How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 128

Returning to the camp, Hawkins and the knights were the first to greet me.

“Where have you been? You suddenly disappeared, and we were worried when we couldn’t find you for a while,” Hawkins said.

“I had some things to take care of.”

“Was there a battle?”

Hawkins, seeing my exhausted state from the aftermath, asked with a worried expression.

“Yes, but it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Still, you look like you need some rest.”

“That’s true, but not right now. How is the war situation?”

I changed the subject and asked about the current situation.

Of course, I knew with my own eyes that Baron Trill’s castle had fallen.

But I was asking about the overall direction of this territory war, and Hawkins was well aware of that.

“The remaining two nobles’ castles are probably under attack as well. However…”

Hawkins glanced at the calendar and shrugged.

“By now, they would have been completely taken care of.”

Completely taken care of, huh.

Even with the elite forces concentrated here attacking, the aftermath of Baron Trill’s castle wasn’t properly handled yet.

To have things wrapped up faster than here meant that the attack had begun even before I finished the negotiations.

Like a cunning fox.

The Duke probably knew about the collapse of the southern mine faster than I did. It’s only natural for the Duke, who has various intelligence networks.

But to order an attack on all places except Baron Trill’s castle, where the prisoners were held, as soon as he heard about it… his decisiveness is remarkable. Even if he was sure that I would succeed in the negotiations, it wouldn’t have been an easy decision.

“Still, it wouldn’t have been easy to attack simultaneously because the forces were divided. Sieges aren’t that easy, are they?” I asked.

“That’s right. So, the Lord appropriately offered a carrot [a reward or incentive],” Hawkins replied.

“A carrot?”

“He said he would end the matter with just the individuals responsible, without holding the family accountable, in exchange for opening the gates.”

“Ah, like that?”

He wouldn’t hold the family responsible and would end it there.

Literally, it meant that he would only hold the three nobles who were the instigators of this incident accountable and not blame the remaining family members.

That’s a great carrot.

Instead of suffering losses by waging a difficult and arduous siege, he could have the justification of punishing the instigators and reduce the damage.

“He didn’t just pardon them, did he?”

Hawkins smiled at my question.

“Of course not. He recovered all the territories and assets they had obtained under the name of Bashrun.”

“That must sting.”

“To exaggerate a bit, all that’s left for those three families is their lives and nominal titles. Their knight orders will soon be disbanded. No matter how loyal a knight is, they need a salary to polish their armor and sharpen their swords.”

That’s true.

Authority comes not from titles but from gold and military power.

Even a mere baron, if he governs a vast territory and reigns supreme, can be called a Lord.

Conversely, even if you have a title, if you have no power, you are no different from an ordinary commoner.

‘Well, is that a good thing?’

As I was organizing my thoughts, Hawkins suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had remembered something.

“Ah, and I almost forgot.”

“Forgot what?”

“The Princess is looking for you, Baron.”

“The Princess?”

“Yes. Originally, you should return to the Lord’s castle immediately to rest, but she insisted.”

“…Insisted?”

“Well, maybe she has something to tell you. I told her the location of the camp where you were staying. I think she might be there.”

“If that’s the case.”

As I nodded, Hawkins spoke again.

“As soon as the cleanup here is finished in a few days, the army will retreat to Bashrun. The Lord told me to bring you along as well.”

“Me too?”

“Yes.”

“Well, is there any reason for me to go there?”

“Why wouldn’t there be? You are the benefactor of the family, Baron.”

“Benefactor?”

I asked back, meaning what are you talking about, and Hawkins smiled.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors spreading among the soldiers yet? You are now a hero who single-handedly won a diplomatic war that turned the tide of the battle and led the knights to rescue the Princess.”

* * *

After parting with Hawkins, Ilia was waiting outside the camp, having rushed over after hearing the news of my arrival.

She had taken a bath and borrowed clothes from the Wisdom Knights, wearing a neat uniform.

But considering the hardships she had gone through, I couldn’t tell who was supposed to be greeting whom.

Tsking my tongue, I walked forward, and Ilia, who found me and Ruth, widened her eyes.

“Young Master?”

“How long has it been since you were released? Why are you out here instead of resting inside?”

“Ah, the Princess told me to bring the Young Master as soon as possible…”

A flustered Ilia waved her hands.

Ruth crossed her arms with a fierce expression.

“Who’s telling whom to bring whom? You’ve only been together for a few months, and now the Bashrun Princess is more important than the Young Master? Besides, what’s with the outfit? Did you defect from the Wind Knights and now you’re joining the Wisdom Knights? You have no loyalty. Some people are out there trying to find swords that others have dropped [taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune].”

“I, I didn’t have any other clothes to wear… I’m sorry.”

As she tried to find fault with Ilia again, I grabbed Ruth by the scruff of her neck.

“Stop it.”

“Ah, Young Master, wait a minute. We need to set an example…”

“Shut up and go get some alcohol.”

“Huh? Alcohol?”

“Isn’t it our unspoken rule to have a drink together after a hard day?”

“No, but we need to set an example…”

“I’ll set the example, so you go run errands.”

Eventually, Ruth disappeared into the distance under my pressure, and I sighed and stood face to face with Ilia.

She looked fine at first glance.

But the fatigue accumulated inside could not be hidden. Her confident gaze was broken, and ugly scabs had settled on her chapped lips.

“Ilia.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Here’s your sword.”

I handed over Ilia’s sword, which I had been carrying at my waist. Ilia carefully took it and lowered her head with a guilty expression.

“I’m sorry. I was told to take good care of it, but…”

“It’s okay. It was beyond your control. More importantly, it’s been a while. How long has it been?”

“……”

I wondered if I should shake her hand, so I reached out, but Ilia didn’t take it.

Just as my outstretched hand was about to become awkward, her shoulders slowly began to tremble.

Is she crying?

It seems like she’s crying.

Normally, I would have bent down and forced her to look at me while teasing her for crying, but considering the hardships Ilia had gone through, that was a bit ambiguous.

Hmm, but I still want to tease her.

Am I too much of a jerk for thinking this?

‘If I don’t tease her, what should I do in this situation? I can’t just ignore her and go inside.’

Having gone through an all-boys middle school, high school, and military academy, I had no experience comforting crying women, let alone crying men.

Crying men? Now that I think about it, I feel a bit strange. The days when we embraced each other with sweaty bodies and shouted camaraderie during our cadet days are coming back to me…

What am I imagining all of a sudden?

I scratched the back of my neck and looked up at the cloudless sky a few times before taking a deep breath and grabbing Ilia’s shoulders.

Then, I gently pulled her into an embrace and slowly patted her back.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

* * *

Afterward, Fleta was sitting in my camp, waiting for me.

Her eyes were deeply sunken.

It was definitely a different atmosphere from the Princess I knew.

If she had been acting like a worn-out old woman, now she had become the complete version of it.

It was a slightly unsettling atmosphere.

“It’s been a while.”

Even though I raised my hand to greet her, Fleta only acknowledged it with a nod. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, so I walked over and sat on the chair in front of her.

“How could a Princess who sounds like she could smash everything at once lose in battle?”

It would be better than offering clumsy comfort.

Whether my thoughts were correct or not, Fleta’s sunken eyes came back to life.

“That’s a poor excuse for comfort.”

“Ah, I’m sorry if it sounded that way.”

“It’s not wrong, so there’s no need to apologize.”

Fleta nodded and sipped the steaming tea. I was surprised by her calm demeanor.

“I’ve heard about the war situation.”

She heard about it, huh.

Then there’s no need to explain in detail?

“My father made the decision to turn to war, and you reversed it.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

“I heard you risked your life.”

“I didn’t exactly plan to give it up.”

“Because it was a guaranteed win?”

“That’s right.”

“You always do that. Talking as if any problem is in the palm of your hand.”

“Is it a problem that I’m too confident?”

“No. Everything will be in the palm of your hand, so I’m staying here to get answers.”

“Answers about what?”

“Those unidentified attackers.”

Unidentified attackers.

A feeling that the atmosphere was rapidly cooling down came over me as their story came out.

“They appeared in battle, and the unit I was a staff officer in was helplessly pushed back and defeated.”

I expected it, but it felt bitter to see it come true.

The unit where Fleta was a staff officer was ambushed and annihilated.

Clearly, that feat was impossible with the power of the three nobles alone. Even if Rodkius’s soldiers had supported them, it was impossible to leave no survivors.

But if there was support from a knight, the story is different. Especially an incredibly powerful knight.

“Don’t tell me that guy showed up?”

“Yes.”

Fleta nodded at the word ‘guy.’

The guy.

The black-haired knight.

The one who instantly cut down Rises Libern, an expert and the Princess’s escort knight, during my and Fleta’s journey to Capital.

And the one who chased me to the end to retrieve the magic stone, only to miss me at the last moment.

His whereabouts, which had been quiet since then, have reappeared here.

“Any witnesses?”

“Only me.”

“Only you? There were a few more prisoners besides you and Ilia.”

“To be exact, all the knights presumed to be attackers were wearing masks, so others wouldn’t have been able to identify them.”

“Masks? Then how did you recognize him?”

“…He slightly lifted his mask when he saw me and pretended to know me.”

“Pretended to know you?”

Is he crazy? Why wear a mask if you’re going to do that?

No, is there another reason for that?

“Did he think it didn’t matter if he was seen because he was going to die anyway?”

“Probably. It was obvious that Duke Bashrun wouldn’t give up the territories of the three nobles.”

“Even so, why reveal his identity unnecessarily?”

Fleta’s eyes sank.

“He persistently questioned me.”

“Persistently questioned you? About what?”

“About your past actions and that magic stone you possess.”

Ah, is that what it was?

It was the moment when the reality of the unease I had felt since the first meeting was revealed.

“I only realized it then.”

Slowly, a quiet anger began to fill Fleta’s empty eyes.

“The beginning was wrong. From the beginning, their goal wasn’t me.”

“……”

“From the beginning, their goal was the Third Young Master, Cain Lindayer, who possessed the magic stone. Am I right?”

And the rising anger began to completely engulf the inside of the camp.

“The reason they cooperated with Rodkius was probably to weaken the royalists by checking their power. However, the trigger that started that action in earnest was probably because the Third Young Master, who noticed their identity, started an investigation. In the end, this territory war was caused by you. But you have been hiding all of that from me, even in front of me. Am I right?”

“……”

“I’m curious. Why did I have to suffer such humiliation because of your secret that I didn’t even know about? It would have been less humiliating if I had died as a prisoner without knowing anything.”

She paused for a moment and showed her white teeth.

Following that, she glared at me with a force that was unbelievable coming from her slender body.

“Don’t try to hide anything from me anymore, Third Young Master. Whatever the price of knowing him is, it doesn’t matter. I’ve already tasted hell enough.”