Demon King of the Royal Class
Chapter 510

Chapter 510

The Demon King convened a meeting.

The Senate and all high-ranking officials, including the regent, were gathered, in the conference room of Rajak Castle.

The Demon King gave them a brief directive. “Organize an elite unit.”

Rather than discussing past grievances or merits, the focus was on future actions. Reinhart did not mention anything about Ellen Artorius.

“The objective is to make preemptive strikes against the monsters along the Allied Forces’ route.”

Port Mokna was in the process of being decommissioned. Since Edina did not require a large defensive force, a significant number of troops were available.

Although many holy knights and priests had been lost during the purification operation at Port Mokna, Edina’s strength was not severely diminished, and considerable number of troops remained.

The last army of humanity was advancing to dismantle the remaining gates. However, their progress was slow. They would advance a certain distance, set up camp, and focus on securing the surrounding area. Then they would advance again, set up camp again, and clear the area. The process would repeat over and over. Given the peril on the continent, this way of advancing was unavoidable.

“If the army can increase the speed of its march, they will also be able to deal with the remaining gates more quickly, and bring about the end of this Gate Incident more quickly.”

The Demon King was ordering his army to preemptively perform the tasks that the empire’s scouts and extermination units would have to do. In essence, they were to act as an escort unit, unknown even to the Allied Forces, that would pave the way ahead.

“Will we cooperate with the gate destruction operations once the route is secured?” asked Regent Charlotte.

The Demon King shook his head slightly. “That will depend on the situation. If we run into each other awkwardly, they might attack us. There might be situations in which we can help, and others where it would be better to withdraw.”

Harriet nodded. “Right. If we make a mistake, it could turn into a three-way battle. That would be worse than doing nothing,” she said.

Destroying the gates was still the priority. If humanity’s army detected the presence of the Demon King’s forces, that could lead to an unexpected situation. Therefore, the Demon King’s forces had to support humanity’s army discreetly without being spotted. Even just clearing the path for humanity’s advance would be a massive operation.

They would leave the destruction of the gates to humanity, and they would assist only if absolutely necessary. Their primary mission was to ensure the human army’s route remained safe.

“Well, if things don’t go well, we could always hold secret negotiations with the emperor.”

Ultimately, the Gate Incident had to be completely resolved for both the empire and Edina to survive. Thus, it was entirely possible that such negotiations could be conducted behind the scenes while the rest of the army was kept in the dar.

“Noona, you’ll be in charge of organizing the army,” said the Demon King, looking at Olivia Lanche. Since the Holy Order was a significant portion of Edina’s military, it was best for Olivia Lanche to be in charge.

Olivia nodded with a determined expression. “Okay, understood.”

“The heads of the Families must also cooperate fully in this operation. Is that possible?”

At the Demon King’s words, the heads of the five vampire families nodded. The Demon King did not mention anything more, and as a result, everyone felt a certain sense of indebtedness to him. Consequently, it seemed everyone was more inclined to follow the Demon King’s orders than before.

The pieces were beginning to move, and everyone was racing towards the final conclusion of the Gate Incident.

“The meeting is adjourned. Airi, stay behind. I have something to discuss.”

The Demon King brought the meeting to an end. The succubus queen Airi remained in the conference room, as requested.

Airi hesitantly approached the Demon King. Airi was the one who had put Reinhart to sleep to facilitate the ritual. She was tense, unsure of what he might say to her.

In their childhood, Airi and Baalier had been rivals. In fact, Airi was the one who used to beat up Baalier. However, much time had passed, and now Baalier was the indisputable Demon King, possessing the abilities befitting a Demon King.

Having regained her horns and the ability to wield magic, Airi was now much stronger than when she had lost her horns and had access to many powers of her own. However, since she had done wrong, Airi felt like a mouse in front of a cat when the Demon King called for her to stay behind.

The Demon King remain silent, and Airi’s lips trembled slightly. “Um... If it’s about what you asked me about last time, I’m working on it...”

Adapting dream magic so that it could be used more generally by creating a magical artifact... Although Harriet had been assigned the task, since Airi’s cooperation was needed, and Airi was already collaborating with Harriet on the matter.

“Oh, really? How’s it going? Do you think it’s possible?”

“Well... I’m not sure yet. But the secretary seems to have a handle on it.”

This idea of harnessing the magic of the demons and adapting unique demonic powers into magic was something they had never thought of, but Harriet seemed to be getting to grips with what Reinhart had asked her to do.

A nation where everyone was guaranteed peaceful dreams... It might prove to be a significant breakthrough, or it might not, but it would undoubtedly be useful in places where many were wounded and traumatized.

The Demon King smiled as if he hadn’t expected it to turn out that way. “Well, that’s a relief.”

However, it seemed that wasn’t what he wanted to discuss.

The Demon King looked up at Airi from his seat. “Anyway, since we’ve halted the refugee search operations, you won’t have much to do now, right?”

“Huh? Oh... yeah. That’s true.”

Airi’s original duty had been to provide psychological care to those being relocated to Edina. It involved actual counseling in addition to manipulating their dreams.

In the early days of Edina’s founding, she had been very busy, but as the number of new refugees rapidly decreased, Airi gradually had more free time. Now, with the complete suspension of Port Mokna’s operations, there would be no more influx of refugees. The existing counseling and dream care could be left to the other succubi.

In the long term, Airi might have to take on a different position.

“Do you remember when you looked after my dreams?”

“Oh... yeah.”

“It was quite a nice experience, indeed.”

The Demon King had never directly experienced what it meant for the succubus queen to look after someone’s dreams. It was only during his fight with the suppressed spirits within him that he had first experienced that power directly, and he believed that Airi’s power had contributed significantly to him behind able to hold onto his withering mind.

“So, from now on, I’d like you to look after my dreams every day, if possible.”

Airi thought she finally understood what the Demon King was saying. No matter how much he pretended to be okay, his mind was still confused and filled with anger.

Even though the vengeful spirits tormenting his soul and mind had disappeared, and Ellen had shouldered that burden, the Demon King had still endured all sorts of negative thoughts, and his mind had been shrouded in unspeakable anguish.

Even though the vengeful spirits were gone, he was likely still having nightmares. Asking her to look after his dreams was a reasonable request.

“Sure, I can do that. I’ll make sure you have good dreams.” Airi nodded vigorously, feeling somehow overwhelmed by the thought that she could do something about it. She would not do it to extract energy from him, but to help Reinhart regain peace of mind by giving him peaceful dreams.

However, the Demon King shook his head. “Um... I know what you’re thinking, but it’s a bit different this time.”

“Different? How?”

The Demon King looked at Airi. “I want nightmares,” he said calmly, “not good dreams.”

Airi’s mind froze. “What?”

Not peaceful dreams, but nightmares... That was what he wanted. Why?

“Make me dream of Ellen trying to kill me. Every day from now on.”

Airi couldn’t comprehend what she had just heard.

***

Airi’s power helped me to hold my fragile mind together while the spirits within me had tried to dominate me.

However, the vengeful spirits that once threatened to tear me apart and consume me were no longer within me; they had been transferred to Ellen. Thus, I no longer needed help to seek a serene state of mind. I had already learned how to achieve it in Rijaiera.

A succubus was a dream demon. Traditionally, a dream demon entered someone’s dreams to drain their vitality. The former Succubus Queen, Reyna, used this to prevent countless soldiers from waking in the Great War.

Soldiers who couldn’t overcome their drowsiness failed to focus in battle, and when the fell asleep, they were drained of their vitality by the Succubus Queen, never to awaken again.

Now, Airi and the succubi under her used their powers in a way that deviated significantly from their original intent. They used their power, which was originally meant to seduce and absorb vitality, to grant someone peace of mind.

Then that meant that the opposite had to be possible as well. Since they could give someone pleasant dreams while draining their vitality, it would be possible for them to do the opposite as well. They could induce nightmares.

I would have to fight Ellen to the death in the future, and I needed to become accustomed to that moment itself. I had to become familiar with how that event would unfold, even if it was just in a dream, so that I could remain calm. That would be the first step in being able to change the future.

From that day on, Airi began to watch over me in the bedroom where Harriet and I slept. Both Airi and Harriet, who watched me from the other bed, looked at me with pity.

They knew exactly why I had made my request, and what I was trying to endure. I saw Harriet silently wiping tears from her eyes.

There is no such thing as a predetermined future. There is only a future that can be determined.

I would change the future. I had changed it many times. Though I now knew that some important events could never be altered, this time, I was determined to change it.

“How... should I do it?” Airi asked.

“What do you mean, how?” I replied.

Airi’s eyes were full of emotion. “I can make it so you don’t feel pain... or anything... I can make it weaker...”

“No. Make the effect stronger.”

“...”

Airi bit her lip gently as she looked down at me as I lay in bed. She had probably expected that response. In the dream, I would fight, suffer injury, and even die. Since no one was actually going to get hurt, the pain had to be as intense as possible.

It was about honing and sharpening my own mind.

Airi looked down at me. There was confusion in her eyes, as though she were wondering if this was really necessary. She placed her hand on my forehead. Her touch was warm, but that hand would plunge me into a deep nightmare that I wouldn’t even want to recall.

She was the Succubus Queen. If Airi put someone to sleep with malicious intent, she could plunge them into a hell from which they would never awaken, even if she weren’t intent on draining their vitality.

“Good... night, Baalier.”

Airi’s trembling voice echoed in my ears as I sank into the world of deep slumber.

***

When one dreams, one is typically unaware. If one becomes aware, the brain awakens and pulls them back to reality.

It’s very difficult to artificially have a lucid dream, and even harder to control it. But the dream I was having was very special. In a dream that was being controlled by the Succubus Queen, it was as if I was dreaming while awake.

It was daytime, and in front of me was a vast field of reeds.

‘Is it autumn?’

I couldn’t tell if the season, the time, and the place were of Airi’s choosing or my own mental image. It seemed more likely to be the latter.

I had asked Airi to let me dream of Ellen trying to kill me, but Airi didn’t know much about Ellen. Therefore, the Ellen that appeared in my dream world would be constructed based on my understanding of her.

The Ellen Artorius I imagined would move with the intent to kill me.

If Ellen’s consciousness completely merged with the vengeful spirits within her, if she lost her sense of self and became a puppet driven solely by the desire for the Demon King’s death, then the Ellen that would appear before me in my dream and the Ellen I would face later on would be the same entity, regardless of actual skill.

I summoned a shell of Ellen, devoid of any sense of her original self, filled with only the intent to kill me. I might have to actually fight such a version of Ellen in the future.

Pop!

A figure leaped out from between the reeds that obscured my view. In the air, Ellen, cloaked in the Cloak of the Sun and wielding the Void Sword, slashed down at me.

Kwabang!

I quickly retreated, and the shockwave from her sword strike blew a hole in the field of reeds. This dream version of Ellen Artorius with hollow eyes charged straight at me.

Clang!

Alsbringer, imbued with mana, clashed against the Void Sword, creating another shockwave, and both Ellen and I were sent reeling.

I had never truly defeated Ellen before. How much difference was there between the real Ellen and this dream Ellen?

I still remembered the inscription on Lapelt. “Burn with hatred.”

Ellen bore all the world’s hatred. Therefore, even though I had never seen the true power of Lapelt, Ellen had to have mastered it. I didn’t know exactly what that power was. My rough guess was that it was related to flames.

Since I didn’t know that much about the current Ellen, this dream Ellen would be weaker than the real Ellen.

I didn’t know how strong Ellen, who had drawn out the true power of two holy relics, would be.

Pop!

Ellen’s Void Sword thrust forward toward my chest as she dashed through the reeds. I deflected the point of her sword with Alsbringer and targeted her neck.

At this rate, I could sever Ellen’s neck.

Even though it was a dream, was it really okay to do that? Me? Do such a thing to Ellen?

In that moment, I realized I was afraid to see Ellen die, even in a dream. My sword slowed, and the strength of my grip weakened.

The power behind my strike diminished, and the dream entity didn’t miss that moment of hesitation.

Just as her sword was deflected away and Alsbringer was just about to reach her neck, I showed a brief moment of hesitation. Ellen took advantage of that moment, knocking away Alsbringer with her left elbow, spinning around, using her momentum to draw her Void Sword along its trajectory.

Slash!

She severed my neck.

***

I died six times to the dream Ellen. If I were pitted against Ellen in the future, the predetermined future that had been shown to me in the Preview would unfold as foretold.

The fact that I died six times wasn’t just because the dream Ellen was too strong. I had sparred with Ellen many times and so crossing swords with Ellen was not unfamiliar to me, even if it was in my imagination.

However, I realized how difficult it was for me to wield my sword against Ellen and attack with the intent to kill.

Even though it was a dream and inflicting wounds meant nothing, my body would freeze the moment my sword seemed about to touch Ellen.

The dream Ellen naturally moved only with the intent to kill me, but I feared hurting Ellen, even in a dream. The skill or strength of the imaginary Ellen did not matter. Every time, when I was faced with the possibility that I might end Ellen’s life, I froze in fear.

Since I was in a dream that could have no effect in the real world, there was no reason to hesitate to wound Ellen. But what if I became too accustomed to it? Could it result in me actually wounding Ellen, or perhaps even taking her life?

Darkness receded, and my vision returned. This time, I found myself in the Demon King’s Castle at night. I was in the central garden of the ruined Demon King’s Castle, the place where Ragan Artorius and the previous Baalier had fought.

Ellen stood opposite me, holding the Void Sword.

Pop!

I still needed to grow accustomed to this by having such dreams. That was a fact.

Clang!

The Void Sword and Alsbringer clashed, sending out a cloud of stone dust.