Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 61

61.

Can I really succeed in this S-class quest?

At least, the A-class quests so far have been relatively easy because they were defense-oriented.

The quest to save Gale wasn’t a defense-oriented quest where you just sit and block enemies coming your way.

It was an active quest where you directly infiltrate the Orc legions and rescue Gale as secretly as possible, which meant there was a lot to prepare and it was just as dangerous.

I confessed honestly to David.

“It seems Gale has been captured by the Orcs.”

“Yes?”

David’s eyes widened.

“The bodies of the knights who were dispatched to the west first have all been found. It’s hard to find intact bodies… but only Gale’s body hasn’t been found. Not even a part of his body.”

“Are you sure Gale is captured?”

I nodded at David’s words.

“The Orc King is just a subordinate. The master of a greater evil is preparing something.”

David’s eyes narrowed.

I continued explaining while drinking the tea Salamander had reheated.

“Gale is a knight even my father acknowledged. He was a knight who was right on the verge of becoming a Sword Master. The Western Lord coalition isn’t paying attention, but there was something very unusual in the reports they submitted.”

“What is it?”

“The state of the bodies. The Orcs didn’t eat the bodies.”

“The Orcs?”

Everyone knew that Orcs ate humans. Orcs were ferocious creatures that ate not only humans but even their own kind.

“At first, I thought they were cannibalizing, but it turns out they were just torn to shreds. There’s black magic that does that, right? Magic that sucks up all the opponent’s mana. Traces of that are being found on the bodies.”

At my words, David jumped up.

“Are you saying that humans created the Orc King?”

I shook my head.

“It’s hard to say. Anyway, the Western Lords aren’t paying attention to the traces of black magic. They’re only focused on the Orc legions trying to break out of the Dark Forest right now.”

“Are you guessing that Sir Gale is still alive because he’s special compared to the other knights?”

“That’s the basis for my guess. Someone needed the knights’ mana. And Gale’s body wasn’t found. He’s a very skilled knight, unlike the others.”

David agreed with my guess.

“Usually, absorbing the mana of a Sword Master-level knight takes time, even with black magic. And magic that absorbs mana… is most effective when cast on a living person.”

I nodded.

“Right. The goal is to save Gale before he dies… and probably everyone will oppose it.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Didn’t I say it before?”

David exclaimed in admiration.

“So, the commander position?”

I smiled slyly.

“Right. If I hand over the commander position, the Western Lords, as well as Ram and Thompson, will be completely out of it. That’s when we need to move quickly.”

I patted David on the shoulder.

“There’s something else I need you to do.”

“What is it?”

David seemed quite moved by the fact that I was risking my life to save a subordinate.

A determined will could be felt on David’s face.

“Coax the participants.”

David narrowed his eyes as if my words were unexpected.

“We can’t go save Gale by ourselves, can we?”

“Are you not going to receive any support from the West at all?”

I approached the window.

A lonely feeling came over me, as cold as the winter wind.

Even though I’ve been a Crown Prince for several months, Gale, Ken, Soris, and David are all I have.

The Shadow Walk Guild members under Soris can also be considered subordinates, but strictly speaking, they weren’t as close to me as those four.

Of course, as an organization grows larger, it may be more efficient to operate with a system than to receive sincere loyalty from all members.

“I’m only planning to include the knights Count Boaffen supports. Even if it’s just to bring Count Boaffen under my command later.”

As if sensing my mood, David replied briefly.

“If you successfully complete this Western defense, you can bring more people under His Highness’s command.”

“Right. In that sense, rescuing Gale is also a necessary task. I never abandon my subordinates.”

I smiled bitterly as I spoke.

“I think Gale knows His Highness’s heart better than anyone else.”

I shrugged at David’s consolation.

“Thank you. There’s a lot to learn from Gale if you meet him. He’s already walked the path you’re pursuing.”

David bowed his head.

“It’s late, but I thought I should tell you in advance. Go get some rest. We need to leave early tomorrow.”

David rose at my words.

“Then I will secretly contact the participants from tomorrow.”

I chuckled.

“There’s no need to be secretive. After all, those people are the ones I need to bring in, and everyone recognizes them as my people.”

I added one last thing.

“Anyway, Ram and Thompson won’t be very interested in those people either.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

* * *

I was quite tired from the three-day march.

Thanks to that, I’ve become quite accustomed to riding.

It seemed that Zephyr was now following my commands quite well.

It seemed that the gnome’s continuous petting of Zephyr had a great effect.

“We will arrive at the Allied Command soon, Your Highness.”

I nodded at Ken’s words.

“The march is coming to an end.”

We moved with over a thousand soldiers, but the march itself was quite hurried.

The Orc legions were constantly increasing in number, and the disaster would begin the moment they came down to the west.

In the distance, dust was rising and horses were running towards us.

Ken said as he looked at them.

“It seems the command has sent someone.”

The messenger was sent yesterday, so the Western Lords knew in advance that I would be arriving around this time.

As Ken thought, it was the Western Lords who were riding towards us.

More than ten lords dismounted at once and knelt before me.

“Your Highness!”

Receiving their loyalty was also a quest, and I was relieved that the Western Lords seemed to be treating me favorably.

The middle-aged man at the front spoke on behalf of them.

“We thank you on behalf of the Western Lords for His Majesty not forgetting the difficulties of the West and sending His Highness as commander.”

I also got off my horse.

“Please rise.”

At my command, the lords rose at once.

“You must be Marquis Mike?”

The current commander of the Western Allied Forces was Marquis Mike.

Marquis Mike was the current head of the Poad family.

The Poad family had the largest territory in the West.

As part of the territory was adjacent to the southern part of the Dark Forest, the territory army itself was famous for being strong.

He was a person who had been active since the First Conquest War, and he was originally a Count, but he was recognized for his merits and was granted a larger territory and ennobled as a Marquis.

Marquis Mike Le Poad, he was neither a noble of the aristocratic faction nor a noble of the imperial faction.

“Yes, Your Highness. Please come into the castle.”

“Let’s do that.”

I got back on Zephyr and checked Marquis Mike’s status window.

Since my level had risen quite a bit, I could see more information than before.

-Mike Le Poad (Lv49)

-Top-tier Sword Expert

-Marquis of the Calpheon Empire

I smiled bitterly as soon as I saw Marquis Mike’s status window.

I was proud that my level had increased, but I immediately met someone with a much higher level.

‘Well, Ram and Thompson were also much higher level than me.’

The Calpheon Empire was as vast as it had many talented people.

Marquis Mike, like Gale, was also on the verge of becoming a Sword Master.

‘He was already a top-tier Sword Expert a long time ago and is still at that level… I realize how difficult the realm of Sword Master is.’

It seemed that the saying that Sword Master could only be reached with God’s permission was not a lie.

“Was your journey peaceful?”

I closed the status window at Marquis Mike’s question.

Anyway, my level was significantly lower than Marquis Mike’s, so there wasn’t much information I could see.

I was planning to find out the information of the other lords slowly.

“Yes.”

“It is truly unexpected that the Aetran and Riverhill families sent elites.”

Marquis Mike was straightforward.

I could see Ram and Thompson’s expressions hardening.

Since the distance between the two was not that far, they probably heard Marquis Mike’s words.

I smiled awkwardly.

“The two Duke families also know the importance of the West. If the forces of evil revive and the West collapses, the entire empire will be in danger.”

I never thought I would defend the two families, but there was no need to agree with Marquis Mike’s words here.

Marquis Mike shrugged.

“Is that so? With the Eastern Expedition not far away, I didn’t have high expectations for the center. His Majesty has a big task ahead of him, so frankly, I was prepared to solve it with the West’s own power.”

Marquis Mike was much bolder than I expected.

I never dreamed he would bring up my father.

Not only me, but even Ken and the Western Lords around me hardened their expressions.

Some lords stopped Marquis Mike.

“Marquis.”

Marquis Mike burst into a hearty laugh.

“Still, I think it’s fortunate that His Majesty is worried about us and sent His Highness the Crown Prince and even attached the elites of the Aetran and Riverhill families.”

I changed the subject appropriately.

“How far have the Orcs come down?”

Only then did Marquis Mike start talking about the war situation.

“They are still only increasing in number in the Dark Forest and are not really coming out.”

“I heard that the last report was 10,000 troops, has it increased more in the meantime?”

Marquis Mike nodded heavily.

“Yes. Now there must be at least 5,000 more.”

“That’s a big problem.”

Ken slipped in.

“The fact that we can’t predict the Orcs’ path is also a big problem. Your Highness. If they come straight down from the south, it will be the Marquis’s territory, but if they change direction and advance over the mountains to the east, it will be quite far from where we are currently stationed.”

Marquis Mike replied to those words.

“The Orcs will come down south and advance into the territory.”

“How are you so sure?”

Marquis Mike’s eyes narrowed at Ken’s challenge.

“Are you… a servant serving His Highness? What is your title?”

“I am a person who serves His Highness. I have not yet been granted a title.”

Marquis Mike’s face contorted.

He was not an imperial faction or an aristocratic faction, but Marquis Mike was also an aristocrat of this era.

He was not an aristocrat who did not treat the people below him as human beings, but he seemed to strictly distinguish between aristocrats and commoners.

“A commoner who hasn’t even received a title dares…”

I cut off Marquis Mike’s words.

“Marquis.”

The Marquis turned his gaze to me.

I didn’t make any expression.

Sometimes, what is valued more than status is position.

“That person is my aide, and His Majesty has also appointed him as the commander’s exclusive aide.”

Marquis Mike’s face hardened.

“His Majesty…”

I smiled brightly on purpose.

“His Majesty is a person who values ability. I was appointed commander by His Majesty’s authority, and Ken is the commander’s aide. In other words, he is a military officer. One who executes military orders.”

The atmosphere sank at my words.

I strongly concluded the atmosphere.

“The Marquis also knows that His Majesty’s authority takes precedence over everything else, so I hope you will answer the military officer’s question. What is the reason for your certainty about the Orcs’ path?”

I was still young and had not yet fully established myself as Crown Prince.

So, I first suppressed them by borrowing my father’s authority.

‘I won’t be here for long anyway.’

Marquis Mike opened his mouth with a shallow sigh.