—Damn, now I’m getting nervous. I’ve never been inside a normie haven like a fancy café back in my world.

  There was only one customer in the entire shop. Already seated in a chair, she smiled at Diablo and the others. She had a gentle face, and wore a long robe that covered her voluptuous figure. A staff leaned against the wall near her, indicating her status as a Sorcerer.

  It was the person whom they had come to meet with—Celestine Baudelaire.

  “My, my, welcome! ...But me saying that when the employees are right over there is strange, isn’t it.”

  “...Did we keep you waiting?” Rem said as she greeted her.

  “To be completely honest, I was so excited that I ended up arriving a good while ago. It was definitely the right choice to come here; no matter how long I wait, I never get tired of being here. I’ve actually wanted to try visiting a café myself, you know?” A childlike smile played on her lips as she spoke.

  “M-Me too!” Shera said, leaning forward. “I was really, really, really looking forward to coming here!”

  “My, so you’re the same as me, then. It’s marvelous being able to taste the same coffee that you would find in the Royal Capital, isn’t it? —Oh, would that be her?” Though Celes was sure to know Klem’s true identity, she still wore a gentle expression on her face.

  “And who the heck are you supposed to be?”

  “Very nice to meet you. My name is Celes, and I am the head of the Mage’s Association in this town.”

  “Oho, I see. So you’re the one in charge of maintaining the barrier for this town.”

  Klem looked around. It seemed she could see the streams of magic being used to keep the barrier in place.

  Slightly nervous, Rem’s face tensed up; but Celes gave a gentle smile. “That’s right. It’s a serious responsibility, which is why it was so hard to come here by myself... But I’m glad that I did. I get to meet someone as adorable as you, after all.”

  “I have only come here to eat biscuits!”

  “Is that so? They’re very delicious, I assure you. Please, have a seat.”

  “Very well!”

  Klem plopped herself down into a chair, while Shera automatically took the seat beside her, almost like she was Klem’s guardian. Rem took the remaining empty seat.

  Since it was only four seats to a table, Diablo and Alicia opted to sit at the adjacent table instead of pushing the two of them together.

  All alone with Alicia... His nervousness was flying through the roof.

  —Who would’ve thought I would end up going to a fancy café and sitting right across from a beautiful woman like this.

  Trying to hide the loud thumping of his heart inside his chest, Diablo proclaimed boldly to Alicia: “Order whatever you like.”

  “Thank you very much, Sir Diablo... But are you sure it is all right?” She pointed to the menu lying on the table.

  For reference’s sake, a cup of coffee at the Peace of Mind Inn was 200 friths, while other places wouldn’t go over 300 in price. At this fancy café—

  It was 3000 friths for one cup.

  —WHAT THE HELL?! Three zeroes?!

  He could barely stop himself from yelling it out loud. It was a price that rivaled the cost of a night’s stay at the Peace of Mind Inn, breakfast included.

  —And Celes chose HERE for our meetup spot?! Are you TRYING to make me bankrupt, is that it?! Curse you, she-devil! You evil witch...!!

  A pleasant smile came across the face of the wicked woman in question.

  “I will pay for everything, so please, order whatever you like.”

  “Oh, so you’re an angel after all...”

  Fortunately, no one called Diablo out on what he had muttered to himself.

  The coffee brought out to him was completely different than the kind he usually drank. It had a strong sour taste to it, but it complimented the bitterness of the beverage, making it easy to drink. Funnily enough, the first thing that came to his mind was that it was almost like drinking orange juice. There was certainly something other than sugar that gave it its sweetness.

  —Holy crap! This stuff would sell like crazy if it was for sale back in the city!

  Klem was no good with coffee because of how bitter it was, but was considerably pleased at the cocoa and scone brought out for her: “It’s so sweet! And yummy! This muddy water stuff and biscuit are delicious!”

  It seemed that any kind of treat was a biscuit to her.

  “I’m glad it’s to your liking, Klem.”

  “Yes, I shall praise you for this! The biscuits I usually have are fine—but this biscuit was very yummy, too!”

  “Hehe... Feel free to have seconds as well.” It seemed Celes was having a great time enjoying this.

  When it came time to take their leave, Diablo had Alicia, Shera, and Klem leave ahead of them. In the limited amount of time they had as they took care of the check, Diablo and Rem were conversing with Celes, keeping their voices low so the other employees wouldn’t hear them.

  “Celes, you’ve heard everything from Rem, I assume? Even though she has lost her memories...Klem is still a Demon Lord. What are you planning to do about her?”

  He didn’t want to make the Mage’s Association their enemy, but it was true Celes had a duty to protect the other races. How would she make her move?

  “Hehe, I would think there is no Demon Lord that exists like her. She doesn’t kill people, and she loves to eat sweets... I don’t think you could call someone like that a Demon Lord, do you?” Celes’s playful smile never left her face.

  “...I’m grateful to hear you say that, but will you be all right, Celes? Will you not get punished?” Rem asked, concerned.

  “It’s the same as what I did for you, Rem. I don’t know what will happen if this goes public...but to me, I find taking away someone’s freedom unnecessarily to be quite unpleasant.”

  Celes was the key to holding the barrier protecting Faltra in place. Though she made a conscious decision to play that role, it also robbed her of any kind of freedom—and that’s exactly why Diablo felt he could believe her words.

  †

  Leaving the Central District via its southern gate, they headed toward the town plaza. Alicia had said that taking this path would be like a shortcut—but the street was jam-packed with people perusing the various stalls lined up here. Unlike the Central District, where all the rich people lived, this scene felt much more like a town full of commoners.

  “I’m sorry, I did not expect it to be this crowded...” Alicia said apologetically.

  —Not like it’s her fault the marketplace is this crowded.

  Because of Diablo’s appearance, people would usually give them a wide berth as they walked down the street, but that wasn’t going to happen with this many people here. Everyone was so focused on shopping that even if they bumped into him, most wouldn’t even pay any mind to him. If they didn’t come face-to-face with him, then it didn’t even matter he was a Demon Lord.

  Klem was fed up with the crowds of people: “Enough! How about I just burn them all!”

  “No! That’s a no-no!” Shera scolded.

  True, burning everyone alive was a bad thing...but as they weaved their way through the throngs of people, Diablo could at least understand the feeling of wanting to.

  Alicia held out her hand to Klem. “Let us hold hands to make sure we aren’t separated. We always leave this task to Miss Shera, so this time, I shall accompany you.”

  “Hm? Fine, I suppose there’s no way around it. Make sure you hold onto my hand tight so you don’t get lost.”

  —It’s you who she’s worried about getting lost, Klem...

  Diablo started walking toward the western road. He thought it would be a bit strange for a Demon Lord to worry about the people he was with getting lost.

  While Rem seemed concerned about what was going on behind her, Shera came up next to Diablo, grabbing his arm with a, “Wait up!”

  “Hmph. Everyone is heading to the inn, no? Then there shouldn’t be any problems, even if we stray from each other.”

  “Well, yeah...but it’s more fun when we’re all walking together!”

  “Then...do whatever you want.”

  “OK!”

  As of late, Shera may have seemed like a big sister looking after her little sister, but by nature she was a girl who had always been a bit childlike.

  She wrapped herself around Diablo’s arm. It had been a while since Shera had pressed her supple chest against him, and Diablo was having a rough time not letting his unrest due to it show on his face.

  Diablo and Shera were at the front, followed by Rem, with Alicia and Klem bringing up the rear.

  —It kinda feels like we’re a party from an RPG... Though the person at front is a Demon Lord, not a hero.

  Demon Lord, Summoner, Summoner-Archer, Knight, Demon Lord—it’s a pretty unbalanced party...

  After they had walked a bit more and escaped the crowds, Shera suddenly yelled out—

  “Everyone’s gone!!”

  —Looks like they did get lost after all.

  Rem, Alicia, Klem—they were no where to be found.

  —In this situation, Shera and I are the smaller group, so would that make us the lost ones in this situation? But we were the ones at the front, so that doesn’t seem right...

  Were we walking too fast? I’ve never been in front when walking around in a group—let alone ever being in a group—so I don’t have a clue...

  Knowing Rem and Alicia, they would head back to the inn if they were separated from the group—

  But even so, he was plagued with a vague sense of apprehension.

  They hightailed it back to the Peace of Mind Inn. Rem and the others hadn’t returned yet, so Diablo and Shera decided to wait; but after waiting for about 20 minutes or so—

  Diablo heard the chiming of the bell from a nearby church, signaling it was five o’ clock in the afternoon. Shera couldn’t take it any longer.

  “I-I’ll try going back! They could be out in the Central Plaza looking for us! You stay here, Diablo, since we may end up just missing each other while I’m out looking.”

  “Very well.” He couldn’t fully commit to his Demon Lord role play in a situation like this.

  Klem may have been a Demon Lord, but she was also a child. He had thought it would be all right just having Rem and Alicia with her...

  —But if they were actually together, wouldn’t they be back by now? It seems like there’s a good chance Klem really did end up getting lost...

  Was Alicia out searching for her? What was Rem doing?

  As thoughts tumbled around in his head, Shera took off toward the Central Plaza.

  “I gotta hurry up and find them!”

  The more time passed, the less people there would be out shopping, which would make it all the easier to find their lost companions.

  But he couldn’t suppress a feeling of dread. It would be fine if this was just needless anxiety on his part, but he couldn’t calm down just waiting around for them.

  “If Rem or Alicia comes back, tell them we’ll be waiting in our room,” Diablo instructed the receptionist. “Don’t let them go back outside, got it?”

  “Alrighty! Just leave it to Mei. ☆” She sounded the same as ever, but Diablo felt a slight aura of seriousness from her words.

  He headed toward the plaza; however, all that had happened was the number of people searching went from only Shera to the two of them—and there wasn’t much point to that. He would need much more manpower if they were going to find them.

  As he walked around, mulling over what to do, he spotted a large building along the western road—

  “I’ve got it...”

  —the Adventurer’s Guild.

  Chapter 4: Rem’s Story

  It was well before the church bell rang out five times—after she had become separated from Diablo and Shera at the Central Plaza.

  Rem was in one of the back alleys between the buildings.

  “...What is the meaning of this?”

  She had been chasing after two people, and even lost sight of them a few times...but she had finally caught up.

  Unlike the lively Central Plaza, the alleyway was dim and grimy, with trash strewn about everywhere. People dumped the garbage from their homes here, where it was left as is. The smell wasn’t too terrible because of the how arid the air was in Faltra, but this wasn’t necessarily a place you would want to come to on purpose.

  Standing ahead of Rem in this back alley—was Alicia, who had been pulling Klem along by the hand. Cheeks stuffed with biscuits, Klem didn’t seem to have the foggiest idea as to why she was brought here.

  “Mm? What’s wrong with you?”

  “...Um, well... I don’t understand why she brought you here... Alicia, why did you bring her here?”

  A faint smile came across Alicia’s lips. “I had been planning on only bringing Miss Klem here by herself, then calling Miss Shera afterward... But maybe it’s better that you are here with us instead, Miss Rem. It could turn out to be a key of some sort.”

  There was something different than usual about Alicia. Staying on guard, Rem reached into the pocket of her leather belt where she kept her crystals, so she would be ready to call a Summon at any time.

  “...What are you talking about?”

  “Exactly why is it that Miss Klem is missing her memories? According to the Fallen priests, it is not just magic energy that is needed to resurrect the Demon Lord...but something else as well.”

  “...Fallen priests?” Rem grew even more tense.

  It was from these priests that Edelgard had borrowed their knowledge as her source for conducting the ritual.

  “Why, yes... After what happened, I left town to go speak with Miss Edelgard—about how to regain the Demon Lord’s lost memories, and how to perfectly awaken her.”

  “What are you saying, Alicia?!”

  “If the Demon Lord had not lost her memories, I would have been able to tell you the truth so much sooner...”

  “...Alicia... Are you trying to say you’re hoping for the resurrection of a Demon Lord who would kill the races?”

  “That is exactly what I have been saying, no?”

  Rem’s voice was trembling. “...Alicia... You... That would make you a Demon Lord worshiper!”

  “Yes, it does.” Alicia smiled pleasantly.

  It was a bright, cheerful smile, something completely different than what she had shown in front of Diablo and the others. Perhaps it was a result of that feeling of relief one got from revealing how they truly felt.

  Klem looked up at Alicia. “I don’t understand a word you’re saying. I’m already resurrected! This is my perfect, complete, and flawless form!”

  “But you will not kill the races, yes?”

  “Correct! Because I can’t remember why I would want to do so in the first place. Also, the races are the only ones who know how to make biscuits!”

  “That is why I wish for you to awaken... For you to open your eyes...”

  “Enough of this drivel! Do you want me to roast you alive?!”

  “If it will awaken your true self, my lord, then I will gladly offer myself as the first sacrifice. In fact, I would feel no greater joy than if you did so.”

  Klem looked appalled, and tried to put some distance between herself and Alicia—but she would not let go of Klem’s hand, keeping the same gentle smile on her face.

  “That’s enough! I’m leaving!”

  “To do so, you will have to kill either myself, or the person over there standing in our way. The moment you do, that is when you will truly awaken as the Demon Lord.”

  Rem took out one of her Summon crystals—it seemed Alicia had used Edelgard in order to gain information from the Fallen priests; these weren’t baseless claims she was making.

  —So that means as soon as Klem kills someone, she will awaken as the true Demon Lord? I have to stop that from happening...!

  “Why are you trying to awaken the Demon Lord, Alicia?!”

  “My one desire is to wipe out these unsightly races—to have a world that is ruled over by the resplendent Fallen.”

  Nothing had changed about the way she looked—but to Rem, it was a sinister feeling, like she was facing a monster that had taken on the form of Alicia.

  There was nothing more for them to talk about.

  “...I will be taking back Klem now.”

  Alicia was an Imperial Knight, and was sure to possess abilities that made her worthy of that title.

  —Will I be able to win against her...?

  Rem gripped her crystal tight. She was already going to be a difficult opponent in a one-on-one fight—then, someone else came to Alicia’s side.

  Another knight had appeared in the dark alleyway—one that Rem had seen before. The man leisurely strolled toward them, the sound of his feet scraping against the dirt with each step he took. He was outfitted in thick armor, and carried numerous swords on his person.

  “Here you are, Miss Cristela. I was searching for you, you know?”

  A smile on his face so sickeningly pleasant it seemed downright suspicious—it was the Paladin, Saddler.

  There was a dark, burning fire in his eyes, many times more intense than the last time they had met. Back then, he had taken them lightly and looked upon them with scorn—but now, he was like a ravenous beast.

  “My apologies, we were held up by this Adventurer...” Alicia cast a frigid look toward Rem. “No, by this Demon Lord worshiper.”

  Rem’s eye widened. “What?! You’re the Demon Lord worshiper here, Alicia!”

  “Perish the thought. As a result of my infiltration into your group, I was able to ascertain that you were all Demon Lord worshipers, and managed to put this child you abducted under my protection.”

 

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