Demon King of the Royal Class

Chapter 284

It was winter, so the sun had set early, and it was already dark. However, the bright lights everywhere and the festive atmosphere around the Temple meant that the main street still felt lively.

“Isn’t the festival supposed to start on Monday?” I asked.

Charlotte laughed at my question.

“The restrictions on entry are lifted from Monday onwards, but the restrictions on business hours and curfew have already been lifted, beginning today. That means that people who have entry passes to the Temple get to enjoy the festival a bit earlier.”

In a way, the festival had already started. During the festival period, the fortress-like Temple would open its gates to all civilians.

Of course, security would be significantly increased, but for the residents of the capital, this one week was the only time they could actually see the Temple, which usually existed only in their imaginations.

However, the streets weren’t crowded with civilians yet. It was still the preparation period for the festival. Despite this, the streets were still lit up brightly, and there were street vendors everywhere selling food, with delicious smells wafting in from all directions.

Many people were buying food from the vendors, and students were practicing music or singing in the streets.

Charlotte looked at me with a mischievous smile. “The students from the general classes have been busy preparing for various events, but thanks to someone, the Royal Class students, who should have been the busiest, get to take a break this festival.”

“Then you should be grateful,” I replied.

“Ah, right. I should have expected this reaction.”

While the general class population was busy preparing for the festival, the Royal Class, which should have been the busiest, had nothing to do. We were leisurely wandering the streets on the eve of the festival. Charlotte had apparently skipped dinner while waiting for us as well.

“Let’s eat that.”

As I had noted before, Charlotte wasn’t picky about food. Following her suggestion, the three of us bought grilled chicken skewers from one of the street vendors. They smelled irresistibly delicious. It seemed like Charlotte, in addition to not being picky, also had a fondness for street food.

“Ouch! That’s hot!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“Hey, no one’s going to steal it from you, okay? Eat slowly,” I said.

“I didn’t know it would be this hot.”

Scarlett seemed slightly surprised at how casually I was treating Charlotte. For someone who always used honorifics when conversing with others, it must have been a strange sight.

Charlotte blew on the hot chicken skewer and took small, careful bites. She ate so delicately that she looked like a tiny mouse nibbling away at her food.

‘What the heck? That’s ridiculously cute.’

Scarlett also ate her chicken skewer slowly to avoid burning herself. I took one bite of mine, then just held onto it.

“It feels like I’m the only one eating earnestly,” Charlotte said as she looked back and forth between Scarlett and me.

I was a nominal beggar, and Scarlett was an actual beggar.

“This is too sweet,” I said.

My chicken skewer had been coated in something like teriyaki sauce before being grilled, but even though it wasn’t that sweet, it didn’t suit my taste.

“How sweet could it be?”

Charlotte tilted her head curiously, and when I offered her a bite, she looked a bit flustered.

“H-Huh... What? Why?” she asked in confusion.

“Try a bite.”

“Huh? Uh, okay?”

“What’s with the hesitation? Do you think it’s dirty?”

“No, no! It’s not that...”

‘I thought she said that because she wanted to try it!’

“If you don’t want to, then forget it.”

“No, no! It’s not dirty at all!”

When I tried to take it back, Charlotte grabbed my arm and took a bite of the chicken skewer in my hand. It felt a little like she was forcing herself to do so.

Scarlett stared at us, wide-eyed.

‘Seriously. Are we kids or what? Why is this such a big deal?’

Charlotte, her face flushed, chewed, and then shook her head.

“It’s not that sweet,” she said.

“It’s a matter of taste, I guess.”

Charlotte clicked her tongue at me. “You’re really picky about the strangest things.”

Her expression suggested that she was finding me more and more peculiar. She then turned to Scarlett, who had also stopped eating after taking a single bite.

“Why aren’t you eating, Scarlett?”

“This is too spicy.”

She had randomly picked one, and it turned out to be a spicy flavor. Charlotte stared at Scarlett, who hesitated before offering her chicken skewer.

“W-Would... you like to try it?” Scarlett offered.

Charlotte took a bite from the end of the chicken skewer Scarlett was holding and started chewing.

“...”

Charlotte’s face began to turn bright red.

‘Hmm. I thought the spiciness was manageable since Scarlett’s reaction was rather calm, but apparently not.’

“...”

“I’ll go get some water.”

“I-I really shouldn’t have offered it to her...”

Charlotte, unable to chew properly, had her mouth slightly open, exposing the half-chewed bits of chicken inside.

‘What is this? What did I just eat?’ Her expression seemed to say.

***

In the end, we sat by a nearby fountain to rest. Even after drinking the water I brought her, Charlotte continued to rinse her mouth for a while, looking quite angry.

“What the heck! Why would they sell something like that without a warning? Who would eat that!” Charlotte pouted, rubbing her lips. “This isn’t just spicy; it hurts. It hurts so much. My lips are on fire.”

“You’re not good with spicy food?”

“Why would I go out of my way to eat something like that?”

“People seem drawn to it. I bought the most popular one just now,” Scarlett said.

Charlotte’s mouth fell open. “Why would anyone do that?”

“I’m not really sure myself.”

I didn’t particularly like spicy food either, but Charlotte seemed to have concluded that people who enjoyed such masochistic culinary experiences were weirdos.

While all sorts of food was being sold along the main street, the food we usually had in the Royal Class dormitory and the dinner we had been served in the Spring Palace did not include anything spicy, so it made sense that she wouldn’t be familiar with something like chili powder.

Scarlett, who had said the chicken skewer was too spicy, was eating it bit by bit.

‘Does she actually like spicy food, or is she just forcing herself to eat it?’

“Didn’t you say it was too spicy?” I asked.

“Yes.” Scarlett said as she took another bite. “But it’s a waste to throw it away.”

“...”

“...”

Charlotte and I exchanged glances.

It was a statement that tugged at the heartstrings.

‘So what does that make me, the one who threw mine away earlier?’

Scarlett and Charlotte continued to nibble on their chicken skewers. I had thrown mine away because it was too sweet, but there was another reason for it as well.

“Can’t you eat more neatly? You’re getting it all over yourselves!” I said.

I handed them some tissues I had brought along just in case. I had to stop myself from wiping their faces directly.

‘I hate it when food gets on my clothes. These skewers are messy and the sauce drips everywhere.’

“Oh no! When did I get so much on me?”

“Yes indeed...”

Charlotte and Scarlett both panicked as they noticed the bits of sauce on their skirts, faces, and even in their hair, and hastily began wiping it off. Eventually, they both ended up leaning forward awkwardly as they ate their skewers.

The princess and the beggar, eating chicken skewers in the same posture, both covered in sauce... Quite a rare sight.

“Ugh, it tastes good, but it’s so messy to eat.”

After throwing away the remnants of the skewers in the trash, Charlotte wiped her sauce-stained clothes, though it didn’t really help.

“Still, it’s all part of the experience, right? Let’s go! Let’s find something else to eat!” Charlotte said, excitedly leading the way.

Scarlett smiled as she watched her.

“You seem to be in a really good mood recently, for some reason,” she said.

Charlotte and Scarlett were both from Class B, and were close. Of course, Charlotte probably hadn’t shared much about herself with Scarlett. So, while they seemed close physically, there was still a significant emotional distance between them.

Even so, I knew that Charlotte considered Scarlett important to her.

“Whatever it is, I’m glad,” Scarlett remarked.

It seemed Scarlett shared the sentiment.

Charlotte did indeed seem to be in a good mood. I finally understood why she had skipped dinner and asked us out on that particular Friday night.

Once the real festival started, it would be too crowded to wander around freely. The tournament preliminaries were about to start the next day. Even if she could walk the streets while wearing her bracelet that had been enchanted with Cognitive Dissonance, both Scarlett and I would be busy with our own matters.

“Hey, look at that! Doesn’t that look delicious?” Charlotte exclaimed.

Charlotte wanted to enjoy the festival with us in advance.

Her platinum blonde hair shimmered brilliantly in the lights of the Temple’s winter night as she flitted about the streets.

***

Rather than settling in one place to eat, we wandered around, sampling various street foods that caught our interest. Instead of each of us ordering three of the same item, we ordered one and shared it among us.

Sometimes it was stir-fried noodles, other times it was a drink.

“It’s nice to be able to try a bit of everything,” Charlotte said.

For Charlotte, this was undoubtedly a first-time experience, but she seemed more delighted than overwhelmed. The most flustered one was Scarlett, especially when they shared a drink with the same straw. Scarlett herself didn’t mind it, but she seemed utterly surprised by Charlotte’s nonchalance towards it.

We also encountered some nostalgic items.

“Ugh... this taste brings back memories...”

“... Not very good memories, it seems.”

We had come across fresh coconuts with straws stuck in them. Charlotte, excited, bought one, and we each took a sip. Scarlett stared at the coconut with a bewildered expression.

“Oh, was it always this bad?” Scarlett asked.

“I know, right? Is this a different type of coconut? It tastes so different from what I remember!”

“It’s just your nostalgia embellishing it,” I commented.

“... Maybe it is.”

Back on that deserted island in the scorching summer heat, drinking coconut water as a substitute for fresh water... it had to have felt different. In the middle of winter, with plenty of food and drink around, it was just a strange juice with a slightly fishy flavor.

Charlotte giggled, probably reminiscing about our time on the deserted island.

“Haha, I thought my clothes were dirty with all sorts of stains, but compared to back then, this is nothing.”

Whether they were princes, princesses, or grand duchesses, everyone had been filthy and miserable. I had experienced that ordeal with Class A, while Charlotte had led Class B through it.

“When it rained so heavily, I thought it was all over,” Charlotte reminisced.

“Yes, me too,” Scarlett agreed.

“When Ashir summoned that light with Divine Magic, it felt like we had finally been saved.”

“Yes, I felt the same way.”

The two of them were reminiscing about their experiences with Class B.

“Ludwig caught dozens of fish on the first day... That guy is something else. If only he used his head a bit more,” Charlotte said.

“Still, I think he has many strengths.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply he was weak.”

“I understand what you mean.”

As I watched them conversing, I could sense what their usual dynamic was like. Charlotte did most of the talking, while Scarlett would add her own small comments or agree. Scarlett seemed to be a good listener.

Not wanting me to feel left out, Charlotte turned to me. “You were amazing back then too, Reinhart.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“Why, Vertus told me after that if it weren’t for you, half of the class would have given up on the first day.”

‘Vertus said that? It’s surprising that those two even have conversations.’

They didn’t completely ignore each other, but bickered openly.

‘I mean, if that’s considered conversation, then so be it.’

Honestly, I hadn’t wanted to take the lead initially. I only took action first, in front of those who wanted to give up. That prompted Vertus to start leading. In terms of actual contributions, I didn’t do much.

Vertus was the one who provided most of the leadership, Harriet and Adelia had used their magic to help set up the camp, and Ellen went hunting. All those played a huge part. Even during the final orc hunt, Ellen and Harriet did most of the work.

Of course, starting something was half the battle, and I couldn’t deny the importance of initiating it.

Charlotte took another sip from the coconut she was holding, the one that tasted different from what she remembered, and looked up at the night sky. The street lights were so bright that no stars were visible.

“This year felt really long,” she said.

The year marked the end of the Great War and the destruction of the Demon Realm, a monumental year for humanity. However, the year felt incredibly long for both Charlotte and me, for different reasons.

So many things had happened.

It was the end of the second semester of Temple, with only the festival left, and I was reflecting on the year while preparing for the final events to come.

Charlotte held onto the coconut tightly. It might not taste as good as she remembered it, but it was close enough.

“Let’s do our best next year too.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

We would have to do our best, no matter what.

***

When I asked Charlotte if she was entering Miss Temple or something similar, she said she had no intention of doing so. She said it would be ridiculous, whether she won or not.

If she won, it would largely be because she was a princess, and if she lost, the winner would be left in an awkward position. Although Olivia didn’t seem like the type to care about such things, Charlotte had no plans to participate in anything during the festival.

If Charlotte were to enter the Open Tournament or the first-year tournament, though, she would undoubtedly win. I wasn’t sure how much of her power she could actually wield, but she had managed to push Sabioleen Tana to her limits that night. Of course, that might have required specific conditions, like being under the cover of darkness.

However, Charlotte feared and disliked her own ability, and would surely not participate in a tournament and wield her power over the shadows.

Friday passed, and Saturday arrived. The Royal Class dormitory felt empty. Ellen, Riana, and Cliffman were at the Granz mansion, while Harriet and Adelia had apparently spent the night at the Magic Research Club estate. Vertus had also returned to the Imperial Palace. The only ones left in the Class A dormitory were me, Heinrich, and the hopeless trio.

During breakfast, while eating in the nearly-deserted dormitory dining hall, Heinrich looked over at me.

“The preliminaries start today, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” I replied.

After the incident in the Edina Archipelago, he wasn’t exactly friendly, but he no longer picked fights with me.

The tournament was not restricted to students from certain majors. There were no rules against superhumans participating, so Heinrich or Riana could have entered without any issues.

However, Riana seemed more interested in dressing up, and Heinrich hadn’t entered either.

He clicked his tongue. “If you weren’t participating, I would have entered too.”

He was sure he would lose to me, so he’d decided not to participate once he learned that I was participating.

It felt oddly flattering to hear him say that so casually.

Heinrich seemed to firmly believe that I would win, and the troublesome trio listening to us nearby did not seem to believe differently.

Connor Lint suddenly looked around. The female students who usually gave him dirty looks whenever he spoke nonsense were absent.

“Hey, there’s something else too,” Connor Lint said as he lowered his voice.

“What is it?” Kaier asked, suddenly intrigued.

“A cross-dressing contest.”

“... What?”

“Cross-dressing?”

“Yeah, apparently that’s going on as well. It’s not as big an event as Miss Temple or Mister Temple, but it’s a contest where guys dress as girls and girls dress as guys.”

Erhi frowned deeply. “Are they crazy? Why would they hold something like that?”

“Apparently, it’s held every year, and it’s quite popular.”

A cross-dressing contest... Just hearing about it made me dizzy.

I glared at Connor Lint.

“Shut up. Anyone who enters or watches that is a pervert,” I said, despite having once transformed into a girl and confessed to Connor Lint...

‘This is making me dizzy.’

I felt so anxious that I was about to throw up. Something was about to happen.

I had a bad feeling that an event was about to trigger.

[New Event Update - Cross-Dressing Contest]

[Objective: Win the Cross-Dressing Contest.]

[Reward: +5 Mana, Increased Magic Resistance]

‘Ah... This is seriously nauseating... Damn it, you bastard. Whoever you are, I don’t know why you’re doing this to me.’

.

.

“Are you Reinhart, Royal Class first year, A-11?”

“... Yes.”

“You’ve been successfully registered for the cross-dressing contest.”

‘Seriously, I’m going to kill you!’