Chapter 3: Going to a Café

It was late at night when the group had finally crossed the Bridge of Ulug. It seemed the flashes of light from their battle with Eulerex could be seen from here, and the sound of the explosions had even reached the fortress as well. Due to this, they were subjected to a slew of questioning. Diablo simply replied that a monster appeared, so he had fought it off using his magic.

The soldiers posted here at the fortress were indebted to Diablo since he saved them from the army of one hundred Fallen that had marched on the Bridge of Ulug. He managed to earn their trust because of that, and the guards let Diablo and the others through without any interference.

The walls of the city of Faltra came into view. There were sentries posted at the gates that led into the city as well, and if they were to search Krebskulm, things could turn sour extremely fast. They could pass off her Elvish ears and purple eyes as her being a Demi—

However, her horns and tail stood out too much. They borrowed Alicia’s cloak and had it draped over Krebskulm like a robe in order to hide her appearance.

“Mmmmgh... Why does a Demon Lord such as myself have to wear this?”

“It’s because they won’t let you in if they find out you’re a Demon Lord.”

Krebskulm gave a reluctant nod in response to Shera’s explanation. Rem, on the other hand, seemed uneasy.

“...Alicia is with us, so I’m sure it will be all right...”

“Please, leave it to me,” Alicia replied, gently smiling.

—As long as we have an Imperial Knight with us, the guards will probably give us a free pass just by association.

Now the only thing left for Diablo to do was act all high and mighty like a Demon Lord, while simultaneously blending in and doing his best not to draw any unwanted attention from the guards.

“A word regarding Miss Krebskulm...” Alicia began to offer a suggestion. “Even if we take every precaution to hide her at the city gates, would it not be problematic to call her by name in the town itself?”

It seemed this could very well turn into a big problem for them. The name “Krebskulm” was well-known amongst the races as being the name of a Demon Lord.

“...If anyone were to call one of the races by that name, I’m sure it would be reported to the Church.” Rem nodded.

“So I see...” Diablo sank into thought.

—It may have also been possible that you couldn’t name your character “Krebskulm” back in the game... They did something similar with the name “Greenwood,” after all.

“I know, I know!” Shera’s hand shot high into the air. “How about ‘Klem’?”

—Shortening “Krebskulm” down to “Klem,” huh... It’s a little simple, but at least it’s better than “Kreb” or something.

“...It’s better than something completely unrelated to her original name, I suppose,” Rem said with a shrug. “This way, it might also be easier to play it off if we accidentally use her real name.”

“I will respect everyone’s opinions on the matter.”

“Do whatever you like,” Diablo spoke, giving his usual magnanimous nod. The truth was that he had no confidence in giving her a new name, and having his suggestion shot down by the group would make him look lame.

Shera gave herself a round of applause. “Then it’s settled! From now on you’re ‘Klem,’ OK?”

“Hmm. I may be a Demon Lord, but when we’re this close to the biscuits, I do not care of trivial matters concerning how you address me. I will allow it.”

“Ehehe! Then let’s get along, Klem!”

“Very well!”

“I kinda feel like I just got a new little sister! I’ve always wanted one, you know? Elves don’t actually have all that many children...”

They approached the gates of Faltra while still talking, the morning sun already rising into the sky. Because they had been walking to match Krebskulm’s pace, instead of arriving at the break of dawn, it was already time for the morning market to start business for the day.

They passed through the city gates. Unlike their venture to Starfall Tower, which had led to one unexpected event after another, the greatest enemy Diablo and the others faced now was a battle against their own sleepiness as they made their way back to the Peace of Mind Inn.

†

Back in their room at the inn—

It was a relatively featureless room, with only one bed in the center big enough to accommodate three people. Diablo wanted to collapse on the bed and fall asleep right away. He hadn’t used that much magic, but it was a fact that he used up a sizable chunk of his MP. Having to force himself to stay alert from one situation to the next left him mentally exhausted.

But he couldn’t just make a beeline to the bed.

“...Where should we have Klem sleep?” Rem asked.

“Isn’t here fine?” Shera looked at Rem curiously as she patted the bed.

It was a simple bed with sheets thrown over some straw, but it was big enough to hold them all. Having four adults squeeze into it would be a bit of a tight fit, but three adults and child should be doable.

Rem turned to look at Klem. “...Having a Demon Lord sleep in a bed at the inn? Ah, well... I suppose Diablo is a Demon Lord as well, isn’t he.”

Hearing that, Klem looked up at Diablo. “Oho? So you sleep here, too?”

—’Cause we’re flat broke.

But he couldn’t answer her with that, so he snorted instead.

“I am not such a fool who thinks sleeping in an important-looking place makes me important, you see. Though the royalty and aristocracy of the races may spend large sums of money on lavish homes and furnishings, I find that to be completely idiotic.”

“Yeah, you’re right!”

“Heh—aren’t I, though?”

“Who cares about where we sleep! Just as long as someone brings us biscuits!”

—I’d much rather you didn’t lump me together with you on that one...

At the very least, he had made it through the conversation without being made fun of for being a dead-broke Adventurer.

“It is true that many use their appearance and dwelling to show the value of their worth as a person.” Alicia nodded, looking at Diablo in admiration. “But I, too, find that to be a foolish endeavor. As I would expect from you, Sir Diablo, you see things for what they are truly worth.”

“O-Of course.”

—She’s taking me way too seriously here...

Shera flopped onto the bed with an audible *fwump*.

“I like this waaay much better than some fancy-pancy bed. It feels a lot warmer when everyone’s close together here!”

“...As long as you all don’t mind, then I suppose it’s fine...” It was barely noticeable, but Rem’s shoulders were shaking.

—I guess anyone would be against suddenly sleeping in the same bed as the mortal enemy they had risked their life to defeat.

“Rem, you shall borrow Alicia’s room for the time being. It would be too cramped to have four people in the same bed, after all.”

“Huh? But...”

“Stay there until you are used to this arrangement.”

“...I suppose you’re right.” She looked troubled up until now, but an expression of relief had finally crossed Rem’s face.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t gotten permission from the person who actually owned the room Rem would be staying in. He was always bad at planning out things like this.

“You do not mind, I assume?” Diablo asked Alicia.

—Aaand now I’ve gone and asked her in as heavy-handed a way as possible. Great. I hope I didn’t make her mad...

Alicia gave a deep bow. “Being able to help in this way is an unexpected joy. Please feel free to use my bed, Miss Rem.”

“...I am fine with the floor. I’m an Adventurer, so I’m used to it.”

“Please, I insist. It is an Imperial Knight’s duty to protect the people.”

“You shall both sleep in the same bed, and you will like it!” Diablo flicked his hand to drive them from the room.

“...Mmgh.” Rem’s face flushed red.

“As you command, Sir Diablo.” Alicia gave another respectful bow.

“...I’m sorry, Alicia.”

“It really is all right. Please, do not worry yourself over it.”

With those parting words, the two girls left the room.

“Phew...”

Setting down Tenma’s Staff and removing his Curtain of Dark Clouds, Diablo stretched out on the bed. Having finally been given the chance to relax, his body felt like lead.

“You OK?” Shera peered into his face.

“Yeah. This is just because I used some of my MP...”

A good night’s rest should be enough to take care of something like this. It was different this time around, compared to when he had beaten back the army of Fallen or fought with the Elven troops. Eulerex was indeed a formidable foe, but he had only gone one round with the Fallen, and he had already recovered the MP he had given to Krebskulm with an MP potion.

Klem had climbed up onto the bed as well. She removed her cloak, and was back to looking the same as when they had first met her.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“When Diablo uses his magic, he gets tired and loses his energy,” Shera explained. “He did his best fighting for us all out there.”

“Hmm... Now that you mention it, it seems both the Fallen and the races lose magic energy when they use spells, strangely enough.”

“Is it different for you, Klem?”

“Of course it is! I am a Demon Lord, you know! Magic energy just keeps flowing out from deep inside me for some reason!”

—What the hell’s with that? Isn’t that cheating even more than my “Magic Reflection?”

So began the thoughts that crossed his mind as he was teetering on the edge of consciousness.

—I thought the Demon Lord was strong because they had stored up magic energy for hundreds of years or something, but I guess that’s wrong. Maybe it’s something completely different... Like, they’re some kind of engine or something...?

No, that doesn’t sound right, either...

He thought he would be able to draw a comparison to something back from his old world, but was having trouble thinking straight. And it wasn’t because of how much MP he lost; he was just plain tired. Not only had he pulled an all-nighter, he had walked for a total of ten hours yesterday; not to mention the ritual and all the fighting piled on top of that. If this was his old body, he would almost certainly be dead by now.

—I just want to go to sleep...

Shera began to remove her clothes: “There we go.”

“...What.”

“You feel better when I do this, right, Diablo?” Having stripped down to her underwear, she clung to him, her soft skin pressed up against his own.

“What are you...?!”

“Oho, I see. So that’s how the races give magic energy to each other... You’re an interesting bunch, aren’t you.”

“Magic energy? No, it’s a little different from that. Do you wanna try, Klem? Doing this makes me happy, too.”

“What?! Even you as well?!”

“Yeah! Diablo will be happy, and so will I! It’s a win-win for everybody!”

—Stop it, seriously!!

“Very well, then let’s give it a try!”

Klem began removing her clothes as well. As soon as she touched them, they wriggled and fell off her as if they had a mind of their own. Her skirt and sleeves still remained, but everything from her stomach upward was completely bare.

There was no curvature to be found on her chest, and he could see the vague outline of her ribs as well.

—While she’s supposed to be a Demon Lord, she isn’t all that different from a Human. Although the only girls I’ve seen like this were all Demis...

“Hmm, like this?” She pressed her flat chest against Diablo.

Her skin came into contact with his, a shock running across his back.

—What is this feeling...?!

When Shera and Rem touched him, they felt warm and soft, and it made his heart start beating incredibly fast. Though it was a little embarrassing, it would get his blood pumping and boost his spirits.

—But with Klem, it was different.

“Mmm, something like this?”

The strength left his body; he was no longer able to move. Shera didn’t seem to notice yet, and was still smiling, as happy as could be.

“That’s right, just like that! If you keep pressing up against him, he should be feeling better in no time.”

“Hmm, I’m starting to have fun with this as well!”

Klem’s skin almost felt like it was clinging to him. It was as if an electric current was running through him, traveling along his spine and reaching all the way to the deepest recesses of his brain; a similar feeling to when he had drunk his MP potion from earlier.

“Ngh...”

“Heehee, what’s wrong? Letting out a moan like that... Do you like this, perhaps?”

Klem pressed her body against his arm, nuzzling against him. As she rubbed her skin against his, he was assaulted by an abnormal sensation.

“Grk...”

“I see... This is fun.”

There was a mischievous look in Klem’s eyes as she smiled. It was an alluring expression that no child would make.

She began tracing her fingers over the back of his neck. As she touched him, it was like fire and ice being pressed onto him at the same time. It was an intense stimulation, as if he was on the receiving end of an electric shock.

“Ngh... Hng...” Diablo felt like he had been bound by chains; he couldn’t move.

“Hehe... This thick neck...your well-featured chin...your flawless eyes... It’s almost like someone created you to look this way.”

“Mgh, well...”

It was true Diablo’s appearance wasn’t real, as it was just his avatar from the game.

“This is what you like, right? Mm... Mm...” Klem was starting to pant.

Still clinging to Diablo’s arm, she moved herself up and down, over and over, as she rubbed against him. The strange stimulus washed over him like incessant waves, crashing into him again and again. His own breathing became more ragged—before he knew it, Shera was on his other arm, moving similarly like Klem. Her face was flushed a crimson red as she rubbed against him, taking short gasps of air as she moved.

“Mm... Hah... Hah... How is it, Diablo...? Do you feel...better now?”

“Y-Yeah, I—”

“It’s not over yet. We have to...do more...!”

Klem gripped him tighter, as if she was in a trance, and began moving faster, and faster. Her gasps quickly became faster and more high-pitched, with Shera almost mimicking her—

“Hahn! Ah... This... This feels amazing... Everything...is going fuzzy...”

“Ah, mnn! Ahh... It feels like...magic energy, is flowing into me. Diablo, I... I can’t... It’s...nngh! It’s overflowing!”

“Grh!” Diablo grit his teeth.

“Ah! Ahn!” Shera’s back was as straight as an arrow. “The magic energy... it’s overflow— Mng, ahhhhhhh!!”

“Something... Something’s coming! It’s coming! F-From deep...inside me...! Mmgh!” Klem’s body started to tremble.

Because he was still in contact with her, Diablo could feel precisely what was happening. An inconceivably large expansion of magic energy was welling up inside Klem, and this wasn’t the magic energy he had given to her during the ritual, either. If the average Sorcerer could be said to have about a cup’s worth of magic energy, and Diablo possessed around a bathtub’s worth, then Klem’s was more like a raging river’s.

—She’s completely different from everyone else?!

The colossal tide of magic energy gushed forth, making it hard for Diablo to even breathe; he was going to drown in it at this rate.

“H-Hey! Don’t let it overflow that much!”

“Mn, ahhhhh!”

Klem clung to him as she shuddered. And then—

She opened her mouth wide, showing off rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

—She’s going to eat me?!

She lightly sank her teeth into Diablo’s neck—a love bite.

The sensation from that slight pain etched itself deep into his consciousness. Immediately afterward, the tension in Klem’s limbs went slack, just like a puppet who suddenly had its strings cut.

“Fwah...”

She collapsed in a heap on top of him. The torrent of magic energy had finally ceased flowing as well.

As for Diablo—it was as if none of this had just happened. His body felt incredibly light now. Klem and Shera were both draped over him, sound asleep, as if they had been knocked out cold...but it felt like they weighed nothing at all.

His MP had been fully replenished, with all his fatigue melted away. His senses were now heightened, and he could feel pure strength flowing into each of his limbs. It was almost like he had taken some sort of shady enhancement drug or other. This may well be a similar feeling to when a Fallen received power from the Demon Lord.

—Maybe it’s because I’m a Demon?

The blood of the Fallen that flowed within him may have reacted to the magic power of the Demon Lord.

†

It was past noon when he woke up. Sleeping in like a vampire, it had reminded him of his nights as a game addict.

“Wow...”

Shera and Klem had fallen asleep on top of him, both almost completely naked.

—No matter how nice the climate is here, you guys are gonna catch a cold if you sleep like that...

Not only that, they were wet as well.

—I guess that would be sweat.

“Man, oh man...”

“Wh-Why in the world are you all half-naked?!”

A loud voice suddenly shook the room. Standing in the doorway was Rem, her eyes as wide as could be.

“...Shera...and even Klem, too?!”

“This is, um... It was hot, you see, and...”

“If it was so hot that you had to remove your clothes, then why are they hanging all over you like that?! I don’t understand! I don’t understand any of this one bit!”

—I don’t really have a clue, either...

Rem briskly walked across the room toward the bed, grabbing hold of Shera’s cheeks.

“What is the meaning of this, Shera?!”

“Mmblgh... Gewd morningh, Rehm.”

“...Why...are both you and Klem...sleeping, on top of Diablo—naked?!”

Klem’s head slowly rose from the bed, a devilish smile on her lips.

“Mngh...?!” Rem shrank back.

“Heh heh heh... I have awakened. Now, bring me biscuits!”

“...The dining hall is on the first floor...”

“Hmph. There are too many rules in this town. You should be able to sleep and eat in the same place, I say...”

Grumbling all the while, Klem got down off Diablo, who let out a deep sigh.

—Because of what they did to me, I had a hard time going to sleep for a while... I’m all good recovery-wise, but my head still feels kind of fuzzy. Mental fatigue, I guess you’d call it?

“It is time for you to wake up! Now!”

Diablo lifted his arm, prompting Shera, who had been sleeping while wrapped around it, to fall off the bed and tumble onto the floor.

“Owie?!”

Looking to see what all the commotion was, Alicia came running to the room, an expression of alarm on her face.

With everyone officially awake, Diablo and the others headed downstairs to eat brunch.

“I’ll just have to burn this whole town to the ground, then!”

Klem made this disturbing proclamation in the middle of the dining hall at the Peace of Mind Inn - Twilight, sending Shera into a panic.

“Wh-What are you saying?!”

“You said that there were no biscuits here! NO BISCUITS!!”

“They don’t have biscuits at the restaurant inside the inn.... But, there’s a bakery called 《Petre’s》 that sells them, though! The ones filled with cream are the best there!”

“...The biscuits at Petre’s are quite delicious.” Rem nodded. “Though their bacon bread reigns supreme in terms of flavor.”

“It was worth coming here from another world just to be able to eat their freshly baked bread,” Diablo agreed.

Alicia stood silently next to them, as if she was their own personal bodyguard. She was staring intently at Klem.

—It looks like she might still be wary of Klem because she’s a Demon Lord.

Folding her arms, Klem proclaimed smugly: “Then you shall guide me there!”

“What should we do?” Shera asked Diablo, an expression of concern on her face. “I’m fine with just going over there and buying stuff to bring back, but...”

It was true they should be hiding Krebskulm. The town was sent into a turmoil from just a single Fallen appearing; who knew what kind of chaos Faltra would be thrown into if people found out there was a Demon Lord amongst them.

But did that mean they should keep her locked up in their room all the time? Not only did that make Diablo feel bad for her, it was probably impossible, too. At some point, there was no doubt she would eventually say she wanted to go outside. But luckily enough for them, almost all of Klem’s most Demon Lord-esque features could be hidden by throwing a robe over her—because of the climate, though, there weren’t all that many people who wore clothes with hoods.

“...If someone should ask us about her race or her relation to us, what should we say?” Rem asked to confirm before they headed out.

“There’s nothing we can do if they see her tail, but for now, say her horns are just decoration. Those ears of hers stand out far too much, so we have no choice but to call her an Elf.”

Shera looked at Diablo, head tilted. “You sure? Aren’t they a little different compared to an Elf?”

“Don’t worry about the small details. I’m sure it’s not much stranger than a busty Elf.”

“Mmph.” Shera looked down at her chest.

—I wonder if it’s true that you can’t see your own feet when they’re that big... I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like.

“Where exactly would this bakery be located?” Alicia moved the conversation along.

“The Southern District!”

“...Then let’s head to the Central Plaza first, shall we?”

†

As they traveled along the eastern road toward the Central Plaza, the imposing building that was the Adventurer’s Guild came into sight.

“Hey, isn’t that Emile?” Shera said as she pointed.

It seemed like the young man in question had noticed them as well. He was decked out in a set of gilded armor that stood out so blatantly it almost forcibly drew your eyes to toward it. He had thick eyebrows, and a single tuft of hair that fell down onto his face. He was tall for a Human, with facial features that showed his intrepid nature and the force of his will.

He was Emile Bichelberger, the number one Warrior of the Adventurer’s Guild, and it looked like he was with some of his party members today. The other Adventurer in the white robe who had helped save Shera from a kidnapping was there as well.

“We’re heading back first, Emile.”

“Sounds good! I’ll be out doing the usual.”

“Try and come back before it gets cold, okay?”

With those words, his party members went inside the Adventurer’s Guild, while Emile joined Diablo and the others.

“Greetings, my friend! How you holding up?”

“Nothing’s really chang— Well, actually... Doing considerably well, all things considered.”

Diablo looked at Rem and Shera, the two people who had brought him to this world. They had each grappled with their own problems, with Shera having been pursued by her home country, and Rem dealing with Krebskulm’s soul sealed inside of her. He hadn’t solved all their problems yet, but they were at least making progress.

Noticing his gaze, Rem smiled back at him, with a playful smile coming across Shera’s face as well.

Emile spread his arms wide in grandiose fashion. “Oh, my lovely maidens! Have you been faring well? Have you gotten lonely since you haven’t been able to see me?”

He wasn’t a bad person, but his strange fixation on women was definitely a bit of a problem.

“...You’re still the kind of person I would like to keep my distance from, I see,” Rem sighed.

“I getcha, though I know he isn’t really a bad guy. He did save me before, after all,” Shera said with a bitter smile.

Alicia gave a polite bow: “My deepest apologies for not introducing myself the other day. I am Alicia Cristela, an Imperial Knight.”

Alicia and Emile had met during Shera’s attempted kidnapping, but they didn’t have the time to talk back then. But now, Emile flashed a smile wide enough to show off his pearly white teeth.

“My name is Emile Bichelberger, an ally to all women! If you run into any trouble at all, please, do not hesitate to come to me!”

Alicia’s response was flawless, but Emile seemed a little bummed that she had brushed off his trademark introduction so easily.

With a strained smile, Emile dropped his gaze for a second—where it caught on Klem, who still donned her robe.

“Um... Hey, my friend... And this would be...?”

“An Elf.”

Now that Diablo thought about it, they hadn’t decided on the story behind their relationship with Klem. Luckily, Emile was the type of person who didn’t care about small details like that.

“Hello there, my young Elf maiden. What would your name be? I am the great Emile, an ally to all women. If you ever run into trouble, you can count on me; I’ll come running to save you whenever and wherever!”

Krebskulm glared suspiciously at Emile. “What’s with this guy? He’s a little too friendly, don’t you think? And not only that, but he thinks he can save a Demon Lord? Well, I’d like to see you try! I will have you prove you possess the ability to back up those words!”

“Huh? Demon Lord?”

“That is correct! My name is—mmph!” Shera had come up behind Klem and covered her mouth with both hands.

“Klem! Her name is Klem! She’s my little sister!”

“What?! Then she’s an Elf princess, too?!”

“Ah... Um...”

It looked like Shera had blurted that out without thinking about her own pedigree. Besides the fact that she had run away from home, she was also the princess of the Kingdom of Greenwood. Plus, since her brother had died, she had gained the right of succession, and was next in line to take the throne. If she had a little sister, that would make her a princess, as well.

“...Stupid Shera...” Rem placed a hand on her forehead, exasperated. “Do you have a second, Emile? We do not like to stand out, and your appearance and loud voice is making us do just that. Do you understand what I’m trying to say here?”

“Even without my devilish good looks and melodious voice, I would think you stand out plenty already, wouldn’t you?”

There was no denying that—all together, their group consisted of a Demon with horns growing out of his head, a busty Elf, and a rare black-furred Pantherian; and the two girls just also happened to be wearing Enslavement Collars around their necks. To top it all off, they even had a female Imperial Knight with them. They were a veritable collection of walking anomalies, so of course people would stare at them as they walked about.

“...Even if that may be so, we do not have the luxury of time to stand around talking.”

“I see, I see. Now that you mention it, I don’t have that kind of time, either. It seems like some Paladin by the name of ‘Saddler’ has come here from the Royal Capital, and it sounds like he has a less than stellar reputation for being a regular evildoer. I was planning on keeping watch around town to make sure no women ran into any unneeded trouble with him, but...do you know of him?”

Diablo nodded. “I turned him into a statue yesterday. Is he back to normal yet?”

“WHAT?! You already confronted him?!”

“I have no reason to fear an insect like him. It was true he was the type of person to cause harm to innocent people.”

“Good grief... Still exceeding my wildest expectations, I see. If that’s the case, then it seems like I won’t need to worry about you. Leave taking care of the townspeople to me—the great Emile will protect them!”

“Very well.”

“Well, not that I was ever worried that you would lose to some Paladin in the first place,” Emile said with a shrug. “But try not to overdo things, got it? I don’t want to see my dear friend’s face plastered on a wanted poster.”

If Diablo ended up killing a Paladin, he would most likely end up as a fugitive pursued by the country, and he wanted to avoid that any way he could.

“I will destroy anyone who dares defy me. That is all there is to it,” Diablo snorted.

“You say that...but this is the Church we’re talking about, you know.”

“My humblest apologies,” Alicia said, bowing her head. “The higher ups in the Royal Capital are also concerned about the Paladins and their rather radical approach to their work... If anything comes up, would you be so kind as to inform me as well?”

“Oh? Seems like you have some circumstances of your own to worry about, too.”

“Yes... Ah, but since I am going so far as to make a request of an Adventurer, allow me to pay you for your trouble.”

“No need! If I can be of service to a pretty lady, then that is enough for me. If I find anything interesting, I’ll be reporting back to you!”

Giving a short farewell salute with his fingers, Emile headed inside the Adventurer’s Guild.

Afterward, the group headed toward the Southern District, paying a visit to Petre’s. It was a bakery run by three Grasswalkers, all of them males, and had a placard with a rabbit drawn on it hanging outside.

Klem bought all the biscuits she could handle, while everyone else chose some freshly-baked bread. They ate at one of the tables inside the shop, and after they were finished, they strolled around town for a bit before finally making their way back to the inn.

It was yet another peaceful day.

†

The following day—

Diablo and the others were grabbing lunch at the Peace of Mind Inn - Twilight. Alicia said she had official Imperial Knight business to attend to, and had left earlier that morning.

“...I will be heading to the Mage’s Association this afternoon,” Rem said, rising from her seat. “I’ve been indebted to Celes this whole time, so I figured I should least let her know what has happened thus far.”

“You have a point.”

“...I’m worried about taking Klem with me, so I will be heading out by myself.”

“I shall allow it. Be back by this evening.”

“All right.”

“See ya!” Shera waved goodbye. “Tell Celes we say hi!”

Just as Diablo thought Klem would keep munching away on biscuits as if this didn’t concern her—

She offered Rem a biscuit.

“I don’t know where you’re going, but if you get hungry, you should eat this!”

“.........Sure.”

“That’s wrong; you should be saying ‘thank you!’”

“Ah... I suppose you’re right. Thank you very much.” A complicated expression on her face, Rem accepted the biscuit, a faint smile on her lips.

—It looks like she may have gotten a little more used to this.

With that, Rem left the inn.

After finishing lunch, Shera was teaching Klem a song in the dining hall, which was now devoid of customers.

—I don’t know much about what the songs are like in this world, but they seem to be more like nursery rhymes...and all about food, for some reason.

“Sylvie!”

Shera pointed towards the entrance of the dining hall. There was a girl who wore barely any clothes at all, only keeping her chest and her waist covered, while her red hair came right down to her shoulders, cut just so. She was a Grasswalker, and sported long rabbit ears growing from the top of her head, and a small, round tail behind her.

No matter how old she got, her childlike appearance would never change. Sylvie was the Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild in Faltra, so she had to be fairly older than she looked. But not only did she look like a kid, she acted with all the innocence of one as well.

“Heya, Diablo and friends! How you all doing!” She waved enthusiastically at them, then sat down in one of the empty chairs.

“Are you here to grab something to eat, too?” Shera asked her.

“Mm, maybe I will grab a little something... But the truth is, I came to see you all.”

“...This isn’t another troublesome request, is it?”

The first time Sylvie had come to them with a request, it turned out to be a trap. Just when he thought their next job would be a simple delivery errand, he had ended up fighting against an army of one hundred Fallen. And just the other day, Sylvie had come to him with a request to “prevent a war with the Elves.”

“They weren’t all bad, right?” Sylvie said with a bitter laugh. “Like that herb gathering quest I gave you just a while ago.”

“Hmph...”

On the quest, a Fallen had appeared, and they were attacked by bandits—in short, another troublesome quest.

“I’m not here with a job for you today. I heard that you got a new girl in your group,” Sylvie said as she looked toward Klem, “and wanted to come see what she’s like for myself.”

“So you’ve already heard from Emile, I take it.”

“Bingo! Klem, was it?”

Klem’s cheeks were filled to the brim with biscuits at the moment. They had gotten her to eat a bit of omelet earlier, but given the chance, she would just start munching away on biscuits again.

“Fwat ho yoo whant?”

Shera wiped Klem’s mouth with a handkerchief, a smile on her face. “No talking with your mouth full, Klem. All right, now swallow... Ah, geez, you’re spilling all over the place! ...But you’re so cute!”

Shera had a look of pure joy on her face. To her, it must have really felt like she had gotten a new little sister.

A smile crossed Sylvie’s face as she looked at Klem. “...Seems like a regular kid to me.”

—It looks like I still can’t let my guard down around Sylvie.

Even though she was smiling, she was still prying for information.

“How much do you know?”

It wouldn’t be a good idea to make Sylvie their enemy. He really wanted her as an ally, if at all possible.

“Nothing at all.” She shrugged. “I was just a bit worried, which is why I came to check up on you. You seem like the kind of person who holds nothing back, after all... Even if it’s against a child.”

Her stare bored into him—he suddenly remembered what happened the other day.

He had drunk a bottle of alcohol Sylvie brought for him in place of an MP potion...but he had no recollection of what happened after that. Apparently, he had done...something to her back then.

—Though I don’t remember a thing about it...

By the time Rem and Shera had gotten back, she had already left—with Diablo holding a bottle of alcohol and a piece of Sylvie’s clothing in his clutches.

—I really must have done something, huh...

But having people think he got drunk and laid hands on a child (or at least, someone who looked like one) would be a problem for him, so he pretended he knew nothing about it.

“I have no interest in children, for I am a Demon Lord. Hmph.”

“Well, we’ll leave it at that for now...” Sylvie’s voice was strangely cold.

In a warm and friendly tone, the complete opposite of what she had just used with Diablo, Sylvie called out to Klem:

“If you ever run into trouble, come to me, OK? Do you know how to get to the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“Very well, so you wish to serve the Demon Lord, too! It seems there are people amongst the races who understand how this works, after all.”

“Demon Lord?”

“I shall give this to you!”

Chest puffed with self-importance, she thrust out her hand—and offered Sylvie a biscuit.

As if suddenly coming to an understanding about something, Sylvie gave a wry smile.

“I guess you really are Diablo’s kid after all... Thanks.” Sylvie popped the treat into her mouth.

“Oh, is this from Petre’s? It’s pretty good!”

One week later—

The bell of the church rang thrice, signaling it was three o’ clock in the afternoon. Diablo and the others were on their way to a café.

“...I’m sorry for making you come all this way for me.” Rem reiterated herself as they passed through the gate of the Central District.

“It’s fine! I’ve been really looking forward to going to a café!” Shera said cheerfully.

“...We did make a promise to go, after all.”

“Are you fond of cafés, Miss Shera?” Alicia inquired.

“Ehehe~ I’ve only asked people about what they’re like, so that’s all I know about them. But someday, I want to open up my own café! Rem will be the waitress who brings customers their coffee, and Diablo will be the guy who wipes the cups!”

—Somehow, I’ve become the busboy. Great.

Rem shrugged her shoulders. “...I haven’t made any promises for the future. Even though I did promise I’d take you to a café, I had no idea it would end up being like this.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m happy just as long as I get to go one!”

“I would think these to be necessary arrangements, considering the current situation.” Alicia nodded. “It’s nothing you need worry yourself over, Miss Rem.”

“...I wonder about that.”

Their destination was a café located somewhere in the Central District. Waiting for them there was the Head of the Mage’s Association of Faltra: Celestine Baudelaire. After Rem had explained everything to Celes, Celes had told Rem she wanted to meet with Klem. Because of that, they had brought Klem along as well.

Shera was holding Klem by the hand. Diablo stood at the back of the group, watching the girls. He was bad at jumping into conversations with many people involved.

Rem was uneasy: “When I said it would be difficult to take her to the Mage’s Association, she suggested a café instead.”

“I would think that to be a reasonable suggestion.” Alicia nodded. “If this person were to try and cause harm to Miss Klem, I would imagine it to be quite difficult to fight back while inside the Mage’s Association.”

“...Though Celes was aware of the Demon Lord’s soul sealed inside of me, she allowed me the freedom to act of my own accord. I would like to think there is no need to worry about her doing anything contrary to that now.”

“No one can understand what a person’s true feelings are.”

“...I’m more worried about something else this time... No, Diablo is with us, so I’m sure it will be all right.”

“I should hope so.”

The reason the girls kept their conversation vague was because Klem was with them. They were worried that she would suddenly awaken to her true Demon Lord nature and attack Celes, and it seemed they were counting on Diablo to prevent that situation from coming to pass. He was certainly prepared for anything to happen, but after observing Klem for the past few days, it seemed needless to worry about that now.

—All she does is eat and sleep.

She was just a child; a child who really liked biscuits, at that. Shera had basically become a kindergarten teacher, spending every day teaching Klem songs and making toys for her to play with. The two had completely opened up to each other.

The thing they should really be worrying about was breaking the bank with the ridiculous amount of biscuits they were buying. As soon as Diablo’s party ran out of money, that’s what would truly bring about the advent of the Demon Lord—or at least, that’s the way he thought of it.

The Central District was partitioned off from the rest of Faltra by towering stone walls. The group had passed through the gates here before on their way to the governor’s mansion. Diablo had run into a bit of trouble with one of the guards last time he came through; but since they had Alicia with them this time around, they got a free pass just by being with her.

The roads here changed from cobblestones to tiles. Instead of being built from stone like everything else, the rows upon rows of mansions were built from bricks, clearly showing that wealthy citizens lived in this town as well. There were even guards posted all over the place, their job being to protect the public order.

After turning a number of corners, they spotted a small, stylish-looking store.

“Wow... So this is a café, right?!” Shera exclaimed in awe.

Just like the others, the base of this building was also built from brick, but the roof was made out of a wooden framework. An iron sign was hanging in the entrance, and the door was fitted with a pane of glass. It was the first time Diablo had seen a glass door since coming here.

“...I have heard this was built similarly to shops in the Royal Capital,” Rem said as she introduced the place. “Celes may have already arrived ahead of us, so let’s head inside.”

She pulled open the door—the aroma of coffee wafted through the air. Diablo had drunk plenty of coffee since coming here, but this fragrance was completely different from the kinds he had tried.

Still holding Klem’s hand, Shera entered the café, her head on a swivel as she looked around in excitement.

“Wow! Wow, wow, wow! This is amazing! Like, really amazing!!”

“Hm, I don’t really get it myself...but there are supposed to be delicious biscuits in here, right?”

“There are! They’re called scones. I remember a girl who had been to a café in the Royal Capital bragging about it.”

Alicia looked like she had something to wanted to add to the conversation, yet remained silent. Now that he thought about it, Alicia actually lived in the Royal Capital, and as the daughter of a duke at that. She must have been to a café at least once before. Diablo, too, had a rough understanding of what they were like thanks to his time living in his previous world.

—But scones aren’t biscuits, right?

It was an almost cramped space, with two four-seater tables inside the shop, and five seats available at the counter. The shop had just opened recently, and no matter where he looked on the inside, it was so new; everything was clean and almost sparkling. He had heard it was supposed to be some kind of hoity-toity, extravagant place, but even compared to the shops back in his original world, it was overflowing with the feel of a high-class establishment. This was different from the shops that would fill a plastic or paper cup full of overly sweet coffee for 300 yen.

—Damn, now I’m getting nervous. I’ve never been inside a normie haven like a fancy café back in my world.

There was only one customer in the entire shop. Already seated in a chair, she smiled at Diablo and the others. She had a gentle face, and wore a long robe that covered her voluptuous figure. A staff leaned against the wall near her, indicating her status as a Sorcerer.

It was the person whom they had come to meet with—Celestine Baudelaire.

“My, my, welcome! ...But me saying that when the employees are right over there is strange, isn’t it.”

“...Did we keep you waiting?” Rem said as she greeted her.

“To be completely honest, I was so excited that I ended up arriving a good while ago. It was definitely the right choice to come here; no matter how long I wait, I never get tired of being here. I’ve actually wanted to try visiting a café myself, you know?” A childlike smile played on her lips as she spoke.

“M-Me too!” Shera said, leaning forward. “I was really, really, really looking forward to coming here!”

“My, so you’re the same as me, then. It’s marvelous being able to taste the same coffee that you would find in the Royal Capital, isn’t it? —Oh, would that be her?” Though Celes was sure to know Klem’s true identity, she still wore a gentle expression on her face.

“And who the heck are you supposed to be?”

“Very nice to meet you. My name is Celes, and I am the head of the Mage’s Association in this town.”

“Oho, I see. So you’re the one in charge of maintaining the barrier for this town.”

Klem looked around. It seemed she could see the streams of magic being used to keep the barrier in place.

Slightly nervous, Rem’s face tensed up; but Celes gave a gentle smile. “That’s right. It’s a serious responsibility, which is why it was so hard to come here by myself... But I’m glad that I did. I get to meet someone as adorable as you, after all.”

“I have only come here to eat biscuits!”

“Is that so? They’re very delicious, I assure you. Please, have a seat.”

“Very well!”

Klem plopped herself down into a chair, while Shera automatically took the seat beside her, almost like she was Klem’s guardian. Rem took the remaining empty seat.

Since it was only four seats to a table, Diablo and Alicia opted to sit at the adjacent table instead of pushing the two of them together.

All alone with Alicia... His nervousness was flying through the roof.

—Who would’ve thought I would end up going to a fancy café and sitting right across from a beautiful woman like this.

Trying to hide the loud thumping of his heart inside his chest, Diablo proclaimed boldly to Alicia: “Order whatever you like.”

“Thank you very much, Sir Diablo... But are you sure it is all right?” She pointed to the menu lying on the table.

For reference’s sake, a cup of coffee at the Peace of Mind Inn was 200 friths, while other places wouldn’t go over 300 in price. At this fancy café—

It was 3000 friths for one cup.

—WHAT THE HELL?! Three zeroes?!

He could barely stop himself from yelling it out loud. It was a price that rivaled the cost of a night’s stay at the Peace of Mind Inn, breakfast included.

—And Celes chose HERE for our meetup spot?! Are you TRYING to make me bankrupt, is that it?! Curse you, she-devil! You evil witch...!!

A pleasant smile came across the face of the wicked woman in question.

“I will pay for everything, so please, order whatever you like.”

“Oh, so you’re an angel after all...”

Fortunately, no one called Diablo out on what he had muttered to himself.

The coffee brought out to him was completely different than the kind he usually drank. It had a strong sour taste to it, but it complimented the bitterness of the beverage, making it easy to drink. Funnily enough, the first thing that came to his mind was that it was almost like drinking orange juice. There was certainly something other than sugar that gave it its sweetness.

—Holy crap! This stuff would sell like crazy if it was for sale back in the city!

Klem was no good with coffee because of how bitter it was, but was considerably pleased at the cocoa and scone brought out for her: “It’s so sweet! And yummy! This muddy water stuff and biscuit are delicious!”

It seemed that any kind of treat was a biscuit to her.

“I’m glad it’s to your liking, Klem.”

“Yes, I shall praise you for this! The biscuits I usually have are fine—but this biscuit was very yummy, too!”

“Hehe... Feel free to have seconds as well.” It seemed Celes was having a great time enjoying this.

When it came time to take their leave, Diablo had Alicia, Shera, and Klem leave ahead of them. In the limited amount of time they had as they took care of the check, Diablo and Rem were conversing with Celes, keeping their voices low so the other employees wouldn’t hear them.

“Celes, you’ve heard everything from Rem, I assume? Even though she has lost her memories...Klem is still a Demon Lord. What are you planning to do about her?”

He didn’t want to make the Mage’s Association their enemy, but it was true Celes had a duty to protect the other races. How would she make her move?

“Hehe, I would think there is no Demon Lord that exists like her. She doesn’t kill people, and she loves to eat sweets... I don’t think you could call someone like that a Demon Lord, do you?” Celes’s playful smile never left her face.

“...I’m grateful to hear you say that, but will you be all right, Celes? Will you not get punished?” Rem asked, concerned.

“It’s the same as what I did for you, Rem. I don’t know what will happen if this goes public...but to me, I find taking away someone’s freedom unnecessarily to be quite unpleasant.”

Celes was the key to holding the barrier protecting Faltra in place. Though she made a conscious decision to play that role, it also robbed her of any kind of freedom—and that’s exactly why Diablo felt he could believe her words.

†

Leaving the Central District via its southern gate, they headed toward the town plaza. Alicia had said that taking this path would be like a shortcut—but the street was jam-packed with people perusing the various stalls lined up here. Unlike the Central District, where all the rich people lived, this scene felt much more like a town full of commoners.

“I’m sorry, I did not expect it to be this crowded...” Alicia said apologetically.

—Not like it’s her fault the marketplace is this crowded.

Because of Diablo’s appearance, people would usually give them a wide berth as they walked down the street, but that wasn’t going to happen with this many people here. Everyone was so focused on shopping that even if they bumped into him, most wouldn’t even pay any mind to him. If they didn’t come face-to-face with him, then it didn’t even matter he was a Demon Lord.

Klem was fed up with the crowds of people: “Enough! How about I just burn them all!”

“No! That’s a no-no!” Shera scolded.

True, burning everyone alive was a bad thing...but as they weaved their way through the throngs of people, Diablo could at least understand the feeling of wanting to.

Alicia held out her hand to Klem. “Let us hold hands to make sure we aren’t separated. We always leave this task to Miss Shera, so this time, I shall accompany you.”

“Hm? Fine, I suppose there’s no way around it. Make sure you hold onto my hand tight so you don’t get lost.”

—It’s you who she’s worried about getting lost, Klem...

Diablo started walking toward the western road. He thought it would be a bit strange for a Demon Lord to worry about the people he was with getting lost.

While Rem seemed concerned about what was going on behind her, Shera came up next to Diablo, grabbing his arm with a, “Wait up!”

“Hmph. Everyone is heading to the inn, no? Then there shouldn’t be any problems, even if we stray from each other.”

“Well, yeah...but it’s more fun when we’re all walking together!”

“Then...do whatever you want.”

“OK!”

As of late, Shera may have seemed like a big sister looking after her little sister, but by nature she was a girl who had always been a bit childlike.

She wrapped herself around Diablo’s arm. It had been a while since Shera had pressed her supple chest against him, and Diablo was having a rough time not letting his unrest due to it show on his face.

Diablo and Shera were at the front, followed by Rem, with Alicia and Klem bringing up the rear.

—It kinda feels like we’re a party from an RPG... Though the person at front is a Demon Lord, not a hero.

Demon Lord, Summoner, Summoner-Archer, Knight, Demon Lord—it’s a pretty unbalanced party...

After they had walked a bit more and escaped the crowds, Shera suddenly yelled out—

“Everyone’s gone!!”

—Looks like they did get lost after all.

Rem, Alicia, Klem—they were no where to be found.

—In this situation, Shera and I are the smaller group, so would that make us the lost ones in this situation? But we were the ones at the front, so that doesn’t seem right...

Were we walking too fast? I’ve never been in front when walking around in a group—let alone ever being in a group—so I don’t have a clue...

Knowing Rem and Alicia, they would head back to the inn if they were separated from the group—

But even so, he was plagued with a vague sense of apprehension.

They hightailed it back to the Peace of Mind Inn. Rem and the others hadn’t returned yet, so Diablo and Shera decided to wait; but after waiting for about 20 minutes or so—

Diablo heard the chiming of the bell from a nearby church, signaling it was five o’ clock in the afternoon. Shera couldn’t take it any longer.

“I-I’ll try going back! They could be out in the Central Plaza looking for us! You stay here, Diablo, since we may end up just missing each other while I’m out looking.”

“Very well.” He couldn’t fully commit to his Demon Lord role play in a situation like this.

Klem may have been a Demon Lord, but she was also a child. He had thought it would be all right just having Rem and Alicia with her...

—But if they were actually together, wouldn’t they be back by now? It seems like there’s a good chance Klem really did end up getting lost...

Was Alicia out searching for her? What was Rem doing?

As thoughts tumbled around in his head, Shera took off toward the Central Plaza.

“I gotta hurry up and find them!”

The more time passed, the less people there would be out shopping, which would make it all the easier to find their lost companions.

But he couldn’t suppress a feeling of dread. It would be fine if this was just needless anxiety on his part, but he couldn’t calm down just waiting around for them.

“If Rem or Alicia comes back, tell them we’ll be waiting in our room,” Diablo instructed the receptionist. “Don’t let them go back outside, got it?”

“Alrighty! Just leave it to Mei. ☆” She sounded the same as ever, but Diablo felt a slight aura of seriousness from her words.

He headed toward the plaza; however, all that had happened was the number of people searching went from only Shera to the two of them—and there wasn’t much point to that. He would need much more manpower if they were going to find them.

As he walked around, mulling over what to do, he spotted a large building along the western road—

“I’ve got it...”

—the Adventurer’s Guild.