Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 203

203.

Was that an unnecessary thing to say?

To tell him to be careful, implying that my father could get hurt, and asking if he was okay with that.

My father’s pride was second to none.

His towering pride was famous even before he became emperor.

Though it was a small, remote kingdom, my father was a prince from birth, and his genius naturally fostered high self-esteem.

A man who had never even entertained the notion of ‘defeat,’ Ron Carl Leord.

I acknowledged my misstep.

‘I should have chosen my words more carefully.’

Like spilled water, unrecoverable, once words are spoken, they are irreversible, even if retracted.

Especially since I wasn’t alone with my father, but in a place filled with nobles and knights.

My father smiled.

“Of course, Crown Prince.”

His benevolent tone almost made me beg for forgiveness. If I apologized now, it would be like admitting in front of everyone that I had wounded his pride.

I said calmly.

“Let’s begin.”

Sword Master, mage, spirit master.

Even when facing my father, who stood at the pinnacle of all these disciplines, I was filled with confidence.

I could show him what it meant to wield four supreme spirits.

‘A supreme spirit master is more than a Sword Master.’

That was the premise upon which the setting was created, assuming one could handle two supreme spirits of different attributes. But I have now contracted with supreme spirits of all attributes.

Therefore, according to the setting, I now possess strength greater than that of a Sword Master.

‘Let’s do our best.’

Sword Master, mage, spirit master.

Even when facing my father, who was at the pinnacle of all these, I was full of confidence.

“I will do my best too, Crown Prince.”

My father said in a voice barely audible to me.

Gooooooo-!

My father’s aura exploded outwards.

I realized I had momentarily forgotten one crucial fact.

The man before me was not as weak as I was worried about.

He was already the strongest human on the continent. The strongest in the continent’s history, in fact.

“Sylphid!”

At my signal, Sylphid unleashed blades of wind.

At the same time, Noahs shook the training ground. Although Noahs had become smaller in size, his power had grown considerably.

As befitting the title of supreme spirit, Noahs shook the ground, causing a tremendous tremor.

I entrusted myself to the flow of wind and earth.

Pshwick-!

My father’s figure disappeared, leaving afterimages.

Before I knew it, my father was right in front of me, but the blades of wind blocked his path.

Clang-!

Undine dropped a huge water droplet above my father’s head.

Scattering water droplets.

By concentrating Undine’s power into a single droplet, the speed became much faster, and the power contained within the droplet was immense.

My father stretched out his hand, the one not holding his sword.

At the same time, sparks flew from his hand.

‘Magic?’

It seemed my father had decided not to rely solely on swordsmanship.

‘Doing his best… he wasn’t just saying that.’

As expected, Ifrit appeared behind my father.

The supreme spirit of fire!

My Ifrit shouted at the Ifrit summoned by my father.

-That stupid blockhead!

Mana flowed into Ifrit. A curtain of fire erupted aggressively.

The opponent was also a fire spirit, so shouldn’t he refrain from attacking with fire?

Although Ifrit usually seemed to have a light personality, he changed completely once in battle. Ifrit, true to his nature as a fire spirit, liked to overwhelm his opponents intensely.

He also knew very well how to use his power to overwhelm his opponents.

Whirr-! Flames on a different level from those of Ignis.

As I became a great spirit master, the power of my spirits’ skills was three times stronger than that of other supreme spirits.

Sylphid assisted Ifrit.

-Make sure Father can’t use spirit magic. We have to completely block one of his skills: swordsmanship, magic, or spirit magic.

What made my father so formidable was that he had perfectly mastered all three, each of which was difficult to reach the pinnacle of.

And through numerous practical experiences, he could efficiently use swordsmanship, magic, and spirit magic.

‘I thought he was a high-level spirit master, but has his skill improved in the meantime?’

It was the first time I had seen my father summon Ifrit.

I had set him as a high-level spirit master, but in just a few months, my father had risen to the level of a supreme spirit master, even a master level.

A genius that could only be described as bizarre.

When Ifrit was cornered, my father reached out his hand once more.

Pa-pa-pat-!

Roots rose from the twisting ground.

It was a sealing spell.

I bit my lip and poured more mana into Noahs.

I also didn’t forget to avoid my father’s aura blades by entrusting myself to the flow of wind and earth.

‘He’s a monster.’

The longer the sparring session went on, the more I felt that there was no end to my father’s power.

He relentlessly drew out aura blades, appropriately cast spells, and even used spirit magic.

There wasn’t a single technique that could be easily dealt with.

And as if to prove that he wasn’t just saying he would do his best, my father emitted an even greater aura.

‘At this rate, I’ll be pushed back.’

I ordered Ifrit and Sylphid to create a red windstorm of fire.

“I really have to do my best.”

Faced with the immense storm of fire, my father muttered as if admiring it, then adjusted his grip on his sword.

Gooooooo-!

All the surrounding mana was being sucked into my father’s single sword.

“That, that’s!”

It was an aura blade.

But the people’s reactions went beyond astonishment. Some knights even seemed about to faint.

Even in the midst of the sparring, Duke James’s voice was clearly audible.

“Since the beginning of human history, there has never been a spirit master who wields the four supreme spirits. And there has never been anyone who imbues a sword with their soul.”

He said as if truly delighted.

“Emperor and Crown Prince. I am truly pleased to be at the scene of history being written by both of you.”

That’s a soul?

The time to confirm my curiosity came quickly.

“I said I would do my best, so I have to keep that promise.”

Sylphid instinctively sensed danger and unleashed a fiery wind along with Ifrit.

Kwaaaang-! Kwang-!

The bodies of the two spirits froze.

While unleashing the ‘Aura Soul,’ which proved he was beyond the realm of a Sword Master, my father simultaneously cast an 8th circle spell.

‘That human is a monster. It was my mistake to think of him as an ordinary human.’

Kwaaaang-!

The Aura Soul and 8th circle magic were too much for even four supreme spirits to handle.

As the spirits took heavy damage, it immediately affected me as well.

I had been maintaining a suitable distance from my father through the flow of wind and earth, but the distance was closing.

“You’ve improved a lot, Arun. Enough for me to do my best.”

My father swung his sword. The aura didn’t directly hit me.

My vision blurred.

* * *

My last memory was of my father’s sword hilt striking my head.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I was in my bedroom.

Surprisingly, Olivia wasn’t by my side.

Whenever I fell asleep and woke up, Olivia was always there, so I felt a sense of emptiness.

Was I already used to the fact that we were married?

“Have you awakened?”

And the voice that followed was one I thought I would never hear here.

Ah, I had heard it once.

-Do not summon me again for such trivial matters.

It was right after I first woke up in the Calpheon Empire.

The two priests were very flustered.

Even though it wasn’t that long ago, I smiled faintly at the distant memory.

“You’re smiling, so you seem fine.”

The voice spoke again. I quickly tried to rise and pay my respects, but my father’s voice continued.

“It’s not good to move right after fainting. I hit you pretty hard.”

Was that a joke? Or a serious statement?

It seemed like a joke, but it was hard to believe.

My father, known as the Iron-Blooded Monarch, the Cold-Blooded Man, making a joke.

Well, it was already unbelievable that my father was sitting in a corner of my bedroom, reviewing documents.

I still got up and paid my respects to my father.

“Your Majesty.”

“How is your body?”

“I’m fine. I just fainted for a moment.”

“Didn’t I tell you, I hit you pretty hard.”

“I’m really fine.”

My father closed the documents he was looking at and turned his gaze towards me.

“When I was young, I had this thought.”

My father’s youth? It was quite a heavy story to hear as soon as I woke up.

“That I would never meet a lifelong rival. I was proud of my genius and strength, but at some point, I felt lonely.”

I couldn’t say anything. I wasn’t a genius.

‘Although I am being called a genius.’

I, too, must seem like a monstrous genius in the eyes of others.

It was just that I hadn’t been in the Calpheon Empire for long, so my memories of the modern era were still vivid.

Even though I had experienced many things, it was difficult for my common sense to be completely changed.

“When I went to the Jane family, I felt quite good after discovering that young man. But on the other hand, I was sad. Because even that young man couldn’t make me do my best.”

My father stared intently at me.

“Even when I looked through ancient records, I didn’t think there was anyone stronger than me. And I never thought that someone stronger than me would appear in the future.”

“Perhaps that will continue to be the case.”

“I did my best, Arun. For the first time.”

At some point, my father was calling me by my name.

“Four supreme spirits… perhaps by the time we have our next sparring session, you will be even stronger.”

“You flatter me.”

My father quickly changed the subject of the conversation.

“I plan to greatly increase your authority in your direct territory.”

“Authority, as in?”

“Not only the authority of taxation and conscription but also various other authorities. You will find out when you examine it in detail later.”

“Thank you.”

Why was he suddenly saying such things?

“The size of your direct territory has also been expanded beyond the old capital of the Pyreon Kingdom. Most of the granary area will be your direct territory.”

“Your Majesty?”

That was too much.

I had already received a great gift with just the direct territory, and anything more than that was too much for me to handle.

“The Pyreon Kingdom is a suitable place. A stage for you to test your rule.”

My eyes widened without me realizing it.

“As you know, I don’t have time to directly teach you imperial studies. I hope you understand that, Arun.”

My father’s voice lowered.

“Because of the matter concerning Iriel…”

Surprisingly, there was a hint of apology in my father’s voice.

What kind of change had a single sparring session brought about in my father?

I knew he valued ability, but was my becoming stronger enough to change my father this much?

On the one hand, I felt bitter.

If I hadn’t become stronger? Would my father have even acknowledged me as his son?

Just as I was about to open my mouth to hide my thoughts, my father continued.

“And Ted and Chen, as well as the other princes and princesses.”

My father continued.

“I won’t tell you to get along well. After all, I have never been affectionate to them, even though they are my children.”

Now I was worried about what my father would say next.

“When you become emperor, give them some local territories and attach the title of king, which is just for show.”

I couldn’t say anything.

Was the person in front of me really the emperor?

“Although they are not Iriel’s children, they are still of my blood. Their in-law problems can be gradually resolved in the future.”

In the end, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who got hurt in the sparring session.

I was genuinely suspicious.