Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 81

81.

With Gail and I focusing our attacks on the Lich, after we had gained the upper hand against the Skeletons and Dullahan, the Lich was quickly pushed back.

Ignis’s fiery barrier bore down on the Lich, threatening to incinerate it completely.

And Gail surpassed his limits.

A vivid blue aura blade sliced through the fiery barrier and flew towards the Lich.

Gail wasn’t a Sword Master yet, so the fact that he unleashed an aura blade meant one of two things.

Either Gail had ascended to Sword Master, or he was forcibly unleashing an aura blade by straining himself.

I glanced at Gail’s condition.

‘He hasn’t become a Sword Master. He’s pushing himself too hard.’

Blood was trickling from the corner of Gail’s mouth.

-Approaching.

It was Silpheen’s voice.

Silpheen’s true form was the wind itself; it had materialized into the form of a wolf upon entering the Middle Realm [a plane of existence between the mortal and divine realms].

Now, Silpheen was the wind itself and was invisible.

KWA-KWANG! KWANG!

Gail’s aura blade tore through the black spheres and pierced the Lich’s shoulder.

“Kkeuaaak!”

The Lich screamed for the first time, from the pain of its bones cracking.

At that moment, I said to Silpheen.

‘Now!’

Gooooooo!

Silpheen suddenly appeared behind the Lich.

The Lich, who had been focusing all his attention on Gail’s aura blade and Ignis’s fiery barrier, was completely exposed to the wind chains that Silpheen unleashed.

Swish!

The wind chains wrapped around the Lich’s neck.

All the mana remaining in my mana pool was poured into Silpheen.

Kwang!

The Lich’s head fell off.

The head that fell to the ground rolled away.

“Those sacrificial offerings are quite something.”

Gooooooo!

Even with its head separated, the Lich spoke calmly.

The Skeletons and Dullahan turned into smoke and slowly dissipated.

“The day the Lord of Darkness awakens is not far off. I wanted to offer you as a living sacrifice, but we will meet again soon.”

Riorden approached and stomped on the Lich’s skull.

With a crack, the Lich’s skull shattered.

“Your Highness.”

Gail approached my side.

His complexion was pale, and he was severely injured from the battle with the Lich.

One of the knights immediately approached Gail and handed him a potion. It wasn’t a new potion, but one that had been partially consumed.

They had used potions generously during the battle, so it seemed there were none left.

Gail accepted the potion without hesitation and drank it.

I turned my gaze to David and asked.

“Are there… any casualties among the knights?”

“I will check now.”

David and several knights began to assess the situation. It was such a chaotic battle that they could only now count the exact number of casualties.

Gail was sitting down, recovering his body with mana breathing, and Riorden and the other knights were doing the same. When I had filled about a third of my empty mana pool with the wind breathing technique, David approached.

“Your Highness, three have died. Two are seriously injured.”

“Three people….”

I struggled to hide my grief.

It was a battle against a Lich, a Dullahan, and Skeletons.

It was a miracle that only three had died. If I hadn’t contracted with Ignis, we would have suffered even greater losses.

Gail’s expression, as he rose to his feet, was heavier than ever.

Even without me saying anything, Gail knew that I and the knights had come to rescue him.

“Cremate the bodies and let’s return.”

After summoning the fire spirits to cremate the dead and helping the seriously injured, we began preparing to leave the cave.

‘To clear Goran’s assassination quest, it’s best to return to the Western Command first and reinforce our forces.’

We also needed more supplies.

I had things to discuss with Gail, and I had left the command for longer than expected, so as the commander, I had to pay attention to the defense of the western region.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

At that moment, a tremendous explosion began to be heard from behind us.

“It sounds like the cave is collapsing.”

Following David’s urgent words, one of the knights’ voices was heard loudly.

“Your Highness, an exit has appeared over here!”

All eyes turned to the knight.

It was originally a wide, blocked-off cavern, but now there was a small exit, just big enough for one person to pass through.

“Let’s go!”

Kwang! Kwang!

The explosions grew louder, and now the entire cavern began to shake. Stone dust fell from the ceiling, and the ground beneath our feet twisted as if there was an earthquake.

“Take care of the injured!”

The seriously injured had difficulty moving.

The other knights carried the two seriously injured on their backs and ran.

Fortunately, the exit passage wasn’t at a crawling level, but enough to run through.

I ran at maximum speed, using the flow of wind and earth.

Kwaaaaang!

At the same time as the explosion, light began to appear in the distance.

I threw myself forward through the approaching light.

“Uwaaa!”

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet gave way.

I quickly summoned Sylph.

The Sylphs supported me.

Splash!

The knights following behind me fell straight down, but thankfully, there was a river below.

It seemed to be a stream connected to the Waterfall of Death.

Splash! Splash!

Only the knights carrying the seriously injured were supported by spirits, and I went up to the riverbank.

The knights who fell into the water came out on their own.

Gail was the same.

“Your Highness!”

Gail bowed deeply to me then.

I smiled and said.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Gail.”

It seemed like we could finally have a proper reunion.

* * *

Two phoenixes flew around, starting fires. It was the middle of the Dark Forest, but we found a suitable clearing, and I and my party set up camp there.

We used water created by Undine and Undairon [water spirits]. We had little food left, but it was enough to last for a few days.

I wasn’t too worried about the food shortage because I was planning to accurately determine our current location and then return to the Western Temporary Command.

Riorden took some knights and went on patrol. Riorden was the only one who knew the geography of the Dark Forest best, so he was the only one who could figure out our current location.

David was busy preparing the camp, and inside my tent, which was the first to be set up, I was talking to Gail.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine.”

It hadn’t even been half a year, but so much had happened since I was separated from Gail.

“That’s a relief.”

“What… happened?”

The conversation that started with Gail’s question continued for quite some time.

I explained everything to Gail in detail, from what happened in the Imperial Palace to the evaluation competition and the process of being appointed as the Western Commander.

Gail listened to my explanation calmly, with his usual expressionless face.

Only after my explanation was over did Gail open his mouth.

“You are amazing. Truly… amazing.”

I smiled at Gail’s compliment.

“I think I’ve gained a bit of a foothold as the Crown Prince. And I’m planning to bring all the knights from the evaluation competition among the knights outside into my direct service.”

Gail nodded.

“They are people who have already gone through life-and-death situations with Your Highness several times. They all know Your Highness’s heart, so they can be brought under your command.”

“I’ll have to send Count Boepen’s knights back, though.”

Gail lightly advised at my regretful expression.

“They are people who have sworn allegiance to their lord. It would be a problem if they came over to Your Highness instead.”

Gail added, as if he was still proud.

“When they return under Count Boepen, they will praise Your Highness. You can gain a lot from that alone. Count Boepen will naturally look favorably on Your Highness, whom his knights praise.”

“He was originally a loyal man, though.”

I shrugged and asked the most pressing question as if passing by.

“Who rescued you when you were imprisoned? Riorden said it didn’t seem like you escaped alone.”

“It was a wandering knight. His name was Karen, but he didn’t seem to be a famous one.”

I shuddered without realizing it.

The hero Karen, the protagonist of this world.

‘No. The hero Karen was the protagonist of the novel I wrote; he’s not the protagonist of this reality I live in. Even so, Karen is an existence I must always be aware of.’

As long as I am the Crown Prince of the Empire, Karen was like the strongest enemy.

What if Karen’s fate flows according to my settings without any special variables?

Ron Carl Leord, even my father, eventually falls to Karen.

I tried to open my mouth calmly.

“The wandering knight Karen? He must have been very skilled to escape you from the Orc Legion prison.”

“His mindset was impressive. He reminded me of the chivalry I had forgotten. He even gave me a sword.”

“A sword?”

“Yes. I lost it without ever using it.”

‘A sword? This is the right time for Karen to obtain the Mithril Sword, but he didn’t give that sword to Gail, did he?’

Gail’s words continued.

“He said that there was someone else who founded the Orc King. I also felt that the Orcs were unusual. And as Your Highness saw, there were Skeletons, Dullahans, and even a Lich. Such undead are not beings that suddenly appear.”

I wanted to talk more about Karen and the Mithril Sword, but I followed the flow of the conversation.

“The seeds of evil. Even the Lich we fought was under their command… It was the justification for me coming here. A war with the Pyreon Kingdom is scheduled to prevent the annihilation of the Orc Legion and the revival of evil, but did they receive support for their forces?”

Gail nodded.

“The Orc Legion is a big problem, but we must eradicate the roots.”

“That’s right. I’m thinking of returning to the Western Command, reorganizing our forces, and then forming a special forces team again. The command is probably in chaos by now. I saw the advancing Orcs before I entered the cave.”

I also told Gail about the Orc King.

Gail, who had heard everything, including the story of the Wyvern, the ruler of the ruins, advised.

“I think it would be best to return to the Western Command as soon as possible and then devise a plan.”

I finished the conversation with Gail and patted him lightly on the shoulder to comfort him.

“I’m really glad you’re alive, Gail.”

Gail knelt before me.

“Your Highness.”

Gail swore allegiance to me according to the traditional knightly etiquette.

And then, he took the time to confess his honest feelings, which he had never told anyone.

“I was just by Your Highness’s side to keep the late head of the family’s will. As a knight, I must protect my lord with my life, but rather, I was saved by my lord. I will never forget my lord’s grace.”

I raised Gail up.

“Just as there is chivalry for a knight, there is also responsibility as a lord, so you don’t have to worry too much. And thank you for the oath of allegiance.”

Gail’s eyes turned red, unlike his usual self.

“I lost several knights to save you. I’m not saying to leave it as a debt of the heart. But I will remember them too, and I hope you will remember them too.”

“I will not forget, my lord.”

The title Gail used to call me changed.

I didn’t bother to correct him and smiled faintly.

“Let’s go out now. We should take some time to introduce you.”

When we went outside, Riorden was waiting.

It seemed like the patrol was already over.

“Oh, Riorden! You’re back early.”

Riorden bowed. His expression wasn’t very good.

I immediately sensed a serious situation and called Riorden and David into my tent.

Riorden spoke as soon as he entered.

“Your Highness, it seems difficult to return to the Western Command early.”