How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 141

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Chapter 142

While the Eastern Region is currently a tense landscape of lords vying for supremacy, Basarak stands out as the most influential in terms of both wealth and military power.

Yet, the reason Basarak hasn’t easily seized control of the East is simple.

There are too many opponents to fight.

No matter how strong a tiger is, it cannot defeat dozens of wolves. Conversely, if a wolf rushes in, it will surely be bitten to death by the tiger.

This complex balance is why the East has remained fragmented and unchanged for so long.

But now, the situation has changed.

The tiger has finally succeeded in birthing cubs. If they grow well, these tiger cubs will eventually devour the East in one bite.

“So.”

Trott Baron’s expression was surprisingly calm as he listened to my story.

“You’re saying Basarak, now more than twice as strong as before, will start a war and break the balance of the East? Is that what you mean?”

“Yes.”

“For a foreigner, you’ve done quite a bit of research on the East, haven’t you?”

“I’ve been traveling around diligently.”

The baron nodded.

“But it’s nothing new, really. I’ve already heard rumors of Basarak gathering troops both internally and externally.”

*Look at this. He already knew Redran was preparing for war?*

Well, it’s not surprising. War is not child’s play.

Stockpiling military supplies, conscripting soldiers, and conducting military training are noisy affairs that are hard to hide. That’s probably why the baron sensed the ominous signs.

But something is strange.

Knowing all this, he’s still so relaxed?

Sensing my question, Trott Baron nodded with an indifferent expression.

“But Redran has always been like that. Like a pubescent child, he always gathers troops and stages military demonstrations to show off his power. Redran thinks he’s a brave lion, but in reality, he’s just a noisy stray dog. The fact that everything has always ended in mere demonstrations is proof of that.”

“I don’t know. It seems different this time.”

“Different?”

“I’ve personally toured the Basarak territory. It’s not just for a simple demonstration.”

At my confirmation, Trott Baron’s face hardened.

“You toured it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“I heard there was a banquet held at the Red Castle recently for a distinguished guest. Could it be that you were the guest of honor?”

“Ah, the banquet. Yes, it was held for me.”

“That alone seems like a reason why I shouldn’t trust you, wouldn’t you say?”

“I don’t know. The fact that I attended the banquet doesn’t prove that I’ve joined hands with Redran.”

“But my suspicion would be justified.”

“I admit it. It’s understandable to be suspicious. But what’s not, isn’t.”

“I don’t think there’s enough trust between you and me to believe you blindly.”

“Do we need trust? It’s a simple matter.”

“A simple matter?”

“Yes. Who am I?”

At my question, Trott Baron narrowed his eyes.

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“Since you seem to have forgotten, let me remind you. I am Kain Lindayer, the direct heir of the Lindayer family, the lord of Sky Fortress, and the one who has inherited the family’s will and bears its duty.”

“…….”

Trott Baron paused, lost in thought.

It was a simple matter indeed. The direction and purpose that Redran pursues, and the duty that the Lindayer family bears.

If he put his mind to it, he would realize that there’s no reason for me to join hands with Redran.

If he couldn’t understand this simple fact, I would just turn around without regret. A stupid ally is worse than none at all.

“…But why did you attend the banquet?”

Fortunately, he wasn’t completely foolish.

I nodded slightly and leaned back against the chair.

“I just stopped by for a minor matter. Redran took matters into his own hands.”

“…….”

“Well, there’s no need to beat around the bush. That day at the banquet, Redran declared to me that he would devour the East.”

“It’s no secret how he views the East.”

“Yes. Maybe it’s just empty boasting. But as I said before, I’ve toured the Basarak territory.”

“And the conclusion?”

Conclusion.

“As I said before, I don’t think it’s just bluster this time.”

“…But there’s still something strange. If Redran really intends to wage war, why would he tell you? Wasn’t Basarak always suppressed by Lindayer, unable to fully reveal his ambition?”

Trott Baron asked as if he hoped his thought wasn’t the answer, but I didn’t grant his wish.

“It’s probably because he’s confident that he won’t be suppressed anymore.”

“And your judgment on that?”

“It was a reasonable confidence.”

“…Is that the will of Lindayer?”

Trott Baron was asking for the will of the Lindayer family, not my personal judgment, but he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted either.

“I haven’t spoken with Count Lindayer yet, but the result won’t be different from my opinion. The Lindayer family probably won’t intervene in the upcoming conflict in the East.”

“Hmph…”

Trott Baron groaned.

He must be feeling that the situation was becoming serious.

“Is Lindayer staying still because he’s afraid of Basarak?”

“Not because he’s afraid, but because it’s not cost-effective.”

“Not cost-effective?”

“What do you think that means?”

“…Has Basarak become that strong?”

“To give you just one example, Basarak’s Red Knights are now more than twice as strong as the Lindayer family had estimated.”

As expected, Trott Baron made a bizarre expression.

“More than twice as strong? I can’t believe it.”

“Unfortunately, it’s the reality.”

“But even so, if the East unites and prepares thoroughly, it’s not impossible to stop him.”

“Redran isn’t stupid.”

At my answer, Trott Baron chuckled.

“That was a foolish thought.”

It’s the sowing season.

Conscripting men who should be plowing fields and sowing seeds to train and deploy them to the front lines in preparation for a showdown with Redran?

Then Redran would just coolly test the waters.

Lesser lords like Trott Baron would be rotting inside. The men who should be cultivating the fields would be idly consuming military rations.

Moreover, time is on Redran’s side.

As time passes, Redran’s Red Knights will only get stronger, not weaker.

Trott Baron, looking worried as if he had the same thought, looked at me.

“…But if the East falls into Redran’s hands, wouldn’t that create a big headache for Lindayer as well? Are you just going to stand by and watch?”

“Of course, I don’t intend to stand by and watch.”

“But you said you would stand aside.”

“Yes. The Lindayer family will probably stand aside. Officially.”

“Officially? Are you secretly sending troops to intervene? That’s a violation of the kingdom’s laws. I wouldn’t think Count Lindayer would do that.”

“No. We won’t be dispatching troops separately. We’ll provide sufficient support in other ways.”

“Provide sufficient support?”

“Yes.”

At my answer, Trott Baron frowned.

“What use is anything but troops in war? Are you going to give us military rations or weapons?”

“No.”

“Then what are you talking about supporting us with?”

At Trott Baron’s question, I leaned back against the chair and crossed my legs, which made the baron’s expression twist.

“…Don’t tell me?”

At Trott Baron’s question, I gave him a faint smile.

“Lend me the Trott territory as a battlefield. Then I will definitely stop Redran.”

* * *

As I left Trott Baron’s castle, Ilia and Rihas were waiting outside the gate, contrary to my expectations.

“Young Master.”

“Why are you waiting here when I told you to go ahead?”

At my rebuke, Ilia hesitated, and Rihas shrugged beside her.

“It’s almost mealtime anyway, isn’t it? Since we came all the way to the castle, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to stop by the city center.”

“Is that so?”

“It’ll be nice. A fancy meal at a fancy restaurant will be a change of pace.”

I glanced at Ilia, and I could see her quickly nodding her head.

“Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”

It was a flimsy excuse, but there was no need to pry.

I nodded, pretending to believe them, and followed Rihas’s guidance.

“Did things go well at the castle?”

“I don’t know.”

“It doesn’t seem to have gone smoothly.”

“He was more wary than I expected. He said he would postpone his answer.”

As I roughly told Rihas the story I had shared with Trott Baron, Rihas chuckled.

“That’s unexpected. I thought he would jump at the chance if you told him Redran’s intentions.”

“He’s still suspicious. Maybe he thinks it’s all a trap by Redran.”

“I don’t know. It would be foolish to think that way.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. It’s obvious that it’s not the case if you think about it a little.”

“Why?”

“Why would you bother? Yes. If you were in league with Redran, there’s no need to find and provoke Trott Baron.”

“No need?”

“Instead of complicating things by scheming and deceiving, it would be a hundred times better to leave him unguarded and take advantage of the element of surprise. There’s no reason to stir things up and create variables.”

“That’s right.”

“Besides, it’s a story that Young Master shared in person.”

“Hmm?”

“For Young Master, who bears the duty of Lindayer, to conspire with Basarak and use tricks, wouldn’t that be a lie that would be exposed as soon as you send a messenger to Wind Nest [the Lindayer family’s territory]? At that point, it’s the fault of the person who gets fooled.”

Rihas, this guy has a smarter side than I thought.

“Well, I still don’t completely understand Trott Baron.”

“You understand?”

“Yeah. It wouldn’t have been easy to accept it with satisfaction when all he got was three people as support. He must be thinking that there’s another hidden agenda.”

Only then did Rihas realize that I, Ilia, and himself were the only ones moving this time, and he nodded awkwardly.

“That’s true. Only three people…”

“It doesn’t matter since we won’t be clashing with force right away.”

“That’s true. Redran will be ready to come forward after completing all the preparations. When will he start moving in earnest?”

“It will take at least half a year to set foot in the Northeast. Anyway, the first step is to stabilize the rear before heading north in earnest.”

“Then what we have to do until then is…”

“To mess with Redran, who has finished his preparations and advanced to the Northeast.”

“So, the Southeast region will be devastated by Redran.”

“We can’t be responsible for the entire East anyway. Besides, we need to show to some extent what kind of existence Redran is.”

“Are you going to make him a definite villain?”

“If we suppress a guy who hasn’t even done anything properly, the situation could flow in a subtle way.”

“You’re going to turn public opinion around completely.”

“Yeah. After creating the situation sufficiently, we’ll give him a proper blow at the decisive moment. After that, he’ll collapse on his own, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Rihas nodded as if he imagined the scene.

“That sounds fun. So, what is the mess that you’re going to make with Redran?”

“What is the reason why Redran is most confident and can be so arrogant right now?”

“It must be the Knights.”

“Yeah. The Red Knights, who have grown dramatically in a short period of time. That’s Redran’s trump card.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m going to bring down those Knights.”

“…Bring down? Do you have any special measures?”

“Yeah.”

A special measure.

I do. A special measure created thanks to Redran’s talkative and boastful personality.