How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 5

by Yukiya Murasaki

  “What are you...?” Varakness’s expression finally changed.

  The explosion of seven stacked Flare Bursts burned even the large magical beast’s shell to ashes. The creature let out a cry of pain, and the shell that served as its back began shaking.

  The red sofa the man and his wives made out on was reduced to nothing, and as it was, Diablo consumed yet another MP potion, replenishing the very amount he had just lost.

  †

  The smoke cleared. Only Varakness remained on top of the magical beast’s ruined shell as the mermaid Fallen faded away in his arms. He glared at Diablo angrily, his eyes shining a deep red.

  “Why!? Why did you involve her!?”

  “Such a stupid question. What’s so wrong about attacking the opponent when they’re right in front of you? Besides, taking out the Healer first is basic strategy.”

  “Curse you! Curse you! I swear on everything, I will end your life myself!!!”

  Varakness kicked the ground, closing the distance between him and Diablo in the blink of an eye.

  —So, he’s a melee type, as expected.

  Diablo devoted all his concentration to avoiding the blow coming his way. Using the sword to intercept Varakness wasn’t an option.

  Tonnerre Empereur: Libre functioned as a powerful broadsword, but he only equipped it for the septuple spellcasting effect. He wasn’t foolish enough to try and match a close-combat warrior with a weapon he was inexperienced with.

  “How!? How did you dodge that!? Thanks to the Demon Lord’s blessing, I now surpass the power of the races! My power should be equivalent to level 160!”

  “Your equipment sucks.”

  “What...!?”

  “I don’t know what Demon Lord gave you power, but...elevating your level to the maximum is the obvious, easy part. But there are other factors that determine strength, like what equipment you’re using. The other factor is technique, like reaction speed and your ability to assess situations. Those are what decide battles.”

  “Impossible... What... What are you saying!?”

  “You still don’t get it, do you? That’s the kind of world I came from. Fallen who have no experience fighting other max level characters can’t ever hope to match me.”

  “Shut up! I just have to hit you! If I could only land one hit on you! Just one!”

  Diablo dodged the fist flying his way, and the next one, and the one after that.

  “All right...that’s enough. About time we finish this.”

  “What!?”

  “Once you get a taste of this, you’ll probably never think of attacking a town of the races again. Not that you’ll be in any condition to be thinking, anyway...”

  He pulled a 《Phantom Gemstone》 out of his pouch and used it. Its effect allowed one to evade a single target’s attack once, without fail. This gave him the time needed to cast his spell.

  “Brilliant white! Sublimate all through light and incandescence, and reduce all to an ivory void! 《White Nova》!!!”

  Diablo opened his arms and a sphere of light, the size of a ping-pong ball, manifested just above the palm of his hand. He threw it at the ground, or rather, at the large magical beast beneath them. The moment the ball of light touched the shell—

  A flash of white filled the battlefield. The thunderous explosion struck Diablo’s eardrums mercilessly and his eyesight was filled with blinding white light.

  “I-Impossible...” Varakness lay on the sandy ground, his lips crumbling as he spoke. “Everything’s...gone!”

  “And you’re still alive...”

  Diablo stood beside Varakness, looking down on him. Diablo was surprised.

  —So, this is the endurance of a Fallen powered up by a Demon Lord...

  Laminitus had said he “wouldn’t die,” and, true to those words, he was still alive after having a White Nova cast on him seven consecutive times. Every other Fallen and magical beast in the spell’s AoE were gone without a trace, completely and utterly wiped out. But Varakness was still alive, and even rose to his feet.

  “Curse you... Curse you!!!” he screamed, his eyes burning a brilliant red. “I’ll never forgive you! Never!”

  “To think you would make the Demon Lord use his full power... Take pride. You have, without a doubt, come close to my limit.”

  “How dare you use that title! You are not the Demon Lord!”

  Varakness extended his arm. It stretched far beyond its normal length, attempting to gorge Diablo’s neck.

  “What?”

  “《Energy Drain》!”

  “Hmph... So that’s your ace in the hole? That’s a pretty boring hidden talent you’ve got there.”

  Diablo swept the Tonnerre Empereur: Libre sideways, the magical broadsword cutting through Varakness’s body.

  “Gaaah... Ghu... S-Such power... B-But still! The Demon Lord, is stronger!”

  “Heh, it doesn’t matter what Demon Lord you revive. The true Demon Lord, Diablo, will trample them all!”

  The weapon’s effect magnified the slash, cutting him seven times over. Reduced to a shape that made it hard to believe he was ever humanoid, Varakness turned to particles of light and faded away. The hand that gripped Diablo’s throat also broke apart into light and disappeared. What remained of the Demon Lord’s army fled, abandoning all semblance of rank and file.

  Diablo turned around, finding the soldiers cheering at their victory, though few of them really understood what had just happened. But they all understood just one thing perfectly well: The enemy army was decimated.

  Diablo drank yet another MP potion, and began walking toward the soldiers who celebrated and cheered their victory.

  Epilogue

  “Diabloooooo! You were amazing!” Shera ran toward him from the west, the setting sun at her back.

  “He was weaker than I thought.” Diablo nodded with an expression spelling out that this victory was the obvious result.

  “That sparkly light was amazing! All the Fallen disappeared, all ‘whoosh’ like!”

  “I could perform that type of magic at any time, if I had the supplies for it. It’s just that, until now, I had to conserve my resources.”

  Diablo’s treasure vault contained a nearly limitless supply of different types of potions. He even had stocks of potions he made for practice when he raised his skill in the Combiner subclass. He wouldn’t have to worry about running low for the foreseeable future.

  “Really!? That’s amazing! You’re so cool, Diablo!”

  Shera hugged Diablo’s arm. Her soft swellings pressed against him, making a desire to touch them with his hand spring forth. But there was no way he could give in to his carnal desires and fondle a girl’s breasts. Not if he hoped to keep their relationship as is.

  He hardened his heart and resisted the temptation, crying bitter tears in his mind all the while. If she wasn’t right before his eyes, he wouldn’t have to suffer these terrible urges...

  Unaware of Diablo’s inner conflict, Shera continued showering him with praise, her soft breasts rubbing up against him.

  Boing~ boing~

  Rem burst unto the scene.

  “Diablo! There’s trouble!”

  “Huh?”

  She didn’t seem to be rejoicing over their victory. Instead, her face was pale with anxiety.

  “Please hurry, over here!”

  Led by Rem, Diablo and his group rushed to the edge of the battlefield. Standing alone in the empty field was the still, solitary figure of a girl. She stood unmoving, like a statue. She wouldn’t smile or turn her gaze toward them.

  “...R-Rose...won’t respond...” Rem said, her voice shivering. “She’s not breathing...and not...moving...”

  “No way! But she beat them so easily! Easy as pie!” Shera looked to be on the verge of tears.

  Diablo drew closer to Rose, who was as still as a real doll.

  “What happened to you, Rose...?”

  —Will you never look at me, never smile at me again...? What made this happen.
.. Is it because I took you out of the dungeon...?

  “Piiipiii! Effective proximity with the Master confirmed. Deactivating sleep mode. Current charge at 15%.”

  Rose, who was as still as mannequin, blinked a few times.

  “Ah, Rose sees you’re done. Spectacular job, Master.” She smiled broadly.

  “What...? Rose, just now... What happened to you?”

  “Rose was nearly out of magical energy, so Rose entered magic saver mode. So long as Rose isn’t in the Master’s base, or in the vicinity of Master himself, Rose will not be able to recharge magical energy. There is a faster method of replenishing Rose’s magical energy, but...”

  “I thought the Demon Lord’s army had gotten to you...”

  “Hehe... Rose is Master’s Magimatic Maid. Weaklings like them could never hope to match Rose. However, Rose will admit that Rose failed to properly calculate the rate of magical energy consumption going into combat mode would entail.”

  “Don’t worry me like that.”

  “Rose begs Master’s pardon. Causing Master concern was not Rose’s intent. But knowing Master was worried for Rose’s well-being fills Rose with such joy... Rose fears Rose’s inner circuits would overheat and short circuit...” she said, a pink blush on her cheeks.

  —How much grief will this mechanical girl cause me...

  “It’s not just me... Rem and Shera were worried about you, too.”

  “Worried...about Rose?” She looked at the other girls quizzically.

  “...I’m glad,” Rem said, wiping a tear. “It seems...you’re fine now...”

  “Whoooooooooa, I thought you died, Rooose!” Shera tried hugging Rose, but the maid pushed her back with an arm.

  “What are you doing? Only Master may touch Rose. Rose guarantees Rose hasn’t fallen so far to warrant your concern.”

  “...That’s right,” Rem said, nodding with a smile. “I’m glad to see you’re still your old self.”

  “Booo...”

  Shera, still seemingly full of the urge to hug someone, tottered over to Diablo and pressed her breasts against his arm once more. That would probably be enough to buy Rose’s ire, but...

  Diablo shrugged and told the girls they’re heading back to Zircon Tower.

  —I’m just glad they’re all fine.

  Relief filled Diablo’s heart knowing the three who joined him on the front lines were all well.

  †

  The rearguard of the battlefield—

  Lumachina was tending to the wounded. The fighting had ended, but it was now that things would become the busiest on this front. There were many heavily wounded soldiers only Lumachina could treat.

  “Forgive me, Lord Diablo.” Lumachina lowered her head, in a tired gesture. “I do not think I’ll be able to break away from this for a while...”

  “Hm, so it seems. You needn’t concern yourself with me. Let me know if you need anything. If it’s something from my vault, I could have it delivered to you.”

  “Thank you very much... Oh, and by the way, once things calm down here, I’ll be using the town’s chapel. I want to purge the Death Knell disease from the townspeople.”

  “Did you discuss it with Laminitus?”

  The chapel was closed by order of the governor, Laminitus. She had also warned the rent for it would be extremely high.

  “Not yet.” Lumachina shook her head. “But there is no other place we could use... I will ask her later.”

  “In that case, I’ll talk to her as well.”

  “...Right.” Rem nodded at Diablo’s words. “I think we we all worked hard in this war, even if not as much as Diablo. I’m sure we’ll get permission to use the chapel.”

  “Yep yep!” Shera agreed.

  “Should she refuse the Master’s request, Rose will...” Rose began, a thin, chilling smile on her lips.

  “...That would only complicate things. Please keep these...methods for the right time, place, or person, if you could,” Rem said warningly.

  Rose glared at her. It looked like they weren’t going to begin getting along well so quickly, even though they fought back-to-back on the battlefield...

  “Ah, so this is where you were.”

  A voice greeted them. It was just the person they were discussing: the governor, Laminitus.

  Diablo didn’t expect to see her here.

  “What? Did you come here for healing?”

  “True, We didn’t get away from the fighting unscathed... But this is the tent for treating the common soldiers. We came to inspect the place and encourage Our men. It’s thanks to everyone here that Zircon Tower is safe.”

  “Hmph...” He didn’t know she was this devoted.

  “Though it goes without saying that the greatest achievements were yours.”

  She fixed her gaze on Diablo. Honestly, it was pretty embarrassing for him.

  “H-Hmph. Do not mistake my intentions! I merely taught these fools who dared assume the name of the Demon Lord’s army the power of the true Demon Lord, Diablo! I did not do this to save a town of the races.”

  “Heh... We see. Well, that’s as good a reason as any. But your motives aside, would you reject Our offer to grant you Our hospitality?”

  “Hm? Hospitality?”

  “Yay! Food, food! Hot, tasty food!” Shera cheered, raising both hands in the air. She was so happy she looked like she would break into a song and dance.

  Come to think of it, they hadn’t eaten anything since that meal they prepared in the dungeon.

  “Very well.” Laminitus smiled wryly. “Zircon Tower will put all the energy it can spare to provide you with the finest meal.”

  “Yayyy!”

  It seemed they would have to take part in the victory banquet, and Diablo couldn’t think of any reason to refuse.

  “...Hmm, we would actually like to consult with you regarding the chapel,” Rem said, raising her hand.

  “Oh?”

  “...We’ve brought back the treasure capable of lifting the Death Knell disease. We would like to store it in a place where it would be open to the public. Could you please let us use the chapel for a reasonable fee? This is a request from the High Priest, too.”

  Laminitus fixed her gaze on Lumachina, who was still busy treating the wounded soldiers. The other priests were doing the same.

  Laminitus shook her head. “We refuse.”

  “...Why!?”

  “We cannot demand a fee from those who have done our city such a service. We could never thank you or the High Priest enough. You are free to use the chapel as you will, with no charge. If there are any sections in need of maintenance or repair, We will do what We can to have them serviced.”

  The priests raised their voices with a pleased, “Oh!” Lumachina brought her hands together, giving thanks to God and the governor. The injured soldiers and medical staff joined the priests in offering prayer.

  “You’ve mellowed out quite a bit, Laminitus,” Diablo said calmly.

  “Ha!” She shrugged. “Not being able to adapt to situations is the mark of a fool. With the Demon Lord awakened, everyone from every corner of the kingdom would need to cooperate. Otherwise, forget Zircon Tower, the entire dominion of the races would be decimated. Fixing a chapel is a small price to pay, if it would improve Our relations with the Church. That is all there is to it.”

  “Heh... Well, I suppose we can leave it at that.”

  “Wha...!? H-Hmph. I could say the same to you. You’re entirely different from how you were back then!”

  “Back when?”

  “When you were facing off with Varakness. For a second there, We honestly believed you actually were the Demon Lord. That’s how menacing your expression was.”

  All the blood had gone to his head and he frankly didn’t remember. Was he really that different now, though?

  “There’s no need for you to know the reason to that,” Diablo said, turning his head and averting his gaze from her.

  —Who cares if I did it out of jealousy, as
long as the Fallen were beaten in the end, right?

  Laminitus’s aide had entered and called for her. She had other business to attend to, but told Diablo and his friends to head to Zircon Tower’s plaza come nightfall.

  †

  That evening, in Zircon Tower’s plaza—

  A lavish victory feast was held to commemorate the day’s events. They had used rations, usually kept for times of crisis, to prepare it.

  Diablo and his companions found, to their surprise, that their seats were right beside Laminitus herself. The governor had yet to make an appearance, but once she had, the festivities would begin in earnest.

  To the right of the governor’s seat sat the officers, and to the left were adventurers and representatives of the church. The table was set up as such.

  Diablo sat at the top of the left side.

  —You can’t have me sit in a spot that stands out like this! I’m a shut-in; is she trying to give me a heart attack!?

  Rose stood behind Diablo, as she didn’t need to ingest food. In fact, she was currently recharging her magical energy by being near Diablo, so it could be said she was currently in the middle of a meal...in a manner of speaking.

  Sitting to his left were Rem, Shera, and Lumachina, in that order. One other seat was empty.

  “Where’s Horn?” Diablo asked.

  “I recall her helping out with treating the wounded...” Lumachina replied, her head tilted curiously.

  “She was in the plaza, too, though I think she was rather hesitant when it was time to get on stage.”

  —I don’t want to be in such a conspicuous place any more than she does!

  Declining after they’d come to the party would look lame, so he took the seat.

  “Didn’t she seem kinda troubled, though?”

  “...Now that you mention it, she did.”

  Diablo didn’t notice anything odd about Horn.

  He rose to his feet. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”

  “I’m going to get some fresh air.”