Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 154

154.

I was far more exhausted than during the war with the Orcs. Although the battle was won relatively easily, dealing with people was mentally more draining than physically.

I felt suffocated inside the barracks, so I stepped outside for a moment.

A large full moon was visible.

‘Refreshing.’

Spring was reviving all things, even in the East. Even in the old castle where the great army was gathered, the warm breeze and the sounds of insects could be heard.

“He was amazing.”

“He was really incredible. They said he was a high-level spiritist, and it seems it’s true.”

At the soldiers’ voices, I naturally hid behind the barracks.

“I’m here to relieve you.”

Following a rough voice, a weary reply was heard.

“Go eat. It’s our first battle victory, so they’re giving us plenty of food and even meat.”

“Really?”

“Let’s go quickly!”

“Then take care!”

As the shift seemed to change, only two voices were now audible.

“He’s said to be just barely of age to have his coming-of-age ceremony, right? Rumors of him being incompetent and foolish were all over the capital, but you can’t trust a word those nobles say.”

“Hey, keep your voice down. The knights will hear you, and it’ll be a big problem.”

“Have you seen the knights standing guard around the camp?”

The soldier with the rough voice, sounding somewhat cynical, agreed.

“True. Anyway, I thought we were being dragged into a war to die for sure, but it doesn’t seem to be that bad. When we were fighting earlier, it felt like we were fighting alongside His Majesty.”

I smiled bitterly.

‘To the nobles, it’s ‘those nobles’… to Father, it’s ‘His Majesty’.’

The titles clearly showed what nobles and Father meant to the common soldiers.

There’s a saying that even the king gets cursed when he’s not around, but to these men, Father was someone they could respect and trust, whether he was present or not.

The people’s hearts are with the Emperor.

‘He hasn’t lost the people’s hearts yet at this time. It was when Karen stopped the resurrection of Goran in the West that Father’s misrule began.’

I began to rethink the period of Father’s misrule, that is, the unreasonable wars and excessive tax collection that led to the decline of the kingdom.

‘It wasn’t an unreasonable war driven by a desire for conquest. He was silently walking towards revenge. And the excessive tax collection was the manipulation of the noble faction.’

While I was thinking about Father, the soldiers continued to speak.

“He’s definitely strong. Besides, the rewards he gives are more generous than His Majesty’s.”

“Isn’t that because he’s the Crown Prince? I heard the nobles all hate him. The rumors aren’t good either. It seems he’s trying to dispel those rumors with this opportunity.”

I was quite surprised by the soldiers’ somewhat sharp insight.

I had thought that the soldiers, struggling to live day by day, were only interested in the safety of their families and their own survival, but they also had their own thoughts on the political situation of the Empire.

‘I must have underestimated the people too much.’

The soldier with the rough voice continued.

“If we fight well in this war, it seems like we won’t die. There weren’t many casualties today either. And even if I die, my family will get a huge sum and live well, so that’s not too bad either.”

“What good is that if you die? It’s better for my wife and children to have me around. Would it be better for them to live off some grain they receive as the price of my life?”

My heart grew heavy.

No matter how much compensation is given to the bereaved families, the dead husband and father will never return.

That’s what war is.

Power crushing enemies based on the sacrifices of ordinary people for their own greed.

I slowly moved my feet.

“But if we take the Pireon granary region, taxes will decrease, and food will become abundant, right?”

“The nobles will take it all. Do you think such good land will come back to us?”

“Since the land is good and vast, there probably won’t be any share for us.”

“When have the nobles ever thought of us? We should be grateful just for not becoming serfs.”

At the soldiers’ last words, I made a decision.

‘Father’s ultimate goal is revenge for Mother. I too will find all those who cursed Mother and take revenge.’

For the sake of my mother, who loved me more than anyone, I should at least do that much. However, I must not be as fixated on it as Father was.

Father was defeated by Karen because he only focused on revenge, but as the Crown Prince, I need to listen to their grievances as well.

I want the Calpeon Empire to prosper.

Although things went awry in the West, Karen will continue to grow and eventually become someone who moves the people’s hearts by gaining the support of ordinary people.

Why? Because he’s the protagonist.

And just like he nonchalantly gave the Sword of Destruction to Gail, he was generous and magnanimous, and he also had the righteousness to try to stop the resurrection of Goran alone.

Karen had an exceptional talent for drawing people to his side.

Even if he didn’t consciously try, Karen’s charm and personality itself made him a ruler.

‘There’s no need to make Karen the villain. If I am better than Karen and gain the people’s hearts, there will be no reason to see Karen as an enemy.’

No matter what anyone says, I was the Crown Prince of this Empire.

‘The granary region……’

It wasn’t time to think about the results yet, but I decided to start thinking about how to share the Pireon granary region with the people, assuming we win this war.

It would be difficult to relocate the people and divide the land among them individually, but the first step was to prevent the nobles from monopolizing the economic benefits of securing the Pireon granary region.

‘A war for me, a war for Mother, and a war for ordinary people.’

The conversation of the soldiers on guard duty became a signpost leading me to a new path.

* * *

The next day, Ken came to my side on the way to Kaila and said.

“I briefly toured the barracks at night.”

“The barracks?”

“Yes. I secretly went around listening to the stories the guards were telling and the conversations the soldiers were having inside the barracks.”

The thought of eavesdropping on the soldiers’ stories made me feel awkward, and I replied in an unnatural voice.

“Is that so?”

“The soldiers’ true feelings come out when there is no supervision from the commanders. And the soldiers’ feelings are no different from the people’s feelings.”

“If there was no war, they would all be ordinary people.”

Ken nodded.

“Yes. There were many positive comments about you, Commander. It wasn’t quite as much as for His Majesty, but the general opinion was that you had shown great performance to the extent that they could feel you were at least His Majesty’s eldest son.”

Ken glanced at me and said.

“Are you displeased?”

“About what? The soldiers evaluating me? What’s there to be displeased about? Just as commanders evaluate the abilities of soldiers, soldiers can also gauge the capabilities of commanders. Just as the Emperor evaluates the people and places talents in the right positions, the people can also talk about the Emperor’s reign.”

Olivia’s eyes widened at my words.

Ken smiled faintly, as if he had expected it.

“As expected of you, Commander……”

Seeing Ken trailing off, Olivia cautiously opened her mouth.

“It’s not easy for people to think like you, Commander. You’re really amazing.”

“Why are nobles nobles? If they only enjoy the rights of being nobles, they are nothing more than greedy pigs. Nobles must fulfill their obligations as much as they enjoy their rights. It’s no different for the Imperial Family. No, because it’s the Imperial Family, they have heavier obligations than anyone else.”

I spoke about what I had felt and realized while listening to the soldiers’ stories yesterday.

“Protecting the Empire and making the people comfortable. If they can’t even fulfill those basic obligations, they are not qualified to be the Imperial Family. And I am the Crown Prince who must fulfill those obligations the best.”

There was more I wanted to say.

“The justification for this war is also to fulfill the obligations of the Imperial Family. To expand the territory, realize the glory of the Empire, stabilize the Eastern Front to alleviate the people’s anxiety, and secure the granary region to strengthen the Empire’s finances and enrich the lives of the people.”

Was it responding to my will?

Sylphwind carried my voice on the wind next to me.

“That is the reason for leading the soldiers to the battlefield and the duty to be performed as a descendant of the Imperial Family.”

Is justification more important than life?

It might be for those in power, but it might not be for the people.

Then how can I make those who follow me sincerely go to the battlefield with me?

I spoke with a strong will.

“Therefore, I always take the lead in every battle. I stand at the forefront and annihilate my enemies and the enemies of the Empire. That is the reason why His Majesty the Emperor has stood at the vanguard without fail since the founding of the Empire, and I will do the same.”

A strange silence lingered in the procession.

I had arbitrarily defined Father’s standing at the vanguard in every war, but it didn’t matter.

I had the responsibility of leading many to the battlefield.

I declared to the soldiers.

“The Leod’s banner will be at the forefront in every battle, and my spirits will be the first to face the enemy.”

Ken bowed his head.

“Yes, Commander!”

My heart felt lighter.

A smile naturally spread across my face, and I spoke softly to Olivia.

“It must be difficult to be my escort.”

Olivia smiled brightly.

“No. It’s my duty, of course. And it’s also what I want to do most.”

I couldn’t find the words to respond to her strange words. I turned my head awkwardly and said to Ken.

“Have you received any reports from the other units?”

“Commander Hamilton has moved quickly near Kaila and is currently identifying Lilian’s exact location. And Gail’s unit cleared the guerrilla-occupied area yesterday.”

“As expected of Gail.”

Ken continued.

“The Rioden and Dareon units will also arrive in the guerrilla-occupied area soon. The battle is expected to begin around today or tomorrow.”

“It will be a tough battle for Rioden and Dareon. The guerrillas there are so large and the castle is so strong that the name ‘guerrilla’ is almost meaningless.”

The places Rioden and Dareon were in charge of were not guerrilla-occupied areas, but simply places that had been recovered.

“Isn’t it a place that has been recovered like Kaila?”

Ken agreed with my words.

“Yes. That’s a more accurate way to see it. Of course, only the lord’s castle was taken, and the influence on the surrounding area is small, but the fact that the castle itself was captured is true.”

The two castles occupied by the guerrillas were not strategic locations.

The castles were Maharun and Inbad, both of which were among the places where the Pireon royal family had weak control.

It was a castle where the influence of a kind of local power was very strong, and it was immediately recovered as soon as Father withdrew.

It was a different case from Kaila, but it was still a base that the Empire had to secure.

Even though it was a region where the Pireon royal family’s control was weak, it was the territory of the kingdom, and all the local lords had sworn allegiance to the Pireon royal family.

If Kaila is attacked with Maharun and Inbad behind them, the rear will be in danger.

“The two commanders will definitely retake Maharun and Inbad.”

I nodded.

And I asked in a secretive voice.

“What’s the news from the Imperial Palace?”

“I have received news directly from His Majesty’s Shadow Unit that he will be departing for the Northeast soon.”

“Do you communicate directly with the Shadow Unit?”

“Yes. They give me information separately.”

“The destruction of the three Sword Master families is not far off.”

Ken’s voice also lowered.

“I have planted spies to closely monitor the movements of the three Sword Masters.”

“Spies?”

Ken smiled faintly.

“There’s nothing more accurate than hearing news from inside Kaila Castle.”

I asked in surprise.

“When did you plant them?”

“I planted them after you returned from the Western Expedition, Commander.”

“How……”

“Shouldn’t we prepare for everything?”

I felt Ken’s abilities anew.

Based on various situations, he discovered the possibility that I might be in charge of the Eastern Expedition and immediately moved.

“It’s four days to Kaila. I told the two commanders to return by then, so it would be best to start attacking Kaila after seeing the results.”

Ken finished speaking.

“His Majesty will already be at the border of the Kingdom Alliance in about four days.”