Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 171

171.

Around the time I should have been strategizing the assault on the capital, I was touring the Pieron Kingdom’s royal palace.

“Have you sent a messenger to the Imperial Palace?”

Ken, who was quietly following behind me, replied.

“Yes. I sent a separate messenger to His Majesty and also prepared and sent a report to the Imperial Palace’s Grand Council.”

“So, the Eastern Expedition ended in success.”

I had thought it would be a difficult expedition, but it ended surprisingly easily.

King Lepio and his princes were all imprisoned and under strict surveillance.

Ken said,

“The fact that the royal family had lost the people’s hearts played a decisive role. In the provinces, guerrilla forces were formed around some lords, but most of the people living in the capital hated the royal family and did not forgive King Lepio for abandoning them and trying to escape.”

“That’s right. It was a vassal who served the king closely who informed Gale of King Lepio’s whereabouts, and it was soldiers who conspired to behead the commanders who opened the gates.”

I personally felt how important public sentiment was through this expedition.

‘In an era where war is commonplace, public sentiment is as good as divine will.’

As I strolled through the splendid royal palace, many thoughts came to mind.

‘Even the Pieron Kingdom, which has the largest granary in the continent, had many people starving to death. The people couldn’t understand why their country, with its vast farmland, was neglecting them. So, in order to survive, when an external enemy came, they chose the external enemy rather than the royal family that ruled them.’

The nobles of this era are not taxed more even if they have a lot of wealth or earn a lot of income.

Rather, they pay less taxes and monopolize more wealth.

And they never share it with the people.

Even the royal family was not much different from the nobles.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands… A few nobles lived a luxurious life by sucking the blood of countless people.

It is the reality of the lords of this era that they don’t care if the people of their territory are starving to death, but they throw away everything if they don’t like their dinner menu today.

“Feed the prisoners well and release the food that the royal family has accumulated in the capital to appease the public. We must show that the Imperial Family of the Empire is different from the Pieron royal family.”

“I will take care of it immediately.”

“Don’t forget to guard the northern fortress, which is the gateway from the Kingdom Alliance, with an iron fist. We can’t have the enemies retake the territory that the Empire has occupied again.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Listening to Ken’s energetic reply, I realized that I had won the expedition.

Looking at the particularly clear spring sky, I sighed for no reason.

Ken, watching my expression, said,

“I will go and take care of the things you mentioned.”

“Yes. War is important, but the aftermath is even more important. Now, the name of the Pieron Kingdom has disappeared into history, and the eastern granary of the continent has been incorporated into the Empire’s territory. Defending a conquered place is harder than conquering it.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Oh, and Lilian?”

“Marquis Daret seems to have already left the capital. King Lepio seems to have been betrayed by Marquis Daret. According to the soldier who reported the king’s escape, he was supposed to meet Marquis Daret at the ruins, but he did not show up.”

“Look for him just in case. Don’t leave the search to the soldiers, but select knights. Marquis Daret is a black magician, so the soldiers probably won’t be able to catch him even if they find him.”

Ken nodded.

“Yes.”

Ken moved his feet.

As his figure disappeared, I walked again.

The royal garden came into view.

“It’s splendid.”

Olivia, who was next to me, replied to my words.

“Yes. It’s bigger and more splendid than the Imperial Palace garden.”

“I understand Lepio’s taste well. The palace is full of gold and jewels.”

Lepio was definitely a man who enjoyed luxury.

It was beyond maintaining dignity as a king, so it could be called luxury.

I sighed.

‘The days ahead are going to be rough. Because Lepio was the king of an enemy country, I was able to take his things through war. On the other hand, the aristocratic faction nobles?’

They are not external enemies, but internal enemies.

Internal enemies can be more frightening than external enemies, because you can’t arbitrarily kick out or start a war with internal enemies, calling them enemies.

‘It’s a relief that I’ve secured the Pieron Kingdom for now. My father had already almost conquered the Pieron Kingdom, but I was the one who planted the flag, and my opinion will inevitably have an absolutely large impact on the disposal of the Pieron Kingdom in the future.’

I walked through the garden and pondered various things.

The focus was on how to improve the lives of the people.

Now that I was the Crown Prince and sitting in a high position, I couldn’t just ignore the opinions of the nobles.

They are the most powerful influences in the country, and I couldn’t just push them with force or justification.

‘Even my father, who holds absolute power, takes a step back when a large number of aristocratic faction nobles oppose him. I can’t crush them with my political power yet. And if I keep pushing, they will eventually pop out someday. I have to appease the nobles appropriately and decide what to do with the Pieron Kingdom.’

I thought I could rest for a while after the Eastern Expedition, but there were mountains of things to do.

“In the end, I have to win the hearts of the people.”

“You said that the hearts of the people come from eating well.”

I turned my gaze to Olivia’s answer.

Olivia smiled and said to my muttering,

“What the people want is not a luxurious life like the nobles. They want a life where they don’t have to worry about dinner tonight. I think it would be good to solve that problem step by step first.”

Olivia’s words made me realize that I was trying to achieve too ideal a goal right away.

“That’s right. I can’t solve all the root causes of the problem right away. If I solve them one by one, I will eventually be able to approach the essence of the problem.”

* * *

“They told me not to move rashly.”

Andre frowned at Paul’s words.

“Is that a messenger sent directly by the head of the family?”

“It’s a messenger from the main family. It’s an order from the young lord.”

Andre gritted his teeth.

The magicians of the magic corps, who had been assigned one of the detached palaces of the Pieron Royal Palace, were all gathered in one place for a meeting.

The main topic of these meetings was the Lilian issue.

Andre participated in the operation to capture Lilian with Hamilton, so he thought he would be able to make demands regarding her treatment.

But what was the result?

He couldn’t say a word and had no choice but to watch Lilian become the Crown Prince’s subordinate.

On the battlefield, the commander’s orders are absolute.

Disobeying military orders can lead to the death penalty, so he couldn’t dare to object to the commander’s firm will.

‘The problem is that that bitch Lilian made a great contribution in the battle. If she had just been imprisoned, I could have somehow executed her on the battlefield by claiming that she was an evil magician.’

Andre was afraid of the head of the family’s anger when he returned to the main family.

Once Austin gets angry, he doesn’t forgive even his most cherished disciples.

Even if they are from the Riverhill family.

“The head of the family said that he has not contacted us separately since he went to the Kingdom Alliance. The young lord told us not to confront the Crown Prince and to return quietly.”

Andre frowned at Paul’s words.

“Are you saying that you’re going to watch that evil witch become the Crown Prince’s subordinate?”

“The young lord must have other ideas. And when we return to the capital, the head of the family will be back. Perhaps if the head of the family steps in, the evil black magician will not be able to run rampant in the Empire.”

Andre was frustrated with Paul’s words. The problem was that most of the magicians in the magic corps had similar thoughts to Paul.

Everyone was nodding.

‘You pathetic things. That’s why the head of the family keeps changing the magicians in the magic corps. You don’t have your own thoughts. You’re supposed to be geniuses of the era.’

You can never become a magician if you have a dull head.

‘What’s the difference between you and the knights who only use their bodies without knowledge?’

Andre didn’t show it.

Anyway, it seemed like there would be no conclusion even if he continued to talk to them.

The head of the family’s anger was a foregone conclusion, and all that was left was how to avoid the arrows of that anger.

“Since the young lord sent a messenger, we will follow it. Obey the commander’s orders and quietly return to the capital.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Andre turned around, leaving the members bowing their heads behind.

“Go and rest. All that’s left is post-war processing, and that’s not something we’re involved in. The distribution of rewards will begin when we go to the capital, so we’ll rest until we return. Just don’t cause any accidents.”

The magicians’ faces lit up.

Andre thought as he turned around.

‘You’re just full of thoughts of playing. How can you call that a magic corps? That’s why you hear that you’re being pushed back by the knights of the Aetran family.’

Andre bit his lip.

Watching the magicians scatter, Andre walked to the main palace.

No one is worried, but Andre was thinking about how to avoid the head of the family’s anger when he returned to the main family.

The conclusion is a negotiation with the Crown Prince.

‘The head of the family will never tolerate Lilian being alive. Moreover, she has become a subordinate of the Crown Prince, who can be called a political rival. If I return to the main family with this result, my captain position will be blown away immediately.’

Andre couldn’t be satisfied with being the captain of the magic corps.

Since he was a descendant of the Riverhill family, he wanted to play a key role in the main family.

‘Even if I can’t get into the head of the family’s eyes, I have to solve this problem well in order not to be ignored. If the negotiation with the Crown Prince is known, I may be kicked out of the family, but even if I just go back like this, I will never go to a higher place. I have to bring something to the head of the family.’

Conquering the Pieron Kingdom meant nothing to Austin.

Austin has no interest in the glory of the Empire and only thinks about his family and his own honor.

Andre moved his feet with a firm determination.

“Captain?”

Turning his gaze to the voice he heard, Arun was in sight.

* * *

Looking at Andre’s expression as if he was carrying all the worries of the world, I poured him some tea.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

After offering him a seat in the royal palace office, I asked.

“There’s not much time left before the meeting, so I hope you’ll be brief.”

“Yes.”

Andre also got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

“I hope Your Highness will personally persuade the head of the family about accepting Lilian as a subordinate.”

I chuckled.

‘He’s thinking about his own safety.’

I know that Duke Austin and Lilian are roughly rivals, but looking at Andre’s attitude, something must have happened between them.

At some point, I was no longer surprised even if something happened that was not in my setting.

Isn’t it a world where countless people live?

Even if I wrote it, I can’t know everything.

Duke Austin is a very important person, and the settings related to him were naturally organized separately.

Nevertheless, there may be things I don’t know.

It’s impossible to know the life of a human being.

‘Unless you’re a god.’

I smiled and asked.

“If I persuade Duke Austin, what can you give me? I don’t think you came here relying on kindness.”

Andre nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

Andre’s expression sank strangely.