Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 190

190.

My father didn’t object to me heading west.

Everything the Crown Prince does requires justification.

Now that my coming-of-age ceremony is over, my every word and action carries more weight than before.

This is a time when I must be more careful than ever to avoid causing harm to the Empire and the Imperial Family.

When I mentioned going from Daejeon to the West, some nobles openly opposed it.

They couldn’t actively oppose it because they didn’t know exactly why I was heading west.

-We need to stabilize the direct-controlled territory as soon as possible. The food coming from Grenian could feed the entire Empire. The justification for the Eastern Expedition was to solve the people’s impoverished lives by conquering a prosperous territory.

Duke Beregon agreed with Beregon’s words.

-Since you have Grenian as a direct-controlled territory, Your Highness has a lot to do. The distance between the West and Grenian is too far.

I summarized their words in one sentence.

-The specialties that have recently started to come out of the West will also greatly enrich the Empire.

Recently, the hottest topic among the central nobles was the Water of Purification.

Some nobles were even spreading rumors that the Water of Purification slowed down aging, but the Water of Purification didn’t exactly slow down aging.

It only heals the body’s diseases, and there is no water anywhere that makes you not age.

Anyway, despite the opposition from some nobles, my father allowed me to go to the West.

“I feel alive now that I don’t have to attend the Daejeon Council for a while.”

Olivia smiled at my words on the Gale Wind.

“Many nobles are eager to enter Daejeon. Some people consider it a lifelong dream, but Your Highness finds it annoying.”

“It’s not annoying. The Daejeon Council is a place to prove my political influence. But I was just a little tired because of the recent frequent meetings.”

The road to the West was peaceful.

When I first opened my eyes as the Crown Prince, I was afraid to go outside the palace.

I didn’t know when and where an assassination attempt might occur.

But now I’m much less worried about assassination.

First of all, my influence has grown to the point where it can’t be compared to that time, and my skills have also improved.

Assassinating a powerless royal family member is a different matter than assassinating a Crown Prince who is supported by the Emperor.

Assassinating a boy with no power is incomparable to assassinating a top-level spirit master.

In many ways, I am thoroughly protected thanks to the influence and power I have.

‘The strong take everything. And most of that strength is determined by status from birth…….’

If you are born a noble, you live as a strong person for the rest of your life.

If you are born a commoner, you live as a weak person for the rest of your life.

Since history, those two truths have never changed.

“Your Highness?”

Olivia asked worriedly, looking at me thinking deeply about something.

“Are you okay? You don’t look good.”

“It’s okay. I was just thinking about something. Anyway, now that we’ve left for the West, we won’t be returning to the Imperial Palace for a while.”

Olivia nodded in relief at my words.

“Yes. I think it’s more enjoyable to go outside than to be in the Imperial Palace, fight the enemies of the Empire, and experience many things.”

I joked at Olivia’s words.

“I’m worried that the Crown Princess is more interested in battle than in domestic affairs.”

“I’m better at domestic affairs.”

Her expression and voice always free me from worries and concerns.

I smiled brightly and stroked Gale Wind.

Ken approached, thinking that our conversation had ended appropriately.

“Your Highness.”

When I turned my gaze to Ken, Ken said.

“I have reviewed Commander Hamilton’s report, and Marquis Mike has also accepted Your Highness’s proposal positively.”

I already knew this before leaving for the West.

Fortunately, Marquis Mike agreed to come up to the Imperial Palace.

If Marquis Mike supported Duke James in Daejeon, there was no need to worry about the Crown Prince faction’s voice being lowered.

Now, all that remains is to choose a leader to lead the Western Alliance in place of Marquis Mike.

“I also read Commander Hamilton’s report carefully. What does Ken think?”

“I think Count Sarhan would be the most suitable among the various nobles.”

“Count Sarhan?”

“Yes. He is the head of the Odin family, one of the most prestigious families in the West. Sarhan Odin.”

I recalled Hamilton’s report on Sarhan.

He was the highest-ranking nobleman in the West after Marquis Mike, and Sarhan’s father was also talented enough to be awarded the title of Count by my father, the Emperor.

Originally, before the Empire was established, it was a prestigious family that dominated the West, but when my father rose from the North and began to take over the continent, they pledged allegiance early.

Through my father’s founding war, the Odin family proved their ability and were awarded the title of Count at the same time as the founding.

After Sarhan’s father died, the title was inherited by his son, but Sarhan did not advance into central politics.

Sarhan, who was quite young compared to Marquis Mike, remained in the West despite being in a position to aim for central politics.

Like many Western lords’ families, the Odin family was forgotten in people’s minds.

The conquest war further enhanced the reputation of Dukes Beregon, Austin, and Yan, and led to the growth of families on the southern and eastern fronts.

The West, which had no borders, struggled with the fight against monsters and famine in the Dark Forest, not the war with humans.

The Odin family could not avoid that fate and simply became one of the common families in the West.

All that remained was the glory of the past and the title of Count.

I asked Ken.

“Why did you choose Sarhan?”

“I discovered in the report that he seemed to be Duke Beregon’s henchman.”

* * *

“I have been ordered by Your Highness to go to the center [the Imperial Palace in Daejeon].”

The lords exclaimed at Marquis Mike’s words.

Marquis Mike, despite being the highest-ranking and the leader of the Western Alliance, always used a softer tone and honorifics than before in gatherings.

It is a part where you can see his kindness.

With a generous smile, Marquis Mike continued.

“I am just happy that Your Highness still needs this old man. It is a bit disappointing to leave for the center when the alliance has just begun to take shape.”

Sarhan opened his mouth.

“The fact that Marquis is going to the center means that the West’s influence has grown that much.”

A smile spread across Marquis Mike’s face.

The young Count was full of spirit but never tried to leave the West.

He is a person who wants to strengthen the West’s political power more than anyone else, but he lives a contradictory life by staying only in his territory.

What if Sarhan had advanced to the center with the reputation of his family?

‘He would have done well enough. Sarhan is talented, but above all, he knows what the basics of a monarch are.’

Marquis Mike compared Sarhan and Arun.

‘Your Highness is a bit more open-minded than Sarhan. The way he treats his subordinates and his unconventional methods.’

Marquis Mike himself would never have been able to accept commoners or slaves as his direct subordinates.

He acknowledges Hamilton’s ability and contribution, but the stigma of being a slave could never be overcome.

‘In that respect, the Leord family seems to be special. His Majesty made Hamilton a noble.’

Once Hamilton became a noble, Marquis Mike did not discriminate against him. However, there were no cases where Hamilton was particularly favored.

On the other hand, Sarhan was different.

He was from a prestigious family on the continent before the founding of the Empire and is still a high-ranking nobleman with the title of Count.

Marquis Mike secretly hoped that Sarhan would take over the leadership of the vacant Western Alliance.

“Anyway, Your Highness is coming, and I plan to go to the capital after seeing Your Highness. Your Highness will tell you more about the Western Alliance when he arrives.”

Once Sarhan started talking, he answered Marquis Mike’s words as if he had been waiting.

“I can’t just look at Your Highness and only do what Your Highness tells me to do. A subject must move and accomplish what the monarch wants without the monarch having to say it.”

Marquis Mike asked.

“What do you mean, Count Sarhan, what should we prepare before Your Highness arrives?”

“What Your Highness is interested in is the Water of Purification coming from Baron Hamilton’s territory, no, Count Hamilton’s territory, and the monster hunting in the Dark Forest, which borders Marquis’s territory.”

“That’s right. Thanks to you, the West can escape famine this year. It’s really amazing. The West, which has been suffering from famine for ten thousand years, is escaping famine.”

One of the lords said.

“Isn’t it all thanks to Your Highness? Funds have become unprecedentedly abundant thanks to the Water of Purification, and food prices have also fallen due to the conquest of Grenian. No one will starve to death this winter.”

Sarhan stepped forward again.

“That’s the point. We must check the distribution network and accurately organize the budget for securing food and show it to Your Highness. We are preparing in advance before Your Highness checks.”

Marquis Mike nodded.

“Count Sarhan is right. We should prepare and let you know.”

“And Your Highness told me to look for Western data on fairies. There must be something going on in the West Forest.”

Marquis Mike’s eyebrows twitched.

“West Forest? What do you mean, Count Sarhan?”

“If there is nothing wrong with the West Forest, there is no reason to need data on fairies. How about deploying some of the monster hunting knights to search the West Forest?”

Marquis Mike was lost in thought.

The monster hunting knights are not his personal knights but the alliance’s knights.

In other words, the Western lords each took out some of their personal knights and jointly created the knights, so the knights’ schedule must be carefully decided.

Above all, they are knights created only to be投入into monster hunting. The soldiers they train were the same.

Marquis Mike said.

“It’s a matter that needs more thought.”

Sarhan firmly stated his claim.

“Marquis, if the monarch wants something and the subject does not do it, it is a violation of the subject’s virtues. West Forest reconnaissance is essential.”

One of the lords opposed Sarhan’s opinion.

“The West Forest is the realm of fairies. There is no reason to投入into a dangerous operation when Your Highness has not said anything yet? Furthermore, the alliance knights are knights created only for monster hunting. It must not deviate from the purpose.”

Sarhan frowned as if frustrated.

“If you sit down and only receive the grace that Your Highness bestows, what is the meaning of the Western Alliance? Rather than the Western Alliance, become Your Highness’s direct subordinates. Then Your Highness will clothe and feed you better than now, right?”

Marquis Mike stopped Sarhan.

“Count, your words are excessive.”

The lord’s face, who heard words close to abuse, was flushed red.

Count Sarhan sat down with a humph.

Count Sarhan is a person who rarely backs down once he starts arguing his opinion.

‘Is that why Sarhan’s father blocked his entry into politics? If your thoughts are revealed as they are, you can’t do politics for long.’

Marquis Mike came to a conclusion.

“I will follow Count Sarhan’s opinion on the data on securing the food budget and the reorganization of the distribution network. However, the other lord’s words are more valid on the knight reconnaissance issue.”

Count Sarhan nodded as if he couldn’t help it.

But his heart was different.

‘I have to scout the West Forest alone. There must be a reason why the Crown Prince wants fairy information. I should write a letter to Duke Beregon about that.’