CH 448

A few days ago.

After breakfast, Harriet was dragged to Liana's room, where she couldn't help but hear a shocking story.

"Reinhardt wasn't… responsible?"

"No."

The attack of the Demon King on Rajeurn, where Duke Grantz had died.

Liana knew that it wasn't due to the Demon King's attack, and therefore, it wasn't something Reinhardt had planned.

"I found out recently too. It was so strange that I think my mother kept looking into it."

"I see… Then… What really happened?"

"The Empire killed my father."

"…What?"

Liana's mother, YEllena de Grantz, the Duchess, didn't have a great relationship with her husband. However, she couldn't be free from the shock she received from his death.

Why did the Demon King have to do this?

Why at that place, and why did he have to kill her husband?

The Duchess knew her husband's tendencies and everything about him better than anyone else.

After her own long and thorough investigation, she found out:

What her husband had been doing.

Who he was with, where, and what he was doing when he died.

That's why she realized that the Demon King had no reason to do such a thing.

Why the Empire showed no enthusiasm in investigating the incident.

Through such circumstances, Duchess YEllena de Grantz realized that this was the Empire's own doing.

And she told her daughter, who was obsessed with revenge on the Demon King:

The real enemy isn't the Demon King, but the Empire.

The Empire not only killed Duke Grantz but also framed the Demon King for it.

Liana was powerless.

The Demon King is an obscure and formidable enemy, but the Empire is a clear and overwhelming adversary.

The prince and princess are her classmates, and she could harm them, but Liana didn't want to be satisfied with that.

She wanted to bring down the Empire.

She wanted to strip away the thick face of the Empire that attended her father's funeral with a calm expression after killing him.

First, she had to become stronger.

Not only her own power but also by joining forces with a powerful strength capable of toppling the Empire. That's what she thought.

And then, she learned the fact that Reinhardt was the Demon King.

Setting aside the shocking fact, Liana saw the possibility.

If she was with the Demon King, they might be able to bring down the Empire.

Reinhardt was going to die soon.

"I must save Reinhardt, no matter what it takes."

If the Demon King dies, the possibility of the Empire's collapse disappears.

So, rather than being shocked by the immediate fact, Liana focused on the first thing she had to do for revenge.

"Harriet, what will you do?"

Harriet was at a loss for words at Liana's question.

The most incomprehensible and saddest act of the Demon King was Duke Grantz's death due to the Rajeurn attack.

No matter the reason, why did he have to kill Liana's father? Even if there was a valid reason, should she accept it?

That's what Harriet was thinking.

But it was the Empire's plot. Though they didn't know what was behind the subsequent attack on the Holy Temple, they could be sure of one thing:

Reinhardt had nothing to do with the death of Liana's father, Duke Grantz.

On the contrary, he was framed.

There wasn't much time left.

They didn't know when Reinhardt would be killed by the Empire.

Harriet wanted to believe in Reinhardt.

When you want to believe, you don't need much evidence to be convinced.

"I don't know how to do it, but……."

I believe because I want to believe.

I don't know how to do it or if it's even possible.

With only the two of us, I don't know how we can manage, and if we fail, we die.

"I'll do it with you."

Despite knowing it was an irreversible decision, Harriet decided to save Reinhardt.

—---

And now.

The time given to Harriet and Liana was short, but they had a plan of their own.

However, when meteors began to rain from the sky, and the cries of unknown monsters could be heard from outside the temple, they couldn't help but realize that something was amiss.

They had to choose.

Was all this happening because Reinhardt was truly an evil demon king?

Should they trust Reinhardt despite these events?

For the sake of revenge, Liana, and believing Reinhardt was innocent, Harriet chose the latter.

All plans crumbled, but Reinhardt, who somehow escaped, joined Liana with Olivia Lanze.

From now on, they had to adapt to every situation.

-Boom!

A meteor struck the barrier above the temple, causing a massive shockwave that shook the ground.

Their pursuers were down, exposed to the lightning Liana had unleashed, but not dead.

They still twitched and tried to get up somehow.

As Harriet reached out her hand, the ground began to rise as if being torn apart, pouring down on the knights of Shanafel.

-Rumble!

In an instant, it was as if the knights were buried under a mountain of rocks.

Harriet rushed out of the alley towards Liana and Reinhardt, who didn't understand the sudden situation, and clenched her hand.

"I don't know what's going on, but…… I don't know……."

Overwhelmed by the uncontrollable situation and the unfolding hell, Harriet was on the verge of tears.

She believes in Reinhardt.

And from this moment on, she will part ways with everyone except those here.

Her father.

Her mother.

Her brother.

Her classmates.

She must abandon her status as a princess and everything she has, everything she should have, and everything she knows.

She stakes it all on trusting Reinhardt alone.

"I…… I'll believe in you……."

Harriet doesn't know if it's worth it, if it's the right thing to do.

"You tried to save everyone. This……. wasn't what you intended……. I'll believe that……."

She decided to believe Reinhardt's words about wanting to save everyone.

So, in this moment, when many people turned their backs on Reinhardt, Harriet wished to become his strength, and chose to stand by his side.

"Let's go, Reinhardt."

Olivia takes the lead.

The sound of the Shanafel Swordmasters, buried under the boulders, breaking through the rocks could be heard.

The real monsters are, in fact, humans.

Even in this gate crisis, where the world deserves to be destroyed, humans conquer the monsters and rebuild civilization.

Aren't humans, of all beings, the ones who truly deserve to be called monsters?

-Boom! Roar!

Humans are strong.

More than anything else in this world.

More than any other race.

Humans are the most fearsome and the most powerful.

—---

The situation at the temple was relatively better.

"Hey, you! What's going on here? We had our plans too, but with the situation like this, what's what……!"

Liana, exasperated, asked me while looking at the sky filled with meteors.

"We'll talk later!"

But there was no time for conversation now.

Meteors rained down, but the temple's barrier blocked most of them. Students screamed and fled, but there were no rampaging monsters within the temple like there were outside.

The knights of Shanafel pursued us once again.

"Senior! Carry me!"

"Alright! Got it!"

Since Liana had the least stamina, Olivia reluctantly carried her, irritation apparent in her voice.

-Boom! Crash!

The royal mage corps' offensive spells targeted us, but Harriet was handling them.

Where would we run?

Where would we go, and what would we do?

Even though I am the Demon King.

Olivia, Liana, and Harriet would not be able to return to the world of humans.

It wasn't the time to think about the future, but I couldn't help but do so.

How am I supposed to take responsibility for them?

Fortunately, all the combat-ready forces were outside the temple.

We couldn't climb over the collapsed buildings, so we had to find detours in real-time. Liana held back the pursuing swordmasters, while Harriet continuously erected barriers to keep them at bay.

"Huff... Hah..."

Harriet eventually showed the limits of her physical stamina, her body seemingly burdened.

We just needed to cross the temple gate.

Once we crossed it, we could teleport somewhere to escape.

If we met any of the council's Vampire Lords outside the temple, we could use mass teleportation to escape the Imperial Capital.

Would Sarkegaar, Lucinil, Loyar, and Epinhauser be safe?

Surely, Eleris must have caused this gate incident.

Was Eleris okay?

What was she thinking when she activated Akasha, and how did she feel now?

Only devastating thoughts circulated in my mind.

And then, somehow fending off our pursuers, we reached the temple's main entrance.

We just had to break through that door.

Before it, I saw Ellen, clad in a cloak of flames and wielding a pitch-black sword.

"..."

Ellen Artorius stood before the four of us, blocking our way.

As if she were the gatekeeper herself.

Ellen stood in our way.

I didn't know how she had gotten ahead of us.

But Ellen was there, standing in our path.

More than anything, that sword.

It seemed like Lament, but its completely transformed appearance gave off an ominous vibe.

"Move. Are you determined to be an obstacle until the end?"

Olivia gritted her teeth and glared at Ellen.

Liana stared at Ellen, biting her lip.

In that moment, all of us felt it.

No matter what we did, we could not pass Ellen Artorius.

It was an almost instinctive intuition.

The Magic Body Strengthening enveloping Ellen's body felt entirely different now.

Had Ellen become a swordmaster? When? How?

But holding the pitch-black Lament, if Ellen intended to stop us, it was evident that none of us could face her.

Ellen's sword was stronger than Olivia's.

The sun god's cloak would block Liana's lightning.

And Harriet's magic wouldn't be able to penetrate Ellen's defenses.

Furthermore, Ellen had resistance to supernatural abilities, so my Word Magic wouldn't work on her.

Ellen, with a calm expression, stared at me.

Wearing the sun god's cloak and wielding the dark sword that seemed to have stolen a strand of night, Ellen asked me.

"Reinhardt. Just answer one thing."

"…Speak."

Ellen took a deep breath and looked at me.

"Why didn't you accept it?"

At those words, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"You should have accepted it."

The others didn't understand what was being said.

Only I knew.

The mantle of the sun god, Lapelt.

Why hadn't I accepted it?

"You should have taken it. Clearly."

If you were the Demon King and had been using me all this time.

Why would you miss the opportunity to possess three sacred relics?

Ellen seemed to have a final question.

In this hellish world where my subordinates try to destroy the world to save me, and meteors fall upon the temple.

In a situation where it was certain that my subordinates had caused it all.

It seemed Ellen was trying to trust me one last time.

The four of us had to leave the temple.

We might not return.

I looked at the transformed Lament.

A sword that carries the meaning of being forged in tears.

In sorrow, Lament had gained an unknown power.

It was a sword that seemed capable of cutting through anything.

If sadness made Ellen stronger.

If that was the key to surviving in this hell, this disaster that struck too early.

Shouldn't Ellen continue to be sad?

No, to overcome that sadness.

Even to the point of having hatred for me, and using the true power of the sun god's mantle, manifested through hatred.

In that case.

Should I deliberately lie to Ellen?

"I am..."

"No."

As I tried to say something, Ellen shook her head.

"I'd rather not listen."

Ellen looked at me.

"You seem like you're about to lie again."

As if she wouldn't listen to painful words, Ellen shook her head.

"If that's the case, I'd rather not listen."

Ellen looked at me.

No, her gaze was further away.

Looking behind me, the swordmasters of Shanafel were approaching.

"Go, Reinhardt."

The turning point in history.

What was the turning point in history when I did not accept Lapelt? Now I knew clearly.

I should be dead now.

If I had taken Lapelt from Ellen.

I would have been killed by Ellen's hand by now.

The fact that I hadn't taken Lapelt remained as the last doubt in Ellen's heart.

It remained as something like a last hope.

That had led Ellen not to kill me, but to make another choice.

In a situation where it was certain that my subordinates had caused the world-shattering disaster, she chose to save me, the source of it all, instead of killing me.

Ellen blocked the Shanafel knights chasing me as she passed by me.

"You... what are you trying to..."

"It's alright."

Ellen, blocking the knights, clenched her sword.

"I won't kill anyone. No one."

Ellen told the swordmasters of Shanafel that she wouldn't kill, not that she wouldn't die.

To that extent, it seemed Ellen believed she could subdue all of them.

"So, go."

Can we meet again?

Is it possible?

If we meet again.

Can it be the same as before?

"From the beginning to the end, it's all my fault."

Is she regretting?

If she had trusted me, if only a little sooner, or if we had talked before everything had turned out like this.

Would these events have never occurred? Is that what she thinks?

"I'm sorry I couldn't trust you."

Like how I think that if I hadn't done anything, the Gate incident would not have happened.

Ellen thought that if she hadn't done anything, this wouldn't have happened; if she had trusted me, these events would never have occurred.

It seemed she was thinking along the same lines as me.

For the last time, Ellen looked back at me.

Not just me, but Olivia, Liana, and Harriet too.

She looked at each of them once.

Even in a situation like this, seeing those who choose to follow and trust me.

Witnessing others who have done what she could not do herself.

"I... I don't deserve your affection."

I couldn't trust when it mattered most.

And that's why things have come to this.

So, it seemed that Ellen had vowed not to allow herself to have feelings for me.

Leaving those words behind, Ellen runs towards the Shanafel knights pursuing us.

We are trying to leave.

Ellen stays behind, attempting to thwart the pursuit for me.

We must live.

You and I both.

When and where we will meet again, and under what circumstances, I don't know.

Even if the only future left for us is one where we point our swords at each other.

Wishing that neither of us will die until then.

I ran towards the entrance of the temple.