Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo Dorei Majutsu - Volume 13 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Trying to Convince People 

That night, Horn was in the Inner Sanctum’s observatory. In her hand was the Holy Grail, and within it sat Babalon, a goddess only she could see. Babalon was palmtop-sized and dressed in a peculiar outfit, but no one else could see or hear her. Only the owner of the Holy Grail, now Horn, could communicate with her. 

“Haaaaa. This situation is really messed up...” 

“Talk about a miss~ If you had killed the enemy country’s commander, you woulda like, leveled up a whole ton. Y’know? Diablo boy totally stole your kill. It totes sucks~” 

Babalon had a tendency of speaking with some strange dialect Horn didn’t really understand. She could only pick up on the gist of what Babalon was saying at any given time. Babalon introduced herself as a Goddess from another world, so maybe it was what was spoken there. 

“I think the Boss wanted to...” 

“Yeah, yeah, I getcha~ ? He didn’t want to let you become a murderer. But if that was true, why let you go to the battlefield anyway, y’know?” 

“I just wasn’t ready for this...” Horn shook her head. 

“Kyahaha... Totally! Like, why didn’t you finish him off? It’s my first time having an owner like you, lmao.” 

“Really?” 

“I mean, people offer blood to the Holy Grail to level up, y’know? They like, murder people. Seeing someone hesitate to kill is like, not something that happens with me!” 

“Nng...” 

Compared to past users of the Holy Grail, Horn was lacking in resolve. And she was probably just as lacking in skill. She only borrowed the Grail from Diablo’s treasure vault because she happened to see it... and needed something to serve as a makeshift toilet. 

“So like, where’s Diablo boy?” 

“He said he was tired so he was going to sleep in his room... But he’s probably in shock. Ah, Rem and Shera went to sleep in their room, too.” 

Rose had gone to Diablo’s room. The only one left in the observatory was Sylvie. She was quite fatigued, too, and was napping. Lumachina had gone with the Paladins and high ranking priests to the prayer room. Apparently, they were trying to come up with some countermeasure against the Magimatic Castle Viovix. 

Horn couldn’t help but feel like their discussion would be fruitless, though. How do you oppose something like that castle...? 

“Hornie, you should totally, like, turn that frown upside down. Your face could get stuck that way.” 

“And that’d be totes bad, right...?” Horn asked sarcastically. 

“No! Times like this you gotta, like, be hyper! Stay positive and all that!” 

“I don’t understand a word you’re saying...” 

“Let’s amp up the music? Woo?” 

Booming music started playing inside Horn’s head. 

“Huh? Why am I hearing music?! How did you do that?!” Horn looked at her with round eyes. 

“Heheh!” Babalon said smugly. “I’m like, a goddess, y’know? Playing my favorite tunes is like, piece of cake for me.” 

“What is this weird music?! It’s too loud! I can’t think like this!” 

“...Hey, Hornie! You got a problem with my tunes?! Huh?! If you can’t tell how good this music is, it’s because your ears are full of crap! Ah, I’ll clean them out with this dagger.” 

For how small she was, Babalon was apparently pretty strong and could pick up Horn’s dagger from the floor with both hands. She even aptly pulled it out of its sheath. 

“H-Hey, that’s my poison dagger! Y-You can’t use that!” 

“Imma shut you up! Silence, you!” 

“Hii?!” 

But the next moment, Horn was jolted by the sound of military boots clicking against the floor. The Paladin Tria suddenly appeared before her. She was a strait-laced, pious woman who had sworn fealty to Lumachina. 

“What is all this racket?! Don’t you know how late it is?” Tria asked grimly. 

“Ugh... Sorry...” Horn mumbled awkwardly. 

“She got mad at youuuuu! Ahahahaha!” Babalon rolled around, laughing and grabbing her sides. 

Tria looked down at the floor, her eyes narrowed. The drawn dagger was lying there. 

“...I understand how you feel, but restrain yourself. These aren’t opponents you could have beaten on your own,” she said. 

“Huh? N-No, I...” 

How was she supposed to interpret this? Horn didn’t think she could deal with that situation all on her own. She picked up the dagger, put it back in its sheath, and put it into her bag. 

“I’ve heard of you from Her Grace,” Tria said thankfully. “She said that the defeat of the enemy commander Doriadanph was mostly thanks to your efforts.” 

“Ah?! Oh, erm, aah... I guess you could say that, but not really...” 

“Truth be told, I was opposed to including you in the strike force.” 

“Ah...” 

“As limited as my skills may be, I am still a Paladin. I believed that wherever Her Grace goes, I must follow as her guardian.” 

“...Yes.” 

“And yet, you have distinguished yourself and contributed to the battle. I likely would not have been able to do that. Using poison is forbidden by the Church, after all... But in truth, that doesn’t really matter. You present yourself as a weak child, but the truth is you are a young woman of distinction and strength. I must admit I am ashamed of my ignorance.” 

“Kahahaha! But you’re actually like, super weak!” 

“Right... I mean, no!” Horn corrected herself, remembering only she could hear Babalon. “I’m not distinguished or strong!” 

Responding to Babalon’s teasing made her response come out wrong. She would have to be conscious of replying to Babalon. 

“We’ve received word just now that the Imperial soldiers occupying the castle have surrendered,” Tria told her. 

“...Huh?” 

“The Imperial invasion force has lost its commander, and it seems Emperor Gelmed is ignoring them. He isn’t replying to any of their attempts to make contact.” 

“What?! That’s horrible!” 

“They’re currently being unified under Corps Commander Aira Arjana. You’ve met her, yes?” 

“I... know what she looks like, yeah...” 

When she left the castle’s courtyard, Aira had stood straight and saluted at her. 

“Didn’t she, like, tell you something?” Babalon asked. 

“...She said, ‘We all owe you for our freedom.’” 

“I agree with what she said,” Tria nodded. “Lady Aira has supplied us with information regarding the Magimatic Sols’ workshop.” 

“Their workshop?” 

“And she also told us of Alicia Cristela’s current whereabouts.” 

“Really?!” Horn raised her voice so suddenly that Babalon fell off her seat on the Holy Grail’s rim. 

Tria raised a hand, signaling Horn to keep her voice down. 

“She was forced to board a Magimatic Sol called ?Goldinus of the Gold?. Apparently, she is compatible with it. I do not know the details, but it seems she has some sort of rare, unusual talent.” 

“I don’t really know about any talent, but...” Horn frowned. 

Apparently, the interior of the Magimatic Sol was part of Emperor Gelmed. Opposing him would result in the pilot being devoured. She’d never seen her, but Toaha’s final scream was still fresh in Horn’s memories. 

If she’s inside that thing, do we even have any hope of saving her...? 

“Oh, right, I saw a golden Magimatic Sol fly to Viovix. That could have been Goldinus.” 

“There’s a good chance Miss Alicia is in a state where she can’t resist their orders.” 

“Yeah, probably.” 

Alicia was actually a Demon Lord worshiper, and hated the Kingdom of Lyferia from the bottom of her heart. There was the possibility she defected to the Empire. But still, Horn wanted to believe in her. She was only captured because she tried to save Rem’s life, after all. 

“I understand that you acknowledge me, but why are you giving me all this information?” Horn asked. 

“Her Grace held a council with the priests regarding Viovix...” Tria said with a mixed expression. 

“Right.” 

“And the conclusion they came to is that we have no way of dealing with it. All we can do is pray.” 

Horn fell silent. 

“Ahaha, I totally could have told them that before they even had their stupid meeting!” Babalon cackled, pointing at Tria mockingly. 

Horn flipped the Holy Grail, placing it with its mouth against the ground. 

“Mmmmf?!” 

Ignoring Babalon’s muffled complaints, Horn started thinking. The Church’s soldiers had no way of resisting that castle. In which case, the only reason they’d give Horn information despite that... 

“...You’re hoping the Boss can handle it.” 

“Right. As pitiful as it is... We can only rely on the Paladin Captain. If nothing else, Her Grace has no intention of handing Miss Rem over to the enemy.” 

“Of course not!” 

“Don’t worry. Everyone is in agreement with regards to that. That man destroyed a town altogether as a threat with little to no discussion... How are we to trust him?” 

“We can’t!” 

“We’ve also heard that lands occupied by the Gelmed Empire were subjected to terrible treatment. In which case, we can’t know that Her Grace’s safety is guaranteed. We must avoid surrendering to the Empire at all costs.” 

Babalon appeared on top of the flipped Holy Grail at some point, lying languidly as if exhausted. 

“Kill anyone who resists. Gradually kill anyone who obeys. Peeps like that are pretty common...” 

“I’ll let the Boss know,” Horn nodded. 

“Please do,” Tria said. 

But did Diablo even know what to do about this...? 

Horn saw it. The barrier on the castle deflected Diablo’s magic. It was the same as the barrier around Faltra. And the attack Emperor Gelmed launched was probably some kind of magic too, but one of never-before-seen magnitude and power. Having studied the basics of magic made Horn all too aware of how irrationally powerful the Magimatic Castle Viovix was. 

“I’m sure the Boss will come up with something!” Horn exclaimed, as if to cheer herself up. 

† 

In a forest, some distance away from Castle Sevenwall... 

Normally, at this time of night, the forest would be filled with the chirping of birds and insects. But at this moment, a sense of pressure hung over the area, silencing everything inside. It felt as if even the trees were holding their breath. 

Hidden between the trees of this forest were the minister, Noah Gibun, and her Order of Palace Knights. But of course, with the King of Lyferia dead and the castle in enemy hands, it was doubtful if anyone even acknowledged the existence or authority of the Order of Palace Knights. 

“It looks like the first district was wiped out,” Noah said, moving her eyes away from the binoculars. 

Alan, the Dwarven boy, gave a whistle, as if impressed. Maximum Abrams, the captain of the order, punched him over his spikey, silver-haired head. 

“We’re in the middle of a covert operation,” he chided Alan. 

“C’mon, no one knows we’re here! Besides, Captain, why are we hiding? Let’s charge them! We can beat the Gelmed Empire, right?!” 

Maximum pressed a finger against his own forehead. Recent events had plagued him with migraines. The same could be said for Noah. 

“Alan? If you’re going to be noisy, I’ll have to send you back to the carriage,” Noah warned him. 

“C’mon, if we’re scouting, I could charge in and run wild for a bit! Whaddaya say?” 

...He actually would do it, Noah thought to herself dryly and sighed. 

Maximum clenched his fist, preparing to land a second iron blow over Alan’s head, but Noah raised her hand to stop him. 

“...I guess now’s as good of a time as any. We’ve spent days simply watching over the situation. It’s about time I explained everything to you.” 

Noah gathered the entire group, and they all sat in a circle in the forest. Noah was currently clad in a black outfit. It was open around the chest, making it perfectly clear she was a woman. This wasn’t an evening dress, though. It was sorcerer’s armor, meant to enhance the power of the wearer’s magic. And while it looked like it was lacking in defense, it emitted a barrier that made it stronger than a suit of full plate mail. 

Before now, she had played the role of a duke or general in Lyferia, and dressed accordingly. But right now, she knew titles and status wouldn’t be of much use. Looking around at her comrades’ faces, Noah parted her lips. 

“...It seems half of my estimates were correct, while the other half were off. I was right in that the Gelmed Empire would try to destroy Lyferia.” 

“And they did a splendid job of smashing this country to dust,” Maximum nodded. 

He was a Human male with black-rimmed glasses. His black hair parted to one side, giving him the face of an intellectual researcher. The body his head was sitting on, however, was a hulking mass of muscle. Currently he was following Noah’s orders, effectively making him the sub-leader of this group. 

Sitting next to him was the white-haired Dwarf, Alan. He shared his name with the ancient hero, but he wasn’t related to him in any way, as many were named after this hero. While he was still young, however, his skill made him lauded as the second coming of the hero. He’d never lost a one-on-one match against the other members of the Order of Palace Knights. 

“Hey, if you let me fight a Magimatic Sol head on and go all out, I wouldn’t lose!” he insisted. 

“Stop being stupid, you doofus.” Another member of the order, a Demon girl, snapped at him mockingly. “You might be fine, but the rest of us wouldn’t. You saw how that horned Demon, Diablo, defeated them, didn’t you?” 

She was identical to a Human except for the tattoos running along her face and body. This was the group’s magi gunner, Daisy. She was a major supporter of Noah and often butted heads with Alan. And as always, Alan retorted at her. 

“That’s just him being weak.” 

“God, you’re stupid. He fired a Lightning Storm spell without a magical circle! Do you have any idea how high an elemental sorcerer’s level has to be to pull that off?!” 

“It’s fine, I’ll just whack them until they go poof!” 

“You dumb hero!” 

A Pantherian woman with a tall, finely-toned body tried to calm the two of them down. This was the group’s lancer, and her spear — which was three times her height — was thrust into the ground next to her. Pantherians traditionally preferred short, simple names, and Chobi was no exception. She didn’t have a surname, since her family wasn’t of any particular repute. 

“Alan’s plenty strong without knowing anything about magic, so it’s fine,” she said. 

“Stop spoiling the idiot, Chobi!” Daisy spat at her. 

Realizing that the conversation would come to a standstill with these two arguing, a young Elf man motioned for Noah to continue. He had a crimson long coat and a black longsword — the warrior who introduced himself as ‘Thanatos the Undying.’ 

“So what part did you get wrong, Noah?” he asked. 

“The Gelmed Empire is far too strong. I didn’t expect the castle to fall that quickly. And then there’s that Magimatic Castle...” 

“We gotta fight them!” Alan interrupted Noah’s words only for Daisy to clasp both hands over his mouth. “Mgmgmgmg...?!” 

“How dare you interrupt Lady Noah! Now shut up, or I’ll shoot you in the mouth!” 

They were clamoring loudly. And while they were a long way from the enemy, they were still technically operating in secret... Exasperated, Noah kept talking. 

“But if I made one major miscalculation, it was that I assumed Emperor Gelmed would have either died of old age or lost his powers by now.” 

“It seems he’s quite old,” Maximum added. “Over one hundred years old.” 

“Which means he’s almost at the end of his lifespan, so long as he’s not an Elf. But the Emperor is looking for the Girl of the Vessel, and that’s a major issue I didn’t predict.” 

“What do you mean?” Maximum asked. 

Someone else answered his question — a Grasswalker girl, seated atop the carriage’s roof and swinging her legs. Her white rabbit ears were hidden under a small hat and her body was covered by a robe, making her look like a Human child. 

Her name was Utata. Having names that repeated the same sounds was a long-running Grasswalker tradition. 

“See, the Girl of the Vessel is the secret to rejuvenation, I guess,” she said. 

“Rejuvenation...?” Maximum repeated the word. 

“Well, technically, you could call it rebirth, I guess? People are born as pure, unblemished souls, but as they mature, their souls become blighted and polluted. Normally, when you die, your soul gets purified in Heaven, and your memories get wiped in the process. Then you’re born again as a baby.” 

“Hearing you talk about religion is unusual, Utata,” Maximum said. 

“Well, the Church twists the story in a way that’s convenient for them, I guess, but sorcerers acknowledge the validity of this theory. But then there’s the Girl of the Vessel. She’s probably capable of containing large, heavy souls within her body. Wowzers.” 

Maximum nodded, humming to himself. He wasn’t a sorcerer, but he understood quickly enough. 

“So Emperor Gelmed is trying to use the Girl of the Vessel so she can give birth to him again... Is that what you’re saying?” 

“So it seems,” another feminine-voice hummed. 

A large man got off the carriage. He was a former Paladin and a master Summoner — Gewalt, now operating as a member of the Palace Knights. He was recently gravely injured, but thanks to healing magic and a period of rest, he had returned to the fold. 

“The summon I sent to scout out the battlefield picked up on the Emperor’s words. ‘Conceive me, give birth to me, grant me new life.’ Assuming he wasn’t making something up, Utata’s guess seems to be right on the money.” 

Noah nodded. 

“Waiting for the Emperor to pass away wasn’t a good idea,” she said. 

The others nodded. Maximum, Alan, Daisy, Chobi, Thanatos, Utata, and Gewalt. Those were the current ranks of the Order of Palace Knights, and while they had other members, this was an emergency, so Noah didn’t have the time to call for them. The earth dragon-drawn dragon carriage they used was large, but it only had room for eight people, and Noah didn’t want to move in large numbers if it meant slowing down the speed of their retreat. 

There was strength in numbers, but letting their only chance of winning pass them by would only seal their defeat. And the greater their numbers, the slower they’d be, so rather than relying on large numbers, she picked the elite few who would be capable of adapting to the changing situation. 

“I didn’t know Emperor Gelmed would be that eerie, though,” Utata said, scoffing. 

“Though I can understand the Emperor’s motives,” Thanatos agreed. 

That comment earned him cold gazes from the rest of the group, especially the women. 

“Go away,” Daisy snapped at him. 

“W-Wait!” Thanatos hurriedly corrected himself. “I did not mean this talk of giving birth! I merely meant I understand the desire to become younger!” 

But everyone’s attitudes remained just as cold. 

“Really now?” Daisy cocked an eyebrow. “Well, whatever. Let’s leave it at that. Just... don’t look at me, got it?” 

“Now, now...” Chobi said with a bothered expression. “Though, I’ll admit I don’t want to give birth to Thanatos, either...” 

“I never asked you to!” 

“Gahahaha!” Alan pointed at Thanatos, laughing. “You’re such a freak!” 

“You don’t even understand half of what we’re talking about!” Thanatos shouted at him. “Go on, explain the situation again!” 

“Erm... We gotta beat the Emperor, right?!” 

“If we could do that, we wouldn’t be in this bind, now would we?!” Thanatos howled, but then... 

Alan’s expression changed. His face strained with bloodlust, and he dropped his stance low, his hand flying to his sword. For a second Thanatos thought everyone present was going to kill him, but then Alan shouted in the direction of the woods. 

“Who’s there?!” 

† 

A figure strolled out of the woods, approaching them composedly with a gait so calm the Palace Knights wondered if they were villagers living nearby. But it was a child — a child with horns, brightly-colored hair, and a tail. 

“It is I, this Demon Lord,” Klem introduced herself. 

Behind her was Edelgard, who was leading her earth dragon by its harness. 

The Fallen?! Noah rose to her feet. 

“I never would have expected to run into Fallen here...!” Maximum said, stepping forward. 

“Back off, Maximum, they’re mine! I’ve been sitting on my hands for too long!” Alan called out. 

Klem raised her hands. 

“Do not emit so much bloodlust, fool. The Emperor will notice us.” 

“Be quiet, Fallen!” 

“Hmph... A dunce, I see. Did you not hear me? I am the Demon Lord Krebskulm!” 

But that only made Noah’s group feel all the more menaced. 

“Krebskulm, the strongest Demon Lord...?! It can’t be!” Noah shouted in shock. 

“No way... But a Fallen would never assume a Demon Lord’s name,” Utata said. “So you’re either one of the races pretending to be a Demon Lord... Or you’re the real thing!” 

“This Demon Lord is the real thing. I could demonstrate my power, but... Hm. If I do, we’ll certainly draw his attention.” 

“That won’t be necessary,” Maximum shook his head. 

“Really?” Noah asked. 

“Just by facing her, I can sense her power. If nothing else, she’s much stronger than a Fallen in disguise.” 

“Mmhmm. Finally someone who understands,” Klem nodded sagely. 

“But to think the Demon Lord would be revived, and now of all times...” 

“This Demon Lord was not revived recently,” Klem shrugged. “But it matters not. Listen to what I have to say.” 

“A Demon Lord’s... trying to negotiate...?” 

For the races, a Demon Lord was destruction and massacre incarnate. Their role in nature was to kill the races, and they existed for nothing else. For all Noah and her group knew, the very conversation they were having right now was an unprecedented event, never before seen in the history of this world. 

“What’s the big idea?” Alan asked, held back by Maximum’s raised hand. “She’s super strong, but... I don’t feel any bloodlust from her. Are you really a Demon Lord?” 

Maximum had to be cautious while keeping his own allies in check. It was challenging. 

“Contain yourself, Alan. You call her ‘super strong,’ but her power is beyond measure. I cannot perceive the limits of what she’s capable of.” 

“But, c’moooon...” Alan whined. 

“I understand what you’re trying to say. But I think there can be no doubting that we’re the first people in history to have been invited to a dialogue with the Fallen.” 

“Mm?” Edelgard cocked her head at his comment. 

She had conversations with the people of Faltra, after all... 

† 

From Klem’s perspective, the Palace Knights were a gathering of people with considerable skill. They were promising, which meant that she needed to speak to them, at all costs, even if it did mean braving some degree of danger. 

Klem took a few steps forward and sat down not far from Noah and the others. Edelgard stood behind her. She put her spear down on the ground, as if to show she meant them no harm. 

“What, aren’t you going to sit?” Klem asked them. 

The first to move was Noah. 

“...This is fascinating. A Demon Lord inviting the races to conversation... I never imagined I’d live to see the day.” 

Truthfully, Noah felt pressured. She was in a deadlock, and needed a way to break through this situation. 

“Mm...” Maximum stood next to Noah with a grim, sour expression. 

He was still visibly cautious. The rest of the group looked primed to attack Klem. She didn’t seem to mind, though; she was used to having the races direct animosity toward her. 

“There’s something I’d like to ask you first, if you don’t mind,” Noah said. “How did you know we were hiding here?” 

“You may have hidden your presence, but your earth dragon is still a magical beast,” Klem replied. “I can sense it as if it were a part of this Demon Lord’s body. If you seek to hide yourselves from a Demon Lord, you would be better off not bringing it along.” 

“...Unbelievable. To think I’d overlook that... Thank you for your advice.” 

The Palace Knights exchanged gazes, as if asking if that really made sense. Utata alone had her eyes wide with surprise. 

“This is... this is incredible!” she exclaimed. “It’s a huge discovery! One could be granted the Magia Rainbow award for discovering this!” 

“Be quiet!” Chobi grabbed her and covered her mouth, just like Daisy did with Alan. 

“Mgmgmgmg...!” Muffled moans escaped Utata’s lips as she thrashed in Chobi’s grasp. The height difference made them look like an adult grappling a child. 

“It’s our time to answer your questions then,” Noah said, moving the conversation along. “Though, honestly speaking, it depends on the question.” 

“I’ve heard your conversation,” Klem gazed at Noah. “You seek to defeat Emperor Gelmed, yes?” 

“Of course. I love the people of Lyferia and want to create a peaceful country.” 

“Mmhmm. Good,” Klem nodded in satisfaction. 

“Then allow me to ask the next question. Why does the Demon Lord want to stop the Emperor? Demon Lords are those who slay the races... I don’t see why you’d be interested in a war we fight amongst ourselves.” 

Edelgard nodded a few times at Noah’s words. From the Fallen’s perspective, this war held no meaning. 

“Mm...” Klem scratched her cheek, as if conflicted. “Well, this Demon Lord doesn’t so much care about the war itself... But the Emperor won’t make towns that produce tasty biscuits.” 

“...Biscuits?” 

“And most importantly, I promised Diablo I would defend that city.” 

“Diablo?!” All the color drained from Noah’s face. “You mean... that horned Demon?!” 

“Mm,” Klem nodded. “He is this Demon Lord’s master.” 

Klem grabbed the iron collar around her neck, as if to present it. Her words struck the Palace Knights into silence. 

“I-Is that an ?Enslavement Collar??!” Noah half-rose to her feet. “He enslaved a Demon Lord?! Are you saying he actually was a real Demon Lord?!” 

“No,” Klem shook her head. “When did I say that? He is of the races. At least in body. I know not of what lies within him.” 

Those words made Noah fall into contemplative silence. 

“...It can’t be...But that means... he really might... might be the same... But the way he talks... Why?” 

“Mm?” Klem furrowed her brows. “Come to think of it, you too have an odd scent about you.” 

“A scent...?” Noah raised her arm, sniffing her sleeve. “I’ll admit I’m a bit sweaty, but that’s because I haven’t had a chance to bathe over the last few days... Though I’ve been using magic to purify myself.” 

“Not that kind of scent!” Klem exclaimed. 

“That’s what I assumed.” 

Klem then rose to her feet. 

“I want you to serve this Demon Lord!” she said. “We must go and pummel Emperor Gelmed!” 

“I refuse,” Noah said composedly. 

“What?!” 

“King Lyferia is dead, which means this is a war to avenge him... And whoever leads this war will be made the next ruler of this country. If a Demon Lord were to become king, the people of this land will be beyond saving.” 

“Nng...” Klem furrowed her brows. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. We defeat the enemy — is that not enough?” 

“No, it isn’t. Selecting the next king is crucial. If you want us to cooperate, you will have to serve under me.” 

As she spoke, Noah felt her heartbeat quicken. As brazen as she may have acted, she was nervous. A cold sweat ran down her back. An air of tension hung around them, and she could hear Maximum swallow nervously. 

“Lady Noah... That may have been a bit too...” 

“Demon Lord... serve under you?!” Edelgard growled angrily. “Races tell... Demon Lord to serve...?!” 

Seeing her aggression, Alan and Thanatos drew their weapons. 

“Guess we gotta fight them after all!” Alan said defiantly, holding up his weapon. 

“When all is said and done, they are but the Fallen... Beasts in the shape of man. Such is the will of Gaia,” Thanatos remarked, glaring at Edelgard and Klem with his longsword drawn. 

Klem, however, kept her gaze fixed on Noah. 

“You... Do you like biscuits?” she asked, eyeing Noah fixedly. 

“...Biscuits...? You mean that common confection?” Noah furrowed her brow suspiciously. “It’s a bit of a sudden question, but... I don’t mind biscuits, though I prefer apple tarts.” 

“Mm?! A-pple t-arts?! What is that?!” Klem asked, her eyes wide. 

“A sweet from my hometown. I would have the castle’s cooks bake an exquisite one, had it not been for this state of affairs... I can only pray they’re all alive and well...” 

“Very well!” Klem decided. “This Demon Lord shall serve under you!” 

“...Huh?” Noah doubted what she’d just heard. 

“That way, we can defeat the Emperor! And you can have your cooks make an apple tart for me!” 

It took Noah a few seconds of stupefied silence to process what had just happened. 

“...You, a Demon Lord, are saying you’ll serve under me?” 

“What’s the matter? It was your idea. I should hope you’re not going to run with your tail between your legs now.” 

“O-Of course not!” 

The Gelmed Empire was in pursuit of the Girl of the Vessel. Noah doubted Diablo would hand her over, but... if they succeeded in their ploy, there was the risk of that anomalous Magimatic mage rejuvenating. There was no telling how powerful he would be if he were to regain his full strength and vitality. If nothing else, he certainly wouldn’t be weaker than he was now. And he would have another century to live, with all that power intact. 

They had to fight. 

According to Gewalt’s reconnaissance, the Empire had lost its commander and the invasion army had all but collapsed. Most of the enemy’s Magimatic Sols were lost in battle, as well. If they had any chance of pulling this off, it was now. 

“If we let this opportunity pass us by, we’ll likely never have a chance at winning again.” 

“Then let’s go, now!” Klem got to her feet and started walking. 

“W-Wait! I’ll be the one to make that decision!” Noah reflexively placed a hand on her shoulder. 

She’d reached out and touched her, fooled by her child-like conduct. But upon realizing who she had just reached out to, she stopped, a shiver running down her spine. She just touched a Demon Lord. 

“Yes, right...” Klem said, scratching her head as if bothered. “This Demon Lord is your subordinate now. Very well, give your orders.” 

Klem, however, accepted her words. Relief washed over Noah. 

“...Keep our agreement in mind.” 

“Mm, I will! Go on, give the order! We must find Diablo first! Without him, we cannot beat the Emperor!” 

Rejected. 

The word instinctively rose in Noah’s throat, but she forced herself to swallow it. Diablo had transcendent strength, that much was clear. He would be a great asset to have on their side... Assuming he cooperated. 

“I have my qualms about Diablo... He doesn’t strike me as someone who can be reasoned with. I can never tell what he’s thinking.” 

“Mm!” Klem nodded in agreement, holding up her index finger. “He’s an odd one!” 

“He is!” Noah affirmed vigorously. 

“Despite being neither a king nor a hero, he fought the Demon Lord to protect the races. What else can you call that one if not odd?” 

Noah considered Klem’s words. Her spies have kept her apprised of Diablo’s actions. Between that and the unreliable rumors she had heard, it would seem that Diablo was working to save the races. If the rumors were to be believed... It wouldn’t be wrong to praise Diablo as a hero. 

But she couldn’t bring herself to trust Diablo. After all, how could she believe in someone that wouldn’t admit to their own heroics? 

“But why does he make such a show of his powers yet hide his achievements? I can’t understand him.” 

“Who knows?” Klem shrugged. “Perhaps you should ask him that question.” 

“Mm...” Noah was still undecided. 

“Now then, the first problem is Diablo’s whereabouts. I can sense his presence on this land, but the city is too big. Couldn’t you have made it smaller...?” 

Noah calculated the situation. 

We have a Demon Lord on our side. I think we’re perfectly capable of beating the Gelmed Empire. Do we really need Diablo on our side? It doesn’t matter how strong he is. A game piece that defies orders has no value. If anything, he’s a liability... 

But refusing might make Krebskulm break off from us and go looking for Diablo herself, and we need her power. She’s our key to beating this situation, I can’t afford to lose her. 

“Diablo’s at the Grand Cathedral, yes?” Noah asked, turning a glance at Gewalt, who stood at her back. 

“Yes, for certain,” he nodded. “It looks like he can freely go in and out of the Inner Sanctum. It does make sense, given how little Lumachina adores him.” 

“Ooh, you know where Diablo and Lumachina are?!” Klem reacted to Gewalt. 

“Heheh... Of course I do. My adorable Summon Beast, ?Secret Graho?, is keeping a close eye on them.” 

“You’re a smart one! This Demon Lord praises you!” 

“Why, thank you!” 

...I suppose meeting him wouldn’t hurt, Noah concluded. But either way, staying here and looking through the binoculars isn’t going to make things swing our way. 

“We’ll go around and into the northern forest come nightfall,” she instructed Maximum. “We’ll leave our dragon carriage there and head to the northern gate by foot, using ?Stealth? as we do.” 

“Can we really trust a Demon Lord?” he asked her anxiously. 

“We’ll just have to see. For now, believe in me.” 

Maximum bowed respectfully and boarded the carriage. 

† 

In the Inner Sanctum, Diablo sat in his room. Rose came to him, asking for a fast recharge, but Diablo declined. The thought of doing it in a place that was essentially holy ground didn’t sit well with him. 

A fast recharge would turn this place into a horny ground instead... 

Rose stood against the wall. Just being in Diablo’s vicinity was enough for her to gradually recharge. 

“Master, Rose will temporarily enter sleep mode. If you are in need of assistance, do call out to Rose.” 

“Mm... I’ll try to sleep, too.” 

“Pleasant dreams, Master.” 

“Mm.” 

Diablo got into bed, with Rem and Shera sleeping to his left and right. It was cramped compared to the ones in the Peace of Mind Inn, which meant he had far more contact with the girls’ bodies. At this point, this shouldn’t have gotten him excited... 

It shouldn’t have. He was used to it. That’s what he told himself, but the sensation of their bodies against his hands made his pulse jump. And while he was very much fatigued, the contact blew away any sense of drowsiness. 

“...Can’t sleep?” Rem, who had shared a bed with him for the first time in a while, asked. 

“Aren’t you sleepy, Diablo?” Shera chimed in from the other side. 

“Mm. I’m considering our next step,” Diablo replied. 

This was a lie, but he really was concerned about that. 

The Inner Sanctum forbade men and women from sharing a bed. Even for married couples, sleeping together was seen as too indecent for a place of worship and was strictly forbidden. But Rem was under pursuit from Emperor Gelmed, and Shera was the sole and essential heir to the Kingdom of Greenwood. 

So this wasn’t them sharing a bed. Diablo was watching over the two of them. This was Rem and Shera’s room, and Diablo was there under the pretext of guarding them. 

...Though he was very much lying in the same bed as them. 

Rem nestled against Diablo’s body, clinging to him. 

“...You had to put yourself in danger because of me again,” she whispered into his ear. 

Her breath was ticklish, but the expression on her face was terribly strained. 

“Hmph! Did you ever wish to be the Girl of the Vessel? Is being sought after by him something you wanted?” 

“Never.” 

“Then what reason do you have to fret?!” 

“...You really are a sweet person, Diablo,” Rem said, a fragile smile on her lips. 

“Nng?!” Diablo recoiled, raising his voice on her. “F-Fool! I am a Demon Lord! I could never be ‘sweet’!” 

But the smile on Rem’s lips didn’t fade in the slightest. Shera, meanwhile, leaned forward, as if hanging over Diablo. 

“That’s not your fault. Rem!” she said. 

“Mmg...” Feeling her bosom, which was uncharacteristically large for an Elf, press against his chest made Diablo’s breath clog in his throat from sheer nerves. 

“...We understand, so please drag your pointless flab blobs off of Diablo,” Rem said, glaring at Shera. 

“Uuu...” Shera frowned. “It’s not my fault, my body’s just like this.” 

“...Kuh.” Rem rolled her eyes. 

“But Rem, I care about you! So no matter what comes your way, I’ll fight!” Shera beamed at her. 

“...You’re better off keeping yourself safe. I’ll be fine. I have Diablo.” 

“Whaaa?!” Shera asked, tears building up in her eyes. 

“...B-But... Well, I’m glad you care about me that much. Thank you.” 

As always, Rem couldn’t be upfront about her feelings. Shera’s cheeks flushed, and she lunged at Rem, hugging her. 

“Reeeem!” 

“Aaah?!” Rem called out, taken aback. “S-Stop... What are you thinking?!” 

“Reeem, I love love love you!” 

Shera had clung onto Rem in an embrace atop Diablo’s body, and the two of them grappled like that for a short moment. 

Aaaah... Diablo felt his head spin as the two girls tussled atop him. 

“Get off of me!” Rem pushed Shera away, shaking off her grasp. 

Shera squeaked as she fell back. 

“...Now listen to me, you.” 

“Y-Yeah?” 

The two of them finally settled down, each of them sitting at one of Diablo’s sides. 

“...Shera, Emperor Gelmed is a greater threat than anything we’ve faced before. He might even be stronger than the Demon Overlord.” 

“He’s that strong?” 

“...Diablo’s magic at least worked on the Demon Overlord.” 

Rem realized it, huh... 

“It didn’t work? But he defeated that snake thing?” 

“...That thing was similar to a Summon Beast. But that castle is simply too large, and it even has a barrier that repels magic.” 

“Ah, like the one in Faltra?” 

“Yes... And you saw how powerful its attack was, right?” 

“Hmm... Well, I didn’t really see it, because everything went white, and then there was a big boom.” 

“...Yes, you’re right.” 

The enemy’s attack was so large in scale that Shera couldn’t properly perceive the sheer magnitude of it. Diablo saw the devastation himself, since he flew up with magic to check, and Rem’s level as a sorcerer was high, so she could estimate how powerful the attack must have been. 

Shera couldn’t imagine a spell simply wiping out an entire town, and Diablo couldn’t blame her. It was absurd. He wasn’t sure if that attack even counted as sorcery as he knew it. 

“And that scary guy is going after you, Rem...?” Shera asked anxiously. 

“...Yes, that’s what it means.” 

“Aren’t you scared?” 

“...Of course I am,” Rem said, a shiver in her voice. “But I’m still going to fight. I know I’m nowhere near strong enough, but I can’t sit idly by and wait for defeat to sweep over me.” 

She really was scared, but she made the choice to fight all the same. She declared she would struggle to her last breath. 

...You’re a strong girl. 

Diablo was astonished at Rem’s resolve, but it also made him realize just how faint his resolve really was. Rem’s determination didn’t break even in the face of despair and hopelessness. She became an adventurer, swearing she would find a way to destroy the Demon Lord’s soul sealed within her body. A girl like her wouldn’t back down, no matter how great her opponent may be. 

By comparison, Diablo had the power to fight. So he couldn’t lose to Rem in terms of pluck and mettle. 

“I’ll fight, too,” Shera said, reaching out to Rem and clasping her hands. 

“...Shera, you’re the Elven queen. You have the weight of an entire kingdom on your shoulders. You need to be aware of that.” 

“I know that! But if we lose here, the Emperor could just invade Greenwood next!” 

“Ugh... Y-You’re right, but...” Rem stuttered. 

“I’m scared too, but I think running away by myself will be meaningless,” Shera said anxiously. “So I’ll fight with you.” 

“...That’s surprisingly well-thought out, coming from you.” 

“Heheheh... Right?!” 

“...That wasn’t a compliment.” 

“It wasn’t?” 

The will to fight... 

Diablo, too, hardened his resolve. He wouldn’t hand Rem over to anyone, and he would protect Shera at all costs. He would defeat Emperor Gelmed, no matter what. 

All the fear and anxiety left his heart. His thoughts felt keen, and he felt primed to fight. 

How do I even fight him...? How can I defeat him? 

He needed some kind of lynchpin that would allow him to break through this situation. 

† 

In the middle of the night, Diablo woke up to the sound of knocking on the door, and he could tell something was wrong even before the messenger said anything. Diablo was called outside, with Rem and Shera following after him. Diablo decided to leave Rose, who was still damaged, in sleep mode. 

They were led to the ?Prayer Room of Light?, which was similar in design to the castle’s audience chamber. The main differences were that the room was much more plain and frugal in appearance and that the prayer room had more pillars. Diablo speculated the castle’s audience chamber was designed based on this room. 

Sitting at the very back of the room was Lumachina, occupying the High Priest’s seat. 

“My apologies for calling for you at this time of night, Lord Diablo,” Lumachina apologized with a frown. 

“Do understand that this is a state of emergency,” Tria, who stood to the right of Lumachina, appended. 

Sylvie stood at Lumachina’s left, her expression strained with tension. 

That’s unusual for Sylvie... Diablo thought to himself. 

But the reason soon became clear when they saw the visitors standing in the room. Diablo recognized them. When he first visited the capital, he’d seen them once, and had even spoken to some of them. 

The Palace Knights?! 

When he heard the king had died and Lyferia’s army was routed, he was sure the Palace Knights fell in battle, too. It seemed they weren’t part of that fight, though. Standing at the front of the group was a woman clad in a black dress who glared aggressively at Diablo. 

“A horned Demon...” 

The air about her was so different that Diablo couldn’t immediately recognize her. 

“You’re the minister, Noah...?” Rem seemed to have noticed before he did. 

“Yes, that’s right,” the girl in the black dress said, still frowning. “It’s been some time, Queens Rem and Shera Greenwood.” 

Diablo’s eyes widened in surprise. He finally recalled who she was. The handsome, androgynous minister who was at King Lyferia’s side during the audience. 

He was a woman the whole time?! 

Lyferia was a country rife with discrimination; the Demi-humans were seen as inferior to Humans, and women were seen as lesser than men. To that end, Diablo was surprised to find that one of the most influential people in the kingdom was a woman. 

No... That’s probably why she masqueraded as a man. And, well, I guess she doesn’t have to bother with that anymore, given the situation. No matter which way this war ends, the Kingdom of Lyferia is done for. 

“Hii?!” Shera suddenly screeched. 

Her eyes were fixed on Noah’s subordinates, one of them in particular. 

Gewalt. 

“Hello there, sweetie~?” He winked at her. 

Rem braced herself, pulling a summon crystal from her pocket. Diablo also held his staff at the ready. King Lyferia was dead, but they had nonetheless rebelled against him and fought against his army when he was still alive... And during that battle, they faced Gewalt. Diablo wasn’t naive enough to trust that Gewalt would hesitate to continue that battle now. 

But Diablo’s tension was broken when another, unexpected figure hurried over to him. 

“Rem! Shera! You two are still alive!” Klem beamed as she approached them. 

““Klem?!”” Both girls exclaimed. 

“I’ve been looking for you, Diablo!” Klem turned to face him haughtily. “This Demon Lord going out of her way to look for someone is unheard of!” 

“You... What are you doing here?!” Diablo asked, taken aback. 

He didn’t think he’d meet Klem here, whom they left behind in Faltra. He could see Edelgard a short distance behind, too. 

“Klem, is everyone in Faltra all right?!” Rem asked her in a panic. “Did something happen?!” 

“Mm? The city is fine,” Klem said composedly. “I would not have come here if something had happened there, would I?” 

“Ah... Yes, you’re right...” Rem breathed a sigh of relief. 

“But if we don’t defeat Emperor Gelmed, it’ll only be a matter of time until Faltra is reduced to ruins as well!” 

Rem clenched her teeth. There was no denying that. As ominous as Klem’s words were, they were fact. 

“Come with this Demon Lord!” Klem took hold of Diablo’s arm and yanked, as if urging him to follow. “We cannot leave that thing to its own devices!” 

“You mean Emperor Gelmed? True, we cannot neglect to do something about him.” 

Diablo spoke while sticking to his Demon Lord role play, but he was anxious on the inside. 

Shouldn’t we keep it a secret from Noah that Klem is a Demon Lord...? 

Diablo turned to look at Noah, who took a step forward to face him. 

“We don’t have a moment to spare anymore, so I say we bargain,” she said, eyeing him defiantly. 

“Oh?” 

“I already know that this girl is Krebskulm, the strongest Demon Lord.” 

“Huh?!” Lumachina gasped. 

The paladins at her side reached for their blades. 

Right, Lumachina didn’t know... 

The only ones in the room who knew about this until now were Diablo, Rem, Shera, Rose, Sylvie, and apparently Noah and the Palace Knights. 

“Mm!” Klem nodded. “This Demon Lord is Krebskulm!” 

“...Are you sure you should be saying that?” Rem asked nervously. 

Klem didn’t seem the slightest bit disturbed. 

“I don’t like annoying situations like this one, but I wouldn’t be able to fight Emperor Gelmed while hiding who I am,” she shrugged. 

“...I’m surprised,” Rem said. “I didn’t think you’d interfere in a war among the races.” 

“Noah told me that Emperor Gelmed wouldn’t create a country that makes tasty biscuits! And I want to try an apple tart, too!” 

“...An apple tart?” 

“Oh yeah, that cake was so tasty!” Shera exclaimed, clapping her hands together. 

“Nn?! You’ve had an apple tart before, Shera?!” Klem asked with round eyes. 

“Yeah! Noah gave me some before!” 

“I want to eat it too! This Demon Lord demands an apple tart!” 

Diablo did note to himself that he hadn’t seen anything like an apple tart in Faltra. It must have been a rare sort of cake in Lyferia. 

“The Demon Lord Krebskulm says her objectives are in alignment with ours, so we decided to cooperate with her,” Noah said, bringing the conversation back on track. 

She very much had the facial expression and mannerisms of some kind of master manipulator. Diablo thought to himself bitterly that had the Gelmed Empire not invaded when it did, Diablo and his group would have had to go up against this woman. 

I can’t say for sure we’re on the same side, even now... 

“Your objectives are in alignment?” Shera cocked her head. “So that means... Noah, you’re fighting for apple tarts, too?!” 

“...What in the world are you saying, Shera?” Rem asked, glaring at her. 

Klem was the only one who would fight for something like biscuits or apple tarts. 

“That’s not what I...” Noah started, but then changed her mind. “No, maybe that’s not too far from the truth. I do want to drive out these invaders and create a country where people are free to eat tasty apple tarts. In that regard, I can’t deny what you said.” 

“Yay!” Shera grinned at her. 

Rem didn’t seem convinced, though. 

“...I suppose that’s as good a reason as any to protect Lyferia’s people,” she eventually admitted. 

“I see you’re a woman with a strong sense of justice.” 

“...I am an adventurer. Protecting the races is my calling, and I can’t forgive what Emperor Gelmed is doing. And, of course, there’s the matter of the Emperor being after me...” 

“It doesn’t look like Emperor Gelmed has much time left,” Noah crossed her arms. “From the looks of things, he wants the Girl of the Vessel in order to rejuvenate himself before he dies of old age.” 

“...Given what he said, that seems likely.” 

“This is just hypothetical, of course, but have you considered that if you were to kill yourself, it wouldn’t be long until Emperor Gelmed dies naturally?” 

What?! 

Diablo stepped in between them. 

“Spare her your nonsense!” he bellowed. “How can you say for certain that her dying isn’t the key for the ritual magic to trigger, or that there aren’t other Girls of the Vessel besides her?!” 

“My apologies if I offended you,” Noah said, taking a step back. “But I think you misunderstood me. I was asking if the anxiety of this situation was making her contemplate suicide.” 

This time, Rem stepped in between Diablo and Noah, who were again glaring at each other. 

“...The thought did occur to me, but my answer remains the same. I am a summoner. And besides, I’ve already gone through something similar before.” 

“Something similar...? I don’t think this is the kind of situation one runs into often...” Noah muttered. 

Noah seemed to know a great deal, but apparently she wasn’t aware that Klem was originally sealed within Rem’s body. 

“...Let’s just say I have a great deal of experience when it comes to my body’s nature as a ‘vessel,’” Rem let out with a thin smile. 

“I see. If you say you’re used to trouble surrounding this matter, I’ll believe you. Gewalt’s reports already drew a picture of you as a stouthearted girl.” 

“Aah... yes...” Rem said, regarding Gewalt with an unpleasant glance. 

Gewalt simply winked back at her — a wink so flamboyant Diablo half-expected it to produce some kind of comical sound effect. Rem defeated him in combat by using the ?Demon Lord’s Fang?, but he was still, by far, the stronger summoner. Given these circumstances, Rem seemed to not get along with him at all. 

† 

“Now that we’ve each revealed what we know, I think it’s time we plan our strategy going forward,” Noah suggested. “We’re effectively all backed against the wall here. If we don’t eliminate the threat pressing down on us, we can’t even consider thinking of the future.” 

“Hmph...” Diablo scoffed. “We need only defeat Emperor Gelmed. What more is there to consider?” 

“Encouraging words. However, even you can’t hope to do this on your own.” 

You can’t do this on your own. Diablo wouldn’t have been a famous solo player if he was the kind of person to simply nod and go along with such a statement. 

“Heheheh... Would you like to have a taste of my power and see for yourself?” he asked Noah menacingly. 

“No, I believe I’ll abstain. Fighting and exhausting ourselves here would only benefit the enemy. And I’ll admit, I’m skeptical as to whether I’d even be able to convince you to begin with.” 

“As you should be,” Diablo said coldly. 

“No!” Klem raised her voice. “Without Diablo on our side, we can’t beat him!” 

“You can leave this matter to me,” Diablo nodded assuringly. 

“Heheh... You’re confident, aren’t you?” Noah said, cracking a wry smile. “But you don’t have any way of getting close to the Magimatic Castle, do you?” 

“You make it sound like you do.” 

“Of course I do. I am blessed with capable comrades, after all.” 

Diablo turned his eyes to the Palace Knights. She probably had some kind of specialist in the field of movement magic. Diablo, by contrast, was an Annihilation Sorcerer, optimized for maximum firepower. He could use basic flight magic, but he wasn’t any good when it came to placing buffs on his party. 

We need to cross the barrier and get inside the castle... Can high level teleportation do that? 

Faltra had a barrier for repelling the Fallen, but it had never prevented him from teleporting in or out of the city before. Perhaps the same logic applied here. 

“Right now, I’m the group’s leader,” Noah said, placing a hand over her chest for emphasis. “I know that if we make the most of our talents and cover for each other’s weaknesses, we’ll be able to defeat the Gelmed Empire. I don’t imagine you’ll reject this offer?” 

“I don’t like it,” Diablo whispered. 

Several of the Palace Knights displayed clear enmity and bloodlust toward him for that comment. The magi gunner girl and the Elf swordsman — Thanatos the Undying, if he recalled — both glared at him. But Diablo wouldn’t have stuck to his Demon Lord role play for as long as he had if he was the type of person to let the normies’ scornful gazes get to him. No, Demon Lords always responded to any situation with an indomitable smirk. 

“Why should you be the leader?” he asked defiantly. 

It was hard to tell without actually fighting her, but Diablo and Klem were probably stronger than Noah one-on-one. In fact, the captain of the Palace Knights, and even Alan for that matter, looked stronger than her too. 

“Why should I be the leader, you ask?” Noah replied with composed boldness. “That would be because I have the strongest leadership skills out of everyone here. You, on the other hand, are probably the weakest when it comes to that.” 

Diablo couldn’t argue with that. He’d tried to lead a charge into the castle, but it only resulted in his comrades splitting up. If it wasn’t for Horn’s quick-witted actions, there was no telling how that attack would have ended. 

And the same was true when they charged the Grand Cathedral before. He couldn’t give his allies the appropriate orders... If he had given them any orders at all. 

“...This is foolish.” That was the only reply Diablo was able to eventually make. 

“Is it?” Noah asked him. 

This reminded Diablo of his old world. He was known for being the strongest player, so parties that believed in gathering strong people tried to convince him to join. But with Diablo’s personality being what it is, he never accepted. 

“If I have a reason to fight, I will fight. I will think things through on my own and make my own decisions! What point is there to living if you must follow someone else’s orders?” 

“Everyone that’s under my command is only here because they made that choice on their own. I didn’t force them into obeying me. I didn’t do anything to coerce you either, did I?” 

Well, you’re definitely trying to corner me into saying yes. I hate normies like you, trying to force their will onto other people. 

“...I am a Demon Lord from another world, Diablo! You are a fool if you think I will obey anyone’s words, no matter who they may be!” 

“Then it’s a pity, but if you won’t acknowledge me as your leader, there’s nothing I can do,” Noah shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are, you’re useless to us if you won’t cooperate. All you’ll do is sabotage our efforts.” 

Her words were reasonable, but the things she said pried Diablo’s old wounds open. 

You can’t do this on your own. You don’t have what it takes to lead. You’re useless if you can’t cooperate. 

Taking orders from the races went against what a Demon Lord stood for, but that wasn’t the only reason Diablo tried to distance himself from Noah. Being around her made things he didn’t want to think about surface in his mind. 

No one else seemed to feel that way, though. 

“Lord Diablo, remember that the Palace Knights are the strongest force Lyferia has,” Lumachina said. “Can’t you find it in yourself to cooperate with them?” 

Lumachina was good-willed to the core, so it only made sense she’d make this kind of suggestion. Sylvie seemed to be in agreement, too, and even Rem was pressing him to change his mind. 

“...Diablo, please reconsider. Noah’s suggestion is valid, in my opinion. We’re up against a menacing enemy, and we’ll need as many strong people on our side as we can get.” 

“Yep, yep! Let’s all fight together!” Shera nodded, as cooperative as ever. 

Before he knew it, everyone other than him was in favor of joining forces with the Palace Knights. He was the only one left out. 

...What the hell? 

Just moments ago, Diablo was... maybe not at the center of attention, but at least everyone was on his side. He felt a sense of unity with them. But now, Diablo was the only one still insisting on having his way. 

Alienation... Loneliness... 

Diablo turned his back on them. In the end, it was always like this. They only needed him because he happened to have a high level... And now, when they had a whole group of high level people to rely on, he was seen as uncooperative. Unnecessary. 

I knew it’d be like this... I really can’t live with other people. 

But just as he was about to leave the room, someone reached out to him, pulled him back, and embraced him. 

“Wait, Diablo!” Shera’s voice reached his ears. 

“...Don’t go off on your own,” Rem begged him. 

“We need you, Diablo!” Klem scolded him. 

“H-Hey... Cut it out, you three.” Diablo stuttered, trying to shake them off. 

“We’re going together!” Klem shouted, grabbing tight onto his cloak. 

It was like a little girl begging her father to take her to the amusement park on a weekend... 

“Heheh...” Sylvie walked up right behind him. “Look at how much they love you, Diablo?” 

“...Kuh...” He grit his teeth bitterly. “I... cooperate with no one...! Why not ask the Palace Knights for help?” 

“Because we cannot win that way!” Klem shouted at him. “Believe what this Demon Lord says, Diablo!” 

“Mm? Do you know something about Emperor Gelmed?” Diablo asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“Well, I am a Demon Lord, after all!” 

That was a hard answer for Diablo to accept. Following her advice after she said that would be admitting he wasn’t a Demon Lord. And then he would lose all his relationships, be seen as an obstinate fool, and everything he did would be reduced to meaninglessness... He had to stick to his role play. Otherwise, he’d have to reveal his true self. 

“Fine,” Diablo sighed. “Get away.” 

The girls let go of his clothes. But then, he swung through the air with his staff. 

“?Ice Wall?!” 

“Huh?!” 

He formed a massive wall of magical ice before them. It wasn’t a high level spell, so if they really wanted, they’d have been able to bust through it without much effort. 

“Diablo, why?!” Rem raised her voice in shock from the other side of the layer of ice, her face distorted by the mirror-like surface. 

If I could cooperate with people just because it was more efficient that way, I wouldn’t have been alone all this time! 

“If you think you need the Palace Knights, ask them for help. But I don’t go begging to anyone!” 

Turning his back to them, he left the room. 

† 

Diablo stood on the Inner Sanctum’s balcony. Since the Inner Sanctum was levitating over the capital, there was a great distance between the balcony and the surface. If he didn’t have flight magic, Diablo’s knees might well have buckled in fear. 

Diablo glared silently into the distance, where the Magimatic Castle Viovix loomed menacingly. Under the cover of nighttime, only its contours were visible, but even now it floated in the sky overhead. As Diablo looked out, the light of dawn was beginning to wash over the dark canopy of the stars. A red glow drew jagged lines from behind the ridges of the mountains in the east. 

Daybreak was fast approaching. 

“Are you thinking of going alone?” Noah’s voice asked him. 

Being approached from behind made Diablo outright jolt, but he couldn’t display any fear in front of others. Silencing his emotions, Diablo kept his eyes fixed on the Magimatic Castle. 

“You do not order me around,” he spoke composedly, as if to imply he’d known she was there the whole time. 

But what Noah said next truly and honestly shocked him. Enough so to make him spin around with eyes wide in shock. 

“Do you know about an MMORPG called Cross Reverie?” 

“What... did you just...?!” Diablo couldn’t hide his surprise. 

Noah had spoken the game’s name. A name no one in this world had ever spoken before. 

Is she... Is she the same as me...?! 

“Heheheh...” Noah brushed back her short lock and chuckled. “I knew it. So you do know about it. You really were from that side. Yeah, that’s the only way everything fits.” 

Her tone had changed. While before she talked in a polite, almost theatrical tone, Diablo could clearly make out her emotions now. It was actually a bit unsettling... 

“So you’re from there, too...?” Diablo asked. 

“Yes, I’m a... visitor in this world. Yeah, that works. Same as you, anyway. Was ‘Diablo’ your screen name in the game? That’s not your real name, right?” 

Takuma Sakamoto. Diablo still remembered his name, but wasn’t inclined to speak it. 

“...Old names have no meaning in this world.” 

“Good answer,” Noah said, a bitter smile on her lips. “I feel the same way. I don’t miss or care for that cesspool of a world.” 

“I... wouldn’t go that far...” Diablo uttered, taken back a bit by the venom in her words. 

“Oh? What, did you live the good life back there?” Noah asked him coldly. 

“...Ah... Ugh...” Thinking of that old life made Diablo’s throat clench up. 

Reverting to his natural self took away his ability to parse words properly. He was a NEET, a shut-in, a crippled gamer. Calling that “the good life” felt wrong. 

“I was an office lady,” Noah said, a sardonic smirk on her lips. “I’d go to work on the earliest train and go home on the last one. The pay was crap, there were no days off, and my superiors at work would harass me for fun. Even sexually, sometimes. Couldn’t get through the day without gulping down the meds my psychiatrist gave me.” 

“That sounds like hell...” Diablo muttered. 

“What year are you from?” Noah suddenly asked. 

“Year? What do you mean?” 

“Oh? It’s your first time meeting another visitor? Must be because you shut yourself away in a backwater city like Faltra the whole time. If you were in the capital, you might have met other visitors.” 

For real?! 

“Hmph... Cease your pointless blabbering and answer my question,” Diablo asked, reverting to his Demon Lord role play. 

Noah simply snickered at him. 

“How long are you gonna keep talking like that?” 

Well, I can’t help it! I can’t speak to women without acting like a Demon Lord, be it this world or that one! If you want to talk to the real me, turn into a dog or a cat or something! 

“Heheh... You would insult a Demon Lord?!” Diablo stuck to his guns. 

“Well, yikes... Whatever, I guess everyone has problems to sort through. All right, let’s start really exchanging information. I’m from Cross Reverie’s closing days. The time when the developer announced the game’s servers were about to be shut down.” 

“Shut down?!” 

“Are you that surprised? An MMORPG where the gacha only drops weapons wasn’t going to last much longer. They did announce a sequel, though. The characters wouldn’t transfer and the system was going to be overhauled, but the setting was supposed to be the same.” 

“A sequel...?!” 

“Well, the game I was maining at the time had a school setting where you could roll cute school boys in the gacha. I only played Cross Reverie on the side, to burn time.” 

A gacha game with cute school boys...? 

Diablo couldn’t fathom what would be interesting about a game like that, but Noah was a woman back in the old world, too. Diablo never looked into it too deeply, but apparently games aimed at women often had male characters as drops in their gacha rolls. 

“Playing social games on the train to work was all I lived for...” Noah moaned, cradling her head. “I played so many games... So why?!” 

“Mm?” 

“Why did I get incarnated into this bloody fantasy world instead of ?Stud Academy Men’s Love??!” 

“Don’t ask me!” 

“I mean, leveling up in Cross Reverie was piss easy, so I maxed my character’s level, but...” 

Getting to level 99 was easy in the game so long as one kept playing at a decent pace, but to go over level 100, one had to clear challenging quests and go to great lengths. After that, gaining even a single level became much harder. 

Diablo reached level 150, the max level at the time, which only a limited number of top players in the game reached. But Noah, by contrast, only played Cross Reverie on the side. How did she max out her level, then? Something about her explanation felt off. 

“Tell me, woman. What level are you?” Diablo asked her. 

“Me? I’m level 300.” Noah replied casually. 

“Wh-Wh-Whaaaat...?!” Diablo’s jaw fell open. 

This shocked him even more than her admitting to be a visitor to this world. Noah simply waved her hand dismissively, though. 

“That’s not that impressive, at least in the year I came from. You said your level is 150, right? That was the max level back during the game’s golden days. That’d be five years ago for me, in that world’s time.” 

“Kuh... So you’re saying you came from the other world, five years after I was playing the game.” 

“You catch on quick. What, were you a sci-fi nerd?” 

“They’d bump up the level limit once every six months or so, so I figured it would go over level 200 within five years, but...” 

“Well, during the social game bubble, all sorts of games would pop up like mushrooms after the rain. Cross Reverie’s sales were being overtaken, so they revamped the system. They’d shower players with free gacha pulls and presents, so leveling up became really easy.” 

Diablo fell into a sour silence. That explanation did not please him. 

“The game’s balance tipped, and that only cut its lifespan short — or, well, that’s what people would say. I didn’t really care, since I never played Cross Reverie’s old balance.” 

“The game’s developers were stupid,” Diablo spat out bitterly. 

Whenever something became popular, derivative works naturally popped up. This was true for everything, not just the entertainment industry. And when an up-and-coming competitor starts overtaking an existing work, there are only a few ways of dealing with it. 

For a game, one of those ways was tuning the difficulty. Making it easier to win and quicker to level up would flatter the players. But then again, where was the sense of reward in leveling up without any effort? Where was the challenge? Players would demand easily obtainable rewards, but dropping the game’s difficulty only served to drain it of what made it fun to begin with. 

It’s the struggle that made the achievement feel worth it! 

Diablo sighed in disappointment, but it was then that Noah changed the subject. 

“That’s enough about Cross Reverie, though. I don’t know the story behind how that game was made, but this world is a different place.” 

“So it seems.” 

“Personally, I see the life I lead here as my real life. So I won’t go back... not to a life of being stepped on at every turn.” 

“No one treats you like that now that you’re the minister, right?” 

“Yeah. But I can’t do it alone.” 

“Oh?” 

“How did you come to this world? I was incarnated into this world as a baby. My parents died a horrible death, and that made me think I’d need to change Lyferia’s political structure from the bottom up. No... I swore I’d change it. In front of their graves. Graves of soil, without any tombstones!” 

“...It was different for me,” Diablo said, a bit overwhelmed by her vehement words. 

Diablo was summoned by Rem and Shera. It was technically a teleportation of sorts, although he did assume his game character’s appearance. Noah’s way of coming into this world was different, it seemed. 

“I don’t want to go back to that other world again,” Noah told him. “My life in this world is everything I have. Everything that matters. And if I want to reform this country, it’s not too late to do it now.” 

“Really?” 

“The situation is difficult, yes, but... I do want to make Lyferia into a utopia. A country without discrimination or discord.” 

Building a country, huh...? 

Diablo didn’t care for that. 

“Hmph... I can’t relate to that feeling, but I can at least understand what you mean. I don’t think it’s a mistaken idea.” 

“There’s something I want you to answer,” Noah said, eyeing him seriously. “Why are you so... reckless? Nothing you do ever makes sense. Are you trying to get back to that world again? Is that why you’re doing whatever suits you?” 

Noah seemed to misunderstand Diablo. He wasn’t doing whatever he pleased. If he could simply tell her he was a socially crippled gamer who could only talk to others by pretending to be a Demon Lord, things would be that much easier. But no matter how candidly they might answer each other’s questions, Diablo could never say that. 

He couldn’t reveal his true self just as much as he couldn’t live without breathing. 

Same as how an earthworm had no legs. As how a pillbug couldn’t fly. He couldn’t reveal his true self, no matter how much he might be misunderstood, mocked, or loathed for it. Even if it made his life that much worse, he simply could not. 

“Hmph! Just like you chose to live as a minister, I chose to live as a Demon Lord. And that’s why the lives of the people of this land mean nothing to me!” 

“I’ve been looking into the things you’ve done with my personal intelligence network,” Noah shook her head. “You’re not being honest.” 

So she knows. 

“What are you, some kind of stalker...?” 

“The High Priest Lumachina wouldn’t place her trust in you if you were such a terrible person. She can tell between people who have good intentions and those who act out of malice.” 

She can...? Then how was she duped by those villains for so long? No... It’s because she could see through them that they tried to take her life... If she didn’t see through them, they’d have just used her, and she’d have been safe. 

“Do you know Lumachina well?” 

“I’ve only given her my regards during the kingdom’s religious rituals. She probably only knows me by name, too.” 

“Then how... Did you meet her in the game?” 

Diablo had seen some NPCs he recognized from the game walking around Faltra, like the clerks in the weapon and item shops. 

“Lumachina had a special role to play in the game,” Noah nodded. “A special NPC in the game — we called them Admins.” 

“Admins...?” 

“I guess they weren’t called that back when you were playing the game? I mean, you met the Swordmaster.” 

“You knew Sasara, too?!” 

But what she said made sense, in a way. Sasara reached level 200 despite only training for a handful of years. A warrior like her was removed from the logic of this world. 

“The Admins would give players difficult challenges to clear, and helped them level up in the process,” Noah continued. 

“Cross Reverie was that kind of game...” Diablo nodded. 

“But while Admins were granted special talents and powers, they had restrictions placed on them, too.” 

Restrictions... Like Lumachina being exempt from God’s miracles, and Sasara falling into a deep slumber if she uses up her stamina. That made Diablo wonder if Rem’s aunt, Solami, was also considered one of those. He thought she was just the Fistmaster, but apparently that wasn’t the case. 

“You met the Archsage when you broke the level 99 limit, right?” Noah asked him. 

“Yes, because sorcerers had to clear that quest to advance. The Archsage, Marine... I think she was in the capital...” 

“She got in the way of my plans, actually,” Noah explained. “So I sent her away somewhere else, so she can focus on her research.” 

“Hmph... And?” 

Diablo already broke the level 99 limit. He had no reason to meet with the Archsage Marine. 

“Aren’t you limited by the level 150 limit?” Noah nodded with a nasty smirk. 

Diablo immediately realized she was toying with him and held his breath. 

“You don’t mean... There’s a way for me to break the level 150 limit?!” 

“Do you feel like meeting the Archsage Marine now?” Noah said, beaming at him. 

Going over the level 150 limit! This world was different from the game, so it wouldn’t be easy, but if Noah was level 300, he might be able to reach that same limit. 

“If you value your life, speak! I’m not known for being patient!” Diablo said menacingly, drawing on her. 

Diablo wasn’t sure if threatening a level 300 sorcerer would get him anywhere, but a Demon Lord wasn’t one to make requests. 

“I’m the only one who knows where the Archsage is,” Noah said, shrugging. “I haven’t told the Palace Knights, either. I wouldn’t lose my temper if I were you.” 

“And you’re not lying to me?!” 

“Do I look dumb enough to lie about something this petty?” 

Well, I’m a bad judge of character, either way! 

But if she was lying, it would be a major problem later down the line. And since she brought it up, it probably meant that this was her bargaining chip... 

Breaking the level 150 limit...! Diablo felt his pulse pick up in excitement and his palms grow sweaty. 

“...Fine. State your conditions.” 

“I think it goes without saying? I want to beat the Gelmed Empire, and I need you on our side to do it.” 

“Have me help you?” 

“I’ll be honest. I don’t like disobedient pawns. And I don’t like you.” 

“Heh, it seems there is something we can agree on, after all. Because I don’t like being treated like a pawn, and I don’t like you, either.” 

“Still, the Demon Lord Krebskulm seems to know something, and she insists that we need you to win.” 

Klem did seem to know something about this entire situation, and it was the first time he’d seen her treat something that wasn’t related to food this seriously. 

“But if you’re a level 300 sorcerer, doesn’t that change things?” 

Honestly, if Noah was level 300, Diablo doubted he could beat her. According to the logic he knew, a level 150 sorcerer wouldn’t be able to even visibly damage a level 300 one. And even his martial arts as a warrior were only slightly above level 100. Anything Diablo could do would be child’s play for a level 300 sorcerer. 

“I don’t know,” Noah shrugged. “I’ve never fought a powerful enemy.” 

“Wh-What?” 

“I told you I reincarnated as a baby, right? Well, once I grew older, I tried to see if I could cast level 300 spells. But I’ve avoided combat, so I never really tried to use offensive magic.” 

“Why...?” Diablo asked. 

Noah looked at him as if he was some kind of idiot. 

“You do know that dying in this world means you actually die, right? Why would I put myself in that kind of danger?” 

“Ugh...” 

Diablo simply went with the flow, and that’s how he became an adventurer. He had no money, Rem was an adventurer, and Shera aspired to become one, so he simply went along with them. And most of all, all of the game’s players counted as adventurers. 

But once he paused to think about it, being an adventurer was indeed a dangerous career in this world. And since Noah still had her knowledge from the old world, it only made sense she’d aim for a position of power in this world instead of braving that kind of danger. 

“This world has no concept of patent or antitrust law, so building up a fortune was easy. And with money, you can buy status. And once I had the social position I wanted, I never needed to fight.” 

“So that was your plan...” 

“And I thought it went well, too. But now it turns out I’d made a major miscalculation. I didn’t expect him to be that strong.” 

“Emperor Gelmed...” Diablo whispered. 

Noah turned her gaze to the east, where the black Magimatic Castle burned with a red halo from the rising sun at its back. 

“Cooperate with us to defeat the Gelmed Empire, Diablo. If you do that, I’ll tell you where the Archsage is.” 

Diablo responded with silence. 

“Oh, yes, and just so you don’t say I lied to you later, I’ll tell you one condition that might scare you. You might actually think twice before saying yes after you hear this.” 

“Mm? What?” 

“Heheh... The Archsage, Marine, hates being around large groups of people. If you’re going to visit her island, you’ll have to go alone.” 

“How’s that supposed to scare me?” Diablo cocked his head curiously. “Adventures are something you’re supposed to do on your own, anyway.” 

Noah, who had been confident the whole time, suddenly winced. 

“Wh-What are you saying?” she asked, visibly perturbed. “Questing in Cross Reverie was fundamentally based on six-man parties. Big events had parties form alliances to create teams of eighteen players!” 

“That sounds disgusting,” Diablo said, frowning. 

“...Maybe it’s not just that you came from a different time. Maybe you were playing a different game. The Cross Reverie I know might not be the same game you played.” 

“Who knows?” 

So he said, but he knew it was likely the same game after all. Noah was a functional member of society, and had the mind to aim for a position of authority in this world. Her way of life was completely different from Diablo’s. 

“So what’s your answer?” Noah asked him. “Sorry if I’m being pushy, but I need to hear it now. I’d rather not wait until sunset if it means this city being blown away.” 

That much was obvious. And Diablo knew he was no match for her when it came to negotiations. Noah had the edge in terms of bargaining chips and a way with words. He hated to admit it, but in that field, she really was on a whole other level compared to him. 

He didn’t know if cooperating with Noah, the Palace Knights, and Klem would really enable him to defeat the Gelmed Empire... But it would let him meet the Archsage Marine and break the level 150 limit. 

The answer was clear. Diablo parted his lips and said... 

“But I refuse!” 

“Are you a complete and total idiot?!” 

“Guh...” 

“Isn’t the Girl of the Vessel your wife?! And the Elven queen, too! You have your position as the King of Greenwood to consider! Put your petty obsessions aside for once and focus on dealing with this threat!” 

It felt like he hadn’t been scolded like this since he was in elementary school. He was holding back tears inside his heart. 

“Shut up!” he lashed back at her, his voice coming out slightly high-pitched. “I am a Demon Lord from another—” 

But it was then that someone else came out onto the balcony. 

† 

Two girls — one with black hair and cat ears, the other with hair like flowing gold — stood there. Rem and Shera. 

“Diablo...” 

“So this is where you were!” 

Did they hear me? They must be disgusted... 

So Diablo thought, but the two of them regarded him with a smile. 

“...No matter what choice you make, I won’t go against it, Diablo,” Rem said. 

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Diablo asked, perplexed. 

“I talked it over with Rem,” Shera said, nodding vigorously. “And we both agreed that since we’re your wives, we have to believe in you. Because you’re our husband!” 

“...And you’ve saved us so many times already,” Rem appended. “My life is yours, Diablo.” 

“We’re only safe now thanks to you!” 

“...So no matter what comes, I will trust you. Go down the path you believe in. You don’t need to worry about what we think.” 

“Ahaha! I don’t think Diablo would worry about that anyway.” 

“...Me and Shera will come with you no matter where you go. In the deepest seas or through the most furious fires. That’s the oath we’ve made.” 

“Eternal love... That’s what the three of us promised each other. Right, Diablo?” 

“...I-I meant I trust him as an adventurer...” Rem stammered, her cheeks flushing. 

“Huh?! You say that now?! Rem, you promised Diablo eternal love too, right?!” 

“Ugh... You can’t say that in front of him...” Rem mumbled, her face becoming even more red. 

Shera writhed in place, her cheeks rosy, as well. 

“Ooh, what are you getting so embarrassed over...?” 

“...I-I’m not embarrassed... I’m sure Diablo understands how I feel.” 

“You think?” 

Their exchange gradually grew quiet, until they were essentially whispering at each other. Diablo, however, stood firm still. Their words were running around in his mind. 

Noah turned her back to him and made to leave the balcony. 

“I think our talk is finished. Do as you will,” she said with a sigh. 

Diablo clenched his fist. He’d decided to protect what he held dear at all costs, no matter what he had to do. Even if it meant crushing his very soul! 

How can I say I’m determined to defend them if I reject the safest, most correct answer?! 

“...Fine. I’ll listen to you.” 

“Huh?!” Noah turned around, her eyes wide with surprise. 

Diablo struggled to breathe. The thought that this wasn’t the Demon Lord-ly thing to do was booming repeatedly in his mind like an alarm, and he broke into a nervous, cold sweat. 

“I’m saying I... the Demon Lord Diablo, will lend you my aid! Until we defeat Emperor Gelmed!” 

“That means I’ll be the leader,” Noah told him, narrowing her eyes. “And you’ll have to obey my every command on the battlefield. Can you promise that?” 

If he simply replied to that with a resounding “Very well!”, it would be proof that he didn’t really understand the meaning behind her words. But he wasn’t a child like Klem. And so, Diablo simply nodded slowly. 

“I admit it. You are the leader.” 

He thought she might laugh at him. But instead, she regarded him with the most earnest, serious expression he’d seen her make yet. 

“Thank you, Diablo. I will do everything to answer the trust you’ve placed in me.” 

She extended her right hand to him. And after some momentary hesitation, Diablo reached his own hand out to hers and grabbed it in a handshake. As he did, Diablo pondered that he didn’t really understand what being a leader meant, nor what the true weight of responsibility was. 

But Noah did know. 

Even when he led Rem and Shera on quests, he didn’t feel quite responsible for them. He never thought to act like a leader. And how much trouble had that brought upon them in the past? 

As their hands parted, Diablo felt an odd sort of warmth remain. And with that sensation on his mind, he once again gazed at Noah.