The queen stood there, gazing at him wordlessly.
“Unsatisfied, are you?” Diablo crossed his hands, standing before her.
“There’s no doubting that an unprecedented crisis is upon us. And I agree the Kingdom of Greenwood needs a strong king. Your strength is overwhelming...to a terrifying degree. Had it not been for you, the kingdom would have been lost and Shera and myself would have been put back into the earth.”
“I’m not an Elf though.”
“That doesn’t matter. A king can only be considered worthy when the people acknowledge him as such. So long as you’re still resolved to fight, that is.”
—I fundamentally don’t have that kind of gut. I’m a shut-in gamer for crying out loud!
But he couldn’t abandon them at a time like this. He knew he’d regret it if he refused now.
“I am a Demon Lord summoned from a most chaotic other world!” Diablo declared haughtily. “I go wherever I please and fight whomever I wish. So long as you understand and abide by that, I will protect you whenever the mood takes me.”
“Thank you. Please, do keep this country safe.” The queen bowed respectfully before him.
“All hail the king! All hail God! The Kingdom of Greenwood is eternal!” the Elves all cheered enthusiastically.
A melody accompanied their voices, the commotion gradually becoming a hymn of praise.
—They look so happy...
Shera raised her voice in song too, Rem and Rafflesia looking over everything with soft expressions.
Diablo felt his lips slacken into a smile as well.
†
The plaza was still filled with the Elves’ singing, but Diablo and his group retired to the guest hall, claiming they needed time to recover from the battle.
Diablo was alone in his room with Rose. She had taken off the top of her now tattered dress and they inspected her right shoulder.
Diablo wasn’t very knowledgeable when it came to machinery, but the joint on her shoulder, which looked like a metallic bowl, was visibly crushed. Likewise, the ball joint on her detached arm was out of place.
Put simply, her arm was completely and utterly broken.
“He really did a number on you.”
“Pardon Rose, Master. This defeat was beyond embarrassing.”
“A potion or a priest can’t do anything about this, can they?”
“No, since Rose is Magimatic.”
“Is there anyone who could have you fixed?”
For starters, the game’s story didn’t mention anything about how Magimatics were made or who invented them.
“There is no record in Rose’s database regarding who may have created Rose, but there is a maintenance bay Rose can use in Master’s base.”
“The Demon Lord’s Labyrinth...”
“Rose will not be able to service Master properly with only one hand.”
“Yes, that much is true...” Diablo sighed.
He put her top back on, so as to not accidentally lay eyes on her exposed front.
“Specifically, Rose has been rendered incapable of performing specific jobs with Rose’s hands and fondling Master.”
“You’ve never done that to begin with!” Diablo shouted. He then coughed dryly to compose himself. “I’ve no need of such services, but you won’t be able to perform as our vanguard like this. You should get yourself repaired as soon as you can.”
“Yes, Master.”
Diablo’s base, the Demon Lord’s Labyrinth, was in the Demon Lord’s Domain, near Zircon Tower. But the citizens of Zircon Tower had evacuated the city after the Demon Lord’s army attacked them, and it wasn’t a stronghold of the races anymore.
“Traveling by foot may be an issue. I guess we’ll have to teleport again.”
Diablo had countless teleportation items in his reserves, but since Rose was considered an item, she couldn’t use them on her own. She was capable of easily transporting herself within the labyrinth itself, but Diablo would have to teleport there first.
“Rose is causing so much trouble for Master...” She hung her head. “Rose is a failure of a maid.”
“Rose...”
Diablo embraced her lowered head, to show how precious she was to him.
“M-Master...!?”
Rose was uncharacteristically flustered, but she didn’t reject him.
Diablo did this because he thought she wouldn’t mind, but he was still relieved to see she didn’t dislike it.
“You always tackling great dangers before the rest of us is a great help to me. You only got hurt because I was too slow to deal with the situation. I should have noticed everything sooner, and done something to keep the Fallen in check before they snuck in on us.”
Dealing with both of those Fallen while trying to protect everyone around him would have been difficult though...
“Master is always perfect in everything Master does!”
“...No, I’ll have to get stronger to become someone who’s capable of that.”
He then began speaking of something that had been on his mind for a while.
“If you level up a second class in this world, you get to keep your abilities from your first class.”
“Yes.”
“So I think I’ll try my hand at becoming a Warrior.”
“A warrior, Master!?”
“Does it not suit me?”
Diablo didn’t know anything about the Demon Overlord Modinaram, but if he were a Warrior-type Fallen, he’d be even faster than the Cyclops. Even that Fallen girl in the China dress was possibly leagues above Diablo when it came to speed.
Just evading like he had until now wouldn’t be enough if he were to fight them while defending his companions, and suppressing them with superior firepower wouldn’t always cut it. He needed to be capable of taking hits too.
—Never thought the day would come when I’d decide to become a Brawler Sorcerer...
“I’ve heard an interesting rumor from a certain Warrior. Once matters settle down in this country, I intend to visit the northern mountains.”
“If that is what Master thinks is for the best, there can be no better path to tread. Do what Master thinks is right, Master. Rose will heal these unsightly wounds on the bed, dreaming of the day Rose will be able to serve Master again. For as long as Rose has to wait...”
“I don’t intend to squander my time though.”
Leveling up in this world was difficult. It would normally take him a lifetime to master the blade. But if he was able to train as a Warrior while retaining his skills as a Sorcerer, it would offer a shortcut that’d never be possible in the game.
This was an experiment he would need to try.
†
At night—
Nights in the Elven country were always so dark. They were blessed with night vision, and didn’t have need of lighting.
Diablo looked down on his surroundings from the royal living room atop a large tree.
—All I can see is a dark forest...
Drango was standing by his side. “Fine work today, Your Majesty.”
He still couldn’t get used to it, but since he’d been crowned and became the king of Greenwood, he was now in a position to be called, “Your Majesty.”
It was after Diablo had delivered Rose to his base...
Diablo held a meeting that lasted into the night with those in high positions in the Elves’ society, discussing their policy going forward. That said, a novice like him wasn’t in any position to comment on how to run a government. Diablo mostly just watched the ensuing debate.
The idea of a person from modern times being thrown into the middle ages and revolutionizing everything with nothing but words was an absurd one. A country was a collective, and a foolish, emotional, lazy one at that.
That didn’t apply just for visitors. History has shown that wise idealists and their accurate suggestions could easily be discarded by the foolish people, and there were more examples of that than Diablo had free time to name them
all. So if anyone were to suggest revolutionizing these middle ages, Diablo would simply say, “It’s the same as trying to send monkeys to a school.”
The wise may offer ten good suggestions, but before they could finish explaining the third, the people would simply get bored and start dancing. That’s what the masses...what the country, was like.
He’d become king because the people wished him to, and he wished to protect Shera’s homeland from the Demon Lord. But he didn’t care for the Elves’ easygoing lifestyle, and had no intention of getting involved with their internal affairs.
“I leave all matters of government to you. Do your job well.”
“Yes, I will do as you say to the best of my ability. Having served as the late king’s aide has given me quite a bit of insight into these matters. You needn’t worry over internal affairs, Your Majesty.”
“Good.”
Were it a more peaceful time, Drango becoming king would surely have been better for the Elves.
Diablo then remembered something that had been bothering him.
“Hmph, when we first met, you kept talking in this really weird tone.”
“Th-That’s...”
Drango’s acting was so bad that even Diablo, who wasn’t very keen when it came to seeing through lies, had noticed.
“Were you trying to get Shera to dislike you? Why?”
“I never was one for acting, was I...” Drango scratched his head awkwardly. “I suspect the mother queen had seen through me as well, same as you.”
“I think you had Shera fooled, though, thanks to her being so simple-minded.”
Drango looked left and right. “If possible, I’d like to keep this a secret...”
“Speak, I order it. I will decide to keep it a secret after hearing it.”
“How outrageous...” Dropping his shoulders, Drango opened his mouth to speak with an unusually serious expression.
“You see, I prefer women with smaller breasts.”
“...What?”
“Elven women are slender, and that’s quite lovely and all, but having flat chests means they can be indistinguishable from male Elves. That’s a bit lacking in charm. Ah, I’m not interested in men of course. Female bodies that don’t have needless flab are, in my eyes, sublime beauty, and have a certain perfection of shape that borders on art. I’d even go so far as to say that the sight of a rib cage sticking out of a slender body is one I find sexually appealing. Young bodies are attractive, of course, but I find the fact that you cannot easily communicate with children off-putting. In that regard, Grasswalkers are quite the treasure, and—”
“Shut up before I smack you.”
“P-Pardon.” Drango blushed shamefully.
Diablo sank into thought.
—Hmm, I guess it makes sense. Shera is busty, unlike most Elves, and her head is lacking to the point of being as hard to communicate with as a child. She’s the polar opposite of his tastes.
Diablo was personally of the opinion that all boobs are equal, without discrimination of size and shape, but... Everyone was free to have their own sexual preferences, and Diablo felt like it would be bad to not help him out here.
“Continue along the path you believe in.” Diablo nodded. “I permit it. There is value to be found even in the absence of things.”
“Oooh... You are so open-minded! Your clemency humbles me and makes me feel like such a small man for taking these strides to hide my interests. You truly are a worthy king!”
“No, keep it a secret.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Diablo wasn’t sure how he felt about being dubbed a “worthy king” just because he showed solidarity with a small breasts enthusiast.
The direction of the wind changed, and Diablo playfully caught a leaf fluttering through the air.
“Isn’t it time for you to go, Your Majesty?”
“Hmm... Is it better to do this so soon?”
“Yes.”
“The blessing of the forest has returned. The mother queen understands that we must set out on a journey, so I have no need to linger in the forest for much longer. There’s no telling when the Demon Lord’s army may march, so we should leave as soon as possible.”
“Ah, no...”
“You mean the Fallen? True, I beat the Cyclops, but the other one may attack us again. If that happens, run. You can’t ever hope to match her.”
“That’s not...what I mean, Your Majesty.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s time for the first night... Princess Shera... Pardon. Queen Shera is awaiting you.”
—For real?
“F-First night...?”
“The people are looking forward to seeing an heir. Oh, the royal bedchambers are just beyond that branch. They’re on the third tree away from this one. The mother queen has already moved out of the room, so you can make yourself at home there.”
“R-Right.”
“I’ll take my leave then, my liege. Do be gentle. I’m sure you’ve already consummated your relationship by now, so I’m sure you’re used to it however.”
—Shera and I aren’t in that kind of relationship!
Diablo got the feeling Drango had the wrong idea about them...
“There’s no need for you to think about those sorts of things!”
“As you say, Your Majesty. I will be off then.”
Drango bowed and left, going up the tree.
Rem and Rafflesia were already fast asleep in the guest house, and Rose was resting on her bed in the Demon Lord’s Labyrinth.
The Elves were expecting him and Shera to produce an heir...
Diablo turned his gaze to the forest’s branches and saw a faint light flickering in the night’s gloom. The Elves had no need for illumination, which meant these lights were meant for him, to guide his way to her...
—The first night? Seriously!?
To be continued...
Afterword
Thank you very much for reading Volume 7 of How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord.
This is Yukiya Murasaki, the author.
I’ve gotten halfway through writing Horn’s academy arc, but I ran out of pages, so I hope I’ll be able to find the chance to include it next time. I already have the story in mind, so I think I’ll be able to publish it at some point.
At first I planned this volume to be the opener for the Demon Overlord arc, but the Dark Elf segments ended up having more content than I planned, so it ended up only going as far as the Elven forest part. I did manage to introduce the Demon Overlord’s underlings, so I somehow ended up fitting in something of what I wanted in the end...
If I’d have written it with the same page restriction as a typical light novel, I wouldn’t have managed to include everything, but I have my editor’s approval for this and we can deliver a somewhat larger page count than usual this time around.
I think it’s the first time I introduced two towns in one volume? And I introduced some new characters too. Nothing would make me happier than to know you enjoyed it.
Next volume is set to include Diablo’s training arc. Look forward to see him power up even more!
Now for some thank-yous:
To Takahiro Tsurusaki, thank you yet again for another volume of wonderful illustrations! They’re only getting more extreme and cute with each volume. You’ve now reintroduced me to the wonders of brown Elves.
To Ooishi, the designer from Afterglow, thank you as always.
To my editor, Shouji. You set up the schedule so we’d have more than enough time...but somehow things ended up the same way as always. I’m sorry. It’s thanks to you this volume got published.
To everyone at Kodansha’s editorial department and all those involved with the work, to the family and friends who supported me, and to my many readers who read this book: I offer a thank you of the highest level!
Yukiya Murasaki
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Copyright
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 7
by Yukiya Murasaki
Translated by ZackZeal
Edited by Kris Swanson
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Yukiya Murasaki
Illustrations by Takahiro Tsurusaki
All rights reserved.
First published in Japan in 2017 by Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
Publication rights for this English edition arranged through Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: February 2019
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 7 Page 20