Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 552

The imperial mausoleum was located within the imperial city. Infiltrating the imperial city was almost as difficult as infiltrating the Temple.

Of course, given that the Temple was nearly empty at this point, infiltrating the imperial city was much more challenging, but the security procedures at the gates of the imperial city were essentially the same as at the Temple.

One needed the proper documents and permissions, and any unauthorized entry was impossible. Naturally, entering via magical means like teleportation was also impossible.

I did not have the activation artifact to get to the warp gate in the Spring Palace, and even if I had it, the gate was already destroyed, so we would not be able to enter through it

Sarkegar could transform into a bird and enter the Temple, but I couldn’t transform into a bird. To be precise, even if I could transform, I couldn’t fly. Even if I could, entering alone would be pointless. While I could access the power of corruption within Tiamata, I couldn’t wield it freely like Olivia could.

Charlotte had suggested several ways we might infiltrate the imperial city, but all of them involved significant risks and were not foolproof.

It would be strange if Charlotte knew of a way to infiltrate the imperial city without authorization. If she did, she would have taken measures to prevent it while she was still the First Princess. She was not someone who would leave a way to sneak into the imperial palace unaddressed.

Most of the empire’s elite forces, including Shanapell, were absent. If we managed to infiltrate the imperial city and were somehow discovered, we could cause chaos and escape, but the mere rumor of the Demon King causing havoc within this already desperate city would be problematic if it spread through the capital. Doubly so if such news reached the Allied Forces.

People feared me. The mere thought that the capital might fall to an attack by the Demon King while the army was out destroying the gates would throw the Allied Forces into panic.

I had gone to the imperial capital to do something audacious, but I hoped to avoid causing a commotion.

Infiltrating the imperial palace wasn’t my immediate concern... not yet. For now, a safer target was the national cemetery in the hills on the north side of the capital. It was still a place of prestige, where only those who had achieved great merit in service to the empire could be buried.

There were heroes buried in places other than the imperial mausoleum.

“It’s incredible.”

We stood on a field from which the national cemetery in the northern part of the capital was visible, along with the many paths that led to it. It seemed more like a park than a cemetery, given the vast area it occupied.

Although it was on the outskirts of the capital, it remained intact because there was nothing there that attracted the monsters.

Monsters had no interest in corpses. Of course, they might trample over it as they passed through, but the refugee zones further north would be massacred first before the monsters would even come this far in.

“There are a surprising number of people coming and going.”

“There have to be.”

There were guards stationed at the large entrance, and quite a few people were passing through it. They could be bereaved families or those visiting to pay respects to the fallen.

No matter how harsh life was, there would always be mourners. In fact, in times like these, there might be even more.

There were always those who remembered, mourned, and grieved for the dead. Anyone could go to mourn, and anyone had the right to be there, yet we had come to take those bodies from them.

There were guards at the gate, but no special authorization was required to enter. We entered the national cemetery without any hindrance from the guards, just like everyone else.

It was more like a vast park than a cemetery. Entry to the imperial mausoleum was reserved only for royalty, but this place was open to civilians.

One might wonder what significance such a large park-like national cemetery held for those struggling to survive. Perhaps it was fortunate that civil norms within the capital hadn’t crumbled to the point where looting and grave robbing became commonplace.

Everyone who came to visit, regardless of their appearance, was calm.

We were not greeted by rows of graves immediately upon entering; instead, there was a map that showed the layout of the cemetery, including memorial towers and temples for mourning.

Olivia crossed her arms as she looked at the map. “The cemetery is divided into different sections. It seems the eastern part of the cemetery has been expanded, specifically to accommodate the fallen.”

Places within the cemetery itself were awarded based on merit. Some of the fallen were buried in outdoor cemeteries, while those who achieved greater things were interred in the large temple in the central area, which also held an underground catacomb.

Even among fallen heroes, there were ranks, and those ranks were reflected within the national cemetery.

“We should visit the cemetery for the fallen first, and then the central catacombs.”

That was the plan, but it made me feel like we were terrible people. People were wandering around with somber expressions, mourning, while we were planning to steal bones. No, it was worse than just stealing.

“There are quite a few people here, and it’s still daylight. We should wait until nightfall to act.”

Harriet and I nodded. Olivia’s plan was solid.

Although quite some time had passed since our arrival in the capital, it was still broad daylight.

“Since we have time, let’s go over here,” I said, pointing to a place on the map.

Olivia tilted her head, and Harriet did the same.

I was pointing at the area set aside for unmarked graves. Even this national cemetery had such a place.

Just thinking about it made my heart feel heavy.

Charlotte had told me that Effenhauser and Loyar would be buried there.

***

On the day the Gate Incident exploded, Effenhauser, Loyar, Lucinil, and Sarkegar had burst into the Temple to save me. Effenhauser and Loyar had died, while Lucinil and Sarkegar were captured.

The bodies of Loyar and Effenhauser had not initially been interred in this national cemetery. I didn’t know how they had been managed, but through some process—likely a decision by someone like Vertus—they were eventually buried in the unmarked graves of this national cemetery.

Both were traitors to humanity who sided with the Demon King, and therefore could not be given marked graves with their names inscribed on them.

Perhaps burying them in the national cemetery might have been the Gradias imperial family’s way of expressing regret or some form of apology, even though the graves were unmarked. Not that such an act would bring the dead back to life.

Olivia and Harriet knew that Mr. Effenhauser had died fighting to save me, and they were aware of Loyar’s existence.

Harriet’s eyes were red with tears. These unmarked graves were reserved for those whose identities were unknown but who had undoubtedly served the empire and humanity.

Effenhauser and Loyar, whose identities were known but who could not be given marked graves in human lands, became the occupants of these unmarked graves.

“...”

Nameless gravestones stretched endlessly around the memorial tower.

I didn’t know which of these countless stones belonged to Loyar or Effenhauser. Harriet and Olivia wore equally grim expressions.

Were they afraid of what I might say?

Given what we had come to do, they could only think that I might try to resurrect Loyar and Effenhauser as Death Knights.

“Reinhart... Even if they’re brought back, they won’t have consciousness or self-awareness...”

“...”

“Becoming a Death Knight while alive is different from raising someone who’s already dead.”

Effenhauser was a Swordmaster, and Loyar was presumed to possess equal or greater skill. Of course, they would be valuable assets if they were turned into Death Knights. But that wasn’t the point.

“Why would I do that?” I said. “I don’t want to do that to people I know.”

It might have been a selfish thought, but I had come to create expendable soldiers for the war, and I had no intention of turning those who were dear to me into preserved relics to be carried around. I couldn’t cherish those empty shells, nor could I look on coldly as they crumbled as tools on the battlefield.

That did not mean that making such tools out of strangers was any less horrific. No—the very idea that it was okay to create them out of strangers but not from those I loved was a more horrifically selfish thought.

It was a terrible thought, but ultimately, expendable soldiers should be made from those I could treat as expendables. And these two were not people I could treat as expendables. They were the ones who had sacrificed themselves for me.

‘Let them rest. Reviving them won’t bring their spirits back into their bodies. If it did, that would be a horrific thing.’

I couldn’t articulate the difference between exploiting the deaths of those I knew and those I didn’t. But wasn’t this level of discrimination understandable?

I didn’t know if they had found true peace.

What did Loyar want? It seemed like she wanted the reconstruction of the Demon Realm, but maybe not. She didn’t seem particularly loyal to me, but in the end, she had proven as faithful a subordinate as Sarkegar.

The people of the Rotary Club were all dead. Loyar, having lost everything, ultimately died trying to protect the last thing she had—me.

Loyar, the lycanthrope who had seemed messy and somewhat beastial... In truth, I didn’t know much about Loyar, and I knew even less about Effenhauser.

“I still don’t understand.”

“What...?”

“Why Mr. Effenhauser died trying to save me.”

Olivia didn’t know them well since she was my senior, but Harriet had known both Effenhauser and Loyar. That was why Harriet’s eyes were red with tears. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Mr. Effenhauser’s participation in the plan to save me was unrelated to the will of the Black Order. In fact, the Order had tried to kill me, and in doing so, most of their remaining core members were wiped out.

The remnants who fled were not worth worrying about. The Black Order was effectively extinct.

Mr. Effenhauser believed in me. I didn’t know what he believed in, but he tried to save me because he believed in me.

“Do you remember the time I fought with the Orbis Class guys?”

“Yeah...”

The fight with Lilka Aaron and Oscar de Gradias had led to the Orbis Class being disbanded.

“During the disciplinary committee hearing, Mr. Effenhauser said something.”

“What did he say?”

“He said I was the most outstanding talent in the history of the Temple.”

At the time, I thought it had been a lie to protect me.

After the disciplinary committee hearing, I told him that what he said was impossible, especially with Ellen around. Yet Mr. Effenhauser, with a serious look, said he truly believed it.

“I know my abilities better than anyone, whether I’m the Demon King or whatever. But no matter how I thought about it, I didn’t think I was that great. So I was a bit, well, flustered.”

What did Mr. Effenhauser see in me?

“But now that I think about it, well... I can’t say Mr. Effenhauser was wrong.”

Harriet and Olivia had nothing to say.

I didn’t know if I could compare myself to Ellen, but if there were anyone who could face Ellen, it would be me.

If I could defeat Ellen, then Mr. Effenhauser’s words would be proven true.

I didn’t know why he had died to protect me, or what he saw in me. I had no intention of resurrecting him as a Death Knight, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to talk to him, so I would never know.

From the start, I preferred the stern and seemingly indifferent Mr. Effenhauser of Class A over the kind and caring Ms. Mustang of Class B.

However, I was wrong.

Mr. Effenhauser was never indifferent to his students.

I still didn’t know Mr. Effenhauser.

“Let’s go,” I said.

But he seemed to know me well.