Part 1
His body being shaken, Diablo was dragged out from his slumber.
「Nmu……?」
「Diablo, someone has come, you know? Hey, wake up～」
However, his brain was still muddled.
「…………Nn……I, already said that I wouldn’t go……It kinda, feels like my stomach might be hurting, or something.」
「EH, it hurts!? Diablo, are you alright!?」
A young girl’s high-pitched voice entered his consciousness as if it were penetrating sand.
His hazy feeling head cleared up as he awoke.
──What did I say just now!?
「Uoh!?」
Diablo raised his body up.
Shera’s eyes went round.
「Wawah……!?」
「Wh, what, it is just you.」
「Your stomach, it hurts?」
「Uh……Ah……No……Th, that just now was…………A phrase of another world! In this world’s words, I don’t really know, how it would be heard! I suppose it reflexively came out!」
Shera smiled looking relieved.
「I seeー. Thank goodnessー」
An oil lamp swung at the edge of the room.
The window was closed, but there wasn’t any light even from the gaps.
「Isn’t it still night?」
「Un, it is but……It feels like someone has come.」
「What?」
Shera pointed at the roof.
At the top of the beam, there was a small figure of a person.
──They’re inside of the room!? I was about to reflexively become flustered, but let’s play it cool. Demon Kings do not panic.
He took the 《Staff of Tenma》 that he placed beside the bed in his hand.
「Fu……So you look down upon me. It would seem that you really wish to turn into ash, don’t you?」
That thing flapped its hands.
「Wait, wait! Danna, it’s me -ssu yo!」
The figure of a person came out from the darkness that was above the beam, and descended to the floor where the oil lamp’s light could reach. It was Horun the Grasswalker.
Diablo kept his staff pointing at him and didn’t loosen his guard.
「You, who are you?」
「Come on, I told you that I was an Adventurer, didn’t I?」
「Hou? So the Adventurers of this place explore other people’s houses?」
「That’s not it -ssu yo! I came to meet you -su, Danna!」
Shera pointed at him.
「There’s curry at the edge of your mouth, you know?」
「Whoops!?」
Horun wiped his mouth.
「So you were completely committing theft!?」
「It, it’s because there were leftovers when I was searching for Danna’s room! Snitching food is just a bit of mischief, ain’t it -suka~. Ahaha……」
「Damn untrustful fool. I am not going to the dungeon. Things won’t calm down for a while after all.」
Besides, if the newly discovered dungeon was Diablo’s personal space, there should be a large number of rare equipments that he gathered in the game in the treasury.
Going by the situation of the low-leveled equipment of this world, it could only destroy the military balance.
If they were to go together, he would have to give him a portion of it. He didn’t feel like there was any need for help either.
「Go home.」
「Now, now, I’ve also got some juicy material for you, you know -su yo?」
「What is it?」
「The Head of the Holy Knights Baduta, I saw him carrying your companions in a sand sleigh -su, Danna.」
*Dokun* Diablo’s heart skipped a beat.
「…………What, was that?」
「He’s talking about Rem and Lumachina!?」
Shera also opened her eyes wide.
Going *Fufun*, Horun puffed his chest out.
「Since a female Priest and a flat-chested, black Pantherian are rare, there’s not mistaking them -ssu yo. Nn Fu Fu～, as I thought, you didn’t know -su ne! What cha think, I’m surprisingly helpfu──」
Diablo jumped out of the bed, and drew closer to Horun.
「When was it!?」
「A, about 30 minutes ago -ssu. Since he was using the Holy Knight Unit and it looked like it was against their will, I thought that I needed to notify Danna about this……」
「I’ll tear you limb from limb if that story is a lie!」
Grabbing Horun’s arm, Diablo went out of the room and into the hallway.
There was two maids, and they made surprised faces.
「Is, is something the matter? If you have any needs, we will……」
「Move it! If you don’t want to get hurt, then don’t get in my way!」
「Hii!?」
Taking Horun along, he ran down the hallway. Shera said 「Wait, wait」 as she followed along.
Guys of the Holy Knight Unit created a wall in the middle of the hallway.
「The High Chief Priest’s room is beyond here! No matter who you are, we cannot allow you to pass!」
「I am only confirming her well-being!」
「Unless you have Baduta-sama’s permission, you cannot pass! Since we are properly protecting this place, you can leave her to us!」
「If you get in my way, things will not end safely for you, got it!?」
Horun shouted.
「Danna! Above!」
There was a hole in the ceiling of the hallway, and someone that seemed to be of the Holy Knight Unit was hidden there. He prepared his sword and came down.
「Hoaaaaa──────ッ!!」
──Damned fools!
Diablo fired his magic.
「《Air Block》!!」
It made the air hard like concrete. An invisible obstacle was generated.
The guy that came down crashed into it and with a *Kiin!*, his sword broke. Banging his face hard on it, his teeth flew.
「Ngafuh!?」
The other Holy Knight Unit member drew his sword.
「Alright, he shouldn’t be able to use his next magic immediately! Kill him!!」
「You all, who do you think you are making an enemy of──《Freezia》!!」
Unlike the other Chemical Elemental Magicians around, Diablo was able to rapidly fire with a considerable speed if it was with intermediate level magic that could be learned up until level 99.
Invoking 《Freezia》, a cold air and a shock wave spread out.
The guys of the Holy Knight Unit were frozen.
「Uoooo──!? Guh, gah……!?」
The cold air that looked faintly white enveloped even Diablo’s group. It was enough to make their cheeks and ears hurt.
The stone wall that was chilled radically cracked and crumbled, and the building slanted.
The crystal of ice took the shape of a bud, and a flower bloomed.
He thought that freezing them would be better than causing a fire but……it might have turned into a catastrophe.
──Well, whatever, as long as they’re alive, they’ll probably be healed by a Priest.
「Let’s go!」
「U, un!」
Going with the shivering Shera, and pulling along the solidified Horun, they continued further in.
He kicked down the locked door.
The beds were empty, and a crystal had fallen on the floor.
One of the chairs had fallen over, and the oil lamp that was on top of the table was still lit. There was the smell of flowers.
Diablo clenched his fist.
To be able to go against a Summoner as skilled as Rem without causing an uproar……
「So he was much better than I thought……That damned Baduta……」
Shera’s shoulders trembled.
「Wh, what do we do! Both Rem and Lumachina, were, were they……killed……!?」
「If he planned to simply kill them, he wouldn’t have kidnapped them.」
Moreover, he probably would have done it much sooner.
From Diablo’s conjectures, Baduta shouldn’t be connected to the Cardinal Institute.
Whether it was when they rode on the sand sleigh, when they were eating their meals, or when they were changing their clothes, there should have been opportunities.
Naturally, he was vigilant but……
「Even if that guy were going to take action, I thought that he would do it a bit later though? Even I didn’t want to get into trouble immediately.」
「What do you mean, Diablo?」
「First, I needed to recover. Also, there is the Marked Death Disease.」
「What?」
「That, it isn’t something like an illness. It’s sorcery.」
「Ehhh～～～!?」
The one that raised a surprised voice wasn’t just Shera, but Horun as well.
In a limited time event in the MMORPG Cross Reverie, Diablo had seen sorcery that made people take that same state.
× marks would surface on NPCs.
If the enemy base wasn’t annihilated in nine days time, a great number of people would die──It was that sort of serious scenario, and he remembered that the BBS got pretty roused up by it.
By going into the dungeon that had become the target and defeating the event boss, the 《Event Gauge》 would rise. Depending on the level of the gauge, the unfolding of the scenario would change.
Naturally, Diablo completely cleared the event, and obtained a “charm that heals the Marked Death Disease”.
──It didn’t give an effect in battle, but was an item where you were shown gratitude by NPCs in movie form only though.
According to the game’s scenario, the sorcery was a deed of a Demonic Being. And the dungeon was in the basement of the chapel.
However, the chapel of this world was shut down by the local knights. There shouldn’t be a Demonic Being in the basement of it. Also, the Feudal Lord of the game’s Zircon Tower wasn’t a woman with such a strong personality.
Various things were different.
At any rate, they couldn’t allow the Marked Death Disease to be released.
Baduta didn’t have any signs of being hostile.
Because of that, he had intended on ascertaining if it would be alright to entrust Lumachina to Baduta while they were settling the Marked Death Disease.
──I wonder why that guy suddenly took action?
It was impossible for even Diablo to guess that Baduta revealed his true nature from Lumachina’s questioning.
「In any case, right now, taking Rem and Lumachina back is top priority.」
He put off the matter of the Marked Death Disease.
According to Horun’s story, it seemed that the girls were placed on a sand sleigh. If that is the case, they should be distant from this estate.
Sand ships won’t set sail during the night.
There were large monsters in the desert, and they were more active at night in general.
In order to escape from those, the sand ship would need to raise its speed, but there weren’t any powerful lighting devices in this world.
That meant that it would be sailing the pitch dark desert at great speed. The punch line would be that it would crash into a dune or a crag.
In other words, the place that Rem and Lumachina were taken to was somewhere in the town.
「There isn’t any time to just stand around……I guess I’ll have them spit it out.」
Diablo returned to the hallway.
The effects of 《Freezia》 had faded, and the guys of the Holy Knight Unit were crouching there after having received damage from the temperature lowering.
Chosing one that looked like they would talk, he pointed the 《Staff of Tenma》 at him.
「Choose……Will you tell me Baduta’s destination, or will you die here?」
Part 1
His body being shaken, Diablo was dragged out from his slumber.
「Nmu……?」
「Diablo, someone has come, you know? Hey, wake up～」
However, his brain was still muddled.
「…………Nn……I, already said that I wouldn’t go……It kinda, feels like my stomach might be hurting, or something.」
「EH, it hurts!? Diablo, are you alright!?」
A young girl’s high-pitched voice entered his consciousness as if it were penetrating sand.
His hazy feeling head cleared up as he awoke.
──What did I say just now!?
「Uoh!?」
Diablo raised his body up.
Shera’s eyes went round.
「Wawah……!?」
「Wh, what, it is just you.」
「Your stomach, it hurts?」
「Uh……Ah……No……Th, that just now was…………A phrase of another world! In this world’s words, I don’t really know, how it would be heard! I suppose it reflexively came out!」
Shera smiled looking relieved.
「I seeー. Thank goodnessー」
An oil lamp swung at the edge of the room.
The window was closed, but there wasn’t any light even from the gaps.
「Isn’t it still night?」
「Un, it is but……It feels like someone has come.」
「What?」
Shera pointed at the roof.
At the top of the beam, there was a small figure of a person.
──They’re inside of the room!? I was about to reflexively become flustered, but let’s play it cool. Demon Kings do not panic.
He took the 《Staff of Tenma》 that he placed beside the bed in his hand.
「Fu……So you look down upon me. It would seem that you really wish to turn into ash, don’t you?」
That thing flapped its hands.
「Wait, wait! Danna, it’s me -ssu yo!」
The figure of a person came out from the darkness that was above the beam, and descended to the floor where the oil lamp’s light could reach. It was Horun the Grasswalker.
Diablo kept his staff pointing at him and didn’t loosen his guard.
「You, who are you?」
「Come on, I told you that I was an Adventurer, didn’t I?」
「Hou? So the Adventurers of this place explore other people’s houses?」
「That’s not it -ssu yo! I came to meet you -su, Danna!」
Shera pointed at him.
「There’s curry at the edge of your mouth, you know?」
「Whoops!?」
Horun wiped his mouth.
「So you were completely committing theft!?」
「It, it’s because there were leftovers when I was searching for Danna’s room! Snitching food is just a bit of mischief, ain’t it -suka~. Ahaha……」
「Damn untrustful fool. I am not going to the dungeon. Things won’t calm down for a while after all.」
Besides, if the newly discovered dungeon was Diablo’s personal space, there should be a large number of rare equipments that he gathered in the game in the treasury.
Going by the situation of the low-leveled equipment of this world, it could only destroy the military balance.
If they were to go together, he would have to give him a portion of it. He didn’t feel like there was any need for help either.
「Go home.」
「Now, now, I’ve also got some juicy material for you, you know -su yo?」
「What is it?」
「The Head of the Holy Knights Baduta, I saw him carrying your companions in a sand sleigh -su, Danna.」
*Dokun* Diablo’s heart skipped a beat.
「…………What, was that?」
「He’s talking about Rem and Lumachina!?」
Shera also opened her eyes wide.
Going *Fufun*, Horun puffed his chest out.
「Since a female Priest and a flat-chested, black Pantherian are rare, there’s not mistaking them -ssu yo. Nn Fu Fu～, as I thought, you didn’t know -su ne! What cha think, I’m surprisingly helpfu──」
Diablo jumped out of the bed, and drew closer to Horun.
「When was it!?」
「A, about 30 minutes ago -ssu. Since he was using the Holy Knight Unit and it looked like it was against their will, I thought that I needed to notify Danna about this……」
「I’ll tear you limb from limb if that story is a lie!」
Grabbing Horun’s arm, Diablo went out of the room and into the hallway.
There was two maids, and they made surprised faces.
「Is, is something the matter? If you have any needs, we will……」
「Move it! If you don’t want to get hurt, then don’t get in my way!」
「Hii!?」
Taking Horun along, he ran down the hallway. Shera said 「Wait, wait」 as she followed along.
Guys of the Holy Knight Unit created a wall in the middle of the hallway.
「The High Chief Priest’s room is beyond here! No matter who you are, we cannot allow you to pass!」
「I am only confirming her well-being!」
「Unless you have Baduta-sama’s permission, you cannot pass! Since we are properly protecting this place, you can leave her to us!」
「If you get in my way, things will not end safely for you, got it!?」
Horun shouted.
「Danna! Above!」
There was a hole in the ceiling of the hallway, and someone that seemed to be of the Holy Knight Unit was hidden there. He prepared his sword and came down.
「Hoaaaaa──────ッ!!」
──Damned fools!
Diablo fired his magic.
「《Air Block》!!」
It made the air hard like concrete. An invisible obstacle was generated.
The guy that came down crashed into it and with a *Kiin!*, his sword broke. Banging his face hard on it, his teeth flew.
「Ngafuh!?」
The other Holy Knight Unit member drew his sword.
「Alright, he shouldn’t be able to use his next magic immediately! Kill him!!」
「You all, who do you think you are making an enemy of──《Freezia》!!」
Unlike the other Chemical Elemental Magicians around, Diablo was able to rapidly fire with a considerable speed if it was with intermediate level magic that could be learned up until level 99.
Invoking 《Freezia》, a cold air and a shock wave spread out.
The guys of the Holy Knight Unit were frozen.
「Uoooo──!? Guh, gah……!?」
The cold air that looked faintly white enveloped even Diablo’s group. It was enough to make their cheeks and ears hurt.
The stone wall that was chilled radically cracked and crumbled, and the building slanted.
The crystal of ice took the shape of a bud, and a flower bloomed.
He thought that freezing them would be better than causing a fire but……it might have turned into a catastrophe.
──Well, whatever, as long as they’re alive, they’ll probably be healed by a Priest.
「Let’s go!」
「U, un!」
Going with the shivering Shera, and pulling along the solidified Horun, they continued further in.
He kicked down the locked door.
The beds were empty, and a crystal had fallen on the floor.
One of the chairs had fallen over, and the oil lamp that was on top of the table was still lit. There was the smell of flowers.
Diablo clenched his fist.
To be able to go against a Summoner as skilled as Rem without causing an uproar……
「So he was much better than I thought……That damned Baduta……」
Shera’s shoulders trembled.
「Wh, what do we do! Both Rem and Lumachina, were, were they……killed……!?」
「If he planned to simply kill them, he wouldn’t have kidnapped them.」
Moreover, he probably would have done it much sooner.
From Diablo’s conjectures, Baduta shouldn’t be connected to the Cardinal Institute.
Whether it was when they rode on the sand sleigh, when they were eating their meals, or when they were changing their clothes, there should have been opportunities.
Naturally, he was vigilant but……
「Even if that guy were going to take action, I thought that he would do it a bit later though? Even I didn’t want to get into trouble immediately.」
「What do you mean, Diablo?」
「First, I needed to recover. Also, there is the Marked Death Disease.」
「What?」
「That, it isn’t something like an illness. It’s sorcery.」
「Ehhh～～～!?」
The one that raised a surprised voice wasn’t just Shera, but Horun as well.
In a limited time event in the MMORPG Cross Reverie, Diablo had seen sorcery that made people take that same state.
× marks would surface on NPCs.
If the enemy base wasn’t annihilated in nine days time, a great number of people would die──It was that sort of serious scenario, and he remembered that the BBS got pretty roused up by it.
By going into the dungeon that had become the target and defeating the event boss, the 《Event Gauge》 would rise. Depending on the level of the gauge, the unfolding of the scenario would change.
Naturally, Diablo completely cleared the event, and obtained a “charm that heals the Marked Death Disease”.
──It didn’t give an effect in battle, but was an item where you were shown gratitude by NPCs in movie form only though.
According to the game’s scenario, the sorcery was a deed of a Demonic Being. And the dungeon was in the basement of the chapel.
However, the chapel of this world was shut down by the local knights. There shouldn’t be a Demonic Being in the basement of it. Also, the Feudal Lord of the game’s Zircon Tower wasn’t a woman with such a strong personality.
Various things were different.
At any rate, they couldn’t allow the Marked Death Disease to be released.
Baduta didn’t have any signs of being hostile.
Because of that, he had intended on ascertaining if it would be alright to entrust Lumachina to Baduta while they were settling the Marked Death Disease.
──I wonder why that guy suddenly took action?
It was impossible for even Diablo to guess that Baduta revealed his true nature from Lumachina’s questioning.
「In any case, right now, taking Rem and Lumachina back is top priority.」
He put off the matter of the Marked Death Disease.
According to Horun’s story, it seemed that the girls were placed on a sand sleigh. If that is the case, they should be distant from this estate.
Sand ships won’t set sail during the night.
There were large monsters in the desert, and they were more active at night in general.
In order to escape from those, the sand ship would need to raise its speed, but there weren’t any powerful lighting devices in this world.
That meant that it would be sailing the pitch dark desert at great speed. The punch line would be that it would crash into a dune or a crag.
In other words, the place that Rem and Lumachina were taken to was somewhere in the town.
「There isn’t any time to just stand around……I guess I’ll have them spit it out.」
Diablo returned to the hallway.
The effects of 《Freezia》 had faded, and the guys of the Holy Knight Unit were crouching there after having received damage from the temperature lowering.
Chosing one that looked like they would talk, he pointed the 《Staff of Tenma》 at him.
「Choose……Will you tell me Baduta’s destination, or will you die here?」
