Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 192

192.

“P, Priest.”

Dareth smiled gently, looking at the trembling girl.

“It’s alright.”

Dareth’s touch, stroking the girl’s face, was softer than ever.

Fear was evident in the girl’s distorted expression.

“There will be no more cooking gruel while facing difficult mornings, no more worrying about being dragged away by the lord and abused, no more enduring beatings from parents who sold their younger sibling.”

“Priest, please…….”

The girl despaired as she watched Dareth bring over a bubbling, strange liquid.

Beside Dareth, children who could no longer be considered human were wriggling with bizarre faces. Countless blisters covered their bodies, creating a gruesome sight.

Dareth shrugged, following the girl’s gaze to the other children.

“Those children are merely failures. Trash that couldn’t properly accept the energy of purification. They were miserable lives wandering the streets without parents. But they helped my experiment, so they will receive blessings from the god of purification.”

Dareth stroked the girl’s face again.

“And I have high expectations for you, Elien. There was a child named Eve before, and that child made me expect much, only to greatly disappoint me.”

Dareth smacked his lips.

“She was a child who searched for her teacher all day and had good qualities. But in the end, she failed to accept the energy of purification. On the other hand, Elien, you are different.”

“Please save me.”

Elien, a girl who had just turned ten, was destined to become Dareth’s magical experiment.

Knock-knock!

Dareth frowned at the knocking sound from outside.

“Oh, it seems I have a guest. Wait here for a moment.”

Dareth gagged Elien and went up the stairs.

As Dareth ascended the stairs, the scenery of the basement changed. It was a subtle space distortion magic.

Opening the door, a young man with a sturdy build bowed to Dareth.

“Priest.”

Here, Dareth was not called by his name. He had never revealed his name and was only called Priest.

The same was true for Karen, a man with the potential to become the twelfth priest.

“It’s you, Karen.”

Dareth naturally led Karen inside, continuing his words.

“Please sit there.”

Karen sat in the seat Dareth offered without noticing the traces of the gruesome experiment taking place in the basement.

“I happen to have tea received from the lord. He felt grateful for helping the children and donated to the temple, and the fragrance is very good.”

Karen did not refuse.

“Thank you.”

Dareth poured tea and asked.

“What brings you to the temple? Is there any concern in the main family [the ruling family of the territory]?”

Karen was currently working as a knight in Jane’s main family.

And Dareth had begun experiments and proselytization [religious conversion efforts] disguised as relief efforts in the territory of one of the lords under Jane.

‘The time is ripe.’

Normally, he would have been satisfied with the experiments and proselytization, but the reason Dareth was staying here was because of Karen right in front of him.

He wanted to test whether Karen really had the qualities to become the twelfth priest, and if he did, to make him a priest.

The tea Dareth offered contained Silmihyang, which he had created.

Silmihyang, a type of truth serum that makes humans feel dazed and speak the truth hidden within them when ingested.

Karen drank the tea without much suspicion and said.

“Rather than a concern, the head of the family recently told me to meet the priest of a religion that is providing relief in the territories of his subordinate lords.”

Dareth asked, watching Karen answer honestly.

“The heart of our temple has reached the ears of the Jane family head. It’s not exactly an action done for praise. Isn’t the basis of all religions compassion?”

Karen nodded.

“That’s right. However.”

Karen’s eyes flashed for a moment, but Dareth didn’t notice.

It was because he was drinking tea and didn’t see Karen’s eyes.

“Since proselytization activities have been taking place throughout the territory, the head of the family has become increasingly concerned because the number of missing children has increased.”

Dareth was not flustered.

‘Jane… that guy has a good sense.’

Ordinary family heads or lords would not connect the priest with the missing children.

“Oh dear, children are the future of the territory and soon the future of the country, but missing children? It seems a heinous human trafficker has appeared.”

Karen didn’t have the knack for beating around the bush. He didn’t even know how to have a conversation to probe subtly.

“I suspect you, Priest.”

Anyone would be flustered if they were accused of being the culprit, but Dareth remained relaxed throughout.

“I’ve suddenly been accused, having appeared from the outside.”

Karen narrowed his eyes.

Dareth, who was expected to be shaken and show an opening, was not shaken at all.

“Is the head of the Jane family suspecting me and sending a knight?”

“First of all, all the places where the children disappeared were near here.”

Dareth nodded.

“I won’t complain even if you arrest me right away. I’ll meet the head of the family and explain it well. Do we have to go now?”

Karen replied.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll prepare dinner and go with the knight. It’s the time when the children flock in for dinner.”

Karen agreed with a queasy expression.

“I’ll guide you to the drawing-room, so please wait there.”

Karen nodded and went outside.

As soon as Karen left, Dareth took out a crystal ball from the drawer.

He connected the crystal ball to the first priest, the man called the High Priest.

“High Priest.”

-Oh, Tenth Priest. Was there any success?

“I met that person directly. He is in the temple now. He has also taken Silmihyang.”

-It’s time to test his qualities.

“Yes. I need the High Priest’s help. I have drawn a magic circle, so connect and come over immediately.”

-Of course, I must go. Finally, I will meet the Twelfth Priest.”

The twelfth priest prophesied in the Order of Purification. The being who accepts the flames of purification into his body!

The owner of the body that Deimos will descend upon.

He had finally fallen into the hands of the Flame of Purification.

* * *

It could have been a minor incident where a soldier was cursed.

People die more often than you think in the West.

The West, bordering the Dark Forest, is so close to death that survival is always the top priority.

But I couldn’t easily forget the soldier’s death.

“Any news from Count Sarhan?”

Ken replied to my words.

“Not yet.”

“Do you think it’s the work of fairies [magical creatures often associated with forests]?”

Lilian replied to my words.

“It could be the work of fairies, or it could not be. First of all, fairies don’t use curse magic. Curse magic is the specialty of black magicians.”

Ken added his opinion to Lilian’s opinion.

“Of course. However, the place where the soldier is presumed to have come from is the West Forest. It’s the fairies’ territory.”

A soldier from the fairy territory died from curse magic.

Because he died leaving terrible words, not only the soldiers but also the entire Westerners fell into anxiety.

“The content of the words themselves was about punishing humans who entered the fairy forest and a warning that humans brought in the source of evil.”

Ken continued.

“It can be summarized as the fairies will kill humans because humans are bringing in the source of evil, and the fairies are in a position to protect the continent.”

Lilian was lost in thought.

“Lilian, did you find something unusual?”

“First of all, I need to examine the soldier’s body. It may be related to that Dareth guy. That kind of mental magic is quite high-level magic even among black magic.”

Lilian’s expression was endlessly hardened.

“It won’t be a fairy. If it’s not a fairy, the problem is serious. The organization that Dareth guy is involved with, was it called the Flame of Purification?”

I nodded.

“That means those Flame of Purification guys know all about His Highness the Crown Prince’s schedule and that he’s planning to enter the fairy territory.”

Ken agreed with Lilian’s words.

“They are alienating the fairies and the West in order to put His Highness in trouble.”

“That’s right. To gain the wrath of magma, the cooperation of the fairies is essential. Or there may be a confrontation with them.”

Lilian sighed.

“But even before entering the West Forest, conflicts have arisen between the Westerners and the fairies. The soldier’s death, not in war but by mental magic, shocked everyone.”

A miserable death, the soldier’s death was hard to explain in any other words.

Lilian also brought up the story of Count Sarhan.

“If even Count Sarhan returns from the West Forest as a corpse, the Western lords will try to retaliate against the fairies in some way.”

Lilian’s assessment of the situation was quite valid.

Ken added a supplementary explanation.

“The Western lords have a strong bond with each other. Count Sarhan is the head of the Odin family and was highly respected in the West. The lords may suggest to His Highness to propose the subjugation of the West Forest.”

Ken was also envisioning things beyond that.

“They may even formally report to the Imperial Palace and demand war with the fairies.”

I sighed deeply.

Things were going wrong from the start.

“Lilian, first examine the body and accurately identify the culprit. Whether it’s a fairy or a secret organization, it’s a serious problem.”

I judged that there was a high possibility that a secret organization was involved, as Lilian had predicted.

‘Crazy bastards.’

I was meeting a secret organization for the first time, and their methods far exceeded my expectations.

The soldier died in terrible pain. His whole body was twisted, and his skin was covered with blisters, leaving gruesome wounds that were indescribable.

In addition, his mind was completely dominated, and he didn’t even know what he was saying.

“I’ll look into it as soon as possible and report back.”

Lilian answered and got up.

After she left, I ran my hand through my hair and said.

“It’s going wrong from the start.”

“Commander Hamilton is investigating the Flame of Purification, so we will be able to obtain a lot of information soon.”

Ken comforted me.

“Honestly, I thought a little too lightly about those guys.”

I admitted that I had underestimated them, and Ken did too.

“Yes. They have been influencing the countries of the continent for a long time, but we tended to ignore them because they are invisible.”

“The Westerners are shaking. This place is my political base and the mainstream of my power is rooted here. It’s difficult for this place to shake.”

Even Marquis Mike was already being affected.

He postponed his trip to the Imperial City by two days after seeing the soldier’s appearance.

He reported that he would stabilize the territory first and then go up, and I couldn’t refuse.

“Finding Count Sarhan is the top priority.”

“That’s right. His subordinate soldier returned in that state, so Count Sarhan can’t be safe.”

“I suspected him of being a stooge of Duke Beregon, but things are turning out strangely.”

I was trying to use Sarhan to catch Duke Beregon, but he was likely missing.

Or dead, like the soldier who returned today.

“I have to go to the West Forest.”

Ken agreed.

“Yes. It would be even better if we could meet the fairies directly.”

“I’m going straight to the West Forest before looking at the Western fairy data. Now is not the time to sit down and acquire information. It’s time to move.”

I was worried about one thing.

“Surely the Flame of Purification isn’t in the West Forest, is it?”

Ken shook his head.

“The fairy territory is not a place that can be easily accessed.”

“Yes. I think so too.”

But a strange sense of unease was enveloping my body.