Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 225

225.

I could fully understand Duke James’s feelings.

“Duke.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I appreciate your sentiment, Duke. However, as the leader of a force, wouldn’t it be ideal if all subordinates were loyal?”

I addressed the reality of the situation with Duke James.

“Not all subordinates can be as loyal as Gale or you, Duke. A force consists of loyalists who follow the leader, those who join for their own benefit, and those who join based on the prevailing trend.”

Duke James was well aware of what I was saying.

“Yes. Nevertheless, the reason I considered eliminating Lillian was because important talents like her often join for personal gain. When Your Highness can no longer provide her with benefits, she might very well join the enemy.”

“Of course. But if I were to discriminate against people for that reason, I couldn’t build a large force.”

I looked at the enemies far beyond the fortress walls and continued.

“Isn’t it the mark of a capable ruler to turn even those who join for their own gain or based on the prevailing trend into loyalists?”

I turned my gaze to Duke James, smiling faintly.

“I simply need to become a ruler who can inspire loyalty in everyone.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Duke James bowed his head.

“Thank you for sharing even the things you didn’t need to say.”

Duke James wasn’t obligated to report the Lillian issue to me.

I might have heard it through other channels, but he could have concealed it if he wanted to.

Instead, Duke James told me about Lillian’s situation himself. He honestly reported even his own flaws to his lord.

“Now, all that remains is the war with the Kingdom Alliance. With you back, Duke, and Olivia, Gale, Lillian, and Hamilton all safe, we should be able to defeat them easily.”

“Their military tactics are ingenious, so we should be able to annihilate them completely.”

I envisioned an even greater future.

“If we defeat them, I plan to advance straight to the capital of the Kingdom Alliance.”

“Yes.”

“Once we return to Grenian, I need to check on the situation in the Empire as well.”

I was very curious about the news from the west and south.

The last news was that the fairies had begun their advance, and the movements of the southern tribal alliance were unusual.

Also, I was very curious about Ted’s well-being.

‘Actually, this isn’t the time to be thinking about other things.’

With over a hundred thousand enemies right in front of me, I couldn’t afford to be distracted by other fronts.

“I heard you fought Karen directly.”

I nodded.

“Yes. He was truly remarkable. He fought against His Majesty and was indeed strong.”

“It’s amazing that he became a Sword Master at that age, but what’s frightening is his growth rate.”

“Growth rate?”

“Yes. He even absorbed His Majesty’s movements during the battle. It was truly an unbelievable talent.”

Duke James’s eyes narrowed.

“Perhaps he and Your Highness are destined to clash over the continent.”

I shook my head at Duke James’s words.

“That won’t happen. His talent is indeed great, but the Kingdom Alliance won’t last long. We must deal with him in this war.”

“Yes.”

Karen had become a definite enemy and appeared before me.

He and I had become incompatible existences.

To Karen, who considers the Empire an ‘incarnation of evil’ and hates it more than an enemy, the Crown Prince of the Empire is an existence that cannot be spared.

From my perspective, Karen, who poses the greatest threat to the Empire, is an enemy who must be eliminated if the opportunity arises.

“The soldiers have begun to retreat.”

Soldiers were leaving the fortress to the south, one by one.

Under the command of the knights, the soldiers headed towards Grenian.

“We need to draw attention to help the soldiers retreat.”

Duke James drew his sword.

“Duke.”

“Now, only one of the three Sword Masters representing the Kingdom Alliance remains. It’s Jane, the head of the Jane family.”

“Jane, you say?”

“Yes. My reputation is too high to be associated with a young Sword Master like Karen, isn’t it? He may be rising as a new star, but he doesn’t match Jane’s reputation.”

Duke James smiled and concluded.

“My reputation isn’t inferior to Jane’s either, so it will be a good match.”

Duke James jumped off the fortress wall.

Soon, the fortress gate opened, and Duke James’s horse emerged.

Duke James rode his horse straight into the enemy camp.

“Head of the Jane family!”

Duke James’s voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

Not only the enemies but also our own soldiers were watching Duke James with great interest.

“Head of the Jane family!”

Once again, Duke James shouted, and a figure slowly appeared from the enemy camp.

Duke James dismounted and sent his horse back to the fortress.

I sent a wind spirit to relay their conversation so that I could hear it.

“It’s been a while.”

Jane replied with a laughter-filled voice to Duke James’s words.

“It’s been a while. As soon as I received the news that you were breaking through the rear, I went, but you had already run away like a rat.”

“I achieved my goal by destroying the Eric family, so of course, I had to return.”

I couldn’t see Jane’s expression clearly, but judging from his lack of an immediate response, he seemed quite annoyed.

Duke James continued.

“Two of the ‘bugs’ that the Kingdom Alliance boasts about are dead, and now only you remain.”

It was hard to believe that those words came from Duke James, who usually had a dignified image.

But the provocation seemed to have worked.

“Bugs?”

Jane drew his sword.

Duke James also drew his sword.

“A bug is someone like you who kneels before the Emperor and offers his entire family to pursue wealth and glory.”

“There’s no need for long words.”

“Indeed.”

Soon, the two men’s swords clashed in the air.

Clang-!

I said to the knight next to me.

“While the Duke is dueling, retreat as many soldiers as possible to Grenian.”

* * *

Around the time the same order was delivered to all fortresses near the border, not just the fortress where I was, the duel between Duke James and Jane gradually intensified.

Kwaaaang-!

Olivia and Gale also heard the news and were watching the duel next to me.

I asked Gale anxiously.

“Is the Duke gaining an advantage?”

Perhaps because I was a spirit mage, I lacked the insight to fully grasp the nuances of a duel between knights.

“The Duke has a slight advantage, but we cannot guarantee victory.”

Aura blades met in the air, and the movements of the two knights were too fast to follow with the naked eye.

Hundreds of exchanges took place in an instant.

As the watching soldiers gradually grew weary, an explosive force erupted from Jane’s body.

It was such a tremendous force that I could feel it even from the fortress walls.

Duke James also unleashed his energy as if he couldn’t be outdone.

Duke James’s sword turned pure white.

“Ah!”

I quickly inquired at Olivia’s exclamation.

“Is there a problem?”

“That’s the essence of the White family’s secret swordsmanship.”

“Essence?”

“Yes. Initially, the White family used a different surname than White. But when the seventh head of the family completed the swordsmanship for the first time, the surname was changed to White, and it became the name representing the family.”

Duke James’s transformation was extreme.

Not only his sword but also Duke James’s entire body was emitting white light.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

‘What is that…’

Jane swung his sword.

The spectacle of hundreds of aura blades was enough to overwhelm anyone.

Is it possible to survive in that aura blade storm?

Kwaaaang-!

Kwang-!

Kwang-!

Jane’s aura blades and Duke James’s pure white light collided, causing a tremendous explosion.

‘Is that even swordsmanship?’

The explosion grew stronger and stronger, and soon the mana of the two men rapidly decreased.

Kwang-!

Duke James and Jane fell simultaneously.

I immediately gave the order.

“Gale!”

Gale jumped off the fortress wall and ran towards Duke James.

A knight with black hair flying also approached from the enemy camp.

‘Karen.’

It was Karen who came out of the enemy camp.

Soon, Gale carried Duke James on his back, and Karen also carried Jane on his back.

There was no clear victory.

The two men, as if by agreement, brought their comrades back to their respective camps without saying a word.

I quickly went down from the fortress wall and asked Gale, who was entering the gate.

“Is he okay?”

“He has exhausted all his strength and lost consciousness, but he has no major injuries.”

“That’s a relief. Take him inside.”

I turned my gaze to Olivia.

“Your Highness, please take care of the Duke.”

“Yes.”

Her father had collapsed, so she wouldn’t be feeling well.

As Gale and Olivia went inside, Ken cautiously approached.

“More than half of the soldiers have retreated. Let’s retreat all at once tonight.”

“Tonight? Isn’t that too hasty?”

“They won’t be able to attack since Jane won’t be able to wake up anytime soon.”

Ken was right.

I am the commander of the Empire, but Jane is the commander-in-chief of the Kingdom Alliance.

With the commander-in-chief incapacitated, the knights and soldiers under his command would naturally have to wait.

It was a golden opportunity to retreat safely to Grenian.

I didn’t want to miss the opportunity that Duke James had created.

“Alright. Tell the knights to prepare.”

“Yes.”

As Ken left to deliver the instructions, I immediately turned and walked inside the fortress.

* * *

It’s a night with hardly any moonlight.

Thanks to the thick clouds, the surroundings were much darker than usual.

Nevertheless, the knights and soldiers were heading towards Grenian without hesitation.

The enemies were quiet, and I stayed on the fortress wall until the last moment. After all the soldiers had left the fortress, I came out with Olivia.

“The enemies will notice soon.”

I nodded at Gale’s words.

“Perhaps. Increase the speed.”

I didn’t think I could deceive the enemies from beginning to end.

“The possibility of the enemies pursuing is not high, but it’s always good to be careful.”

Sure enough, the voices of the Kingdom Alliance knights were heard from the fortress.

“The fortress is empty!”

I said lightly.

“Run straight to Grenian.”

I summoned the highest-level spirits to guard the fortress.

It was to buy even a little time in case the enemies formed a pursuit team.

Every single soldier was precious to me, so protecting the soldiers was important, even if it consumed some mana.

‘It’s not far to Grenian.’

As the highest-level spirits appeared and attacked the fortress, the enemy soldiers fell into chaos.

They now knew that everyone had escaped, but I, who they thought had escaped, was attacking through spirits.

I focused my skills mainly on the old fortress walls.

It was to prevent the enemies from using the fortress as a base.

Even an old fortress is better than a field tent.

As the weather gradually gets colder, there is a surprisingly big difference between being able to use the fortress as a base and not being able to.

‘The other fortresses told the last soldiers to set fire to them as they left.’

The war was gradually intensifying.

The crossroads of whether the direct-controlled territory would be destroyed or the Kingdom Alliance would be destroyed was gradually approaching.