Part 6
Around the time the sky turned madder red──
Diablo was sitting alone with Shera on tree roots for chairs.
「Haa~, what should I do.」
Shera held her head in her hands.
「For it to be no good if they’re not an Elfー」
「That thing where you said “since I’ve properly thought about it, it’s perfect” in front of the Dark Elves, what was it?」
She dropped her shoulders, and it felt like her long ears drooped down more than usual.
「Well……In the Greenwood Kingdom, a king is absolutely needed, and to choose a new king, I would need to marry them, right?」
「You aren’t mistaken up to that point.」
「That’s why, erm……if, I chose you, Diablo, see?」
There were too many things to retort on!
「If the king of the Elves were a Demon, then there would surely be many that would not consent to that. There was even an objection to it from the Queen.」
「Uuu~」
「To begin with, even among the other people of the Races, Demons are detested beings you know.」
It was only a setting in the game, but in this other world, he clearly felt the discrimination.
「Un.」
「It might be different if they were Human though.」
「That would be even worse. With Humans, although there are a great number of them and dominate the Races, they aren’t satisfied with just their own country and want the land of other races. They are hated because they are greedy.」
「Then, what about the other races? What image to most of the Elves have of them?」
「Nnー. Since I’ve made friends with various races, I don’t really think this way but──Demons had strong hatred, Humans are greedy, Dwarves are gluttonous drunkards, and Grasswalkers are lazy.」
「Fumu……What about Pantherians?」
「Erm……」
Shera looked left and right, and after she confirmed that no one was there, she brought her lips close to Diablo’s ear. All while her cheeks were dyed a bit red.
「……That they’re lewd.」
「O, ou.」
Then, are Elves arrogant? Is what he thought as he remembered Prince Kiira.
Elves were appraised as being the closest to the Divine Beings, and were given treasured articles and blessed forests from God. That was the truth, but he also had a hate for self-overconfidence.
Diablo shrugged his shoulders.
「If you understand that much, why did you think that the Elves would recognize someone of another race as king?」
「Uuu……I thought that it was a good ideaー.」
「Also, w, without even consulting me……」
「I mean, it’s because I want to stay together with you, Diablo.」
「Eh……」
Being told that so straightforwardly, he was reflexively surprised.
Although he felt that she was relying on him as a companion, to think it was something like a relationship between a man and a woman……Not to mention that she thought of him as a partner for marriage.
Shera stared at him.
She had such a serious face that he was impressed and thought “so she can make this kind of expression”, but her cheeks were flushed despite that.
「Diablo, do you, not want to be together with me?」
「……I…………」
There was no way he would not want to.
However, he also couldn’t choose her as his sole spouse.
What he didn’t understand the most was his own feelings.
He didn’t have the leeway to think about it up until now.
His original self isn’t even able to converse with other people properly. It took his all to not expose his original self, so something like feelings of love were……
「Oi, you!?」
There was a man’s shout.
The sound of metal armor could be heard.
Diablo had his consciousness pulled out from the bottom of his deep ravine of thoughts.
The Elves did not wear metal armor. Even the female Dark Elf Warrior used leather armor.
In other words, there was someone other than the Elves here.
*Gashan gashan* An armor figured Warrior came running.
Diablo held the dagger, the 《Garuda Edge》 in his hand, and stood up from the tree root.
「Stop right there. Who are you?」
「Ooh! So it really was my good friend!」
「Good friend you say?」
The man held up one hand with a friendly attitude.
「That’s right! Hey there to you too, Shera-chan! You were lonely not being able to meet with me, weren’t you?」
「Erm……Who are you?」
She tilted her head.
The armor figured man made a loud laughter.
「Ha ha ha! It would seem that the two of you don’t get it due to my new, super cool armor!」
Going “Well then”, he took off his helmet.
The young man with bright orange hair and thick eyebrows that looked like he had strong determination showed his white teeth that seemed to shine and expressed a smile.
He even made a pose.
「My name is Emil Byushelbeljel! I am the ally of all women! I am also the ally to allies of women!」
Diablo pressed down on his forehead and thought.
「Ah……ahh, hold on for a moment……Come to think of it……In Faltra City……It feels like this kind of thing was there?」
Shera averted her gaze.
「Even though I finally forgot about him……」
These were harsh reactions, but Emil was exceedingly positive.
「Fufu, for you to have forgotten about my great self, it seems you’ve spent your time in a really dense manner. Enough that several days could feel like several hundred years! As expected of you, my good friend!」
「You are the same as usual, aren’t you.」
Emil was the owner of a steel mentality. Unbreakable, unbendable, and unyielding.
That man, he went and breathed a sigh.
「As usual……huh. That isn’t really the case, you know? I noticed my own limits. Having lost to the Demonic Being Gregor, and having seen your intense magic with my own eyes, I had a thought──That staying like this is no good.」
「So that is your reason for being in the Greenwood Kingdom.」
「I was told by my Shishou, to expand my horizons! So now I am studying under a person called the master swordsman Graham who lives in the northern mountains.」
Diablo reacted.
「What!? Graham is also in this other world!?」
「Nn? What do you mean……by that?」
「Ah, no……」
In the MMORPG Cross Reverie, there were walls in leveling up. Unless one cleared a specific event, they couldn’t grow any more than that.
And even among them, what was particularly difficult to breakthrough was level 99──the wall that was called the limit of the people of the Races.
By meeting with the Shishou of their Class, going around to the countries of every Race, and accomplishing a specific quest, they would finally surpass that limit.
Being more than level 100 was a different world.
Master swordsman Graham should be the Shishou of the Warrior-types.
「However, you shouldn’t be able to meet with him unless you were more than level 80 though?」
「Is that so? Well then, my great current self must be level 80 then!」
「You irresponsible fellow.」
「It’s fine, my great self judges the level of Warrior-type Adventurers. If my great self says that I am level 80, then I am level 80!」
Regarding this other world’s levels, it was used as a criterion for what level of quest could be left to a person, and was something that someone superior acknowledges.
Emil’s speech and conduct seemed idiotic, but in terms of ability, he was the number one Warrior-type Adventurer in Faltra City.
And yet, he lost to even an underling Demonic Being.
The Adventurers of Faltra City had such low levels that Diablo was astonished by them.
What about now?
「Kukuku……Let me see, let me try your ability.」
「What?」
Diablo aimed at chest decoration on Emil’s armor with the dagger he had in his hand.
However, he felt an invisible wall in front of him.
The dagger was flicked back.
Just before it touched him, it were as if he had hit a hard rock.
「Hou! So it was the Martial Art, 《Iron Wall》!?」
「Fu……I won’t be done in so easily like in the past!」
When they first met, since Emil tried to use a technique that was filled with openings, Diablo sent him flying with his staff.
As he was now, Diablo probably couldn’t win against him with normal attacks anymore. He certainly has grown.
「You have done pretty well, in this short time.」
「I suffered quite a bit. First, my great self challenged the Faltra Feudal Lord, Lord Galford!」
「What did you say!?」
Galford was a hero of the previous war, and unfolded a fight where he was close to equal to Diablo.
Among the Warrior-type people of the Races, isn’t he the strongest?
No, Allen and the commander of the 《Royal Palace Chivalric Order》 that he met in the royal capital were unknown but……there shouldn’t be a great difference.
He was that strong of a person. Enough that he would instant kill the Demonic Being Gregor.
Moreover, his personality was cool-headed.
If Emil challenged him, he didn’t think that Emil would return alive.
「I cannot admire lies.」
「Believe me, good friend!? I mean, sure, the difference in our abilities were incredible. However, even if I was done in, I received healing from my companions, and while I challenged him over and over, I got the hang of it! It’s true!」
「Hou……」
「Even the guys that told me to not do something so dangerous and stopped me at first, after I challenged him almost everyday, they ended up accompanying me in my practice……Companions really are the best.」
He seemed idiotic, but he was surprisingly popular.
Emil put up one finger.
「And then, my great self grew!」
Shera was surprised.
「That’s amazing, did you win once!?」
「That’s impossible! To win against Lord Galford, you’d have to be as good as my good friend here, wouldn’t you!?」
「Ah, then, your attack hit once, or something?」
「Close! My great self was able to block an attack only once!」
「Hehー」
「No no, that’s amazing, you know, Shera-chan? Lord Galford is too fast, that you can’t even see his sword at first.」
Diablo had a thought.
──Galford held antipathy for Adventurers. For him to accept Emil’s challenges despite that, was it in order to prepare for the fight against the Demon King Army?
At the very least, his effort of wanting to improve the war potential could be seen.
Emil grinned.
「Having shown growth, my great self received Lord Galford’s referral, and visited Master Swordsman Graham……So now I am on a journey to travel about and gain skill in combat!」
「Wasn’t he just handing a parasite off to someone else?」
「Ha ha ha! There’s no way that’s the case. It just means that everyone is expecting great things of my talent!」
His mentality was strong as usual.
Enough that he wanted him to teach him about the source of that baseless self-confidence.
As they were chatting, some young Elf boys holding small bows came running.
「Emil-san, the preparations are done──Ah, Shera-sama!」
Noticing her, they panicked and bowed.
And seeing Diablo, they also made frightened expressions.
Shera amiably raised one hand.
「It’s been a while, everyone. Are you going somewhere with Emil?」
「Yes! He seems to be going on a Demonic Beast hunt, so we will be guiding him.」
「Demonic Beasts!? It’s already night you know!?」
「It won’t come out from its den unless it’s night.」 is what another young boy said.
「So that’s how it isー. Be careful, okay?」
「Thank you very much! Ah, um……Welcome back, Shera-sama!」
「Un.」
She seemed to be quite adored.
Emil put on his armored helmet.
「Ossha! We’re going on a hunt! See ya later, Shera-chan, good friend!!」
「Good luckー.」
Shera waved her hand and saw them off.
The young boys said things like 「Emil-san, you’re so close to Shera-sama, that’s amazing!」 as they talked with Emil.
So the Demonic Beast hunt was a part of his quest to break through the limit. Even if it was called a Demonic Beast, since there was nothing but small-types around, it probably won’t be a problem with his abilities.
Diablo made a thin smile.
「……Eventually, he might become a reliable vanguard.」