Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 471

Night fell. I considered watching over Charlotte until she fell asleep, but it seemed better not to.

The more consideration I showed, the deeper her guilt seemed to become, so it seemed better for Charlotte if I didn’t watch over her. And besides, I couldn’t just keep talking to Charlotte forever since she wasn’t the only familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while.

I headed to the highest spire of the castle with Sarkegar and Lucinil. There was no better place to overlook the city of Rajak.

Sarkegar had taken on the form of a graceful female maid, the one he transformed into when he visited me in the Royal Class dormitory. Did he think I found his demonic form overwhelming?

“Is this place the new Dark Land that Your Highness—no, Your Majesty—has rebuilt?”

“You could say that.”

While Rajak wasn’t as bright as the capital, the streets were still illuminated, and guards with torches patrolled the refugee quarters. We were on the highest point of the castle, which was built on elevated ground. From where we were we could see the land that stretched out to the distant sea, and the water that stretched endlessly to the horizon. The expanding city and the vast farmlands beyond—it was a breathtaking sight.

Sarkegar had likely wanted a land solely for demons, where only demons lived. However, I had chosen to integrate demons with humans together, and continued to rescue both humans and demons from the continent. While it wasn’t entirely what Sarkegar had wanted, I had still succeeded in establishing my own nation on land that had avoided devastation. Of course, I had only managed to acquire this land by usurping it.

“I never thought I would see such a sight before I died... I truly didn’t think it was possible.”

Sarkegar looked out at the city of Rajak, with its harbor and the vast refugee quarters and farmlands on the opposite side. He seemed rather overwhelmed. He spun about, looking around at every corner over and over again as if he could do so forever. He looked almost like a child encountering an astonishing landscape for the first time.

Sarkegar laughed and cried like a child. “Your Majesty... I can die happily now. Even if I die, I will die blessing this new world of yours...”

“Why are you thinking about dying?” I replied. “There’s a mountain of work to do, enough to make you regret the times when there was no nation.”

“Whatever it is, no matter the task, even if I am crushed to death by it, I will die smiling. Please, command me to do anything.”

Sarkegar lifted his skirt gently with both hands and bowed his head. “Great and singular noble one, the absolute ruler of the Dark Land, lord of all demons and humans. The eternal and immortal Demon King, this loyal servant Sarkegar will always be at your command.”

Sarkegar smiled at me. His smile was usually wicked and sinister, but this smile was as happy as I had ever seen, with tears in his eyes, even though he wore the false guise of a human woman. He seemed so overwhelmed with happiness.

‘If happiness could be embodied in an expression, it might look like this,’ I thought.

The first time I had met him, I had felt afraid. I had even thought that I might have to eliminate Sarkegar someday. Then, at some point, I felt guilty for not being able to fulfill Sarkegar’s wish.

However, as I failed to achieve my own wish, I ultimately had to do what I hadn’t wanted to do. I became the ruler of the Dark Land.

Therefore...

I embraced Sarkegar, speaking the honest truth that had been in my heart all along. “Welcome back, my most loyal subject.”

***

Sarkegar descended from the spire, saying that he wanted to take a closer look at my Dark Land.

I felt a little flustered. Was he really that happy? I had expected Sarkegar to be happy, but I hadn’t anticipated that it would be to this extent.

“You’ve really accomplished a lot in these two years,” Lucinil said, and I gave a wry smile.

While Sarkegar had been moved by the reconstruction of the Dark Land, Lucinil seemed purely amazed that I had managed to achieve so much in the short span of two years.

Sarkegar, Effenhauser, Loyar, and Lucinil—these four had stood up to Sabioleen Tana and the knights of Shanapell directly while I escaped the Temple.

Loyar and Mr. Effenhauser had died, and only after quite some time, was I able to reunite with the other two.

“It must have been tough for you all this time,” I said.

“No, I’m telling you, I was really fine,” Lucinil replied.

My warning that killing Lucinil and Sarkegar would result in a state of permanent hostility—perhaps that was why the empire hadn’t dared to mistreat them.

“Archdemon, it’s only been two years. Even if I had gone through some rough times, how significant could that be, in the grand scale of my life?” Lucinil said. It was true that those two years, even if they had been difficult, would be relatively insignificant in the context of her long life.

Still, the fact that Lucinil had risked the threat of death because of me remained unchanged.

Lucinil quietly gazed at the city lights.

“You know, Baalier, this is what amazes me more,” she said.

“What is?” I asked.

“This place. You and I have been here before,” she reminded me.

“That’s right.”

Though we had only visited once, Lucinil and I had come to the Edina Archipelago to meet Airi. We hadn’t toured the city, but Lucinil would know how different the Edina Archipelago looked now, compared to that winter.

“How did so much change in just two years?” Not only had a massive new temple been built, but the city itself had expanded to a scale that was incomparable to before.

“Why does the time of mortals flow so quickly?”

Lucinil seemed fascinated by how much had changed in just two years.

“It’s so quaint and cute,” she said, covering her mouth as she laughed. “And that’s what makes it all the more sad.”

The lives of mortals always had an end, which was death. It seemed Lucinil felt both the brilliance and the sadness of mortality simultaneously.

“Why have you helped me so much?” I asked.

Lucinil tilted her head at my question. “Hmm?”

Lucinil had been of great help to me. In the Council, she was second only to Eleris in terms of support offered. She had even risked death for me. I wasn’t sure if Lucinil had a specific reason to do so. I had only heard that she was repaying an old debt she had to Eleris.

Lucinil looked at me. “When my lifespan as a homunculus reached its limit, it was Eleris who helped me become a vampire.”

“Ah...”

I had thought it might be something like that. In fact, Eleris had helped Lucinil when her lifespan as a homunculus was at its end.

“I was originally from the Tuesday clan. Of course, there was a promise involved. Eleris didn’t intend to lead a clan. She could make me a vampire, but wouldn’t take responsibility for me. So the Head of the Wednesday clan, who was close to Eleris, took me in.”

“And then you ended up becoming the Head of the Wednesday clan?”

“The previous Head of the Wednesday clan didn’t have a clan either. I was the only one who could take over,” Lucinil said as she stretched. “Honestly, I helped you thinking I was repaying a life debt, but... Well, let’s just say I’m the type to do everything earnestly.”

The word “earnestly” somehow struck me as amusing.

“Immortals inevitably become lazy, and when they fall into that laziness, ennui sets in, and when even ennui becomes tiresome, they give up on life. I’ve told you before, right? Most Vampire Lords eventually choose to give up on life.”

“You did.”

“So, while I don’t have much to do, when I decide to do something, I do it earnestly. Helping you was one of those things.”

She had risked her life because she earnestly wanted to help me... It sounded rather strange.

“Is it that complicated? Just as Antirianus is quite strange, you can think of me as being similarly strange.”

“Such strangeness is excessively convenient for me,” I said.

“Is it?”

Of course, although Antirianus’s strangeness was unpleasant, it was also convenient for me, just like with Lucinil.

“Of course,” she continued, “just because I do everything earnestly doesn’t mean I would do anything for someone I dislike, or put effort into something insignificant.”

Lucinil stretched again, taking a few deep breaths. “You’re quite a pretty one, and cute too. Admirable as well. Immortals like me, when we get too old, inevitably find beings like you endearing.

“We’ve grown so old that we know too well what can and cannot be done. Even if we never did it ourselves, we’ve lived through the histories recorded in books in real-time.

“Looking at the beings who dreamt too big... Knowing that it’s all futile, knowing that it’s impossible, knowing that it’s excessively difficult... Do you think we laugh at those who dream impossibly big dreams, thinking that they would never come true?

“In truth, we don’t. We’ve witnessed countless failures, but we’ve also seen a few successes. Even if a hundred—no, a thousand—fail, we’ve still seen those rare few who manage to succeed.

“We’ve seen people achieve the impossible, turning dreams into reality. But, of course, far more have failed than succeeded. Over all these years, only a handful of individuals have truly managed to pull it off.

“We’ve seen many attempt the impossible, fail, and die, but someone would eventually succeed. So I don’t laugh at those impossible attempts. I feel sorry for those who fail, and think that those who succeed are amazing.

“Immortals like me find beings like you pitiful, and unfortunate. So maybe that’s why we have a desire to do something for you.

“Do you understand, Archdemon? I want to make sure that your story isn’t remembered as a tragic one. Instead of just watching from the sidelines of history as I’ve always done, this time, I want to stand by your side and help create that history.

“So the help Eleris gave me... Well, it’s not such an important factor now.”

She would do what she could to ensure that my story wouldn’t be a tragic one.

Antirianus had said he would be fine whether I died miserably or succeeded in achieving my goals. While Lucinil couldn’t be said to be the complete opposite of him, she seemed to care for me. She would do her best to ensure my story didn’t end in tragedy. It wasn’t just about doing something for me; there was something more in her words that resonated deeply within me.

Lucinil stretched languidly.

“Even though we were only captive for a short time, not being able to breathe the night air outside for two years was certainly a little suffocating,” Lucinil said.

Though she had been living in comfort, it certainly had not been a life of freedom.

“Reinhart.”

“Yes?”

Sometimes she called me Archdemon, sometimes Baalier, and sometimes Reinhart. Lucinil called me whatever she pleased.

She smiled at me.

“Thank you for giving me the gift of this night air again.”

Did she see it as a gift? Instead of resenting me for not being able to take care of her for two years, she was thankful.

There were many strange beings among the immortals of this world, but if there were only immortals like Lucinil, wouldn’t that be quite nice?

Despite having been confined for two years as a price for saving my life, she thanked me for the ability to breathe the cold night air. However, it wasn’t the time to feel happy, not yet. It wasn’t the time to be thankful or anything like that.

“I’m the one who should be thankful,” I said.

Even though we had only shared a few brief moments, I was grateful and happy to see Sarkegar, Lucinil, and Charlotte safe again.

***

After Lucinil and Sarkegar left, I sat alone on the edge of the spire’s railing, quietly looking down at the streets of Rajak.

I had succeeded in what I’d wanted to do. There had been unfortunate casualties, but they had literally been unavoidable.

The remnants of the Black Order, who deemed it impossible to kill me after their leader’s death, had fled.

I looked down at the vast expanse below my feet. It was a dizzying feeling. There were good outcomes, but terrible things had also happened.

I had acted harshly toward Ellen. Given the situation, it seemed to be the best course of action. And if I were placed in that situation again, I believed I would do the same.

Ellen had to be suffering. After all, we had not been able to have a normal conversation. I couldn’t forget Ellen’s eyes, which were filled with fear, sorrow, and sadness as she looked up at me.

I remembered those eyes, and the way the tip of her sword had trembled. I had so much to say, but there was no way I could have opened my mouth.

All of those details were painfully etched into my mind.

“...”

I was in pain, and Ellen was probably suffering as well, perhaps even more than me.

I had given her even more reasons to suffer. I had hurt her, and the experience of physically hurting me must have shocked Ellen even more. It was something that had to be done, but it also surely caused Ellen pain.

I wanted to tell her I was sorry, but would such a day ever come for us?

Perhaps such a day would never come.

I quietly gazed at the lights of the city. Ellen and I lived in different worlds. In this place, I had created a society of demons and humans. Ellen had to be the sole beacon of hope for humanity, with all its hatred, fear, and anger. She had to unite them.

At this moment, Ellen was more important than the emperor.

Ellen and I had to live out different lives in different worlds. The best thing for both of us was to live without knowing where the other was. If we ever cross paths, we would have to fight, even if it was forced, like earlier on. We had to show the world that we would fight. After all, we were enemies.

People had to believe that the Hero was stronger than the Demon King. They had to believe that the Demon King could not attack the empire and humanity because of the Hero’s existence, and that one day the Hero would defeat the Demon King. That was why I had deliberately allowed Ellen to inflict a critical wound.

Even though that fight had been necessary and I had pretended to lose on purpose, the fight also showed me what the outcome would be if I fought Ellen Artorius seriously, without any emotions hindering either of us.

“...”

If I ever had to fight Ellen Artorius seriously, if such a day ever came, I realized through that day’s unintended fight that, objectively, I would lose to her every time.