Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 348

Although she lacked the Charm ability characteristic of succubi, Airi seemed to have succeeded in charming the local influential figures while running her tavern as if she didn’t need such an ability in the first place.

That had been the most important stage. Now that the work was underway, Airi did not foresee any significant difficulties.

All that was left was deceiving and exploiting those whose hearts she had already won.

I wondered how she planned to handle the malice of those people once everything was over. Did she already have a plan for that?

Just as I was taking risks in my own way, Airi was willing to take her own risks, even if I didn’t want her to.

“Just wait a little longer, Baalier,” Airi said as she smiled at me. “The day when I can offer you the Edina Archipelago isn’t far off.”

She intended to swallow the entire Edina Archipelago, beyond just monopolizing trade rights. When I first met the succubus captives, I just wanted them to live peacefully. When I spoke about seizing control of the empire’s financial system, it was only to give them a purpose in life, in case they needed one to dream about.

Having seen all of what Airi had accomplished so far, though, I couldn’t help but think that such a goal was truly within her reach.

“Anyway, my opinion remains the same. Try to avoid excessively risky endeavors.”

“Got it. Thanks for worrying about me.”

We might have been rivals originally, but after I saved her, Airi’s attitude towards me changed. I never knew what past we shared, so I didn’t think much about it.

In the process of checking on how Airi was doing in the Edina Archipelago, I’d ended up learning some unexpected things. If Airi succeeded in her endeavor, it might prove useful to me later on, but I couldn’t say what that usefulness was at the moment.

Finally, I could bring up the main topic.

“By the way, the reason I came here is because I have something I’m curious about.”

“Curious? About what?”

“I’ll be returning to the Demon King’s Castle soon, and I want to know what’s there.”

“... The Demon King’s Castle?”

“Yeah.”

“The imperial army is still stationed there. Even if you’re disguised as a human...”

“I have permission from the imperial family to enter, so that’s not an issue.”

“Oh, I see... But what do you want to ask me...? Oh right, you lost your memory...”

Airi seemed to have a rough idea of what I was looking for in the Demon King’s Castle, and did not seem to care about the reason for my return.

“There are restricted areas in the Demon King’s Castle that were only accessible to demon royalty, but the humans have probably searched those areas thoroughly. So I doubt anything useful is left...”

Charlotte and Sabioleen Tana were hoping to find something, anything, to help her condition by visiting the Demon King’s Castle. Even if whatever was left there wasn’t related to saving Charlotte, though, I still wanted to know what it was.

There were probably people stationed around the Demon King’s Castle who were conducting research or expeditions, and I wouldn’t be able to visit it anytime I wanted to even if I was in Reinhart’s form. This could be my only chance.

From what Airi said, there were indeed restricted areas accessible only to demon royalty. But if these weren’t hidden behind physical barriers, and if they had already been looted, there might be nothing to gain. Airi furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

“I don’t know much, but there are definitely places within the Demon King’s Castle that were only accessible by the Demon King. Of course, such areas would have been thoroughly sealed to prevent just anyone from entering... If so, it’s possible that humans haven’t discovered them yet.”

Airi’s tone carried some doubt, as if she wasn’t quite sure herself.

“How do you know there’s such a place?”

“... The previous Demon King would occasionally take you somewhere within the Demon King’s Castle.”

Airi, who had memories of the Demon King’s Castle, had many experiences with Baalier, so she knew about things related to the Demon King’s Castle that I, without Baalier’s memories, didn’t.

“I don’t know where he took you. Even when I asked my mother about it, she wouldn’t tell me, saying it was a secret. She seemed to know something, though.”

“So there is some kind of secret space?”

“Probably. I don’t know exactly what sort of place it is, though.”

A place where the previous Demon King occasionally took Baalier...

Airi’s mother, who had been one of the Four Demon Lords, knew something about it but never told Airi. It was possible that humans had already uncovered that place, but there was also a chance that they hadn’t.

A secret place inside the Demon King’s Castle where the previous Demon King occasionally took his son... Something had to be there. Whether it contained a way to save Charlotte or a powerful artifact, I needed to find out.

***

With that, my brief middle-of-the-night reunion with Airi concluded.

“Could you stay for a few more days?” Airi asked, looking at me with a hint of regret as I made preparations to leave immediately.

“Sorry, I don’t have much time.”

“... I see.”

Airi lowered her eyes gently.

We had been more than just rivals; originally, Baalier had been a spoiled brat, relying on his father’s power, while Airi, the daughter of the Succubus Queen, was the one who put him in his place. Now that the Demon Realm had been destroyed, we were the last two remaining royals of a fallen kingdom.

Airi seemed to regret my sudden visit and departure. She approached me and gently took my hands.

“Stay safe, Baalier.”

As I met her gaze, I felt a strange emotion that gave me a sense of unease. Was it because succubi were so naturally easy to be attracted to? No, that wasn’t it. I wasn’t Baalier, but I felt as if Baalier was reacting in some strange way.

I felt a peculiar certainty that Baalier must have liked Airi. Just by looking into Airi’s eyes, I felt a strange sensation that gave me that certainty. In the original history, Airi would have become a slave in the empire, and Baalier would have died wandering the wilderness.

Of course, I wasn’t really Baalier, nor was I captivated by the succubus race. So I simply said, “Don’t overdo it yourself.”

“Okay,” she responded.

I only offered Airi a simple word of concern, stemming from a sense of camaraderie.

***

Just as quickly as I had gone to the Edina Archipelago, I returned. Lucinil offered to accompany me to the Demon King’s Castle so that she could keep an eye on things nearby, but I declined her offer.

The area around the Demon King’s Castle was already firmly in human hands, and I had Sabioleen Tana as my companion. If she and Lucinil were to meet, it could lead to even stranger complications. It seemed better for Lucinil to stay in the capital and assist with Sarkegar’s mission.

There was a secret space within the Demon King’s Castle, but neither Airi nor I knew where it was. And if I found it, I would need to enter it without being seen by anyone else, but I still didn’t have a solid plan for that.

Fortunately, Charlotte’s condition hadn’t worsened before the time came to depart for the Demon King’s Castle. Sabioleen Tana came to the Royal Class dormitory and discreetly summoned me.

It was nighttime. I stood facing Sabioleen Tana in a dimly lit area outside the Royal Class dormitory.

“His Majesty has granted permission. We depart in two days,” she said.

“Yes,” I answered calmly.

Sabioleen Tana suddenly grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes with a serious expression.

“Reinhart, I asked you to come with me out of my own desire, but it seems you don’t fully understand the risks involved in this.”

“... Risks?”

“Yes, Her Highness the Princess is absolutely not in favor of you accompanying us.”

Charlotte had thanked me for agreeing to come, but had also said it was dangerous and that I didn’t have to go.

‘So that’s what’s been troubling her these past few days... Is there a potential threat inside the Demon King’s Castle that hasn’t been fully assessed yet? Is Charlotte against me accompanying them because she thinks I’ve already taken too many risks for her sake?’

“If there’s danger within the Demon King’s Castle...”

Sabioleen Tana shook her head, indicating that I was missing the point entirely. “No, that’s not the issue. I’m not interested in politics, nor should I be, but I’m in a position where I don’t have to be involved in political matters. This isn’t boasting; it’s simply a fact.”

She was the strongest knight on the continent. Her influence and authority alone allowed her to live a life detached from politics if she wished. But I wasn’t in the same position, and I knew that.

A weak person living in the midst of a political storm cannot remain neutral. That only becomes possible once power or influence is secured.

When she mentioned politics instead of physical danger, I began to understand what Sabioleen Tana was getting at.

“Are you talking about... Vertus?”

“Yes.”

Vertus and Charlotte... I had momentarily forgotten about the issues between them. Charlotte valued me, and Vertus hadn’t taken any special actions against me for quite some time.

... Except for the incident where I had been caught going for the cross-dressing competition.

“There are many people inside the Demon King’s Castle, and the fact that Her Highness and I are heading there cannot be easily concealed. If you come with us, that fact will eventually become known. Whether or not you disguise yourself, people will notice that you were absent from the Temple while we were as well. Just that alone will allow His Highness to deduce that you were with us.”

“...”

If I went to the Demon King’s Castle with Charlotte, Vertus would eventually find out, sooner or later. That would give Vertus confirmation that I had firmly sided with Charlotte.

“You’ve already been given the imperial emblem, and His Highness will soon know that you are the master of Tiamata.”

There was also the matter of me being Ouen's Champion.

The fact that Ellen and I had been given the imperial emblem together might not be known to the general public, but that information would certainly not elude Vertus. Not only had my importance increased significantly, but it would also become clear that I was siding with Charlotte.

Just by going to the Demon King’s Castle, I would inevitably make an enemy of Vertus in the future.

Sabioleen Tana might not have entangled herself in political matters, but she was not ignorant of politics. She seemed to be giving me a final warning, knowing that I might not have fully understood the real danger of this situation.

“This is the last time, Reinhart. It’s strange for me to say this after asking you to come, but if you judge this to be too dangerous, you don’t have to come. That is Her Highness’s wish as well.”

Charlotte didn’t want to put me in danger any longer. If I went to the Demon King’s Castle with her, I would make Vertus my enemy in the future.

‘But what would change if I stayed put? The fact that I’m Ouen's Champion would soon be revealed anyway.’

I needed to know not only if there was a way to treat Charlotte’s condition, but also what remained in the Demon King’s Castle.

On top of that, I knew that Sabioleen Tana and Charlotte’s concerns were unfounded.

The imperial emblem had been given to me, and that alone already spoke volumes.

“I don’t think Vertus is foolish enough to act recklessly against Ouen's Champion.”

“...”

A treatment akin to royalty? No, it was even more than that.

At this point, Ellen and I were more important to humanity than the prince, princess, or even the emperor himself. If Vertus were to try to harm me just because I was on Charlotte’s side, he would face the wrath of an enraged emperor.

Ellen and I are considered expendable tools whose sole purpose was to oppose the Demon King, but until the time we fulfilled our roles and became expendable, we would be treated as the most important individuals on the continent. Ragan Artorius might not have used such political advantages, but there was no rule saying I couldn’t.

Vertus wouldn’t be able to touch me. He absolutely could not touch me, unless he were to reveal my true identity.

“I’m going.”

Once Vertus became my enemy, though could I truly keep my identity hidden? That remained uncertain.

“... Alright, I’ll convey that to Her Highness.”

I knew that my predetermined fate was approaching, and I couldn’t hide my identity forever.

***

Ouen's Champion... That title would protect me in all circumstances and situations.

I had exposed the remnants of the Demon Realm to heighten humanity’s sense of crisis, and by revealing myself as Ouen's Champion, I’ve established a political basis to protect myself.

On the surface, it seemed a malicious act, pretending to be the savior in a crisis I had instigated to secure my position. Eleris’s comment that Tiamata would serve more as a political tool than an actual weapon turned out to be true.

“Reinhart. It’s really okay. We won’t be there long, you don’t have to be there...” Charlotte said, trailing off.

We were set to depart for the Demon King’s Castle. Charlotte was looking at me with a gloomy expression.

She was grateful, but she always seemed guilty that she was always receiving help from me without being able to give anything in return. This was still a relatively risky endeavor, no matter how solid my political standing was.

She was still hoping that I would change my mind, even on the day of our departure.

“When things went wrong, you came running to me in your pajamas, crying and clinging to me, and now you’re saying this?”

“W-What?!”

My sudden remark struck Charlotte dumb. Sabioleen Tana, who had finished making the preparations for our departure, also looked bewildered by my unexpected outburst.

“When things go wrong, crying out ‘Reinhart, Reinhart!’ won’t help. So keep quiet, and let’s just go together.”

“Y-You... How can you s-say... say things like that?!”

Charlotte’s face turned red and blue as she started jabbing her finger at me.

“Yeah, it’s better if you show your anger like this.”

“... What?”

Seeing Charlotte looking so guilty and apologetic was more painful to me.

“It makes me feel more at ease.”

Charlotte stared at me blankly, her lips trembling, and she finally yelled, “You’re really... You’re a strange guy who makes people feel grateful, then hate you, and then feel grateful again!” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Charlotte stormed off, and Sabioleen Tana sighed as she looked at me.

“It’s strange enough that you say things that should get you arrested for treason without a care, but it’s even stranger that I’m getting used to your antics.”

Under normal circumstances, she would have reprimanded me for being disrespectful, but she was so used to my behavior that she merely felt bewildered and didn’t intervene.

The fact that she was getting used to it all seemed to befuddle her.