Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 159

Ellen waited outside the inn to deal with any guards that might come out, while Eleris and I wandered around Klitz Point. We were searching for supplies.

Klitz Point was about the size of a small town. It had an inn, a guild office, and some shops. All the people who should usually have been there were probably dead.

"... Your Highness."

"... Yes?”

Without Ellen around, Eleris spoke more comfortably.

"... Have you been disappointed in humans?"

Eleris had chosen to side with humans rather than demons. Now, though, she was asking if I had been disappointed in humans because of the ugly aspects I had seen. Eleris was already well aware of the ugly side of humanity. Because of that, she didn't seem to be despairing over humanity after witnessing the current situation.

Even during the recent slave trading incident, she had been angry, but it didn't seem like it was the first time she had discovered such a side to humanity.

Eleris seemed worried that I might be disappointed by the actions of humans.

"Good is just good, and bad is just bad."

There were people who lived virtuously, and others who lived disgracefully. There were also people who fluctuated between the two.

"A species is just a species. It can't be inherently good or bad."

That’s just the way things are; there's no reason to be disappointed in a species itself.

A bad person is just a bad person; humanity itself isn’t bad. A virtuous person is just virtuous; humanity itself is not virtuous. Good and evil were traits that belonged solely to the individual. An individual’s personal morality couldn’t be used to represent the collective morality of the groups or species to which they belong.

Even if I were truly a demon, witnessing this scene wouldn't make me disappointed in humanity. I'd just think, "There are such humans too. Crazy bastards."

These people were facing death not because they were human, but because they were crazy bastards.

Eleris smiled, as if she had been worrying needlessly. "I have overstepped, Your Highness. I apologize."

"Let's just do what we need to do."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ellen's words kept echoing in my mind. Now was not the time to dwell on it.

***

Eleris and I went into a nearby hardware store and gathered all the flammable materials we could find. Since I couldn't identify them myself, Eleris picked out various items, and I packed them into a backpack.

We also gathered the bow and arrows Ellen had requested.

When I returned, Ellen pointed towards the inn.

“If you enter through the window at the back of the inn, you’ll be in the kitchen. There doesn't seem to be any light coming from there, so you should be able to start the fire from there.”

“I’ll handle the fire,” I said.

It was my job to get into the kitchen and set the fire. Meanwhile, Eleris would cast an earth magic spell repeatedly at the inn’s entrance to create trap pits deep enough that no one could climb out alone.

“I’ll deal with anyone trying to escape through windows or other routes.”

Ellen, being the most skilled in combat, would handle anyone attempting to flee through the windows or other exit routes.

With my backpack full of flammable materials, I headed towards the back of the inn. The window that led into the kitchen was not locked, and the interior was dark. Although it was quite high, I managed to get inside and began unloading the flammable materials inside the empty kitchen.

I opened each container one by one and poured their contents everywhere. Some smelled like oil, and others gave off the scent of alcohol.

After spreading the materials all over the kitchen, I exited the building, taking precautions against any potential explosions.

There was a reason I was tasked with starting the fire. Since I was at the back of the inn, Ellen wouldn’t be able to see me.

I gripped the pendant hanging around my neck.

The Flame of Fire.

When I first used it, it produced a flame about the size of a lighter. Since then, I had rarely used it. There was absolutely nothing beneficial about revealing that I possessed such a powerful magical artifact. Up until now, there had never been a reason to use it.

Eleris had once used it to create a towering inferno that reached the sky. The flame's intensity depended on the user’s mana. Compared to others of my rank, my mana was quite strong, and it had grown rapidly. Having also acquired the talent for mana control, I could wield even greater power.

While the amount of mana was important, something else was even more critical.

“When used with malice against someone, it produces an even larger flame. It reacts more intensely to dark emotions.”

Eleris had told me this as she handed it over, emphasizing that it was not a benevolent artifact.

This was the first time I intended to use it to attack.

I was using this artifact to kill someone. I was using it to kill the roughly twenty humans inside this inn. There was no need to hesitate. Thinking could come later.

I gripped the pendant hanging around my neck.

"Die, those who must die,” I muttered to myself, clutching the Flame of Fire.

Flames ignited, a colossal fire meant to kill those worse than demons.

Wait, hold on a second. Could this react to my Self-Deception too?

Fwoosh!

Just as I had a moment of realization, it was too late.

Boom!

"Ugh!"

The flames instantly engulfed the entire kitchen, reacting with the flammable materials and resulting in an explosive burst of fire. The force blasted me backward, and I tumbled across the ground.

"Arghhh..."

Rolling on the ground, I managed to see the chaos I had unleashed.

Shoooosh!

"Damn... what the hell."

The entire side of the inn was engulfed in massive flames.

I wasn't sure if the Flame of Fire possessed greater power than I anticipated, if it was due to an unexpected reaction with the flammable materials, or if it was my ability to connect with the Flame of Fire. It could have been all of these issues.

—What's that noise?

—It’s a fire!

In any case, it was a tremendous success.

***

I almost ended up dying in the flames I had started. The fire, which should have spread slowly from the kitchen, started to blaze through the inn at an incredible speed. The trap at the main entrance was already completed.

By repeatedly casting the earth-digging spell, Eleris had created a massive pit, approximately five meters wide, at the inn's entrance. It was deep enough that it was impossible for anyone to climb out alone.

Crash!

"Ahhhh!"

Thud!

As the fire and smoke spread through the inn, people trying to flee blindly stumbled and fell into the pit.

Because of the smoke and confusion, they didn't realize there was a trap at the entrance. One by one, they tried to escape the fire and fell into the pit. Falling in an awkward way could cause them to break their necks, resulting in an instant death.

Rumbleeee!

Some of them paused to catch their breath near the burning windows of the inn.

Whiz!

"Ahh!"

Ellen started shooting arrows at those who poked their heads out of the windows.

While she might not be as skilled as Delphine Izadra, who could shoot a running beast while running herself, these stationary targets were easy for her to hit.

The archery skills Ellen once used to win stuffed dolls for Rudina were now being used to claim lives, one by one.

"Someone’s outside shooting arrows!”

Someone finally noticed the archer outside, but in this chaos, amidst the smoke and the coughing, it made little difference.

"Ack!"

As more people began to fall into the pit, those inside realized there was a trap at the entrance, making escape nearly impossible.

The inn's interior was filling with smoke. If they didn't get out quickly, they would suffocate. However, trying to escape through the main entrance meant they would have to leap over a five-meter-wide pit.

Either way, they were trapped.

“The windows! Get out through the windows!”

There were still some who had enough sense to act rationally. Even amidst the rising flames and smoke, they made the decision to break through windows on the first and second floors to escape.

Sling!

Ellen and I drew our swords.

"Cough! Huff! Huff!"

But having inhaled so much smoke and in their state of confusion, these freshly escaped individuals were not properly armed and barely recognized our presence.

Slash!

Ellen targeted the vital points of the adventurers who had burst out, dispatching them with a single strike. Her skill was so precise and decisive that it seemed almost otherworldly. I didn’t remain idle either.

Thrust!

"Ugh, argh!"

The sword I had been issued by the Temple was of excellent quality. Killing those who had just escaped and were still disoriented, struggling to catch their breath, was an easy task.

It felt the same as crushing slightly larger ants. With that mindset, I plunged my sword into their backs and necks, one by one, eliminating the defenseless enemies.

A massacre unfolded in front of the burning inn. Those who had planned to carry out atrocities found themselves slaughtered by just two people. By the time the continuous rain had extinguished the flames that had consumed the inn, the bloody task was completed.

I sighed. With trembling hands, I wiped my forehead after the grueling bloodshed. Exhaustion washed over me. The only thought lingering in my mind amidst the blood-drenched carnage was how tired I felt.

***

Though it had been a surprise attack, the three of us had managed to kill a group of twenty people. Ellen and I were drenched in blood from head to toe. Despite the rain, the bloodstains wouldn't simply wash away.

Not everyone was dead.

"P-Please... spare me...”

"W-Who the hell are you guys... Why did you..."

Those who had fallen into the pit were mostly alive, though some were injured. The pit was over four meters deep. Climbing out was impossible, and among the nine trapped inside, three seemed to have died from broken necks or spines.

Ellen and I stood quietly, looking down into the pit. The trapped men seemed to understand their predicament. They were caught in a trap, most of their comrades were dead, and now their lives depended entirely on our decision.

I had no desire to spare them. However, keeping at least one of them alive could be useful.

“Maybe we should let one of them live?”

Having a witness could prove valuable when we made our report later on.

Ellen slowly nodded at my suggestion.

“We should, to report to the guild.”

I pulled out a knife from my belt and tossed it into the pit below.

“Kill each other.”

I kept my instructions brief as I looked down at them. For a moment, they seemed unable to grasp the situation.

“What...! What the hell are you making us do?!”

Even Eleris, who seemed to realize what I was ordering, almost blurted out in surprise.

Ellen looked at me as well, her brows furrowing as if questioning whether this was necessary. “Why?”

I grinned as I looked at the dumbfounded men.

“It's better for them to kill each other than for us to do it. Let the trash dispose of itself.”

I simply wanted them to handle the dirty work themselves so I wouldn't have to.

Understanding the grim message, they began groping around the dark pit, searching for the knife I had thrown.

Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

“Argh! Ahh! You damn bastard! How could you!”

“Aaaah! Spare me! Please, spare me!”

These people couldn't even be considered human. I had confirmed with my own eyes that among them, there was no such thing as camaraderie.

Moments later...

“Huff... huff... I'm alive! I survived!”

The sole survivor yelled out his triumph from within the pit with a mixture of desperation and exhilaration. Ellen watched the remaining man's face, alight with the joy of surviving after killing his comrades.

“Let's cover the hole up. This is just disgusting.”

The sight seemed to extinguish any desire Ellen might have had to spare him. Her eyes were filled with both disgust and contempt.

“W-What? No! Wait! That wasn’t the deal! AAAHHHH!”

Thud!

Eleris used her magic to return the earth she had dug up, filling the pit. Buried alive in an instant, without even a death wail.

“Reinhart.” Ellen looked at me intently, then suddenly grabbed both of my hands. “Don’t do this.”

Our hands were both stained and drenched in dark, gruesome blood.

Even without her explicitly stating it, I understood what Ellen was trying to say. She was worried I would lose myself in the madness of killing and the sheer release of violence borne out of rage. From what she’d seen of me just now, Ellen sensed I was on the verge of falling into that abyss.

Sizzle...

The flames had been extinguished, and everyone except us was dead.

"... Alright."

I nodded, holding Ellen’s cold hands tightly as the rain continued to pour down on us.

***

The situation had been dealt with. However, there was not a single witness left alive to testify to these scoundrels' actions. If we reported to the guild that such a thing had happened and that we had handled it, our actions would likely be acknowledged as an accomplishment. Of course, we had taken matters into our own hands, but we could argue that the circumstances had left us with no choice.

"If we report this and it goes wrong, we could end up being blamed instead."

Although there was plenty of evidence lying around, there was a slim chance it could backfire on us. I had the imperial crest, but that alone might not be enough to resolve everything.

Ellen pondered for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. She looked back and forth between me and Eleris.

“Let's return to Saints Point.”

We would head back to Saints Point.

“We need to confirm something.”

Ellen didn’t specify what she was thinking, but it had never been a mistake to follow her lead before.

Ellen began rummaging through the corpses.

“What are you doing?”

“Adventurer IDs.”

She wasn’t looting the bodies; she was retrieving the adventurer identification cards from the corpses.

“Find every one you can.”

Ellen, Eleris, and I began searching through the bodies and rummaging through the burnt inn for all the adventurer IDs we could find.