How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 5

by Yukiya Murasaki

  Diablo kicked the ground, jumping into the air after him.

  “Rem, keep going!” he called out, with no time to even confirm if his words had gotten through to her.

  With the howl of the wind whistling in his ears, he rapidly approached the violent stream.

  “Diablo! Diablooo!”

  He could hear Rem’s sorrowful wailing.

  Gewalt was the first to fall into the river, Horn hitting the water with a splash immediately after him. Then Diablo had fallen in, washing away in the stream.

  “Ugh!?” Even his strong, high-level body could do nothing to oppose the water’s force, since he had no footing to brace himself.

  He dove underwater, judging it to be somewhat safer compared to the gushing water’s surface.

  Looking further into the stream...

  —There he is!

  Horn was sinking, weighed down by his armor.

  The paladin, with his steel armor, should have been suffering the same fate, but there was no sight of him. Maybe he was further down the stream.

  Diablo didn’t have the leisure to look for Gewalt at the moment, though. Instead, he swam after Horn. If it was his real body, he never would have been able to swim through such a rapid current, but Diablo had no doubt in his heart that he could save him as he was now. This was because, in Cross Reverie, Diablo had learned the 《Underwater Action》 skill.

  —Don’t think about the how! The less I think about it, the more I’ll be able to use my in-game abilities! I have to believe in myself... No, I have to believe in Diablo! I’ll catch up to Horn, no matter what!

  He reached out to Horn, closing the distance. He had no idea how he was swimming like this, and yet...

  Diablo firmly grasped Horn’s hand.

  Chapter 4: Saving One’s Companions

  Even Diablo, who made the dungeon, didn’t know where the river that flowed across the level would lead. All he did was configure a 《Waterway》 into the dungeon’s scenery; where the water came from or where it went weren’t questions he would concern himself with.

  He wouldn’t be surprised if the stream was actually conjured by magic, and disappeared at the edge of the cave.

  But the canal’s water was real, and the water had flowed all the way to the edge of the level.

  —A waterfall!?

  He fell along with the water, a fall so high he doubted he would survive if there were rocks beneath them. If they got separated again, he would probably never find Horn again.

  With that in mind, Diablo cradled the little Grasswalker in his arms. There was no time to put Tenma’s Staff in his pouch, so he let go of it, relinquishing it to the gushing stream.

  Then, all sense of balance abandoned Diablo. He rotated and spun in the water, unable to distinguish if he was facing up or down.

  —I’m gonna drown!

  Anxiety and panic threatened to overcome his mind, but his Underwater Action skill kicked in with full effect. Steadying his breathing, he regained his center of gravity. Still holding Horn in his arms, Diablo kicked against the water, swimming back up to the surface.

  “Aaah!” he gasped as his head broke the surface.

  They were in the waterfall’s plunge basin. Located in the depths of the spacious cavern, it was roughly the shape of a flask, giving Diablo the impression he was submerged in the water at the bottom of a cup or a bowl.

  The stream had grown calmer here.

  Putting his Underwater Action skill into effect once more, he swam to the edge of the basin, putting Horn over the rocks before climbing out himself.

  “Horn, do you still live?”

  Horn, lying on the dry rocks, gave no response. He had probably vomited along the way, because water was leaking from his mouth.

  “Horn, answer me!” Diablo called out again.

  He tried to feign calmness, but could feel his pulse hastening by the second. A bad feeling was grabbing hold of his heart. He placed a hand over Horn’s small lips—and could feel breathing.

  “Alive... You’re alive!”

  But he was still unconscious.

  —What about his pulse?

  He checked Horn’s wrist, but was too panicked to really tell. After a few more attempts, he confirmed Horn still had a pulse.

  —His heart’s still working! He’s alive!

  Horn was a level 20 adventurer and, holding true to that title, was a durable fighter. Being a lightweight Grasswalker also served to save his life. It appeared he merely passed out from the shock for now.

  “Oh, thank God...”

  Relief washed over Diablo. With Horn out cold, and there being no one else around, Diablo had spoken in his natural voice. He also found himself laughing out of relief.

  He then went on to inspect Horn’s shoulder, which had been stabbed by Gewalt.

  “Hmm... He’s still bleeding, but the wound is shallow. I think it’ll close on its own if I leave him as is.”

  Having an HP Potion would be handy right about now, but Diablo had to use them all before entering the dungeon. Diablo’s Distorted Crown had an HP regenerating effect, but could only be equipped by level 140 or higher characters, so he couldn’t lend it to Horn.

  Suddenly, he sneezed.

  “Crap, it’s so cold... This is bad... I’m fine because I have the 《Curtain of Dark Clouds》, but...”

  His cloak protected him from all status ailments, so Diablo wouldn’t even catch a cold from this. But Horn would be at risk like this.

  Something he had read once on the internet came to mind:

  —When a human’s rectal temperature drops below 35 degrees Celsius, they go into hypothermia, and staying in that state for too long can be lethal. Going to sleep in the summer wearing damp clothes can lower your body temperature to the risk of death, too.

  “Right, I’m gonna have to tend to his wound, so I may as well take his clothes off... Gotta light a fire, too. Is there anything I can burn...?”

  Looking around, all he could see were rocks, rocks and even more rocks. Some luminous moss was growing on these rocks where the water had come in contact with them. Thanks to that, it wasn’t dark, but they wouldn’t burn and couldn’t help him in starting a fire. He could produce fire with his magic, but without anything flammable to fuel it, it wouldn’t last.

  Ever since his group entered the dungeon, he’d been spending more and more MP. There was hardly any time for breaks, and he was in dire need of recovery. He felt that if he let his focus waver even a bit, he’d fall asleep next to Horn.

  —Damn, all my motivation’s gone...

  Everything felt like a huge, tiresome slog.

  “Ah, maybe I can just take a little nap...”

  But if Diablo didn’t act now, Horn would die right before his eyes.

  “No, hell no! I’m not letting that happen! I may be a shitty person, but...I can’t just let him die...”

  He sighed despondently, trying to find something he could use as fuel.

  “Damn it... Guess this is all I have.”

  Diablo took off his Curtain of Dark Clouds. This had kept him safe from status ailments and protected him from dying in one hit; an SSR-class item, enhanced to the highest level. A player could enhance a piece of equipment up to seven levels, and an item that was enhanced so many times was considered “EX Rank,” or a “Sevenfold.” Diablo held such an item in his very hands.

  “Not gonna lie...I was pretty attached to you... No way around it, though...”

  As precious as it was to him, it wasn’t worth more than someone’s life.

  “《Fire》,” Diablo whispered softly.

  Naturally, once he had taken it off, the equipment would no longer grant Diablo its enchanted effects. As it was right now, the Curtain of Dark Clouds was nothing more than a wet cloak.

  Scorched by magical flames, the dry parts of the cloak caught fire.

  “Aaah... It’s warm.”

  He then took off his outfit, the 《Ebony Abyss》. Keeping these wet clothes on put him at ri
sk of hypothermia, and the cloak alone wasn’t enough to sufficiently stoke the fire.

  The Ebony Abyss had a damage reduction effect, and had increased many of his base stats.

  He did keep his pants on, though. Being butt naked when he regrouped with Rem and the others sounded like a bad idea. It definitely wouldn’t fit well with his Demon Lord role play.

  “Right, still not enough... I’ll have to use your gear, too, OK, Horn?”

  It was uncomfortable, having to take off someone else’s clothes.

  “We’re both guys, so give me a break, all right?”

  Imagining Horn’s protests after coming to made Diablo hesitate, but...he figured he’d rely on his Demon Lord role play to talk his way out of it, and began undressing Horn.

  He started with Horn’s cape, a normal cloak with no enchantments to its name. It was pretty old and worn out, too. He hoped it didn’t carry too much sentimental value for Horn, but it shouldn’t be worth more than Horn’s own life... At least, he hoped so.

  Diablo then removed the pouch belt on Horn’s waist, his bracers, then his greaves. Diablo couldn’t tell from the graphics in the game, but apparently on the other side there were pieces that acted as leather belts and a hook used to fasten them on. Rem had similar armor, and having seen her remove it once, Diablo had remembered how to take it off.

  Diablo then began removing Horn’s wet clothes. His body wasn’t just lacking in muscle, there was an even a certain curvy roundness to his form.

  “Man...you should work on your muscles, Horn. Even if you’re a Grasswalker, you’re still a Warrior-type, you know?”

  After thoroughly wringing out his shirt, Diablo threw it into the fire.

  He then pulled down Horn’s pants. He used the tights for fuel, but burning Horn’s pants and leaving Horn with nothing to wear felt all sorts of cruel, so for now he just left them out to dry. Leaving Horn naked in the cold wasn’t good, but was still better than Horn sleeping with cold clothes on.

  “Wait...”

  His gaze was drawn to Horn’s exposed abdomen. He made an effort not to look, but...

  —Huh?

  It wasn’t there.

  “Mmm...?” A moan escaped Horn’s lips as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

  “Thank God, you’re alive!” is what Diablo couldn’t say, given...recent developments.

  Horn was naked, with Diablo still gripping their pants in his hands. To top it off, what should have been part of Horn’s crotch wasn’t there... Which meant Horn wasn’t a “he” but a...

  —Do Grasswalker males just not have them!?

  Diablo had never heard of anything like that.

  He stiffened, feeling a cold sweat run down his spine. Horn, who had still be in a haze until now, finally realized the condition she was in.

  “Wha!? Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Whaaat...!?” Horn stammered, gradually going red in the face.

  Diablo stood up, Horn’s pants still in his hands.

  “Hmph! So you’ve finally come to your senses, you weakling!” he said in an overbearing, domineering fashion. “Display the utmost of gratitude to me, for your life has been saved by the Demon Lord Diablo’s pity! Make no mistake, for it was merely a whim on my part.”

  “H-Huh!? What!?”

  “The races are truly frail. If you were to sleep with these wet clothes on, you would surely die! That is why I am drying your clothes...like this!”

  Diablo wrung Horn’s pants, making water drip from the fabric onto the floor. He then threw them into the fire. The cloth was old, but burned quite well.

  —Oh, crap! I just went and did it now! I only wanted to take them off, not burn the damn things!

  Stifling his inner turmoil, Diablo pressed on with his Demon Lord role play.

  “Hmph! Surely you will not claim that your clothes are worth more than your life!?”

  Overwhelmed by the situation, Horn fell silent, but eventually squeezed out a response.

  “I-I won’t, say that... After all, staying alive is...important...”

  “So long as you understand!”

  —Did I really manage to talk my way out of it!?

  “B-But ...I was just a little surprised...” Horn said, covering her extremely slender body with her arms.

  —That makes two of us!

  “Pay it no mind. I am a Demon Lord, after all. Such trifling details do not bother me.”

  “Y... Yeah, that’s right. I bet it doesn’t matter to you if I’m a boy or a girl, Boss... Achoo!”

  “Hm. It seems you are still cold. Come closer.”

  Diablo sat next to the campfire. With the Curtain of Dark Clouds now gone, he could fall ill as well. He would have to be careful. He sacrificed his high rank equipment, not to mention Horn’s pants, to light this fire, so the least they could do was use it to keep warm.

  “Hmm... Is that really all right...?” Horn went red up to her bunny ears.

  “Do away with the modesty. Would I have dived into the river after you if I had no intent of saving you?”

  “I-I guess not... Really, thank you... You saved me, Boss...”

  Horn rose to her feet and drew closer. He figured she would sit away from him, so they would surround the campfire, but, instead, she squatted down, sitting right beside him.

  —Huh?

  He did tell her to “come closer” but never said to “come closer to the campfire.”

  But, wouldn’t you normally sit next to the fire?

  —If she’s so embarrassed, why is she snuggling up to me like this? A-And n-n-naked, no less...

  It was Diablo that took her clothes off, and yet...

  “Huddling together when it’s cold makes it more warm, doesn’t it, Boss? I used to do it all the time with my family...”

  “I-Is that right?”

  It seemed a bit wrong for a Demon Lord to lose his composure just because a Grasswalker, with a child’s physique, snuggled up to him.

  —Wait, no. A Demon Lord wouldn’t lose his composure no matter who it was. I have to stay on top of my game...

  Horn leaned against him. Her body was frigid against his skin.

  “You’re still pretty cold, aren’t you?”

  “Ah, was that not OK?” Horn tried to draw away, but Diablo grabbed and embraced her.

  “Again, cease with the pointless modesty. If you catch cold, then I’d have started this campfire for nothing.”

  —I had to burn two pieces of EX rank equipment for that, you know? And your pants, too...

  Horn was small; her body was petite, even compared to other Grasswalkers, and she was soft, too, like a baby rabbit. She twisted in Diablo’s arms, as if she was being tickled.

  “It’s so warm...”

  “You would be in trouble if it wasn’t.”

  “Hehe...”

  She was nervous at first, but eventually entrusted her weight to Diablo. Her small, bare back had pressed against his skin, the heat slowly returning to her ice-cold body. Diablo also felt his own body warming up.

  “Whew...”

  —I guess we made it out alive, somehow...

  Horn covered Diablo’s hands, which sat on her shoulders, with her own.

  “Daddy...” she whispered softly.

  “What, did you just...?” Diablo stiffened, barely squeezing those words out.

  Realizing a moment too late what she had just said, Horn rose to her feet in a panic.

  “Ah, no! That was—uhhh, hmm! That was—respect! It means I respect you, as an adventurer! So it’s not what you think!” she hurriedly stammered out.

  “I-I understand! It’s fine, I understand, so stop wasting your precious energy on this!” Diablo laid his hands on her shoulders, calming her down.

  “Uuu...” Horn curled up, once again red all the way up to her fluffy ears.

  Diablo could feel Horn’s heart beating faster through her skin. He fell silent, concentrating on that rhythmic throbbing.

  But really, he was also terribly flustered.

  —D-D-Daddy!
? When did I have time to get a kid!? No no no, she says it’s out of respect, as an adventurer...but would you call someone “daddy” out of that kind of respect!? No one’s ever called me that before! Did I do anything to make her trust me that much!? Maybe she just mistook me for someone else!

  But Grasswalker males, even if they were fathers, had the physical appearance of children. There was no way she’d mistake Diablo for another Grasswalker, not with his physique.

  —But maybe even Grasswalkers remembered their fathers’ hands to be large, from when they were babies? Or maybe she had some other meaning attached to the word “daddy”...? No, no way, that kind of culture doesn’t exist in this world...

  He felt like his brain was simmering from all the thoughts jumbling up inside his head.

  Both of their faces going red, the two fell silent. Time slowly ticked by...

  †

  Having warmed up their bodies, they eventually decided it was time to move. Relying on the air currents for guidance, they went deeper into the dungeon. Wind blowing through the cave meant it should be flowing out to an exit, so if nothing else, there shouldn’t be a dead end.

  —I can’t believe I got stranded in my own dungeon...

  Leaving the plunge pool behind, they found a hole leading further in. Diablo only had his pants on, as well as the pouch on his back. And while it probably wouldn’t be of much help, he had the 《Prototype Great Scythe》 in hand.

  The war scythe may have appeared strong and intimidating, but in practice it was terribly weak. It was the weapon he wielded when trying to hold back against an opponent.

  Horn was practically naked, since all she had on her body were her pouch belt, bracers, and greaves. Being a Grasswalker, she had a childlike body regardless of her actual age, but... A girl with such a flat, curveless body, walking around with only scarce armor on, was definitely the sort of thing that only people of certain...inclinations, would find appealing. If only they still had her pants...