Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 507

Someone was bound to die.

Countless people had already perished, so there was no reason why the students of the Royal Class should be exempt from death.

During the defense of the base, a swarm of flying beasts had attacked the rear, where the wounded were being treated, and Ashir had been torn apart by the beasts right there. That was not too long ago, and the pervasive gloom and tension clouding the Royal Class encampment had only intensified since Ashir’s death.

A classmate had died. Everyone knew that death was an inevitability in the face of the Gate Incident and the war against the monsters, but the death of someone close was an unavoidable shock.

Everyone was full of sorrow, and some were still mired in it.

However, what Ellen saw in Ludwig’s eyes wasn’t sorrow. Whatever emotions he had felt before had transformed into anger and hatred, and Ellen could only intuit that Ludwig wanted revenge.

Although she hadn’t witnessed Ashir’s death, Ellen was equally shocked by it, and the echo of that death within her was not resentment or hatred, but guilt.

When this final march ended, who would be dead, and who would be alive?

Clink.

Ludwig paused as he was about to take a bite of his sausage, and set it back on his plate.

“You,” Ludwig said.

“... Yes?”

“When Reinhart appeared in the capital previously...”

At those words, Ellen felt her heart tighten.

The Demon King’s assault on the capital and the abduction of the princess—everyone knew that story. In the end, it had ended with Ellen defeating the Demon King, and so the morale within the capital had soared despite the significant losses.

Ludwig was speaking of that incident, an event that had left a deep scar across Ellen’s heart.

“You didn’t... deliberately hold back or anything, right?”

Ellen’s hand trembled slightly at his words.

“...”

Ludwig’s gaze was unwavering, and Ellen felt as if she were being interrogated. After staring at Ellen for a moment, Ludwig shook his head.

“No, that can’t be. You wouldn’t do that.”

“...”

Ludwig looked at Ellen with eyes as deep and dark as an abyss.

“You wouldn’t do that, right?”

“...”

“I mean, you’re a hero. Chosen by the gods to wield two holy relics and defeat the Demon King.” Ludwig’s words to Ellen sounded like a threat.

“Sorry, I overstepped,” he then muttered to himself. “It’s not my place to say this. Someone like me, daring to speak to you like that. My bad.”

Ellen felt a chill run through her body.

“I’ve never beaten Reinhart even once,” Ludwig added, looking at Ellen. “But you were always stronger than Reinhart. So, somehow... it feels strange...”

His gaze that seemed to pierce through her, questioning her. ‘It’s something I can’t do, something I can’t achieve. But you can, and yet you don’t.’

“Ludwig.”

A girl with red hair, who had been calmly eating a few seats away, called out to Ludwig.

“... Oh, hey, Scarlett.”

“Please don’t burden Ellen like that.”

“...”

“She should at least be comfortable here. After all, Ellen must be having the hardest time out of all of us.”

Ellen was already under immense pressure from many angles. Scarlett was cautioning Ludwig not to add to that burden.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Ludwig said, nodding slowly.

He looked back at Ellen. “Sorry, Ellen. For making you uncomfortable.”

Ellen shook her head and then bowed her head.

“No... it’s fine.”

Ellen stared blankly at the bread in her hand, saying nothing more.

In the end, Ellen couldn’t finish her meal properly.

***

Ellen’s tent in the Royal Class encampment wasn’t the largest. The largest tent belonged to Adelia and Cristina, who had talents in alchemy.

Because of the equipment needed for magical research, a significant amount of manpower was required to set up and dismante their tent, and several wagons were needed just for their personal research items.

Adelia didn’t participate in battles herself, but in large-scale battles, the artifacts she developed and improved proved crucial.

Cristina and Adelia.

If the Gate Incident were fully resolved and humanity could once again rebuild, their names would be mentioned alongside Ellen’s in the history books.

They needed a lot of research equpiment, while Ellen, aside from the two holy relics, did not have any necessary personal items.

Ellen had never been interested in decorating her room or anything like that. Thus, while Ellen’s tent was quite spacious and divided into sections based on function to ensure comfort, but it wasn’t particularly luxurious.

.

.

Night fell over the encampment.

As soon as Ellen reached her tent, she removed her plate armor.

Clink, clink.

The joints of the armor came undone on their own, floating in the air and reassembling themselves on the stand.

Ellen watched quietly.

This kind of armor usually required assistance to put on and take off, but her specially-crafted silver plate armor was different.

“Whew...”

The armor had been designed to ensure maximum mobility, but it was still uncomfortable. Wearing such elaborate armor was for show, and the need to perform was more suffocating than the actual physical discomfort.

***

Ellen sat quietly, soaking in the tub placed in the section of the tent which was the bathroom. She repeatedly splashed hot water on her face.

Pressing her thumb and forefinger against her eyes, Ellen took deep breaths.

“Haah...”

In and out.

“Haah...”

Again and again.

The thought that she might suffocate from the pressure crossed her mind several times a day.

It was true that she was accomplishing what she could.

She was more capable than others, able to do more, and was indeed handling more burdensome tasks. But other people’s expectations were too high and too great.

And all their expectations led to a place she did not want to go, where she had to do something she absolutely did not want to do with her own hands.

If only she could die.

If only she could disappear from the world.

If she died while on a mission, she wouldn’t have to feel these emotions anymore.

Such thoughts ran through her mind dozens of times a day.

But she knew she wasn’t allowed that.

She had to live.

As long as she was alive, humanity wouldn’t lose hope. So she couldn’t die.

Even if there was some end she had to face if she remained alive, she had to live until that moment.

Even if she didn’t know what to do, she had to live.

Sitting in the bath, Ellen kept reminding herself of that.

A future full of despair awaited, but it was only despair for her.

For the time being, finishing this long expedition was the priority.

Destroying the warp gates across the continent was a good thing, and something that had to be done.

She would push aside all other thoughts until then.

She would deal with whatever came after that when the time was right.

“Hooo...”

Ellen took deep breaths, trying to calm her dark and chaotic mind.

After sufficiently calming herself, Ellen finished her bath and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

After drying her hair somewhat, she draped a towel over her shoulders and stepped into the central space of the tent, only to be startled.

Though she was properly dressed, Ellen instinctively clutched the collar of her shirt as she stared at the uninvited guest who had entered without warning.

Ellen’s tent wasn’t the largest, but it was certainly special.

Though it was a tent, it had magical barriers that, when activated, prevented anyone from entering without permission. There had been rude and unwelcome intruders before.

However, someone had bypassed those barriers and was inside her tent.

The robed figure, that was slightly smaller than Ellen, sat there as if waiting for her.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Ellen immediately summoned Lapelt and Lament. She pointed her sword at the mysterious figure.

“... Who are you?”

The robed figure removed their hood, and Ellen’s mouth fell open.

“It’s been a while... or maybe not, Ellen.”

“Harriet...?”

Harriet de Saint-Ouen sat there, looking at Ellen with a sorrowful expression.

***

A few months before, Harriet and Ellen had crossed paths.

During the Demon King’s assault on the capital, Ellen and Harriet hadn’t spoken, but they had briefly locked eyes as Reinhart was being rescued.

Inside Ellen’s tent, Harriet looked at Ellen with a sorrowful expression.

Harriet had come to see her.

Ellen dismissed Lament, but kept a slight distance between herself and Harriet.

They were friends.

Thanks to various events that followed Reinhart’s first disappearance from the Temple, Ellen and Harriet had grown close enough to call each other friends.

Harriet, who had disliked Reinhart, had cried in the rain when he disappeared...

Ellen, who thought Reinhart had vanished because of the harsh words she had said to him...

They had searched for the missing Reinhart together, and that was the foundation of their friendship.

And now, because of Reinhart, they shared a strange and awkward relationship, and neither knew if they could call the other friend or not.

Ellen did not know why Harriet had come to see her. She only had a completely unrelated thought. ‘Are we still friends?’

Ellen quietly lowered her gaze.

Harriet seemed to be thinking something similar, and was unable to meet Ellen’s eyes directly.

“I know it’s not the right situation,” Harriet began cautiously, “but... do you want to go out for a walk?”

“...”

The surrounding areas had already been cleared of beasts.

“Okay.”

“I’ll wait for you on the southern outskirts of the encampment.”

Ellen nodded quietly, and Harriet disappeared with a teleportation spell.

***

Following Harriet’s request, Ellen ventured out to the southern area of the encampment in the middle of the night. No one stopped her.

In the southern outskirts, Harriet waited for Ellen under the moonlit field.

Harriet and Ellen walked through the moonlit field, strewn with the corpses of slain monsters.

The army would set up camp briefly, deal with the surrounding beasts, and then the troops would move on. They would reach the next destination, carry out the gate destruction operation, and then head to the next gate.

The last army of humanity would press on like this until the final gate was destroyed.

“I guess it’s not the right time to ask if you’ve been well...” Harriet said, trailing off with a bitter smile. It was too strange a question to ask.

Like Reinhart, Harriet had been watching over the human world, including the capital, from somewhere.

Ellen had many questions. Where had Harriet been all this time? Was everyone doing well? Was everyone somehow managing to get by, even in this miserable world?

However, Ellen felt she had no right to ask such questions, so she could not assuage any of her doubts.

They walked for a long time without much conversation.

The very fact that they had to choose what to say to each other meant that they had grown too distant.

No one else could see them having this conversation.

Harriet wasn’t the Demon King, but she was hated almost as much.

This allied army was humanity’s last and strongest force, and so Duke Saint-Ouen and his mage corps were with them as well.

Ellen had some inkling about the situation around Duke Saint-Ouen, who was being shunned even while serving in the war because his daughter had betrayed humanity.

Despite being an excellent mage and having made significant contributions thus far, both soldiers and commanders treated Duke Saint-Ouen as a quasi-spy, believing him ready to betray humanity at any moment.

Harriet had to know that her father and his army were in the encampment.

“Our classmates... Are they doing well?” Despite this, Harriet asked about her classmates, and not her father.

Ellen felt suffocated by the question.

Up to this point, everyone had somehow managed to be safe.

All but one...

“Ashir... died.”

“Oh...”

Neither Ellen nor Harriet had been particularly close to him.

Class B Number 4, Ashir, who had a talent for Divine Power...

All Harriet knew was that he had a gentle demeanor and a timid personality.

Ellen knew that after the Gate Incident, Ashir had saved many lives with his talent, even though he wasn’t involved in the battles.

Harriet, shaken after hearing the news of the death of a classmate, even one that she was not particularly close to, walked on silently with a vacant expression.

She knew that the death of one of her classmates was only the beginning.

Whether due to accidents or the overwhelming number of otherworldly monsters, they would continue to die, one by one.

Both Ellen and Harriet knew this.

Harriet neither offered condolences nor cried over Ashir’s death. She simply walked on aimlessly for a long while.

Typically, when meeting up after a long time, people would begin by making small talk before getting to the main point. But in this world, there was no such thing as small talk.

Bringing up the topic of classmates led to a discussion on death.

Being near the camp of an army that had been deployed for war made it difficult to bring up light topics, and even if they discussed such things, it would only highlight the disconnect from reality.

It was impossible to start with small talk before getting around to the main point.

Harriet eventually stopped, as if she had made a decision.

Her eyes were filled with sadness. The feeling of self-loathing for having to ask someone else to sacrifice themselves for something she couldn’t handle or take responsibility for was overwhelming.

When Harriet stopped, Ellen also stopped.

“Ellen.”

“Yes?”

“Reinhart... might die.”

“... What?”

For the first time, Ellen felt as if someone else’s words had made her heart stop.

Harriet began to lay out the situation to the dazed Ellen.

She couldn’t tell Ellen the whole truth about how the Demon King had established a nation in the Edina Archipelago.

However, she could tell Ellen the story of how countless souls had merged into a single entity, growing larger and larger, how Olivia Lanche had been dominated by it, and also how Reinhart had somehow expelled the collection of souls from Olivia’s body and absorbed them into himself. And how, as a result, the Demon King was slowly dying from the pressure of trying to contain the countless souls that were filled with hatred and resentment towards him.

Ellen was shocked to learn that a multitude of spirits could merge together into a singular will, and she was left speechless by the unbelievable revelation that Reinhart had drawn them into himself to prevent them from causing any further harm.

Harriet wiped her eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot.

If she could, she would do it herself.

If there was any other way, she wanted to find it.

But the sight of Reinhart slowly dying meant that there wasn’t much time left.

And since she couldn’t save him, she was asking Ellen to do it.

She felt miserable, pathetic, and shameless for having to make such a request.

She could have sent someone else.

Antirianus, who had proposed this, could have come himself.

But Harriet had chosen to come. She couldn’t let someone else deliver such a request.

No matter how miserable and painful it was to make such a request, she felt it was her responsibility to ask Ellen as her friend.

“Please... Save Reinhart... Please save him...”

“...”

Ellen looked at the tearful Harriet.

How could she possibly save Reinhart?

Suddenly, Ellen seemed to understand what Harriet was asking.

“If I take it upon myself... Is that it? I don’t know how, but... Is that what you’re saying?”

“...”

Harriet looked at Ellen quietly and nodded. She cried and nodded, unable to make the request out loud.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ellen nodded. “I’ll do it.”

Harriet was taken aback by Ellen’s lack of hesitation.

“Ellen... I know I just asked this of you and I know it’s ridiculous for me to say this, but... This isn’t a decision to make so quickly.”

“I’ll do it.” freewēbnoveℓ.com

“Ellen...”

Though Harriet had made the request, Ellen still did not fully understand what she would have to endure. Harriet had to explain how dangerous it was and what consequences it might bring, rather than deceive Ellen.

“You might die,” Harriet warned her. “No, not just die. Your soul might disappear. You might be consumed by those souls. Your existence might vanish. Or you might become something entirely different.”

Death, the annihilation of existence, or the permanent alteration of one’s self...

“Then, let me ask you one thing,” Ellen said.

“Yes?”

“If I take this collection of souls into my body and let them control me... will I end up hating Reinhart...?”

Ellen Artorius would disappear, and a new Ellen Artorius, consumed by the souls that hated the Demon King, would be born.

“... That’s what will probably happen.”

“I will hate him to the point of actually wanting to kill him? Is that what you’re saying?”

“... Yes. Probably...”

The hero who loved the Demon King would disappear, and only a puppet burdened with hatred and resentment, wanting to kill the Demon King, would remain.

“Is that a certainty?”

Harriet trembled. Ellen was asking if there was the slightest possibility of her own self not being erased and somehow surviving.

“I don’t know... I don’t know for sure... But just as Reinhart is somehow holding on... you might not disappear either. But I can’t be sure... Really, no one knows what will happen...”

There was no guarantee that those vengeful spirits would not merge with Ellen Artorius’s self.

Reinhart had already achieved the impossible, and Ellen Artorius might achieve something even more impossible.

There was no absolute. Only something close to absolute.

Ellen stopped and thought.

If she disappeared, then she would eventually fight Reinhart. Her body, driven by the will to hate the Demon King, would try to do such a thing.

Of course, she didn’t want that. But if she did not act immediately, Reinhart would die.

There might be another way to save him, but even if it existed, there wasn’t enough time to find it.

By taking on the hatred of humanity, she could save Reinhart. It wasn’t just a conceptual thing; it was practical.

‘Truly accepting the hatred and resentment into myself and then becoming an adversary to the Demon King later...

‘If that could save Reinhart.

‘If I could save Reinhart now, and leave the future for later...

‘Is it okay for me to disappear?

‘Is it okay for me to die?

‘Is that the price for my distrust?’

She would never find complete absolution, but she could buy a small amount of it with her life.

Besides, there was no guarantee that her existence would completely disappear.

Even if the possibility was slim, there was no reason not to bet on it.

And, she remembered the words she once said... That she could die for him.

The moment had come to stay true to those words. The moment had come to begin to atone, even a little, for the sin of distrusting Reinhart.

“I always thought I could die for Reinhart. But despite that, when it really mattered, I failed to trust Reinhart, and I put him through something worse than death.”

Ellen smiled sadly.

“Isn’t it a good thing? That even after what I’ve done, there’s still something even someone like me can do for Reinhart?”

“...”

“I’m grateful that there’s something I can do for Reinhart, even if it’s this.”

Harriet looked at Ellen, then burst into tears.