Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 565

There were students in the Royal Class dormitory, students who had decided to spend the winter there and had received permission to go back. However, not everyone had done so, while others could not, so there weren’t many people around.

The Royal Class dormitory had a capacity for about a hundred and twenty people, which was not much to begin with, and now there were even fewer. The whole place felt rather deserted.

Ludwig unpacked his belongings inside his dorm room after returning for the first time in a while. He didn’t have many things, and they weren’t particularly significant.

After roughly unpacking his stuff, Ludwig left his room and ran into someone.

“Ludwig...”

“Oh, Detto. It’s been a while.”

Dettomorian, who always looked unwell, was quietly staring at Ludwig’s loose right sleeve.

“I heard about that.”

“Ah, yeah... Things happen, I guess,” Ludwig said as he scratched his head with his left hand and gave an awkward smile.

Dettomorian had already heard about Ludwig and Delphine from those who had returned earlier.

“How have you been?” Ludwig asked.

“Me...? Nothing much happened...”

Ludwig nodded as if relieved.

He looked up and down the quiet Class B dormitory hallway. Dettomorian was the only one around.

“Where are the others?”

“They seem busy with research.”

“Ah, they didn’t come back to rest, I see...”

The ones who had recently returned to the dormitory were Louis, Cristina, and Anna.

Those three, unlike Ludwig, had actual tasks to complete, which was why they returned to the dormitory. They were different from him.

Unlike Ludwig, who had been forced to return to the Temple by imperial decree, they could be redeployed to the Allied Forces’ base whenever needed.

“Looks like you’re back,” said a different voice.

It was the issuer of said decree, Vertus, who had just entered the Class B dormitory hallway and was waving at Ludwig.

***

Dettomorian went off to the club building, saying he had things to do, leaving only Ludwig and Vertus in the Class B dormitory.

Since becoming emperor, Vertus rarely encountered his classmates, with the exception of a few.

The person Vertus saw most often wasn’t Ellen but B-7, Evia, the telepath who was stationed at the headquarters as a liaison. Then there was Ellen, and then those who did magic research. Thus, it had been a long time since Ludwig and Vertus had actually seen each other face to face.

“Feel free to be at ease; I prefer it that way.”

“Oh, uh... okay.”

Ludwig, unsure of what to do, smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

“Thanks for caring about me...”

Ludwig felt compelled to say that since it was Vertus who had issued the decree to bring him back to the Temple.

“You don’t look thankful at all.”

To anyone who saw him, Ludwig seemed more despairing than grateful about his situation. It appeared as though he had said what he’d said because he had to.

“Well, no, it’s just... No, really, thank you.”

“I understand you want to keep fighting, and I know you’re still far more capable than an ordinary soldier, even in your current state. But... You’re not an ordinary soldier.”

“I know what you mean.”

Most ordinary soldiers were treated as expendable and died helplessly in battle. But even those ordinary soldiers, if they survived despite being disabled, would no longer be sent into battle.

Ludwig could still fight, but in the context of the entire Allied Forces, he was one of the very few, highly important Royal Class soldiers. If he died, it would lower the morale of the entire Royal Class.

That was why he had been forced back to the rear. Ludwig understood that, but it was still painful. He couldn’t fight anymore, and the fact that he had to leave the front lines placed an additional burden on his classmates.

“Regarding Delphine... It’s unfortunate. I didn’t talk to her much, but I heard she was a good friend.”

Ludwig remained silent.

Vertus didn’t know Delphine well, but Ludwig had countless memories of Delphine Izadra.

Ludwig had helplessly watched the death of someone precious to him right before his eyes. That was both his nightmare and his reality.

“It’s all my fault,” Ludwig said.

Vertus was surprised. “What?”

“It’s because I’m weak. Delphine got hurt trying to help me, so it’s all my fault,” Ludwig muttered, his eyes vacant. “It’s all my fault for being weak...”

Vertus quietly watched Ludwig, who was blaming himself. Just as everyone was blaming themselves, including Vertus, Ludwig was doing the same.

Vertus almost said it was inevitable, or that Ludwig had saved Scarlett, but he closed his mouth.

Ludwig was broken, and that wasn’t particularly rare. Ludwig was going through the same things as everyone else.

Having been removed from the battlefield, he would slowly rot away as his helplessness ate away at him.

“There are plenty of things to do in the capital, and there are many places where you’re needed,” Vertus said.

What Ludwig needed wasn’t sympathy or consolation. He needed to know that he could find meaning in his existence away from the battlefield.

“I’ll arrange a position for you with the guard. It might not be official yet, but try it out first. We’ll decide later whether you’ll continue with it or not,” Vertus added.

He would need to feel that he wasn’t completely powerless, and soon.

***

Ellen was the only one in the second-year Class A dormitory. Since there were few residents in the Royal Class dormitory, meals were not taken in the individual dormitory kitchens but in the grand banquet hall, where all the residents, regardless of grade, ate together.

Ellen used to eat a lot. But on the battlefield, there was no time, and food itself was precious. So, ironically, Ellen ate less than ordinary soldiers on the battlefield, where she should have eaten heartily.

Om nom nom.

Now that she was back in a comfortable place after a long time, Ellen ate quite a lot, though not as much as before.

The food situation in the capital wasn’t great either, so even in the Royal Class dormitory, the quality of meals had dropped significantly compared to before the Gate Incident. Therefore, Ellen didn’t eat as excessively as she used to.

Nom nom.

Still, seeing her eat so heartily after a long time made me feel good.

‘But if you think about it, am I not just a pet feeling happy seeing their owner eat well? Isn’t that just a bit absurd? Anyway, it’s heartwarming, so what can I do?’

This girl, who ate so much on a regular basis, had fought so fiercely on the battlefield while only eating as little as a bird would.

Was Ellen actually fuel-efficient?

“Ellen, you brought the cat with you?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely better for it to be here. Good thinking. Are you resting here too, Ellen?”

“For the time being.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“Right. You need to rest.”

Those who recognized me from the Royal Class garrison within the Allied camp would often pet me or talk to Ellen.

I sat next to Ellen at the long table.

Ellen seemed to want to feed me too. She handed me a sausage, which I nibbled on. It might not look the most appetizing, but at least it was edible, even for humans.

Of course, I hadn’t followed her to the dining hall just to get a sausage from her.

Since meals were taken in the grand banquet hall, where all students came regardless of class or grade, everyone in the dormitory gathered there during meal times.

I was looking for the Class B students, primarily Anna de Gerna—but she was nowhere to be found.

Next, I looked around for Cristina and Louis Ankton. They were missing too.

The only Class B students present were Ludwig and Dettomorian.

I thought I would see Anna, Cristina, and Louis if I stayed in the dormitory, but they were nowhere to be found.

Since their names did not come up in any conversation, I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

I managed to get to the Temple, but my assumption seemed wrong.

‘Are they really at the Allied Forces’ base? Someone, please tell me! Anna, Cristina, and Louis... Where are those three? Someone, please ask about them!’

—Detto, are Louis and the others eating in the lab? I haven’t seen them at all.

—Probably...

—Do they practically live there then? Isn’t that too much?

—They show up every now and then...

‘Ludwig, you’re the best! So they are here after all!’

***

What a joke.

Looking at myself objectively, there was nothing else to say.

A few days after returning to the Temple, I was literally just lazing around.

Tap tap.

Ellen sat on a bench and patted the spot next to her, as if telling me to come up. I jumped up onto the bench, landing lightly.

Meow.

I had nothing to do except follow Ellen on her walks. Fortunately, Ellen had not just left me with Vertus and returned to the Allied encampment.

Instead, Ellen seemed to be taking a long-overdue rest at the Temple.

I had originally planned to go about gathering information or something similar, but I couldn’t do it.

Firstly, Ellen always took me with her wherever she went, and secondly, except for Dettomorian and Ludwig, the Class B students rarely returned to the dormitory.

I was sure the three I was looking for were at the Temple, but it was hard to run into them.

I suspected they were in some lab, and I had a rough idea of where that might be.

The fact that the three I was looking for were not around the dormitory was enough information.

If they were all absent at the same time and none of them returned, that meant they were together. Therefore, I could deduce that all three were involved in the empire’s secret research related to the remains of warriors.

I could understand Louis being involved due to his excellent understanding of all fields of magic.

Anna’s talent in dark magic also meant it was reasonable for her to be involved.

But I couldn’t see why an alchemist like Cristina would be needed.

What on earth were all of them doing, exactly?

I decided to observe the situation rather than openly doing anything suspicious or returning to human form to gather information.

I would have plenty of time for information gathering when I returned to Edina, so there was nothing to worry about for the time being.

Therefore, with nothing to do, all I did was watch Ellen rest.

There were times when she would lose consciousness and be lost in a daze for a while, but she didn’t attempt to leave the capital. When Ellen was in that state, she would sit and stare blankly for a long time before eventually coming to her senses.

“I used to come here often.”

Meow.

We were on the crest of the hill which the path around the Temple went over. It was part of our usual running course. I had run past this point often with Adriana, countless times alone, and many times with Ellen.

Ellen looked down at the scenery below the hill with a wistful gaze. I could tell what she was thinking without her having to say it.

She was probably thinking the same thing as me.

***

There’s a saying in the military: Rest is also a mission.

Managing combat fatigue is crucial for maintaining military strength, so rest is naturally a very important part of military operations. Therefore, the saying “rest is also a mission” was not just a saying; it truly was a mission, and a very important mission at that.

Ellen was always at the forefront, tasked with reconnaissance or annihilation of the enemy in most battles. Whenever a location was secured, she would also be sent out to pacify the surrounding areas, so she was always the last to return.

She was the first to jump into battle and the last to return. While she naturally had the occasional days off, Ellen would have jumped out of bed if the headquarters called for her.

Ellen was back at the Temple now, resting. She fully understood what Vertus had said about her needing to rest. Just as Ludwig had been forced to return to the rear for the sake of others, Ellen accepted that she needed to rest for the sake of others.

She was no longer sleeping on a cot on the battlefield, full of tension and anxiety. She was sleeping soundly in her own room, wearing loose pajamas, knowing she was safe and that no one would come looking for her.

Ellen ate a lot, but she also slept a lot. It was as if she was trying to catch up on all the sleep she had missed, and as if she was trying to sleep all she could now in lieu of the sleep she would not be able to get later on.

She slept for more than twelve hours a day, sometimes missing meal times, and even took naps.

Just how tired was she?

She wasn’t just carrying the hope of the Allied Forces. Since the Gate Incident, Ellen had been constantly called into battle against monsters.

Once a place was cleared out, she would immediately be sent to another battlefield.

She had been on continuous deployment, and every mission had the objective of annihilating monsters.

Ellen was taking her first proper rest since the beginning of the Gate Incident, which had lasted almost three years.

I had been busy since the Gate Incident too, but I hadn’t been fighting continuously. I had spent more of my days dealing with the headaches presented to me by Edina’s internal affairs.

I had even taken a long break in Rijaiera, but Ellen had had to keep fighting and fighting.

Ellen was hugging her blanket and sleeping like the dead. This was the first time Ellen had taken such a long, proper rest since the beginning of the Gate Incident, so it was inevitable that she would sleep and sleep, as if to relieve the accumulated fatigue within her soul.

Ellen’s door was slightly ajar. If it were closed, I would feel trapped.

When Ellen had awoken from a long sleep one day and saw me sitting in the room. She had immediately apologized and now left the door slightly open like this ever since, as if telling me to come and go as I pleased.

The Class A dormitory was empty, so no one would come looking for Ellen.

She seemed to know that even if I disappeared, I would return eventually, so she didn’t think of confining me.

Of course, Ellen had no way of knowing that this was not the right way to raise a cat.

It was early evening, and I decided to visit the Class B dormitory.

The three I was looking for might have returned.