Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 684

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Charlotte gave Reinhart a skeptical look at his casual response.

“I know your idea of ‘ready’ and mine don’t exactly match, so let me ask again. Are you ready?”

“I said I am.”

She remained unconvinced.

His outfit was impeccable. Nothing was out of place. All he had to do was step out. But with Reinhart, it was never just about his appearance.

Charlotte finished adjusting the Emperor’s outfit and placed her hands on her hips.

“Do you remember how we scolded you for the way you handled the wedding?”

Reinhart smiled sheepishly. “Uh, yeah, I remember.”

The Emperor had tried to rush through it, and the wedding, which had already been full of issues, had been so poorly managed that it was still being criticized. Harriet, in particular, would have fits whenever the topic came up.

“If you don’t want another disaster like that, make sure you do it right this time.”

“Got it...”

“I agree with your usual theory that speeches shouldn’t be long, but they shouldn’t be awful either. Yours are definitely awful.”

“I’ll do better...”

“You always say that.”

“This time, I really mean it...”

“I’ve heard that every time.”

Despite her constant reprimands, she knew the Emperor would inevitably end up rambling nonsense in front of everyone. He had a knack for saying the wrong thing and landing himself in hot water.

“Then why don’t... you just do it?” he said.

Charlotte blinked. “What?”

The Emperor, sensing the danger in her piercing gaze, shook his head vigorously, his face drained of color. “Oh, no. Of course, I should be the one to do it! Yes!”

He endured her relentless nagging until he was prepared—or rather, until the very last moment before it was time to begin.

Finally, the door to the waiting room swung open, and a red-haired knight stepped inside.

“Your Majesty, it’s time.”

“Oh, right.”

Scarlett, the Emperor’s knight, took the lead, with the Emperor trailing behind.

Charlotte’s eyes followed him, her glare sharp enough to pierce through him.

***

A sea of people stood in the expansive plaza of the Temple, their faces etched with tension.

The New Empire’s first move had been to reopen the Temple. And despite the drastic decline in the human population, a surprising number of new students had been enrolled. Though the benefits weren’t as lavish as they once were, the tuition fees were not as astronomical as before.

The Temple was back in operation. That alone was enough.

Since the Empire was no longer ruled by the Gradias Imperial Family, the Temple had shed its old name. It was no longer called the Gradias Temple. The Emperor decreed that it should simply be known as the Temple, without any additional titles, and so it was.

The elementary, middle, and high school divisions each operated independently. And this time, it wasn’t just humans who walked its halls. Though their numbers were few, demons were present too. Some bore a striking resemblance to humans, while others had more unfamiliar forms.

Any being who possessed intelligence and was capable of learning could enroll in the Temple. Demons had already begun integrating into the capital ever since the New Empire was established, so their presence was not unique to the Temple.

Naturally, there was an uneasy tension in the air. In the vast plaza where new students of various races had gathered, all eyes were fixed on one spot: the spot where the Emperor was about to make his entrance.

The sound of a grand horn echoed across the plaza, and the music heralding the Emperor’s arrival began to play. The voice of the imperial mage who served as the host of the ceremony resonated through the crowd.

Some revered him.

Some feared him.

Some despised him.

“And now,” the mage announced, “the representative of the gods, the master of the Holy Empire, the conqueror of the Gradias Empire, the founder of the Magic Council, the protector of the Human Autonomous Territory.

“The resolver of the Gate Incident, and at the same time, the Archdemon, and therefore, the ruler of all demons, and the rightful ruler of all humanity.

“The savior of the world. The God of War. The Unbeaten. The Immortal. The Demon King of Flames.

“Emperor Reinhart the Great enters.”

‘Emperor Reinhart the Great.’

That was what the Emperor was known as.

The Emperor of the continent appeared before the crowd.

He was not adorned with an ornate crown or scepter. Dressed in attire that was splendid yet modest, the Emperor stood on the podium, gazing down at the gathered crowd.

Behind him, his knight, Scarlett, stood at attention.

This congratulatory speech for new students of the Temple was an annual event. Each time he stood facing them, the Emperor met eyes filled with a spectrum of emotions.

Hatred. Admiration. Reverence. Fear.

That meant the Emperor had yet to unite the continent, and humanity remained divided.

“Ahem...”

The Emperor’s voice echoed across the plaza.

“So... I do this kind of thing every year. But um, when we reopened the Gradias Te—no, it shouldn’t have Gradias attached anymore. Yeah. Just the Temple.

“When we reopened the Temple and welcomed the first group of new students, I gave a speech then as well. I’m not great at delivering long speeches. So, back then, I kept it simple. I just said, ‘Study hard.’ And that was all.

“But then, something happened that made me deeply regret it...”

The Emperor glanced around, trying to gauge their reactions. He cleared his throat a few times as he studied the faces before him.

Many in the audience were surprised by the Emperor’s casual tone.

“Since then, I’ve been trying to draw something out of myself, but maybe it’s just not in my nature. It hasn’t been going well.

“I find the long titles that precede my name... uncomfortable. They’re unnecessarily lengthy. It feels like I’m bragging, and it’s embarrassing. But, well, they say being an Emperor means enduring such things. You need to know what I’ve accomplished, what kind of being I am, and none of it is exactly a lie. I am, indeed, the ruler of all demons. I am also the ruler of all humanity, and that’s true as well.”

He swept his eyes across the students before him. “I am the master of the Holy Empire, and that’s a fact. And I still hold two holy relics, which makes me the true representative of the gods. So, even though it’s a bit awkward to hear those long titles recited, they’re true. Why should I feel embarrassed about stating facts?

“Once I realized that, it wasn’t so awkward anymore. Yes... There’s a reason for other titles like ‘Unbeaten’ and ‘Immortal.’ They’re just detailed descriptions of my greatness. They’re there to let you know the magnitude of the being in front of you. Listing all those titles is simply proof of my greatness.”

“Yeah, there are kids here who might not understand what those words mean,” he said, glancing around the room. “Those who aren’t familiar with terms like ‘Magic Council’ yet.”

“So, let me break it down for you,” he added with a confident smile.

“I am incredibly great,” he declared, his tone both grandiose and teasing. “You are in the presence of the most magnificent and noble being in the world right now. So, consider yourselves absolutely honored.”

At those words, the atmosphere in the hall shifted slightly, taking on a slightly bewildered shade. Even though he was the Emperor, it was unusual for someone to speak so highly of themselves. The audience understood all this, of course, but it was still surprising to hear him say it out loud. Regardless of his true greatness, making such statements made him undeniably unlikable.

The Emperor surveyed the silent crowd before him.

“What are you all doing?” he demanded. “You should be clapping.”

At his authoritative words, the dazed crowd began to clap mechanically.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Eventually, everyone in the plaza joined in, though their expressions grew increasingly puzzled. They weren’t exactly sure what they were clapping for.

Amidst the applause, the playful expression on the Emperor’s face faded away.

“See? This is what greatness looks like.

“Some of you might hate me. Some of you utterly despise me. Some of you might even want to stab me in the back. But when I say clap, you still clap. No matter what feelings you harbor towards me, you cannot defy me.

“Remember how those remnants of humanity who once defied me eventually knelt at my feet, and now live their miserable lives within the confines of the Autonomous Territory I established, begging for scraps. Even though they still hate me, the representative of the Autonomous Territory grovels like a dog every year, pleading at my feet for aid.

“You cannot defy me. Those who dared to defy me either met their end or were reduced to beggars, no longer recognized as citizens. And that is why I am great.”

Hatred, resentment, and anger. So what? When commanded to clap, they clapped. When ordered to kneel, they knelt. Such displays of submission only served as a reminder of how absolute my domination of this continent was. Loyalty would have been a bonus, but mere obedience was enough.

They all understood this. Yet, something felt amiss. It was true, but... So what? This wasn’t a speech celebrating the conquest of humanity; it was merely the Temple entrance ceremony. For the Emperor to flaunt his greatness at such an event seemed like misplaced self-praise.

While some listened in a daze, others began to suspect that the Emperor was simply indulging in self-aggrandizement.

“But there is one way to become even greater than me,” the Emperor declared. “The great one who rebuilt the fallen Demon Realm, conquered humanity, ended the Gate Incident, and achieved the impossible feats. Despite all this, there is one thing that even this great Demon King did not manage to accomplish.”

After the long list of achievements, the sudden mention of something he had not manage to do left everyone puzzled.

“Graduation. I still haven’t graduated from the Temple.”

All the students were left speechless at that completely unexpected statement.

The Demon King could not complete his education during the war. Back then, no students could, as the Temple had shut down entirely.

Yet, the truth remained. The Demon King hadn’t graduated from the Temple. When the Temple eventually reopened, some who had served in the Allied Forces returned to complete their education, eventually graduating. That included a few of the Demon King’s classmates. Still, the fact that the Demon King hadn’t graduated was as undeniable as the myriad titles he wore.

“Soon, you’ll be able to achieve what I couldn’t,” he said. “In at least one way, you can live a life greater than this great Demon King. You can proudly say that there’s one thing you’re better at than the Demon King,” he declared.

“How great would that be?” he continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’re on the brink of living a life where you can boast about graduating from the Temple—something even the Demon King couldn’t achieve. You’ll be able to say, ‘That Demon King couldn’t even graduate from the Temple. What a fool!’

“So, study hard, and graduate safely. That’s all.”

With those parting words, the Demon King and Emperor of the Holy Empire turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving everyone staring blankly at his retreating figure.

There was no applause or cheers for the departing Demon King. Everyone was simply dumbfounded. No matter what they thought of the Demon King, one idea was firmly planted in everyone’s mind. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Whether they found him likable or not, whether they considered him great or not...

Emperor Reinhart the Great was undeniably peculiar.

***

—I told you not to do that!

—B-but this time... it was longer!

—Did I tell you not to keep it short? I told you not to make it terrible! Today’s was so awful, it was the wors—no, not the worst, but definitely the second worst! The second worst!

—Was it really that bad...? I thought I did well... Aaaah!

Scarlett stood quietly by the door, listening to Charlotte’s hysterical voice coming from within the waiting room.

For Scarlett, who had served by the Emperor’s side longer than any of the empresses, this was a familiar scene. And since this was a special event, Scarlett wasn’t the only knight guarding the Emperor. As the Emperor’s first knight and commander of the imperial knights, she had a team of knights under her command.

“Commander, wouldn’t it be better to give him a script?” one of the knights suggested.

Wouldn’t it have been better if Charlotte had just written the Emperor a script instead of nagging him like that after the fact?

“He won’t read a script if it was given to him,” she replied, her voice as formal as ever.

Scarlett still had the habit of speaking politely to everyone. The Emperor had tried to break her of that habit, but it never stuck.

“Why not?” the knight asked, puzzled.

“To be precise, he can’t read it.”

“He can’t read it?”

The Emperor wasn’t illiterate, of course.

“If there’s a script, he ends up reading it in a stiff and awkward way,” Scarlett explained. “‘Dear beloved citizens...’”

“Oh.”

“He actually gets very nervous,” Scarlett added.

He never seemed nervous at all, but in truth, he got so anxious that he could never be counted on to read a script correctly. The gibberish he uttered whenever he gave a speech was a direct result of his nerves.

For five years, Charlotte had been trying to help him overcome this peculiar, persistent issue, but each attempt ended in failure, leaving her to scold him once everything was said and done.

—Why are you like this? Should I just give up? Should we both just give up?

There was an intense exasperation in Charlotte’s voice, and the Emperor was getting defensive.

—No! Why are you so upset over something like this?

—You never improve! You don’t grow at all!

—If I were to grow at my age, that would be a miracle!

The Emperor was getting sarcastic, eliciting another frustrated sigh.

—You really never lose a single argument, do you?

The knights continued to listen as the Emperor endured the scolding from behind the door. It was such a regular occurrence that none of them were surprised anymore.

“Still, isn’t an Emperor who stays silent better than one who loses?” Scarlett said with a faint smile.

At her words, the other knights nodded with mixed expressions.

Unbeaten. Immortal. The God of War. Those titles were well-deserved. They were like medals, earned the day he’d single-handedly crushed a rebel army that had marched against him.

The Emperor had never known defeat.

He didn’t even need an army.

Since the proclamation of the new Empire, several wars had erupted—conflicts that arose when all attempts at dialogue and negotiation failed.

Each time, the Emperor marched alone to the battlefield, accompanied only by Scarlett and no one else. Even Scarlett would be stationed far away from the fighting as a mere observer.

“Do you really have to go alone?” she would ask.

The Emperor always faced the advancing enemy forces by himself.

“Those who refuse to submit must be taught fear,” he said. “If they realize I cannot die, if they see that even alone, I cannot be killed, they will not dare defy me or the Empire.”

“Perhaps then, this will end,” he mused. “Or at least, it would happen less often.”

His strategy was simple: to instill fear in those who resisted domination.

The Emperor marched into battle by himself.

His enemies quickly discovered why he was known as the Apostle of the God of War.