How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 262

Thump- Thump- Thump-

The sound of drums, played to inspire the soldiers before the full-scale offensive, shook the ground.

The target was the firmly rooted castle before their eyes.

Antiquio. The final gateway to enter Marquis Rodkius’s territory.

“Chief of Staff!”

A cavalryman bearing the messenger’s insignia galloped towards me as I stood on horseback. The messenger strained his voice to be heard over the drums.

“A message from the Commander! The Special Forces are to enter the southern gate and crush the branches!” (This likely refers to eliminating key enemy units or disrupting their defenses.)

I chuckled and nodded at the messenger’s words, delivered with a coded message.

I couldn’t help but laugh. To send a person to deliver a message by voice amidst this noisy war situation seemed almost absurd.

Of course, there’s a reason. Under the guise of security, Duke Bachelrun revealed the assigned missions to the main forces just before the attack.

Of course, that doesn’t cause any problems. From the start, Bachelrun is a bit of a madman who lists four or five possible missions and tells you to prepare for all of them, as he’ll only carry out one.

‘The fact that a messenger came means…’

And the fact that the messenger has completed his mission is synonymous with the start of the attack.

I raised my head and looked at the massive fortress wall before me. Then, I turned my head to admire the overwhelming legion surrounding the wall.

Engineers carrying pontoon bridges and ladders to cross the moat, light infantry with hooks on their waists (for scaling walls), and heavy infantry maintaining the front lines with sturdy shields.

And behind them, archers to provide suppressive fire and heavy cavalry to crush the enemy once the vanguard opens the way.

Certainly, the troop composition of the Midlands is very similar to that of medieval to Renaissance-era Earth.

But even so, the unique aspects are the knights and mages.

The existence of knights is a kind of wedge. When the power of each side is equal, the decisive factor is the superiority of the knight force.

On the other hand, mages are beings who shape the direction of the battle itself. Powerful magic can break through any perfect enemy tactic from a distance without much risk.

However, the limitation is that their firepower cannot be maintained for long due to the inherent limitations of their magical power.

And today begins with the magic corps that Duke Bachelrun has cherished and saved.

Goo-ooo-

“It’s starting.”

I swallowed, sensing the abnormally gathering flow of mana in the sky. Looking around, the knights seemed to feel the same as me.

Of course, it wasn’t just them. The ordinary soldiers also seemed to feel an indescribable eeriness, looking up at the sky with faces half-filled with anxiety and half with excitement.

“The gathering power must be a sight to behold.”

Lordain, standing next to me, whistled softly, foreshadowing the upcoming situation.

“I hope you remembered what I told you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t be too flashy, right? I got it.”

Lordain fidgeted with his helm, looking uncomfortable. With Lahena’s help, his appearance had been changed to be more human-like, and his attire was like that of a knight, making him look quite awkward.

“I’ll say it again, our goal is to locate and annihilate the enemy knight order. I’ll take the lead, so don’t go off on some strange path…”

“Alright, I got it.”

I frowned at the tiresome nagging, and Ruth laughed cheerfully.

“It’s been a while since we’ve run on the battlefield together, Young Master!”

“I told you, I’m not a Young Master anymore.”

“You’ll always be the Third Young Master to us. Right, Illia?”

At Ruth’s words, Illia smiled softly.

Kugurung!

At the same time as the conversation ended, the sky opened.

Yes. I could only describe it as opened. Suddenly, a dozen gray clouds arose in the vast emptiness.

Soon, a dozen fiery balls of fire emerged, using those clouds as a foundation.

“Meteor Swarm?”

I shook my head at Lordain’s words.

“That’s a spell that only archmages in legends use. That’s just a lot of mages firing fireballs at the same time.”

“Is that so? Still, it’s amazing.”

The fireballs, accompanied by Lordain’s admiration, spewed out dazzling sparks and headed towards the western gate.

Of course, mages weren’t unique to the Allied forces, and naturally, a translucent barrier began to unfold in the trajectory of the fireballs.

“A defensive magic barrier. A battle of spear and shield? And the winner will be… unlike the elegance of the name ‘magic,’ it’ll be a fight of who can consume more violently, right?”

I nodded at Lordain’s cynical remark.

“That’s correct.”

At the same time as I answered, a rough explosion that shook the ground occurred.

Fragments of the shattered fireballs and black smoke rose like a volcanic eruption. At the same time, the barrier that had blocked it crumbled, shedding blue mana like blood.

After that, the sky vibrated once more, and the bombardment of fireballs continued.

As Lordain said, it was a violent consumption. An attitude of testing how far they could endure.

Seeing that, I lashed the reins and shouted.

“Let’s go!”

Dudududu-!

My mission, given just before the offensive, was the southern gate. But now, the overwhelming magic was pouring towards the western gate, not the southern gate.

That meant the current offensive was a smokescreen. To divert attention to the west.

Then, what has Duke Bachelrun prepared for me?

Ruth, Illia, Lordain, and the Allied knights followed behind me as I raced roughly. There were wide paths between the infantry and archer units, as planned in advance, so there were no restrictions.

Woo-oong-

At the same time, the sound of horns signaling the advance echoed.

Glancing to the side, the fireballs that had been pouring down like rain had stopped. And through the thick smoke, I could see that the western gate, which had seemed so solid, had been destroyed.

‘Then, what about the south?’

On the other hand, the southern gate was still firmly closed. Distrust began to sprout in my heart.

Bachelrun, that old man, he didn’t completely forget about me, did he?

[Run!]!

…As expected, Duke Bachelrun’s message magic pierced my mind at that moment.

Amazing. To pinpoint me from this far away? A terribly sharp sense?

There was no time to admire. Black needles (likely magical projectiles) began to sprout above the southern wall.

“Arrows!”

At Lordain’s short shout, I raised Aphen (MC’s sword). Light poured from the amber jewel embedded in the guard, creating a translucent hemisphere centered around me.

The arrows that flew in with a dull sound were blocked by the barrier and broke. I kept the barrier up and raced forward, right in front of the gate.

Dddddd…

The ground began to shake.

What? An earthquake? Of all times?

But that seemed to be my mistake. A formidable mana was gathering behind me.

“Good heavens.”

Ruth, who was following behind me, looked back and groaned.

Why is he doing that? I can’t help but be curious.

I turned around slightly while still on horseback.

It was Duke Bachelrun.

He was riding a phantom steed, floating high in the wide open space behind us. With his arms spread wide, he was trembling so much that it was clearly visible from afar, and his powerful magic was gathering around him.

Soon, Duke Bachelrun opened his closed eyes.

How did he know from this far away? Well, suddenly two blue dots that hadn’t been there before appeared on his face.

[Earthquake!] (The name of the spell)

Duke Bachelrun’s shout, filled with that powerful mana, could be heard clearly by everyone. It was the moment the magic was completed.

“Get down! Get off your horses!”

Even though they were well-trained warhorses, the horses stopped running, raising their front hooves. They must have instinctively felt what was about to happen.

At my urgent shout, those following me immediately jumped off their horses.

“Advance! The target is above the wall!”

“Crazy, he’s crazy.”

Lordain grumbled at my command, but he had no choice but to follow me.

Kugugung…

The ground collapses. The land cracked and split like a parched drought, and soon the earth began to create a bizarre phenomenon, rising here and sinking there.

“Step on the raised parts! Over the wall in one go!”

Finally realizing Duke Bachelrun’s intention, I gathered mana and sprinted at full speed.

If the ground is smashed like this, the southern gate will become an impregnable land that no troops can set foot on.

Except for one, a knight.

With bodies that transcended human limits, I and the knights relentlessly plowed through the twisted ground, rushing towards the lowered wall.

“Knights! Knights are coming!”

The enemy above the wall shouted as they saw us.

But there were no knights to stop us. Perhaps they were preparing for the knights to break into the western gate, where the attack was concentrated.

“Fantastic.”

Lordain left a word and stepped on a raised rock, leaping straight up. Lordain, who jumped more than ten meters in one go, landed lightly on the wall.

“Wh-what is this…”

Pure white light was emitted above the wall. Lordain’s sword, drawn from its sheath and swung, instantly cut down half a dozen people lined up in front of him.

After that, like a destructive tank, Lordain ran along the gallery above the wall, cutting, cutting, and cutting again.

Ruth clicked his tongue at Lordain’s appearance, who not only seized the wall in an instant but even jumped down below.

“He’s like a monster.”

“I agree.”

It was when we were busy following behind such Lordain and climbed onto the wall.

Clang!

A strange sight suddenly appeared in my eyes as I stood on the wall. The sight of Lordain’s sword being blocked. The fact that his sword was blocked meant that the opponent was also a knight.

But well, there’s nothing to worry about. Who is Lordain? One of the most powerful warriors in the continent…

“He’s being pushed back?”

As if reading my thoughts, Ruth asked a question.

That was true. For a moment, I could see Lordain taking a step back.

It was an unbelievable sight. That confident Lordain was taking a step back?

But the moment I saw the face of the figure standing in front of Lordain, I gritted my teeth.

Long, flowing black hair, sharp eyes resembling a wolf, and an ominous aura that I could never forget even in my dreams.

“…It’s him.”

At my short words, shock filled Ruth and Illia’s faces.

“Huh? If it’s him, then…”

“The black-haired man.”
The guy who has been entangled with me in a bad relationship since I came to this world.

The one who raised ghouls in Capital, killed innocent citizens, tried to seduce me, and eventually knelt before Master Lindayer, but disappeared from the royal prison, leaving only bones behind, an impious being.

Before I knew it, all the ordinary soldiers were dead and fallen. Only Lordain and the black-haired man remained on the wall, exchanging swords. The white light emitted each time the swords collided was blinding.

“Lordain!”

When I called out to Lordain, who had belatedly jumped down from the wall, the black-haired man took a few steps back. In that brief lull, Lordain glared at me, grinding his teeth.

“Hey, who is that guy?”

“He’s the guy I told you about. What do you think?”

“You knew him? But something’s strange, he’s not at the level you described.”

It was a story hard to believe coming from the mouth of the arrogant Lindayer.

“Not at that level?”

“Yeah. I heard before that he clearly lost to Count Lindayer in Capital without much power?”

“He certainly did.”

“No, I guarantee that he’s definitely not that kind of small fry in my opinion.”

“Then does that mean he’s a Master or something?”

“Of course, he would be.”

I let out a hollow laugh at the words that calmly acknowledged it.

Good heavens, he’s gotten that strong? How much time has passed?

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. It’s the same face. The guy was standing tall, as if waiting for us to talk enough, and neatly sheathed his sword.

The guy felt that it was his turn to step up when I and Lordain stopped talking, and slowly raised one hand to his chest and bent his waist slightly.

I felt a headache at the politeness that seemed like court etiquette.

“It’s nice to meet you for the first time. Of course, you know me well, but I’ve heard a lot about you too. Mr. Cain Arphen.”

I guess I’m not hearing things. Lordain and Ruth both had expressions that seemed to say, ‘What the hell is this?’

I opened my mouth with a dumbfounded feeling.

“You, you died and disappeared from prison back then.”

“I heard that I did.”

Heard that he did?

I gritted my teeth, feeling the doubts that had been rising becoming more and more certain.

“You, did your personality change? Could it be that you’re a newly created being who only inherited the power?”