Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 8

Before summoning a spirit, I called Gale.

Although the Emperor had granted Gale a mansion, he resided in the Crown Prince’s palace, so he arrived quickly.

“Sorry to bother you so late.”

At my words, Gale inquired about the matter.

“What is it, Your Highness?”

“I’m going to make a spirit contract. I could have waited and done it during the day… but there are too many eyes and ears during the day.”

Gale agreed with me.

“The events of the day are already spreading throughout the Imperial Palace. If the spirit contract becomes known as well, there will be even more talk.”

“What happened during the day was a threat to my own safety. It was Ted’s clear mistake. He mistakenly thought I would remain still even after being insulted by the knights, forgetting that I am still the Crown Prince, however incompetent, and that the laws of the Imperial Palace are strict.”

I finished speaking with a faint smile.

“It’s not bad to show the Crown Prince’s power. It would be good if I become known as an incompetent who only wields power.”

Gale’s face stiffened slightly.

I reassured Gale.

“I know how dangerous it is to wield power without the strength to protect it, Gale. So don’t be so rigid. I mean, I’m going to use the authority of the Crown Prince to protect my own safety. I can’t just keep getting pushed around, can I?”

Gale lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. All this time, I…”

“Ah, it’s not Gale’s fault, so there’s no need to apologize. Ted is cunning, and his abilities and background are great. Gale just thought it would be better for my safety to leave me alone.”

What I said wasn’t wrong. From Gale’s perspective, he might have thought it was safer for me to just be pushed around than to act recklessly.

“Let’s start with the spirit contract. Block the mana from leaking out.”

“Yes.”

Gale lightly extended his hand.

I felt a change in the flow of air and became tense.

I took a deep breath and summoned the spirit.

‘It would be troublesome if another highest-grade spirit popped out.’

Losing consciousness and collapsing once is enough.

“In accordance with the primordial oath, I desire to be a companion of the wind, so Sylph, answer my call.”

I summoned the spirit by accurately calling the name of a low-grade wind spirit.

Whooooosh-!

My body trembled without me realizing it.

Unlike before, I vividly felt the mana swirling and escaping from the mana hole [a term for the body’s source of magical energy].

A night breeze blew, and the wind tickling my fingers gradually took shape.

“Ah.”

A gasp escaped on its own.

Looking into Sylph’s eyes, I felt freedom.

Sylph broke free from my hand and circled the bedroom once.

“You’ve worked hard. You’ve finally become a true spirit master.”

Gale’s words snapped me back to reality.

I had been distracted by Sylph’s movements, and as the mana hole quickly revealed its bottom, I returned Sylph to the spirit realm.

I took a deep breath and said.

“Hoo, is this just the beginning?”

“Yes. Your Highness possesses talents that are difficult for me to fathom. If you work hard, you will be able to make your talents blossom.”

“Thank you, Gale. I need to at least reach a level where I can protect my own body. Oh, what about Ken?”

“He will enter the Imperial Palace tomorrow morning. I have arranged for him to come as a new servant.”

It seemed I no longer needed to give instructions one by one.

“Thank you. Come in with Ken tomorrow and rest for today.”

Gale urged.

“It is dangerous to contract with multiple spirits from the beginning. After sufficiently growing your mana hole and becoming familiar with handling Sylph, then contract again.”

“Yes, yes. Gale, nagging doesn’t suit you.”

Gale showed no reaction to my teasing, bowed respectfully, and left the bedroom.

“How stoic.”

I shrugged my shoulders and slyly summoned Sylph.

Having succeeded in the contract, Sylph was summoned around me just by calling its name.

“Amazing. I won’t bother you anymore, so go and rest.”

Sylph rolled its eyes and soon returned to the spirit realm. As the wind blew, a faint voice softly landed near my ear.

-It is an honor to contract with the companion of the wind.

My body shivered.

At the same time, the system displayed the status window, announcing an update.

-First contract successful. A random skill is granted.

-Halfway there, 1 week of continuous training completed. Bonus stats are granted.

Two quests were completed simultaneously.

One was rewarded with a skill, and the other was a bonus stat.

The remaining bonus stats changed from 0 to 5.

“Let’s save the bonus stats for now. All the quests that can be opened with 5 are only low-grade ones.”

Opening quests by investing a lot of bonus stats will result in quests with better rewards. Quests with good rewards are naturally more difficult.

‘It would be troublesome to open quests that are too difficult right now, but I need to open and complete at least D-grade quests to grow quickly.’

Currently, F-grade quests are sufficient.

Being recognized for perseverance by Gale, halfway there, two are enough.

“The first spirit contract was also F-grade difficulty, so the random skill given as a reward won’t be very good, but it’s better than nothing.”

I immediately selected to open a random skill in the status window’s skill section.

Three question marks rotated like a roulette before stopping.

My face hardened.

‘This is?’

-A-grade skill Wind Chains is unlocked.

* * *

‘Wind Chains’ was, in many ways, an unforgettable, welcome name. The first and last time the comment section was active in the early stages of the serialization [referring to the original online publication of the story].

It was a skill that any spirit master with an affinity for wind spirits would use as a basic attack.

The problem was that I kept changing the name of this skill.

At first, I wrote it as ‘Wind Blade,’ but I was harshly criticized for being the same as the name of a skill in another work.

While being told that it lacked uniqueness and was disrespectful, a reader recommended ‘Wind’s Sharp Blade,’ and since it seemed too long to use as is, I wrote it as ‘Wind’s Sharpness,’ but lo and behold.

An avid reader who had been enthusiastically following me until then said it looked like a typo and bothered them, suggesting I write it as ‘Wind Chains.’ They said chains could also be sharp like blades and could be developed into a wide-area skill later on.

Thus, this skill, along with its name changes, caused me to lose the few readers I had.

But it’s a whopping A-grade skill.

As soon as Wind Chains was unlocked last night, I wanted to test it out immediately.

Unfortunately, there was no place to test it. The servants and maids were all Ted’s cronies.

I had no intention of showing them my abilities.

“Your Highness!”

Just as I was about to focus on the Wind Breathing Technique after finishing breakfast as usual, I heard Gale’s voice.

“Ah, come in!”

At my response, the door soon opened, and a burly young man entered with Gale.

The rugged muscles could not be hidden even by the servant’s attire, and the tanned skin seemed to prove his overflowing strength.

“The servants have a lot of work to do these days, so I brought a new servant. I chose someone who will be of great help to Your Highness’s exercise.”

I nodded at Gale’s words.

“What’s your name?”

At my words, Ken answered in a rough voice.

“Ken, sir.”

“I was just about to take a walk, so that’s fortunate. Gale, let’s move the afternoon training to the morning.”

“Yes.”

I turned my gaze to Ken.

“You probably haven’t fully learned the geography of the Crown Prince’s Palace yet, have you? Let’s go together for exercise.”

Ken bowed his head.

“Yes.”

Thinking about Ken’s personality, I couldn’t help but smile.

He has an impatient personality.

A personality that doesn’t suit being a strategist.

Nevertheless, the reason he was able to become the strategist of the hero Karen was because of his quick judgment and considerable skill in schemes and plots.

‘So, I’ve drawn one of the hero Karen’s companions to my side for now.’

Ken was sincerely moved by the hero Karen and decided to become his companion. He was a young man full of the desire to overthrow the evil stronghold, the Calpeon Empire, and establish a new empire, and he actually achieved it.

Unlike the hero Karen, I am neither generous nor smart. I don’t have the strong power that Karen had when he first met Ken, and I don’t have the cause of overthrowing the Calpeon Empire and establishing a new empire.

‘How can I draw out this person’s sincerity?’

Meeting Ken as a person, I realized that receiving his loyalty was by no means an easy task.

While walking around the garden, I subtly gestured to Gale.

It meant to block the sound using mana.

Only Gale and Ken were by my side, but there were other servants and maids nearby.

They were people who prioritized conveying my every word and Gale’s every word to the vice-director over the purpose of serving the Crown Prince.

As Gale nodded slightly, I opened my mouth with a comfortable heart.

“You said your name is Ken?”

“Yes.”

“I heard you were pickpocketing in front of the Imperial Palace?”

Ken’s face contorted.

‘To reveal your emotions without fear.’

I continued speaking with a smile.

“Why? Is that not true?”

“That’s right.”

I liked that he answered coolly. Ken wasn’t ashamed.

“Why did you become a pickpocket?”

“It was hard to make a living.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said.

“Since His Majesty built the empire, everywhere ruled by the Calpeon Empire is the most prosperous in history. But you say it’s hard to make a living?”

An undisguised sneer spread across Ken’s face.

Gale’s eyebrows twitched.

I lightly gestured and asked.

“Does that mean no?”

“Just step a little outside the Imperial Palace, the capital of the empire, and see for yourself. The monsters of the Dark Forest are still not resolved, and there are slums everywhere. The story that it is the most prosperous in history only applies to high-ranking people like Your Highness who take walks in gardens like this.”

I nodded nonchalantly.

“I see.”

Ken seemed surprised that I didn’t react much.

‘It’s all known information. Only five years have passed since the end of the First Conquest War. The Conquest War only announced the emergence of the giant nation of the Calpeon Empire, but the lives of ordinary people have not improved at all. Rather, the nobles who suffered losses in the war exploited the commoners even more, making their lives more miserable.’

And the Dark Forest that Ken mentioned is the forest northwest of the capital where I met the Orc Shaman.

It is a monster paradise where Orc Shamans live from the entrance of the forest, and you can meet Ogres just by going a little deeper.

The capital of the empire was not a very good place to live.

Ken continued.

“Moreover, His Majesty the Emperor is also preparing for the Second Conquest War. Now is the time to consolidate the internal affairs of this great empire.”

Gale glanced at Ken. It was a complicated expression.

I revealed an ambition that I had not directly revealed to Gale either.

“I intend to run that great empire. You seem like you could be quite helpful. May I ask you for a favor?”