Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 394

Chapter 394

I didn’t know much about the Kamsencha Archipelago, but it was clear that the local specialty was seafood. Harriet, eyes wide with amazement, stared at the enormous lobster that had been served.

“I wanted to ask this the last time too, but why is it so big?” she exclaimed.

“Bigger is better,” Ellen replied.

“... Is there anything you wouldn’t want to be bigger when it comes to food?” I teased.

“Well...” Ellen shrugged.@@@@

“Just saying,” I said.

Most of the restaurants were selling seafood dishes, and the prices were much cheaper compared to the capital. We began to dig into a butter-grilled lobster that was about five times the size of a regular one, poking it with our forks.

“Mmm! Even though it’s been so long, it still tastes just like I remember!” Harriet said with a happy smile, shivering with delight.

She always had such expressive reactions. Back then, she hadn’t been able to handle much of the food, but she had at least managed to eat this lobster.

I was licking my lips, wondering if there was more, and remembered that giving my share to Harriet had somewhat helped improve our relationship.

Om nom nom.

Ellen was really going at it, as if she preferred to spend her time eating rather than talking. Come to think of it, the sea near the deserted island had been teeming with seafood like lobsters and octopuses.

With such abundant marine resources, the people of the Kamsencha Archipelago were probably making a living by distributing these seafood products through warp gates.

It seemed like it could be a good tourist spot too, but perhaps the deserted island we’d visited was special.

I hadn’t had lunch yet, so I ate as well, but watching Ellen eat the giant lobster was fascinating, even though it was a familiar sight. Harriet, true to her noble upbringing, ate quite elegantly, using her fork. Ellen, on the other hand, ate quickly.

Ellen was wearing a white dress. Despite eating non-stop, she was careful not to spill anything on her dress. By the time she finished the entire lobster, not a single piece of food had fallen or stained her clothes.

“I don’t know if eating without dropping anything is a talent, but for you, it seems like it is,” I remarked.

“...”

“I meant it as a compliment. Why do you look upset?”

‘I didn’t even mean it in a bad way, seriously!’

“I got scolded a lot in the past because of it,” Ellen said.

“... Oh, really?”

“My dad said he wouldn’t mind me eating a lot, but I shouldn’t spill any food.”

“I can’t really imagine you getting scolded, Ellen...”

Ellen’s father, who had watched his daughter eat enough to bankrupt the family, probably wasn’t able to bring himself to tell her to stop eating, so he had to hold back his tears and just asked her not to drop anything.

“So, eating without spilling isn’t a talent, but the result of effort?”

“Yeah.”

No wonder she wasn’t annoying despite eating so much; she had put much effort into it. If anything, it was endearing.

It was the first time I heard Ellen talk about getting scolded for eating, so it was refreshing. Thinking back, it was around this time the previous year when I first saw Ellen chewing on jerky alone in the early morning, which sparked our tradition of sharing food together.

Although we weren’t at the exact location of our mission, being on Kamsencha Island brought back memories from the previous year, not just for me but for Ellen and Harriet as well.

“When it suddenly rained back then, it was really scary,” Harriet said, shivering as she recalled the memory.

I had known it was going to rain, but knowing and actually experiencing it were two different things. When Harriet’s shelter had been blown away and left her shivering in the cold, I had taken her into my shelter.

Harriet’s eyes grew distant as if reminiscing about that moment.

“If you really want to, we could find another deserted island and do our own short mission until Sunday,” I suggested.

“When did I ever say I wanted to do it again?!” Harriet snapped, making it clear that she had no desire to relive the experience.

“Even if we did it again, it would be very different from back then,” Ellen said, tilting her head thoughtfully.

Back then, Harriet had struggled to focus and cast a single fireball, but since then, she had reached a level of magical ability that allowed her to cast almost instantaneously.

Ellen, who had been strong even then, had since mastered Mana Reinforcement. The burly orc that had been a threat back then could now be easily cut down with Lament, even if dozens of them attacked at once.

Hunting, gathering, and surviving would all be easier than before.

“You’re right, it wouldn’t be as hard as it was back then,” Harriet agreed, nodding. What had once been a life-or-death struggle could now be handled with ease. Many things had become easier.

Because of that, it wouldn’t be as grueling as before, but there would also be less sense of accomplishment. Hence, Harriet’s expression didn’t seem particularly happy.

Ellen had vowed not to live her life like her brother, but she had grown to understand him to some extent. Riana, after her father’s death, had broken free from her languid lifestyle.

Many people had changed, and I was no exception.

Because I possessed a holy relic, I was being forced into the role of a hero, just as Ellen was. These changes were both positive and negative, but in one way or another, everyone had changed, and we had all become stronger than in the original story.

Moreover, everyone could sense the threat of the Demon King looming over us, which added a sense of desperation.

“If everything had stayed the same... that wouldn’t have been so bad either,” Harriet murmured absentmindedly.

Riana would still be lazy, I would still be the same ill-tempered person, and Ellen would just be the calm one who loved to eat. There would be no need to become stronger, no compulsion to be strong.

The night was peaceful and tranquil.

Ellen gently wrapped her arms around Harriet’s shoulders. “Whatever it is, we’ll do our best,” she whispered to Harriet, as if comforting a child. ‘Everything will be alright. Everything will turn out fine.’

Harriet placed her hand on Ellen’s arm and nodded.

It was time. I had to speak to Ellen and Harriet, who believed everything would be alright. I couldn’t postpone it any longer.

Chirp chirp chirp...

The sound of crickets chirping drifted in from the shore. Just as the Ancient Castle of Epiacs was eternally draped in winter, this place would be eternally wrapped in summer.

The sun would always shine down on the sea and the shore, and the same scenery would always be there.

There was no eternal winter or eternal summer for me. Since arriving at the Temple, I didn’t know what to call the seasons I had experienced.

“I have... something to tell you both,” I said.

From this time on, the season would change again, and I would have to live through it.

***

The explanation was lengthy. But ultimately, when I mentioned the keyword, I couldn’t help but notice their expressions harden.

The sudden mention of an engagement... Of course, Harriet and Ellen didn’t understand what I was talking about. An engagement, out of nowhere...

I tried to explain the circumstances. Even though the explanation itself was strange and only created more awkward and terrible feelings, I couldn’t avoid it.

I couldn’t explain everything, but I could tell them the general situation. After returning from the Demon King’s Castle, Charlotte had suffered from some aftereffects of her captivity, and I had risked my life to save Charlotte. And Charlotte, who had been overwhelmed just trying to take care of her health, had fallen behind in the competition for the throne, and even her own faction was beginning to turn against her.

Vertus was not the only problem; there was a possibility that her life could be in danger because of traitors within her own faction. Therefore, to provide a reason to protect Charlotte, I, as Alsbringer’s master, had to become engaged to her to prevent her supporters from abandoning her, thus ensuring her survival.

Neither Harriet nor Ellen asked why I was going to such lengths for Charlotte, and I didn’t say that I had no choice but to make this decision to save Charlotte’s life. They would naturally assume that I wanted to protect Charlotte because I loved her and intended to marry her, and I didn’t bother denying it.

They would inevitably accept it that way.

I had made my choice. Trying to hold onto anything else half-heartedly was simply unrealistic.

Harriet stared at me blankly, as if in a daze. “Ah.”

Thud.

A single tear fell from Ellen’s expressionless face.

I didn’t apologize. That would have been even stranger. The moment I said sorry, the situation would become more awkward, and everyone would just feel worse.

After I told them the news, I quietly gazed out at the sea. The gentle waves kept rolling in, endlessly, crashing against the shore. Ellen remained silent, her head bowed.

Harriet looked at Ellen, then at me, trying to force some kind of expression. It was a strange expression, one I couldn’t quite name.

“W-well, yeah. You... you... y-you’re... successful now... H-how can someone like you...”

Harriet tried to say something, but her face contorted in anguish.

“How... how did this... why...”

I couldn’t bear to look directly at Harriet, who had started crying.

Ellen, who had been silent while looking down at the ground, quietly asked, “Was it a lie?”

She didn’t specify what she was referring to. But I knew which moment she was talking about.

The day she’d handed me the Lapelt. The day I’d refused it. The words I’d said afterward. She was talking about that day.

I knew what answer I had to give.

“... Yeah.”

Ellen didn’t say anything further.