How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 2 Read online

  “Hmph... If there are any Adventurers out there blinded by greed, I will make them regret challenging me.”

  Sylvie gave a bitter smile.

  “Pretty reckless of them, I know. But I’m thinking the Adventurers coming from other towns probably don’t know how strong you are, Diablo. I think only the people who saw you fight with the Fallen would believe it.”

  “Do you not share information amongst each other?”

  If something this big had happened in the game, the Wikis and other info exchange sites would be going crazy. Pictures and videos would spread like wildfire, with speculation threads and memes popping up everywhere.

  Since there was no internet in this world, he at least thought it would become a topic brought up in small talk at the bars, but it was a complete surprise to hear it wasn’t spreading at all.

  “There’s two reasons for that— The first is that you’re an ‘Elemental Sorcerer,’ right, Diablo? As you know, when you mention ‘Sorcerer’ in the Kingdom of Lyferia, everyone is going to think of ‘Summoners.’ Elemental magic is thought to be weak, after all,” Sylvie explained.

  In Cross Reverie—the MMORPG he used to play that was remarkably similar to this world—when you thought of Sorcerers, you thought of Elemental Sorcerers.

  The reason was simple: it was because they were the most powerful class.

  By choosing skills that would enhance their elemental magic, they would be considered a success once they made one of the six elemental trees into a weapon of mass destruction for themselves.

  That’s why Summoners in the game were seen as a fool’s class. They tried their best to bring out their Summons, but the Summons were still weaker than a Warrior of the same level.

  Their stats were about the same, but Summons only possessed one special skill. A Warrior, who possessed a wide variety of skills, held an overwhelming advantage.

  The only real advantage that could be said for the Summoner would be that even if their Summon was defeated, they would take none of the damage dealt to them.

  Summoners in Cross Reverie were scorned as a weak class that was “for n00bs;” “for people lacking in the information (and brain) department;” it was a class that was “cool, but impractical.”

  However, this world was different.

  In the Kingdom of Lyferia, at the very least, Elemental Sorcerers were weak, while Summoners were strong—

  And he knew the reason why.

  Unlike the game, where you could be brought back to life if you ran out of HP, death in this world meant it was all over.

  Most Adventurers here did not chase after rare items or try to raise their levels; they were satisfied to live their lives being strong enough to go about on a day-by-day basis. They did not seek to train themselves up by risking their lives fighting powerful enemies; they were merely thinking about not dying while trying to save up enough money to support themselves.

  The same could be said of the monsters.

  They didn’t try to recklessly attack you like in the game. When they saw an opponent they knew they did not stand a chance against, they possessed the cowardice to run away, and were weak because of that.

  As a result, it wasn’t that Summoners were strong—it was that everything around them was weak. That’s why Summons were so useful here.

  The Summoner staying safe was also a great advantage for themselves.

  In the face of all these values, of course the Adventurers of this world wouldn’t believe it if someone told them there was a “strong Elemental Sorcerer out there.”

  They might laugh and brush it off, thinking it was a lie. At best, they might think that he was strong “for an Elemental Sorcerer.”

  As a gamer, having the class he poured so much time and effort into be mocked and sneered at like this was a feeling of mortification he would not forget.

  But, he had to put those feelings aside and accept it: in this world, Elemental Sorcerers were thought to be weak.

  “Hmph... Regarding me as if I was the same as the other Elemental Sorcerers of this world...”

  “Well, of course that’d happen. Your power kind of defies imagination, you know. There’s also another reason— It’s because I’m keeping people quiet about it.”

  “Oh hoh?”

  “I thought it might have been unnecessary myself, but it seems like you all have some stuff going on, right? That’s why I thought it might be better for you to not stand out so much, though I don’t know the particulars of what you’re going through.”

  —Did she really just guess that, or is she hiding the fact that she knows something?

  At the very least, it seemed she was aware of Shera’s background. Never mind that the person herself kept letting that information slip to almost everyone she met, despite her saying she wanted to keep it a secret...

  Diablo, however, was more interested in whether or not Sylvie knew about Rem’s circumstances.

  “You say that you don’t know the particulars... But how much do you know?”

  “Ahaha... All I know is that it just kinda seems like there’s something going on with you guys, honest. Shera being the princess of the Kingdom of Greenwood has been a pretty big topic of discussion here ever since she came to town. And since Rem here always seems to keep her distance from other people, I just feel like she’s got some of her own problems she’s dealing with... And, well, it’s because I’ve seen these kinds of things before.”

  It was when Sylvie said stuff like this Diablo felt that she was older than him, despite her childish appearance.

  —Well, she is the Guildmaster, after all.

  She must have the appropriate experience for the job.

  Standing beside Diablo, Rem lowered her head.

  “...We are very grateful for your concern.”

  “It’s fine, really. If I can help you with anything, make sure and let me know. I think of all the Adventurers in Faltra as my friends.”

  “...Thank you very much.”

  —What a masterpiece of communication that was.

  Sylvie offered a proposal:

  “Well, on that note, I’m not going to pry into whatever those circumstances may be, so how about coming to stay with me? The Adventurer’s Guild has rooms you can stay in for times like these. I think it would be much safer than here. If I asked him, I think the governor would prepare a room for you at his place, but I think it’d be a lot more comfortable for you to come hang out with me.”

  It was an enticing plan. But was it all right for him to agree to this so easily? It seemed like Sylvie was the kind of person he could trust...

  —But can I really?

  Diablo couldn’t come to a decision. He felt sorry for doubting her good intentions...

  But Diablo was severely lacking in his people skills. If he could just be honest and say, “Let’s get along,” then he wouldn’t be the eternal solo player that he was.

  He was bad at closing the distance between himself and others.

  He would put his trust in them, get to know them better... But then they turned out not to be as devoted as he thought they were, and he would get betrayed.

  If he was worried about the distance between them, then it was easier not to get close in the first place.

  He would figure out how to avoid this war by himself. He didn’t know how, but he would just figure it out along the way.

  This was the calm before the storm—and that storm was war.

  This hadn’t yet turned into a quest to “Stop the enemy soldiers in their tracks.” He had to do his best to prevent that from happening.

  —What should I do here?

  First, I need to get some information.

  The basic strategy for any quest was to gather information. This world wasn’t a game, but he could only approach it as if it were.

  Diablo opened his mouth to make a specific request.

  “I am not partial to being indebted to other people. More than that, I want—”

  He was in
terrupted by a thunderous crash.

  †

  The stone wall behind him collapsed.

  The walls of the inn were made from stones of various sizes stacked on top of each other and held together with lime mortar. It wasn’t like they were flimsy, but they were no castle walls, that’s for sure.

  It could probably be broken by using magic or a large-sized weapon.

  —But who destroyed it?

  Sylvie jumped away from the doorway, yelling.

  “They’re coming from the door, too!”

  She landed next to the bed, at Diablo’s side.

  Immediately after, the door to the room was smashed open.

  Diablo ran his eyes over his surroundings to get a grasp on the situation.

  Four people had entered the room: Adventurers, fully armed.

  Three of them came from the hallway. One of them was a Dwarven Warrior, who carried a war axe.

  The characteristics of a male Dwarf were their short and stout stature, burly muscles, and a beard that completely hid their mouths and necks. They were slow on foot, and weren’t suited for magic; but they excelled when it came to brute strength and tenacity. They were naturally gifted with the talents needed for the Warrior class.

  Everything about this assailant truly screamed “Dwarf.”

  Following the Dwarf were two gloomy-eyed Grasswalker Warriors in light armor.

  Just like Sylvie, they had the ears and tails of a rabbit, and a childlike exterior. The expression in their eyes, however, was sharp.

  These two Grasswalkers had the exact same face. It wasn’t that they just looked similar because they were the same race, it was like they were mirror-reflections of each other.

  —Twins?

  They were armed with daggers, and stared onwards with dark, stagnant eyes.

  The one who had entered through the destroyed wall was a Pantherian fighter, equipped with metal claws on both hands.

  As their name would suggest, Pantherians were a race who bore ears and tails like that of a panther, housed atop flexible, lithe bodies. Because of their superior agility and physical strength, they excelled in close combat.

  Diablo and the others gathered around the bed in the center of the room.

  It wasn’t that wide a space, and they were soon surrounded on all sides.

  —These guys are supposed to be Adventurers!?

  “...Did you not notice this!? You seem like you would be able to detect an attack like this before it happened!” Rem asked Shera, accusingly.

  Shera had easily sensed an elite squad of Elves who had been concealing themselves in the forest before. She had also inferred where the battle with the Fallen in town had taken place.

  She possessed a very keen sense of perception.

  For her not to have noticed this attack coming... Were their opponents just that exceptional? Or was there another reason?

  Shera puffed out her cheeks.

  “There are too many people in this town, so I can’t tell!”

  —So that’s what it was.

  There were a great number of people in this town. Trying to find those who were coming closer to them with malicious intent was probably harder than finding Elves in the forest for her.

  In any case, they were thrust into a sudden fight.

  —If possible, it would be great if I could get them to back off by threatening them.

  Diablo spoke in a fearsome voice:

  “For you fools to appear before me... I assume you no longer wish to live.”

  The two Grasswalker twins whispered to each other.

  “He’s asking if we don’t want to live anymore, big brother.”

  “He did indeed ask us if we didn’t want to live, little brother.”

  “Should we answer?”

  “No, we will not. Our target isn’t the Demon.”

  “Understood, big brother— There she is. It’s the Elf.”

  “Yes, it’s that Elf.”

  Covering her immodest outfit with a blanket, Shera froze.

  “M-Me!? I don’t even know who you are!”

  Dumbfounded, Rem once again let out a sigh.

  “...Sylvie just explained this to us. These people are Adventurers... No, they are mere criminals after the bounty being offered by the Prince of Greenwood for your capture.”

  Diablo ground his teeth together.

  —Damn! I left Tenma’s Staff in the corner of the room!

  In Cross Reverie, you needed to carry a staff until you reached level 30 or else you wouldn’t be able to use elemental magic. After you passed that level, then you could use magic regardless of your equipment loadout.

  Diablo was level 150, so he could conjure magic without any problems, but having his staff made it easier to aim and control the power of his spells.

  Not only that, but Tenma’s Staff would raise the user’s INT stat, and also shorten the cast time for magic.

  His equipment at the moment consisted of the 《Distorted Crown》, an item with an HP regeneration effect that made him look like he had twisted devil horns growing out of his head; and the 《Demon Lord’s Ring》, a super rare item that would reflect any spell thrown at the wearer.

  Right now, he wasn’t wearing the 《Curtain of Dark Clouds》, his cape that protected him from bad status effects and instant death; or the 《Ebony Abyss》, a pitch-black outfit that reduced physical damage and boosted the wearer’s stats.

  He had let his guard down, which is why he was currently in this desperate situation.

  —But I have to protect Shera!

  Rem reached into one of the pockets of her leather belt to pull out a crystal. If she threw it, she would be able to use a Summon.

  “...Come forth! Shadow—”

  “Who-ho-hoh there!”

  The Dwarf Warrior rushed in, swinging his war axe.

  —He’s faster than I thought. Is he about level 20?

  Diablo pulled Rem towards himself.

  “Kyahh!?”

  The enemy’s assault ended with him swiping at thin air.

  Rem’s concentration interrupted, she hadn’t been able to call her Summon.

  Rem looked up at Diablo.

  “Th-Thank you...”

  “Don’t push yourself. You can leave it to me.”

  The Dwarf licked his lips.

  “Magic’s pretty dern inconvenient, ain’t it? If ya git beaten afore you can use it, den dere’s no point to it, is dere!”

  They were in the middle of a small room, already within range for close-quarters combat.

  Most likely, these guys were thinking that they would be able to react before Diablo could do anything.

  —These guys are all slow compared to me, Diablo thought to himself.

  With his high AGI stat, it seemed like he could fire off three spells in the time it would take the Dwarf to move once.

  But, if Diablo used some kind of offensive magic against him, the Dwarf might end up dead.

  There was also the option to try and miss on purpose, aiming for the floor or the wall, or something, but he was already too close.

  Never mind himself, but he might end up hurting Rem and the others at this rate.

  Since a portion of the wall was already knocked out, if things went any further it was possible that the roof could come down on them, too.

  —Can I win barehanded like this?

  He didn’t have much experience when it came to this. If it was just a one-on-four fight, then he might be able to do it.

  But while he was fighting, what if they nabbed Shera? What if Rem was cut down?

  —And now that I think about it, where’s Sylvie?

  She should have jumped to his side after the door had been busted down.

  He remembered that much, but after he had pulled Rem out of the way of that attack to protect her, Diablo had suddenly lost sight of Sylvie.

  Suddenly, Sylvie’s voice rang out in the room.

  “《Ivy Bind》!”

  A burst of magical light
surged around where the Dwarf stood. Thick vines grew and stretched out from the floor.

  “—Hell? What in tarnation is this!?”

  The Dwarf yelled out in surprise, but it was already too late.

  The vines rapidly wrapped themselves around the Dwarf, restraining him.

  At some point, Sylvie had moved to one of the corners of the room. It was a position where she was out of reach of the Grasswalker twins and the Pantherian’s attacks.

  Though she should have been right next to him, that was one incredible Stealth skill she had used.

  As would be expected of the Guildmaster, she was truly knowledgeable about fighting multiple opponents at once.

  This was a powerful magic that was capable of inflicting the “Bind” status on an opponent, and sealed their movement for a limited period of time.

  Diablo was unable to use it.

  Ivy Bind was a support spell. It only stopped an opponent from moving, and couldn’t actually defeat them. When used with a group of other people, that’s when its effects really shined, but there was little point in using it as a solo player.

  Considering Diablo’s magic power, it was more damage efficient for him to fire off some offensive magic instead of using a roundabout spell like that.

  —After all, there wasn’t a time back in the game where I had to worry about not killing my opponents.

  Sylvie yelled out in a sharp voice.

  “You aren’t Adventurers from Faltra, are you! Where did you come from!?”

  The two Grasswalkers started whispering again.

  “That’s Faltra’s Guildmaster, big brother.”

  “That’s the Guildmaster all right, little brother.”

  “That was unexpected, wasn’t it.”

  “Yeah, completely unexpected.”

  They spoke in the exact same voice, tone and all. It was creepy, to say the least.

  The twins stared at each other.

  “Should we keep going, big brother?”

  “No, we’re at a disadvantage, little brother.”

  “Then should we leave him behind?”