Volume 11 epilogue
Part 1
The forest at night was pitch dark.
Diablo defeated Sorami, and chased after Rem’s group but......
──I can’t see anything!
The Elves, Pantherians, and Dwarfs had eyes that worked in the dark.
However, Demons only had perceptual abilities that were on the same level as Humans.
He felt like he would crash into a standing tree if he were to run.
Thinking that it would be better than this, he went above the trees of the forest with 《Flight Magic》.
With there being moonlight, he was somehow able to gaze at the sea of trees.
However, now that it had come to this, since he couldn’t tell any of the markings within the forest, he couldn’t find the Kobold settlement.
As he was holding his head, a pillar of fire was raised in the distance.
──Was that the enemy’s magic!?
He flew with all of his power.
However, even so, it wasn’t like he was several times faster than he would be on foot. Once it had reached almost one hour, it looked as though most of the fighting had finished.
The forest was burning.
「《Weather Rain》!」
Diablo waved on hand, and had a magic rain precipitate.
This region also had a rainy season, so rain clouds immediately sprung forth, and loosely wet the ground.
The flames that were burning the trees of the forest steadily became smaller.
There was someone that stood stock still within the rain.
Her appearance was different but......
「Rem!」
Diablo called her name.
She looked towards him.
「Ahh, you......truly came, at a good time.」
「Is that so? It looks as though the fight has already ended though. Are you talking about putting out the fires of the forest?」
Rem nodded.
「......Indeed, if they were left alone, it would have been a horrible tragedy.」
「That appearance......what happened?」
Her appearance, it was close to what he had seen her wearing before. It resembled the outward appearance she had when she was dominated by the Great Demon King Modinalaam.
「......It is a change of mind, if I were to say that──would you laugh?」
「Could it be, you weren’t dominated by a Demon King again, were you?」
Rem ended up making a pensive look.
「......Although you aren’t right, you aren’t far off. However, this time, it wasn’t that a Demon King entered me, but my mental attitude is affecting it.」
「What kind of mental attitude is it?」
「Troublingly enough.」
「Umu」
Rem’s eyes shone red.
「......It’s a want, to kill you......then die myself.」
*Ba!* She stuck her right hand out, and pressed her palm on the left side of Diablo’s chest.
It was right where Sorami had pierced him.
The cloth torn there.
Rem’s hand was directly touching his skin.
Through that, he was able to sense her Kikou (Radiance Light).
A temperature that seemed to be boiling.
A fierce storm.
And then, what he could feel, was a sadness, strong enough that it felt like it would pull even his own emotions into it.
She was crying.
A Rem who was crying alone in a dark room──
Diablo visually hallucinated that sort of Kikou.
He had noticed, that he had betrayed her.
The side doing the hurting wouldn’t know just how much the other party was hurting. Even though Diablo himself should have deeply, deeply known that sort of thing......
The Kikou that coiled around Rem was too colossal. If it was the currently defenseless Diablo, she might be able to fatally wound him with a single attack.
And then, he also sensed the intent of an attack.
Nevertheless, Diablo remained safe. She didn’t fire a single technique at him.
──Why, didn’t she do anything?
From behind Rem, there was someone that hugged her.
It was Shera.
「You can’t. You can’t, do something like that, Rem.」
Hugging Rem from behind, her body was trembling. Her voice was also trembling.
Looking closely, Shera wasn’t uninjured either.
Her usual clothes were torn, and were wet with blood.
Rem muttered.
「......I know that. I haven’t lost my senses that much.」
「Really?」
「......Well now, I wonder about that? If you hadn’t gotten in my way, I might have really fired.」
From Shera’s eyes, tears spilled out, and went along her cheeks.
Those transparent drops, fell onto Rem’s black hair.
「You can’t, do anything terrible to Diablo.」
「......I am resolved, to not be forgiven by you.」
「That’s not it. If you were to do something like that──Rem, you’d also start crying.」
「......As usual, you are.」
「Everyone would be sad.」
「......Yes, since I, think that I wouldn’t forgive myself either, that is why, with my own hands.」
Shera gasped.
「That’s strange! The one saying that sort of thing, it isn’t Rem! The Rem right now, as I thought, it’s somehow, different!」
「......That might be true.」
「Return to normal, Rem.」
「Fuuuu......」
Rem took a deep breath.
*Ban!* A popping sound was made.
As if she were sent flying, Shera fell onto her backside to the ground.
「Ow!?」
To think that she would shake Shera off!
Rem’s eyes became cloudy. While she was crying, they were also filled with a silent anger.
「......Saying something so selfish. You’re telling me to go back, to such......to where I just endure every day!」
Diablo gritted his back teeth.
He breathed out.
This own fight, was right here. A fight where no sort of Maximum Magic would work.
「Rem, as I thought, you were made to endure. By me.」
「......Saying that at this late point in time.」
「I’m sorry.」
「......The one in the wrong, isn’t you, Diablo. It’s my own feelings.」
That’s wrong.
The fact that she held affection for him, he was happy about it.
He was still perplexed by it though. He was also worried that someone like him wasn’t worthy of it though. To begin with, he himself wasn’t able to declare how he felt about it though.
Making Rem feel despair, was Diablo’s mistake.
「Well, it is......pretty late.」
「......」
However, no matter how bad the situation is, that isn’t a reason to give up.
Diablo took the rings out from his pouch.
「It truly is......really late though.」
Rem’s eyes went round.
「......That’s?」
「The truth is, I had them prepared in Faltra City. They’re not strange anywhere, are they......」
It was because he was lured by the chance to go to the Monster Musume Soapland free of charge that headed towards the royal capital──that sort of thought crossed his mind, but let’s forget about that.
Right now, it was time to have a serious talk. This wasn’t the time to be remembering that.
Rem’s hand trembled.
That was transmitted to his skin.
「......Diablo did......for me?」
「Umu.」
「......Is it really, truly, this time for sure......alright for me, to believe you?」
She gazed at him with serious eyes.
At a time like this, rather than his Demon King acting, he should speak with his own true self’s words.
Resolving himself, Diablo opened his mouth.
「Ahー......」
It was no good.
Both Rem, and even Shera who was still on the ground, waited for Diablo’s words.
Switching over, he went with Demon King-like words.
「As for whether you can believe in me, you should decide for yourself!」
「......」
「If you believe in this Demon King, take it. If you think you cannot believe me, you should pierce through my heart with that right hand.」
There were several times where he had saved Rem, as well as made her feel gratitude. However, there were also many times where he had made her mad and made her endure.
*Gokuri* Shera made an audible gulp.
For Rem, sure enough──
She slowly held out her left hand.
「......I, will......believe you, Diablo.」
Going *ho~*, Shera breathed out.
Even Diablo, he was relieved in his mind.
「Hmph......To believe a Demon King, you sure are an amusing fellow.」
While creating the atmosphere with his usual tone, Diablo took the ring finger of Rem’s left hand, and this time, placed the real 《Marriage Ring》 on it.
Large tears started to spill from Rem’s eyes.
Their red shine vanished.
*Para para* That which her body was clad in──the materialized Kikou started to crumble down.
「......Diablo.」
Did she use up her strength?
Rem lost consciousness as if falling asleep.
「Ah, oi, Rem!」
「Rem!」
Both Diablo and Shera hurried to catch her as she collapsed while naked.
Part 2
The Patriarch of the Kobolds, Borbos, spoke.
『You have our thanks, for saving us.』
「No......Same here.」
They had them prepare a bed and clothes for Rem’s sake.
The place was inside of a hole in the settlement.
The Kobolds were busy making preparations to change their dwelling.
Looking at that with a sidelong glance, Diablo breathed a sigh.
「I couldn’t, keep my promise.」
They had defended against the subjugation this time, but the objective that the Humans had was the silver mine in the mountains. Eventually, their troops would surely come again.
Borbos shook his head sideways.
『We didn’t know our own standing. After being shown that fight, we are nothing but delighted that we are alive.』
「You seemed to have pretty good strength.」
『I fight with my fists. I believe that I have an understanding, of just what kind of height that was at.』
「Umu.」
It seemed that Rem, when she was acting strange, had pulverised 《Fafnir》 and 《Ifrit》 with her fists. It was outrageous firepower.
Moreover, she changed SP into armor. Most likely, it was probably a variation on the Martial Art 《Psycho Armor》. That would mean she was more than level 140 as a Fist Fighter.
──Why did she level up all of a sudden?
Rem should have been around a level 60 Summoner. She had become a pupil of the Master Swordsman on the side, but she still hadn’t reached being a level 80 Warrior. It was hard to believe that she was hiding her true strength.
He had no choice but to try asking Rem the reason after she wakes up.
If she was a higher level than Sorami, he suspected that she could win even against the current Diablo.
That was close.
He had a cold sweat.
*Hyoko* Feneri came along.
『Diablo!』
「Mu?」
『This......made. If, alright......want you take.』
What she held out to him, was a silver decoration.
It was tinged with a faint brilliance.
Diablo opened his eyes wide.
「Mythril Silver!?」
『Hie!? Wh, what, was strange!?』
「No. It isn’t strange. Got it. I’ll take it.」
『Hooray!』
Feneri jumped looking delighted.
Every time she hopped, she ran further inside.
「......」
It was Mythril Silver. Did that mean that Mythril Silver with high purity can be mined in this mountain?
Its value was different from simple silver.
It was an absolutely necessary material when making weapons that carried high levels of magical power.
It also depended on the reserves, but he now understood the reason why the Lifelia King had invested even a Royal Palace Knight.
Going “Hmph”, Borbos loosened his lips.
『We, have decided to move further into the mountains. This time, we will hide even better. We probably won’t meet again.』
「Is that so. That’s right.」
Diablo would go back to a country of the Races.
The Kobolds lived hiding from the Races.
Their point of contact would disappear.
『Farewell, our benefactor. Our clan will never forget──About your group, Diablo.』
「Yeah......um......Take care.」
He was a bit bad melancholic stuff.
Part 3
Parting with Borbos, he showed his face at the room they were borrowing.
「How is she?」
「Ah, Diablo.」
Shera raised her head.
So she was beside Rem the whole time.
「Aren’t you tired as well?」
「Uh-uh! Rem was the one doing most of the fighting after all......and you healed my injuries with a potion.」
「Don’t push yourself, got it?」
Going in front of Rem who was laid down, Diablo sat down next to Shera.
──She’s sleeping well.
He used a potion on her just in case, and both her breathing and temperature were normal.
Since he wasn’t a doctor, he didn’t know any more than this, but he thought that she was just sleeping from being tired.
Shera gazed at him.
「Same to you, Diablo, are you alright?」
「Nn? Well, I haven’t consumed that much MP after all.」
In the end, he only fought against Sorami this time. He ended up leaving Geibalt to Rem and Shera.
「Are you not energetic?」
「That’s......ah, no......I am a Demon King after all. As if I would be discouraged over having to confront a king of the Races.」
Although he tried insisting that, it really was heavy.
They had completely committed treason.
──It might turn into a war between the Greenwood Kingdom and the Lifelia Kingdom.
Shera spoke full of energy.
「I don’t really get it but! No matter how things turn out, it’s much better than burning the forest!」
Even though it was a grave situation, Shera was bottomlessly cheerful.
Should he follow her example in positivity?
──Certainly, I don’t regret our deeds today.
「This will depend on Rem’s physical condition, but we should probably return to the royal capital temporarily. It would be dangerous to leave Horun and Sylvie there.」
「Really?」
「Most likely.」
He wasn’t well-informed on the laws of this country, but they should be thought of as companions to traitors.
If they were unlucky, they might be executed.
「Will we return to Faltra City together with Horun-chan and Sylvie-san?」
「Yeah, and after that──」
Taking Krum’s group, would they go to the Greenwood Kingdom?
However, there was a serious problem.
It was the fact that there weren’t any biscuits in the Greenwood Kingdom.
──I guess I’ll think about the later things later. First is the royal capital. It seems like it will be hard just entering.
「Well, be at ease, Shera. Just leave everything to me. To this Demon King.」
「Should we try asking Lumachina-chan?」
「Mu?」
「Alicia-san is also in the royal capital.」
「She’s......」
Now that it’s come to this, should they try using all of the personal connections that they can use?
There would be anxiety in that too though.
He decided on their current course of action.
Once Rem wakes up, let’s consult her on the more specific details.
Since they were inside a hole, it felt like their sense of time was out of whack, but was it about dawn right now?
Since they had stayed up all night, he felt a bit drowsy.
「Shera, shall we sleep in shifts?」
She pondered.
*Gugu* She brought her face close.
He had become considerably used to seeing it, but even now, when she looked at him up close, he would blush from that face that was way too beautiful.
He thought that this sort of thing was something he would never get used to in his whole life.
「Hey......Diablo......」
「Wh, what?」
「I, saw it.」
「Ha?」
Shera blushed.
「The other night, in the courtyard......the thing, you did............with Sorami-san.」