Part 5
Footholds were constructed around the huge tree.
However, they only had a width of about 30 centimeters.
In the MMORPG Cross Reverie, they were much wider, and even when using them, one wouldn’t fall off (one could fall off at first, but that was fixed later with an update).
──A Demon King that fell from the footholds, that would be the lamest thing ever.
Diablo secretly poured magical power into his boots, the 《Empty Sky’s Dance》. If he flew, there was no worry of falling.
In order to maintain his majesty, he wouldn’t spare MP.
They climbed up to the highest point of the tree.
That was where the royalty’s living room was.
Right now, it was only the Queen.
The peak of the huge tree was flat, and was wide enough that several people could be seated there. Branches that made a shape like a crown fenced the circumference.
A woman who sat on top of a carpet of leaves doing nothing was there.
She wore a green dress, and although her attire was different, her face really resembled Shera’s. A Shera that turned into an adult, going from a beautiful girl to a beautiful woman──it was that sort of feeling.
Also, the size of their chests were different. Appropriate for Elves, she was flat-chested.
Shera raised her voice.
「Kaa-san!」
「Eh? Shera......? If it isn’t Shera!」
「Waa～n, Kaa-san!!」
「Dear, if you were coming home, at least send me a letter saying so. Your mother hasn’t prepared anything at all.」
「Awaー, sorry. There were a lot of serious things going on. At the Church, things went boom, and bang! And then, I went batankyuu[1]!」
「Is that so? That must have been terrible. Kaa-san has also had it hard......Oh, that’s right, Tou-san died. It was so surprising.」
「Un, I was surprisedー. Kaa-san, are you alright?」
「I’m not fine, but after about ten years, I will get used to it. I was together with him for a hundred years after all.」
「That’s true, you’ll get used to it.」
「Ah, I have some fruits. You’ll eat, right? Also, I knitted some clothes for you.」
「I’ll eat, I’ll eat. Ehー, Kaa-san’s knitted clothes huh......」
「What, do you not like them?」
「The place around the chest, it’s never enoughー.」
「It’s your fault for growing big in a weird place. I wonder who you take after.」
「That’s true butー.」
On a wooden plate, there were grapes and apples lined up.
Suddenly, the Queen turned her gaze towards Diablo.
「Ara, who might you be?」
「Now you notice!」
He completely felt the uncomfortability of stepping into someone else’s home. Putting it bluntly, he wanted to leave.
However, there was also the matter with Prince Kiira. He thought that it would be dangerous to separate from Shera.
Starting over, he introduced himself.
「My name is Diablo! I am a Demon King of another world!」
「My! So you are Diaboro-san. It seems that you are helping Shera all the time.」
「Eh, well......」
「Ara ara, it’s trueー. Just as Selsio told me, you are a terrifying person. Ah, have some fruits.」
This slightly off feeling.
──I see, she really is Shera’s mother!
He strangely consented to that.
Shera sat down on the leaves and took some grapes from the plate.
「Hamu hamu......Diablo is scary, but he’s really kind! He’s always saving me.」
「Is that so. That’s great, isn’t it. But, it seems that Selsio and the others were seriously injured though?」
「That was, Nii-san had......」
「Ahー......Kiira too, huh? I wonder why he tried to have a war with the Humans?」
The Queen breathed a sigh.
She looked like she conducted herself cheerfully, but she had lost two sons and her husband. It was only natural for her to be in low spirits.
Not to mention, Elves lived long lives, so both birth and death were rare for them.
The Queen returned to having a smile.
「But, this is great! Shera, you came back home. If you get married, your partner will become the king of the Elves. You remember that, don’t you?」
「Although I didn’t completely forget about it, I remembered that just a little while ago! The Greenwood Kingdom will be in big trouble if there isn’t a king, right?」
「That’s rightー. It is because the king is there that the forest’s blessings do not wither, and the treasured article entrusted to us from God is protected.」
「If I get married, will I be the queen?」
「You’ll be just like Kaa-san. At that time, I will be the Queen Dowager. Arara, I wonder if I’ll get used to it?」
Shera breathed a sigh.
「I......The truth is, I still want to go on adventures. There is something I need to do after all. But, if a king is needed......」
「Ara ara, is that so? Isn’t that fine?」
「Hoeh?」
The Queen said something unexpected.
「You’re still young, so I think that it’s fine if you go on adventures or anything.」
「Yayー!! Thank you, Kaa-san!」
To be honest, Diablo found it anticlimactic. Even though he was on guard thinking that they might confine her with brute force and make her get married against her will.
He felt relief and exhaustion from how she was allowed to go so easily.
The Queen talked with a smile.
「It’s fine if you go out on adventures. But get married, okay? Your partner has been decided after all.」
「Eh!?」
「He is a person whose lineage and personality are splendid. You will definitely be pleased with him. Shera, you had played together with him as a child after all.」
「W, who? Or rather, even if I were to get married, my partner would......」
「Ara? Do you have someone?」
Shera extended her hand.
She grabbed onto the edge of Diablo’s mantle.
Seeming to have sensed various things, the Queen talked gently.
「Greenwood is a country of Elves, you know? It needs to have a king that everyone can consent to, see?」
「But......」
「We have been entrusted with an important thing from God in the era of legends. In exchange, we received a blessed forest. The things that God decided at that time, although I taught it to you many times, Shera, you are really bad at memorizing things. I wonder who you take after.──It was to not put an end to the royal family’s lineage. That the one of that bloodline, or their husband would become king. That the king would offer their prayers to God. Erm......There were also several other things but these were the important ones, you know?」
He thought that Shera’s inability to remember things was undoubtedly due to her lineage.
Why would God entrust that "important thing" or whatever to this family lineage?
He suspected that it was a selection mistake though.
「I properly remember that! If that is the rule, then it’s fine even if the king isn’t an Elf, right!?」
「The king of the country of Elves should be an Elf. If that weren’t the case, it wouldn’t be a country of Elves anymore, you know?」
The Queen said that with a tone that said it was extremely reasonable and without any doubt of it.
Her objection wasn’t mistaken. Unfortunately, the one that was saying high-handed demands, was probably Shera.
「But......I......」
Her voice became quiet.
Being torn between reason and emotion, Diablo’s feelings were complicated.
──This has turned into something bothersome.
In this other world, there were too many things that couldn’t be solved even with Maximum Magic. He breathed a small sigh.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] A sound effect for falling asleep immediately, or going out like a light.
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