The knock

The girls are still hiding things from him, but it's not like he doesn't know what those things are he just needs to get them to trust him. What should I do? Diablo thought to himself as he stared at the girls arguing with each other. Then, there was a knock on the door behind Diablo.

Now that he thought about it, they were warned not to be too noisy. Could it be the receptionist girl?

Diablo stepped away from the door. When he did, he had stepped straight back try to still on the middle of them. Shera and Rem looked shock that I was still not picking a side, but he pretended that he hadn't seen it.

If he opened that particular can of worms, he was going to be stuck there for a while. Rem, as the one who had paid for the room, was the one who answered the door.

"...Come in."

"Pardon the intrusion."

It was a soothing voice that sounded like a bell. The door opened. Their visitor was a beautiful woman. She was a kind-looking person. Her long blue hair plaited behind her head, with the rest of it spilling down toward the front of her chest.

She wore an extravagant red cape embroidered with gold, wearing it like a coat when she entered, but had opened it and put it on her back when she greeted everyone. She wore a soft, blue robe that covered her from the shoulders to her ankles. It didn't show off much skin, but since it was of a tight-fitting design her ample bodyline was made visibly apparent.

It was kind of hard to control where he should look.

In her hands, she was holding a gorgeous white porcelain wand, with a gold ornament adorning it. He understood that to mean she was an accomplished Sorcerer herself.

Celestine looked like she was in her early 20s, age-wise. Though she was only smiling, she gave off a sense of open-mindedness.

"Good day, everyone... So you really are sharing a room, Rem. I'm so happy to know that you've made some friends."

Rem shook her head.

"...They are not my friends. One is someone I summoned from another world, and the other is... some kind of an extra. Please pay it no mind. Since its clothes are green, just think of it like mold you would find stuck on a wall."

"Isn't that too mean!?"

Shera lamented. The woman laughed cheerfully, and went to introduce herself.

"Ufufu... This is our first time meeting each other, right?

"My name is Celestine Baudelaire. But call me Celes, okay? I came here today because I had some business with Rem, but I would love to hear about you two as well."

The way she tilted her head was really cute. Though she seemed kind and mature, she also had a innocent charm to her as well. He had remembered, but thought against saying it out loud. It was because it would be strange for a Demon King from another world to say that. Thankfully, it seemed that Shera wanted to say something.

"What!? You mean the Celestine from the Mage's Association!? The Lady Celestine Baudelaire!?"

"Yes. Thanks to a string of coincidences, I am currently acting as the head of the Mage's Association of Faltra."

Celes nodded, gradually looking more and more embarrassed. The Mage's Association In-game, this was an organization that the player could not enter themselves, but they would see the name mentioned often.

Whenever a new spell was added in an update, it would be explained by saying something along the lines of: "The Mage's Association has made a new discovery!" The name also came up often as the client for quests.

As an organization, they kind of gave off the feeling of some kind of state-run research institution like the CIA or FBI. There was generally one Mage's Association found in every town, with some having two or more in rare cases.

All Mage's Associations had a loose alliance with each other, but since each one had their own way of doing things from town to town, there were good and bad things to be found in them all. However, they all shared a common theme in the game's lore.

The head of each respective Mage's Association was in charge of maintaining the barrier that protected their town. Basically, this meant that this woman's very existence protected the town of Faltra from monsters and the Fallen.

He had seen the name Celestine Baudelaire as the client for various quests before, but he did not remember her ever making an appearance as an NPC before.

Celes should have been in the deepest part of the Mage's Association, using all her power into maintaining the town's barrier. I can't believe she came all the way to see us, she doesn't even have a good reason really. Celes clapped her hands together.

"Oh, I know! Would everyone care to go get some dinner together? It seems like you all have some... complicated circumstances, after all."

Her eyes, thinned because of her smile, were looking at Rem and Shera's necks. That is where the two "Enslavement Collars" were Diablo nodded.

"Very well. I was just starting to feel famished myself."

"...Then I will come too. I am Diablo's Summoner, after all."

"No fair, saying that in front of Lady Celes! Diablo belongs to me!"

The two girls were the same as always, Celes tilted her head a little.

"Hmm... It seems like those circumstances are a little more complicated than I thought. We may be able to find a way to sort that all out as well, so let's get going."

Turning on her heels, she left the room Rem followed her. Though she had been fighting with Rem just a second ago, Shera was practically skipping as she followed along.

"Food, food~ Actual, real food. ♪"

That song seemed that song is really fucking sadder now. Despite what Diablo had said earlier, he was not particularly hungry. What he needed now wasn't food, but money and knowledge. Being able to talk with one of the town's big shots was certainly a stroke of luck for him.

He left the room, There should be a bar down on the first floor. The bar was a short trip down the long hallway that stretched out to the left of the front desk.

The ceiling, the floor, the counter, the evenly-spaced tables... Everything was made out of dark-colored wood that had a smoky finish to it. The walls were made of stone. There were no customers besides themselves at the moment.

The bar Diablo was used to seeing was usually packed to the brim with customers and villagers. It seemed that Celes had somehow cleared everyone out. It was only Diablo, Rem, and Shera at the table, with Celes sitting opposite of them.

There were two more people who stood behind Celes on either side of her. It looked like they were keeping watch over Diablo and the others. They were both young men, Sorcerers in brown robes that reached to their ankles who each carried a long magic staff in one hand.

The one standing in front of Diablo was as thin as a wire, and was wearing a high-strung expression on his face. He was also making no effort to conceal the fact that he was glaring at him.

Since they were security from the Mage's Association, they did not sit down. Celes gave a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry, but because of my position I can't just go out by myself..."

That should be obvious why Diablo didn't like Galluk but, if anything were to happen to her, then the town's protective barrier would disappear. He had never seen a situation like that happen before, but if monsters or the Fallen decided to attack.

He didn't expect any of the normal people living here would make it out unharmed. Just from the fact that she only brought two escorts here, he could feel Celes's respect for them— Well, actually, it felt that she was showing respect for Rem. Diablo gave a generous nod.

"No matter I came to dinner with you and my lovely companions and the addition of lesser companionship, is no mark against you."

His reply seemed to have struck a nerve. The guard standing in front of him made a face as if he was having a cramp.

"Hey, you. You best watch your tone when speaking with Master Baudelaire. If you don't show us the proper respect, I won't hold back."

This guy sounds like a douche, look like a douche, probably is a douche. Celes, seeming troubled by this, went to calm down the man behind her.

"Galluk, that's rude... It was those two who were the ones who forced him to come along with them, after all."

"It may not trouble you so much, Master Baudelaire, but having this Demon nobody disrespect you is an insult to the dignity of the Mage's Association!"

Diablo stayed completely still keeping his composure with a devil smirk to hide his real thoughts. -What the fuck Is this guard really going to lecture Celes, the head of the freakin' Mage's Association, about the dignity of the Mage's Association?

It seems like this guy was overly sensitive to other people being rude, but was too thick-skulled to notice when he was being rude himself.

It would be a pain in the ass to get involved now. If he was being honest, he had basically zero holding back skill in the real world. He had to just leave remind himself to hold back all the to not break through the floor. Even since he had come to another world, that fact still hadn't changed.

It would be bad if he was rude, but he didn't have the mental faculties to get into the argument, and not get, the urge to punch in accidentally killing this man.

Even if he didn't want to stir up trouble, the only way for him to talk in a comprehensible manner was to use his Demon King roleplay.

He concluded that it would be safest if he just ignored it, though it seemed like Mr. Bodyguard over there wasn't satisfied with the whole thing. Celes went to change the subject.

"Before we start talking, let's eat first. I'll be taking care of everything, so please eat as much as you'd like, okay?"

"We can!? Really!?"

"Of course, help yourself to whatever you'd like."

"Woohoo!!"

Out of joy, Shera threw both her arms in the air, then started making requests to the receptionist, who had come to take their order. Before long, several dishes of food were brought out.

There were sausages of various sizes, boiled potatoes, plain soups, and white bread. Veggies that looked like lettuce and eggplant made an appearance, as well as apples and grapes.

The drink placed in front of Diablo looked like it could have been beer. Rem and Shera got some kind of fruit juice, while Celes got wine.

"Yay! Let's dig in!"

Shera reached out toward the food. Judging by her reaction, this must really be a feast, he thought. But it doesn't really look that good, though. Diablo tried biting into one of the sausages. It had just the right amount of chewiness to it, and the juicy, rich flavor of the meat spread throughout his mouth.

Huh!? This is delicious! It had a powerful, rustic flavor. Shera was voraciously tearing into the food. It was enough to make you wonder where she was putting it all in that slender Elf body.

Oh, I see! So that's why her chest is like that. Rem, from the corner of her eye, glared at us , who was happily stuffing Our face. However, without bringing up Shera's eating habits, she switched the conversation to the issue at hand.

"...So, Miss Celes...is this going to be about 'that' again?"

Rem sounded like she was annoyed. Since the way she said it had been rude, he thought that the bodyguard from earlier was going to get involved again, but he did not give any reaction in particular.

—I wonder if Celes and Rem are of the same status to him. That would mean someone from the Mage's Association would see Rem as someone on the same level as the head of the Mage's Association. It made him wonder what kind of position Rem held. Celes put her hands together, as if she were making a request.

"Rem, I'm just thinking that it would be great if I could help you, you know? You must have gone through many hardships, and you may not trust me, but I want you to know at least that part is true."

"...I do not like going to the Association headquarters, and I do not like having guards follow me around, either."

"But it's been pretty rough out there lately. There's been reports of the Fallen having deceived people and making it through the barrier in other towns. If you were a member of the Mage's Association, I can't imagine a town being taken advantage of by the Fallen would be enough to cause you trouble."

"...Thank you for your concern, but I am capable of protecting myself on my own."

"Do you hate me, I wonder?"

Celes had a forlorn look on her face Rem sighed.

" I have said it before, but I have never doubted your character. However... I do not know how to rely on people. I have always managed through life on my own, and I plan to keep pushing forward using my own power. Using that power—I will destroy the Demon Lord Krebskulm."

"The Mage's Association may be able to help you do something about that collar."

Rem quickly touched her collar.

"This is no-"

"You're not wearing that collar because you want to, right? I don't believe someone such as yourself could be forced into being a slave. Could it have been from an accident even you could not have foreseen, which caused the collar to be attached to you? And would I be mistaken in saying that the owner of that collar would be Mr. Diablo over there?"

"...You would not."

"Hm."

Without thinking, Diablo let his voice slip out from the mouthful of food That's some amazing insight she's got. There hadn't even been anything said that would let her guess the course of events that led to the collars being put on them.

She had come to that conclusion only by the conversation between the three of them. It seemed she hadn't become the head of the Mage's Association just because of her magical prowess.

Celes looked at Diablo.

"Please, I beg you, is there any way you could bring yourself to release Rem? She's a very important person for this world. Of course, I promise to compensate you appropriately for doing so."

Diablo turned his head to the side.

"I am not in the habit of forcing others to obey me with magic. I would must rather have Rem and Shera follow me with their own conviction. But since I do not know the method to release them, I cannot comply."

He thought it would be best to tell her straight.

Celes let out a disappointed sigh.

"I see.. You seemed to be quite the experienced Sorcerer, so I thought you might have been able to understand things that I could not... It looks like I have no choice but to look into this starting from square one."

Shera made a serious face.

"Hmm... Since Diablo was the one who reflected the magic back at us, and his magic seems to be really powerful, even if you find a way, a normal Sorcerer might not be able to get the job done... Or something like that could happen, right?"

"It was reflected? I see... If that's the case, then I may need to request Diablo's assistance."

Listening to the conversation, Diablo let out a sigh and decided to put back the food.

"So you're unable of undoing this spell that is unfortunate I thought you could be more useful. Very well. If you find a way, tell me. I will lend you my assistance at that time."

{ BAM! }

It was the sound of something striking the wooden floor he turned his gaze to look. The wiry guard behind Celes had slammed his staff on the ground.

"You... You bastard! What right do you have to reject Master Baudelaire's request! Not only that, but you have turned Lady Rem Galleu into your slave!? By what right!"

Celes stood up.

" It looks like going any further would only cause trouble for you... I'm sorry everyone, even though you must be exhausted."

Rem cast her eyes downward.

"Miss Celes... I may have seemed scornful after refusing to go to the Association and rejecting the guards. But, could I still ask you...to please look into a way to remove these collars?"

"Of course. All I want to do is protect you."

"Don't worry about it. But if you ever change your mind, you can always rely on me, okay? The Mage's Association has a duty to the world to protect you... And you're like a little sister to me."

Have a big smile on his face despite being insulted, Diablo spoke up again.

"Before you leave I would hate for this dinner to end in a negative mood. I have an opportunity for the both of us as you can see. I am lacking of certain resources like money, and I am willing to produce goods for an appropriate amount of funds that you can buy."

Putting his hand behind his cape, using the ring of creation to make one pure bar of adamantine and placing it on the table in front of us.

-This should be good in game just one of those bars would cost 100 gold Friths and if I'm not mistaken Friths (F) is the Coin of the Kingdom of Lyferia, one gold coin was 80,000 F, one silver coin was 4,000 F, one copper coin was 100 F. So this should be about 8,000,000 if me math is correct.

" That is a pure bar of adamantine there is no need of discussing prices now, take it to your headquarters discuss with your finances and send someone to bring me my payment."

With that everyone stop and looked with their mouths open wide, At this, Celes turned pick up the bar of adamantine and left the bar, The two guards went to follow her.

However, as they were leaving, the wiry guard glared at Diablo, eyes full of loathing. —Well, I'm sure I will be running into him later, anyways. Turning to look at Rem who was shocked and looking at him.

"Hey. You."

"...What is it?"

"It seems the secret you carry is no ordinary one. I am intrigued... I shall allow it, so speak of it now."

"I can't... do that..."

She faltered It didn't seem like it was something she could say so easily. He knew that telling such a serious secret to someone that you had known for only half a day was asking for too much. However, this was not the time for him to be backing down.

— I have to get her to trust me enough to tell me the secret, even though I already know it. The problem Rem is wrestling with...is one of those things that makes the story get more serious!

There were also many instances where the whole thing could have been solved much more easily if they had just talked about it sooner. These kinds of secrets would come to light if you started prying into them. That was how I need to get her to open up to me .

It would be fine if we were talking about something simple,But this was a serious conversation, Diablo and Rem needed a have to start this relationship. He wanted to avoid taking risks wherever possible.

Diablo wanted to take care of Rem's problem, treating it as if a story quest had just appeared before him.

—Even if I have to force it out of her, I'm going to hear her secret and bust through that wall between us. By thinking of it as if it were part of the strategy he needed to beat a game, he had become strangely more assertive about it.

"Hey. You."

"...What is it?"

Diablo got up from his seat Going over to Rem, who had barely touched her food, he grabbed her by the arms and made her stand up. Holding her by the waist, he picked her up and lifted her over his shoulder.

"You're pretty light."

"Wha!? Wh-Wh-What are you planning to do!?"

Shera looked up at them, countless sausages stuffed into her cheeks.

"Mmphmphmph! *gulp* Where are you two going? There's still tons of food here!"

Now that he thought about it, Rem did seem to talking around Shera and the amine. If he was going to pry this secret out of Rem, it would be better if it was just the two of them.

"I'm going to torture her."

The two girls were at a loss for words seeing the usually cool and collected Rem get this frightened was kind of a surprise. Bread still clutched in her hand, Shera was frozen in place. Then, after a few moments...

"...I-I'll just go ahead and keep on eating, then!"

She avoided looking at them Rem called back in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry.

"Y-You... You and I were traveling companions, even if it was only for a short time, right!? Are you not even going to try and save me!?"

"You know, I have this straaange feeling that you kept calling me a stupid Elf the whole time!? And even just a little while ago, you said I was mold on a wall or something, didn't you!?"

"...Why are you not being tricked, even though you're so stupid!?"

"You said it again! You called me stupid again! I don't even care anymore! I'm not going to save you!"

"Th-That was something someone who is going to save me would forgive me for saying!"

She was completely terrified there was no way of putting the brakes on the Demon King act. If he were that skillful, then he would have been speaking normally from the very start. Even so, Diablo tried to work out a way to spin his words to try and reassure her a little. It wasn't like he was trying to take her life or anything, he just wanted to know what she was hiding.

"Ku-ha-ku-ha... There's no need to be afraid, I will not go to hard on the you... If you spill your secret fast enough, that is."

Maybe the nuance of what he wanted to say changed a little. As if she had accepted her fate, Rem closed her eyes and whispered:

"...I wonder if you could call my 18 years living in this world as long or short. Mother, Father... It looks like I will be joining you on the other side tonight..."

It seemed to have had the opposite effect. Since there were no other options, Diablo quickly made for their room while still holding Rem.