Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 112

112.

Baron Hamilton expressed his confidence.

“It is definitely possible. When should we depart?”

I smiled at Baron Hamilton’s enthusiasm.

“Departure is tomorrow morning. What we need to find out at the Ruined Dominator Wyvern’s nest is the terrain of the nest and whether there are any hatchlings.”

Hamilton nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. I will find out quickly.”

I already knew enough about the Wyvern’s strength.

‘Gale is here, but it won’t be an easy battle.’

I was planning to hunt the Wyvern without a single casualty.

“Your Highness, it seems we need a lot of preparation for the Wyvern hunt.”

It was Riorden who spoke.

Since Riorden knew the most about the Ruined Dominator Wyvern, I was going to listen to him.

“Let’s go to my tent. Oh, Marquis, when will the reconstruction of the Lord’s castle begin?”

“I will proceed slowly after the funerals for the dead soldiers are finished.”

As expected of Marquis Mike.

I also lent a hand.

“Please make sure to identify the list of the dead soldiers’ families. No amount of compensation can replace the grief of losing their families, but I want to compensate them enough so that their remaining lives are not difficult.”

My heart was really heavy thinking about the fallen soldiers, and I wanted to help their families even a little.

However, I didn’t have any resources to compensate them right now.

David subtly stepped forward.

“Your Highness, what do you think about holding a joint funeral?”

I exclaimed, “Ah!”

“That’s a great idea! Marquis, please contact the lords who have already returned as well. We will hold a joint funeral for the soldiers who died in this war.”

Marquis Mike did not object either.

“If Your Highness personally presides over the funeral, it will be a great comfort to the bereaved families.”

It would be quite meaningful as it was unprecedented in the history of the Empire for the Crown Prince to personally comfort the fallen soldiers.

“Riorden, David, let’s have dinner together tonight. Gale too.”

The three bowed their heads.

I exchanged greetings with Marquis Mike and returned to my tent.

As soon as I returned, I summoned Undine to fill the tub prepared on one side, and asked Phoenix to heat the water to a suitable temperature. I was happy with the luxury that a spirit master could enjoy.

I took off my clothes and soaked my body, which was covered in sweat and dust, in the tub.

‘Wow!’

There were no shower facilities, but I really liked the wooden bathtub that Marquis Mike had prepared for me.

I washed my body until it squeaked and put on my clothes.

Did they know I was taking a bath?

The three had not yet come to the tent.

As I was meditating with the Breath of Wind, I heard a voice from outside the tent.

“Your Highness, it’s Gale.”

“Oh, come in!”

Riorden and David appeared with Gale.

Riorden brought food and set the table.

“Let’s talk slowly while we eat.”

I picked up my spoon first, and soon the three also started eating.

I deliberately created a relaxed atmosphere.

“I think the Wyvern hunt might not be that difficult. Gale is here, and I have grown stronger as well.”

David agreed with me.

“The Ruined Dominator Wyvern is a special Wyvern, but if we go hunting with proper forces, I think we can hunt it down.”

Riorden was silently chewing his food without saying anything.

I waited for Riorden to speak first.

I wanted to hear his judgment, but to express his opinion, Riorden had to bring up his past memories.

For Riorden, the Ruined Dominator Wyvern was an experience gained through pain.

I personally poured a glass of wine for Riorden.

Riorden, who moistened his throat with wine, slowly opened his mouth.

“First of all, my memory has limitations, so the information is not perfect.”

Riorden hesitated repeatedly, as if he was about to start talking, but knowing the situation, none of us urged Riorden.

Riorden sighed.

“At that time, there were a total of 150 mercenaries who went hunting.”

Slowly, the events of that day began to flow from Riorden’s mouth.

The story got longer.

Before we knew it, the two of us were completely immersed in Riorden’s story.

As we listened to the process of how 150 mercenaries were massacred by the Wyvern, I couldn’t help but groan.

Riorden’s story was too cruel and sad.

“I wandered the world trying to die in a suitable battlefield, but I remembered the promise I made to rise to become a respectable knight instead of a mercenary selling my life for a coin if I survived.”

I finally spoke.

“So, you participated in the evaluation competition?”

“Yes. Although I lost to Your Highness, I still became a knight, so I was able to keep my last promise.”

“Thank you.”

I didn’t have anything to say to Riorden. All I could give him now was a glass of wine.

“It’s just an experience.”

We began the full-scale meeting.

“First, we need to decide on the number of knights.”

Gale gave his opinion to my words.

“I don’t think we need many knights. Rather, those with excellent archery skills would be more efficient.”

Wyverns are basically flying monsters.

Since the only humans who can fly are wizards or spirit masters, archers who can attack from a distance are useful.

Riorden chimed in.

“Most of us were attacked because we used swords. If we have excellent archers, we can distract the Wyvern’s attention enough.”

Before we knew it, we had forgotten the food and wine in front of us and were engaged in a heated debate.

* * *

It took a day to select soldiers after the meeting.

It was thanks to the full cooperation of Marquis Mike and the western lords.

I smiled contentedly as I watched the aligned soldiers.

I did not forget to thank Marquis Mike and the lords.

“Thank you so much for your cooperation.”

“I feel heavy-hearted entrusting the work for the West to Your Highness. Rather, we should have stepped up to do it.”

I shook my head.

“It is not necessary to hunt the Ruined Dominator Wyvern. It started from my greed, so I am grateful that everyone stepped up.”

One of the western lords replied to my words.

“The soldiers are also highly motivated to hunt Wyverns. The war has devastated their lives, and one of the solutions is to hunt Wyverns.”

I nodded and looked around at the soldiers.

As a result of the meeting, it was finally decided to form a hunting party of 400 people, excluding me, Gale, David, and Riorden.

Among them, 250 were organized as archers.

The remaining 150 were knights, and their mission was not to hunt Wyverns but to protect the archers.

Only the best of the archers under Marquis Mike were selected.

After encouraging the knights and archers, I moved to the tent.

Marquis Mike and the western lords naturally followed.

Wyvern hunts are rare, but this was a hunt for a powerful Wyvern with the title of Ruined Dominator, so everyone was paying attention.

After entering the headquarters tent and taking a seat, the lords also sat down in their respective places.

I smiled and opened my mouth.

“I didn’t know we would be having another meeting here.”

The lords smiled at my jest.

“The troop organization is over, and we will discuss the arming of the archers and knights.”

Marquis Mike replied.

“Since it is not an ordinary Wyvern, the arming needs to be more special, but the current arming is the limit of the West’s capabilities.”

The most important thing during last night’s meeting was the arming of the archers and knights.

“Don’t we have the items confiscated from Thompson? There are quite a few rare materials among them.”

I continued to explain quickly.

“I need to ask the artisans for the exact details, but there are materials that can strengthen weapons.”

Marquis Mike’s eyes widened.

“Did Thompson and the Riverhill wizards have such materials?”

“They had all sorts of things. I will share the list with you. Show the list to the artisans and see if they can strengthen the arming of the archers and knights.”

I especially urged further.

“It’s good to strengthen the weapons, but if possible, go in the direction of increasing the defense power of armor or helmets.”

I believed that I and Gale would be able to penetrate the Wyvern’s skin sufficiently.

It was good to strengthen the weapons of the archers and knights, but I focused more on preventing them from losing their lives from the Wyvern.

If the armor is strong, it can withstand several of the Wyvern’s melee attacks.

‘Thompson’s legacy is very useful.’

After finishing the meeting appropriately, I handed the list of items I received from Ken to Marquis Mike.

I sent the western lords out.

I issued an expulsion order to Riorden, David, and Gale.

When only Marquis Mike and I were left, I brought up the story I had thought about at night.

“Marquis.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you have any intention of maintaining the Western Alliance?”

Doubt flashed in Marquis Mike’s eyes.

I didn’t think he understood the meaning of my words at once, so I calmly explained.

“The West is a vast place. But the fertile land is narrow, so the territories are all gathered together.”

I unfolded the map on the table.

On the map, I circled the area called the West in a large circle.

“Look. The territory itself is wider in the West than elsewhere. But if you mark the locations of the territories.”

I drew small circles on each lord’s territory with a fountain pen. Marquis Mike’s territory was the same.

“First of all, since the territories are gathered together, it is good for building an alliance.”

Marquis Mike opened his mouth.

“Your Highness, an alliance is not just about gathering soldiers in one place during wartime like now…….”

The expression on Marquis Mike’s face, who was slurring his words, seemed to omit the word ‘surely’.

I smiled and nodded.

“Yes. It means creating an alliance and operating it like one territory.”

It was a concept that I could propose because I had lived in modern society.

“It means collecting taxes in one place, eliminating immigration restrictions between allied territories, and unifying the organization of the army.”

Marquis Mike said in astonishment.

“Your Highness, that is impossible. Even if such an alliance were created, the Imperial Palace would never allow it.”

It was something that could never be achieved with the common sense of the people of the Calpheon Empire.

This was literally a story of local lords joining forces to create one huge force.

It could be seen as a rebellion.

“It’s just an alliance, not a suggestion to create any organization. It’s difficult to unify taxes or the organization of the army, but it’s possible to eliminate restrictions on the movement of residents.”

I took a step back for now.

The reason I thought of the alliance was because I wanted my forces to develop.

I also thought it would be good to have a convenient system in place so that I could mobilize a huge army whenever I needed it.

“The elimination of immigration restrictions is not of great significance. Even if there is fertile land, it is only slightly better than other places, and people are still starving to death.”

“What I’m thinking about is the entire West being operated like one territory. If we first eliminate the restrictions on immigration and unify taxes, the first step is complete.”

Marquis Mike fell into deep thought.

He still seemed to have a sense of rejection to my words, but I did not rush and persuaded Marquis Mike.

“If the West is operated like one territory, everyone can develop together. The West can develop sufficiently with the benefits from the Wyvern hunt and the benefits from the two Duke families.”

I drank water and continued.

“Everyone can develop if they move organically like one body. Even if we don’t change the system right away, let’s talk openly with the western lords without calling it an alliance for now.”

“Are you talking about me?”

“I am the Crown Prince. I received loyalty from the lords, including the Marquis, but eventually I have to go up to the Imperial City. It means that the Marquis must remain here and manage the remaining lords well.”

Ultimately, the Western Alliance was my goal, but since Marquis Mike had a strong sense of resistance, I decided to proceed step by step.

“At least there should be no territorial wars in the West. If there is no internal check in the West, there will be no more reports to the center that orcs are bandits. Please persuade the lords well until we return from the Wyvern hunt.”

The Marquis quietly bowed his head. I added to Marquis Mike, who was still contemplating.

“I need power. Not a divided power, but a strong one.”