Volume 10 - CH 1.1

Part 1

The location was moved to the first floor of the 《Relief Inn・Hideout Store》.

The first floor dining room was simply a room meant for offering meals to the guests, and without having to do business as a restaurant, it had the appearance of a noble’s dining room.

In that room, there was only a single large long table. There were several chairs. Flowers and paintings decorated the walls, and there were no menu notices.

The Feudal Lord Galford sat at the chair in the back of the room. Boris and the escort soldiers were kept waiting outside of the room.

In a way that they sat opposite of each other, Diablo’s group of three and Sylvie also sat down in some chairs.

──It’s not like we’ve done anything bad.

Even though that should have been the case……

In terms of the mood, he felt a kind of pressure like they were a group of boys and girls being called to the student counseling room after having had a secret meeting at the back of the school building.

To think that he, who had never even talked to a woman, would fall into this kind of situation!

Just as much as he had lacked that kind of resolve, he became excessively unable to calm down.

As he kept silent, Rem began to talk in his place.

「……Lord Galford, what business might you have with us today?」

「Yesterday, there should have been a decree asking for your urgent attendance but, did you not receive it?」

Diablo felt like he had been handed a highly colored letter from the inn’s poster girl Mei, but remembered thinking “it’ll be fine to just read it later……” and tossing it to the side of the bed.

If he had a personality where he didn’t postpone things he didn’t have an interest in, he wouldn’t have gone off the right track of having a proper social life.

Maybe having guessed everything, Rem took charge of the conversation.

「……Naturally, Diablo is neither a subordinate to the other Adventurers nor to you the Feudal Lord. To issue an order to make him report to them personally, then what kind of authority do they think they have.」

「It is the King’s authority. All subjects that live in the Lifelia Kingdom have a responsibility to obey His Majesty the King.」

Rem looked daunted.

「……The Lifelia King……gave an order?」

「Umu.」

「……That is a strange story. Although I believe that it was inevitable for the King to possess an interest in Diablo due to the subjugation of the Great Demon King, it has only been three days since then……Wouldn’t an express messenger giving the report of victory only have just reached the royal capital by now?」

If an order from the King were to come, it should have taken at least another three days.

Galford shook his head sideways.

「This is not really something that should be talked about with a mere Adventurer but……when it comes to important matters that involve the fate of the nation, a special means of communication is used. The fight with the Great Demon King Modinalaam was reported to the royal capital in detail──that is how I would like for you to think of it.」

It seemed that even for Rem who usually spoke as calmly as possible was unable to hide her surprise.

「How ridiculous! If he desires an audience with me, then it should be the King that comes!」

Everyone around him became speechless.

──I feel that if I go against the King’s commands, then things will unmistakably become troublesome.

However, a Demon King that is obedient to a King is uncool.

That being said, if it weren’t for this Demon King role play, Diablo wouldn’t be able to even have a proper conversation.

Surely he would make an untactful verbal slip.

It will be hell if he goes. It will be hell if he doesn’t go.

In that case, he wanted to avoid troublesome things.

While letting his hikikomori and NEET thoughts go at full throttle, he let them out with Demon King-like words.

「If he wishes to have me obey, then he needs to make me submit! An army of 1,000,000 wouldn’t be enough to do that though!」

Galford folded his arms and groaned.

「……As I thought.」

It seemed that he partly predicted that he would not obey the command.

Sylvie spoke sounding worried.

「Diablo-san, it would be best if you reconsider, you know? It’s because you’ll end up having to abandon your lifestyle in this town after all.」

That would be troubling.