“W-Well...”
“I am Leon Nirgadeon! If you claim to be a hero, prove your worth to me!”
Crap!
Is what Diablo would have thought, but he simply scratched his head.
“Hm... You shouldn’t,” Diablo said simply.
“What?”
“I can tell how strong you are from how you carry yourself. You’re no match for me.”
Mariabelle was his summoner, and if this knight called Leon was protecting her, they were allies. There was no point in Diablo injuring him. That was his thought process, but Leon simply shouted angrily.
“You dare insult me?!”
The knight slashed at him sooner than Mariabelle could stop him.
“Haaaaa!”
The sword’s blade shone and the slash went flying at him from a distance, and since Klem was right behind him, he couldn’t avoid it easily. But he didn’t need to dodge. Diablo swept it away with his arm, like swatting a speck of dust out of the air, deflecting it into the flagstones.
“That’s what I thought,” Diablo shrugged.
“...What?!” Leon exclaimed, his fighting spirit still intact.
Diablo appreciated his mettle, but the fact that he couldn’t see the difference in strength between them was proof that Leon was inexperienced. Deciding he’d need to display the gap between them without hurting him, Diablo thrust his hand out.
“《Bit Arrow》.”
“Ugh?!” Leon guarded himself and took a step back.
But...silence. His spell didn’t generate so much as a puff of smoke.
“Nnng?!” Klem raised her voice in surprise, her eyes as wide as saucers.
Even Diablo, who’d kept up a cool facade, was starting to sweat bullets.
—I can’t use my spells?!
“Heh... Heheheh...” he chuckled with a shaking voice. “I was merely joking. I couldn’t harm an ally! I am a hero, after all.”
He spoke with an odd accent. Mariabelle heaved a sigh of relief.
“I apologize for my disciple’s disrespect,” she said, bowing her head deeply.
“Keh...” Leon lowered his sword. “Forgive me for testing you like that.”
“Hmph,” Diablo snorted at him.
Letting himself get too worked up would blow his act, regardless of whether he was a Demon Lord or a hero.
—I can’t use magic in this world?!
Klem waved her hands, apparently trying to cast a spell, but in the end she only released magical energy into the air. That said, if her spell did work, she likely would have blown the building to bits. For better and for worse, her efforts only produced a light breeze.
So even a Demon Lord couldn’t cast any spells.
“Maybe I should try my true form,” Klem said with a frown.
“Don’t.” Diablo stopped her at once.
“Boo,” she cooed, displeased.
If the Demon Lord Krebskulm were to appear here, this entire world would turn against them without a doubt.
“Hm...” Mariabelle brought her face close to his.
“Ah.”
Illuminated by the flickering flames of the torches, her fair features gave her the appearance of the living portrait of a holy woman. Her unblemished skin was as flawless as a statue’s surface. Diablo’s eyes were drawn to her jiggling bosom, and he had to forcibly tear his gaze away.
—They’re big.
“My hero?” Mariabelle asked him.
“I-I wasn’t looking.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, hm... Mariabelle, was it? Tell me for what reason you summoned me.”
To gain the freedom he needed, Diablo decided to make himself seem cooperative. That way, he’d gain time to look for clues on how to go back to his world.
“My reasons can come later,” the Elf girl said pensively. “You look quite tired, my hero... I will prepare a room for you to rest in.”
Before Diablo could say anything, Klem pumped a fist enthusiastically.
“Biscuits!” she called out.
“Huh, baked sweets?” Mariabelle said, a bit confused. “Understood. Leon, could you arrange for some sweets to be delivered to their room?”
“...Very well,” her armored disciple said hesitantly.
He left the room, the sound of his armored greaves clanking against the stone floor. Klem followed him, singing a song Shera once made up for her.
“Biscuits, biscuits, tasty biscuits~♪”
Hearing it made Diablo wistful.
“Your familiar is adorable, my hero,” Mariabelle said with a smile.
“My what? Ah, I mean, yes!” Diablo stammered. “She’s a bit spoiled; I’m not sure what to do with her.”
“Come this way, then,” she said, leading him to his room.
†
The room didn’t have any windows. Diablo had to wonder if they were underground, but thanks to the fancy wallpaper laid over the walls, the place didn’t give the impression of a prison cell. Still, the only source of light was a candelabra hanging from the ceiling, so it did feel a bit suffocating.
Between Mariabelle’s outfit, Leon’s armor, and this room’s fixtures, it was clear the civilization of this land wasn’t much different from Lyferia’s.
Still, Diablo had never heard of a star sorcerer class, and he couldn’t cast any spells. It did seem like this was another world.
—I guess I should obey Mariabelle and gather information for now.
Diablo turned his eyes to the girl; it was currently just the two of them in this room. It seemed she didn’t want to share the reason she had to summon a hero with other people. That seemed like trouble.
Diablo noticed there were letters etched into the table’s edge. It wasn’t a language he recognized, but it looked similar to the Kingdom of Lyferia’s text.
“Eiriz... No, Elfiz... king, rule eternal...” he was capable of decoding some of it thanks to the knowledge Klem imparted to him.
“It says ‘May King Elfiz rule forever.’ Elfiz is the name of this country,” Mariabelle said.
“I see.”
He’d never heard of a country by that name. This world didn’t seem to have any relation to the MMORPG Cross Reverie.
“This world is enveloped by the Black Mist,” she told him.
That made sense. As is cliche, a hero is summoned when the world is in a state of crisis.
“Black Mist?”
“According to the Demon Star Manuscript, the Black Mist is born of the aberrations, and the aberrations are produced by the Black Mist.”
“What is this Demon Star Manuscript?”
“A tome that details the past and future of this world. It’s said it was written by the hands of God, and comprehending it is very difficult. Research into it is still underway.”
Asking about one piece of jargon only led to more unfamiliar terms.
—Some games are just like that...
Diablo sighed to himself. It was the type of game newcomers hated more than anything, reminiscent of having to study in school. Put simply, the kingdom was faced with some kind of enemy they needed a hero to beat. This necessity comes from some kind of prophecy.
—Just put it simply! I was just thrown into another world without any time to prepare! Don’t make this any more confusing for me!
Diablo sighed and sat on the bed. Exhaustion was overwhelming him. Thinking back on it... He went to the frontier city and fought Rem’s aunt Solami. He then traveled to the capital, taking the long way around to do so. War broke out as soon as he arrived, which led to him protecting the Inner Sanctum, destroying the Magimatic Sols, and taking lives. He finally stormed the castle and killed the enemy commander.
But it didn’t stop there. A moving castle appeared. He invaded the Magimatic Castle Viovix and had a fateful battle of epic proportions with the Emperor. But in the end, he was thrown into the White World... And then he spent a long time with Klem. Diablo didn’t know how long it was, really, but it was one thing after another, and it felt like a long string of overwork. His mind and body were beginning to crack.
But then he heard the sound of rustling fabric. A sash fluttered to the floor.
“Hm?” Diablo’s gaze settled on it.
“I’ve made the most progress of anyone when it comes to decoding the Demon Star Manuscript,” he heard Mariabelle say.
“Y-Yeah...”
“And because I did, I summoned you, my hero.”
“Wha...?!” Diablo felt his voice tense up.
Mariabelle was taking off her clothes. She now stood in her undergarments.
“The manuscript had a passage saying I will offer my body up to a hero,” she said.
“O-Oh,” Diablo replied.
His voice was calm, but his heart was beating like crazy. He couldn’t tear his eyes from her sensual body.
—Jiggling! Soft! And plump! But wait, there’s something written there!
There was a strange, alluring pattern under Mariabelle’s navel. It looked like a magic circle and gave off a faint glow.
“I only have technical knowledge of the act, I’m afraid...” she said with a seductive smile. “But I will try to satisfy you, my hero.”
She drew her face closer to his and Diablo’s body froze up. Her slender hands wrapped around Diablo’s rough fingers and brought them to her bosom. His hands sank into her soft, supple breasts.
“B-Boob—waaaaaaah?!” Diablo called out, his eyes widened.
He screamed louder than he ever did during his battle with Emperor Gelmed.
✦ ✦ ✦
