Well, what did you expect?! I’m a shut-in NEET gamer! How am I supposed to know how to act in the presence of a king?! You drag me here against my will and then act like I’m being disgraceful?! You’re the ones that need to be ashamed of yourselves! Though, I guess it is my fault for being ignorant...
Had it not been for his Demon Lord persona, he surely would have flinched and hung his head. He was always prone to depression. He had a veritable mountain of things to say, but didn’t want to spark a war between Lyferia and Greenwood. He’d have to put up with this.
The minister, Noah, moved things along.
“Firstly, we’ve summoned the people you’re most concerned about, Sir Diablo.”
“Mm?”
With Noah giving a signal, a different door opened, and two women walked into the room. A petite girl with black cat ears and a tail, and a blond Elf with overflowing bosoms.
†
It was Rem and Shera!
But they weren’t in their usual attire. They were clad in dresses that made them look like young ladies of nobility. Rem’s dress was the color of red wine and adorned with cute frills, while Shera’s was a light blue one that accentuated her large chest.
Frankly speaking, Diablo doubted his eyes. They were simply so unlike their usual selves, gorgeous and displaying proud dignity. And most of all...
Their collars are gone?!
Diablo was shocked. At the same time, Rem’s eyes widened in shock.
“...Di—”
“Diabloooooooo!”
Shera was the first to run to him. Apparently, she’d forgotten how she was dressed, and her chest jolted as she clung to him.
“H-Hey... Shera?!”
“Whoaaaaaa, Diablo! Diablo! Diablo!”
He could tell from the flow of her magical energy that the collar was simply rendered invisible. He could understand why, since they were in an audience chamber, but...
“Did something happen?!”
Her reaction was so extreme, Diablo started suspecting something had happened, but Shera shook her head.
“I’m just happy to see you again after so long!”
“O-Oh.”
“...You...” Rem heaved a sigh. “Consider the situation, won’t you? We’re in His Majesty’s presence.”
“Ah.”
It wasn’t just the king, but also many of his ministers, generals and guards. With all those gazes directed at her, even Shera couldn’t help but smile in embarrassment as she let go of Diablo.
It can’t be.
Diablo shivered on the inside. All the willpower he’d built up to face the king of Lyferia withered. That’s how it felt.
I guess I really am a normie who should go to hell, huh?
Rem clicked her heels together and bowed silently before the king.
“Your Majesty, King Delouche Xandros of Lyferia. It is with the most profound honor and pleasure that we make your acquaintance. I am Rem Galleu. The young lady over there is Shera L. Greenwood. We are both wives to Diablo.”
Her appearance and demeanor were almost mystifyingly elegant and dignified. Those who found fault with Diablo’s attitude had nothing to say in opposition to her. In other words, Rem’s perception of manners and etiquette was correct.
“Hmm.” The king gave a small nod.
With this, Noah began steering the conversation again.
“It seems that you’ve gone through much in recent times, with the Demon Overlord being revived and both Fallen and magical beasts running amok, but we are still glad to see you of Greenwood’s royal house reunited despite that.”
No, me avoiding this audience has nothing to do with the Demon Overlord. And you call it a happy reunion, but we’ve been acting separately because you ordered us to come here!
So he thought, but he didn’t let those words be anything more than thoughts.
“...We’re grateful for your concern and Lord Noah’s consideration.”
Again, not a complaint from the king’s retainers.
“Gotta hand it to Rem,” Shera whispered.
“Right.”
She always handled negotiating with the coaches and inns, she was knowledgeable when it came to camping out, and she even knew how to carry herself around royalty.
Isn’t she kind of really amazing?
He’d always thought she wasn’t a typical adventurer, but...
Noah went into the main topic.
“Sir Diablo, from what we’ve heard, you’ve earned quite a few achievements by engaging the Demon Overlord in battle at the city of Faltra...”
Diablo wasn’t sure how to answer that, but decided he’d answer as he always did. It would be better if those standing across from him were to perceive him as dangerous.
“Hmph...” he replied grandly. “Any who turn their blades against me will be annihilated, that’s all. Even if they’re the Demon Overlord.”
The retainers stirred. They’d heard the rumors, but seeing the person in question confirm it made things different, it seemed.
“So it was true.” “But they say he’s an elemental sorcerer?” “A hero...” “A Demon... I never would have imagined...” “But he’s not affiliated with the mage’s guild...”
Ridiculous, Diablo sighed to himself. Does your race or position really matter when you’re fighting an enemy? If that’s what his retainers are like, I guess you can only expect so much from the king. Aaah... I wanna go home already...
If he had to describe it, he wanted to go home as much as a new worker forced to work overtime for the first time, but by now, he felt like he was called in for work on his day off. Simply unbearable for a NEET.
“From what the reports say, you single-handedly charged inside the Demon Overlord when he assumed the form of a massive castle and subsequently defeated him?” Noah asked.
What changed the tide of battle was Diablo’s 《Gravity Abyss》 spell, but what dealt him the most damage was Diablo reflecting the Overlord’s 《Flames of Ruination》 spell back at him. And despite everything, what dealt the finishing blow was using an elixir, but Diablo doubted they would believe that. In the end, he decided there was no need to go into the small details.
“Hmph... It matters not what form my foe may take. I merely smote them down for the insolence of attacking my base.”
Unrest spread among the retainers again.
“‘My base’?”
“Did the king of a neighboring country just cite territorial rights as a reason to defend Faltra?”
Could you stop picking apart every little thing I say, you pedantic idiots?!
Rem hurried to the rescue.
“...Diablo may be the king of Greenwood, but he’s also an adventurer intent on defending the races! The city of Faltra is his base of operations!”
The whispers grew fainter.
“An adventurer?” “And he’s a king...?” “Greenwood does produce many mercenaries...” “The king himself?” “So an adventurer became a king...?” “Fitting for a small country, I suppose...”
Noah then asked, “I hear you beat the Demon Overlord with elemental magic, Sir Diablo?”
“Correct.”
In Lyferia, when one said magic, they mostly meant summoning. Elemental magic was perceived as weak and useless by most everyone.
†
Eventually, one of the people present stepped forward, a relatively young man with a glint in his eyes who was clad in a uniform adorned with a jumble of decorations.
“I find that impossible to believe!”
“Mm?” Diablo glared at him.
The man reacted by glaring back.
“I am a major of the Lyferian military, Harold William! It doesn’t matter how much you level up elemental magic, it can only match up to a large summon beast! And you defeating the Demon Overlord is a lie! Your Majesty, this man is a charlatan! I doubt the proud, haughty Elves would ever accept a Demon as their king to begin with!”
Which made sense, when he mentioned it... Diablo’s man
nerisms and, indeed, his entire existence, were far removed from this world’s idea of common sense.
“It’s not a lie!” Shera argued. “Diablo is the king! B-Because he...m-m-married me!”
“The Elves are a slender race! I doubt this girl is even an Elf!”
“That’s mean!”
Shera seemed to take offense to that, because there were tears welling up in her eyes.
“...You’re right.” Rem’s eyes widened.
“Not you too, Rem?!”
“You horned Demon!” Major William approached Diablo with a smug smile. “If you claim your words are true, present some proof!”
“Don’t believe me if you don’t want to.” Diablo shrugged.
“What?!”
Diablo was used to people not believing him. People tend to look not at what they’re asking, but who they’re asking. And since he never had friends...
“If your claims are true, then I didn’t defeat the Demon Overlord nor am I Greenwood’s king. In which case, what reason was there to even call me here?”
Rem shrugged.
“...That would be the conclusion, yes. We have no reason to be graced an audience with His Majesty.”
Her tone was quite thorny. It seemed Rem was internally annoyed that Diablo and Shera were being cast into doubt.
“I’m leaving.” Diablo turned his back to the king.
Shera clung to his arm. “Don’t leave me here!”
The retainers were quite confused, but no one tried to detain them.
“Major William...?” Noah asked with a chilly voice.
The foul-eyed military man rushed in front of Diablo.
“W-Wait!”
“Hmph... Move away if you do not wish to come to harm, weakling.”
“Weakling?! You call me, who reached the rank of Major at the age of thirty, a weakling?!”
“Like I care.”
Diablo neither knew nor cared at which age it was impressive to reach which rank.
“Feeding the king lies is blasphemy!” William unsheathed his sword. “I will not spare you!”
“Kyaa?!” Shera took cover behind Diablo.
“...Let it be known you were the one who drew first.” Rem braced herself.
“What level are you, fool? Answer honestly if you value your life.” Diablo declared haughtily.
“Wh-What?!”
“Answer me. If your level is too low, my magic may blow you to bits.”
“You would insult a major of the great Lyferian military?! When you’re a useless elemental sorcerer and a despicable Demon!?”
William brandished his sword upward. Too slow. Was he level 40? That did make him an above average warrior in this world.
“Imbecile... 《Glacies Cannon》!”
It was a spell that launched a massive block of ice, but Diablo’s massive stores of magical energy produced a block that was far larger than an adult man. It took off with massive speed; if William were to be hit directly by it, he would likely lose all semblance of a human shape.
Diablo missed on purpose, so the spell would only hit William’s brandished sword. The block of ice then flew behind him, piercing the audience chamber’s wall with a thundering sound. But it didn’t end there. The walls looked to be made of concrete, but were apparently softer than imagined. Or maybe his Glacies Cannon was simply stronger than he knew, because it went on to pierce several more layers of wall.
The sight of the setting sun poured in through the hole. William sank to the floor, his eyes bloodshot and frothing from the mouth.
“Hiii, hiyaaaaaaaaaa?!”
He had pissed himself.
The other ministers were running around in a panic, as were the generals and armored soldiers, but the latter remembered their roles and stood with their swords and spears at the ready. Shera’s and Rem’s faces went pale.
“Di-Di-Diablo!”
“Wasn’t using such powerful attack magic in a place like this overdoing it...?!”
I figured it’d just crack the walls a little...
But a Demon Lord never wavers.
“Hmph... You call that attack magic?” Diablo scoffed in a confident façade. “That was a mere greeting. If I were to attack seriously, this entire castle would be wiped from the map.”
Noah narrowed his eyes. He had been the one to spur William, and perhaps he’d considered the situation, because he didn’t seem to be panicking.
“True to the rumors. According to reports, you present yourself not as a Demon, but by another title.”
“Mm.”
“A Demon Lord from another world.”
The retainers went into the largest frenzy yet. Some even screamed outright. Diablo gradually started panicking.
This is bad. I don’t have the conversation skills to calm this chaos down.
If a fight were to break out in the castle, he wasn’t confident he could defend Rem and Shera, and he didn’t want to needlessly kill any soldiers. All he wanted was to threaten them, scare them, and avoid battle that way!
He called out, “That’s right! I am Diablo! A Demon Lord from another world!” as he made the most villainous expression he could.
But internally, he was cradling his head in exasperation.
Aaaaah, I knew it would end up like this. I ended up calling myself a Demon Lord in front of the king of Lyferia. See, this is why I was trying to avoid this audience. Am I a criminal now? A menace to society? A wanted man? Dead or alive? Fare thee well, my easy other-world life, and hello and good day, my life on the run!
A rolling laughter filled the room.
And to everyone’s surprise, it came from someone who had been sitting so still and so silent that one might have suspected he’d actually been a mannequin all along—King Delouche Xandros.
“Kahahaha! A Demon Lord, are you?!”
“...”
Diablo glanced at the king.
“An adventurer and the king of Greenwood, a Demon Lord?” the king asked.
“That’s the truth of it. I’m not trifling enough to rely on lies and sneaking about.”
I’m just role playing as a Demon Lord, though...
“And it’s true you defeated the Demon Overlord Modinaram?” Delouche leaned forward.
“Enough of this. Shall I show you my true power?”
“No, no, I’ve seen more than enough. I’ve seen enough people boast and make a show of their strength, but it’s the first time I’ve seen Grandiose’s walls broken through enough to give me a view of the sky.”
“Hmph. Then all the ones you’ve seen so far have simply been that lowly.”
Though I guess another way of looking at it is that no one’s been crazy enough to bust down the walls, I guess...
“You’re an interesting man, Diablo. You call yourself a Demon Lord, but defend the races’ cities. A Demon Lord usually butchers the races, does it not?”
Have you tried offering them biscuits?
“Hmph... I’ve no interest in whether the races live or die.”
“So, Sir Diablo is a Demon Lord from another world,” Noah whispered. “So that means... He’s different from the Demon Lords of this world?”
“I see!” Delouche nodded in understanding. “In which case, Diablo! Will you serve me?”
“Huh?!”
His retainers went pale. Noah knitted his brows in a frown. Delouche, however, stuck to his opinion.
“I abhor tradition. Just who decided these formalities and regulations, and when? Where one lives, what they eat, even the language they’re allowed to speak—all of these things were decided ahead of time, long ago. Am I not king? Why must I bow to the decisions of past rulers?”
“...”
“No king in Lyferia’s history has ever had a Demon Lord serve them. Diablo, serve under me!”
The king was clearly excited.
“I...” Diablo opened his mouth to reply.
But before he could declare, I refuse, Noah proposed:
“His Maje
sty, Diablo is king of Greenwood, and a Demon Lord, even if he is from another world. Serving under a king means allowing another country to rule his own. Remember that saying things that would disturb the peace and create diplomatic friction will do you no good.”
“However!”
“I don’t believe any past king has ever brokered peace with a Demon Lord either, Your Majesty. Even without his servitude, I believe that would be more than enough to etch your name in history’s annals.”
“...Hmph... Indeed.”
Diablo was relieved to see the excitement die down, as were the king’s retainers. Rem and Shera sighed in relief, too.
“What should I do then?” Delouche asked Noah.
“I recommend that you start by acknowledging Diablo as king of Greenwood and affirm that the two countries’ amity stands strong.”
“And what else? Is there no way to make it known to the lords of the surrounding countries that I have brokered peace with a Demon Lord?”
Noah pondered for a short while.
“Sir Diablo is an adventurer, as well. How about he completes a request in your name? There is the matter from this morning.”
“Oh!” Delouche’s expression lit up. “Splendid idea, Noah!”
Ugh, this looks like it’s going in an annoying direction. Still, it’s better than being chased out of the kingdom like a criminal and having war break out between Lyferia and Greenwood.
Shera listened quietly, and Rem spoke in place of Diablo, who wasn’t much for holding a discussion.
“...So you acknowledge Diablo as an adventurer and wish to make a request of him, Your Majesty?”
“Indeed!”
Noah explained the details:
“Our southern frontier fortress, Caliture, has recently fallen to an assault by wild beasts.”
“...Caliture,” Rem said, a noticeable shiver in her voice.
“Saving a city of the races from an assault by beasts—the very image of an adventurer’s task,” Noah continued. “However, the enemy was strong enough to topple two of the kingdom’s fortresses garrisoned by our soldiers. A giant spriggan has appeared, as well... It will be no easy task.”
All traces of expression drained from his face, leaving the impression of him wearing a mask.
A spriggan, huh.
In Cross Reverie, spriggans served as guards that prevented players from going into important areas. The fact that one attacked a fortress of the races was quite different from anything that happened in the game.
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 11 Page 3
