Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 100

100.

The Orcs didn’t retreat until sunset.

The soldiers gradually grew weary of the relentless waves of Orcs, as if their rest from the previous day had been insufficient.

No matter how sturdy the castle walls were, a perfect defense remained impossible.

In the afternoon, the eastern gate was breached, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers.

Though Gale was quickly deployed to reinforce the breach and prevent the Orcs from flooding into the castle, the eastern gate and walls were in a precarious state.

I, too, stood on the eastern watchtower, fighting hard alongside the spirits.

“Silphelan!”

The chains of wind ensnared the necks of dozens of Orcs.

Swoosh-!

The necks of the Orcs climbing the walls and attacking the gate were instantly severed.

I caught my breath, tasting blood in my mouth.

“Hoo!”

Thwack-! Thwack-!

Gale was also busy beheading the Orcs climbing the walls.

Even Marquis Mike couldn’t simply stand by and command; he joined the fray.

The same went for all the lords. Everyone was fighting.

The walls could be breached if even one more person didn’t lend a hand.

“Noes!”

Noes shook the ground beneath the walls.

Several ladders couldn’t withstand the trembling earth and collapsed.

Nevertheless, the Orcs raised the ladders again and continued to climb.

I continued to use Noes to unleash the Roar of the Earth, while also using other spirits to destroy the ladders.

Bang-! Bang-!

“Commander!”

I turned my head at the sound of a soldier’s voice.

A hail of arrows rained down from the Orcs.

“Undairon!”

Undairon erected a wall of water in front of me.

With a crash, the arrows fell to the ground. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

‘There’s no end to them.’

As the battle continued all day, it was becoming difficult just to maintain the spirits.

“Your Highness, take a moment to catch your breath.”

Gale had approached my side unnoticed.

I tried to calm my breathing and filled my mana hall with the Wind Breathing Technique [a technique to replenish mana using wind energy].

The arrows fired by the Orcs were still powerful, and the Orcs climbing the walls were as numerous as ants, but the moment I focused on the Wind Breathing Technique, everything around me seemed to slow down.

Thwack-! Thwack-!

Gale wasn’t using his Aura Blade [a blade enhanced with magical energy].

It seemed like he was just lightly swinging his sword, but the heads of the Orcs climbing the wall flew into the air.

It could only be described as a truly mystical movement.

Once I had filled my mana hall to some extent, I rejoined the battle.

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!

The Orcs began to roar at the sound of giant footsteps in the distance.

Uwoooo!

The Orcs climbing the walls stopped, and the Orcs firing arrows and throwing stones only shouted.

I narrowed my eyes and turned my gaze to the source of the sound.

Gale spoke first.

“It’s the Orc King and the Orc shamans.”

“The King… has finally come.”

I had hoped that the King would either wander aimlessly or die after his master’s death, but that was just wishful thinking.

The Orc King was overwhelmingly larger than the other Orcs, even from a distance, and the killing intent he exuded felt stinging even from here.

“It seems like we’ll have to stop here for today.”

The Orcs retreated like a tide.

I nodded, relieved.

“Yes.”

I stood on the watchtower and watched them quietly until they had all retreated to their camp.

“Baron Hamilton will observe the Orc camp in detail soon. Inform him that the Orc King has arrived… and emphasize that it is important to accurately identify the number of Orc shamans.”

“I will convey the message.”

I nodded at Gale’s reply.

The arrival of the Orc King made Baron Hamilton’s mission even more difficult, but I trusted him.

I also trusted Marquis Mike’s insight and confidence in recommending him.

“Does Gale know anything about Baron Hamilton?”

I asked as I descended the watchtower, and Gale paused for a moment before answering.

“I don’t know much, except that he was the first to receive a noble title after being a slave.”

“Baron Hamilton was a slave?”

I widened my eyes.

I knew he wasn’t originally a noble, but I never imagined he was a slave.

“Yes.”

Had he heard our conversation?

Marquis Mike appeared from behind and answered.

“He was a slave who worked in the iron mines in the West.”

I turned my gaze to Marquis Mike. His appearance was also a mess.

The white frost-covered hair was full of dust, and Orc blood was smeared on his sword. His armor shoulder was dented, as if he had been hit by an arrow.

“Marquis, are you alright?”

“This much is fine.”

Marquis Mike smiled faintly.

“You should get treatment first.”

“It’s just a minor injury, so I’ll be fine after a day of rest. We are short on supplies, so potions should be distributed to the seriously injured soldiers, and those with minor injuries like me should overcome it on their own.”

I bit my lip in dismay.

“It was a now-defunct iron mine, but Hamilton was a slave who worked there, and he made a great contribution during the Unification War and received the title of Baron. It was such a groundbreaking event that the central nobles, including the Four Great Houses, revolted against His Majesty.”

It was inevitable.

No matter how strong his father was and how much absolute power he held, the nobles were bound to oppose anything that shook the foundations of the class system.

Not just a commoner, but a slave.

In this world, slaves were treated like livestock. The nobles did not treat slaves as human beings, and neither did the commoners.

Human, but not human.

Those were the people who wore the shackles of slavery.

But even though it was the lowest title, the fact that a slave received a title was truly a historic event.

I couldn’t overcome my curiosity and asked.

“What contribution did Baron Hamilton make…?”

Marquis Mike smiled and replied.

“During the First Unification War, Baron Hamilton was drafted as a soldier. He was assigned to a reconnaissance mission when His Majesty crossed the Erlan Gorge. In that mission, Baron Hamilton returned with Kaion’s head.”

Both Gale and I were speechless at Marquis Mike’s words.

* * *

Hamilton called his subordinates.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

Hamilton’s subordinates were all large and muscular, as if they were Hamilton’s brothers. Their imposing presence was palpable.

“It’s been a while since the Erlan Gorge operation.”

Hamilton nodded at the words of one of his subordinates.

Arun didn’t know, but Hamilton’s reconnaissance unit consisted of only ten men.

That included Hamilton.

They were all former slaves from the Western iron ore mine, just like Hamilton, but only Hamilton received a title, and the other nine became commoners.

“Captain, this is our first time scouting the Orc camp. Will we be alright? I heard the Orc King has arrived.”

Even though Hamilton had become a Baron, a noble, his subordinates still habitually called him Captain.

They couldn’t easily change the title they had used since the mine, and Hamilton felt much more comfortable with the title of Captain than Baron.

Hamilton nodded.

“It’s alright. There’s nothing difficult about it. Just do what we always do.”

“They say the Crown Prince is a pretty decent guy?”

Hamilton nodded again at the words of another subordinate, agreeing.

“He reminds me of His Majesty.”

The faces of all the subordinates lit up at the mention of Ron Carl Leo.

“The future of the Empire is bright. If he’s like His Majesty.”

To them, Ron Carl Leo was more than just an Emperor. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a god.

No matter how great their contribution, a slave was still a slave.

The Emperor simply resolved the shackles of status that they could never escape.

‘Go and bring back the head of the Sword Master who is holed up in the place called the Fortress of Lament in the Erlan Gorge. Then I will revoke Hamilton’s title, cancel their manumission [the act of freeing a slave], and give my seat to the one who brings back the Sword Master’s head.’

The nobles were speechless at the Emperor’s words when he bestowed the title of Baron on Hamilton in the Great Hall that day.

The exhilaration and thrill they felt at that time became the driving force for Hamilton and his subordinates.

Even a slave could be manumitted and become a noble if they made a contribution.

Ron Carl Leo silenced the nobles who didn’t even consider them livestock in an instant.

“I heard the military advisor is also a former pickpocket.”

Hamilton’s words made his subordinates’ eyes widen.

“A, a pickpocket, you say?”

They were well aware of the military advisor’s abilities.

While the Crown Prince was away, Military Advisor Ken had effectively used Ram and Thompson to fend off the Orcs without much damage.

Ken’s reputation was very high, not only among Marquis Mike but also among the Western lords.

He looked like someone who had learned a lot, and his practical skills were excellent, so they naturally thought he was a noble, but he was actually a criminal.

Hamilton shrugged his shoulders at the dumbfounded look of his subordinates.

“Most of the knights who served with His Highness the Crown Prince in the special forces were mercenaries. They are participants in the evaluation competition, but… it’s not easy to accept mercenaries as direct subordinates.”

“He’s as unbiased as His Majesty.”

“That’s right. He takes in criminals who repent of their wrongdoings and use their abilities for good.”

Hamilton knelt before Arun, after Marquis Mike, the moment Arun laid Goran’s corpse out in the castle.

And when he heard the news of the negotiations with the two giant families to solve the Western famine problem, he felt that he was perhaps even more respectable than His Majesty.

“This mission is important.”

The subordinates replied in unison.

“Yes, Captain!”

This was the first mission Arun had entrusted to them, and it was an opportunity to show their loyalty to the Imperial Family once again.

Above all, it was for the sake of the West, so there was no reason to spare their lives.

“We’ll depart at dawn tomorrow. The goal is the Orc King’s head.”

Hamilton once again set a higher goal than the given order.

He had done the same in the Erlan Gorge.

The order given to him by the noble who had given him the mission at the time was to infiltrate the Fortress of Lament in the Erlan Gorge and accurately identify the enemy forces.

It was no different from telling a slave with only ten men to die.

The noble was not happy that there were slaves in his unit.

So Hamilton succeeded in the mission that was simply thrown at him to die, and even assassinated the Sword Master and returned with his head.

It was only natural that the Emperor called him, and thanks to him, the noble was also recognized for his contribution.

“It would be good if we could take out a few Orc shamans as well, but let’s focus on the Orc King and infiltrate.”

Everyone nodded at Hamilton’s words.

There was no fear on their faces.

* * *

“Kaion was the representative Sword Master of the Eastern Kingdom Alliance, right?”

Gale nodded at my words.

“Yes.”

“Killing Kaion was….”

Marquis Mike smiled and opened his mouth as I trailed off.

“You may not remember because it was when you were very young. It was originally known as Count Yan’s achievement, but Baron Hamilton was under Duke Yan. It was Baron Hamilton who brought Kaion’s head.”

Duke Yan, the current head of the Serlan family, one of the Four Great Houses [the four most powerful noble families in the Empire].

Although it was a weaker family compared to Atran and Riverhill, it was one of the meritorious families, and Duke Yan was also known to be a very capable person.

I clicked my tongue.

“How on earth did Baron Hamilton bring the Sword Master’s head?”

Marquis Mike’s words far surpassed my imagination once again.

“Ten of them infiltrated the Fortress of Lament in the Erlan Gorge and assassinated Count Kaion.”