Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 678

There wasn’t much to say to the commanders of the Allied Forces. I had ordered a full disbanding of the Allied Forces, and directed the leaders of each faction to focus on reconstruction.

Exerting immediate control over them was neither feasible nor meaningful. Governance and taxation were matters to consider only after they could sustain themselves independently in their own lands.

For the moment, it was best to disband the Allied Forces and scatter the different factions, ensuring they couldn’t regroup and coalesce without our influence. Just because I decided to rule over them did not mean that I could exact direct control.

As we continued to solve problems, the tasks at hand only seemed to multiply.

After issuing the order to disband, I entrusted Rowen, Louise, and Harriet to oversee it. The rest of us had more pressing issues to address.

The empty imperial palace awaited us, and we needed to fill the void in the capital as quickly as possible.

With no battles on the horizon, Charlotte, Olivia, and I made our way to the imperial palace. The palace guards seemed to have anticipated our arrival, and parted to let us through as soon once I appeared at the gates.

Their expressions were hidden beneath their helmets, but it was clear that preparations for a peaceful entry had already been made.

This was, of course, thanks to Vertus.

The palace felt almost deserted, save for the guards stationed at the entrance. It relied heavily on magical barriers for defense, so there was no need for a large contingent of standing troops.

However, the most crucial figures in the palace remained.

“You’ve returned, Your Highness, the Princess,” greeted the chief chamberlain.

“I may not hold that title anymore, but yes, I’ve returned,” Charlotte replied.

The person responsible for managing the palace’s internal affairs had never ventured outside, steadfastly holding onto their position.

***

The moment I stepped into the empty imperial palace, it felt like I had claimed it. However, from this point forward, the responsibility would not be mine, but Charlotte’s. She needed to familiarize herself with the palace’s workings and quickly understand its operations.

Until she gathered enough information, made her assessments, and discussed them with me, I had little to do. So, Olivia and I quietly wandered through the central palace of Emperatos, Tetra.

The palace was solemn, silent, and expansive.

Olivia gazed up at the high ceiling, taking in the grandeur of the central palace.

“It doesn’t feel real,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Indeed,” Olivia replied, her eyes distant.

Throughout the war against the monsters, our focus had been solely on its end. Now, in the aftermath of the war, everything felt so surreal, as if we were trapped in a dream that refused to end. Up to this point, all we had considered was survival, and now the uncertainty of what lay ahead was daunting.

The emperor’s palace, once a place we couldn’t even imagine approaching, now belonged to me. Yet, it brought no joy.

“Is it just me, or does it feel overwhelming because I’m too timid?” Olivia asked, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and apprehension.

I nodded, understanding her sentiment completely. “I feel the same.”

The palace was vast, but the world beyond it was even more immense, and it left us both feeling small and uncertain. Our words had the power to change the world, and one wrong move could have lasting consequences. Things would fall apart, come together, and conflicts would arise.

Just as I played a central role, Olivia also held a significant position. She carried the heavy responsibility of uniting all who believed in the Five Great Gods and reforming the religion. It was inevitable that both Olivia and I felt the pressure.

“Still... we’ve somehow made it this far,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around me. “You can’t promise that only happy things will happen from now on.”

“Yes,” I replied.

“But let’s believe we can do well,” she continued.

“We’ve managed so far, so we can keep going,” I reassured myself.

Olivia, who had once turned away from religion, found herself returning to a path she had never wanted to tread again. All because I had wished for it.

I always seemed to get what I wanted.

Even up to this point, all she did was give.

“Thank you. Always,” I whispered.

I hugged her tightly. There was every reason to be grateful to her.

I trembled slightly, and I realized she was trembling too. But we had to believe it would be okay. Just as a sense of defeat inevitably led to failure, a vision clouded by despair would only breed more despair.

We had to hold onto the belief that everything would turn out okay.

***

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

When the attendants summoned us, Olivia and I made our way to the emperor’s office.

Charlotte had organized the documents that had been scattered across the desk, stacking them neatly on the right side.

“It’s all ready for you. All you need to do is take your seat,” she said.

“Is that really all?” I asked.

“Yes,” Charlotte replied.

She was already familiar with most of the details, but Vertus had made sure to provide a thorough handover before departing.

Most of the key officials seemed to know what was on the cards

“You can simply call them back and have them continue their work,” Charlotte said. “Of course, some might be too afraid to return and flee instead. But even in the event of that happening, arrangements have been made, including who should be appointed as their successors.”

The new government would not be operating in a vacuum. Vertus had meticulously planned everything so that even if I just showed up and sat on the throne, things would remain stable.

“That doesn’t mean the situation is good,” Charlotte continued. “There is the pressing issue of widespread hunger, and there’s deep resentment against the Empire. When you ascend to the throne, you might face opposition and potential uprisings that Vertus couldn’t solve for us. We’ll have to handle those ourselves.”

As Charlotte pointed out, taking over the Empire and stabilizing the situation were entirely different matters.

As always, the longer the war dragged on, the more impoverished the common folk became. Though we had the opportunity to take over the Empire, it had been teetering on the edge of collapse, and was riddled with countless problems. It felt like we weren’t just drinking from a poisoned chalice; we were consuming poison itself.

Seizing control of the Empire was the easy part; managing it was another story. We had inherited a sandcastle on the brink of crumbling. Although the government officials remained, allowing us to govern through them, the challenge of stabilizing the capital persisted.

And our efforts did not end with the capital. Beyond the capital, there were still lingering issues with the Empire’s vassal states and the territories it controlled directly. We needed to secure their complete submission and support them in becoming self-sufficient.

“The silver lining is that once the Allied Forces are disbanded, the resources previously allocated as military supplies can be redirected to the capital. Without all that happened, this could have dragged on for about another year. You could say it’s a small blessing amidst the misfortune.”

The rapid disbanding of the Allied Forces meant that supplies that would have been consumed during the march back could be preserved. Harriet’s presence was an immense help to us and everyone else on the continent.

Harriet had truly become the greatest mage in history, not just for humanity, but for all races.

After her briefing, Charlotte stared blankly out the window.

I knew exactly what she was thinking about. She was thinking about Vertus, who had vanished.

After making all the preparations, Vertus had disappeared—no, he had run away. Neither Charlotte nor I had expected Vertus to flee. It felt so unlike the decision he had resolved to make.

“In a way, that might be for the best. People will despise an emperor who fled, making it easier to sever any lingering ties to the Gradias imperial family.”

Had he been executed, some might have clung to the belief that he was innocent. But by fleeing, the emperor ensured that any remaining loyalty to him would be erased. Being defeated by the Demon King and then executed, or being defeated by the Demon King and abandoning humanity to escape? It was obvious which would stir more hatred.

Charlotte and I both considered it a stroke of luck that Vertus had managed to escape and was still alive. Yet, neither of us could be certain if that had been his intention all along.

“We can’t locate Cristina, Louis, or Anna,” I said. “It’s unlikely we’ll ever find them. We’ll have to piece together what happened over there bit by bit. The infrastructure for creating and restoring the Immortals has been completely destroyed, and it can’t be rebuilt without access to tremendous resources. But when it comes to people, you never know.”

We needed to confirm whether Cristina was truly dead, and if so, whether Louis and Anna shared the same fate. We couldn’t ignore the possibility that they still posed a threat.

And then there was the mystery of what happened to Ludwig, not to mention the unresolved issue with Antirianus.

Not everything was resolved, and I certainly didn’t have all the answers.

The tasks kept multiplying, and the responsibilities continued to mount.

***

Two weeks had passed since the conclusion of the Battle of Diane.

During that time, Charlotte had taken charge of managing the capital’s affairs.

Under Harriet’s direction, the different factions that made up the Allied Forces gradually returned to their homelands.

As they made their way back, news of the Allied victory and the conclusion of the Gate Incident would spread across the continent. And alongside it, tales of the Empire’s betrayal and the Demon King’s rise would circulate as well.

Each region and their people would have to navigate the ensuing chaos on their own.

There would be conflicting narratives between those who still rejected me and those who were part of the Allied Forces and had witnessed my actions firsthand, which could cause disruption across the continent, stemming from countless different stories and disputes over who was right.

We couldn’t tackle all the issues in every region at once. I only hoped the leaders of humanity would heed my words and act accordingly. Nothing else mattered to me; I just wanted them to thrive.

True control over them could wait. For the moment, even managing the capital’s affairs felt overwhelming.

Once the Allied Forces fully disbanded, a statement was made from the capital announcing the official end of the Gate Incident. All imperial troops that were with the Allied Forces returned to the capital, resulting in a joy so profound it could calm all the chaos.

Then, a strange twist to turn that joy into something unsettling.

The Empire’s betrayal, and the start of the Demon King’s reign. It was a tale destined to come to light eventually. Dark propaganda would spread. The Gate Incident, it claimed, was orchestrated by the emperor, while the Demon King had been working tirelessly to safeguard humanity. That was the essence of the story.

We were in the conference room of the Central Palace Tetra.

I was there, and so was Harriet, Charlotte, Olivia, Airi, who had been summoned from the Edina Archipelago, Riana, Sarkegar, the remaining four Vampire Lords excluding Antirianus, and the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Rowen. And Louise von Schwartz. In other words, everyone crucial to my new regime was gathered there.

It would have been ideal if Grand Duke Saint-Ouen could have joined us, but he had returned to his duchy with his army, entrusting everything to his daughter.

“Honestly, even I wouldn’t believe it,” I admitted, glancing around the room.

Everyone nodded slowly, sharing in the disbelief of the moment.

Dark propaganda...

Honestly, it was too obvious. It was clearly just the new regime badmouthing the previous one to justify its rule.

“But it’s something we have to do, right?” Olivia asked. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

I nodded. Whether people believed it or not, it would be beneficial to me if even just a few more did.

“The stories of those in the Allied Forces who saw you fighting against the monsters will serve as evidence. Most of the soldiers making up the Allied Forces were imperial troops, and all those imperial troops are back here.”

This propaganda might seem nonsensical, but the actual participants of the battle would testify to it. That would lend it some credibility, and I agreed with Charlotte that it would suffice.

Charlotte began the briefing on the state of affairs.

“We’re not yet in a position to intervene in the continent’s affairs. Our first priority should be to support and stabilize the entire capital. Many of the factions that have returned home might change their minds over time, and a significant number of them might refuse to accept our rule once we start governing like an empire. This could be the stance of their rulers, or a reflection of the people’s will.

“Even so, there’s not a single force on the entire continent capable of invading the capital with their military power. So, while some might reject our rule, their resistance will pose no real threat to us.”

She looked around the room. “Securing political legitimacy will be difficult. But once we subjugate them, obedience will follow,” she declared. “After all, subjugation doesn’t always require force. It can be achieved through the resources or technology we possess.

“In the long run, we can bring the entire continent under the empire’s control through economic means, rather than political or military ones. Once they rely on us to keep their bellies full, if they ever refuse our rule, everything will crumble for them.

“Everyone might despise us, but as long as they understand that without us, they would lose everything they enjoy, we can maintain control.”

She glanced over at Harriet. “Fortunately, we have the blueprints for the new warp gate,” she said, and Harriet nodded in agreement.

The new warp gate... That was our second key to dominating the entire continent.

“Let’s first focus on stabilizing the capital,” Charlotte suggested. “Then, we can restore and redesign the warp gates across the continent to help with economic integration. If we control the power button for these new warp gates, no one can defy us.”

Living a peaceful life meant submitting to the Demon King. We would subjugate them economically, rather than by force.

Ultimately, economic prosperity would accelerate the pace of reconstruction. Once we had the warp gates, controlling them meant controlling the lifeline of the entire continent.

We briefly discussed the path we needed to take moving forward.

“There might be situations where we actually need to use force. The food situation is tight, and we need to consider the Edina issue. So, everyone here should stay in the capital for the time being. We never know when or where we might be needed.”

The capital was a boiling cauldron. Since an emergency could arise at any moment, we had to remain in the capital for the time being.