Chapter 450

The Gate Incident was characterized by the phenomena of monsters poured out from warp gates. It would take a while before these monsters left the towns and villages they destroyed and moved into more remote areas.

Before this happened, though, suburban areas or villages without warp gates would remain rather peaceful for some time.

Moreover, a place had to be at least a sizable town to even have a small warp gate, so at the beginning of the Gate Incident, the most dangerous places were the imperial capital and other major cities.

My party, guided by Eleris, reached the location where Galarsh and Lruien were casting Mass Teleport, and we were transported to a forested area far from the capital.

I didn’t know what Antirianus was doing, but we had arrived in a peaceful green forest, completely free of the catastrophic phenomenon occurring in the capital.

Olivia, Riana, Harriet, Eleris, Lruien, Galarsh and I were all there.

The three friends who had followed me after recklessly stepping in to save me paled visibly when they saw Lruien with her long ears and the orc vampire Galarsh.

“You... you really...” Riana said as she pointed at me in disbelief.

“What? Are you really going to say ‘So you were really the Demon King after all’? Didn’t you follow me while knowing that?”

“No... Well, yes, but...”

Riana trailed off, staring blankly at the massive gray-skinned orc vampire.

“Elves... they really exist...” muttered Harriet, who was also staring blankly, but at Lruien, with her mouth open.

I hadn’t thought that we would manage to escape safely, but we had somehow escaped the capital unharmed.

The quiet, peaceful forest around us was filled with the chirping of unknown birds, but I couldn’t truly feel at peace.

Monsters were emerging from warp gates not just in the capital but most likely all over the world, and many cities would be devastated and destroyed without a proper response. The satellite cities connected to these destroyed cities would also meet the same fate as the monsters spread out.

Even though she had come to save me, Eleris, who had directly caused the incident, couldn’t even lift her head.

Everything we had done in order to prevent the Gate Incident had inevitably caused it. But we couldn’t remain bound by such despair.

I looked around at the people present. Ultimately, they were there with me because they believed in me.

I had to explain everything to them first.

“Alright, since it’s probably your first time meeting them, let me introduce them. Aside from me, these people are from the Vampire Council. They’re ancient vampires that are probably older than most nations, and they are my collaborators.”

Eleris of Tuesday.

Lruien of Thursday.

Galarsh of Friday.

My three human companions were dumbfounded. The term “Vampire Lord” was unheard of.

“Uh... but it’s daytime now...?”

“Yeah...”

“Just go with it.”

There was no time to explain what a Vampire Lord was.

“And though she’s not here now... You know her, right? The one I was close with... Lucinil.”

“Yeah.”

“... What about her?”

“Oh... that silver hair... come to think of it, I saw her earlier...” Olivia said.

Olivia had seen Lucinil suddenly appear in the auditorium.

“Lucinil was... one of the Vampire Lords who infiltrated the Temple.”

I wondered if Lucinil was safe.

Even as I spoke, a part of my heart ached.

***

Everyone was shocked to learn Lucinil’s true identity, but there wasn’t enough time to let them fully process it. There were too many things to explain.

I didn’t go into the story about being a creator of this world or anything like that. That was going to be hard for them to believe, and even if they did believe it, that fact no longer held any significance.

Given the situation, I couldn’t afford to make the explanation lengthy. I assumed everyone would believe me without doubt and told them as much as I could, just as I had told Eleris.

I told them that all my memories began on the very day the Demon King had been killed by the hero Artorius. That I knew the Gate Incident would occur, and had some knowledge of the future. That I had been doing everything to prevent the Gate Incident. I shared the story of my pursuit of Akasha and Cantus Magna, how I discovered the truth around Akasha, and how, just as I was about to reveal everything, events spiraled out of control.

I explained that my subordinates had caused the Gate Incident in order to save me, which was why we were where we were.

Eleris already knew this story, but the three from the Temple, as well as Galarsh and Lruien, were more and more stunned as they listened to me.

“In the end, I ended up being the direct cause of the Gate Incident while trying to prevent it.”

I did not know what expression I had when I said that, but I could see Olivia and Harriet biting their lips.

Eleris, trapped in her guilt of being the one who had directly triggered the Gate Incident, had no words.

I intuitively knew what had happened. Sarkegar or Antirianus had instigated her to do it, and she had been unable to resist. Of course, that did not erase her sin.

“Anyway, just because things turned out this way doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. In fact, we have to do

something

.”

It was ridiculous that I, the one for whom the Gate Incident had been triggered, would go around trying to clean up in the aftermath of it. But what choice did I have? My life had been exchanged for the lives of tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. Even if I hadn’t wanted that, it had already happened.

Therefore, wasn’t it right for me to do all I could to save others, even if it was just one person, just one life that I could prevent from dying because of me?

Antirianus or the candy vendor might want me to crumble in despair, but I had no intention of doing that.

I had wanted to save everyone. Even knowing I couldn’t save everyone, I had tried to do so. Now that it turned out that I was the cause of a situation in which everyone could die, did they think I would collapse? Did they think I would crumble? Did they think I wouldn’t be able to get back up?

If my death meant that I could save everyone, I would have done it. But my death now would be meaningless.

Since there was nothing I could do in death, I decided that I would do what I could in life. Since I could no longer find meaning in death, I sought to find meaning in life.

I wasn’t a strong person, but I had thought about a lot during my time in captivity. I had resigned myself to death, wishing that everything could be resolved with it.

But I didn’t die. I survived and had to witness the Gate Incident unfold, and was thrown back into the world.

The world wanted me to crumble. But out of spite, out of injustice, out of sorrow, I would not just collapse like that. I wouldn’t let myself cower in some corner of the continent,crushed by regret, lamenting that it was all my fault that the Gate Incident had occurred.

If I had to be strong, then I had to be strong. I didn’t know what the right path in this situation was, but staying down and not getting back up would be evil.

I wished for good, but since I couldn’t yet realize it, at least I would avoid evil.

Since I had decided to stay away from the evil path, I couldn’t collapse. I couldn’t give up. I had to do what I could.

“Reinhart... Do you really have to save the humans? Why?” Olivia asked.

Humans didn’t trust me. They only hated me. And even if they found out about the real me, everyone would still hate me, denouncing the Demon King as the root of all evil. Hence, Olivia couldn’t understand why I wanted to save such humans.

“Because I created this world,” I replied.

This was a world I created, and characters had been sacrifices to the absurdities I had written.

This was a place where my imagination became reality. I was thrown into a situation where I had to face an absurdity greater than the one I tried to solve.

This was a world I had created, and these were my absurdities. It only made sense for me to resolve them.

No one understood what I meant, and it was okay if they didn’t.

I would do what I could in the given situation. Even when I hadn’t known about the cause of the Gate Incident, I had done what I could, given the situation.

Now that the Gate Incident was propagating through the world, I would still do what I could, given the situation. That was all.

“I have to somehow resolve this situation that has already occurred,” I said. “I don’t think I can do all this alone. What I can do alone is very limited, and on a global scale, it wouldn’t be very valuable. I’m trying to do what I can, but since what I can do alone is probably meaningless, I’ll need a lot more people.

“You don’t all have to follow me. If what I’m trying to do doesn’t make sense to you, you don’t have to do anything. But I should take some responsibility for those who believed in me and have come this far, who went to such lengths to save me. At the very least, I’ll provide a place where we can be safe.

“I’m trying to do something I can’t do alone. For that, it has to be ‘us,’ not just ‘me.’ We need to secure a safe haven, build our forces, gather people who will follow us, and strengthen our power... This is what we have to do... Therefore...”

The Gate Incident had occurred. Therefore, to resolve this, I could no longer be satisfied with working alone, or with a small force.

“I will rebuild the Dark Land.”

I had no choice but to truly dream of the reconstruction of the Dark Land.

I realized that, with everything in ruins, I could not remain the prince of a fallen kingdom, but had to become the king of a reconstructed Dark Land.

***

To resolve the chaos of the Gate Incident, I would rebuild the Demon Realm.

If I charged in alone, I might only be able to destroy a few gates before I was taken down. It would be utter suicide. I was incomparably stronger than an ordinary human, but I still had limits. Even if I were a Swordmaster or a Grandmaster, nothing would change.

Even if Swordmasters were so-called superhumans, could any one of them save the world?

Through the strength of those who followed me, I would save villages, settlements, and cities and bring about a complete end to the Gate Incident. Therefore, it was better to use my political power and the influence it had rather than my own strength.

“I haven’t thought about who will follow me or how I can gather my forces. But for now...”

“I know,” Olivia interrupted me.

“Sorry?”

“I know someone who will definitely support you. No, I know people.”

I thought I knew what Olivia was talking about.

“If you’re talking about the Church of the Five Great Gods... Given that I’m the cause of this Gate Incident, they would likely try to deny me, even if I wield a holy relic,” I said.

“No, not them.” Olivia shook her head vigorously. “The demon god cultists.”

Only then did a faction I had forgotten due to recent events come to mind.

The Demon God Cult...

“I know where the Demon God Cult has its base. I know where they all are.”

When did she find out?

“The demon god cultists truly believe that they should die for you, and it’s not just pretend. I’ve seen it all.”

Olivia then explained in detail how she had identified all the bases of the demon god cultists, and how the ruins of the desert city of Gelkorgis was where they were headquartered.

She added that she had initially intended to mobilize the Order of the Holy Knights to eliminate them, believing that they would become my enemies, but she had been detained by Shanapell before she could report this to the Order of the Holy Knights.

The demon god cultists were dangerous, but I needed a force I could work with immediately. At the moment, I needed power more than anything. The demon god cultists, who had worshiped me without me desiring it and considered my words absolute, were a powerful armed force that I had to secure, given the current situation.

This situation had come about all because of a matter of timing. If the timing had been different, the demon god cultists might have already been annihilated by the Order of the Holy Knights. This conflict was a terrible thing for me and yet, at some points, offered a favorable opportunity.

Harriet and Riana did not seem to understand how Olivia had managed to infiltrate the ranks of the demon god cultists and obtain such crucial information. They didn’t know that Olivia could wield the power of the Demon Gods.

It would have been easy to gain the trust of the demon god cultists just by showing that she could wield the Demon Gods’ power, and so it would have been very easy for Olivia to reach them.

“Alright... Then bringing the demon god cultists under my command is crucial...”

Securing the Demon God Cult as part of my forces became a very important requirement. Most of the Gelkorgis desert was uninhabited, and there were no warp gates there, so not only would it be unaffected by the Gate Incident, but the cultists might not even know about the situation that was transpiring across the rest of the continent.

Whirr!

Suddenly, a swarm of pitch-black bats flew towards us from a corner of the forest.

Harriet pointed at it, her face turning pale. “W-what is that...?”

“Don’t be afraid.”

The swarm soon gathered in front of us and transformed into an old man in a black suit and a fedora who was holding a cane. Antirianus looked at me, removed his hat, and bowed deeply.

“I greet thee, great being,” he said.

Antirianus seemed to find this situation amusing. He smiled as he put his hat back on.

‘Right. He must be thrilled with all the chaos that has ensued after I reached the answer to everything.’

“That old man is the last of the Vampire Lords I mentioned earlier, Antirianus of Saturday. He’s a crazy old man, so don’t get too friendly.”

Antirianus chuckled. “Your words are harsh.”

The amount of information that my three human companions had to process seemed overwhelming, but there was no time to ease them into it.

Antirianus brought grim news.

“The head of Wednesday and Lord Sarkegar have been captured, and Lady Loyar and Mr. Effenhauser have died.”

Mr. Effenhauser and Loyar were dead.

“M-Mr. Effenhauser...? W-why?”

“H-huh? Why would our homeroom teacher...?”

Though the Vampire Lord was frightening, Riana and Harriet both turned pale at the news of Mr. Effenhauser’s death. I didn’t know the reason behind it either.

Mr. Effenhauser had tried to save me, and had said it wasn’t the will of the Order.

Mr. Effenhauser had gone against the Order’s will to save me and had died, along with Loyar. It was hard to believe that anyone from the Rotary Club was still alive.

What happened to Adriana? Some of my people had survived, but too many were dead, or their fates were uncertain.

“...”

The weight of despair felt like a vise squeezing my heart. I wanted to think about why Mr. Effenhauser had died for me and about the deaths of Loyar and the other club members, but there was no time to sink into those thoughts.

I didn’t know what it meant to be a king, nor had I ever wanted to become one. I never had the intention of fulfilling Sarkegar’s wish for me to become a ruler. However, in the end, I had decided to become a king anyway.

A king did not wallow in sadness and depression, nor hide away in despair.

Whatever happened was in the past.

How much I was loved by someone and how much I loved them... the memories we shared and what they meant to me... Instead of reminiscing about those things, I had to be someone who planned for the future.

So, I postponed thinking about it, telling myself I would think about it when everything was okay. I would keep postponing it until I eventually forgot. Until I no longer remembered what I had to reminisce about, who I had to remember, or what I had to mourn. That was what it meant to be a king.

Loyar was dead.

Effenhauser was dead.

However, Lucinil and Sarkegar had been captured and were still alive.

I postponed my sorrow for the dead. I didn’t know when I would be able to mourn them, but since I couldn’t reverse death, I had to delay the deaths of those of mine who were still alive.

“Antirianus, can you send a message to the empire?”

“That much is certainly possible.”

I had to become someone who planned for the future. I couldn’t stay entangled in the past. The Gate Incident has already come to pass.

“Tell them that although this incident has occurred, we have no intention of fighting humans. We will respond to the Gate Incident in our own way. But if they kill Lucinil and Sarkegar, there will be a permanent state of hostility between us and humanity. Convey it like that.”

“They should know that if I bring the Demon God Cult and their power to heel, I can do that anytime.”

This was no joke. I could hardly topple the empire given the way things stood, but if I absorbed the power of the Demon God Cult, I could bring about the downfall of not just the empire, but all of humanity.

The empire might be foolish enough not to realize that and might kill Lucinil and Sarkegar. If that happened, I would topple the empire and build a new one on its ruins. After all, there was no need for the rulers of humanity to necessarily be human.

“Heh, hehehe... I will certainly convey it like that, great being...”

I frowned at Antirianus as he cackled, as though he found my words highly amusing. He was surely the one who incited Eleris.

“If you twist my words when you convey them to the empire, it won’t be fun, old man.”

Antirianus shook his head repeatedly. Even if I called him an old man or a geezer, he just laughed like a grandfather who doted on his grandchild and agreed with whatever I said.

“Ha-ha... Why would I pursue such a trivial bit of amusement?”

I believed Antirianus when he said he wouldn’t engage in petty mischief unless it could lead to extreme amusement.

Screech! Squeak! Whirr!

Everyone looked on as Antirianus transformed into a swarm of bats and flew away, as if it was a portent of something sinister.

I was threatening the empire, warning them that if they recklessly endangered Sarkegar and Lucinil, they would face serious consequences.

The empire might hate me, but at the moment, they couldn’t ignore the consequences of making me their enemy. While it might be difficult to retrieve those two right away, it might be possible in the long run.

“Archdemon, are you planning to head to the Gelkorgis Desert now?” Lruien asked, looking at me.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Were Galarsh and Lruien planning to continue working with me?

Even if they decided to leave, I would have nothing to say. They had already done so much for me, someone who had nothing to offer in return.

“My base is also in the Gelkorgis Desert,” said Galarsh. “If I know the exact location of the demon god cultists, I can deliver the message myself.”

“That makes sense. But it’s not the top priority.”

There was something more important than securing forces.

A base—a land where we could be safe.

‘Before that...’

I looked at Harriet and Riana.

“What about your families...? What are you going to do?” I asked.

These two had tried to save me somehow. I didn’t know what their plan had been, but the sudden triggering of the Gate Incident would have disrupted it. Given the situation, they had to be worried about their families. It wasn’t just their lives at risk, but the lives of everyone on the continent.

“Arnaka will be fine... I trust my father...” Harriet said.

The capital of the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, Arnaka...

Harriet looked down at the ground, clenched her fists tightly, saying that the Grand Duke would be more worried about his daughter siding with the Demon King. Harriet seemed to believe that, despite the chaos surrounding the Gate Incident, the Duchy of Saint-Ouen would be able to handle it.

I then looked at Riana. She gazed beyond the forest and spoke slowly.

“... I told my mom about what I was going to do today.”

For whatever reason, Riana knew that it was the empire, not me, that was the true target of her revenge. Her saying that meant her mother knew too. Riana had decided to side with the Demon King to destroy the empire, and her mother had accepted it. After the death of Duke Granz, it was clear that the Duchess’s feelings had changed significantly.

The Duchess had allowed Riana to risk her life for the sake of revenge, even though it was dangerous. However, the one who was now in danger wasn’t Riana, but the Duchess herself. Unlike Harriet, who trembled with fear but trusted in the Grand Duke and the power of the Duchy, Riana knew her mother’s life was at risk. Even if the situation around this Gate Incident was brought under control, as long as Riana was on my side, the Duchess wouldn’t be safe.

Riana clenched her fists, her hands trembling.

“So, about my mom... You know, the place we went last time...”

‘Hmm? Could it be?’

“The Edina Archipelago?”

“Yeah. She’s hiding at the villa there. Because if I did what I did... She’ll be in danger...”

Riana had planned to cause trouble, so the Duchess of Granz had preemptively gone into hiding. However, since the Gate Incident had likely affected the Edina Archipelago as well, the Duchess’s life would still be in danger. Although Riana had decided to help me, she couldn’t be at ease knowing her mother was at risk.

“That’s good,” I said.

Riana frowned at me, and Harriet flinched as if wondering what had come over me.

“What? You’re saying it’s a good thing?”

“Of course, it’s a good thing,” I said, crossing my arms. “We are just about to go to the Edina Archipelago.”

I was thinking of using the Edina Archipelago as our base of operations. I had to go there to save Airi, who was in danger, but the Archipelago was also isolated and far from the main continent, and would serve as a good staging point.

It was the perfect place for us to hide from the empire’s eyes and gather our strength.

“We’re going to take over the Edina Archipelago.”

That place would become the starting point from which I would begin to rebuild the Dark Land.

We would go there to save Airi and, incidentally, we could also save Duchess Granz.

Therefore, it could only be a good thing.