†
“...While Magic Reflection is quite a powerful ability...there is no way I can accept this situation. Not at all.”
“Well, me neither! I don’t want to be enslaved by a Summon that we should be enslaving!”
Rem and Shera were shouting.
I feel like leaving the two of them like this would be a bad thing—Takuma thought.
As for now, Takuma had succeeded in “enslaving” the two girls.
However, “Enslavement Ritual” was a word that was only mentioned in explanations of Cross Reverie’s backstory. It wasn’t something that players could do any time they liked.
According to the setting for the game, Summons were powerful beings who lived in another world, with their entire existence revolving around being told what to do by puny humans.
In the game, Summons were not meant to fight back or resist in any way.
Because of this, it was unclear what the effects or details of the Enslavement Ritual really were. At the very least, there was no system in place where Summons would suddenly rebel against their masters.
Takuma was currently in a world that was very similar to Cross Reverie. One of those “summoned to another world” things, it seemed. Well, as long as this wasn’t all a dream...
In this world, what kind of effects did this “Enslavement Ritual” have?
—Maybe there’s a way to release them from it?
That might be bad.
When not being used, Summons in the game would turn into items and be placed in the player’s inventory.
—What would happen if I was turned into an item?
The visuals in-game showed Summons turning into some kind of crystal. He didn’t think that things would go smoothly if this happened to him.
He should give the order not to allow this item-ification to happen while they still had these Enslavement Collars on.
—But first, I’ll ask if it’s possible to undo the enslavement magic.
“You two. Can you not even release yourself from your own magic?”
In the middle of bemoaning their predicament, the two turned to look at him.
Rem’s eyes narrowed.
“...If we could, we would have already done so. This isn’t the kind of magic that you would normally need to undo, so we don’t know how. If we head into town, we may find a way. Or...if the Master dies, then the enslavement magic will be undone.”
“Hmph.”
There was the slightest tremble to his voice. Even though he had worked on his Demon Lord act for many years now, it took all he had to retort with just that one sound.
It seemed to have done the trick, however, as Rem backed off.
“...That was just another method. If you were weak enough that we could defeat you, then there would be no point in summoning you. We understand...that we are no match for you.”
There was fear in her voice.
Thanks to his “Demon Lord” performance, as well as his ability to use Magic Reflection, it seemed that Rem and Shera took that as a sign that he was a powerful force to be reckoned with.
They must have taken the slight tremble in his voice as a sign that he was angry.
He was just glad that none of his true self had slipped through the cracks there.
—But...am I strong, as I am now?
While his Magic Reflection ability had indeed activated, it was also a possibility that the only thing that carried over from the game world was his equipment.
Takuma had reached the max level of 150 in-game, and had mastered numerous kinds of elemental magic. He was the ultimate Demon Lord who used his countless battles as research to learn all there was to know.
That said, there were no menus or shortcut icons to be found. Without a mouse or keyboard, it was possible he would not be able to use magic.
But even if he could use magic...
—If the maximum level for this world isn’t 150, I’m kinda screwed.
This meant that he had to test his strength against something to check and see for himself. How strong was he compared to monsters or other people?
He had to check with other people from this world—that is, the two girls—and gauge their reactions.
“Hey, you two.”
The Elf girl pouted her lips.
“Geesh! Stop calling us ‘you two’ all the time! I have a wonderful name, you know! I’m the genius Summoner, Shera L. Greenwood!”
—Hm? Greenwood?
That was a name he felt he had seen before in a compilation book for Cross Reverie. Though it was on the tip of his tongue, he could not bring himself to remember.
“Hmph... ‘You two’ should be enough. Do not anger me with your pointless drivel.”
“Oooh... F-Fine, I got it...”
It seemed like the effects of his Demon Lord act were still working in full-force.
But soon enough, he would have to show them how powerful he actually was. He should confirm his power as soon as he could.
Starfall Tower was only meant as a place to summon beasts, and was fairly cramped as a result.
While he was worried about being too weak, he also had to worry about being too strong at the same time.
If the magic he cast spread beyond the range he was expecting, it was possible that these two could be caught up in it as well.
“Are there any monsters around here?”
“...Only the occasional beast that gets chased out of the forest. There are plenty near town, though.”
Takuma silently breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn’t want to get into any sudden battles while he was still unsure of his own abilities.
If he started acting like a coward now, Rem and Shera might start to question how strong he actually was.
He had to at least act like he was strong.
“Hmph... So there are no monsters around here. What a dull place... No matter. Any kind of boulder will do for my purposes.”
With the staircase as his goal, he started to walk.
While his memories were a bit fuzzy, he was relieved to find that the stairs did indeed go down.
“Wait a minute! Don’t just head off on your own! You’re my Summon, you know!?” Shera called out from behind him.
“He’s not your Summon...” Rem mumbled.
Taking short steps, Rem trotted over to Takuma’s side.
The small, cat-eared girl gazed up at him.
Well, technically they were panther ears. She was a Pantherian, after all.
Though she didn’t have any expression on her face, he sincerely felt that to be an adorable trait of hers. It was like she was a small, innocent animal.
—Dang, she’s cute.
He was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to pat her on the head.
Ahhh, how he wanted to try touching her ears!
However! Demon Lords did not just go around patting cute girls on the head.
The sound of Shera’s footsteps approached them from behind.
Glancing behind him, it wasn’t just Shera’s golden hair that was swaying to and fro, but her voluminous chest (that seemed completely unbefitting of an Elf) as well.
—Holy crap.
Mustering his will of steel, he managed to tear his gaze away.
Like a true Demon Lord, he walked as if he were leading the two girls.
The truth of the matter, though, was if they ran into trouble, he would have no choice but to rely on them.
†
Footsteps echoed off of the stone staircase.
Because everything had happened so suddenly, they were moving at a relatively slow pace.
Placing his hand on the wall as he walked, Takuma descended the narrow spiral stairs of the tower.
—It’s all so real.
The thin cracks etched into the stones, the coolness when he touched it...
Perhaps because the place had been built so long ago, fragments of the wall cracked and fell off near their seams.
Sunlight streamed in through the circular windows.
Thinking back to Cross Reverie, he tried to remember what things had used the name “Sunlight.”
When Takuma would gather information, he did not focus on things such as backstory or information about the world, but was only interested in things like new items or practical ways to efficiently use spells.
He had already beaten all of the main story quests, so he felt he had a decent grasp on the world overview...