Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 483

“Even a beast rolling in the barn would smell better than you. Go wash up first.”

Following Luna’s words, I entered the bathroom. I couldn’t disagree; it had been a long time since I had been able to wash, and I had been covered in monster blood several times.

Even without looking in the mirror, I knew I looked filthy.

There was a large tub in the bathroom, filled with water, and I could hear the sound of wood burning outside. It was a strange feeling to see people who could use such surreal powers living so primitively on purpose.

Ellen knew nothing about her village, which meant that the families of Sunday and Monday was an affair only known to the adults within the village. Considering that, it seemed less strange that they maintained such a lifestyle. Perhaps it was a secret that was only revealed only when the younger ones became adults or reached a certain age.

I was just soaking in the warm water when I was startled by a deep voice coming from beyond the wall.

“Is the water alright?”

It was the voice of Ellen’s father, Ronan.

“Oh, uh. Yes. Ah... Yes. Thank you. Uh...”

I felt the awkwardness of a boyfriend visiting his girlfriend’s house without her being there.

Why did I feel so awkward and out of place when they were treating me so well? Especially since I wasn’t even in that kind of relationship with Ellen anymore.

‘Umm... I actually have the Flame of Tuesday, so I don’t really need you to heat the water like this... I could do it myself if I wanted to...

‘Would I get scolded if I said that? Better keep quiet for now.’

I scrubbed off the dried blood that had crusted on my face and hair and washed it away.

How long had it been since I had had a proper rest? I had been wandering recklessly about, trying to find Rijaiera, and though I had finally found it, it felt strange to actually be there.

I let out a sigh. The realization that I had finally arrived at a safe place after all that wandering loosened some of the tightly-wound tension that was within me.

I had wandered the mountain range for a long time without proper rest. Eventually, Ellen’s mother had lost her patience and revealed herself to me, which was how I finally arrived in Rijaiera. They had been long, tedious, and very dangerous days.

I was finally in a safe place.

As I soaked in the hot water, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of relief. Whatever the case, the first order of business would be to lie down on a proper bed and have some rest. I had achieved my initial goal, and I could think about the next steps later on.

Knock, knock.

—Reinhart?

“Oh, uh. Yes!” I responded reflexively, startled by the knock on the bathroom door. It had been Ronan earlier on, but this time it was Luna.

—I left some clothes for you in front of the door. Change into them.

“Oh... Yes, thank you!”

What could I say? I had stubbornly insisted on calling her “Mother” earlier on, but now that it had come to this...

‘This situation is unbelievably uncomfortable...’

***

I was a guest, but I was no different from a stranger who had shown up at their doorstep, covered in blood and looking like a beast.

Just as Luna knew my situation, Ronan also seemed to know that I had been wandering the mountain range.

After washing up, I changed into the clothes Ellen’s mother had prepared and went down to the living room.

From the kitchen, I could hear the sound of something being chopped with a knife. Was Luna cooking?

In my imagination, Luna Artorius was even stronger than Sabioleen Tana.

It felt like some bizarre joke that someone like her was in such an ordinary household, cooking for a late-arriving guest.

Ellen’s father sat across from me, quietly observing me.

“...”

Or rather, he seemed to be looking at the clothes I was wearing. Come to think of it, Ellen’s father was quite large. I wasn’t short, but he was significantly bigger and bulkier than me.

The clothes I was wearing were obviously men’s clothes, but they did not seem to fit Ronan, and they certainly weren’t Ellen’s clothes either. So, there was no need to ask whose clothes they were.

I was wearing the clothes that Ragan Artorius had once worn.

That was why Ronan Artorius, sitting in front of me, couldn’t help but look at me and the clothes I was wearing with such an unfathomable expression.

What a strange situation this was. If one thought about it, I was in the home of the parents of the hero who had killed my father, being served a meal while wearing the clothes of that deceased hero.

Both I, who had come looking for them, and this couple, who had accepted me, were far from normal.

“Reinhart.”

“Yes?”

“Have you seen Ellen? Since the Gate Incident,” Ronan asked.

His question made my breath catch in my throat.

I had seen her. We had crossed paths. We had also exchanged some words, though that exchange couldn’t be considered a proper conversation.

Ronan seemed to read something from my expression and nodded. “It seems it wasn’t a pleasant reunion.”

“... Yes.”

It seemed that both Ronan and Luna were already aware of the situation between Ellen and me, and the things we would face in the future.

***

Ellen had mentioned once that her mother often made beef stew at home. But regardless of a person’s culinary skills, there were limits to what could be prepared in a mountain village like this. The necessary ingredients wouldn’t always be available.

Ellen’s mother had indeed made beef stew, but I wondered where the beef had come from.

Surprisingly, the food Ellen’s mother made did not taste like anything I had ever had before.

“...”

When I paused after taking a bite of the stew, Luna stared at me intently. Naturally, it seemed that she shared the trait of being easily offended as well.

“Oh, no. It’s... It’s delicious... It really is.”

Despite my words, Luna still looked a little sullen.

“It might not suit your taste. You’re probably used to eating food made with the best ingredients and spices,” she said.

She seemed to be treating me as if I was some pampered kid who couldn’t handle the rustic food of a rural village because I had spent my time living in good environments like the Temple, and ate the food there.

To be fair, that was not entirely wrong. I had been in the Temple’s Royal Class, which provided its students with the best environment in the empire, and after that, I had technically become the king of Edina. Hence, I had never had a problem with the quality of the food served to me.

‘No, but really. It doesn’t even taste bad...’

“Oh, no, it’s not that it tastes bad. Not at all. It’s just that it tastes kind of interesti—I mean, it’s a taste I’ve never tasted before... No, I’m not saying it’s bad. Anyway, it’s delicious. Yes.”

I was just a bit puzzled because I had never tasted such a flavor before, and it wasn’t actually bad. In a mountain village like this, they probably used herbs and wild plants instead of common spices, which gave it a unique flavor. It was merely a distinctive taste, not a bad one.

However, Luna seemed to have taken offense at my hesitation.

She narrowed her eyes and looked out the window.

“Well, your picky taste is understandable given the environment you’re used to. I’m sorry I could only prepare such food.”

‘Why does she choose such strange things to get offended by?!’

“Oh honey, what would a city kid know?” Ronan said.

“I suppose so.”

Ronan gently patted Luna’s shoulder. She was still sulking.

‘Why? Just why? Why on earth do I have to witness my friend’s parents being so disgustingly affectionate?

‘Oh, right, I came here on my own.’

***

After finishing the meal with some unexpected difficulties, I went upstairs.

There were three rooms on the second floor of the building. One was a storage room, and I could immediately tell what the other two rooms were. One would be Ragan Artorius’s room, and the other would be Ellen’s room.

“This is Ellen’s room. Rest here.”

“... Yes.”

I laid out the bedding Luna had given me on the wooden bed in Ellen’s room.

“...”

I didn’t know how Ragan’s room had been preserved, but there was nothing special in Ellen’s room. Of course, it had been empty since Ellen had gone to the Temple, and even after the outbreak of the Gate Incident.

Naturally, there were no traces or scents of Ellen left. Still, Ellen had spent much of her life in this room. She would have spent her childhood here, and would have stayed here until she enrolled in the Temple.

There were no grand ornaments or accessories in the room. They might have been cleared out, but knowing Ellen’s personality, it was likely that they never existed.

There was only a desk, a wardrobe, and a bed, with a few old wooden swords hanging on a wall.

The overly-spartan room was typical of Ellen’s personality. It was probably not that much different compared to when Ellen had actually been living in it. Her dorm room at the Temple also had no decorations or anything beyond the bare essentials.

That was the same for me. Come to think of it, Ellen and I had a lot in common. Neither of us had any interest in decorating our rooms, and we both dedicated ourselves to training all day as if something terrible would happen if we didn’t. Aside from that, we had no personal hobbies at all.

“...”

Something about all this made me feel strange.

I couldn’t feel any trace of Ellen in her room. Naturally, I started thinking about what Ellen was like.

I wondered how Ellen would react if she knew I had suddenly appeared in Rijaiera. I wanted to ask Ellen about that, even though I knew better than anyone that I was hardly in a situation to do such a thing.

I wanted to restore everything I had lost to their original state, even though I knew it was almost impossibly close to being unattainable. For that to happen, I had to survive first. I had to survive the final battle and the possible future confrontation with Ellen.

Because of that, to become stronger, I had bizarrely sought out the parents of someone I likely had to fight one day.

I didn’t know what I could gain from being in Rijaiera, but at least I had succeeded in reaching it.

***

The next morning, I opened the wooden window in the room. The morning sunlight streamed in, and the scenery of Rijaiera came into full view.

Judging by the sun, it was much closer to noon.

The scene outside the window was an ordinarily cosy one. It was so peaceful and so ordinary that it seemed like nothing would happen for hundreds of years.

I could see villagers coming and going, and occasionally caught sight of children. Although there weren’t a large number of households in the village, residents of various ages were going about living peaceful lives.

“You slept for a whole day.”

“Sorry?”

“You must have been tired, so it’s understandable.”

Luna’s words made me realize just how exhausted I had been.

“I’ve informed the villagers that we have a guest, so they won’t be surprised to see you.”

“Oh... I see.”

“Take a look around the village, and get to know the people.”

Somehow, it felt as though she was assuming I would be staying there for quite a while.

***

Rijaiera, by its nature, was a village that had to be closed off to the world. Therefore, the inhabitants of such a village would inevitably be wary of strangers.

But the people of Rijaiera showed no such signs.

“You’re Ellen’s friend, right? Your name is Rein...”

“Reinhart.”

“Yes, Reinhart. Make yourself at home.”

‘Ellen’s friend...’

Luna Artorius seemed to have informed the villagers that a guest would be staying in Rijaiera for a while, and that this guest was supposedly a friend of Ellen’s.

Naturally, I was the only stranger in the village, so people of all ages approached me to say a few words.

“You’re Ellen’s friend? I see... I’m worried about how Ellen is doing.”

.

.

“Is Ellen doing well?”

.

.

“Are you Ellen’s boyfriend?”

.

.

“Oh my, you look quite sturdy.”

.

.

“Poor Ellen must be having such a hard time outside...”

.

.

“Why did you come alone, without Ellen?”

.

.

Everyone was friendly, and there was no hostility directed towards me.

Through the reactions of the children and, to a certain extent, the adults, I managed to discern a certain truth about Rijaiera. The children didn’t know that the outside world had been thrown into chaos. On the other hand, the adults, who knew some of the circumstances, looked worried whenever Ellen’s name was mentioned, and their expressions darkened slightly.

They were likely keeping quiet about the outside world being in disarray and that people were dying in droves, as it would not be good for the children to know.

People around my age, presumably Ellen’s childhood friends, also came to see me.

“Hi. You’re Ellen’s friend, right? I’m Lena.”

“Oh... Hi.”

“You should tell me your name too.”

“Reinhart.”

“Okay, Reinhart. Nice to meet you.”

She was a lively-looking woman with short brown hair. She examined my face for quite a while, seemingly curious about the sudden appearance of a stranger in this rural village.

In contrast, a slightly stern-looking man approached me and extended his hand. “I’m Arta,” he said. “I heard things aren’t going well outside.”

“Well... You’re not wrong,” I replied.

Ellen’s childhood friends would be around twenty years old by now, so even if they didn’t know the full extent of the situation engulfing the outside world, they were somewhat aware of what was happening.

As I introduced myself to people and wandered around Rijaiera, only one thought occupied my mind. ‘I don’t have time for this.’

I wasn’t there just to visit Rijaiera, nor was I there to greet each member of the village; I had gone to learn something from Ellen’s mother and father.

I did not have the time to waste it like that. For the moment, I was doing as Luna Artorius instructed, meeting people and looking around the village. But even at that moment, people were dying.

I had left Edina’s affairs in Charlotte’s hands, but I didn’t truly know if things were running smoothly.

I did not have time to waste.

Within the peaceful confines of Rijaiera, I felt anxious as I thought about the outside world, which lacked the same kind of peace.

In the distance, I saw a group of people descending from the foothills rising above the basin.

Someone was carrying something over their shoulder, and at the front of the group was Ronan Artorius, carrying a rather large boar on his shoulder.

Had they gone hunting as a group?

In this place, detached from the world’s affairs, amidst people living their ordinary lives, I somehow sensed some kind of cruelty.