NOVEL WEB Volume 1 2.04
Part 4
「Wait, horn growing Demon!」
The one that called him to a halt was a young Human man.
He had thick eyebrows and features that made him look like his will was strong.
His stature was tall and slender, and even though his hair in the back was short, a portion of his forelocks was long and hung in front of his face. Wearing glittering gold armor on his whole body, he carried a long sword on his waist.
Rem grimaced.
「......Emil」
「Gege」
Shera also grimaced and made a disgusted-looking face.
The young man called Emil rudely approached. He stood in a way that got in Diablo’s way.
He took a long hard look at Diablo’s face, and laughed with a *Fu*.
「You’ve got a evil looking face, don’t you.」
Diablo asked a question to Rem.
「What is with this guy?」
「......This person is the Warrior said to the be strongest in the Adventurers Association. He should also be working as the examiner for the Warrior-type occupations.」
She disinterestedly informed him as if she were reading an explanatory note or something.
Emil combed his long forelocks up.
「That’s it exactly! My name is Emil Byushelbeljel! I am the Association’s number one 《Herculean Warrior》 that boasts a level of 50!」
It was an unnatural, theatrical, smug-like way of introducing himself.
Diablo naturally prepared his staff.
When he played the game, he often received challenges from opponents that introduced themselves like this, and he kicked them all about.
——No, calm down. This isn’t the game nor is it my dungeon. He’s not necessarily a challenger.
Abasing himself to someone inferior would harm his majesty in regards to Rem and Shera but there was also that matter with Galak. It would probably be better to not have any speech or conduct that would pointlessly incur another’s enmity.
He kept in mind his usual interactions so as not to provoke him.
「Whose permission did you acquire to name yourself in front of me, brat?」
Not only Rem and Shera, even the other adventurers were astonished and stiffened.
Emil expressed a daring smile.
「Permission? Fu, same to you, whose permission did you obtain!? Listen up Demon, you might not know this, but I absolutely love women!」
「Ha?」
「You who put chokers on Rem-chan and Shera-chan and paraded about with them, I won’t forgive you for that! To make those two your slaves, there’s no mistake that you’ve done a lot of evil things!」
From the adventurers, voices that went 「That’s right! That’s right!」 and sympathized with Emil were raised. It seems that at some point, their fight over there had been settled.
There was a misunderstanding made.
Many misunderstandings would be made since he was doing something like a Demon King role play, but Diablo was a pacifist. He didn’t like unnecessary trouble and didn’t want to have conflicts with other people.
And above all, this kind of “believing themselves to be justice and in the right and don’t doubt it” guy was his opponent.
Speaking gently, he decided to turn a blind eye to him.
Diablo opened his mouth.
「Don’t make a fuss over something as small as chokers being put on women, you small fry.」
Emil raised one eyebrow.
「Fufun......If you want to release the two of them, come at me with everything you got. So that’s what you’re trying to say!」
That’s totally wrong!
Come to think of it, since he had used the Demon King role play against challengers, there was always a battle after the conversation.
Could it be that it’s not suited for evading trouble?
——But, if I don’t do the Demon King role play, my words won’t come out and turn into replies like 「Ah~......uh~......」 and stuff.
And then, the guy that is self-confident in fighting would misunderstand and go 「You getting cold feet?」 and then start smirking.
There’s no helping it. Let’s give up on persuading him.
Diablo avoided Emil and tried to go to the second floor. Because he was going to be a Magician, he had no business with the Warrior’s examiner.
However, Emil didn’t let him pass through.
「Hold it! You’re not getting away from here until you release the girls!」
Rem made a pained looking face.
Shera also looked like she was perplexed over something.
From the girls’ position, being frank about something like getting the slavery chokers stuck on them from their magic’s failure and then not knowing the method to cancel it was something embarrassing.
In order to request for Celes’ cooperation in searching for the release method, there was a need to talk about it.
However, there was no need to talk about it to other adventurers.
If only Emil didn’t get involved!
He fully understood the reason why Rem and Shera made displeased looking faces when this young man had called out to them. In short, this guy was nosy and obstinate.
Rem opened her mouth.
「......Emil, actually, these chokers are」
Diablo interrupted her words.
He didn’t want to give them any embarrassment.
Failing in their magic and becoming slaves to a Demon of unknown origin——I don’t want that kind of failure story to be talked about in front of other adventurers, is what he thought.
Diablo prepared his staff.
「If you are going to obstruct me, no matter who you are, I just have to kick you out of the way.」
Emil unsheathed his sword.
「The chokers that you forcibly placed on Rem-chan and Shera-chan! I’ll have you remove them! This Emil Byushelbeljel is the guardian of all women! Learn that the great me will not fall in front of women!」
The feeling of accepting a challenge was actually nostalgic.
Against the sword, Diablo unconsciously took some distance. When battling, confronting the opponent with a distance that was advantageous for yourself was something as natural as taking a breath.
——For the opponent, it might look like I’m afraid and shrinking back though.
If he’s level 50, he should be able to use some fairly good 《Martial Arts》.
Martial Arts were the special techniques that the Warriors and the Archers used. It wasn’t just attacks due to a sword, it was even for axes, spears, bows, and bare fists.
It was the general term for fired attacks that consumed SP, or techniques of defense or movement.
By the way, SP is different from HP and MP and automatically recovers. Moreover, it’s fairly fast.
Diablo did not possess Warrior-type abilities.
However, understanding the opponent’s abilities is a foundation of fighting.
Looking at the preparation actions, he understood what kind of attack was coming.
——《Sword Smite》, huh.
It was a Martial Art that used a sword where, from a posture that lowered the waist, they would get close enough to where they were right in front of the enemy in an instant, and unleash a powerful horizontal slash.
Since the Warrior-types aren’t worth considering unless they get close to the enemy, many players used this at the beginning of their attack.
However, putting aside if it were a monster battle, something like a planned “horizontal slash” wouldn’t hit on a player opponent.
An experienced player would use only the charge part of 《Sword Smite》, cancel the horizontal slash, and connect to the next attack.
If drawn into a move reading battle at close quarters like a hand-to-hand fighting game, it would be the Warrior-types’ pace.
Normally, he would first defend against the charge with a barrage of magic but......
——If I were to destroy the Adventurers Association’s building, that would be bad, wouldn’t it?
「Hmph......How troublesome......」
「Here I come, Demon! I’ll have you release the two of them!!」
Emil came with an assault.
And then——
Diablo was surprised.
——He didn’t cancel the horizontal slash!?
He received it with 《The Staff of Tenma》.
Emil made a surprised face.
「Hou, so you stopped my attack! You Magician!」
「Are you not taking me seriously?」
「Don’t look down on me! For the sake of women, I always use all of my strength!」
While saying that, Emil grandly held his sword aloft.
The next Martial Art that was invoked was the “high in power but long in time until it strikes” 《Alpsfall》.
Diablo groaned.
「How could this be......」
Not only were the levels of the people of this world low, their player skills were also shoddy!
Using 《Alpsfall》 at point-blank range is just like saying “please go ahead and hit me”. He couldn’t see it as anything but a spontaneous discharge due to an operating miss.
They were completely insufficient in their research.
Diablo used his staff like a cane and thrust Emil, who had brandished his sword and was full of openings, away.
Since he hadn’t learned any Martial Arts, it was a common attack from a staff. However, it was by the physical strength of level 150.
「Sei!!」
「Gah!?」
Emil was blown away.
Smashing a wall decoration, he spit the air out from his lungs. Tumbling down, he took a knee beside the stairs leading to the second floor.
The adventurers that were watching in the surroundings returned to being quiet.
——Was it too strong!?
However, Emil stood up.
「Guooooh!! How could the great me! Fall in front of a woman! It’s impossible!!」
Unexpectedly, he was a man with guts.
——No, if he’s a level 50 Warrior, I guess that’s natural.
It seems that with a Magician’s common attack, damage enough to make him incapable of action wasn’t given.
If the opponent were to do a series of gapless attacks without using big moves, as expected, worrying about the building and winning without using magic would probably be impossible.
——Can’t he just fall back already?
Diablo expressed a sadistic smile.
「Kukuku......I can’t go easy on you next time, got it?」
「That’s the same for me! I am the Association’s number one 《Herculean Warrior》, Emil Byushelbeljel! For the sake of all oppressed women! Until this life comes to an end, I will wield my sword!」
「......Emil.」
Rem quietly called out.
「Be at ease, Rem-chan! I’ll release you from this heinous Demon right now!」
「......Please stop already. Allow me to say it to you clearly. The cause of why I am stuck with this slavery choker is due to my own blunder.」
「Eh? ......Wh, what......what do you mean by that?」
「......I don’t want to go into detail about it but Shera and I made a blunder......and got the chokers that should be bestowed onto the Summoned Beast onto ourselves.」
Rem bit her lip.
Shera made a face that looked like she was about to cry, and her cheeks became red.
——So she went and said it.
It seemed that she couldn’t let Diablo and Emil’s fight intensify anymore than this.
「......He has promised to cooperate in removing these slavery chokers.」
「Wh, what was that!?」
「......Though, right now, since we do not know the release method, we have gotten Celestine-san to investigate it.」
Emil raised a frail voice.
「Could it be, I......」
「......You jumped to conclusions. Please sheath your sword.」
A cold, wintry atmosphere streamed in.
After Emil had a brief silence——he smiled.
「Fu, fufufu......Thank goodness! So there weren’t any women that had slaver chokers forcibly placed on them!」
He ended it as if it were an impressive tale.
It was a refreshing smile.
「Hey, Demon, what’s your name?」
「It’s Diablo.」
「My name is Emil Byushelbeljel! I’m an ally of all women and an ally of the allies of women. In other words, Diablo, if you’re cooperating in removing Rem-chan’s and Shera-chan’s chokers, I’m also your ally!」
「Is that so.」
「I’m really sorry for suddenly trying to cut you down! Whenever you need a Warrior’s strength, you can rely on me whenever you need it! Well, you’re pretty good yourself!」
「Fu......」
Diablo laughed.
——Well, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.
Besides, he the received Diablo’s physical attack that defeated the Salamander in one hit and was still lively. It probably wasn’t a lie that he was a level 50 Warrior.
Emil stepped aside from the front of the stairs.
「Sorry for getting in your way. You’re going to the Adventurers Registration, right? If you’re choosing the Warrior system, let me determine it from the earlier attack......Fumu......As a Warrior, I’d say you’re around level 40!」
The surroundings became noisy.
He understood that level 40 Warriors seemed to be highly appreciated.
——Oi oi, are all of these guys lower than that? This isn’t the town at the starting point you know?
Diablo swung his head left and right.
「I am a Magician.」
「What!? That is unfortunate......Well, I guess it can’t be helped......Diablo, once you’ve finished your first mission as an adventurer, come visit me! As a celebration, I’ll treat you to anything!」
「Hmph, if I feel like it.」
Being sent forward, Diablo’s group went up the stairs going to the second floor.
Lined up beside him, Rem talked.
「......Emil isn’t a bad person, and he definitely is competent.」
「But that person feels stupid, right!」
「......That’s true.」
Rem didn’t object.
There was an unexpected accident, but they were finally at the Adventurers Registration.
——Since it looks like they’ll celebrate if I finish my first mission, I’ll do my best.
Remembering when he first started Cross Reverie, he felt an excited elation.
Translator’s Notes:
Can’t think of a good spelling for this. Original: ビュシェルベルジェール
SP is read as 気力, or energy or vitality.