Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 150

150.

As the sun began to set, we finished our march and made camp in Parahan Territory.

The lord welcomed me warmly and provided ample food for the soldiers.

“Your Highness, the head of the Vikan Merchant Guild requests an audience.”

“Ah, Vikan!”

The words of my aide reminded me of something I had forgotten.

‘Looks like he came in a hurry.’

I had instructed Vikan to return with a more compelling proposal.

I had been preoccupied with training in spirit sword techniques, and the sudden departure for the Eastern Expedition had left me no time to meet with him.

“Let him in for now.”

I received Vikan in my bedroom.

Vikan entered and bowed deeply. I offered him a seat at the table.

“It’s been a while. You seem to have lost some weight?”

Vikan sat down and replied,

“I’ve been moving around a lot, so I’ve been more active than usual.”

I smiled.

“Have you had dinner?”

“Yes, Commander.”

Vikan was indeed a quick-witted merchant. He used the title correctly as he spoke.

“I’ve been pondering what you said during our last meeting, Commander, and I’ve arrived at two conclusions. I have two proposals to offer.”

I looked at Vikan with a gentle gaze, signaling him to continue, and took a sip of tea.

“I will invest heavily in this war and focus on securing the Western distribution network.”

It was a proposal that deserved admiration. To call the supplies consumed in war an investment meant he was forgoing the role of a war merchant, which could yield enormous profits.

I hadn’t had time to organize the war merchants due to the hasty departure. There was a significant opportunity to exclusively support the Vikan Merchant Guild.

Normally, fierce competition among merchants would have occurred before the expedition to secure the coveted position of war merchant.

In the process, the commander, as well as those with strong influence in the expeditionary force, would openly receive bribes disguised as rewards from the guilds.

This expedition had circumvented such practices.

No one could have predicted the timing of the departure, and I hadn’t had time to meet with the guilds because I was busy training.

Vikan, unaware of the circumstances, seemed to have mistakenly thought that I was weighing offers from several guilds and came up with a bold decision.

“Investing means you’re not looking to profit as a war merchant but rather providing supplies for free?”

“Yes.”

“Can the Vikan Merchant Guild afford that? The Eastern Expeditionary Force is a massive army of over seventy thousand. Do you know how much supplies they consume in a day?”

There was no way a merchant wouldn’t have calculated that, but I had to inquire about the Vikan Merchant Guild’s capabilities.

If I granted Vikan exclusivity and the supply of goods decreased compared to when multiple war merchants were involved, that would be problematic.

‘Duke James has arranged sufficient supplies, but there are many variables on the battlefield. Even with enough supplies, soldiers often supplement with goods provided by war merchants.’

It seemed that the quality of goods sold directly on the battlefield by war merchants, who risked their lives, was inevitably higher than the standard supplies.

Even though the prices were significantly higher than market prices.

Weapons, armor, consumable items like potions, and miscellaneous goods. The amount supplied by the country was limited, but there was no limit to what one could buy with their own money.

Considering the nature of war, soldiers who valued their lives would buy supplies from war merchants at inflated prices.

Having even one more supply item clearly increased the chances of survival.

“No. The Vikan Merchant Guild alone cannot handle the volume. So, we have absorbed and integrated four other guilds.”

“You value the Western distribution network very highly. You’re willing to supply war supplies for free to secure the distribution network!”

Vikan replied without hesitation to my words.

“I believe the war will not be long.”

I narrowed my eyes.

‘There’s no need to discuss battlefield predictions with Vikan.’

After drinking tea, I came to a conclusion.

“I will support the Vikan Merchant Guild in this expedition. Coordinate with the military and discuss the details.”

Vikan stood up and bowed to me.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

“You’ll have to endure quite a bit of financial strain.”

“I consider it an investment.”

“We’ll discuss the Western distribution network after the expedition is over.”

I saw Vikan off and returned to my bedroom.

After instructing him to find Ken tomorrow, I returned to my bedroom.

It was quite a spacious bedroom. The lord of Parahan was ready to offer his own bedroom, but I politely declined and opted for the guest bedroom located in the center of the lord’s castle.

‘Vikan Merchant Guild, not a bad choice. If I had more time, I would have investigated several guilds, but the Vikan Merchant Guild is the only one actively stepping forward.’

I didn’t have many options either.

A dinner banquet was scheduled, but I decided to skip it and go to sleep.

The march seemed quite tiring.

Knock, knock-!

“Commander, this is Olivia, your escort.”

“Oh, come in.”

Olivia entered.

“The lord of Parahan has prepared a dinner banquet.”

“I’m tired, so I’m going to rest. Olivia, you can attend.”

A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I asked.

“By the way, Olivia, since you’re my escort, are you in the room next to mine?”

“No. I share the same bedroom as you, Commander. Although it’s still imperial territory, the expedition has begun, so your escort cannot be separated from you for even a moment. Originally, several escorts would take turns guarding you, but this time, your escort is…”

I hurriedly cut off Olivia’s words.

“Have trustworthy knights take turns guarding during sleeping hours. It would be too much to ask you to sleep comfortably in the same bedroom as me.”

Olivia’s face turned bright red at my honest feelings. She turned her head slightly and replied.

“Yes, Commander.”

* * *

The march began again early in the morning.

We needed to hurry to reach the eastern border within two days.

The goal was to cross the border as quickly as possible and enter the conquered territory of the Pyreon Kingdom.

If the enemies reclaimed not only Kaila but also other areas, the war could become more difficult.

Gale led the vanguard, and I spoke with Ken behind the Knights.

“I met Vikan yesterday.”

“I sent him.”

“I coordinated things reasonably well. He took on a lot of debt.”

“Really?”

The Vikan Merchant Guild barely managed to rank among the top merchant guilds on the continent, so they would have had to take on debt to handle the war supplies.

“Looking at the list of guilds they absorbed and merged, they were all guilds of Vikan’s scale.”

“It’s difficult to absorb several guilds of similar size, though?”

“They were all guilds run by his sons.”

I exclaimed, “Huh.”

“According to the report submitted by Department Head Hamilton, two of the four absorbed guilds were run by sons from his legal wife, and the other two were run by sons from concubines.”

It wasn’t surprising that a wealthy man had concubines [secondary wives or partners].

“He’s a very resourceful person. The Vikan Merchant Guild is by no means easy to run, yet all of his sons are running guilds of similar size.”

“They were almost subordinate to the Vikan Merchant Guild. Until now, they were outwardly separate guilds, but now they have become one. A giant guild has been born.”

I nodded, raising my evaluation of Vikan.

“The Western distribution network is important. Vikan must have highly valued the potential of the West.”

“Yes. He proposed exclusive rights to the Western distribution network based on the merits of this war.”

“Good job. Vikan seems capable enough to grow further. It’s not bad to have a close relationship with a guild that ranks among the top three.”

Vikan’s goal wasn’t to be a mediocre guild in the top 100. He was aiming to be the top guild on the continent.

We finished the Vikan discussion there, and since Hamilton’s name came up, I asked about yesterday’s operation.

“You said you were going to dispatch Hamilton first, right?”

“I plan to dispatch Department Head Hamilton and his subordinates, as well as Andre van Riverhill, who leads the magic corps, to assassinate Lillian.”

“Even Andre?”

Andre is Duke Austin’s younger brother.

He was the one leading the Riverhill family’s magic corps this time and was considered a key figure in the Riverhill family.

“Will Andre agree? I think they’ll want to capture Lillian in a head-on fight.”

Ken smiled.

“Nothing takes precedence over military orders on the battlefield. Andre will know that too. He knows that the Knights and the magic corps alone can only tie Lillian down.”

I pondered for a moment.

Despite Ken’s words, my mind wasn’t easily swayed. I trusted Hamilton’s abilities, but the opponent was a significant figure.

I couldn’t guarantee the teamwork with Andre either. Wouldn’t it be better to dispatch Hamilton and his subordinates alone for the assassination?

“Hamilton might not welcome it either.”

“A magician is essential for Lillian’s assassination.”

“Why don’t you talk to both of them first?”

Ken shook his head.

“It’s better to issue military orders first and then foster harmony between the two. If the commander seeks the consent of his subordinates one by one, the war will become complicated.”

“That could be true.”

That made sense. On a battlefield that changes every moment, it was impossible for the commander to move after seeking the consent of his subordinates individually.

“Okay. Then I’ll decide to dispatch Hamilton and Andre. Notify them both.”

“There is one task that must be done in advance for this operation.”

“Task?”

“Yes. Lillian will be fully prepared. The Sword Masters as well. The fact that Sword Masters can also be assassinated has become common knowledge since Hamilton assassinated Karion.”

“That’s right. Before Karion’s death, Sword Masters only died in war when they met another Sword Master. It’s the same with Lillian. She’s also a Sword Master-level powerhouse, but she knows about the Karion incident, so she’ll be fully prepared for assassination.”

Ken unfolded a map.

Zephyr naturally moved close to the horse Ken was riding.

‘Truly a divine creature.’

Ken explained while looking at the map.

“The enemies are waiting here in Kaila. They’re not moving and are waiting for us to come.”

“Because Kaila is a strategic point. Moreover, the defenses are quite good. The walls on the capital side are weak, but the walls on the southern route we’re taking are known for being sturdy.”

“I plan to divide the army into three groups. Gale will take charge of one unit, Olivia will take charge of one unit, and you, Commander, will lead the main force.”

Olivia immediately retorted.

“I am an escort, Military Advisor.”

“If we can’t separate the Sword Masters, there’s no chance of winning this war. Even though His Majesty has set out, we must always establish plans assuming the worst. I am considering the possibility that the Sword Masters will remain instead of returning to their families.”

Olivia closed her mouth.

“What if we get defeated individually?”

“Gale will lead many knights, bypass the west of Kaila, and appear to be heading directly to the capital.”

“The capital?”

“Yes. The purpose of the Eastern Expedition is, after all, to conquer the Pyreon Kingdom. And the easiest way to conquer the kingdom is to capture the king.”

Ken’s eyes gleamed.

“If we can capture the king of the Pyreon Kingdom, even at the cost of sacrificing a third of our forces, we will do it.”

I sensed Ken’s true nature for a moment.

He was a person who could readily accept sacrifices in the process for the sake of the result.

That was what always clashed with the righteous Karen.

And now, it was my turn to choose.