Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 102

‘Now that I’ve surpassed the Beginner stage, it might be a good idea to try.’

I wanted to contract with a high-level Spirit of Earth or Water.

Considering the skills I currently possess, the Earth Spirit seemed more efficient for large-scale battles.

Water Barrier, Water Storm, and Purifying Wave are three skills exclusive to Water Spirits, with Water Storm being an area-of-effect attack skill.

‘Water Storm is good, but Earth’s Roar seems more suitable for defensive warfare.’

I made my decision and said to Gail,

“Gail, I’m thinking of contracting with a Spirit. Please watch over this place for a moment.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gail emitted an Aura Blade [a weapon skill that enhances a blade with magical energy] from his sword. Until now, he hadn’t used Aura Blade to conserve mana. A skilled warrior like Gail could kill Orcs without needing an Aura Blade.

He seemed intent on thoroughly clearing the area around the command post at my request.

‘Ignis told me to make additional contracts after becoming a Master, but at this rate, the soldiers’ sacrifices are too great.’

It was foolish arrogance to think I could prevent even a single soldier from dying in war.

People were bound to die in war. But if I could minimize the number of casualties, I would do anything.

Above all, if we couldn’t stop the Orc Shamans, defense itself would be impossible. Unlike yesterday, there were far more Orcs climbing the walls.

The Orc Shamans’ attack spells directly struck the walls, causing many of our soldiers to be sacrificed.

Also, looking into the eyes of the Orc warriors, it was clear they weren’t normal.

The bloodlust had become even more ferocious, and their strength and speed seemed significantly enhanced. The Orc Shamans were casting some kind of spell on the Orc warriors to help them fight more bravely.

There was also the option of going out to face the Orcs, but that would mean forcing even greater sacrifices from the soldiers.

The best way in this situation was to contract with another high-level Spirit, even if it was a bit much for me.

I focused my mind and recited the Primordial Oath [a magical incantation used to bind spirits].

Kukukung-!

The soil beneath the walls swirled up, reaching the command post where I stood.

Gooooooo-!

It seemed they were in a hurry.

Climb’s tone was peculiar.

The giant Climb filled the command post to the ceiling.

Unlike Silphelan and Ignis, Climb had the most human-like appearance.

I quickly urged the contract.

That chatterbox must have said something. The master of the oath now is…….

I cut off Climb’s words.

‘I know. But it’s urgent. Is it impossible?’

-No. It is not impossible.

Climb was as unique as Ignis. He mixed informal and formal speech, and it was hard to tell if his tone was serious or playful. I made the contract first.

Climb no longer resisted my strong will and made the contract.

The high-level Spirit Climb leaped off the wall.

The soldiers’ gazes momentarily focused.

But soon, the battle resumed as Orcs continued to rush in.

Earth’s Roar.

The reason I chose Climb was because of this skill.

Climb accurately read my will and began to shake the ground near the walls.

‘T, this is!’

I involuntarily staggered.

A nearby shield-bearer quickly approached and supported me.

I stammered.

“I, I’m fine.”

Kwakwakwakwa-! Kwang-! Kwaaaaaang!

Then, with tremendous explosions, the ground in front of the wall shook, and it felt like the wall itself was shaking.

Kwakwakwakwang-!

The explosions didn’t stop.

Surprisingly, the range of Earth’s Roar was much wider than the Curtain of Fire.

Kwaaaaaaaaang-!

And my mana in the Mana Hole [a spiritist’s internal reservoir of magical energy] bottomed out.

“Y, Your Highness.”

Even Marquis Mike’s voice trembled.

I forced a smile.

“I think I bought us some time.”

The Orcs, who had been advancing vigorously, stopped their movements due to the massive earthquake.

Thousands were instantly crushed by the earthquake, and even the Orc warriors, driven mad by magic, couldn’t help but flinch.

‘Indeed, the more I learn about Spiritists, the more amazing they are.’

I felt a great sense of pride in becoming a Spiritist myself.

I also realized how precious Spiritists were in a war where large numbers of people fought.

It was something I had done, but I couldn’t believe the result before my eyes.

‘I thought Earth’s Roar was just a skill to hinder movement, but when Climb used all my mana, it was no different from an earthquake.’

Thousands of Orcs were buried or torn apart by the aftereffects of the earthquake. In front of the wall, there was a pit at least ten meters deep, filled with the corpses of Orcs.

The level of Earth’s Roar instantly rose from 5 to 10.

‘Was it because I killed so many Orcs with a single use? It seems I received a tremendous amount of experience.’

There were two conditions for a skill’s level to increase.

They were proficiency and experience.

The more you used it, the more your proficiency increased, and naturally, your experience also increased.

The fact that the skill level rose by 5 with a single use meant that I had gained a tremendous amount of experience at once.

‘Hoo.’

I regulated my breathing and used the Wind Breathing Technique [a meditation technique used to restore mana].

As mana accumulated in the Mana Hole, the fatigue in my body gradually disappeared.

“The Orcs have all retreated.”

The lightning stopped, and the rain ceased. The Orc Shamans’ spells also ended.

Thanks to Climb, I was able to overcome a crisis without much difficulty.

Gail approached and said,

“It seems the Orcs will rest for a while, so let’s go down.”

I didn’t refuse the suggestion.

Even using the skill once made me feel too tired. Instead of simply using the Wind Breathing Technique, it seemed I needed to rest and concentrate in the barracks.

* * *

Contracting with Climb definitely put a strain on me.

I fell into meditation with the Wind Breathing Technique, but my fatigue didn’t recover easily.

Only after the Mana Hole was full and some time had passed did I feel refreshed.

“Hoo-oo-oo-oo!”

I took a deep breath and went outside the barracks, only to find that it was already late at night.

The night air was still cold.

Winter was almost over, but the wind in the western plains showed no signs of subsiding.

“The winters in the west seem particularly long. Even though the capital is in the north, spring would have already arrived by now.”

It was David’s voice.

I shrugged.

“I guess so. You must be tired, why don’t you rest?”

“I’ve rested a lot. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a mercenary for so long, but I don’t need much sleep.”

“Is that so?”

David asked, seemingly curious.

“Fire Spirit, Wind Spirit, and now Earth Spirit… Your Highness has already contracted with high-level Spirits of three attributes. Do you see the path to becoming a Supreme Spiritist?”

“Supreme Spiritist? Well, I’m not even a high-level Spiritist Master yet, so it’s a bit far off.”

David’s eyes widened.

“Usually, you can only contract with high-level Spirits of other attributes when……”

Seeing David trailing off, I nodded.

“That’s right. You can only contract with high-level Spirits of other attributes after becoming a high-level Spiritist Master. To contract with Spirits of three attributes like me, you’d have to reach the realm of a Supreme Spiritist, as you said.”

“Then how did you contract with them?”

“My mother gave me good talent. I have a higher affinity than other Spiritists, no, a very high affinity. That’s why it was possible.”

I said to David.

“Has your curiosity been satisfied a bit?”

David nodded at my words.

“Your Highness’s talent is always amazing to see. According to Ken, you haven’t been learning Spiritism for long… If someone were to tell your story, they probably wouldn’t believe it.”

“I can’t believe it myself, so it would be hard for others to believe. Well, that doesn’t matter. There’s no end if you start being conscious of other people’s opinions.”

I looked up at the sky for no reason.

A moon much larger than the one I used to see in my original world covered one side of the sky. The endlessly 펼쳐져 [spread out] Milky Way also filled the sky as if it were about to pour down.

“The Imperial Palace and this place are definitely different.”

David nodded at my words.

“The Imperial Palace straddles the center and the north. The atmosphere is very different in the west.”

“Have you been to other places?”

David was a mercenary, so he must have traveled all over the continent.

“I mainly operated in the central region, called the middle, and the southern entrance area.”

“Is that so? What is the middle like?”

At my words, David began to explain with some excitement.

I asked about the middle, as well as the south, and I heard the contents I had written from David.

It was a very strange experience.

David’s voice lowered as he was talking about bright things.

“There was no region without slums.”

I didn’t say anything.

David looked up at the sky and said.

“I was born a prince and lived enjoying many things. When the country was destroyed by war, and I lost my parents and siblings, and lost everything I enjoyed. There were things that I finally saw.”

David was someone who had personally experienced that pain, and perhaps that was why he might not be able to become my vassal.

It was Aetran who destroyed his family and country, but Aetran was only following my father’s orders.

“I’m embarrassed to even apologize to you.”

“I don’t resent Your Highness. Nor His Majesty. You may call me a fool, but I don’t resent the Aetran family either.”

My gaze naturally turned to David.

Was it really possible not to resent anyone?

David continued, seeing my questioning gaze.

“In a continent full of war, my family’s power was too weak. Even if it wasn’t the Empire, we probably wouldn’t have lasted long. At first, I tried to accept it as something unavoidable, but it wasn’t that I didn’t have a desire for revenge. That’s when I decided not to kill anyone until I beheaded Duke Beregon.”

Blunt Sword David. That was the title David had earned as a mercenary.

“But as I wandered the continent… my desire for revenge faded. Even without war, many people leave the world every day. And the reason is just.”

David paused for a moment.

David, who had composed his emotions, said in a sad voice.

“Just because they didn’t have bread to eat for dinner tonight, because they didn’t have soup. There were so many people who sold their husbands to brothels and wives who sold their children to survive. Your Highness, hunger is more terrifying than war. Hunger is a pain that humans can never get used to.”

I, who had been listening to David’s story, asked.

“So you went around the slums and helped them?”

“When I realized that everything I had enjoyed as a prince was the result of exploiting them, I gave up my desire for revenge. I decided to live for those who had died for the luxury I had enjoyed.”

David’s eyes sank deeply.

“Your Highness said that my way of helping the slums was wrong. You said that instead of taking from the nobles and distributing it, we could save them through more production and system reforms.”

I pointed to the barracks.

“How many of the soldiers sleeping there do you think can usually afford to eat lunch?”

David couldn’t answer.

“Even eating only breakfast and dinner is considered quite well-off. Even though the Empire is developing day by day, the people of the Empire are still living difficult lives. Isn’t it funny? Only on the battlefield, where you don’t know when you’ll die, can you eat three proper meals and sometimes eat meat or drink alcohol.”

I stared intently at David.

“I can also be said to be struggling to survive. I’m gathering talent to survive. Announcing the ideals I dream of, showing heroic abilities, and showing a heart that cares for them. Rewarding those who died while carrying out operations that cross life and death together, and showing that I am different from other nobles and royals are all things for survival.”

I cleared my throat after speaking quite a long time at once.

Then, I put my hand on David’s shoulder and said.

“It’s difficult to win people’s hearts. Was it selfish and only for my survival? If there was no sincerity, would they have followed me?”

David shook his head.

I smiled and nodded.

“That’s right. That’s why I’m telling you too. My empire is an empire where you can’t find slums when you travel around the country. I don’t know when it will be. Maybe it’s impossible. But until the day I die, that goal will not be erased from my mind. That’s my promise to you.”

David knelt before me.

I finally fully received the heart of Blunt Sword David.