Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo Dorei Majutsu Vol 2 Chapter 1.02

Part 2

The Feudal Lord’s mansion——

The walls were made of brick and it even had three floors.

At the left and right of the main entrance, armored guards were standing.

A butler came out from the estate and respectfully lowered his head.

On the floor, a deep red carpet was laid out.

Since an event where one would meet with the Feudal Lord of Faltra City was still not implemented in the game, this was Diablo’s first time coming here.

The butler that guided Diablo’s group knocked on a door and informed the person behind it.

For some reason, Diablo felt an excitement and nervousness like he was about to rush into a boss’s room.
A composed and heavy voice was raised from the other side of the door.

「Come and enter.」

There was a solemnity that made one straighten their back just by listening to it.

It was a spacious room that had a red carpet laid out.

And then, on the walls to the left and right, there were doors. Other than those, the rest of the walls only had artistically designed bookshelves.

Going by the pattern of the MMORPG Cross Reverie, the doors to the left and right were places where the small fry monsters that protect the boss would come out from.

At the center of the room, there was an extravagant long table and six chairs were arranged.

With his back to the wall that had the Lifelia Kingdom’s flag hanging upon it——A Human man that was in the prime of his life was standing.

Since this world’s culture level was about the middle period of the Middle Ages, soap powder was expensive and something like bleach didn’t exist. White clothing was a high-class item, and for him to use a military uniform that was easy to get dirty, it was unthinkable for him to use it other than for special people.

The glint in his eyes were sharp enough to seem like they would make a Demonic Beast run away.

——Just what had been finished? Diablo has no idea.

「For the time being, I had Diablo-san undertake the quest.」

「So he undertook it. In that case, he should promptly resolve the problem. I don’t mind if the report to me is done after the mission has been completed.」

If it were in the game, he would have gotten through as an “NPC with those kinds of lines” but the people of this world thought and were alive.

Having made such a difficult commission, the feeling of asking if it had been resolved when not even half the day has passed was something that Diablo could not understand.

「Well……This is a quest with a high degree of difficulty after all. We were wondering if we could get some information.」

「Well, that’s true but……」

——What did he say?

Sylvie jumped in ahead of him, and waved her hand left and right.

「In that case, hurry up and send those Elves away.」

「Uh-huh, though I don’t think that we’ll make you wait that long, you know? Probably……Uhm……Oh right, shouldn’t we do some self-introductions?」

And the Feudal Lord was oppressive.

It was irritating.

——It’ll be bad if I show a timid attitude.

Diablo glared at the Feudal Lord.

「Good grief……So Adventurers don’t even know the name of the Feudal Lord……」

「Remember it well……I am Lieutenant General Chester Ray Galford. I have been entrusted with Fortress City Faltra by His Majesty the King.」

A few days ago, when the Demonic Being Gregor appeared, the one that came running and crushed him was Diablo.

「……It just meant that the situation was settled before I received the report. I don’t think that it caused any particular problem though?」

While concealing how frightened he was on the inside, Diablo expressed a smile on his mouth.

As if to calm the atmosphere down, Rem courteously did a self-introduction.

Raising one hand, Galford interrupted her words.

「……Excuse me.」

「……Th, that’s true but……Right now, I also have my own plans.」

Sylvie wryly smiled.

「My subordinates have done an investigative report on you people. It would seem that some small problems had occurred.」

「Like how you intimidated a guard at Fort Bridge Ulg, or how you destroyed stone paving and buildings in the southern streets using magic……I can’t get my hopes up for an Adventurer that does such irreproachable conduct.」

It wasn’t just Rem, even Shera refuted it.

「So it was the truth.」

Galford was a man that was like a teacher that was way too strict.

They were engulfed in the other party’s atmosphere. Diablo wanted to avoid having a long visit here.

But before that, he should first do a self-introduction. Galford seemed to already know his name, but since the other party gave their name, it was the thing called the minimum amount of courtesy.

It was because it was a person that he didn’t particularly like that he had to be more careful than usual.

Aim to do it normally.

「I am Diablo. I came to listen to your story.」

He peeked at Rem and Shera’s reactions, but they didn’t look particularly surprised.

Galford gazed this way as if he were doing an evaluation.

「There’s one thing I’ll ask……You’ve been calling yourself a “Demon King of another world”, correct? Is that true?」

A provocative question was asked. The Demon King role play that was deeply ingrained into his body unconsciously exploded.

Diablo glared back.

That just now was said to the wrong person! Since those words with atmosphere were said, he unconsciously rode along with it!

They grabbed both his hands.

「That’s right! Although ashes are no good, cinders are also no good, you know!?」

Sylvie’s face went pale. It looked like she would collapse at any moment.

——Will things turn into a fight at this rate!?

However, it would be troublesome if he were to call in soldiers……Did they have no choice but to run away?

The other party came right before his eyes.

「Hmph……Since you’ve caught my interest, I’ll only lend a hand. Don’t be mistaken and think that you’ve subdued me.」

Diablo felt irritation from those words that seemed to ridicule all Adventurers let alone him.

Well yeah, he certainly was self-proclaimed though? But, would they believe him if he were to say that he was “a Player that was summoned as his game character”?

He wanted to shut himself away in his room and play online games throughout the day. If it were like that, he wouldn’t have to talk with this kind of forceful adult.

In order to protect Shera, it would be better to not oppose this Feudal Lord. To see through that kind of situation, this might be the way to cope with it.

Diablo wouldn’t destroy his self-important seeming attitude.

Galford placidly nodded.

「……Two days ago, huh……The settlement date was after ten days, wasn’t it?」

Oi oi——was the retort that Diablo made in his mind.

Without being shy about it, Galford continued his explanation.

「Naturally. I could even guide you to the innermost depths of the Demon King territory.」

「Well, that’s only if you’re not afraid to die.」

From the town, 《Kohigashi》 was in the southeast direction.

Galford turned his eyes towards the map on the desk.

The Elves’ Hide Skills were high, and they could hide themselves better than Grasswalkers when in the forest. Drawing near unnoticed without a sound, they would fire arrows from the shades of the trees and from up in the trees.

With this world not having a convenient function like Radar, the people relied on the ambiguous thing called presence. When the opponent possesses excellent Hide Skills, it’s even more of a pain than in the game.

「Even if I were to send out a small number of people for reconnaissance, against an opponent that specializes in surprise attacks, it would only increase the damages. It seems that the witnesses were townspeople that were hunting in the forest and were fortunate enough to scurry on home……According to that report, there were about twenty-something Elves present but……there are probably a lot more than that. However, if they are a unit of more than a hundred-something, surely the would be discovered even if they hid themselves, so even if it is the might of the Greenwood Kingdom, it shouldn’t be a large-scale force such as that. Well, at most it would be a hundred-something——This is about it for the information that has come to me.」

With a *Fu*, Galford laughed.

「So does that mean you think of them as not being a threat?」

Galford shook his head left and right.

With an indifferent voice, it was hard to understand his emotions.

——It’s only natural that a commander wouldn’t want to lose their subordinates.

「Though, if we were to hand over the princess, there would be no need for that.」

「……For you……Is Princess Shera that important of an existence?」

「Hmph……Don’t ask something so foolish. It’s one thing if she were to say that she were leaving, but shutting my eyes to her being stolen away by another person, is something I will not allow.」

「Naturally.」

Making a single nod, Galford turned his eyes towards Shera.

Shera tilted her head.

「Princess Shera, what is it that you seek that would make you go as far a abandoning your prosperous life and take the perilous job of an Adventurer? Or possibly, the reason why you were unable to be in your place of birth?」

For a short while, there was silence.

「I see……To a poor person, that would be a luxury, but there are various values and circumstances.」

「There’s no way I could sympathize with you. Though I will remember it as knowledge.」

*Shun*, Shera dropped her shoulders.

However, Diablo was different. In his original world, he was also not troubled by what that day’s meal was nor did he have to worry about being attacked by monsters. Because of that, he could somewhat understand Shera’s feelings of seeking freedom——that’s how he felt.

「There is no need to seek the sympathy of others……I shall allow it. Undergo hardships as much as you like, exert yourself as much as you like, charge into your limits as much as you like, bite into the fruits of your labor that you obtained with your own strength——That, is the meaning of living freely.」

Shera expressed a smile.

I’m going to protect this girl——It was that kind of declaration.

Some time ago, there was Elven elite called Selsio that came to take Shera back. He and about ten-something subordinates hid themselves in the forest but the only one that noticed they were preparing an ambush was Shera.

Would he be able to squarely fight against those kinds of people?

——In other words, this is the current situation, right?

Elves 「Return the princess!」

Feudal Lord 「As if I’d listen to what the Elves said. But because I value my soldiers, I’ll leave it to you.」

There was only one development that could happen from hereafter.

Elves 「In that case, it’s war!」

It was a headache inducing story that was nothing but trouble.

「……Avoiding war, is it……At the very least, we should negotiate with them to see if there is a “treasure” that the Greenwood Kingdom could assent to in place of Shera……」

「Nfufu! They say that I am “the Elves’ most valuable asset” after all! I don’t think that there are many things that could be my replacement!」

「What, what!? Why did you get mad all of a sudden!?」
Rem breathed a sigh for a second time.

Galford asked a question as if to ascertain something.

「Hmph……From the beginning, Shera was my possession. There is no act for others to take the stage.」

Oh that’s right——with that, Galford continued his words.

「That’s all that I need to tell you as the Feudal Lord but……Including the aforementioned, there is a person that was dispatched from the Royal Capital. I shall introduce you to them.」

Chapter end