How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 202

“Sella Flores, step forward and receive the royal decree.”

The countless people gathered in the city square where the Red Castle stood held their breath.

They watched Sella walk onto the stage prepared in the square.

“Sella Flores, who united the lords, quelled the division in the East by defeating Redran Basarak, who caused chaos in the kingdom, and brought stability—her contribution is clearly acknowledged. Therefore, I, Belintes Aransel, trusting Flores’ oath to wash away past transgressions and once again pledge allegiance to the royal family, pardon her sins…”

Marquis Irfe’s booming voice echoed across the square.

The gist was simple: she had made a significant contribution to defeating Basarak, so her sins would be forgiven on the condition that she pledged allegiance to the royal family again. It was what had been promised from the start, so there was nothing new about it.

However, to those who didn’t know the details, it would appear as if the royal family had shown great generosity.

“…Sella Flores is recognized as the liege [feudal superior] of the Red Castle, and at the same time, the Flores family is granted the earldom they held in the past, and she is reappointed as the Eastern Margrave [a noble title roughly equivalent to a border lord or count].”

Thus, the coronation ended. The crowd’s reaction was generally favorable. If the East, which had been fighting every other day, could unite under the name of Flores, their difficult lives would improve, even if only a little.

It was now Sella’s task to win their true loyalty.

Of course, that wouldn’t be too difficult. If she could gather the fallen members of the Riley family and join forces, she could become a wise ruler, if not a great one.

After the ceremony concluded, Marquis Irfe entered the Red Castle and immediately summoned me.

As I headed to the reception room inside the Red Castle, I was greeted by Marquis Irfe, who was smiling broadly at me.

“Count Cain!”

“Greetings.”

“Congratulations. You’ve successfully completed the task admirably.”

“I simply did what I had to do.”

“How modest!”

Marquis Irfe chuckled and sat me down before pouring tea into a teacup.

“I heard that the Southeast has been mostly taken care of.”

“Yes. The lords, led by Baron Trot, have eliminated all of Redran’s remnants and are now stable.”

“What is the reaction of the southeastern lords?”

“They swore allegiance to Flores as soon as they were given back the territories that Redran had taken and their autonomy was recognized.”

“So, in the end, all the lords of the East are united under Flores?”

“Some lords are still wary of Flores, but they will soon follow the trend. The scales have already tipped enough.”

“It’s ridiculous. To think that the East, which has been a headache for hundreds of years, would be resolved so easily.”

Marquis Irfe, as if in disbelief, let out a hollow laugh and looked at me.

“It’s all thanks to you. His Majesty the King is also very pleased.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But there’s still an unfinished story.”

The unique sharpness returned to Marquis Irfe’s eyes, which had been filled with joy until now.

“You’re going to take on the role of Flores’ guardian family?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It’s called a guardian family, but in reality, it seems like you’re going to exert a deep influence on Flores and the East. Am I wrong?”

“You’re right.”

“Wasn’t that something that wasn’t originally discussed? It’s quite troublesome for the royal family.”

“I made this decision because I thought it would be better for the future.”

“The future…”

“I told you when I explained this plan from the beginning. My goal isn’t just to bring down Redran, but to use the East to launch a southern invasion and catch Rodkius.”

“You did.”

“Rodkius is the opponent I will fight, and Flores is an ally who will fight with me. To systematically strengthen such an ally, shouldn’t I be able to intervene deeply?”

“I know that the royal family and your goals are the same. But as you know, entrusting such a vast power as the East to you is not an easy decision.”

“Oh, is that so? Then I’ll just step down.”

“…Step down?”

Marquis Irfe’s eyebrows furrowed as if he didn’t expect me to give up so easily.

“Yes. I’ll step down.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

“I only move when I’m sure I’ll win. That’s how it was when I mediated the Bashrun territory war, when Capital was attacked, and when I unified the East this time.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“I will come up with a plan to defeat Rodkius in the future. But for that plan to work, I need chess pieces that will move exactly as I want them to. And that chess piece will be the current Flores.”

“Don’t you have plenty of troops to fight with you?”

“That’s true, but I can’t just control Duke Bashrun or Countess Lindayer as I please, can I?”

“……”

“If I have to go through complicated procedures and suffer from a dual command system every time I do something, I’ll just step down. If the royal family is so uneasy about me, wouldn’t it be better to find another commander?”

Marquis Irfe laughed after hearing my words.

“So, if we want to keep using you, we have to meet your working conditions?”

“I am not a god. I can’t create something from nothing.”

“That’s true too.”

The marquis, groaning, finally nodded.

“Alright. I’ll consider it positively. But as you know, His Majesty the King won’t be very happy about it.”

“You’re worried that I might have other intentions.”

“I won’t deny it. But if you promise one thing, His Majesty will probably agree willingly.”

“What is it?”

Marquis Irfe glanced at the calendar and opened his mouth.

“Come to Capital soon. There’s someone you need to meet.”

“Someone I need to meet?”

“That’s right.”

“Who is it?”

Marquis Irfe chuckled at my question.

“The Third Princess wants to meet the hero who is shaking the kingdom and commend his achievements in person.”

…Suddenly, I feel a headache coming on.

* * *

The late king left behind four children, and the current king, Belintes Aransel, the only man among them, was the fourth and youngest, and the only male.

‘The Third Princess.’

Catherine Aransel.

Apart from the first and second princesses, who are married to powerful families, she is the only one who is unmarried along with Belintes.

And that woman wants me to come to Capital to commend my achievements.

Unless I’m an idiot, the meaning of those words is clear. They want to put a leash on me, who is currently at the peak of my career, with a political marriage. If that happens, I will undoubtedly become a member of the royal family.

Giving up a person to gain a person….

It’s not strange. After all, the royal family had offered a marriage proposal to Gilaine Esteban, the leader of the Wind Knights and an Expert-level knight, by putting forward the Third Princess to bring him into the royal family.

‘For now, they just told me to meet her, so I’ll watch the situation and smooth things over appropriately.’

In any case, I couldn’t give up having Flores under my control. Besides, Marquis Irfe said to just meet her, right?

Meet her appropriately and kill time appropriately.

With that rough conclusion, I realized that I had arrived at my destination.

The place I had arrived at was a sickroom. The soldier guarding the door saw me, stood at attention, and saluted.

“Greetings, Count!”

“You’ve been working hard. Is he inside?”

“Yes, he is!”

“How is his condition?”

“He seems to have regained consciousness!”

“Is that so?”

Nodding, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Ilia was waiting inside. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, but she straightened up when she saw me.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes. Has anything happened?”

“No, nothing has.”

Ilia glanced at the figure lying on the sickbed.

The figure with red hair and a limp body, with bandages tightly wrapped around his side, was none other than Redran.

“Go out and take a break for a while.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“What’s not to be alright? Go and have a meal or something.”

“Understood. Please call me if you need anything.”

As Ilia opened the door and left, only Redran and I remained in the sickroom.

Seeing me, Redran, who had been closing his eyes, slowly opened his mouth.

“What did you come here for?”

“What else? I was curious.”

I pulled up a chair, sat opposite Redran, and crossed my arms.

“How are you doing these days?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was wondering if you still think Ilia is a demon.”

“Did you come here to make fun of me?”

“Oh, have I been found out?”

Redran, chuckling at my answer, quietly continued.

“…She was a knight.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It was a righteous swordsmanship that only a knight who has trained for a long time can display. It’s not something that a demon can dare to imitate.”

Redran’s face looked quite relieved after speaking. It was probably because he had let go of what he had been forcibly holding onto and had shaken off the nightmare that had been plaguing him.

“More than that, seeing you come here like this, it seems like my fate has been decided.”

“Yes.”

“Am I going to die?”

“No.”

Redran’s eyebrows twitched at my answer.

“You’re not going to die?”

“That’s right.”

“Did you stop it?”

Did I stop it? There’s no way.

From the beginning, Sella had no intention of killing Redran. She wanted him to live, suffering for a long time after losing everything.

Well, of course, Marquis Irfe wanted to execute Redran, but he agreed without a word after hearing my plan.

“You could say I stopped it.”

“What are you plotting?”

“Redran, you’re going into exile.”

“…Exile?”

“Yes, exile.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’d rather bite my tongue.”

“Is that so? Then do it. But if you bite your tongue, will it be Busek? That loyal knight will have to be hanged in front of everyone in your place.”

“What did you just say?”

Redran’s eyes widened fiercely.

“If you, who have to pay for your sins, die like that, wouldn’t someone have to take responsibility in your place?”

“You vile bastard.”

“It’s quite refreshing to hear those words from you.”

“What do you really want?”

I gave Redran a bitter smile at his question.

“Go to the Sky Fortress.”

“The Sky Fortress?”

“Fight monsters there, protect the north, and ensure the safety of the kingdom’s citizens to pay for your sins.”

“…Isn’t that where you’re the lord?”

“Yes. So, I’m sending you there.”

Redran frowned at my answer and scoffed.

“So, if I shut up and beat up monsters under you, you’ll spare my life?”

“Redran.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“Do you think I started this whole mess just to catch you?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“My goal is to completely destroy Rodkius and his followers.”

Redran’s expression changed when he heard the name Rodkius.

“Rodkius? Are you crazy? You’re going to defeat them, who occupy nearly half of the Midland’s land?”

“Why, do you think I can’t?”

Perhaps he felt the unbelievable defeat he had experienced from my momentum, Redran, who had been sneering, bit his lip.

“So?”

“After conquering Rodkius, countless nobles will probably die or disappear. And those who have contributed will take their places.”

“……”

“Live quietly as if you were dead in the Sky Fortress. And when the opportunity comes, seize it. The choice is yours. Rot in an underground prison for the rest of your life, or endure and wait for a comeback.”

“If I do that, what about Busek?”

I shrugged at his words, seeking the knight who had stayed by his side until the end.

“He has expressed his intention to follow you no matter what, whether he lives or dies. He can die with you, or he can go to the Sky Fortress with you, one of the two.”

“Busek said that?”

“Yes. There are a couple more besides Busek.”

Redran’s eyes wavered.

The subordinate nobles who had been with him all left or surrendered when Redran lost Berserker and broke down.

Those who remained by Redran’s side, who had become alone, were Busek and a handful of knights who had sworn to be with their lord until the end.

Perhaps he was recalling the faces of those people, Redran, who had closed his eyes for a moment, was shining his eyes.

“The opportunity to make a comeback, is that real?”

“I promise. When the time comes, I will give you the opportunity to go to the battlefield and make a contribution.”

“Then good.”

Redran clenched his fist tightly.

“If I can fulfill my failed duty again, I can endure it as much as possible.”

Hearing his answer, I nodded and took out a letter from my pocket and handed it to him.