How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 17

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Episode 17

* * *

Although Knight Baranka was known for his strictness, he wasn’t completely unreasonable.

The group quietly returned to Wind Nest, concealing the battered Fleta, and being careful not to be seen.

Ruth and I followed slowly behind.

I hadn’t intended to run away in the first place.

Baranka, initially wary, seemed to ignore me after a few days.

“Who’s there at this hour!”

“Shut your mouth. I’ll severely punish you if you cause a disturbance.”

“I-It’s the Knight! Open the gate quickly!”

At Baranka’s stern command, the guard hurriedly opened the side gate next to the main gate.

“Young Master.”

“What.”

“Now that things have turned out this way, please come with me to see the Lord right away.”

“I wanted to wash up, but I guess I have no choice.”

“Ruth Meyer, return to the Knights Order and give a detailed account of what has happened.”

“…….”

At Baranka’s words, Ruth glanced at me.

I felt good that she seemed to prioritize me over the Deputy Commander now.

“Do as the Deputy Commander says. Nothing will happen.”

Once Ruth left, I suddenly felt alone. It must have been because we had been through so much together for the past month.

“Let’s go, Young Master.”

“Let’s.”

It was a tense moment.

The climax of a month-long journey was finally coming to an end.

* * *

“It’s been a while.”

The Count’s face, which I hadn’t seen in a while, hadn’t changed at all. His usual expression, neither agitated nor angry.

Thud!

But would he still be like that after seeing the pouch I threw down?

“What is this?”

“Open it and see.”

At the Count’s gesture, Baranka, who was next to him, picked up the pouch and opened it.

The moment the contents, the jewels, were fully revealed.

The office, which wasn’t very bright due to the late hour, was filled with radiance.

“…….”

“Do you need an appraisal?”

There was no need.

It was obviously worth well over fifteen hundred Nips [currency unit].

“Where did you get it?”

“Do I have to tell you?”

“Did you earn it through unjust means?”

“Would you believe me if I said no?”

The Count was silent for a moment, then chuckled.

“That’s right. Even if you did, it wouldn’t matter as long as you weren’t caught.”

“I met the deadline.”

“I acknowledge that.”

“But why did you send the pursuit team?”

“It was a minor misunderstanding caused by your manservant.”

“Are you going to cover it up like that?”

The Count knew what I was talking about.

And the Count wasn’t a petty man.

“I apologize. I didn’t trust you.”

“…….”

“…….”

Gillein, the butler, and Baranka all widened their eyes in silence.

I understood. How many people in the world could get the Count to apologize?

“I understand.”

At my forgiveness, the Count ordered the maid to bring tea.

“There are many things to discuss.”

“Is that so?”

“You look tired from your journey. Have a cup of tea.”

At the Count’s words, I readily sat on the opposite sofa.

A moment of silence passed.

The hour before dawn, when even the moon had hidden itself. The office, with the Count, the Knight Commander, and the head butler, was silent.

It was like the eve of what was to come.

“Why did the Princess end up like that?”

“She insulted me, and she paid the price.”

“Couldn’t you have responded a little more gently?”

“Is my honor so insignificant?”

Gillein and Baranka flinched.

“It was an incident that stemmed from a minor misunderstanding.”

“I know. You’ve apologized, so I won’t bring it up again.”

“Huh.”

The Count, looking dumbfounded, shook his head and took a sip of tea before letting out a low sigh.

“Are you really going to break off the engagement?”

“Didn’t you promise?”

“I did. That’s why I’m asking. You said you would live your own life. I need to know exactly what that means to decide whether to allow the annulment or not.”

“Why do you want to know that?”

“Because I’m your father.”

“Would a father send his child to the Duke’s family so easily? It’s called marriage, but isn’t it just like being in prison?”

I deliberately emphasized the word ‘father’.

At least if he was human, wouldn’t he feel a little guilty?

The Count didn’t answer.

He just met my gaze and calmly opened his mouth.

“Are you saying, why are you trying to act like a father now?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I have nothing more to say or ask.”

It was better to be direct than to beat around the bush.

This wasn’t a place to talk in circles, and I was too tired right now.

“Is that enough of an answer?”

Hmm? Who was he talking to?

The Count leaned back on the sofa, speaking listlessly. After a moment, someone appeared like a mist nearby.

“It is.”

It was a slender middle-aged man.

I thought I had seen him somewhere before, and he resembled Fleta. Then it was obvious. It must be Duke Bashrun. He must have been eavesdropping, hiding his presence with magic.

“They say there are no bad dogs under a good master. I thought you were a dog who couldn’t tell right from wrong, but it turns out you were a wolf cub hiding your teeth.”

The Duke gave a bitter smile and strode over to stand in front of me.

“I am Floin Bashrun. I apologize for eavesdropping. I wanted to hear your true feelings.”

He was still a Duke.

I bowed as a formality.

“I am Cain Lindayer.”

“I know.”

He was an insidious man.

I felt a cold sweat run down my back, thinking I almost got on his bad side by saying the wrong thing.

The Duke waved his hand as if to say he didn’t want the tea the maid brought, and opened a bottle of wine that was on display.

“This should have been aged for another ten years…….”

The Count frowned for once.

The Duke chuckled at that and poured wine into a glass.

“It’s the day my daughter returned with her face in tatters.”

The Count had seen Fleta’s face, so he refrained from saying anything more, and I also took a breath because I was the one who had done it.

“Would you like a drink?”

Duke Bashrun held out a glass.

I thought about not accepting it, but I decided to just take it. It didn’t seem right to refuse even this.

“I don’t blame you. You’re strangers since the marriage hasn’t taken place, and if my daughter did something wrong in that situation, she deserved to pay the price.”

“It unintentionally turned out that way.”

“Don’t lie. It was intentional, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right, actually.”

“I like that you’re honest.”

The Duke nodded, drinking the wine.

“I don’t care about the annulment. I don’t need a wolf cub either.”

“…….”

“I just needed a background to control, but I don’t need a wolf that might jump out and bite its owner’s throat at any moment.”

The Count didn’t react much, as if it was a story they had already discussed.

“But.”

The Duke’s eyes suddenly turned fierce.

“Public matters are public, and private matters are private. You may not be responsible, but the Count’s family is different.”

The Count gave a bitter smile, as if thinking about all the ugly repercussions that the annulment of the wedding, which the two great families had promised, would bring.

“I acknowledge that. It’s a unilateral annulment.”

“I’ll let you know later what you’ll pay for that.”

“I understand.”

“My daughter is in a lot of pain. I should go see her.”

After speaking, the Duke got up from his seat and headed out the door.

Suddenly, I was left alone with the Count, who took a sip of his drink with a bitter smile.

“Even though she’s only just become a 4-class mage, the Princess is recognized.”

“Yes.”

“How did you defeat her?”

Well, I didn’t think he wanted an answer like ‘I worked hard’. But it was too early to say that I could see mana.

“I heard the gist of it from Sir Baranka. But it’s different from hearing it from the person involved.”

“I avoided, deflected, and approached.”

“How?”

“I avoided the easy things, deflected the difficult things, and broke through with my body when I couldn’t avoid them.”

“Hahaha!”

The Count burst into hearty laughter and poured himself another drink.

“That’s right. What you said is very true. Yes, that’s how you have to deal with mages. But to think of breaking through with your body. Weren’t you afraid?”

“What good is fear in the face of honor?”

The Count gave a faint smile at the perfect answer.

“That’s also true.”

After being lost in thought for a long time, the Count opened his mouth in a low voice.

“I guess I’m getting old. How could my judgment of people be so wrong?”

“…….”

“Cain.”

“Yes.”

“We need to make this clear. The annulment will be honored as promised. Besides that, what compensation do you want for my misjudgment that tarnished your honor?”

This guy is good at this.

He was straightforward. He didn’t beat around the bush.

“Please give me Ruth Meyer as my exclusive personal knight.”

“I expected that. What else?”

“Leo’s problem remains. Please hold those who ignored my wishes, took him into custody, and subjected him to torture and beatings accountable and punish them.”

“Impossible. They were just doing their part as family soldiers.”

I expected that. I didn’t really want it either. It was just a story for the build-up.

“Then, please make Leo belong to me, not the family. So that this doesn’t happen again in the future.”

“I allow it.”

Annulment and Ruth, with Leo as a bonus.

But it was still not enough.

“Finally, I request access to the secret library containing the family’s history.”

“…….”

The Count was speechless for a moment.

Secret Library.

A place that only the owner of the family can enter and view, a collection of the history of the prestigious family.

The Count’s attitude changed at the request to see that place.

“What do you mean?”

The relaxed atmosphere was gone.

All that remained was the Count’s fierce momentum demanding an explanation.

“I’m not asking you to select me as your successor. All I want is one thing. A single opportunity to view it.”

Perhaps because he had relieved the most worrying thing, the Count’s atmosphere softened a little.

But that didn’t mean it was easily resolved.

“That’s out of the question. Only I, the owner of the family, am allowed in that place.”

“I really want to see it.”

“Do you think you’re now equal to me just because you paid back fifteen hundred Nips?”

Blue light emanated from the Count’s eyes.

The thought that I shouldn’t push it any further was deeply ingrained in my mind.

‘But I still want to see it.’

What should I do?

He was more stubborn than I thought. That meant it was that precious. But I was also desperate. There was something only there.

Then.

“I’m not asking you to show it to me for free.”

“You better think carefully before you speak. I’ll tear your mouth apart if you talk nonsense.”

He was truly a violent man.

“In return, I will solve a long-standing problem for the family.”

“A problem?”

“I heard there’s someone in the northern mountains that you haven’t been able to deal with for over ten years.”

“……Are you talking about the Blade Song Tribe leader?”

Blade Song Tribe.

A tribe of Orcs, a race born only for combat.

If it was just an Orc tribe, it wouldn’t really be a problem. The problem was that the tribe’s leader had intelligence so great that he could learn to read.

If innate physical abilities and high intelligence were combined, there was nothing more terrifying.

He had been eluding the subjugation forces and relentlessly plundering nearby villages for ten years.

The bounty on the tribe leader’s head alone was now worth hundreds of gold Nips. From the Count’s perspective, it must have been a deep headache.

Of course, there was a behind-the-scenes story that only those who had read the novel knew.

Only I knew that.

“Yes, I will solve it.”

“That’s even more absurd than saying you’ll earn fifteen hundred gold Nips out of nowhere. You, who can’t even do what the Wind Knights have failed to do?”

“Then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t accept it, is there?”

“To trade a single opportunity to view the secret library for monster subjugation…….”

Was it done?

The Count stroked his chin and nodded.

“It’s still not enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“The value of the secret library is so supreme that it cannot be exchanged for anything. Even a single opportunity is not something to trade with mere monster subjugation.”

“Is there anything else you want?”

“Yes.”

“What should I bet?”

“The same thing you bet on your annulment.”

To give up the family’s legitimacy.

Was the Count still planning to exclude me from the successor structure? Or was he testing how far I could go?

“You should bet at least that much, shouldn’t you?”

The Count’s thoughts were clear to me: would you still try to see the library even after this?

Of course, it didn’t mean much to me.

“Okay. But with that much risk, shouldn’t you give me the reward in advance?”

“In advance?”

“I want to see the library first.”

The Count finally burst out laughing at my persistent request.

“What are you trying to do in that library? Are you looking for something?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Just curious? Huh, well. It reminds me of the reason you gave for the annulment back then.”

Because it’s my life.

That was the excuse I made back then.

It was the same context now.

Because I’m curious.

The Count fell into deep thought and remained silent, and the office also became quiet.

The silence was broken after more than ten minutes.

“Okay.”

The Count raised his head and gestured for the butler, Gillein, and Baranka to zip their lips.

It was a gesture to keep the story that would come out from leaking.

“The subjugation mission of the Blade Song Tribe. In return, access to the secret library. If you fail, I will take away your legitimacy. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Then it’s your turn.”

I was reminded of the time when I first came to Midland and negotiated with the Count. It was like this back then too.

“I need authority.”

“What kind?”

“The right to command the rangers in charge of the northern mountains.”

“Okay. I will give you the authority to command all of them as you wish, but only temporarily. It would be difficult if the system collapses because you run them as you please.”

“I also need people.”

“Are you saying the rangers alone are not enough?”

“I will take the Knight Commander with me.”

Gillein’s eyes widened.

The Count was the same. He frowned, as if this was unexpected.

Of course, I had come up with the Knight Commander on the spur of the moment, not as a plan.

“Are you saying you’re going to use the Knight Commander now?”

“No. It’s just an accompaniment.”

“You just need his strength?”

“Not necessarily. This is also for the Count.”

“For me?”

Yes. It’s for you too.

It’s also for me.

“If you succeed this time too, wouldn’t you want to know in detail what kind of skills I used?”

“…….”

The Count groaned lowly.

He must be dying of curiosity. How I earned fifteen hundred gold Nips.

It was the same now.

If he could have subjugated them in the first place, he would have done it long ago. That’s why the bounty had skyrocketed.

If I succeeded in subjugating them in such a situation, the curiosity would be even more amplified.

After much deliberation, the Count made a decision and called for Gillein.

“Esteban.”

“If you command me, I will do so.”

“Is that so.”

The Count finally nodded.

“I allow it.”

“I understand.”

“From this moment on, the conditions mentioned earlier are valid. And come find me again at noon tomorrow regarding the secret library.”

It was the best. Things couldn’t have gone better.

I had obtained the right to view the library, and I was able to use the Knight Commander as my temporary subordinate.

Since I had to win over the Knight Commander to take over this Count’s family later anyway.

It wouldn’t be bad to show my abilities and build trust little by little in advance.

“Thank you.”

So this time.

This time, I could sincerely thank the Count for moving as I wanted.