Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 20

After sending Ken out, I was lost in thought.

I questioned whether bringing the Shadow Walkers Guild into the palace was the right choice.

‘As the Crown Prince, my own abilities are lacking, and I have no power base. The Shadow Walkers Guild can’t be openly displayed… but they’re perfect as a dark blade.’

In fact, considering only the information I know, there’s no reason to hesitate.

The Shadow Walkers Guild plays a crucial role in helping the hero Karen bring down the empire in the future.

The Shadow Walkers Guild is the one who best carries out Ken’s schemes and works hand-in-hand with him.

Though not outwardly visible, the Shadow Walkers Guild accomplishes more than anyone else; true to their name, they are the ultimate shadows of the hero Karen.

And now, I have the opportunity to bring the Shadow Walkers Guild under my control.

“I should seize it…”

There’s no reason to refuse such a good opportunity. I was concerned about gaining influence in the shadows before gaining influence in the light, but what does it matter?

In my current situation, it’s important to increase my numbers by even just one person.

Once I made up my mind, I felt much more at ease. I shifted my focus to thinking about what methods I would need to completely bring the Shadow Walkers Guild over to my side.

‘I’ll entrust Ken with managing their movements… and slowly consider how to make them truly loyal to me.’

Simply working together and being nearby doesn’t guarantee loyalty.

People’s hearts are not simple, and loyalty is a subtle emotion.

‘Now that I’ve decided to become emperor, I need to show them that I’m different.’

Just as I won Ken’s heart, I resolved to win the hearts of the Shadow Walkers Guild members as well.

“I mustn’t skip my training.”

Of course, I didn’t forget the Breath of the Wind technique tonight either. In this world’s values, one of the easiest ways to gain a subordinate’s loyalty is through overwhelming ‘strength.’

In a world ruled by the logic of power, nothing is as important as strength.

Whew, I gasped for breath, stimulating my mana core.

* * *

The next day, Gail followed his father’s orders and left for the border.

And in the Crown Prince’s palace, a new head butler sat before me with Ken.

“What’s your name?”

To my question, the middle-aged man with a sharp impression bowed his head and replied briefly.

“Soris.”

“A unique name. I’ve heard a lot about you. I look forward to working with you. How many people have come in total?”

“Thirty, including myself. Fifteen as servants, five in the kitchen, and ten as maids.”

“Please start with breakfast.”

“Yes.”

As Soris left the room, I turned my gaze to Ken.

“Is Soris the guild leader?”

Ken shook his head.

“No. The guild leader hasn’t come to the imperial palace. These are the first dispatched personnel.”

I chuckled. Entering the Crown Prince’s palace disguised as servants and maids isn’t just a simple opportunity.

From the guild leader’s perspective, it’s clearly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a proper connection with the Crown Prince, yet he hasn’t even shown his face.

‘He’s testing the waters.’

I wasn’t particularly pleased, but I understood the guild leader’s feelings well enough.

Ken carefully gauged my reaction before speaking.

“Since we’ll need additional personnel later, it would be best if the guild leader personally selected them…”

“You don’t have to make excuses. I understand the guild leader’s feelings well enough. It’s a double-edged sword. He can build ties with the Crown Prince… but that Crown Prince is incompetent.”

I chuckled, and Ken shrugged.

“Well… once Soris is in the palace, the guild leader will see His Highness’s true nature, and then he’ll move properly.”

“Soris seems like a fairly high-ranking executive, though?”

“He’s the vice-guild leader. He moved immediately after hearing my proposal.”

I nodded at Ken’s words.

“He’ll become the master of the guild. He boldly took a gamble in the face of a double-edged sword.”

Ken flinched.

“Who would you be more inclined to favor, someone who’s testing the waters or someone who made a bold choice?”

I thought highly of Soris. Because he boldly chose me? Everyone is cautious. Shadow Walkers was a guild that thoroughly analyzed information before acting. Soris might have known information that the guild leader didn’t.

There might be differences in emotions and tendencies, but I guessed that the decisive factor was the difference in information.

“You should handle the guild matters in consultation with Soris. You’ll have to disguise yourselves as servants until Gail returns, but it can’t be helped. That’s the only way to bring people into the Crown Prince’s palace right now.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, then, let’s spar again today.”

Ken added.

“Ah, the spiritist I mentioned is Soris.”

I was genuinely impressed.

“Indeed, you are Ken. It’s not unusual for a butler to follow the Crown Prince.”

Ken also nodded.

“Yes. From the outside, it may seem like the butler is simply attending to His Highness, but in reality, he can assist His Highness as a spiritist [one who can communicate with and command spirits].”

“Then let’s eat breakfast first.”

My appetite was especially good today.

* * *

Training begins and ends with sparring.

Since I started sparring with Ken, I’ve become increasingly accustomed to combat.

And today, Soris accompanied us to the training grounds, watching from beginning to end.

The sparring ended when Ken’s sword touched my neck.

“You’re improving really quickly. You allowed me to attack twice today.”

Ken clicked his tongue.

I smiled bitterly.

“The result is still my defeat.”

“Your Highness, if you start winning already, I’ll be too upset, won’t I? I’m a Sword Expert.”

As Ken spoke as if he was wronged, Soris surveyed the surroundings before cautiously stepping forward.

“Does Your Highness control spirits with rituals?”

The expression ‘control spirits’ bothered me strangely, but I didn’t particularly object and simply answered.

“I don’t know exactly what you mean by controlling with rituals… but I don’t need to speak to the spirits for them to move according to my thoughts.”

Soris shook his head.

“Your Highness… you possess a talent that all spiritists on the continent would envy.”

“Talent?”

“I give orders to spirits verbally. And most spiritists do the same. When using techniques or making them move, they all convey it to them through words.”

According to my mother’s book on spiritism, if you can communicate with spirits through thought alone, you can become a spiritist on a different level.

From the first time I summoned spirits, I could hear their voices, and the spirits moved with just my thoughts.

I confessed that fact to Soris.

“Can… can even lower spirits speak?”

Soris narrowed his eyes for a moment at my question, then, realizing the meaning of my words, asked in astonishment.

“Are you saying you heard the voices of Sylph and Undine [respectively, the spirits of wind and water]?”

“Briefly, when I first made the contract.”

Soris chuckled in disbelief.

“Perhaps… I’ll be able to witness the growth of a great spiritist.”

Even though I wrote it myself, I don’t know everything about the culture, people’s consciousness, and thoughts of the Calpheon Empire.

Soris looked at me, who was standing there blankly, and said.

“It seems Your Highness doesn’t know what this means.”

“Well… it’s been like this from the beginning, and it’s the first time I’ve met a teacher.”

“This talent is something that doesn’t exist anywhere in the world, beyond the empire, beyond the continent.”

I was at a loss for words at the excessive praise.

“Are you currently contracted with the Wind Spirit and the Water Spirit?”

“Yes.”

Soris was lost in thought for a moment.

I took a breath and waited for his words.

Soon, Soris nodded and opened his mouth.

“Contract with the Fire Spirit and the Earth Spirit as well. Judging from the sparring with Ken, your mana core size itself is not insufficient even if you contract with more. The problem is affinity… but judging from Ken’s words and Your Highness’s appearance today, you’ll have an affinity with spirits of all attributes.”

I asked.

“Why are you so sure?”

“The fact that they conveyed their voices to Your Highness the moment you contracted means that your affinity with spirits is incredibly high.”

Since there was nothing to lose, I decided to contract with the Fire Spirit and the Earth Spirit as Soris suggested.

Having a spiritist was definitely helpful.

I summoned the Earth Spirit first.

Since there’s plenty of earth in the training grounds.

As I recited the prescribed contract incantation, the ground stirred for a moment.

‘Surely the highest-grade spirit won’t appear, will it?’

It would be troublesome if the cases of the Wind Spirit and the Water Spirit were repeated.

My mana core is twice as big and wide as it was then, but my body still can’t withstand the mana absorbed by the highest-grade spirit.

Gooooooo-!

“This is bad!”

Soris immediately approached me and placed his hand on my back.

‘Crazy! Again?’

I wasn’t even surprised anymore.

Hot mana flowed through my body from behind. Soris shouted loudly.

“Concentrate!”

Ken asked, trying to remain calm.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stop the summoning?”

Soris shook his head.

“The contractor can’t stop the highest-grade spirit from responding to the primordial oath.”

Even in the midst of the urgency, I realized another common sense from Soris’s words.

‘So that’s why I couldn’t stop the summoning of the highest-grade spirit midway.’

Meanwhile, the ground cracked greatly as if an earthquake had occurred, and a huge body similar to a golem appeared above it. The golem was constantly shedding earth from its body.

Soon, its eyes flashed open, and a smile spread across the golem’s face.

-Huhu, I’ve been waiting to hear when my friend, whom I’ve only heard rumors about, would call me.

I had more than one or two questions I wanted to ask the highest-grade Earth Spirit, but I was struggling to cope with the fierce mana storm.

I would have fainted already if Soris hadn’t been constantly injecting mana.

Soris was already pale.

-You’re far too lacking. I have no choice but to promise the next time. Earthly friend.

Soon, the highest-grade Earth Spirit disappeared, and I collapsed to the ground.

And Soris vomited blood.

“Soris.”

I was startled, and Soris chuckled.

“As expected… I always lose at gambling…”

With that, Soris lost consciousness. Ken quickly approached.

“It’s alright. He overexerted his mana in a short amount of time. I’ll move him.”

Was it thanks to summoning the highest-grade spirit for the third time already? Or was it thanks to Soris’s mana injection? I was more okay than I thought. Except for the fact that my mana core was empty, I just felt a little tired.

-Bonus stats have been awarded.

I lightly ignored the system voice and said to Ken.

“Yes. Let him rest.”

I postponed the contract with the Earth Spirit until Soris woke up, and I followed Ken back to the palace, checking my status window.

-S Earthly Friend (Lv1)

Another talent. It was S-grade without fail.

I was now certain.

‘The best spiritist…