Volume 4 - CH 9

Part 9

「It looks like an interesting guest has come, doesn’t it, swindlers?」

「Muh!?」

Baduta readied his spear and looked up overhead.

Diablo also glared that way.

There was someone standing still in the sky.

Having no foothold whatsoever, they were in the sky. Their red mantle fluttered in the wind.

──Is that the 《Deep Crimson Wings》!?

It was equipment that was just as rare as the 《Curtain of Dark Clouds》 that Diablo had equipped. It was bestowed with the effect of 《Flight Magic》.

They shouldered a gigantic gun that was likely to be about their height in length.

──That guy, could it be, they’re the 《Magi Gunner》 from before!?

Baduta shouted.

「It is fine if those words are directed at me! However, if you are insulting this honorable person, consider that head of yours gone! Lamnites!」[1]

「Add a “-sama” to that, you damned swindler.」

Diablo only realised it now.

──A woman’s voice!?

That person that wore the vivid red mantle came down from the sky.

As he thought, it was a woman.

*Fuwa* Her feet touched the sand. She handled the 《Deep Crimson Wings》 perfectly.

She was a woman glowing with sex appeal.

She looked to be the same age as Diablo.

And then, she was similarly self-important and arrogant.

Making only a single glance at Baduta, she turned her gaze to Lumachina.

「I (Yo), am the master that governs this Zircon Tower──Farnis Lamnites[2]. Are you the High Chief Priest?」[3]

Her scarlet lips faintly curved.

Diablo felt a sense of discomfort from her speech and conduct.

Rem whispered into his ear.

「……This person, calling herself with “yo”, and “master (aruji)”……It seems that she considers herself not as the Feudal Lord but as a king.」

「Hnn, I see.」

Lamnites’ attitude was that of a king himself.

──A setting where such a strong person was the Feudal Lord wasn’t in the game though?

Lumachina put her hands together.

「It is just as you say, I am Lumachina Weselia, the High Chief Priest. Nice to meet you, Feudal Lord Farnis Lamnites.」

「Fu……To think that the big boss of the swindlers, would be such a young girl.」

「What would you mean by, swindlers?」

「Even though you can’t do anything significant, you demand nothing but donations. I will not tolerate parasites in my territory. It means I do not approve of your religion.」

「EH!?」

「If you pay the taxes, I will allow you to do business though.」

「Just what are you saying!? The Lifelia King Dalesh Sandros should have decreed that building the chapel was the Feudal Lord’s duty, and that the Church would be tax free……」

「Hahn! As if I care about that coward’s incompetence! If he has any complaints about me, the king should try coming all the way out here!」

──I see, so the current Lifelia King has never come to the former Demon King territory which has been judged as dangerous. And so, the Feudal Lord’s rampage couldn’t be stopped.

Moreover, Lamnites’ strength was suitable for her attitude.

Taking a guess from her earlier attack through the use of her Magi Gun and her relationship with Baduta, it was certain that she was over level 100.

In the game, even if his opponent was a party of six level 150 Players, Diablo was able to win.

However, that was because there was compensation due to the difference of numbers, and above all, it was because he used a countless number of items. He has already used up all of the rare potions that were in his pouch.

──I’m also interested in what kind of specifications the 《Magi Gunners》 of this world have. While I don’t know that, I can’t carelessly fight against her.

The foundation of 《Magi Gunners》 is “once they fire a bullet with a magic spell enclosed in it, that magic spell activates”.

With the initial specifications, they were able to rapid-fire as much as they liked.

Although the bullets were consumable goods, the destructive power per unit of time was in such a different league that the game balance was broken.

Diablo had also been tormented by the pay-to-win Players’ “banknote stack smacks”.

──That reminds me, there was a Ranker that blindly fired a doubled barrelled Magi Gun that excessively focused on might, wasn’t there. It was dangerous since they shaved off about half my HP in an instant. Though I did annihilate them since they were a couple that had a 《Wedding Ring》 on!

Several adjustments were made, and in the most recent version, the Magi Gun’s rapid-fire ability was made more moderate, and its might also received a drastic nerf.

Even so, since there wasn’t any MP consumption during battle, it was plenty strong──is what Diablo thought.

Lumachina replied to her.

「I understand that you have an opinion about the Lifelia King. However, aren’t the people of your fief suffering?」

「That is because these swindlers here are demanding unreasonable donations.」

Having the conversation place on him, Baduta grimaced.

──I see, since she had the ideology that “God cannot be understood”, is that why she accepted such an absurd “setting”?

No, judging from her speech and conduct, Lumachina is smart.

Isn’t it about time for her to notice his lie? In that case, just how much has she realized?

Could it be that she got as far as knowing that Diablo was a shut-in gamer that was only doing a Demon King role play!?

No, no, that’s impossible……

He was bad with people whose depths couldn’t be read.

Lamnites snorted.

「Hnn……In that case, the ones that rely on something like that are morons! Are there guys that rely on arms with uncertain movements on the battlefield? The calamity will eventually return you say? How stupid! You simply have to strike back at that calamity or whatever.」

「It isn’t that sort of……」

「You all, you take advantage of the insecurities of the masses, and are swindlers that only pluck their money.」

「The healing and miracles of good harvests certainly are there, you know?」

「It is fine for those that have a use to receive proper compensation. I acknowledge that because it is a business. But that is only if they properly pay the taxes!」

Lumachina breathed a sigh.

The conversation between her, who was deeply pious, and the completely utilitarian Lamnites did nothing but follow parallel lines.

If it went on too long, the Magi Gun would be turned towards her again.

Baduta went between them.

「Lumachina-sama, leave it at this for today. Lamnites, we haven’t used the chapel, nor have we done any tax evasions. I don’t believe we have done any faults to be reproached by the Feudal Lord, have we?」

「Hmph……To begin with, I had no business with you. Even that High Chief Priest over there was just an extra. The reason that I brought myself over here for was, to search for “the fellow that used strange magic” on the colossal Demonic Beast from before.」

──So it was me!!

Diablo instinctively made a displeased face.

Considering Lamnites’ speech and conduct, it looked like things would become troublesome no matter how things fell.

Baduta swung his head to the side with a fine performance.

「I also came here to search for them but……There is no one that knows about it.」

「Hoho～u?」

Lamnites’ eyes were fixed on Diablo.

He felt like he would unconsciously avert his gaze. It felt like being glared at by a bad-looking guy in town. Such a weak attitude wasn’t Demon King-like.

So instead, he glared back.

「You, what do you plan on doing once you find that Magician?」

Rem talked with an exhausted voice.

「……Fuu……It seems that you’ve caught the eye of quite a troublesome person.」

「Don’t say that. It will make you all the more tired.」

Diablo shrugged his shoulders.

Shera happily laughed.

「She was a person who said things that I didn’t really get.」

──I want to follow her example, being so carefree.

Baduta once again knelt to Lumachina.

「Once again, I would like to apologize for the numerous impolite events. It seems that it was also due to my subordinates’ ineptitude. Please, would you allow me to invite you to my residence?」

「Thank you. I also have something to talk to you about.」

「I will immediately prepare a sand sleigh.」

Diablo’s group──Or rather, they were treated as Lumachina and her attendants, got on board a camel drawn sleigh.

They headed towards the northern side of town.

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Pronounced Lam-ni-tes.

[2] Original: ファニス・ラムニテス

[3] She refers to herself with “yo” 余,  a kingly way of saying “I” or “me”