Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 400

“Hero Cult...? What is this...” I muttered.

“Exactly...” Olivia replied.

We were back in the VIP suite, both still in shock.

The Church of the Five Great Gods fundamentally believed in existing gods, and each had a relic symbolizing their powers, though most people were unaware that these gods had dual aspects.

In any case, adherents to the faith believed that gods existed to lend humanity their powers, and there were priests who could enact that power in the world. However, this same idea did not apply to the sudden emergence of this “Hero Cult”. It was more akin to the religions from the world I was originally from, where faith was placed in something without tangible evidence of its existence.

Just as the hunt for demon god cultists stemmed from fear, the Hero Cult likely arose out of fear as well.

“So, they’re saying Ragan Artorius didn’t die, but ascended and became some kind of martial god? Does that even make sense?” Olivia asked, seemingly incredulous.

“If people want to believe that, they will. Just like how they accuse people who clearly aren’t demon god cultists of being that,” I replied.

Of course, this hadn’t been in the original story. But ever since signs of the Demon King’s return had begun appearing the year before, people had grown terrified, and they were all wondering who would kill the Demon King now that there was no hero to rally around. That fear had led to the emergence of a bizarre belief that Artorius would be reincarnated and defeat the Demon King.

“Is there something like an organized order spreading this?” I wondered.

“Who knows...? Could something like that be possible? There are cases where local folk beliefs existed, although most of them died out long ago. Maybe it’s something like that?” Olivia suggested.

Cults thrived in times of uncertainty. But instead of a resurgence of the Demon God Cult, an entirely unexpected Hero Cult had emerged, with the cultists putting their faith in a dead hero. If it was like folklore, without a central doctrine, this faith would spread like wildfire as fear of the Demon King grew.

“Honestly... I have no idea what’s happening anymore,” Olivia admitted.

Olivia had abandoned the Church of the Five Great Gods, but she had not forsaken her belief that the gods existed. These other people, gripped by fear, were either trying to kill their neighbors or spreading false hope by venerating a long-dead figure as a martial god.

“But isn’t this Hero Cult... ultimately heretical in nature?” I asked.

This folk belief raised Ragan Artorius up as a martial god. Their faith was not grounded in the Five Great Gods, but was a direct worship of Ragan Artorius, who had defeated the Demon King. However, not only did this faith have no tangible manifestation, such a belief was fundamentally heretical. While the Demon Gods existed but were not to be worshiped, this situation was even more bizarre.

Olivia bit her lip. “Yes... it’s obviously heretical...” she agreed.

Olivia looked out the window. The chaos and fear running through the crowd meant we could only see the rooftops of the buildings outside, but the unsettling atmosphere was palpable.

“But... denying Artorius’s divinity now... wouldn’t that be dangerous for the Church?” Olivia pondered.

In the original story, it was mentioned that Artorius’s name was spoken of on par with gods. But that was a reflection of humanity’s absolute trust and reverence for Artorius, and never about him being worshiped as a deity.

The Demon King’s return had created a unique situation, and people had begun to worship the hero instead. In the madness born out of fear of the Demon King, the people had created a bizarre faith in which Ragan would be reincarnated and defeat the Demon King.

Who would dare accuse them of heresy and threaten them with a sword?

—“Don’t you believe in Artorius? Don’t you believe in the hero who killed the Demon King? Isn’t it a good thing if Artorius was reincarnated? Why do you think it’s not possible?”

—“Why are you so adamant that Artorius will not be reincarnated? Oh? Are you adamantly denying the reincarnation of humanity’s savior?”

—“Seems like this guy doesn’t want Artorius to come back. Why would you dislike that? Ah... I see. You’re a traitor to humanity!”

This kind of insane reverse inquisition could actually become a reality.

While some sought scapegoats to alleviate their fear, others would begin to believe in a new supreme being in order to find solace.

If someone were to say that Ragan Artorius isn’t a god, could their head stay firmly fixed to their shoulders forever?

***

A new religion, based on faith in the hero, was spreading. At this point, it was unclear whether this was a structured belief system or if it was simply spreading like simple folklore, but it seemed to be the latter.

“Even if believing in Artorius’s return is a fiction, it’s certainly better than this witch hunt for heretics,” Olivia remarked.

“I agree,” I replied.

Fear could be overcome with either anger or hope. Believing in the hero’s reincarnation and spreading hope would not result in anyone’s death, unlike falsely accusing and executing people for being demon god cultists.

Of course, the spread of the Hero Cult could lead to a significant conflict with the Church of the Five Great Gods, but that was not an immediate concern.

Regardless of the substance of the Ragan Artorius faith, the important thing was that it aimed to instill a belief that the Demon King should not be feared.

The chaos created by the public sentiment of fear would slowly settle down if belief in the hero’s return spread.

The significance lay not in the Artorius faith itself, but in instilling the belief that the Demon King would be defeated. This was likely the reason why Sabioleen Tana had sent me to Levania—to stabilize the chaotic situation. And that method, when I thought about it, was absurdly simple.

“If I reveal to the people that I possess the Alsbringer, this chaos will settle immediately.”

“That... makes sense,” Olivia agreed.

Ultimately, people wanted someone to fight the Demon King, which was why they hoped for the reincarnation of the already deceased Ragan Artorius. The focus wasn’t on Artorius but on someone who could defeat the Demon King.

The fear of the Demon King could be quelled by instilling hope that he would be defeated.

Alsbringer was the relic of the war god that Ragan Artorius, who defeated the Demon King, possessed. Hence, people would feel reassured just by recognizing me as the chosen one of the Alsbringer and its relic, believing that a hero to defeat the Demon King had appeared.

The chaotic Levaina, due to the fake Demon King attack, was a fitting stage for the debut of a second hero.

***

I decided to announce to the world that I was the owner of the Alsbringer. The imperial family didn’t want me to be in danger, but desired the fame that would come with it.

Raziern, the unsettled capital of Levaina, was a very suitable place to announce to the people the appearance of Alsbringer’s new master. The residents, engulfed in fear, had begun hunting supposed heretics, and the Hero Cult, believing in Artorius’s reincarnation, was starting to surface.

Therefore, I decided to show the Alsbringer to the people and give a speech, telling them that I would defeat the Demon King, and asking them to go home, take a nice hot bath, and relax.

That would put an end to this chaos, and I would gain fame in the process. There was no real danger; just a few swings of the sword, and it would be over.

Raziern was a very suitable place for my debut.

“Are you sure about this? It could become... very dangerous,” Olivia said, expressing her concern. It was understandable; the Alsbringer was anathema to the current Demon King, and if the Demon King targeted me, it would indeed become dangerous.

“I’ll be fine,” I assured her.

I couldn’t explain why it would be fine, but Olivia seemed to read something in my determined expression and nodded.

“Alright,” she said, looking resolute. “It’s your decision, so I can’t say anything more.”

With that, Olivia placed her hands on my shoulders.

“I’ll definitely protect you.”

Though we hadn’t uncovered the truth behind the Demon King’s attack, my presence seemed to have shifted Olivia’s focus.

I wasn’t sure if Sabioleen Tana or the imperial family had anticipated this, but Olivia seemed more intent on protecting me after the announcement of my ownership of the Alsbringer than on investigating the truth.

She was doing this because I was important to her, and I was grateful for that.

“... Thank you,” I said, feeling both grateful and guilty.

“Then, a kiss!”

Smooch!

“Oh, come on, I told you not to do that!”

‘I know it’s not yet, but I’m a committed man now, so you really shouldn’t do that!’

***

Olivia and I stepped out onto the streets of Raziern.

It was already nighttime, and the streets were chaotic.

Some people were talking about the hero’s reincarnation, while groups of people, acting like vigilantes, roamed the streets with torches. Even if they weren’t hunting demon god cultists, they were still restless and anxious.

Unless the “hero” sedative was administered, these people would continue to have sleepless nights and make up wild suspicions about their neighbors. I did not know if news of the revelation of Alsbringer’s new master would grant them a peaceful night, but it would at least turn the situation toward a more favorable one.

While standing in front of the crowd hoping for someone to die in their place, the Demon King would wield Alsbringer and declare that he would protect them. It seemed ridiculous just imagining it.

In the end, how was a hero different from a clown? It might seem more noble since I was giving people hope instead of joy and laughter, but since I wasn’t a real hero, I was essentially acting the fool.

“Let’s head to the plaza,” I suggested.

“Okay.”

“When we get there, do some of that stuff,” I said.

“You mean, like, make it flashy?”

“Yeah, something like that...”

I was embarrassed to explain in detail, but Olivia seemed to understand and smiled brightly in response.

Since I had decided to play the clown, it was best that I did it properly. I didn’t have the necessary abilities, but Olivia could provide visual effects, like making it seem like radiance was emanating from me.

‘A hero (who is actually the Demon King) wrapped in light, appears to save the crowd mired in despair.’

Just thinking about it made me dizzy, but in a good way. It would be best to appear where the most people were, so Olivia and I headed to the central plaza of Raziern, where the warp gate was located.

The closer we got to the plaza, the more our expressions darkened.

“They’ve increased...” Olivia noted, and indeed, more stakes had been set up in the plaza, with more people strung up on them, dead.

I had no idea where the frenzied crowd was finding their scapegoats, but it seemed they felt that there were still more people who needed to be killed.

Among the murmuring crowd, guards and people dressed as priests were having loud discussions, perhaps preparing to execute someone else.

They knew the people who were being executed weren’t heretics, yet they were willing to kill the innocent to anesthetize the crowd.

Olivia’s face was turning pale. “People... are so terrifying...”

She was likely questioning whether it was right to risk herself to save such ignorant people.

Though I was doing this to prevent meaningless deaths, fundamentally, it was for Charlotte.

As we got closer to the plaza, more of the angry crowd became visible. People were shouting at the top of their lungs, praying, and yelling at others to believe in Artorius, their cries blending into a cacophony of noise.

Olivia, as if making a final decision, grabbed my arm. “Reinhart...”

Once it was revealed that I was Alsbringer’s master, it would trigger something irreversible. Being recognized and granted the title of hero, even though I was the Demon King in disguise, might bring unforeseen responsibilities and consequences.

Olivia looked at me with a pleading gaze, as if this was the last chance to reconsider. Just as I was about to make my final decision, something happened.

Behind Olivia, a corpse hanging from a long stake suddenly...

Crack!

... moved its arm.

Snap!

The corpse, which should have been dead, moved its limp right arm to grasp the rope around its neck.

Snap!

Thud!

I watched as it broke the rope and fell to the ground with a thud.

—Aaaaaah!

—The corpse is moving!

“What?”

Crack! Crack! Crackle!

Olivia turned her head to follow my gaze, watching as the corpse on the ground twisted its body grotesquely and stood up. And it wasn’t just one.

Crack! Snap! Snap!

One by one, the corpses that were strung up began to move, and both the angry crowd and Olivia and I could only watch in horror.

“W-what is... what is this...?” Olivia’s face turned white as she watched a corpse with an unnaturally elongated neck stagger to its feet.

Kyaaaaaagh!

The corpse, with its tongue hanging out, staggered to its feet and let out a cursed scream that seemed to echo from the depths of the abyss.

***

The grand plaza descended into chaos in an instant.

The curse of the Demon God has fallen!

The crowd screamed in terror, and those who heard the scream of the resurrected corpse up close were so shocked that many fainted on the spot.

Crack! Crackle!

The resurrected corpses screamed and launched themselves at the crowd to bite people. Their physical abilities had been enhanced beyond what they’d possessed in life, and they were killing people by biting them.

Was the crazed crowd paying the price for their madness? Or had the dead truly been demon god cultists? There was no way to determine the truth.

Kyaaaaah!

The resurrected corpses were massacring people, and even the guards were helpless against them. It was clear that ordinary people couldn’t stop these corpses.

The priests, who had been conducting thes sham inquisitions, were also thrown into a panic and unable to respond properly to the sudden situation.

Kyaaaah!

Some priests were even bitten in the neck and killed by the very corpses they had just strung up.

There was no time to waste.

I summoned Alsbringer and charged into the thick of the sudden massacre, with Olivia following behind me.

“Be careful, Reinhart!”

“Yes.”

Considering the number of resurrected corpses, fighting together would only increase the damage.

Mana Reinforcement and Self-Deception...

I ran, enhancing my body to the maximum.

I swung Alsbringer at a corpse that had just bitten someone’s neck and was looking for its next victim.

Slash!

I succeeded in severing the head of the corpse.

Crack!

However, the headless corpse flailed about, trying to grab my arm.

Even with its head severed, it could still move.

This was likely a special case of resurrection, influenced by some unholy power.

In that case, I needed to use Tiamata instead of Alsbringer.

Swish!

I dismissed Alsbringer and drew Tiamata, thrusting it into the chest of the flailing corpse.

Thud!

Gurgle! Gurgle!

Blood foamed grotesquely from the neck of the headless resurrected corpse, but only for a moment.

Whoosh!

White flames erupted from Tiamata, engulfing the corpse and burning something within it.

The corpse wasn’t burning, but Tiamata was burning something away as if it were trying to purify the unholy energy with sacred fire.

It was my first time using Tiamata in a large-scale battle against the undead, but its effectiveness was absolute.

Thud.

The corpse, having ceased its movements, fell lifelessly to the ground.

Thump! Thud!

Olivia, enveloped in white radiance, was dealing with the corpses biting people, one by one, with punches and kicks. I didn’t need to worry about her.

—Oh, oh...

—The holy light...

Even amidst the sudden chaos and massacre happening around them, people were staring at us in a daze, muttering to themselves.

“Hey! There’s no time to stand around! Get moving, people!” I shouted at the dumbfounded crowd before moving toward my next target.

Kyaaaah!

The corpses that had been indiscriminately attacking people turned their gazes toward me and screamed in unison, as if attracted by Tiamata.

I couldn’t tell if it was some kind of magic or if actual demon god cultists were behind this.

These corpses had combat abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans, and from my previous dealings with zombies, I knew that the real issue with these things wasn’t their combat ability, but the way they triggered a primal fear.

Seeing a corpse with an unnaturally elongated neck and a long, protruding tongue charging at you would paralyze your reason and weaken your legs.

That was why even the armed guards were fleeing in terror.

The true power of the undead lay not in their physical strength, but in the fear and revulsion that their grotesque appearance inspired.

But I had already faced them before.

“Let’s put you back to rest,” I said.