Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 65

65.

It wasn’t just mercenaries selling their lives on the battlefield; even nobles from prestigious families, wary of the Emperor, desired to be taught by him if they were swordsmen.

The Emperor, or rather, my father, was considered the strongest person since the dawn of human history.

This wasn’t solely because he had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, magic, and spiritism, but also because swordsmanship was his foundation.

‘Father became a Sword Master before he turned thirty… and surpassed the Master’s Wall, the last barrier for humans, before forty.’

I knew my father’s strength better than anyone.

Because I had made the hero Karen an almost ridiculously lucky character, I had no choice but to make the final boss strong as well.

Rio Den’s refusal of my father’s teachings was truly astonishing to me.

“Everyone who wields a sword respects His Majesty, don’t they?”

Rio Den smiled faintly at my question.

“Duke Beregon also laid down his sword before His Majesty and swore allegiance.”

I narrowed my eyes.

Was Rio Den aware of the conflict between the Emperor and the nobles, or was he testing me with ulterior motives?

Rio Den continued.

“The Aetran family was the foremost swordsmanship family before His Majesty’s rise. And the current head, Duke Beregon, was renowned as a genius from a young age. For such a person to lay down his sword… it was a shock to many swordsmen on the continent.”

“His Majesty is beyond common comprehension. Judging him with ordinary standards is…”

I trailed off, but quickly returned to the main point.

“Is Duke Beregon’s defeat the reason you don’t want His Majesty’s teachings?”

“No. His Majesty is already complete.”

Rio Den continued calmly.

“He rose alone, defeated the strongest warriors on the continent, and established the Empire. And now, His Majesty is moving towards the unification of the continent.”

The question of how far the Emperor’s ambition would extend had been raised many times, but no one dared to voice it openly.

Rio Den had guessed my father’s ambition, which had been kept secret.

“If you conquer the Pyreon Kingdom, you will destroy the eastern kingdoms in turn. Pyreon is like a gateway to the east. After that, the southern kingdoms… and even the northern barbarians will be conquered.”

I listened to Rio Den without reacting.

“The unification of the continent will be completed in His Majesty’s lifetime. There has never been anyone as strong as him in history, and there has never been a nation as powerful as the Empire. It is entirely possible. And even then, His Majesty’s ambition will not end.”

Rio Den didn’t stop there.

“After that, you will reach out to the mysterious continents across the sea. It would be glorious to stand by him, accompany him on his great journey, and leave your name in history, but…”

Rio Den’s smile deepened.

“I think it would be more fun to stand by and help a weak successor survive the fierce power struggles and ascend to the throne.”

I could see David flinching.

‘Goodness, they are all so audacious.’

I felt that there were so many people who openly criticized the Crown Prince in front of him.

I guess Soris was the only one who treated him like a Crown Prince from the beginning?

Anyway, I knew Rio Den’s motives, and I had no intention of pointing them out.

‘It’s a similar reason to Ken.’

I shrugged.

“Then this operation must succeed. If you want it to go your way, you need to not only survive this operation but also succeed.”

Rio Den nodded.

“Yes. Defending is fun, but this kind of mission suits me better.”

David and Rio Den were mercenaries with completely opposite tendencies.

David was called the blunt sword because he had never killed a single person while working as a mercenary.

And Rio Den… was famous as a traditional mercenary.

‘Being famous as a mercenary means… he has experienced many battlefields. In other words, he has killed many people.’

Rio Den opened his mouth as if he had guessed what I was thinking, even though I didn’t say it out loud.

“When you’ve been a mercenary for a long time, there are many times when people stop looking like people. The Empire is stable, but there are many problems between the lords in the provinces, and there are also active disputes between merchants. The most convenient way to solve all those problems is violence. It is to kill the other person.”

Rio Den stroked the horse’s mane and continued in a calm voice.

“I have shown quite a talent in that area and have become a famous person. When I am in the midst of a bloody battlefield… I feel strangely alive at that moment.”

Rio Den concluded.

“If I stand on the battlefield with a strong person like His Majesty, I am just helping, but the battlefield with an insecure person like Your Highness… wouldn’t it be really enjoyable?”

I thought as I listened to Rio Den.

‘If I can’t control him properly… he could be harmful to me.’

Rio Den might be a test for me.

Rio Den was completely different from Ken, David, Gale, and Soris.

* * *

After conducting interviews similar to those with the knights for a whole day, we quickly approached the Forest of Darkness.

I could feel Jilpung becoming more anxious as we got closer to the Forest of Darkness.

I also felt uncomfortable with the unfamiliar energy that made my skin tingle.

“This sticky feeling is…”

David replied.

“It’s the energy of darkness.”

“The energy of darkness?”

When I asked back, Rio Den, who had already taken my right side, spoke up.

“The reason why it is called the Forest of Darkness is because of this energy. If exposed for too long, ordinary people can go crazy… or even die suddenly. This energy, which originates from the very center of the forest, makes the monsters even more ferocious.”

David also chimed in with Rio Den’s explanation.

“The reason why no one has conquered the Forest of Darkness is because of this energy. Not only ordinary people but even trained knights are affected over time, and this energy penetrates their hearts and has a huge impact on their mana [internal energy] channels.”

David’s eyes narrowed.

“There have even been investigations that showed that murderers who terrorized the continent lived near the Forest of Darkness.”

I clicked my tongue.

‘There are really many things I didn’t set up. There is no end to the elements that make up the world.’

The Forest of Darkness, visible from afar, was completely different from the vibrant West Forest.

Not only was there an aura of darkness, but the forest itself seemed dead, yet strangely enough, even the dead forest was a vast landscape.

“Find the traces. The last known location of Gale’s tracks is nearby.”

I reminded the two of our original purpose.

David nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Rio Den also stepped forward.

I moved with David.

“I think we should send the horses back. Jilpung will probably lead them back safely.”

I agreed with David’s suggestion.

“It’s an energy that can even drive people crazy, so how can horses be okay? Let’s do that.”

Jilpung was the best of the best horses.

I dismounted Jilpung.

David gave the order, and soon the horses gathered in one place.

I stroked Jilpung’s head and said.

“Take them back to the castle safely.”

Jilpung blinked its big eyes and then turned around.

The other horses also followed Jilpung and ran quickly to escape the dark energy.

“It seems to be a special horse indeed.”

I nodded at David’s comment.

“Of course.”

I said to the knights.

“From now on, we will divide into groups and scatter to find traces.”

David had already coordinated in advance, so I only had to issue the order to start the operation.

The knights formed groups and scattered nearby, and I acted with David and Rio Den.

Gale’s traces stopped at the meeting point between the Forest of Darkness and the West Forest.

One side was a vast blue forest, and the other side was a completely dead forest.

While briefly observing the stark contrast between the two forests, I looked at the quest window.

There was no change.

‘Gale is not dead yet. 29 days left.’

If I couldn’t save Gale within about a month, I couldn’t guarantee Gale’s safety.

Frankly, it was difficult for me to be of great help in the search.

I don’t have relevant knowledge, and I don’t have experience.

Nevertheless, the reason why I decided on this search operation was because I knew the fact that Gale was captured by the Orc Legion.

How much time has passed?

Rio Den’s voice was heard.

“Your Highness.”

I immediately moved to where Rio Den was.

Frankly, there was nothing around, and I felt like I was suffocating from the dark energy, but I didn’t show it and asked.

“Did you find anything?”

“It’s a trace of battle.”

Rio Den seemed more proficient in this kind of operation than other knights.

Rio Den’s experience as a mercenary was much greater than that of Count Boopen’s knights and evaluation contest participants.

“It’s a trace of a fierce battle. This is probably blood.”

Rio Den continued, sweeping the ground with his palm.

“Orc blood and… human blood are mixed.”

Before I knew it, the knights had gathered nearby.

“And this is a trace of someone being dragged away…”

Frankly, I couldn’t understand what Rio Den was seeing and saying.

David and the knights nodded each time Rio Den pointed out a trace.

I listened quietly to Rio Den’s explanation.

“It doesn’t lead to the Forest of Darkness. It leads to the West Forest.”

I flinched at Rio Den’s words.

Doubts arose in the eyes of others as well.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t believe Rio Den’s opinion, but because the traces that they naturally thought were in the Forest of Darkness led to the West Forest.

“Not the Forest of Darkness?”

When I asked back, Rio Den nodded.

“Yes. It’s in the direction of the West Forest.”

My gaze moved to the West Forest without me knowing.

Soon I gave a short order.

“Move to the West Forest.”

The others no longer expressed any doubts.

Since it was an operation to save Gale, it was natural to follow the traces.

I ran ahead of everyone else.

Now that I was moving without riding Jilpung, I used the Flow of Wind and Earth [a movement technique].

The Flow of Wind and Earth was the only movement skill I had.

I used it for the first time in a situation that was not a battle, but it was much more effective than I thought.

It was even faster than riding a horse.

The mana consumption was not great either.

David, keeping pace with me, asked.

“Won’t the fairies be wary?”

“Fairies live in the center of the West Forest. They hardly come to the border… I don’t think we’ll ever meet.”

Rio Den interjected.

“There is only one case where fairies come to the border. It’s only when those who are tainted with evil enter the West Forest.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“It’s certain that Gale was captured by the orcs… if they took Gale into the West Forest, they might have met the fairies.”

Rio Den took the lead and answered.

“If you go inside, you will find more traces. The orcs who dragged Gale Knight were not one or two, but at least hundreds.”

I nodded and took in the sight of the blue forest on the horizon.

‘Fairy. It’s an S-class difficulty quest, so it won’t be easy.’