How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 273

Count Lindayer looked up at the sky and clicked his tongue.

Unlike Dane’s frantic words, that was no dragon. It had a similar appearance, but the aura and size made it clear it was a drake [a lesser dragon-like creature].

Of course, the situation wasn’t optimistic just because it was a drake. What worried Count Lindayer now was the drake’s movements.

Drakes prioritize their ferocious and blind destructive instincts over intelligence. But the way it was slowly circling in the sky, as if waiting for people to gather….

“Take cover!”

Count Lindayer shouted as he realized what the drake was about to do.

But it was too late. The torrent of fiery breath turned dozens of soldiers climbing the ramparts into blackened charcoal.

“Damn it!”

Infuriated, Count Lindayer grabbed his spear. He poured mana [magical energy] into it and hurled it at the drake spewing fire in the sky.

However, gargoyles and harpies threw themselves at the thrown spear. Although it was imbued with mana, the sheer number of them prevented it from reaching the drake.

‘If only we had some mages!’

The Lindayer family was a deeply rooted martial family. Therefore, the territory had very few mages. Even those few had been sent to participate in the southern expedition.

Thus, they had no choice but to face the drake with spears and arrows, which were, of course, ineffective.

Fortunately, that breath attack seemed to be quite taxing, as it couldn’t be unleashed for long or frequently.

Moreover, there was another advantage. Due to their inherent intellectual limitations, monsters were proving to be quite useless in the siege. In short, the monsters were practically just smashing their heads against the Windnest Castle walls and dying.

‘Even so, it’s a pretty good diversionary tactic.’

Exaggerating the eastern offensive to make it seem like the main attack, then launching a surprise attack on Windnest….

Count Lindayer smiled bitterly. It was a strategy unbelievable to have come from the mind of a monster.

‘There’s no way a drake could have that kind of intelligence. Does that mean there’s someone else behind it?’

In any case, the situation was unfavorable. Enduring the onslaught of monsters was already difficult, but if the drake continued to fly over the castle and attack, only destruction awaited.

A foolish descendant. To fail to protect Windnest, which the ancestors had guarded for so long.

Count Lindayer called Gilaine Esteban with a bitter expression.

“Gilaine, take command and defend Windnest.”

“Me, sir? What about you…?”

“I intend to intercept the drake.”

“How?”

“I have a Fly magic scroll. I’ll use it to fly up and try to get on the drake’s back.”

Gilaine was speechless for a moment, dumbfounded.

That was absurd. The Fly spell didn’t allow one to fly around like a bird. How could he possibly get on the drake with such slow movements?

If he were attacked in mid-air, even a master wouldn’t be able to avoid it. Humans don’t have wings.

“That’s impossible, sir!”

“If I don’t, Windnest will be destroyed! We have to stop that drake somehow!”

“…….”

Gilaine shut his mouth tightly.

He was right. While the monsters could be somewhat held back by the high and thick walls, there was no way to deal with the drake spewing fire from the sky.

As time passed, more and more people would be burned to death. Therefore, the drake had to be stopped, and if there was anyone here capable of doing that, it was Count Lindayer.

“I understand.”

Count Lindayer gave a faint smile at Gilaine’s acceptance. Then, he turned his head for a moment and looked out at the endless wave stretching beyond the Windnest walls.

“Magnificent.”

That wave was made up of monsters. Their numbers were so great that they densely covered the plains and continued even further behind.

Of course, there was no way the monsters had any systematic command, and they were just rushing in haphazardly. However, that disorderly appearance, combined with the monsters’ unique ferocity, exuded fear.

Gilaine swallowed hard at the sight of that terrifying wave. His voice, as he spoke next, was filled with dismay.

“What will become of us? And the kingdom…?”

“I never imagined I’d say this with my own mouth, but I think I want to say it now.”

Count Lindayer looked up again.

Then, gazing at the drake circling high in the sky, he continued in a somber voice.

“We need a miracle.”

* * *

Hundreds of horses were galloping fiercely across the ground. The horses, along with their riders, were breathing heavily, and the majority of them were elves with remarkable appearances.

At the head of them was Fleta Bachelrun, her face pale. When she saw the distant, massive fortress, she raised her hand and shouted.

“It’s Windnest!”

At Fleta’s cry, a horse running alongside her moved closer. It was Lordain, his white hair tied up and wildly fluttering in the wind.

Lordain narrowed his eyes, looked at Windnest, and nodded.

“A battle is underway.”

“I think something’s moving, but can you see from this distance? What’s the situation?”

“Monsters are attacking the castle. But they’re defending well. There doesn’t seem to be a problem. That wall looks pretty sturdy. But it’s only a matter of time. There’s an unwelcome guest. This is surprising.”

Fleta tilted her head at Lordain’s words.

“An unwelcome guest?”

“Look at the sky. Right above Windnest. You’ll have to crane your neck a lot.”

“The sky…?”

At Lordain’s words, Fleta craned her neck and looked above Windnest. Then, her eyes widened.

“A dragon?”

“No.”

At the quick denial, Fleta looked at Lordain. Lordain’s face was stiff.

“It’s a drake.”

“A drake? Could it be that one from hundreds of years ago…?”

“No, it’s not that Demon Dragon. Right, Glorian?”

At Lordain’s question, another elf running beside him nodded.

Glorian. An elven elder who had come out of the Great Forest for the first time in hundreds of years in response to Fleta’s request for support.

“The Demon Dragon that Bellangas fought was a Black Drake. The thrill I felt when I first saw it is still vivid. But that drake has a red body. It means it’s a completely different one.”

Fleta swallowed hard at Glorian’s words, who spoke of events from hundreds of years ago as if they were just a few days ago.

“Then the drake now is…?”

“It seems to be attacking Windnest. We arrived just in time.”

“Let’s go!”

Fleta gestured, and magic unfolded from her hand, emitting a pure white light. The horses, which had been quite tired from running for so long, absorbed the light and let out powerful cries again.

At the same time, Fleta gestured behind her.

“Sir Broll!”

“Yes, Princess!”

At Fleta’s call, a knight hurriedly followed. He was one of the few knights left guarding Bachelruno, the lord’s castle of the Bachelrun family.

Even at Fleta’s call, Broll’s gaze remained fixed on the drake. At the same time, his hand was visibly trembling.

“Sir Broll, there will be a battle soon! Lead the knights and take Glorian’s command!”

“No! I will protect you, Princess!”

“No. I have to help Lordain. I have to face the drake. We’ll move separately!”

“Face that drake? How?”

“With Phantom Steed!”

After finishing speaking, Fleta waved her hand. Immediately, a phantom steed emitting a thick black mist was summoned above.

Fleta, who sent the Phantom Steed to Lordain by controlling it, shouted.

“Lordain!”

“Damn it, I understand.”

Lordain shouted and leaped from his horse onto the Phantom Steed. Then, he reached out and pulled Fleta up to sit in front of him.

Fleta, sitting in front, gripped the Phantom Steed’s mane tightly and asked.

“Can you handle the drake?”

“Me alone in the sky? That’s crazy. Fine, I’ll try. Glorian! Quickly deal with the monsters and help me!”

At Lordain’s call, Glorian, who was riding a horse on the ground, nodded.

“I would like to give a warning to those humans.”

Fleta, who had been questioning Glorian’s words for a moment, soon realized that she meant Windnest and waved her hand.

At the same time, a huge illusion magic unfolded in the sky. The magic, which could be clearly seen from Windnest, drew the emblem of a silver fox on the blue sky.

“I’ve announced our participation. Now it depends on how they support us over there.”

“Yeah, damn it. Let’s go.”

At Lordain’s nod, the Phantom Steed began to rise. Soon, the two who had flown so high that their companions looked like grains of sand were heading towards the drake.

Glorian, watching the two of them, reached out her hand. The clash with the monster horde was not far away. If they were to start, it had to be now.

“Sentinels! Form a battle line!”

As Glorian’s words fell, the elves who had been running together pulled their reins and stopped in place. After dismounting, they began to form a square battle line with Glorian at the center.

“Glorian, do you need support?”

Broll, who had stopped with them in confusion, asked, but Glorian shook her head.

“No. I am the one who will provide support. You go to Windnest. And tell them. We are allies.”

Go to Windnest? Through those thousands of monsters?

However, Broll did not ask again. He was a knight, and he was under the command of Princess Fleta to take Glorian’s orders.

Broll drew his sword and raised it high.

“Knights! Prepare for battle!”

Following him, the knights drew their swords. The elite were all participating in the southern expedition, so only about ten knights were participating here. But their will was no less than that of hundreds of knights.

It was then that the knights, led by Broll, began to charge towards the gates of Windnest at an increased speed.

The ground began to rumble. To be exact, the ground with the forest not far from Windnest was rumbling.

Soon, the trees there began to rise. It was literal. The deeply embedded roots were pulled out, and they gathered together to form legs.

At the same time, the branches twisted and grew, turning into human-like arms. It was as if dozens of giant tree giants were stretching.

“Tree spirits!”

Broll, who was running, gaped at the unbelievable sight.

Soon, the tree spirits who had risen began to move towards the monsters. Following that, the elven sentinels who had formed a battle line took out their arrows and began to draw their bows.

Only then did Broll understand Glorian’s intention and shouted.

“Charge! Save Windnest!”