The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

Ellen pleaded with Turner and Bertus to kill her after the resolution of the Gate Incident.

"There's no way we can do that."

"There must be another way, Ellen."

Naturally, neither Turner nor Bertus had any intention of fulfilling such a request from Ellen.

It wasn't because Ellen was humanity's hope, or because she needed to remain as a symbol of hope for the rebuilding of humanity after the Gate Incident.

It was because they didn't believe Ellen had to die in such a manner.

Bertus promised to find a solution by any means necessary, whether by gathering the combined forces of the Five Great Religious Orders to perform a purification ritual or something else.

He would do whatever it took to restore Ellen to her original state.

Bertus immediately arranged a meeting with the Popes of the Five Great Religious Orders, who were currently inspecting the garrison.

"You're saying the hero has been possessed by spirits?"

"We don't know the exact reason, but it's confirmed that these spirits are devouring the hero's ego. We must gather all the priests immediately and perform a purification ritual."

Bertus didn't mention that Ellen had willingly accepted these spirits. There was no need to bring up such details.

Within this most powerful human army, the majority were priests and holy knights from the Holy Order of the Five Great Religious Orders.

By gathering their collective strength, they aimed to purify the resentful spirits lingering in Ellen's body and soul.

Regardless of whether it was possible, they had to try.

"Is that really necessary?"

"...What did you just say?"

Bertus narrowed his eyes at the words of the Pope of the Als Order.

"If those spirits are too much for even the hero to handle, and her ego ultimately vanishes, wouldn't that mean she would be reborn as an even more suitable hero?"

This time, it was the Pope of the Tu’an Order who spoke.

The one who served the Goddes of Purity was actually endorsing the hero being consumed by the impure spirits.

"I've heard the hero has awakened a new power and has become even stronger than before. If that's the case, it's due to the added strength of those spirits within the hero. If the hero becomes even stronger, what could be better for humanity?"

At the Als Pope's remark, Bertus clenched his teeth.

The relics of the Tu’an and Als Orders had chosen the Demon King.

Thus, the positions of the two orders were much worse off compared to the other orders.

It was only natural for the masses to shun the two orders, while their priests and holy knights had to endure contempt even in this garrison.

The Popes of the Tu’an and Als Orders actually desired the Demon King's death the most.

Only once the Demon King was dead and gone would it be possible for them to dream of rebuilding their orders.

Although it was true that the emerging religion, the Hero Religion, received the most support, the Gods of the two relics that chose the hero, the Mencis and Shal’am Orders, also had a significant following among the people.

The Order of Riter, the God of Courage, was uninvolved with both the Demon King and the hero, so they at least didn't suffer any damage.

As the Demon King gained more power, the Riter and Mencis Orders received more support.

The Popes of the Als and Tu’an Orders, who needed the Demon King to die in order to rebuild their orders, were ironically hoping for the death of the very Demon King chosen by their Gods.

Therefore, they took the position that it would be better for the hero, Ellen Artorius, to become an empty shell fueled by hatred for the Demon King, regardless of the circumstances.

Just as the popes of the Tu’an and Als Orders wished for the death of the Demon King, so did the popes of the other three Orders.

When the Demon King dies, and the hero loses her symbolic power after fulfilling her role, only then will the façade of the Hero Religion, a hollow religion, disappear.

Only then can the Five Great Religious Orders regain control of the continent's faith.

The popes of the Five Great Religious Orders wished for the death of the Demon King.

"Do you all not know what the Demon King intended?"

Above all, they were among the very few who knew the truth behind the Gate Incident.

The popes of the Five Great Religious Orders were there when they interrogated the Demon King Reinhardt.

Therefore, they knew that the Hero Ellen Artorius was an existence that could not truly kill the Demon King.

At that, the pope of the Riter Order stared at Bertus.

"Was it not the Imperial Family who caused the Gate Incident by refusing to trust the Demon King?"

"..."

"Now that you know the Demon King is a benevolent being, do you feel a sense of duty to prevent any more sorrowful events from befalling the Demon King and the Hero?"

Bertus, grinding his teeth, could not say a word.

The words of the Riter Order's pope were all horrifyingly true.

"Your Majesty, there is no meaning in regretting what has already happened."

"Whether the Demon King is good or evil is now irrelevant."

"Before the Gate Incident, if we had believed it about two years ago, many things would have been different."

"It is too late to believe the Demon King's words now, and even if we were to show him compassion, nothing would change."

"Since the Gate Incident, the concepts of good and evil have become meaningless, and the only justice is survival. It has been this way for a long time."

"What meaning can good and evil have in a fight for survival?"

"The Demon King must die."

"Not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is necessary for the survival of humanity, the Empire, and the Five Great Religious Orders."

Bertus could not say a word in response to the Riter Order's pope.

Against those heart-wrenching truths, Bertus could not muster a single word of rebuttal.

He should have believed sooner if he wanted to believe.

Nothing would change even if he believed in the Demon King now.

Because everything he said was true, Bertus had no choice but to remain silent in his miserable state of mind.

"Everyone in this room knows that the Hero had a very close relationship with the Demon King and that she knows the truth of everything. That she cannot truly harm the Demon King."

Those in this room knew the things that most people did not.

Those who knew the truth knew that the Hero was not one who could properly embody the faith of the people.

They knew that she was an existence incapable of fulfilling the hope of defeating the Demon King.

However, the situation had changed.

The Hero's self, who could not hate the Demon King, would disappear, and when the spirits consumed the Hero, she would be able to do what she truly had to do.

Regardless of whether it was possible, the popes had no reason whatsoever to help purify the spirits dwelling within Ellen's soul.

"Isn't that why the situation has turned out like this, which can only be a good thing for humanity?"

Bertus looked at the five popes, including Turners.

No one seemed willing to help.

The Holy Knights Order ultimately acted upon the orders of their leader, Eleion Bolton, and the five Popes of the Orders.

And was this situation truly terrible for humanity?

Bertus couldn't possibly refute that claim.

And he, himself, was no different than the instigator of all this, for he failed to trust Reinhardt when he should have.

During Reinhardt's interrogation, the Popes were essentially nothing more than lackeys.

The claim that the real responsibility lay with the Gardias Imperial Family wasn't a provocation but a simple fact.

Thus, Bertus knew all too well that he had no right to condemn them.

In a battle for survival, one couldn't differentiate between good and evil.

The Popes were no longer followers of their deity.

Those who fought solely for the survival of their authority and the church's existence were not worthy of being called Popes.

However, in a struggle for survival, it was not humanity's existence and restoration at stake, but the Hero and the Demon King.

To pity the two of them, regardless of humanity's existence and hope, was to prevent their predetermined future and seek the impossible coexistence with the Demon King.

Did he truly deserve to be called humanity's Emperor?

The Popes were not Popes.

And the Emperor was not an Emperor either.

------

After the meeting concluded, the Popes began inspecting the garrison once more to encourage the Holy Knights.

Bertus sat on one of the many wooden crates scattered around the hilltop command post, gazing down at the garrison.

"Your Majesty..."

"..."

Savolin Turner looked at Bertus with concern.

Bertus remained silent, staring at the garrison with a stern expression.

The Popes were not wrong.

The root of all problems was complex, so complex that no one could say who was truly responsible.

However, it was undeniable that the Gardias Imperial Family held a significant portion of the blame.

Since he hadn't believed when he should have, The Pope of the Riter Order said it was now pointless to believe.

Bertus knew better than anyone that this was not a false claim.

For humanity, it was better for the Demon King to die.

And if he must die, it was better for him to die at the hands of the Hero.

From the Demon King's death, people would find hope, and regardless of how bleak reality was, they would believe that only prosperity lay ahead for humanity since the last Demon King had perished.

Hope and despair are ludicrous concepts.

Both are useless when it comes to actually saving or killing people.

However, despair does kill people, while hope saves them.

For that hope, two people alone—

Reinhardt and Ellen Artorius.

Would it be acceptable for them to be engulfed in abject despair?

For humanity's existence and restoration, was it truly right for these two to bear the despair of all others?

One would cease to exist, and the other would lose their life.

Both were idols.

The idol of hope, the Hero.

The idol of despair, the Demon King.

Sacrificing the two idols to anesthetize people with false hope and scheming the restoration of humanity and the Church was the right decision for an Emperor.

There was no one else around.

Having stationed all personnel away from the command post and the Popes having left, only Turner and Bertus remained.

"Lady Turner."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I thought I had the qualities of an Emperor."

"..."

"Even if I couldn't be the greatest Emperor in history, I thought there would be no one better in my time."

Bertus chuckled softly.

"When Charlotte returned alive, I had quite a few scenarios in my head."

"Scenarios…?"

"Scenarios in which I could become the emperor."

Bertus gazed at the distant sky.

The clear blue sky seemed ignorant of the world's tragedies.

Despite the sounds of meals being prepared and the pounding of the military camp on the ground.

Despite the unending funerals for the fallen soldiers.

The sky knew nothing of it.

"I thought of every possible situation: when my position would be better than Charlotte's, when it would be worse, or when it would be so insufficient that it couldn't be reversed. All of those thoughts were in my head."

Although Bertus had already become the emperor, he had been calculating numerous plans in his head before and in order to become the emperor.

"When Charlotte came back, I felt a great sense of crisis. Although an emperor isn't elected by the support of the crowd, it can't be ignored. The influence of a princess who was captured by the demon king and returned after enduring hardships was bound to be tremendous."

The returned Charlotte de Gardias was a very strong rival for Bertus.

"Even when she used some scheme to cling to the Temple, even the Royal class, I thought I might lose my position."

"…I see."

"But surprisingly,"

Bertus grinned.

"Ragan Artorius's younger sister is in the same class as me."

If Charlotte hadn't returned alive, Ellen would have been a name of little significance to Bertus.

However, because of Charlotte's existence, Bertus needed a symbol that could threaten Charlotte's political position.

It seemed that Saviolin Turner knew what Bertus was talking about.

"One of my various plans was to marry Ellen Artorius."

"I see…"

A marriage of strategy.

Moreover, if his partner was the hero's sister, it would certainly secure a strong political position.

"But, she looked at me as if I were a pebble rolling on the side of the road."

Not exactly disregarded.

But, not particularly interested either.

Ellen Artorius was that kind of person.

Indifferent to everyone equally.

"I didn't attach much importance to it, since it was a method needed only when the situation was unfavorable and I had no personal interest. It was just a political necessity."

"…"

"But at some point, she started hanging around with Reinhardt, who came from a beggar's background."

Temple, Royal Class 1st Year Room A.

Ellen began to stick with Reinhardt, who had no talent at all.

Ellen, who was indifferent to everyone, showed an unusual amount of interest in just one person.

At that time, Ellen didn't know who Reinhardt was.

Whether Reinhardt knew who Ellen was or not, Bertus couldn't know.

The hero's sister, who had no interest in anyone.

Reinhardt, a poor, incompetent beggar with a foul temper, but hiding a past as the demon king.

The two became close as if drawn to each other.

They became close even though there was no reason to do so.

"All the plans I had made became useless, and I had no occasion to use them. All the scenarios I had drawn disappeared. But anyway, I became the emperor."

In a completely unintended way.

The previous emperor had died from overwork, and the princess was unable to succeed to the throne.

Bertus didn't have a chance to try out his many scenarios to become the emperor, but he still became one.

"I think there's some kind of fate between the two of them."

They became each other's closest friends first.

Now, they had grown farthest apart.

They cherished each other, but they were in a position where they had to be hostile.

Bertus sensed a sense of fate in this sinister picture.

Each was a part of that fate, and each performed their own unique function, little by little.

Bertus quietly stared at the vast expanse of the garrison.

"The emperor must act according to what the head accepts, rather than what the heart accepts. That's how I think."

"..."

"Especially in times like these, it's even more so."

One must take the rational path, particularly during these difficult times when making an emotional choice would be foolish.

In a situation where good outcomes can't be guaranteed by merely taking the rational path, the result of making an emotional choice is far too obvious.

"I know that the words of the Popes, as dirty and filthy as vermin, are not wrong. I also know very well that I have no right to criticize them."

The choices of the Popes of the Holy Order may be cruel and malicious.

But one cannot deny that it's a rational choice in the current situation.

Bertus knows best that the greatest responsibility lies within the Gardias Imperial family.

Saviolin Turner silently watched the emperor's vulnerable appearance.

"What is... the best?"

"..."

The emperor's question was short but exceedingly difficult.

The best is simple.

Leaving Ellen Artorius, now devoid of weakness, to kill the Demon King would be the best course of action.

But that is only the best at this point in time; whether it is truly the best or not is unknowable.

"When I found out Reinhardt was the Demon King, the best thing at that time was not to trust him. There were too many lies, and if I had trusted the Demon King then, I would have been insane."

"...That's true."

"The best thing to accept rationally at that time was not to trust Reinhardt."

The best at that time turned out to be the worst now.

The best that could be accepted rationally at that time remains unchanged even now.

It was impossible to trust the Demon King.

So, they didn't trust him.

However, that choice brought about the worst phenomenon in the world.

The best choice resulted in the worst outcome, and many people are now responsible for something that wasn't their choice. That is the Gate Incident.

"Is it an exaggeration to think that if leaving Ellen alone now is the best, it may later become the worst?"

"..."

"It's an exaggeration."

Turner didn't answer, but Bertus smiled bitterly, as if he knew even without her saying it.

There had been a time when the best choice brought the worst outcome.

So it's merely an exaggeration to say that they won't choose the best now because it might bring the worst outcome later.

Bertus knows now.

The best at the moment can easily become the worst outcome later.

A choice is just a choice, and until time reveals the result of that choice, it's impossible to know whether it's the best or the worst.

There is neither the best nor the worst.

Only choices exist.

"I cannot leave those two like this."

Bertus could not just leave Ellen like this.

It's not because he believed that this would be the best in the future.

It's just that he wanted to make that choice, and that's why he chose it.

Qualities of an Emperor.

That's why Bertus now thinks he no longer has them.