Chapter 3: Going to War
Diablo tore through the tent using his war scythe. The blade did not glide smoothly through it, but rather ripped it to shreds.
Shera was there: bound by handcuffs, a Slime enveloping her up to the chest, and her skin exposed.
Diablo’s anger surged from his body. This anger was no act; it was an intent to kill.
The Slime that had entwined itself around Shera fell off her like spilling water, fleeing deeper inside the tent.
Now free of the Slime, all of Shera’s strength left her. The handcuffs around her wrists creaked as they supported her weight. Gasping for breath, Shera looked towards him.
“......Diablo? Is this real...? This isn’t a dream?”
“Did I keep you waiting, Shera?”
Diablo stepped inside, making his way towards Shera. Rem and Alicia followed after him, their breath catching in their throats upon seeing Shera. They turned to look at the tent’s other occupant—Keera—their eyes smoldering in anger.
“...How dare you do such a thing!”
“Prince Keera... Even if you are royalty, this is something you cannot be forgiven for!”
“And just what the hell are you all doing!? Barging in on the prince’s official duties like this... Do you want to go to war? Or you want to die, is that it? What the hell are you thinking?”
His back leaning against a tree trunk, Keera threw his bottle of booze to the ground.
Diablo glared at Keera, eyes brimming with resentment.
“...‘Official duties’?”
“That’s right. It’s my very important duty to make sure that the royal lineage does not die out.”
“That’s what you call stringing her up with handcuffs and putting a Slime on her!?”
“Just a little foreplay. No matter if you’re a guy or gal, it’s much better heating things up like this, don’t you think?”
“I was wrong after all... Even if it meant turning the town into a sea of flames, I shouldn’t have let Shera go back then.”
Stepping towards Shera, he removed the handcuffs from her wrists. “I’m sorry I was late.”
“Diablo... You actually... came for me...?”
The look on Shera’s face said she still couldn’t believe it.
“Please, use this.” Alicia handed Diablo her cape.
He covered the half-naked Shera with the crimson cape. Tears dropped from her face.
“Thank... you... Thank you...”
Seeing this, Keera let out a resentful sigh.
“Damn... Even though I went through the trouble of having those elite squads of Elves around, they didn’t even notice these intruders... They’re more useless than I thought. I’m going to have to punish them all for this!”
It seemed the prince was under the impression Diablo and the others had managed to sneak by the guards unnoticed.
“Did you not hear what was happening outside?” Diablo challenged.
With the magic I used back there, the noise alone should have been pretty loud...
“Oh, I heard it all right. You sure are idiots, making that much noise... It might be for the best if you just turned tail and ran now. The elite squadrons of Elves are sure to have noticed that, and should be here any second.”
Keera’s shoulders shook as he snickered at them.
“So you still believe you can utilize your little Elf squad. Well, I’m sure that must seem like common sense to you.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you go outside and see for yourself.”
His face shrouded in doubt, Keera stuck his head out of the tent:
The forest was engulfed in flames.
Masses of Elves could be seen, injured and moaning in pain. Some were healing their comrades; others holding their knees in a fetal position; and others had broken down crying.
They had surely seen Diablo enter the prince’s tent. The Elves had followed the enemy all the way there—
But now, none of the Elves stood up to stop him. They had lost their will to fight.
Practically hysteric, Keera screamed.
“GODDAMNIT!! Why the hell did they go and get destroyed like that!? Not to mention this is an international problem now! There’s absolutely going to be war!”
“I’m only here to confirm whether Shera truly wishes to return or not,” Diablo answered back.
“There’s no way a Demon like you could meet with the Elf princess! What the hell kind of reason is that!”
“So, you have resorted to controlling Shera using underhanded tactics...”
“Wh-Wh-What!?” Keera flinched, and started to shake. “Where’s your proof!? Are you saying you have proof!?”
“I don’t need proof. Once I ask how Shera really feels about this, then this will all be over.”
“Oh, I see... So you don’t have any proof, do you?” The composure returned to Keera’s face. “Then hurry up and get lost. I’ll make an official complaint of this to the Lyferian Kingdom!”
—I don’t know what he’s done to her...
But it seems like he still thinks he can weasel his way out of this.
“Once I hear Shera’s true intentions, I will leave.”
“And I’m telling you, Shera decided to come back here all on her own. She’s my property! She’s finally come to realize her duties as princess of the Elves; that’s why she came back! How do you not understand that?”
Getting nastier with every word, Keera gave an order: “Hey, Shera! Say it! What is it you have to do!?”
Shera, who’d just had tears streaming down her face, suddenly went back to that strange expression. She wasn’t smiling, nor was she crying; it was a vague, normal expression. If it were any other situation, then there wouldn’t be anything strange about this expression... But right now, it could only be thought of as strange.
“I have to go back. The Kingdom of Greenwood is my home, after all. If I don’t make a successor with my brother, then the royal line will die out. Keeping the royal family going is much more important than my own freedom.”
These repeated words were nothing but unnatural in this situation.
The expression on Rem and Alicia’s faces stiffened. With this, there could be no more doubt: Diablo was enraged.
Keera was the only one laughing.
“Puhaha! You heard her! There, you satisfied now!? Now get lost!”
—It’s pretty much a Geass.
Not only that, but it wasn’t easy to tell that the person was being controlled; almost sickeningly so. As far as Diablo knew, this kind of magic did not exist in Cross Reverie. He had seen examples of it in other mediums, and he had even heard that brainwashing existed in real-life as well.
—To think this stuff existed in other worlds, too!
Now that I think about it, the slavery system didn’t exist in the game either. The devs must have removed any content not suitable for children from the game.
“I will shatter that vile magic of yours.”
“Hey! Weren’t we supposed to respect Shera’s will here!? What the hell!?”
Diablo pointed his war scythe at the enraged Keera.
“I plan to do just that. This will be it... I will make this the most complete and fair way to ask how she feels.”
There was only one thing to do. Turning towards Shera, he shouted:
“I command you, as master of the Enslavement Collar you bear! Shera, speak now your true feelings! You are not bound by any magic, so reveal what lies in the depths of your own heart!”
The light returned to Shera’s eyes.
She looked at her surroundings—
She looked at the palms of her hands—
Slowly, still shaking, her lips moved:
“I... I want...”
Tears rained from her eyes.
“I want to be free! I want to be with Rem and Diablo...!!”
Diablo pulled Shera close to him. Shera wrapped her arms around him as well.
Rem pointed the metal claws covering her hand at Keera.
“...What you have done was unforgivably foolish. You deserve a punishment befitting of your actions.”
Alicia placed a hand on her sword. “Despite your status as royalty, this is an obvious crime!”
“What the hell is wrong with you all!” Keera howled. “Useless, useless, useless, useless! You’re all so useless! Don’t piss me off like this! Is there something wrong with your damn heads!?”
“Can you tell us everything?” Diablo asked. “What did he do to you in those five minutes at the inn?”
“Yeah, I can... I told him that I wasn’t coming back. But he didn’t believe it, and said that I could have been forced to say it because of the enslavement collar. Then he said he would use a spell that would remove any orders placed on me...”
“And you actually believed that?”
—Shera might be a little too easy to fool in that regard. Though how trusting she is of other people is kind of endearing.
“He used his fingers... to draw something on my forehead... And then everything got fuzzy once he played his flute... That’s right, he said something to me. Something about ‘Overwrite,’ and that the next time I heard the flute, I was supposed to say that I would go back home with him for the sake of the country... and then to forget that he had said all this to me...”
“An obvious use of magic on his part.”
Diablo held Shera tight. Her shoulders were trembling.
Keera kicked the pot that had been lying on the floor, smashing it in grand fashion.
“Whaaaaaaaat!? What the hell is this! It’s already over! You think you can just waltz in here and ruin everything like this!? I won’t stand for it! This is an injustice!”
Diablo put Shera in Rem’s care. “I leave her to you.”
“Of course... Shera, can you walk?”
“Y-Yeah... I’m fine.”
Alicia had tried to make Keera realize the truth of the matter, but with the current situation, he was having none of it.
—He may even get violent.
“You deserve to be judged.” Diablo gripped his scythe.
“Grk...!? O-Oh, I see! I see it now! So that’s how it is! Now you bastards are aiming for the Kingdom of Greenwood! You used Shera to lure me out and finish me off, is that it!? That’s dirty, you damn Humans!”
“Why!?” Keera scratched furiously at his head. “Why don’t things go the way I want them to!? You pieces of shit! This isn’t fun at all! What is the meaning of this, having these ignorant commoners piss me off so much!?”
The prince kicked over the desk and various boxes, thoroughly trashing the place. It was all his own possessions, so Diablo had no qualms about it.
There was no reason to hang around here any longer.
“Prince Keera,” Alicia declared, “I am placing you under arrest.”
Diablo had only just noticed it now, but Keera had managed to pick up a jeweled case amongst the many other objects he had scattered throughout the tent. Inside the case was a gem that gleamed with an eerie, multicolored glow, as if it were covered in an oily membrane. It was enormous.
Keera looked at Diablo and the others, a wild grin on his face.
“That’s enough... I have had enough! It’s the death penalty for all of you!!”
“Keera!? You can’t! Not that Summon!” Shera shouted out in a panic.
—A Summon!? That huge jewel is supposed to be a Summon crystal!?
“The treasures of the Elves can destroy the world itself! If this world won’t entertain me, then it should just cease to exist!”
Diablo made Rem and the others get back. He stood at the ready with his war scythe.
“Very well! If you decided to challenge me—Then I shall grant you the retribution you so deserve!”
“You’re the first to die, Demon! Get out here, ?Force Hydra?!”
He smashed the rainbow-colored jewel against the ground, shattering it to pieces—
And from that ominously colored treasure, a Summon manifested into existence.
†
A species of Dragon; a monster with four heads— And it was gargantuan.
It burst through the tent like it was made of tissue paper, and its heads far surpassed any of the surrounding trees in size. Its body was covered in scales with spots of blue, red, and green on them. They were covered in a kind of viscous mucus, and sparkled brightly.
Taking Shera with them, Diablo and the others moved away from the tent. If they stayed too close, it was likely they would have been stomped to death; but everyone had made it away unharmed.
They could hear the screams of the Elves who had lost their will to fight: some were fleeing; some had broken down laughing; others were pleading with Keera to restrain the Summon.
Ignoring them all, Keera looked up at the Summon, an expression of pure ecstasy on his face
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it! Just as I would expect from the forbidden Summon said to possess the ability to send the whole world to its demise! Look at its magnificence! —Its power! —Its divine appearance!”
—Divine is the last word I would think to describe it.
If Diablo was being completely honest, its appearance screamed “sinister” more than anything else.
—I’ve never seen a Summon that looked like this before.
I could have just forgotten about it, but did this guy show up in the game? There are monsters out there the size of hills, so l wouldn’t say it’s the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen... But if this were the game, even if I tried to put some distance between us, parts of it would still stretch beyond the corner of the screen.
At the very least, it was definitely the largest monster he had fought since coming to this world. Since he had always been on the other side of a monitor, he had never been able to experience it himself... Yet there was an almost overwhelming intensity to looking up at the monster like this.
Diablo froze in place. Dragons were generally tenacious enemies, covered in nigh impenetrable scales...
—Can I win against this thing?
Taken away by Rem and the others, Shera called out from a distance:
“We should run! That Summon’s been passed down for generations in the royal family— There’s no way to stop it; it’s said to be undefeatable! There’s no way even my brother will be able to control it!”
So that’s why they say it can “destroy the world”—
Now it all added up. It seemed like a fairly strong Summon, and Keera didn’t appear to be a high-level Summoner; but if this thing was one of the Elf’s treasures, then that would certainly explain it. So even if you weren’t a Summoner, this was an item that anyone could use— Even, for example, someone from the Elven royal family.
There were no treasures in the game that could call forth a Summon, and the same went for the flute that had controlled Shera. It seemed like the Elf’s treasures hadn’t been implemented in the game. Even though Cross Reverie was a game that was updated weekly and monthly, with new gameplay elements being added all the time, this world had things that didn’t quite exist in-game yet. It seemed Diablo had found himself in a version of Cross Reverie that ignored any ethical limitations, and where anything and everything was implemented. Thinking of it that way filled him with excitement, in a way.
According to what Shera had said, this thing couldn’t be controlled. But with Keera’s shouts of “Get them, Force Hydra! Kill them all!” it seemed he was giving orders to it as if it were his own Summon. And right when Diablo thought Keera was actually controlling it—
Keera was almost crushed by the Summon’s tail.
—That’s what you get for standing so close to it.
As Keera ran away, the Force Hydra had started its rampage with complete disregard for the prince.
—So he really isn’t in control of that thing... How in the world does he think that Summon is his to command in a situation like that?
No use thinking about it now— Let’s beat this thing before any more casualties appear.
“I’m going to destroy it!” Diablo called out towards Rem and the others. “You don’t mind that, right, Shera?”
“You can do that!?”
“Of course!”
“...There is no need to worry about us.” Rem nodded. “I will make sure Shera does not do any other stupid things.”
“You’re still calling me stupid, even at a time like this!?”
“...You would actually have to be stupid to make me worry that much about you.”
“You were worried about me! Thank you, Rem!”
Shera threw herself around Rem. Though she pushed against Shera’s shoulders as if she didn’t like it, Rem made no attempt to get away from her.
Alicia unsheathed her sword and gave a salute: “I will protect them, even if it costs me my life!”
“Good. Get back so you don’t get caught up in my magic. I’m sure this thing will come at us using long-distance attacks as well.”
“U-Understood!”
Diablo stood in front of the Force Hydra; its multiple heads were thick and stout. Looking at it up close like this, it truly was enormous— It seemed there was no need to hold back.
He stabbed the blade of his scythe into the ground. Reaching into his pouch, he produced Tenma’s Staff.
“Hahahahaha! You idiot, there’s no way you can win!” Keera had a twisted smile on his face. “Just you existing stresses me out, so hurry up and die, Demon!”
Though Keera couldn’t control the Summon, it seemed he still had absolute confidence in its power.
Diablo, on the other hand, had already used up a large chunk of his MP fighting with the Elf soldiers from earlier.
I should end this as quickly as possible...
He raised his staff:
“?Heaven’s Fall?!”
A multitude of rocks appeared in the sky. This was an Earth spell learned at level 100 that would spawn a seemingly infinite number of meteorites and deal damage to a wide area.
Using first-person view, it was possible to guide the rocks towards your target; the AoE would be smaller, but the attack would be much more powerful. It was a hard spell to use on smaller opponents, but extremely effective against large monsters.
Diablo swung his staff downwards— With the sound of rushing wind, countless meteorites sliced through the air and rained down upon the Force Hydra. The violent impact made the ground tremble and trees shake with a tremendous sound.
Clouds of dust were thrown up in the air; before long, their visions cleared—
The Force Hydra had lost one of its four heads.
—This thing is weaker than I expected. I can probably beat it if I hit it with four or five more volleys...
...Now we wait to see how it retaliates.
Just as he finished making his assessment—
Suddenly, the head the Hydra had lost grew back out of its neck stump.
—It regenerated!? That was way too fast! What is this, a bug!?
There were some monsters that would partially regenerate in the middle of battle, but this was the first time he had seen it happen so quickly.
The regenerated head spewed forth a green stream of air from its mouth.
—A Wind breath attack!?
Having let his guard down, Diablo took the attack head-on, being blown away in the process.
Dragon breath attacks were purely elemental. They were treated as neither physical or magical attacks. Because of that, Diablo’s magic reflection and damage reducing abilities didn’t activate. Though the same could be said of most fantasy RPGs, Dragons tended to receive favorable treatment from the devs when it came to skills in Cross Reverie.
The ?Wind Resistance? skill would have come in handy here, but unfortunately, Diablo didn’t have it.
I’ve figured out that the Force Hydra seems to have two skills: ?Regeneration? and ?Wind Breath?— Diablo thought to himself.
Normally, Summons came with the limitation of having only one skill. Of course, that’s not to say there weren’t Summons that had special attributes, such as high defense or high attack.
—But the regeneration ability of this Force Hydra doesn’t seem to be a skill. I think I can say for sure that it’s some kind of special attribute: extremely high resilience.
That, or maybe this is a sign Cross Reverie would eventually implement Summons with multiple skills?
It seemed quite likely, considering it would buff the laughingstock that was the Summoner class in the game.
—It’s also possible this world is only similar to Cross Reverie, and that’s it.
Diablo pushed himself off the ground, standing up once more. The damage was nothing to sneeze at, but the only wounds he had were scratches, at best.
—Must have been cuts caused by that Wind breath attack.
It wasn’t like he had lost a huge chunk of HP, but he did want to avoid continuing to take on these attacks.
As he was working to put some distance between himself and the Summon, Fire, Ice, and Sand breath attacks came surging out from the remaining three heads.
“This thing has five skills!?”
—I had thought it was around level 80 or so...
But it looks like it’s over level 100. It’s strong enough to stand equally with the monsters that show up in the Demon Lord’s Domain. It might be even stronger than Edelgard, the Fallen commander I fought before.
Becoming full of himself, Keera shouted in a shrill voice:
“Good, that’s good! This is my power! I don’t need anyone getting in my way or holding me back!”
“Diablo!” Shera cried out. “There should be a core somewhere inside of it! If you can destroy that, it should go back to being a crystal!”
—I see. So that’s how it is.
It was a common practice with boss monsters for there to be specific parts of the boss you needed to attack to damage it.
“Ha! For an idiot, you sure remember some useless things,” Keera sneered. “However! This thing keeps its core moving throughout the inside of its body, and it’s not as big as the crystal it came out of— There’s no chance in hell someone like you would be able to find it!”
“Having it change its weak spot is normal for these creatures... Though I never intended to search for it in the first place.”
“What!?”
The patterns and weak points for this type of monster were pretty much already written on the strategy Wiki. Diablo himself had even contributed info to it in the past. But when it came to actually facing these things for the first time, you had to go through some struggles before you could begin studying its patterns.
Diablo pressed the attack with his magic, destroying another of the hydra’s heads; but just like before, it regenerated and retaliated with a breath attack. Taking it like before, Diablo kept accumulating damage.
“G-Go get him! Don’t lose!” Shera shouted in a panic.
“...Is it really strong enough that Diablo can’t win against it?” Rem said worriedly.
“Good...! This is great! I win!” Keera burst out laughing. “Keep going, just like that! Kill him!!”
“I see.” Diablo nodded. “It has high stats, but is lacking in its mental capacities.”
For the third time, he destroyed one of the Hydra’s heads— And just like before, it promptly grew back. The regenerated head once again struck back at him with a Wind breath attack.
—This thing is leading its attacks on me, but I can outrun them with my high agility.
Diablo started charging a spell while avoiding the Force Hydra’s three breath attacks: Fire, Ice, and Sand. It was a fixed pattern.
So basically, this guy has one skill:
“?Regeneration, followed by four breath attacks?— That’s what its skill is. It may look strong, but its patterns are so predictable that it’s useless in a fight against an actual person.”
It might change its attack pattern depending on how much HP it lost, or if Diablo destroyed another one of its heads instead, but he didn’t have time to confirm every single one of its patterns. There wasn’t any site for him to compare info with other players to be found in this world, either.
Diablo confirmed his surroundings: none of the Elves, nor Alicia, Shera, or Rem, were in danger of being caught up in the spell.
He rapidly closed the distance between himself and the Force Hydra. Pointing Tenma’s Staff towards the monster, he cast his spell:
“?Matoi Izuna?!!”
A condensed mass of lightning appeared from the tip of his staff, its appearance that of a sparkling orb, and sent it flying towards the Force Hydra. There was a small distance the attack had to travel first, but given the size of the Summon, there was no time or space for the monster to dodge it.
The instant the shining ball of light made contact with its target—
The Force Hydra’s body started to quake— It spasmed continuously as lightning poured forth from its eyes and mouths.
Matoi Izuna was a combination Wind and Light elemental spell. By taking a vicious whirlwind and cloaking it with lighting, it would lodge itself inside the target, tearing it apart from the inside. In Cross Reverie, it would deal damage over time while locking the target in place; it would finish its assault by dealing massive damage.
“Tearing apart the target from the inside-out” was only the description for the spell in the game— But right now, he was seeing the effects with his own eyes.
As the hydra continued to convulse, white sparks starting to fly off of its electricity-wreathed body. Then, finally, the “massive damage” activated—
An explosion of pure white.
A pillar of light completely engulfed the Force Hydra. Rem and the others shielded their eyes, unable to stand the dazzling brightness.
Keera could only stare, dumbfounded.
“Wh... What...?”
The pillar of light disappeared. Where the Force Hydra once stood, there was now a hole in the earth, the bottom of which could not be seen. But it wasn’t like the ground had split open—
It had been completely obliterated.
Along with the Force Hydra, the ground, the clouds above, and even the air itself where the Summon once was, had been entirely removed from this world.
—For some reason, Light-elemental spells always seem to make enemies turn into particles of light when they’re defeated... It’s pretty to watch, but also kind of brutal when you think about it...
“...What is happening here... I don’t... get it...” Mouth agape, Keera stared at the area that had been obliterated by Diablo. He crumpled to his knees.
Rem and the other two girls came running over to Diablo.
“Diablo! You actually managed to defeat that powerful Summon!” Rem proclaimed. “Just what I would expect from a Demon Lord!”
Shera came bounding over.
“That was amazing! The Force Hydra is Greenwood’s ace in the hole, something we’re only supposed to use if our enemies reach the royal palace! It’s supposed to be able to handle entire armies! How did you beat it by yourself!? You’re so strong, Diablo!”
Alicia appeared to be shocked speechless.
Confirming that the girls were all safe, Diablo breathed a silent sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad you’re all right”—is also something a Demon Lord would never say, so he said nothing at all.
“What the hell is with you? A-Aren’t you supposed to be a Demon...?” Keera balked.
“You deserve punishment,” Diablo said, glaring at Keera, “and there is only one punishment fitting enough for having tried to kill me... Repent for your sins with death!”
“Eep!? S-Stop...!” His face terror-stricken, Keera backed away.
“At the very least, it will all be over in an instant.”
Diablo pointed his staff at him.
“...Who... What are yooooou!?”
“I am a being born within a world of chaos, bound by no person— I am the Demon Lord, Diablo!”
“Ahhhhhh!” Keera turned tail and ran. “What... What the hell is this...? Why, why, why!? Why is something like that in front of me!? This can’t be happening! It can’t, it can’t, it can’t! Someone, quick! Someone save meeeeeeeee!!”
— Now he runs away?
Diablo started opening his mouth...
—Time to hit him with magic—
“W-Wait!” A desperate shout rang out.
Shera clung to Diablo.
“Diablo, please! Let... Let my brother go.”
—After all the horrible things Keera did to her, I would think Shera wouldn’t be able to forgive him...
“You’re not still in his control, are you?” Diablo asked for confirmation.
“No!”
“As master of the enslavement collar you bear, I command you: speak your true mind.”
“I... I hate my brother... I really do. But, I don’t want any more of my family to die. There were... times where we smiled and laughed together...”
Perhaps it was because he had forced it out of her using a command, but Shera’s voice was shaking as she spoke. There could be no question about it: this was how Shera truly felt.
“Hmph...” Diablo lowered his staff. “There is no merit in killing an insect like him...”
“...Thank you, Diablo... and... I’m sorry.” Shera cast her eyes downwards.
Diablo turned to look at Keera, who was disappearing deeper into the forest.
“It would certainly be a problem for me if you forgave him so easily.”
As objecting to Diablo’s decision, the voice of a cool-headed, middle-aged man rang throughout the forest.
†
Diablo and the others could see it happening ten meters away from them—
As Keera tried to flee, a man in a white military uniform with a longsword strapped at his waist suddenly appeared in his way—
It was Galford.
From behind him, around twenty heavily armored foot soldiers quickly came into sight. It was completely unexpected— They must have been hiding using some kind of concealment spell.
Confused, Keera came to a halt.
“Y-You’re the governor of Faltra!?”
“And you must be the prince of the Kingdom of Greenwood, though that detail is not even worth confirming. I have already seen everything.”
Galford placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Whoa, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!?” Scared stiff, Keera backed away. “I’m the Elf prince, y-you know!? Do you know what’s going to happen to you if you try and hurt me!?”
“There’s something I would like to ask you as well: do you understand the meaning behind sending troops into another country’s territory?”
“A-Are you trying to go to war with us!? You know, war!? A war between the Humans and Elves!?”
“The war had already started when you declared war on us and sent your soldiers in.”
“No! That’s not what I—”
“A difference of opinions. Quite the common occurrence when war breaks out.”
Galford’s figure wavered— The next moment, he was in front of Keera.
A sharp, metallic sound rang out as he sheathed his sword, seemingly without ever having taken it out.
Keera’s head flew through the air.
Diablo doubted his own eyes—
Eyes open wide in horror, Shera screamed—
Rem covered her mouth, averting her eyes—
Alicia stared fixedly in shock—
Injured and unable to move, a commotion broke out from the Elves—
The Kingdom of Greenwood’s prince had been effortlessly disposed of.
“What do you think you are doing?” Diablo stared menacingly at Galford.
Galford slowly walked forward. Wasting no time, he issued a command to his subordinates:
“Finish off the remaining Elf forces, but capture the princess alive. Eliminate anyone who gets in the way.”
“You bastard... This was your plan all along!”
Diablo went to confront him. An unfazed expression on his face, Galford once again rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“If you plan on interfering, I will be forced to eliminate you as well.”
As they glared at each other, Diablo spoke to the girls:
“Stay back, but don’t get too far away. There may be soldiers approaching us from behind.”
“What are you planning to do, Diablo?”
“It appears I’m going to have to talk some sense into him.”
Rem and the others backed up about twenty meters away.
Galford turned his gaze towards Shera.
“Could you understand something for me? I have nothing I wish to speak with you about.” He raised his left hand.
—What is he trying to do!?
At that moment, a flash of light shot through the forest.
—Magic!
The light surrounded itself around Diablo.
—Another spell I don’t know!? Damn, this has been happening too much lately!
He tried to leave the area the light was covering—
With a high-pitched jolt, like the sound of static electricity, something had repelled Diablo’s advance.
“Damn it, get out of my way! ?Explosion?!”
Facing Galford, Diablo launched the spell towards the governor. Rather than hitting his designated target, the area directly in front of Diablo exploded instead.
—There’s a wall here!?
He couldn’t see it, but he could feel some kind of barrier had enclosed around him.
“This is a ritual magic used to capture large-scale monsters,” Galford said, stroking his chin. “For you, well, let’s say it would be impossible for you to detect our preparations to use it. By yourself, you are indeed an exceptional Sorcerer... But we in the military excel at group combat.”
“You bastard...”
“That barrier is able to seal even the most powerful of monsters. You won’t be getting out of it so easily, so be good and stay put for a while.”
—Stuff like this exists as well!?
Diablo had no idea what this kind of magic was. Since it prevented movement, it was close to “Bind” in that regard.
But Diablo was wearing equipment that rendered him invulnerable to negative status effects. If this could affect even him, then this was no ordinary effect— To begin with, if there was some kind of barrier in a game that could be activated in an instant and completely seal a player’s movements, that would be a crappy game, no question.
For a solo player like Diablo, this completely shut him down. This aberrant feeling— It was like one of the cutscenes from the game.
Most of the time, in-game cutscenes made him want to yell, “Why the hell are you just standing there watching!?” Players had no control over what happened— It was all for the sake of the story. These were things like the Fallen gaining tremendous power, or an enormous monster getting resurrected, or some key NPC being abducted—and you just had to sit there and be a spectator to it all. If this were the game, then the only option would be to just watch it happen...
But being forced to watch a cutscene in real life wasn’t something he could endure. In particular, the event Diablo was going to be forced to see would be particularly hard to stomach: the injured Elves would be slaughtered... Shera would be captured... And at worst, Rem and Alicia would be killed, too.
—Screw that! I’m not gonna stand by and watch this crappy cutscene play out! Not while I can still do something!
He placed his hands against the invisible wall.
—I have to try dispelling this magic!
The magic in Shera’s enslavement collar was complicated, and far too complex—
But he knew the method needed to rid the invisible wall.
—I have to make it work now!
To be specific, he had to make contact with his hands and grasp the flow of magic energy. It was like unraveling a pile of tangled strings; if he rushed the process, things could get messy, and he would lose his grasp on the energy. He had to be careful while still going as fast as possible.
—Hurry! Come on, hurry! Hurry!!
Alicia stepped forward, passing Diablo and entering within striking distance of Galford.
“Governor, sir, I request an explanation for this!”
Galford cocked his head.
“This is the duty of the governor of Faltra: crush any invaders, and protect the races.”
“Are you planning to invade Greenwood as well!?”
“It seems you suffer from a misunderstanding here. Mobilizing an army within my own territory cannot be called an invasion. This is merely self-defense.”
“Ngh... But why would go and kill an opponent who has already surrendered!?”
“Surrendered? These Elves? It does not appear that way to me—”
“Furthermore, is it necessary to abduct the princess!?”
“She was almost taken away after I left the task to these ‘Adventurers.’ I have deemed it necessary that the army should now take custody of her. Is an Imperial Knight trying to interfere with how the military conducts itself?”
“There is nothing humane about your actions! Withdraw your troops immediately, and release Sir Diablo!”
“Return to the Royal Capital and make whatever report you like. The Kingdom of Greenwood, however, may have already surrendered by then.”
“Then... I will stop you!” Alicia drew her sword.
“And how, exactly, do you intend to stop me using a sword without a blade?” Galford asked, bemused.
“H-Huh?” Perplexed, Alicia looked down at her sword. It was obvious something about its weight was different than usual.
Without a sound, the sword had broken, its blade falling to the ground.
“Wha—!?”
Sweat broke out along Alicia’s brow; Diablo shuddered as well.
—He cut through Alicia’s sword!?
Diablo had just barely managed to see what Galford’s mirage had done: the instant Alicia drew her sword, Galford had sliced clean through it.
—He’s on a completely different level than any Adventurer or soldier...
From what Diablo could tell, Galford was over level 100. He was already beyond the limits of any of the races. At this rate, Diablo wouldn’t know how strong he really was without actually confronting him directly.
The max level in-game was 150, but after all the other unimplemented gameplay elements Diablo had seen in this world, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. At worst, Diablo had to consider the possibility that Galford was stronger than himself.
“Alicia.” Galford shook his head. “It seems you are not suited for combat after all. Return to the Royal Capital and tell them whatever you like. I’m sure His Majesty will listen to whomever is stronger. The city of Faltra is the front line in case of a Fallen invasion, after all.”
“Ngh...” Alicia collapsed to her knees.
Faced with an overwhelming difference in their power, it was only natural she would lose her will to fight. The same thing had happened to the Elves Diablo had fought against.
Galford thrust his left hand forwards.
“Commence the operation— All troops, move out! Capture the princess, and eliminate anyone who interferes!”
Galford’s heavily armored troops let out a battle cry. The Elves screamed in terror, injured and unable to run away.
“Stop it!!” Shera cried out.
Rem readied her metal claws.
“...It doesn’t seem he will stop just because you ask him to.”
True, Galford probably wouldn’t be stopped by mere words; but the fact Alicia had bought them even the slightest amount of time was not in vain.
“Heh heh heh... You say the King will listen to who is stronger? Then my words will be absolute, Galford.”
“Silence. I will be dealing with you later. I also have a ritual magic prepared for just—”
In one deft movement, Diablo pulled at the end of the magical energy. The threads of magic that made up the barrier started to come undone, just like he had untied the ribbon on a present.
Then, with a sharp, high-pitched sound of something breaking, the barrier came crumbling down.
†
“Impossible...” Galford’s eyes narrowed. “He broke through the barrier...!? All units— Halt!”
Receiving the order, the soldiers on the verge of attacking the Elves about-faced, scrambling to make their way back behind Galford.
Diablo flashed a fearless smile.
“You are a fool to think something like that could hold me!”
—Although I was cutting it pretty dang close!
Thank goodness I did a practice run with Shera... Though, it was kinda embarrassing, thinking back to it...
Diablo faced Galford, who stood about ten meters away from him. Alicia was still on the ground between them, so he couldn’t just rush in with a huge AoE spell right from the start.
Galford unsheathed his sword.
“Hm... I should have dealt with you first. I had considered the possibility of the Elves and the princess running off while I did so, however...”
“From the very beginning, you were planning to pit the Elves against me so we would wear each other out, all so you could come in and finish us off.”
“That is called ‘strategy,’ though I suppose an Adventurer like you wouldn’t know of such things.”
“Hmph— A coward’s method.”
—This is why I hate those wargamers...
“Being scorned by one’s enemies is the greatest praise for a soldier.”
“I will deliver unto you the ultimate despair. You will never be able to scorn anyone when I am through with you! Explosion!”
Diablo set off another explosion, just barely missing Alicia still crouched on the ground. She might be on the receiving end of some of the fallout from the blast, but she would just have to grit her teeth and bear it.
Galford had leapt back so fast, it seemed he had disappeared entirely.
—He dodged my spell!? Diablo hadn’t thought it possible.
—Players with high speed stats were able to “resist” certain things in-game, but is that the reason here?
Galford instantly closed the gap between them. It was fast, but Diablo saw it—
A rapid thrust.
Diablo turned his body to the side to avoid the attack. As if he had already read Diablo’s movements, Galford changed the trajectory of his sword—
A sideways slash, gashing Diablo’s arm.
He was taking even more damage.
—He’s breaking through my damage-reducing abilities like they’re nothing!
The damage he took, however, still wasn’t as bad as when he took Edelgard’s ?Sacrificial Charge? during their fight. These were normal attacks, not Martial Arts, after all.
Galford kept up his attacks: a thrust; sideways slice; a swipe at Diablo’s legs; an upwards rising slash.
He’s insanely fast!
Usually, Diablo would try to back away, putting some distance between him and the enemy. That was the basic strategy for any Sorcerer vs. Warrior fight; but he held his ground. It wouldn’t seem very cool for a Demon Lord to fight while running away— However, this wasn’t the only reason he stood firm:
Rem and Shera were behind him, about twenty meters away. If he tried to back off they would immediately be caught up in the fight.
—I can’t just blindly move backwards here...
Staying within range of Galford’s sword put him at an overwhelming disadvantage as he kept receiving more and more damage from Galford’s sword.
His wounds hurt; he was most likely bleeding; but because of his high HP, he still had health to spare...
But at this rate, it was only a matter of time for him. To make matters worse, there was another reason he couldn’t simply back up and launch a counteroffensive—
As if he had read his mind, Galford spoke:
“You seem to be considerably worn out after taking on those Elves earlier. For a Sorcerer who supposedly fended off an army of Fallen, your movements are quite sluggish, aren’t they?”
Even whilst talking, Galford never let up on his attacks.
—Even after swinging his sword around that much, he isn’t breathing hard or anything. Frankly, that’s amazing... But, wait— I guess I should think of it more as him dedicating himself to the whole, “Focus on not letting up on your attacks when facing a Sorcerer, rather than the strength behind each strike” strategy. It looks like he’s a master of one-on-one combat, too.
“Hmph...” Diablo’s face turned into a twisted smile. “You’re just so weak that I can’t work up the motivation to actually try!”
A bluff— This was the most damage he had ever received.
“How about putting some distance between us and using your magic?” Galford scoffed.
—He’s seen through me after all...
Rem, Shera, and Alicia were still about twenty meters away. He couldn’t back up and let them get involved, and Galford knew this well.
—I have to stop him here.
—No, that’s impossible. I can’t win if I’m within reach of that sword.
Diablo took a giant leap backwards, with Galford pursuing him.
“As I thought, you value your own life over theirs!”
He was closing in fast. Moving into close-quarters was the most basic of basics for a Warrior when fighting against a Sorcerer.
“Your movements are deft, that much is for sure. However! That only makes it all the easier to predict your next move, Galford!”
As Diablo fell back, he cast a spell under his breath. For the moment, it seemed like nothing had happened...
Galford made his approach—and the ground exploded at his feet.
“What!?”
—My magic must have completely taken him by surprise.
The attack— ?Super Mine?, a spell that could be placed and used as a trap. It would activate upon whatever part of the ground the caster aimed at, and would deal damage to anyone who passed over it. Diablo had used an advanced version of the spell, one that could be acquired around level 80. Despite the level it was learned at, it didn’t deal much damage; but it activated quickly. It was a spell perfectly suited for dealing with opponents who would move in close to fight.
—Looks like I managed to wound his leg.
But it wasn’t enough to stop the governor from moving. Diablo kept laying down more “Super Mines”; but even after seeing it only the once, Galford had discerned it to be a spell that exploded when passed over. His perception was impressive, to say the least.
Moving forwards in a dizzying zigzag pattern, Galford made his approach; an appropriate strategy in response to the mines.
“It’s been thirty years since someone has successfully wounded me, Diablo!”
“Is that so... Then not having more opponents capable of doing the same will be your downfall, Galford! The steps people take to get closer to Sorcerers in combat, and the magic needed to guard against it— You will never know the endless hours I have spent researching just for this moment! Such is the world I come from!!”
—He still has much to learn.
Galford was almost superhuman. Never mind the other races in this world: he was liable to have some of the most powerful stats in the game as well.
But the one standing before him was no ordinary player—
Diablo, the Demon Lord, a being so powerful that he slaughtered countless challengers who had come to face him.
He had never lost when it came to predicting his opponent’s moves. A “Super Mine” exploded underneath Galford’s feet, stalling his movement.
—There’s my chance.
Diablo pointed his staff at Galford, casting a spell:
“Turn to frost: ?Freeze Zone?!”
This was a level 90 Ice-elemental spell that would freeze a small targeted area. Though it wouldn’t outright defeat an opponent, it would apply the ?Freeze? status effect to them, slowing their movement.
With a resounding crackle, Galford, the ground surrounding him, and the air itself was flash frozen.
—Got you.
Diablo promptly pumped his fist, then quickly regained his composure.
—Is he gonna be all right? That was a pretty strong spell.
...Crap, I might have killed him.
The ice crumbled away. For a split-second, Diablo was worried about his opponent’s well-being—
Galford rushed towards him, completely unharmed.
—It didn’t work at all!?
Impossible...
If that’s the case, then it must be a Martial Art that provides him with absolute defense!
The timing for it was strict, but there was a Martial Art in the game that allowed you to completely negate one attack from your opponent in battle. It almost seemed like cheating to use it, but that’s what you could expect from someone over level 100.
Galford grandly swung his sword overhead.
—He’s gonna unleash a big one!
Diablo was completely defenseless. No matter how short the spell, there was always a period of time you couldn’t move after using magic.
Galford must have decided he was going to end their fight right now; his sword started to glow red-hot as heat enveloped the blade.
—?Heat Sonic?.
A Martial Art that could be learned at level 120, it was a technique that turned the user’s blade red-hot. This allowed the wielder to unleash a series of eight slashes almost instantaneously.
—Was the “chance” I got from my “Super Mine” just an act to entice me into using an even bigger spell? Then he’d use his technique to completely guard against my magic and hit me with his finishing move...
Everyone thinks the same thing.
“A Demon Lord has no blind spots!”
“What are you saying now!?”
The blade of the sword was drawing closer. Keeping himself exposed to this danger, Diablo shouted:
“The reason you will lose is that you have only fought weaklings your whole life! ?Omit?— ?Lightning Bullet?!!”
“Whaaaaat!?”
Just as the name would suggest, “Omit” was a special skill that allowed the user to skip the casting time for a spell. It was similar to a Warrior’s Martial Art moreso than actual magic.
Lightning Bullet was classified as an advanced Light-elemental spell. This caused bullets of light to speed towards the rapidly approaching Galford. He had already committed to using his Martial Art, so there was nothing he could do in response.
The bullets bore into his chest, and sent him flying backwards. A dull heft of breath escaped his lungs as he crashed into the hard ground, tearing up the terrain itself as he scraped along it.
The bullets of light swiftly burst, dealing even heavier damage to him.
Galford was covered in burns from the attack, his white uniform in tatters. Black smoke was rising from his body. Yet even then, he was still on one knee, using his sword as a cane to raise himself up.
Diablo was impressed.
—Phew, that’s just the kind of HP I’d expect out of him! Glad he’s not dead...
It was true Galford had murdered Keera, but Diablo did not want to kill anyone he didn’t absolutely have to.
“What happened to the ‘finishing blow’?” Galford said with a grunt of pain. “I’m still alive, you know...”
“Hmph... This battle is over. I am no longer interested in you.”
Diablo gave a derisive snort, but on the inside, a wave of relief washed over him.
—But that was still pretty dangerous!
In the end, the reason he won was thanks to his experience fighting against other people, as well as the difference in their skill expertise. Yet, Galford had easily been the strongest enemy he had faced since coming to this world.
—But I can’t let him think he almost had me— He might just come after me again. I won, so I might as well threaten him a little.
“You were much more of a weakling than I expected. You disappoint me! Know that you are not even remotely a match for me!” Diablo spoke as arrogantly as possible.
“...Are you saying you don’t plan to kill me?” Galford scowled.
“If you wish to die, then do as you please.”
“Are you sure about that? I may just deliver a report to the King that makes things much, much worse for you.”
—That... actually might be kinda bad.
“I will not allow that to happen.” Right then, Alicia walked over to them, having recovered from her previous stupor. “I will prepare my own report to the King, one that states how you fully intended to sabotage the harmony between Faltra and its neighboring country!”
“...And?” Galford scoffed. “Between the governor of Faltra and a single Imperial Knight— Whose report do you think he will believe?”
“His Majesty is a person of great intelligence and wisdom.”
“I would think it more efficient to kill me right here.”
—If he’s going that far, then it makes me think this is some kind of trap... He seems like he’d come back to haunt me if I killed him, too.
Diablo was troubled. This was the first time an opponent he had claimed victory over had made him feel so... uncomfortable.
Even so, going back on what he had said would make him seem lame.
“Hmph... Pointless. As I’ve said, if you wish to die, then do as you like. If you wish to challenge me again, then I will gladly be your opponent. But the next time you think of raising a hand against me or one of my possessions— Know that I will reduce you and the land you govern to cinders!”
He was a little iffy about threatening the town itself, but he still said it anyways, just in case. Diablo wanted to ensure no one would go after Rem and Shera, after all.
Galford stood back up.
—He wants to go another round!? Right now!? Noooo!
“You say all that, and yet you will not take my life...” Galford breathed a sigh. “Is this just on a whim? Or is this part of some grand scheme of yours?”
—I just want to save as many lives as I can...
But that wasn’t very Demon Lord-like at all, so he would never say that out loud, of course.
“Hmph... I simply feel like it.”
“You might come to regret not killing me.”
“If you dare face me again, you shall be the one to regret having survived here.”
Galford turned his back to him. Then, raising his left hand—
“All troops, fall back!”
His voice resonated throughout the battlefield. The soldiers who had been watching the battle sprinted over, lining up in front of Galford. As the sound of their marching reverberated over the terrain, they made their retreat.
Diablo stared at Galford’s back as he left.
—So, it’s finally over...
He had no idea what was going to happen from here on out... For now, he had managed to put an end to the fight before him.
—It may have not been the best outcome, but I think I can call it the second best conclusion to all of this.
Diablo turned his gaze towards Rem and Shera.
†
Rem ran towards him.
“Are you all right!?”
“No problems whatsoever.” Diablo nodded. “I was only toying with him, after all.”
“...For you to win against Galford, even after having fought those other battles beforehand... You truly are amazing.”
Diablo was happy enough that he wanted to do a little victory dance—but instead gave a reserved sneer more fitting of a Demon Lord.
“But of course.”
Diablo saw Shera run over to Keera’s dead body. He was also planning on going over there as well, but...
—I’m so wiped out that even walking is a pain...
He just wanted to fall asleep where he stood.
“Um... Do you have any potions to spare...?” Rem asked Diablo.
“Hm? Were you hurt?”
“No, it’s not that... I want to use it on the Elves.”
—It’s true, we’d probably be able to save a lot of them with potions.
Diablo took the HP potions he had made this morning from his pouch.
—But it’s not cool for a Demon Lord to use his own items to save someone else...
“Well uh, you see... I have some things I wanted to run a few experiments with. These potions are too weak to have any effect on me, so... Go see if we can actually put these to use.”
He gave Rem the potion flasks.
“...You really are kind after all.”
“F-Fool!” Diablo shouted to hide his embarrassment. “Keep saying foolish things like that and I’ll destroy this whole forest!”
“...I don’t think I would be able to survive that, so I think I’ll go tend to the Elves now.” Rem smiled.
—She’s seen right through me... I guess there’s no getting around that after we’ve spent all this time together.
Diablo sighed.
“Hurry up and go, before I change my mind.”
“...All right. I leave Shera to you.” She ran off towards the injured Elves.
—That’s right: I have to go see Shera.
Next, Alicia came to speak with him:
“Sir Galford is sure to make a nonbeneficial report towards you... Are you sure you are all right with this?” The expression on her face was serious.
—Are you telling me to kill him? Although, I guess her working as a knight in this world means she has a different sense for these kinds of situations than I do.
Even so, it’s kind of hard to call Galford the “bad guy” here— After all, this whole thing was caused by Keera’s violent recklessness.
I still think Galford’s actions were cruel and heavy-handed, though. I can’t say for certain if it was actually necessary to kill Keera.
But Galford hadn’t been acting for personal gain; rather, it was to protect this country. Since Galford had been the one to challenge Diablo, all he had done was thrash the governor in response to that. He had no intention of judging who was good or evil; and he wasn’t a god either, nor did he have the privileges or obligations of one. In the end, both Galford and the Elves had their reasons for doing this, but both were also to blame here.
—I’m really not a fan of war after all.
Diablo already had enough of going through the trouble of fighting off armies. If he showed weakness now, someone could end up taking advantage of that.
“I am no god, nor am I an enforcer of the law; I am a Demon Lord,” Diablo informed Alicia. “I will kill whomever I please, and spare who I want. If the king chooses to believe Galford’s words over your own and dares to oppose me, then I will butcher this entire country.”
It was half a threat, half the truth. If Galford had used his soldiers during their battle, then it would have been impossible for Diablo to fight without killing anyone. Since he didn’t have that much MP remaining, it would have been more efficient for him to blast everyone with an AoE spell rather than disabling each soldier one-by-one.
Now, if the king truly did send the national armies to oppose Diablo, his only choice would be to fight with the intent of killing them all.
—If I really do want peace, the best thing would be to not resist, I guess.
So, in that case, if I don’t kill anyone, then I get killed instead...
He was no saint. If such a situation really did come to pass, he wouldn’t be satisfied with dying a pacifist’s death.
“I understand your intentions.” Alicia nodded. “This time, I shall be the one to try and prevent a war from occurring between you and Lyferia.”
“Do as you wish.”
—I’m counting on you! Pretty please!!
Suddenly, Alicia turned her gaze towards Rem. Diablo followed suit.
Rem was working in earnest, calling out to see if any of the Elves were seriously injured.
Alicia let out a sigh of admiration.
“To be honest, I would imagine she’s exhausted... It seems she does not have a drop of MP left, either.”
“Hm... Rem did end up calling forth her Summons, after all.”
“She looks almost angelic, doesn’t she...” Alicia faintly muttered under her breath.
—I feel like I just heard her ask if this is having an effect on Rem’s personality...
But what does she mean? Is it really that strange for an Adventurer to help other people when there’s no money involved for them?
Maybe he had heard her wrong— Putting it bluntly, he had lost so much HP and MP that he would fall asleep on the spot if he let his concentration slip for so much as a second. He had probably misheard her because of that.
—Not good! Falling asleep standing up like a salaryman taking the last train home is not Demon Lord-like!
He tried to boost his spirits with some Demon Lord role play:
“Hmph! Every one of my opponents has left me unsatisfied. Is there anyone in this country that will make me use my true power!?”
He held his staff aloft as Alicia stared intently at him.
“You are certainly a being to be feared, Sir Diablo... You might even be a true Demon Lord...”
Strangely enough, he felt a kind of affection from her... No, it was something even more than that. One might even call it adoration.
—I thought she’d be a little more freaked out about this. Even though I’ve fought all these battles, maybe she sees through me too, since I have yet to actually kill anyone...
“I am a Demon Lord. Have you not listened to what I’ve said?”
“Yes, please forgive me... Sir Diablo, please, go over to be with Miss Shera soon.”
“Will you not accompany me?”
“I will go help Miss Rem. I believe it would be best for Miss Shera if it were just the two of you.” With an enigmatic smile, Alicia walked back towards Rem.
—Maybe it’s just something only girls would understand...?
Shera was motionless in the middle of the forest. Her shoulders drooped as she stood in front of her brother’s unmoving corpse.
They hadn’t been able to save him.
Diablo had tried to speak— But there were no words his Demon Lord act could provide to comfort someone who had just lost a family member.
Shera wiped her tears. Having noticed Diablo approaching, she turned to look at him for only an instant.
He had to say something, so he opened his mouth:
“...Um...”
“Yeah...”
With just that short conversation, they became silent once again. But before long, Shera started to talk, eyes still cast downwards.
“...There wasn’t any way to avoid this, huh... I don’t know much about how both countries got along, but I know my brother did a bad thing.”
Her voice was shaking. Though it was obvious she was only trying to act strong, she wouldn’t say how she really felt.
In the end, Diablo couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t fully express how he felt with words.
He laid a hand on her shoulder. Shera looked up at him, her eyes blurred with an endless stream of tears pouring down her white cheeks.
She buried herself in Diablo’s arms and cried her heart out.
There were no words; rather, the tears themselves proclaimed how she truly felt.
It didn’t matter what the deceased had done or what their personality was— Losing family was sad, and anyone would feel the same.
Diablo stroked Shera’s golden hair. He had a feeling it would be best to stay like this until Shera had calmed down.
†
After returning from the Eastern Lakefront Forest—
Alicia immediately left on a trip to the Royal Capital, apparently to make a report of this incident directly to the king. Diablo had wanted to escort her himself, since the governor’s troops might go after Alicia to prevent her from making an unfavorable report to the king about the governor...
The name of the Demon Lord Diablo had spread farther than he had expected, so Diablo’s arrival could end up being a cause for alarm for the king, so she had turned down his offer. With this last incident, the stakes had been raised even higher, according to Alicia. So far, he had silenced an elite squadron of Elves; obliterated a towering Summon; and above all else, emerged victorious in a battle against the hero Galford. If someone as otherworldly-powerful as him were to approach the Royal Capital unannounced, it wouldn’t be strange for the king to overreact in that situation.
Diablo was basically a one-man army. If a country they had no diplomatic relationships with suddenly marched on the Royal Capital, this could only be called one thing: “invasion”— There was no room for doubt on that.
That was the reason behind Alicia’s refusal to Diablo’s offer of escort.
—I probably don’t need to worry about her; Alicia is plenty strong. She may not have been a match for Galford, but she played an active role in our fight against the Elves.
And she did say the king “would surely resolve this matter peacefully” before rushing off. Let’s just hope she brings back good news.
Peace is best, after all.
It had been three days since the battle with the Elves, and Diablo was lying down in the bed at the inn after once again almost using all his MP. He was, once more, spending his days not doing anything, waiting for it to recover.
Galford hadn’t made any kind of move yet, but he could attack at any time. Diablo wanted to recover his MP as fast as possible, but the MP potions he had in his pouch when he was first summoned to this world were particularly potent. He didn’t want to use them unless it was an absolute emergency.
That being said, however, he couldn’t get hold of the materials necessary to make MP potions, so he didn’t have the chance to put his Combiner skills to work.
—But people are always growing.
He wasn’t going to spend another ten days in a row lazing around like last time. He had put in a request with Sylvie to bring him an MP potion. Being the Guildmaster, she should at the very least be able to gather up the ingredients he needed. This was his third day waiting for a response, though...
He was on his own today as Rem and Shera had headed out on an errand after taking on an easy quest. But he should have gone with them— He was worried about what Galford would do now.
—But, my motivation... And my MP...
Not being able to do the things he wanted was the very definition of running out of MP. It was like spending your time doing stupid things when you should have been studying for exams; or playing games when you have a deadline right around the corner.
According to Rem, Galford wouldn’t try to make anyone his enemy if they were stronger than himself, not if he didn’t have to. The governor’s ultimate priority was to protect the city of Faltra; given the present situation, even a child could understand that having Diablo as an ally would be a boon for the city.
Since Shera was an Elven princess, he was also worried about her being taken as a hostage... But Shera herself had laughed it off, saying that, even if he would get the princess of a small country for doing it, making Diablo an enemy after demonstrating how strong he was would be a complete loss for Galford.
If Diablo took away the girls’ freedom because of how worried he was, then he would just be doing the same thing as Keera. “An Adventurer should be able to protect themselves!” This was one of the basic principles of the job.
In any case, Galford shouldn’t make any moves until the king made a decision after hearing Alicia’s report. As for the Kingdom of Greenwood, Celsior said he would report everything that had happened. He had also said Shera shouldn’t have to worry about being chased after any longer.
The reason they had been trying to bring her back in the first place was because of Keera’s own judgment. Apparently, Shera’s father had been half-hearted about forcibly making her return. Of course, Shera’s bounty had disappeared as well. He didn’t know how Greenwood would react to Keera’s death yet, though.
Putting all that aside— He had been forced to come face to face with something truly horrible.
There was no reward for their last quest—
And there was no reward for avoiding the war.
I’m gonna freakin’ murder you, Galford!!
—Agh, I lost some MP because I was so angry just now. Right when I was getting it back...
Diablo stopped and took a deep breath. This had been a request from the governor to prevent a war between the Elves and Faltra, after all.
—I ended up fighting the guy who gave us the quest, so I guess I should have seen this coming.
Even if he hadn’t been a Demon Lord, anyone asking for a reward the day after beating the crap out of their client was just impossible. Essentially, he had ended up working for free the past few days.
Buying his war scythe and ingredients for potions had put him in the red. The result: Diablo, now out of MP, had reverted to being a NEET, with Rem and Shera were taking on things like “gathering quests” for the rewards.
—This is a leecher’s lifestyle! I’m the worst...
Suddenly, loud knocking came from the door. Collecting himself, Diablo answered:
“Enter as you like.”
The door opened with a creak. A small girl entered, wearing her usual outfit that made her look half-naked—
It was Sylvie.
“Hi there, Diablo! How are you? Not well, huh. Right.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’ve got some good news for you today.”
“Oh hoh? Did you manage to bring what I asked for?”
“Nooooot exactly... But hey, it should do just about the same thing.” Sylvie took out what she was hiding behind her back.
—Is that a bottle of booze?
He couldn’t read the words on it, but he was pretty sure that’s what it was.
“So, it’s not an MP potion?”
“It’s actually a kind of alcohol that has a similar effect to one. Because potions are effective even in small doses, they’re pretty expensive and rare. But this is so much easier to find, and it tastes good to boot! It’s some pretty strong stuff, but I bet you should be all right with it, Diablo.”
“This will recover my MP, then?”
“Yup, that’s for sure! How effective it is seems to vary, though. Ah, I brought some cheese, too.”
—Strong stuff, huh.
He didn’t know exactly how strong it was, but Diablo’s body was tough. He also had the skill that neutralized negative status effects, so it was possible he wouldn’t even get tipsy.
—There was never a ?Drunk? status effect back in Cross Reverie, though that may not matter right now. I’ll just have to give it a try.
“Then I will take it.” Diablo nodded. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he extended his hand.
Sylvie pulled the cork from the bottle; a fruity aroma spread throughout the room. Judging from the powerful smell of grapes, it seemed to be some kind of wine.
She handed it over to him, where he drank the whole thing in one gulp.
“Ohh!” Sylvie clapped her hands. “Just as I thought; you sure can handle your liquor!”
“...Ahh... Of courshe! I am... a Deeemon Lord!”
“Um... You can handle it...right?”
Diablo’s body started to get warm; he was feeling pretty good. His vision started to swim— Unable to even keep himself sitting upright, he fell back on the bed.
In a panic, Sylvie ran over to him.
“Hey, hold on! Are you all right, Diablo!?”
—It’s like I’m underwater...
Everything sounded so far away as his surroundings twisted and turned.
—It’s so hot. I need something cold...
As he thought that, he blindly reached out with wandering hands—
—managing to grab on to something; something slender and soft. It was cool to the touch, just perfect for him now. With a tug, he pulled it towards himself.
“Wh-What is it, Diablo!?”
For a moment, Diablo hallucinated himself back in his own bed in the real world.
—Man, I’m so sleepy... Sleepy... Oh? There’s a body pillow here.
“Mm...” Without being completely aware of it himself, he had dragged Sylvie onto the bed.
“Waaaah!?”
“Mm... This is the stuff...” He embraced her.
“Diablo!? This is kind of making me uncomfortable!!”
“Mmm... So comfy to hug... Just what I want from a good body pillow. I’d take out a loan just to buy this...”
“What’s a body pillow!? And what do you mean by ‘taking out a loan’!?”
“Hmm? There’s something on it... Something in the way of the smooth feeling...”
“W-Wait! You can’t pull that! This is bad, Diablo! E-Even I’d get mad if you went any further than this!”
“It’s so smooth...”
“Nnngh! You’re supposed to be a Sorcerer— How are you this strong...!?”
Half asleep, Diablo started to stroke her. Sylvie twisted in his arms.
“Ahn! No! You can’t touch there! I’m a Grasswalker, and you’re a Demon, so us doing this is— Doing this is...! It isn’t right! Ah! Ahn! Not there! You can’t go down from there, Diablo! Ahhhhhnn!”
Shuddering, Sylvie’s back arched like a bow.
“...Hah... Hah... G-Geez, Diablo... Are you planning on taking responsibility for this...? Hm? Huh?”
“Zzz...mrgh...mumble...”
“...He’s asleep!?”
Sylvie struggled to break free from Diablo’s arms. Even though he was sound asleep, however, Diablo’s arms would not be moved so easily.
“At least let go of me before you sleep! Rem and Shera are gonna come back soon!! —And give me back my clothes!”
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