Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 395

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.

“... 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?