Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 82

82.

Riodeen’s expression was darker than ever.

“Have you pinpointed our current location?”

I tried to hide my anxiety.

“I couldn’t.”

Gale stepped forward at Riodeen’s answer.

“What does that mean?”

The answer came from David, not Riodeen.

“It probably means we’re in Area 3.”

My expression, as well as Gale’s, stiffened.

The Dark Forest, Area 3!

The unknown forest from which no one had ever returned was the Dark Forest, Area 3.

Riodeen slowly opened his mouth.

“I’ve looked around everywhere. I’ve looked from high ground, and I’ve climbed trees, but there’s nowhere that resembles the map. It’s all unfamiliar terrain. And…”

Riodeen sighed and continued.

“I also saw the habitat of the Black Ogre, which only operates in Area 3.”

Gale asked.

“Black Ogre? It only lives in Area 3?”

“Yes. It’s proof that this is Area 3. Almost nothing is known about Area 3, but the only thing known is the Black Ogre. The magic material that wizards dream of is the Black Ogre’s skin and heart.”

Gale nodded and turned his gaze to me.

“Your Highness, I think we need to revise our plan.”

David chimed in.

“To return safely to the Western Command… we must escape Area 3 first.”

I replied briefly to the obvious statement.

“We’ll rest today. We’ll hold another meeting tomorrow morning.”

At my dismissal, the three bowed their heads and left.

Alone, I lay on the field bed, lost in thought.

‘What was that cave? The Falls of Death and Area 3 are quite far apart.’

Even just in terms of distance, the fact that the cave was connected to Area 3 was mysterious.

I couldn’t return to the cave right away, so I decided to take comfort in the fact that I was far away from the Orc Legion.

The story that no one had ever survived the area bothered me, but I believed I was different.

With Riodeen, David, and Gale joining me, I thought we could escape the forest. There was no point in amplifying my anxiety.

“What will happen to Karen’s fate?”

The Dark Forest itself caused me great tension, but what worried me even more was the meeting between Gale and Karen.

Since it wasn’t a situation I had directly set, I was curious about the variables that the meeting between the two would have.

Would Karen kill Goran herself as I had set, and start making her first name known as a hero?

According to what I heard from Gale, Karen was looking for Goran’s whereabouts in the Orc Legion’s main camp. She also tried to rescue Gale and kill Goran together.

In the meantime, the cave collapsed, and she was separated from Gale.

‘She’s not someone who will give up even if she’s alone.’

Honestly, I didn’t have the desperation to kill Goran before Karen.

I had to prevent Goran’s resurrection for the sake of the Empire, but even if Karen stopped him instead of me, I would be grateful.

‘The problem is that Karen gains fame from it, and the Emperor gradually loses public sentiment.’

I erased my worries from my head.

‘I can’t go to stop Goran’s resurrection right now anyway. The knights are too tired, and there aren’t many supplies. I can’t even guarantee that I can get out of Area 3… It’s impossible to set out from here to stop Goran’s resurrection.’

I relaxed and summoned the spirits.

I didn’t forget Silpilen’s advice.

Ignis grumbled, but soon took a seat next to Silpilen, folded his wings, and fell asleep.

Silpilen also seemed to know why I called him, and didn’t say anything else and closed his eyes.

I was sorry, but I gave some spirits other requests.

“Sylph, Sylphid, Gnome, and Noes, please take turns scouting near the camp. It’s a dangerous place after all.”

The spirits nodded.

I poked Ignis and said.

“Do spirits sleep?”

“Not in the Middle Realm.”

I opened my eyes wide at Ignis’s answer.

“You and Silpilen were about to sleep as soon as you came out?”

“I’m just resting.”

Ignis replied briefly, and Silpilen slyly avoided my gaze.

Ignis turned his head again and closed his eyes as if telling me not to bother him.

I learned one more new fact, and it wasn’t a big deal, so I didn’t ask Ignis any more and closed my eyes.

Just summoning two high-level spirits was causing mana to flow out of the mana hole steadily.

I had filled the mana hole with the Breath of the Wind, and I was going to maintain the breathing technique until just before falling asleep, so summoning the spirits all night was not a problem.

“Don’t contract with other high-level spirits for the time being.”

I pricked up my ears at Ignis’s voice, who I thought was asleep.

I was thinking of contracting with the high-level water spirit or the high-level earth spirit, but Ignis’s advice was painful.

“You’re still far from enough. You don’t have enough mana, and you don’t have enough spiritism. Focus on learning spiritism for the time being.”

It seemed like he was talking about skills.

I thought my skill level was high, but it seemed like Ignis felt it was lacking.

“Okay.”

I accepted Ignis’s advice and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

The morning in the Dark Forest was not much different from other mornings.

“Your Highness!”

Riodeen came early in the morning, followed by Gale and David.

Today’s task was simple.

It was to get out of Area 3 of the Dark Forest.

“Shouldn’t we set a direction first?”

The three understood perfectly.

‘I wish I had a compass.’

There was a magic that had a similar function, but there was not a single magician in our group.

If we set the wrong direction, we could end up getting further and further away from the Western Temporary Command, so setting the direction was the most important thing.

Also, even if we set a direction, the forest was not a straight path.

The forest was devoid of human traces, and of course, there were no roads. We had to make a path by setting a direction, so getting out of Area 3 was not easy.

“I saw the sun rising in the morning.”

Riodeen had set the direction more simply than I thought.

The sun rises in the east.

The Western Temporary Command was located east of the Dark Forest. If we set a direction towards the rising sun, we would definitely be able to go to the western region of the Empire.

I nodded.

“You mean we can set a direction towards the rising sun?”

Riodeen agreed for now.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

David and Gale also did not oppose Riodeen’s opinion.

Because there was no other way now.

“Then let’s leave early. Let’s set a direction to the east, and let’s also take a look at the riverbank we came up. Isn’t the only place with water in the Dark Forest the Falls of Death? If we go down the riverbank, we might be able to meet the Falls of Death.”

Riodeen exclaimed, “Ah!”

“Your Highness! I didn’t think of that. Going down the river is a much better option than vaguely going towards the rising sun.”

David chimed in.

“That seems like a more certain method.”

I said it without much thought, but the reactions were good.

I turned my gaze to Gale, and Gale nodded lightly.

“Okay. Let’s go. Tell the knights not to let their guard down. This place is more dangerous than the cave where the undead came out.”

Area 3 of the Dark Forest, where no one has ever entered and come out, I said that to the three, but strangely, I was not nervous.

After roughly cleaning up the camp, we went to the river we had come out of after leaving the cave.

The river was not far away.

The water was so clear that it was hard to believe it was a river in the Dark Forest.

‘I can’t see a single fish.’

After becoming a spiritist, my eyesight became much better than when I lived in modern times. The water was clear enough to see the fish playing under the river, but only water was flowing in the river.

It was a strange river where no trace of life could be found.

“Go down the bank.”

At my words, Riodeen took the lead, and David took the rear. Gale moved with me in the center of the formation.

“Are you okay?”

Gale used Aura Blade recklessly in the battle with the Lich.

It was a gamble that could have damaged the mana hole.

“I’m fine.”

“You used Aura Blade.”

“It was only for a moment. If the battle had been longer, the mana hole would have been destroyed.”

I nodded.

“That’s a relief. Anyway, it’s reassuring to have Gale join us.”

Gale bowed his head slightly.

It was quieter than I thought.

“Do you know a lot about the Dark Forest?”

“I probably know less than the two wandering knights. I spent most of my knight life in the Imperial Palace or on the battlefield led by His Majesty.”

Certainly, Riodeen and David were mercenaries, so they had a lot of experience. Although weaker than Gale, it could be said that the two were better at responding to various variables.

“Your Highness must acquire more talent. When you finish the work in the West and return, you will face checks and balances unlike anything you’ve experienced before.”

I shrugged at Gale’s concern.

“I’m different now than when I left the Imperial Palace. It’s not every day you become a high-level spiritist.”

It was confidence, although it could be heard as arrogance.

My words were not a lie.

Gale also praised me for that part.

“You have achieved much faster than the previous head of the family. The previous head of the family was also bright, but Your Highness became a high-level spiritist in just a few months after learning spiritism.”

Gale did not bother to continue and expressed his feelings with a happy smile.

‘It’s thanks to affinity and the status window, and the fact that I wrote it myself, so I knew a lot of information in advance.’

I was much stronger and could use more precise spiritism than spiritists of the same level.

Gooooooo-!

A wind blew from the sky.

“Kieeeeeek!”

It was a cry I had heard a lot somewhere.

Riodeen’s voice pierced the ears of the knights and me.

“It’s the Ruler of the Ruins, Wyvern!”

I clearly had a fierce battle with the Orc King before entering the cave, so perhaps he won?

I turned my gaze to the sky.

The Wyvern was just circling above us and did not pose a threat.

At that moment, a growling new cry was heard.

Riodeen quickly ran towards me in the middle of the formation and said.

“Your Highness, it’s the Black Ogre. It seems like the two monsters are going to fight.”

Is it a fight to watch again this time?

I asked Riodeen.

“Is it better to get out quickly?”

Riodeen nodded.

“Yes. There’s no reason to fight those monsters.”

I immediately ordered.

“Increase the speed. It seems like the Wyvern and the Ogre are conscious of each other.”

“Kieeeeeek!”

The Ruler of the Ruins’ cry echoed strongly once again and began to fall towards us in an instant.

“Dodge!”

I shouted without realizing it, and at the same time, Silpilen reacted to my will and soared upwards.

“Undine!”

I even called Undine and spread a water barrier at the Wyvern’s landing point.

At the same time, the Black Ogre appeared.

The two monsters were not fighting.

They were rushing towards us together.