Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 220

220.

It had been a long time since I was left alone.

It felt strange, especially since it was the first time even Olivia had left my side.

I patrolled the castle walls as Ken had instructed.

Although the border walls weren’t that high, the many attendants following me and the commander’s exclusive armor I was wearing would surely make the enemies recognize my presence.

“Ken.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Lilian is doing well, right?”

“Of course, she is. She’s the best mage on the continent. And the knights guarding her are also the best on the continent.”

“I suppose.”

I nodded.

If I couldn’t trust them, who could I trust?

I turned my gaze beyond the border.

“It feels like the number of enemies is increasing.”

“They actually are.”

I couldn’t see the enemy’s forces at a glance, but I occasionally saw enemies patrolling the border.

Ken continued.

“They are also thoroughly guarding the area. The number of provocations has decreased, but they are still the kind of guys who will cross the border at any moment.”

“I suppose.”

I summoned Sylphid.

The sudden appearance of a high-grade spirit surprised my attendants for a moment, but they quickly adapted and looked at Sylphid with curious eyes.

“Do you see those patrol forces over there?”

Sylphid nodded and replied.

-Yes.

“Can you perhaps tell me their numbers?”

Sylphid soon flew into the sky.

I looked up at Sylphid as she ascended.

Soon, Sylphid completely disappeared from view.

It consumed a considerable amount of mana, but I silently waited for Sylphid.

Before long, Sylphid reappeared.

-Approximately ten thousand humans are patrolling that wall.

That was at least ten times more than our soldiers.

Excluding the wall and fortress repair work, we had deployed about a thousand soldiers to guard the wall.

The difference in power was already evident.

‘Lilian really needs to succeed.’

If she achieved the destruction of the Eric family!

Even if our number of soldiers was insufficient, our morale would greatly increase.

‘If Eric is staying at the main family estate, he’ll die too. 9th Circle magic… it’s magic that transcends the realm of humans.’

Now, this world was flowing completely differently from what I had written.

Even just looking at Lilian, I could feel the change. In my novel, she remains an 8th Circle mage.

Having escaped from the conflict between the Kingdom Alliance and the Empire, she is only briefly mentioned as a rival to Duke Austin and has almost no activity.

But what about now?

Under my command, she is displaying the most powerful presence among the Empire’s mages.

If she destroys the Eric family, she will stand tall as the best mage on the continent as a 9th Circle mage.

“How many are guarding over there?”

At Ken’s question, I cleared my mind and answered.

“About ten thousand, she said.”

“That’s a lot.”

“We have to hope Lilian succeeds in her operation. It’s the only way to raise morale in one fell swoop.”

Ken agreed.

“For the time being, it’s best to patrol the borders for both morning and afternoon duties. You need to keep showing your presence to the enemies.”

“Alright.”

I finished patrolling the walls and returned to the fortress.

I felt like I hadn’t been training enough lately, so I moved to the small training ground in the fortress.

Karen came to mind.

It felt like his fierce sword tip was right in front of me.

The greatest talent on the continent!

The protagonist of this world.

I had become his enemy, and the day we clash was not far off.

I summoned all four high-grade spirits.

For some reason, Ifrit wasn’t chattering as usual.

Perhaps it was because he sensed the heavy atmosphere of the fortress?

It had been a while, so I checked various skills with the spirits.

To face Karen, whom I would meet someday, I needed to become stronger than I am now.

I couldn’t guarantee I could beat Karen at my current level.

‘There were hardly any high-grade spirit masters… but I am stronger than any high-grade spirit master. Even so, the reason I can’t be confident in victory means Karen is that strong.’

He was weaker than my father during the last war, but Karen had already shown skills close to my father’s.

‘There’s no need to rush.’

If I trained recklessly because Karen was strong, it could backfire.

The biggest thing I’ve felt since becoming a spirit master is that I need to be calm to become stronger.

Undine read my mind and said.

-You are getting stronger and stronger. Fitting for a great spirit master. Proceed calmly as you are thinking now.

Ifrit chimed in.

-No need to worry too much. You are the strongest spirit master I’ve ever seen among humans. You’re also the spirit master whose skills have improved the fastest.

The spirits gave me strength.

Aren’t they the most reliable companions?

For a while, I focused on training.

I summoned not only high-grade spirits but also upper-grade and mid-grade spirits.

Many eyes were watching me.

I felt that showing my strength was also a way to raise morale.

I knew from experience how much influence a single absolute powerhouse could have on the battlefield.

This isn’t modern times, but it’s a place where people live who are stronger than modern new weapons.

And I am one of them.

“Ooh!”

I heard someone’s exclamation and drew in even more mana.

* * *

At the time Arun was immersed in training, Hamilton and his party passed the Jane family and reached near the Eric family.

“Exactly how far is it to the family estate?”

At Lilian’s question, Hamilton stopped walking and answered.

“About two thousand steps for an adult male.”

“We’re almost there. This is enough.”

Duke James stepped forward at Lilian’s words.

“It seems a bit far to cast magic.”

“It’s not far. If we get any closer, not only me but everyone will burn to death.”

Duke James’s face hardened.

Duke James had agreed to this operation and followed along, but he didn’t have high expectations for Lilian’s magic.

She had mentioned the destruction of the Eric family, but he thought it would be something like a magical assassination.

But now, Lilian’s words and actions were far from assassination.

“Everyone will burn to death?”

“Do you know what the first magic of Magma’s Wrath [a powerful and destructive spell] is?”

Lilian’s tone didn’t change much even when speaking to Duke James.

Duke James didn’t particularly care about Lilian’s tone.

More than that, he was curious about what the magic written in Magma’s Wrath, the magic book hidden in the Reinhardt ruins, was.

“What was it?”

“Hellfire.”

Everyone’s body stiffened at Lilian’s answer.

Even Gale’s voice trembled.

“What magic did you say it was?”

“Hellfire. Magic that burns the world! Not some absurd lie like the Purifying Flame Order [a fictional religious order known for their extreme beliefs], but magic that the dragon, called the origin of magic, created by opening the gates of hell!”

Lilian’s face turned red.

“Two thousand steps is a bit dangerous. I don’t know how far Hellfire will spread. But if the distance is any greater than this, I might miscontrol the magic. If the magic falls in the wrong place, it might just burn down the castle, and Eric might escape.”

Lilian’s expression quickly sank.

Then, Lilian said quietly.

“I’m going to start. Please make sure no one approaches. It will take at least half a day.”

No one was embarrassed by the fact that it would take half a day to cast the magic.

The weight of Hellfire, commonly called Hellfire, was enough to warrant it.

Lilian continued.

“I need to concentrate. If I cast the magic wrong, we’ll burn to death before we even burn down the Eric family.”

Duke James laughed heartily.

“It seems I came to escort you, but now I’m risking my life.”

“Don’t worry. As long as the Duke protects me well, there’s no chance of dying.”

Duke James nodded at Lilian’s assurance.

“I will do my best to protect you.”

Lilian finally began to concentrate.

* * *

I repeated guarding and training for several days.

There were no immediate results, but I still felt lighthearted.

Ken seemed to sense my mood and asked.

“You look to be in good spirits, even though you’ve sent your capable subordinates into a deadly situation.”

I shrugged at the joking remark.

“I’m more worried. All my strong subordinates are gone, and I’m guarding the castle alone.”

I added with a slight smile.

“Ken is strong too, so there’s no need to worry, right?”

“Yes. Riodeen and David are also doing their part.”

“What about the compensation policy?”

When I stopped joking and asked, Ken answered seriously.

“The soldiers’ morale is definitely rising. Soldiers who were participating in the repair work are also volunteering for guard duty. And conscription is also going better than before.”

“That’s a relief. What about securing resources for compensation?”

“It seems that the funds supported by the Vikan Merchant Guild and the funds supported by the White family will be sufficient.”

Ken continued, as if relieved.

“The funds supported by the White family are much larger than those of the Vikan Merchant Guild.”

I clicked my tongue.

The Vikan Merchant Guild had grown rapidly with my political influence and support.

Based on the specialties of the West, the guild’s size quickly grew to rival the top ten merchant guilds on the continent.

The fact that they had put out more funds than such a Vikan Merchant Guild made me feel the power of the Duke’s family anew.

“It seems we don’t have to worry about funding for the time being.”

Ken nodded.

“The Evid family is also providing funds.”

“Weren’t those guys completely ruined?”

“They were the ones who had private soldiers. Even though we were at war, weren’t they busy protecting their assets and their lives by staying cooped up in their homes?”

I chuckled at Ken’s words.

“There are times when those guys are helpful.”

“It would be good to employ a few of them appropriately.”

“Employ?”

“Just to maintain their positions.”

I pondered for a moment.

“It seems it would be quite confusing if I maintained their positions.”

“It won’t be that confusing. Because Your Highness’s position is solid.”

Ken continued.

“If the central power is weak, nobles tend to covet the central power. If the central power is moderate, nobles find ways to coexist moderately. On the other hand, if the central power is strong… if it’s absolute power, nobles prostrate themselves and offer their loyalty.”

“Power like my father’s?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not quite there yet.”

“That’s why this war is important.”

Ken narrowed his eyes.

“This war is an opportunity for Your Highness to have a dignity comparable to His Majesty.”

I shrugged.

“It would be fortunate if we just win.”

Ken agreed.

“I think so too. However, an opportunity is just an opportunity.”

“Alright.”

“Let’s go to the wall. I have to go on patrol again today.”

I headed to the wall with Ken.

“The weather is getting cool quickly.”

A cold wind blew as the sunset began.

“It will be difficult to wage war in the winter.”

Ken smiled bitterly at my words.

“It’s the soldiers who have a hard time.”

“That’s right.”

Since it was the north, autumn would come much earlier, and the moment it felt like autumn had arrived, it would be winter.

The moment I climbed the wall, I felt a murderous aura.

I instinctively summoned Sylphid.

Bang-!

It was an arrow.

Ken shouted that it was the enemy, and soon the soldiers on the wall quickly gathered.

I sent Sylphid in the direction the arrow had come from.

Shoosh-!

Arrows continued to fly, but Sylphid changed the direction of the wind and blocked the arrows.

“Oh, dear.”

I hardened my expression as I saw the approaching soldiers.

There seemed to be at least… tens of thousands of them.

And I saw a familiar face at the very front.

The situation I had thought was the worst while guarding the fortress alone had come to pass.

Karen was leading the soldiers and attacking.