—But after what happened last night, maybe he won’t try to pick fights with me anymore?
Rem raised her small hand.
“...I will go, too. Diablo is still unfamiliar with the area around here, so I am sure he will need a guide.”
There was no way Shera would be quiet after hearing that.
“I’m coming too! After all, I’m his Summoner! And—”
Just when it seemed like the normal pattern was going to happen, Sylvie interrupted.
“I’ll leave forming a party up to you, Diablo! The pay is just as it’s written there, no matter how many people you have coming with you. They’ve already paid for the quest up front, so we can pay you right away! Now, good luck on your first job!”
—I guess she must keep pretty busy, too.
“Leave it to me.”
Swishing his cape around, Diablo started to walk, while Rem and Shera trotted behind him to catch up.
—My first quest!
In his heart, the excitement he first felt when he started Cross Reverie came rushing back to him.
†
Leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, they headed toward the West gate of the town.
As always, Rem and Shera were concerned about the collars around their necks.
For Diablo, he felt almost no tiredness no matter how many hours he spent walking, but he did find the whole thing to be a pain.
“It would be convenient if we could use 《Teleport》 to get to the Man-Eating Forest, but is there a portal near there?”
Rem and Shera had blank looks on their faces.
—Huh? Did I say something bad?
“...U-Um...what is a ‘teleport?’”
“What? Being able to use a spell to warp you back to town is the basics of the basics, is it not? You should be able to find warp items fairly easily in the opening as well.”
It wasn’t just Shera with a weird look, who he knew the gears in her head spun a little slow, but even the usually wise Rem was wearing a curious look on her face.
Diablo could only think of one thing for it.
“Does this world not have teleporting in it? Hey, you two, maybe the name is different here, but do you know of any items that can instantly transport you from one place to another?”
“...According to the legends, it is said that Celestials were able to transport themselves from location to location. I have also heard that there is a ritual magic passed down in the Mage’s Association of the Royal Capital that achieves the same effect.”
“That’s just a rumor, right? If something that convenient existed, everyone would be using it! Even I would’ve been able to make it through the forest without having been so scared!”
“...An Elf is afraid of the forest?”
“Forests at night are different, okay!?”
—Teleporting... There’s another difference between here and the game.
If teleporting was talked about in legends and was said to be passed down at the Mage’s Association in the Royal Capital, then there was a good chance it existed in this world. However... It looked like it hadn’t spread to the general public yet.
At the very least, it didn’t seem like it was something Adventurers could easily use.
Thinking about it, if teleporting did exist, then the way people used it here would probably be completely different.
You could send troops and supplies in an instant, and sending orders would be even better than in our modern age of using phones and the Internet.
Getting to the Bridge of Ulug had taken three hours in this world when it took three minutes in the game.
Based on that, there might be a big difference in how teleporting worked as well, in terms of the distance you can teleport.
—Should I try it?
Curiosity started to get the better of him, but he managed to restrain himself. There was no reason to put himself through any dangerous experiments.
Even things like offensive magic demanded a high level of concentration. It wasn’t as easy as just clicking wherever you wanted with your mouse.
What if using teleportation magic required a high degree of control? It would be trouble if he messed up and warped himself inside a rock or something.
—Well, it’s not like I’m in a rush.
This wasn’t a game he was playing in his precious free time after school or work. This was another world.
If there was a place that took half a day to get to, then he should just take half a day to get there. It’s not like he ever felt tired, so there wasn’t a problem there.
Finishing his inner discourse on the finer points of teleporting, Diablo kept heading for the West gate.
†
Unlike last time, where he had been looking around at everything out of curiosity, it only took two and a half hours to pass through the Bridge of Ulug. It had taken them about a total of five hours to reach the forest after leaving the town.
This was partially because Shera was absolutely beside herself since it was their first quest; though on the inside, Diablo was just as eager as well.
According to the request, the Madara Snake was said to inhabit the swamp located near the entrance to the forest.
As they approached the area, the murky waters gave off the faint smell of something rotten.
If this were back in the game, it would give you a panoramic view of the forest and then play a small movie of the kinds of monsters you could expect to encounter.
The Man-Eating Forest—
The three of them stopped to look at the forest before them.
Trees blocked their vision, and going inside meant not being able to see more than a few meters in front of them.
The thick, overgrown foliage hid the sky from view, robbing Adventurers of their sense of direction.
This primeval forest untouched by human hands was home to countless wild beasts who would attack given the slightest opportunity.
This is the Man-Eating Forest. Once someone set foot inside, they wouldn’t come back.
—In the game, there was a map in the top-right corner, and if you looked around there was always a path to follow, so getting through wasn’t all that hard.
It seemed like it was made to be rather user-friendly in the game, in regards to navigating around it.
Shera approached the swamp, poking at clumps of bushes with her feet.
“Hey, so... Where is this ‘Madara Snake?’”
“...I will say it now, but it will not be in the bushes.”
“Oh, really?”
“...It is a snake with a body more than twenty meters long, so there is no way it would come out from some bushes. Its head is larger than your shoulders, so I would say it is probably inside the swamp itself.”
“Hieee!?”
Shera jumped back from the swamp.
Oh yeah, I guess it was a giant snake about that big—remembered Diablo.
He had forgotten the small details about level 60 monsters.
With a tense expression on her face, Rem surveyed their surroundings.
“...I am not sure of the specifics, but it is said to usually inhabit swamps, and will come out when it senses prey nearby.”
“I-Is that right?”
“...If you do not want to be swallowed whole, do not go too close to the swamp. I will scout out the situation with one of my Summons.”
I get it... So she’s going to use a Summon as a decoy. Even if it’s attacked, if she just undoes the spell it’ll turn back into a crystal.
Shera slightly tilted her head.
“Hey, so we’re supposed to be the only ones doing this quest, right?”
“...That should be obvious.”
“Then are there actually a lot of people who end up coming in and out of the Man-Eating Forest?”
“...What are you saying? This is the most dangerous area near Faltra. Unless you are someone who does not value your own life, you would never come here on purpose.”
“Really? But even if it
isn’t hunting for Madara Snakes or anything, there’re still requests to come out here, right?”
“...Even if it was just to collect some berries, entering the Man-Eating Forest is extremely dangerous. There isn’t any requester who would ask for a quest no one would take. The only reason this one was taken is because Diablo was the one taking it.”
“Is that true?”
“...What are you trying to say?”
“Hm? Well, you know... It’s just that I can sense other people nearby. Seems like there’s quite a few of them out there.”
“What!?”
Rem looked at the forest. Diablo also turned his gaze toward it.
It was completely quiet.
There was almost no wind in the forest, so the trees here were not moving in the slightest. It was almost like a photograph.
—Is there actually some kind of presence out there?
Rem narrowed her eyes.
“...Are you sure?”
“There’s about ten of them up in the branches. They must be waiting to ambush a monster, right?”
“...I do not know whether you are an idiot, or a humongous idiot.”
“Why!?” Shera exclaimed with displeasure.
Diablo was starting to see where this conversation was going.
The group waiting in the forest wasn’t lying in wait for a monster.
“They’re waiting for us, then.”
“What, why!?”
Shera’s eyes were wide.
—Looks like it’s only her senses that are sharp.
Rem whispered to him: “...What should we do, Diablo? I think it would be all right to just leave... This is obviously a trap.”
There wasn’t anything wrong with turning back and telling the Guild that there was an ambush waiting for them.
But if he didn’t deal with this now, there was a good chance they would target Diablo and the others again.
—We were lucky that we sensed the ambush coming. Might as well take care of it.
“Shera, where are they now?”
“Over there, and there...”
Memorizing the places she pointed out, Diablo adjusted his aim so it would be slightly off from those areas.
If he was up against other people, he didn’t want to just suddenly take their lives.
It was important to talk these things out.
Diablo raised his staff.
“《Burst Rain》 !”
With a thunderous boom, the sphere of fire that had appeared in the sky burst open. This was a level 70 AoE spell. Fireballs about the size of fists rained down on the area Diablo had targeted.
“Uwah!?”
“What is this!?”
He heard the screams of men.
Several figures descended from the trees around them.
They wore green-colored light armor, and were holding bows.
Shera raised her voice. “Ah, Elves!”
The people who had been lying in wait in the treetops all seemed to be Elves.
—What does this mean?
He couldn’t think of a reason for the Elves to lay a trap for them.
At best, the only person who should hold a grudge against Diablo at the moment is Galluk. He couldn’t imagine Galluk asking a group of Elves for help in exacting his (unjustified) revenge.
“Tch, using a shady spell like that!”
One of the Elves, a fair-looking youth, had taken up his bow and pointed it at Diablo.
His body was slender yet tall, and he had the arms and legs to match. His hair was a dazzling blond that reached all the way down to his waist.
He wore a lightweight chest protector for armor, and an emerald green tunic under that. His pants were the same green color, making it an outfit that was perfect for blending him in with the forest.
He had a face so pretty that it could be mistaken for a girl’s at first glance. The small lump that was his Adam’s apple proved that he was a boy.
—But I’ve never seen him before in my life.
“Celsior!? What are you doing here!?” Shera shouted.
“Lady Shera! We heard that you had been captured by slave traders, and were dispatched here posthaste to save you!”
One after the other, the Elves took up their bows.
—I see, so they’re Shera’s acquaintances.
Diablo had come to terms with the situation.
There were ten of them, just as Shera had predicted.
“Hey, Shera, who are these people?”
“They’re, um...”
It looked like she had a hard time saying it.
The boy called Celsior raised his voice.
“So you’re the slave trader! I will have you return Lady Shera to us!”
“...Who are you saying this to? I am no slave trader.”
“Quiet! Then what would you call that thing wrapped around Lady Shera’s neck!? You’ve taken Lady Shera, a pure soul who knows nothing of the ways of the world, and turned her into your slave, haven’t you!?”
“That’s not even worth considering.”
“How could Lady Shera end up with you... No, no matter who it is, it isn’t right for anyone to put an Enslavement Collar on her!”
Celsior drew back his bowstring.
It seemed like Shera was quite an important person to him. He even called her “Lady Shera.”
It wasn’t unthinkable for him to lose his ability to think rationally after seeing her with an Enslavement Collar.
He already had an idea of who she was, but just to be sure, he decided to ask.
“And just what kind of person is Shera?”
“Such insolence! In the sovereign home of the Elves, the Kingdom of Greenwood, Lady Shera L. Greenwood is our noble princess!”
†
The Kingdom of Greenwood—
In the game’s setting, it was a country located deep within a forest, completely self-governed by Elves. Amongst the other Elven countries, it was said to be the oldest, largest, and most important of them all. It was established in-game as an isolated country.
There were quests that took you inside Greenwood, but the other Elf NPCs would mostly give you the cold shoulder. Since Elves were said to be the race closest to the Celestials, that pride gave them an air of exclusivity.
One of the game’s story quests was a request from the Kingdom of Greenwood. The title of that quest read, “Save the Elf Princess!”
Instead of a slave trader, the details stated the princess had been abducted by the Fallen.
—I see... So I guess you could say these Elves are in the middle of a quest to save their princess from me.
He was completely the bad guy here.
Diablo smiled.
He had decimated many an Adventurer while doing his Demon Lord role play, so playing the bad guy was letting him get fired up.
Besides, he also had something he had to ask them.
The quest Diablo and the others were on right now was a request from the Mage’s Association.
Did Celsior and the others deceive the Adventurer’s Guild by falsely using the name of the Mage’s Association to ask for the quest? Would they even do something like that in such a roundabout way? If they had found Shera in town, they could just try and take her back like Emile had done back at the Guild.
They had gone out of their way to call Diablo away from the town and out into the Man-Eating Forest, where they had been waiting to ambush them. The client for this quest also would know that this job was handed off to Diablo.
Comparing the information available to him, he came to a conclusion.
—Someone had come up with the ambush plan, put a request in for this quest, and then got Celsior and the others involved.
But who could that be...
—You know what, I feel like I already know.
Celsior called out to Diablo.
“Take that collar off of Lady Shera, slave trader!”
He understood his opponent’s personality. He was frank to the poin
t of foolishness, but if he was doing what he was doing because he was worried about Shera, then it would be going overboard to kill him.
—It would be nice if we could talk this out...
Is what he thought, but because of his Demon Lord act he kept goading people.
But people are always able to learn. This time for sure, he would resolve this peacefully with his words!
Before he could speak up, however, Shera beat him to the punch.
“I don’t care about the royal family!”
Celsior wore a troubled expression on his face.
“Princess... The royal family is very worried about you. Please, even if just once, return back home.”
“The only thing my brother and the others are worrying about is a successor! They just want to force me to have a child!”
“It is a very important role.”
“I hate not being able to do what I want, and I won’t be forced to marry someone I don’t even want to! I’m never going back! I’m going to live on my own!”
“But aren’t you a slave right now!?”
“No! This is a collar that’s supposed to go on a Summon, but it got put on me by accident! I’m no one’s slave! Not Diablo’s, and not the Kingdom of Greenwood’s! I’m me!”
“By accident? It seems like you have your own reasons, but if the royal family were to see you now... There is no way they would be able to approve of it.”
“Even if they don’t approve, it doesn’t change how I feel!”
“You are much too powerless to be able to live on your own. We will be taking you back, even if it is by force.”
“You... You can’t...”
Shera stepped back, frightened.
Rem stepped in front of her.
“...Very well said... A good performance, considering it was you.”
“Ah, Rem!”
“...You cast aside your country and are trying to live on your own merits. I do not dislike that.”
She was grasping a Summon crystal in her hand.
—Shera did say that the reason she tried summoning a Demon Lord from another world was because she wanted power.
The power to live on her own.
The power to not be chained down by anything.
Diablo thought to himself—
—What level are these Elves?
If they were surprised by a spell like Burst Rain, then they must not be that knowledgeable about magic. But bow-users like them who could fire off powerful, rapid attacks from a distance were a Sorcerer’s natural enemy.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1 Page 14
