Chapter I

Hello all! Yes, I know I have been gone for a very long time. A lot of things have happened since my previous update. I have started a new job that takes a vast amount of my time and energy, I have also taken in a new pet, which is its own hassle, and several other matters that have taken my time and my energy, leaving with little to sit down and read, watch, and/or play the fiction I use in many of stories, which then leaves me with a drought of ideas. That said, I have managed to find the time, the energy, and the mental space to come up with some ideas. I know, most of you are likely not happy it is just yet another new story, rather than an update to an existing one, but I only do this for fun, and especially so now that I have an actual job to worry about, so any time and energy I have for writing is going to be spent on what I feel like doing at the time. And for now, this is it.

Well, my excuses out of the way, I present to you Demon Lord's Adventurers! It is, as usual, a harem crossover. Primarily of DanMachi/Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon and How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord, with my usual cavalcade of numerous shows and games thrown in. Main character is Diablo from Demon Lord, but as you will likely see he is really a combination of numerous characters.

So, without further adieu, let us dive right in!

Inside of a large room with a long table surrounded by over forty chairs, a man with dark skin, red eyes, and short white hair with pointed black horns atop his head wearing a black and red, caped outfit, opened his eyes as he looked around. "Ahhh… it's nice to be back in. Kinda sad this'll be the last time, though. Right, Sinoula?"

Next to him, Sinoula, a beautiful woman with long, full, bright red hair and matching red eyes with large, golden horns atop her head, clad in a low-cut, black dress with red accents that left almost all of her voluptuous chest on full view, nodded with a smile. "Indeed, Momonga."

"So… it's finally over?" asked a third person in the room, a tall, cuttlefish-like being with grey flesh and numerous long tentacles, rolling a ball around its spot on the table with one of its appendages. "The server's going down and AOG stands undefeated, Momo?"

The man nodded in return. "Yes, Tabula Smaragdina. I checked while I was waiting for the two of you, and Ainz Ooal Gown is still Yggdrasil's number one guild by a rather large margin. We have one loss and three hundred, forty-five victories."

Tabula stopped playing with the ball and looked up. "Huh. I forgot we lost once."

Motioning through a menu that appeared in front of him, Momonga nodded. "I see. It was a long time ago, I suppose."

Sinoula nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I've even forgotten who it was against."

After a moment of quiet, Tabula just sighed heavily. "Who cares… all our history and achievements are gonna get deleted soon. Including my beloved Albedo…"

Momonga just shrugged. "They're just NPCs. I'm sure there'll be another VRMMORPG we can make them in."

Tabula angrily pointed at him with one of its tentacles and growled, "You will never understand the importance of Albedo!"

Momonga glowered and batted the tendril away. "Geez, don't wiggle those things at me, you pervert, I'm not into tentacle rape." He suddenly paled. "Wait… it's not because you use those things on –"

Tabula proceeded to immediately interrupt him with a powerful slap. "Pervert!"

"Gah! What the hell!?" Momonga grumbled as a green meter in his peripheral vision lost a small piece with a number appearing beside it momentarily.

"I'd never defile my Albedo like that!"

The duo's argument was interrupted by Sinoula's light laughter. "Surprisingly, I'm going to miss this. All of us here…"

Momonga sighed with a smile before nodding, then proceeded to look around the room in thought. "Are we really the only ones left?"

Tabula nodded in return. "Everyone else has logged out and deleted their characters."

"Damn…"

"Everything they owned is in the Vault. Think we can transfer it?"

Momonga just shrugged. "Only if we find a game using the same architecture. Other than that, though? Doubtful."

"Damn…" the squid-like being pouted.

"Well, we probably shouldn't just spend the last couple hours here in the war room. So let's explore."

Sinoula and Tabula nodded in agreement.

"Agreed," the redhead added.

Standing up, he turned to a piece of the wall at the back and pressed a space on it, causing it to open, revealing an incredibly tall, jagged, golden staff with numerous gems decorating its head. "Ahh… Our greatest achievement… The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. The forty-three of us spent countless hours collecting the necessary items, plans, and more to make this."

"It was quite the endeavor."

"Its crest is adorned with seven World-Class Items."

Nodding with a smile, Sinoula added, "I remember all the expeditions we went on to obtain those gems."

"Yeah… Fun times… and don't forget Tabula designing the staff itself."

Sinoula just chuckled lightly. "I thought she'd never stop."

"Yeah… wait, what?"

"What?"

Looking at Tabula, Momonga wondered, "You're a girl?"

Tabula tilted her head curiously. "Of course. You can't tell?"

Twitching an eyebrow, Momonga retorted, "No! You're a tentacle monster, you sound like a creature, and act like an old man!"

Sinoula just shrugged. "She's always acted that way."

Momonga sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm aware. I guess I never thought about what any of you were really like. It never mattered."

"I see…"

Without wasting a moment, Tabula pointed to Sinoula. "Siny is self-conscious about her arm fat."

Sinoula immediately began sputtering as she covered her upper arms. "N – Nan – Tabula!"

"What?"

"You promised you wouldn't talk about my flabby arms!"

"Now, now. You're the one that calls them flabby. They are pleasantly plump."

Sinoula shot her a cold glare. "Speak more and I'm cutting off your pudding supply."

Tabula suddenly made a monstrous cry that would send chills down the spine of a normal person. "You take that back!"

Momonga just watched in silent disbelief.

"You can't just try and take away my one true love!"

Momonga chuckled in amusement as he sighed before grabbing the Staff. "I suppose I should bring it with us."

As they proceeded through the halls of the massive structure, the three approached a group of several maids waiting in a row.

Momonga looked over them in thought. "Ah, the head security and maids. Let's see, what are they called again? Pleiades?"

"Yes," Sinoula replied.

Nodding, Momonga put a hand on his chin in thought. "Now, what was the command again? Oh, right. Okay. Pleiades, salute."

The maids proceeded to raise their right arms in a formal salute to himself and the others.

Tabula looked them over in thought, rubbing the top of its head with a tendril. "Okay… Yuri, Lupus – something, Nabe, Shizu, Solution, Anty."

Sinoula merely sighed.

"What?"

Pointing to each maid in sequence, she retorted, "Yuri Alpha," a pale-skinned woman with long black hair tied up in a bun with a frill, deep black eyes with round, frameless glasses hanging gently on her nose, wearing a long maid uniform, the bustier of which tightly held around her moderate bust, that had numerous plates of armor on one shoulder, her hips, and large, spiked gauntlets on her forearms.

"Lupusregina Beta," a tan-skinned woman with long, orange-red hair tied in two long braids that reached her thin waist, bright green eyes, wearing a black and gold maid uniform with detached sleeves, a black and white cap atop her head, hiding wolf-like ears underneath, a white slip over her torso that held firmly to her generous bust, a long slit up the side of her dress, exposing much of her long legs, slightly opaque stockings and black high-heeled shoes.

"Narberal Gamma," a young woman with dark grey eyes, straight-cut, black hair tied in a loose ponytail, wearing a heavily armored maid uniform, the breastplate of which still showed the shape of her firm bosom underneath, with a long string of plates down the fluffed skirt, and pointed, armored black boots.

"CZ2128 Delta," a fair-skinned woman with one, bright green eye exposed, the other covered with an eyepatch, long, wild, bright orange hair that reached down to her knees, wearing a heavily modified maid uniform, with her right arm, abdomen, and the sides of her skirt all covered in thick armor, and the usual white accents replaced with a green and brown, blotched, forest camouflage pattern.

"Solution Epsilon," an attractive young woman with short, mid-upper arm length, bright, golden blonde hair in large curls, seemingly empty blue eyes, and fair skin, wearing a very skimpy, French maid uniform that exposed a fair portion of her generous bust, nearly as full as Sinoula's, thigh-high armored boots, and long slits up the sides of her already short skirt.

"And lastly, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta," a petite girl with hard, almost bonelike, purple hair atop her head, a hard, motionless face with red eyes, and a simple, Japanese style maid uniform with long, dark red stockings.

Tabula nodded in understanding. "Ooooh… Boring. I like mine better."

"I don't care," Momonga retorted.

Tabula huffed, spitting a noxious fluid in the process. "Mean Momo."

A tic mark forming on his forehead, Momonga growled, "Stop spitting on everything dammit!"

Almost immediately, Narberal knelt down and began cleaning up the mess.

As they walked, Momonga stopped and turned to a single maid standing at the head of the line, waiting, the only one whose uniform resembled a standard maid with no armoring applied to it, her long black hair tied neatly under a cap with her deep black eyes hidden behind frameless round glasses, her bust neatly hidden under the layers of clothing, though still enough for the shape to be seen. "I forget… what was her name again?"

Sinoula answered, "Voulcosta Ultima."

He nodded as he looked at Ultima. "Right, thanks. Pleiades, follow."

The group followed behind as Momonga and the others walked into a massive hall with a throne at one end, and numerous flags hanging on the banisters above.

Tabula looked around in thought. "Ah… it's always nice here."

With a rather wry smile as she looked at the throne, Sinoula commented, "I have nice memories here," immediately causing Momonga to stiffen as his cheeks turned red.

Tabula just looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The two just stared in disbelief.

Coughing into his hand, Momonga redirected, "A – Anyway, let's head in. I'm sure Albedo's waiting."

"She always is," Tabula remarked as they approached.

A tall, beautiful woman with long, flowing, knee-length, lustrous, jet-black hair, a long strand falling between her golden amber eyes, which had vertically slit pupils, and at her waist were a pair of large, black, feathered wings, and she wore elbow-length white gloves, a low-hanging white dress that reached the floor, open portions that exposed her full hips, and a golden necklace modeled after a spider web that flowed over her extensive bust, waited by the throne.

"Beautiful…" Momonga remarked under his breath.

Sinoula hummed in thought, not having heard him.

"Nothing. Just admiring Albedo."

"Ah." With a playful pout, Sinoula retorted, "I'm hotter though… Aren't I…?"

"O – Of course," he stuttered lightly.

Tabula stared firmly at the two with suspicion.

"… A – Anyway…" he stammered before approaching the throne and sitting upon it, dropping the Staff as it floated off to the side. He just glanced at Albedo, who stood there quietly, before sighing, noticing the clock in the corner of his vision. "Geez… It's almost time…" Closing his eyes, he leaned back with a heavy sigh. 'I guess it'll be over in just a few minutes…'

However, as he sat, he began to feel the ambient temperature in the room begin to change, before feeling something pressing against the sides of his face, gently. '… The hell…?' Opening his eyes, he immediately realized what it was, two people on either side of him, kissing his cheeks. … Eh? 'EEEHHH!? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'

"Yay!" cheered an energetic girl with long, flowing blonde hair and bright, blue-green eyes, long, pointed ears, adorned in rather simple clothing of a green tunic with gold accents and simple brown boots, though beyond anything, her most striking feature were the two, large, round orbs that were barely held in by her clothing as she hopped in excitement. "The summon worked! Way to go me!"

Momonga stared in disbelief. 'A – An Elf?'

Next to her, a petite girl with wheat-shaded skin and long black hair wearing a simple outfit of black and purple, that left most of her lithe frame exposed, her most notable quality being the black, furry, feline ears atop her head and a matching tail just above her round rump, looked at the blonde in annoyance. "What? We both did it. I simply used your magic to do it. You don't have any real skill."

'That girl… she's a Pantherian.'

The elf turned to the petite girl with a pout, her round chest swaying as she did. "Hey, I'm the one who cast the ritual!"

"We both did, stupid," the cat-eared girl snapped.

Momonga looked down as their argument continued, looking at his hands in front of him. 'This is… It can't really be… can it? Am I actually in Yggdrasil? It looks and sounds the same, but I can actually smell and feel the world around me. The ambient temperature, the soft breeze, the sweet scent in the air… It's amazing… and why the hell am I here and not the throne room?!'

With a hiss, the Pantherian snapped back, "It was my idea to come to the Starfall Tower. I simply used you as a mana pool. It's all those balloons on your chest are good for."

'Starfall Tower? Isn't that where newbie Summoners try for their first Summon? Wait, does that mean these two SUMMONED me?! How the fuck?' Momonga looked up in thought. "U – Um, excuse me…"

Their argument continued, the two seemingly unaware of his attempted interjection.

Groaning in frustration, Momonga scratched his head in confusion. '… If it continues like this, I won't get a word in edgewise… I'm really not used to talking to girls… Even at work I normally stick to my desk and ignored everyone as best I could… how am I supposed to go with this?! Wait… Maybe I should act like my Character. Yeah… I was able to act as Momonga in front of Sinoula, and she's even better than that blonde. And then I was able to be the real me in front of her. So for now, I'll just be him!' Clearing his throat, Momonga summoned the most authoritative tone he could as he stood up. "Both of you, quit this pointless bickering."

The two girls froze in place and looked at him in disbelief.

"Th – The Summon talked?!" the buxom blonde exclaimed.

Momonga merely huffed in derision. "I am no Summon, fool. I am…" sweat began to drip down his face in concern. 'Crap, do I really want to call myself Momonga? I made that name when I was fifteen and thought it was cool… Okay, I need something new, something that sounds like a powerful demon, but not stupid… Ah, I've got it!' Flaring his cape out with a vile grin, Momonga declared at full volume, "I am the True Demon Lord Diablo!"

"D – Diablo?" the elf shuddered slightly as she spoke the name.

Momonga, or rather, Diablo, gave himself a small smirk. 'Much better…' "Yes. Now, quit your bickering and shake hands, with a smile."

The Pantherian hissed dismissively. "Who would shake hands with that fatty el –?" her voice suddenly cut out as her body began to twitch and stutter.

The elf's ears wiggled slightly in confusion before her body tensed as well.

The two began slowly, jerkily, moving towards each other, seemingly fighting their own bodies, as they grasped hands before twitching smiles appeared on their faces.

"Wh – What is… happening…?!" the cat-eared girl shrieked as she finally managed to break her handshake with the elf.

As if to answer her question, the duo's necks began to sparkle with flickers of light before bursting, resulting in large, round, heavy, iron collars with shackles appeared around their slender necks in a flash.

Diablo gaped in disbelief, but quickly collected himself to keep up his façade. "… You're both idiots."

"Wha – Wha – What the heck?!" the well-endowed elf shrieked as she tried to pull the collar off, her rack swaying with each motion.

Diablo glanced down at the ring on his right hand and nodded to himself before looking at the girls. "Yes, you both are, for trying to make a Demon Lord a Servant."

The elf gasped in disbelief. "Wait, the spell didn't work?!"

"I presume you used the Enslavement Ritual?"

The cat-eared girl frowned as she pawed at the collar, attempting, but failing, to remove it. "Yes…"

With a huff, Diablo "proudly" declared, "Then you're my new Servants, from your own stupidity."

The blessed elf stared in shock.

Continuing, Diablo added, "I have an ability that reflects all magic cast toward me back to its caster. So you ended up casting the Ritual on your stupid selves instead." 'Shiit!' he silently cursed in his mind.

"What!?" the Pantherian exclaimed, almost in a hiss.

"I don't want to be enslaved to a Summon!" the elf moaned as she tried to pull the heavy collar off, the only effect being that it sent her sweater puppets swaying every which way.

Diablo took the red-gem-tipped staff in his hand and slammed its base against the ground, sending a loud clack through the air, shuttering the duo's complaints. "I am no Summon. I am The Demon Lord Diablo. Now… Done insulting me? If you are, then let's get moving."

"Moving? Where?" the blonde question.

"To find a city. To get those things off you."

The Pantherian stared at him, her catlike eyes filled with confusion.

"I have no need for slaves such as yourselves, so I plan to end our contract." 'That sounds good, but it's really that I'm not comfortable with the whole enslaving real people thing…'

The cat-eared girl seemed to frown in disappointment. "… Right…" Pointing off in the distance, she explained, "We can reach Faltra if we head west for about fourteen kilomeders."

Diablo nodded in understanding. 'Okay… if memory serves, meders is the game's version of meters, so it's going to take a while to walk there…' "Let's go."

After descending the massive tower, Diablo watched the two girls walk in front of him, before realizing a very important mistake. "Oy, you two."

"What?" the petite girl remarked, stopping to look at him.

"While our time together will be mercifully short, it would still be helpful to know your names, rather than to just refer to you as Pantherian and Elf."

"Rem Galleu," the cat-eared girl commented in an even tone that betrayed little emotion.

"My name's Shera L. Greenwood!" the elf answered excitedly as she turned on her heel.

Diablo had to gulp down his self-control as he watched her twins seemingly try to escape her top. "R – Right. Let's make short work of this travel."

Several hours passed before the trio finally reached a moderately sized city with a rather tall wall surrounding the outer edges.

Diablo tried to suppress a groan of fatigue. 'That walk was too damn long…! I actually get tired now that I'm here… Meaning my Stamina isn't just some meter, it's my actual stamina… Though I'm surprised I haven't encountered any monsters yet. It's weird…'

The group easily got through the main gate and into the city.

However, as they walked, Diablo looked around in confusion. 'Pantherian, Elf, Dwarf, Prum, Grasswalker… Weren't humans the most abundant race? Or maybe… I'm near a Demi-Human settlement?' "I'm not seeing many humans here."

Rem is the one who answered his question. "Faltra is a border city, humans don't come this far out very often."

"I see. Border to what?"

Shera looked at him in recognition. "Oh, you probably don't know, do you?"

Diablo attempted to shoot her an annoyed glare, but any contempt was instantly pacified by her assets. "Obviously. I have little need to pay attention to such minor details."

Taking the lead, Rem began to explain. "We are currently in the Re-Estize Kingdom."

Diablo merely nodded to confirm he was listening, so the black-haired girl continued.

"North of them is empire of Elcarium. To the east is the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom. To the south is the Shiga Kingdom. West is the Slane Theocracy. Shiga is fueled mostly by money, so just about anything, even life, can be bought and sold. Re-Estize and Lautreamont are currently engaged in a cold war against Elcarium, with a somewhat shaky treaty preventing outright hostilities. Thought Lautreamont isn't fond of Re-Estize either."

"Interesting," Diablo commented offhandedly as he parsed through the information.

Rem continued. "Faltra sits close to the southern border, and due to the somewhat lawless nature of Shiga, the border is often attacked by Fallen. So the humans choose to have Demihumans be all that lives here."

The horned man huffed in derision. "Foolish and racist." 'I guess the racial divide is even greater than it was in the game. Better help fix that.'

Stopping, Rem pointed ahead. "There's a branch of the Adventurer's Guild here in the city we can register with. It's the only way to take on Quests."

"Right then," he remarked before changing the subject, "There didn't appear to be monsters on the way here."

"Most were taken out by Adventurers, and the ones remaining are frightened away by the presence of the Fallen. So the roads are surprisingly safe most of the time."

"Good to know," Diablo noted as he looked around the area.

"We're here," Rem interjected as they approached a small building located near the center of the city, teeming with people going in and out at a steady pace.

As they walked in, the trio's presence was swiftly noticed the dozens of people inside.

Diablo stiffened instantly as he scanned the room. A Pantherian with hefty equipment, an armored person whose entire body was obscured, two burly Dwarves who could stare a hole in steel, not only were many of them staring keenly at him and his two companions, many others were in the midst of painting the place with someone else's face. He felt the strong impulse to shiver. 'Stay calm, stay calm… You're Diablo remember, and far more powerful than them. You've defeated and subjugated numerous Demon Lords and the Fallen Angel Belial after all! So why am I scared by these guys!?'

Rem, seemingly just annoyed, turned to Diablo and explained, "I know they're obnoxious, but it's always like this. Let's go upstairs to register."

"Right," he answered bluntly, attempting to hide the fact he was just about to ruin his trousers.

However, as the trio made their way to the stairs, a voice suddenly called out, "Hold it right there!"

Diablo stopped in mild annoyance and turned to see a person in full armor, dark greys mixed with deep reds, two large curled horns atop their armored head. "And just who the hell are you?" 'And why are you so scary!?'

"Eh?" the armored figure asked in an annoyed tone. "I am a knight who defends all in need! Including those young maidens you enslaved!"

Diablo just stared at the knight for a moment. "… Hah? What are you blathering about, Red?"

The knight immediately pointed to Rem, more specifically, her neck. "Those slave collars you have wrapped around those maidens, you vagrant!"

Diablo raised an eyebrow curiously before understanding what the knight was talking about. "Oh. You mean their screw up."

"Why you…!" the knight hissed, drawing their blade.

Diablo looked over the warrior's sword in thought. 'He doesn't seem all that strong, compared to me at least, but there is a lot of power coming off his sword.' With a small grin, he reached into his cloak and pulled out his ruby-tipped staff. 'I might actually have some fun with this one.' "Seriously? You're going to draw your sword here, 'knight'?" he taunted, deciding to test the knight's resolve to fight.

"If it's to defend innocent women from a fiend, so be it!" the knight hollered as the sword began to emit a faint red light.

'Hm… from the sensation I'm getting, he's probably around Level Fifty.'

"I certainly hope you don't think I'd just stand around and let you carry Miss Rem around as a slave!"

That got the silver-haired man's attention. "Miss Rem? You know this kitty cat?"

With a snarl, the knight lowered their sword to attack. "You're beginning to annoy me, Demon!"

"Then come at me, knight, and let's see what you've got!"

On cue, a bright yellow light enveloped the blade.

Diablo observed carefully. 'Sword Rain? That's a most basic skill for a seemingly powerful knight. I suppose he plans to faint it out with a different tactic.' He tensed his fingers as he went through some of his offensive spells in his mind. 'Best get ready for what he's planning.'

The knight immediately charged in a blur of light.

'He's seriously just going in with Sword Rain alone!?' Realizing the state of his combatant, Diablo just sighed and lowered his guard before lazily raising a hand and slamming it into the knight's face, sending the armored opponent flying against a wall, their helmet landing nearby on the floor. Diablo's jaw nearly hit the floor when he looked upon the knight's face.

To Diablo's surprise, rather than a gruff, grizzled old man underneath the helmet, he saw a beautiful young woman with bright, emerald green eyes and long, wild blonde hair that, even tied into a braided ponytail, reached to her waist. The woman shot him a cold glare as a small streak of blood trickled from her surprisingly delicate lips.

'The idiot is a cute girl!? Wait, oh shit, I just decked her too!'

Before the woman could pursue the conflict any further, Rem stepped between her and Diablo. "Mordred, stop! He's telling the truth!"

Mordred looked at the petite girl in bewilderment. "What?" she asked, seemingly having dropped the forced baritone in her voice.

Rem, with embarrassment flashing across her cheeks, explained quietly, "We… Shera and I… we attempted to Summon him as a Familiar, but the spell backfired and put the Collars on us instead…"

Mordred narrowed her eyes and glanced up at Diablo and Shera, the two both nodding. The blond sighed as she stowed her blade and put her helmet back on, tucking her wild hair up into it. "So then… you weren't forcibly enslaved?"

"No," Rem answered firmly.

Mordred sighed and then let out a good-natured laugh, seeming to have forgotten, or ignored, everything that had just happened. "Well that's good, then! All's well that ends well, they say."

Diablo felt a vein trying to pop out of his forehead. 'Not even an apology!?' "Well you're certainly not much of what I would call a knight."

Mordred looked at Diablo, her face obscured, but he could feel the cold glare underneath. "Oy, clam it, Demon. I've already forgiven you, don't push it."

The popping vein was joined by a twitching eyebrow. 'Forgiven me?! You're the one who attacked me without knowing the full details!' With a sigh, he told himself that further pursuance of the argument was not worth the trouble. "I meant your insult when you called me a slaver, earlier."

Mordred flinched momentarily, seeming to recognize her mistake. She quickly coughed and redirected matters, however. "A – Ah. Well seeing a Demon walking around with a slave collar around someone as important as Miss Rem, what was I supposed to think?"

"Ask what's going on first instead of letting petty racial fears drive you to act. The greatest of knights are above such petty thinking."

Mordred stood motionless as he spoke.

"You have potential to be powerful, human. Do not disappoint me by misusing it," he commanded before turning on his heels and flaring his cape, proceeding up the stairs with Rem and Shera shortly behind him.

Mordred watched him leave with only one thought in her head. '… So cool…'

Upstairs, Diablo looked ahead as he saw three nearly identical girls at a series of desks. Each with short, somewhat messy brown hair tied with a ribbon, pale amber eyes, along with drooping canine ears atop their head and a matching bushy tail, each girl wearing a skimpy crop top with a baggy trousers, one wore blue, the other yellow, and the third red. What they also all had in common were immense orbs hanging from their chests, rivaling Shera's in size.

Diablo stared at the trio, gulping slightly. "Sexdorable…" he commented quietly.

Shera wondered what he said, as she had not heard him properly, though he responded flippantly.

'Seeing them so much in the game is so different from seeing them in real life…' "So… Who do we speak to?" 'They look just like the quest-givers from the game. If I remember right, yellow, Jaune, is advanced quests, red, Rouge, is story quests, and blue, Bleu, is beginner quests.'

"The one in blue," Rem explained, pointing to Bleu.

'I'm so used to Advanced Quests I almost instinctively went to Jaune…'

"H – Hello…" Bleu greeted with a shaky voice as Diablo approached her desk.

Diablo did his best to put on a pleasant smile. "Hello. We would like to register."

"R – Right," she replied as she pulled a stack of several documents from under the desk.

Diablo twitched an eyebrow as he looked at them. 'Oh great… Paperwork…' As he scanned the papers, a sudden realization hit him. 'I can't read a word of it! Why?!' Trying to play it off as flippancy, he handed his pages to Shera. "Tch, I don't have time for such menial tasks. Shera, fill it out for me."

"O – Okay," she stammered with surprised excitement as she pored over the documents. "It's like I'm really the Master…!"

"What was that?" he asked, sounding intimidating but honestly having not heard her.

"N – Nothing!" she stuttered as she began filling in the blank spaces on the page.

Diablo just shrugged before folding his arms in thought. 'Hmm… I wonder if there is a translation spell… Okay… think of your spells… Two hundred and seventy-six is a lot to think through…' He quietly hummed in consideration. 'Memory Absorption maybe? In-game it let me see a list of the enemy's exact actions in battle, but I can't predict what it'll do at this point. It could let me obtain information they possess, or it might do something I can't even conceive of. Right, only one way to find out. Okay, if I remember right, the spell requires direct physical contact. … Who to grab… Either one could cause problems… Shera looks like she'd be the least troubling.' He went to tap Shera on the shoulder, only for her to instantly spring up, startling him.

"All done!" Shera cheered as she stood up straight, handing both her own papers and Diablo's to Bleu. Turning to her Pantherian companion, she urged, "You're next, Rem."

Rem merely approached the counter without saying a word and began writing.

Diablo gave a smile as he patted Shera's head gently. "Good girl."

Shera looked up at him with astonishment before swooning as her ears wiggled.

Diablo just maintained a curt smile before his eyes shot wide as faint images and sounds flooded into his mind. 'Th – This…' He saw immense trees with bridges connecting them, hundreds of elves, male, female, young, old, wandering their areas. 'This is… really her memories…' He felt something begin to boil in his chest as a series of images shown, a male elf standing over Shera with a twisted grin. With only a single phrase coming through the faint haze. 'Have my children.' Diablo narrowed his eyes with disgust. 'I am going to butcher that Elf Prince…'

Shera noticed Diablo's expression of disgust and tilted her head in curiosity. "Diablo?"

He stuttered slightly as he removed his hand from her, his focus shifting from the images in his mind. "Y – Yes?" he responded weakly, trying to maintain his usual façade.

Shera's ears drooped slightly in concern. "You okay?"

Diablo merely huffed off her concern. "I am simply nauseous at the stench in this city."

"O – Oh…" she responded, seeming disappointed in his answer.

Diablo glanced past Shera to Rem, particularly at the paper she was writing on. He was able to recognize the words printed on it, such as "land of origin", or "name". He then looked around the room at the signage in the area.

"Office".

"Lounge".

"Toilet".

'Well, at the very least I can read now. That's good to know.'

He was pulled from his thoughts by a light clunk as Bleu placed a large dagger on the counter. "Now, I need your blood seal," she explained, trying to hide her apprehension at the naturally imposing man before her.

"… Blood seal?" The same imposing man who suddenly felt like he was going to lose his lunch.

"It's necessary…" Bleu pleaded as Rem pricked the end of her finger and left a small, bloody thumbprint on her papers.

Shera quivered fearfully. "I don't wanna…"

"You have to," Rem urged.

Diablo, too fraught in his own fear to reassure Shera, gulped and tried to show as much false confidence as he could muster. "You'll never be an Adventurer if you balk at something as trivial as this. Besides, a syringe poke is hardly terrifying."

Rem blinked once or twice in thought before lowering one ear in confusion. "Syringe?"

"A needle used to draw blood."

She mouthed the word "oh" in recognition.

Diablo gulped down his nerves as he grabbed the dagger, trying to hide his trembling hand. 'It's just a little prick… like getting a shot…' With a single deft movement, he slashed the tip of his thumb.

All the girls around him shrieked in horror as blood shot from the cut like a hose.

Wanting to stem the tied swiftly, he slammed his finger down on the paper, unwittingly splashing it in blood, along with the terrified dog-eared girl behind the counter, who merely whimpered in fear.

Diablo twitched an eyebrow at his own mistake and weakly reach over and patted the girl on the head softly. "… Sorry…"

Bleu merely stood motionless, trembling.

After sorting out the documents, or what could be salvaged from them, sorting out the particulars, and cleaning up the mess, Bleu led the trio to a large mirror, the surface of which was black as night.

Shera looked at the object in thought, curious about its lack of reflection. "What's this?"

Rem answered plainly, "A mirror that gauges your power."

Diablo felt some sweat fall down his cheek. 'Oh this can't end well…'

Motioning to the mirror, Bleu explained, "Just put your hand on it and pump some mana into it."

Rem acted first as she put her hand on it. Almost immediately a partial reflection appeared in the mirror, though only of her, not of the surrounding area.

Bleu looked it over curiously, scanning over some papers she held at the same time. "Wow. It's so clear, and crisp. Looks like… Level Forty."

Diablo attempted to contain a small snicker, which earned him an annoyed ear twitch from Rem.

"Me next!" Shera cheered as she ran up to the mirror and placed her hand on it, watching her reflection form.

Bleu looked it over in thought. "Ooh, it's so clear. And goes all the way down to your chest. Let's see… if I can count the number of eyelashes and it extends down to your chest, that means… Level Thirty."

Shera backed away from the mirror in rejection. "… E – Eh…? No way…! I lost to Rem!?"

Diablo furrowed his brow in thought as well. "I think that mirror might be broken. She does have far more mana than her."

Bleu, wincing away from Diablo, argued weakly, "It measures a combination of mana, intelligence, skill, and strength."

"Oh. That is low intelligence, then."

Shera puffed her cheeks angrily.

Diablo merely stared at her adorable display before patting her head gently. "There, there. You have other things she doesn't."

That got Rem's tail twitching violently, though her face remained unchanging.

"What?"

Looking up from her papers, Bleu timidly urged, "N – Next…"

Diablo frowned as he walked toward the mirror incredulously, before looking at Bleu. "… I recommend you and your sisters close your eyes and mute your ears. Something tells me I might break this."

Taking his advice, Bleu backed away even further before Diablo put his hand on the mirror.

He watched curiously as he felt some of his strength leave him and saw the mirror change. Rather than show his reflection, however, it darkened even further, to a color of black that seemed impossible before it started sparking and sending energy bursting out in all directions, shaking the building violently. 'Ah fuck.'

Rouge and Jaune held each other as they shrieked in terror before Diablo finally removed his hand from the object, the energy receding completely.

The door on the side of the room suddenly burst open as a figure ran out in a panic. "What was that?!"

Diablo, still somewhat surprised by the development, turned to the source of the voice, a petite girl with short pink hair, teal eyes, an overly skimpy white outfit that hid very little of her delicate form, and two long, tall, black rabbit ears atop her head. Looking at her for a moment, he then pointed to the mirror. "It couldn't handle me touching it."

The girl just stared with befuddlement.

Eventually she took the trio into the room, her office, introducing herself as Sylvie, the Guild's head.

After looking over the document with Diablo's information, having to peer through the dried blood splashed on it, she set it on the desk in front of her. "I don't think there's anything we can do for you here."

Diablo raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"There's no doubt you're a high level. So high in fact that none of the quests we receive will be of any challenge."

"And…?" he returned.

She merely shrugged before adding, "Think about it, you're probably a higher Level than me. You really okay with me ordering you around?"

Diablo folded his arms in thought before answering. "As long as you give me the money at the end of the job, that doesn't matter. After all, what's the use of such power if you can't use it yourself?"

Sylvie blinked in thought a few times before laughing in amusement. "Well you're certainly an interesting one."

'It feels like she's making fun of me…'

"I'd suggest you stop by the central Guild HQ in Orario some time, but I'd be thrilled to have you here."

"I think it would be best for us to stay here a while."

"Fine by me," the Grasswalker remarked with acceptance. "I'll let you know if anything fitting your skills comes up."

Diablo nodded before he and the girls left the Guild building entirely.

"Now we should find an inn," Diablo noted as he looked to the two girls behind him. "Know of any good ones?"

Shera was the first to respond. "There's a cheap one Rem and I have been staying at."

Diablo frowned slightly incredulous at the answer. "… I see." 'Is cheap necessarily a good thing…? I guess it'll have to do until I can find Nazarick.'

Shortly, Rem and Shera led him to the inn they had been staying at before heading to the Starfall Tower, Inn Relief.

Inside, at the front desk was another Pantherian, a girl with short brown hair tied in pigtails with amber eyes, a pair of cat ears and a feline tail poking out under her maid-like uniform, though unlike Rem's, they were a spotted, leopard-like pattern rather than matching her hair. With a cutesy pose of her hands, the girl greeted, "Welcome to the inn Relief! I'm its idol Mei-Nya!"

"I see," Diablo answered with a fully placid expression. Inside, however, 'Cute! I just wanna pet her!'

Shera, fidgeting somewhat nervously, explained, "… Um, I want to have the same room as him."

Mei smirked with intrigue. "Nya? A lover?"

Shera's face turned red as her ears drooped somewhat nervously. "I – It's just, I can't afford two rooms…"

Rem coldly interjected, "Don't be concerned with it. Diablo will be staying in my room."

Shera turned to her cat-eared companion, irritated. "What. No, he's staying in mine!"

Mei, keeping her pleasant smile, attempted to head off their argument. "Please, don't fight in the lobby, nya."

"I don't need him staying in a room with some fat elf like you!" Rem shot back.

"And I don't want you to run off with him while I'm asleep!" Shera retorted.

Diablo merely sighed as their argument continued.

Mei's smile started to wane with a twitch. "Um, mew are bothering the other customers…"

"And why would it be a problem if I did!? It's not like you're smart enough to do anything!"

"I may not be that smart, but at least I'm not as mean as you!"

Mei, with a smile that bordered on malicious, threatened, "If you don't stop, I'll throw you out, nya."

The two stopped fighting, though kept glaring at each other.

After the end of their argument, they made their way upstairs to where the patron rooms were.

"Now let's get set up in the rooms," Diablo urged as he rolled his shoulder.

Shera, disappointed, remarked, "But we could only afford this one."

Diablo froze where he stood. "… R – Right. Will that be a problem?"

"N – No," Shera answered, though somewhat uncomfortably as she threw glances at Rem.

"Then let's get some rest." Opening the door to the room, Diablo's trepidation skyrocketed.

The room itself was the definition of barebones. A window on the far side from the door with no curtains, a pitiable wardrobe on the left wall that was barely big enough to fit a person in, let alone a selection of clothing, a nightstand on the right wall that was little more than a table with a candle on it, and right next to it a bed that, to his best guess, was the equivalent to a queen-sized bed.

He could feel the sweat starting to pour down his back. 'Two girls in a bed this small… Okay, you can handle this, it wouldn't be the first time… But Cassandra and Akashi didn't look like… this… But as a demon lord… it should be fine…' Almost on reflex he looked towards Shera, who merely gave him an unassuming smile, causing him to shake his head violently. 'No, no! She's already been taken advantage of, I can't! Only villains do that!'

Rem huffed in displeasure. "I have to share a room with that idiot."

"Stop with the insults," Diablo rebuffed firmly.

Rem frowned slightly. "Huh? You have to be able to see how –"

"Quiet," he growled, causing Rem to lurch back in trepidation. "Good."

The three then began sorting out their things in the room when a knock at the door got everyone's attention.

Raising an eyebrow, he beckoned in the visitor, which turned out to actually be three people.

Two of them were men in black robes holding long wooden staffs, their faces hidden.

At the front of the trio, and the apparent leader, was a woman with long, wavy lavender hair and chestnut brown eyes wearing a form-fitting, elaborate, bright blue gown with a dark violet cloak over her shoulders, who also held a staff in her grip.

Shera looked up from what she was doing on the side of the bed, Rem looking to the woman with surprise. "Celestine?"

Diablo furrowed his brow curiously. 'Celestine? That name sounds familiar… Wait… Celestine Baudelaire. The leader of the Mage's Association and one of the most powerful wizards. What's someone like that doing here?'

Celestine bowed gracefully with a smile as she scanned around the room. "I'm glad to see you're back in one piece, Rem. Shera. And who is this?"

He answered her bluntly. "Diablo, Ms. Celestine Baudelaire."

"Diablo?" Celestine reiterated with curiosity.

Shera excitedly added, "He's a Demon King from another world I summoned!"

"We, stupid elf," Rem corrected firmly.

Sighing, Diablo interjected before another argument could start. "They're my idiot servants now because their own stupid actions."

"Oh?" Celestine returned, intrigued.

The group sat in the dining hall of the inn, the large room empty of any patrons besides the six, as the girls and Diablo explained the situation up to that point.

Celestine put a finger on her chin as she thought over the story. "My, my. That is a unique predicament."

"Ya think?" Rem retorted with annoyance.

With a sigh, Celestine continued, "Unfortunately, I don't know enough about Slave Collars to fix it."

That was not the answer Rem wanted to hear as her ears sloped back in disappointment.

"Your best bet will be to meet with someone from Shiga."

"Oh?" Diablo replied with a raised eyebrow.

"They're a nation that specializes in slavery. Most wars they conduct are for the express purpose of enslaving the defeated."

Diablo narrowed his eyes with suspicion as she spoke.

"At any rate, I apologize for not being of any help." Turning her attention to Rem directly, she questioned, "And you're okay with this, Rem?"

Rem could do little more than shrug. "I don't particularly have a choice."

"I see." After a pause, Celestine turned her attention back to Diablo. "My business today is with Rem, but I'd very much like to hear your story, Diablo."

He raised an eyebrow and decided to see how she reacted. "Oh? As they say, I am a Demon Lord from another world, summoned here by these two in the hopes of making me their slave. Naturally their magic backfired. I mean, you'd think they'd know trying to enslave such a being would end with them being enslaved instead."

Nodding, Celestine replied, "It actually isn't impossible for low level summoners to enslave high-level beings. I imagine it's something unique to you."

"Perhaps," he answered simply before seeing the ring on his finger and remembering. "Ah, yes. It was so trivial I'd forgotten. But I possess the ability to reflect all magic below a certain threshold. And such a spell is below that threshold. I imagine most spells used by you mortals would be."

One of the hooded men suddenly spoke up, agitated. "You watch your tongue, Demon!"

Diablo just glanced at him ambivalently.

"You're just a Demihuman! Show some respect to the head of the Mage's Association!"

Diablo continued staring at him calmly, though he was somewhat uncomfortable. 'This guy's definitely got an intense air about him, but he's nothing compared to Cassandra while she was carrying Kazuko.' "I show respect to only a few, and none are here right now."

"Why you –!" the man began to snarl before Celestine raised her staff, stopping him from speaking.

"Galluk!" she called out, irritated.

"H – Huh?" he stuttered, not expecting Celestine's reaction.

"You're being noisy. Either be quiet or get out. Understood?"

Galluk held his tongue but looked at the quietly sitting Diablo and snarled.

"Leave. Now," Celestine ordered bluntly.

Growling again, the man stormed out.

Celestine sighed as he left before turning back to Diablo with her same pleasant smile. "Sorry about that. There are still some humans who harbor resentment to the Demihumans."

That caught him off guard. Raising an eyebrow, Diablo decided to press the issue. "What for?"

"Until a few years ago it was believed Demihumans were all a type of Fallen. It's been proven decidedly untrue, but many people, especially noble families, still hold those beliefs."

Diablo folded his arms with a huff. "Then they are fools. If the Fallen where any form of crafty, they would use this to gain very willing soldiers in the form of the Demi-Humans and Non-Human races." He furrowed his brow slightly in consideration. 'Fallen… if I remember right, that was the name of Yggdrasil's generic sub-bosses that could be encountered in non-event Dungeons, with weaker variants roaming the overworld, the Demon Lords ruled over them. And I have five of them under Nazarick's command.'

Celestine could only shrug. "Then we should thank the gods that most Fallen are very stupid."

"Celestine…" Rem spoke up softly.

Smiling, the woman corrected, "Please, just Celes is fine."

"R – Right…"

With another reassuring smile, Celes stood up before bowing. "Well, I suppose I have nothing else to say, so until we talk again."

"So be it. Good day," he replied firmly.

Turning to the petite Pantherian again, Celes added, "Remember Rem, keep yourself safe. You're very important to our world," before walking out with her remaining escort.

After she left, the three sat quietly eating. Well, except for Shera, who very noisily proclaimed her excitement at having food.

A few more moments passed before Diablo turned to Rem. "Well?"

"Well what?" she returned plainly, pushing around the food on her plate, though not actually eating it.

"That woman is quite an important person. And for her to be visiting you, there must be quite a good reason."

"Nothing, I assure you."

Diablo felt a switch go off in his mind. 'Lies. My gamer instincts are running wild. I get the feeling her story is extremely important to the events of this world. Meaning if I'm going to figure out what's going on in this world and solve whatever crazy story some stupid god has in mind for me, I'm going to need to get that info out of her. And if she's not talking willingly…' Standing up suddenly, he turned to the bewildered Rem and grabbed her by the midsection and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"H – Hey!" Rem protested as she started smacking on his back with her balled up fists.

"Humph, you're extremely light." Turning his attention to Shera, who was visibly perplexed and surprised, he noted, "Shera. I'll be busy."

"Wh – Where are you going?!" Shera asked, caught off guard by what was happening.

"This one isn't talking, so I need to torture her."

"Hah!?" Rem exclaimed, trying again to break free of his grip to no avail.

Shera sat silently for a moment before returning to her meal. "… Okay, I'll be here eating my steak."

"What?! Help me, you stupid elf!" Rem repeatedly called out to the elf as she was carried away by Diablo.

Making his way back to the room, he shut and locked the door behind him before tossing Rem onto the bed, the girl releasing a small cough as he did. "Now then. Tell me why Celes was meeting with you."

"N – No, I can't…" she protested, glaring up at the horned man.

His annoyed glower turned into a cruel grin as he leaned overtop of her. "Fine, then I'll force it out of you."

Rem's face went blue as he loomed over her. "A – Are you planning to disgrace me?!"

Diablo froze in place as his mind finally caught up to his body. 'Craaap! I got so into character I didn't really think about it! Okay, think, think… Hmm… Maybe…' Taking a gamble, he reached up with his right hand and grabbed one of her feline ears, gently squeezing it between his fingers.

And done! Thus ends the story's first chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it, be sure to leave a review letting me know if you did. If you were confused, uncertain, or just have questions on anything, let me know and I will do what I can to address your queries in the first reviewer response... whenever that happens to be. I cannot promise when I will update again nor if this story will be what gets it, all I can say is I will try and write what time, and my level of activity, permits. Until next time, bye-bye!