Demon King of the Royal Class
Chapter 512

Chapter 512

Riana sat crouched on the beach, her head bowed in silence.

Rumble...

“That... doesn’t seem like a coincidence, does it?” Lucinil asked.

“... It doesn’t,” I replied.

The sky, which had been a clear blue just moments ago, was now shrouded in dark clouds. Thunder rumbled from within.

It was clear that Riana could affect the weather when in an extreme emotional state.

If there was anyone in Edina who could shatter Riana with words, it was me.

“It’s all your fault.”

Those words had been enough to make Riana crumble. She stared blankly at the grains of sand on the beach with empty eyes.

I didn’t mean it. It wasn’t true.

Riana wanted to see if she could really cause the weather to change when she was in an extreme emotional state, and I had told her that to test the theory out, even though I didn’t mean it.

But as I looked at her from behind, it felt as though she were saying, ‘So that’s what you thought...’

It was extremely painful for me to see her like that.

Riana stared at the sand for a long time before lifting her head to look up at the now-darkened sky.

Her emotions had an undeniable effect on the weather.

How much time had passed?

Riana stood up and approached me with lifeless eyes.

“A little more.”

“... What?”

“Say a little more to me.”

I understood what she meant, but I couldn’t say it.

“... You two seem like you have some real perversions,” Lucinil said as she looked at Riana and me with an exasperated expression.

“... Are you sure about this?” I asked.

I could do it if she asked, but it felt like I might crush Riana’s half-broken spirit.

She seemed like she would crumble with just a light tap.

“I’m not okay. That’s why I want you to say more.”

She was asking for more because it was effective.

‘Is this really okay? What if Riana ends up strangling herself after hearing what I say? Even if we’re doing this to awaken her abilities, is it okay to tear her mental state apart with words...?

‘I’ve already done it once, but is it really okay to go further?’

“... Alright,” I said.

In the end, Riana was the one asking for it.

Perhaps, for Riana, hearing some form of reprimand from me was a form of relief.

Maybe hearing something, even if it was a scolding, was better than silence.

I wasn’t sure, but perhaps Riana needed to hear me reprimand her for her actions for more than just awakening her abilities.

Perhaps she would feel like she had paid for her actions if she were reprimanded.

She might not think that way, but perhaps it could ease her mind just a little.

I gestured for Riana to sit down on the sand and sat beside her.

Lucinil watched us from a distance, her lips twitching as if she were witnessing some bizarre play being put on by a couple of perverts.

I said out loud what would be terrible to hear.

“To be honest, it’s not all your fault.”

Since I decided to do it, I wasn’t going to hold back.

“Things happened that were out of our control, and that’s why it turned out this way, right?”

“...”

“A lot of people died, Olivia went through a rough time, and I almost died too...”

“...”

“Because of all that happened, eventually, either I would have to kill Ellen, or Ellen would end up killing me...”

“...”

“So, for the past few days, I’ve been deliberately giving myself nightmares in which Ellen kills me. So I won’t be easily killed later on.”

“...”

“So... all of this.”

“...”

“It just happened to turn out this way. It’s not all your fault.”

Riana’s lips twisted. She began to shudder violently, and burst into tears.

“I’m... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...I’m sorry, Reinhart...”

Even though she knew these weren’t my true feelings and that I was saying all this on purpose, Riana couldn’t help but be torn apart by my words.

“It’s all... all my fault... It’s all because of me... because of me...”

I placed a hand on Riana’s trembling shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Hey, I said it’s not all your fault. I didn’t say you did anything good, did I? Why are you crying as if you did something?”

“Hic... Ugh... Ugh! Ugh...! Ugh!”

I had no intention of holding back.

Soon, it began to rain.

Rumble...

The sudden downpour quickly turned into a storm.

***

Swoosh!

A terrific storm accompanied by fierce winds was raging around us.

The waves roared violently, and lightning flashed incessantly within the dark clouds, sending sharp thunderclaps across the land.

There was no room for doubt.

Riana had awakened the ability to control the weather.

I couldn’t believe it. How could crying cause rain to fall? Wasn’t that something straight out of a fairy tale?

I stood on the beach, letting the raging sea and pouring rain drench me.

—You know Reinhart doesn’t really think that way.

—I know... I know... I know... I know, but... Ugh... Ugh...

—Oh dear. That guy should’ve taken it easy; he’s completely broken her.

Lucinil was patting Riana on her back, trying to comfort her as the sheltered under a palm tree.

I was aware that I had said more than necessary, but perhaps Riana needed that.

Riana hadn’t paid any price for her mistake, and she couldn’t take responsibility for the consequences of that mistake. Perhaps those words of blame could serve as that price. It wouldn’t make her feel better, but being criticized by me, the person who was most directly affected, might hold some meaning for her.

The storm raged on, and lightning crackled.

The wind battered my skin and the raindrops struck my face ferociously, making a terrible noise.

Weather alteration...

Was this it? Was this all there was to her abilities?

I walked over to the palm tree and stood in front of Lucinil, who was still patting Riana on her back.

Seeing my expression, Lucinil shook her head with a pained look, as if she had read my resolve. “Archdemon. Stop...”

But I had no intention of stopping.

“Riana?”

With some difficulty, Riana looked up at me. “Yes...?”

“Stand up.”

Lucinil shook her head, holding onto Riana’s collar as if to stop anything else from proceeding. “Stop... Stop it. You’ve confirmed what you needed to. What more are you trying to do? Huh?”

It had been confirmed—Riana could alter the weather.

Riana’s ability had indeed evolved.

Riana’s expression was pitiful and miserable, and she was trying her best to hold back her tears.

“What can you do with this?” I asked.

“...”

“Try to draw out more. Whatever it is.”

I pointed to the sea.

“What’s the big difference between causing a bit of wind and rain and what you’ve done so far?”

Could rain kill a monster? Could wind kill a monster?

Lightning was a power she could already harness.

“More,” I said.

“...”

“Show me something more useful.”

“...”

“To take responsibility for what you’ve done, you need to show me something more useful than this.”

“...”

“Do you think this is enough?”

Riana shook her head, looking miserable. “No...”

I couldn’t tell if what I was saying stemmed from my true feelings or not.

Riana had awakened a new ability, and it was certainly not an ordinary one.

However, Riana had come to report to me that she found some new way to be useful. If that was the case, then I needed more. Something more practical, more combat-ready, more useful.

Something more destructive.

Earlier, I said things I hadn’t meant to provoke Riana.

But not this time.

“Show me something. Even if you have to draw it out. Even if you have to create a power that doesn’t exist. Show it to me.”

I was serious.

“To take even a speck of responsibility for what you’ve done, don’t you need to demonstrate something more than this? Am I wrong?”

Lucinil, unable to hold back, grabbed my collar, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked up at me. “Baalier! Do you really want to do this?!”

“What?” I replied.

“...”

Lucinil froze as she met my gaze, unable to say anything more to me.

“Am I wrong?” I said to Riana. “Answer me.”

“... You’re right. You’re right,” Riana responded.

‘A storm can’t kill a monster. So do something bigger. Something more catastrophic.’

“If you know it, then do it.”

Could one truly take responsibility and atone for a sin?

I didn’t know.

But Riana and I had decided to live, to act.

To do that, we needed power.

If hope could become power, we had to find hope.

If anger could become power, we had to surrender to anger.

If despair could become power, we had to fall into despair.

At my harsh command, Riana stared blankly at the sea with lifeless eyes.

I didn’t know if my Incantation had taken effect or if I had further provoked Riana to fall further into despair and gloom.

Rumble!

A massive waterspout rose from the sea a distance away.

Lucinil stood with her mouth agape, staring at the destructive manifestation of nature that surpassed mere weather phenomena.

Riana hadn’t settled for just creating a storm. And by delving deeper into that power, she had discovered a more powerful force.

The power to cause natural disasters beyond just a storm... Riana would be the most powerful supernatural being.

This was enough.

It might be excessive, but it was certainly practical. However, she would need to get more accustomed to this power to use it in real combat.

“I know it’s not the right thing to say after all this...” I began, my voice losing the urgent tone of command.

Riana seemed taken aback. “Huh?”

Well, I managed to draw out her power, and that was good, but...

Rumble!

I could feel the force of the massive waterspout on my skin.

“Can you... get rid of that now?” I asked.

I had only thought about drawing it out, not how to get rid of it.

Riana and I locked eyes.

“...”

“...”

It was obvious I had no plan, and Riana seemed to have no plan either.

We were on an uninhabited island, but what would happen if that tornado moved away and made landfall in a populated area?

In the end, I had no choice but to look over at the Archmage Lucinil, our last resort.

“Um, Head of Wednesday... Can’t you do something with magic?”

“... I know how to summon a tornado, but do you really think I know how to dissipate a naturally-occurring one? And even if I could summon a tornado, there’s no way I could create one on that scale—not in a trillion years.”

Lucinil was just as helpless.

In the end, it came back to the fundamental issue.

This phenomenon had been created as a product of Riana’s downcast mood.

That meant that if we could mend Riana’s shattered mental state, the storm around us and that terrifying waterspout would disappear.

“You know I didn’t mean anything I said, right?”

“...”

Riana’s face twisted, and she began to cry again.

‘It’s like when you can’t cry while being scolded by your parents, but when they start comforting you, the tears burst out.’

“Hic... Ugh... Sob!”

“Oh dear, oh dear. Fine then. Just cry about it. I’m sorry, okay?”

I began to pat Riana on the back.

Lucinil, soaked by the rain, glared at me. “Baalier, you really are the worst...”

“...”

Anyway, Lucinil and I comforted Riana as best we could.

Fortunately, the waterspout soon dissipated.

However, the storm continued to rage around us.

***

Since there was still plenty of time before the expedition, Riana, Lucinil, and I could spend a bit more time training on the uninhabited island.

Of course, we did not need to live and sleep on the island, since we had an archmage capable of mass teleportation.

“You should go home and sleep tonight,” I said.

“... Home?”

“Go and sleep in the villa where your mother is staying,” I instructed Riana, who still looked downcast. “Come back to the palace before noon tomorrow.”

She seemed puzzled, as if wondering if it was necessary, and her expression remained gloomy.

“Go hold your mom’s hand and sleep tonight. Even if your power comes out when you’re in a depressed mental state, there’s no need for you to stay that way all the time, right?”

“... Now you’re really making me feel bad. You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?” I chuckled, and Riana looked like she was about to cry again.

Was she touched by the usual banter?

“Yeah, I should go home and hold my mom’s hand and sleep, even if it’s because I feel so depressed and gloomy. Damn it.”

Riana gave a lonely and self-deprecating smile as she left the palace.

“Having a power that only comes out when you’re depressed... Being a supernatural being is really complicated, huh,” Lucinil said with a sigh.

“Still, it’s better than not having such power,” I responded.

“... That’s true.”

Lucinil watched Riana’s departing figure with a look of pity.

***

That night...

“Riana did that?”

“Yeah.”

I hadn’t called for Airi that night, and so it was just Harriet and me in the bedroom.

“Controlling the weather... that’s incredible.”

Harriet sat on the bed, jotting down notes in her research journal, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Riana had been able to summon a tornado, but that wasn’t the end of it; Riana’s ability surely has even more potential.

If she could make the weather cloudy, she could probably clear it up too, and she might be able to make it snow or summon hail as well.

Going further, she might even be able to cause natural disasters like earthquakes.

Who could know the potential of Riana’s supernatural ability?

Therefore, until the army embarked on the expedition, I intended to focus on developing Riana’s ability.

“But Riana’s ability only manifests when she’s feeling down?” asked Harriet.

“Yeah, so saying harsh things to her made us both feel awful.”

“Harsh things?”

“Well... you know, about the recent events...”

“Oh...”

Harriet nodded with a weary expression. She did not need any further explanation.

It had been a miserable situation all around. For me, who had to say those things, for Riana, who had to hear them, and for Lucinil, who had to witness the whole mess.

It was something none of us wanted to do.

“It must have been tough... for both you and Riana.”

The thought of having to do it again the next day was dreadful.

Harriet was jotting down something in her research journal, pondering, writing, and pondering again.

She looked at me as if she had thought of something. “Um... Did you really have to do that, though?”

“Did I really have to do what? Say things I don’t want to say to Riana?” I replied.

“Yeah. Did you really have to do it that way?”

“I mean, her ability only works when she is feeling down, so I had no other choice...”

“Exactly. If the requirement for her to use her ability is for her to feel down, then you don’t necessarily have to say things to her that you don’t mean.”

“Then how would you make her feel down?”

Having a serious discussion on how to make a friend feel down was both bizarre and dreadful.

“Couldn’t it be done with drugs?” Harriet said.

“... What?”

What was Harriet saying?

“Instead of giving her a drug that elevates a person’s mood, we could give her a drug that made her feel bad instead. Wouldn’t that be enough? Instead of saying things that... that could hurt her.”

“But, wouldn’t using drugs be... bad?”

The mention of drugs made me instinctively recoil. Harriet’s suggestion sounded alarming.

“As long as there are no side effects, it should be fine, right?”

“... Is that so?”

“Excluding addiction and other such potential issues, creating a drug that makes someone feel down doesn’t seem impossible.”

Thinking about it, while Cristina had been in charge of developing the secret alchemical formula behind Moonshine, Harriet had played a role in both Power Cartridge and Moonshine production, so Harriet had considerable knowledge of alchemy as well.

Harriet scribbled something in her research journal, tore out a page, and handed it to me.

“Show this to the Head of Wednesday. She’ll probably know what it is. Try concocting it and have Riana take it.”

I hesitated. “B-but, it’s still a drug... Are you sure it’s okay?”

“... Are you saying you don’t trust me?” Harriet said, pouting.

“No... that’s not it, but...”

Instead of verbally beating Riana down to make her feel gloomy, using a drug to induce such a state might be better. Once the drug’s effects wore off, her mood would return to normal.

If there were no side effects, as Harriet said, it might be exactly what Riana needed.

Still, getting a prescription for a depressant instead of an antidepressant was truly absurd.

Was this right?

“Like most drugs, long-term use is not recommended. Just keep that in mind.”

With that, Harriet returned her attention to her research journal.

Having power was great, but hurting someone with words was something I couldn’t do.

In the end, it would only eat away at the both of us.

Harriet’s solution was to use a drug instead.