How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 271

Living as the Third Son of a Wasted Novel – Chapter 272

Chapter 64. The Tribal War

Windnest, the city where the wind resides, is home to the Lindayer family’s lord’s castle, which oversees the kingdom’s northernmost border.

Originally a place of calm yet sharp atmosphere, Windnest was now a scene of carnage.

“Who… Ah, Sir Knight!”

Rihas Rody, a member of the Wind Knights, rushed into the inner castle. He reassured a surprised maid with a gesture, took a breath, and asked, “Don’t be alarmed. Where are the Lord and the Commander of the Knights?”

“They are in a meeting in the reception room. But… are you going in like that?”

The maid’s remark made Rihas look down at himself. He scratched the back of his head, noticing the cloak stained red with blood. He removed it and handed it to the maid.

“I’m sorry. Here, please.”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

Discarding his cloak, Rihas quickly ascended the stairs to the reception room.

The Lindayer territory was at war. Refugees and nobles had been summoned to Windnest, while the remaining soldiers and knights tirelessly patrolled, rescuing the territory’s people.

Rihas himself had slain countless monsters in recent days.

Reaching the reception room door, Rihas paused, rubbed his sleep-deprived eyes, and opened the door in an orderly manner.

The reception room had been converted into a conference room. A large map of the Lindayer territory lay on the table, flanked by Gilaine Esteban, Commander of the Wind Knights, and Count Lindayer, the head of the Lindayer family.

“Sir Rihas.”

Gilaine and Count Lindayer turned as he entered. Their faces were etched with exhaustion. Rihas barely suppressed a laugh.

‘Even those monster-like people are tired.’

Rihas coughed deliberately and began his report. “Rihas Rody of the Wind Knights, reporting back after completing the withdrawal mission from the Barony of Seid.”

“The damage?”

“All the people of the Barony of Seid and the troops on the mission are safe.”

“Everyone is safe? Then, Baron Seid?”

“Yes. Baron Seid and his troops bravely defended the castle to the end, ensuring no civilian casualties.”

Count Lindayer, silent until now, spoke at the implication of a heroic sacrifice. “Let us pray for him for a moment.”

A heavy silence filled the room. After the silent prayer, Count Lindayer pointed to the map. “Rihas, take the returning troops straight to the Barony of Duter. They appear to be surrounded. Assist them and escort them to Windnest.”

The Barony of Duter was two days north of Windnest. The thought of another sleepless journey made Rihas want to refuse.

But refusal was impossible. Everyone was struggling, and no one was resting.

“I understand.”

Count Lindayer and Commander Gilaine offered no clichés like ‘Please take care’ or ‘Thank you for your hard work.’ They knew they were pushing people to their limits, making comfort feel hypocritical.

Rihas turned, pondering. ‘Should I get a carriage and take turns sleeping? But does Windnest even have a decent carriage now? Or should I bring a cart?’

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a soldier hurried in. Count Lindayer didn’t reprimand him for his rudeness.

It was either a soldier driven mad by war or a matter so urgent it bypassed protocol.

It was the latter.

“Report from the rangers in charge of the initial defense in the Volum Mountains! A huge number of monsters are advancing towards Windnest!”

“Monsters? How many?”

“Impossible to determine accurately! At least several thousand!”

The room’s temperature seemed to plummet. Count Lindayer rubbed his temples as if fighting a headache and said, “Gilaine.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“We will abandon the territories north of Windnest. Cancel all missions in that direction and recall the troops.”

“I will go and stop them.”

Count Lindayer shook his head at Gilaine’s firm declaration. “Sending all the knights, already in short supply, will only create gaps elsewhere, leading to more victims. There’s no point in shifting the problem. We will stop the monsters at Windnest.”

“But…!”

“If you want to stop them alone, I won’t stop you. Knight Gilaine, do you want to write an epic against thousands of monsters? Are you truly unaware that such romance is a luxury we cannot afford?”

“…….”

“Capital is sending troops to recover the east. Our mission is to defend Windnest until they support us.”

Gilaine fell silent at Count Lindayer’s firm words. The Count sighed, sat down, and looked at Rihas. “Mission canceled, Rihas. Prepare for a siege against the monsters after reorganizing.”

Rihas briefly forgot about the people in the north who would die because of the reorganization. He felt relieved, then disgusted with himself.

“…I understand.”

Being able to rest was something to be grateful for. Rihas didn’t want to be a hypocrite. He decided to enjoy the rest and focus on saving lives with renewed strength.

Rihas left the reception room and headed to the balcony for some fresh air.

Windnest was in a frenzy over the approaching monsters. With insufficient troops, even elderly people were grabbing weapons and being assigned missions. It was a heartbreaking sight.

‘What will happen to the war?’

The Royal Allied Forces were formed to punish Rodkius. But monsters invaded the north, impoverished since the expedition. Was it just a coincidence?

Something was amiss. Though uncertain, Rihas was sure of it. Something unusual was happening.

And at the heart of it, as always, would be Count Kain.

[Count Kain Arphen has headed towards the Lindayer territory. Provide any assistance he needs. We will stabilize the east with the 2nd Corps and then help the Lindayer territory. I wish you good luck.]

This message from Marquis Hallin Irfe, head of the Palace Department of Capital, had been delivered to Count Lindayer.

Count Lindayer shared the message with the knights and nobles and issued an evacuation order to all territories that day.

Time passed, leading to the present.

“Sir Rihas.”

Someone approached Rihas on the balcony.

It was Dane Lindayer, the eldest son of the Lindayer family, also haggard from difficult missions.

“Young Master Dane.”

“I heard the monsters are coming? I woke up and came out in a hurry.”

Dane broke a piece of bread in half and offered it to Rihas, along with a wine bottle.

Rihas smiled and accepted them.

“It’s a feast.”

“The situation in the castle is terrible because of the damn monsters. The maids glared at me for even bringing a piece of bread.”

“Because we don’t know how long we’ll have to endure. It’s a wise plan from the Lord.”

“Still, we’re doing it to live.”

The two men leaned against the balcony, tearing bread and drinking wine. Dane broke the silence. “What do you think will happen to this war?”

“I don’t know. The Royal Allied Forces are tied up in the south. Count Kain is taking the 2nd Corps to the east… but I don’t think it will be resolved there overnight.”

“It’ll be roughly resolved in a month, right?”

“That’s fast. I’m prepared for years.”

“That’s very optimistic.”

Dane sighed, spitting out bread crumbs, leaned against the balcony, and lowered his head. Rihas reached out and touched Dane’s shoulder.

“Don’t touch me, Rihas. I just want to worry right now.”

“…That’s not it.”

“What else is it? Are you trying to make fun of me?”

“The sky.”

“What?”

“Look at the sky! Good heavens!”

Rihas’s scream made Dane look up. He saw a strange sight, as if ink had been scattered in the air.

“What… is that?”

At Rihas’s question, the bread fell from Dane’s hand.

From the direction of the Volum Mountains to the north, something abnormally huge cast a shadow across the vast sky.

“Dr, Dr…”

Dane’s mouth trembled. Rihas spoke clearly to clarify Dane’s bewilderment. “Dragon.”

The huge red shadow was heading towards Windnest, the home of the lonely north wind.

* * *

The Sky Fortress was as majestic as ever, but the waterway around it was stained red with monster corpses.

“Did you say dragon?”

Ilia had arrived at the Sky Fortress, under attack by monsters, leading the Sky Knights. After helping defeat the monsters, she heard a shocking story from Alphonse Riegl, the lord’s representative.

“That’s right! Damn it! I saw it from far away. It was flying around the border between the Volum Mountains and the Blue Mountains and headed straight for Windnest.”

“Was it really a dragon? Isn’t that a being that only appears in legends?”

“But it definitely looked like a dragon. Everyone clearly saw the red body…”

Alphonse stopped as Ilia raised her hand.

“Did you say red?”

“Yes, but.”

“Then it’s not a dragon.”

“Yes? Do you know what it is?”

“It’s just a guess, but probably right. It’s a Red Drake. I met it once in the north.”

“Redran was right!”

Redran Basarac, wiping his blood-stained sword nearby, sneered. “You stupid bastard, I told you it wasn’t a dragon.”

“Hey! Watch your mouth!”

“Shut up and give me the gold coins.”

Redran smiled bitterly and held out his hand. Alphonse, reddened, rummaged through his arms, took out the gold coins, and flicked them.

Redran skillfully snatched the gold coins and approached Ilia. She sighed, dizzy.

“Did you bet?”

“Yeah. That guy is a damn drake I met in the north. That idiot made a fuss about it being a dragon.”

Alphonse was furious at the word ‘idiot,’ but Ilia stopped him and looked at Redran again.

“Is it true that he headed to Windnest?”

“That’s right. The weather was good, so I could see very far. He flew to Windnest coolly.”

“Then the story that he glided over the Volum Mountains and the Blue Mountains for a long time is…”

“What else could it be? He must have been waiting for enough underlings to gather.”

Windnest. If that place, the vanguard guarding the north, collapses, the entire kingdom will become a battlefield.

Redran smiled bitterly, noticing Ilia’s thoughts.

“Now, because we are blocking the important strongholds, it is ending with sporadic local wars. But the Royal Allied Forces are tied up in the south? If Windnest collapses, the kingdom is over. Monsters don’t have rules or plans. They will just spread out and eat away at the kingdom like a tumor. If you follow their butts, humans will eventually be devastated.”

“Then how…”

Ilia staggered, confused. Redran grabbed her, stopping her, and hardened his expression. “Hey, what are you going to do if you’re flustered? Let’s solve them one by one in order. Kain, where is that bastard?”

“He headed towards the Lindayer territory.”

“Then Kain is fine. If that guy is there, he’ll be able to hold out enough. Besides, Master Count Lindayer is also there.”

“Are you going to leave them to fend for themselves? Are you saying you’re going to abandon Kain?”

Ilia expressed her anger. Redran sighed deeply.

“Hey, what kind of troops do we have now? All we have is the Sky Knights, you, me, and a few small fries. Even if we go to Windnest, the result will never change.”

“…….”

“So let’s go to Capital.”

“Capital?”

“We need Master Graham. And the troops to fight the monsters with that drake.”

“Count Graham is in the east with the 2nd Corps…”

“Then that’s even better. Let’s go to the east right away. We have to persuade them and bring Graham with us. That’s good. There was a place I had to stop by in the east anyway.”

“There’s a place to stop by in the east…”

“Did you say the 2nd Corps? An army of that size can’t suddenly head to Windnest. The mobility is too different from the hippogriff [a creature that is part horse and part eagle]. But unlike them, we know the troops that can match the speed.”

‘Troops? Was there such a thing? Except for the 2nd Corps, everyone else belongs to the Southern Expeditionary Force.’

Redran chuckled, sensing Ilia’s question.

“Did you forget? That damn mountain of evil spirits.”