Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 463

Antirianus took off his fedora and bowed deeply to me.

“Great Being, how did the scenery of the capital appear to your eyes?”

‘Is that really what you wanted to ask?’

“What do you think? It was not a sight worth seeing.”

He had probably wanted to see me in despair after witnessing it with my own eyes. However, my reaction was rather bland, and Antirianus twisted his lips slightly, as if slightly annoyed.

‘What a troublesome old monster.’

“Have you thought of a way to bring the princess here?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to think about it gradually.”

“Surprisingly, if you discreetly demand the princess, they might hand her over relatively easily, don’t you think? Especially if the empire wants to protect the princess any way they can.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s not like I haven’t thought about that method.”

If I told Vertus to hand over the princess, the empire might actually do it.

“But the empire wouldn’t have a suitable excuse to give for the missing princess. Saying she just disappeared wouldn’t work, and claiming that the Demon King kidnapped her without any incident occurring wouldn’t be convincing either. Ultimately, it would put the empire in a difficult position. Bringing Charlotte here is important, but I can’t cause greater chaos in the empire because of it.”

I wasn’t dismissing Antirianus’s suggestion outright, but the public’s attention was too focused on the reclusive princess.

The populace wouldn’t easily believe any announcement that the princess had suddenly disappeared, especially since there was already some distrust towards the imperial family itself.

Bringing Charlotte to Edina wasn’t just about saving one person. If I went about it wrongly, I might save Charlotte but trigger a large-scale riot instead. And after witnessing how unsettled public sentiment was in the capital, I realized the potential scale of such a riot.

If a riot broke out and the empire collapsed, or if a riot occurred and the empire massacred the rioters, the former would mean the fall of the empire, while the latter would lead to the empire’s long-term decline. Therefore, I needed to approach this issue with extra care.

I didn’t necessarily wish for the empire to remain intact, but I didn’t particularly wish for its destruction either.

Until the Gate Incident was fully resolved and the monsters on the continent were eradicated, the empire had to exist. That was why I was refraining from making hasty judgments on this issue, which needed a more delicate response.

Antirianus gave a subtle smile at my cautious response.

“That issue aside, what do you plan to do about Lord Sarkegar and the head of the Wednesday clan?”

“...”

Antirianus had touched a nerve.

Charlotte was one thing, but I still hadn’t managed to retrieve those two who had been detained in the empire.

***

That night, I was winding down the day with Harriet in the bedroom, as usual.

My mood was somewhat subdued after having returned from the empire and spoken with Antirianus. I still hadn’t properly processed the deaths of Effenhauser and Loyar, and I also hadn’t thought about rescuing Lucinil and Sarkegar, who were still alive. There was too much to do. Or perhaps that was just an excuse.

I had declared to the empire that if they killed Lucinil and Sarkegar, we would be on permanently hostile terms, but I didn’t know where they were or how they were being treated. I could only speculate that they were under strict supervision within the imperial palace.

Although Antirianus was conducting espionage activities within the empire and in its capital, he had no information on their whereabouts.

The fact that I still didn’t know their location was, in itself, a clue. Those two were probably being reserved by the empire as cards to play in any future negotiations, which could happen at any time.

Could I take them back in exchange for offering to protect Charlotte? I couldn’t approach this problem recklessly.

“They’ll both be safe,” said Harriet.

I nodded quietly, but doubt still lingered.

“As you know, Sarkegar was the one who kidnapped the princess and the empress during the Great War. Lucinil might be fine, but... Sarkegar could be dead,” I said.

The empire would now be aware of what Sarkegar had done, and they might have already killed Sarkegar for his actions despite my threat. And they could still harbor hatred towards me, the Demon King, as an evil being for employing someone like Sarkegar.

Sarkegar was the one who desired the reconstruction of the Demon Realm more than anyone else. I had had no intention of fulfilling that wish before, and now, without Sarkegar, I had become the king of a realm that included demons, even if it was not perfect. I wondered what Sarkegar would say if he saw this scene. He might explode with anger, questioning how I could live among humans.

Or, he might have been moved to tears after seeing a lost realm somewhat rebuilt.

I wanted to show this realm to Sarkegar, who was always a loyal servant. The fate of the world was constantly hanging by a thread, but I wanted to show him this realm that had been created despite it all. Whether he cursed me for it or rejoiced, it didn’t matter. I wanted to show Sarkegar this, but the thought that he might already be dead made it hard to breathe.

I could postpone thinking about those whose deaths had been confirmed. However, thinking about those whose fates were still uncertain drove me to the brink of madness with anxiety.

I needed to save them.

Was it right to be doing all this while they were still in danger? Was it okay to keep postponing these tasks just because there were too many things to do?

Sensing my anxiety, Harriet came over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

“We’re always doing our best.”

“... It might not be the best.”

“Still, we have to believe it is.”

At Harriet’s words, I gritted my teeth.

The unresolved issue of Lucinil’s and Sarkegar’s captivity and this new problem with Charlotte... Could I solve these?

Just as my trying to save the world had ended up damaging it, could I be sure I wouldn’t fail this time as well? I acted because I had to do something, moved forward because I had to move forward.

But the fear of terrible failure still lay dormant within me. I was merely trying not to consciously face that fear, but the fear that my existence might ruin everything again was undoubtedly lurking within.

***

I still didn’t know how to proceed with things. But having seen the state of the empire with my own eyes, it was time to carefully decide what to do.

Harriet always sat on her bed reading a book until she fell asleep at night, so in the morning, I would often find her asleep in a crouched position with a book open, as if she had fallen asleep without realizing it.

However, that night, Harriet was sitting on the bed, doing nothing. She seemed to be quietly thinking about something. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. I could somewhat guess what she was thinking.

I had returned from the empire’s territory. The empire—the land of humans. Although my identity as the Demon King had been revealed at the end, I had returned safely. Naturally, Harriet would have thoughts that if I could go, perhaps she could too.

Just as I had a mountain of tasks to do, so did Harriet, and she probably had even more to do than I did. Naturally, she would also be thinking about the things she had left behind.

The Three Enemies.

Olivia Lanche, Riana de Granz and Harriet de Saint-Ouen... The three people who betrayed humanity.

Harriet was in a different position from the other two. Olivia had no family, and Riana’s only remaining family, Duchess Granz, was quietly residing at a villa in Edina.

Harriet couldn’t help but think about what she’d left behind in the human lands and feel guilty about it. Naturally, her thoughts would turn to the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, her father and her family.

The daughter who had become a traitor to humanity couldn’t help but think about the practical problems the Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen was facing because of her and feel guilty.

Therefore, while Harriet might appear fine on the surface and even worry about me, she could very well be the one who was suffering the most. Because the price for choosing the Demon King wasn’t being paid by her, but by her family.

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The Duchy of Saint-Ouen had also suffered significant damage, but as Harriet mentioned, the capital of the duchy, Arnaka, was safe under the protection of the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke had dedicated himself to the empire’s cause in place of his daughter, who had betrayed humanity.

The Grand Duke had to prove that it was his daughter who had chosen to side with the Demon King, and not himself or the duchy. Therefore, the Grand Duke, who was participating in this war that determined the fate of humanity, was overworking himself to atone for his daughter’s sins.

But that alone might not be sufficient to ensure the survival of the ducal family.

The masses needed a scapegoat.

The ducal family was currently buying its pardon by facing the fallout from the Gate Incident head on, which was what the empire and humanity needed. However, once the Gate Incident was resolved, the Duchy of Saint-Ouen was highly likely to be the first to be sacrificed to the angry populace of the empire.

The Grand Duchy of Saint-Ouen was the home of one of the three traitors to humanity, and would be sacrificed not because they deserved to be sacrificed, but because a scapegoat was needed.

The masses would not care how much the Duchy of Saint-Ouen had contributed to ending the Gate Incident. Harriet would surely be thinking that responsibility for the actions she had taken would fall on her people and her family, and not herself. Perhaps she thought about it more than I did.

Although she was probably suffering more than I was, she still did not speak to me about this. She probably thought I was having a harder time than her.

Since I had gone to the empire’s lands, Harriet probably also wanted to see the situation in the Duchy of Saint-Ouen with her own eyes. Even though she knew they were safe, she would want to see the reality facing the capital, Arnaka. She would want to see with her own eyes how her family, including the Grand Duke, was doing.

“Hey,” I called.

Harriet looked over at me. “Yeah?”

“Would you like to visit Arnaka?”

“Huh?”

Harriet looked startled. She probably didn’t expect me to suggest something like this suddenly.

Even though there were many things to do, there was no reason why Harriet and I couldn’t spend a day in Arnaka, just like how I had eventually gone to the imperial capital, Gradium,

Even though seeing the imperial capital only left a dreadful impression on me, I had still gone. Even if the journey home might fill her with nothing but regret, Harriet, too, had no reason not to walk that path.

Harriet’s eyes quivered with emotion. My suggestion seemed rather shocking to her.

“Things in Rajak are on track now. We can spare a day. So... if you want to go, we can take a day. Or not just a day—we can spend a few days there.”

Harriet’s family, especially the Grand Duke, might try to keep her from leaving once they met her. But then again, Harriet had been working for me for a long time. Shouldn’t she have the choice to decide whether to meet her family or not, after all the silent suffering she had endured?

Whether to meet her family or not would be Harriet’s choice, but there was no risk in simply seeing Arnaka with her own eyes. She had to be allowed to see the present state of her hometown with her own eyes.

“Will you... come with me?” Harriet asked as she looked at me, her eyes still full of emotion.

Just as Harriet had protected me thus far in case of any eventuality, it was only natural for me to accompany her to protect her in case of any eventuality.

“Of course.”

At my words, Harriet finally covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.

“Thank you... Thank you, Reinhart...”

I couldn’t understand why on earth she was so thankful to me. I was the one who should have been grateful for her.