Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 395

No more words were exchanged.

Both Ellen and Harriet silently retreated to their respective bedrooms to sleep, while I sat on the terrace, staring blankly at the waves crashing on the shore.

I had made this choice because I would lose Charlotte otherwise. But because of it, I’d lost something else. I couldn’t precisely explain what I’d lost, but I knew I had lost something and would continue to lose more.

This wasn’t the end. I had to become a hero.

Once it was revealed that Alsbringer had chosen me and I gained public fame, Charlotte would be known as the princess who was engaged to a hero, and her political standing would be solidified.

Vertus wanted this hero to be integrated into the royal family. I didn’t fully understand Vertus’s intention to reignite a battle that had already ended. I did not know if it was truly for his own amusement, or if there was a hidden motive behind it.

However, I had to become a hero, and to become a hero, it wasn’t enough for it to be known that I was Alsbringer’s master; I had to do something. I had to undertake numerous tasks that were bound to be dangerous.

Swish...

The sound of waves and crickets blended together on that beautiful beach, and I spent the night unable to sleep.

***

The engagement between Reinhart, who had a beggar’s background, and Princess Charlotte de Gradias would have been laughable a year ago. But now, it had become laughable for different reasons.

A princess who was losing her political standing, and Alsbringer’s master, the relic that had become the greatest symbol amongst all the other relics after the Great War... In other words, the successor to Ragan Artorius.

The questions surrounding this engagement had now been turned upside down, and it was puzzling as to why the heir of a hero should marry such a nominal princess.

The three who had gone to the Kamsencha Archipelago returned the next day.

There was hardly any conversation between them. Ellen was silent, Reinhart couldn’t speak, and Harriet wanted to say something but knew that no words would suffice, so she remained silent.

They weren’t in a state to train. Reinhart shut himself in his room, and Ellen wandered aimlessly around the dormitory.

In the central lobby on the second floor, Ellen encountered Charlotte de Gradias, who was returning to the Temple from the palace. Naturally, their eyes met.

“Oh, uh... hello...?” Charlotte greeted Ellen.

Even though they were from different classes, they had met many times and couldn’t be considered strangers, so it was perfectly normal for Charlotte to greet Ellen.

However, as she raised her hand in greeting, her fingertips trembled slightly and her gaze wavered. That signaled something to Ellen. Charlotte seemed to feel guilty just standing in front of her.

Had it been the same the few times they had met recently? Ellen couldn’t quite remember.

Now, though, she understood the meaning behind Charlotte’s behavior. She realized that Reinhart’s recent strange behavior—the trembling of his sword, and his anxious appearance—were not because of the Demon King, but because of this issue. He hadn’t known how to explain it to her before.

Now she knew. Ellen approached Charlotte without acknowledging the greeting. As Ellen approached, Charlotte seemed to hold her breath, stepping back slightly as if in fear.

Ellen was also a commoner, but she was the master of the relic Lament and the sister of Ragan Artorius. Since entering the Temple, Ellen had never been inferior to anyone in terms of her standing, despite her lack of status. She had never tried to use it, though.

Ellen had never been intimidated by anyone. She looked directly into the princess’s eyes.

“Just tell me one thing,” Ellen said.

“Oh? Uh... Okay.”

“Do you like Reinhart?” Ellen asked, watching the princess bite her lip slightly.

“...”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such a direct question. She could have blushed and run away, embarrassed by the question.

However, Ellen’s demeanor suggested that if Charlotte tried to run away, she might just grab her by the collar. Charlotte sensed from Ellen’s question that Ellen knew something about the engagement. If she knew about the engagement, she surely felt both frustrated and sorrowful because she couldn’t change Reinhart’s heart. Thus, Ellen could only ask Charlotte that one question.

Looking into Ellen’s eyes, Charlotte answered truthfully, despite how wretched she felt inside.

“Yes,” she said. “I like him a lot... a whole lot.”

Ellen could see it in Charlotte’s eyes. At least she knew that Reinhart wasn’t being used by Charlotte. If Charlotte were merely using Reinhart for her own survival, Ellen didn’t know what she might do.

But Charlotte was sincere. At some point, Charlotte had come to rely on Reinhart for many things, and even in this situation, she wasn’t happy but felt sorry for Reinhart, which showed how much she cared for him.

The last bit of hope Ellen had was shattered.

In a daze, she murmured, “I...”

She stopped herself. She had liked him first. She liked him more. She spent much more time with him.

“...”

The more she would say, the more miserable she would feel, and so Ellen couldn’t finish her sentence.

Standing in front of Charlotte de Gradias, whose expression was twisted with guilt, Ellen couldn’t bring herself to say that she had liked Reinhart first. That even when everyone had thought of him as just a lowly beggar, she had been by his side. That they had shared precious time together that couldn’t be exchanged for anything.

It felt unfair that Reinhart had to choose Charlotte just because her life was in danger. Ellen couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“I’m... I’m sorry...” Charlotte said, her expression so fragile that it looked like it might break at any moment. Ellen turned her gaze away from Charlotte.

“...”

It was painful for Ellen to keep looking at Charlotte, who had gained what she’d wanted the most, but was still unhappy.

***

In the dormitory, both Ellen and Harriet passed by me without a word. Harriet seemed unsure of what to say when she saw me, while Ellen simply walked past with her head down.

It didn’t seem like they hated me; it was more like they didn’t know how to deal with me anymore, so they avoided me.

The ironic thing was that Charlotte, like Ellen and Harriet, also found it difficult to face me. When Charlotte saw me, she hesitated, unsure of what to say, and ultimately said nothing. Perhaps she found words like “thank you” or “sorry” to be strange.

However, regardless of what I had said, Ellen and I were still scheduled to take advanced lessons with Sabioleen Tana together. It felt similar to when I’d first stood opposite Ellen in our first year.

She stood before me with a cold expression, trying to suppress any emotions and not feel anything from me.

The tip of the sword was not emotional, but restrained. The lesson continued in a dry manner, with Ellen subduing me each time with precise timing and technique.

Ellen didn’t say a single personal word to me, so the day was filled only with instruction.

“That’s it for today. Go back and rest,” Sabioleen Tana said once the lesson ended.

Ellen left without a word.

“Reinhart, stay for a moment,” Tana said.

“Yes.”

I had a feeling I knew why she had told me to remain.

After Ellen left, I remained in the waiting room of the advanced combat training grounds, and Tana sat next to me with her arms crossed.

“I heard you’re going to be engaged to Her Highness the Princess.”

“Yes.”

“...”

She looked at the waiting room exit with a complicated expression, lost in thought.

“His Majesty has been deliberating over this issue, wondering whether to publicly announce your existence or not.”

Publicizing my existence would secure Charlotte’s safety but could also put me in danger. Therefore, the emperor was approaching this issue cautiously.

“The imperial family will not take any public stance. However, rumors will be spread within the noble society.”

“So that’s how it is.”

“Yes, because that’s the safest way.”

The problem at hand was not Vertus, but Charlotte’s own faction. To prevent their defection, rumors would be spread within the imperial and noble circles. Rumors that the next successor to inherit Alsbringer has appeared, and this successor is engaged to the princess.

It was a means to stabilize the current unstable situation without the imperial family having to make a public pronouncement.

“... You understand the intention behind this, right?”

“... Yes.”

In a way, this was a scandal. The imperial family not taking any official stance on such a scandalous rumor subtly implied its truth while also allowing them to dismiss it as baseless nonsense later on.

It would ensure that I was not excessively entangled with the imperial family in any way. Or at least, that was the intent behind it.

“However, this rumor will inevitably spread among the populace. Once it’s revealed that you are Alsbringer’s master, you will inevitably face dangerous situations. Even within the Temple, there’s no guarantee of safety. The Demon King might target you first. You understand that, right?”

“Yes.”

But how could I be a threat to the Demon King? That wasn’t an issue at all, so there was nothing to really worry about.

The important thing wasn’t the fact that I was engaged. I needed to garner achievements.

Once rumors about Reinhart, Alsbringer’ master, spread within a noble society, I needed to have some accomplishments to my name to prove that I was someone significant.

In other words, I had to be made into a hero.

“You could go about performing various tasks. You could purge demons in the Dark Land, or engage in smaller tasks like dealing with bandits or thieves. Since you possess Tiamata, exterminating undead will be easier. Of course, to ensure your safety, Shanapell’s support units will handle it for you. All you need to do is to be present.”

The empire wouldn’t like me being in danger. Therefore, it wasn’t about becoming a hero in the literal sense, but about being made into a hero.

The important thing was that I would be present, while the actual fighting and battles would be handled by veterans more skilled than I. This would then be packaged as if I had done it. In other words, I would be gaining fame without actually earning it. This would be beneficial for both me and the empire.

“I don’t plan on doing that.”

“...”

“I need to handle things myself, whatever they may be.”

“Reinhart, I know you’re not being arrogant, but if you get hurt by jumping into dangerous situations yourself...”

“False skills inflated by false fame will put me in more danger. If anyone finds out that my ‘accomplishments’ were all fabricated, the situation could worsen.”

The larger my supposed accomplishments, the more my skills would be overestimated. This would make me more vulnerable. Of course, the Demon King would never pose a threat to me, but I had to avoid the Temple’s scrutiny.

In truth, I actually found it easier to operate alone. Instead of fashioning me into a hero, I had to tackle challenges with my own hands.

Sabioleen Tana looked at me and nodded quietly. “I thought you might say that.”

She seemed to have anticipated that I wouldn’t be fond of such false hero-making due to my personality.

I didn’t need the help of someone excessively stronger than me. It would be nice to have, but such help might eventually become a shackle for me.

Sabioleen Tana considered my refusal for help for another moment. “From now on, all your activities will be considered special activities, and will replace all your classes,” she finally said. “In other words, while you’re involved in these special activities, it will be considered as fulfilling the Temple curriculum.”

I was being given allowance to become a special student, which gave me the freedom to roam outside the Temple without any issue.

“Do you know about Levaina?” she asked.

“Levaina... wasn’t there an attack there recently?”

“Yes.”

That was where a secret operation by the imperial family had been carried out and disguised as a demon attack. It was where Duke Granz had died.

“Go to the capital of Levaina, Raziern.”

Investigations into the demon attack were ongoing, but I knew it wasn’t actually a demon attack. There would be no threat from demons there. Were they sending me there because it was safe?

I knew there was nothing for me to gain by going there.

“Olivia Lanche will be at the special investigation headquarters there.”

Olivia Lanche... The unexpected mention of her name caught me off guard.

“Go and assist Olivia. Even if an emergency arises, Olivia and the investigation team should be able to handle it. The likelihood of something dangerous happening is low.”

When I thought about it, it had been a while since Olivia had last visited me.

Was it because she wasn’t at the Temple at all?