Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 407

Inside the Winter Palace at Imperial Palace Emperatos...

“How does it feel to have the support of two heroes?” asked Vertus.

“I can tell you’re trying to provoke me, but I don’t feel like reacting to it,” Charlotte responded curtly.

“Since Ellen Artorius is your guardian knight and she won’t be able to go back on her vow, why not just pretend it never happened and just get engaged to Reinhart now?”

Charlotte furrowed her brows at Vertus’s malicious sarcasm.

“I don’t want to go down in history as the princess who was murdered by her own knight.”

Charlotte’s nonchalant remark left Vertus rather dumbfounded.

“Do you really think Ellen would do that?”

“She might not, but Reinhart would definitely be disillusioned with me, and I would hate that more.”

Charlotte’s candid admission that she believed incurring Reinhart’s disdain was more serious than the possibility of death at the hands of a jealous Ellen left Vertus speechless.

She wasn’t usually someone who expressed her feelings so openly. However, after accepting her defeat, Charlotte had become excessively honest in many ways.

“So, what’s the reason for calling your half-sister to your palace? I mean, I’m not particularly busy and don’t have anything significant to do, but you know that I don’t really like you.”

Since Charlotte would never willingly visit the Winter Palace, this visit had happened only because Vertus had asked her to come.

Of course, Charlotte had no choice but to answer Vertus’s summons.

Even though the foundations of her support had been solidified, as long as Vertus knew that a part of the Demon King’s soul had merged with Charlotte’s soul, she was always living on borrowed time.

“So, has there been any progress in your research into soul manipulation magic?” Vertus asked.

Charlotte’s expression hardened. “You know the answer to that, don’t you?”

“... There’s no need for such disdain. This time I really don’t know. All I know is that you somehow acquired a magic book on soul manipulation and are trying to do something with it.”

Charlotte found it hard to believe Vertus’s claim of ignorance. She had tried to keep the acquisition of the book on soul manipulation a secret, but Vertus always seemed to get his hands on information somehow, as if everything were no secret to him.

It would be a surprise to her if Vertus didn’t know about the underground labyrinth beneath the Demon King’s Castle.

The fact that Vertus did not know something she expected him to know meant that the information was being blocked somewhere down the chain.

‘Could it be Dame Tana?’ Charlotte thought.

Charlotte knew that what was impossible for her was not impossible for the leader of Shanapell, who could wield immense political influence if she wished.

Tana was supposed to remain neutral in the battle for succession, but since she’d begun spending more time with Charlotte, she had subtly shifted her stance towards siding with her.

Sabioleen Tana might have tried to prevent information about her research into soul manipulation, which could be Charlotte’s last hope, from reaching Vertus.

As a result, Vertus had learned about the concept of soul manipulation magic, but was unaware that the knowledge had been acquired from the underground labyrinth beneath the Demon King’s Castle.

While it was possible that Vertus knew about the underground labyrinth beneath the Demon King’s Castle, as long as the information that Charlotte, Tana, and Reinhart had headed to the Demon King’s Castle was kept hidden, there was nothing to link the magic book on soul manipulation to the underground labyrinth.

It was likely that, in Vertus’s mind, soul manipulation magic and the underground labyrinth were two separate pieces of information.

If the information had been properly kept secret, then only three people knew about the secret bunker beneath the Demon King’s Castle: Sabioleen Tana, Charlotte herself, and Reinhart.

Even the mages who were conducting the research into soul manipulation didn’t know where the magic tomes had come from. Therefore, while information about soul manipulation might leak out, there was no leaking the source of the information.

“I have to go on living like this.”

The results of the research into soul manipulation had been recently revealed to Charlotte, and that was the conclusion.

At Charlotte’s calm words, Vertus furrowed his brows. From his reaction, it seemed Vertus was genuinely hearing this conclusion for the first time.

“You don’t seem too disappointed about that.”

In truth, when Charlotte learned that she couldn’t restore her condition through soul manipulation, she had merely accepted the inevitable.

‘I knew this was how it was going to turn out...’

That was her only sentiment.

Vertus’s expression hardened.

“Sibling, you might not believe it, but I find the idea of killing you very regrettable, and it’s a very dangerous thing. Until recently, doing so would have been enough to turn Reinhart into an enemy, but now it means turning Ellen Artorius into an enemy as well.

“No matter how justified it is for me to kill you and even if the entire continent agrees with it, those two are fundamentally stubborn. In my opinion, Ellen Artorius is at least as much of a lunatic as Reinhart, if not more.

“Of course, it’s not that I can’t handle them. But killing you and then killing the two heroes who are considered humanity’s hope? If I did that, I might as well pray that the people will grant me a painless hanging, no matter if I became the emperor,” Vertus rambled on, with a genuinely frustrated and bewildered expression.

“So now you’re the one in trouble, it seems. I almost feel like thanking the Demon King,” Charlotte said, then chuckled as she covered her mouth, seemingly amused by the thought of the trouble Vertus would face after her death.

Vertus glared at Charlotte with a grim expression, arms crossed.

“Look, sibling, you seem too carefree about this, thinking it’s over once you’re dead. Consider my situation. I’m in a position where I have to decide whether to preemptively kill you then bare my neck to prevent the half-resurrection of the former Demon King Baalier, or let the former Demon King resurrect then pour the entire continent’s resources into another campaign to subjugate this resurrected Demon King, but without Ragan Artorius this time.

“Even now, this Demon King issue is a terrible problem. If I let things play out in the second way, I might be physically safe, but the stress of it all will definitely kill me,” he said.

Although Vertus’s words contained some hyperbole, his analysis wasn’t entirely wrong.

If he killed Charlotte now, he would have to die.

If he waited until the Demon King completely dominated Charlotte’s body, he would need to go on a second campaign to defeat this resurrected Demon King. While he would have strong justification for this, but at a tremendous cost.

Ellen had become Charlotte’s knight, and Reinhart cherished her. Because of these two things, her continued existence had become excessively burdensome.

For Vertus, dealing with it had been a heavy burden, then a light one, and it had grown heavy again. Charlotte found the change quite amusing, but Vertus’s concerns were certainly valid.

“Well, I’m not sure, and I don’t know if you’ll believe it, but... I somehow feel like that won’t happen,” Charlotte said.

“... Based on what?”

Reinhart had told her the same thing several times using Incantation, a unique supernatural power in the world, that nothing dangerous would happen and that she’d be okay from now on.

In the midst of those countless whispers that had brought peace to Charlotte’s heart just by listening to them, Charlotte had gained a subconscious certainty that she would be okay. That even if this power were to consume her, she wouldn’t lose her own will. And so perhaps she was already truly okay.

That was what she had been told, and she believed in Reinhart. She believed in the changes in her body and soul that had occurred because of the continuous incantations Reinhart had whispered to her.

“Surely I’ll be okay.”

“Based on what, though?”

Charlotte smiled at Vertus.

Srrrrrr...

Her hair turned pitch black, and her body took on the form of a demon with black eyes inset with vertically-slit blood-red pupils.

Vertus’s face went white as he saw her dark hair rippling in the air, and the terrifying form that could only be recognized as that of a demon and the Demon King.

“Do you see?”

A bizarre voice, like scratching darkness, resonated from Charlotte’s throat, and as she gestured, dozens of spears of darkness appeared in the air around Vertus’s office.

The spears were aimed at Vertus, but they remained fixed in the air without the slightest movement.

“The fact that I don’t kill you, even in this state... Isn’t this itself enough evidence?” Charlotte said.

“What on earth is this...”

Charlotte had become one with the Demon King.

To be precise, she had become able to fully control a portion of the Demon King’s power.

This was a gift from Reinhart.

A life that would have been lost without Reinhart’s intervention had now been granted a boon, a portion of the Demon King’s power.

Soul manipulation was not a viable alternative.

“Why should I give this up?” Charlotte said.

Given the situation, this was the only thing she could rely on.

***

“If you intended to scare me, you succeeded beyond measure, sibling.”

Vertus, who looked drained and did not deny being frightened by Charlotte’s grotesque form, slowly nodded.

Charlotte’s rippling hair settled back into place, and both her hair and eyes returned to their original state.

“Ha, I never thought I’d see you so scared. I should thank the Demon King.”

“Why don’t you stop with your damn jokes?”

Just admitting to being scared when confronted with what he’d just seen was already a sign of a strong heart. When a seemingly normal person suddenly took on the form of a demon and threatened to kill you, fainting would be the more typical reaction.

From what Vertus had seen, it seemed like Charlotte wasn’t being dominated by the Demon King, but had gained solid control over the Demon King’s power. Of course, he could not be certain if this state would hold permanently, as she claimed, but he couldn’t deny that it seemed stable for the moment.

Of course, her power could never be revealed publicly. Even those who were unaware of the details would agree that just showing this true power would be extremely distressing and foreboding, even if those seeing it couldn’t immediately identify if it was part of the Demon King or something else.

It was a trump card that Charlotte kept up her sleeve, but was also a last resort.

While this power was indeed formidable, surviving as a public enemy of the entire continent, let alone against the countless knights of the empire, was impossible.

That was why the power to move vast military forces with a single word was so frightening.

“So, if you really didn’t know about the progress, why did you bring up soul manipulation magic?” Charlotte asked Vertus. “It doesn’t seem like you would ask about it just to tease me.”

Vertus crossed his arms and stared at her intently. “I was obviously curious about where the magic tome had come from. Where did you get such a rare and insufficiently described magic tome dealing with the principles of souls? Did you make connections with some secret society?”

“Oh, was that it?”

With that, Charlotte learned that, even if Vertus did know about the underground labyrinth, he had no idea she had gone to the Demon King’s Castle with Tana and Reinhart.

Charlotte could tell him where she had gotten the magic tome from. However, she believed that only she, possessing the Demon King’s soul, could make it through that labyrinth.

“Why, were you hoping for something more?” Vertus asked.

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“No, nevermind.”

Neither Vertus nor Charlotte were mages. They both knew that rare magic books held immense value, but neither of them were merchants who would convert that value into money; instead, they aimed to supply the magic to the military to enhance its power.

In essence, powerful magic was strength. No matter how dangerous the magic or forbidden it was, from the perspective of those in power, having strength was never a disadvantage.

It didn’t matter if Charlotte told Vertus the source of the magic tome. After all, only she could enter and retrieve the books from there. Still, there was no reason to provide excessive information unnecessarily.

Charlotte could no longer become empress, but she could form a cooperative relationship with Vertus.

The magic tomes in the underground bunker of the Demon King’s Castle would become her assets.

Charlotte owed her life to Ellen and Reinhart.

If Vertus found value in her some day, perhaps one day she could face them without constantly feeling indebted.

“Alright. I’ll bring you a few more magic tomes,” Charlotte said.

“Are you trying to make a deal?”

“It’s only natural to use your cards sparingly when you only have so few.”

Though Charlotte had said a few, she intended to bring him a considerable amount of magic tomes.

Even if he realized they were the secrets of the Dark Land and later learned that they had been found in the underground bunker below the Demon King’s Castle, that wouldn’t matter, since only Charlotte could enter it.

***

“Uh...”

“...”

Harriet walked past Reinhart, who seemed slightly hesitant upon seeing her.

She had been avoiding Reinhart lately because she had no idea what to say to him.

Harriet had seen Ellen and Reinhart talking like they used to, and she had also witnessed Charlotte and Ellen, who was now the former’s guardian knight, bickering in their usual peculiar way. Then, she saw the three of them walking around together.

Harriet didn’t know what to do.

When Reinhart announced his engagement, Harriet had felt her mind go blank. She hadn’t been able to focus on her studies or her research.

Since he had made that decision because Charlotte’s life was in danger, she couldn’t tell him not to do it, so she wondered if all she could do was watch.

But just when she thought she could only look on as they slowly drifted apart, Ellen had become Charlotte’s knight, and the engagement had been erased as if it had never happened.

Harriet could never have done something like that.

It was something only Ellen Artorius, the sister of Ragan Artorius and the owner of Lament, could have done.

Ellen, who symbolized something even stronger than Reinhart, had become Charlotte’s knight, and thus could guarantee Charlotte’s safety.

Ellen had done what Harriet couldn’t, but because of that, Reinhart would not have to go through with the engagement.

Harriet thought she would be happy after all this, but she wasn’t happy at all.

Even though she saw Reinhart get along with Ellen like before, Harriet couldn’t do the same.

She knew that if she approached him and held a casual conversation, treating him like before, he would treat her the same.

But... Wasn’t that the end of it?

Reinhart always felt a little sorry for Harriet.

Sorry... and sorry. That was all there was.

Harriet always thought she was next after Ellen, but she wasn’t.

She was always last. Whether in restoring relationships or in being cared for.

Sometimes Charlotte came first.

Sometimes Ellen came first.

Sometimes Olivia came first.

But Harriet was always after them.

The arrogant Harriet of the past would have been outraged and angry. She would have thought she didn’t deserve such treatment and felt resentful.

But having shed her arrogance, Harriet, who had decided to treat every person as ordinary and was trying to live in that way, was slowly being worn down.

She knew that constantly expecting something from someone was painful.

She thought that what Reinhart was doing for her was enough. That he was already showering her with a lot of care. That even that much was something to be thankful for.

But before she knew it, her self-esteem had fallen into the abyss.

‘It’s okay if he doesn’t hold my hand. It’s okay if he doesn’t embrace me.’

She felt a resigned satisfaction that just being by his side was enough.

However, this was wrong.

Being satisfied with someone paying attention to her out of guilt was just miserable.

If their relationship was bound to end in defeat after a long road of misery, then wasn’t it right to let it go?

“Harriet. Are you okay?” Adelia asked in concern.

Harriet nodded.

“Oh? Ah... yes.”

‘If they’re feelings that won’t be reciprocated anyway, let’s just let it go.’

Reinhart had risen too high, and Harriet might not even be able to look up at where he was anymore.

The seed planted in the soil of Harriet’s heart had grown into a flower.

But like a flower that withers without bearing fruit, her flower was slowly dying.

Even so, it felt as if Harriet Saint-Ouen, the very foundation of the soil, was withering along with it.

***

Harriet left the Temple and headed towards the imperial palace.

As she set out, she made a resolution.

To forget. Slowly.

Once she became indifferent to everything, once all these painful feelings disappeared, perhaps then they could return to being just ordinary friends.

Harriet thought Reinhart would want that too.

Just like Riana could treat Reinhart casually because she didn’t like him, Harriet thought she could do the same.

‘Let’s talk once a long time has passed. And then I can finally tell you that I liked you back then. That I liked you very, very much.’

“...”

Out on the street, Harriet eventually burst into tears in the middle of the road.

“You... Y-you’re such... a bad guy...”

‘You know that I like you...’

Even though they never really talked about it for fear that something fragile might break, she believed that he knew all along.

The disappointment and sorrow were unbearable for Harriet.

‘Maybe I should just say it. Call him a bad guy, the worst guy in the world, and curse him out. After all, he’s someone I have no reason to like. I know it’s my fault for liking someone who is so terribly bad, knowing what kind of person he is.’

If she hated him then perhaps this sense of inferiority and defeat would disappear.

So, she decided to just hate him.

She decided that, after telling him to his face that he was a horrible person, she would pretend not to have known him from then on.

‘Return as friends later? There won’t be such a thing.’

Having resolved to do this, Harriet walked down the street, took the magic train, and headed to the imperial palace.