She was so beautiful, the only thing Rem could do was sigh.
However, Shera’s expression was dark. Her heart was elsewhere, but she still chose to fulfill her duties as a princess.
Rem knew this. She was the one who encouraged Shera to walk this path.
“...Shera...”
“You should pick a husband everyone will respect. That’s what I think.”
She still thought that was the right choice to make. But seeing an expression of utter despair on Shera’s face for the first time, a tinge of pain ran through Rem’s heart.
—I may have made a terrible mistake... Did I forget what it was that I should be protecting?
Her hands shook.
Shera walked down the golden thread carpet slowly. Once this ceremony ended, Drango will have made Shera his and become king of the Elves. While he should be rather smug with victory right now...his brow was, oddly enough, furrowed. He was biting his lower lip with frustration. Or maybe it was pity in his expression?
“...You went on a perilous adventure to shatter the shackles of the past, and eventually succeeded in removing a Demon Lord from your body.”
“Eh? Y-Yes...”
“...So you intend on having a Demon Lord bind the Elf next.”
“Ah!” Rem rose to her feet. Rose, by comparison, didn’t budge an inch.
“What’s the matter? Was this not the right thing to do?”
“...I... I’ve made a mistake!”
The orchestra’s music blared, drowning out Rem’s sorrowful cry. The instruments’ sounds jolted the air, as if to forbid anyone from interrupting the ritual.
An Elven soldier, with a longsword on his waist, rushed to Rem, who’d stood up so suddenly.
“Are you feeling unwell, my lady?”
“No...”
“Come with me, my lady. We are in the middle of a ritual right now. Either vacate your seat and leave if you are unwell, or please sit down.”
The fate of the Kingdom of Greenwood rested on the success of this wedding, so of course there were guards entrusted with protecting it.
Rem sat back down. Leaving the ritual now would only be tantamount to running away.
The Elven guard went back to his station, still keeping a vigilant gaze on her.
—I’m so...foolish, and powerless...
The only thing Rem could do right now was sit quietly and watch everything unfold.
Completing their slow advance down the aisle, Shera’s legs stopped before the altar.
“Do you, Drango,” the priest began, “take the princess to be your lifelong partner, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, in days of abundance and days of famine, to love, to respect, to console and protect, to devote yourself to her for as long as you draw breath?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Shera L. Greenwood...take this man to be your lifelong partner?”
Shera opened her mouth, but remained silent. The attendants all looked puzzled, and began whispering. The queen, who sat in the front row, jerked her chin. The priest gave a small nod.
“Dear bride, know that silence will be taken as consent, now answer: Do you take this man to be your lifelong partner?”
“...Nn.”
“Very good! We have ascertained both of your feelings. Now seal your vow with a kiss, here in the presence of God!”
Drango nodded and took a step toward his bride. Shera stepped back in retreat, but he quickly grabbed her by the arm.
“Prepare yourself.”
“...Nng.”
Shera looked to be on the verge of tears. But despite her companion making such an expression a mere ten steps away, Rem could only sit and watch.
That truly was all she could do.
“...Kuh... I’ve, made a mistake...”
“Did you now?”
“...Who cares about this country? Who cares about the Demon Lord!? Wasn’t I the one who resolved to shatter all these chains!?”
“Rose believes your opinion was a correct one.”
“...Yes! I was right, and that’s what makes me wrong here!”
Rose, who’d kept gazing forward unflinchingly, turned her head to Rem, her lips upturned in a smile.
“Of course. And Master has realized that as well.”
“H-Huh...?”
Something sparkled above them, blasting the tree’s leaves away.
—An explosion!?
The shock waves had scattered the orchestra’s music.
†
Several bullets of light rained down from the sky, the result of a single spell: Lightning Arrow. Just shooting one took considerable skill with magic, and Rem only knew one sorcerer capable of firing several at once.
The spell smashed away the decorations, bore into the flowerbeds, and cut into the tree trunks. The guests all screamed in terror, some of them running away out of fear. The host shouted hysterically, trying to calm everyone down, while the priest was the first to flee the altar.
Drango hurriedly hid Shera behind his back, trying to protect her, when a bullet of light crashed against his shoulders.
“Gah!?”
He took to the air like a pebble that had been kicked. But the Queen’s faith in his capabilities wasn’t misplaced, as he maintained his posture and landed safely.
Then the wind coiled about as someone descended from above. His black cloak fluttered wide like a pair of wings. He held a staff in hand and had a pair of demonic horns on his head. Proof of the Fallen blood running through his veins—of him being a Demon—was tattooed across his face.
“Heheh...” He laughed maliciously, standing at Shera’s side. “Even if God acknowledges this wedding, know that I do not, you puny piece of waste. She belongs to me! I won’t let you do as you please!”
“Diablooo!”
Throwing away the bouquet in her hands, Shera clung to him with all her strength.
—Whoa there...
Diablo leaned over, caught by surprise.
“Hmph, I will not allow you to marry without my permission! You belong to me. The Demon Lord Diablo orders you, stay devoted to me for as long as you draw breath!”
The guests broke into a panic the moment he spoke the words “Demon Lord.”
Drango pulled a longsword from a nearby guard’s scabbard. His expression was the exact opposite of his dark expression from just a moment ago. He was even grinning.
“Nonsense. A Demon Lord? Did you truly just claim to be a Demon Lord?”
“Heheheh... I am Diablo, a Demon Lord from another world!”
“How dreadful. A Demon Lord, you say... I will take back Princess Shera, no matter what!”
“Hmm... Do not misunderstand, pig. She is already mine. It is I who will take her back.”
“You speak lies and weave fabrications!”
“If I recall, the Kingdom of Greenwood needed a king, did it not? Then I, the Demon Lord Diablo, will become king of the Elves! Ahahahaha!”
“Nonsense... No one would ever acknowledge you!”
“Then you will allow the Demon Lord sealed in these lands to awaken?”
“Silence!”
What guests hadn’t run away managed to maintain their cool, listening attentively to the conversation.
“Hear me, you common rabble!” Diablo shouted loudly. “God has sealed the Demon Lord of the Heart, Kardia, within these very lands! The presence of a king merely serves as the wedge that holds its seal in place! Should the country postpone the crowning of a new king, the seal will be undone!”
Drango braced his longsword and shrunk the distance between them by a single step. “You cretin... What good does revealing that to them do!?”
Hugging Shera by the waist with his left hand, Diablo used his right to aim his staff in Drango’s direction.
“If you do not acknowledge me as king, the Demon Lord will surely awaken!”
“So you were an agent of the Fallen after all... Have you come here to awaken the Demon Lord!?”
&nbs
p; “I care not either way.”
“Wh-What!?”
“Acknowledge me as Greenwood’s king, else Kardia will be revived. Don’t, and perish. Your choice matters not to me.”
“Hogwash. If that Demon Lord awakens, the races will be destroyed!”
“Hmph... I won’t let that happen.”
“What nonsense are you spewing!?”
With confidence, Diablo declared:
“There is only one true Demon Lord! I will pulverize any pretenders to my title!”
“...P-Pulverize!?” Drango’s eyes opened wide. “You intend...to defeat that Demon Lord...!?”
The other attendees looked astonished as well.
By contrast, Shera smiled the happiest grin Diablo had ever seen her smile, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Whoooaaa! Diablo! Diablo, Diablo, Diablo! Diablooo!”
“H-Hey, cut it out...” Diablo pushed Shera, who had clung to him, away.
Rem stood stock still, feeling a warmth build up in her eyes as tears trailed down her cheeks.
“...I was a fool.”
“None can understand the Master’s wisdom and foresight. But if you’ve come to realize what the right thing to do here is, Rose acknowledges that, if nothing else, you are qualified to serve as Master’s subordinate.”
“...How pathetic of me.” Rem wiped her eyes. “But I won’t make this mistake again. Because I am Diablo and Shera’s companion!”
“To call Master a ‘companion’... How shameless.”
“Come on, let’s go, Rose!”
Rem ran ahead, and the Magimatic Maid followed her, half a step behind.
“Rose does not need you to tell Rose that.”
†
With Diablo’s declaration, Shera had clung to him shouting out his name in a chant-like nature. She was dressed in bridal attire and was three times prettier than usual. Her dress bore her cleavage, which was currently rubbing against Diablo...
It was extremely embarrassing.
If he were to blush now, his Demon-Lord-like presence would be gone.
“H-Hey...” He pushed her away. “Cut that out...”
—Stooop, don’t cling to me with that booby dress of yours, I can’t take it!
As that happened, Rem and Rose ran up to them.
“...Diablo!”
“Rose is awaiting orders, Master. Should Rose dispose of Master’s enemies?”
“Enemies, huh...”
Elven soldiers, carrying swords and bows, gathered behind Drango. Apparently the Sojourn of Darkness’ effect wasn’t enough to neutralize their fighting spirit.
They were desperate, too. The Elves were willing to fight if it meant getting Shera back.
“Heheheh...” Diablo smirked. “So be it. I’ll show you just how weak you are.”
The Elves’ weapon of choice was the bow, but Diablo had Shera by his side. They wouldn’t shoot out of fear of accidentally hitting her. Their only choice was to use swords, but they’d have to be at least as fast as Faltra’s governor, Galford, to even hope of landing their blades on Diablo. With that much speed, they’d be able to cut through a Lightning Arrow easily.
—Sorry, but I can’t afford to hold back now... I’ll have to make this as one-sided as possible.
“You dare oppose me? Know your place, fools! I will destroy you all!”
Diablo swung his staff.
《Freezia》.
A level 80 water element spell.
The Elves screamed as they were suddenly chilled to the bone and brought to the brink of defeat quickly.
“Gyaaaaaah!!” “M-My fingers!? My fingeeers!” “F-F-Freezing... I’m freezing...!?”
Drango’s strength of will was impressive as he successfully triggered his magic resistance.
“Grrrrrr! All of you, get back! Spread out!”
The Elves who were still combat ready dragged their injured comrades into the forest.
“Hmph... Aren’t they too unskilled?”
“Such powerful magic... It’s like you really are a Demon Lord...”
“I see you can’t exhibit your own strength without a bow in hand, Drango.”
“Ugh...”
Drango stepped back. His level as an archer may have been high, but a man with sword in hand wouldn’t normally step away from a sorcerer. Did he have some sort of plan in mind?
The guards escorted the attendees away, who fled from the altar in a panic. Perhaps owing to their pastoral lifestyle, they were awfully timid and weak when time did come to do battle.
Only the queen stayed behind, ignoring the guards’ pleas.
“Shera! What are you thinking!?”
“Mother...”
“This is unforgivable!”
“I’m! I’m picking Diablo to be king!”
“This is no laughing matter! This person just proclaimed to be a Demon Lord! We can’t even count him as a member of the races!”
“But I still think Diablo is worthy of being Greenwood’s king!”
“Nonsense! Why are you always like this!? Explain yourself! What is your reasoning!?”
“I just... I just think so, that’s why!”
—Intuition, huh... Shera’s never been very articulate, so I didn’t expect her to talk anyone into this, but this is worse than I thought...
The queen, naturally, wasn’t convinced.
“Well, what will you do about producing children? If you don’t give birth to an heir, the Greenwood royal bloodline will die out!”
“Aaah...” Shera turned as red as a lobster. “Everyone keeps talking about kids this, kids that... You’re all pervs!”
“It’s a very important matter!”
“Well, I did too think this through! I even got...th-this, from Diablo!”
Shear held out her right hand, presenting a silver ring.
“I-Is that...?” The queen’s eyes widened. “An engagement ring!?”
Rem and Rose stiffened, their breaths stuck in their throats.
Shera nodded, while Diablo tilted his head in contemplation.
—Huh...? Did I ever give her something like that? Wait... Does she mean what happened in my dungeon’s treasure vault!?
Shera’s gaze suddenly fell on an item sitting on one of the pedestals: a silver-colored ring.
“You gave Rem a ring, right? I want a ring too. Can I have this one?”
“Do as you wish.”
There shouldn’t have been any cursed items in the vault, and there was plenty of useless collector’s items in here. That was why Diablo didn’t bother to check what she took.
“With this ring, I can have kids with someone from another race!” Shera shouted.
—This ring does what!?
Diablo was just about to scream himself.
In Cross Reverie, the engagement ring was just a useless item that took up an inventory slot. Some players complained you could only obtain this item through an event that could only be accessed by a couple, and it was said players who had this ring equipped were highly likely to be actual couples, and therefore normies. Diablo, being a dedicated item collector, even obtained this disgusting item for his collection.
So, who did he participate in that couple-only event with, you may ask?
That was a piece of history Diablo dreaded touching on...
—I just made a duplicate account and married myseeelf!!!
He never imagined this engagement ring, which carried nothing but shameful memories, would enable you to produce children with any other race. He also didn’t realize that he technically gifted it to Shera.
—But wait, wasn’t there a ban on transferring that thing between accounts!? And I just transferred it to Shera like it was nothing! Is it because this is reality and not a game? Goddamnit, other world! Try for a little less immersion next time!
Diablo broke into a cold sweat.
—I can’t even hold a proper conversation with a stranger, much less have any romantic experiences. And now I’ve proposed to a princ
ess? Me, marriage? Are you telling a pill bug to fly? Just leave me out of this... It’s nice under my rock. Don’t drag me out under the sun!
Diablo’s thoughts were spinning in his head in an incomprehensible swirl.
“Ha, hahaha...” A peculiar laughter was the only thing that escaped his throat.
“...It seems to me Diablo didn’t know what that engagement ring was capable of.” Rem sighed.
“There is no match for it in Rose’s database either.”
“...Probably because it’s not a weapon.”
“Rose wonders if equipping that ring would permit Rose to bestow Master with a child as well...”
“...Didn’t you claim to be a doll before? That’s not considered ‘another race.’”
“Tch!”
As that exchange came to a close, Diablo’s thoughts finally settled after their crazy trip. They were in the middle of battle right now after all. If he allowed himself to be distracted by unrelated thoughts, he may get attacked off guard.
—Focus!
He shelved the matter of his interpersonal relationships by focusing on reality and the battle before him, in what amounted to an impressive show of convoluted escapism.
“That’s...impossible...” the queen said, bewildered.
Her daughter had received an engagement ring from a Demon claiming to be a Demon Lord. She was probably beyond shocked as a mother.
But one man stood calm even in the midst of this chaos. Bracing his sword, Drango stood before the queen.
“Get back, Your Majesty! There’s no point in speaking to him any more!”
“But...”
“What are you doing, guards!? Take the queen away!”
Having been ordered, the Elven guards finally went into action. Several of them picked the queen up, carrying her away, leaving only combatants in the plaza. The spectators watched from further away, anxiously gulping.
Diablo faced Drango. “It’s time I defeat you then. Surrender now, if you value your life.”
“Hmph... You’re a peculiar one.”
“What?”
“You speak so viciously, but won’t lay a hand on fleeing soldiers or spectators.”
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 7 Page 17