BXBX NOVEL Volume 4 1 part5
He needed to say something. Moments of silence are tough.
「Th, that just now was weapon destroying magic. Though it is restricted to weapons that have not been bestowed with magic.」
What he blurted out was an explanation of the magic.
He understood that this was different from the words that they were expecting, but if he were able to say something good in this sort of situation, he would have lived a life where he was better at dealing with things.
Incidentally, in the game, since 《Arm Break》 had no effect on equipment that was greater than Rare, it was of no use in Player battles, but it did have an effect in drastically shaving off the offensive ability of monsters that possessed weapons.
「......Erm......That is quite an amazing magic, but.」
Rem had a baffled expression.
Alicia made an imploring face and asked.
「Why, did you interfere? Diablo-sama, just what kind of thoughts were you thinking?」
──I wasn’t thinking anything at all!
I am really sorry!
It’s just that he didn’t want to see a person die right before his eyes, even moreso when it was person that was once a companion.
But valuing a person’s life, that wasn’t Demon King-like.
Edelgart, who had been silently kneeling until then, stood up.
「Dying, no meaning, to it.」
Everyone made a "?" face. They had no idea what she was trying to say.
Maybe because she realized that she didn’t explain it enough, Edelgart added to her words.
「Even if you die～, Diablo and others get no profit. That’s why～, probably no meaning? No meaning!」
「Atone, is that what this means? But, how do I do it?」
Alicia looked at Diablo.
Even if she looked his way, he wasn’t thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of whether a person lives or dies in the first place. Demonic Beings are scary.
But even so, Diablo didn’t tear down his placid attitude. Now that it’s become like this, it required courage to speak his heart out and say "I don’t have the answer".
「Hmph......what should you do, you ask? To not know something of that degree, you are surprisingly a dullard, aren’t you.」
──Although I don’t know either!
After worrying about it for a bit, Alicia nodded.
「After proving useful to Diablo-sama, I should die......that is what this means, correct?」
「U, umu.」
Die at the end your life span.
「However, is there anything that I am still able to do?」
Rem tilted her head.
「......Alicia, you are a State Knight. By stopping the deployment of the military, wouldn’t that mean that you helped us?」
「That depends if I still have my position as a State Knight. In regards to how I handed you, Rem-sama, over to Sadraa, I do not know how that will be reported to the royal capital.」
「......Is there someone to make that report? Sadraa and the others have died, and the ones that saw Diablo and Krebskrum’s fight are us......And then, I think Sylvie and Emil?」
「Apart from the army and the State Knights, His Majesty Dalesh Sandros seems to possess an independent intelligence network.」
This was his first time hearing the King’s name.
In the game, he should have only been refered to as "Lifelia’s King". MMORPG Cross Reverie wasn’t of the military history genre, so things related to the country and the royal family were pretty much omitted.
If it were reported that "Alicia planned the Demon King’s revival", not only would she lose her position as a State Knight, she would probably end up being pursued as a criminal.
Diablo shrugged his shoulders.
「That does not matter.」
「Eh......?」
「Your position does not matter, that is what I am saying.」
「B, but......If I was no longer a State Knight, would that not mean I have no value......」
Things like her personal history or her position, whether she would prove useful or not, Diablo didn’t care for any of that.
──What’s wrong with being a shut-in NEET! It’s society that’s in the wrong! A world where you can’t live if you don’t work is wrong! A world that makes me work should just be destroyed!
However, it seemed like she wasn’t bursting with such shut-in NEET-like thoughts. Thinking about how to explain it to her, Rem nodded, looking like she agreed.
「It is just as Diablo says.」
──Eh?
No, calm down. It wasn’t about the shouting in my head, it was probably about the remark of "your position does not matter".
Rem asked a question to Alicia.
「......Your position as a State Knight, is that something that the important people of the country decided?」
「Of course it is.」
「Alicia, the ones that you despise, it isn’t us, but those important people, right?」
「Th, that is correct......That is exactly it. But, I do not understand. Just......what is it that I should do?」
「......As for that, I don’t know either.」
Rem and the others looked at Diablo.
He was troubled when they brought up difficult topics like the country or people’s lives. He didn’t have rich judgment that would just point out the answer with a snap.
All that he did have was experience within the game.
However, Demon Kings weren’t allowed to respond with an "I don’t know". In terms of their image that is.
Diablo curved the ends of his lips, and daringly smiled.
「There is only annihilation!」
「EH!?」
「Th, that is......」
Naturally, both Alicia and Rem were bewildered. Shera made a face that said that she didn’t understand.
On the contrary, Krum deeply nodded her head.
「That is exactly it -nanoda! If you don’t like something, whether it be the country or the king, just simply get rid of them!」
「Ohh～, at last, Demon King-sama is......Motivated? Motivated! She is!!」
Edelgart’s eyes sparkled.
The story might have turned to a bit of an ominous direction.
Alicia tightly clenched her fists.
「Understood. I shall do my best in aiming for the overthrowing of the nation! If that shall be of use to you, Diablo-sama!」
──Nwhat!?
Before he knew it, things had turned into Diablo thinking of overthrowing the Kingdom of Lifelia.
Rem and Shera made baffled faces.
「Is, is that true, Diablo?」
「Is it really because you’re a Demon King, that you want to fight against the Races?」
──Waitwaitwaitwait, please wait!?
This is bad!
Even if he was doing his Demon King role play, and pulled along by Alicia who had a grudge against the important people of the kingdom, to think things would go in the direction of the overthrowing of the Kingdom of Lifelia.
At present, Diablo didn’t have an objective, but something like "I was bored so I tried overthrowing a country", that would be what a genuine Demon KIng would do, wasn’t it!
This was something that he absolutely couldn’t just go with the flow and nod to.
Diablo drew his lips back.
「W, well, if they were to oppose me, I won’t show any mercy. However, as of now, I am not too knowledgeable in regards to the Kingdom of Lifelia, you see? I would annihilate anyone without hesitation no matter who they are, but that is only if they show hostility. If they show hostility.」
「It is just as you say, Diablo-sama. Unless the enemy’s war potential is understood, victory is uncertain.」
「No......」
──I didn’t say it with that kind of meaning though!?
However, there was no way that Diablo’s inner thoughts would be transmitted to Alicia.
「I do not know what will happen to my position but......I shall gather as much information as I can.」
Alicia was totally into the idea of overthrowing the Kingdom of Lifelia.
This isn’t a joke but......In terms of his Demon King role play, he couldn’t say that peace was the best.
「I, I see. Well, do it slowly, and carefully, and make an effort when you feel like it.」
Alicia knelt down.
「Diablo-sama, thank you very much. I was about to meaninglessly throw my life away. For signifying the path that I should go down, you have my heartfelt gratitude, and I pledge to you my eternal loyalty.」
「Umu.」
To be completely honest, Diablo didn’t signify a single thing. Everyone else just explained things on their own and roused her up.
──That being said, since the problem has been postponed, I guess that’s good enough.
Rather than having a corpse of a State Knight lying in the room, this is probably a much better conclusion.
Rem held her hand out towards Alicia.
「......I can’t forgive your betrayal so easily, but even if you were to die, I wouldn’t be happy about it. I don’t approve of the overthrowing if the Kingdom of Lifelia either but......If the upper echelon of the kingdom have actions they should be convicted for, then I shall cooperate.」
「Certainly, as things are now, it cannot be helped that you think of it as my own unjustifed resentments. I will gather a suitable amount of proof.」
Alicia grasped the hand that was held out to her.
They were having a dangerous conversation, but because of the friendly atmosphere that they had somehow created, Shera made a smiling face.
「This is great, isn’t it, Diablo.」
「It is.」
We’ll make an attack on the royal capital at once──I really am thankful that things didn’t stream into that course of events.
Edelgart pouted her lips, looking uninterested.
Krum, maybe because she woke up in the middle of the night, looked a bit sleepy.
Suddenly, Diablo noticed small eyes gazing at him from the crevice of the wall and ceiling. It was a small grey animal.
It was the mouse again.
Diablo got irritated.
「Tsk......A mere mouse sneaking about. How about I just blow you up along with the ceiling......」
Of course, he wasn’t serious, but he turned one hand towards the rat.
Maybe because it understood words, it panickedly withdrew. And then just as he thought that things had finished with that, that mouse screamed its death throes.
──What is that!?
Did something, exist in there!?
The corpse of the mouse that was twisted and crushed fell to the floor.
A black, viscous liquid slimily spilled down from the crevice of the wall and ceiling.