NOVEL WEB Volume 1 1.09
Chapter 1: Being Summoned – Part 9
Part 9
Faltra was a town that had a warm climate and received blessings of the river.
The residents are kind and cheerful, and because it was so comfortable, the number of adventures that settled down here wasn’t small——this was the town’s setting in the game.
The vicinity around here is about level 60. Far from the story’s turning point, it was nothing, but the end of the opening of the game. If they settled down here, they probably didn’t continue the game......
Even so, there was no mistake that it was a convenient, warm, and beautiful city.
The outer wall, that was made of stone, was in an octagon shape.
The canal, where water was pulled out from the river, ran the circumference as a moat. It also streamed to the center of the town, making a shape that looked like the town was divided into parts.
The stone wall and the moat functioned as protection from beasts. Wild animals were a huge threat for the regular people. The animals also brought about damage to the crops.
However, there was an intense lack of the paranormal menace known as demonic beings and demonic beasts.
What protected the town wasn’t just physical objects such as the stone wall or the moat.
At each of the corners of the octagon stone wall, there was a tower erected.
They were long and narrow like antennas.
That is what formed the barrier that protected the city.
The barrier did not prevent anyone who approached it from passing through, and it only intercepted existences that were involved with demonic beings and attacks.
Due to the powerful barrier, the town has become a safety zone where demonic beings and demonic beast could not enter——at least, that was what the setting should have been.
Diablo kept his eye on the drawbridge that was on the western side of the town.
He himself was a 《Demon》.
It was one of the races that players could choose at their time of participating in the MMORPG Cross Reverie.
The setting for Demons was——Although they are human, they are a race that inherited the demonic beings’ blood in some shape or form. They had birthmarks on their faces and bodies that looked like tattooes, and though they were inferior compared to other races in terms of physical activity, they excelled in things related to magic.
Particularly, the highest value of INT, which determined a magic’s power, could only be attained by this race.
However, because their parameters in HP and AGI, which influenced life and death, was low, even among other magicians, they were a race that were players oriented to being protected by their comrades.
Being a Demon Magician, despite being a specialist in independent action like Diablo, was considerably rare.
Since the town’s barrier would intercept all that had to do with demonic beings, Demons and items like his weapon and protector which were made by demonic beings couldn’t enter the town.
For that reason, there were gates at the four cardinal directions of the town, it was possible for anyone to come and go from there.
He was free to come and go in the game, but he would probably be more strictly inspected than he was at Fort Bridge Ulg——that is what Diablo had predicted.
People were “living” in this world. They were different from the NPCs that could only move how they were programmed to.
By the time they reached the front of the gate, it was already evening.
The setting sun made the western stone wall illuminate a madder red color.
The grass-covered plain they had walked on was dyed red as if it were set on fire.
He thought that it was a beautiful scene.
Rem and Shera who were used to seeing it probably wouldn’t say anything, but Diablo was secretly moved.
They crossed the drawbridge.
Six guards wearing armor were standing in front of the gate.
Rem and Shera passed through while hiding their chokers by pulling up the collars of their clothes and covering them up with their hands.
This time, they weren’t called to a halt.
They felt that they were being stared at. They garnered attention.
They entered the town.
Going down the main street that had many buildings made of stone on it, Diablo aimed for the plaza.
Going to this area was, rather than a habit from the game, was simply because he felt like sight seeing. His objective was to look around the town.
However, since the neighborhood of the west gate at the evening was full of people, it was crowded.
Even just walking was hard to do going down the street
——So these are all NPCs.
It was a numerous amount that would be impossible in the game. Though it’s a natural difference since it would be hard to walk around the whole town if there were too many NPCs and it wouldn’t be fun in the game at all.
There were a lot of 『normal people』 that didn’t seem to be neither shop tellers, Adventurer Guild receptionists, nor people involved in the progression of quests.
There were races apart from Humans. The long and narrow-eared Elves. The triangular-eared Pantherians. The rough bearded and dog-eared Dwarfs. The Grass Walkers that could only be seen as children, but had bunny ears and tail. And then, although they aren’t really seen, the Demons that have birthmarks on their faces and bodies.
They wore things like plain clothes and armor, possessed things like thatched bags and weapons, walked as they liked, talked with each other, shopped for things.
Diablo looked like he was somewhat excited at first, but......he was originally bad with crowds of people. On top of that, with the successive astonishing spectacles, his nerves were exhausted .
——Oh crap, I’m starting to feel sick.
It felt like the fatigue that he didn’t feel no matter how much he walked from before had plopped onto his shoulders right now.
While hiding her neck, Rem lined up beside him and, with her face dyed in embarrassment, talked to him.
「......Ex, excuse me.」
「What is it?」
「......I would, like to go to the inn but.」
Her face being bright red, she was fidgeting.
——Could it be she needs to use the restroom?
If that’s the case, I would feel sorry for her if I dared to ask that in return.
「Fumu, we should do that. I was also thinking that it was about time that we head for an inn.」
At that time, there was a voice that reached my ears.
「That’s Rem-san and, “that” Elven child, right? Why do they have chokers on themselves?」
It was probably due to them standing still. By the time he noticed, a crowd was made surrounding Diablo’s group.
Whispered conversations could be heard.
「Eh? Weren’t those two supposed to be Summoners?」
「But don’t they have Slaver Chokers attached to them? Isn’t that supposed to be put on the summoned beast......」
「No, they aren’t only put on summoned beasts, they’re also put on slaves......」
「So that would mean, they became that man’s slaves!? Those two!?」
「Shh! You’re too loud! ......Look, that man’s villainous-looking face. Even among Demons, there aren’t many that go that far. Just what are those horns......They’re warped and indeed look sinister......」
「Seriously......To make “that” Rem-sama into his slave, isn’t he some kind of dangerous guy? For now, it might be best to inform the Magician’s Society.」
「There’s, something I want to ask, but, that Elven child over there seems to be of an amazing household, you know?」
「That’s true, she certainly isn’t an ordinary Elf......To make those two into slaves, as I thought, there must be some story behind it......?」
「Oi, they looked over here. It’ll be dangerous if we get involved with them. He’s definitely a guy that’s like a demonic being.」
Those were some terrible things they said.
It seems to have reached even Rem and Shera’s ears. The girls had bright red faces and held their heads down.
Their shoulders were slightly trembling.
——I’m surprised. So there was a system of slavery in this world!
He thought that the reason why the two were embarrassed about having the chokers displayed was because it would be known that the slavery magic was reflected back at them, but he was wrong.
They were embarrassed about being mistaken as slaves.
Because there weren’t existences such as slaves in the game, he hadn’t thought of that.
Moreover, Rem was a celebrity that she was called with a “-sama” attached to her name and it seemed that Shera was “someone from an amazing household”.
——Uwaah, what should I do!?
He only just now realized the cruel fact that he was “leading around” famous girls “as slaves” in the town.
Diablo became completely apologetic.
Attention continued to gather around them even now.
「Oi, you guys, what are you standing around there for? You wanted to go to the inn, didn’t you?」
Thanks to the people of the town opening up a path, it became a bit easier to walk.
Translator’s Notes:
Written as 混魔族 (Mixed Demonic Being), read as デイーマン