Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 437 [Illustration]

The chains binding the Demon King were no ordinary chains.

Designed to restrain powerful criminals or creatures similar to beasts, these chains blocked all magical attempts by the one bound. Casting spells, using Mana Reinforcement or artifacts—none of these were possible.

Thus, the Demon King was unable to use any form of power except for his inherent physical strength or unblockable supernatural abilities. Moreover, the numerous knights and mages stationed within the prison wouldn’t simply stand by and watch if the Demon King attempted to escape.

To account for any kind of emergency or supernatural trickery, Vertus was doing what needed to be done to prepare and gather testimony.

Crack! Crackle!

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ughhhh!”

Vertus, along with Sabioleen Tana, quietly observed Reinhart writhing in pain. It had already been about three hours.

Reinhart’s eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body writhed about, but he endured the magic and did not faint.

Clang! Clang!

—Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

Behind him, a woman with disheveled white hair was also writhing about.

Though she was not subject to any magic, she wept as if Reinhart’s pain was her own. Reinhart writhed in agony, and the white-haired woman, who felt her lord’s pain as her own, cried and howled like a beast.

How much time had passed?

As the pain slowly subsided, Vertus quietly watched Reinhart, who had gone limp.

The archmage of the Imperial Mage Corps, who had been casting numerous spells, shook his head.

It hadn’t been pointless torture.

“Mental magic has no effect whatsoever.”

“... Is that so?”

“It feels like there’s some immense barrier... as if he’s protected by a god... Ah, I misspoke. I apologize, Your Highness.”

“Well, it’s true that this guy was chosen by the gods, so it’s not entirely wrong.”

Since the Demon King possessed the power of Incantation, they couldn’t carelessly remove his gag. They intended to completely break his mind to extract the necessary information, but the Demon King’s mind was unyielding.

There was no way to penetrate his mind or find even the slightest gap in the Demon King’s mental defenses. It seemed he was being protected by some immense power.

“Then let’s ask the other one,” Vertus remarked as he pointed to the opposite cell. At his direction, the door of the opposite cell was opened, and Tana personally removed the gag from Loyar’s mouth.

Tana found it difficult to look at her face and the traces of her desperate tears.

“What is Akasha?” Vertus asked.

“... I don’t know,” Loyar responded.

“That’s too obvious an answer.”

“... I don’t know. I really don’t.”

Loyar had hidden herself away to avoid being exposed while the full moon was out. Therefore, she hadn’t gone to the lich’s tomb, and knew even less about Akasha than the empire did.

“Let’s see if this one’s mind is as tough. Begin.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The mental magic that had been applied to Reinhart would be applied to Loyar.

Crack! Crackle!

“Ugh, ugh... Ugh! Ughhhhhhh!”

.

.

.

.

The mental fortitude of the lycanthrope far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

However, the one probing Loyar’s mind was not some common torturer or inquisitor. It was an archmage who had mastered mental magic, one of the greatest mages who had dedicated their research solely to this field.

This elderly archmage had no reason to engage in the crude act of direct mental torture for trivial clinical data. In the face of such expertise, there was no way Loyar’s mind could remain intact.

“Ugh, ugh... Ugh...”

Once more, Vertus asked her, “What is Akasha?”

The white-haired woman’s mind was completely shattered. She was drooling at the mouth, and her expression was utterly vacant. “An artifact... that infinitely... collects magic...”

Loyar finally confessed the truth she knew.

“It collects magic? I heard it grants power akin to that of a god?”

“... I don’t know anything... beyond that...”

Another key phrase: magic collection.

She could never lie in such a broken mental state.

It was clear that this woman truly didn’t know more about Akasha. Ultimately, they would have to remove Reinhart’s gag and make him speak.

Vertus looked past the limp, mentally broken white-haired woman.

“...”

While Loyar was being mentally tortured, Reinhart had remained silent.

However, when Vertus looked back at Reinhart, he couldn’t help but flinch.

Just as Loyar had wept watching her lord’s pain, Reinhart, too, was crying, his teeth clenched tightly over the gag in his mouth. His tears were red.

Pain, anger, sorrow, and despair that couldn’t be expressed with ordinary tears flowed down the Demon King’s face.

When he saw Reinhart shedding tears of blood, Vertus felt an intense fear of unknown origin.

***

The white-haired woman didn’t know what Akasha was. Therefore, they would ultimately have to ask Reinhart.

Vertus stood once more in front of Reinhart, leaving the unconscious white-haired woman behind him. He quietly observed the tracks that the bloody tears that had left as they flowed down the Demon King’s cheeks.

‘What is Akasha?’

It was a simple question, but the mysterious power of Incantation was an enormous obstacle.

“At this rate, he’ll starve to death before we learn anything.”

To completely block the use of Incantation, they had gagged him, which meant they couldn’t give him water or food.

They couldn’t kill the Demon King until they learned what Akasha was. But at this rate, he might die of dehydration or starvation before they found anything out. Yet, if they carelessly allowed him to speak, he might try to use Incantation to pull some trick.

Incantation was a supernatural power. Therefore, it couldn’t be countered or blocked with magic.

‘Incantation, a supernatural power. How to deal with it?’

“...”

The name of the person most needed in this situation came to Vertus’s mind. Someone with the ability of Immunity.

Scarlett would not be affected by Reinhart’s Incantation. Scarlett would be able to handle it.

***

Scarlett, B-3 of the Royal Class’s second year, felt that the atmosphere at the Temple had been unsettling lately.

Of course, she hadn’t directly witnessed any anomalies, as the battle in the Dark Land and the capture of the Demon King were classified as top secret, and so there was no way for rumors to spread.

However, there were far more imperial knights and mages than usual roaming the Temple. That, along with the deeply subdued atmosphere, was enough for her to intuit that a dark cloud was looming.

Most of all, it was the atmosphere in the Royal Class. Charlotte hadn’t been attending classes and seemed to have disappeared from the Temple altogether, as if something serious had happened.

She didn’t know much about Class A, but she knew that Vertus also hadn’t been attending classes. Without knowing the details, she could only sense that something was off.

Therefore, when Vertus finally called for her and told her what was happening, Scarlett couldn’t help but question it.

“... Yes... What?”

The explanation was long and elaborate, but the conclusion was simple. They had captured the Demon King, and it was Reinhart.

Scarlett was dumbfounded because Vertus, with whom she had little interaction, was telling her something she couldn’t possibly believe.

Was he trying to tease her? Why? For what reason?

But Scarlett couldn’t find any hint of jest in Vertus’s expression. Vertus, who always smiled subtly and was kind and gentle to all his classmates, was speaking with a serious, hardened expression which left no room for jokes.

“The important thing is that Reinhart possesses an unpredictable supernatural power called Incantation, which is hampering the interrogation process. That’s why we need your help.”

“Ah...”

Scarlett couldn’t fully understand what Vertus was saying, but she realized that her Immunity, a supernatural power as incomprehensible as Incantation, was needed for this task.

Reinhart was the Demon King, and her help was needed. Though she couldn’t understand any of it, Scarlett trembled but nodded.

“Yes... If there’s something that you need me to do... I’ll do it...”

Vertus didn’t explicitly say it, but Scarlett understood well enough that she wasn’t to speak of this matter to anyone.

* * *

Vertus didn’t tell Scarlett more than necessary.

Reinhart was the Demon King, and because the Demon King could use the strange supernatural power of Incantation, Vertus gave a simple and straightforward order: if Reinhart attempted to use Incantation during the interrogation, kill him.

Scarlett arrived at a building within the Temple that was not just heavily guarded, but secured to an almost obsessive degree. Numerous knights and mages were stationed around it, and strict orders were given that prevented anyone from entering the area without permission.

‘Reinhart is the Demon King...?’

Scarlett had felt not just admiration but reverence for Reinhart, especially after he had been chosen by the Alsbringer. But to think that such a being was the Demon King—it was still unbelievable even after hearing it.

As Vertus led her beneath the heavily guarded building and into the basement, Scarlett felt as if she were floating.

What was happening? Was she really the right person for this task? What was happening to the world?

Biting her lip to keep fear at bay, Scarlett soon reached the deep underground prison.

She couldn’t tell if the prison had always been part of the Temple or if it had been a hastily-constructed facility.

The underground space wasn’t particularly large. However, there were a number of knights and mages all silently standing guard, including Sabioleen Tana, the leader of Shanapell.

Each of them was akin to a human weapon, strong enough to be considered part of humanity’s strongest, and they were all determined not to allow any intruders in. Yet, they all maintained a firm silence.

In the suffocating atmosphere, Vertus handed Scarlett a canteen and some food. They couldn’t let him die, so they had to feed him something. Scarlett accepted them with trembling hands.

Reinhart was there. Reinhart, who had been revealed to be the Demon King.

Holding the canteen and the bread, Scarlett walked slowly down the corridor with Vertus. There were cells on either side about halfway down the dark corridor, and within them, Scarlett could see two beings bound in chains that were clearly magically reinforced.

A woman with disheveled white hair, hanging limp.

And Reinhart.

They weren’t particularly close. He was a rather rough person, but she had always thought it was admirable how he never bowed to pressure and stuck to his convictions.

She admired that about him. Now, though, that being had been reduced to a pitiful state, bound in chains beneath the Temple, awaiting judgment.

‘Are you the Demon King? Why? How?’

Feeling as if she were part of some bizarre absurdist play, Scarlett watched as Sabioleen Tana, wearing a stern expression, opened the cell door.

The pitiful Reinhart looked at Scarlett without saying a word, as if he had known she would come.

What did the red streaks down his cheeks mean? Had he been tortured severely?

“...”

Scarlett’s fingers trembled violently as she removed the gag.

Scarlett couldn’t comprehend how the Demon King, who had thrown the world into chaos and the pitiful, wretched Reinhart before her could be the same being.

Thud...

The gag that had been in Reinhart’s mouth fell helplessly to the prison floor as Scarlett removed it.

Vertus asked, “What is Akasha?”

At Vertus’s question, Reinhart spoke as if he had been waiting for it.

“Akasha is... a tool of creation.

“It originally belonged to Cantus Magna, but at some point, it came into possession of the Dark Land.

“The previous Demon King, Baalier, intended to use Akasha to create a new world and relocate all the demons there. Akasha exists in the labyrinth beneath the Demon King’s castle.

“By now, though, it’s probably been moved. You won’t be able to find it, and I don’t know where Akasha is anymore.

“I’ve lost all memories of my life in the Demon Realm, so I didn’t know I had Akasha until now.

“You must be wondering what I want, right?

“Well, I wanted... p—p-peace... peace... heh heh... heh heh heh... I wished... for the world to be peaceful... heh. Heh heh... I don’t hate humans... I wanted to save you all... truly... It might be hard to believe... but please believe me... I beg... you...”

Reinhart’s voice was soft, and he spoke with a hollow smile.

He revealed everything, knowing that no one would believe his words. He confessed the truth about everything, unable to suppress the laughter that seeped out.

“If you’re not going to believe me... you should release me quickly.”

Reinhart struggled to lift his head.

“Otherwise, Akasha might be used to destroy the world.”

The Demon King looked at Vertus with his bloodshot eyes.

“If you’re not going to do that, then execute me publicly, quickly.”

He looked like a madman.

“Before things get more complicated.”

Scarlett could only stare blankly as the Demon King, immersed in despair, let out a low laugh.

“Heh, heh heh... Heh. Heh heh heh heh...”

Reinhart didn’t touch the water or the bread.

Vertus furrowed his brow as he watched Reinhart.

“That’s nonsense,” Vertus said.

Vertus then looked down at Reinhart, who hung limp before him. “If you already had something like Akasha, why didn’t you use it? What was the point of all that happened at the lich’s tomb?”

“...”

“You lost your memory, so you didn’t know about it? What kind of convenient lie is that? Are you mocking me, Reinhart?”

“...”

“Now that things have come to this, is your once-sharp mind no longer working? Now you’re spouting incoherent... worthless lies...”

“...”

“Let’s say that Akasha is indeed a tool of creation. Let’s say your father, whom I don’t even want to believe in, intended to use Akasha to lead the demons into a new Demon Realm. And that you too, were seeking for peace. Huh? Let’s say that was the case. Then what about everything you’ve done to Charlotte... My sister? What was that all about? Huh?!”

Thud!

“Ugh!” Reinhart gasped for breath after being kicked in the stomach.

“You’ve done too much to convince me that you were never after peace at all!” shouted Vertus. “Don’t you think so?”

Vertus’s words were logically sound.

If Reinhart already had Akasha, why hadn’t he used it yet? Was there another truth behind what happened at the lich’s tomb?

If the library beneath the Demon King’s castle was Akasha, why had it been left alone all along? And why had he deceived Charlotte all this time? Wasn’t it all so that he could devour the empire? Yet he still claimed he wanted peace?

Claiming memory loss and ignorance of everything was a laughable lie.

Saying that Akasha was in his possession and asking to be released before it was used for destruction was nothing more than desperate words from someone who had been cornered.

“And you know about the Power Cartridge and Moonshine that you instructed the Magic Research Club to create, right?”

Reinhart chuckled as if he had just remembered. “Ah... yes, that too...”

“I thought all your actions at the Temple were just tricks, so I looked into it, and it turns out they were already created. And you used the excuse of the Demon King to hide the results.”

“... Yes... that’s right...”

Scarlett looked on, filled with fear, as Reinhart laughed hollowly.

“You must be using it somewhere to build your army, right?”

“No... Not at all... That’s not it...”

“Really? Then what excuse do you have for that?”

With a cold expression, Vertus grabbed Reinhart’s hair, forcing his head up to meet his eyes.

“This time, I’d like you to think before you lie.”

The dead-eyed Demon King met the furious gaze of the prince.

“I actually... know the future,” Reinhart said.

“...”

With lips dry and cracked, his body trembling, Reinhart spoke, his voice peppered with laughter that expressed despair, self-mockery, and sorrow.

“In the future... When the first semester starts next year... a disaster called the Gate Incident is supposed to happen... and then... about half—no, more than half of humanity... is supposed to die...

“I was... trying to prevent that incident... But I don’t know why that incident happens... I don’t know why... But I do know that such a thing is supposed to happen...

“Even if I suddenly said something like that... who would believe me...? So, I searched for the reason alone—a dimensional gate to another world... I wondered if someone who knew such magic would be the cause of the tragedy... Or perhaps I could go to that world first and do something about it... So I made various preparations. I had Harriet research dimensional magic for that reason...

“As for the Power Cartridge and Moonshine... Well, if I couldn’t ultimately solve the Gate Incident, we’d have to fight... So I thought I’d make the things they’d create in the future... in advance... to enhance our power...

“Once they were made, I thought Cantus Magna might target them... At that time, I assumed Cantus Magna had Akasha... Cantus Magna... the Forbidden Spell Hunters... are a group that has the collection of magic itself as their goal...”

Slap!

Vertus, unable to listen any longer, slapped Reinhart across the face.

“I told you to lie, and now you’re writing a novel? Now you claim to know the future?”

“Heh, heh heh... Heh heh heh heh heh... Yes... Yes, you’re exactly right. How did you know?”

Reinhart burst into a laugh that was more like a sob, staring at Vertus with wide-open eyes.

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“This is actually a novel. This world. It’s the world of a novel I wrote. Why do I know the future? Because I created this world... I’m... something like a creator... Heh... Heh heh... Heh heh heh... But I don’t know everything, just a little... Such a... Such a pathetic... creator... aren’t I? Yeah, that’s me... That’s... who I am. Heh... Heh heh...”

“You son of a bitch!”

With wild-looking eyes, Vertus violently drew the sword Scarlett was carrying.

Swish!

“Your Highness!”

“My P-Prince!”

“Let go! This crazy bastard is mocking me to the end!”

Just as Vertus was about to swing the sword, Tana urgently restrained him, and Scarlett turned pale.

“Let go! Let go of me! This bastard is still playing games...?!”

“Your Highness! You mustn’t! Not yet, not yet!”

Even as Vertus lost his reason in anger, Reinhart continued to laugh madly.

“What can I do... It’s true... What can I do... It’s all true... Heh, heh heh... Heh heh...”

The Demon King laughed his hollow laugh like a madman.

“See... There’s no way you’ll believe what I say... So...”

All emotion disappeared from the face of the Demon King, who had been laughing like a madman.

Scarlett could only watch in terror.

“Kill me quickly,” he said, “before it’s too late.”