Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 362

I had one last task remaining, if it could even be called that. No—rather than being the last task, it was more about finalizing all the necessary preparations. In some sense, this marked the beginning.

It was nighttime at the Temple dormitory, and I was listening to Sarkegar’s report.

“I made contact with Owen de Getmora yesterday.”

“What do you think?” I asked. “Was he surprised?”

“He was initially surprised, but being a merchant at heart, he quickly started calculating what he could get from the situation,” Sarkegar replied.

Suddenly having a demon faction propose an alliance while he was pushing for a human republican revolution had to have been startling. However, since he was someone who always looked to turn a profit, he had regained his composure and begun assessing the situation.

“He said he would need to discuss it with the leaders, but as you predicted, it seems inevitable that we will receive a positive response,” Sarkegar continued.

Now that we’d identified them, it was as if we had them by the leash. If they refused to ally with us, we could simply hand over information about the Revolutionary Forces to the empire.

“Yes. From the empire’s perspective, we aren’t the immediate threat. The Revolutionary Forces are,” I noted.

The existence of the demon faction could serve as a unifying force for humanity. However, the Revolutionary Forces caused internal division. In its current state, the demon remnant couldn’t topple the empire, but the Revolutionary Forces could. Therefore, the empire’s true focus would be the eradication of the Revolutionary Forces, and not us.

“Of course, Owen has set a condition for the meeting,” said Sarkegar, looking somewhat cautious.

“A condition...? What is it?” I asked.

“He wants to see proof that the Demon King’s successor exists,” Sarkegar explained.

“Hmm.”

That wasn’t unexpected. They would want to know how much of our power remained, as well as our capabilities, before they formed an alliance with us. They would also want to confirm if the rumored last Demon King truly existed. If I wielded the same power as the previous Baalier, they would feel reassured.

In reality, though, I didn’t possess such tangible power.

“Would they even recognize an Archdemon?” I wondered.

“Exactly,” Sarkegar agreed.

Even if I showed myself, it wouldn’t make much difference.

“Your Highness, what will you do? We need to coordinate the time and location for the meeting. You don’t have to meet them directly; they might set traps, or there may be other dangers,” Sarkegar advised.

We knew them, but they didn’t know us. Revealing myself and exposing our strength wasn’t the best choice. However, they would prefer a proper alliance over being used.

Not only that, but the Black Order had caught onto them as well.

“It’s too risky for me to go personally. Tell them there will be no direct meetings until we build a certain level of trust. After all, we don’t need to see each other’s faces to work together,” I decided.

This was the time for restraint, not recklessness.

“Understood, Your Highness,” Sarkegar acknowledged.

That seemed to be the end of his report. Of course, I had something to tell Sarkegar as well.

“We’ve decided to cooperate with the Black Order,” I informed him.

“I see,” Sarkegar replied.

I didn’t mention that Effenhauser was part of the Black Order. If I did, Sarkegar would do everything possible to get me out of the Temple.

“I haven’t determined the Black Order’s true purpose yet, but they seem to share the goal of drawing out Cantus Magna and taking them down. As long as our interests align, we should proceed with caution, even if neither side can fully trust the other.”

“... I think it’s too dangerous,” Sarkegar cautioned.

Sarkegar was correct in his judgment. I was indeed in a very dangerous situation. If Sarkegar found out that I had hidden the fact that Effenhauser was part of the Black Order, he would be furious.

“I’m not sure if it’s right to be so fixated on this Akasha. It might not even be what we’re looking for,” Sarkegar said.

“That’s true,” I replied.

What was Akasha? I didn’t know. However, having made the decision to pursue it, I had to see it through. The die had been cast long ago, and now I was just moving the pieces.

If I hadn’t intended to play such a game in the first place, I would have just stayed holed up in Eleris’s shop, quietly letting the Gate Incident and all other events unfold while wasting away in that cramped attic.

“You know as well that I visited the Demon King’s castle recently, right?” I said.

“Yes, Your Highness. Was there something there?” Sarkegar asked.

“There was a sort of refuge, stocked with supplies for a long-term stay,” I explained.

Sarkegar stared at me blankly.

“There’s such a place beneath the Demon King’s castle...?” he asked.

“Yes. So it seems even you didn’t know about it,” I replied.

“No... This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Sarkegar admitted.

“Anyway, it had to be accessed through a labyrinth that would only open for an Archdemon,” I continued.

“What a mysterious labyrinth... Though it’s not surprising, given that the previous Demon King was a master of magic,” Sarkegar noted.

Even Airi had only known that there was a secret place within the Demon King’s Castle, but was not privy to the location or what it actually was—a bunker. The Four Demon Lords would have known about the bunker, but it was a closely-guarded secret.

The only ones who knew about the bunker were the Four Demon Lords, the Demon King, and myself. The rest were unaware of the secret space within the Demon King’s Castle. At least, that was the extent of my knowledge.

“Anyway, it’s hidden beyond a labyrinth that only an Archdemon can pass through,” I reiterated.

“I see...”

“There were demonic tomes stored there. We’ll use them as bait to lure out Cantus Magna,” I explained.

That would be sufficient bait to catch the big fish named Cantus Magna, along with the Black Order’s help.

“Relay the information to Lucinil. That way, Eleris will know about it as well,” I instructed.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Sarkegar said.

We had shared the information we had gathered, and decided on our future course of action. With that, Sarkegar transformed into a sparrow and flew away.

I massaged my temples and took a few deep breaths.

‘Is it right for me not to meet with the Revolutionary Forces directly? Is it right to continue this quiet existence within the Temple when the Black Order could act against me at any time?

‘Will the magic surrounding soul absorption be the solution to Charlotte’s condition? What if meddling with Cantus Magna causes even bigger problems?

‘If everything goes wrong, and I say I was trying to save everyone, who would believe me?’

***

Four days passed, and nothing significant happened during that time.

The contact with the Revolutionary Forces was proceeding cautiously, and I had not heard back from Mr. Effenhauser either.

However, it seemed quite a few people had noticed me walking around looking gloomy.

“Hey, come out,” Riana called me while I was holed up in my room, wrestling with my thoughts.

She appeared at an unexpected time and in an unexpected way.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Come hang out with your big sis,” she said.

‘Why is she acting like this? She got a taste for bullying Cliffman, and now she’s turning her attention to me?’

“... Why are you calling yourself my big sister?” I asked.

“It’s just a figure of speech, you brat,” she replied, grabbing me by the collar and dragging me out of the room.

“Ugh!”

“Anyway, come on out, you punk.”

Riana had a carefree attitude to life, and seemed to believe that all you needed to do was just have fun. She was a rich girl, but at the same time, she didn’t quite fit the typical image of one.

“Want a drink?” she offered.

“You and I aren’t exactly at the age where we should be drinking like it’s nothing,” I pointed out.

“Yet last time, you were screaming your heart out and having the time of your life,” she retorted.

Somehow, in my situation, Riana’s carefree attitude felt oddly comforting.

It was still afternoon. As Riana dragged me along, she said, “Anyway, make some time.”

“For what?” I asked.

“Let’s just talk,” she said, flashing me a grin.

“I don’t know why you’re so down, but when you’re like that, it makes a lot of people uneasy,” she added, patting my shoulder.

Pat, pat.

“Walking around with a smile is not going to kill you.”

‘Is she saying that walking around with a frown wouldn’t solve anything, so why not walk around with a smile?’

“You’re right,” I admitted with a weak smile, and Riana clicked her tongue at me.

“Even a pig being led to the slaughterhouse wouldn’t have a face like yours,” she teased.

“Your words are getting a little harsh,” I noted.

“Yeah, that’s more like it. This is what I’m used to,” she laughed, patting my back.

Riana de Granz... always distant yet close at the same time. She was a peculiar person.

***

After she told me to make some time, Riana took me outside the Temple.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Just follow me,” she replied.

She even dragged me onto a magic train.

I couldn’t remember many times when it was just the two of us hanging out. I had only first started talking to Riana during the deserted island group mission. After that, we didn’t seem particularly close, but it felt like we became more comfortable with each other after the summer break.

In other words, despite not going through many shared events or experiences, we had somehow become close enough that there was no awkwardness between us. It was a rather strange relationship, one where we could easily call each other friends.

The magic train was busy, but not packed. I held onto the handle and stared blankly out the window. The sights passing by were similar to what I would see in Seoul, but could never be the same. The process of riding the train was the same, but the views of the capital were nothing like the Seoul I had in my mind.

As the train swayed, Riana de Granz quietly asked, “Is something going on?”

There was a sense of concern for me in her simple words. Although there were many things going on, I couldn’t tell her any of it.

“Nothing much,” I replied.

“Well, okay. Sometimes people just feel a certain way for no reason,” she said, not entirely convinced but not pressing further. Riana seemed to search for another topic, and after a brief silence, she spoke again.

“The new students will be coming in soon.”

“... Right,” I said.

I had been preoccupied with my own problems and had not thought about that. We were going to be second-year students, and freshmen would soon be joining the Royal Class.

There were quite a few characters among the freshmen who had roles in the original story, and since my actions hadn’t affected them, they would still enter the Royal Class as expected. Moreover, they would mostly be involved with Ludwig.

Of course, they would still be divided into Class A and Class B, and they would share the same tensions between them as their senior classes.

‘Freshmen...’

When I thought about it, I realized I had become somewhat detached from the Temple itself.

“I just hope there aren’t any freshmen like you,” Riana said.

“... What’s wrong with me?” I asked.

“Would you like it if a freshman like you came in and started swearing at a senior trying to establish order?” she teased.

“Oh.”

‘A freshman like me coming in? That would be the worst.’

The thought made my head spin.

Riana looked at me. “What if Harriet gathers the freshmen together to speak to them, and some tiny one starts lecturing her and makes her cry? What would you do?”

‘Uh... Well... Um...’

“...”

“You wouldn’t just stand by, right? You’d probably storm down like that senior who came to beat you up,” she said.

‘I can’t deny it!’

I had cursed Rudina out when she’d been sent to establish order among the freshmen, and she’d stormed off, promising to get back at me. She then brought Ard, a second-year, back with her, and I’d ended up getting beaten up, barely escaping the situation with a groin strike.

We were going to be second-years, and although it was inconceivable that that thick skull would try to establish order among the freshmen, if she hypothetically did and some insolent freshman cursed at her and she came to me, crying and telling me about it, saying, “A freshman did this to me...”

If that happened, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t beat that kid half to death.

‘Ard de Gritis.... I understand now...’

One year later, I finally understood the feelings of the senior who’d shown up to give me a beating. It was possible that I would end up being a worse person than him.

I would be furious and say something like, “Who are you to talk to our blockhead like that? She’s a princess, you know. How dare a little punk like you...”

When I had been on the receiving end of it, it felt disgusting and annoying, and so I just charged in. But if the situation was reversed, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t react the same way.

Riana laughed heartily as though she could read my thoughts from my expression.

“When you think about it, though, it’s funny. At the beginning of last year, when you were doing all those crazy things, I thought you were a complete lunatic... How did we end up like this?”

We had no reason to become friends, but after various events, we did. Riana probably never imagined she’d be taking me out for a walk because I looked gloomy.

Riana looked out the window with a faint smile. “One way or another, it was fun in the end.”

“...”

“I hope this upcoming year will be the same,” she said, hoping for another year filled with fun, just like last year.

“... Yeah,” I agreed, hoping for the same.

***

After disembarking from the magic train, I quickly found out where Riana was taking me. We had arrived at the mansion district in the northern part of the capital. Riana stopped in front of the gates of a very large mansion.

“Huh? Isn’t this your place?” I asked.

“You guessed it,” she replied.

‘Wait a minute. What does my looking gloomy have to do with you inviting me to your house?’

Riana chuckled. “It’s about time to get permission.”

“Permission? For what?”

“Marriage.”

“Wha—What?”

“What? You don’t like it?”

‘What the hell is she saying? Has she been looking at me like that all this time?’

“Uh, I mean... I-I don’t understand w-what you’re saying. And, sorry, but...”

“... Of course I’m joking. Did you think I was being serious?”

Riana clicked her tongue in disbelief. Blue sparks flickered around her hair.

Zap!

“And why are you genuinely distressed by just the thought of it?” she said.

“What do you want me to do? Don’t joke about things like that!” I retorted.

“Quiet.”

Riana crossed her arms, looking slightly miffed that her joke had only hurt her pride. Soon, servants came and opened the gates.

“Welcome home, miss,” the servant greeted her.

“Hello,” Riana replied.

“They’re all waiting in the annex.”

‘Waiting? Who exactly?’

“Just follow me,” Riana said, grabbing my arm and leading the way through the expansive mansion.

“You should consider yourself extremely lucky, you brat,” she added cryptically as she dragged me along.