Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 238

238.

I cleared Grenian, which was essentially another undead nest.

As if on cue, David and Riorden returned.

“We’ve taken care of all the nobles.”

“Taken care of?”

“Yes. We received oaths of allegiance from all of them.”

David elaborated on Riorden’s words.

“I think I understand their thinking now. They seem to feel threatened for their survival as rumors about the undead spread.”

Riorden added, reinforcing David’s point.

“Undead are beings with whom compromise is impossible.”

I commended them both and then called for a general meeting.

The faces of my subordinates gathered in the conference room were brighter than ever.

It was natural to feel good after winning a difficult battle, so I encouraged them.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

The number of dead was still staggering, and our supplies were strained.

The situation wasn’t resolved completely, but at least the light of ‘hope’ burned brighter than before.

“Our direct territory has defeated the undead, but the situation in the Empire is still unstable.”

The Empire is under attack from all sides.

The goal of the Purifying Fire is clear.

It is to overthrow the Empire and create their own twisted world.

It is to summon the ‘Demon King’ by sacrificing humans and completely destroy this land.

“First, we will deal with the enemies in the north.”

Ken asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Are you referring to the Kingdom Alliance as the enemy in the north?”

“They are puppets of the Purifying Fire, who control the undead. The Kingdom Alliance is, for all intents and purposes, the Purifying Fire’s headquarters.”

“The enemies are spread throughout the continent. What makes you so sure it’s their headquarters?”

Ken’s question was valid.

“Jane is a Sword Master [a master of swordsmanship, a highly skilled warrior]. No matter how secretly the Purifying Fire moved, they needed to display their power to attract someone of Jane’s caliber.”

Ken immediately grasped my meaning.

“Are you saying that the founding of the Kingdom Alliance itself is the work of the Purifying Fire?”

Everyone was taken aback.

I nodded.

“That’s right.”

I continued calmly.

“They founded the Kingdom Alliance, pressured the Pireon Kingdom, and even tried to manipulate Lilian.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Jane isn’t the only Sword Master in the Kingdom Alliance. The Kingdom Alliance had three Sword Masters. They tried to recruit Lilian after the others, but failed.”

Ken summarized the situation.

“They were planning to build up the Kingdom Alliance as an opponent to the Empire, but things seem to have gone awry.”

“In my opinion…”

Ken agreed.

“I think so too. Otherwise, there would be no reason to turn hundreds of thousands of Kingdom Alliance soldiers into undead. The Kingdom Alliance is just a tool for them.”

Ken’s analysis continued.

“The fact that they turned soldiers into undead shows exactly how they view humans. They are not interested in continental unification, building a powerful empire, or establishing religious orders.”

Ken concluded grimly.

“They plan to kill all the humans in this land.”

“That’s why conquering the Kingdom Alliance is necessary. While they are pressing the Empire from all sides, we are instead striking at their core.”

Olivia raised a practical concern.

“We don’t have enough troops. They sacrificed hundreds of thousands to the undead, but they still have many soldiers.”

“But they lack Sword Masters. Jane and Karen have disappeared from the battlefield.”

I cited news from the southern front.

“Duke Beregon was killed in the south. Only another Sword Master could kill him.”

David spoke, his tone grave.

“If it’s another Sword Master, that’s a serious problem. Duke Beregon was among the top Sword Masters on the continent…”

“It’s Karen.”

David and Riorden hadn’t actually met Karen.

Karen was active on the border while they were managing the nobles in the rear.

“Karen killed Duke Beregon. He has broken through the wall of Sword Master [achieved a level of mastery beyond the norm].”

Everyone swallowed hard.

It was a fact they had tried to keep quiet.

Only His Majesty had broken through the wall of Sword Master so far.

The appearance of someone who might be stronger than His Majesty silenced everyone.

Lilian raised her hand.

“I also have a ninth ring [a high level of magical power], although it’s a bit unstable.”

Lilian had also broken through the wall.

And there was one more person.

“I have also broken through the highest level. That means I can handle Karen sufficiently, even if he comes back now.”

Ken said, his voice firm.

“Two of the three Kingdom Alliance Sword Masters are dead, and one is away. And Karen has gone to the south. We can conquer them before they return.”

Ken’s plan was straightforward.

“We must seize the capital immediately by breaking through their main strongholds.”

“We don’t have that kind of mobility.”

Gale pointed out.

“We don’t have enough cavalry. We’re mostly infantry, and many are exhausted.”

I stepped forward, my voice decisive.

“Gather as much cavalry as possible and advance to the capital of the Kingdom Alliance with only them.”

“Your Highness.”

Gale’s voice was filled with concern.

“If we capture the king of the Kingdom Alliance, even if he is just a figurehead, we can effectively conquer the Kingdom Alliance.”

“Is the reason we have to conquer the Kingdom Alliance because it is the headquarters of the Purifying Fire?”

I shook my head at Gale’s words.

“They must be preparing something in the capital of the Kingdom Alliance. There must be a necromancer’s laboratory there.”

Necromancers are the source of the Purifying Fire’s power.

“Conquer the Kingdom Alliance as soon as possible.”

This was a clear declaration of intent.

My subordinates offered no objections.

‘Rather than going down to the south right away, I will definitely clear this front.’

I trusted my father.

Even if Karen went to the south, I didn’t believe my father would be defeated.

Ron Carl Leord, my father, is the strongest person on the continent.

* * *

Ron Carl Leord realized that the world had changed.

The Shadow Squad, those who had been with him since he was very young, were his most trusted confidants.

“I sensed something when I picked up the sword,” Ron, who rarely spoke unnecessarily, said.

When he suddenly started talking, the Shadow Squad leader raised his head, attentive.

“Since humans created swordsmanship, I believed no one stronger than me would ever appear.”

The leader answered carefully.

“Your Majesty’s swordsmanship is…”

Ron cut off the leader’s words.

“Now, those who have that potential are emerging. The world is vast, but I was too arrogant.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Beregon held a good title [a respected and powerful position].”

Beregon’s death was a great shock to Ron as well.

He had never shown it in front of others, but he could be honest with the Shadow Squad leader.

He was his most trusted subordinate.

“After she died, the purpose of my life was only revenge. It was meaningless to become stronger, and I had no interest. I have a child she left behind… but I didn’t expect much.”

“The Crown Prince is more talented than anyone else.”

“I realized it when that child showed affinity with the wind spirit. Unlike my other children, that child was the only one I gave affection to.”

“Yes.”

“I realized one more thing when Ted fell into their necromantic trap.”

The leader’s eyes questioned.

“The fact that all the children I didn’t give affection to are also my children.”

Anger flickered across Ron’s face.

“Your Majesty.”

The leader was taken aback by Ron’s uncharacteristic demeanor.

“That young man named Karen… I was going to nurture him a little more. He gave me the pleasure of pushing myself to become stronger. If a little more time had passed, he would have had the talent to become my equal.”

The leader’s face hardened.

Karen was the first person Ron had acknowledged as potentially his equal.

Even though Arun showed overwhelming talent and grew up, he never claimed he would surpass his father. But about Karen, Ron had said without hesitation that he was someone who could meet his eyes.

“I was going to become stronger through that young man, but now I have to extinguish that potential. The Purifying Fire keeps crossing the line, with that young man at the forefront.”

The leader agreed.

“Yes.”

“Prepare for tomorrow. I’m going to challenge Karen.”

The leader’s face hardened further.

“Are you going to speak directly?”

“What could be more helpful to the morale of the soldiers than a duel? It’s been a long time since I had one.”

“Your Majesty. A duel is… not appropriate.”

The Emperor of the Empire and an unknown Sword Master.

Even if it’s a duel, reputations are at stake.

Karen has recently begun to make a name for himself on the continent, but it’s not enough to compare with Ron.

Karen, known to belong to the Jane family of the Kingdom Alliance, is a fledgling compared to Ron.

A duel between such a fledgling and the Emperor of the Empire!

The leader dissuaded him once again.

“Your Majesty, there is no guarantee that a duel with that young man will raise the morale of the soldiers.”

“It’s not just about the morale of the soldiers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because if he grows stronger… he has the talent to surpass even me.”

Ron’s eyes narrowed.

“If he were just an enemy, I would have waited for him to surpass me. But he belongs to the Purifying Fire… If the Purifying Fire continues to attack the Empire with him at the forefront, can the Empire withstand it?”

“Your Majesty!”

Ron smiled faintly at the leader’s impassioned voice.

“I’m still stronger, so I have to cut off the bud. I don’t have the luxury of betting the fate of the Empire and waiting for my destined enemy to become stronger.”

The leader trembled.

“To that extent…”

“The Empire is in crisis.”

“I will mobilize the shadows. It would be better to assassinate him…”

Ron shook his head.

“He is not someone who can be killed by assassination. The shadows should focus on finding the high priest. He must be building an altar somewhere.”

“An altar?”

“The goal of those who control the undead is singular: to summon some being from the demon world.”

“Ah!”

“If we can’t find the high priest, it’s no longer just an Empire problem.”

“Yes. Your Majesty.”

The leader bowed his head.

“I have been with you for a long time, but there has never been such a significant crisis.”

Since its founding, the Empire has been on a roll.

Led by Ron, they won every war and expanded their territory.

The leader also sensed through Ron’s words that this was no ordinary crisis.

“But as always, I will win. My son is doing quite well too.”

“Are you talking about the Crown Prince?”

“He annihilated over three hundred thousand undead.”

The leader’s cheek twitched slightly.

Even in the south, they have not yet driven out all the undead.

“He will probably try to conquer the Kingdom Alliance as well, to reduce the Empire’s front lines.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to come down to the south?”

Ron shook his head.

“The Kingdom Alliance is like the base of the Purifying Fire. The Jane family is also there. If Arun conquers the Kingdom Alliance, their power will be greatly weakened.”

Ron added with a smile.

“There is no one else to entrust it to besides him.”

The leader felt a surge of pride at the Emperor’s smile, which he had not seen in a long time.

Ron, who had not smiled once since the Empress died, had never smiled at the news of Arun.

From one day, emotions began to reappear on Ron’s face.

It was all when he heard the news of the ‘Crown Prince’.

“The boy will take care of the north, and we must send the barbarians back to their land tomorrow.”