—Looks like this item turned out to be the most dangerous thing here after all.
The effects of the Demon Lord’s Ring activated. The black bullets were sent back to their sender, lodging themselves in Gregore’s chest.
“Gohah!?”
—I bet he’s never been hit with his own magic before.
Completely shocked, Gregore was clueless as to what had just happened.
Diablo held up Tenma’s Staff.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ngh... Wh-What did you do!?”
“I have done nothing; my attacks are just beginning. Here, Dark Bullet!”
The air trembled.
Dark-elemental magic was powerful, but it would put an immense strain on one’s MP, which is why he had been holding back in using it.
But now, he would use the same spell to show Gregore just how big the difference between them was. If you wanted to crush your enemy’s fighting spirit, this was the most effective way to do it.
Bullets— No, massive payloads three times as large as the previous attack were sent flying through the air.
Their speed was the same, however.
Gregore raised his thick arms to defend himself. His obsidian scales were obliterated as the damage was carved into his body.
“Guwaaaaaaah!?”
“Do not scream. I did not use any magic of great significance.”
Gregore’s arms, now devoid of scales, were shaking.
His reptilian eyes glared at Diablo.
“What... What’s with this power...!?”
“A Fallen Sorcerer would not call Dark Bullet their most powerful spell, right?”
“Grg... Don’t you look down on me! Dark Press!!”
Above his head, Gregore raised a hand into the air.
A sphere of darkness about the size of a baseball appeared within it. He threw it towards Diablo
It would be easy if he just wanted to dodge it. However, the AoE for this spell spread out in a five meter radius, which meant that just dodging the sphere wasn’t enough to get away from it.
According to the game’s setting, it was a spell that manipulated gravity to crush everything within its affected area.
It also had a special effect where it would inflict a “Bind” status on your enemies.
Though this was a dark-elemental spell, there was also an earth-elemental spell that had a similar effect.
—But, magic is magic.
His ring’s passive reflection effect activated once again, and the Dark Press was sent flying back towards Gregore.
The lizard-head Fallen once again took his own attack, falling to his knees.
“Gwah!?
“You still don’t understand? You really are just a lizard after all. But your magic is a bit weaker than I expected. You should be able to put out at least this much force with that spell you just used. Dark Press!”
A black sphere about the size of a basketball appeared from the tip of Tenma’s Staff. Diablo casually tossed it towards Gregore.
Even though he was still bound by his own spell, Gregore managed to take two steps away—but still was not able to escape the magic’s area of effect.
The spell activated.
Gregore’s body was slammed against the stone tiles, which smashed apart as he sank into the ground.
“Gugaaaaahh...!!”
“Hm, it seems like it is quite effective against giant Fallen like you.”
“Uguh... Gh... A-All right, I got it! I’m standing down! I’ll leave the town! I’ll also believe that you beat back Edelgard!”
“I see.”
“Y-Yeah...”
“But I said it at the beginning, didn’t I? No matter how much you begged for your life, you will not be forgiven.”
“Eek!?”
Gregore was shaking. Though it was hard to tell what expression he was wearing because of his reptilian face, it was obvious it was tinged with fear.
Diablo launched one spell after another at him.
“Your specialty is dark-elemental magic, is it? Let’s see how much of it you can take yourself. 《Dark Flare》, 《Dark Burst》, 《Black Lance》, 《Darkness Rain》!”
A black burst of hellfire, a silent explosion, a jet-black lance, and a deluge of dark arrows rained down upon Gregore—
Tinged with dread, Gregore screamed in agony.
—This guy’s different than the other hundred Fallen.
If his specialty hadn’t been attacking with magic, then there was a chance that Diablo would have had a much rougher time dealing with him.
He might have even been the same level as Edelgard.
—Even after hitting him with all these spells, he still isn’t disappearing.
Gregore groaned.
“...N-No... Please, don’t...kill me...”
Diablo’s voice was frigid enough that he even surprised himself.
“Is that what the people begging for their lives said before you killed them?”
“Ughhhh...”
“You have killed too many. Repent for your sins with death.”
He touched the tip of his staff against Gregore’s body.
“《Naraka》.”
This was a dark-elemental spell learned at level 130.
It’s effective range was by contact—basically, it meant that it would only activate if you were touching your opponent.
It was, however, incredibly powerful.
Gregore’s body was being sucked into the spot where Diablo had touched him with his staff.
“Gwah!? GAAHHHHH!!”
It was a miniature black hole.
The official description was: “A spell that takes your enemies and forcibly traps them within a realm of darkness.”
Its effects were tremendous, but...
For Sorcerers, getting in close enough to make contact was extremely dangerous. On top of that, there was a 5% chance of the spell failing.
But this time, it hadn’t failed.
—Man, dark spells are pretty hard to use. They’re in a borderline “looks cool, but useless” territory.
Gregore was completely absorbed into the sphere.
Shortly after, having served its purpose, the black orb disappeared.
He had won.
The moment he felt that relief come over him, he almost lost consciousness. Planting Tenma’s Staff in the ground, he used it to hold himself upright.
—Using all those spells one after the other really did a number on my MP.
Rather than feeling tired, he felt depressed.
He just didn’t care about anything, and lost his will to go on.
By his calculations, he had used over half of his total MP.
—Whatever.
—No, I can’t be like that.
He couldn’t keep his thoughts straight, and was on the verge of thinking he didn’t need to.
—It’s gonna be a problem if I let my MP get this low. Gotta be careful from here on out.
†
The sound of footsteps rapidly approached Diablo.
Turning around, he was met with Shera’s bright smile as she threw her arms around him.
“All right!!”
“Wo—ah...!?”
Behind her stood Rem, her eyes glistening with tears.
Diablo was more bewildered than when he had taken Edelgard’s attacks from earlier.
“Wh-Why are you crying?”
“...I thought... That it was too late, to be saved...”
”Waaaaaah! Diabloooo!”
Now Shera had started crying, too, even though she had been smiling just a second ago.
Looking around, he saw Celes a short distance away, her head bowed in a sign of appreciation for what he had done.
Next to her, looking like he had just woken up, was Emile, with a pained smile on his face.
—As long as he’s still alive, then I’m going to say that’s a good thing.
Shera began to cry again.
Rem came closer to
Diablo and reached out to him. She laid her small, fair hand on top of Diablo’s, which was still gripping the staff.
It was soft, a little cold, and yet still warm.
”...If it’s you, then you really might be able to save me.”
“I made a promise to do just that.”
“Yes. Yes you did.”
“But do not get the wrong idea. That Fallen invaded my territory, so I just made sure to give him the appropriate punishment for that. It wasn’t that I was fighting for all of you. If you want to show your gratitude, then I’m sure there is someone else you should be saying it to.”
“...Of course. I’m also grateful to Emile, and a lot of other people as well. But, Diablo... Please, let me show my thanks to you... Thank you for protecting me.”
—It’s embarrassing when she stares straight at me like that...
—What would a Demon Lord say right now?
He had never seen a girl give thanks to a Demon Lord before, so he had no idea how to respond. Nothing like this had ever happened when he was putting on his Demon Lord act, either.
He looked at Rem, his eyes stopping at the collar around her neck.
“The collar.”
“...What?”
“You have an enslavement collar on you, don’t you? In other words, that makes you my property.”
“...Huh? B-But, this was an accident.”
“Right now, you are my property! Of course I would protect you; I was not fighting for you or anything! I have no need for your gratitude!”
Rem blushed.
“...I-I’m your property. I see... For as long as this collar stays on... I’m yours...”
After murmuring that, for the first time in a long while, she smiled.
—Wasn’t that hard for you to say?
—Personally, I would want to die after saying something so embarrassing. This is why I hate talking with other people.
Shera, who had been clinging to Diablo this entire time, watched in silence as Rem smiled happily at Diablo.
Then, she called out in a panicked voice.
“Huh? Excuse me, Diablo? Just Rem? What about me!? I’m your possession, too, right!?”
“What? Oh, yeah, I guess you are.”
“Isn’t that too mean!? You say that like I’m some kind of afterthought or something! Diablo— Hey! Look at me!”
While still holding onto Diablo, Shera started to rub up against him.
“Hey, stop that.”
Diablo had made it seem like he was annoyed with what Shera was doing.
What he really meant: “Agh, please stop! Pressing that outrageous chest of yours against me is going to destroy any sense of reason I have left!”
It seemed that Diablo’s troubles would only continue from here on out.
Epilogue
The mental exhaustion from using magic was dragging on longer than Diablo had expected.
In the game, as long as you got a good night’s sleep, your HP and MP would be fully restored...
But thinking about it, just like it was impossible for any grave injuries to be healed in just one night, there was no way this fatigue would suddenly disappear in the morning.
In the end, he just spent his days lazing around.
The room he stayed in was similar to the one they had previously occupied.
According to “the idol of the inn, Mei~♪ Kyaha!” the “Peace of Mind Inn” was actually a chain of stores.
Diablo and the others had rented out a room in the franchise’s second location.
By the way, Mei was safe and sound, and was cheerfully working the counter at the Peace of Mind Inn #2.
Three days after the Fallen attack, a memorial service was held for the victims of the incident.
Diablo was bad with ceremonies, so he had avoided going. It seemed Shera and Rem had attended, however, while wearing completely black outfits.
When a person died he felt like he should see off, that’s when he would be there.
His life of depravity continued for ten days.
Diablo was lying in bed today as well.
—Man, this reminds me of when I didn’t play games and lived my life like I was already dead.
He felt like he might turn into mold on the sheets at this rate.
With a thud, Shera had come and thrown herself on top of him.
She was soft.
“Diablo, it’s morning~ I’m bored, so wake up~”
“Mm.”
“Let’s go somewhere! Don’t you think it’s about time we took on a quest or something?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“Oh come on, you’re always saying that! Are you really thinking about it!?”
The only thing in Diablo’s head at the moment was how soft Shera’s chest felt against his arm as she pressed up against him.
It was amazingly soft.
—Hold on, doesn’t this feel a bit more amazing than usual!?
Lifting his head up, he turned to look at her.
Her outfit consisted of only thin pieces of cloth; one wrapped around her chest, and another around her waist.
“Wha!?”
“Ehehe, do you think you’ll feel better now, Diablo?”
“Hng!?”
“Well, you see, Sylvie said that wearing this would make a guy feel better.”
—What the hell are you teaching her, you irresponsible Guildmaster!?
Now that he was thinking about it, these clothes that showed off an excessive amount of skin were just like what Sylvie wore. Since she was a Grasswalker, and she still had a child-like appearance, there was kind of an innocent beauty to her when she wore this...
But if Shera was the one wearing it, then her slender body and massive rack unbefitting of an Elf had a much more voluptuous and lewd feeling to it. If this were a game, it would be rated for “Adults Only” for sure.
—This isn’t good! Cross Reverie is going to turn into an eroge; I have to make sure to give her a strict warning here!
—Well, maybe after this.
The sensation pushing against his arm completely washed over him.
Right then, Rem, who had been out and about since early in the morning, had just come back.
Her eyes were as round as dinner plates.
“...What in the... What in good graces are you wearing, Shera!?”
“Huh? Ahaha... Um... It was kinda... Hot?”
“...Of course it would be hot if you threw yourself all over Diablo like that. Get away from him! Get at least 30 meters away from him!”
“But that’s gonna make me leave the inn!?”
“...That’s a good idea for someone like you. Living outdoors is more suited for people who don’t work.”
“Ugh... I-I did a quest too, you know?”
“...All you did was go on an errand for Celes ten days ago. She only gave that to us in lieu of flat out giving us money to compensate us for our troubles. It is silly to call that a quest. If you keep on like this, your qualifications as an Adventurer will be revoked.”
“Whaaat!?”
Diablo couldn’t ignore what Rem had just said.
“What are you talking about?”
“...If an Adventurer has earned less than 10,000 friths in a month, then they are given a warning. If they are given warnings three months consecutively, then they are stripped of their Adventurer title, and cannot re-register with the Guild for a one year period.”
“What!? Why!? It’s a question of money!?”
“...It’s a counter-measure to keep fools who spend their days not working from calling themselves Adventurers.”
Even in another world, there was no relief for a NEET.
Diablo propped himself up.
“Hmph... I get it now.”
“Ah, do you feel like doing something after all?”
“...Did you finally decide that you are actually going to do some work, Diablo?”
“Yes! I will give it my all...starting tomorrow!”
Rem sighed. “...It is almost noon.”
Shera had a serious expression on her face.
“What should we have for lunch?”
“...Just get working.”
They still had some of the reward they had received from Celes’s quest left over. But when that amount was used up, Diablo would probably end up losing his Adventurer’s license.
And more than that, he would lose his sense for battle.
—If I can get my head working like this, then I guess that means my MP has recovered.
If he used enough MP to put him on the verge of complete lethargy, then it would take ten days to recover.
Diablo made a note of this in the “Cross Reverie Other-World Ver. Strategy Guide” in his head.
I’ve got a pretty good grasp on my abilities as a Sorcerer,—he thought to himself.
Another thing he had to look into were his skills outside of combat.
Diablo had invested some time into his Combiner sub-class, but he had no idea how to capitalize on it in this world.
In the game, you would just click on the items to be used as ingredients to combine them, which is how you would make potions.
But there was no such thing as a mouse cursor here.
The specifics to how each potion was made wasn’t written anywhere in the game. At best, there was just a list of items you needed to make them.
For now, he would have to collect ingredients and test things out. As long as he was using the Demon Lord’s Ring, he had to rely on health potions.
—I did end up using one of my HP potions when I told Celes to use it on him, didn’t I.
He didn’t regret doing that, but from now on it would be good to stock up on potions, even if they weren’t super high-grade ones.
He also wanted MP potions, too, if possible.
If using a little over half his max MP meant that he was out of action for ten days, then what would happen if he completely ran out...? He doubted he would be able to continue fighting if that happened.
Not only that, but he had to conduct some research about some of the unique magic found in this world: one of them being how to remove these enslavement collars; and the other magic, a way to extract the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm from Rem.
By the time he had noticed, it wasn’t just Shera, but Rem was on the bed as well.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1 Page 21