Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 259

259.

Pope Bellhelun stroked his white beard, lost in thought.

His furrowed brow, deep gaze, and occasional low groans revealed the depth of his contemplation.

“Your Holiness.”

To be addressed as ‘Your Holiness’ besides the Emperor was rare.

The Pope, the emperor of the clergy.

Bellhelun spoke, looking at the knight kneeling before him.

“What is it?”

“It is almost time for your meeting with the Emperor of the Empire.”

“The first time since the coronation?”

Ron Carl Leo from his younger days flashed through Bellhelun’s mind.

The young emperor who had conquered the continent had been dignified even before the Pope.

He had stripped the clergy of its traditional status and even permitted the propagation of religions from heretical orders other than the Order that served the God of Light.

‘And now that man seeks me out again!’

Bellhelun smiled bitterly.

Now was a good opportunity to avenge the humiliations of the past before the Emperor, but the situation was not favorable.

The descent of the Demon King Bellushi!

“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the Emperor to come to the Order himself and pay his respects? The Emperor has always disregarded the Order.”

“Disregarded, yes. By acknowledging gods other than the God of Light, he allowed strange religions to spread across the continent. Wasn’t the Purified Flames Order one of those religions?”

“Indeed. And now that Emperor is coming to ask Your Holiness for help.”

“Asks for help, you say!”

Bellhelun shook his head. Would Ron truly apologize for the insults of the past and bow his head to him?

No.

Ron was not one to do such a thing.

Rather, he would invoke the God of Light and rebuke the Pope for not fulfilling his role properly.

‘Even that overwhelming emperor is struggling against the Demon King Bellushi and the Purified Flames Order.’

Bellhelun was a rational man. Though he had served God for a long time, he did not live a life solely dependent on faith.

Bellhelun was more realistic than anyone.

“What good would it do to bring up old matters? Now is not the time to engage in a battle of pride with the Emperor. The Demon King Bellushi has descended… and this land is on the brink of destruction. As a priest of the God of Light, I cannot simply stand by and watch.”

“We have already dispatched holy knights several times.”

Bellhelun shook his head at the knight’s words.

Seeing Bellhelun stroking his chin, the knight spoke firmly once more.

“This is an opportunity to strongly assert the Order’s position to the Emperor. It is a chance to reclaim Your Holiness’s lost influence.”

“Hmm.”

“Your Holiness!”

“Let us meet the Emperor first. I will decide after speaking with him. We have dispatched apprentice holy knights several times, but the war has not ended.”

“Your Holiness.”

“Let us go. It has been a while since you have been to the Imperial Palace as well, has it not? Haha, it has been over a decade since I last visited the Imperial Palace, which is not even far.”

Bellhelun rose to his feet.

* * *

“The Pope is quite a rational person.”

Lilian tilted her head at Ron’s words.

“The Pope? Isn’t he someone obsessed with God?”

Ron shook his head at Lilian’s words.

“His faith is not more outstanding than other priests.”

“How did he become Pope then?”

“Because he is strong. That is why he is carefully observing the situation and only moving after Bellushi’s descent.”

Lilian nodded.

“But… you are an Emperor, yet you speak so comfortably, as if you are my friend?”

“You are entitled to that. Consider it the utmost respect for one who has transcended limits.”

Ron leaned back against the bookshelf at Lilian’s chuckle. He crossed his arms and gazed intently at Lilian, saying,

“The Pope, me, and you should be able to buy time until Arrun subjugates the Purified Flames Order.”

“How strong is the Pope that he can stand alongside you and me to hold back a Demon King?”

“You will know when you meet him. Let us go to the office. He will be here soon.”

Ron took the lead.

Lilian, feeling curious, followed Ron.

The Pope, a being she had not given much thought to.

Moreover, Lilian was a mage.

To Lilian, who dealt with phenomena and judged everything rationally, priests who invoked the existence of God and preached faith were merely bothersome beings.

Their divine power was a subject of research, but as Lilian considered it a type of magic, the existence of God was always distant.

“Can the Pope summon God?”

Ron laughed heartily at Lilian’s absurd question.

“Really, Lilian. Do you think that just because the Demon King Bellushi has descended into the middle realm [the mortal plane], God can also appear on this earth?”

“The world opposing the Demon King is the Celestial Realm, after all.”

“They merely preach their power through priests and never intervene in the middle realm. Throughout history, there have always been stories about the descent of Demon Kings, but there have been no stories about God and the Celestial Realm.”

Soon, they entered the palace where Ron’s office was located.

As if waiting, Bellhelun appeared.

“It has been a while.”

Bellhelun bowed his head first.

Ron also nodded briefly.

“You have arrived early.”

Bellhelun, as well as the holy knight accompanying him, flinched.

“Let us go inside.”

“You will wait outside.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The holy knight guarded the outside of the office, and the three entered the office.

Ron offered them seats.

“Please, sit.”

As the two sat down, Ron also took his seat.

“I will skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. We need someone to block the movements of the Demon King Bellushi while the Crown Prince subjugates the Purified Flames Order.”

Bellhelun smiled gently.

“You mean you need the help of this old man?”

“Of course.”

Bellhelun turned his gaze to Lilian.

“This person is…”

“Lilian.”

At Lilian’s brief introduction, Bellhelun swallowed a hmm.

A seemingly ordinary mage.

“She is the master of magic, a mage who has reached the realm achieved by the Dragon.”

Bellhelun’s eyes widened.

* * *

Arrun presided over the Grand Council and established a concrete strategy.

Then, he headed west with Olivia.

Duke James was with them as well.

“Going west is a good choice.”

Determination was evident in the expression of Duke James, who was driving the horses. Duke James’s firm-looking shoulders and the sword emitting pure white aura shone more sharply than ever.

“It is where Duke Austin fell in battle, so it will not be easy, but if it is Your Highness, you will be able to drive out the fairies sufficiently.”

I nodded.

“I have already met the fairies once. They abandoned their own honor as the race of light and became subordinates of the Demon King Bellushi.”

“The fairies have lost their essence. It is unbelievable that the guardians of the World Tree and the western forest, called the lungs of the continent, have left the forest and are waging war.”

“It is reality. The reason they changed is no longer important. It is fortunate that the western lords are holding out well.”

Olivia subtly joined the conversation.

“Will the south be alright?”

Originally, my plan was to return to the Imperial Palace and then advance south to fight Karen.

However, after several meetings, we decided to head west instead of south.

“Because Father’s plan is good. By the time Karen reaches the final gate, we will have won in the west and be waiting for Karen.”

“Yes.”

I turned my gaze to Duke James.

“How does it feel to be on the battlefield after a long time?”

Duke James was mainly in charge of administration.

But what should not be forgotten is that he is the head of one of the Empire’s four great guardian families.

One of the four Sword Masters.

“If it is for the sake of protecting the Empire, how can I spare this one body? It was a great honor to be with Your Highness in Grenian last time. It is an unspeakable joy and honor to be able to dedicate my old body to the Empire by going to war with Your Highness again.”

Of the families called the four great families, only the White family remained.

Duke Beregon had been killed by Karen’s sword, and Ted, my brother, who was his hope, had been reduced to a puppet of the Purified Flames Order.

‘Can Ted be turned back?’

After the death of Duke Austin, Chen was quietly just breathing.

He was extremely reluctant to go to war and no longer opposed me, who had already solidified his position as the next successor.

‘Since the power struggle in the Imperial Palace has become meaningless since some time ago.’

I said in a dry voice.

“The families that supported the Empire have collapsed. Only the White family remains.”

“The other families had their power concentrated solely on the head of the family, so they lost their head and were shaken to their roots. The White family, which protects Your Highness, is different. Even if I cannot overcome time and leave, or die on the battlefield, there is Olivia.”

“Duke, you must live a long life and stay by my side.”

I smiled brightly.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I have learned a lot from seeing Olivia’s development. The two of you appeared as if by fate when the Empire was in crisis and have grown frighteningly.”

On the way to the west, I had many conversations with Duke James.

When the night was deep, we stopped our march and set up military tents to rest.

Ken visited my tent.

“Your Highness, it is Ken.”

“Come in.”

I offered Ken a seat.

Ken was in charge of the troops in this war as well.

The enemy was not human but fairies and undead, but Ken had successfully defended Grenian against the undead.

His mind increases the strength of our soldiers, including me, Olivia, and James, several times over.

“Send messengers to the western lords.”

Ken had not issued any orders since embarking on this expedition, and I had only heard the answer that he was thinking.

I widened my eyes, leaned my body towards Ken, and said.

“Did you come up with a good idea?”

“Retreat the western lords to behind the Bargen Forest here. Not only the lords but also the soldiers and even the residents.”

“Bargen Forest?”

Looking at the map Ken pointed to, I examined the surrounding terrain.

There was no particularly special terrain.

The size of the Bargen Forest was also small.

“You are insisting on retreating everyone to this place? If we retreat now, the damage will only increase? The western lords are fighting to the death. Wouldn’t retreating only lower morale?”

“After annihilating the fairies and undead in the Bargen Forest, we will bypass the road to the south and strike Karen’s rear at the second gate.”

Ken drew a path on the map.

“Is that possible?”

When I frowned, Ken nodded.

“It is possible. The enemies do not yet know the information about Your Highness and Olivia. It is clear that the Purified Flames Order does not communicate with each other.”

Ken continued.

“I have reviewed all the battle records from the Imperial Palace. I could not confirm any communication between the Purified Flames Order units in the west and south in the battle records. They are separate, independent units.”

“So.”

“Even if we destroy one place and strike the rear of another, there is a high possibility that they will just be caught off guard.”

I pondered for a moment.

I usually follow Ken’s words, but the problem is the western lords.

“Will the western lords easily agree?”

“It is a plan that can annihilate the enemy in an instant. The Bargen Forest is where the roots of the World Tree are planted.”

“The roots of the World Tree?”

Ken smiled.

“If the fairies had not lost the essence of the race of light, just being in the Bargen Forest would have increased their combat power and even gained the power to heal wounds. The World Tree has such a meaning to them. But the fairies have fallen.”

“That’s right.”

“For the fallen fairies, the forest where the roots of the World Tree are planted will rather decrease their combat power.”

“If the fairies avoid the forest?”

Ken said firmly.

“The fairies will never bypass and pass through the Bargen Forest.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because the fairies think they have not fallen. It is one of the harms of brainwashing. They still consider themselves the race of light and have set out to destroy the humans who defile this land, so they will definitely stop by the Bargen Forest. To meet the roots of the World Tree.”