Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 266

266.

“Fire!”

“Cavalry, advance!”

“Target the mages!”

The commanders were carrying out their respective duties admirably.

And I summoned the Wind Spirit King.

The Wind Spirit King, Aquilus, swept across the battlefield.

KWA-KOOOM! BANG!

Ken’s strategy was simple.

All-out war!

Originally, we had planned to annihilate the fairies in the forest, but thanks to Olivia, we changed our strategy.

There was no reason to wait for the fairies when we had overwhelming firepower.

Moreover, the situation on the southern front was continuously deteriorating, so it became important to quickly clear the west and strike the enemy’s rear on the southern front.

KWA-KOOOM!

I took a reckless action and even summoned the Fire Spirit King, Phoenix.

Mana was being consumed at an alarming rate.

KWA-KOOOM!

But the speed at which the fairies were being swept away also increased accordingly.

The fairies had already lost their will to fight.

Olivia alone had disrupted their formation, and the two Spirit Kings did not allow the fairies to gather.

Faced with a devastating difference in power, the fairies were helpless.

And the Knights led by Duke James were also doing their part.

SWISH!

The fairies were busy retreating.

“Chase them!”

The Western lords actively stepped forward, cutting down the fairies.

Their resentment towards the fairies was much greater than that of the soldiers who had joined from the Imperial Capital.

They had fought the fairies for a long time, and even their homeland had been trampled by them.

Many Westerners had died.

Their swords were as sharp as their hatred.

The Westerners were not about to let go of the revenge they had finally gained.

“Kill the fairies!”

The soldiers also swung their swords at the fairies with faces full of venom.

I took a deep breath and sent the Wind Spirit King back.

Mana consumption decreased significantly, giving me some breathing room.

I asked Ken, who was beside me.

“How’s the battlefield?”

“It seems like it will be cleared up soon. It’s strange how easily the fairies are collapsing.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s also because Your Highness and the Crown Princess are too strong in the first place.”

The basic combat power of the fairies is higher than that of human soldiers.

As a race that lives for a long time, they are skilled in swordsmanship, magic, and spiritism [the ability to communicate with spirits].

On the other hand, the soldiers of the Imperial Army, except for the knights, cannot handle mana itself.

That’s why a frontal battle is dangerous.

Because the basic combat power of the fairies is much higher, the soldiers could be swept away.

Olivia tied up the powerful ones among the fairies, and I used the Spirit Kings for area attacks, effectively binding the fairies’ basic combat power.

And the soldiers, burning with morale, charged at the fairies who had lost their will to fight.

The battle itself was going exactly as we wanted.

I sent Phoenix back as well.

There was no longer any point in maintaining the summoning of the Spirit Kings.

“How many are left?”

At my words, Ken replied.

“Since there were about fifty thousand fairies who participated in this battle, there should be about that many fairies left.”

I nodded.

“Good. Send a letter to the Imperial Palace. Report to Father and let’s go south after finishing off the fairies.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ken smiled brightly.

As the sun set, countless fairy corpses were scattered across the field.

And it started to snow.

The fairy corpses didn’t seem like they would rot in the cold weather.

“Gather the corpses.”

It wasn’t good to leave them like that.

Aside from the aesthetics, there could be an epidemic, and we couldn’t leave the fairy corpses on this main road, known as the gateway to the west, forever.

The soldiers began to gather the fairy corpses, and when a certain number had been collected, I summoned the Fire Spirit to burn the corpses.

Duke James and Olivia approached.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Following Olivia, Duke James also spoke.

“You’ve done well, Your Highness.”

I nodded.

The battlefield was quickly cleared.

In celebration of today’s victory, I generously distributed supplies to the soldiers.

The Westerners had smiles on their faces as they drank alcohol and ate meat for the first time in a long time.

I also occasionally walked among the soldiers who were feasting, comforting them.

I returned to the makeshift military camp and had a late dinner with Olivia.

“They didn’t seem to launch any major attacks?”

I was very curious.

After becoming a Grand Sword Master, Olivia actually used Aura Blade less than before.

“The White family’s swordsmanship was extremely efficient.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s enough to just coat the sword with mana. Focusing more on movement than drawing out Aura Blade can unleash much stronger lethality.”

“Amazing.”

I was genuinely impressed.

“How did you become a Grand Sword Master?”

“The books left by the founding head of the family were a great help.”

Olivia said slyly.

“I think Your Highness can also grow further.”

“I still feel like I’m blocked by a wall.”

I confided my worries to Olivia.

Just as I had helped her, she could also help me.

Whether it’s swordsmanship or spiritism, reaching the extreme ultimately leads to the same path.

‘I should ask Father for help too.’

After Olivia became a Grand Sword Master, I no longer considered Karen a true enemy.

‘The real enemy is Belushi in the Kingdom Alliance.’

The Purifying Flame Order is just a bunch of misguided humans who believe in the Demon King as their god.

More than anything, Belushi, whom they firmly believe is their god, has not taken any action since his descent.

‘Maybe he’s been abandoned. No, from the beginning, Belushi might not have been interested in the Purifying Flame Order at all.’

Of course, whether the Purifying Flame Order is abandoned by the Demon King Belushi or not, they are enemies of the Empire.

To face a bigger enemy, I was going to take down the smaller enemy first.

* * *

Aroon sent a messenger to the Imperial Palace and scouts to deal with the remnants of the fairies.

Although there were as many as fifty thousand fairies, everyone now considered them as mere ‘remnants.’

“I think it would be okay to leave it to Marquis Mike and the Western lords.”

That was Ken’s opinion.

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. They have already lost their will to fight, and the fairies lost their leader in the last battle.”

Ken continued.

“The soldiers with high morale, Marquis Mike, and the Western lords should be able to wipe out the remnants.”

“Good. Let’s leave it to them.”

“Just in case, it would be good to leave Duke James and his knights behind.”

“Wouldn’t that weaken our forces too much?”

“It’s okay as long as Your Highness and the Crown Princess are there.”

“Then let’s hold a general meeting and decide that way.”

I accepted Ken’s opinion.

Finally, we’re heading towards Karen.

I was slightly out of breath.

* * *

The west and south are geographically quite far apart.

Fortunately, Karen continued to win on the southern front, pulling the front line itself close to the center.

Father had set up several checkpoints, but they were useless in front of Karen.

“How long do you think it will take?”

At my words, Ken replied.

“It will take at least a week. The distance is quite considerable, and the entire south is already like the Purifying Flame Order’s territory, so we have to annihilate them all and advance.”

It was a very unfortunate thing.

Originally, weren’t they all imperial citizens?

But they turned their backs, succumbing to repeated defeats and the Purifying Flame Order’s empty promises.

The Purifying Flame Order, which was close to a cult, was skilled at inciting the masses, and once they fell in, they would fall into the Purifying Flame Order’s ideology like a swamp.

And they had now become soldiers of the Purifying Flame Order, threatening the Empire.

The lords were either beheaded or fled.

The south was now a lawless zone.

The Purifying Flame Order had only made the south their territory, but they did not manage it at all.

The south had become a land of death, overflowing with all sorts of crimes such as looting and arson, and undead could be seen from time to time.

“Is it impossible to advance while restoring the entire south to its original state?”

“Yes. It will take too long. To arrive before Karen hears the news that we are attacking from the rear, we need to advance as quickly as possible.”

Olivia asked.

“They must have planted informants all over the south, so how could Karen not know that we are advancing from the rear?”

“Yes. They are not systematic. Only the main force with the high priests is systematic.”

“Ah!”

“If we advance immediately, there is a high possibility that Karen won’t know until we attack from the rear. However, if there are priests left in the south, Karen may know in advance.”

“Priests, huh…….”

“Anyway, the important thing is time. It would be best to advance as quickly as possible, even if it’s a bit of a stretch.”

After consulting with Ken, I agreed to arrive at Karen’s rear within a maximum of five days.

The soldiers would be tired, but there was no choice.

Surprise attacks require security above all else.

Olivia asked Ken.

“Can the Empire hold out?”

“His Majesty is planning to step forward once again.”

At Ken’s words, my eyes widened.

“Father?”

“Yes. It’s dangerous for Karen to break through to the border of the Imperial Capital. I sent a letter asking him to wait for Karen at the last checkpoint with Lillian.”

I clicked my tongue.

“Did you directly ask Father?”

“I simply wrote it in the report format. His Majesty and Lillian are the only ones who can buy time against Karen.”

“Wouldn’t Lillian be able to kill Karen?”

At Olivia’s question, Ken shook his head.

“Considering Karen’s growth rate, it’s safe to assume that he has also become a Grand Sword Master. He grows incredibly fast.”

It’s thanks to the system.

Karen had gone through repeated battles.

The system would have provided experience points equal to the number of Imperial soldiers and strong people Karen had killed, and it must have given him various quests as well.

In that case, reaching Grand Sword Master might not have been a difficult task.

He is…… the protagonist, after all.

Of course, I wasn’t afraid.

“If you think of Lillian and him as equals, the swordsman Karen is a bit more advantageous. It’s true that knights are more advantageous than mages in one-on-one combat. Although the two have reached their peak, that small difference could determine the outcome.”

Olivia nodded.

“If His Majesty is also there, Karen will never be able to move carelessly. Our goal is to strike from the rear at that time.”

I rode my horse and fell into thought.

Everything will be decided within the next five days.

The last preparation before going to meet Belushi is to destroy Karen and the Purifying Flame Order.

I thought that I, Father, Lillian, and Olivia would have a good chance of winning, but I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.

The system is such a powerful force.

I knew it better than anyone else because I was a beneficiary of that system.

I sighed lightly.

“We can do it.”

Ken cheered me on.

“Yes. The Purifying Flame Order is just a stepping stone to get to Belushi. It’s fortunate that Belushi is not harming the Empire and is staying still.”

“Yes. We must destroy the Purifying Flame Order before Belushi moves. If the Demon King comes down to the Empire himself…… even if we can destroy him, the damage the Empire will suffer will be on a different level than what we have seen so far.”

My heart grew heavy, but I forced a smile.

I repeated several times that I could do it.