How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 208

Redran sat in a small, shabby lodging, looking rather tired from battling monsters all day.

On the table in front of him was nothing to eat, just a bottle of low-quality whiskey.

Compared to the luxury he enjoyed as the lord of the Red Castle, life in this Sky Fortress was certainly cramped.

However, Redran didn’t seem to mind.

“Redran.”

“…….”

“I’m glad you seem to be doing well.”

“If you’re teasing me, I’ll pass.”

“No, I mean it sincerely.”

I chuckled at Redran’s unchanging tone and sat across from him.

Redran flicked the glass, and it slid across the table to settle in front of me. Then, Redran began to fill the glass with whiskey.

“More importantly, what brings the busy Count Cain here? Were you curious about the condition of a prisoner in exile?”

“That’s true, so I can’t really deny it.”

“That just makes me feel worse.”

Redran twisted his lips, picked up his glass, and we each emptied our glasses without a toast.

“So, what are your impressions of the Sky Fortress?”

“It’s not bad. It’s a good place to clear your head and organize your thoughts. You could say it’s liberating. It’s good because I can focus on one thing.”

“Focus on one thing?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That the opportunity to make a comeback will come again. To prepare for that, what else can I do but improve my skills?”

“That’s true. You’re not wrong.”

Redran shook his head as he looked at me nodding.

“By the way, what are those… things you’re raising outside? Where did you get them?”

“Did you see the Hippogriffs?”

“I did.”

“What did you think?”

“I should say it reaffirmed that my eye for talent is still sharp. Damn it.”

An eye for talent…….

Redran had always seen me as an extraordinary person and repeatedly suggested we work together.

As if thinking the same thing, Redran sighed softly.

“I should have offered you a more solid deal when you first came to the Red Castle.”

“I wouldn’t have listened to whatever you offered.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I apologize for saying it was impossible to take down Rodkius.”

“Do you see some potential?”

“Of course! You must know what would happen if those… things were ridden by the Wind Knights, right?”

“Ah, that’s going to be a bit difficult. I’m becoming independent from Lindayer this time.”

“What? Independent?”

“Yeah. My castle is Arfen now.”

“Arfen? I’ve never heard of that family.”

“Of course not. Because it’s just me now.”

“So you’re starting from scratch. Unbelievable.”

Redran looked at me like I was crazy, then shook his head.

“So, did you break away from the Lindayer family? Or were you kicked out?”

“If I had to choose, it would be the latter, but outwardly it would be the former.”

“Count Lindayer is a bit more cowardly than he looks?”

Redran immediately realized that Count Lindayer’s decision was to check my potential danger.

“That’s how it is when you have a lot to lose.”

“It’s an absurd measure. Where else would you find someone like you?”

“What do I get for the flattery?”

“I don’t do empty talk. Anyway, since you’re going to stick with the royal family, it’s not a big loss for Lindayer either, right? Since they’ve been deeply rooted royalists from the start.”

“Maybe.”

“More than that, what are you vaguely trying to do? I don’t think we’re close enough to exchange pleasantries and chat.”

I crossed my arms at Redran’s direct question.

“Why are you bothering Ilia when I sent you here to stay quiet?”

“I need to get stronger to make a comeback, is it wrong to look for ways to get stronger?”

“Ways to get stronger?”

“I heard that she couldn’t even handle mana until a few years ago. But what about her skills now? She crushed the Red Knights and defeated me with pure skill. Is it wrong for such a strong person to find out how she got stronger?”

That’s true. Well, from an outsider’s perspective who doesn’t know the details, Ilia’s growth is also unusually fast.

Now that he puts it that way, I have nothing to say.

But rather, that created a good excuse. I was originally worried about how to coax him into taking him to the North.

Hiding my true intentions, I picked up the bottle and filled Redran’s glass, then opened my mouth.

“Then that’s good.”

“Good?”

“I have to go somewhere with Ilia this time. Why don’t you come with us? I think you’ll be fighting to your heart’s content.”

“Monster subjugation?”

“Similar.”

“Then I might as well go.”

“Anyway, keep that in mind and don’t get impatient and stir things up. Do you know how uncomfortable people are?”

“……Okay.”

I smiled inwardly at Redran’s surprisingly easy agreement and nodded.

“Well, that’s that, but you don’t get motion sickness, do you?”

Redran tilted his head at my question.

“Motion sickness? Why are you asking that suddenly?”

“Just wondering.”

* * *

After finishing my meeting with Redran, I headed straight to the Knights in the Sky Fortress.

The facilities were not bad. It was newly established, and it was natural because I poured gold into it without sparing any expense.

“Who is this, if it isn’t our great lord!”

Loben, who saw me, grumbled with a look that still hadn’t cleared up.

Why is someone so old acting so childish? I clicked my tongue inwardly and looked around the building.

“Where are the people I sent?”

“……Well, they’ve finished training and are taking a break.”

“You said you didn’t like them, but you’re still training them?”

“I couldn’t ignore the enthusiasm they showed after being completely taken in by your promise to make them knights.”

“Completely taken in? I really intend to make them knights.”

“That’s why I’m saying how is that possible? Aren’t they the ones who gave up on the path of knights because they had no talent in the first place?”

“Just wait and see.”

As I headed to the lodging where the knights were staying with Loben, I suddenly had an idea and opened my mouth.

“Oh, by the way, what did you decide to name the Knights?”

When I mentioned the condition I had set to recruit Loben, who had been a talent in the Capital Knights [elite knights stationed in the capital city], Loben scratched the back of his neck as if embarrassed.

“I do have something in mind.”

“As I said before, Loben Knights is not allowed.”

“What do you take me for?”

“Or never mind. So what did you have in mind?”

At my question, Loben opened his mouth in a casual tone.

“How about the Azure Sky Knights?”

“Pardon? Azure Sky Knights?”

“In the first place, doesn’t this Knights fly in the sky on Hippogriffs? So I thought it was a fitting name. Well, if you don’t like it, I’ll think of something else…….”

His voice grew smaller at the end, as if Loben liked the name quite a bit.

He has a cute side that doesn’t suit his age.

I chuckled inwardly and shrugged my shoulders.

“That’s good. Azure Sky Knights. Sounds great. Let’s go with that name.”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“Why not? I entrusted the naming of the Knights to the commander in the first place.”

“Is that so? Thank you!”

Loben, who had a bright expression for a moment, suddenly erased his expression and shook his head.

“But what’s the point of that? None of the members of the Knights can even handle mana. This is truly a sad thing.”

How annoying.

I sighed at the thought that I should solve it quickly even if it’s disgusting.

“One month.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I’ll make it so that the commander can’t complain anymore within a month.”

Anyway, the work I have to do in the North was also important, so I didn’t even think about going for a month.

On the other hand, Loben began to make a strange expression when he heard my words.

“Did you just say a month?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to make them knights in that time?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you serious…….”

I ignored Loben’s words that followed and quickened my pace.

The Knights’ lodging I entered was bustling. I was sure I heard from Loben that it was break time, but the sound of blades clashing still echoed in the training ground in front of the lodging.

“It’s the lord!”

One of the men who recognized Loben’s face first shouted, and immediately those who had been scattered gathered in an orderly manner and lined up.

They stared at Commander Loben in a motionless posture without even making a sound.

The number was the same as when I picked them out from the Red Castle. Of course, I had all their circumstances in my head.

Their stories were certainly tragic. It was natural since they were commoners who couldn’t become knights because they had no talent in the first place. That’s why they desperately seized the opportunity and came all the way to this barren Sky Fortress.

“What are you doing?”

Loben, who stepped forward, opened his mouth in a low voice. He looked so different from the person who had been grumbling to me that I wondered if it was the same person.

“…….”

No one readily answered Loben’s question. Well, they probably didn’t know that training individually during personal time would be a problem.

But Loben didn’t seem to want to let this problem go easily.

“Yulker.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Report directly. What have you been doing?”

The man called Yulker stepped forward at Loben’s call. He seemed to be temporarily in charge of the group in the current situation where a proper organizational system had not been established.

“……We were each training to compensate for our shortcomings individually.”

“Since when did training and rest have the same meaning? Am I the only one who didn’t know?”

“No, sir.”

“Then can I understand that the current situation is that you disobeyed my order as commander?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The reason I didn’t bother to come here during break time was to guarantee you personal time. But after coming here today, it seems like you’ve been doing this all along. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then as punishment for that, I will eliminate personal maintenance time for the next month. Be prepared, because I will only train you from the time you open your eyes in the morning until you close your eyes in the evening.”

“Yes, sir!”

……It seems like they like it even more because they get to train more?

Loben also started clicking his tongue with an expression that seemed to say, “What kind of perverted guys are these?”

Well, that’s understandable. Loben was an elite among elites who had been recognized for his talent. That’s why he would have entered the Wind Knights and the Capital Knights [elite knights stationed in the capital city].

It would be a little difficult for such a Loben to understand the resentment of those who have no talent.

“This is Count Cain, the lord of the Sky Fortress and the founder of the Knights you joined. You know that, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. The lord has something to say to you, so listen carefully!”

Loben, who had made room for me, stepped back.

Then, I stepped forward and faced them, receiving the gazes of twenty people.

Well, it’s certainly burdensome. Because the gazes of these people were filled with countless respect for me.

Well, it’s a little embarrassing, but there’s a truckload of people who respect me, even among the knights who handle mana.

In that situation, what more can I say about these trainee knights? Besides, I’m the one who directly took them in, promising to make them knights.

I cleared my throat and looked at them, then opened my mouth.

“Nice to meet you.”

What should I say?

A compliment welcoming them to the Knights? Or a sweet word that there will only be a rosy future from now on?

Of course not.

What I have to do now is to prevent them from becoming intoxicated with the power they will gain in the future.

That’s why what I have to say now has also been decided.

“No matter how hard a loach [a type of freshwater fish] tries, it can never become a dragon.”

“…….”

“And you are no different from mere loaches now.”

The audience was filled with silence.

But I didn’t care and continued to speak.

“But I have the ability to raise a loach to the level of a venomous snake.”

No matter how much of a king of beasts a lion is, it will die if bitten by a venomous snake.

I will give you such poison.

The eyes of those who heard my words slowly began to fill with desire, and after confirming that, I finished my words with one last word.

“As the saying goes, to have poison, you must first taste the poison. I will personally test from tomorrow whether you have the qualifications to withstand that poison.”