How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1

by Yukiya Murasaki

  Shera looked as if she had difficulty talking about it.

  “Levels, levels... I don’t think that I, um...have one...?”

  “...I am a level 40 Summoner.”

  Slightly boasting as she said that, Rem’s mood seemed to have improved a bit.

  Looks like they did use levels here after all.

  But this was a world with no status windows, no EXP bars, and not even a little jingle for when you leveled up.

  “What do you use as a basis to decide what your level is?”

  “...If you are a Sorcerer, then the Mage’s Association determines that for you. They have a way to measure it there. I do not know how it works for other professions, but I would assume there would be someone who would measure it in the Adventurer’s Guild.”

  “Yeah! That’s it! That’s why I don’t have a level yet, it’s because I haven’t registered with the Adventurer’s Guild! When they go to measure me, I’m sure I’ll be, like, level 40 or 50 or something!”

  Her ears were wiggling as she proclaimed this. Huh, so they actually move.

  Rem’s black tail swished back and forth, as if it were brushing off what Shera had said.

  “...No matter how you look at it, you are probably around level 10... Which would be sub-par.”

  That would probably mean the average level of this world was in the twenties or so.

  Shera puffed out her cheeks.

  “That’s not true! I was level 40 according to the Guild back home!”

  “...That was according to the Sorcerer’s test back in the land of Elves?”

  “Um... Well... As an Archer...”

  “...If you already know your level, then aren’t you already registered as an Adventurer? If you have already done that in a town, then you should not have to do it at another.”

  “I wasn’t old enough to be an Adventurer then, but they still let me get tested. It was kinda like a chance to test my skills, since I was still a kid.”

  “...You were level 40 as a child? Then I have no doubts about your skill as an Archer... But why do you want to be a Summoner?”

  “Archers are loners, you know!? Summoners get all these cute Summons, right? Then I wouldn’t be lonely, even if it was in a dark forest in the middle of the night!”

  “...So you wanted cute Summons. I see, I see... Then you won’t be needing Diablo, then. He isn’t even a Summon, after all.”

  “I need them to be strong, too!”

  It looked like they would be at each other’s throats any second now.

  Diablo stepped in as a mediator, issuing a command.

  “Once we are finished eating, we go to the Adventurer’s Guild!”

  Excitedly, Shera bent forward.

  “Yay! I gotta go get registered and start saving up! If Diablo’s with me, then I have nothing to worry about!”

  “...Ignoring the dumb Elf over there, I was also thinking that I wanted to take Diablo to the Adventurer’s Guild. I am curious about his level.”

  It’s true he kept saying he was level 150, but that was only in the game.

  What would he be in this world?

  He wasn’t weak, that much he was sure about. What he wanted to know was what level he would be according to this world’s system.

  —Let’s finish breakfast and get going.

  Diablo reached out with his fork for a potato that had not been mashed.

  †

  The Adventurer’s Guild was located in the western part of Faltra, not far from the inn they had stayed at.

  It was a stone building with a triangular roof and a wooden door—just like every other building in town so far. However, with just one glance you could tell right away that this building was indeed the Adventurer’s Guild.

  It was around four or five times bigger than all the other buildings.

  The roof, windows, and doors were all made large, as if something that was several sizes bigger than the other residents of the town lived there.

  Diablo and company passed through the massive doors, entering the Adventurer’s Guild proper.

  The inside was like that of a bar.

  There was a counter and rows of tables, also made of wood with a smoky polish like back at the inn. Just as you would expect from the impression it gave from the outside, it was incredibly spacious.

  However, the inn had more of a sense of cleanliness to it. The dirtiness here stood out more, and there were even broken chairs lying around.

  There were dark red stains on the wall that looked like dried blood, and the marks from swords that were carved into the counter were a bit intimidating.

  The attitudes of the people inside were also different from the others in town. Just like in the game, they had an overwhelming presence to them.

  There was:

  A Human man, who glanced at them with sharp eyes;

  A Pantherian girl, dressed in something that looked to be a dancer’s outfit that left plenty of skin exposed;

  A child-like Grasswalker, who carried a gigantic sword on the back of his small body;

  A calm-looking Demon youth who covered himself in white robes;

  A Dwarf who was fully equipped with a sturdy set of armor.

  —They didn’t look this dangerous back in the game!

  Looks like a fight had broken out for some reason.

  An Elf girl and a Dwarf were arguing with each other, which eventually came to blows.

  Since everyone else had gotten up from their seats, he thought that maybe they were going to try and stop the fighting... But instead, they moved the tables out of the way to make some space and were egging them on.

  The brawl had started.

  It looked like they were fighting over who had accepted a quest first.

  —What is this, a place for savages!?

  Diablo was shocked.

  There were Adventurer’s Guilds back in the game as well, but all that happened was an exchange of a few text boxes. Fights, the stink of alcohol, and beast-like war cries had nothing to do with it.

  There was no scramble to grab quests, since everybody was able to accept the same ones.

  But this is what it meant to be an Adventurer.

  It was a term that would generally refer to all players in the game, but here...

  It was a title that referred to those who, for various reasons, would fight and put their lives on the line in their work. If he had been by himself, he might have turned around and left because he was so scared.

  He understood why Shera had not come to register by herself, despite her proficiency with a bow.

  Seems like people had started to take notice of them.

  They craned their necks as they looked.

  “...What’s with that Demon?”

  “I’ve never seen anyone with horns growin’ out their head, let alone a Demon. He’s not a Fallen, is he?”

  “He’s with Miss Rem and the Elf girl with that weird name... Both of ’em should be pretty skilled, but...”

  “Those are enslavement collars on them, right?”

  “Who is that Demon, really?”

  Thanks to the effects of the Distorted Crown, it seemed people thought his horns were actually real.

  It was a piece of equipment he had not only chosen for its abilities, but also because it changed his appearance to give him something that looked like devil horns. He hadn’t really thought much about wearing it before.

  But he had no idea that it would cause him to get these strange looks while in another world.

  He couldn’t take them off now, though. A Demon Lord suddenly taking off his horns would totally kill the mood.

  Ignoring the commotion around them, Rem pointed toward the staircase.

  “...Let’s get going. It is a bit noisy here, but that is how it always is. The counter for Adventurer registrations is on the second floor.”

  “Of course.”

  Hiding the unrest inside of him, Diablo nodded.

  Shera was clearly freaked out by th
e people fighting.

  “Y-Yeah...”

  The three of them headed toward the staircase.

  †

  “Wait, the Demon with the horns!”

  It was the Human who had called out to stop them.

  He had thick eyebrows, and looks that gave off a sense of strong determination.

  He was tall and slim, and though his hair was short in the back, one long part of his bangs hung down in the front. He was covered fully in golden armor, and wore a longsword on his waist.

  Rem knit her eyebrows.

  “...Emile.”

  “Blegh.”

  Shera also wrinkled her forehead as she made a displeased face.

  The young man called Emile swaggered over to them, blocking their way.

  Taking a good hard look at Diablo’s face, he let out a snort.

  “I don’t like your face.”

  Diablo turned to Rem.

  “What’s his problem?”

  “...He is said to be the strongest Warrior in the Adventurer’s Guild. He is also the examiner for Warriors here.”

  She said it with complete disinterest, as if she had been reading from an instruction manual.

  Emile ran his fingers through his long bangs.

  “But of course! I am the great Emile Bichelberger! At level 50, I am the pride of the Guild, known as the 《Superhuman Warrior》!”

  —Well that was certainly a pompous and theatrical way of telling us his name.

  Diablo’s hand drifted to his staff.

  He had received countless challenges from people in the game who would announce themselves just like this. And he had destroyed them all.

  —Hold up, just calm down. This isn’t the game, and this isn’t my dungeon. He might not even be a challenger.

  If he tried to talk Emile up, then that would just hurt the image he had been working on with Rem and Shera. Thinking back to the incident with Galluk, it would be for the best if he didn’t go around incurring people’s wrath.

  He would try to keep in mind not to provoke him as he dealt with him.

  “Who gave you permission to stand before me and name yourself, brat?”

  Not just Rem and Shera, but all the other Adventurers were frozen in shock.

  An intrepid smile appeared on Emile’s face.

  “Permission? Ha, right back at you! Just who gave you permission to do anything!? Listen up, Demon. I don’t know about you, but I actually LOVE women!”

  “What?”

  “I will never forgive you for sticking collars on poor Rem and Shera and parading them around! You must have some balls turning them into your slaves!”

  The other Adventurers echoed their support for Emile with calls of, “Yeah, that’s right!” Looks like the fight from earlier had been settled already.

  But they had it all wrong.

  It might be easy to get the wrong idea because of his Demon Lord act, but Diablo was a pacifist at heart. He didn’t like going around causing trouble, and he didn’t want to butt heads with other people.

  Most of all, he was bad with these kinds of people who basically proclaimed themselves to be in the right all the time, which meant he couldn’t disagree with them.

  He would try talking as peacefully as possible to get this guy to let him go.

  Diablo opened his mouth.

  “Don’t make that much noise over putting collars on some girls, weaklings.”

  Emile raised an eyebrow.

  “Hmhmmm... So you’re saying that I should come at you with everything I have if I want to free them, aren’t you!”

  —No! That’s completely wrong!

  Now that he thought about it, whenever he finished talking while doing his Demon Lord act, that’s when he would start the fight against his challengers.

  Maybe he just wasn’t that good at avoiding getting into trouble.

  —But I can’t even get the words out if I don’t use my Demon Lord roleplay... Best I can manage is a few “Ah’s” and “Um’s.”

  And if this guy was confident about fighting, he would just take that as Diablo being scared and laugh at him.

  Well, that was that. Looks like it was time to give up trying to talk him out of it.

  Diablo was a Sorcerer, and had no business with an examiner for Warriors. He went to go around Emile and head toward the staircase for the second floor.

  He tried to, but Emile would not let him pass.

  “Hold it! I won’t let you get away until you release the girls!”

  Rem had a pained look on her face.

  Shera looked like she was hesitating about something.

  It would be embarrassing for them to have to reveal that the reason they had the collars on was because their own magic had failed, and they did not know a way to take them off. They had even needed to talk with Celes from the Mage’s Association to help them find a way to do so.

  But there was no reason for them to tell this to the other Adventurers.

  —If only Emile hadn’t gotten involved!

  Now he knew why Rem and Shera had looked so unhappy when Emile called out to them. Basically, this guy was just plain annoying, and would go around sticking his nose into other people’s business.

  Rem opened her mouth to speak.

  “...Emile, these collars are actually—”

  Diablo cut her off.

  He did not want to shame them.

  He didn’t want to make her say that they were slaves to a Demon who they barely knew anything about in front of the other Adventurers.

  Diablo took up his staff.

  “If you’re going to get in my way, then I’m going to have to destroy you here. No matter who you are.”

  Emile unsheathed his sword.

  “I’m going to have you take off those collars you forced on poor Rem and Shera! I am the protector of all girls, Emile Bichelberger! Know that I will never fall while in front of any woman!”

  It was actually kind of nostalgic accepting a challenge from someone else.

  Diablo unconsciously put some distance between himself and the swordsman. Putting himself at a range that was advantageous to him was as natural as breathing when he was battling with other people.

  —Though it kind of looks like I’m afraid of him and just backing off...

  If he was level 50, then this guy should be able to use a few good 《Martial Arts》 skills.

  Martials Arts were special skills that Warriors and Archers were able to use. There were attacks used not just with swords, but with axes, spears, bows; even bare-handed attacks as well.

  By using SP (Stamina Points), you were able to use these attacks. There were also defensive and movement skills as well.

  Unlike HP and MP, SP would recover naturally over time, and at a very fast rate.

  Diablo did not possess any Warrior skills.

  But if he was able to get a handle on his opponent’s abilities, then it should be business as usual as he went to outmaneuver them.

  If he could see the starting animations for the move, then he would know what attack was coming for him.

  —“Sword Smite,” huh.

  It was a sword technique where, after the user would lower their stance, they would close the distance between themselves and their opponent instantly, unleashing a powerful horizontal slash to mow them down.

  Since Warriors could do just about nothing until they got closer, most Warrior players would use this technique first when fighting.

  However, aside from maybe PvE, the side slash wasn’t for actually hitting an enemy.

  An experienced player would use the charging range from Sword Smite to close the gap between them and their opponent, canceling the side slash into their next attack.

  Warriors were meant to be played like a fighting game, where you read your opponent’s moves and got in close to attack.

  Usually, he would protect himself from the charge by unleashing a barrage of spells. However...

  —I’m guessing it’d be bad if I bus
ted up the Adventurer’s Guild...

  “Hmph... What a bother...”

  “Here I come, Demon! I’m going to make you release those girls!”

  Emile started his charge.

  And then—

  Diablo was stunned.

  —He’s not canceling the slash!?

  He took the blow using Tenma’s Staff.

  Emile’s face showed surprise.

  “Hoh, so you were able to take that, Sorcerer!”

  “Did you underestimate me?”

  “Don’t make light of me! I always give everything I have if it’s for the ladies!”

  Saying that, Emile took a giant swing and brandished his sword over his head.

  The next Martial Art he was going to use was a technique that was very powerful, but took a while until it activated: 《Alps Fall》.

  Diablo groaned.

  “How can this be...”

  People in this world were not only low-leveled, but they lacked common gaming sense!

  Using Alps Fall at point-blank range was just like asking someone, “Please punch me in the face.” Usually, you wouldn’t even see it unless someone made a mistake and pushed the wrong button or something.

  This guy had severely slacked on his testing of the skill.

  Using his staff like a cane, Diablo thrust it at the wide-open Emile.

  He hadn’t learned any Martial Arts, so this was just a normal attack with his staff. However, it was an attack packed with the physical strength of someone who was level 150.

  “Hmph!”

  “Gah!?”

  Emile was sent flying back.

  All the air was driven from his body as he smashed into the wall. Crumpling to the ground, he was on his knees by the staircase to the second floor.

  The Adventurers who had been watching fell silent.

  —Was that too strong!?

  However, Emile picked himself back up.

  “GrrAHHH!! Making ME! Fall down while in front of WOMEN! Will never HAPPEN!!”

  Surprisingly, he was a guy that had some willpower to him.

  —Well, I guess that should be obvious for a level 50 Warrior.