Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 174

174.

Clang-!

Karen was sweating profusely.

The man before her was relaxed.

In contrast, her hands were already trembling, and she couldn’t find strength in her legs.

The man lightly drew his sword horizontally.

Clang-!

Karen barely managed to deflect the man’s sword, focusing her strength on her legs.

“What is your name?”

At the man’s voice, Karen replied briefly.

“Karen.”

“Karen, is it! The continent is indeed vast. Among the countless people, a new powerhouse inevitably emerges.”

The man smiled deeply.

“Your swordsmanship is extremely efficient. I have learned much. Let’s conclude here for today.”

As the man lowered his sword, Karen sighed and replied.

“To receive praise from the Emperor, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Karen looked at Ron Carl Leord, who wasn’t even sweating, and continued bitterly.

“To barely survive against the Emperor… I secretly prided myself on being the best swordsman on the continent.”

“If I were not here, you could rightly boast so. Even Duke James could only last half a day. But you fought for three days without a conclusion, so you can be called the best swordsman on the continent.”

“That’s only when the Emperor isn’t around.”

Ron didn’t bother to deny it.

“I don’t know why you’re staying with Jane’s family, but as long as you’re with the Kingdom Alliance, we’ll meet again someday. By then, I hope you’ve grown enough to draw out magic or spiritism from me.”

Karen bit her lip tightly.

Ron Carl Leord didn’t know, but her family was destroyed by the Empire.

Barely suppressing her miserable situation of not being able to avenge herself against the Emperor in this place, she replied.

“If you leave me alive like this, I will become strong enough for the Emperor to use magic and spiritism next time, and someday I will become stronger than the Emperor. You might as well kill me now……”

“It’s foolish to show off your pride and act recklessly with the generosity of a strong person. You need to preserve your life to have a future. You fought well and deserve praise. It’s foolish to risk your life and provoke a strong person because of pride.”

Karen couldn’t answer.

Ron sheathed his sword.

“Eric, be satisfied with the Gordon family. Jane is surviving thanks to accepting you. Your influence in the Kingdom Alliance will also increase because you are a Sword Master who blocked the Emperor.”

Ron smiled faintly.

Karen replied with an unpleasant expression.

“I didn’t confront the Emperor to belong somewhere.”

“That’s your business. It was fun for the first time in a while.”

Ron turned away after saying those words.

* * *

“Was Jane that strong?”

I couldn’t hide my surprise at the news brought by the messenger and asked Ken.

“I heard that it was a wandering knight who stopped His Majesty, and it seems that His Majesty highly praised the wandering knight’s talent. He didn’t use any magic or spiritism, and only fought with swordsmanship.”

“A wandering knight?”

Ken nodded.

“Yes. His name was Karen. He said he started owing Jane a favor a while ago, and he will probably gain fame in the continent with this incident.”

My whole body trembled.

‘Fate… is changing.’

I didn’t even consider the possibility of a namesake.

The wandering knight Karen, who can receive such high praise from Father at this point, is only the protagonist Karen.

“Karen, you say?”

As Gail reacted, Ken asked curiously.

“Are you an acquaintance?”

“I met him briefly in the West. I thought he was a great knight at that time, but I didn’t know he was capable of stopping His Majesty.”

Ken replied nonchalantly.

“It’s the birth of a new powerhouse. Along with Lady Olivia, he will be etched in people’s minds as a new Sword Master. It’s a pity that he belongs to the Kingdom Alliance.”

I leaned back deeply in my chair.

‘Karen met Father… and Father admired his skill and talent and spared him, just like when he first met Karen.’

According to my settings, Karen loses to Father at least twenty times.

Father spares Karen every time he wins, and Karen continues to grow endlessly.

In the end, he drives Father and the Empire to the brink and achieves victory.

‘But that’s the story in my settings. The settings are already twisted. Father and Karen’s first confrontation was not in the Kingdom Alliance but in the southern part of the Empire.’

The future has already changed.

I sighed and opened my mouth.

“I’m not very happy about it. I was thinking of turning this place into my direct territory and using it as a bridgehead to attack the Kingdom Alliance in the future.”

“Gordon and Eric are dead, and both families have been destroyed. The Kingdom Alliance will have no choice but to repair the interior for a while. No matter how much a new Sword Master named Karen joins, he is an individual.”

Ken’s words continued.

“Gordon and Eric were personally Sword Masters, but the two families were pillars supporting the Kingdom Alliance. This time, His Majesty completely destroyed those two pillars. Even if a wandering knight Sword Master joins, the inside of the Kingdom Alliance will be chaotic.”

Gail agreed with Ken’s words.

“Military Ken is right. The joining of a Sword Master is definitely a great way to increase the power of the country, but the Kingdom Alliance has lost two Sword Masters.”

I softened my voice somewhat comfortably.

“Well, there’s no need to think only negatively. So, is that all the messenger conveyed? Didn’t Father give any separate orders?”

Ken replied.

“The order is to return to the Imperial Palace.”

I nodded. It was expected. Now that the war is over, only the aftermath remains.

The aftermath in the field was carried out at my discretion, but the aftermath in the Imperial Palace had many things waiting, including rewarding meritorious deeds.

“Okay. Let’s prepare and depart.”

* * *

The beneficiaries of this war were me, Olivia, Gail, Riorden, David, and finally Hamilton.

On the way back to the Imperial Palace, the people of the Empire fearlessly came out of their homes and prostrated themselves before me, not hesitating to praise me.

“Long live the Crown Prince!”

After conquering the capital of the Pyreon Kingdom, I released the food piled up by the royal family and fed the people of the Pyreon Kingdom first.

Nevertheless, the remaining food was gradually released from the provinces of the Empire, providing the people with food to endure the coming winter.

The Byukhan Merchant Group was in charge of distribution.

For the first time since the founding of the Empire, the people directly benefited from the endless wars.

Naturally, the praise for me could not help but soar into the sky.

Unlike the nobles, the people live day by day with their survival threatened.

Olivia gained fame as a new Sword Master, and so did Gail. Riorden and David announced that the Crown Prince’s direct knights were by no means weak.

And Hamilton once again became a war hero.

Because he played a decisive role in naturalizing the 8th circle wizard Lillian.

Fortunately, the rumors about Lillian were not bad.

And I arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace about two weeks after starting the march from the capital of the Pyreon Kingdom.

* * *

Three days after arriving at the Crown Prince’s Palace, a great war council was held.

The rewarding of meritorious deeds had begun.

In the Great War, I was able to confirm my increasingly powerful political influence.

I was now used to taking a seat right below the throne.

“The Pyreon Kingdom has now disappeared into history. Two of the three families that supported the Kingdom Alliance have been destroyed. The benefits the Empire has gained from this war are truly enormous.”

Count Boopen, who appeared at the Great War Council after a long time, replied to Father’s words.

“The glory of the Empire is growing day by day. The Pyreon Kingdom, which threatened the Eastern Front, has disappeared, and even the Kingdom Alliance, which can be said to be the biggest enemy, has lost its pillars and is shaking. All the people sing hymns to the glory achieved by His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince, eat their fill, and praise the grace of the Imperial Family.”

It can be said to be a somewhat embarrassing flattery, but the truth is the truth.

This time, even the aristocratic nobles did not find fault with Count Boopen’s words.

Father opened his mouth.

“I will begin rewarding meritorious deeds for the expedition.”

In an instant, the Great War became filled with tension.

The direction of power changes depending on the rewarding of meritorious deeds. The influence of the four dukes was extremely insignificant in this expedition.

They followed Father, but Father was solely responsible for the actual battle, and they only provided soldiers and supplies for the conquest of the Pyreon Kingdom, without direct participation.

“The merit of successfully leading the Eastern Expedition and naturalizing the 8th circle wizard Lillian is very great. What reward do you think the Crown Prince should receive?”

Father turned his gaze to me.

All the nobles also focused as if curious about what would come out of my mouth.

I replied calmly.

“I would like to receive the nearby provinces, including the old capital of the Pyreon Kingdom, as the Crown Prince’s direct territory.”

“Your Highness, that is!”

Beregon was the first to open his mouth, and the opposition of the aristocratic nobles poured out.

“The Crown Prince’s direct territory is impossible. All the territory of the Empire belongs to His Majesty, so how can the Crown Prince have direct territory privately?”

“Direct territory is unprecedented in the history of the Empire.”

“The old capital of the Pyreon Kingdom and the nearby provinces are the best granaries on the continent. It is impossible to operate that place as the direct territory of an individual.”

I said with a smile.

“All the territory of the Empire belongs to His Majesty, so how can you have personal territories, collect taxes, and hold the lives of the people in your hands? Then, from now on, you should offer your territories to His Majesty, return the taxation rights, and abolish the position of lord itself, leaving only the honor of being a noble, shouldn’t you?”

The aristocratic nobles could not find words to say for a moment as the words that were meant to check me tied them down.

“Since it is the largest granary on the continent, it is efficient for me to operate it efficiently and distribute the food from the granary throughout the Empire. Since it has not been even a hundred years since the founding, things that have never happened in the history of the Empire can always happen.”

Once I started speaking, I continued speaking before the aristocratic nobles poured out opposing words again.

“Conquering the Pyreon Kingdom, which was threatening the Eastern Front, is a great achievement. It has always been the case to give land as a reward to the commander after the war.”

Of course, Father had made the greatest contribution in most wars, so there had never been a case where he demanded a large territory like me.

“Your Majesty, the reason I am asking for that place as a direct territory is not because of personal greed, but because of the upcoming confrontation with the Kingdom Alliance.”

Father smiled meaningfully and asked.

“Kingdom Alliance?”

“The old capital of the Pyreon Kingdom and the nearby provinces are the largest granaries on the continent, but now that they have been incorporated into the territory of the Empire, they are border areas directly bordering the Kingdom Alliance.”

Before I knew it, Father was leaning his chin diagonally and asked.

“There is such a meaning hidden in the word direct territory. Is the Crown Prince saying that it is right to receive not only the territory but also the authority?”

“If you give me the title of Margrave of the Frontier, I can operate the direct territory much more easily.”

Father’s eyes were already shining, and the Great War was sparking with conversation between me and Father.

“Does the Crown Prince know the meaning? Direct territory alone is already a sufficient reward. But you are also asking for a position. Position comes with responsibility.”

I threw a pre-planned move.

“I will use the direct territory as a bridgehead to check the Kingdom Alliance, which can be said to be the Empire’s greatest enemy.”