Wait, no, a girl would need a top, too.
A tall, half-naked man, walking around with a virtually naked pre-teen was the type of situation that would land him in a huge load of trouble.
—If I knew she was a girl in the first place, I wouldn’t have had the guts to burn her clothes...
“Why did you dress like a male?” Diablo asked, unable to hold back the question any longer.
“That’s, uhhh...” Horn twitched, her expression turning into a frightened one.
“You do not have to speak of it if you do not wish to.”
Did the way he said it seem aggravated? Horn seemed even more frightened.
“I, uhm... My family... We were born in a town in the former Demon Lord’s Domain, away from Zircon Tower... But we got split up from my parents when we were all really young.”
“Oh?”
Horn’s voice felt more natural, as if she wasn’t forcing her tone to be as masculine anymore.
“I think they may have abandoned us... But ever since I could remember, it was just my two little sisters and me.”
“I see.”
Just staying alive was difficult in the former Demon Lord’s Domain. Raising three children in that sort of environment was surely too laborious for Horn’s parents to handle.
“So I don’t know if my parents are dead or alive anymore... But we were lucky, because Teach picked us up soon after.”
“Teach... Your teacher, who taught you how to be a Seeker?”
“Yes. Teach was a Thief, though...”
“I see.”
When it came to detecting danger and disarming traps, Horn’s skills were fairly low for a Seeker. But her agility was decent, so in terms of parameters she was closer to a Thief.
“Last year, Teach passed away, and I was separated from my little sisters... So I ended up traveling to Zircon Tower alone.”
“Your sisters didn’t come with you?”
“No. A trader took them in as employees. He invited me, too, but I’m no good with that sort of work...”
“I know how you feel. Just the thought of negotiating with other people makes me want to challenge a dragon all on my own.”
“Huh...? No, selling cheap stuff for expensive prices just doesn’t sit well with me. I know that’s how business works, but still.”
“Hm... I see.”
Horn didn’t have any social anxiety, and, come to think of it, was really assertive when she invited Diablo and his party to the dungeon.
“Grasswalkers look like children no matter their age, but exactly how old are you?” Diablo asked, trying to change the conversation’s direction away from his odd comment.
“Ugh... Just...keep it a secret from everyone else, okay? You’re the only one I’ll tell, Boss... I’m actually twelve years old.”
—What!? She actually is a kid!? I thought she looked this young because she’s a Grasswalker!
“I thought as much,” Diablo said, hiding his surprise as if he had known all along.
“Hehe... So you knew, huh? But if people found out, no one would want to adventure with me. So keep it a secret, okay, Boss?” Horn said, poking her tongue out in a childish gesture.
It was adorable.
—Wait, no! I’m not a pedo!
A pedophile Demon Lord; would he ever be able to show his face in public? And he had just recently kissed Klem, who pretty much looked like a little girl, even if it was for the 《Enslavement Ritual》...
Diablo shook his head, banishing those thoughts from his mind.
“Nnn... It’s so dark.” Horn cast her gaze into the cave ahead.
“That’s no problem. 《Light》!”
Diablo cast the spell on a pebble he had picked up. Last time he cast it indoors, he found there was a problem: He had no idea how to turn it off, so he devised a new way of using it now. By casting the spell on a pebble, all he had to do was throw it away once he didn’t want the spell to work anymore. Carrying it like a lantern was also convenient and easy enough.
“Oooh, that’s amazing!” Horn’s eyes positively shone with excitement. “It’s the first time I’m going through a dungeon with an Elemental Sorcerer, but I never knew Elemental Magic could be so useful!”
“People in this world simply did not research it enough.”
“That’s true, not many Sorcerers use it. I’ve never seen an Elemental Sorcerer as strong as you, Boss. Makes me wish I could learn magic, too! Not that I’d be able to, hehe.”
Those words made Diablo think...
“I know not of how one goes about learning magic in this world, but...why don’t you try learning it? You’re still only twelve, and Grasswalkers are good when it comes to magic.”
“Whaaa!? N-No way. You have to go to one of the Mage’s Association schools to become a Sorcerer... I don’t have the money for that.”
“Is it expensive?”
“I don’t really know how much, but probably a few million friths?”
“Hmph...”
Despite having resolved quite a few large incidents, he and his group didn’t have that many friths to their names. Klem’s biscuit guzzling habits drove them near-bankrupt, to the extent that Edelgard, a Fallen, had to take up work at a bakery.
—If her cover gets blown, getting driven out of town would be the least of her troubles. I wonder how she’s doing...
Even if regional knights were to gang up on her, Edelgard would probably get out of it unscathed. But Faltra’s governor, Galford, was strong. By Diablo’s estimate, he would be stronger than her by a ratio of 6:4.
Diablo really hoped nothing bad had happened...
“I hope they’re all right...” Horn whispered.
“Agreed.”
“Lumachina and the others, I mean.”
“Oh, them.” Without noticing, he had whispered in his natural voice.
“Is there someone else to worry about...?” Horn tilted her head in confusion.
“No... It’s, hmm, because I’m a Demon Lord! Just forget about that, I’m sure there’s no need to worry about them.”
“D’you think they’re OK?”
The ceiling was gradually becoming lower. Diablo proceeded, minding not to bump his head.
He and Horn had gotten lost on the ninth floor. The whole group was nearly through before being interrupted, and Shera would have shot down anything coming their way. Shera and Rem had gotten to the next level, for sure.
Come to think of it, the Paladin had also fallen into the water...
“This level should have a large mid-boss monster near the end, but it has no debuff resistance. Shera could probably take it out with her petrification.”
“Shera’s amazing, isn’t she!”
While there was no doubting she was very skilled, her bow had been enchanted by a real Demon Lord.
“The tenth floor has a puzzle involving a moving floor. One misstep, and you are thrown into a room full of monsters.”
“Haaah!? Will they be all right!? That sounds so dangerous!”
“I’m sure Rem will solve it. She’s cautious and wise enough to stop and analyze any situation.”
“Whoa, you can really trust Rem, all right! She’s got smarts!”
“And the eleventh floor is a graveyard.”
“Uhm...graves? Why are there graves down there?”
“Because moving corpses come out of them.”
“Eee!!! Z-Zombies!? You mean zombies! The living dead are super scary!”
“Lumachina should be able to take care of them easily. She’s a High Priest, after all. No one in Lyferia can match her when it comes to 《Purification》.”
“Then it’ll be a piece of cake! Way to go, Lumachina!” Horn’s expression brightened up, her eyes shining with excitement once more.
“Yes.”
—So long as the Death Knell disease hasn’t worsened...
In-game, a patient’s condition wasn’t too severe until the ninth mark surfaced; it looked as if they had a bad cold, a
t best. But Cross Reverie had toned down some topics to avoid getting into imagery that was too erotic or violently graphic. Diablo had no way of knowing if the Death Knell disease behaved similarly in this world.
“But I’m still worried!” Horn held her head nervously. “I can’t believe you got separated from Rem and the others because of someone as useless as me!”
—She shouldn’t call herself useless... Not that I’m one to talk about self-esteem, though. I know exactly how she feels.
If he was to scold her, telling her not to look down on herself, it would only make her feel even more miserable. So Diablo chose to say nothing.
He didn’t regret saving Horn, even if it meant getting separated from them. They weren’t amateurs.
They called Diablo their “companion,” too. They’d relied on him, but at the same time, could take pride they weren’t “just reliant” on him. They would definitely be able to clear the way until the eleventh floor.
“But we must hurry and regroup with them. Beating the twelfth floor will be impossible for those three.”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“Their levels are too low. It’s not a matter of strategy or compatibility... The last guardian in the twelfth level is simply too strong. Its debuff resistance is high so the petrification probably wouldn’t trigger, and it has a barrier that nullifies all damage below a certain threshold.”
“What kinda monster is that!?”
“We can’t take our time here.”
After walking a short distance, they could hear the sound of wind, its whistle rebounding across the cave. They could also see a light further ahead.
“Did we make it out, Boss?”
—That waterfall sent us falling a long distance from the ninth floor... There’s no way the tunnel leads outside, though, right?
Making their way out of the tunnel, they found themselves in a wide-open area.
“M-M-Mon...!?” Horn shivered in terror.
Several stag-beetle-like creatures, each bigger than a normal monster and bearing large horns, lay in wait. These monsters would move in packs and burrowed in the ground to make their nests.
They were large, black, insect-type monsters called 《Ant Beetles》, and there were roughly 30 of them.
Diablo could ascertain their numbers not due to a skill his in-game character had, but thanks to a special ability granted to him because of his experience as a player. He remembered these monsters.
If you were to take a wrong turn on the tenth level, you would get dropped into a colony of Ant Beetles, which was probably where Diablo and Horn were at the moment.
Diablo’s lips curved into a smile.
—I’ve got a grasp on where we are now... If we can make it through here, we’ll be back on the correct route.
Diablo put an hand on Horn’s shivering shoulders. “You should be pleased.”
“I-I mean, sure, I’m an adventurer, and if I had to pick, I’d rather die on an adventure, but not right now! I’ll die sooner or later, but not today!”
“That wasn’t what I meant. Behold, you despondent little fool.”
The Ant Beetles, noticing the intruders in their territory, turned their attention to Diablo and Horn. The part that should have served as their faces opened up, revealing rows of gigantic fangs. It was far more gruesome than anything Diablo had ever seen in the game.
Diablo turned his war scythe against the monsters.
“Crush them with the speed of sound: 《Sonic Boom》!”
†
The twelfth level—
“If you hold your life dear, turn back here.”
Reading the words written on the gate, Rem swallowed anxiously.
“...We’ve gone through floors with high-level monsters, but this is the first time a warning has been so direct. We need to steel our resolves for this, it seems.”
“Let’s go! We can’t turn back after coming this far!” Shera’s line of thinking was clear and simple; and like she said, now was no time to hesitate.
“...True. But we must make sure we’re prepared and proceed with caution.”
“I’ll support you with all my might.” Lumachina nodded. “Having you two worry about me any longer would be simply unbearable.”
“...Thank you for believing in us. We’ll definitely bring you to the lowest level. The item that can dispel the Death Knell disease will be down there...and I’m sure Diablo will come for us, too. Let’s go ahead and wait for them to meet us on the thirteenth floor.”
“Let’s.”
“We’ll do our best, Rem, Lumachina!”
The girls’ gazes intersected as they steeled their resolves.
Rem put her hands against the door and pushed. Air spilled from beyond, carrying a sour, acidic smell to it.
A large, wide cave welcomed them. The ceiling was higher than previous floors, and seemed to spread out beyond where the eye could see. They could also faintly make out...
—A blue sky...?
This was probably a huge, deep shaft going all the way up to the surface from these depths.
Could we have used the shaft to get down here faster?
But just as that thought came to mind, Rem realized there was surely a reason Diablo didn’t do so. The walls were smooth, as if they had been brushed and polished countless times. The floor was also the same; while it wasn’t exactly flat and level, it was smooth to the point where they couldn’t find any vegetation growing.
But there was no time for speculating as to the nature of this place.
Someone was ahead of them, and they had just defeated a monster.
A humanoid monster lay defeated on the ground. Rem had only ever seen it in books, but...in all likelihood, it looked to be a 《Death Dancer》. It was a skeleton with several pairs of arms, capable of cutting adventurers into ribbons with a special finishing move called 《Bloody Dance》. The books also had a strict warning: “Run away immediately if you run into this fearsome monster.”
That monster now lay defeated, reduced to a still, unmoving corpse. The one who defeated it was clad in azure armor.
“Oh dear, you were behind me?” He brushed up his long hair. “Silly me, I was so anxious to catch up I ended up getting ahead of you.”
His tone was feminine, but he was undoubtedly a man. Lumachina took a step back.
“Gewalt...”
“It’s been a while, Lumachina. Isn’t it about time you croaked already? I’ll send you to your beloved God’s side, so do us both a favor and don’t resist, m’kay?”
“You’re the Paladin who attacked us on the ninth floor.” Rem stepped in front of Lumachina. “I won’t let you lay a hand on her!”
“That’s right!” Shera called out, nocking an arrow to her bow.
“Heh heh heh... I’ve seen what you can do, Elf girl.” Gewalt brandished his sword with one hand. “A bow that can Petrify is pretty scary... Buuut it’s still no match for me.”
Gewalt tossed a crystal.
—A Summon!
Countless small, winged insects appeared before them: 《Fire Bees》. Though each one’s individual strength wasn’t high, they were the worst possible opponents Shera could face with her bow. Even if she were to try to fight the group as a whole, all she would shoot down would be a few insects.
The same held true for Rem’s Summons; she didn’t have anything in her arsenal capable of wide area attacks.
“Ugh... In that case, we have to defeat the Summoner! 《Asulau》!”
Rem threw a crystal as well. A three-horned ox appeared, but it alone would be no match for a Paladin. She knew that very well.
Saddler, a Paladin she had fought in the past, defeated it easily. Asulau’s abilities were equal to a level 40 Knight, but Paladins were approximately level 100. With just that, Rem couldn’t win.
Rem proceeded to summon more beasts to her aid. “《Rockpup》 and 《Dragonfly》, come on out!”
Rockpup was a level 25 earth element wolf Summon. A bit generic,
but its bite was powerful and it charged the opponent rapidly. Dragonfly, despite its impressive name, was nothing more than a giant dragonfly, a level 20 wind element Summon. It didn’t deal much damage in combat, but its swift flight made it an agile opponent.
Maintaining three Summons took a toll on Rem’s MP consumption, but paying that no heed, Rem wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave her orders.
“Go, my Summons! Now, Shera!”
“Right!”
The three Summons charged the Paladin. As they did, Shera, the true offensive force, took aim. Gewalt’s one sword wouldn’t be fast enough to deal with all four threats at once.
“Aaah, seeing weak girls becoming so desperate...” Gewalt’s lips, decorated with lipstick, distorted into an ecstatic smile. “I can never get enough of this feeling of superiority... Simply ir-re-sistible!”
He proceeded to summon again. Green vines appeared from the ground as blood-red roses bloomed in front of Gewalt, hiding him from sight. These deflected both Rem’s Summons and Shera’s arrow.
“Wha!?”
“What is this!?”
“Heh heh, this is my rare Summon, 《Rose Prison》,” Gewalt said flirtatiously, with a proud smile on his lips. “It can’t move, but your attacks will have no effect on it. I can just kick back here and watch while my Fire Bees make short work of you.”
On one hand, he had a summon that, while weak individually, moved as a swarm; on the other hand, he had an immobile summon that excelled in defense. Each one had its disadvantages, but when put together, they covered each other’s weaknesses.
—He’s so strong!
Rem clenched her teeth. They were both Summoners, but the difference in their abilities was night and day.
“Tell me, Paladin! If you’re this strong, why did you turn to such evil acts!?”
“Heh... Why, you’ve got it backwards. Why live honestly when I have all this power at my disposal? Your logic’s all messed up, sweetie. Buuut that’s enough chit-chat—time to die~”
The swarm of Fire Bees charged toward them. Rem braced herself, unable to come up with a means of defending.
But at that moment, a gust of wind had blown in their direction; a powerful gale of wind. The squall blew away the Bees, which turned back into a crystal that hit the ground.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 5 Page 10