「Normally, we would have handed Shera-chan over, you know? We don’t want to have something like a war after all. But there’s one thing troubling us.」
Diablo silently listened.
He could pretty much predict what it was that she was trying to say.
Sylvie pointed his way.
「It’s you, Diablo-san……You probably won’t relinquish Shera-chan, will you?」
「Naturally.」
「So that means that Faltra City’s feudal lord, who was demanded to hand her over, will have to make a decision……Either defeat Diablo-san and snatch Shera-chan away, or not hand Shera-chan over and have a war with the Greenwood Kingdom.」
——So either defeat me, or, a war with the Elves!?
Not good……
Fighting with the feudal lord meant that the army would come out. A large number of people of the Races would attack him.
During the time he acted as a Demon King in the game, he experienced battles of one versus six.
He had also faced off against a countless number of monsters.
However, he was inexperienced in battles against 1,000 or 10,000 people. As one would expect, his MP probably wouldn’t last.
He somehow needed to make them believe that “if they were to challenge Diablo, they would lose”.
Of course, he also wanted to avoid something like a war between the Humans and the Elves, but he first needed to avoid the situation where he would be targeted.
It would be nice if he could skillfully negotiate with them but……
It’s impossible.
In truth, Diablo had no communication faculty. Since he couldn’t talk very well, he created his character with a Demon King role play and was misrepresenting himself.
If his former self came out, he could only say things like 「Ah–」 or 「Uh–」.
Although the Sylvie before him had an outward appearance that looked like a child, she was a Guildmaster that managed a great number of people and because the one that commissioned the aforementioned quest to her was the feudal lord of Faltra City, for him who couldn’t even squarely talk with a classmate, the burden was much too heavy.
As he thought, he had no choice but to do his Demon King role play.
Diablo opened his mouth.
「Kukuku……Very well……I was just thinking that I was getting tired of lying idle. If the opponent is going to be the nation’s armed forces, they aren’t lacking. I shall return the country to ash with my magic.」
He said it in a voice he made as low as he possibly could.
Sylvie waved her hands in front of her face that looked like she was panicking.
「Wait, wait! I was saying that that choice is impossible! To fight with you, Diablo-san, who repelled the Demonic Being military force all by yourself, that wouldn’t be any different from making enemies with a single country, and more importantly, it would be brutal.」
「Hmph……Narrowly escaped death.」
——That I did!
Although Diablo took a displeased attitude, he was relieved in his mind.
Sylvie put up her index finger.
「Here’s a quest from me and the troubled feudal lord. Prevent the war with the Greenwood Kingdom, ‘kay, Diablo-san!」
I refuse.
That’s what he wanted to say with all his might.
However, he naturally had no choice but to accept it. In order to protect Shera……
Shera, being the person in the middle of this whirlpool, timidly began to talk.
「L, listen……Diablo……I……I can……run away on my own again, you know?」
「What was that?」
Shera added one more thing as if she were flustered.
「I, I mean look! I went and ran away all on my own up until now……If I’m not around, then there’s no need for Faltra City’s feudal lord-san or you, Diablo, to hand me over, right?」
「Will you be able to run away from the Elven forces by yourself?」
「Ugh……That’s……I might get caught but……If I do, then it can’t be helped. I’ll be sad if I mess up but……it can’t be helped.」
He tightly gripped his fist.
He asked just to be sure.
「Do you truly feel that “it can’t be helped”?」
「That’s right! I mean, I absolutely don’t want something like a war! I don’t want to see people dying! That’s why……There’s nothing else that we can do!」
He understood what she wanted to say.
She wasn’t mistaken. If Shera were to run away by herself, the war between the Humans and the Elves would probably be avoided, and Diablo wouldn’t be targeted.
However, would she be able to get away?
It would be difficult.
In that case, should he protect Shera and fight with the Greenwood Kingdom? That would be reckless.
What’s the best thing to do?
If it was him before he came to this world, he would have refused without a worry. He might have said “it can’t be helped”. It’s because something like stopping a war all alone was absurd.
It was a choice with no correct answer.
The answer was already decided.
It’s because his current self was——the Demon King Diablo!
「Do not make light of me. A Demon King that would yield to something like a nation’s armed forces, there’s no such thing.」