Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 387

From the moment of birth, everything is decided. What a person can do, and what they can achieve in life—some have limits, while others do not. If one is not born into status, they must at least be born with talent. Whatever a person possessed innately was all they had.

Liberto de Gardenia believed this.

As the first in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Gardenia and hailed as the most talented person in the history of the Gardenia royal family, it was perhaps natural for Liberto to be absorbed by such thoughts.

Gardenia, while not as powerful as Kernstadt, the most formidable vassal state, was still a strong state with considerable influence. Therefore, Liberto, who was almost certainly going to be the next king, held a very high status.

He had enrolled in the Temple and was specifically chosen to be in the Royal Class, which admitted only the most talented individuals, regardless of status. When he had been assigned A-1, a ranking that recognized him as the most talented amongst his peers, Liberto had no doubt that he was one of the foremost talents in the world and a king in the making.

“Do you want to get your ass beaten up?”

That was until he was suddenly beaten up by a second-year senior.

Liberto thought he had responded in a rather gentlemanly fashion. The Royal Class ranked students by talent rather than status, and so he was at the top of that talent-based hierarchy.

Although they were all in Class A, they couldn’t be the same as him, could they? Even if that person was a senior, he had some nerve to summon them all like that, despite being Number 11. Liberto felt he had already shown considerable courtesy by at least using honorifics.

However, in return for that courtesy, he’d been shown violence. Liberto didn’t think he had been rude. After all, he’d lived in the royal palace, looking down on everyone except the king. The fact that he’d even used honorifics, especially to a commoner, said it all.

He had been struck by a mere Number 11, and a commoner at that, just because he was a senior who had entered a year earlier. During that class assembly, Liberto had instinctively said no when asked if he wanted to really have a go at it, but he now regretted it.

He could have shown that arrogant commoner the swordsmanship of the Kingdom of Gardenia. Winner of the first-year tournament? Liberto couldn’t understand what significance such a tournament victory held. After all, he hadn’t even seen it himself.

If that arrogant commoner picked a fight again, he was willing to crush him as much as he wanted. Senior or not, he intended to show the true face of Gardenia’s swordsmanship. To restore his crumpled dignity and honor...

“What are you glaring at?”

“Oh, uh. Um. Nothing.”

Tap, tap.

“Good. Stare at me like that again, and I’ll make you wish you hadn’t, you punk.”

Liberto froze, unable to say anything as Reinhart, whom he’d encountered by chance, tapped his cheek as he walked past.

It’s not easy for someone to overcome the fear engraved in their bones by trying to shift their mindset alone. Liberto glared fiercely at Reinhart’s back, who had passed by as if Liberto was nothing, and had even rudely tapped his cheek.

When Reinhart suddenly turned around, Liberto quickly averted his eyes.

“If you’re scared, just be scared. If you want to fight, then fight,” Reinhart said with a sinister smile, as if he had eyes on the back of his head. “Make up your mind, you coward.”

This time, Liberto couldn’t even look squarely at Reinhart’s back as he walked away.

***

To Liberto de Gardenia, the second-year senior Reinhart was just a rude commoner who had summoned him on the first day and beaten him up. That was all he was.

However, it seemed his classmates had a different opinion.

“Remember that senior from last time?”

“Oh, you mean senior Reinhart?”

“Yeah, that person.”

The impression he’d left was so strong that, although they had only met three seniors—Ellen, Harriet, and Reinhart—everyone vividly remembered their first encounter with Reinhart.

Cicila von Gleione, A-7 of the first year, was the young lady of the Count Gleione family, who had been attending the Temple since elementary school. She recognized not only Reinhart but also Harriet and Ellen.

Her talents were in martial arts, specifically the spear, and Mana Attunement. She was also one of the students with exceptional talent and aptitude among the combat majors.

Cicila was sitting in the first-year lobby, chatting with other classmates. Liberto pretended not to listen but was secretly eavesdropping on the girls’ conversation.

He didn’t think of it as eavesdropping. He just thought of it as the conversation was naturally flowing into his ears.

“Honestly, isn’t he handsome?”

At Cicila’s words, Liberto suppressed the urge to jump up from his seat.

Liberto, who was criticizing him internally, tried hard to suppress his rising anger.

‘What on earth is there about that guy that makes him handsome? He looks like a playboy!’

“Really...? I was too scared at the time... so I don’t really know...”

“He seemed scary...”

That was A-3, Roselia, and A-10, Cardina Aine. They had been terrified when the senior had mercilessly attacked Liberto, and they could still remember the fright they experienced.

“No, that was just one time. That senior is not usually so angry. It’s just his usual expression, I’ve heard...”

Cicila, who had seen Reinhart during the tournament, seemed to place more significance on the fact that Reinhart was her senior.

Moreover, he majored in close combat as well.

“His skills are amazing! He had already achieved the ability to activate Mana Reinforcement in the first year, something even third-years can’t do. I saw it myself.”

“Really...?”

Mana Reinforcement. @@novelbin@@

At those words, Liberto felt his thoughts freeze.

Mana Reinforcement was a high-level combat skill that even the most talented individuals might not master after more than ten years of training.

To think that Reinhart had achieved it in his first year... Liberto felt like shouting that it was a lie.

“I want to become close to him...”

Cicila’s wishful words made Liberto feel even more tangled inside.

“Lucinil seems to have already gotten close?”

The unique silver-haired girl who had skipped a grade, Number 11 of the first year, practically lived in the second-year dormitory rather than the first-year one.

“I know... How did she do it? I’ll have to ask her later.”

‘Reinhart.’

Just hearing that name made Liberto feel sick. He wanted to get back at him somehow.

‘Mana Reinforcement? He must have pulled some dirty trick,’ he thought.

Even with the full support of the royal family, having the best diet, and training in the best environment, Liberto hadn’t mastered Mana Reinforcement. There was no way a commoner, even one who trained at the Temple, could have mastered it faster than him.

Liberto vowed to one day uncover Reinhart’s dirty secrets.

A few days later, on the weekend, Liberto headed to the Temple’s main auditorium. The Temple was going to see if Alsbringer would choose a new master.

He couldn’t help but have a small hope that it might be him. If he became the owner of Alsbringer, what would he do? As the legitimate heir of Gardenia, it would be an honor for the relic to choose him, but he was worried he might have to decline, and instead prioritize his duties as heir to the throne. He even considered how best to resolve any uncomfortable political relations that might arise with the Alse Order if that came to pass.

Well, he could think about it as much as he wanted, and it wasn’t entirely impossible.

With such thoughts, Liberto de Gardenia found himself facing an unbelievable sight.

“...”

Whoosh...

—Alsbringer has...

—Chosen Reinhart...

—Alsbringer’s chosen...

Liberto couldn’t help but believe that something had gone terribly wrong.

The whole auditorium was abuzz with excitement. However, as Liberto watched the scene, he noticed that something was not quite right with the expression of that obnoxious senior, Reinhart.

He had been chosen by a relic, yet he seemed as though he were facing something he utterly despised. In the face of the immense honor of being chosen by a relic, Reinhart’s seemed to be utterly frozen.

Liberto couldn’t help but sense intuitively that Reinhart was a different kind of being, qualitatively different from himself.

***

The hero’s sword, Alsbringer, was a relic capable of summoning the war god Alse. However, the price of doing that was one’s life. Ragan Artorius had summoned the god of war to defeat the Demon King, and had lost his life as a result.

In the original story, there were two relics: Lament and Alsbringer. Ellen’s sword, Lament, possessed a passive trait similar to an Aura Blade, which essentially made it an extremely sharp sword. Ellen never managed to draw out the true power of the relic, therefore I hadn’t defined the true power of Lament.

The true power of Alsbringer was to summon the god of war. In that sense, Alsbringer was a relic, but it was excessively powerful on its own, which disrupted the balance between the relics. Therefore, I included a backstory to explain that Lament also has a true power that lay dormant within it, but Ellen was simply never able to draw it out.

As the author, I knew a thing or two about Alsbringer.

It was Saturday, and we were in the main auditorium of the Temple’s main building, where the entire Royal Class was gathered. There weren’t many people present.

The imperial family was seeking a new owner for Alsbringer. It was possible the relic might not choose someone from the Royal Class; if it did not, they would have to look elsewhere for a new master.

The emperor stood on the podium and looked down at the entire Royal Class. “Given the current situation, with the Demon King’s forces lurking about, the empire needs a new hero. That hero might emerge from among you students,” he announced.

“If Alsbringer chooses its master here, it has to be kept a strict secret. The Demon King will surely try to eliminate the next master of Alsbringer before they become a threat.”

The imperial family was searching for Alsbringer’s next master. If a new master was chosen, that person’s identity had to be kept a secret. All the students wore tense expressions. They were realizing just how close the threat of the Demon King had become.

The empire was likely searching for a new hero among promising groups like the Royal Class or the Order of the Holy Knights.

There weren’t that many people in the auditorium. Including the emperor, high priests of the Alse Order, and the entire Royal Class, there were less than two hundred people.

The process had been complex, but the result of it lay right in front of me. I was watching Alsbringer, floating in the air before me, waiting for me to grasp it. Everyone was watching me, the one chosen by Alsbringer.

Originally, it should have chosen Ludwig.

‘If I refuse, will Alsbringer choose another owner? If I reject it, Alsbringer might accept my refusal and go to another master, who would very likely be Ludwig. But that would be no different than telling Ludwig to die in my place.’

Ludwig didn’t know the true power of Alsbringer, but when the time came, he would naturally come to know it.

The inscription on Alsbringer’s blade was glowing brilliantly.

[Let it be achieved through sacrifice.]

The keyword for Alsbringer was sacrifice. In fact, I had known this in advance.

This sword, Alsbringer, chose as its master only those who were willing to die for the world. Everyone was looking at me, their gazes filled with jealousy, astonishment, or acknowledgment.

Flash!

I grasped the sword of the god of war. The sword emitted a radiant light, pouring out a fierce brilliance as it recognized me as its master.

Clap, clap, clap, clap...

The applause of Emperor Nelliod de Gradias echoed softly throughout the auditorium, and was soon joined by the applause of many others.

The situation was quite ironic. If I had to put it bluntly, I had been chosen by the very relic that had killed my father.

***

The fact that I was now Alsbringer’s master would be kept a secret. However, I couldn’t be sure if that secrecy could be completely maintained. Nevertheless, a strict order of silence was imposed on everyone present.

If the Demon King learned of this, I might be killed by him, so the empire had to keep this secret thoroughly, and the Royal Class students who had witnessed this scene would also be required to keep what they knew strictly confidential. They were unaware that the one chosen by Alsbringer was actually the Demon King.

In any case, while I had hidden the fact that I was Tiamata’s master, the fact that I had become Alsbringer’s master was now known to a considerable number of people. Although it had not been announced officially, I had ultimately been chosen by a relic.

As expected, I had no choice but to have a private audience with the emperor, who had personally attended the ceremony to find the owner of Alsbringer.

“The owner of two relics,” the emperor said, looking at me with a solemn expression. “I might be standing face-to-face with a hero greater than Ragan Artorius.”

Ragan Artorius had also possessed two relics, but in the battle against the Demon King, he had wielded only one sword.

I did not know what to say to the emperor. In truth, Ellen also possessed two relics, but I wasn’t going to mention that.

The emperor placed his hands on my shoulders. The fact that he had personally touched me was a great honor.

“Reinhart.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“...”

He simply looked into my eyes without speaking for a while. It seemed he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Finally...

“... You’ve become too important for me to make a personal request of you.”

He offered me a slightly bitter smile, but left his thought unsaid.

“I entrust the future of humanity to you.”

He hadn’t neglected mentioning the empire by accident.

The future of humanity...

And beyond that, the future of the world.

That was what he desired.

“I will do my best to achieve it.”

A nuclear weapon had been placed in my hands.

It was a nuclear weapon that would cost me my life to use it, but the fact that it was still a nuclear weapon didn’t change.

***

After offering me those words of encouragement, the emperor quietly returned to the palace. A significant event had occurred, but it was as if nothing had happened.

As if nothing had happened, the people who had gathered at the main auditorium dispersed, and I returned to the Royal Class dormitory.

“I’m not sure if this is something to celebrate,” I said.

“I think it’s a headache. You already have one relic,” Ellen replied.

“Exactly.”

Ellen did not seem to think that me becoming Alsbringer’s master was entirely a good thing. While being the master of a relic was beneficial, she seemed to worry that others knowing about it could pose a problem.

After that, Ellen said something unexpected. “We’ll talk later. For now, go and see Harriet.”

“Thick-Skull? Why?”

“She’s crying.”

‘What? Why is she crying all of a sudden? Was she moved by this? Is she crying because our Reinhart was chosen by a relic? What reason could there be for that?’

However, the reality was entirely different.

When I went to her room, Harriet hugged me tightly and burst into tears.

“Don’t do anything... Don’t do anything, okay?” she cried in between sniffles and sobs.

Harriet didn’t know I had Tiamata. To Harriet, a relic meant something else. She instinctively realized that, as the owner of a relic, I would inevitably have to fight the Demon King. She was crying because she was afraid I might die.

“I’m scared... I’m so scared, Reinhart...” she said as she continued to cry.

“Don’t worry... It’s not like I’m going to die.”

“But... but... still...”

Harriet cried endlessly in my arms as if the world were collapsing.

“I’m not going to die, you fool.”

“Y-you... you can’t die. Got it? Don’t mess around trying to fight the Demon King. You can’t do that. Promise me. Promise me...”

“Alright. Why would I do something like that? Huh? I told you, I’m not going to die.”

She choked out another sob. “I-I will become strong too... and I’ll protect you...”

“Yeah. Okay.”

I had become the master of a relic that would kill me if I drew out its true power, but I still comforted Harriet, telling her I wouldn’t die.

***

If this had been a public event, it would have caused a huge uproar, and the name Reinhart would have spread to every corner of the continent. However, given the timing, things remained quiet even after Alsbringer had chosen a new master.

Even within the Royal Class dormitory, any mention of Alsbringer was strictly prohibited. The teachers ensured everyone kept silent, and all the juniors and seniors now looked at me with reverence, as if they were looking at a being from a different dimension.

Of course, even though it was strictly prohibited, people could still talk about it if they wanted to.

Olivia also came to see me.

“...”

I was the master of a holy relic, and so I would have to fight the Demon King. Just like Harriet, Olivia recognized this.

Olivia hugged me quietly. I knew why she was doing it, and I couldn’t push her away this time. Olivia held me and gently patted my head.

Olivia had been saved by the Demon King. Therefore, she would find herself in a difficult position if I were to fight the Demon King. It seemed she didn’t harbor any hatred towards the Demon King.

“I’m on your side,” she said.

“...”

“No matter what happens. I’m on your side.”

If I were to fight the Demon King, she seemed ready to become the enemy of the one who had saved her. However, her words resonated with me in a completely different way.

“I know,” I replied.

Even if Olivia learned that I was the Demon King, she would still be on my side.

***

Everyone started to look at me differently. It was as if I had taken something that should have been Ludwig’s, but there was no way Ludwig could know that Alsbringer should have originally been his.

Honestly, I didn’t feel much guilt about taking it.

If you hand a suicide bomb to someone who was always ready to sacrifice themselves for humanity, I might be faced with the absurd situation in which it was used against me. For Ludwig’s sake and mine, it was only right for me to be Alsbringer’s master.

“I’ll work hard too, so I can be of some help to you,” Ludwig said.

“Okay.”

.

.

“You’re... really incredible,” Cliffman remarked.

.

.

“If you kill the Demon King, will you marry me?” Riana asked.

“What nonsense is that?”

“Anyway, let’s not die. Both of us,” Riana said casually as she passed by, patting my shoulder.

.

.

“You’re amazing, Reinhart, for Alsbringer to choose you too,” Charlotte congratulated me with a bright smile. She considered that me becoming stronger couldn’t be a bad thing.

And then...

“The owner of two relics,” Vertus said as he looked at me.

We were on the tea-time terrace where we usually had tea.

I had thought he would find out eventually, but as always, Vertus already knew.