Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 434

The Quantum Maze could be breached. However, it remained unclear if Antirianus and the archlich and Antirianus could enter Akasha after breaking through the Quantum Maze.

The important thing was that I had no intention of letting those guys reach the entrance of Akasha. I wasn’t sure if I could even gain a semblance of an advantage against those two archmages.

The crucial factor was Alsbringer, which made me stronger the stronger my opponent was, and Tiamata, a relic optimized for fighting against the undead. In addition, I had the support of Eleris.

Using these, I would overcome the two obstacles before me and reach the conclusion of this whole saga. The Gate Incident would not occur, and the Demon King would quietly disappear.

I would spend the remaining time with the name Reinhart as my true name. I would eliminate the seeds of chaos sown within the empire and the continent one by one.

I would remove any possibility of discord that I had sown and that had been sown in my name, one by one. I would find peace of mind by bringing about world peace.

Although I still didn’t know how to resolve the tangled and twisted relationships and the lies I had told, I believed it would somehow work out. I had to give further thought to whether to tell the truth to those who would feel betrayed by it, and if so, how to say it.

In the end, I realized that, for the moment, doing nothing was the best course of action. Hopefully, as I cleaned up the mess I had made, everything would be resolved and lead to peace.

Clunk.

With that, Eleris and I opened the door to Akasha.

A long, long corridor... Someone stood in the middle of the Quantum Maze as if they had been waiting.

“You have already arrived, great being.”

An old vampire was smiling at me, holding a skull in his right hand.

“It seems you have already learned everything...”

Just as we had learned about Akasha, it seemed Antirianus had also come to realize the true nature of Akasha.

But before that... The skull in Antirianus’s right hand... I furrowed my brow as I looked at it.

“Antirianus, what is that?” I asked.

“Ah, are you referring to this...?”

Antirianus tossed it towards me.

Thud. Roll, roll...

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

“Would you understand if I said it was the Archlich’s?”

The skull rolled across the ground towards my feet.

“That is both the leader and the last remnant of Cantus Magna, which we had been looking for. It is Lucren’s skull.”

When the skull touched my feet, it turned to dust and disappeared, the fine black powder scattering into the air. It did not look ordinary at all.

“What do you want, Antirianus?” asked Eleris, her tone clearly hostile.

The old man shook his head. “Sadly, everyone in the Council misunderstands me too much... Of course, I understand why...”

“...”

“There is nothing in particular that I want.”

There was still no hint in the old man’s smile.

“If there is one... Didn’t I mention it before? Amusement. I am prepared to enjoy both your success and failure, which is why I have offered my full cooperation.

“I had to side with Lucren briefly in that situation to learn what Akasha is, and its true location. I had no intention of betraying you. Once I found out what Akasha is, I eliminated the useless Lucren.”

“I’ve come here only to confirm the location of Akasha, and have no interest in the trivial matter of becoming a god.”

Antirianus offered me a chilling smile.

Amusement...

Was he really working with me just for that alone, with completely no interest in possessing a powerful artifact like Akasha?

I couldn’t believe it, but Antirianus was smiling at Eleris and me as if there was no falsehood in his words.

“I think the world is interesting because it is unpredictable. What interest or amusement could I find In a world where everything can be controlled and everything goes as predicted? Becoming a god of such a world is just a child playing with sandcastles, just on a larger scale.

“Great being, I like stories in which storms and waves crash over a sandcastle built by a child. I like stories in which a child desperately tries to protect the sandcastle they painstakingly built, crying and despairing, and either achieving something in the end, or sinking into the sea of despair.

“I want to observe stories that are unpredictable, but provide enjoyment just through the act of watching them play out. I cannot tolerate an old, deluded skeleton trying to seize control of the ending of that story by becoming a god.

“I want you to take Akasha. You don’t seem like someone who would succumb to the desire to become a god. You seem to love more human, more emotional, more trivial things. I like stories in which people risk their lives for such trivial things.”

Antirianus bowed his head towards me.

“Great being, show me a story that is either full of great joy, or full of deep despair.”

‘A true madman...’

That was the only thought that came to mind.

He’d found out what Akasha was and had offered it to me, and now he was willing to help me because he was curious about what I would do next.

In the end, he recognized that my story would be an interesting one, and he would take pleasure in observing my despair and happiness by offering me aid as a supporting character, rather than being the protagonist.

Eleris bit her lip, seemingly overwhelmed by both the sincerity and the madness in Antirianus’s attitude..

“You’ve gone mad from the boredom brought on by the passage of time, Antirianus,” Eleris said.

Antirianus’s vampire eyes gleamed eerily. “Didn’t I mention it before, Lady of Tuesday? I’ve lived for such a long time that it would be strange not to have gone mad. If that’s the case, then how could I be sane?”

He had already achieved everything he’d ever wanted, and possessed everything he desired.

Yet, because he did not want to die, he had become a vampire and lived for an unbearably long time since his transformation.

Any longing had long since disappeared, and he had grown to find enjoyment in witnessing someone else’s joy or despair.

“Of course, the screaming and pleading that Lucren offered up in his last moments were quite an entertaining spectacle for me. The death of an ancient undead being who failed to fulfill his long-held desires and met a futile end... Just observing it brought me indescribable ecstasy.”

Antirianus’s eyes bore into mine.

“Of course, I am not suited for the enjoyment of executing such acts. An old monster like me is not fit for the role of the protagonist.”

Antirianus had been helpful so far, and given his level of madness, he could even be considered trustworthy.

He had no reason to take Akasha, or any desire to use it for any personal purpose.

He would simply watch from the sidelines, chuckling, no matter whether I succeeded or failed. That excessive malice didn’t even stir a drop of anger in me.

“In that case, Antirianus, are you saying that you’ll be on my side?” I asked.

“Of course, you shouldn’t trust me too much. I could act suddenly, either for your happiness or for your misfortune,” he replied.

His nauseating honesty was almost draining.

Antirianus had killed the archlich, and had completely eliminated Cantus Magna.

Antirianus bowed his head towards me.

“If you truly cannot trust me, then you may cut off my head with that relic of purity, great being.”

“...”

Antirianus offered his neck willingly.

Was he saying that he was willing to give up his life if he couldn’t witness the end of my story?

‘Should I kill him?’

Madness was unpredictable.

Antirianus had betrayed me at a crucial moment and had reached this place where Akasha was being held in an instant. Although we’d arrived first and grasped the truth behind Akasha, I still could not fathom whether he intended to seize Akasha or not.

The future was unknown, and I couldn’t tell what Antirianus was thinking.

However, Antirianus had been a great help thus far.

Madness that was so incomprehensible became trustworthy.

If he was truly this mad, he wouldn’t change his mind for trivial reasons.

“... You crazy maniac.”

I decided to trust Antirianus’s madness.

‘Alright, you crazy old man. Let’s see this through to the end together.’

***

Eleris decided to stay in Akasha.

Naturally, Antirianus couldn’t be allowed into Akasha recklessly, since I did not know what he might do.

While Antirianus was not worthy of my full trust, he had still killed the archlich, a very dangerous nuisance.

I didn’t know how far on my side he was or when he might betray me, but for the moment, he was supporting me.

Antirianus was indeed useful, and all he desired from me was amusement.

If a powerful being like Antirianus was willing to offer me his full support in exchange for being a spectator of my life, it wasn’t such a bad deal, was it?

Antirianus used mass teleportation to return us to the capital.

First, I needed to meet Charlotte. And Ellen too.

I wasn’t sure how to explain the truth about everything, and I wasn’t certain if it was right to speak to them about the existence of Akasha, but I had to meet Charlotte first.

I also had to come up with an explanation as to how I had returned to the capital after disappearing from the lich’s tomb.

How was I supposed to begin to address the deception I had maintained thus far?

Antirianus would head back to the lich’s tomb to relay the details of what had transpired to the Vampire Council and the Black Order.

“Will you be alright? They probably think you’re a traitor right now,” I said.

“I believe it will work out somehow,” Antirianus replied.

With a sly smile, the old vampire vanished into the shadows of the night.

I mean, was it really the time for me to worry about Antirianus?

I wandered down an alley in the capital and emerged onto the street.

If I succeeded in hiding Akasha, I would then have to clean up the mess I had made as the Demon King. I would need to sort out the issue of the Demon God Cult, and deal with their messes one by one.

I wasn’t sure if it was really the best move to complete Akasha, create another world, and relocate the demons there.

Sarkegar would fully agree with that plan.

If I took all the demons to a new world and my ability to control them grew stronger, I might become a god-like figure in that new world.

If I attempted such a trivial thing as becoming a god, would Antirianus find it boring and try to kill me?

I walked to the entrance of the Temple and passed through the gate as I always did. But somehow, there was a different kind of unease.

Everyone seemed to be watching me, especially the guards stationed at the Temple’s gate. As soon as they saw me, it seemed as though their muscles tensed up.

Vigilance and curiosity... And in addition to that, fear.

Because of that unease, I turned around after passing through the gate and was met with a strange sight.

The guards standing behind me had closed their ranks, preventing me from going back out.

And then...

“... Vertus?”

Vertus, who had been sitting on a bench somewhere, slowly walked towards me.

Why was Vertus there in the middle of the night?

The usual Vertus wore a slightly silly smile, while the real, maskless Vertus possessed a slightly eerie smile.

However, the Vertus approaching me was different from any other time.

His face was hard, and he wore a grim expression I had never seen before. It was a face filled with a level of anger that it seemed even he couldn’t handle.

‘Why?’

“I don’t understand,” Vertus said as he looked at me, surrounded by numerous knights.

“I don’t understand this situation at all. Why... is it you?”

There was confusion, anger, and betrayal in Vertus’s expression, as if he couldn’t comprehend the situation himself.

‘Ah. So that’s what it is.’

It felt like something inside me was breaking.

‘Is it too late? No... Was it destined to turn out this way from the beginning? Was it always my fate to reach this point at the end of everything? I was almost there... Only one step remained. Was it my destiny not to take that final step?’

“Seize him.”

At Vertus’s brief command, the people around him moved.

***

My arms were bound, and my eyes were blindfolded.

That wasn’t all.

“They say he can use the power of Incantation, so gag him to prevent any nonsense.”

At Vertus’s straightforward order, even my mouth was gagged.

The only consolation was that, among my possessions, only the Flame of Tuesday was taken.

The invisible ring of Sarkegar wasn’t confiscated, so I could still maintain the appearance of Reinhart. It was a tool for concealment and disguise, and the heirloom of the dreadfiend family couldn’t be detected unless I willingly removed it.

I was dragged off by the knights. I did not know where, only that it was somewhere inside the Temple.

Something had gone wrong.

I didn’t know the extent of his suspicions or what he knew about me, but Vertus surely knew something.

I didn’t know where or how things had gone wrong, but I had about a hundred thousand Achievement Points. Was there no way to resolve the situation through Revise?

I was at some building inside the Temple, and presumably deep underground.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of chains clattering echoed throughout the space.

When the blindfold covering my eyes was removed, I had no choice but to realize that using Revise to alter the suspicion against me was impossible.

Grrr...

I saw a lycanthrope gagged and trapped inside an iron cage, just like I was.

It seemed to have red fur, but I was wrong.

It was blood. Its fur had originally been white.

It was a white lycanthrope covered in blood.

Clang! Clang!

The lycanthrope, bound by chains, struggled against its restraints, its eyes filled with madness. But the chains that were holding it down only tightened and didn’t break.

Loyar and the full moon...

Even without knowing the specific details behind it, I realized what had happened.

Loyar had been captured.

Loyar had also revealed herself during the Demon King’s attack.

Vertus, who was standing beside me, asked coldly, “Do you need more of an explanation?”.

Even if I didn’t know how it had come to this, the result was clear.

I was being accused of being either one of the Demon King’s minions or the Demon King himself.

Still... I attempted to use Revise.

Even if they knew I was the Demon King, I hoped people would trust me.

That they would believe in my intentions.

[This Revise task cannot be performed.]

However, I was destined to kneel before the mountain of lies I had built myself.

And so, of course, it was impossible.