….”

The Count, pondering my proposal, slowly opened his mouth.

“I’ll ask you one by one.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you giving up the position of head of the family?”

“I thought the First Son would be more suitable for the position of head of the family.”

“You’re not talking about ability.”

“Yes. I don’t have as much of a sense of duty as the First Son.”

“I agree. You’re so black-hearted that you’re treacherous.”

“……Treacherous?”

“Well, even if Dain’s work is lacking, he has the steadfastness to lead the family. He’s also diligent in his training, so the lacking parts can be taught little by little.”

The Count nodded.

“So, instead of giving up the future position of head of the family, you want to be sure to receive the position of sub-lord right now.”

“Yes.”

“It’s ridiculous that two of my children are trading with what is originally mine. It’s not even funny.”

“Wouldn’t that be better for you, Count?”

“Better?”

“It’s still better for the eldest son to be the heir from the perspective of those around you, and it’s also true that there are still overwhelmingly more nobles who support Dain.”

“You left out the rest of the story.”

“In fact, if I had coveted the position of head of the family, I would have been confident that I could turn the nobles’ hearts around. But I don’t want to undermine the family’s power by going through such competition.”

“Still not persuasive enough.”

At the Count’s still dissatisfied words, I finally sighed.

“It’s because I can’t stand inheriting something that I didn’t build, just because I was born into a good family.”

The Count, twitching his lips at my answer, finally burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

“…….”

“Have I ever seen such a brazen fellow? But there’s an error in your words. The position of sub-lord and the Sky Fortress are also obtained thanks to your status, aren’t they?”

“That’s just the way it is. How can I really start from scratch? I could do it if I had to, but I think it’s an unnecessary waste of time.”

“Always talking back.”

The Count snorted and nodded.

“So, after seeing the griffons and hippogriffs, you became greedy?”

“…….”

“If not, you wouldn’t have changed your attitude like flipping your hand. Maybe after seeing those two, you suddenly had ambitions.”

As expected, the Count’s eyes were sharp, as if he hadn’t won the Count’s position with GoStop [a Korean card game].

“Yes, that’s right. After seeing those two, I wanted to raise them with my own hands.”

“What do you mean by raising them?”

“I want to create a knight order using those two.”

“Knight order?”

“Yes. A knight order.”

The Count, who had been lost in thought for a moment, chuckled.

“A knight order that flies in the sky. That would be wonderful. So, who does that knight order follow?”

“Cain, the Lord of the Sky Fortress.”

“Then there will be no additional support except for the budget and supply corps that maintained the existing Sky Fortress. It means that you have to build the knight order solely with your own ability. Can you handle it?”

“Yes.”

“At the same time, as the Lord of the Sky Fortress, you must uphold the will of Lord Coles Nide. Can you stabilize the security of the northeast?”

“Yes.”

“If you fail to keep even one of the two things I mentioned earlier, I will immediately revoke your qualification as Lord of the Sky Fortress. Do you agree?”

“Yes. Instead, under the premise that the two promises are kept, please clearly recognize the autonomy of the Sky Fortress.”

“If you perform the given task well, why would I interfere?”

“Then…….”

The Count nodded at the question asking for my answer.

“I will appoint you as a sub-lord, grant you a title, and give you the Sky Fortress as a fiefdom.”

“Thank you.”

“Instead, from today onwards, Dain will take the official position of heir to the Lindaier family. You have no complaints, do you?”

“Yes.”

“Then, are you thinking of becoming independent from the family?”

It was the Count’s question of whether I would leave the Lindaier name and create a new family.

Of course, I had no intention of doing so. There was no need to throw away a strong background.

“No. I will continue to have the Lindaier name.”

“You will act separately, but you will take all the advantages of being a member of the family?”

“I won’t say no.”

“That’s your freedom, so I won’t say anything. But you know that you can’t escape the responsibility of the Lindaier family unless you become independent.”

“Yes.”

“Then good. Everything I said earlier will be kept.”

The Count, having made a decision, leaned back in his chair and took a low breath.

“I feel like all the aching teeth have been pulled out.”

How much heartache had he suffered over the matter of the heir? Now that he had confirmed everything, the Count’s face was filled with relief.

“Ah, and Count.”

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“When I met the butler earlier, I heard that a letter had arrived.”

“…….”

“He told me it was something I needed to know.”

“Ahem.”

When I asked, belatedly remembering the butler’s words, the Count groaned with a troubled face.

“Is it serious?”

At my question, the Count silently took out the neatly folded letter from the desk drawer.

It had been read and reread so many times that the end of the paper was stained black.

“It’s a rumor that will spread soon, but it’s better to know in advance.”

“What is it about?”

“Do you know that a civil war has broken out in the Vashrun Duchy?”

I know. That’s why I even saw Fleta off in person.

But the current me shouldn’t know that fact, so I widened my eyes and made a surprised expression.

“Is that so?”

“It’s better to see it directly first.”

I carefully received the letter that the Count handed me and unfolded it.

The content written inside was simpler than I thought.

And the content of the letter was completely reversing expectations.

For a moment, I felt dizzy.

Fleta was taken prisoner? Then what about Ilia?

More than that, was the Vashrun Duchy’s army so weak that it could be easily ambushed? What was the problem?

“You must have many questions.”

At the Count’s words, I put down the letter. I slowly reached out and picked up the teacup on the table, as I shouldn’t show any emotional agitation.

What I needed now was cool water, but unfortunately, hot steam was rising from the tea.

‘It’s already happened, so let’s be calm for now.’

The situation has already happened. If the letter has arrived like this, there’s no point in making a fuss now. The result won’t change.

But even so.

‘What happened?’

I couldn’t stop my head from becoming confused.