Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 213

213.

After that bit of a ruckus, Duke Beregon and I returned to the palace.

“The old nobles of the Pieron Kingdom still haven’t learned their lesson,” Duke Beregon said.

I nodded in agreement.

“They still wield considerable power, so they likely looked down on me and the Empire.”

I swallowed a bitter laugh and continued, “They’re the ones who neglected their own country’s destruction, after all. I summoned them to separate the wheat from the chaff… but after seeing Marquis Ivid and his faction, it seems there’s little point in sorting them out.”

Ken had been concerned about the lack of administrative power and the central government’s influence in the regions, so he suggested acknowledging the positions of some nobles.

I shared Ken’s concerns.

If we conquered a country and executed all the existing nobles, the resulting chaos could last for years.

The palace was teeming with people.

The princes, princesses, their attendants, nobles, and the servants they brought seemed to fill the expansive palace.

Those who recognized me and Duke Beregon bowed.

“I’ll see you at the evening banquet,” I said.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After escorting Duke Beregon to his quarters, I headed to my office.

Ken and Gail were already waiting.

“You’ve arrived?” I asked in response to Ken’s greeting.

“What’s going on?”

“I brought the list of royals and nobles attending the evening banquet.”

Ken placed the documents he was holding on the desk.

I turned to Gail.

“Gail?”

“I think I need to return to the border.”

“You’ve worked hard,” I said with genuine regret.

“It’s a festival, but you can’t even enjoy it.”

Gail offered a faint smile.

“I’m not one for festivals, and since we discovered Magma’s Wrath [likely a powerful artifact or weapon] at the Magic Tower construction ceremony, there’s a high possibility that the Kingdom Alliance will make an unexpected move.”

Ken concurred.

“The Kingdom Alliance is preparing for an all-out war, and they might exploit the Magic Tower construction ceremony to launch a significant provocation.”

“Then it can’t be helped. Gail, I’m counting on you to guard the border.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gail bowed and departed.

I sank into my chair and said, “I’ve decided to join forces with Duke Beregon.”

“The investigation is still underway. Are you sure that’s wise?” Ken asked, voicing his concern that Duke Beregon might be deceiving me to use me.

Traces of the Purifying Flame Order [a religious or militant group] had also been found within the Atran family, making it difficult to fully trust Duke Beregon’s words.

Nevertheless, I had made this bold decision for one key reason.

“It’s an opportunity. If Yan and Duke Austin are truly connected to my mother’s death, then they must be eliminated.”

“His Majesty is likely to intervene directly.”

“Then it’s immediately a civil war.”

I narrowed my eyes and continued, “Father will wage an all-out war, leaving no one alive.”

If evidence surfaced linking the two families to my mother’s death, Father would not spare a single member of the Yan and Riverhill families.

In that scenario, the two families would likely resist desperately to avoid annihilation.

My approach, however, was different.

“I also have no intention of forgiving them if the two families are truly responsible for my mother’s death… but I don’t intend to kill them all, down to the last ant. I’ll be satisfied if those responsible come forward and their families’ power is diminished.”

Ken hummed thoughtfully.

“Even if only Dukes Yan and Austin take responsibility, the power of their families will decline rapidly.”

“Even with Your Highness’s intervention, the two families will resist to the bitter end.”

“Probably.”

In any case, I intuitively knew that it would inevitably lead to civil war.

Only…

“I believe we must completely win the all-out war with the Kingdom Alliance before engaging in a civil war.”

“Do you think His Majesty will initiate a civil war regardless of the external situation?”

“That’s right.”

Father’s judgment becomes clouded when it comes to matters concerning Mother.

I sighed softly.

“Various things are unfolding in a complex manner. We can’t handle everything at once, so let’s proceed step by step. Right now, the Magic Tower construction ceremony is the most important thing.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“The nobles from the Pieron Kingdom are also attending today’s banquet.”

I picked up the documents.

The highest-ranking name among the Pieron nobles was Marquis Ivid.

A laugh escaped me.

“Marquis Ivid, huh.”

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah. I had a brief run-in with Marquis Ivid outside the palace.”

I briefly recounted my encounter with Duke Beregon to Ken.

“It’s not particularly unusual. Every noble is like that.”

“He’s not the type of noble I want.”

“It’s difficult to find the noble that Your Highness wants. You’ll have to compromise to some extent.”

Ken continued, “Marquis Ivid is a noble with considerable influence. If you keep him under your control, you can naturally control the other nobles from Pieron.”

“That means if I corner him, I can easily corner the other nobles as well.”

Ken nodded.

“That’s how it can be interpreted.”

“Let’s get up. It’s almost time for the banquet.”

Ken and I left the office.

Ken headed to the dining hall to personally oversee the banquet preparations, while I made my way to Olivia’s bedroom.

It’s a banquet attended by all the nobles, so I need to change into formal attire.

* * *

At the time when the festival 겸 [gyeom – Korean word meaning ‘and’ or ‘combined with’] the Magic Tower construction ceremony began in Grenian, a sense of impending war hung heavy on the border of the Kingdom Alliance.

“Look at what those evil bastards are doing,” Jane said, her expression hardening.

“You’ve been out on the streets, right? People are starving and dying of illness every day, yet they’re eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves like that.”

Dareth, wearing a black priest’s robe, stood beside Karen, his expression one of sorrow.

“They are the ones who know nothing of God’s mercy,” he said. “They only care about filling their greedy bellies while the people starve and die.”

Jane nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. The emperor, the crown prince, and even the nobles have no sense of responsibility. They arbitrarily invade and destroy kingdoms, and they consume the abundant food of the Pieron Kingdom solely for their own indulgence.”

Karen nodded, as if understanding Jane’s words.

“The Empire… is even more evil than I had heard.”

“They squeeze the blood out of the people to indulge in luxury, and even that’s not enough, so they invade neighboring countries. Why is the emperor so obsessed with conquest wars?”

Karen nodded again.

“It seems they are not satisfied with what the current Empire possesses.”

Marquis Dareth chimed in, “From the moment the emperor threw countless people into the waves of war under the guise of a founding war, his purpose was singular.”

Karen turned to Marquis Dareth.

“What is it?”

“Unification. The justification is plausible: to unify the continent. But what will happen if the Empire unifies the continent? God’s mercy will vanish from this land, greedy nobles will bleed the people dry, and hell will be unleashed.”

“We can’t allow that to happen.”

“God sent the priest to find true peace in this land.”

Jane agreed.

“The priest is right. The Kingdom Alliance is trying to save the people by opposing the Empire, but it is still outmatched by the Empire’s power.”

Marquis Dareth smiled gently.

“That’s because we are practicing God’s mercy. Instead of military supplies, we are providing relief for the people who lack food, and we are spending a large portion of our budget to prevent epidemics for the safety of the people, rather than indulging in the luxury of the nobles.”

Karen nodded.

‘The Alliance must grow stronger. We must restore the Pieron Kingdom and increase the Alliance’s power to oppose the Empire,’ she thought.

‘The priest is right. God gave me strength to punish evil.’

Jane spoke.

“The Alliance suffered great losses when the Pieron Kingdom was destroyed, but it’s fortunate that a talent like you has emerged.”

“I will do my best.”

“Through this all-out war, we must restore the Pieron Kingdom and kill at least the crown prince. He’s as evil as Ron Carl Reod [likely a famous historical figure known for evil deeds].”

Dareth said worriedly, “Recently, rumors about the crown prince are spreading like wildfire. They say he summons the highest-grade spirits of all attributes.”

Jane shared his concern.

“Ron Carl Reod alone is overwhelming, but even his son has powers that exceed human limits… and he’s only just had his coming-of-age ceremony.”

“The devil always possesses great power. But we have the thirteenth priest.”

Jane asked Marquis Dareth, “Is there a special power hidden within Karen?”

“Of course. The priest is the one prophesied in our order. Through the priest, God will descend and purify the evil that has spread across this land.”

Karen bowed her head.

“I will do my best.”

“Soldiers are gathering quickly. Gordon is dead, but Eric and I are still alive and well. We will risk the fate of the Alliance and set out to restore the Pieron Kingdom.”

“Yes.”

“Although the royal family has been destroyed, there is a descendant of the royal family who has defected to the Alliance, so if we drive the Empire out of the Pieron Kingdom territory, we can entrust that person with the throne again.”

Dareth carefully asked Jane, “When are you planning to launch the attack?”

“It will take at least a month. It takes time to conscript soldiers, and we need to stockpile more food.”

“The Purifying Flame Order will stand with the kingdom. We will provide the necessary military supplies, and our priests will participate in this holy war.”

Jane smiled, appearing greatly satisfied.

“Yes. This is a holy war. The Kingdom Alliance has recognized the Purifying Flame Order as the only legitimate order on the continent. It’s rare for religion and state to cooperate so closely, but no religion cares about the people as much as the Purifying Flame Order.”

Dareth smiled deeply.

“We need strong power to return the evil Empire’s forces to God’s embrace. God has chosen the Alliance, and we are simply following God’s will.”

Dareth turned to Karen.

“Isn’t that right, Priest?”

“Yes. I will ensure we win this holy war.”

Jane patted Karen on the shoulder.

“There’s still no sign of the emperor moving. They’re off guard. You’re strong enough to face the crown prince.”

Jane continued, “Olivia and Gail are just fledglings who have only recently become Sword Masters. I’ll take care of them. Eric can handle Lillian.”

Their power is similar.

And Jane believed the Alliance had a chance of winning.

‘The emperor is currently occupied with suppressing the barbarians in the south. And according to the Purifying Flame Order, even the fairies are participating in this holy war. The Empire is facing enemies on all sides.’

If it was a battlefield without the emperor, Jane was confident of victory.

‘The crown prince is a wild card, but… he’s also inexperienced. We can win.’

A strange heat flickered in Jane’s eyes as she glanced at Karen.

‘This guy’s skills have skyrocketed since he came to my family. I knew it from the time he fought the emperor on equal footing.’

Jane knew that the emperor had given Karen a break at the time.

Even so, it was a remarkable feat.

Just to be able to exchange blows with the emperor at Karen’s age was an incredible accomplishment.

Talents continued to emerge in the Empire, but a new star had also risen in the Kingdom Alliance.

Karen.

‘Now I can’t guarantee the outcome. No… maybe he’s already better than me.’

Jane admitted that Karen had surpassed her in just a few months.

She had never seen anyone’s skills improve so rapidly.

Jane, recalling Ron, bit her lip.

‘Emperor, you’re not the only one with God-given talent. Now a knight blessed by God has been born in the Alliance.’

Jane knew she was inferior to Ron.

But Karen was different.

‘This guy is capable of surpassing the emperor. If he gains more experience in the war to restore the Pieron Kingdom, then in the next war… he might even reach Grand Master.’

The reason why the Kingdom Alliance recognized the Purifying Flame Order as its sole religion was because of Karen.

‘If I can control the Purifying Flame Order effectively, I can harness this guy’s power for the Kingdom Alliance indefinitely.’

Jane also turned her gaze towards the border.

“We can’t let them simply enjoy the festival. Karen.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Provoke a minor war of nerves. I heard that Gail has arrived at the border, so it would be beneficial to test his mettle.”

“Are you referring to the enemy Sword Master?”

Jane nodded.

“That’s right.”

Karen replied succinctly, “It’s an opportunity to eliminate one enemy Sword Master.”