How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1

by Yukiya Murasaki

  —I was a solo player, even in real life... And now I’m making myself depressed.

  Having come to a conclusion at what Diablo’s silence meant, Rem shut her eyes tight. She was trembling.

  She had long, thin eyebrows, with small shoulders, slender arms and legs, miniature, doll-like fingers, and light-pink lips.

  There was also an earthy smell to her. Was it because Pantherians were Earth-type?

  Not only that, but she smelled sweet, too.

  Her clothes were in disarray, and because the hem of her dress-like outfit had been pulled up, her snow-white thighs were showing.

  —She’s cute.

  Damn. She was so cute, the feeling was overwhelming that, no matter where he ended up touching her, he would seem like a criminal.

  Tears were glistening in the corners of her eyes.

  Well, he had already gone so far as to grab her and push her down. The question was, what would he do next.

  He thought that maybe he would be able to make her talk by threatening her with a little pain... But now, even thinking of doing that to her was too sad to think about.

  Her black hair spilled out over the sheets, kind of making it seem like she was one of the reverse-side images of a hugging pillow. Wait, maybe it was the opposite. Those were the kinds of products that modeled themselves after girls posed in this way, after all.

  Rem’s ears were trembling, as if they were trying to hide in her hair.

  —Wonder if here would be all right?

  He reached out...and grabbed her silky panther ears.

  “Yoink.”

  “...Mm!?”

  They were thin. Not only that, but her fur was soft and smooth to the touch as well.

  The feeling of sliding his fingers from the base to the edges of her ears was nothing short of absolute bliss, and the resistance her fur gave when he brushed it the opposite direction was heavenly.

  He relished the feeling of stroking her fur.

  Rem’s body twisted about.

  “Ha...ngh!?”

  “What’s wrong? Does that tickle?”

  “...I-It does... C-Could you please...stop that?”

  She was just barely managing to hold onto her cool personality. It seemed like her ears were quite a sensitive spot.

  Diablo smiled.

  “Then you shall tell me your secret.”

  “No way!?”

  “So you can’t say it... Then there is no way around it.”

  Gently grasping her ears, he began rubbing them.

  Rem’s body twitched in response.

  “Hyan...!? Ah...ah...! You...can’t...!”

  “I see, I see... So around the outside of your ear is good, is it?”

  He made his attack by tracing circles around her fur, just barely on the verge of touching it.

  Rem kept twitching.

  “Fuwahh!? Nghhh... That’s too...ngh...kuh... Hnng... It...tickles...”

  Her calm and collected attitude was no more.

  Her expression having been broken down, she was gasping in a higher-pitched voice than normal.

  Diablo’s heartbeat had also strangely gone up.

  “Now, how about the base of your ears?”

  This time he would try scratching behind the base of her ears. He made sure to use the tips of his fingers in a way that wouldn’t hurt her.

  Rem kept twitching, her body seeming like it was jumping in shock as her slender white fingers grasped the bed.

  Straw came pouring out from where the edges of the sheet had been pulled up.

  “Hah! Ah! Mmmph! N-no more...ngh... Not, there... Ah! If you scratch there... A-Ahhhhh...!! Not behind my eaaaars!!”

  “Are you going to tell me your secret?”

  “...I... I will, not...”

  “Aren’t you a stubborn one. Then, how about if I do this!”

  Taking one ear in both his hands, he used all ten fingers to stimulate the base of her ear.

  Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch...

  “Hyahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

  Rem’s back muscles tightened, raising her hips into the air.

  Her hair completely disheveled, she tried to escape by moving to the edge of the bed.

  He thought it would be dangerous if she fell, but was afraid he would hurt her if he went to grab her arms or shoulders when she was thrashing around this much.

  Even if God could forgive someone for putting a scratch on her beautiful skin, the Demon Lord would not.

  As Diablo moved on top of her, he wrapped his left arm around to try and hold her head, while he used his right arm to hold her shoulders down. This should make it so she wouldn’t fall off the bed.

  It looked like he was holding her down so she couldn’t run away, but that most certainly was not his intention. Probably.

  Even while this was happening, his right hand had been caressing her ears.

  “Hya! Ngh, ah... Mm... Not...there... Ear...tickles... Khh, this is...nyhaaaa!”

  “How’s that?”

  “Hyau!? Hah, hah... Ngh... I won’t...say...”

  Since he was hanging over her, his lips were incredibly close to her ears. Was it because he had been breathing on her? Her reaction then had seemed incredibly honest.

  He tried blowing in her ears.

  *Phewww*

  “Fwahhhhhh...”

  Another reaction that was completely different from when he was stimulating her with his fingers.

  Though not strong, it looked like it had reached down to the very core of her being.

  Rem’s breathing was ragged, and her face was crimson red. Tears poured from the corners of her eyes; her back was arched, and she gripped the sheets of the bed with her fingertips.

  I feel like one more push should do it—he thought.

  She looked at him with glistening eyes.

  “Hah...hah... Diablo...”

  “Do you feel like talking now?”

  “I... I can’t, go on... This is...too embarrassing...”

  Holy crap.

  So cute.

  He was starting to think he couldn’t go on much longer either.

  “Rem, just leave it all to me. No matter what your circumstances may be, I will accept it all.”

  As he said this, he opened his mouth—and wrapped it around her ear.

  He experienced the softness with every part of his mouth; his teeth, his lips, his tongue.

  Her small body convulsed and buckled under the multiple stimulations.

  “Kuhahh!? Ah...ahhh...ngh, haaah...ahhhhhh!!”

  Rem kept trembling over and over in his arms.

  As her screams continued, it was almost shocking how someone as small as herself was able to make screams that loud.

  “Ahhhhhnnnnngaaaaahhhhhh...!!”

  After the loudest scream from her yet, Rem collapsed as her strength left her.

  In the end, her voice was hoarse from her screams.

  Even the sound of her breathing had quieted, causing him to worry.

  Diablo took his lips off of her.

  “Phew...”

  “...U...uhu... *hic*”

  Rem let out a sob.

  —I made her cry!?

  Diablo propped himself up with his elbows.

  “H-Hey...”

  “Uhu... *hic*... Oo, hng... *hic*”

  The area around Rem’s eyes was completely red.

  Transparent tears dripped down and stained her cheeks.

  —Oh crap.

  —I may have overdone it a little.

  “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  “...N...o... I’m...happy...really happy...”

  “Wh-What!?”

  Did her ears feel that good!?

  “...U...ngh... Because...you said you would accept me...n-no matter my circumstances...” she said, her voice mixed with her sobs.

  “Hm? Oh, b-but of course!”

  He did feel like he had blurted out something like that in the heat of the moment.
<
br />   What was he going to do if her secret was something really crazy...

  —Man oh man. And here I thought I would never have to deal with any kind of trouble from getting involved with girls.

  Rem’s breathing calmed down.

  If there was a water supply or something around here he could have grabbed some water for her, but unfortunately drinkable water in this world was a luxury. He would have to buy some from the counter at the bar if he wanted any.

  “Hm? Wait, now that I think about it...”

  Though it wasn’t something you could normally do in-game, he may be able to expand upon how he used his elemental magic in this world. If he just imagined the basics of how a dehumidifier worked, he should be able to extract moisture from the air itself.

  He decided to give it a shot.

  Diablo opened the palm of his hand, imagining a small figure made of ice forming in it.

  Even if the shape was simple, it would do fine.

  He thought of something that he was always using, a cup, as well as gathering water molecules from the air. This would be the basics of the basics of magic.

  “《Ice》 and 《Water》.”

  A flash of light came from Diablo’s hand, and in it appeared a cup made of ice with water inside.

  He already had experience with a spell like this, so he just tried to remember what he knew about the flavor text for the magic and gave it a try.

  Rem’s eyes widened.

  “What’s...this?”

  “A cup with water. The cup is made of ice, so it might be slippery.”

  Supporting her back, he helped sit her upright and handed her the cup.

  “...It’s cold...”

  “Don’t drink it all at once. Take it slow.”

  Holding the ice cup in both hands, she sated her thirst.

  If he was able to make glass or other kinds of ceramics, that would be a big help in living here.

  —I wonder if that would be Earth-type magic?

  He wasn’t particularly good at those. When he had the time, he would give that a try as well.

  Rem exhaled deeply.

  “...Phew.”

  “Are you done already?”

  She nodded in response. When she did, he made the cup and the water vanish.

  By the time he noticed, he was sitting next to her on the bed, arms supporting her. Almost like how two lovers would hold each other.

  —No no no, this is just me taking care of her. Oh, hold on, this was supposed to be me torturing her, wasn’t it!?

  His goal was supposed to have been finding out why someone like Celes had come to see Rem, and to make her tell him that secret.

  Rem turned her gaze toward him.

  I wonder if this is what it feels like when a kitten stares at you.

  She seemed frightened, but also as if she was hoping for something.

  Diablo did not rush her.

  Rem opened her mouth.

  “...Inside of my body...is sealed the soul of the Demon Lord, Krebskulm.”

  Diablo nodded. “Hm! I see.”

  Rem’s eyes were the ones to widen in surprise.

  “...What? Is that all? Doesn’t that repulse you? Doesn’t that make you afraid? A-Are you not...going to hate me...?”

  “The soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm? Repulsive? Scary? I am the Demon Lord Diablo, you know.”

  “...Then, that means...”

  “Celes said that she wanted to protect you. From that, I believe it would be reasonable to think Krebskulm will be released upon your death, or if you are taken away by the Fallen, they will release it somehow. Not only that, but as of now you are unaware of a method to remove it from yourself. If you did, she would surround you with the armies of this world, then draw out Krebskulm to defeat him. As of now, the only person that knows about this should be Celes. Of course, it seems like no one in this town has any idea, and that goes the same for the underlings from the Mage’s Association, too. I would think that someone such as that crazy bodyguard from earlier would never address someone who carried the soul of a Demon Lord in them as ‘Lady.’ As far as they are concerned, they only know you as a very accomplished Summoner. How’s that? Did I get anything wrong?”

  Her eyes widened.

  “...Th-That’s correct... The soul will be released when I die.”

  “Then I will ask: did your mother carry the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm as well?”

  “......”

  Rem nodded.

  —So that means the soul of Krebskulm is hereditary. From mother to daughter...

  If this was the lore for Cross Reverie, Takuma would be complaining at the developers big time.

  Making one girl bear the burden of the fate of the entire world by herself was just too cruel.

  Not only that, but as an Adventurer, she was severely lacking in power.

  “Hmph... Seems like even God can defy expectations. Forcing everything on this girl and then disappearing... Very well. I will crush the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm for you. As for pulling it out of you, some research will be required to find a method.”

  Besides what Celes already understood, she should be researching a bunch of other things as well.

  He would make sure to ask her about it the next time he saw her.

  It looked like he had been right to look into finding out about Rem’s secret.

  This information was sure to be the key for the story quest that would lead to the game’s finale.

  —Like hell I’d play this tearjerker questline in order!

  “Hm? What’s the matter, Rem?”

  “......Ngh...!”

  Tears were pouring from her face even harder than before.

  “...Th-This is...the first time...someone didn’t...leave... Wahhhh!”

  He couldn’t really make out what she said through the sobbing.

  —That’s right. Rem had been worried that I would leave her once she told me her secret.

  “Hmph... You underestimate me! For Diablo, the Demon Lord of another world... I am not so weak as to leave you over a thing like that.”

  Rem gave a sob and tried to say something, but he couldn’t make it out.

  Eventually, just like a kid, she tired herself out from crying and fell asleep.

  Since she was already on top of the bed, he made sure to cover her with a blanket.

  Her face when she was asleep was cute, too.

  —Wait, that’s not it.

  She had always been on edge up until now, but this was the first time she had an expression of relief on her face.

  Diablo heaved a sigh.

  “But man, I really did make her scream, huh... And as she was crying, too. I’m pretty sure the other rooms must have heard that... Wonder what they’re gonna think of me. Man... Oh well, I am pretending to be a Demon Lord, after all. I guess it’ll be fine.”

  He should go and tell Shera that they were finished up here.

  —I guess I should also go and apologize to the receptionist girl as well.

  He would make sure not to say how it had concerned the fate of the world, though.

  †

  After Diablo had finished his errands, he left the inn.

  Though the receptionist had warned him that nighttime was dangerous, he wanted to cool down his now heated-up body with the cool night air.

  To be honest, can anyone in this town even put a scratch on me?—he thought.

  The town at night—

  He didn’t have any destination in particular.

  —Guess I’ll make my way to the west gate and back.

  A large moon and an unbelievable amount of stars were shining in the night sky. Maybe because of its size, it was still bright out with just the moonlight.

  All the stores were closed. Only the bars still had their lights on, where the sound of people talking and raucous laughter could be heard.

  There weren’t many passersby to be seen.

  Compared to the afternoon, the stone houses and roa
ds now looked cold to him.

  In front of him, a group of people wearing familiar robes were walking toward him.

  —Looks like fifteen of them in total.

  Diablo was able to get an idea of how many opponents were in a group and their positions with just a glance. This wasn’t any particular skill from the game, but a testament to his own skill as a gamer.

  The robes these people had were the same as the guards who had come with Celes earlier.

  They were probably Sorcerers from the Mage’s Association.

  —What are they doing walking around in a big group like that at night?

  It piqued his curiosity, and he had no reason to avoid them.

  Diablo walked slowly, eventually passing the group.

  “Hey, you. The Demon over there.”

  He was stopped by a voice that sounded like it was trying to pick a fight. There was also a hint of mocking to it.

  “Hm?”

  Now that he thought about it, humans in the game’s setting would discriminate against the other races, with the ones they scorned the most being—Demons.

  Players in the game never did anything like that, so he had never really given much thought about it.

  He didn’t want to get involved in anything, so he tried to ignore it and keep walking. However, his challenger drew closer.

  “Hey! So a Demon thinks he can just ignore me, huh!? You’re just a parasite who’s living here thanks to our and Lady Celes’s kindness!”

  —Parasite!?

  It is true that Celes’s power kept up the barrier protecting the town, but there was no reason to go that far, was there!?

  He recognized the man who had come forward to insult him.

  It was that wiry guard with Celes who wouldn’t stop complaining, whose name escaped him.

  Diablo decided to give him a response.

  “What, Small Fry?”

  “Ngk!? You really don’t have any manners, do you! My name is Galluk! Calling someone the likes of me, who serves under the head of the Mage’s Association, a ‘small fry’ is pretty damn rude, don’t you all think!?”

  He was met with a chorus of “That’s right!” from the other members of his group.