Part 7
The moon was suspended in the sky.
Having turned into night, Rem and the others were finally brought along.
Looking exhausted, Rem dropped her shoulders. Rose was expressionless as usual, but her maid clothes were torn even more.
As for Rafleisha, although she was composed, she was surrounded by Elves with their bows turned towards her.
Shera hurriedly ran over.
So as to protect her from the Elves, she spread out both arms and became a shield.
「What are you doing!?」
「It, it’s dangerous, Shera-sama! That person, she is a Dark Elf!」
「She is a fellow Elf! She’s a companion!」
「Did you say companion!?」
The soldiers went into an uproar.
Hearing the uproar, the Queen expressly came over.
「Shera’s company, is a Dark Elf?」
Rafleisha courteously made a bow.
「Good day to you. It has been a while.」
「You are!? Rafleisha S Orangewood......Why, are you here......!?」
The Queen’s voice trembled.
They had expected this, but it wasn’t a favorable reaction.
Maybe because Rafleisha prepared for this, she wasn’t agitated at all.
「Hohoho......Have you not heard of the situation yet? Your daughter’s life risking oath──It would be nice if it were carried out.」
That’s right. So she kept composed since she had an absolute trump card.
The Queen’s expression became clouded.
「Shera, I have to talk with you.」
「U, un.」
After that, she ordered the soldiers.
「Treat Rafleisha-san as a guest, and courteously show her hospitality. I will not allow any recklessness.」
As expected of someone who acted as Queen for a long time, she had an appropriate intimidating air.
The soldiers stood at attention.
And then, the Queen brought Shera along.
Diablo wanted to be with her, but he would be refused with a peremptory attitude.
It bothered him but......
Since causing turmoil was not his real intention, he restrained himself.
The Elves should also understand Diablo’s strength. They probably wouldn’t do anything like force Shera to obey them.
After that──
Diablo’s group was given a building to borrow.
It wasn’t a huge tree, but a residence made of brick that was built normally on the ground.
It was a guest house meant for when races other than Elves came to visit, and was made following the Lifelia Kingdom’s style.
However, being a country that was within a forest, there weren’t any candlesticks that used fire. A chandelier that used precious stones that dimly shined was hung from the ceiling.
The room’s width wasn’t all that different from that of a typical inn, and there were only two private rooms. It was like there was a room for the master’s use and a room for the servants’ use.
Diablo sat down on a sofa in the common room.
「Hmph......For a guest house of a whole country, it is somewhat small.」
Compared to his own room in his original world, it was outrageously spacious though.
「......That, probably just show how rare guests are.」
Rem sat down on the sofa opposite of him, and collapsed sideways just like that. Going *Haa～*, she breathed out.
Being an experienced Adventurer, as well as a Pantherian, she had more stamina than others. It was rare for her to be exhausted.
「It seems that you all had gotten quite lost, didn’t you?」
Rose lowered her head very deeply at Diablo’s words.
「I am terribly sorry, Master. To be of no use at a crucial time......This Rose is just rubbish. Do as you wish to dispose of me.」
「I did not feel any dissatisfaction. I merely asked the details of what had happened.」
In place of Rem who looked like she would fall asleep at any moment on top of the sofa and Rose who did nothing but feel ashamed, Rafleisha answered him.
「When we chased after you, Diablo-san, rocks fell from the sky.」
「That was my magic.」
He recalled that was the 《Heaven’s Fall》 that he fired at the Napper.
Rem grumbled while still laying sideways.
「......So, thinking that you and Shera were definitely there, we hurried over, but the forest only became messed up.」
「Fumu.」
Diablo acted with an attitude of a Demon King listening to the reports of his subordinates but......in his mind, he realized his own mistake and was holding his head in his hands.
After saving Shera, in order to grasp the location of where they were at the moment as well as search for Rem and the others, they immediately started moving.
Now that he thought about it, since he used such flashy magic, Rem and the others would have come by if they had just waited!
Having many years of playing solo ingrained into him, Diablo was inexperienced with group action even now. Putting it bluntly, he "sucked at gathering".
However, as a Demon King, he needed to preserve his dignity.
「Ahー......It’s that......Yes, Rafleisha, she had said that she knew. I thought that even if we were separated, then you would surely arrive here.」
「I knew it, you know? However, since the forest had become disordered......The landmarks had also disappeared.」
「Landmarks you say?」
「There are trees here and there that only Elves are able to understand.」
So even if she knew the way, since the route was blown away, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to have gotten lost.
Rem added on to that.
「......As we were wandering about in the forest, the Elves appeared. It would have been fine if we asked them to guide us here, but they attacked the moment they saw the Dark Elf. The "persuasion" took a lot of time.」
「I had been given the order to avoid killing after all.」
So this was the reason why Rem was exhausted and why the damage to Rose’s maid clothes were so terrible.
Diablo nodded.
「That was an appropriate decision. This place is Shera’s homeland, and it is a somewhat delicate time. It would be fine to show them our ability, but it would become troublesome if we were to kill them.」
「This Rose has a suggestion. Would we not be able to quickly resolve the situation if we display Master’s great power to them once again and have the Elves submit to you? If you grant your command, with their level of war potential, this Rose could annihilate them even if I were solo──」
Stop it!
「Hmph......You say such folly. What joy would there be in demonstrating my might in a remote region like this? Do you intend on ordering me to do such a chore?」
「I apologize for not having enough discretion.」
Rose lowered her head once again, and stepped back close to the wall.
Rafleisha made a wry smile.
「Hohoho......That is right. Standing above people, it is a chore.」
Suddenly feeling curious, he tried asking something. It was about something that wasn’t written in the MMORPG Cross Reverie’s setting documents.
「Do the Dark Elves also have an order of succession?」
「Yes, basically. But I......am only someone who should have been married to the patriarch’s son, and am not of a great lineage.」
「You should have been married?」
「This is a story from my childhood but, I had a fiance.」
「Fumu. And what happened to that man?」
Diablo hadn’t noticed Rafleisha’s artificial smile at all but──Rem was startled and raised her body up.
「......ッ!?」
「Hohoho......My fiance was, killed, by the Holy Army. Even though, he was still just a child.」
As expected, even Diablo was at a loss for words.
Rem’s eyes turned sharp.
「......You, are you scheming to get revenge on the Elves?」
「Certainly not! I have not thought of something so dreadful.」
「......Then, that’s fine but......The Holy Army is a force of the Lifelia Kingdom. I may not know about what happened at that time, but it would be unreasonable to blame the Elves for it.」
「Unreasonable?」
「......With the elites of the Lifelia Kingdom as the opponent, the Elves probably couldn’t contend against them. It is not that they abandoned the Dark Elves, they merely had no means of going against them.」
Rafleisha sank into silence.
Before long, she breathed a sigh.
「I understand. Although it would be a lie if I said that had no ill feelings, since I have been entrusted with the lives of many people──to cast away a rare future where coexistence is possible, that is unthinkable.」
「Is that so.」
「Due to having come to this forest after such a long time, I had remembered various things......Even things that did not need to be said. How embarrassing. Please forget it.」
Rafleisha smiled with her usual gentle expression.
For now, the talk settled down.
Just as he was thinking that he was starting to want dinner, the entranceway bell rang.
Rem brushed her hair up.
「......Since this is the country of the Elves, I don’t have much hope but, I would like to eat meat more than fruits and berries.」
It wasn’t like there wasn’t the possibility that weapons would be turned against him, but timidly being on guard wasn’t Demon King-like.
He majestically sat down.
With Rose receiving them, she opened the door.
An Elf wearing butler clothes made a courteous bow.
「Pardon me. The Queen would like to invite all of our guests to a dinner party.」
Rem shrugged her shoulders.
「......So she’s created the negotiation location.」
「Ara ara, to be invited to the Elf Queen’s dinner party, I’m getting nervous.」
Rafleisha didn’t break her composed attitude.
When Diablo stood up from the sofa, he flourished his mantle.
「Kukuku......Very well. Having been invited, why don’t we go. Think of this as an honor!」
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