Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 452 [Illustration]

There was only one small warp gate in Rajak, the main port city and capital of the Edina Archipelago.

Shortly after the triggering of the incident, Reinhart had arrived with his people and began to address the situation on a large scale.

Eleris, upon arriving in Rajak, immediately prioritized destroying the warp gate, while Riana summoned lightning to sweep away the monsters in the vast area. Reinhart, Olivia, Lruien, and Galarsh focused on eliminating the monsters in Rajak. As a result, calm was restored rather quickly.

Nevertheless, the Gate Incident left an indelible scar on Rajak. Numerous buildings were still burning, and corpses lined every street. Although most of the monsters had been eradicated, the streets were filled with the wailing of people.

The Gate Incident had triggered an instinctive fear and confusion within the people. In the midst of their fear and panic, it had been difficult to deal with the monsters properly, and even if they had somehow managed to, significant damage was inevitable.

There was no way that an archmage or significant combat forces would be stationed at every location with a small warp gate. Although the situation had been addressed on the first day, Rajak still suffered massive damage, and it was unlikely to be much different elsewhere.

Unless the place was a city, where powerful mages and knights would usually be stationed, the damage that the monsters could cause would be enough to decimate it. Moreover, places that did have such forces stationed there inevitably had medium or large warp gates, which meant that they would face larger and more numerous monsters.

Seeing Rajak turned into a living hell in just one day left Riana and Olivia stunned. No matter how often it was reiterated that this incident had been triggered in order to save Reinhart, the fact remained that it had indeed been caused by the Demon King’s subordinates.

Eleris, who had activated Akasha with her own hands, was left speechless after witnessing the depth of the sin she had committed.

With the situation in Rajak relatively stable, the party gathered at the main gate in front of Angel Capital.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The Demon King Baalier, Eleris, Lruien, Galarsh, Olivia, Airi, and even Harriet and Riana were present.

Everyone was quietly watching Baalier. Eleris, who had activated Akasha, could not lift her gaze from the ground. However, there was no despair on Baalier’s face, even though he had, through his attempts at preventing exactly this situation, become the catalyst for it.

Everyone felt misery and sorrow, even though it wasn’t really their doing. But the Demon King seemed not to consider such things at all.

“Now that Rajak is sorted out, there’s no time to delay. It seems we can handle the monsters from the small gates on our own... Airi, how many islands in the archipelago have small warp gates installed?”

“... Saint Louis, Port Ramz, and Greenwindle. Three others in total.”

“Alright, then let’s split into three groups. Eleris, take Riana with you. Confirm the coordinates for Saint Louis and head there. The head of the Thursday clan and Senior Olivia will go to Port Ramz. The head of Friday will head to Greenwindle with Harriet once she returns.”

Reinhart planned to divide his forces and send them simultaneously to the three other ports in the small Edina Archipelago that could be considered major cities. He judged that two of his party would be enough to handle whatever came out of a small warp gate.

“We need to move quickly. If the monsters completely destroy the city and escape to the outskirts, we might have a tedious cleanup operation ahead of us.”

There was no time for tragic reflections on the horrors that had unfolded. Baalier gave brief instructions on what needed to be done next, rather than discussing the events that had occurred.

That seemed like the attitude a leader should have, yet it also appeared excessively cold. However, orders were orders. Following the Demon King’s command, the Vampire Lords immediately began their casting.

The people who were hiding in Angel Capital, still fearful of the situation, quietly watched the saviors of the city standing outside the main gate.

Some whispered among themselves, and others praised them, but Baalier did not spare them a glance.

It was as if saving them was his role, but now that they had been saved, he had no further business with them.

“Airi.”

“Uh, ah... yes?”

Airi still did not understand the situation.

Baalier only said what he needed to say.

“Let’s go to the Edina Palace.”

“The palace...? Why the palace...?”

“Ah, because I’m going to be the king here starting from today.”

He did not explain how. It was as if he intended to make it happen because he had decided so.

Baalier was excessively calm about everything.

***

It was late at night.

Rumble...

In the burning imperial city of Gradium, mages were rushing about, trying to extinguish the fires engulfing the burning houses.

This was the imperial city of Gradium, where humanity’s strongest forces were gathered. However, the imperial city was also the city with the most mega warp gates and the highest concentration of medium and small warp gates on the continent.

Thanks to the presence of the strongest forces of humanity, who had immediately jumped into action to suppress the situation, the madness brought about by the Gate Incident in the city that faced the most danger, the imperial city, was subdued in a day.

Despite this, the damage was still significant. About thirty percent of the city had been destroyed, including major buildings and infrastructure, and an even larger percentage of the population had also perished.

Just as in the port city of the Edina Archipelago, the imperial capital of Gradium was filled with the screams and wails of countless people.

This was already considered okay. The other places of the empire where warp gates were installed were likely in much deeper turmoil.

Boom!

A monster the size of a large cathedral played out its final death throes and collapsed to the ground. The last monster in the imperial city had fallen.

Snap!

Ellen Artorius jumped deftly down the collapsing monster’s back onto its waist, then pushed off and landed on the ground as if stepping off a platform. She was the one who had swiftly climbed up along the monster’s leg and onto its shoulder, stabbed her void sword into its skull, and detonated her mana to shatter the monster’s head entirely.

With this display, everyone knew that Ellen not only possessed Lament, which had undergone a strange transformation, but also the Cloak of the Sun God, Lapelt.

“Is this the last one?” Ellen asked, and those who had participated in the hunt for this last monster nodded, looking at her with bewildered expressions.

Whatever had happened in the past was over. Focusing solely on dealing with the situation was overwhelming enough.

Just as the current Demon King did not express any personal sentiments about current events, Ellen, who considered herself the cause of this whole situation, was no different.

The knights of Shanapell, who had participated in the hunt for the last giant monster, arrived to confront Ellen.

“Ellen... Why on earth did you help the Demon King escape?” demanded Sabioleen Tana.

Ellen turned her gaze towards her. Up to this point, they had been too busy dealing with the situation to question her, but it was finally time to have this discussion. Ellen had aided the Demon King to escape. Although there had been no casualties, Ellen’s actions could lead to another future war.

However, Ellen did not offer any excuses or justifications for her actions. She did not say that all this had happened because they had not believed the Demon King. Ellen herself had not done so either.

“Are you planning to arrest me or something?” Ellen asked instead.

“...”

“You won’t be able to,” she declared, presenting the reality of the situation instead of offering justification.

She was not just an ordinary Swordmaster, but one who possessed two holy relics. In fact, Ellen was the one who had dealt with the most monsters after Sabioleen Tana. She had personally cut down a horde of powerful monsters, each one capable of turning an entire village to ashes, in just an hour. These were not the smaller monsters that had emerged from the gates in the Edina Archipelago, but comparable to mega ones.

In a situation in which every person was needed, treating Ellen as a criminal was unthinkable. It was more proper for the empire to be grateful that Ellen was still cooperating willingly, at least until everything was resolved.

“Tell me where I need to go. Whether it’s Kernstadt, or the other imperial territories. There must be many places that are now considered dangerous,” Ellen said.

She felt a sense of responsibility for this situation, and so, she had no intention of resting.

“And if you have any stimulants, please get me some.”

There was no time to be sad or depressed. There was no time to regret her actions.

Just as Reinhart did not blame himself and indulge in the thought that nothing would have happened if he had done nothing, Ellen did not choose the path of self-pity, wallowing in the anguish that, if she had trusted Reinhart more, none of this would have happened.

Tragic reflections on the horrors that had occurred could not save herself, let alone others.

It was time to make judgments.

It was time to move.

She had to save just one more city, just one more person. Even if there was no absolution at the end of it.

Because she believed it was the only thing she could do.

She had to do her best in the given situation, and not wallow in regret or self-reproach.

Both the Demon King and the hero of humanity had, in some sense, become stronger than before, in a way neither of them had ever wanted.

***

The palace of the Kingdom of Edina was perched on a high cliff on the outskirts of the port city of Rajak. It was by no means as large as the imperial palace, nor was it as elegant as the White Palace Arnaria located in Arnaka, the capital of the Duchy of Saint-Ouen.

The structure, which was closer to a fortress than a palace, gave some indication of the stature of the Kingdom of Edina. It wasn’t overly lavish, but it was still the royal castle of a nation, and not a humble manor or keep of a local lord.

Since it was located on the outskirts of the city, it had not been directly affected by the Gate Incident.

It wasn’t difficult to gain entry into the castle. It seemed the ones who had watched Airi and I approaching understood that it was myself and my companions who had resolved the strange events that had suddenly come upon the city.

Moreover, Airi had been conducting business in the city for quite some time, and her Angel Capital venture had proceeded with royal support.

I was Airi’s friend, and the person who had extinguished the massive upheaval in the capital that could have led to the kingdom’s downfall in just a few hours. It would have been strange if the doors hadn’t opened for us.

We were greeted by the king in his audience chamber. He still looked pale, and his retainers were understandably bewildered by the situation.

“Who might you be, esteemed guest?”

I surveyed the faces of the guards and the knights guarding the king.

“While the people of the capital die like dogs, the so-called king remains here, trembling and cowering...” I said.

The sudden outburst of foul language caused the king and his guards to stiffen.

“I won’t tire you with tedious explanations.”

I used Sarkegar’s Ring, then summoned Alsbringer and slung it over my shoulder. Everyone in the chamber gasped at my sudden transformation into a demon, and the appearance of the soul-bound sword.

“From today, this kingdom and all the islands of the Edina Archipelago belong to me, the Demon King Baalier.”

Airi’s face turned pale at my blunt declaration. There was no time for persuasion or debate.

I looked around. “Anyone who objects, step forward.”

It was clear that no one had fully grasped the situation yet.

***

Naturally, no one would willingly hand over a country just because they were told to. The first to react was a knight standing beside the king.

“You scoundrel! How dare you appear suddenly and offer such an insult to His Majesty, no matter how uncertain the situation?!”

As he descended the steps of the throne, he placed his hand on his sword hilt.

“Don’t draw it,” I said to the knight who seemed ready to draw his sword and strike me down.

“What...?”

“If you draw it, you’ll die.”

“Such insolence...!”

Sling!

Clang!

The knight’s sword, barely out of its sheath, shattered into pieces as it met Alsbringer’s blade.

I didn’t kill him. The knight who had lost his sword before being able to wield it properly could only stare at me in a daze.

“If you try anything more, it won’t end with just a warning.”

If blood had to be shed, so be it, but there was no need to deliberately seek it out. Perhaps he was the most skilled knight present. With him frozen in place, no other knights or palace guards dared approach me.

I walked past the knight who had tried to block my path. No knight or guard could stand in my way.

Tap, tap, tap.

I ascended the steps to the throne and stood before the king.

The king, too, was frozen stiff, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Move.”

It was a simple word. The king could only look up at me, staring blankly, still frozen in place.

“What...?”

“I said, move.”

No one dared to lay a hand on me. They must have instinctively known that the moment they tried, their lives would be forfeit.

The king looked around, but in the presence of the Demon King, there seemed to be no one willing to sacrifice their life for their lord.

It wasn’t a matter of loyalty. It was because I was not just a mere thug, but the Demon King. The same Demon King who had stirred up the entire continent.

This small nation of islands had almost lost its capital to the monsters unleashed by the Gate Incident from a mere small warp gate. The Demon King was too powerful a being for the soldiers and knights of the Edina Archipelago to handle.

Because I was the Demon King, and not just a simple ruffian or rogue, no one knew what would happen if I chose to act. Merely revealing my true form was enough to stir their imaginations down the most ominous paths.

The terrifying reputation that surrounded me was something I could exploit at will. That was why I could do this with only Airi by my side.

The son of the former absolute ruler of the Demon Realm, Baalier... Everyone feared what I might do. They let their imaginations run wild, and thus, no one dared to touch me.

I watched as the king trembled and rose from his seat.

Thud.

I sat on the throne vacated by the king.

The throne, carved from gray stone, wasn’t particularly to my liking, but it wasn’t entirely displeasing either.

Sitting in the seat of the master was easy.

Was it supposed to be this easy to take a country?

However, this was only the beginning. Just because I sat in the master’s seat didn’t mean everyone would recognize me as the master.

Sitting on the throne didn’t make one a king. However, I had made the master of the throne give it up of his own accord. That was important.

“Half of the world... Master of all corners of the Dark Land. Leader of all demons in the world, Lord of the Demon Realm.

“In the name of Baalier... To the former king of the Kingdom of Edina, who has voluntarily ceded the throne, and his royal family, I promise a peaceful life.”

That was my first royal decree.