Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 643

It was June.

“It’s getting hot. Feels like winter was just yesterday,” Ludwig remarked.

“Indeed,” Scarlett replied.

The two of them strolled along the path near the Royal Class dormitory. The heavy snowfall that had once seemed endless had melted away, giving way to summer, and now the heat was becoming a concern.

Would the war end before autumn arrived?

The war had reached a point where the Allied Forces could genuinely start to consider the end of the conflict. Yet, the season of extreme heat had not yet quite begun, and the weather was quite pleasant.

The desolation and hunger that plagued the rest of the capital beyond the Temple grounds were not felt here. The streets remained well-maintained, the shrubs were neatly trimmed, and the buildings with their beautiful, dignified architecture could be seen down the hill.

The Temple remained vast and beautiful, yet it felt empty without any students around. This grand academy, once a gathering place for the continent’s brightest minds, now stood eerily silent.

Most of the students were either dead or fighting on the battlefield. A few lingered, but the majority of teachers who should have been guiding them were also at war.

Despite its beauty, a place without people felt lifeless.

Access to the Temple was tightly controlled, and only a select few could witness its current state.

Scarlett walked quietly beside Ludwig, cradling a black cat in her arms. Her eyes drifted to Ludwig’s bandaged right arm. He had mentioned a trial procedure that might help him regain its use. The arm seemed to move well and caused him no discomfort, but he couldn’t fight, so he was assigned to the rear support unit.

Even though they were comrades, each of them was preoccupied with their own immediate concerns.

Scarlett had felt a vague sense of relief when Ludwig first told them about his recovery. Still, she wondered what exactly Ludwig was doing in the rear support unit. What was his role there? She realized she had no idea what Ludwig’s duties entailed and had never thought to ask.

Since returning to the Allied Forces at the start of spring, Ludwig had only stopped by the Royal Class base briefly to say hello, and had been scarcely seen since.

She assumed he was occupied with his responsibilities in the rear support unit, and therefore had little time to visit his friends. But now that she thought about it, something seemed off.

Since the spring deployment, the Allied Forces had only engaged in battle once, at Wallon.

The first destination, Gersonosia, had already been ravaged by the advance troops. With the main forces having little left to do but continue with the march, it puzzled Scarlett why Ludwig, stationed with the rear unit, seemed busier than ever. Even though she did not fully understand the responsibilities of the rear unit, she couldn’t fathom why they would be more demanding than the front lines.

Ludwig, who had recently gained a new arm, insisted he was unfit for combat and claimed to be working in the rear support unit. If that were true, his duties should have been limited to simple chores. Yet, how could someone in such a position be reserved a spot during a crucial mass teleportation of supplies to return to the capital just to visit her?

Scarlett knew that access to the warp point followed strict procedures, and permission to use it was highly restricted. Moreover, due to unfortunate circumstances, Ludwig no longer held the importance he once did. Despite this, he had calmly returned to the Temple while the Allied Forces were advancing and sought her out.

With the war raging, there had been little time to worry about anything else. But now that things were winding down, those once-overlooked matters began to demand attention. Away from the chaos of battle, things that should have seemed normal now felt unsettling.

Everything seemed off, from the smallest detail to the largest.

Ludwig’s bandaged arm.

Anna’s cryptic warning.

The unexpected visit from the Demon King.

And her own mysterious ability to nullify.

Scarlett couldn’t shake the feeling that she had become the center of some unknown event.

“Ludwig, when are you going to take off that bandage on your arm...?” she asked.

“Oh, this...?” Ludwig replied, glancing at his right arm, which was wrapped in bandages all the way to his fingertips.

“I probably won’t be able to take it off for a while,” he admitted.

“Does it hurt... or something?” she asked hesitantly.

“I can’t say it doesn’t, and the arm is a bit unsightly,” he replied.

His right arm was undeniably peculiar. She was relieved he could use it again, but now that she examined it closely, the oddities were hard to miss.

Even if the bandage was meant to cover scars, hide its appearance, or ease the pain, the arm was clearly unnaturally longer compared to Ludwig’s left arm. The hand was larger, and the forearm was thicker.

It was strange.

It seemed like someone else’s arm.

A cold fear washed over Scarlett as she pondered the possibilities.

‘What is that arm?’

She hadn’t noticed the peculiarities before, but now that she did, everything seemed strange.

“Do you think we can live in the Temple like before once the war ends?” Ludwig asked, seemingly oblivious to Scarlett’s thoughts.

“Well... it would be nice if we could...”

“Right? Even if the Gate Incident ends, there are still so many monsters on the continent. Nothing will truly be over until they’re all dealt with,” Ludwig chuckled.

“And when the Temple reopens, will we be second-year students or fifth-year students?” he asked.

“I’m not sure about that either...” Scarlett replied.

Scarlett wasn’t alone in picturing the Temple bustling as it once had. Ludwig’s thoughts mirrored hers.

“By the way,” he began.

“Yes?” Scarlett responded, her anticipation growing. Was he finally going to address the matter at hand?

“This cat,” Ludwig said, gesturing to the black cat curled up comfortably in Scarlett’s arms.

“Isn’t there something slightly strange about it?” he asked.

“Sorry?” Scarlett flinched at his sudden question.

The cat, lounging nearby, acted as if it hadn’t heard a thing, feigning indifference with all its might.

“Strange... how?” Scarlett asked, trying to mask her surprise.

She bit her tongue, caught off guard by the unexpected inquiry, but Ludwig didn’t seem bothered by her hesitation.

“It doesn’t seem to have grown at all,” he continued.

“Oh...” Scarlett murmured. Ludwig’s suspicion mirrored her own.

“Quite some time has passed,” he continued. “Shouldn’t it have grown by now?”

The black kitten should have grown into an adult cat by now, but it was still small.

“Maybe that’s just what happens with this particular breed...? I don’t know if such a breed exists, but it might explain it...” Scarlett said.

“Hmm, maybe. I don’t know much about cats either. That could be it.”

Fortunately, both Ludwig and Scarlett could both feign ignorance.

Scarlett let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Walking a little behind Ludwig, who was slightly ahead, she glared at the black cat cradled in her arms.

‘This is what happens when you transform without thinking—you draw suspicion!’ she thought.

Ludwig’s voice suddenly lowered.

“Scarlett.”

“Yes, Ludwig?”

Was he finally going to reveal why he had come to see her? Scarlett could sense something significant was about to happen.

Ludwig turned to her and asked, “Have you thought about living outside the Temple?”

Scarlett was caught off guard by the unexpected question. “Sorry?”

Why would she consider leaving the Temple when everything seemed perfectly fine inside? Yet Ludwig spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to arrange such a thing for her.

“The Temple isn’t as safe as you think,” Ludwig said.

“Not safe...?” Scarlett echoed, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Yes,” he confirmed, meeting her gaze with unwavering intensity. “I believe it would be better for you to stay somewhere safer than the Temple. That’s why I’m suggesting this.”

Scarlett studied Ludwig in silence, her expression unreadable.

“Ludwig,” she finally said, her voice calm but probing.

“Yes?” he replied.

“You realize that what you’re saying is strange, don’t you?” she asked.

“The Temple is dangerous. I’ll find you another safe place, so stay there...”

The fact that Ludwig, of all people, could say such a thing so casually after returning to the Temple was undeniably strange. Everything about the situation felt off, yet Scarlett chose not to question it, and Ludwig offered no further explanation.

He nodded slowly in response to Scarlett’s unspoken thoughts. “Yes, it must seem strange,” he acknowledged. “That someone like me could return to the capital on a whim and arrange a safe haven for you. This bandaged right arm must raise suspicions, along with many other things. It must all seem strange and suspicious.”

Scarlett remained silent, her eyes fixed on him. Ludwig appeared as if he were orchestrating something.

“Still, can’t you trust me?”

Scarlett bit her lip. “I do trust you, Ludwig. I really do. You’re important to me. I care about you deeply, and I’d even die for you.”

It wasn’t just because Ludwig had saved her life. To Scarlett, all her friends and comrades were precious. The war had changed everything, and everyone she knew was as vital to her as her own life—even Erhi de Raffaeli, who had once tormented her. They shared an unbreakable bond, forged through the countless times they had faced life and death together. She knew she would risk everything for Erhi, just as she was certain Erhi would do the same for her. That was the essence of being comrades.

Ludwig was one of those rare, invaluable people who asked for her trust. And, of course, she trusted him.

“But, Ludwig,” she confessed, “I feel lost. I don’t understand what’s happening. If you don’t explain anything to me... If you suddenly bring up something like this, leaving me in the dark... It’s frustrating and terrifying.”

Anna’s warning.

The Demon King’s question.

And Ludwig’s proposal.

Something was unfolding, but Scarlett was completely in the dark.

“What is happening that’s making you say all this?” she asked, directing her question to both Ludwig and the Demon King cradled in her arms.

Why had they suddenly come to her? What was it about her ability that had drawn them in?

Ludwig’s face twisted into an odd expression.

“Ah...”

It was as if something had just dawned on him, and he began to laugh with that peculiar look still on his face.

“Ha, ha... ha... haha... haha...”

Ludwig’s laughter echoed down the empty street, sounding almost unhinged, as if he were caught between exhaustion and despair.

“Ludwig...?” Scarlett called in a trembling voice, a shiver creeping down her spine at his sudden outburst.

“Ah... this, this... Haha...”

Ludwig wheezed. “This is... this is it... I see... Haha... I get it now... Hah... I’m no different... no different at all... Haha...”

Ludwig laughed helplessly for what felt like an eternity. Then, just as suddenly as it began, his laughter stopped.

He fell silent, and the abruptness of it was unimaginably loud.

“I’m sorry, Scarlett.”

“...?”

“It’s better not to know.”

Ludwig had become the kind of person who said things like that. And realizing that made him laugh like a madman once the words left his mouth.

***

To reveal something, or to keep something hidden... Ludwig had always resented those who made such choices, yet here he was, telling his friend it was better not to know.

Even as he laughed at himself, Ludwig had no intention of abandoning what needed to be done.

Wasn’t this the better way?

‘You need to become a monster in order to befriend one. And you need to become a monster in order to kill one.’

This was proof that he had indeed become a monster.

Didn’t that mean he could finally kill a monster? Didn’t that mean that he now possessed such power, such authority?

No longer would he hear that he was a nobody, not worth dealing with. At least, even if he fell, he wouldn’t die in disgrace.

Determination blazed in Scarlett’s eyes as she stared at Ludwig, who had insisted it was better not to know.

“You can’t explain anything, but you’re saying it’s safer for me to live outside the Temple?”

“Yes. Knowing anything will only make things more dangerous for you,” Ludwig said.

Scarlett understood that he meant it for her own good. She trusted that Ludwig would never say anything to harm her. She didn’t question his intentions, not for a moment.

Still...

“I don’t know...” she hesitated.

“What do you mean?” Ludwig asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

“Ludwig... somehow, at some point... It feels like you’re not the Ludwig I know,” Scarlett said, her voice tinged with unease.

Ludwig’s return, complete with a new arm, had been just the beginning of the transformation she sensed in him. Though she couldn’t quite pinpoint how, it felt to her that Ludwig had become someone entirely different.

From the moment he’d returned to the Allied Forces, and even now, as he spoke words that seemed utterly foreign to her, everything about him felt altered.

It wasn’t just his words—it was his demeanor, his gaze, his actions. Even the air around him seemed different.

It was as if the Ludwig standing before her was a stranger.

“I hate to say this, but... Ludwig, you’re scaring me.”

“Scaring you...?”

“Yes,” she replied softly.

Scarlett couldn’t shake the fear that gripped her at the sight of her changed friend.

“Scarlett, we can’t help but change.”

“...”

“When Ashir died, when Delphine died—no, ever since the Gate Incident, everything has been different. With all that’s happened, change is inevitable.”

Ludwig’s words rang true. So much had transpired that they had no choice but to adapt. They couldn’t survive without evolving.

It wasn’t just Ludwig; Scarlett had changed too, though in her own way.

The only ones untouched by change were those who had passed on.

In fact, the Demon King, who still clung to fragments of his former self despite everything, was the real anomaly.

“That’s true... It has to be true. But... asking me to blindly follow your orders without any explanation... that’s not the Ludwig I know.”

Ludwig had always been someone who sought to build understanding and asked for permission. Telling her to trust him without any explanation, claiming it was for her own good, was not his style. It felt as if he hadn’t just changed, but had become an entirely different person.

“What if I don’t want to do as you say, Ludwig? What happens then? What will you do?”

“...”

The Ludwig she remembered would have accepted Scarlett’s refusal, admitting there was nothing he could do. Or, he would have explained everything and tried to win her over.

Even then, he wouldn’t have been upset or held a grudge if Scarlett turned him down.

But if Scarlett rejected Ludwig’s proposal this time, what would he do?

It seemed he would force her to comply.

Ludwig gazed at Scarlett with deep, intense eyes. “Scarlett, there’s one thing I can tell you for sure.”

“...”

“There are people who want to use you. You might not realize it now, but eventually, they’ll try to manipulate you.”

“Use... me?”

“Yes.”

Scarlett had a vague feeling that her abilities were at the heart of this mysterious situation, so she understood a little of what Ludwig was saying.

“They want to use you...”

Was that why the Demon King had come? To use her?

The Demon King, curled up in Scarlett’s arms in his cat form, couldn’t say a word.

“Scarlett, there are those within the Allied Forces who are in league with the Demon King,” Ludwig said.

Scarlett’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It was already shocking enough that the Demon King was nestled in her arms, but now Ludwig was telling her that his influence had reached the Allied Forces.

“And there are quite a few of them,” Ludwig continued.

Despite what the common soldiers with the Allied Forces believed, Ludwig knew that a significant portion of the army had already sided with the Demon King, and many more would likely follow. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“The Demon King already knows about your power, and soon, if not already, he’ll realize it’s grown even stronger.”

Ludwig’s words confirmed what Scarlett had suspected all along. Not only was the Demon King aware of it, but he had acted more swiftly than Ludwig.

“Do you think the Demon King plans to exploit my ability... my power?” she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

“Probably,” Ludwig replied.

Scarlett was unsure how her power might be used, but the Demon King wasn’t one to reveal his plans. He had remained silent, leaving her to wonder whether he had come with the intention of using her or not.

The Demon King had arrived first, but it was Ludwig who offered the first words of explanation.

Scarlett couldn’t help but feel a chill at the sight of Ludwig’s grave expression.

“It’s strange,” she said. “Ludwig... it almost sounds like... you’re the one who has to face the Demon King... like you think you actually can.”

The name “Demon King” carried a weight that was almost unbearable. Even though he had taken on the appearance of a small cat for the moment, he was far from ordinary.

In contrast, Ludwig was just an ordinary person. He wasn’t Ellen, the Emperor, or Sabioleen Tana. Yet it seemed as if Ludwig was suggesting he could confront the Demon King, as if such a thing were within his reach. As if he were someone capable of such a feat, or part of a group that could achieve it.

The Ludwig Scarlett knew was not that kind of person.

“Whether I can or not, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that someone has to do it.”

It didn’t matter if he could or not. It was a task that needed to be done, so he would do it.

That resolve was more fitting of Ellen than Ludwig.

Scarlett swallowed the words that hovered on the tip of her tongue.

The Demon King wasn’t what everyone imagined. He was not that kind of person, not that kind of being. He longed for peace but felt powerless to achieve it. He wanted to save the world but ended up leaving it in ruins. He was just a pitiful and unfortunate soul.

She had heard that sorrowful confession straight from him.

In the end, both the Hero and the Demon King were just pitiable figures.

That was what she wanted to say. Therefore, whenever Ludwig occasionally voiced his hatred for the Demon King or made such remarks to Ellen, Scarlett gently tried to steer him away from it.

Scarlett didn’t want him to torment Ellen. She couldn’t bear to see the already struggling Hero suffer any more than she already had. All Scarlett could do was subtly silence those who criticized the Demon King or spoke ill of him in Ellen’s presence.

She longed to defend the Demon King, to hold him closer and argue on his behalf, but she knew she couldn’t.

Scarlett felt a deep sense of futility, convinced that no amount of persuasion would sway the newly-changed Ludwig.

The Ludwig who had once sought others’ opinions and listened with an open heart was gone.

“Scarlett,” he said, “they’ll try to use you, whether it’s the Demon King or anyone else. They’ll put you in danger. Let’s find somewhere else to go. Somewhere no one can find you. You can live safely there until everything is over.”

He was suggesting she stay hidden from the world, avoiding danger before anyone could exploit her.

Another thought struck her.

“Then wouldn’t that mean you’re using me, Ludwig?”

If he was trying to prevent someone from using her, then couldn’t the reverse also be true? Couldn’t Ludwig be the one trying to use her?

The question hung in the air, something that might trigger Ludwig and cause his temper to flare. Yet, he simply shook his head, his voice calm and steady.

“That won’t happen.”

Silence lingered between them.

“I wouldn’t put you in danger,” he insisted.

Scarlett didn’t know much, but she trusted that Ludwig had no intention of using her.

Her unique ability was something both the Demon King and others desired.

Was Ludwig determined to protect her from being exploited by anyone?

Scarlett couldn’t grasp how her power might be used, why Ludwig was so adamant, or why the Demon King had come after her.

Ludwig was insistent that this was for her own good, and would not say anything further.

The Demon King, on the other hand, promised to explain everything later and urged her never to leave his side.

Who was right?

Scarlett had seen the Demon King’s despair up close and knew the truth in his heart, and so she trusted him. But she also trusted Ludwig, who had risked his life and even sacrificed an arm to save her.

She trusted them both, but she had to make a choice.

Would she follow Ludwig and leave? Or would she reject his proposal and listen to the Demon King’s explanation instead?

Did she really need to decide right this moment?

“Ludwig... can’t you give me some time to think...?” Scarlett asked softly.

Ludwig fell silent, but his silence was filled with an unmistakable anxiety. His expression made it clear that time was of the essence. Yet, even in that tense silence, the seconds ticked by.

“I can’t give you much time,” he finally said, his tone leaving no room for the possibility of Scarlett’s refusal.

From the way he had said it, she understood that if she refused, he would resort to force.