The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

Chapter 342

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The day after the council meeting.

Once the conference had dissolved, Eleris and I stood side by side in a remote hallway where the sound of the howling wind echoed from outside.

I leaned against the wall of the hallway, while Eleris stared ahead with a stern expression.

“Is this… the right decision?”

“We can only hope so.”

“Your Highness, I have lived a long time, but I have never even heard of an artifact called Akasha. I am afraid… if it exists, its existence is frightening, and if it doesn’t, I fear what Antirianus’s true intentions might be.”

I understood Eleris’s fear.

I felt the same fear, after all.

The anxiety that something worse than the Gate incident might occur was palpable.

Wouldn’t it be better to face the predetermined Gate incident without doing anything at all?

Getting involved with the mysterious ancient artifact called Akasha could lead to entirely unforeseen consequences.

The future is unknown.

It was obvious, but I had never felt this kind of fear before.

“…I apologize for my thoughtless words.”

As I remained silent, Eleris gently grasped my hand.

Her cold body temperature transferred to my hand.

“Your Highness, who should be more afraid than anyone, and yet here I am, expressing my own fear…”

“…”

Had my fear been conveyed without me saying a word?

Eleris seemed to be convinced that I had no sinister intentions to destroy the world.

Things may not go perfectly, but we have to believe in our actions.

If we were going to do nothing, we should have never started anything.

“Everything will be alright.”

I spoke, drawing upon the power of the ancient language, but my voice echoed emptily through the hallway.

——

After the conference reconvened, I asked Antirianus a few more questions.

I inquired about how he first came into contact with Cantus Magna.

In the end, his approach was not very different from mine. Antirianus had dabbled in countless dark arts and forbidden spells in his pursuit of immortality.

“It was originally to summon the hunters of forbidden spells, but if I could obtain immortality in the process, it wouldn’t have been a bad outcome.”

There were individuals within my knowledge who had committed heinous acts in pursuit of immortality.

That’s why my feelings towards Antirianus were rather peculiar.

It was like watching a villain from a hero’s tale who had sought immortality and achieved his dream without being defeated by the hero.

I didn’t know the extent of the evil deeds committed by the Vampire Lords present here, but Antirianus was truly the embodiment of a wicked sorcerer.

It was as if I were looking at Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who achieved his dream of immortality, a few hundred years later.

That wretched creature…

Can we really leave him be…?

“So the hunters of forbidden spells came, and I asked to join their ranks. In exchange for all the forbidden spells I possessed, I was allowed to become one of them.”

“Is Cantus Magna known to easily accept new members?”

“Not exactly. They accepted me because I possessed an extensive collection of forbidden knowledge, and they would have to risk bloodshed to steal it from me. They probably intended to dispose of me soon after.”

Antirianus didn’t bother making lame excuses about betraying Cantus Magna, as they would have eliminated him eventually anyway.

It seemed that Antirianus wasn’t one to care much about rationalizations.

Antirianus and Cantus Magna had temporarily cooperated out of mutual necessity, and in the end, Antirianus had lost out, as he had given them his collection of forbidden knowledge without gaining access to the Akasha.

Of course, Cantus Magna had also suffered losses, as they had failed to eliminate Antirianus and had their secrets exposed.

“Thus, I’m telling you that contacting Cantus Magna could be surprisingly easy if you possess your own unique visions and forbidden knowledge.”

The Vampire Council wasn’t much different from a secret society. The Black Order knew of the existence of the Vampire Lords but might not be aware of the five vampire families.

Ultimately, the forbidden knowledge and magic exclusive to them would not have been acquired by Cantus Magna yet.

Hence, if the Council’s existence became known to Cantus Magna, or if the Vampire Lords revealed themselves, contact would be easy – in the form of them approaching us.

“It seems like a matter that requires careful consideration.”

Gallarush’s words resonated with me, and I agreed.

“I don’t like it.”

Luruien seemed reluctant to take on that level of risk.

To be honest, I agreed with that as well.

“Exposing ourselves doesn’t seem like a wise approach.”

“So, what do you propose?”

At Antirianus’s question, I crossed my arms.

“Last time, we made contact with the Black Order. I killed one of their members.”

Everyone, except Eleris, was understandably shocked by this statement.

“But that was just a low-level member. It wasn’t a big deal. The important thing is that I told them I could give them information about Cantus Magna.”

It’s highly likely that the Black Order is unaware of the Akasha.

The Black Order wouldn’t be completely ignorant about how to contact Cantus Magna. However, since they are rivals, they would want to assess each other before engaging in an all-out war. They would want to fight under the most favorable conditions, whether it be through a surprise attack or otherwise, which is why they need information.

The Black Order’s reluctance to risk a direct confrontation with Cantus Magna must have a significant reason.

Can this information provoke a conflict between the Black Order and Cantus Magna? And is it the right thing to do?

“First, let’s try negotiating with the Black Order and see what kind of stance they take. We can make a decision later, as there’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with my statement.

If we could obtain accurate information from the Black Order, then Cantus Magna might not be relevant at all. However, it was certain that there was something unsettling about Akasha.

Nevertheless, we had succeeded in preparing information on Cantus Magna before the Black Order made contact.

We had gained the cooperation of the Vampire Council, and obtained information about Cantus Magna.

For now, there was nothing left for us to do with the Council until the Black Order matter was resolved.

“For the time being, that concludes my business here.”

Their power was not needed at the moment.

I could only hope that such a situation would not arise.

As I gazed up at the seven statues, I suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.

If these were the statues of the lords, then there should have been statues of elves and orcs, those of Gallarush and Luruien.

However, there were no statues with long ears or ones that resembled orcs.

Of course, the statues of Lucinil and Antirianus were intact.

“After being caught in human eyes, they changed them,” said a voice from behind me.

Turning around, I saw Luruien standing there.

“They decided not to reveal what kind of place this was to humans, so if there were statues of suspicious-looking orcs or elves, it could be seen as an illegal place,” she explained.

Indeed, the statue in the Thursday position had shorter ears but still resembled Luruien.

Of course, the statue that should have represented Gallarush on Friday was in the form of an ordinary person.

Luruien stood in the center of the Pantheon, looking in a certain direction.

“I heard that among all the Vampire Lords, I am the oldest.”

“…You heard?”

Why would she talk as if she had heard about herself from someone else? Sensing my confusion, Luruien smiled wryly.

“You see, I erase my memory every 200 years.”

“Ah.”

Perhaps that was one way to endure immortality.

In that case, Luruien, the oldest existence, would have the least amount of memories of the past.

Had Luruien chosen to erase her memories instead of embracing death?

“I must have wanted to forget, but I had to, so that’s probably why…”

Luruien stood in the center of the Pantheon with her arms folded, looking in some direction.

“I’m so curious about what I knew before I erased my memory.”

Her eyes had a faint, nostalgic feeling.

“Why the elves were exterminated for some reason.”

“What happened to Sunday and Monday? What were they in the first place?”

“I must have known everything.”

“Why did I have to erase those memories?”

“Or, did I actually erase my memories?”

Luruien looked at me.

It wasn’t just curiosity, but a longing that was almost like desire.

She had erased her own memories, but she couldn’t understand why she had to do so, and it seemed as if Luruien longed for the lost memories.

She must have known everything. But she was curious about the reason why she had to erase it.

Luruien stood still, watching the statue of Sunday and Monday.

Apart from Antirianus, the Vampire Lords were all complicated beings, beyond good and evil.

“Do you have a wish like Wednesday’s Lord?”

“Like Lucinil?”

Did Luruien have something like that, as Lucinil had wanted a soul?

“Perhaps… regaining my true memories. All the memories I’ve forgotten so far.”

Luruien said that and shook her head.

“But if I find them all, I’ll surely go mad.”

She wanted to regain her memories, but she didn’t have the confidence to bear them.

“That’s right. I don’t particularly have a wish, but I don’t want to face death. I’m just postponing it like this. I live with only very important memories left, including the fact that I’m a Vampire Lord and that I lead the Thursday Clan.”

Excluding memories of magic, power, and knowledge, she had erased all useless memories and continued to accumulate time.

“Living… on.”

As if compressing himself. Luruien seemed to ponder her last words, then tilted her head. Perhaps she thought the word “living” didn’t suit the undead.

“Rather, it seems more accurate to say that I’m slowly dying.”

Postponing death indefinitely into the future and slowly dying.

When they can no longer bear the immortal time, they choose death.

So, Luruien said, it’s not living, but slowly dying.

It seemed the same as living, but what’s the difference?

Living and slowly dying.

The results were the same, but the nuances were painfully different.

“After all your plans are finished and you truly rebuild Darkland, what do you plan to do?”

Luruien asked me that.

A profound emptiness emanated from this ancient being. She was living, but the awareness of living a meaningless life without reason could be felt.

If I become the Demon King, then what comes next, and next, and after that?

Is that what you’re asking?

Unfortunately, I have no intention of truly becoming the Demon King. Thus, such a question is meaningless.

I’ve never thought about it.

“I’ll do something.”

“…?”

“That’s right. I’ll do something. I won’t do nothing at all.”

Even if it came to that, I wouldn’t do nothing, so that’s all I could say.

At my words, Luruien burst into laughter.

“Ha ha… Ha ha! I see. Yes. Something… I’ll do something.”

I didn’t know what was so funny about my words, but Luruien’s ears perked up as she laughed.

“That’s good. Perhaps it’s better to think that way.”

I couldn’t tell what kind of resonance my casual response had with Luruien.

However, Luruien said that it had been a long time since she laughed like that, and then she disappeared down the hallway in silence.

Emptiness is not for those who have given up on thinking.

It is because one thinks too deeply and then thinks again that they fall into emptiness.

Having realized that, Luruien’s footsteps seemed quite light.

——

The next day.

While I had no immediate business with the other Vampire Lords, they agreed to cooperate.

Although Akasha itself is a great source of power, they said they would investigate how to open the dimensional gate to the other world I had mentioned.

“It’s a subject I’ve never considered before. It piques my interest.”

It was Antirianus’ words.

Regardless of whether it was possible to collapse the empire through cooperation with the other world, it seemed that the idea of exploring the existence of the other world appealed to him.

They were great people with nothing but time on their hands. Being mages as well, it seemed their interest was simply piqued.

“If the Demon King needs our help, the Council will reconvene.”

Those were Luruien’s words.

Normally, the Council would not be convened unless there was a special reason. However, since the Vampire Council had decided to establish a connection with me, they seemed committed to fulfilling their responsibilities as allies.

Although they couldn’t provide much help, they all cooperated with me for their own reasons.

I quietly watched as they began to leave Epiaux fortress one by one through teleportation.

Eleris had left the imperial capital for now. There would be no reason for her to return to the capital until she found a new hiding place or disguise.

Thus, it seemed she would remain in the Council as a liaison for the time being.

I thought we could meet anytime through teleportation, but as the distance grew vast, it felt somewhat sad.

It was nice to have her within reach, after all.

In the grand hall of Epiaux fortress, Eleris bowed her head to me.

“Please take care, Your Highness.”

“?”

What is she talking about?

“I should accompany you, shouldn’t I? Not send you off alone?”

“Ah.”

Eleris tilted her head as I said that.

“It seems Lucinil hasn’t told you yet.”

I wondered what she was talking about, and before I knew it, Lucinil was standing beside me.

“Archdemon, you’re coming with me.”

“…Why?”

“I have to stay here for a while, so if you need magic, Lucinil will help you.”

Ah.

I see.

Lucinil has no clan under her control and is alone. So she is more free than the other Vampire Lords.

Moreover, there was Lydia’s supervision and due to the mission as a Council liaison, Eleris had decided to stay here for a while.

So, for now, I won’t have Eleris’s support.

That meant that from now on, if I needed to go somewhere using teleportation or needed powerful magic, Lucinil would be there to help.

“Lucinil is much more versatile than I am, so she can serve you better.”

What kind of debt did the Lord of Wednesday owe for her to help me like this? Even Eleris seemed to trust Lucinil quite a bit, at least more than the other Vampire Lords.

“Serve, Eleris? That makes it sound like I’m inferior to this guy.”

“Ah, sorry Lucinil. Let’s correct that to protect.”

“Tsk.”

“Protect, huh? That makes it sound like I need a nanny or something.”

“…Didn’t you?”

“Tsk.”

I couldn’t help but admit it.

While not actually a nanny, having an archmage by my side was quite convenient. In place of Eleris, the archmage who would be busy with other duties for a while, I had another archmage at my side.

Although Lucinil appeared to be a foolish child on the outside, she was actually a Homunculus Vampire just pretending to be a young child.

“Get ready. We’ll be leaving soon.”

Lucinil signaled me as she finished casting.

“Please take care, Your Highness.”

Eleris looked at me with a worried gaze.

“You too, be careful.”

Somehow.

It felt strange and bizarre, like saying goodbye to my parents!

Soon, Lucinil activated the Mass Teleport.

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