Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 115

115.

Kyle was a truly excellent subordinate, always keeping me grounded. I was incredibly fortunate to have him on my side.

As I panted, Kyle reached out to me.

“Your Highness, it’s time to return.”

“Y-Yeah. Just need to catch my breath.”

To be honest, I’d thought I could at least put up a decent fight against Kyle, even if victory was out of reach.

That was a complete delusion.

Kyle was toying with me the entire time.

‘I thought I was one of the strongest among the high-level spiritists… but there’s a vast difference between that and a Sword Master.’

I finally caught my breath, took Kyle’s hand, and stood up.

“Your Highness, you’ve already become incredibly strong. You have every right to be proud.”

I responded to Kyle’s consolation with a joke.

“Does it really feel like consolation when you beat me so badly?”

Kyle smiled faintly at my words.

“Pride shouldn’t turn into arrogance, after all.”

I chuckled and started walking. I had gained a lot from today’s training.

The scariest thing about a Sword Master wasn’t just the Aura Blade [a weaponized manifestation of their life force] that could cut through anything, but their ability to control space.

When a Sword Master exudes their aura, it’s not just a simple presence; mana flows out with it.

The mana completely dominates the surrounding space, preventing any other mana from flowing within it.

In other words, you can’t effectively use skills within the range of a Sword Master’s aura.

‘If I ever fight a Sword Master again, I need to focus on keeping my distance as much as possible, or somehow block their movements.’

It was a helpful training session in many ways, and my steps felt light as I returned to the barracks.

“It feels a bit weird that only I benefited from the training.”

Kyle shook his head at my words.

“Not at all. I don’t often get the chance to fight against a spiritist either. Sparring with Your Highness is always helpful for me as well.”

“That’s a relief then.”

When I arrived in front of the barracks, Riorden and David were waiting.

“Oh, you’re here?”

As I spoke, the two bowed their heads.

“Your Highness, we have returned.”

Riorden and David, who had taken the silver sand to the artisans, had returned with the results.

I led the two into the barracks. A small meeting was held with the four of us, including Kyle.

‘After the war, it’s just a series of meetings.’

Preparing for wyvern hunting wasn’t easy and required a lot of preparation.

David spoke first.

“Fortunately, there was an artisan who could handle the silver sand.”

Silver sand was a tricky material to work with.

If refined improperly, it could waste the material without enhancing the weapon.

Riorden added,

“He’s said to be the best artisan in the West.”

I nodded with a pleased smile.

“Good.”

But my happiness was short-lived.

Riorden said in a somber tone,

“There’s also bad news.”

“Bad news?”

“Yes. There isn’t enough silver sand, so the number of arrows that can be enhanced is less than expected.”

What I wanted was at least 2,500 arrows.

Since there were 250 archers, I determined that each person needed to have at least 10 arrows enhanced with silver sand to damage the wyvern.

“How many can they make?”

“About a thousand, they say.”

That was far too few.

“We need to get more silver sand. I’m going to have to keep sending letters to Ken.”

As expected, the Riverhill family was the easiest to deal with in times like these.

It was an opportunity to squeeze everything they had, so I didn’t hesitate to write a letter on the spot and send it to Marquis Mike’s butler.

“So, we’re going to refine all that we have for now, right?”

“Yes.”

Since we needed at least fifteen hundred more arrows, it seemed that the timing for the wyvern hunt would be delayed more than expected.

The butler’s voice was heard from outside.

“Your Highness, news has arrived that Baron Hamilton has returned.”

I jumped up with joy.

“Oh! Tell him to come to the headquarters barracks.”

“Let’s go too. Wyvern hunting requires not only equipment but also strategy, so let’s think based on the information Baron Hamilton brings.”

“Yes.”

The three stood up at the same time.

The barracks that were still being used as the Western Allied Forces headquarters had not been demolished.

As we went outside, the midday sun was quite warm.

Walking quickly, we soon saw the headquarters barracks. It wasn’t far from my personal barracks, so we arrived quickly.

Inside, Marquis Mike and Baron Hamilton were already waiting for me. The two stood up and bowed to me.

I greeted them briefly and told everyone to sit down.

I immediately turned my gaze to Hamilton.

“How did the reconnaissance go?”

Baron Hamilton replied.

“Yes. No one was injured. Everyone returned safely.”

“That’s a relief.”

I had repeatedly told them not to do any reckless reconnaissance beforehand, so I believed no one had died.

“Your Highness, would you like to have a cup of tea while we talk?”

Marquis Mike called the butler.

* * *

The butler prepared tea for everyone.

“Wine?”

I asked Riorden and David, and they shook their heads.

“Then beer?”

A smile spread across their faces.

“Sorry, but can we get two black beers?”

The butler bowed his head.

For those who had wandered the continent as mercenaries, black beer was much more familiar than wine.

“Have you heard the news that the amount of silver sand is insufficient?”

I asked Marquis Mike while drinking tea.

“Is it insufficient?”

It seemed Riorden and David had come to report to me directly.

I nodded.

“They say they can only make about a thousand arrows.”

I continued, as if to reassure him.

“I’ve already sent another letter to Ken.”

Marquis Mike’s voice lowered.

“Commander Ken has a heavy role. Negotiations with the Riverhill family won’t be easy.”

“The justification and evidence on our side are too clear, so they’ll have no choice but to comply unless they want to be destroyed.”

Even though it was a rather cruel statement, I didn’t hesitate to say it.

“They conspired to kill the Crown Prince, so the moment the witnesses and evidence fall into His Majesty’s hands, the two families will have to choose one of two options: be destroyed, or oppose His Majesty.”

From my perspective, the best thing to do was to eliminate the two families through this opportunity.

‘What good would it do to destroy the two families? It would only reduce the competition.’

The path I chose was to receive enormous compensation from the two families and develop the West.

Which is the right decision is not a question to be asked now.

I continued calmly.

“Anyway, we’ll be able to match the amount of silver sand if we just have time. The Riverhill family is the best magic family on the continent, after all.”

The butler came back in and handed two black beers to Riorden and David.

I smiled brightly to create a more comfortable atmosphere.

“Baron Hamilton seems more interested in beer than tea, too?”

“Not at all.”

Baron Hamilton drank the tea as if he liked it very much.

I was very surprised that he drank it without changing his expression, even though it was quite hot.

“I didn’t mean for you to drink it all at once. Anyway, you’re as powerful as your physique.”

The atmosphere in the barracks, which had been heavy due to the serious topic, quickly turned bright.

I poured Baron Hamilton some cold water and asked.

“I’m glad no one was injured on the reconnaissance mission. Did you examine the terrain well?”

“Yes. I even went inside the Wyvern’s nest, the Ruler of the Ruins.”

My eyes widened.

“You went to the nest too?”

“I went in briefly when the wyvern was away.”

I clicked my tongue.

I never imagined he would go so far as to explore the nest.

Marquis Mike asked Hamilton worriedly.

“Was there anything special inside? Perhaps any offspring?”

Wyverns were monsters that gave birth to offspring.

In the Forest of Darkness, the wyvern was known as the Ruler of the Ruins, but that could just be a human misconception.

Since the Forest of Darkness was vast, there was a possibility that other wyverns lived there.

“There were no offspring… but there were many strange objects. I couldn’t take everything, so I only brought one light item.”

Baron Hamilton took an object out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on it.

It was a jewel.

“The Reinheart family crest.”

I swallowed a groan.

Baron Hamilton seemed to know about the Reinheart family as well.

“Is this crest the Reinheart family crest?”

I turned to Baron Hamilton and nodded.

“That’s right.”

“There were not only these jewels in the nest, but also swords, bows, and even armor. I took only this jewel because it was the lightest.”

Marquis Mike spoke.

“It seems that the wyvern is related to the Reinheart family in some way. We’ve confirmed that we can lure it into an ambush without having to experiment.”

Originally, they were going to experiment with one of the Reinheart family’s items, but Baron Hamilton brought the answer.

“It must be a Guardian.”

Riorden asked at my words.

“Are you talking about a Guardian [a magical construct or creature tasked with protecting something]?”

I packaged the information I knew appropriately and said it.

“That’s right. I once read a book about ancient kingdoms in the Imperial Library. The Reinheart family is not just a family of wizards, but more accurately, a family of dwarves who excel in magic.”

Oh, an exclamation erupted.

People were looking at me with fascinated faces.

Kyle didn’t suspect anything in particular.

The Kyle I knew in the past was just holed up in his room, reading books all day.

There were tens of thousands of books in the Imperial Library, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if one of them was about ancient kingdoms.

“Of course, that book is a collection of legends, so its credibility may be low, but looking at the wyvern, it seems that the Guardian thing is true.”

I took a sip of tea and explained.

“The Reinheart family is a family of dwarves, and unlike other dwarves, they lived in the West, not in mines. They were also very knowledgeable in magic. So they engraved magic on their items.”

Almost all of the Reinheart family’s items had magic engraved on them.

Everyone nodded.

I continued, feeling like an adult reading a fairy tale.

“The reason why the Reinheart family was destroyed was not in that book, but it said that they hid their most important masterpieces all over the continent as they were destroyed. And they also created Guardians to protect those masterpieces.”

“So, Your Highness, do you think the Ruler of the Ruins Wyvern is a Guardian created by the Reinheart family?”

I nodded at Riorden’s question.

“That’s the situation. The Ruler of the Ruins Wyvern has already lived in the Forest of Darkness for over decades. Considering that the average lifespan of a wyvern is about 40 years…”

Marquis Mike added to my words.

“When I was young, I already heard rumors about the Ruler of the Ruins Wyvern from my father and grandfather.”

I took Marquis Mike’s words.

“Lifespan, the Reinheart family’s items in the nest, the recovery of the jewel embedded in the Black Ogre’s heart… In many ways, it’s not an ordinary wyvern, but a Guardian for sure.”

Kyle asked cautiously.

“Then the hunt…”

“The hunt must proceed as planned. Thanks to Baron Hamilton, we’ve secured one Reinheart item, so we just need to receive the silver sand from the Riverhill family.”

Riorden quickly retorted.

“One may not be enough. While we’re at it, don’t bother sending another letter to Ken and just get it [demand it outright].”

Riorden’s opinion seemed right.

“I will. It’s not a big problem. Baron Hamilton, you’ve really done a great job.”

Baron Hamilton’s expression was slightly different from before.

The look in his eyes as he looked at the jewel was strange.

‘Greed? The Reinheart family’s items are quite valuable… But if he really wanted it, there would be no reason for him to show it to me.’

I felt curious, but I ended the meeting for now.

“Let’s rest today and meet again tomorrow. Baron Hamilton, summarize the rest of the reconnaissance results and report tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I got up.

As I stretched and left the barracks, Baron Hamilton quietly followed me.