Volume 3 - CH 2.4

Part 4

「AGUUUuuu……ッ!」

Rem raised a pained voice.

Though it was coming out, it was not a physical existence.

It was a torrent of thick magical power.

Having expanded inside of her, like a flooded muddy stream, it came pouring out with force.

Diablo stood firm at the side of the altar.

If he were to take precaution, he should have taken some distance but……

The one he had to protect, was right here.

As long as he didn’t know the structure of the Demonic Beings’ magic formation, he couldn’t thoughtlessly move Rem.

「Oi, Edelgart! This really is safe, right!? She seems to be suffering quite a bit, you know!?」

Edelgart was making a face that looked like she was about to cry and had her eyes fixed on the torrent of magical power.

Looking up at the sky, she moaned.

「Oh……Oh……Demon King-sama……」

「Tsk……So she isn’t listening.」

She looked like she was always aloof from the world, but this meant that she also risked her life going towards a goal. With success right before her eyes, she was in a trance.

For an instant──

He had vertigo.

Maybe because he had consumed MP close to the limit, when he lost focus, he felt like he was going to collapse. Though, maybe because with the situation as it is, he wasn’t assailed with lethargy.

Diablo turned his gaze to alongside the wall.

Shera was also looking at the torrent of magical power. And then, her body trembled from the excessively gigantic swirl of magical power that appeared.

「Wh, what is, this……Is this……Krebskrem?」

「That is right……This for sure is……」

Alicia muttered.

She was also gazing up at the sky, and her body was trembling.

Rem extended her frail arm towards him.

「Haa……haa……kuh……haa……haa……Dia……haa……」

「Are you alright!? Hang in there, Rem!」

Diablo grabbed her hand with his left hand. The 《Staff of Tenma》 was being tightly grasped in his right hand. In order to protect this young lady.

「Ugh, kuh……Haa……Haa……」

「Oi! Rem! Open your eyes!」

On her brow, there was an incredible amount of sweat rising up to the surface.

She had become pale and was quivering.

「Haa……haa……Diablo……win……win……please.」

「Of course I will! You, have the obligation of seeing that with your own eyes! I absolutely won’t allow my property to go off and die on their own after all!」

「…………That’s, true.」

Although she was in pain, Rem smiled.

Shera shouted.

「It’s solidifying!」

Having been released from the seal, the Demon King Krebskrem that had become an enormous swirl of magical power was revealing its appearance.

Diablo put himself on guard.

A gigantic torso, formed its shape.

It was a long and narrow torso that resembled a snake.

And then, the head was made.

Two curved horns grew out of it. Red, shining eyes opened. Two, four, even on the center of the head.

The surface was a glossy black color, and gave the impression of being a hard surface like that of an insect.

Hands grew out, and legs grew out. The silhouette had turned into something that could be called humanoid.

It was larger than Diablo.

It was probably around three meters. As a humanoid, even the tall statured Diablo only reached up to the opponent’s waist.

From its back, gigantic wings of light sprang forth, and spread out as if trying to reach for the sky. They even spread out to the sides. The dazzling light wings flapped.

──A giant wrapped in a carapace.

That was the appearance of 《Demon King Krebskrem》.

Krebskrem laughed.

It was a woman’s voice.

The laughter that resembled a high-pitched shriek shook the eardrums of all those that were in this place.

Edelgart raised both of her hands as if overcome with emotion.

「OaAOAa! Demon King-sama’s revivallll!!」

It was a shout that resembled a beast’s howl.

It made him feel that she really was a Demonic Being.

Krebskrem was gushing out magical power from its whole body.

Shera’s voice trembled.

「……This can’t happen. This……If it revives, it’ll be no good!」

「Haa……Haa……This is……」

Rem’s complexion turned pale.

However, it looked like her respiration had somewhat calmed down. If it continues like this, wouldn’t it be a matter of life and death.

Diablo shouted.

「Shera! Alicia! I leave Rem to you!」

He took out a Potion Tin from his waist pouch.

It was an MP Recovery Potion. Moreover, it wasn’t something compounded in this world, but was something that he compounded in the game after gathering extremely rare ingredients.

*Basshuuuuuu!*

It was a sound as if the air of a balloon all came out.

The Demon King Krebskrem’s figure shrank down.

She had become the same size……No, even smaller than Diablo. Far from Shera and Rem, she was even smaller.

She came falling down from the sky with a thud.

Diablo unintentionally forgot to attack and gazed at her.

The Krebskrem that should have appeared with a sinister form, had changed her form way too much.

Reflexively, he looked at her over and over.

He rubbed his eyes.

「……A, child?」

Krebskrem had turned into a very young girl.

On her head, she had curved horns like that of a goat. Her eyes were a purple color that was similar to amethyst, and her blond hair that was put up into two tufts grew down to her knees. What she wore was a dress with fluttery frills, but her shoulders and stomach were visible, to the point where it would have been lascivious if she weren’t a little girl.

She was a girl smaller than Rem, and had a charm resembling that of a small animal.

Her ears were long like that of an Elf, and from her butt, there was a lizard tail hanging down and flopping about.

She was a little girl.

Diablo doubted his own eyes. Questioning if the game-prepared MP Recovery Potion was too powerful and was making him see an illusion, he checkon on how Rem and the others looked.

The girls were also making surprised faces.

So he really wasn’t mis-seeing things.

The little girl──Krebskrem got down onto a place where the edge of the tower became higher, crossed her arms, and glared over the surroundings. Though, even if she was standing on that tall place, Diablo was the taller one.

「Ku ku ku……Were the ones that awakened Maou from her slumber, all of you!」[1]

It was a normal, sweet voice.

Edelgart knelt down.

「……Demon King-sama……Revival～, happy to, see it? Happy!」

The little girl nodded.

「And you are?」

「Edelgart is called Edelgart.」

「I see. Umu! Maou’s revival, you will be greatly praised for it-noda!」

Judging from the Demonic Beings conversation, this little girl is without a doubt the Demon King Krebskrem.

She was the enemy that he must defeat.

However, Diablo was perplexed.

In the MMORPG Cross Reverie, Humanoid Monsters had been introduced. There were also bandits, and even the Demonic Beings were Humanoids.

This wasn’t the first time he went against a female type either.

However, there weren’t any little girls.

This was just a conjecture but──Components weren’t not implemented, but instead intentionally eliminated from the game, the things like sex discrimination, racial discrimination, and slaves.

And then, wouldn’t a component where the ill-treatment of minors being seen be removed?

Blowing away that Krebskrem with magic would probably turn into way too horrible of a scene.

Moreover, this world was not the game.

To “defeat” her meant that he was to ”kill” her.

Since she was the Demon King, that is the natural thing to do, but……

──To be completely honest, I do have some opposition to it.

He did have his promise with Rem, and he couldn’t release her for the sake of the Races. That little girl was the Demon King that would destroy the Races. She should have been.

──Really?

「Oi, are you really the Demon King Krebskrem?」

「Mu? Indeed! And who are you?」

「My name is Diablo. I am the true Demon King that came from another world, the one that revived you……And then, the one that will slaughter you!」

「Fufun, that magical power……I see……The one that woke Maou up was you -nanodana. Umu umu……As a reward, I shall teach you what fear is!」

From that small body of hers, tremendous magical power came overflowing out.

It was distorting the air.

──Even with an appearance like this, she is still a Demon King, huh. Seems like I have no choice but to fight.

Diablo took his stance with the 《Staff of Tenma》, and the corners of his lips curved. Smiling with a grin in front of a formidable enemy is what a Demon King does!

「Kukuku……What kind of fear would a Demon King that only just woke up be able to teach me?」

Krebskrem showed her sharp canines and laughed.

「Ku ku ku……Let’s see……For you who had revived Maou, that method should be good. I will kill you with that extraordinarily brutal one!」

She declared that so as to exaggerate it.

She probably remembered some kind of fighting style. Or maybe, an execution method.

This girl was undoubtedly a formidable enemy.

──Has Krebskrem lost a portion of her memory?

It seems that the ritual was halfway a success, and halfway a failure. He didn’t know the reason why though.

Alicia asked a question.

「The Demon King……is one that destroys the Races. Is that not how it is!?」

「Nn? Umu, let’s see. It feels like that’s how it was……」

Krebskrem started thinking.

Rem raised her voice while being supported by Shera.

「And why is that!? I’ve always thought it was strange. Why, why does the Demon King kill people of the Races!? The Demonic Being possess territory, and even though they are living without any need for the lands of the Races, there should be no advantage or disadvantage to the confrontation. Just what is your goal!?」

Certainly, Diablo didn’t know that either.

Not a single thing about that was written in Cross Reverie’s setting either.

To begin with, games where the hostile existence is trying to destroy mankind and explained their reasons for it, there weren’t that many of them.

Monsters were things that attack people.

However, the Demonic Beings of this world possessed factions, and did not carelessly approach towns of the Races in order to not pointlessly throw away their lives.

If their interests coincided just like in Edelgart’s case, they would also be able to cooperate with the Races.

And then, just like this, interaction with Krebskrem would have been established.

“Why do you kill the people of the Races?”

Krebskrem racked her brain from Rem’s question.

「Uugh……No……That is……It feels like there was some sort of reason -noda.」

「Well then, you do not believe that you wish to kill the people of the Races, correct?」

「Nn? Is that so? That may be the case.」

「In that case, I beg of you. Please do not kill the people of the Races!」

Towards a Demon King, that was a favor that seemed impossible.

However, Rem was serious.

Shera also continued with that.

「I also beg you for that! Killing people of the Races isn’t a good thing! Stop it!」

Alicia was dumbfounded.

Krebskrem nodded.

「Nnー……Since I cannot recall the reason to kill, I guess it is fine. I got it. I am fine with not killing you all as well.」

She then glared over at Diablo’s direction.

「Though, if you say that you will slaughter Maou, I will have to burn you to death -nodaga?」

Those were inflammatory words.

In order to preserve a Demon King’s dignity, if told “burn you to death”, the only answer would be “go ahead and try it”.

Diablo, going tit for tat, was──

In a panic, Rem and Shera interrupted.

「He won’t slaughter you! He won’t kill you! He won’t fight you! As long as you don’t kill people of the Races, then surely!」

「Th, that’s right! Diablo is actually really kind after all!」

Having been together for so long, they jumped in upon understanding just how he would react with the Demon King role play.

Diablo felt relieved in his mind.

──Nice one.

Krebskrem came to an agreement.

「Delicious -noda! Delicious -noda! What is your name!? I shall make you a strongly valued Demonic Being!?」

「Ahaha……I’m Shera. I’m an Elf, you know?」

「What, so you are of the Races. Well, that is fine -noda. I shall praise you -noda.」

「The Demonic Beings here is～……Edelgart, alone? Alone!」

Having the role of giving snacks to Krebskrem stolen from her, she seemed dissatisfied.

Going “I see”, the little girl nodded.

「In that case, I shall bestow you power -noda!」

She held one hand above her head.

For works of entertainment, people always desire an enemy that one can simply beat the crap out of. They sought a target they could crush and feel refreshed over.

However, in this world……Even the Demon King was not an existence meant be a diversion for the Players. She lives, she laughs, and she eats biscuits.

Krebskrem made an inquiry to Shera.

「Do you no longer have any biscuits?」

「Yeah, sorry. But if we return to town, there will be as many as you like, you know? If you put jam on it, it’ll be even more delicious. Also, mixing in crushed walnuts, will make it more and more delicious.」

Shera talked with an entranced expression.

*Jyuru* (Slurp), Krebskrem slurped up her drool.

*Bi*. She pointed to the east.

「Yosh! You should guide me to the place with even more biscuits -noda!」

「EHH!? You’re going to the town!? The Demon King is!?」

Edelgart drew closer in hot haste.

「D, Demon King-sama, should～ first go to Demon King Castle! That is, arrangement?」

「The Demon King Castle, huh……There are biscuits there, right -nodana?」

「No? In castle is～, dead flesh and～, alcohol of blood and～, musical performance of shrieks～?」

Krebskrem pouted.

「You! Do you mean to take Maou to a place with no biscuits!? Even though Maou said that she was revived for the sake of eating biscuits! Even though she said that!」

「……Ah, no……Um～……Demon King-sama～, being at Demon King Castle, appropriate? Appropriate! That is……A, apo, logies. Deepest.」

Edelgart lowered her head.

Going “Hmph”, Krebskrem folded her arms.

「Since I value you highly for the success of Maou’s revival, I will pretend I didn’t hear that just now -noda. A Demonic Being that does not obey Maou’s will is unneeded, got it -nodazo?」

「Ha, haha (As you wish)!」

Edelgart was ashamed. She was making a face that looked like she received shocking news.

Krebskrem grabbed Shera’s arm.

「Yosh! Guide me to this town or whatever -noda!」

「So you really are going!? Is that alright!?」

Shera’s eyes were swimming, looking like she was troubled.

Now that things had become like this, there was no other choice but to take her there. If they untactfully declined her, it seemed like he would have to fight with the Demon King for sure this time.

Suddenly, Diablo had a thought.

──There are a lot of mysteries about the Demonic Being ecology, but there is one thing that I’ve come to understand.

In the Demonic Being world, there were no biscuits in their culture. Only that was something that was clear.