How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 121

Living as the Third Son of a Trash Novel – Episode 122

“By mediation, do you mean?”

“I assume you’re not asking because you don’t understand the meaning.”

“Are you suggesting mediating the current territorial war?”

“Yes.”

Alin gave a faint smile at my answer.

“It seems the Vashuran family is truly lacking in talent.”

“Thoughts are free.”

“Very well.”

Alin nodded and held up three fingers.

“Our conditions are simple. First, acknowledge and withdraw from all territories of Baron Trill, Baron Icus, and Viscount Lake. Second, the Vashuran family will take full responsibility and compensate for all damages incurred due to this war. Third, the three nobles will not be held accountable for anything that happened in this territorial war for any reason in the future.”

The conditions were exactly as expected. Nothing less, nothing more.

“What does the Vashuran family want? The release of prisoners? If you promise in writing to fulfill all the preceding conditions, we can certainly grant that much.”

In response to Alin’s words, I also slowly raised three fingers.

“The Vashuran family wants three things. First, Baron Trill, Baron Icus, and Viscount Lake will relinquish everything they have seized since belonging to the Vashuran family. Second, they will take full responsibility and compensate for all damages incurred due to this war. Third, they will release all captured prisoners without causing them any harm.”

Alin tilted his head at my mirroring his conditions.

“Surely you’re not looking for a negotiation with no progress?”

“Of course.”

“But I have no intention of compromising on the conditions I mentioned earlier.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then it seems our negotiations have failed.”

“I suppose so.”

“It’s a pity you have to return empty-handed.”

Alin lifted the corners of his mouth, expressing his shallow regret, and I shrugged with a look of disappointment.

“I didn’t think the conditions I asked for were too much, but it’s a pity you see it that way.”

“Why prolong the conversation when there’s no need? It seems Baron Kain has no intention of negotiating. Well, my conditions will remain valid, so feel free to come back anytime if you change your mind.”

After speaking, Alin turned his horse around. His attitude suggested he had nothing to lose even if the negotiations fell through.

That allowed me to draw a conclusion to a hypothesis I had only considered in my head until now.

“I understand. By the way…”

Alin was still slowly retreating with his back to me.

“You must have suffered a lot here, considering you’re from the warm southern region. I hope to see you again next time.”

At my words, Alin’s warhorse stopped. Then, he slightly turned his head to look at me.

He still wore a gentle smile, making me desperately want to punch him.

“Then you should know even better that the preceding conditions will not change. I hope you make a wise decision.”

Alin neatly admitted it: that he was a person from Rodkius.

And that, although outwardly it seemed the three nobles were the main players, Rodkius was clearly behind the scenes.

Of course, he didn’t testify in front of everyone, so there was no way to catch him on it.

Alin probably revealed it so readily because he knew that, with the intention of subtly letting me know that there were no loopholes in their plan.

‘For now…’

Let’s be satisfied with just recognizing his face today.

* * *

In one corner of the military camp, there was a tent that served as a makeshift tavern and rest area for knights and nobles.

Tock. Tock. Tock.

And there, I sat with a beer in front of me, tapping the table with my finger.

‘Unless they’re complete fools, Rodkius must be prepared for war.’

The Duke of Vashuran had confidently declared that he would surely win, but in reality, Rodkius wasn’t a group foolish enough to start a battle they were destined to lose.

They must have something to rely on.

What could it be?

Military strength?

No matter how much Rodkius dominated the south, they couldn’t match the Duke’s family, which boasted a long history.

Moreover, Vashuran was a traditional family of magic.

Even though mages weren’t very effective against knights, that was only the result of one-on-one scenarios. In a battlefield where hundreds or thousands clashed, could knights really exert as much destructive power as mages?

In that respect, Vashuran’s firepower was among the top three on the continent.

Of course, there was a minor drawback in that their knight order’s strength was weaker than other prestigious families, but that could be covered by the quality of their magic corps.

‘Well, whatever.’

It was a meaningless debate to rack my brain and compare mages and knights. After all, war was won by the quality of logistics.

It was a lighthearted proposition that circulated while I was attending the academy.

Perfect tactics lead to victory in battle, but perfect supply leads to victory in war.

In that respect, the logistics system created by the Duke of Vashuran was second to none in the current kingdom.

Even this place alone, except for being a tent, was a scene that wouldn’t be inferior to any other tavern.

‘The fact that you can drink alcohol like this on the battlefield itself shows the power of Vashuran.’

In other words, if a war broke out with Rodkius, Vashuran would likely gain the upper hand, regardless of the process.

‘The problem is that Rodkius knows that too.’

Then why are they so openly inducing war?

Is there a way to find out?

The answer was ‘no.’

I didn’t have time to go to the south to find out anything now, and there was even less of a chance that anyone would answer if I asked directly.

Still, I was racking my brain to see if there was any way to find out when.

“Third Son.”

Harkins approached me as I was groaning.

“Ah, should I call you Baron now?”

Harkins scratched the back of his head, as if the rumor that I had been granted a title had finally spread.

“It doesn’t really matter, but are you coming from seeing the Duke?”

“Yes. I’m on my way back from reporting.”

“Is that so? Then let’s have a drink and talk.”

“I won’t refuse.”

As Harkins ordered, a glass of beer was soon placed in front of him.

At the same time, whether Harkins had given permission, Broll and Lauren, who had been sitting nearby and attending to me, were also given a glass of beer each.

After briefly wetting my throat, I went straight to the point.

“Did the Duke say anything in particular?”

“He wasn’t very interested in the Third Son’s, no, the Baron’s actions.”

“Not interested?”

“Either way, since there’s a promise, it seems he doesn’t want to interfere during that time.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Any other news?”

“Not really.”

“It seems particularly busy in the military camp today, though.”

“…”

“It seemed like they were dividing some of the troops; am I mistaken?”

Harkins smacked his lips at my questioning.

“There’s no need to maintain the troops here when there are several months of downtime.”

That was true. Rather than leaving the troops idle, it would be better to establish security in the rear and prepare for the upcoming battle with Rodkius by taking preemptive measures in the expected battle zones.

“Is the Duke with them?”

“No. He’s still here.”

So he just left for a while.

In the first place, there was no need for the Duke to stay here when the troops were being divided to allow for a certain interval.

Harkins also seemed to realize that his words were strange, and he made a bitter face.

“…Anyway, you can assume he’s still here.”

“I understand. It’s probably for security. I have no place to spread rumors, nor any reason to do so.”

“Thank you for understanding. By the way, this is just my personal curiosity.”

Harkins paused for a moment, wetting his throat with beer before opening his mouth.

“Can you really stop the war?”

“I don’t know.”

“What? What do you mean, ‘I don’t know’? This matter involves Baron Kain’s…”

Harkins glanced around before continuing in a low voice.

“…even the Baron’s safety, doesn’t it?”

The fact that I had risked my life was a top-secret story. Perhaps only Harkins, a key figure in the Wisdom Knights, knew about it.

“Yes. My neck is on the line.”

“Then what do you mean, ‘I don’t know’? Didn’t you make such a promise because you had a clear answer?”

“Rather than a clear answer…”

I paused for a moment, lifting my beer glass to wet my throat. The bitter smell of hops tickled my nose.

“I’m just leaving it to fate.”

“Fate?”

“Yes. Fate.”

Harkins’ face changed to a look as if he was saying, ‘What kind of crazy bastard is this?’

I wanted to answer that curiosity, but it wasn’t time yet.

“Let’s have a toast.”

* * *

Time passed quickly.

My daily routine was nothing special.

I would wake up in the morning, spar a little with Harkins and the three knights, eat lunch, and laze around reading books until evening, then have a drink and fall asleep drunk.

To someone who didn’t know, it would seem like I was a carefree idler enjoying life. But Harkins’ gaze towards me was as if he was looking at a crazy bastard who had completely given up on life.

On the other hand, I made arrangements to meet with Alin O’Donnell every week for talks.

In fact, it was embarrassing to even call it a talk.

Neither of us had any intention of yielding on the conditions we had set out during our first meeting.

As a result, it was only natural that there was no progress in the content. It was a bizarre meeting that ended in less than a few minutes, where we exchanged a few words and then turned away without any regrets.

In that way, about a month passed.

And today, a week after our last meeting, I met Alin in front of Baron Trill’s castle.

“It’s good to see you again. It’s been a little over a month, so is this our fifth meeting already? I’m even starting to feel somewhat pleased.”

Alin O’Donnell, whom I had met for about a month, always looked the same: a gentle smile and leisurely gestures. As a negotiator, he had a perfect attitude.

“We’re not exactly in a position to become close.”

“I have no intention of doing so, but you, Baron, have been calling me out every week, so I’m starting to feel like we’re becoming friends.”

Alin smiled and shrugged, adding.

“I’m joking. Was it not funny?”

“…”

“Anyway, my conditions are the same as last week, no, the same as the beginning. You still have no intention of accepting them, do you?”

“Of course not.”

Alin, who would normally exchange meaningless greetings and turn his horse around, somehow stayed in place today.

“You’re really someone I can’t figure out. If you intend to stick to your guns, why do you have to do this troublesome thing every week?”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“I’m not sticking to my guns right now.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m giving you a chance.”

“…A chance?”

“Yes. A chance.”

Alin’s eyes narrowed at my incomprehensible words.

“What kind of chance?”

“I’m making it easier for you to pull out as cleanly as possible. I’ll tell you in advance, the opportunity will disappear as time goes on.”

“Ha.”

The light laughter that escaped soon grew as Alin shrugged his shoulders.

“Hahahaha…!”

After laughing for a while, Alin looked at me with a sneer.

“So, if I don’t accept that great opportunity, what will happen to me?”

“You’ll be captured after failing your mission and become a great tool to pressure the Black Bear [likely a reference to a powerful figure or organization].”

“That’s the least funny joke I’ve ever heard. I’ll just take the thought. Oh, and…”

Alin snapped his fingers as if he had remembered something.

“The siege has been going on for too long, and the situation inside the castle is very bad. So, I’m telling you that the treatment of prisoners has inevitably gotten worse than before. There’s nothing I can do. Even I’m starving because there’s nothing to eat.”

Alin exaggeratedly rubbed his stomach, joking.

Of course, it was nonsense. The faces of the soldiers lined up on the castle walls showed no signs of starvation.

At the threat of torturing the prisoners with a poor excuse, I barely swallowed the curse that had risen to the tip of my throat.

“If necessary, I can send you food to supply to the prisoners.”

“That won’t do. How can I receive something sent by the enemy, not knowing what they’ll do? I’ll just take the thought. Then, shall we end it here today? I’ll go back first.”

Alin, who finished with a gentle smile, slowly turned his horse towards the castle.

‘Let’s see how long you can keep up that attitude.’

Watching Alin’s back, I felt that the promised time was almost upon us.