Part 2
《Starfall Tower》──
The time was probably around 8 o’clock at night.
In this world, small clocks that could be carried were extremely high-class items. A pocket watch was more expensive than gold of the same weight.
Wall-mounted clocks were only in the estates of nobles and the church.
A majority of the citizens lived by the time signal of the church’s bell. From 5 o’clock to 9 o’clock at night, the bell would ring at every hour.
Five times if it was 5 o’clock, six times if it was 6 o’clock……At 1 o’clock in the afternoon, it returned to one time. At first, he thought that it would be inconvenient, but with no train, no bus, and no TV, since there was no commute to work or school or anything to be late to, there was no problem with it.
Things like an accurate clock, transportation facilities, computers, and the Internet, these convenient inventions might be making it harder for people to live.
He casually thought such things.
A full moon shined in the sky.
The old looking, stone-made tower that stretched towards the moon had eight sides, and was slightly thicker at the bottom.
He had seen it when he was summoned, so this was his second time coming here. Looking at it at night, its atmosphere was quite different.
Diablo, Rem, Shera, and Alicia stopped and surveyed the surroundings.
「It should have been just as promised though……?」
「……That Demonic Being, just where is she?」
「Sh, she won’t attack us, right?」
「According to the story that you told me, I think it should be alright but……Let us proceed with caution.」
Alicia extended her hand to the sword on her waist.
From the tower’s entrance, a small figure of a person came out underneath the moonlight.
「Finally～, came?」
It was Edelgart. In her right hand, she held a horseback lance.
Going “Hii!?”, Shera hid herself behind Diablo. If she was that scared, it would have been fine if she waited at the inn but……
Rem also had signs of being nervous.
As expected of a State Knight, Alicia was quite dignified.
The brown-skinned, silver-haired Demonic Being expressionlessly glanced at Diablo’s group.
「Ritual preparations already～, made.」
──Nn? So she’s not going to ask about Alicia?
He was worried that there would be a problem about how he came accompanied by a State Knight, but Edelgart didn’t show any signs of minding it.
Being as strong as she is, did she not care about a single State Knight?
Since there was no need to expressly make it a topic and increase the troublesome things, Diablo kept silent about it.
Right now, he should focus on the ritual.
Diablo crushed the nervousness in his heart, and collectedly nodded.
「Good work. All that is left is for me and Rem to perform the ritual, is that right?」
「Right. Well, then～……Go?」
As always, her way of speaking was way too peculiar that it was hard to tell what she was thinking. To the Demonic Beings, the Demon King’s revival should have been their dearest wish.
At the very least, for the past 30 years since the Demon King was defeated, they should have been seeking a new Demon King. For someone that was on the lookout for something that important, she sure was aloof about it.
Edelgart had her eyes go left and right. Incidentally, she also looked up.
「Best, to hurry up～」
Being urged, Diablo’s group went inside 《Starfall Tower》.
It was dark.
If this were the game, he would have raised the display’s brightness with all his might.
Moonlight shone through from a small window. There was only the full moon, and that was the only place that was bright.
Edelgart was the lead, and following after her was Diablo, Rem, Shera, and then Alicia. While using the stairway to head towards the rooftop, Rem asked a question.
「……You seemed to be vigilant of the surroundings but, is there something going on?」
「Guys of the Baal faction～, don’t like, thing like ritual. Destroying, Demon King-sama’s container～……and immediately reviving is their desire.」
「Ugh……」
It was only natural that Rem flinched. Because, her story meant that, in short, there were Demonic Beings that were thinking they “want to kill Rem right now”.
Going “Fumu”, Diablo placed his hand on his chin.
He knew the name Baal. He had appeared even in the game. He had an appearance like that of a bear, and was a considerably powerful opponent.
「So there are things like factions among Demonic Beings?」
「Ye, ah. Are. Generally, Baal faction says Races should be killed～……Those guys～, stupid? Eternally weak-headed～. Only think about killing Races.」
「I see……Why don’t they come up to the town? There should be people of the Races doing farm work outside of the barrier though?」
「Because, Baal faction～ move on mood. But in truth, are scared. Without Demon King-sama～, Demonic Beings weak. Because weak, don’t want to fight? But, Races want to kill?」
「In that case, they’re something like Demonic Beasts.」
With how reason won’t communicate well with them, they seem like they will be troublesome when encountered. He felt like he understood why she was vigilant.
「Then～, there is Ourou faction.」
「What kind of guys are they?」
「Ourou live long since previous previous Demon King? Oldest Demonic Being and seems to be strongest～. Not sure. Edelgart never seen him fight. But～……Lethargic? Not usable……Wrong……Said, not lethargic. Moderate faction? That what he said.」
「Hmph, to think that there was a moderate faction among the Demonic Beings.」
He also knew about Ourou.
It should have been a gigantic owl. Wasn’t it a Demonic Beast, was a popular topic but──regardless of outward appearance, ones that were able to operate words seemed to be called Demonic Beings.
In the game, since it was a scenario where one was capturing the Demonic Beings base, there wasn’t much of a conversation, and after one-sidedly being told “You damned hateful Adventurers!”, it rushed into battle.
It didn’t give the impression of being a moderate faction, and it didn’t seem like the strongest.
This was also the first time he heard information about there being factions.
「Because Ourou～ said ”If we wait, someday Demon King-sama will revive once again”～, won’t move? Won’t move!」
Rem was surprised.
「……A moderate faction among the Demonic Beings……I have never heard of such a story. Even with just the current conversation, this would be surprising information for many people of the Races.」
「Though, before you would be trusted, it seems like you would be executed for communicating with Demonic Beings.」
With Alicia’s words, Diablo agreed.
Among the Races, information on the Demonic Beings was much too scarce. It wasn’t written even in the game’s settings. What is the number of Demonic Beings? What is their command system? How do they live and how do they increase?
It was a foolish story. If they really thought about trying to win, they needed to know about the enemy more than the enemy knows themselves.
「Edelgart, which faction do you belong to?」
「Wrong. Edelgart is～, Edelgart!」
「So, in other words, there are three factions.」
「Ye, ah……Have “strayed” but, pretty much three? Three! Edelgart, has～, heard story from Demonic Being priest, and for sake of reviving Demon King-sama, has done various things. What is important is～, that Demon King-sama is properly revived. Properly.」
Baal and Ourou, they were implemented in Cross Reverie. If it were updated, would Edelgart also eventually make her appearance?
Diablo gazed at her.
──This girl, with this outward appearance, some goods would have been sold.
He thought about such things.
They arrived at the rooftop.
Maybe because they had walked the pitch dark stairwell for a while, even the moonlight felt radiant.
It was the place where Diablo was summoned.
It was wide enough that it didn’t feel confined even with five people around, was octogonal, and at the center, there was an altar surrounded with stone pillars.
There was no ceiling, and the night sky could be seen.
The large full moon was suspended in the air.
Part 2
《Starfall Tower》──
The time was probably around 8 o’clock at night.
In this world, small clocks that could be carried were extremely high-class items. A pocket watch was more expensive than gold of the same weight.
Wall-mounted clocks were only in the estates of nobles and the church.
A majority of the citizens lived by the time signal of the church’s bell. From 5 o’clock to 9 o’clock at night, the bell would ring at every hour.
Five times if it was 5 o’clock, six times if it was 6 o’clock……At 1 o’clock in the afternoon, it returned to one time. At first, he thought that it would be inconvenient, but with no train, no bus, and no TV, since there was no commute to work or school or anything to be late to, there was no problem with it.
Things like an accurate clock, transportation facilities, computers, and the Internet, these convenient inventions might be making it harder for people to live.
He casually thought such things.
A full moon shined in the sky.
The old looking, stone-made tower that stretched towards the moon had eight sides, and was slightly thicker at the bottom.
He had seen it when he was summoned, so this was his second time coming here. Looking at it at night, its atmosphere was quite different.
Diablo, Rem, Shera, and Alicia stopped and surveyed the surroundings.
「It should have been just as promised though……?」
「……That Demonic Being, just where is she?」
「Sh, she won’t attack us, right?」
「According to the story that you told me, I think it should be alright but……Let us proceed with caution.」
Alicia extended her hand to the sword on her waist.
From the tower’s entrance, a small figure of a person came out underneath the moonlight.
「Finally～, came?」
It was Edelgart. In her right hand, she held a horseback lance.
Going “Hii!?”, Shera hid herself behind Diablo. If she was that scared, it would have been fine if she waited at the inn but……
Rem also had signs of being nervous.
As expected of a State Knight, Alicia was quite dignified.
The brown-skinned, silver-haired Demonic Being expressionlessly glanced at Diablo’s group.
「Ritual preparations already～, made.」
──Nn? So she’s not going to ask about Alicia?
He was worried that there would be a problem about how he came accompanied by a State Knight, but Edelgart didn’t show any signs of minding it.
Being as strong as she is, did she not care about a single State Knight?
Since there was no need to expressly make it a topic and increase the troublesome things, Diablo kept silent about it.
Right now, he should focus on the ritual.
Diablo crushed the nervousness in his heart, and collectedly nodded.
「Good work. All that is left is for me and Rem to perform the ritual, is that right?」
「Right. Well, then～……Go?」
As always, her way of speaking was way too peculiar that it was hard to tell what she was thinking. To the Demonic Beings, the Demon King’s revival should have been their dearest wish.
At the very least, for the past 30 years since the Demon King was defeated, they should have been seeking a new Demon King. For someone that was on the lookout for something that important, she sure was aloof about it.
Edelgart had her eyes go left and right. Incidentally, she also looked up.
「Best, to hurry up～」
Being urged, Diablo’s group went inside 《Starfall Tower》.
It was dark.
If this were the game, he would have raised the display’s brightness with all his might.
Moonlight shone through from a small window. There was only the full moon, and that was the only place that was bright.
Edelgart was the lead, and following after her was Diablo, Rem, Shera, and then Alicia. While using the stairway to head towards the rooftop, Rem asked a question.
「……You seemed to be vigilant of the surroundings but, is there something going on?」
「Guys of the Baal faction～, don’t like, thing like ritual. Destroying, Demon King-sama’s container～……and immediately reviving is their desire.」
「Ugh……」
It was only natural that Rem flinched. Because, her story meant that, in short, there were Demonic Beings that were thinking they “want to kill Rem right now”.
Going “Fumu”, Diablo placed his hand on his chin.
He knew the name Baal. He had appeared even in the game. He had an appearance like that of a bear, and was a considerably powerful opponent.
「So there are things like factions among Demonic Beings?」
「Ye, ah. Are. Generally, Baal faction says Races should be killed～……Those guys～, stupid? Eternally weak-headed～. Only think about killing Races.」
「I see……Why don’t they come up to the town? There should be people of the Races doing farm work outside of the barrier though?」
「Because, Baal faction～ move on mood. But in truth, are scared. Without Demon King-sama～, Demonic Beings weak. Because weak, don’t want to fight? But, Races want to kill?」
「In that case, they’re something like Demonic Beasts.」
With how reason won’t communicate well with them, they seem like they will be troublesome when encountered. He felt like he understood why she was vigilant.
「Then～, there is Ourou faction.」
「What kind of guys are they?」
「Ourou live long since previous previous Demon King? Oldest Demonic Being and seems to be strongest～. Not sure. Edelgart never seen him fight. But～……Lethargic? Not usable……Wrong……Said, not lethargic. Moderate faction? That what he said.」
「Hmph, to think that there was a moderate faction among the Demonic Beings.」
He also knew about Ourou.
It should have been a gigantic owl. Wasn’t it a Demonic Beast, was a popular topic but──regardless of outward appearance, ones that were able to operate words seemed to be called Demonic Beings.
In the game, since it was a scenario where one was capturing the Demonic Beings base, there wasn’t much of a conversation, and after one-sidedly being told “You damned hateful Adventurers!”, it rushed into battle.
It didn’t give the impression of being a moderate faction, and it didn’t seem like the strongest.
This was also the first time he heard information about there being factions.
「Because Ourou～ said ”If we wait, someday Demon King-sama will revive once again”～, won’t move? Won’t move!」
Rem was surprised.
「……A moderate faction among the Demonic Beings……I have never heard of such a story. Even with just the current conversation, this would be surprising information for many people of the Races.」
「Though, before you would be trusted, it seems like you would be executed for communicating with Demonic Beings.」
With Alicia’s words, Diablo agreed.
Among the Races, information on the Demonic Beings was much too scarce. It wasn’t written even in the game’s settings. What is the number of Demonic Beings? What is their command system? How do they live and how do they increase?
It was a foolish story. If they really thought about trying to win, they needed to know about the enemy more than the enemy knows themselves.
「Edelgart, which faction do you belong to?」
「Wrong. Edelgart is～, Edelgart!」
「So, in other words, there are three factions.」
「Ye, ah……Have “strayed” but, pretty much three? Three! Edelgart, has～, heard story from Demonic Being priest, and for sake of reviving Demon King-sama, has done various things. What is important is～, that Demon King-sama is properly revived. Properly.」
Baal and Ourou, they were implemented in Cross Reverie. If it were updated, would Edelgart also eventually make her appearance?
Diablo gazed at her.
──This girl, with this outward appearance, some goods would have been sold.
He thought about such things.
They arrived at the rooftop.
Maybe because they had walked the pitch dark stairwell for a while, even the moonlight felt radiant.
It was the place where Diablo was summoned.
It was wide enough that it didn’t feel confined even with five people around, was octogonal, and at the center, there was an altar surrounded with stone pillars.
There was no ceiling, and the night sky could be seen.
The large full moon was suspended in the air.
