Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 323

“Senior, what on earth... is going on?”

“I don’t know. The important thing is, we mustn’t get involved in that matter.”

Olivia and Adriana were making their way through the forested hills. Olivia held Adriana’s hand tightly, leading the way so that they wouldn’t get separated.

When that demonic creature had suddenly kidnapped Adriana, it seemed the already dire situation had worsened even further.

Then, Olivia felt her heart sink when that demon grabbed her as well.

She dangled in mid-air, being dragged away—kidnapped—yet she couldn’t use her Divine Power recklessly. She feared that Adriana might fall to her death, so she decided to bide her time.

The demon unceremoniously dropped Adriana and Olivia off in a forest far from the monastery and simply left, leaving Olivia dumbfounded.

She had expected something terrible or life-threatening to happen. However, the demon released both her and Adriana without saying anything, and then flew away on its massive black wings.

Olivia had been contemplating how to fight this demon she had never seen before, but she didn’t even get the chance to fight.

She had considered whether to draw Tiamata as well, but the moment never came.

When the thunderstorm gathered in the distance, lightning flashed, and a crimson firestorm began to rage, it looked to Olivia as though chaos had truly erupted.

She was desperate to find out what was happening, but she didn’t head in that direction solely because of Adriana.

Though it was unclear what was actually going on, securing Adriana’s safety was the priority.

Thus, Olivia walked briskly in the opposite direction of the madness.

Adriana was just as confused by the situation.

“Listen carefully, Adriana.”

“Yes, senior?”

“We mustn’t tell anyone what happened to us.”

“Yes.”

Adriana understood why Olivia was saying this.

“Whatever it is, if someone finds out, it won’t end well.”

“... Yes.”

Given what was happening, a thorough investigation into the chaos that was occuring would soon be launched, even though it was happening on the outskirts of the capital.

Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, a demon had rescued the two of them. Such a thing would never be seen in a good light, and they might even be branded as demon collaborators.

For their silence to be effective, all the holy knights at the scene would have to die.

Olivia didn’t know what was happening, but she knew they had to leave the area.

Olivia continued to walk forward, holding Adriana’s hand firmly.

***

Given the considerable commotion, it was certain that troops would be dispatched, and an investigation would soon follow.

We regrouped at a location far from the ruined monastery.

“Did you handle everything?”

“Yes.”

It was me, Sarkegar, Loyar, Eleris, and a trembling Radia Schmidt...

Radia Schmidt hadn’t seen the full extent of the battle.

But she had seen the demon flying through the night sky, the large-scale destructive magic cast by the Vampire Lord, and the silver beast Loyar.

She had witnessed those three individuals—four, counting me—massacring the elite holy knights, including Leverier Lanche.

We would not have emerged victorious if they had been prepared and able to fight in their best condition. Normally, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against Leverier Lanche.

He had fought in a whirlwind of destructive magic so intense that it would be enough to instantly turn a normal person to ash, and he had lost his life because of Tiamata’s unexpected transformation into a demonic sword.

Strictly speaking, all of this was merely a stroke of luck achieved through my use of Revise and the demonic sword Tiamata, and not because of any significant increase in my own abilities.

However, the fact that I had faced and killed Leverier Lanche remained unchanged.

Loyar and Sarkegar had dealt with the remaining fleeing holy knights.

“Who... who are you... really...?”

In the face of this incomprehensible situation, Radia Schmidt could only see me and my subordinates as unfathomable overlords of the Demon Realm.

I had to decide what to do with the terrified Radia Schmidt.

The only thing I had needed from her was Leverier Lanche’s location, which we obtained. The matter was resolved. Therefore, Radia Schmidt was no longer useful.

I looked at the terrified Radia Schmidt.

The others hadn’t yet addressed me as “Your Highness,” so Radia Schmidt didn’t know my exact identity.

However, given that I commanded demons, she likely had some idea of who I was: the re-emerged Demon King.

I couldn’t let Radia Schmidt go quietly, since she knew too much.

I had to choose between killing her or turning her into a vampire.

“Your Highness.” But Eleris quietly called out to me. “Can you leave this child to me?”

“... You want to be responsible for her?”

Eleris didn’t enjoy killing, but she had been commanded by me to repeatedly unleash large-scale destructive magic.

While Loyar had dealt with the elite knights, Eleris had massacred those who couldn’t protect themselves.

It was no wonder that Eleris’s expression was grim.

She hadn’t protested my orders and had obediently followed them, but it was clear she was troubled. She seemed to want to avoid further killing if possible.

“I will take responsibility and ensure she becomes harmless to us.”

Radia was terrified by those words.

“P-Please... please... please... Just... Just kill me, please...” Radia whimpered, crouching down and trembling. Eleris looked at her with a sorrowful expression.

“I don’t mean to make her a thrall.”

“... Then, what do you mean to do...?”

“That’s something we’ll have to figure out gradually.”

Eleris seemed determined to find a better solution than killing or turning Radia into a vampire.

“... Alright. I trust you,” I said.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Eleris gently lifted up the trembling Radia from her crouch. Loyar and Sarkegar had nothing to say to Eleris.

Since it was Eleris, she would find a way to handle Radia without killing her.

It was better than leaving her to Loyar or Sarkegar, at least.

Moreover, Radia Schmidt was a powerful individual, on par with an elite holy knight. Having her as an ally would be beneficial.

***

Eleris returned us to the capital using Mass Teleport.

Eleris was holding onto Radia Schmidt. Radia’s face was pale with fear, unsure of what would happen to her, but she didn’t resist.

The fanatic was gone, replaced by someone trembling in fear at the thought of being bitten by a vampire.

What was Eleris planning to do with Radia?

I wasn’t sure, but if it was Eleris, I knew she would surely find a way. I could check in with her later about how she would resolve this matter.

Leaving the two of them in Eleris’s basement room, Loyar, Sarkegar, and I stepped out onto the street.

Sarkegar finally voiced the question he had been holding back. “Your Highness, why is it necessary for the empire to know of our existence? This sense of crisis will unite humanity, and that unity will be of no benefit to us.”

It was a valid question.

“I think so too,” added Loyar, who had been silent.

They had followed orders, but they couldn’t bury their doubts. They didn’t question the matter of Tiamata, since I had mentioned it in passing during a recent update.

“I have my reasons. I’ll explain soon, so just wait,” I responded.

“...”

“...”

“I’m a little busy right now.”

Sarkegar seemed to understand and fell silent, while Loyar appeared to drop the matter as if it was settled.

If I thought hard enough, I could come up with an excuse. I could convince them of the need somehow, but it wasn’t the right time for that.

“I’m going to go now.”

All I could think about was getting back to the Temple as quickly as possible.

***

It was already close to midnight.

The official events of the festival had come to their conclusion, and Ellen emerged the winner of the Miss Temple contest.

The winner of the Mister Temple contest, unfortunately, wasn’t Cliffman. However, Cliffman had charmed many senior girls with his awkward appeal and had managed to secure third place.

There was even a parade featuring Miss and Mister Temple after the contest.

Ellen hadn’t known about the parade, but it didn’t matter to her since Reinhart hadn’t shown up for the finals or the parade.

Ellen changed out of her clothes with Riana’s help.

“Something must have happened,” Riana casually remarked.

“...”

Ellen wasn’t so foolish as to fail to understand what she meant.

Her classmates who congratulated her seemed to look at her with pity.

Ellen knew why they looked at her that way.

Harriet had hugged her silently. Harriet seemed genuinely sad, which made Ellen feel even more miserable.

It was a day when she had probably received congratulations from everyone, but Ellen couldn’t remember a single word she’d heard or said.

It felt like her soul had briefly left her body and then returned.

‘What happened today? What did I do? It felt like I had a fleeting dream. A dream that was vain and empty. All that I’ve worked hard for feels so meaningless,’ Ellen thought.

After Riana left, Ellen removed her makeup, took a shower, and sat on her bed in a daze.

The cheers and applause of countless people echoed in her mind like distant reverberations.

‘There was someone I wanted to beat. There was someone whose vote I wanted to receive. But, neither of them were there.

‘...

‘Were they together?’

Ellen felt miserable thinking that.

Everyone had cheered for her and showered her with praise, yet somehow, she felt like she had failed at everything.

Ellen looked at the trophy, the evidence of her victory as Miss Temple, sitting in her room.

It wasn’t bad to receive such a thing. It was proof of others’ recognition. But it wasn’t something she needed.

Ellen stared at the trophy for a moment, then opened the door.

She needed a change of pace.

Ellen stepped outside.

She just wanted to take a walk. There was no other reason.

As she looked around the hallway and the lobby, she wondered if someone had returned. If someone was there.

She was just trying to change her mood.

Ellen quietly glanced around the Class A dormitory and headed outside.

She was dressed in light training clothes. Not much had changed, but Ellen found her reflection in the window fascinating. It was as if she had suddenly realized that clothing was very important.

Ellen looked at herself in the window, dressed in training clothes, and felt the vast gap between her recent self and her current self.

When she had been dressed up in a fancy dress, wearing heavy makeup, she had felt miserable.

Now, having returned to her original appearance, she felt even more miserable than before.

She had wanted to show it to him.

She was curious as to what expression he would make when he saw her dressed up like that.

She had been thinking about what to say while in that appearance.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Ellen headed outside the dormitory.

‘Isn’t he coming back today? Did something serious happen?’

Even though she tried not to think about it, the same thoughts kept rising, making Ellen confused.

She had asked him to come, but he hadn’t, so there must have been a reason.

‘Then, did he run across something dangerous again, as usual? Shouldn’t I be worried rather than feeling disappointed that he didn’t come? Shouldn’t I go look for him?’

As Ellen felt her imagination spiraling out of control, she headed towards the dormitory entrance.

And there, she saw it. A familiar-looking silhouette, from behind...

Someone was sitting on the steps of the dormitory entrance.

He wasn’t wearing the Temple uniform, but casual clothes.

She recognized the back of his head.

“...”

All the confusion, questions, and feelings of disappointment swirling in her mind momentarily subsided.

Ellen quietly approached the familiar figure.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, oh!” Startled by her voice coming from behind him, Reinhart almost rolled forward as he stood up. “Oh, uh... that... um.”

It was a cold day.

Reinhart’s face was red from the cold, as if he had been sitting there for a long time. He looked at her with a dazed expression.

His fingertips, face, and nose were all red.

‘Why is he sitting on the dormitory steps instead of coming inside?’

Ellen tilted her head as she looked at Reinhart.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“... Well, uh... um...”

“...”

‘Is he unable to come inside because it was cold?’

He could have gone inside, but he didn’t.

He must have felt like he needed to say something, but no words seemed adequate.

On this cold night, Reinhart had long ago returned, but couldn’t bring himself to enter the dormitory.

He probably didn’t know what to say if he ran into her. He was likely to encounter her, whether in the dormitory lobby or anywhere else.

So, he had been sitting outside the dormitory, unable to decide whether to go in or not, just endlessly sitting there.

Ellen looked at the shivering Reinhart.

He wasn’t shivering from the cold; it was clear he was trembling for another reason.

He looked so foolish.

“Aren’t you cold, I asked.”

“... Oh, well, uh... a bit?”

“Well, I want to take a walk.”

At Ellen’s words, Reinhart shook his head vigorously.

“Oh, yeah, no, not cold at all. Yeah, this is nothing.”

Ellen smiled faintly at Reinhart.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Ellen took the lead, as though leading him somewhere, and Reinhart followed behind.