The Story So Far—
In the MMORPG Cross Reverie, Takuma Sakamoto was overwhelmingly powerful, and was able to role play so well that his performances were more boss-like than the actual bosses of the game. For this reason, he came to be known as the “Demon Lord.”
By defeating the Demon Lord of the Mind, Enkvaros, faster than anyone else, he obtained the super rare item, the Demon Lord’s Ring. It was one of the ultimate pieces of equipment in the game, able to reflect all types of magic.
Then, one day, Takuma found himself summoned to a world that looked exactly like Cross Reverie! Having performed the ritual magic at the same time, the Pantherian, Rem, and the Elf, Shera, fought over which one of them was his Summoner:
“...I am the one who summoned him. Your magic was a failure.”
“You’re wrong! He’s mine!”
But thanks to the Demon Lord’s Ring he wore, the magic was reflected, so the Enslavement Collar meant for him had clamped onto the two girls instead!
Faced with Rem and Shera arguing, Takuma was at a loss of what to do. While he may have been a superior player back in the game, he couldn’t talk with other people if his life depended on it. After struggling over what to say, the words that came out of his mouth were from the Demon Lord role play he had used in the game:
“Cease your pointless squabbling. You are in the presence of Diablo.”
The three of them have since made the town of Faltra their home base. As it turned out, Rem held a great secret: Within her body was sealed the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm. Trembling with fear deep down, Diablo’s Demon Lord role playing led him to promise he would find a solution to her plight.
Diablo soon after found himself foiling an invasion of one hundred Fallen, lead by a Fallen named Edelgard. Diablo then later found himself the recipient of a quest from the governor of Faltra, Galford. Prince Keera of the elven Kingdom of Greenwood had demanded Shera be returned to him, threatening open war with Faltra against the country of elves should compliance fail. The details of Galford’s quest were simply to find a way to avoid the war. The bespectacled, straight-and-narrow Imperial Knight Alicia was assigned to the group as an observer to watch over their actions.
Using the Marionette’s Flute, Keera manipulated Shera and unleashed a forbidden Summon called the Force Hydra—yet Diablo still managed to rescue her.
Prince Keera was eventually killed by Galford, and his remains were returned to the elven kingdom by Celsior, an elite elven warrior, and his cohorts.
After her rescue, the group set off to resurrect the Demon Lord Krebskulm trapped inside Rem. But in the process, Krebskulm had lost a portion of her memories as a Demon Lord, being reduced to a biscuit-loving young girl, who was then nicknamed “Klem.”
Peaceful days passed by...
Suddenly, Alicia betrayed the group! Now awakened as a true Demon Lord, Klem went into a destructive frenzy. But thanks to one of Diablo’s ultimate spells and the sound of Rem’s and Shera’s voices, Klem was subdued and reverted to her biscuit-loving form. To ensure Klem would never go berserk again, Diablo bound her with the same enslavement magic afflicted upon Shera and Rem.
Through a string of coincidences, or perhaps God’s own guidance, Diablo found himself rescuing Lumachina, a holy woman, from the Paladin Gewalt. Being a High Priest, Lumachina was the highest ranking member of the church. However, due to her attempts at ridding the church of corruption and avarice, she was nearly assassinated. Still seeking to reform the corrupt church, Lumachina sought the help of the Paladin Captain Batutta, setting out to meet him in Zircon Tower.
Located in the perilous expanse of the former Demon Lord’s Domain, Diablo’s group of Adventurers accompanied her as bodyguards. After a long journey, they arrived at their destination, and were greeted by Batutta.
While there, Diablo claimed back his own dungeon, gained many pieces of helpful equipment and items, and fought off the new Demon Lord’s army, gaining new allies in the process: the Grasswalker, Horn, and the magimatic maid, Rose.
Diablo and his group then made their way to the Royal Capital, where they stormed the Grand Cathedral and faced off against the Cardinal Authority and the paladins. Lumachina’s unshakable faith made Diablo’s plans go off course, but they had still somehow cleared the church of its corruption.
Shortly after, Horn decided to change classes and study to become a sorcerer, leaving for the magic academy.
The group, minus Horn and Lumachina, then headed for the dark elves’ village, seeking to remove what remained of the Demon Lord’s soul within Rem’s body. After some hardship within the dark elves’ secluded dwelling, they got the chief, Rafflesia, to join their side. Thus they successfully removed the Demon Lord’s vestiges from Rem’s body.
But they could not celebrate, however. Having been informed that the elven king, Shera’s father, had passed away, the four traveled to her homeland where Shera was already engaged to a pig-faced elf called Drango (for the sake of the country, of course). Diablo attempted to prevent the wedding, but it was all interrupted by Rafflesia, who’s body had been subjugated by the Demon Lord of the Heart, Kardia.
Forced into combat with not just Kardia, but the servants of the Demon Overlord Modinaram, Diablo just barely achieved victory. These battles forced Diablo to recognize that he would need to level up to face the challenges ahead, so he declared:
“I think I’ll try my hand at becoming a warrior.”
But having become the new elven king, Diablo would first have to overcome what would be perhaps one of the most menacing obstacles he’d ever been confronted with...
The first night? Seriously?!
Prologue
Looking up, Diablo made out the twinkling of the stars between the foliage overhead. Surrounded by the chirping of insects, Diablo looked down at the ground from the peak of the high tree. There was nothing in sight, as if a bottomless pit had spread out beneath him.
The elves were graced with night vision, and didn’t use fire to illuminate darkness. On top of that, the people of this world went to sleep when the sun set, and awakened at the rise of dawn. Diablo had gotten used to living by that rhythm, and was already feeling sleepy.
Looks like this world’s making me lead a healthier lifestyle...
In his original world, online games made up the entirety of Diablo’s life. Cross Reverie had player vs. player gameplay, so many among its player base spent nights competing and trying to get stronger (though this wasn’t relevant for Diablo as his lack of interpersonal skills meant he never participated in things that required cooperation). Back then, Diablo would fall asleep just before the crack of dawn and wake up in the afternoon.
The sound of footsteps rustling against the leaves snapped Diablo out of his thoughts. He was met with an orc-faced elf.
“Your Majesty,” he said.
Diablo had become king of the elves, the new ruler of the Kingdom of Greenwood. He’d always presented himself as a Demon Lord, but to actually lord over the elves was a...peculiar thing, to say the least.
The tree Diablo was standing on right now was the residence of the royal family, and the pig-faced elf who spoke was Drango. While his appearance may have been distinctly orc-like, Drango was quite adept with economics and politics, and a decent warrior as well. He did have some peculiar tendencies, but that was neither here nor there.
“A fine job today, Your Majesty.”
“Hmph...” Diablo nodded with a haughty expression.
Diablo was bad when it came to talking to people, and if he attempted to respond as his true self, he’d find himself choking on his words. What if he angered the other side? What if he disappointed someone, or was made a laughingstock of? The anxiety paralyzed him.
Instead, he acted out the image of the character he played in-game. The Demon Lord Diablo was in fact a timid, socially-inept man incapable of communicating.
“The meeting lasted longer than expected, until such a late hour. Forgive me, My Lord.” Drango lowered his head apologetically. “Small as we may be, we are still a country, and we must ensure the people all agree with your ascension.”
How exactly do I reply to that?
How was a Demon Lord supposed to respond to appreciation? He should be proud and overwhelming; a presence that struck fear in the hearts of others.
But Diablo realized the elves were terribly confused by this menacing situation, so he wished to appear cooperative. The most he could do was fight the enemy, so he parted his lips with the intention of presenting that aspect of himself.
“I will annihilate them all.”
“N-No!” Drango said in a flustered panic. “The people are all pleased with your coronation, and accept you with awe and trust! I apologize if my words have offended you, Your Highness!”
“...Hmm?” Diablo didn’t expect Drango to act this frightened. He thought Drango would seem encouraged or think he was dependable.
“Your Majesty, was what those Fallen said this afternoon really true?” Drango changed the subject.
“Hmph... I doubt it. Merely their strength was no lie.”
“So the Demon Overlord Modinaram...truly has awakened.”
Diablo knew Modinaram’s name from Cross Reverie where it appeared as the “Demon Lord of Madness,” a boss in a time-limited event during Golden Week. In the game, it utilized both a spear and magic to deal damage, and its stats were abnormally high. However, it would commit all sorts of odd, illogical actions during battle, like buffing its opponents or debuffing itself. As such, even low-level players had a lucky chance of beating it. Conversely, higher-leveled players had a chance of losing.
In response, the players complained to no end. Posts like, “This is too RNG dependent,” “Keep your gacha out of the boss battles,” and, “The admins are the mad ones here,” filled up the message boards. But the boss did drop a very rare item, so for all their complaints, the majority of players participated in the event, Diablo included of course.
I doubt he’s the same as the one in the game though.
Modinaram never called itself a Demon Overlord in Cross Reverie, and didn’t absorb the other Demon Lords either. This one was completely different, so it would probably be best to consider him an unknown boss monster and not even try to rely on knowledge from the game.
“Was Modinaram after the Demon Lord of the Heart, Kardia, that was sealed in these lands?”
“Yes, though I’m sad to say they managed to steal it away... There is no end to the shame.”
“Hmph... I need only defeat it. That weakling can consume as many of its fellow underlings as it wishes, it will not change what it is. I am the true Demon Lord, and I will roast it to ash!”
Can I really beat it though?
Diablo spoke confidently, trying to keep with his Demon Lord role play. But his senses as a gamer warned him clearly.
The way I am right now, it would be difficult.
Fighting a level’s mooks often gave one a glimpse into how strong its boss would be, and Diablo didn’t think he would win for certain.
But Drango’s expression, who didn’t know what was going through Diablo’s mind, slackened in relief. “It’s so encouraging to have you as our king, Your Majesty.”
“Hmph... I’ll take care of everything.”
“It seems God has acknowledged your coronation as well. The withering trees are regaining their vigor and producing larger fruit already.”
Drango pointed as if to demonstrate, but Diablo couldn’t see anything in the dark. Even if there were light out, Diablo wouldn’t be able to discern those sorts of changes in the forest’s flora.
“God, you say...”
“I’m sure you have His blessing. Some had their doubts at first since we’ve never crowned someone who isn’t an elf, but it seems there was no cause for concern.”
“It’s odd.”
“What are you referring to, My Liege?”
“You say this forest keeps giving you its blessings for as long as the country has a king, correct?”
“Yes, that is because of our oath with God.”
“At first I thought it was merely that a country goes into decline without a ruler, but you say the trees are actually reviving and bearing fruit.”
“Yes, without a doubt.”
“And in this world, priests are capable of performing ‘healing miracles of God,’ which can even restore lost limbs.”
“That would be a miracle of particularly high degree, I believe.”
“Very recently...I was in the capital, where I fought against the church. The current High Priest’s faith is true and honest. She was willing to offer her life up to God.”
“I would expect no less from a person of such standing.”
“But even as assassins turned their blades on her, when a deadly curse tormented her, or when she sat imprisoned, God did not reach out to save her.”
“What?! Such things happened to the High Priest...?”
“Does God truly exist in this world?”
“...God does exist,” Drango said after a pause. “But the mortal races cannot comprehend his intentions and ways... At least, that is what I believe.”
“Hmph.”
Drango’s words reminded Diablo of what Lumachina would say. And while he was far from convinced, all he could do was accept those words for now.
The two exchanged words for a while longer...
†
Eventually, Drango said, “It’s time for the first night... Princess Shera...pardon. Queen Shera is awaiting you.”
“F-First night...?”
“The people are looking forward to seeing an heir.”
The elven kingdom flourished so long as it had a king, so the people naturally wanted to see an heir as well. With two princes dead and their king recently having passed away, Shera was the last remaining bearer of the royal bloodline.
“Oh, the royal bedchambers are just beyond that branch.” Drango pointed toward the forest. “They’re on the third tree from this one. The mother queen has already moved out of the room, so you can make yourself at home there.”
“R-Right.”
“I’ll take my leave then, My Liege. Do be gentle. I’m sure you’ve already consummated your relationship by now, so you must be used to it however.”
Drango definitely had the wrong idea about Diablo and Shera’s relationship, though there were a few times he’d touched her body on accident...
Put simply, Diablo had no experience whatsoever when it came to this. A grand total of zero experience points when it came to...bedtime etiquette.
Rem and Rafflesia were already fast asleep in the guest house. Rose, who’d lost her right arm in battle, was resting on a maintenance dock in the Demon Lord’s Labyrinth.
Diablo turned his gaze to the forest’s branches and saw a faint light flickering in the night’s gloom. The elves had no need for illumination, which meant those lights were meant for him, to guide his way to her...
The first night? Seriously?!
“No, no, no... It’s way too early for me to be having kids... I’m not emotionally prepared for this...”
Forgetting his Demon Lord persona, Diablo turned his back.
But I’m a king, and Shera’s my queen, so this isn’t actually all that early... If nothing else, the elves want this, and Shera realizes what this means...
Diablo swallowed nervously and began walking toward the luminescent light.
“...Well, it is Shera we’re talking about here. She’s probably fast asleep by now... Yeah, I can see it already...”
The branch was magically illuminated, and the room was covered by vines extending in a half-globe, shielding it from peering eyes. Inside, the bed was made of grass and leaves stacked together. Shera sat on it, clad in a wedding gown, wearing a nervous expression.
She’s still awake...
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