Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 420

“Is there something going on?” Radia asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Eleris nodded in response to Radia’s question.

Although Radia had not attended the meeting, she could sense from Eleris’s expression that something unusual was occurring.

“Yes, it’s something important. And there’s a high possibility it could be dangerous,” Eleris replied.

Despite living a quiet life in the ancient castle located in the snowy plains, Eleris was now part of a force that was plunging the world into chaos. Therefore, it was only natural for her to be involved in dangerous matters.

Radia watched silently as Eleris prepared to leave.

“I might be away for a few days. We have enough food, but can you manage to take care of yourself?” Eleris asked.

“Huh? Oh... of course. Don’t worry about me,” Radia replied.

Even though Eleris was going off to do something dangerous, she was more concerned about leaving Radia behind, which filled Radia with an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

Eleris made her preparations as if she were merely going for a walk, even though she was heading into danger. She looked no different from when she went out to buy groceries.

“Then, I’ll be off,” Eleris said.

“Oh, yes...” Radia nodded in response to Eleris’s brief farewell.

Eleris left the room. Radia watched her departing figure, unsure of what Eleris was going to do. She wanted to say something, anything.

“... Stay safe,” Radia finally said.

“...?” Eleris turned back, surprised by Radia’s words.

Wishing for her safety... It was a simple phrase, but it wasn’t one typically exchanged between Radia and Eleris.

It indicated that Radia had opened her heart to Eleris and was worried about her.

“Yes, I’ll return safely,” Eleris replied with a gentle smile, bidding farewell to Radia once more.

Radia Schmidt continued to watch the door through which Eleris had exited.

She wondered what it would feel like to truly become family with Eleris. A blood-bound kinship... Would it feel warmer and more comforting than it did now?

Radia Schmidt wanted to seriously ask Eleris about becoming her family when she returned.

She had a feeling that Eleris might refuse, but she was somewhat prepared for that possibility.

***

The next day—Sunday morning—Harriet and I made our way to the imperial palace.

I had no idea how the council meeting was progressing or what decision the Black Order would make.

The best outcome would be if someone from our side could capture a mage from Cantus Magna. If the imperial army succeeded in capturing them all, I needed to create a situation where I could interrogate them.

The worst-case scenario would be if Cantus Magna was annihilated, or if we lost track of them.

Harriet seemed to have finished her preparations, and was carrying a scroll book at her waist. She appeared to have made some serious preparations.

Whatever the case, Harriet and I were merely accompanying the imperial forces, which would handle the actual work.

Vertus was offering me a chance to add something significant to my achievements, and it was basically the same for Harriet.

If a situation arose in which we had to step in, it would already mean that something terrible and irreversible had occurred.

There were no speeches or ceremonies for the expedition.

The empire had summoned its elite forces to the imperial palace as quickly as possible, and we were tasked with securing the lich’s tomb while searching for Rother Dwin, who was likely to be headed there.

A murder had occurred within the imperial palace, and since Rother Dwin had successfully escaped, he was now a high-priority criminal to be captured.

Even if Rother Dwin wasn’t there, it didn’t matter. Just confirming whether the rumored archlich truly existed in the lich’s tomb would suffice.

If we couldn’t find Rother Dwin in the lich’s tomb, we would simply track him down using other means.

The empire seemed to be considering whether Rother Dwin was connected to the Demon King.

In the garden in front of the palace Tetra within the imperial palace, neither Vertus nor the emperor was present.

Sabioleen Tana, the leader of Shanapell, was there as the field commander. Along with her were roughly thirty knights from Shanapell and about thirty mages from the Imperial Mage Corps.

Scotla Kelton, whom I had encountered in Raziern previously, was also present.

Though there were only sixty of them, they were all at the pinnacle of the superhuman realm.

Sabioleen Tana looked at Harriet and me.

“Both of you, don’t overdo it,” she advised us.

The mages and knights, having been briefed beforehand, began to move out, with Harriet and me at the center.

We traveled as much as we could via warp gates, then used mass teleportation to reach the site in the Dark Land as quickly as possible. Sabioleen Tana led the unit from the front.

The situation might take a turn for the worse, but everything would be fine. Everything had to be fine.

Harriet, tense, held onto my hand.

“You...” I began, but Harriet, who had grabbed my hand out of fear, looked up at me in surprise.

It was a natural reaction, as I was the one sweating more profusely.

Harriet, realizing that I was more nervous despite her own fear, gripped my hand even tighter.

It was as if she wanted to help me somehow, even though she wasn’t okay herself.

***

At the same time...

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Ellen and Charlotte were outside the Temple.

Though it was spring, they were dressed very warmly. Such attire was necessary, since they were heading to the polar regions.

They were planning to head to the ancient castle Epiacs that day.

Charlotte, having been inside the imperial palace, was aware of the events that had been uncovered the day before, and what the empire was attempting that day. She also knew that Reinhart was heading to the lich’s tomb.

There was nothing certain about Reinhart yet, and the suspicion around him was ultimately very minor—it was only that Reinhart had visited Elena’s shop with a female student from the Temple. Therefore, Charlotte hadn’t taken any action.

She couldn’t be certain of anything until something major was confirmed.

“Something unusual is happening,” Charlotte said.

“Is it because of what happened yesterday?” Ellen asked.

“Yes,” Charlotte replied.

Charlotte hadn’t shared the details with Ellen, from the murder in the imperial palace to the elite imperial forces heading to the lich’s tomb, and even the fact that Reinhart and Harriet de Saint-Ouen would be accompanying them.

“Let’s focus on what we need to do. Depending on the situation, what we’re doing might be more important than that,” Charlotte continued.

“...”

Ellen remained silent, understanding the gravity of their mission.

The actions that just the two of them were undertaking could potentially determine the fate of the empire. Both hoped that their task would turn out to be insignificant.

“We need to confirm if the statue you mentioned is in Epiacs. We’ll think about the next steps afterward,” Charlotte said.

“Okay,” Ellen agreed.

All mages capable of using teleportation were already deployed elsewhere.

Charlotte had no intention of bringing anyone other than Ellen for this task. She handed Ellen a scroll book identical to the one she was carrying.

“We’ll take the gate to the northernmost part of the continent. From there, we’ll use teleportation scrolls to enter. We’ll return the same way,” Charlotte explained.

“Alright,” Ellen nodded.

Even without a mage, they could use high-level spells like teleportation through scrolls.

Charlotte may have lost the fight for succession, but she was still the First Princess.

“Let’s go.”

They both hoped that what they were doing would turn out to be a pointless endeavor.

With that desperate hope in their hearts, Ellen and Charlotte headed for the warp gate.

***

Since the system Harriet devised hadn’t been implemented, they still had to pass through several warp gates to get to their destination. With Harriet’s system, they could have reached their destination from any gate in the capital immediately, but that reality was still a distant prospect.

Nevertheless, even using the warp gates, the two quickly arrived at the northernmost part of the continent. After all, Ellen and Charlotte could freely access any warp gate.

They used teleportation scrolls to reach the ancient castle Epiacs, which was located in a region without a warp gate.

Whoooosh...

“Ugh... this weather,” Charlotte complained.

At the entrance of the castle, snow had piled up to knee height, and the lowermost layer of snow had compacted into ice.

During the previous group mission, when Harriet had suggested exploring the castle, Ellen, Reinhart and her had wandered around Epiacs.

They’d discovered that it was a place where wandering spirits roamed, and among the buildings within the compound, there was a place resembling a pantheon with seven statues.

Crunch, crunch.

The two walked through the snow-covered clearing.

“But what was that about the woman being a dragon?” Charlotte asked.

“She claimed to be a dragon. She was also hiding her abilities,” Ellen replied.

“... And you believed that?” Charlotte gave Ellen a skeptical look, as if questioning why she would believe such nonsense.

“I didn’t believe it at the time, but after seeing the statue here, I thought maybe this was a place where dragons used to gather. The connection seemed too strong for it to just be a coincidence,” Ellen explained.

“If the mage you accompanied in the Dark Land was Elena...” Charlotte trailed off, biting her lip.

If Elena and Relia were the same person, then Reinhart’s behavior was exceedingly suspicious.

The empire didn’t know what kind of castle Epiacs was. They had merely maintained it as they would any ancient ruin that had existed for a long time.

However, if the statue here truly resembled Elena, then what exactly had this castle been for?

It was clear that the place was related to the Demon King, but the exact nature of the connection was unknown.

That was why Charlotte had come to Epiacs, to see for herself.

“Phew.”

Pat, pat.

After entering the castle, Ellen and Charlotte brushed the snow off their clothes.

The cold air inside the castle was just as chilling as the wind outside.

Ellen, as if remembering something, looked at Charlotte and asked, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”

“Ghosts?” Charlotte tilted her head, puzzled by the question.

“There are ghosts here,” Ellen said.

“... Huh? What kind of ghosts?” Charlotte furrowed her brow at the mention of ghosts without any context.

“They’re not strong enough to cause harm, but there are spirits wandering around. I know becau—”

Flash!

Before Ellen could finish her sentence, they saw a white light flash from a corner of the dim castle corridor. It wasn’t a natural phenomenon.

Ellen and Charlotte’s expressions stiffened.

Flash! Flash!

The flash had not been just a one-time occurrence.

A white light, reminiscent of holy light, flickered throughout the corridor.

—Phew, as soon as Eleris leaves, ghosts start appearing again...

It was a voice.

Ellen and Charlotte soon saw a person emerge from the end of the corridor. Naturally, the person also noticed them.

“...?”

A woman with black hair, whose identity was unknown, stood at the place where the statue resembling Elena was located.

Reinhart had visited Elena’s shop with a woman with black hair. And now, a woman with black hair appeared before them.

Charlotte didn’t recognize her, but Ellen had a good memory. As a combat major, she had paid closer attention to the tournament.

She definitely recalled that face.

Ellen remembered her as a participant in the Open Tournament.

The sixth-year student, Radia Schmidt.

Olivia Lanche had forfeited her match to her in the tournament finals.

Reinhart had visited Elena’s shop with a woman with black hair.

Someone from a line of holy knights, the Nameless Monastery, Olivia Lanche, Adriana, and the Demon King’s assault.

Somehow, they were all connected.

Reinhart, who seemed to know everything that had happened that night...

And then, that day... The time when Reinhart had jokingly confessed to being the Demon King.

In Ellen’s mind, countless puzzle pieces began to fit together.

“... What...? How are you here?” Radia Schmidt recognized First Princess Charlotte, even if she didn’t know who Ellen was.

Two people who shouldn’t have been there had appeared.

“Senior, let’s have a talk,” Ellen said as she slowly began to approach Radia Schmidt.

Radia Schmidt slowly stepped backwards, her expression tense.