How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 166

Women scattered flower petals from baskets, painting the sky with color. Men whistled, piercing the air with their calls, while children, weaving through the adults, stood on tiptoe, their eyes wide with excitement.

Finally, the Founding Day began.

And with it, the opening match of the tournament, the festival’s main event, was about to commence.

“Young master.”

As I waited in the preparation room for my turn, Ruth approached, holding a helm and lance.

“Ruth.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“What else can I do? It’s already decided.”

Ruth’s concern was understandable.

The opening match of the tournament is traditionally between the previous year’s champion and an opponent of their choosing.

However, I didn’t designate an opponent, so the decision fell to the Royal Household, which oversees the Founding Day celebrations.

The Royal Household chose as my opponent a champion from years past, a figure who once captivated the Capital.

“Lance.”

I donned my helm and reached out to Ruth.

“I wish you luck.”

“Decide what you’ll congratulate me on afterward.”

Grasping the lance Ruth offered, I lightly nudged my white horse’s side.

Trusting the horse, I rode through the long passage and into the arena where the jousting match would take place.

“Champion! Champion! Champion!”

“Glory to Baron Cain!”

Stepping into the arena to the cheers of the crowd, I faced the challenger who emerged from the opposite side.

He wore the same armor and cloak as me. Even the tail extending from the helm and the emblem on the cloak were identical, leaving no doubt as to my opponent’s identity.

“Champion! Champion! Champion!”

“Glory to Count Lindayer!”

Lein Lindayer.

The head of the Lindayer family, my father, was my opponent for this opening match. Perhaps that’s why the cheers for him were as loud as those for me.

Wooo-oong…

The horn announcing the start blared. Taking a deep breath, I slowly urged my warhorse forward and began to gallop.

When I first learned that Count Lindayer would be my opponent, I planned to deliberately lose.

Given who he was, and considering the family’s reputation, it seemed the best course of action.

However, I changed my mind after recalling a late-night conversation with the Count.

“Consider yourself out of the Lindayer family after this is over.”

“I have no intention of begging to stay, but I still don’t understand. Why are you trying to kick me out?”

“It’s for the sake of the family.”

“For the sake of the family? I’ve only ever benefited the family, never harmed it.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid. You probably know why I’m trying to get rid of you.”

“…Is the great Count Lindayer worried about something that hasn’t even happened yet?”

“Worried isn’t the word. I should say I’m afraid.”

“…”

“Yes. I am afraid of what you have accomplished and what you will do in the future. Of course, I could control you by force if I wanted to. But as a father, I can’t bring myself to forcibly block the path my son wants to take.”

“…”

“You may think it’s cowardly. But this is the best decision I’ve made for you, for Dane, and for the family.”

“…”

“There will be no turning back. So accept it, Cain.”

The Count’s words, drawing a line in the sand.

He had a point. If I were the Count, I would be wary of a ticking time bomb like me.

Yes. I understand.

But understanding doesn’t mean acceptance. Regardless of the purpose, the Count’s notice was cowardly.

So I made a decision.

Doo-doo-doo-doo!

I leaned forward on the running warhorse. I firmly gripped the lance in my right hand and held out the cavalry shield in my left.

Having finished all the preparations.

I summoned the incarnation of Hans Rodgon, who had granted me the champion’s seat at last year’s tournament.

‘It’s been a while.’

At the same time as summoning the incarnation, an unprecedented sensation started from my head and spread throughout my body.

After that, the crowd’s cheers faded into a distant hum and disappeared from my consciousness.

The rough breaths that had risen to my chin became gentle in an instant, and the dust scattering before my eyes seemed to move in slow motion.

Thus, my body, possessed by Hans Rodgon, the incarnation of jousting, stared straight at Count Lindayer, who was charging towards me.

Doodook, doodoodook!

I bit my lip as I made eye contact with the Count, who was rushing towards me with the thunder of hooves.

The victory was decided in a fleeting moment.

The Count’s lance glanced off my kite shield and slipped.

Kwaduk!

Hans Rodgon’s lance, which was also mine, struck the Count’s chest with a piercing blow.

“…”

The Count’s body, a look of bewilderment on his face, floated in the air before crashing to the ground.

The arena fell silent.

The crowd stared at the arena, where dust was swirling, holding their breath. Who was the winner and who the loser? The expectant heartbeats seemed to echo in the silence.

As the dust cleared, the crowd’s gaze turned to me, still mounted on my warhorse.

“Cain, Baron Cain has defeated Count Lindayer!”

A knight’s cry was the signal flare.

An explosive roar erupted from the countless spectators, engulfing the arena.

“Waaaaa!”

“A true champion!”

“Cain! Cain! Cain!”

A thunderous wave of sound shook the arena.

‘You said you would kick me out? Then this is my answer.’

I looked down at the Count, who lay on the dirt floor, the cheers of the crowd ringing in my ears.

* * *

After the opening match, at the mandatory banquet, I was experiencing a headache-inducing situation.

‘Losing would have been better.’

It was a belated regret. And as always, regret came too late.

The crowd around me showed no sign of thinning out. If it were just people gathering, it wouldn’t be so bad, but it was more than that.

“Baron Cain, please look over here just once!”

“I’m Seril from Trillga!”

“Kyaa! He looked at me!”

Ruth gathered the bouquets being thrown at me like separating recyclables, stacking them neatly on the table.

The pile of bouquets was large enough to open a flower shop.

“You must be happy, young master.”

I sighed at Ruth’s teasing joke.

Well, honestly, it felt good. Who wouldn’t feel good about receiving gifts from attractive people?

But the jealous gazes of the young nobles were very uncomfortable. It felt like sitting on a bed of thorns.

With a throbbing headache, I rubbed my temples and called Ruth.

“Where is the Count?”

“He said he’s resting at the mansion due to the aftereffects of the jousting match.”

“Aftereffects?”

A master who could chew steel had aftereffects? Good for him.

That didn’t necessarily mean the Count was angry or reclusive out of shame.

Perhaps he vacated his seat so that the spotlight of the opening match would be entirely focused on the winner.

‘Was it the right thing to do?’

Giving the Count a bitter defeat was my answer, but if you asked me if that method was the best, the answer was no.

But as I said before, regret always comes too late. Let’s not dwell on it; it’s water under the bridge.

“Ruth.”

“Yes?”

“Redran.”

“Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think he attended this year.”

“Well, is that surprising?”

He must be busy preparing for war. Imagining that, my heart fluttered for a moment at the thought of hitting Redran in the back of the head.

“…Why are you smiling like that?”

“Just thinking about something.”

“You had a very mean look on your face.”

“Shut up.”

After that, the banquet continued late into the night.

When the attention towards me finally faded, I left the banquet hall with Ruth and decided to return to Rihas’s house.

“By the way, weren’t you supposed to stay in the same mansion as the Lord [referring to Count Lindayer] during the Founding Day?”

“I was. But look at the situation now. I decided to leave the family, and I defeated the Lord soundly in the opening match. How can I go back there in that situation?”

“I guess so.”

“I feel complicated, so let’s go back and have a drink with Ilia and us.”

“Shall we buy something on the way?”

“There’s no need. The Lord brought some good wine when he came last time.”

“Good wine, I’m looking forward to it.”

Thus, Ruth and I left the palace and began to walk towards Rihas’s house alone.

Even though it was late at night, the streets of Capital were brilliantly lit, like a city that never sleeps.

But that was only true of the center.

Rihas’s house was located in the outer outskirts of Capital, so it was very quiet, like a night in any ordinary village.

“The fog is quite heavy tonight.”

“Looks like it’s going to rain.”

“Hmm?”

Just then.

A figure was visible through the thick night fog. Judging by the staggering gait, it seemed to be a drunken passerby.

Well, the Founding Day is like a festival for ordinary citizens, so they must be celebrating with drinks.

“He must be very drunk.”

“Should we help him? He’ll be in trouble if he falls asleep on the street like that.”

“Will you do it?”

“Yes, well.”

Ruth nodded and stepped forward.

“Hey, if you’re drunk, you should go home. What are you doing here?”

“Kuroorook……”

What was that sound? Was he throwing up?

A chilling sense of unease washed over me. And that unease became a reality with the appearance of the drunkard who emerged through the fog.

“What?”

Ruth, momentarily flustered, quickly drew his sword.

“Lo, Lord?”

“What is it? What is that?”

It was a person, but not a person.

The form itself was clearly human. But who would think of it as a person when they saw maggots crawling on the rotten skin and dangling eyeballs?

‘A corpse? A zombie?’

Yes, it looked very similar to the zombies seen in movies. That’s a corpse. I don’t know if you can call a living thing a corpse, but anyway, that was a corpse.

“It’s a ghoul!”

“Ghoul?”

“Step back. There’s more than one.”

Geueo-eo……

Geueueu……

As Ruth said, dozens of figures appeared behind the corpse that I had mistaken for a drunkard. Considering the howling sound like phlegm, they must all be ghouls.

‘Ghoul.’

[Ghoul: An undead being that retains only its instincts and craves living humans. Natural occurrences are extremely rare; most are heinous creations born from black magic. The necessary ingredient for this black magic is, of course, the corpse of a dead person, meaning that all ghouls were once living, breathing humans. Having been born with impure energy due to the influence of black magic, they are fatally wounded by divine power or silver weapons.]

As I recalled the setting of ghouls in the novel, several questions arose.

First, why did ghouls, which rarely occur naturally, appear inside Capital?

Second, if someone created ghouls inside Capital, what is their purpose and reason?

‘I can roughly guess who it is.’

It’s obvious. The Neviros Order and the Unholy Knights must be involved.

I thought they would somehow pull some tricks, but I never knew they would be this blatant.

Ghouls… They are certainly not particularly dangerous beings.

But this rising anxiety was not only because of the ghouls in front of me.

Sreung!

I drew my sword, raised my mana, and called Ruth.

“Ruth.”

“Yes, young master.”