Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 695 [Illustration]

The duel was over quickly. Just thirty-five exchanges.

Ellen, gripping Lament in a half-swording stance, deftly deflected Reinhart’s blade and, with a swift counter, sent him sprawling into the sand.

Thud!

Reinhart was half-buried in the sand while Ellen straddled his chest, pressing Lament’s blade against his throat, signaling the end of the fight.

Their faces were so close that the blade nearly brushed against his skin.

“You’re dead,” she declared.

“Yeah,” Reinhart replied.

He nodded, a smile playing on his lips, as if he’d been waiting for those very words, even in defeat.

Though the duel had been brief, the clashing of these two monsters left the beach in ruins.

“Do you want to continue?” Ellen asked, her sword, Lament, still poised at his neck.

“No,” Reinhart replied.

From the moment their swords first met, it was obvious.

Ellen knew Reinhart never believed he could win. She knew even if they fought a hundred times, she would emerge victorious every single time.

Ellen was certain of her triumph, and so Reinhart had to have known it as well.

Ellen climbed off Reinhart, who was pinned beneath her, and extended a hand to help him up.

As he dusted the sand from his clothes, Reinhart offered a wry smile.

“As expected, I can’t beat you,” he admitted.

He could never truly defeat Ellen with a sword that was merely a reflection of hers. That fact hadn’t changed.

“Do you really need to beat me?” Ellen asked.

“Honestly, I don’t,” Reinhart replied, smiling. “But this is just nice, isn’t it?”

Ellen remained silent, pondering his words.

“Winning or losing doesn’t matter,” he continued, his gaze fixed on the waves gently rolling in.

The waves came crashing in, receded, and then returned, repeating their eternal cycle.

“Being able to do this together is what truly matters,” he said.

Crossing swords wasn’t about winning or losing; it was about sharing the moment. Win or lose, there would always be a next time, and another after that. He cherished the continuity of such moments, independent of victory or defeat.

Ellen still couldn’t fathom how Reinhart had managed to subdue her.

How had he done it?

If he couldn’t even defeat her while she was in this state, then how had he managed to subdue her and save her while she had been possessed by a spirit that had made her even stronger than she was now?

Ellen still didn’t know, and Reinhart didn’t seem eager to explain.

In the end, Reinhart got confirmation of what he needed to know. Between himself and Ellen, Ellen was stronger. He realized he still couldn’t close that gap, but he had longed to win just once, even if it meant losing forever after. He understood that after that one victory, he would continue to lose as he always had.

“You probably know by now, but officially, you’re dead,” Reinhart finally said, getting to the point.

Ellen felt the air leave her lungs at his words. The anticipation of that truth filled her with dread. The uncertainty of what she might learn left her breathless and already terrified.

The Demon King had captured and executed the false hero. She had no idea how the scene had been orchestrated or how the intense battle had been depicted, but the fact remained.

The Hero was dead.

That was the reality.

“I forced the representatives of the Autonomous Territory to witness the public execution. The expressions they wore were definitely worth it.” Reinhart chuckled, clearly savoring his memory of the moment.

Ellen couldn’t help but think what a twisted sense of pleasure that was.

The representatives of the Human Autonomous Territory had been forced to witness their final hope being brutally executed. It was cruel, but undeniably effective. Moreover, the one who had died was likely nothing more than a puppet. Fabricating such a piece of theater wouldn’t have been difficult.

“With this,” Reinhart mused, “the bothersome Hero Cult will finally quiet down, and the Autonomous Territory will slowly fall apart.”

She paused, letting the silence linger.

“There won’t be anyone left to project unnecessary hope onto you. You won’t have to carry that burden anymore.”

Those who once prayed for Ellen to save humanity from the Demon King’s tyranny—prayers she’d never even heard—would vanish. With the Hero, the final beacon of hope, gone, even empty gestures like those prayers would cease.

“Now, you’re someone who doesn’t exist in this world. There won’t be anyone who needs you, no one to demand the impossible from you. The Hero has been defeated by the Demon King and has been executed. That’s the end of the story.”

“...”

“The symbol of the Hero is now gone, and soon people will forget you.”

Reinhart looked at Ellen.

“So, what’s your excuse this time for wanting to escape?”

“...”

“Even if you can’t leave, you still want to, don’t you?”

Ellen bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

“It seems like being here with me seems unbearable for you, whether because of your guilt or something else.”

He could see it all in her expression. She didn’t need to say a word; he knew she was struggling with the moment itself.

Finally, trembling, Ellen had no choice but to speak.

“I’m sorry... I am so sorry...”

No matter the reason, no matter how justified or necessary it was... In the end, she had left without a word to Reinhart, the one who had saved her.

Five years had passed since then, and those years had changed so much.

“...”

“If you’re truly sorry, then can you stay with me now?”

Ellen couldn’t find the words.

Was there still a place for her? Was there still a part of him that he could spare for her?

She longed for him to say yes, but it felt too shameless. After leaving on her own and getting caught trying to escape again, how could she now pretend everything was fine?

To act as if nothing had happened, to change her mind so easily, felt wrong. To settle into this comfortable prison and accept it all—wasn’t that too much?

Wasn’t that too selfish?

“Can’t you?” he asked again, his voice soft with hope.

“Ugh... Hic...” she sniffed and stifled a sob.

She gritted her teeth, and with a heavy sigh, her tears finally broke through.

She was trapped in a painful indecision, unable to admit she couldn’t do it, yet feeling guilty for wanting to say she would. She had been hiding behind excuses, avoiding the truth for so long. Now, caught in the moment, all she could do was cry, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.

It was all too much—too difficult, too isolating.

Too desolate.

She wanted to say that every day had been filled with pain. But the words wouldn’t come.

After two weeks of rest, they were finally having a real conversation.

A conversation full of tears.

“I, I don’t know... I just don’t know. Reinhart... I don’t know. I don’t think... I deserve this... I don’t think I can... I don’t think I deserve... to be like this...”

“Who decides what you deserve?” Reinhart asked.

“I don’t know... I really don’t know. But... I shouldn’t... Someone like me... someone like me... shouldn’t be living like this,” Ellen whispered, her voice trembling. “Not after what I did to you... after what I did to the world. How can I even think about it...? With what right...? How can I ever face the world... especially now...?”

Reinhart grasped Ellen’s chin, gently lifting her tear-streaked face to meet his icy and unflinching gaze.

“Yeah, I figured it would turn out like this,” he said. “I figured you wouldn’t be able to handle being with me. Whether it’s self-reproach, guilt, or simply because we’ve been apart for so long.

“The reason you used to leave me five years ago was something you could have handled. It was just an excuse.

“You left because you couldn't stand it yourself. You didn’t leave because you had to. You left because you wanted to. If you had truly wanted to stay by my side, you could have. There were countless ways to make that happen. You know that.”

If Ellen had truly wanted to stay, she would have found a way.

She could have stayed, no matter what excuse she gave or strategy they came up with. But she had not let herself do that.

And so she left.

Even now, when all the other reasons for leaving had vanished, she couldn’t bring herself to stay. That alone was proof enough.

“You just can’t let yourself have this,” Reinhart said gently.

“You believe you’re the cause of everything, so you deny yourself happiness. You think you don’t deserve it because you betrayed me. But you know I don’t want that for you, and you know I don’t blame you. But you just can’t forgive yourself, and that’s why you’re crying like this.

“Even now, when it doesn’t matter if you’re with me, you’re punishing yourself with this vague feeling of guilt.”

His eyes looked deeply into hers. “Making yourself miserable doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make anything better. Where’s the necessity or inevitability in that? There isn’t any.”

At Reinhart’s words, Ellen tightly closed her eyes.

“I know... I know... I know what I’m doing...” she said in a trembling voice. “I know this doesn’t help anyone, not even you or me... I know it only hurts us. I know I’m pathetic, and I know I’m stupid and foolish...

“But I don’t know... I can’t erase it, no matter what I do... Because of who I was back then... If only I had done better. If only I had believed. I can’t shake these thoughts... I can’t forgive myself...

“Because of what I did, because I refused to forgive myself, I find it impossible to forgive myself again.”

She took a breath.

“I couldn’t stand being beside you after betraying you, and now, because I left you, because I ran away, because of all the time that’s passed, I feel like I don’t deserve to be with you. I don’t know how to break this vicious cycle... I know not everything was entirely my fault, but I can’t claim it wasn’t at all.

“If I feel even a little comfortable, if I find even a hint of happiness, I can’t stand myself... I can’t even imagine myself like that...

“I know I’m an idiot, I know... I knew nothing could bring back the dead. I understood that guilt couldn’t change the past or undo what had happened. But despite knowing all this, I couldn’t let go. I just couldn’t accept it.”

She pulled in another ragged breath. “I realized that the more I dwelled on it, the more it hurt you, but I felt lost. Somewhere along the way, I think I just... lost my mind. I can’t think straight anymore... I feel broken...

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for running away, for betraying you. I’m sorry for not believing in you. And even now, for wanting to run away, for not being able to promise I’ll stay with you—I’m sorry. I’m so sorry... But... But...”

“Stop. Just stop it. I understand how you feel,” Reinhart interjected, holding her close to him.

“...”

Unable to meet his eyes, Ellen squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed, while the Demon King spoke softly to her.

“You know what that mansion you’ve been staying in all this while, and this deserted island, represent, right?”

A pause.

“Yes.”

It was a prison designed to make escape impossible. A place where any excuse or reason would be meaningless, a place that made escape out of the question.

“I prepared this place because I knew you were bound to feel this way.”

If she couldn’t change her mind, he would confine her to a place she could never escape from. That was the reality of this place.

“When I saw you again, I thought about all sorts of things I could do, because I knew you would be this way... because you wouldn’t be able to bear it. And after all that thinking, this is the result. This is what Harriet and I came up with.”

At the mention of that name after so long, Ellen flinched.

“I’m not a mage, so how could I have brought you here in the first place?”

The strange trap she had fallen into, and the unnoticed teleportation... Ellen had no choice but to recognize it as Harriet’s doing.

“You were always going to say things like this. About whether you deserved anything or not, crying and spouting nonsense while trying to escape. That’s just who you are. So even though such a measure is harsh, I know you’d be even harsher on yourself if left unchecked. There seemed to be no other option than this.”

Because of all the time they’d spent apart, Ellen couldn’t allow herself to want to be together no matter what.

The reason didn’t matter.

Harriet had known it the moment she left that Ellen Artorius would spend the rest of her life running away, and the Demon King knew it too. Even now, with all other reasons to flee gone, she was still crying, still convinced she couldn’t be with him for yet another reason.

She was being too hard on herself.

If she believed she didn’t deserve happiness, how could she ever choose it?

The Emperor understood that she would ultimately try to escape, and so he was trying to make her stay.

By confining her.

By imprisoning her.

He would tether her to a place she couldn’t escape from.

This island was the outcome of that intention. A small island with a mansion, surrounded on all sides by the vast sea. He believed that trapping her in a place where she couldn’t even discern which way to flee would put an end to Ellen’s self-torment.

It would be enough to provide her all the necessary supplies to live a comfortable life, and even if she resisted this life at the start, she would eventually have no choice but to accept it. In time, she would surrender and embrace it.

Reinhart’s words pierced through her thoughts. She couldn’t argue against his assertion that she would keep trying to escape. She knew that no matter what, she would continue to make excuses and run away. She understood that.

“But you know,” Reinhart began, his voice tinged with regret, “Now that I’ve actually done it... This feels strange. No matter how I look at it, binding you like this, imprisoning you, confining you... This isn’t right.

“So... I created this place, and I’ve been watching you live here... But now, seeing it... Seeing you trapped in front of me, watching you crying, unable to sleep properly... This isn’t right. This will only hurt you more.”

With a heavy heart, the Demon King released Ellen’s chin.

Even after being pushed into this situation, she continued to suffer.

Deep down, she felt she could not accept it. And the knowledge that she could not escape only left her in a daze. In all her solitude, suffering was her only companion. She was caught in another cycle of self-torment.

Believing she didn’t deserve happiness—that was a curse she’d placed on herself.

Trapped as she was, she would eventually resign herself to it. She would inevitably grow more and more unwell.

The Demon King silently observed Ellen, trembling and weeping beside him.

If he kept her confined, he could ensure Ellen stayed forever. Ellen would remain curled up, unable to forgive or accept herself, and eventually fall ill. It might have been the lesser of two evils, but it was far from the best choice.

It was like keeping a bluebird in a cage, only taking it out when it suited you.

Seeing the reality unfold as he had feared, the Demon King realized it wasn’t right.

“After the Dark Land was destroyed and the previous Demon King died, I couldn’t live as a demon when I reached the capital. There was only so much magic could do to disguise me. If living as a demon was impossible, to blend in with humans, I needed a human appearance, and that’s the form of Reinhart you know.”

He paused, the weight of his words hanging in the air.

The waves crashed against the shore.

This island, a prison meant for just one soul...

The Demon King carefully slipped something off his left ring finger.

Through her tears, Ellen watched the Demon King’s actions with a blank expression.

“This ring, which allowed me to live among humans, was the most important item that made all of this possible.”

A ring... For the first time, Ellen realized that Reinhart had been wearing such a ring.

Since it was a ring meant to disguise the wearer, even its own appearance could be concealed.

Reinhart, now in his demon form, gently took Ellen’s left hand.

“I’ve created a world where I can live as a demon. So, I don’t need this anymore,” he said, his voice tinged with resignation. “And as you know, you can’t live anywhere given your current appearance. It wouldn’t do for someone who looks exactly like the dead hero to be wandering the world.”

“I can now live in this form,” he continued softly, acknowledging the change in his appearance, “but you can’t live as yourself anymore. The situation has reversed, hasn’t it?” he mused, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips.

“So, I’ll give this to you. You need it more than I do now. And I’ll let you go,” he concluded, his voice barely above a whisper.

With great care, the Demon King placed the ring on Ellen’s left ring finger, sealing their unspoken understanding.

The ring, which initially was a bit loose, adjusted itself to fit Ellen’s finger perfectly.

Ellen looked at the Demon King with a blank expression. “What is this?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“It’s the item that allowed me to become Reinhart and turn into a cat,” he replied.

The Dreadfiend’s Ring...

As the last Archdemon, that ring had been the key to everything he had achieved. But it was no longer necessary. And so, he was giving it to someone who could not survive in the world without it.

His initial plan had been to keep her confined forever, but he finally realized how wrong that was.

“It’s a good thing for me too,” he said. “Having someone like you waste away in a place like this is, in a way, a loss for me. You uncovered some very important information this time, and I’m sure you’ll do something like that again, in your own way. That will be good for both you and me.

“So I won’t hold you back anymore,” he concluded. “You’re free.”

Instead of keeping her confined, he was granting her complete freedom. He had chosen to let go of the chance to keep her by his side forever.

“If you use this, no one will recognize you as Ellen Artorius. You won’t have to seek out secluded places anymore. You can blend into the world, and live like an ordinary person.”

If she assumed a new identity, Ellen Artorius would vanish from the world. She could move freely through any city, establish a new identity, and live as someone entirely different.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Ellen, still in a daze, stared at the unfamiliar ring on her hand.

“Once you leave this place, if you want to distance yourself from me, if you choose to hide, then I won’t ever be able to find you. If you decide to run away, I’ll never see you again.”

The Demon King, who had finally found the Hero, was offering her the means to escape forever. If she chose to hide, the Demon King would never find her again.

“But at the same time, it’s an item that will let you come and find me whenever you want.”

It was an item that gave her an eternal escape. But if used differently, it was also an item that would let her visit Reinhart anytime. Wandering around the capital as Ellen Artorius was impossible, but with the ring’s power, it would be entirely possible for her.

Whether she used it as a means of eternal flight or as a key to meet him anytime was entirely up to her.

The Demon King gently held the tip of the Hero’s finger while she looked down at her hand in a daze.

“I won’t confine you, imprison you, or exile you anywhere. I won’t force anything else on you. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want. I will give you complete freedom.

“But just promise me one thing. Whether it’s once every few months, or once every few years, that’s fine. Just... sometimes. Sometimes.

“Come see me. That’s enough. That would be enough for me. I won’t ask for more.

“We don’t have to do anything grand together. We can just do what we’ve been doing now. Practicing swordsmanship. Or cooking something. Or just gathering and talking about nothing, like we used to. Even if it’s just for simple, trivial things... It’s okay for us to be together sometimes.”

He looked down at her. “There’s no desperate reason why we can’t do that. You said it yourself, you know you’re strange.

“I’ll only ask that much of you. So please, allow yourself that much as well. Let’s stop this self-torment that only makes us both suffer.”

At those words, tears that had barely stopped began to flow again.

“Hic... Ugh...” Ellen sobbed desperately.

It was a simple request.

He wasn’t asking for much.

The Demon King gritted his teeth, holding back his anger and frustration.

He met the crying Ellen’s gaze, keeping his eyes open, straining to hold back his own emotions.

“Will you... do that for me?” he asked.

He had found the Hero, only to let her go once more, and even giving her a gift that allowed her to live more freely.

He had given her something that would enable her to leave forever, yet he was asking her not to leave forever.

Instead of clinging on, he was choosing to let go.

He was simply asking for a promise. He wanted them to be joined by a thread that would never be broken, even though it wasn’t a very thick or strong one. If seeing him felt too difficult and filled her with too much guilt, then they didn’t have to see each other all the time.

But perhaps they could meet, sometimes.

Wasn’t that possible?

Couldn’t they allow themselves just that much?

Wouldn’t it be too cruel to deny even that small comfort?

Was there really a need to be that harsh? Now that everything was over, couldn’t she permit herself just that much?

The Demon King knew that if he held her too tightly, she would wither away in his arms. So, he had created a space where she could truly live.

He was sending her back into the world.

She could continue doing what only she was meant to do, just as she had always done. She could search for the place where she truly belonged, and act to atone for her sins or for some other reason.

But sometimes, when she was exhausted or battling her inner demons, or in those moments when loneliness felt all-consuming, he wanted her to offer her solace and a place to rest.

He wanted her to permit herself that much.

He understood that endless punishment would never lead to true atonement. He was urging her to grant herself a brief reprieve now and then.

Facing the Demon King, who had ultimately chosen to release what he could have held onto, Ellen found herself unable to resist any longer. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She felt compelled to respond with gratitude and appreciation.

So Ellen, who had worn a look of disgrace all this while, tried to transform it into a smile somehow.

“Y-yeah... Yeah... Okay...”

In the end, their expressions morphed into a chaotic blend of tears and laughter.

Swoosh...

On the beach where waves crashed relentlessly...

On the eternal shore upon which the waves would always break....

They promised each other another eternity.

And so, the Hero whispered, “I will definitely... Definitely...”

A bond was forged with the Demon King—thin yet unbreakable.

“... do that.”

They both vowed, sealing a small but everlasting promise with each other.

-The End-