Shera nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a promise! Swear to God!”
†
They were to perform the ritual magic immediately. Diablo had thought only Rem would have to take part in it...but Shera wanted to come along and accompany Rem as well. They had no choice but to trust Rafflesia about the ritual magic, but given the scale of the compensation she would receive for it, Diablo doubted she’d lied.
But what about the other Dark Elves? Could he say for certain they wouldn’t hurt Rem and Shera? Rem was about to have the ritual magic performed on her, and Shera was weak to ambushes. Diablo was getting anxious.
“I will join as well,” Diablo proposed.
“Ohohoh... Do you not trust me? You are a wary one. But having too many people present can be a problem. The altar is a small place.”
“Very well. Rose, Sylvie, keep watch near the carriage.”
Rose seemed terribly hurt for a moment, but bowed deeply. “As you command, Master.”
“Right, we’ll wait outside. Don’t make a mess in there, Diablo.”
The two of them left the building.
Following in Rafflesia’s footsteps, Diablo, Rem, and Shera entered a room deeper into the castle.
On the other side of the great tree—
They found themselves in a small room. The room had two exits, one being the door Diablo and his group had entered from, and another door further into the room. The place had no windows, and was even darker than the room before, with Rafflesia lighting the room up again with another Light spell. At the center of the wooden floor was a small pond surrounding a rock, with fish swimming in the water.
Surprisingly enough, Rafflesia hadn’t brought any guards with her. There was no one but the four of them in the room. Were her guards on the other side of the wall, or maybe masking their presence? Not detecting them would be pretty lame...but pretending he found them when they weren’t actually there would be even more pathetic. It’d be ridiculous. How was he supposed to ask without giving up any of his Demon Lordly dignity!?
“Hmph...” Diablo snorted. “Your guards... What are you playing at, Rafflesia?”
“This place is called the 《Chamber of Purification》,” Rafflesia said with a gentle smile. “The only ones permitted to enter are myself and those undergoing the ritual, so there is no need for any guards.”
So there really weren’t any guards...
“I’m surprised you trust us so easily.”
“Ohohoh... I’m already a friend to you, am I not?”
“Hmph.” Diablo made an unconvinced expression as Rafflesia continued her words.
“It may be hard for you to understand since you come from another world, honored guest...but when one of royal blood makes an oath on God’s name, it is a very serious affair. Far more serious than an exchange of gold could ever be.”
“Is that so.”
“Those of royal blood receive God’s blessing, which allows their kingdom to flourish, and this agreement is, however you look at it, to our benefit. If we were to accept this proposal and not keep our end of the bargain, our honor would be all but forfeit, no?”
“I suppose so. Receiving a section of the forest three times the size of your village in exchange for the ritual magic is an easy deal...”
“That’s not right!” Shera cut into their words. “I promised the Elves and the Dark Elves would get along!”
“True, indeed... My people are still half in doubt, but if we could live once again in a bountiful forest... If you abide by your word, Princess Shera, I am sure we will get along well. We would be neighbors after all.”
“...Is this really all right?” Rem asked with a languid expression. “I’m worried the Elves won’t take too well to losing some of their forest...”
“It’ll be fine,” Shera guaranteed.
They couldn’t help but be anxious though. This was Shera after all, and she never did think things through thoroughly enough.
Rafflesia crouched and scooped up water from the pond. She breathed in the water’s scent, then drank it.
“Hmm... It appears there will be no problems. Let us cleanse ourselves.”
“...Problems?” Rem asked.
“This land’s spring water is usually safe, but every so often the forest’s toxins can mix into it. So I just confirmed the water’s purity by its smell and taste. It is for this reason we have fish swim in this water as well.”
“...We’ll use this land’s water for the ritual magic?”
“Our honored Pantherian guest—your name was Rem, was it not? Do you not believe me?” Rafflesia nodded and asked back.
“...That’s a difficult question. We’ve only just met, and I’ve heard of what happened in the past. But Shera put her life on the line to give me this chance... So I leave everything to you, Lady Rafflesia.”
“Ohohoh... You are a wise woman indeed.”
“...I entrust myself to you.”
Diablo recalled this...
—Ritual magic, huh... That time when I had to pour my magical energy into Rem was a pretty huge mess. I had to put that into her and do that... Is this time going to be the same? Are those two going to, uh...grapple, or something?
“H-Hmm... Are you going to touch my body during the ritual?” Rem asked, her cheeks a rosy pink. Apparently the same thoughts were going through her mind.
“Why would I touch you? A ritual given by God is done by standing upright and performing earnest prayer. There’s no need for physical contact.”
“...We’ll just be standing then? And talking? No touching?”
“There’s an altar in the east of the village. We will pray there until the sun rises. You may stand, but as we’ll be spending the whole night there, sitting would probably be more convenient. But...if you insist on me touching you, I certainly could?”
“No! Please, the usual ritual is just fine!”
“Ohohoh... Very well then.”
“Yes, thank you. I was prepared for the worst, but it looks like I won’t have to go through any more humiliation this time.” Rem sighed, visibly relieved.
“I’m glad you have calmed yourself. Now, let us proceed to purify ourselves in the pond.”
Rafflesia reached for her sash, undoing it in a swift motion. She lifted up the fabrics she wore as clothing, exposing her bosom, which already stuck out from under her clothes as it was, freely into the air.
“Fwa!?” Rem let out a peculiar squeak.
†
Having stripped naked, Rafflesia reached a hand out to Rem. “We will be offering our prayers to God, so it is only natural that we purify ourselves.”
“...I-I see...”
“This is a custom passed down with the rest of the ritual, so please follow my example. First, we wash both hands.”
“...Naked?”
“Follow my example.”
“...Aaah...” Rem sighed. “All right.”
Diablo turned around so he wouldn’t look, but then Rafflesia said something absurd that made him do a double take:
“All who have entered the Chamber of Purification are participants in the ritual. Since they, too, will stand before God, they must cleanse themselves as well.”
“Fwa!?” This time Diablo made the same peculiar squeak Rem had made earlier.
“Oooh, I get it.” Shera nodded and reached for her clothes without a hint of hesitation, preparing to take them off.
The Elves were supposed to be proud, but they didn’t seem to have any qualms over being naked around people.
“...Aren’t you...embarrassed, Shera?” Rem asked, her face flushing red.
“A bit... But I swore my life to God for this.”
“...Y-Yes, you’re right. How could I neglect to notice that... This magic is for the sake of my future...and the prosperity of the races. And you made a great promise in exchange for it, your life included. Th-This is nothing to be ashamed of!”
“Ahaha... Besides, it’s like bathing.”
“...
Yes, that’s right. It’s not like strangers are looking at us.”
Rem began taking off her clothes. Diablo strengthened his own resolve too. He couldn’t just say “I’m embarrassed so I won’t participate” after everyone else decided to do it. The old him may have selfishly rejected them, but he’d been working alongside Rem and Shera since he came to this world, and a feeling of camaraderie for them had grown in Diablo.
“There’s no other way. I will accompany you as well.”
In terms of combat potential, this situation also put them at a disadvantage. Rem and Shera would respectively have to leave their summon crystals and bow behind. But if something were to happen while they didn’t have their equipment, Diablo alone would be able to use magic to defend them.
He put his war scythe into his pouch and took off his cape and top. His pulse began accelerating. Taking off his clothes in front of women was embarrassing after all. He’d bathed with Rem and Shera before, but this wasn’t something he could get used to.
—The worst part is I can’t even let it show I’m embarrassed! At times like this I have to rely on math! I’ll fill my thoughts with numbers, and make all the blood go from my groin to my brain. Pi is...3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419...
“Err... What was the next one again... seven? Or was it one?”
“...What’s wrong, Diablo?”
“Let’s hurry up and bathe!”
Shera grabbed him by the arm—
Naked.
Before the sensation of exposed skin and the color of her body that filled his field of vision, the sequence of numbers he’d memorized back in middle school was blown to pieces like a slime that had 《Explosion》 cast on it.
Hot damn.
“...If you’re participating, hurry up, Diablo.” Rem reached for his belt. “The position of the stars and the moon are important for a ritual magic of this magnitude.”
As she spoke, she skillfully undid his belt, grabbed his pants, and pulled them down.
“Ah?!”
Rem’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened like saucers. She hopped back in a panic, her face as red as a lobster.
—You just pulled my underwear down along with my pants!!!
He stood exposed.
Stark naked.
“I-I-I-I’m sorry, Diablo!” Rem stammered, firing off words in fast succession. “A-Anyway...l-let’s hurry!”
“Aaah, hmm.”
Having been stripped by Rem and with Shera pulling him by the arm, Diablo stood before them—
In the nude!
His body temperature rose, and he wasn’t cold since they were in a closed room. If anything, he was sweaty.
To his right was Rem; to his left was Shera; and opposite him was Rafflesia:
Small, large, extra large.
“Ohohoh... You are quite innocent, yes? We’re all of different races, so there’s nothing to stress over.”
“You shouldn’t mind such pointless things yourself and just get on with the ritual.”
He tried hiding his embarrassment behind menacing words, but the impact wasn’t quite there when he said it naked. His only solace was that his body was muscular and toned thanks to his level 150 stats.
Rafflesia crouched and sank her right hand into the water.
“Now, follow my example, if you will.”
“...Very well.”
“OK!”
Rem and Shera crouched as well. Diablo emulated them and reached out his right arm. The spring’s water was, as expected, cold. He was surprised when Rafflesia told them to strip, but the purification itself wasn’t much different from bathing. They soaked their limbs, washed the sweat off their torsos, and cleaned their faces. Had it just come down to that, there wouldn’t be any problems. However...
Drops of water dripping off her wet hair, Rafflesia made way to the door opposite the one they’d entered from.
“Let us make way to the altar.”
“...H-Hmm... What about our clothes?” Rem asked, after blinking twice in puzzlement.
“Ohohoh... What are you saying? Putting on filthy clothes now would defeat the purpose of purifying ourselves.”
Rafflesia opened the door, and a gust of wind blew into the room. It led outside, to the Dark Elf village. It was the back of the castle, which meant the carriage was on the other side, but they could see several buildings of similar architecture. A shade of madder red had washed over the sky, but it was still bright outside. Dark Elf women were preparing dinner with their stoves, chopping firewood, or servicing their bows.
“...We’re supposed to walk past here...like this?” Rem asked in a faint, dry voice.
Rafflesia took the lead and stepped outside. “Let us hurry. We must begin the ritual magic before the sun sets.”
“Aaah... Err...” Not just her face, but Rem’s entire body burned red.
“Ah?! We’re going out like this?!” Even Shera was visibly flustered by this.
“If you wish...” Rafflesia turned to face them with a calm expression. “You could stay behind and Miss Rem alone will accompany me.”
Cleansing one’s body and walking to the altar was a custom in this village, so she was apparently used to it.
“Th-There are only...Dark Elf women in this village, right!?” Rem asked, her voice steeped with nervousness.
“Yes, of course. When boys are old enough to hold a bow, their brothers and fathers take them outside the village for training.”
“...I see...”
Rem seemed prepared to walk outside.
“Aaah?!”
A Dark Elf woman walked by them, carrying a bundle of branches. It may have been customary in this village, but seeing people walking around nude in broad daylight was still surprising. But having seen them walk in a line, the woman realized they were doing it for the ritual magic and bowed respectfully.
Rafflesia walked at the head of the line, her head held high. Rem and Shera followed her, their faces flushed.
—This is really bad!
He couldn’t turn back now, so Diablo kept on walking.
“Kyaa?!” a village girl screeched, dropping her bundles of branches on the ground with loud crashing sounds. She faltered backward, her gaze, however Diablo tried to avoid thinking of it, fixed on a very specific point.
—My horns, right?! The horns on my head!
Diablo still had the 《Distorted Crown》 equipped, the one item he could remove. But he couldn’t just say “I could actually take it off” after all this time. It was a highly efficient piece of equipment that granted him an HP regeneration effect, but had the added feature of making it seem like horns were growing out of his head. This was a feature none of the races had, so it would make sense for the girl to be taken aback. It did look like the Dark Elf villager’s gaze was directed significantly below his head, but...he was probably imagining it. Definitely.
The village girls were turning their heads toward him one after another.
“Oh my...” “Well now!” “Kyaaa ♡”
As they were heading for the altar in single file, many of the villagers got on their knees respectfully, but some of the women were gazing fixedly at them. Diablo was bad enough as it was when it came to being the center of attention, so having so many unfamiliar women look at his naked body made it hard to maintain his nerve.
He turned his gaze straight ahead, only to find Rem sweating profusely.
“Haa... Haa... Haa...”
“Hey, are you all right?”
“...Huh? What is it, Diablo? Is there a problem? Because I’m fine, of course, I’m perfectly OK.”
Her words came out in ragged breaths. She was sweating as if she had just run a marathon, and her skin was a stark shade of red. Transparent drops slid down her thighs, and her knees were shaking.
“Th-They’re looking...” she murmured to herself in a delusional tone. “I’m naked...in front of strangers... This... This is...”
Contrary to her claims, Rem looked to be
anything but fine.
“What’s wrong? Does your tummy hurt?” Shera, who was walking alongside her, noticed Rem’s distress.
“I-I’m...fine...”
So she said, but Rem’s knees were shaking so much she could barely walk. She was merely staggering along.
“...Aaah... They’re looking. That lady... She looked...at me...so hard... I... I’m so embarrassed...”
Rem tripped over some undergrowth, almost tumbling to the ground.
“Watch out!” Diablo reached out to catch her, grabbing her by the shoulders. The moment he did, Rem let out a high pitched scream.
“Hiyaaa!”
“H-Hey...?”
Rem spasmed as if she’d just been shocked by electricity.
“Hnnnnnnnnn!”
—Don’t tell me she...?
Diablo stiffened as he held her in his arms. The drops flowing out of her pooled beneath them.
“Ahh... Guh... Hmm, aah... Diablo... D-Don’t... Haa... Grab me so suddenly...please...” Rem spoke weakly, tears welling up in her eyes.
“W-Walk straight then.” Diablo managed to squeeze out a response, overwhelmed by the situation.
“Aaah... I’m...fine... Yes... There’s nothing...wrong...”
Rem walked forward, her body even redder than before.
“Aaaaaah...” Shera’s face was red too.
Diablo walked behind them, minding to stay cautious.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to start acting crazy too, Shera.”
Every person had their own disposition. Rem just happened to react to having to walk outside naked more acutely than others...
Contemplating about how odd things had become all of a sudden, Diablo marched on, stepping over the liquid that dripped onto the ground.
They finally reached the east end of the village. There stood a raised building that seemed to serve as a granary, with a step ladder inside that led up to the 《Altar’s Chamber》 on the second floor. A purple carpet was spread out in the room, and different types of ritual equipment were lined up. An old silver holy symbol stood at the end of the room.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 7 Page 9