Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 506

Strictly speaking, Ellen did not have a rank. She occasionally commanded units that were assigned special missions during the Gate Incident and received orders from the Allied Forces’ general headquarters, but she was not part of the imperial army.

Although she held the title of the princess’s guardian knight, it held little significance now that the Demon King had taken the princess and disappeared.

The emperor, Vertus de Gradias, did not grant Ellen any rank or affiliation.

—The hero has arrived!

—The hero has returned!

Despite having no official rank, every soldier who encountered Ellen saluted her, even if they were far away.

This was true regardless of their rank. A simple footsoldier, a platoon leader, a company commander, and even those who held higher positions of command all saluted Ellen with respect and admiration.

Ellen had no rank because it would only be a nuisance to her. If she were given an awkward, intermediate rank, she would have superiors. On the other hand, if she were given a rank equivalent to a military commander, she would be dragged into various meetings despite being a powerful combatant.

Vertus chose not to bestow even an honorary rank upon her. Though she had no official affiliation or rank, Ellen could utilize, requisition, and commandeer any resources within the military.

She had just returned from clearing out monsters along the marching route and near the unit’s encampment.

Ellen did not usually carry Lament and Lapelt with her. However, now that she was living in this military encampment long-term and people could see her at any time, she started wearing a scabbard for Lament at her waist.

This was partly due to soldiers who, upon seeing her in person, would get overly excited and rudely ask to see Lament and Lapelt. More precisely, it was to ensure that people could recognize her wherever she went.

Just seeing Ellen, even from afar, visibly boosted morale. Ellen understood the secret desire of military commanders for her to always display her holy relics, and so Ellen wore them even when not in combat.

Those who reached Master class preferred light armor or no armor at all. Since they could conjure Aura Armor that was harder than steel, there was no need to wear cumbersome plate armor.

Ellen did not need to wear plate armor, but she did so for the same reason she wore the holy relics.

Of course, the plate armor was not entirely useless. Though its protection was not often needed, Adelia and her researchers had made this ceremonial armor for Ellen to wear at official events.

It was armor made solely for the hero of humanity. Despite being ceremonial, it was not without practical uses. The armor itself had immense anti-magic properties and was imbued with numerous enchantments, including weight reduction. While it was considered an artifact on par with any national treasure, it was ultimately for show.

Ellen did not enjoy the attention. The more people projected their hopes onto her, the more deeply she understood their ultimate goal: the death of the Demon King. Each time she sensed their desire, it felt as if someone was choking her.

She was surrounded by soldiers everywhere. This army bore the heavy responsibility of humanity’s salvation, and among all these soldiers, Ellen carried the most significant burden, perhaps even heavier than Sabioleen Tana’s. Thus, Ellen was under more scrutiny and pressure.

Naïve individuals exist in every age. While Ellen rested, it wasn’t just ordinary footsoldiers who loitered near her tent, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

This encampment was not just made up of soldiers of the imperial army, but also included elite soldiers and commanders from other regions and countries, including vassal states.

In the early days of the campaign, many commanders and knights who, oblivious to the situation, would boast about their origins and request a meeting with Ellen, outnumbering even the clueless lower-ranking soldiers, and Ellen could not turn them away.

Eventually, Sabioleen Tana moved Ellen’s tent away and issued strict orders that no outsiders were allowed near it. After that, Ellen’s rest was not disturbed after she returned from missions.

When Ellen reached the area where her tent was located, she handed the reins of her horse to a soldier and entered, returning the salutes from the soldiers standing guard to prevent outsiders from entering. This area was unique among the other areas of the encampment. Ellen found this area better than the others.

“Oh, Ellen. You’re back?”

“Hey, Adelia. Yeah, I’m back.”

“Good job out there, Ellen.”

“Thanks, Louis.”

Ellen nodded, acknowledging Adelia and Louis Ankton, who were moving through with armfuls of magical items.

This area of the encampment was reserved for those who had been drafted in from the Temple.

Further inside was the area reserved for the Royal Class alumni. Here, no one called Ellen “hero.” Sometimes, Ellen felt as if she had returned to a moment in the past, one she could no longer go back to.

***

Not all Temple students had been drafted as fighting troops, since not everyone majored in combat-related fields. However, nearly all students from the Temple’s Royal Class had been part of the draft, and those who had been second-year Royal Class students during the breakout of the Gate Incident had all been drafted, except for those who had disappeared with Reinhart.

Everyone had their own missions and roles, even if they weren’t as significant as Ellen’s.

“Hey, Kaier! Didn’t I tell you to charge the Arc Crystal?”

“Ugh, I’m gonna do it! Just let me eat first, will you?!”

“How many times do I have to tell you to do it in advance?!”

“Geez, you’re always nagging like a little mouse.”

“What? A little mouse? Did you just call your senior that?”

“We’re not even in the Temple anymore! What do you mean by ‘senior’? Shouldn’t you call me oppa instead?”

“Why would you be an oppa, you punk?!”

Ellen watched from a distance as Rudina and Kaier, who had grown quite a bit over the past two years but still seemed like children, bickered.

Rudina, with her No Casting talent, and Kaier, with his overwhelming mana, had been forced to become combat partners for quite some time.

One could cast spells without needing time to cast but had a minuscule amount of mana, while the other had an enormous amount of mana but couldn’t use magic.

After Adelia created something called the Arc Crystal, a larger version of a Power Cartridge, Kaier would charge it whenever he had time, and Rudina would use the stored mana for magic. That system had been in place for quite a while.

The Arc Crystal, designed to extract mana from Kaier, who had a deficiency in Mana Manipulation, was something only Kaier could use, and the mana stored within it could be easily used by Rudina.

It was a massive artifact created by Adelia solely for that purpose. It was too large to carry around, but it was perfect for base defense against large-scale monster assaults.

The spectacle of thousands of fireballs raining down from the sky and sweeping away waves of monsters was known only to those who had witnessed it firsthand.

No matter how much mana the Arc Crystal held, Rudina could deplete it in a short time. Thus, the Arc Crystal was always short of mana and needed to be charged.

Despite their perfect compatibility in terms of abilities, the relationship between Rudina and Kaier worsened the more they worked together.

“Oh, Ellen, you’re back?”

“Yes, senior.”

When Rudina saw Ellen watching from afar, she hurried over to her and pointed at Kaier. “Tell him to go do some work! I’ve told him so many times to charge the Arc Crystal in advance, but he never does it properly!”

“Hey!” Kaier greeted Ellen with a small nod, before shouting back at Rudina, “I’m human too! Stop treating me like a mana charger!”

“What are you if not a mana charger, you punk! Do you do anything else, like fighting like Ellen, or any research work? Is it that hard just to hold onto the Arc Crystal for a few hours?”

Rudina wasn’t joking around or scolding him playfully. She was genuinely angry.

“Do you know how many people died the last time because the defense line was breached? Is it that hard? If you had charged it a bit more, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“I’ve almost died several times from mana depletion. Did you know that? And you say I’m doing nothing? Do you think you could do anything if I wasn’t around?” Kaier wasn’t just making excuses. He was genuinely angry too.

This was a war against monsters. Rudina had had to watch others die without being able to respond to the monster threat due to a lack of mana in the Arc Crystal.

Although Kaier had an incredible amount of natural mana, it wasn’t infinite. Therefore, he had to wait for his depleted mana to regenerate before he could recharge the Arc Crystal.

Both were doing their best. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, they couldn’t help but dislike each other. Their relationship was bad, and it was getting worse.

As sharp words began to fly, Ellen gently placed a hand on Rudina’s shoulder. “Stop, stop it, senior.”

“...”

“Kaier, go eat. Take a break.”

“... Tch.”

With Ellen’s intervention, the two stopped fighting.

Rudina gritted her teeth and glared at the dirt floor of the encampment. She thought that those people might not have died if only Kaier could do a little more, and because of such thoughts, she had lashed out at him, her most important support.

Rudina eventually covered her face with both hands and let out a suppressed groan.

“I’m... such an idiot...”

They knew they were both doing their best, but the regret and guilt over others’ deaths caused them to say things they shouldn’t have and hurt each other.

“... Rudina?”

Someone wearing the insignia of a holy knight approached Ellen and Rudina.

“Oh... Adriana...”

It was Adriana, who had left the Temple but returned to the Ouen Order after the breakout of the Gate Incident to perform her duties as a holy knight.

Despite suspicions of collusion with the Demon King, among other issues, Adriana had received a sort of unofficial pardon.

There was no way she could know the truth about everything that had happened, and it was frustrating and painful for her, but like everyone else, Adriana was participating in the war, doing what only she could do.

“What’s wrong? Did you fight with Kaier again?”

“...”

She gently embraced Rudina, who was suppressing her sobs, and looked over at Ellen. “Get some rest, Ellen. You must be the most tired.”

“... Yes, senior.”

Ellen quietly watched as Adriana led Rudina to the tent.

Ellen could see the indelible shadow across Adriana’s face. Adriana had been close to someone once—the Hound of Irine. Ellen had played the most direct role in Loyar’s death, and Adriana had been there.

Ellen believed she had no right to complain if Adriana resented her for it, but Adriana never once blamed Ellen.

The war against the monsters was breaking people, and the Royal Class alumni, including Ellen, were not exempt.

***

Even those from the Royal Class with non-combat majors had roles to play.

Adelia, for example, had been a non-combat major, but played a crucial role in the war with her unique talent by designing the Power Cartridge and continuing to produce improved versions of it.

Connor Lint, who had no combat aptitude, was tasked with teleporting critically injured soldiers to the rear or deploying troops to the battlefield. Of course, the minor issues like leaving people with nothing but their underwear on when he teleported them had already been resolved.

Even Lanian Sesor, with his talent in music, was busy leading the military band and participating in morale-boosting activities, including performances in the encampment.

Everyone had their roles to play, and they continued to fulfill their duties during this final campaign.

Ellen ate in the communal dining tent in the Royal Class encampment. She could have eaten in her personal tent, but Ellen did not seek special treatment.

While Ellen ate her meal quietly, someone sat across from her.

“It seems like you’re back, Ellen.” freeωebnovēl.c૦m

“Ah... yeah.”

It was Ludwig.

***

Thanks to the effects of Moonshine, all Royal Class students who had majored in close combat had acquired the ability to activate Mana Reinforcement. However, Ellen was the only one who had reached Master class.

Ludwig, though, was one of the four who had awakened Mana Reinforcement independently during their first year, along with Ellen, Reinhart, Cliffman.

Each person had their role in this fight, and while Ellen often undertook solo missions because of her exceptional skill, other Royal Class students usually formed teams based on the required personnel for that mission.

Being from the Temple and having shared camaraderie on top of exceptional skills meant that Royal Class students often moved together. While there were cases like Rudina and Kaier, working together was generally positive.

Among the close combat majors, the two who stood out the most in combat operations were Cliffman, with his talent in general combat, and Ludwig, with his talent in stamina. Although Ellen had reached an exceptionally high level, everyone knew that the other two were also incredibly skilled.

“When do you think the next advance will be?” Ludwig asked, and Ellen pondered for a moment as she chewed on her bread.

“Probably in about four days... I think.”

“Four days... I see.”

Ellen didn’t know much about Ludwig. However, she knew he had always been bright and cheerful, to the point of being annoyingly lively. At some point, however, Ludwig had stopped smiling altogether.

The horrors of war and the realization that the Demon King had been close to them all along without them knowing had caused Ludwig to lose his smile.

He had lost his smile, and these days, his eyes were always filled with anger and hatred.

Not long after the advance began, B-4 Ashir, with his talent in Divine Power, had died in a defense of the encampment.

Since then, the light of hatred and anger in Ludwig’s eyes had not faded.