Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 612

“It looked like the bodies there came back to life as undead and escaped. That was our conclusion, wasn’t it? But what the Empire is actually doing is retrieving the bodies and regenerating them in those huge tanks, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then... What happened there might not have been the Empire’s doing in the first place. That’s what I think... Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse things, but maybe—”

Ludwig hesitated, worried he was overstepping, but Ellen shook her head.

“No, Ludwig, you’re right,” she said with certainty. “You don’t need to ask Vertus to figure it out. These are definitely separate incidents. The Empire has no reason to disturb the graves of the Order of the Holy Knights. Doing so would only stir up unnecessary trouble. If they truly needed those bodies, they would have negotiated with the higher-ups instead.”

The robbing of the tomb of the Order of the Holy Knights and the body-swapping at the national cemetery were clearly distinct events.

In the underground tomb of the Order of the Holy Knights, the bodies were apparently reanimated on the spot. However, the dead in the Empire’s laboratory were slowly regenerated before being revived using dark magic.

The two methods were vastly different, and the Empire had no reason to interfere with the graves of the Order of the Holy Knights in the first place.

“That means Rowen was investigating the wrong target from the beginning.”

After everything that had taken place, they were being led into another labyrinth.

Their initial supposition was that the Empire was behind everything, but the Empire had neither killed Rowen nor been involved in the robbing of the underground tomb of the Order of the Holy Knights.

Since Rowen had approached Ludwig to pursue the real culprit, and given all the other circumstances, it had been easy to assume the Empire was responsible. However, the two were entirely separate incidents.

So, who were the ones responsible for the chaos in the underground? And were they also the ones who killed Rowen?

“Now I really don’t know what’s what... I can’t figure it out anymore,” Heinrich muttered as he clutched his head, overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation, doubting if the truth could ever be untangled.

“You don’t have to pursue this any further. We’re not obligated to dig up the truth,” Ellen remarked. “However, I was curious as to why Archbishop Rowen approached Ludwig, and if there was any intent to harm me. Part of that mystery has been solved. Rowen likely approached Ludwig to gain access to the Temple for her investigation.”

Not every question remained unanswered, and with all the insights they had gained, they could let the matter rest. Given Rowen’s involvement in numerous wrongdoings, her death didn’t seem unjust. It was, in a way, karma.

If someone had sought revenge on Rowen, perhaps she had it coming.

“Yeah, I guess we don’t need to know everything...” Ludwig muttered, almost to himself.

The truth that had been revealed to them was overwhelming enough. Just dealing with what was already happening felt like a heavy burden. It was painful to have to stay silent about the wrongs simply because they were part of reality.

Digging any deeper into Rowen’s case seemed impossible; it had become a tangled mess.

“Even if we’re about to give up, there’s still one last place with potential,” Ellen said, looking around at the others. Even though she had suggested letting the matter go, she seemed determined to give it one final shot.

“The commander of the Order of the Holy Knights mentioned that he would never be able to find out whatever secrets the popes were keeping from him. The fact that they did not inform him about the developments suggests he was genuinely in the dark.”

“Indeed... That’s correct.”

“And it’s true that the commander was concealing something from me, just as the popes were from him. I’m not sure if this ties into Rowen’s case, though...”

Ellen trailed off, then continued softly, “We need to uncover what they’re hiding. The grave robbery and the Empire’s work are unrelated, but the Order of the Holy Knights is still conducting its own investigation. If they’ve found anything, perhaps they’ll be willing to share that information. If they don’t give us anything, then we’ll have to conclude our search.”

There were a few final people to visit. Once again, their focus turned to the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights and the popes of the Five Great Orders.

Whether the secrets they were keeping held any connection to Rowen’s murder remained uncertain. If their inquiries yielded no clues, it might be time to accept that the case had truly become an unsolvable puzzle and to step away from it.

***

It seemed like the investigation had reached a dead end. With the Empire, the prime suspect, cleared of involvement, the only remaining possibility pointed to the heretics. However, identifying the guilty party among them seemed nearly impossible.

Determined to leave no stone unturned, Ellen decided to visit the Order of the Holy Knights one final time. Yet she knew this was a delicate and sensitive matter.

“Commander, you can stop assisting me. You might get into trouble,” Ellen warned Louise, who was already in deep water.

Louise seemed unfazed.

“What does it matter now?” she replied. “I’m going too.”

She had stumbled upon too many secrets, and felt compelled to see it through. Whatever the Order of the Holy Knights was hiding, could it possibly be more significant than the Empire’s secrets?

She knew she had to witness how everything unfolded. She had to play her last card.

Together, the four of them left the Temple once more. They walked endlessly through the capital, where the magic train services had come to a halt, until they finally arrived at the main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights.

“The Commander isn’t here,” the holy knights at the main gate informed Ellen, their words as straightforward as a closed door.

Ellen didn’t care if it was true or not.

“Then I’ll wait inside until he returns,” she replied. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“He’ll be gone for a while,” one of them said. “He won’t be back anytime soon.”

Ellen fell silent, her eyes fixed on the knights. There was something off about their demeanor.

When she had attempted to enter the charred remains of the temple, they had stood in her way, despite being visibly uneasy.

Back then, their expressions had been filled with uncertainty. Now, though, something had shifted. It felt odd.

“Did he go back to the Allied Forces’ base or something?” she asked.

There was the smallest of pauses. “Yes. He’s gone back.”

It was a lie.

Illeion Volten wouldn’t have returned to the Allied Forces’ base without resolving the situation in the capital.

Even though Illeion Volten hadn’t shared much with Ellen, it was clear he was just as in the dark.He wouldn’t have left without fully understanding the situation in the capital, so the gatekeeper was definitely lying.

But why tell such an obvious lie?

Ellen glanced around, ignoring the holy knight standing in her way.

All the holy knights guarding the door had their eyes on Ellen and her companions.

Ellen moved a step closer to the holy knight.

He instinctively stepped back as she approached.

The holy knights’ demeanor had shifted, ever so slightly, from before.

“Why are you backing away?” Ellen asked.

Despite his armor, his eyes, face, and even his fingertips quivered slightly. It was unmistakably fear.

He was not just troubled. He was genuinely afraid. But why?

“I don’t need him to return immediately. I just need to get inside. If the commander isn’t here, I can speak with someone else.”

Whether the commander was present or not was irrelevant.

Ellen attempted to move past the gatekeeper.

“You can’t go in.”

Ellen did not reply.

The terrified holy knight stood in Ellen’s path, using his body as a barrier.

Whatever was happening, the situation was clear.

The commander’s absence wasn’t the issue. Keeping Ellen out was the priority.

“Step aside.”

“I can’t,” the gatekeeper replied, his voice trembling.

It wasn’t just the knight who was blocking her; all the other holy knights were visibly on edge. Ellen could feel their tension.

As the atmosphere thickened, the expressions of Ellen’s companions grew increasingly serious as they waited for her to finish her conversation.

“It seems I’ve come to the right place,” Ellen declared.

When something is hidden too well, that itself becomes a clue.

Ellen nodded, fixing a stern gaze on the terrified holy knight. “You want to see if I can push my way through, don’t you? If you’re curious, try stopping me again.”

With that, Ellen took another step toward the entrance of the main temple.

In the end, the gatekeepers couldn’t stand in her way.

***

Ellen forced her way into the main temple.

It was an enormous building.

She was certain that something was amiss and so she’d decided to take the risk, even if it meant stirring up trouble.

The holy knights, unable to block Ellen’s path, watched her slowly-shinking figure with tense expressions.

Inside the main temple, she was confronted with a rather unexpected scene.

“This is... strange,” she murmured.

She had forced her way in because she was convinced that something was definitely in there. But...

“Why are there so few people here?”

The main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights, a vast building, was usually bustling with activity. Just a few days ago, holy knights and priests had filled the halls.

This time, though, there were no priests or knights in sight. Only an eerie silence hung in the air. The absence of sound in such an enormous space was unsettling, amplifying the sense of unease which sent chills up the spines of the four companions.

“Something’s definitely up.”

“Let’s head upstairs.”

The main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights felt eerily deserted.

Ellen led her companions up the stairs, wanting to confirm the commander’s absence. Her heart pounded with an unfamiliar rhythm. What was going on? Or rather, what had already happened?

The upper floors, much like the vast hall below, were nearly vacant. It was as if everyone had been purposefully cleared out.

Ellen made her way up to the upper floors where the commander’s office was located, but she never made it that far.

Squelch! Thud!

Just as she approached the grand spiral staircase, a chilling noise stopped her in her tracks. It was the unmistakable sound of flesh being ripped apart.

“What... is that?” she whispered.

There was the sound of something sharp slicing through flesh.

Thud! Thud!

A loud thud reverberated off the walls.

Ellen, with her heightened senses, picked up on it instantly, just like everyone else.

In the unnatural silence that permeated the empty space, the noise was even more pronounced.

She sprinted toward the source of the sound.

It was near the commander’s office.

‘The conference room...’

That was where it was coming from.

Bang!

Ellen didn’t hesitate; she kicked the door open, and her eyes widened in shock.

A tattered gray robe. No, a robe that had once been gray but was now soaked red as its wearer claimed lives.

Ellen surveyed the blood-stained conference room and the lifeless bodies on the floor.

The remains of the people inside, brutally torn apart or sliced to pieces, were scattered about, making it difficult to recognize them.

The large conference room had been transformed into a sea of blood.

The figure, who had been facing away, slowly turned their head.

“I told you not to let anyone come this way—”

Upon seeing Ellen, the person’s lips twisted into a grotesque smile.

“Ah... I suppose it was inevitable.”

“What... What... What is this...?” Ellen mumbled, still in shock, as the others joined her moments later.

“Uh... huh...?” Ludwig stood frozen, eyes wide at the chaos laid out before him and the figure at its center.

“Priestess...?” he managed to say.

“Ah, Ludwig...” she replied, still holding a small knife in a reverse grip.

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, but instead of wiping away the blood there, she only smeared it further across her face, adding to the horror of the scene.

“Ah, that’s right. Ludwig, you don’t know anything...”

There was a hint of guilt in her face, but the sight of her drenched in blood, paired with what seemed like a sincere apology, made the scene even more unsettling.

“Priestess...? How could you...? And what is this... this place?”

Ludwig’s reaction made it clear to everyone who the woman standing before them was.

Archbishop Rowen was alive.

The priestess, rumored to be dead, was wreaking havoc in the conference room located on the highest level of the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights.

The holy knights outside had barricaded the entrance, but the temple was eerily empty. This wasn’t the work of one person alone; there was a conspiracy at play, one so immense it was difficult to comprehend.

The bodies scattered around told a grim story. Their attire revealed them to be high-ranking priests of significant standing.

“Who did you kill?” Ellen asked, her voice steady despite the carnage.

Rowen merely shrugged in response.

“The popes,” she said matter-of-factly.

There were five bodies in total.

Even without Rowen’s explanation, Ellen could piece together what had happened.

Blood was everywhere.

“But has anyone seen Illeion Volten?” Rowen asked.

Ellen was taken aback. “What?”

“He somehow got wind of it and fled.”

The claim that the commander was missing wasn’t a lie.

For everyone except Ludwig, this was their first time seeing Rowen in person.

“If you don’t know that, then could you stop interfering with the internal matters of the Order of the Holy Knights and leave?”

Ellen couldn’t understand what she wal hearing. “What?”

“It’s impolite to meddle too much in someone else’s business.”

The situation had grown so tangled that it was impossible to tell where it all began.

The priestess, who had supposedly been killed, was very much alive. And for reasons unknown, she had brutally murdered all the popes of the Five Great Orders.

It seemed that everyone in the main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights had turned a blind eye, and even made way for her.

How had this shocking scene come to be? What was going on? When did it begin, and from where?

Was it right to draw her sword?

Ellen stood frozen, her eyes wide and her fingertips trembling.

“I don’t like that crazy woman either, but I’d prefer if you left her alone for now,” said an unexpected voice from behind them.

They whipped around, fixing their eyes on the newcomer.

“Bad timing, as always. It’s like the world has cursed us,” someone muttered, leaning against the spiral staircase railing with arms crossed.

“You’re good at digging into things, but maybe it’s time to back off,” the figure suggested.

The four of them were stunned by this unexpected and sudden appearance. Ellen, in particular, looked almost ghostly pale.

“Olivia... Lanche?” she stammered.

Olivia Lanche, one of the three Temple students who had vanished with the Demon King, was staring right at them.

Heinrich, Ludwig, and Louise stood in stunned silence, unable to believe she was there.

“I’ll make this brief,” Olivia said, her arms crossed as she faced them. “From now on, the Order of the Holy Knights and the Church of the Five Great Gods are under our control. Well, to be precise, we’re finally steering them in the right direction.”

“What did you say...?” Heinrich stammered.

“With that in mind, you all should leave,” Olivia continued, her gaze fixed on Ellen. “You’re smart, aren’t you? You realize that if a fight starts here, things are going to get really awkward, right?”

Confronted with such a cocky and self-assured warning, Ellen felt the urge to abandon any attempt to make sense of the situation.