Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 621

It was the next day.

Harriet was carrying me down the hallway in her arms when we ran into Charlotte.

“I get it now,” she said looking at me in my cat form with a disgruntled expression.

Stare.

“You actually enjoy this, don’t you?”

Meow!

“And acting like you don’t enjoy it just makes it more annoying.”

‘No...! I don’t like it that much...! It’s all because this Thick-Skull asked me to do it!’

Naturally, our thick skull was grinning and ruffling my fur with enthusiasm.

“Why? It’s cute.”

‘Yeah, you see? How could I say no when she enjoys it this much? Huh?’

“I’m not saying I disagree, but this will just make a spoiled brat even more spoiled.”

‘That’s harsh, calling me spoiled already... But it’s true—I’m not exactly well-behaved.’

“Hey, let me borrow him for a moment. I need to talk to him.”

“Huh? Oh, alright.”

Harriet gently passed me over to Charlotte.

Of course, our (former) princess wasn’t exactly gentle.

Snap!

Instead of cradling me, she grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, lifting me like I was a plastic bag.

Meow!

“Hey, hey! You can’t do that!” Harriet exclaimed.

“Why not? He’s not even a real cat, so what’s the big deal? And even if he were, this is a world where people aren’t exactly kind to other people, let alone animals.”

Harriet’s face went pale with worry as she begged Charlotte not to be rough with me, but Charlotte just shrugged it off.

“Get him from me later.”

“Alright...”

Meow! Meow!

“Quiet.”

I hung there quietly, worried that if I made any more fuss, she might spin me around like a toy.

‘Not everyone is fond of cats, I suppose.’

Then again, it seemed like she didn’t dislike cats. She just disliked me pretending to be a cat.

***

Charlotte took me to her office and placed me on a chair.

Naturally, I shifted back to my human form.

She sat across from me, resting her chin on her palm, and stared at me intently.

“Reinhart, I have a lot to thank you for, and I really, really like you, but you’re quite the peculiar pervert. I didn’t expect you to take it that far.”

‘That’s true. I didn’t realize I had such a preference either. But it feels surprisingly good, you know? No, not just surprisingly—it feels genuinely good.

‘Do you know how many people overlook things just because they’re cute? Even those who know me well just laugh it off. Even Galarsh didn’t react badly. It works on an orc vampire—doesn’t that say something? Or was it just so ridiculous that they couldn’t help but laugh?’

“If you’re going to like me, then you might as well embrace this side of me too.”

Charlotte’s serious expression sent a chill down my spine.

“Sorry.”

‘Let’s not push it too far.’

Her calm, red eyes locked onto mine.

“So, was there something you couldn’t mention at yesterday’s meeting?” I asked.

“It’s not that I couldn’t say it; it just wasn’t the right time or place. But I need your approval.”

“What for?”

“Olivia Lanche wants to use Illeion Volten.”

“Ah...”

“I mean, he is too valuable to just let sit idle, don’t you think? His skills are top-notch, and he’s a veteran.”

Illeion Volten had passed the mantle of leadership of the Order of the Holy Knights to Rowen without much explanation. That led to some unrest among the Order of the Holy Knights, especially when they found Rowen in the lead when the Allied Forces began their advance.

Illeion Volten’s sudden retirement had not been by choice, and the members of the Order stationed with the Allied Forces were aware that there were political machinations at play, and that there was more beneath the surface.

However, his closest allies had already been silenced. They knew the leadership of the Great Gods Order had effectively fallen to the Demon King, but they also understood the dangers of speaking out.

Not everything could proceed without complications.

Illeion Volten could not be allowed to remain in power, and to seize control of the Church and the Order of the Holy Knights, some turmoil had to be endured.

If Rowen failed to seize control of the Order of the Holy Knights within the Allied Forces, Illeion Volten might be brought back into the fold. That would mark a failure not just for Rowen, but for me as well.

Therefore, Illeion Volten, the former commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, had been forced to retire rather suddenly, and was now living in my domain.

His closest aides and allies were aware of the truth: Illeion Volten had been made to step down and remained under my influence. Although they were unaware of the Edina Archipelago, they were still left in a precarious position. To them, their leader was being held hostage. That explained why they couldn’t act impulsively.

Olivia Lanche saw some potential in using Illeion Volten, who was now enjoying a rest in sudden retirement.

“If you’re going to use him, how do you plan to do it? Sending him to war isn’t an option, is it?”

“She’ll find a use for him, whether he’s made a priest, a holy knight, or a training instructor. The main thing is that she wants him to align with the Holy Order.”

“Ah... So she wants to convert him?”

“Exactly.”

There was no such entity as a Demon God. In reality, what humans believed were Demon Gods were simply different names for the Great Gods, and their powers were unpredictable.

Olivia Lanche’s aim was to incorporate the former commander of the Order of the Holy Knights into the Holy Order.

“Honestly, I’m not sure about this... Even though Illeion Volten is practically a prisoner, I’d be furious if I were forced into basic training after being held hostage by the Empire.”

I was starting to see some truth in the saying that positions shaped people.

More specifically, positions bred arrogance.

He might think, ‘I used to be at the top, but now I’m stuck doing this?’

I couldn’t deny that I’d feel miserable if I were held hostage by the Empire and then forced into something against my will, especially if it wasn’t my choice, but someone else’s.

Sure, Illeion Volten didn’t have any real power to decide, but I didn’t want to impose something like this on someone of his rank and stir up unnecessary trouble, though even if Illeion Volten harbored some resentment toward us, he wasn’t in a position to do anything significant.

“Reinhart, what do you think would happen if Illeion Volten were converted?”

“He’d become one of our priests or holy knights, right...?”

The Holy Order wasn’t the Demon God Cult.

This new faith acknowledged that both the Demon God Cult and the Church of the Five Great Gods shared a common origin, and was distinct from the Church and the Demon God Cult. It sought to get closer to the true essence of belief.

Illeion Volten’s conversion to the Holy Order, after forsaking the Church of the Five Great Gods, would raise questions.

“What do you think it means if his views on the Demon Gods were to change? What would follow?” Charlotte asked.

“He would probably gain the ability to wield the Divine Power of the Demon Gods or something... It depends on how things unfold, though,” I replied.

In the Holy Order, priests sometimes harnessed opposing Divine Powers. While not everyone could do this, it wasn’t uncommon.

For instance, the holy knights of Ouen could wield both the power of healing and the power of decay, just like Olivia Lanche.

“That’s all that matters,” I said. “You want to make Illeion Volten a powerful ally? It could be useful, but with the Immortals involved, we might not even be involved in the war effort. And we can’t be certain he’d genuinely support us. Maybe it’s best to let him be.”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes, looking rather disappointed.

“I’m sorry, could you explain how I was being foolish?” I said.

“I assumed you were just saying you weren’t cut out for this and weren’t good at it out of habit, but... it seems to be true,” she muttered.

Everyone knew how much I despised acting like a king.

“If Illeion Volten learned to wield the Divine Power of the Demon Gods and truly fell under the sway of the Holy Order, it could cause a massive upheaval—not just within the Order of the Holy Knights, but across the entire Church of the Five Great Gods. Especially if it became public knowledge,” Charlotte explained.

“Ah... so it’s a political issue,” I realized. My focus had been solely on the war.

I hadn’t considered this angle. It wasn’t just about Illeion Volten’s personal strength; it was about the ripple effect his conversion could have.

That’s what she was getting at.

“Even though Rowen has already taken charge of the Order of the Holy Knights and the leadership of the Church in the capital, it will be challenging for her to gain control over the faction of the Order of the Holy Knights stationed with the Allied Forces.

“Depending on how things unfold, we might need to bring Illeion Volten back into the picture. But rather than reintroducing him as he is, it would be wiser to adjust his perspective a bit.”

Bringing Illeion Volten back would imply failure on Rowen’s part.

However, if Illeion Volten were already under the Holy Order’s influence, he might be able to accomplish what Rowen was supposed to but couldn’t.

The faction of holy knights stationed with the Allied Forces was filled with those who were suspicious and resentful of the abrupt change in leadership.

Rowen was facing the same challenges that Illeion Volten himself had encountered in the capital. She was being despised as the new leader and had been thrust into the role amid rather glaring suspicions. Facing various difficulties were inevitable, and they would only continue to grow.

Olivia Lanche had already foreseen such a future, and instead of letting Illeion Volten remain idle, she was considering bringing him back as a leader. To let Rowen keep control of the capital, while Illeion Volten led the Order of the Holy Knights stationed with the Allied Forces.

“Recruiting Illeion Volten completely and even converting him would be ideal...”

I now understood why Olivia was thinking about this, and why Charlotte was seriously considering Olivia’s proposal.

“Hmm... It might have been better to act sooner then.”

We had been busy reorganizing the Church of the Five Great Gods and secretly overturning the system. In hindsight, it might have been wiser to have acted sooner.

“No, rushing it would have only caused resentment,” Charlotte said, shaking her head. “Now is the perfect time.”

About two months had passed. It was enough time for anyone to sort out their thoughts and perhaps have a change of heart.

***

Could Illeion Volten be considered a prisoner of war?

The Empire was at odds with us, but neither side had really drawn swords against each other. It was more like we had secretly formed a united front against a common enemy, even though we weren’t allies.

When I asked him if he wanted to die or to retire, Illeion Volten had chosen not to risk death in battle. In a way, he was like a general who had unknowingly wandered into enemy territory and gotten himself captured.

He hadn’t defected, but he was under my control. While he wasn’t technically a prisoner of war, his situation was quite similar. He wasn’t royalty or a king, but given his actual standing, he was actually a prisoner who could be considered to hold a higher status than a king.

Even though Illeion Volten held no official power for the moment, he still deserved the respect due to someone of his stature. Especially since we were planning to win him over.

That was why Charlotte, the regent of Edina, and I, the true master of Edina, decided to meet with Illeion Volten together.

“But you know, I’m not entirely sure about this,” I admitted.

“Not sure about what?” Charlotte asked.

“Well, even if we’re acquaintances... and even if Riana said it’s okay...”

“You mean him living there?”

“Yeah.”

While Illeion Volten was neither nobility nor royalty, he once held a very special position as the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights. If a priest was considered part of the privileged class, then the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights was no exception.

Of course, there was no place on the continent left where he could live out his days like a king, and we struggled to find a fitting place for someone of his stature to retire and be treated with the respect he deserved.

Even the royal castle in Rajak couldn’t be called a palace. It was a modest provincial castle, with an unavoidable rustic charm, especially to Charlotte, who was once a princess. To her, it seemed like a mere provincial lord’s residence. And besides, we didn’t have the means to renovate it.

We needed to send Illeion Volten into retirement, but we hadn’t wanted to treat him poorly. We wanted to offer him a decent place to stay, but we simply didn’t have one available.

Charlotte and I walked along a quiet path on the outskirts of Rajak.

“His wife said it was okay, and Volten himself said it was fine, so what’s the problem?”

There hadn’t been any problems thus far, and since Riana hadn’t mentioned anything, it didn’t seem dangerous.

“You think so?”

In the end, Illeion Volten ended up staying as a guest at the mansion belonging to Riana’s mother, Duchess Yelena, on the outskirts of Rajak. In other words, he was staying at the villa belonging to the Granz duchy, the same one I’d visited after returning from the Dark Land during the summer vacation of my first year.

While the Senate had been debating where to put Illeion Volten, Riana had casually suggested he could stay there.

It was one of the many villas built during the peak of the Granz duchy’s influence, so we couldn’t offer a more suitable environment.

Illeion Volten and Duchess Yelena were both prominent figures in high society, so it was unlikely they were strangers.

In fact, Illeion Volten and Duchess Yelena seemed to be getting along just fine.

‘But, well... It’s just... A little awkward! I can’t quite figure it out! I know, I know, it’s not weird at all! I guess I’m just... a bit old-fashioned!’

“Seriously, what on earth are you thinking?”

“...”

Charlotte shot me a disgusted look and quickened her pace.

‘Right? I’m the weird one, aren’t I?’

***

Technically, the villa belonging to Duchess Yelena—Riana’s mother—was more opulent than the royal castle in Rajak. The Granz duchy carried a prestige that far surpassed the small kingdom of the Edina archipelago, so it made sense.

There was a clear distinction between the grand nobles of the Empire and the royal families of the principalities, who were often seen as the lowest tier of royalty.

Being part of royalty did not always mean you were above the nobility. In fact, some people were both noble and royal.

Take Harriet, for example. As the daughter of Grand Duke Saint-Ouen, she was both a noble and practically royalty herself.

As we made our way down the path and reached the Granz duchy’s mansion overlooking the beach, I noticed a familiar figure standing with her back to us.

“What brings you here?” Riana asked, turning around at the sound of our footsteps.

Her gaze shifted to Charlotte, who was standing beside me.

“Seeing as you’ve brought the regent along, I assume this isn’t a personal visit.”

“You’re right,” I replied.

I rarely visited for personal reasons; if I needed something, I usually just called them over.

“We’re here to see Volten.”

“Oh, that guy,” Riana said, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. Once the esteemed and powerful commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Volten was now simply known as the guest uncle next door.

Riana would likely have referred to him as “that guy” even if he were still leading the Order of the Holy Knights, though.

She pointed toward the beach. “He’s out for a walk.”

“A walk?” I echoed.

“Yeah, with my mom. They should be back soon.”

‘Hmm.’

“That—Ugh!” I started to say something, but Charlotte suddenly pinched my side.

“What are you doing?” Riana asked as she glanced over at Charlotte, her face a mix of confusion and curiosity.

“Oh, nothing,” Charlotte said with an awkward laugh, shrugging her shoulders.