Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 578

The will of the gods was beyond human comprehension.

The gods saw further and wider than humans ever could.

Moreover, the belief that these gods necessarily acted for the benefit of humanity might be nothing more than a kind of bias or misunderstanding born from a long history of faith.

The very belief that gods would act for good was already a form of arrogance.

The good that the gods perceived might differ from what humans considered good.

If the extinction of humanity were considered good in the eyes of the gods, then perhaps they would desire it. In that case, the gods might not only permit the destruction of humanity, but actively will it.

Ludwig was stunned by Rowen’s words.

Believers and even priests had turned away from Ouen and Alse after a change in their beliefs, but it seemed even those who had stayed had had to change the way they thought about their faith in order to endure.

They had to fundamentally restructure their mindset just to hold on to their faith.

"If... If the gods truly desire such a thing... then why are they helping people...?" Ludwig asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"It's merely a hypothesis, not the truth," Rowen replied.

The will of the gods was ultimately unfathomable.

"I simply do what I can from my position," she added.

Rowen chose to do her best given her position, not because she doubted the gods, but because she couldn't understand them.

If they wished for destruction, then destruction would come.

If all this led to a good outcome, then she would wait for it.

"If everything is according to the gods' will, then my actions are part of that will. So, I will follow the path I believe in, and have faith that it is all part of the gods' will. I am merely fulfilling the role I believe is mine."

This did not mean that everything she did was justified simply because it aligned with the will of the gods. Rather, it meant she was doing her utmost, giving everything she had.

She wandered the refugee camps, performing purification rituals, pouring water into a bottomless pit.

Her mindset bordered on madness, but her actions mirrored those of a saint. And yet, that same mindset carried a hidden danger: the risk of self-justification. The belief that everything she did was ordained by the gods meant she could shift all responsibility for her actions onto them.

Fanaticism, by its nature, harbored within itself the peril of unchecked self-righteousness—of spiraling beyond reason.

Ludwig felt both discomfort and reverence towards the priestess before him.

"Personally, I hope everything turns out well, but if not, there's nothing I can do," Rowen said, her tone close to resignation, even though she wasn’t about to give up on her actions.

If the gods desired destruction, she would accept it without resentment. It was a pure faith, without a shadow of doubt.

"I... I don't understand," Ludwig admitted.

He couldn't comprehend the minds of the gods, nor could he understand Rowen's extreme purity of faith.

Rowen smiled gently at Ludwig's confusion. "In these chaotic times, it's only natural to feel confused."

Fortunately, Rowen was not a fanatic who grew angry if others didn't understand or affirm her beliefs.

"It's cold. Shall we head back?" she suggested.

"Ah... yes," Ludwig replied.

The purification ritual was over.

Both Rowen's work and Ludwig's task of escorting her had come to an end.

Somewhere along the way back, they heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from afar.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

It wasn’t just one or two horses—the rhythm of the hooves clearly signaled a group of cavalry.

They stepped aside, moving to the edge of the road as the mounted guards drew near.

A unit of horsemen, dozens strong, advanced along the main road of the refugee camp.

Unlike the regular patrols, who never rode horses, these guards were armed and armored—Ludwig could see the glint of metal, the bloodstains on their helmets, and the tangled manes of their restless steeds. These were the marks of men returning from battle.

Even the mischievous children, who usually taunted the guards from a safe distance, vanished at the sight of the cavalry. The streets emptied as people retreated into their makeshift homes.

Rowen took in the tense scene. "It's the subjugation force,” she said quietly.

"Ah... so this is the subjugation force?"

"Yes, thanks to them, the monster problem has been taken care of recently, which is a relief."

Ludwig wished he could take on that task—the monster subjugation unit patrolling the outskirts of the capital.

He watched silently as the mounted guards passed by, not sparing so much as a glance at the refugee camp. He wished he could be among them.

Fighting monsters required no reflection, no moral struggle. They seemed entirely focused on their mission, which was so different from the usual duties of the guards.

It didn’t have to be the subjugation force. Any work that demanded no contemplation, no questioning, would be enough.

If only he could continue doing work similar to what he’d done that day—quiet, necessary, and without the need to question—that would be ideal.

Ludwig could only watch the retreating backs of the subjugation force as they disappeared down the road.

"Shall we go, Sir Ludwig?" Rowen said as she gently tugged at Ludwig's sleeve.

***

Rowen and Ludwig returned to the guard post to report that the purification ritual had been completed.

The quarantine on the plague-stricken area could now be lifted.

But Ludwig couldn’t shake the thought in his mind. ‘What was the point of it all?’

There were far too few priests, and epidemics kept spreading.

Even without the epidemic, people were dying—collapsing from the cold, from something as simple as a chill.

Having seen the reality within the quarantined area, Ludwig felt that the purification ritual wasn't solving the situation, but merely delaying death by a little.

Ludwig thought he understood Rowen a little. She wandered the refugee zones, performing purification rituals and driving away sickness.

She had to have known better than anyone that her work wasn't solving anything.

In the face of despair, Rowen had to believe that there was meaning in all of this, to endure these desperate moments. Yet, her understanding was not enough for her to fathom how this despair could ever lead to a good outcome. And so she posited that it was possible that the gods had abandoned humanity. If the gods had truly abandoned them, the only way to maintain her faith was to accept even that.

Ludwig felt a wave of pity. Rowen, who seemed like an odd person, might have changed in such a manner because she was in deeper despair than anyone else.

'Is that why...’ Ludwig wondered.

Was that why she asked what kind of being the Demon King was?

Perhaps she felt that knowing what kind of being the Demon King was might give her a glimpse of the gods’ will, even if just a little.

"Sir Ludwig, would you like to return to the capital with me? We're headed the same way, after all."

"Ah, yes. If you don't mind...”

To Ludwig, the frail-looking priestess seemed like a candle that could be extinguished by the slightest winter breeze.

***

As they made their way back to the capital from the refugee zone, Ludwig realized he hadn't done much that day. He had merely walked alongside Rowen, keeping an eye on their surroundings in case of any unforeseen situations. Yet he felt more exhausted than the day before.

The scenes of despair were the same, but the mental fatigue was greater.

The idea that the gods might wish for the destruction of humanity, and the suggestion that the very belief that the Five Great Gods were acting for the good of humanity might be misguided...

All of that had left Ludwig feeling confused.

"Are you going to another district tomorrow?" he asked.

"Tomorrow, I’ll return to District 17 to check if the plague has truly stopped. After that, District 15. Then District 6. And after that... hmm, I’ll have to see. There’s always more work to be done."

She was making rounds through the districts she had already purified, while also attending to new ones in need. The remaining priests were doing their best, working tirelessly—but seeing Rowen, Ludwig was reminded once again just how severe the manpower shortage really was.

"Aren't you tired?" he asked.

"Priests who can use healing powers are quite far removed from the concept of fatigue. Mental exhaustion is unavoidable, but when you think about those who are in urgent need today, you can't afford to complain."

"I see."

Even though Rowen hadn't mentioned it, Ludwig could tell she wasn't getting proper rest. Even if she said she was not fatigued, the work she had to do and her own nature wouldn't allow her to permit herself any rest.

They had left the quarantined area, but the rest of the refugee camp did not seem that much different. Despair was visible everywhere.

“You’re not used to guard duty, are you?” Rowen asked.

Ludwig couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

“I guess it shows on my face.”

“It does. You’re very different from the other guards.”

Rowen, who had only ever been escorted by guards who treated refugees like vermin, found Ludwig’s quiet, unassuming demeanor oddly out of place. Just like Sontaine and the guard captain, she couldn’t help but feel that this kind of work didn’t suit him either.

"Sir Ludwig?"

"Yes, priestess?"

Rowen looked at Ludwig.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I ask you to escort me again tomorrow?"

"Sorry?"

His escort duty was supposed to be for that day only. Rowen was heading to a different district the next day, and another guard would be assigned to her.

"You know, the guards... they kill people too easily."

Ludwig understood. "Ah."

"It's hard to watch."

She had probably witnessed incidents while moving through the refugee camp—guards making harsh decisions in desperate situations.

Ludwig, by contrast, was clearly inexperienced and hesitant to kill. In fact, he’d looked almost relieved when she’d told him earlier on to carry her and run away if anything happened.

Rowen knew he wasn’t suited for such violence, which was precisely why she wanted him to escort her—not to fight, but simply to be there.

Ludwig hesitated. He wanted to nod right away, but doubt held him back.

"Nothing happened today, but... as you know... I’m not sure I could protect you if things really got dangerous," he admitted.

"You said you were confident you could."

Ludwig had no answer.

"You’ve got arms and legs—you can carry me and run, can’t you? And you know how to use Mana Reinforcement. Isn’t that enough?"

She wasn’t asking him to fight, but just to carry her and escape, if it came to that.

Ludwig was speechless.

Manpower was scarce, and in a way, Ludwig was a valuable resource. So was Rowen—a priestess capable of purifying plagues. Protecting such a priestess was very necessary, even if what she did was a temporary measure.

He wasn’t going to fight dangerous monsters, as Vertus and the others feared. The person he was meant to protect had made it clear she’d prefer to flee if anything happened. It wasn’t a high-risk task, and it demanded little in the way of moral judgment.

In short, it was perhaps the most meaningful and manageable duty Ludwig could be assigned to.

He had longed to join the subjugation force because their work required no contemplation—just action. In the same way, this role did not require him to make any heavy decisions, yet it served an essential purpose.

If it wasn’t just a one-time assignment, but something he could continue to do, then it was exactly the kind of task Ludwig had been hoping for.

"If I have the guard captain's permission... I have no reason not to."

"I'm so glad, Sir Ludwig,” Rowen replied with a bright smile, and Ludwig returned it with an awkward smile of his own.

But then, a small bit of doubt crept into his mind.

‘Wait... We talked a lot today, but when did I ever mention that I know how to use Mana Reinforcement?’