“...Hehe... I’m joking.”
“R-Right! Besides, there’s no way he’d be sad to say goodbye to...someone like me...”
Rem extended her right hand. “...No matter what anyone says, never forget you’re our adventuring companion. I’ll remember how bravely you struggled until the day I die.”
Horn grasped Rem’s hand with her own.
“Me too! And the next time we meet, I’ll be the type of Adventurer you can rely on!”
“...If you want to be a Sorcerer, I think being a Summoner would be more realistic.”
“Uuu...”
Horn remembered now that Rem was a Summoner as well.
“It is nearly time, Horn.” Lumachina had arrived.
“Ayup!”
She left the hotel, making her way to the twelfth district. There, the Royal Mage’s Guild—and the academy she would enroll in—awaited her.
Chapter 2: Going to the Dark Elves’ Forest
Two weeks later—
Diablo’s carriage rode across the plains. Horn had stayed behind in the Royal Capital, having enlisted in the Sorcerer’s Academy, and subsequently left the party. Much had happened surrounding that, but that was a story for another time... For now, Diablo was traveling alongside Rem, Shera, Rose, and Sylvie.
As noon approached, they stopped for a break. They tied the carriage to a tree, and Rem and Sylvie unloaded their cooking tools from the tray, making swift preparations for lunch.
Today was skewered beef jerky and vegetable soup. The meat was hard, but as Diablo bit deep into it, a rustic flavor filled his mouth. The vegetable soup consisted of potatoes, onions, carrots, and the like, making Diablo long to add some curry powder into the thing. Cream stew would be nice too. Diablo didn’t usually care much for food, but found himself longing for his old world’s cooking every now and then.
—Once I handle the revived Demon Lord, I should look into picking up some cooking skills.
He’d mixed eggs with salt, vinegar, and olive oil to make mayonnaise in the inn one time; that was tasty. But, come to think of it, there was a lot of luck involved with that. The hen eggs sold in Japan were thoroughly checked to make sure they were hygienic and safe to eat. But an egg taken as is from a chicken was very likely to have salmonella bacteria on it. He didn’t know if that applied to this other world, but... That was the reason he’d heard one shouldn’t eat raw eggs from outside Japan.
If he were to cook like a modern Japanese person in a backward world like this one, where people weren’t even accustomed to washing their hands before meals, the result could end up claiming lives. They were still at the point where they dumped their kitchen waste in the back alleys for pigs to dispose of after all.
He recalled hearing about how a plague claimed half the population of Europe in the 14th century. This world was better off because the Church’s priests could use miracles to 《Purify》 people, but... Come to think of it, if you used a Purifying miracle on moldy cheese, what would happen? It didn’t exist in this world, but would that make it into natto beans?
“What’s wrong, Diablo?” Shera peeked into Diablo’s field of vision.
After lying in bed for a long time, she’d regained her vigor and greeted him with a cheery expression, though she clung to him somewhat closer than usual.
“Mmm? Ah... I’ve a great many things to ponder.”
“Oooh, I see. Well, we’re almost to the forest.”
He was actually deep in thought regarding the intricacies of food, but he chose to keep that to himself.
“The Elves’ forest, huh?”
“We’re almost to Greenwood. Blackwood’s still a bit further away.”
“Yeah, we should be there in a day or two, I think?” Sylvie spread out a map. “The carriage should be able to take us all the way into the forest, right?”
“The Dark Elves use carriages too.” Shera nodded. “They live differently from the Elves.”
“Riiight. The Elves’ forest provides you with all the fruit you need, and you have plenty of game to hunt. And Blackwood’s full of poisonous plants and venomous snakes and bugs, I hear. I’ve never been there though.”
“...I hope this armlet you gave me will prove its worth here,” Rem said, running her fingers over the band clasped around her left wrist. A golden pattern in the shape of a snake was etched onto it. This 《Madara’s Armlet》 prevented the 《Poison》, 《Stun》, and 《Confuse》 status ailments. It wasn’t particularly powerful, but Rem could equip it even at her level.
“Must be nice...” Sylvie brought her fingers together. “Diablo gave you all this equipment I’ve never even heard of before.”
“...There are many others like this in Diablo’s Treasure Vault.”
“Treasure Vault!?”
“...It’s in the Demon Lord’s Domain and guarded by many powerful monsters, so I wouldn’t recommend trying to break in.”
“Ahaha... No matter what kind of treasure’s in there, it’s not worth making an enemy out of Diablo. But I’d be happy if you could lend me some when the time comes.”
True enough, if he were to give the equipment in his Treasure Vault to high level Adventurers, they’d become considerably stronger. He’d kept them all as part of a collection and never planned on using them after all. Giving those up was much more preferable than letting the races be destroyed. If they were going to fight the Demon Lord’s army, maybe letting others use them wasn’t a bad idea...
Rose, the Magimatic Maid, descended from the carriage, which creaked in protest as she did. She didn’t need food or sleep, and spent the whole trip sitting on a reinforced seat, like a ship’s figurehead.
“Rose does not approve of this. Rose was entrusted with guarding those items. They belong to Master, and only Master may use them. Normally, no one else would be allowed to lay hands on them... The fact that a few of them were even lent to Master’s subordinates alone torments Rose so deeply that Rose’s power circuits run the risk of overloading...”
Rem shrugged. “...I am Diablo’s companion, not his subordinate.”
“Companion? In which case, you are in no position to simply receive from Master, you must also return the favor.”
“...Ngh... I made the skewer Diablo is eating right now...”
“Hmph, so you are a mere kitchen maid.”
“...Wha!? Say that again, you overweight maid!”
Rose turned to Diablo, her face turning expressionless. “Master, Rose has confirmed a hostile presence. Requesting permission to deploy 《Asterismos》.”
“...Diablo, let’s leave this scrap maid behind. It should help the carriage move faster.”
Whenever it came to quarrels, Rem’s tongue became truly vicious.
Diablo merely sighed. “Don’t you ever tire of this? I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve been at it. Rem helped us acquire this carriage, as well as helps us in battle. Rose is also quite dependable. So long as you do not wish to leave, I do not...intend to push you away.”
“Diablo...” Rem’s anger dispersed, turning into an embarrassed smile.
“M-Master...called Rose ‘dependable’...” Rose, on the other hand, was shaking. “Rose will preserve this moment’s footage for posterity and perpetually replay it in Rose’s mind...”
It didn’t really feel like he’d said something that major...
“Diablo! Diablo! Diablo!” Shera latched onto him from the side. “What about me!? I’m useful, right!? You depend on me, right!?”
“Yes, yes, I do.”
“Uuu... Why is your voice so plain when you say that!?”
His pulse still quickened when she pressed her considerable breasts against him. He turned his gaze away from Shera, only to find Sylvie smiling wryly at him.
“Heheh... You’ve become a real leader, Diablo.”
“Leader? Save me your foolishness... I am a Demon Lord.”
“Then give them orders. Rose obeys you, and Rem has the 《Enslavement Collar》 on.”
; True, the steel collars shone dully around Rem and Shera’s necks. When they first met, he’d ordered them to stop fighting and make up. He didn’t know they’d be compelled to obey, but... He could do the same thing here.
“Cease your nonsense.” Diablo shook his head. “They aren’t apes; words are all I need to make myself clear. A Demon Lord only issues orders for more lofty causes than this.”
“Hmm, I see.” Her words implied she understood, but Sylvie’s eyes were still laughing.
“Then Rem and Rose should shake hands with a smile!” Shera proposed.
“...I refuse.”
“How absurd. Rose will not subject Rose to this foolish action.”
Diablo nodded at Rem and Rose, who voiced their disapproval. “Isn’t this a chance to show you’ve realized my words?”
“That was a nice idea, Shera!” Sylvie clapped enthusiastically.
Rem and Rose exchanged glares.
“...Ugh... Very well... I’ll prove my fortitude is far greater than yours.”
Rem extended her right hand first.
“Rose interprets this as an order from Master,” Rose said, her face expressionless. “As such, Rose judges this as a fitting enough cause to lift Rose’s hand at a sixty degree angle.”
Regardless of their wills, Rem and Rose brought their hands together. Shera called out, “Smile! Smile!” and Sylvie, with her characteristically carefree smile, gave them a harsh assessment of, “Thirty points ♪” Rem and Rose somehow managed to twist their expressions into smiles, their muscles making an almost audible creaking sound as they contorted against their wills.
Diablo lifted his hand, holding a skewer to shoulder height. “My meat’s going cold.”
Rem and Rose lowered their hands, looking more exhausted than the rest of this trip altogether had made them. Shera laughed aloud, seemingly amused.
“Shera, don’t you argue with Rose sometimes too?” Sylvie asked. “You don’t mind being called Diablo’s subordinate? You said you were companions earlier too.”
“Mmm? I don’t mind being his subordinate or his belonging. I mean, we’re companions so long as we travel like this. We’re all together, and we all have fun!”
“Ah, that’s a farsighted way of looking at it... Let me get you another serving of soup.”
“Yay!”
Putting a close to their somewhat long-ish lunch, they set out again. The forest was now in sight.
†
The next day—
Diablo lay down on a bench behind the carriage’s canopy, resting his head on Rose’s soft lap. She was durable enough to withstand a blow from a Magical Beast, but she was still as soft as he’d expect from a girl. Since she was Magimatic, he didn’t feel any body heat from her, but there was another sort of pleasantness to that.
Rose looked down on him, a blush on her cheeks.
“How does it feel, Master?”
“Hmph... Not bad.”
The only complaint he had was that her breathing was turning disturbingly husky.
He left the reins of the carriage to his subordinates and rested his head on a maid’s lap—now that was a Demon Lord’s life!
But truthfully, he was a bit motion-sick. They’d been on a highway for most of the time since they left the capital, but now that they were on less paved roads, the carriage was shaking considerably. Feeling the carriage’s vibrations in his stomach for so long was beginning to make Diablo nauseated. But a Demon Lord didn’t get carsick, so he simply said, “I am going to sleep, so hold the reins,” and laid down.
—Blurgh...
Had Diablo been able to look at the forest, he’d be able to see Blackwood’s entrance, but holding back his nausea was the most he could manage right now. Incidentally, Shera was also asleep on the central bench, but, in her case, she had eaten too much for lunch and became sleepy.
Rem manned the driver’s seat, gripping the reins while Sylvie inspected a map by her side.
“It really does shake a lot once you get off the highway. Are you okay, Rem? Weren’t you bad with vehicles?”
“...I’m surprised you remember.”
“I see my Adventurers as part of my big family after all! And I remember what my family members like and dislike.”
“...I’ve noticed this on this trip, but...I don’t seem to feel as bad when I’m sitting at the driver’s seat. I don’t feel at all anxious.”
“Wow... Maybe it’s because you have a good view of the road...? Oh, we should be near the forest’s entrance. Can you see it?”
The carriage was heading west, running toward the setting sun. For the last three days, they’d seen nothing but plains, with thickets of black trees to their left. That was probably Blackwood, the Dark Elves’ territory.
“...Forget a path a carriage can take, there isn’t so much as a trail for us to walk on here.” Rem shook her head.
“Looks like it.”
“...Perhaps Shera’s information was unreliable? Maybe the Dark Elves’ territory is somewhere else entirely.”
“You know, I’ve never been to Blackwood either. I’ve been to the Kingdom of Greenwood though.”
“...For a quest?”
“In the name of curiosity and training, I guess. You need vast outlook to overcome the races’ limit... At least, that’s what my teacher used to say.”
“...Your teacher?”
“He’s passed away by now. He was already pretty old during the Fallen War.”
“...I see. Then judging by your words, I assume you’ve already surpassed the limit of the races?”
“Heheheh... I am the Guildmaster of Faltra’s Adventurer’s Guild after all. I don’t just lead a frontier city’s Adventurer’s Guild for nothing!”
“...Come to think of it, I’ve never asked: What’s your level, Sylvie?”
“Hmhm, that’s a secret ♪”
“...That’s why I can’t trust you.”
“Weeell, jeepers... On the other hand, I think it’s about time you consider your own future, Rem. I’m expecting a whole lot out of you. You’re simply brimming with talent.”
“...You can keep your compliments. My talent doesn’t even reach Shera’s ankles. But...I suppose I’m still considerably good by the races’ standards.”
“Huh? You serious? Your clan was entrusted with guarding a Demon Lord, Rem. You should be the same rank as Shera!”
“...I’ll be fine without your cheering me up, thank you very much. I’m aware of my inferiority, envy, and fear, and use them to fuel my ambition. Though I am grateful for your consideration.”
“Naaah, that’s not what I meant.”
Sylvie chuckled bitterly, scratching the back of her rabbit ears. Rem’s thin tail wagged left and right, signaling she didn’t quite appreciate the conversation.
“...Isn’t there a river nearby?” Rem turned her attention to the map, changing topics.
“The closest thing on the map are the shoals we crossed yesterday.”
“...It’s going to be dark soon at this rate... Though my heart already feels gloomy enough as it is...”
“Well now, let’s stay bright, then! At least in our attitudes!”
“...You being pointlessly optimistic is only making me more anxious.”
“I think I see why you prefer traveling alone, Re—huh!?” Sylvie’s rabbit ears twitched.
“Master, Rose senses a living being approaching... A large one,” Rose spoke from the bench.
“...A monster!?” However good Rem was at detecting enemies, she didn’t hold a candle to the other two.
Diablo sat up. “By large, you mean it isn’t a Dark Elf. Right, Rose?”
“Rose senses several living beings, presumably of the races, and one large one... At its current velocity, we should encounter it in thirty seconds.”
Someone of the races was there too. Sylvie peered in the forest’s direction, Rem following her example.
“...Is something there?”
“Definitely, but...”
>
Something flew out of the forest with a whizzing sound, grazing the carriage’s canopy—an arrow.
“Whoa... That’s one way to welcome guests.” Sylvie laughed dryly.
“The large lifeform is approaching!” Rose alerted. “It’s...a magical beast!”
“Rem, turn right!” Sylvie called out. “Run!”
“Ngh!”
As soon as those words were spoken, Rem grabbed the right rein and pulled, turning the carriage away from the forest and toward the plains. The carriage’s right wheel floated up with the centrifugal force tilting the whole vehicle, making it teeter on the verge of falling over. Shera rolled off the bench with a surprised, “Buha!?” Diablo grabbed a rope dangling from the carriage’s side wall, which he’d grabbed onto when the shaking started earlier. The next moment—
The forest’s trees were launched into the air, as if something had kicked them away. Several of them rotated midair, showering the surroundings with leaves and detached roots. A large and wide creature—the size of a Huge-class dragon—burst out of the forest. The uprooted trees crashed down from above, several of them falling harmlessly on the ground, while others tumbled down toward the carriage.
Rem’s eyes widened. “...We’re going to get hit!”
“Dooodge!” Sylvie screamed.
A figure hopped out from behind the canopy, colliding with the falling trees as her skirt fluttered. It was Rose.
“《Magimatic Sol》!”
Two steel arms manifested out of thin air behind Rose, large enough to cradle her in their palms. They grabbed the falling trees like twigs and flicked them away.
“You did it!” Sylvie cheered. “You’re amazing, Rose!”
Rose landed, a flashy cloud of dust rising around her. They couldn’t leave it as is, so they turned the carriage to the right.
“Wha! What’s this what’s that what’s going onnnn???” Shera peeked out from the back of the canopy.
The monster that appeared from the forest had black, inflamed skin that seemed to be decaying. It looked like a wild boar and had two long tusks extending from its mouth. Two large horns grew from its head as well, which it aimed forward like a pair of spears. Thorn-like protrusions grew sporadically from the back of its head down to its tail.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 7 Page 5