Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 563

Louis Ankton's talent lay in academics.

He couldn't use magic, so he wasn't much help in battle. Yet, he continued to serve with the Allied Forces, and I had seen him several times at the Royal Class encampment.

Louis Ankton was a mage who couldn't use magic, a so-called magic scholar. He had helped in the design of the Power Cartridge and Moonshine.

In the original story, Louis helped the other students to grow in their magical abilities, and he was likely doing the same in this timeline.

If I had to characterize Louis, he was a lesser version of Harriet, but that was only because our Thick-Skull was exceptional, and not because Louis was deficient.

Though he couldn't use magic himself, he had the talent to perfectly understand and design all magic systems.

There was an immediate problem. Louis Ankton had nothing to do with the Titan research project that Adelia was conducting. If he had been involved, he would have been a great asset, but he had no ties to the project at all.

He might have been working on improving and refining the application of combat magic for mages, but he certainly had the capability to be a part of something as significant as the Titan project.

The fact that Louis was not involved in the Titan development meant he was working on an entirely different project.

Louis Ankton’s talent allowed him to understand the principles of dark magic. If Anna was working on a project related to the undead, Louis Ankton was perfectly capable of assisting her with it, or even leading the project.

Even though nothing was confirmed, I had several revelations.

Anna wasn't living and working in a research facility somewhere in this encampment. There was no reason to conduct dark magic research in this Allied encampment, since the Temple had far more extensive facilities, and maintaining security there would be easier.

My coming to the Allied encampment had been a mistake from the start. To uncover the truth about what the empire was doing, I needed to go to the Temple.

Was Anna truly involved? Was Louis Ankton? And Cristina as well? If so, what exactly were they up to?

What I had assumed was just about raising Death Knights might be something entirely different—and I had no way of knowing what it could be.

Was it wise for me to confirm it with my own eyes? And if so, how?

***

Once I confirmed that Louis Ankton and Cristina were absent, I realized my focus had been too narrow.

I had thought the somber atmosphere permeating the Royal Class encampment was mainly a characteristic of the aftermath of the Serandia battle.

It was winter, and the weather was cold, so I assumed most would be staying inside their tents. But that wasn't it; the place was indeed more lonely because there were genuinely fewer people around.

The army wasn't going to move during the winter, and with Serandia, the central area where monsters emerged in this region, subdued, the threat from monsters was reduced.

The Royal Class members received special treatment, so those who wanted to return to the Temple for the winter were allowed to.

I had seen soldiers on leave in the capital, but I hadn't considered that there might be Royal Class members doing the same.

However, my understanding only extended to a very small part of the whole situation.

I couldn't be sure if experiments were really being conducted at the Temple. However, since I was almost certain that Anna had returned to the Temple, any experiments of a dark nature would be performed there, rather than at the main Allied encampment.

The Temple had better facilities and better security, so there was no need to conduct dangerous experiments in the Allied encampment, where there were many prying eyes.

It was amusing.

During vacations or breaks, it was normal to leave school. However, in this situation, students were taking leave in order to return to school.

I finally had a proper perspective on the desolate Royal Class encampment.

What was going on?

What approach would I have to take to get to the bottom of this situation?

***

Vertus was in the imperial capital. He sat inside the emperor’s office at the Central Palace, Tetra, flipping through a thick report.

For a while, Vertus said nothing.

Sabioleen Tana also remained silent.

After a long silence, the emperor said, "Dame Tana, if divine punishment falls on the guilty, what punishment should I receive?"

A horrific act.

There were no other words to describe what Vertus had done.

The one who gave the order bore a heavier sin than the one who carried it out, and so, the greatest sinner in the world would be Vertus.

The divine punishment meted out to such a sinner would not end with just the taking of their life. Thus, Vertus wondered what punishment could be worse than death.

"Your Majesty, all of this is for the future and well-being of humanity. You made a decision for the sake of humanity. This cannot be called a sin."

"Do you really think so?"

It was an overly textbook answer.

Just because something is necessary does not mean it isn’t a sin.

Both Tana and Vertus knew that she had merely said it to assuage the emperor’s guilt. She could not offer any other answer to such a direct question.

However, the truth could not be hidden forever.

"Well, divine punishment probably doesn't exist anyway. It was just a thought."

If gods were truly watching over the world, why would sin exist, and why had the Gate Incident happened in the first place?

"Then again, whether or not divine punishment exists, all this still seems ridiculous."

"Ridiculous, you say...?"

"Throwing humanity trials that cannot be overcome without sin, and then judging those who sin—what kind of absurd trick is that?"

Having the gods create a world where sin was inevitable and then judging those who sinned truly seemed ridiculous.

"If there are no punishments or rewards, then why did this have to happen? If no one is punished after this is over, and those who lived virtuously receive no reward, then why did the gods throw this into the world?"

Sabioleen Tana remained silent.

"Well, I now think that the gods have no interest in the world at all,” Vertus said, clicking his tongue. "I'm sorry, Dame Tana. I must be... troubled. Saying such unnecessary things...”

Vertus rubbed his face a few times.

Speculating about the intentions of the gods was pointless.

Divine punishment... If such a thing did not exist, then why did sin exist? Who was supposed to take responsibility for sin? Who was supposed to bear it, and who would be the one to mete out punishment?

"By the way, have we found out what happened with the Order of the Holy Knights?" asked Vertus.

"We haven't identified which specific group is involved,” replied Sabioleen Tana. “Furthermore, we have not yet been granted permission to investigate the site."

Vertus had recently received a report that the Tomb of the Saints beneath the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Knights had been destroyed. The tomb had been destroyed, and the remains within them stolen.

"It seems Illeion Volten will soon return to the capital."

"I see."

This was a matter concerning the Order of the Holy Knights, and it was theirs to handle. Vertus hoped this wouldn't spark flames in entirely unrelated places.

He looked down at the now-cold red tea in his cup.

"One of my comrades died, and another became disabled, I hear," Vertus said.

"Yes..."

This concerned the Class B cohort of his year, but ultimately, they were still his comrades.

One classmate had died, and another had become disabled...

"I heard Ludwig is quite stubborn."

"Yes, that's correct."

Sabioleen Tana had once helped Ludwig with his swordsmanship while acting as a dormitory supervisor for Charlotte's protection.

It had at first been an excuse to help Reinhart with his swordsmanship, but Ludwig had persistently sought her guidance for quite some time, even after falling and stumbling many times.

She had also helped Delphine with her swordplay, but not as specifically.

Delphine was now dead, and Ludwig had lost an arm.

Vertus, of course, knew what was going on with his classmates, even if not in detail. This was not just during their days in the Temple. All their activities during the Gate Incident were all reported to Vertus.

Ludwig was one of his four comrades who had awakened magical enhancement without learning it.

Unfortunately for him, his peers included humanity’s new Hero and the Demon King, but even so, Ludwig was an exceptional talent—unmatched among others his age.

He was truly a monster.

If not for the war, he had more than enough potential to reach Master class within a few years.

"I don't think he's someone who would give up easily."

"Probably not."

It wasn’t just his skills. He had a tenacious personality as well.

He had always sought out dangerous assignments during the Gate Incident, and his closest friend Delphine had just died. Losing an arm wouldn't make him give up fighting. He was the type to fight stubbornly until he died.

Vertus could foresee what would happen even without seeing it play out.

To prevent a colleague’s pointless death...

"Tell him to return to the Temple."

Vertus issued an imperial command.

***

There are beings in the world who do not need to rely on persuasion. Beings who could simply say "come" to make someone come, or "go" to make someone go.

Vertus was such a being.

Even after what had happened to the world, it was still the case, at least in the lands of humans.

Standing at the crossroads of whether to continue fighting in anger and despair, confronted with Cliffman's harsh words, the pleas of his other friends, and his teacher's advice, Ludwig, who needed time to think, was given an order he could not refuse.

"Ludwig. His Majesty has issued an imperial command for you to return to the Temple."

Ms. Mustang relayed the emperor's order for him to leave the army camp.

"If you go to the teleportation point and deliver this document, you can return to the capital."

Ms. Mustang explained in detail where to go to and whom to find, while Ludwig stood there silently.

It was an honor. An imperial command wasn't issued lightly. Even considering they were fellow peers from the Royal Class, the fact that a direct imperial command had been issued to someone severely injured, to keep them from further harm, showed just how compassionate the emperor was.

An imperial command meant there was no need for persuasion, or for Ludwig to accept his situation. Just one word: “Return.” With that, Vertus could compel Ludwig's actions, and Ludwig had no choice but to follow.

Ms. Mustang, too, was deeply moved by how much Vertus, now the emperor, cared for Ludwig. However, when she saw Ludwig’s expression harden, her own expression gradually stiffened.

"Ludwig, it's an imperial command. You cannot refuse it. Just saying you'll think about it is already a grave sin... You know that, right?"

His hesitation was already a sin.

No matter how stubborn he was, the imperial command had come down in the form of an official document, and no one had the right to turn it away. This was the emperor's consideration. If he refused this order, the emperor had every right to take his head.

The emperor was showing consideration, but it was a coercive form of consideration.

Ludwig gave a slight nod. "Yes, Ms. Mustang. Of course I know that...”

Ms. Mustang sighed in relief, having feared Ludwig might say something reckless.

Ludwig quietly looked down at the document spelling out the emperor’s decree.

No matter how much Ludwig didn't want to leave this battlefield, he knew he couldn't refuse the emperor's command. There was truly no choice now. What had to be accepted, had to be accepted.

There was no place for him on this battlefield, and so many people were trying to get him to leave.

He couldn't refuse any longer.

"Even if I return to the capital, there will be something I can do, right?"

Ms. Mustang smiled brightly and nodded. She had been afraid that Ludwig might be stubborn.

"Of course. Like I told you, there will be many places that need you. You’ll have friends in the dormitory too, so you won't be lonely."

All his stubbornness, obsession, and desire to fight... The short-lived determination and resolve to kill the Demon King with his own hands had been shattered by external forces.

The emperor's command was the final straw. Ludwig had no choice but to leave the battlefield.

***

There was no need for a long farewell. The very next day, Ludwig exchanged brief goodbyes with his Royal Class seniors and juniors, packed only what he needed, and headed to the teleportation point.

Lanian Sesor and Scarlett accompanied him to see him off one last time.

"Hey, Cristina is there, Louis is there, Anna is there, and Dettomorian is there. So you won't be bored," Lanian Sesor said.

"That's true."

"Take care, Ludwig," Scarlett added.

"Thank you."

Ludwig had lost his arm while saving Scarlett. Scarlett's expression was filled with guilt. She knew that she was the reason why he had to leave.

“Don’t feel bad, Scarlett. What matters is that I survived. Isn’t that something to be grateful for?”

"Ludwig...”

Those words only increased Scarlett’s torment.

He had decided to leave the battlefield, so there should be no regrets.

As Ms. Mustang said, Ludwig believed there would be things he could do in the capital. Whatever they were, they weren't going to be trivial tasks. He believed he could contribute to the war even if he couldn't fight.

The emperor's command was something to be grateful for, not something to resent or be angry about.

If he ever met the emperor, he would have to kneel and thank him for his concern.

He joined the people and supplies being sent back to the capital at the teleportation spot, and the mages there began casting the mass teleportation spell.

Beyond the boundary of the teleportation point, Ludwig waved to his friends remaining on the battlefield.

"Stay safe, both of you."

Death was a sad thing. Now, wishing for his friends' safety from afar in the capital was all he could do.

It was sorrowful, but Ludwig was leaving, knowing he had no place there.

"Yes. You too, Ludwig."

"I will fight in your stead and survive to the end.”

Scarlett had said that to Ludwig many times.

Lanian Sesor waved to Ludwig until the long casting of Mass Teleport was complete.

Mass teleportation took time. Such magic wasn’t accessible to everyone, and personnel and supplies could be transported instantaneously, and were carried out on a regular schedule.

Different teleportation points were being used throughout the Allied Forces encampment. Supplies and other personnel heading to the capital were arriving one by one, and would continue to do so until the Mass Teleport spell at this particular point was activated.

It was Ludwig’s first time at such a teleportation point, since he had never been back to the capital since his deployment. However, even Ludwig, who had never been in this situation before, could tell that something was abnormal.

'The Order of the Holy Knights?' he thought.

There weren’t just regular soldiers returning to the capital for the winter. There were a large number of holy knights as well, far outnumbering the regular soldiers, a far larger group than what he would have expected.

Moreover, the commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Illeion Volten, was there as well.

'So even the commander is heading back to the capital?'

Throughout his time with the army, Ludwig had come to recognize most of the faces of the leaders of the major factions that made up the Allied Forces.

Ludwig couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease as he surveyed the grim expressions of the holy nights.

‘Did something happen?’

That wasn't all.

—Ellen...?

—Are you returning too, Ellen?

—Yeah, I'm going back for a bit.

Ellen approached the teleportation point, responding to Lanian Sesor’s and Scarlett’s questions.

Naturally, the attention of the others shifted to Ellen. Humanity’s Hero, Ellen Artorius, approached the teleportation point wearing a casual outfit instead of her usual ceremonial armor.

Ellen was an exception in many ways, so she was granted the right to use such teleportation points as she pleased, even though it usually required specific authorization from headquarters.

There was something different about Ellen. She was holding something in her right hand.

Meow!

Scratch! Scratch!

Meow, meow!

She was holding a cage in her right hand. A black cat was inside, spinning around and meowing constantly. It seemed rather agitated.

—The kitten will be safer in the capital, so I'm going to leave it there.

—That makes sense.

—Yeah, it does.

Meowww!

Ellen hugged the cage as if it were precious, and the cat, as startled as it was, spun around inside that small cage, its eyes wide open.