Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 306

By Wednesday, all the events I had to personally participate in for the festival were over.

Riana was finding immense enjoyment in helping Cliffman and Ellen prepare for their contest, so there was nothing for me to do even if I wanted to get involved. I just hoped her clumsiness wouldn’t manifest in strange ways.

It was Thursday, the day the group stages of the Open Tournament finals were being held. After that, on Friday, the Miss and Mister Temple contests and the Open Tournament finals would be held.

Although I had won the first-year tournament and earned a spot in the final rounds of the Open Tournament, I decided not to participate in it.

While participating just to gain experience wouldn’t have been a bad idea, I was reluctant to take on the risk of significant injury, or suffer the impediment of having my condition deteriorate when using Mana Reinforcement. Even in the first-year tournament, which I had entered with a relatively light heart, I’d had to struggle more than expected.

Given the ongoing matters regarding the Black Order and the Vampire Council, I couldn’t afford to push myself too hard by entering this tournament since it was possible that I might need to face real combat at any moment.

Because of all this, I didn’t have any more events to participate in. The troublesome cross-dressing contest had also come to an end. Of course, the Black Order now thought I had some bizarre fetishes, but that was a separate issue.

Harriet was in Group C of the Open Tournament finals. Since participants had to go to the stadium early to prepare, Harriet was going off early.

Before she left, I had a brief conversation with her.

“I don’t know what to say... Do you think it’ll go well?” I asked.

I felt bad for thinking it, but I couldn’t understand how Harriet had made it through the preliminaries and into the final rounds.

“I’ll manage somehow,” Harriet replied, seemingly annoyed by my concern. I had peppered her with various questions the entire morning out of anxiety, but while Harriet didn’t seem overly confident, she didn’t appear particularly nervous either.

Harriet wasn’t even wearing the earrings enchanted with calming magic.

“What about the earrings?” I asked her, and Harriet sighed.

“Artifacts are prohibited, you know?” she replied.

‘Oh, right.’

That made sense. If contestants could rely on artifacts, the tournament wouldn’t be a true test of skill. Of course, I was constantly using an artifact in Sarkegar’s ring, but no one had checked if I had brought any artifacts to my tournament.

This meant Harriet had to fight without any items to help control her nerves, which were easily triggered.

“Anyway, don’t overdo it. If things seem impossible, just quit. You might not get hurt, but you could still get injured, so be careful. Most of the contestants in the finals can probably use Mana Reinforcement, so keep that in mind—”

“Hey! Even my mom doesn’t nag me this much!” Harriet finally yelled when I didn’t stop my rambling.

“Do I seem that anxious to you?” she continued, flashing me a sad smile.

‘I must have come across that way.’

“Uh... no, it’s just that...”

“No, I get it. It’s understandable. And honestly, I don’t mind you being like this.” Harriet sighed. “I know you’re just worried about me. Thanks.”

Although my morning nagging could have been taken as a sign that I didn’t trust her, Harriet seemed to have decided to think positively about it.

“Still, I’m trying to change,” she said.

She wanted to become stronger.

I believed that her desire to become stronger was not just about acquiring physical strength, but also a matter of mindset. Ellen had the right mindset, but lacked the physical strength. Harriet, on the other hand, seemed unprepared in both aspects.

Over many events and incidents, both Ellen and Harriet had changed significantly. It wasn’t any single event that caused this change, but rather a culmination of the effects of many different experiences that had instilled in both of them a fervent desire to become stronger.

“I’ll show you this time,” Harriet said confidently.

She had always seemed serious and somber of late, weighed down by various issues. It felt like I was seeing her genuinely smile for the first time in a while.

“I’ll look forward to it, then,” I said.

“Whatever you’re looking forward to...” Harriet grinned. “It’ll be more than that.”

With those words, Harriet headed to the stadium. I did not see much to be confident about in her departing figure. However, I had a firm belief that Harriet’s words about exceeding expectations were not a lie.

***

Only two people I knew had advanced to the group stages of the Open Tournament finals. One was Harriet de Saint-Ouen, who had just left for the stadium. The other, of course, was Olivia Lanche.

Her comments about being able to beat Ellen in the Miss Temple contest and the Open Tournament were not just provocations; she was actually participating in both of them. After Harriet left, I leaned against one of the columns outside the dormitory entrance and waited.

Olivia, who was leaving the dormitory, spotted me.

“Oh, were you waiting for me?” Olivia Lanche asked.

“Well, yes,” I replied.

“I didn’t expect that,” she said, a smile spreading across her face and causing her eyes to grow smaller. “What a surprise.”

“By the way, senior, you can’t use Divine Dower, right?”

I knew Olivia was confident in her abilities. I wasn’t sure what her abilities were exactly, but I knew her greatest strength was her Divine Power. However, since she had abandoned her faith, she would not be allowed to use Divine Power, regardless of whether she could or not.

At my words, Olivia smiled.

“That’s right. I can’t risk being hauled off for a heresy trial.”

“... Would they go that far?”

“Unauthorized use of Divine Power is, of course, prohibited.”

Was she confident that she could win the tournament without even using her strongest ability? Of course, just making it to the finals was proof enough of her skills.

Olivia tilted her head and offered a hint of a smile. “Wait. Are you worried about me?”

“... Well, I’m sure you’ll manage just fine.”

“Tsk.”

Olivia stuck out her tongue, pretending to be disappointed that I had almost made her feel good. To be so confident even without her most important ability... I wondered just how skilled Olivia really was. There was also one more thing I was curious about.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You didn’t participate in stuff like Miss Temple or the tournament last year, did you? You were busy with volunteer work, right?”

“Yeah, I didn’t have time last year because of my volunteer work.”

“And before that, you weren’t interested, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

Olivia was not someone who liked to show off. Before all this happened to her, she was always humble and considerate of others. She even had to repeat a year of school because she had spent a year volunteering to provide back-line support during the Great War.

Although Olivia Lanche’s personality might have changed quite a bit over the past year, she still wasn’t someone who enjoyed showing off, and she had never participated in Miss Temple or any of the tournaments before.

“You want to know why I’m suddenly entering these things?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” I replied.

She had surely been persistently encouraged to participate in Miss Temple or the tournament by those around her every year. Why did she suddenly decide to enter both?

That was what I wanted to know.

It seemed like Olivia had decided to participate in both competitions not because she wanted to beat Ellen, but for some other reason.

Olivia blushed and scratched her cheek with her finger. “Well... it’s not really a big deal...”

I wanted to know the reason why Olivia Lanche, who had never been interested in showing off her beauty or strength, had suddenly taken an interest in both.

Olivia, looking slightly embarrassed, said slowly, “It’s... because of money...”

“Money?”

“Uh... yeah.”

‘Money? Of all things, the person who seemed the least interested in money was participating because of it?’

“Ahaha,” Olivia laughed awkwardly, a silly and innocent expression.

I felt like I was seeing Olivia Lanche’s true expression for the first time in a long while, and not the overly tense and somehow constantly insincere demeanor she had adopted since everything had befallen her.

This was the Olivia Lanche from when we’d first met, the one who had spoken kindly and seriously to a first-year student like me despite my sudden and rude request.

“The thing is... I’ve been disowned, right? Not that it was entirely against my will.”

“... Ah. Yes.”

“So... I don’t have any money now...”

‘Ah, is that what this is all about?’

When she was the daughter of the head of the Order of the Holy Knights, she probably never had to worry about money.

However, Leverier Lanche had been dismissed from his position and disowned Olivia Lanche, and Olivia herself had barely managed to escape the chaos alive by the skin of her teeth. Because of all this, she was now in a situation that she found difficult to explain to others.

Put plainly, she had no source of allowance.

She needed money, and so she decided to enter both the Open Tournament and Miss Temple, where substantial prize money was on offer.

In the end, it all came down to money.

Olivia’s face was red, as if she was embarrassed just to say it.

Still, it was kind of surprising.

“... Doesn’t the Temple provide a maintenance allowance?”

Royal Class students received a monthly allowance of four gold coins a month, under the guise of a maintenance fee.

That was equivalent to four million won, which might be a small amount to some, but was still a significant sum. Moreover, Olivia didn’t seem like someone who was interested in luxury. She didn’t wear any jewelry or accessories, and she didn’t seem to have any expensive hobbies.

Wouldn’t the maintenance allowance from the Temple be enough for her to get by?

Olivia bit her lip slightly. “Well... yes, but... It feels really stupid to mention this sort of thing, like I’m just showing off, so I didn’t want to say anything...”

Olivia finally sighed deeply, looking at me in a resigned manner. “I’ve been personally sponsoring some orphanages for a while. Just because I’ve given up my faith doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on those kids. The allowance my former adoptive father used to send me was quite substantial, so this wasn’t a problem. Now, though, even though I try my best to support these organizations, they are still struggling financially, and I can’t afford to reduce my donations...”

“...”

“So, my savings have run dry, and I’m at my limit in many ways. That’s why...”

I understood why Olivia was reluctant to talk about it. She knew it was something that could be seen as foolish.

After all, she hadn’t been donating her own money from the beginning. However, even in her current situation where she was financially strapped, she couldn’t afford to reduce or stop her donations. That was why she needed the prize money from the Open Tournament and Miss Temple, events which she would normally have no interest in.

In the end, it wasn’t about picking a fight with Ellen or anything like that; it was all because of money.

Olivia’s lips trembled, as though she’d been caught making some sort of excuse. “S-Still, I’m not that desperate, you know?”

“What do you mean by ‘that desperate’?”

“I mean, I’m not planning to join an organization like Shanapell and donate the money I get from them to charity.”

I had once asked Olivia why she couldn’t live for herself.

‘Did she think I would be angry if she told me the real reason she needed the money?’

“I did consider it, but after talking to you last time, I realized that wasn’t right... Still, this is okay, right?”

The prize money would ultimately belong to whoever won the contests, and they would be able to spend it freely.

The organizations Olivia was sponsoring were probably not financially stable. I didn’t know how much she was donating, but any reduction in her donations would likely have a significant impact.

When I didn’t say anything, Olivia smiled weakly.

“Do you think it’s stupid...?” Olivia muttered quietly, looking dejected.

“I do think it’s kind of foolish.”

“...”

Was it foolish to try to help others when you can’t even take care of yourself?

That was what I believed. Even now, to some extent, I still thought that way.

However, just because someone didn’t choose to live in such a manner didn’t mean they had the right to look down on someone who did.

“But how is that a bad thing?” I continued.

Just as I lived my life my way, there were people who lived their lives like Olivia.

I could neither know or judge the rightness or wrongness of that.

Olivia looked at me wide-eyed, seemingly surprised by my words.

It wasn’t a bad thing, but neither did I say that it was the right thing to do.

But Olivia smiled brightly, as if she had received some encouragement.

“Thank you, Reinhart,” she said.

Every time I saw Olivia’s genuine smile, and not her usual insincere expression, it took my breath away.

“You’ve given me strength. A lot of it.” Olivia ruffled my hair playfully and winked at me. “I’ll win no matter what.”

“... I didn’t say you had to win.”

“... Don’t ruin the moment by nitpicking!”

Dash!

Before I could say anything else that might spoil her mood, Olivia quickly ran out of the dormitory.

Olivia always showed an impressive amount of speed

It occurred to me that Olivia hadn’t chosen to participate in the tournament held for her grade specifically. If her goal was prize money, she could have entered that as well.

Perhaps she thought it wouldn’t be fair since her opponents would be fifth-year students, and she had technically attended an extra year. She couldn’t enter the sixth-year tournament, though, so it seemed the Open Tournament was the only one left to her.

As I watched Olivia disappear into the distance, I felt even more conflicted. Miss Temple and the Open Tournament. Olivia was the overwhelming favorite to win both. Ellen and Harriet, who were participating in Miss Temple and the Open tournament respectively, were clearly at a disadvantage.

Personal feelings aside, I had been mentally rooting for Ellen and Harriet. They were fighting battles they were likely to lose.

However, Olivia wasn’t participating out of mere curiosity; she had very serious reasons for entering both competitions, and so I wasn’t sure who to support.

That aside, the fact that the orphanages she sponsored were struggling financially puzzled me.

‘That shouldn’t be the case...’

“Oh, excuse me.”

Someone called out to me just as I was about to head back into the dormitory. It was a student, and since I was the youngest in the Royal Class, it had to be a senior.

“Yes?”

“You’re Reinhart, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

It was a female senior with a kind appearance. She had called me but was looking off into the distance, specifically in the direction in which Olivia had disappeared.

“What were you speaking with Olivia about?”

“... Nothing much, really.”

I hadn’t exactly told Olivia that she had to win, but my words ended up being something like encouragement.

But who was this person, anyway?

“... I see.”

The senior was staring at me intently. There was no hostility in her gaze, but...

How should I put it? I felt a strange chill run down my spine. She was smiling at me, but it didn’t feel like a genuine smile.

“Who are you, anyway?”

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself.”

The senior extended her hand to me.

“I’m Schmidt. Radia Schmidt. Sixth year.”

“... Ah, I see.”

I shook her hand. Despite her kind appearance, I could tell from the handshake that she wasn’t an ordinary person.

I scrutinized her, feeling a sense of unease. “What do you want with me?”

“Oh, nothing, Reinhart. I don’t have any business with you.”

The peculiar senior smiled faintly.

“Not yet.”

‘What was that?’

Leaving me with that strangely chilling remark, the unknown senior slowly walked away.