Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 90

90.

We fought over ten battles on the way to the Falls of Death.

The completely different point from last time was that there were no monsters, only the Undead.

Still, the Riverhill wizards proved their talent.

During the battles, the teamwork between the wizards and knights gradually improved.

Wizards, including Thompson, definitely got a feel for battle, and in the last battle, they unilaterally massacred the Undead.

The combination of excellent magic, my spiritism, and the powerful knights led by Sword Master Gale created a force far stronger than I had expected.

“This is the Falls of Death,” Riorden said.

Those who entered the Forest of Darkness for the first time couldn’t close their mouths at the sight of the Falls of Death, which could be seen from afar.

It was a bizarre sight to see a waterfall full of life in a forest where everything was dead and teeming with Undead.

“Are you saying there’s a cave inside that waterfall?” I nodded at Ram’s question.

“It was a dungeon, but it was connected to the Orc Legion’s main camp. It was a cave where Undead came out, and there’s a Wyvern nest nearby, but it’s still the best place to hide.”

I added this to reassure Ram and the other knights a little.

“Since there’s a Wyvern nest nearby, the Orcs don’t come into the waterfall. The Undead in the cave only come out when you go deep inside, so if you set up camp at the entrance and keep a good guard, it’s no exaggeration to say it’s the safest place in the Forest of Darkness.”

Ram was somewhat relieved and turned around as the Falls of Death gradually approached.

“Originally, the Forest of Darkness was mainly inhabited by ferocious monsters, but I’m concerned that we keep encountering only Undead,” Ken said.

Only then did I feel a sense of incongruity as I recalled the past battles.

I could feel magic power throughout the Forest of Darkness, but that was because of Goran’s influence.

Originally, the Forest of Darkness was a paradise for ferocious monsters, but we didn’t encounter any monsters during the ten battles.

‘The last time was when I met the Black Ogre in District 3,’ I thought.

Ken continued, “It seems reasonable to assume that they were all monsters, but they became Undead.”

“Monsters turned into Undead?”

“Yes. If you think about the Undead we met, it’s plausible that they were originally monsters.”

“Perhaps the influence of the Seed of Evil is getting stronger and stronger. If they subdue the Orcs and use all the Forest of Darkness monsters as their pawns…”

I agreed with Ken’s concern.

“The defense of the West could become much more difficult. We need to hurry.”

As Goran’s resurrection drew closer, the Orcs’ power grew stronger, and new subordinates of Goran were being created.

While running silently, the Falls of Death became closer.

“That canyon seems to be completely destroyed,” David observed.

I answered, “That’s where the battle between the Ruler of the Ruins [likely a powerful monster], the Wyvern, and the Orcs took place.”

The canyon leading to the Falls of Death was now nothing more than ruins. The water flowing down from the waterfall flowed through the broken rocks, creating a desolate scene.

“It seems like the Orc King didn’t die either, and the Wyvern was fine, so they retreated,” David nodded.

“There are so many Orcs that it would have been difficult for the Wyvern to fight to the end easily.”

Considering various factors, the Ruler of the Ruins, Wyvern, seemed to possess high intelligence.

Soon, we arrived at the waterfall.

We entered the waterfall in order.

There was no big change inside.

The cave where I rescued Gale and escaped had collapsed, but this place didn’t seem to be particularly affected.

It was a place full of refreshing energy, making it hard to believe it was a cave. It was hard to believe that the Undead came out from inside if I hadn’t experienced it myself.

While the knights were preparing to stay for a few days, I called Ken, Gale, Riorden, Ram, Thompson, and David.

“Once the accommodation is set up, we need to start searching in earnest.”

Ken answered, “That’s right. As you all know from fighting battles on the way here, we don’t have much time. Originally, the Forest of Darkness is not a place where Undead come out. All those Undead… must have been created because of the influence of the Seed of Evil.”

I turned my gaze to Thompson.

“I know that the Riverhill family has been working hard to eradicate black magicians for a long time. I think you know more about the forces of evil than that.”

Thompson hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Undead are not creatures that occur naturally like monsters. They must be summoned or created.”

The serious Thompson looked every bit the researching wizard.

“Usually, necromancers create Undead, and in most cases, they guard the vicinity of their hideout. After that, they gather magic power in some way to bring down the demons.”

Ken interpreted the current situation in response to Thompson’s words.

“Since Your Highness met the Lich [a powerful undead sorcerer], the Undead were created or summoned by that Lich, and considering that Gale was captured and the Lich targeted Your Highness and Gale, it seems that he coveted the powerful mana of the two of you.”

Thompson agreed.

“Black magicians use curses or items to turn mana into magic power. There is still no way to turn natural mana into magic power, so of course they target those with mana holes [individuals with high magical potential], such as knights and wizards.”

Ken added, “They covet people with powerful mana holes, but there is also a way to turn human life itself into magic power…”

I concluded, “They mobilized the Orcs to invade the West.”

The atmosphere of the conversation gradually became heavy.

* * *

I set out on a search with ten knights, including Riorden.

Ken and Gale told me that there was no need to search, but I refused their advice.

If everyone is suffering, but I, as the Crown Prince, am just resting, who would sincerely follow me?

The knights I wanted were not knights who followed me for their own benefit or success, but knights who truly wanted to be with me and sincerely followed me.

“Your Highness, we are very close to the Orc Legion’s main camp, so it seems that you should pay more attention from now on,” Riorden said.

I nodded at Riorden’s words.

Anyway, I also participated in the search operation.

If nearly a hundred people moved together, the search would take longer and the risk would increase.

It seems that the more people there are, the more noticeable they are.

So, the search for Goran was carried out by forming groups of up to ten people and searching each designated area.

Riorden had created a fairly detailed map, so there was no fear that other search teams would get lost.

The Forest of Darkness is not as dense with trees as other forests, and it is not a complicated mountain path.

“The magic power feels a bit stronger,” I noted.

Riorden agreed with my words.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

The search was scheduled to be done only until just before sunset, so it was better to move quickly to allow time to return.

Even if we find Goran, the first thing to note was to return without taking action immediately.

‘It is likely that the surroundings are heavily guarded,’ I thought.

I explained that part to Riorden with emphasis.

“As I said at the meeting, the Seed of Evil is probably being protected.”

“That’s probably the case. If the Seed of Evil, which the Lich considers his master, had all its power, he would have led the Undead and Orcs directly to the Western region, rather than just the Lich acting alone.”

“Is it difficult to find the Lich’s traces?”

I thought that the Lich would be the decisive key to heading to Goran.

Since Goran had not yet been resurrected, it seemed that the Lich was controlling the Orcs as the leader, creating Undead, and supplying magic power, with the Orc shamans assisting.

Riorden was lost in thought for a moment at my words.

“It seems difficult to find the Lich’s traces. Instead, focus on searching near places where there are many traces of Undead rather than traces of Orcs.”

The search area assigned to me and Riorden’s group was quite large.

Since Riorden was the most skilled at searching among the knights, it was right to look at such a large area.

“Okay,” I said, allowing Riorden’s words, and soon followed him.

Certainly, Riorden felt more cautious with each step than when advancing towards the Falls of Death.

I didn’t just walk around, but spread out the spirits as much as possible.

‘Tell me immediately if you see anything strange,’ I instructed.

I didn’t have professional knowledge and experience like Riorden, but I had a very good search companion called spirits.

It was natural that our group searched the widest area, considering that I was a spiritist [one who can communicate with and command spirits].

I could look at many places faster than Riorden.

I also summoned Ignis and sent him up into the sky.

If you look from a high place, you can see a wide area at once.

-I can take a quick look, but the demons usually hide when they come to the middle world. So, I don’t think it will be easy for me to find them?

While agreeing with Ignis’ words, I asked for more.

‘Please take a closer look anyway.’

-That depends on your ability. My ability is realized based on your ability. Well, it has increased a lot these days… If this were the spirit world, I could find it in an instant.

It was Ignis as expected. After praising me, he always added words to whip me [motivate me to work harder].

I smiled and concluded, ‘Okay. I’ll try.’

The spirits also started searching, and the knights were also carefully looking around and advancing.

At that moment, Riorden raised his hand.

“Your Highness.”

At Riorden’s words, I quickly approached him.

“Was something discovered?”

“It’s a human footprint.”

At Riorden’s words pointing to the ground, I turned my gaze following his finger.

Honestly, I couldn’t see it.

So I said, “Footprint?”

“He seems to be a very skilled knight. When an ordinary person moves, the ground is dug as much as the person’s weight. In particular, the soil in the Forest of Darkness is not hard, so it tends to dig deeper.”

Since I didn’t understand Riorden’s words, I immediately got to the point.

“Are you saying this is a footprint? Not an Undead or a monster, but a human footprint?”

“That’s right.”

The depth was very slightly different from other places, and it looked like a shoe print.

It was difficult to recognize, but I thought Riorden’s eyes were not wrong.

“There’s another person in the Forest of Darkness besides us,” Riorden said.

“I think it’s that person who accompanied Gale,” I replied.

It was Karen’s trace.

‘Is it our destiny to meet?’ I wondered.

I was always nervous whenever Karen’s presence got closer.

At this point in time, he was not a threat to the Empire.

Rather, he was working hard to prevent the resurrection of Goran, who was threatening the Empire, so he deserved to be called a hero.

But why do I dislike Karen?

Maybe it was because I knew his future.

And the fact that the biggest enemy in his future is my father, and that I will inevitably become his enemy in some form, seemed uncomfortable.

“It seems he hasn’t left the Forest of Darkness yet,” I tried to say calmly.

Riorden’s eyes narrowed.

“He’s not moving while searching. It’s a trace of moving as quickly as possible.”

I tilted my head.

“As quickly as possible?”

“He’s not moving quickly to get out of the Forest of Darkness, and this direction is the Orc Legion’s main camp.”

I realized one meaning in Riorden’s words.

‘Karen headed to the place where Goran is sealed!’

Before I could open my mouth, Riorden continued, “Your Highness, should we follow this person’s trail for now? Wouldn’t he have gone to the Orc Legion’s main camp because he discovered or knew something?”