Part 8
Late at night.
Alicia had returned to her estate, and everyone else was resting in their respective given rooms──or that’s how it should have been.
Rose lowered her head very deeply.
「I am terribly sorry for coming at a time like this. This Rose is prepared to receive any sort of punishment for disturbing Master’s sleep.」
「It is fine. For you to have paid me a visit, you must have business with me, right?」
「Yes……Actually, my magical power has become scarce. It is at 30%.」
Rose the Magimatic Maid seemed to move with Diablo’s magical power. Magical power was, in other words, MP.
「What’s the meaning of this? Wasn’t it supposed to be restored if you are either at the base, the 《Demon King’s Underground Labyrinth》, or near me?」
「During the journey, I was unable to stay near you all that much……And the amount consumed in battle seemed to be larger.」
「Fumu……And by “close”, about how much distance does that mean?」
「About a distance where my hands can reach.」
That, certainly is close.
Rem and Shera were positioned at Diablo’s sides. And then, since they needed to be protected, he was always in front of Horun and Lumachina.
Since he entrusted the end of the line to Rose who he rely on for both offense and defense, she certainly was at a distance that couldn’t be said to be “where her hands could reach”.
──Looks like I unconsciously thought that it would be recovered if she was just within the party.
He thought now after such a long time that not being able to see a status screen was inconvenient in one way or another. Not to mention, Rose was the type that did not show her fatigue on her face after all.
Without opening her heart to others, her sense of values was slightly off, and without showing distress on her face, she did not match her pace with anyone else.
「You are quite a pain as well, aren’t you.」
「Ah……I am terribly sorry.」
She had a communication disorder that went neck and neck with Diablo, didn’t she.
──No, since she was an AI in the game, I guess it can’t be helped.
Rather, when he thought that he himself was on the level of an AI, Diablo felt a bit depressed.
Pulling himself together, he continued the discussion.
「Well then, you can stay at my side tonight. Will that be alright?」
「Thinking that, I stayed at your side as you slept but……」
「H, hou……」
──So she was near me when I was sleeping! I had no idea.
When he thought about Rose’s figure as she stared at him every night, putting it specifically, it was relatively horrific.
She would be reliable as a night watch though.
Rose talked sounding apologetic.
「It would seem that my magical power would not replenish as you were in the middle of your sleep.」
「So it is no good when I am sleeping. There are surprisingly many restrictions.」
「Uu……To think I would become a burden to Master……Rose is a defective piece of junk. By all means, please dispose of me however you wish. Kick me, or strike me.」
「I’m telling you I won’t!」
He unintentionally returned to his original self.
「Y, yes.」
「Ahh, no……Ahem! Considering your abilities, restrictions of that level could be considered too light. I simply have to stay up throughout the night.」
「No way, you mustn’t, Master. That is harmful for your body.」
「Fu……Do not look down on me. Even if I do not have a night’s sleep, that is nothing to me!」
It had been a long time since he pulled an all-nighter, and he even felt nostalgic about it.
In his original world, he had pulled all-nighters with the game day after day.
Putting aside if they were to be travelling for a long time or going to have a decisive battle tomorrow, for the time being, he only had to wait for Alicia’s report.
It was completely no problem at all.
However, Rose did not consent.
「Bringing harm to Master’s health for the sake of this Rose, that would be a serious problem that concerns the meaning of my own existence, and feels like it would burn off my thought circuits from agony.」
「That much……?」
To Diablo, an all-nighter did not fall under being a hardship.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Written as 魔導機兵 and read as マギマテイックソル. The ソル might stand for the beginning of soldier so it might supposed to be Magimatic Soldier.