“She belongs to you? My, I didn’t know.”
Shera’s body then folded, and she squeezed out a faint voice with tears in her eyes.
“D-Diablooooo...”
“I’ll reclaim you now, Shera! Lightning Bullet!”
“Elemental magic?!” Solami’s eyes widened in shock.
Indeed, it was rare to see it used in this world. A magic circle formed from the tip of his staff, firing off balls of light. Lightning Bullet was a spell that charged swiftly and packed significant firepower.
“Yah!” Solami stuck out her left hand, her fingertips deflecting the balls of light.
“What?!” Diablo raised his voice despite himself.
He was a warrior of over level 100, and could tell this was a martial art that used SP.
She concentrated her SP in her fingertips...?
“Heheh.” Solami swung her left hand. “Made them a bit numb, I’ll admit.”
As Diablo and Solami faced off, Rem stormed in from the side.
“Solami, that’s enough!”
“Nn...”
Rem fired off a kick. The woman was capable of deflecting a Lightning Bullet, so there was no way a physical attack would hurt her. Or so Diablo thought. But surprisingly, Rem’s kick shined with SP, too—the same as Solami’s fingertips.
Solami blocked the powerful kick with her left hand, and as she did, a bang! rang out as sparks sprayed into the air. Solami finally made distance between herself and them, moving back.
“Good work. You pass. ♥” She grinned, making the shape of a circle with both of her hands.
Shera toppled over, as if she’d lost the strength in her feet, and Diablo hurried to catch her.
“Hey! Shera, come to!”
“Aaaahn...”
“Are you all right?!”
“S-So... light...”
“What?”
“M-My body... feels really light...”
What? Diablo and Rem cocked their heads in a puzzled expression.
“My body always felt heavy, like my boobs were pulling me down, but after Solami touched me, I feel as light as a feather!”
Solami chuckled audibly.
“Girls with big busts tend to have their waist muscles cramp up, right? But it feels better after I gave the ol’ rub down, right?”
“Yep! It was amazing!” Shera grinned. “It felt so good I couldn’t move!”
So that’s why you didn’t run?!
“...I shouldn’t have tried to save you,” Rem spat out spitefully.
“Boo. But, I was happy you tried to save me, Rem!”
“I evidently shouldn’t have tried to.”
“Thanksies!”
Solami happily eyed the two as they bickered.
“It’s honestly surprising to see that you made a true, honest friend, Remmie.”
“...Don’t misunderstand things,” Rem retorted with a clicking of the tongue. “This fat, saggy Elf and I are not friends.”
“Right! We’re companions and comrades!” Shera responded, to which Rem began arguing back.
Solami still had a kind look in her eyes.
“And your skills haven’t dwindled, either.”
“...No...” Rem’s expression contorted at that remark. “I refuse to rely on the Gadou style. Letting the enemy close is too dangerous. I’m a summoner right now.”
“Remmie, you know he wanted you to be his heir.”
“...Regardless of Father’s will... I will not be a grappler. I lack the aptitude for it, anyway.”
Rem walked off inside the building, as if fleeing the scene.
†
It was after nightfall; far too late to visit the governor.
Diablo and his group were in the Gadou clan’s estate. Rem called them the yakuza, but contrary to what that word implied, nothing felt oriental about the place. The structure was built in the same way most buildings in Lyferia were, which could be summed up as a Middle Ages European style—chiefly reminiscent of France and Germany in the 13th century.
Diablo, of course, never lived in those times, and couldn’t discern how historically accurate that assessment was, but this was another world, after all.
Even without comparing it to the palace, the estate’s interior was plain. The walls were covered in yellow-white fabric, and the curtains had simplistic designs. The room felt wide enough for the walls to feel far apart, and it was set with a black, oblong table.
Diablo was seated on a wooden chair that was so heavy it almost felt like it was made of metal. To his right was Rem, to his left was Shera. And sitting opposite them was Solami.
“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Solami Galleu, assistant instructor of the Gadou clan’s martial arts.”
“...Where’s Uncle?”
“Heheh... The instructor was sent to resolve a dispute in the far east. I believe it’s been six months already.”
“...As always.” Rem sighed.
“I haven’t heard much of the Gadou clan,” Diablo said.
If nothing else, it wasn’t featured in Cross Reverie.
“We are said to possess a style of martial arts devised many years ago by Fistmaster Gadou.”
“The Fistmaster?”
“Yes. He existed before the Adventurer’s Guild existed in Lyferia, and would accept requests from the kings and nobles.”
“Hmph... So he’s a professional rival of the adventurers.”
“Yes, that’s what it would imply, but fistmasters have a good relationship with the adventurers. I myself often have tea with Caliture’s Adventurer’s Guild’s guildmaster.”
Fistmasters, huh?
It was likely left out of Cross Reverie, but it sounded like the grappler equivalent of the swordmaster. Some players had raised demands for something of the sort. And still, Diablo didn’t know why the Gadou clan was left out of the game. Was it because the players would object to an organization led exclusively by Pantherian grapplers? Diablo couldn’t tell.
“And I am also something of an older sister for Remmie.” Solami smiled widely. “A pleasure to meet you all!”
Her smile was as kind as ever, but that somehow came across as scary.
“...She is no sister of mine.” Rem shrugged. “Rather, she is my father’s younger sister.”
So, in other words, she was definitely Rem’s aunt.
“In terms of feeling, I’d like to think I’m very much like your sister.” Solami frowned. “You’re a precious little sister to me, Remmie. You do know that, right?”
It honestly didn’t come across as very believable. While still shivering like a scared kitten on the inside, Diablo asked, “Why did you call Rem over to test our skills, then, if she’s such a precious little sister to you?”
“Heheh... You call that testing your skills? That was a greeting.”
“After you used martial arts on us?”
“No one was hurt, though.”
“I actually feel better than before!” Shera pumped her fists.
“...That’s just what Solami is like,” Rem said coldly. “It probably was her idea of a greeting. Though there is a good chance you wouldn’t have gotten away unscathed if you lacked skill.”
“But Rem, Solami is really nice,” Shera said with a curious expression. “Why did you leave your hometown?”
True enough, putting aside questions of common sense (or lack thereof), there was no doubting Solami cherished Rem. Shera’s question was justified. Shera herself loved her homeland in the forest, but had to run away from her home due to her brother, Keera’s, disgusting pursuits.
“That’s one question I’d love to hear the answer to as well.” Solami leaned forward. “Why did you leave without a word when we all care so much about you?”
It seemed Rem’s departure from the nest wasn’t a peaceful affair.
“...I’ve decided to become a summoner instead of a grappler.” Rem hung her head. “That’s all there is to it.”
“But why not be a grappler?!
Punching your enemy’s face into a pulp is so satisfying!”
“That’s not the issue here,” Rem cut her off. “We never told you, Solami, but both Mother and I had a very important secret. My leaving home is related to that.”
“A secret?”
Rem’s secret. In other words, the fact that she had had the Demon Lord Krebskulm sealed inside her body. When Rem first revealed the secret to Diablo, her eyes were full of tears, but now her expression was clear and calm.
“...But, thanks to Diablo, I’ve resolved that problem. Perhaps not entirely, but I don’t need to agonize over it all on my own. One day, when I have children of my own, I will not have to be burdened with sadness.”
“Resolved...?!” Solami stared at Diablo with wide eyes.
I guess this aunt of hers already knew about the secret to some extent.
They’d lived together for a long time and seemed to be friendly enough with each other. It was hard to say just how much she knew, though.
“...It is something of a long story, but I will tell you later, Solami.”
“Understood, Remmie. I’ll listen to you for a thousand-and-one nights if that’s what it takes.”
“...It’s not that long of a story.”
The door opened, and a Pantherian man in a black apron walked in. He was apparently in charge of serving meals, and brought in some tea. It had a refreshing aroma, fitting for a warm land.
†
Solami formed a bridge with her fingers and rested her chin atop it. The atmosphere in the room grew thicker.
“So, may I ask a few questions, then? Could you explain what the collars around Remmie’s and Shera’s necks mean?”
Diablo swallowed nervously. It felt like, depending on the answer, Diablo’s life might be at risk.
“W-Well, you see...”
Struggling with how to answer, he tried to repress his voice from rattling. Rem cut in and explained instead.
“...I failed my summoning magic, and the Enslavement Collar meant for my summon beast latched onto me instead. Removing it would require a great effort, so we’re putting it off for the moment.”
A concise explanation. Perhaps she’d thought of how to explain things ahead of time.
“I told you magic was trouble, didn’t I?” Solami contorted her face into a grimace. “Your muscles don’t betray you.”
“...There are no problems with summoning magic in and of itself. I was simply inexperienced.”
“I do think that, if you’d have stayed here and trained, you’d have become stronger than I am by now.”
“Is Rem that strong?!” Shera exclaimed.
“She was amazing, I’ll have you know,” Solami said happily, as if bragging about her little sister. “She was level 40 as a grappler even when she was as tall as my knee. She’s more talented than me or my brother, and people lauded her as the second coming of the Fistmaster Gadou.”
“...Being a grappler exposes my body to danger.” Rem shook her head. “I won’t claim that using a summon means I’ll be absolutely safe, but at the time, I couldn’t afford to die, no matter what. So I chose to become a summoner, and I don’t regret it.”
Solami sighed sadly.
“Oh, I see. Then let me ask you one more thing. What about that ring on your finger?”
Rem blushed profusely, her gaze jumping to Diablo.
“Ehehe.” Shera held out her left hand with the same expression on her face.
“...We got married,” Rem said while gazing at Diablo, who felt like he might blush, too.
No, perhaps he actually did go red. His cheeks did feel hot.
“My, my, my! Are those wedding rings?!” Solami exclaimed with round eyes. “Remmie, you got married to someone from another race!”
“...Yes.” Rem nodded.
“That’s right!” Shera caressed her ring lovingly.
Solami looked at both of their rings before exclaiming,
“And you married a girl, at that!”
A silence fell over the room.
Shera blinked repeatedly, apparently not understanding the meaning of what she had just heard. Rem, however, turned her neck in Diablo’s direction with the creaking sound of a rusty machine.
“...What is the meaning of this?”
Dammit, they found out!
Should he push through with his Demon Lord role play? No, that would be too dishonest. But, wouldn’t glossing over things here be what they call a “white lie”? No, that would be an excuse. Honesty was probably the way to go... And, at the end of his conflict, Diablo only managed a vague answer.
“Ah, well, that is...”
“...Is what she said true?”
Rem realized everything, and was letting out a red, menacing aura.
“My!” Solami leaned forward. “You’ve been working on your 《Outglow》, after all!”
Outglow?
Diablo was curious, but now wasn’t the time to pursue that line of questioning. Rem rose from her chair and began walking out of the room wordlessly.
“W-Wait, Rem!” Diablo rose to his feet.
“...I’m going to clear my head for a bit. We can talk later.”
Rem was scarier with her back turned right now than she was when he had fought the Demon Overlord Modinaram.
The door slammed behind her with a bang!
“Rem’s kinda scary right now...” Shera’s ears jerked.
“She is a hopeless one.” Diablo sighed, knowing full well that the only useless person in the room was him.
His plan to exchange the wedding rings before they found out had failed spectacularly. Besides, they only took off the rings while sleeping and bathing, so it was impossible to begin with.
“My, my...” Solami placed a hand on her cheek with a bothered expression. “Did Rem and Shera actually marry you, young Diablo?”
You didn’t babble about it because you knew, did you? Wait, “young?”
That woman was breaking his Demon Lord-ly dignity into figurative dust.
Diablo crossed his arms with a “hmph,” leaning against the chair’s backrest.
“That’s how it was, yes.”
“Ah!” Shera finally realized, after a significant delay. “This ring is paired with the one on Rem?!”
“W-Well,” Diablo averted his gaze. “I’m a Demon Lord from another world, so perhaps I might possibly be a bit ignorant of this world’s customs.”
The lamest of lame excuses.
“Ahaha...” Shera laughed lightly. “I see. I guess you’d need a ring, too.”
She forgave me?!
Diablo found himself looking up at Shera.
Maybe she’s actually really amazing?
“Yes, you’re a good girl, you are,” Solami said through narrowed eyes.
Diablo couldn’t help but feel like he’d been somewhat saved.
The room’s door opened, and dishes full of food were carried in. There was meat, and meat, and more meat... They served ham, sausages, fried meat, and raw meat. Solami asked the Pantherian apprentices to take some over to Rem, too, so they carried off portions of the food to her.
“Yaaay!” Shera exclaimed with glittering eyes. “Races’ food! I haven’t eaten anything that’s been cooked in, like, forever!”
Diablo almost choked. Currently, this town was at war with the Kobolds, so they had to keep quiet the fact that they were in a Therianthrope village until yesterday. Coughing dryly so as to dodge the issue, he reached for the meat. And, surprisingly enough, it was raw meat—not a piece had been cooked.
Most meat in the market was dried jerky, but this was red, faintly warm, dripping fresh meat. This world didn’t have refrigerators, so it didn’t come off as any surprise that the food wasn’t cold, but meat rotted quickly if kept at room temperature. In other words, this was freshly hunted, newly served flesh.
In Diablo’s old world, the existence of refrigerators allowed for food to be distributed freely, but even there, he didn’t have the chance to eat fresh, unch
illed meat. When he bit into it, it filled his mouth with the thick scent of blood. It smelled like animal. And also, a dense, distinctive flavor melted over his tongue.
It wasn’t a flavor he could describe as particularly tasty or bad—but it did fill him with the elation of “eating something that had lived.” With each bite, he was filled with vigor. Solami bit into the meat too, smiling in satisfaction.
“This is a woods bear’s liver.”
“Oh... This is the first time I’ve had it.”
Even though he’d defeated countless woods bears in the game.
“Fills you up with vigor, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s certainly how I’d put it.”
“You’ll be ready for action all night long with this~ ♥”
Diablo spat out his meat with a cough.
“Th-That kind of vigor?!”
“Huh?” Shera tilted her head.
Apparently she didn’t get it, as she had sausage sprinkled with herbs stuffed into her mouth.
Terrifying. Solami made keeping up his Demon Lord role play a challenge.
†
After their meal, Solami left the room to attend to her duties as an assistant instructor. Shera went to look for Rem.
“I’ll handle this, okay?” she said.
He reacted to her in his usual Demon Lord-ly haughtiness, but deep down, he was on hands and knees in gratitude for her willingness to deal with the situation. Talking to an angry woman was an impossible task, even for most normal men. So for Diablo and his crippled social skills, it was the equivalent of challenging a sovereign dragon with a wooden stick.
He still had the wedding rings he had made in Faltra... Would he have a chance to hand those over to Rem?
He wandered the estate alone and walked out to the lawn. It was where he had fought (was greeted by?) Solami. It wasn’t so much a lawn as it was a training field. Thick logs were propped up with ropes, likely serving as sandbags for grappling practice. There was also an oblong, 30-steps-long sandbox for training one’s legs. There were a few devices set up he didn’t know the function of, but there was a rope extended horizontally and some apparatus attached to a pulley.
It’s like a sports gym...
The bonfire was put out since there was no one around, with only the moonlight illuminating the darkness. Being here reminded him, “...She did deflect a Lightning Bullet with her bare hands, right?”
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 11 Page 9
