How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1

by Yukiya Murasaki

  She seemed more like some grandma trying to give Rem some pocket money rather than a big sister, though.

  Also, dealing with girls who were still maturing was just plain difficult.

  Rem spoke in a sullen voice.

  “...Does she truly think that I would be satisfied and accept the reward for a quest that is obviously too easy? She underestimates me.”

  Diablo felt half-hearted about the whole thing as well.

  “I can see no merit in having me go out there.”

  Shera started to get flustered.

  “What!? Come on, let’s go together! I hate being alone!”

  “I cannot imagine that you would be running into any dangerous monsters.”

  “I don’t want to go alone! Let’s go! Let’s gooooo!!”

  —What is she, a kid?

  “There’s no helping you, is there... Well, I did accept it, so I guess I will go as well.”

  “Yay! Then let’s head out right away! This’ll be our first quest!”

  “What was yesterday, then?”

  “That was a trap! That doesn’t count as a quest; this one’s a do-over!”

  “Hm, well, I suppose you can think of it that way.”

  “...Celes is much too soft.”

  Rem sighed.

  Sylvie was smiling cheerfully as she stared at the three of them.

  †

  All around them were grassy plains as far as the eye could see.

  Following a dirt road with wheel tracks in it, Diablo and Shera were heading toward the Bridge of Ulug, with Shera carrying the wine they were to deliver there.

  She kept talking about one thing or the other, with Diablo making a noise every once in a while to show he was listening.

  Their random talks eventually led to Rem.

  “You know, Rem is pretty amazing! Even though she’s about the same age as me, she’s already a proper Adventurer, a high-level Summoner, and super confident in herself, too!”

  “You’re quite confident yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Because I’m a genius! But... I’m not confident... I’m only a genius because that’s what everyone called me... That’s why I want to truly believe in myself.”

  “Hm.”

  “You help too, OK, Diablo? I’m only going to keep on getting bigger! You should consider yourself lucky if you get me to owe you a favor right now!”

  She stuck out her chest.

  —You can get bigger than that?

  Is what he started thinking, but chased the thought out of his head.

  He started to think about what he had felt last night, and peeled his eyes away from her chest.

  “Do your best.”

  With just those words, she nodded back cheerfully.

  —She does seem to have some talent, so I want her to be able to stand on her own as an Adventurer.

  He wasn’t fond of people who would mooch off of other Advanced players just to get the rewards. In the game, they were scornfully known as “Parasite Players.”

  He didn’t want Shera to just rely on him; he wanted her to become a more independent Adventurer who could think for herself and make her own decisions.

  Shera carried on nonchalantly, unaware of Diablo’s wishes for her.

  “Ahh, this is some nice weather. Just making a delivery is kinda boring though, huh.”

  “True.”

  This was more an errand than a quest.

  It would be perfect if you were some level 1 Adventurer, but Diablo was already level 150. Even Shera was a level 30 Sorcerer, though it seemed she didn’t know any spells as of yet.

  —This isn’t just boring... It’s really boring.

  —If an 《Invasion》 happens, then I might have something to do.

  An Invasion was when a high-level monster would appear in a low-level quest. There were quests that featured the system, though for the more unfortunate, they would end up happening upon them by chance.

  It was almost always an unwelcome event for players.

  “Ah! I see it!” Shera pointed.

  It was the Bridge of Ulug.

  The same day he was summoned to this world he had been stopped by the guards there, so he didn’t have the best memories of the place.

  —I passed through it just fine yesterday, so I’m sure it’s fine now, too.

  He lightly touched the horns on his head as he thought to himself. Looking at how this world is now, it seems like these things could end up being the source of a lot of trouble for me.

  But he had already lost his chance to say “These are just for decoration” and take them off.

  As Shera trotted behind him to catch up, they finally made it to the bridge.

  The dirt road they had been traveling along gave way to paved stones.

  The Bridge of Ulug was a stone bridge that linked the east and west sides of the river.

  If you headed toward town, then you would find a fortress that acted as a guardpost in front of the bridge.

  Enemies that came from the west would be engaged on the bridge, while travelers from the east would be checked before being able to cross the bridge.

  Right now, the fortress was bustling with activity.

  It was obvious to see there were a lot of guards around.

  “Wonder what that’s all about? Are they having a party?”

  “It does not look that way.”

  The guards that had gathered there looked anything but calm.

  Not only were they all holding weapons, but they were decked out in armor as well. There was a thick sense of tension hanging in the air.

  As Diablo and Shera approached, the frenzied guards took up their weapons.

  “F-Fallen!”

  “Why are they coming from the town!?”

  “C-Come on, you bastard! Let’s do this! LET’S DO THIS! GRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!”

  It looked like they would try to cut Shera and Diablo down at any second.

  “Wh-What...?”

  Shera’s body had gone stiff out of fear.

  Diablo pulled out Tenma’s Staff.

  “What is the matter with you all? I am not a Fall—”

  “P-Prepare yourself!”

  One of the guards readied their halberd. It looked like they were going to use an assault-type Martial Art.

  Yesterday, he had not been suspected of being a Fallen. Now, not only was it decided that he was a Fallen, but he was on the verge of being attacked.

  Unable to comprehend this baffling situation, Diablo prepared to use a spell for his counter-attack.

  Right then, another guard came running forward.

  “Wait, wait! You’ve got it all wrong! This person’s just a Demon, he’s with Rem!”

  Diablo recognized the guard’s short, brown, spiky hair and youthful countenance.

  “You’re the one who called out to me the other day, aren’t you?”

  The guard nodded, a tense expression on his face.

  “Y-Yes. My name is Boris. I apologize for what happened back then.”

  “For these people to mistake me for a Fallen... They seem to be in a fervor. Did something happen?”

  “Actually, after hearing the report from the patrol, everyone’s on edge right now.”

  “Report?”

  “Y-Yes, well... How should I put this... You may not believe me when I say it, but...”

  As the words came out of his mouth, it seemed even Boris doubted what he was saying.

  He pointed to the west.

  “There’s an army of over one hundred Fallen heading toward the Bridge of Ulug.”

  It turned out that, as Boris said, Diablo did indeed have some trouble believing this.

  —Over one hundred Fallen...and they’re attacking as an army?

  He had never heard of an in-game event like that before.

  Each of the Fallen were supposed to be several times stronger than any Adventurer. Whenever they showed up in a quest, they were always treated as a mid- or final boss. At the very least,
they weren’t the kind of enemies that you would just randomly encounter while you were exploring a dungeon.

  It was normal for a party of at least six people, or even multiple parties to combine forces and make a concentrated effort to challenge a Fallen.

  —If they’re Fallen enemies from around here, then I guess they would be about level 90.

  And there were supposed to be one hundred of these guys heading toward them right now.

  This was a large-scale “Invasion,” one the likes of which would never happen in the game.

  †

  The Bridge of Ulug was a two story box-shaped structure, connected by stone arches. At a glance, it looked similar to a castle gate.

  It was a spacious building, with many of the guards spending a good portion of their day-to-day lives there.

  But right now, it was cramped since most of them had come down to the first floor, fully decked out with armor and weapons.

  Some guards were thinking about where they were born; some were trying to psyche themselves up; others were shedding tears at the thought of impending death... Diablo saw a plethora of emotions as the guards were faced with the hopeless situation ahead of them.

  Shera had already handed off the wine they were supposed to deliver to Boris, so their quest was already finished.

  They could just head back toward town, but...

  —If I leave them alone, they’re probably all going to be completely destroyed.

  That would likely mean the Fallen would invade the town as well.

  But this was strange.

  Faltra had a barrier protecting it. Even if the Fallen came to attack it, if they just closed the gates, then there was no way for them to get inside.

  Maybe all these Fallen had gathered together to go on a pointless trip together... All one hundred or more of them.

  Beside him, Shera was shaking.

  “Have you ever seen a Fallen, Diablo?”

  “Of course.”

  “Because you’re a Demon Lord!”

  “Well, yeah...”

  “They’re pretty strong, right?”

  “If it’s one-on-one, then there shouldn’t be a problem... Just for my own confirmation, in this world, you call those who wish to cause harm to other races ‘monsters,’ correct?”

  “Yup. They’re things like wild beasts who attack people, like the Fallen and other magical beasts.”

  “Putting aside the beasts for now, would I also be correct in saying that the Fallen appear similar to the other races, but are completely different beings altogether?”

  As you would expect from someone of the Elven royal family, Shera seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject.

  “That’s right. The Fallen belong to the family of the Demon Lord, while the other races are descendants of the Celestials. That’s why they’re said to be completely different beings. Right now, the Fallen seem to be moving all over the place trying to resurrect the Demon Lord.”

  “Hm...”

  So far, this was just like the game.

  If that was the case, then the possibility that the Fallen were aiming for Rem was high.

  Was her secret leaked out somehow?

  Or did they sense the magic inside of her?

  It may be that they didn’t single out Rem in particular, but sensed that the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm was somewhere in Faltra.

  He would have to make sure to warn the others not to reveal this kind of information carelessly.

  —But one hundred of them, huh... Even though I’m level 150, taking them all on at once would be pretty rough.

  —Should I hurry up and get back to town?

  —I mean, it’s not like the Fallen would be able to get in.

  Boris, who had taken the wine from the Mage’s Association, came back with a letter of some sort.

  “Excuse me, but here! This is a thank you note. I was thinking it could act as a kind of receipt for you, to prove that you made the delivery.”

  “Are you in your right mind? Right now, there are one hundred Fallen heading toward you, and you write a letter to say ‘thanks for the wine’?”

  “Haha... You’re right. You might think that I’m not staying on guard... But if today may be my last moments in this world, then I want to live them properly.”

  “Hm.”

  “Please, you and Shera should head back to town.”

  “Are you all not going to retreat? If you fall back to Faltra, then the Fallen would not be able to enter because of the barrier, correct?”

  “If we retreated, then the people working the fields outside of town, as well as other outside travelers, would be in trouble... Our job is to buy time for everyone to make sure they escape to Faltra.”

  —So, the guards are prepared to do battle, feeling like that.

  Shera was moved to tears.

  “Diablo... Can’t you do anything?”

  —Well, guess there’s no way around this one.

  He took Tenma’s Staff and slammed it against the stone floor.

  “Unfortunately for you, your resolve is wasted here. This will not be your last day on this earth!”

  Boris was taken off guard. “Huh!? Wh-What are... Diablo?”

  Then, that’s when the Fallen appeared.

  The guards on the Bridge of Ulug started to yell, bordering on screams.

  Diablo turned his gaze to just beyond the stone bridge.

  There, he saw a large black mass, slowly approaching them.

  The entities within it all possessed some kind of beast-like trait.

  There were some with heads shaped like a bull; instead of hands, some had hooves; and some were impossibly huge, while others had skin colored a dark blue.

  In spite of the mass of figures all having different appearances, they were united in the fact that they were grotesque and strange-looking.

  —Is the person in front their commander?

  It looked like they were some kind of knight, fortified in pure black armor. They carried a great lance, like the ones you would find in a jousting tournament.

  They were the only one riding a monster, their steed resembling a dragon about the size of a horse.

  —That would make them a Dragon Knight, then.

  In the game, players were able to tame and ride certain kinds of special monsters.

  Diablo had never invested any time into his riding skills so he had never experienced it himself, but it was said there were players who rode wyverns in the game.

  Even he had thought about wanting to ride one at least once.

  —For now, I have to focus on just making it through this.

  He had talked big in the heat of the moment, so there was no backing out of this.

  The Fallen had come within a range where bows and arrows could reach them.

  The guards began firing arrows at the mass, albeit unskillfully.

  The Fallen did not seem to be taking any damage in the slightest.

  They let out ferocious howls.

  “GRROOOOHHHH!!”

  A flood of fireballs was launched in retaliation, followed by an explosion.

  There was an explosion.

  A portion of the Bridge of Ulug crumbled away from the enemy’s attack.

  The archers seemed to have gotten away before they were caught up in it themselves.

  Diablo spoke to Shera.

  “You, stay here. If you get too close, then it’s harder for me to use magic.”

  “O-Okay! Um...!”

  “What?”

  “Diablo... Be careful.”

  This was the first time anyone had worried about him before he headed into a fight.

  Strangely, he felt his chest getting hotter. His only response was for his face to turn red.

  He turned his back to her.

  Right now, he felt like he couldn’t lose. Not even to a Demon Lord.

  †

  Diablo stood on the stone bridge.

  He was the only one to have come out from the
fortress, so the Fallen had all turned their attention toward him. There were a lot of them where it was hard to tell where they were looking, though...

  He could feel the stares of the guards behind him, which were mixed with equal parts expectation and unease.

  If he was his normal self, he wouldn’t even be able to get out a single word. That’s the kind of situation he was in.

  Now more than ever was the time for his Demon Lord roleplay.

  Standing boldly in the open, he let an arrogant smile cross his face.

  “Who gave you all permission to come here with your army? For not knowing that I was here, you should feel ashamed of your ignorance!”

  Normally in this world, when one of the races would come upon a Fallen, they would either draw their sword, beg for their life, or run away.

  He was willing to bet that this was the first time they had been called out like this by someone using such a condescending tone.

  The unrest amongst the Fallen was obvious.

  This was a first for Diablo, too. Usually, monsters would just come after you and attack without saying anything. Even on special quests, enemies would just one-sidedly announce their intention to murder the player, and not listen to what they had to say in return.

  This was the first time he had used his Demon Lord act on the Fallen.

  “Who, you?”

  One of the Fallen came forward.

  It was a giant that resembled a mountain, standing at about five meters tall.

  It had a face that resembled a wild boar, with a nose that projected outwards. From its bottom lip came two tusks that pointed upwards.

  Each step it took came crashing down with a loud thud, creating tremors as it came in front of Diablo.

  —He’s frickin’ huge!

  The gigantic boar-headed Fallen raised an axe that was suitable for someone of its stature—

  And smashed it into the ground.

  With a tremendous noise, cracks spread along the stone bridge.

  The guards in the fortress screamed.

  “Good grief... So you don’t know me. Then I shall carve that answer into your body.”