Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 35

35.

The newly joined Shadow Walk Guild members numbered twenty.

In an instant, the Crown Prince’s direct organization grew to nearly fifty members.

“You seem to have many worries.”

At Ken’s words, I calmly replied.

“It’s good to have more people, but…”

“The Shadow Walk’s power has been greatly reduced, so they will probably make a move. Although His Majesty has approved it, the outside world won’t just sit back and watch the Crown Prince’s personal organization grow.”

Ken accurately read my concerns.

“For now, the organization growing can be glossed over appropriately. Frankly, compared to the organizations that the other princes and princesses have, it’s nothing more than a drop in the bucket.”

Just looking at Ted’s organization, the Aetran family, which was his background, was practically Ted’s hands and feet.

The number of knights a prince could command rivaled the scale of the knights directly under the Emperor.

‘Well, I can’t compare the Aetran family to a private organization.’

After organizing my thoughts, I briefly said to Ken.

“Organize the information about the new recruits and give it to me.”

“Yes. I will report back soon.”

Leaving Ken’s reply behind, I made my way to the training grounds.

“The spring evaluation competition is not far away.”

The weather was getting colder, but that meant spring was getting closer. It’s a natural law that spring comes after winter.

‘The weather in the Calpheon Empire’s capital is set the same as in South Korea.’

As I arrived at the training grounds, the wind became stronger.

The cold air dug into my collar, chilling me to the bone, but as I circulated mana through my body with the Breath of Wind [a technique to circulate mana and warm the body], my body quickly warmed up.

These small details always amazed me.

I was Arun Karl Leord, and I lived not in the modern era but in the medieval Calpheon Empire, a fact I felt with my whole body.

“Hoo-ooo!”

Taking a deep breath, circulating mana once with the Breath of Wind, I summoned the spirits.

All the spirits I had naturally contracted with according to my will revealed themselves.

Sylph rode the wind and flew around, and Undine quietly sat on my shoulder.

And Salamander, disliking the cold wind, made the flame on its tail even bigger.

‘Now, summoning alone consumes almost no mana.’

After leveling up and becoming a low-level spirit caster, there were several changes, one of which was mana consumption efficiency.

When I was a lowest-level spirit caster, summoning all the spirits like this would definitely make me feel the mana consumption.

Now, mana consumption efficiency has definitely increased, which meant it also applied to the mana consumption of skills.

In other words, if I could use a skill once before, now I could use it twice because mana consumption efficiency had improved.

“A big change.”

It was a moment that made me realize how important character level was.

‘It’s important to level up as quickly as possible and become an intermediate spirit caster. And I need more combat experience.’

Soris’s help was needed.

Since I had entrusted the investigation to Ken for the time being, there wouldn’t be a big problem even if Soris was missing.

Reinforcements to assist Ken were also complete.

I called a servant who was waiting nearby.

“You there.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Go and summon Soris.”

“I will deliver the message immediately.”

The servant disappeared with hurried steps, and I focused on the Breath of Wind.

Increasing the absolute amount of mana was a top priority, so the Breath of Wind was essential whenever I had time.

‘I have the Polysia Flower [a rare flower that enhances mana], but… time is too short. The effects of the Polysia Flower will only appear right before the spring evaluation competition. Until then, I’ll increase the mana hole as much as possible.’

Before long, Soris appeared.

“Did you call for me, Your Highness?”

I approached Soris and immediately got to the point.

“There is a spirit magic book written by my mother.”

“Your mother… are you talking about the Empress?”

“That’s right. My mother was the last head of the Ignie family… and a high-level spirit master. I heard she was close to the highest level.”

It was difficult to formally appoint Soris as my teacher.

The princes’ and princesses’ teachers required the permission of my father.

Even if my father allowed it, considering Soris’s background, the nobles would definitely oppose it.

Moreover, since attention was currently focused on me, it was not the time to make new changes.

Now was the time to focus on getting stronger.

“I want Soris to review my mother’s spirit magic book.”

Soris’s body trembled.

“Yes?”

Indeed, it was something difficult to understand with Soris’s common sense.

“H-How could I dare to review Empress Iriel’s spirit magic book…”

To think he even knew my mother’s real name, her reputation seemed to be higher than I thought.

“You seem to know a lot about my mother?”

At my words, Soris’s expression revealed admiration.

“There is no spirit caster on the continent who doesn’t know Iriel. Even before becoming Empress, she was already called the best spirit caster in the central continent. Now, her achievements are somewhat overshadowed by His Majesty’s fame, but Iriel stood out as a spirit caster before His Majesty.”

Soris took a breath and continued.

“His Majesty mainly uses swords and also dabbles in magic, but he hardly uses spirits. During the First Conquest War, he summoned the highest-level fire spirit, widely publicizing the fact that he was a master of spirits as well.”

I nodded.

“I see. Take it for now.”

I took out the spirit magic book from my chest.

As Soris looked at it with a moved expression, I thought about practical experience.

And then, an idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Ted’s knights!’

* * *

I had many duels with Ken, Soris, and the Shadow Walk Guild members, but what greatly improved my skills were the two assassination attempts.

When assassins came to my bedroom, I learned how to stay calm in the face of death, and the large-scale attack outside the palace greatly raised my level itself.

No matter how much Ken, Soris, and the other knights sparred with me as if it were a real battle, it was bound to be different from a real battle.

I briefly said to Soris, who was mindlessly engrossed in the spirit magic book.

“Go to the office and interpret it. My mother has described spirit magic from the lowest to the highest level. It will be of great help to you.”

Soris bowed deeply.

“I will do my best. Your Highness, and… thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.”

“Since you have become my person, it is natural for me to do what I can for you. It’s not like the spirit magic book will wear out if you look at it.”

I briefly returned to the palace with Soris.

Soris headed to his office. His pace seemed very hurried.

With a smile, I looked for Ken.

Ken was surprised when I suddenly entered his office, thinking I was doing afternoon training.

“Your Highness!”

“Ah, sit down. There’s something I want to discuss briefly.”

Thinking it was related to the investigation, Ken hurriedly asked.

“Did you find another clue?”

“What can I find just staying in the palace? It’s about another matter.”

I briefly looked around Ken’s office.

While reorganizing the palace, I had separate offices prepared for Ken and Soris.

It wasn’t fancy, but the space was large and it had everything necessary.

As I sat on the sofa, Ken naturally sat down opposite me.

“It’s important to involve the Aetran family in the investigation, but the focus is still on the spring evaluation competition.”

“Yes. The coming-of-age ceremony is scheduled after that… and until then, it is necessary to solidify your position as Crown Prince. Otherwise, others will not easily acknowledge you and will aim for Your Highness’s position at any time.”

Coming-of-age ceremony, it was something new.

‘That’s right, I’m only seventeen years old.’

I answered with a smile.

“That’s right. Improving my skills is more important than anything else. That’s why I entrusted Soris with reviewing the spirit magic book.”

Alarm flashed across Ken’s face.

“A ruler who only demands unilateral loyalty from his subjects cannot last long.”

At my words, Ken flinched.

“It… it wouldn’t be easy to think that way.”

It was the culture and common sense here that the ruler demanded unilateral loyalty from his subordinates, and it was a virtue for subordinates to pledge allegiance to the ruler without any conditions.

But I believed that humans were not that simple.

“There is nothing unilateral in a relationship. Just as you found Susan, I simply gave Soris what he needed most.”

“Y-Your Highness.”

I waved my hand at Ken, who was stuttering.

“It’s natural to give what they want most. And I have to solve the things that bother me one by one. For example, the Shadow Walk Guild problem.”

Ken couldn’t hide his surprise.

His evaluation of me seemed to be changing every moment.

“Let’s finish this story here. Are Ted’s knights still imprisoned?”

“Yes. The execution of the punishment will be carried out soon.”

“His Majesty has entrusted even their punishment to me, so I don’t think there would be a big problem if I used them for a while.”

Ken narrowed his eyes.

“Do you have a separate idea?”

“Yeah. I’m going to make them an offer.”

“What kind of…”

“Sparring.”

At my words, Ken jumped up.

“Your Highness!”

“I’m thinking of sparring with their pardon on the line. It will be closer to real combat than ever before.”

I wouldn’t be able to use it multiple times, but at least it was an opportunity to have a proper real battle once.

They would be executed if they were not pardoned.

The punishment for insulting the imperial family and the Crown Prince is never light. Not only would they be executed, but their families could also be harmed.

If they heard my proposal, they would surely do their best in the sparring.

“But it’s too dangerous.”

“The goal in the spring evaluation competition is not just to beat Chen. It’s to win.”

Chen was just a rite of passage.

It was a place to clearly show that Crown Prince Arun Karl Leord had completely changed.

Above all, it was a place to gain my father’s recognition.

Right now, my father’s interest was only in the fact that I had changed.

To be truly recognized as the Crown Prince, more proof was needed.

“Even so…”

“The assassination attempts will not end, and I will try to think of even that as a real combat opportunity. And it’s natural for many knights to participate in the spring evaluation competition. Ted’s knights are as skilled as they are talkative.”

I would have to meet them in person to check their level, but anyway, since they were the ones who attended to Ted, they would be at least at the same level as Ken or better.

It was very dangerous for me, a low-level spirit caster, to confront them head-on, but to improve my skills in a short period of time, I could take that risk.

“First… I’ll prepare them.”

“I’m going to talk to them myself. Oh, has the news been delivered to Gail?”

Since I met him, I also asked about Gail’s news.

“Yes. I received a call this morning from the last territory with a communication device. He will probably arrive tomorrow.”

“That’s a relief.”

The reality that I could only hope that Gail would not die was truly unfortunate.

‘Damn it. If my position was more secure… I could have strongly argued for Goran’s resurrection and dispatched reinforcements.’

In the end, getting stronger was the answer.

So I said firmly to Ken.

“Bring Ted’s knights to the palace. They must be very exhausted, so prepare recovery potions too.”