Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 639

Adelia sought out Scarlett, curious if she had neutralized a golem during the Battle of Wallon.

Amidst the chaos of battle, it was impossible for anyone to be aware of everything happening around them.

However, Scarlett occasionally used her powers to instill fear in monsters or to neutralize forces wielded by monsters that were akin to magic. Scarlett’s supernatural abilities were more for support than direct combat.

Adelia considered it entirely plausible that the grand duke’s golem had appeared on the battlefield and malfunctioned after being struck by Scarlett’s neutralizing wave.

Scarlett seemed to reflect on the events of the Battle of Wallon, her face growing pale.

“I think... it was me,” she murmured.

Adelia soon returned with a red-haired girl beside her.

The girl’s fiery red hair and striking eyes were both unique and captivating. However, she looked as if she had committed a terrible crime, and bowed repeatedly to the grand duke’s mages.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Scarlett’s face was on the brink of tears as she continued to bow, leaving not only Grand Duke Saint-Ouen but also the other mages in a state of confusion.

“I’m sorry... I made a mistake. I’ll be more careful next time!”

Everyone watched in bewilderment as Scarlett trembled like a leaf, her apologies spilling out as if she were in a trance.

Though there were many renowned superhumans wielding supernatural powers, Scarlett wasn’t particularly well-known among those at the Temple.

Supernaturals who were known for causing widespread destruction quickly gained fame on the battlefield. Scarlett’s ability wasn’t particularly suited for such chaos, but her power was undeniably unique.

In her time with the Royal Class, they had even tested whether Scarlett’s ability could neutralize warp gates. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The experiment failed, but Scarlett possessed a power that went beyond simply being immune to magic or supernatural forces.

“Adelia, what exactly happened?” Grand Duke Saint-Ouen asked.

“Well... This is my friend Scarlett,” Adelia replied. “She can wield supernatural powers, and her ability is quite unique.”

“What kind of supernatural power does she have?”

“She can render all magic and supernatural powers ineffective.”

“What...?”

It was indeed a peculiar ability, but since magic wasn’t the dominant force in the world, Scarlett’s unique ability didn’t draw much attention.

Those who knew her were only aware that magic and supernatural powers had no effect on her.

“Neutralization...”

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen quietly studied Scarlett, who was apologizing as if she had committed a grave sin.

While supernatural powers were often strange and bizarre, one that involved neutralization was particularly unusual.

“So, you can rest assured that it wasn’t the monsters wielding dispel magic,” Adelia explained.

She had brought Scarlett along with her to ease Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s worries and to show that it wasn’t the monsters that had neutralized the golem. However, she couldn’t help but notice the peculiar expression on Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s face. He looked somewhat dazed, as if he had stumbled upon an unexpected solution to a puzzling problem.

“I’m sorry!” Scarlett exclaimed. “I promise, I promise it won’t happen again!”

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen observed the red-haired girl, who stood there, clearly distressed over the damage she had inadvertently caused to her allies.

“It’s alright,” he reassured her. “Given the current situation, one golem isn’t a significant loss. And a golem isn’t a person. Even if it was damaged, you didn’t cause any real harm.”

“B-but... still...” Scarlett murmured, her voice tinged with guilt.

“Don’t worry, it’s alright,” Grand Duke Saint-Ouen repeated softly, gently patting her trembling shoulder to comfort her.

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s reassuring pat only seemed to drain more life from Scarlett’s expression.

“Even so, we should at least find out what happened,” he insisted.

With a sharp snap of his fingers, a spark flickered in the air, and suddenly, a golem materialized before them.

The small iron golem, standing about three meters tall, loomed in front of Scarlett.

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen turned to her and said, “Can you try to neutralize it?”

“S-sorry...?” Scarlett stammered, her surprise mirrored by the other mages and Adelia, who were all taken aback by the unexpected request.

Although neutralizing a small iron golem wasn’t a major challenge for Scarlett, being asked to disable another one after having already damaged one was unexpected.

“We need to understand the full extent of your power,” Grand Duke Saint-Ouen explained, “so we can be cautious when operating golems in the future.”

“O-oh... I see...” Scarlett replied, her voice tinged with hesitation.

Having understood Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s reasoning, Scarlett reluctantly approached the golem he had summoned. The sudden test caught her off guard, and all the mages, including Adelia, watched in silence.

Scarlett cautiously placed her hand on the golem’s body.

It didn’t take long.

Thud!

The mana stone, which powered the iron golem, dimmed and lost its light, rendering the golem lifeless.

It wasn’t destroyed or shattered. The golem simply stopped functioning, standing still as if frozen in time.

Snap!

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen snapped his fingers.

He sent several signals to the golem, but it remained unresponsive.

“I’ll take a look.”

Adelia stepped forward, examining the motionless golem and assessing the situation.

“It’s just like before.”

Adelia confirmed that the same issue had occurred with the fallen iron golem.

“So... was I really the culprit...?” Scarlett whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

Her face turned ashen as she struggled to grasp the full weight of her actions, that she was the one who had neutralized the golem.

The golem, despite being equipped with countermeasures against dispel magic, had ceased functioning several moments after she touched it. The phenomenon left even the most seasoned mages baffled.

“Do you have to touch it to make it stop?” Grand Duke Saint-Ouen inquired, his question cutting through the confusion.

“Sorry? Oh, no... I don’t think it necessarily has to be that way...” Scarlett replied, her voice uncertain.

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen listened intently, his expression serious as he considered her words. Unlike the other mages, Grand Duke Saint-Ouen seemed to view things from a subtly different angle, as if his mind was elsewhere, though no one else had noticed yet.

“Um... if this girl misuses her power, couldn’t the Titan be neutralized too?” said the grand duke’s eldest son cautiously.

His words sent a chill through the gathered mages.

This portion of the camp was Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s stronghold, home not only to the Titan’s components but also to his golems. If Scarlett misused her power even once, it could mean Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s entire force would be wiped out in an instant.

Just like the golem that had already been neutralized, the Titan could meet the same fate.

Scarlett possessed an extraordinary ability, a powerful form of dispel magic that could wipe out all magical forces within its reach without discrimination. Her power was truly one of a kind, and it left those around her in awe.

When Scarlett realized the magnitude of her own abilities, she began to tremble, her eyes wide with disbelief, as if she had just heard something beyond comprehension. Of course, this overwhelming power only manifested if Scarlett willed it to.

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s mages, along with Adelia, finally grasped the true nature of the presence they had invited into their stronghold. The realization left them feeling uneasy and overwhelmed.

“I-I’ll leave quickly!” Scarlett stammered, her voice tinged with urgency.

Adelia watched, still in shock, as Scarlett turned and fled from Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s stronghold.

“That... Come to think of it, it really was a big deal... I’m sorry...” Adelia murmured, her voice trailing off.

Though Scarlett would never unleash her power recklessly, and the Titan wasn’t nearby, bringing her to the stronghold had indeed been a risky decision.

Scarlett’s power was, in many ways, more perilous to her allies than to the monsters they faced.

“I never imagined Scarlett’s abilities had already reached such a level...”

They had just witnessed a golem being neutralized right before their eyes. No matter how potent the magic or formidable the spell, Scarlett could erase it if she chose.

Adelia had only grasped the true extent of Scarlett’s power and its potential danger after witnessing it firsthand.

The Grand Duke Saint-Ouen watched as the red-haired girl sprinted away, worried she might accidentally cause major damage. He stood there for a long time, lost in thought.

***

“Huff... huff...”

Scarlett raced back to the Royal Class stronghold, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

She didn’t often rely on her supernatural power, since it rarely proved useful in combat. Still, she occasionally used it to rescue allies who had been mentally subdued by monsters during battle.

However, the incident with Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s golem left her shocked and flustered. Her power had rendered it unresponsive, something she hadn’t anticipated.

The golems had roamed the battlefield without issue before, never once caught in the web of her abilities.

Her power did not need to be constantly active during fights, so it was simply bad luck for both her and the golem. It was a matter of terrible timing.

As she hurried back, Scarlett was drenched in cold sweat, not from exertion, but from the shock of what had happened.

She had unknowingly neutralized a golem.

‘Yeah, let’s just say it was an accident,’ she thought.

—“But... if this girl misuses her power, couldn’t the Titan be neutralized as well?”

When Scarlett recalled those last words, her mind went blank.

The Titan was a crucial asset for the Allied Forces. The idea that her powers could reduce it to a useless hunk of metal was terrifying.

She felt relieved that such a disaster hadn’t happened yet.

The Titan had only been deployed twice, and since it mostly operated alone in the middle of the enemy’s forces rather than being supported by its allies, the risk of such an incident was minimal.

Still, the mere possibility was a huge shock to Scarlett. If a mistake by her led to the Titan being neutralized, no amount of atonement would ever be enough. That was the moment when Scarlett realized her power posed a greater threat to her allies than to her enemies.

A supernatural power more dangerous to those she fought alongside...

She had already caused significant trouble by neutralizing a single golem.

Though the chance was slim, the mere possibility that she might negatively affect the Titan forced Scarlett to make a decision.

‘I shouldn’t be here.’

Now that she understood the danger her power posed, the best choice for Scarlett was to leave the battlefield as soon as possible, before she caused a terrible and irredeemable mishap. This power, which was more perilous to her allies than to the monsters they were fighting, had no place on the battlefield.

It wasn’t a cowardly decision, made for her own survival. She simply couldn’t risk causing more harm.

First, Scarlett needed to find Ms. Mustang. If she explained the situation in detail, she was certain she would be sent back.

With that thought in mind, Scarlett was about to head to the command tent of the Royal Class garrison when—

“Scarlett...? Is something wrong? Why are you sweating so much?” someone asked.

It was Anna, who approached her with a concerned expression, noticing Scarlett’s pale face and sweat-drenched body.

“Are you feeling unwell? Should I get you a recovery potion? I have some that Cristina gave me...”

Cristina, a master of alchemy, always kept basic remedies like antipyretics, painkillers, and recovery potions in her tent. Anna, noticing the pallor in Scarlett’s face, offered to bring some if needed.

Scarlett shook her head in refusal. “N-no, Anna. It’s not that. I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem that fine... Is there something else going on?”

Anna continued to study Scarlett’s complexion, her expression clouded with concern.

“Well... you see... I don’t think I should be here anymore...”

“Huh...? What do you mean...? Why?”

Scarlett hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal.

She began to recount the story she shouldn’t have shared, especially not with this person.

“Actually, during the last Battle of Wallon...” she began, her voice slowly weakening as she recounted the incident where she had unknowingly neutralized a golem.

Scarlett had been summoned to Grand Duke Saint-Ouen’s stronghold to confirm that she had successfully neutralized the golem, and then had to participate in another test in which she had deactivated yet another one. The thought that she might accidentally damage the Titan had come upon her and weighed heavily on her mind, which made her question whether she should even be there.

When Scarlett finished her explanation, Anna nodded quietly, her expression thoughtful and filled with meaning.

“Ah... I see how that could have happened...” Anna murmured, her eyes meeting Scarlett’s with an understanding that was both unsettling and reassuring.

Anna de Gerna always had a somber aura about her, much like Dettomorian, which made conversations with her feel inexplicably disconcerting. There was something about her presence that Scarlett couldn’t quite dismiss.

The girl with a knack for dark magic gripped Scarlett’s shoulders firmly.

“Scarlett...”

“Yes?”

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone about this.”

“Pardon...? I shouldn’t tell anyone?”

“Yes,” Anna insisted, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Especially...”

She bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting around the room.

To an observer, it might have looked like Anna was trying to hypnotize Scarlett.

“Especially Cristina... Absolutely, absolutely do not tell her about this.”

“Sorry? Anna, I don’t understand what you’re saying...”

Scarlett was bewildered by Anna’s sudden insistence.

When Scarlett asked why, Anna leaned in closer. As Anna’s deep, dark eyes drew near, Scarlett couldn’t help but swallow hard. There was something intimidating about her gaze.

“If I say don’t, then don’t,” Anna said firmly.

Her unexpected intensity left Scarlett feeling overwhelmed.

She was being instructed to remain silent without any explanation. Even so, Scarlett could see fear flickering in Anna’s eyes.

—What are you two up to over there?

A voice called out from behind them.

At the sound of that familiar voice, Anna’s face went pale.

They turned to see Cristina approaching, her apron splattered with vibrant alchemical substances, evidence of her recent experiments.

“What are you whispering about so secretly?” Cristina teased, giving Anna a playful nudge and flashing a mischievous smile.

“O-oh, it’s nothing like that... It’s just... Scarlett doesn’t look well...”

Anna, her face as pale as a sheet, glanced at Scarlett with a silent plea in her eyes, urging her not to say a word.

“Huh? Scarlett doesn’t look well? Oh, you’re right. She does seem to be sweating a lot,” Cristina said.

Scarlett was rather confused, unable to fathom what Anna was so worried about.

Cristina approached, gently placing a hand on Scarlett’s sweat-drenched forehead, her touch filled with genuine concern. She asked if Scarlett was feeling sick, and offered to fetch medicine or call a priest.

Cristina’s actions spoke volumes about her care for her friend, but Anna was trembling, and Scarlett did not know why.

“Anna, what’s wrong with you? You look worse,” Cristina said, her voice filled with concern.

Cristina was more worried about Anna than Scarlett. She studied Anna closely, her calm demeanor contrasting sharply with Anna’s odd behavior.

“I don’t know... I think I might have a cold...”

“A cold? In summer? Even dogs don’t catch those! I told you to cover up properly when you sleep.”

“Y-yeah... I should...”

“Hang on, I made some tonic earlier. I’ll bring you both some.”

Cristina promised to be right back and headed back to her tent.

What was wrong with a friend bringing tonic when she looked unwell?

“Anna...? What’s going on?” Scarlett asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

“Go back,” Anna insisted, her grip tightening around Scarlett’s hand.

“Go back. Now. Don’t tell anyone about what happened. Just go back.”

Scarlett had already planned to leave, even without Anna’s urging, but the urgency in Anna’s voice unsettled her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Anna added, her eyes filled with an unspoken warning.

Scarlett couldn’t fathom why Anna was behaving so strangely, but Anna offered no further explanation.