An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 5 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Color Illustrations

  Prologue

  Chapter I: It Appears Two People in Love Go on Dates, but What Do You Do on Them?

  Chapter II: When It Comes to a Date, Practice Makes Perfect!

  Chapter III: There Are Many Unexpectedly Kind People in the World, but There Are Also a Lot Who Aren’t

  Chapter IV: Loving Someone Comes with Many Tiresome Misunderstandings, but They’re All Worth It

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Bonus Short Stories

  About J-Novel Club

  Copyright

  Prologue

  “Haaah... Haaah... Haah...” Nephteros ran through the dark forest, gasping for air. Something inhuman was chasing her, making scraping sounds as it ran across the ground. It wore a robe that looked like an old rag, and had several legs and arms sticking out as it crept around like a spider. She didn’t have the slightest idea what it wanted, but it was clearly a chimera.

  “Give it up already — Selini Chavliodous!” Nephteros turned around and swung her right arm as she said that, and a rainbow colored crystal blade tore through the ground. And after a while, the crystal blade shot out and skewered her grotesque pursuer without giving it a chance to evade. However, Nephteros didn’t have the leisure to revel in victory. Valuing the time she gained, she began singing her next Celestian spell.

  “[Thou art he who rules over terror. Accompanied by the god of war, become he who brings about destruction and chaos.]”

  The pursuer still crept toward Nephteros despite the crystals sticking out of its body. Even though the crick and crack of its body splitting apart rang out, it showed no signs of slowing down. And that made perfect sense. After all, if it was an opponent who could be defeated so easily, then a high elf like Nephteros wouldn’t be forced to put up such an unsightly fight. Nephteros cut her own thumb against her canine without interrupting her chant and sprinkled her blood into the air. When she used her blood as a medium, she felt her life being completely sucked away and lost the ability to stand straight. But even so, Nephteros stretched out both her hands and finished her destruction chant.

  “[Such is the bell’s toll that crushes the soul] — Phobos Ichos!”

  The area around the pursuer’s body distorted as if it was suddenly trapped in a bubble. And immediately following that, the distortion crushed the pursuer’s body, turning it into a bursting lump of meat. After confirming that it had finally stopped moving, Nephteros sank to the floor.

  Celestial mysticism wasn’t sorcery. Her humming was a ‘prayer,’ not a chant. Only upon reciting several verses of the ritual prayer would its power manifest. Originally, there was no substitute for the singing. However, if she spent that much time preparing it, her pursuer would have caught up. That was why Nephteros consecrated her blood to shoulder the burden of the song. The price for such corruption could only be paid for with her own life. Because she used celestial mysticism in quick succession, her heart was beating so fast that it could burst at any moment. And in addition, her vision darkened, making her feel like she was going to lose consciousness.

  It hurts. My throat’s dry... I can’t breathe...

  It was no wonder. For the past week, she had been chased by chimeras, and she hadn’t been able to get any amount of proper sleep or water. Most sorcerers could continue fighting for an entire day without running out of breath. However, it was unreasonable to do so for a week straight without any sleep, rest, or food.

  It’s no good. I can’t stand...

  There was no way that dreadful sorcerer would go easy on her at this point. She had to get even a little further away before it was too late. Mustering her willpower, Nephteros searched through the pouches at her waist. She took out a sheepskin flask, but there wasn’t even a drop of water left within it.

  “Ah...” Nephteros exclaimed before she collapsed, her silver hair sprawling across the ground. Wheezes began leaking out of her throat, and her golden eyes fell shut. She was just on the verge of losing consciousness.

  “Are you alright, lady? Want some water?”

  It was a young voice that couldn’t be identified as that of a boy or girl. Before she knew it, a small child was peeking in at Nephteros’ face. The child was holding a transparent glass filled with water. However, upon looking up at their face, Nephteros’ body stiffened.

  “Master... Bifrons...”

  The one who was standing there, dressed like an innocent child, was none other than one of the thirteen Archdemons, and the sorcerer who also served as Nephteros’ master.

  “Oh me oh my, why are you so scared? Ahaha.”

  Nephteros tried to stand up, but she couldn’t put any strength into her body, so she was only able to squirm about. Even so, she rolled across the ground to distance herself from the Archdemon. Bifrons, on the other hand, was simply laughing while gazing at Nephteros in a charming manner.

  “Fufufu, well aren’t you cute... Now then, come back and get some good rest.”

  Those words were both terrifying and shameless, leaving Nephteros feeling ready to vomit.

  “...You have... some nerve...”

  “Come on, I’m not really joking here, you know? You’re different from all those failures, I swear. You’ve developed the celestial mysticism that I taught you, and can even use it without the song. Setting the extent of your power aside, your skill in celestial mysticism far surpasses Nephelia’s, even,” Bifrons claimed, then smiled without even a hint of ill intent and continued, “So, shall I just forgive you for defying me and running away?”

  That was the reason Nephteros was being chased. After learning of the truth at the hidden elven village, Nephteros resolved to run away from Bifrons. And so, using her trembling arm to support her body, she raised her body and glared back at him.

  “And? You should at least... know what my... answer is...”

  “Well, you sure are stubborn. Still, it’s about time that you accept this. I’m getting tired of holding it. Ah, I didn’t put any weird drug in it or anything. It’s just plain old water, so you can relax.”

  This was all just a game to this Archdemon. An enjoyable lark that would allow them to see how far Nephteros could get, and just when she would give up. They had no reason to make the chase less fun.

  Unfortunately, a single drop of water appeared like a gift from god at this point, so Nephteros timidly stretched out her hand and...

  “Whoops, sorry. My hand slipped!” Bifrons said as they spilled the glass of water onto the ground right in front of Nephteros’ eyes. However, as she was now, that was quite effective in getting on her nerves.

  “Ah...”

  Nephteros gasped as she unintentionally opened her eyes wide, taking in the sight of Bifrons’ irritating laughter.

  “Aaahahahaha, sorry. That wasn’t on purpose, promise! I’ll fetch you a new glass, so don’t make such a scary face, okay? Ahahahaha.”

  This damn devil... Nephteros thought as she glared at him in a minimal show of resistance. Bifrons, however, continued on as if her behavior was quite amusing.

  “Hey now. Could you not make such a scary face? I really do think you’re cute. That’s why I haven’t directly raised my hand against you... I won’t save you either, though...” Bifrons turned as they said that. And then, the chimera that should have been turned into a lump of meat began squirming about once more.

  No way, that can’t be...

  Nephteros was shocked. The celestial mysticism she fired was the most powerful weapon in her arsenal. Its destructive power may have deg
raded because she shortened the song, but she didn’t have any stronger card to play. In other words, she possessed no means of killing this chimera.

  “This ‘child’ is your opponent. Well, without any ability to think, it’s not cute at all, but it at least possesses immortality. I mean, I planted in fragments of the Sludge Demon Lord I picked up from the incident last time, so of course it’s this powerful!”

  Nephteros felt a wave of dread wash over her as she heard Bifrons’ words. The Sludge Demon Lord that Bifrons spoke of was the one that used Nephteros as a core to manifest. After being swallowed by that repulsive mud, she suffocated, and everything down to the inside of her body was tormented. Back then, she even felt the pain of melting away despite being alive. It wasn’t something she could so easily forget. And so, Nephteros turned her back to the two monsters, and crawled across the ground to run away.

  “Ahahahaa, that’s right. That’ll do nicely. Well, come back before you get killed, okay?”

  Where can I go...? Nephteros ran while covering her ears in an attempt to drown out Bifrons’ maniacal laughter.

  Before she knew it, the sun had gone down, and the path in front of her had gotten so dark it looked to be connected to the underworld.

  Chapter I: It Appears Two People in Love Go on Dates, but What Do You Do on Them?

  “...I see. Now this is a dilemma, isn’t it?” Archdemon Zagan let out a bitter voice as he sat atop the throne in his castle. On this day, his countenance looked so grim that a passing child on the street would most likely burst into tears. However, in contrast to his troubled voice, his eyes had a subtle sense of gentleness to them. At a glance, he simply looked to be in a bad mood, but it was actually a gentle expression that confused the inhabitants of his castle. They’d all been making remarks like, “Recently the Archdemon has been grinning a lot.” The sight was unthinkable just a few days ago, so it was no wonder that they were all confused. Plus, that wasn’t the only change. His disorderly hair was just noncommittally evened out with scissors and tied up behind him, but there were visible signs that he at least put in the effort to comb it. Thanks to the recent repairs done to his mantle for him, it looked good as new. For whatever reason, he looked to be paying more attention to his appearance.

  Furthermore, there was no garbage to be found anywhere in the castle, and even the carpets and curtains were perfectly straightened out. The place was so neat that one could mistake it for the palace of a regal king. No one would ever believe it was the nearly uninhabited castle from just a few months ago. However, the most frightening aspect was that all the repairs were done personally by Zagan. If someone like his undesirable friend Barbatos were to learn of that fact, they would surely have assumed the world was about to end.

  Zagan, who had been acting so strange lately, simply sat around and sighed listlessly. The cause of all the major changes and his distress was one and the same.

  What am I supposed to do with Nephy now that she’s my lover...? Zagan thought. He purchased the girl as a slave and began living under the same roof as her a mere four months ago. Since then, he’d gained an adopted daughter in Foll, and even went and greeted Nephy’s mother, yet Zagan and Nephy were only recently able to confirm their love for each other.

  Nephy also didn’t seem to be all that calm about the situation. When their eyes met from time to time, the two of them always ended up averting their gazes. It almost felt like confessing made the distance between them grow.

  I can’t let this continue! Zagan knew this was all wrong, which was why he thought that he should do something intimate with her. However, he had no idea what to do at all.

  “Besides...”

  Zagan’s consciousness was drawn to his breast pocket as he unintentionally uttered that word. He had a single mithril pendant within it. It was something that was left behind in the hidden elven village as proof of Nephy’s connection to her only blood relative, and also something that was stolen from her hands as a baby.

  I want to hand this over to Nephy... Zagan didn’t really care if there was any meaning to having proof of her relatives now. He just thought that Nephy was the only one who deserved to carry it because the one who left this behind for Nephy loved her. That was why he wanted to return it to Nephy, but it was such an important item that he had trouble finding the right moment to do so. He believed that there was a right time and place to return it, but struggled with finding out when and where that was. And after mulling over it for ages, the conclusion that Zagan reached was...

  Since it’s so important, I should hand it over right after we do something that only lovers do! If possible, he wanted to hand it over before she met her mother, Archdemon Orias. Zagan believed Orias would likely also be happy about that, since it would make Nephy think of her parent and prepare her heart for their encounter. However, Zagan had already made preparations for Orias’ stay at his castle, and he even urged her not to keep him waiting. In other words, he didn’t have all that much time to waste.

  Ugh, dammit, I shouldn’t have told Orias to hurry on over!

  However, that was also something Zagan decided himself, so he only had himself to blame. Besides, the real problem was that he had no idea how couples spent their time together.

  Holding hands... is just normal, right? Zagan remembered that they naturally joined hands whenever they visited town together. There were times when Zagan would hold her hand, and times when Nephy would lovably grasp Zagan’s pinky finger. However, every single time she showed signs of acting spoiled, Zagan felt like fainting in embarrassment. Still, since they were now officially in a relationship, wouldn’t it have been fine to take things a little further?

  For example... we could share a close embrace or something!

  No, that really was far too bold. He had actually embraced Nephy before, but those were at times when he was trying to distract her from her anxieties, or when he saved Nephy the time she was kidnapped. If he were to tell her to embrace him when nothing was going on, wouldn’t she just pull away from him?

  It’s no good, I don’t get it.

  Of course, setting aside whether he was a healthy one or not, Zagan was still a young man. He wanted to try kissing those sweet lips on her. He wanted to try fondling her soft breasts. He wanted to try playing around with her pointy ears... Though, now that he thought of it, he had done the last one more than a few times already... In any case, he had a mountain of desires, including his wish for her to speak to him casually for once.

  But how do I make any of that happen? If he suddenly made such demands, Zagan would be unable to recover from the feelings of guilt, and he knew of no other way to make things go as he wished.

  Maybe I should ask someone for advice... Currently, there were close to thirty people living in Zagan’s castle, including the servants. However, the vast majority of them were sorcerers. They were all people who placed sorcery ahead of everything else in their life. There likely didn’t exist a more unsuitable group of people to ask about romance.

  His daughter, Foll, was still young and didn’t seem to have any experience with romance. And frankly, that fact was a blessing, as Zagan would have murdered any man who had approached her in the past. Ex-Archangel Raphael was a man who was a mass of misunderstandings and prejudice in clothing. Other than them, there was also the siren, Selphy, who recently became a servant at the castle, but she was far too chatty to trust with his secret.

  In that case, he could try asking someone outside the castle. There was the Maiden of the Sacred Sword, the lone woman among the Archangels, Chastille, who would probably give him the most proper response.

  Well, that would actually be rather cruel, though... The person in question seemed to be trying to hide it, but it seemed like she had feelings for Zagan. Though, she also didn’t seem to have any intentions of pushing her feelings onto him, so he didn’t think it was really something to worry about. However, as long as he knew about her feelings, it would be far too heartless to consult her on his love life wi
th Nephy. And so, he had no one else to turn to. That was why Zagan was making a troubled expression while letting out a sigh. It may have been that he didn’t really need to change his behavior. It was just that he wanted to cheer up Nephy in any way possible. And that was because...

  “Um... Master Zagan.”

  Lifting his face up, Zagan spotted a beautiful girl dressed in a maid outfit standing at the entrance to the throne room. Her hair, which went down all the way to her waist, was snow-white, her pointy ears were quivering in embarrassment, and her eyes were a deep azure like a clear lake. The girl was a high elf, which were a rare commodity among the elves. And as usual, she had a boorish-looking collar around her neck.

  He believed that the practically expressionless look on her face seemed awfully soft, easy to understand, and even more charming than before. And, as Zagan made eye contact with that girl, her entire face turned red in an instant and she averted her gaze. Zagan was probably making the exact same expression, so he let his gaze wander around in the air for a while. Eventually, he began fidgeting about as if unable to calm down as he called out to her.

  “What’s wrong, Nephy? Did something happen?” Zagan inquired as he awaited Nephy’s reaction. As for Nephy, she drew her slender fingers up to her lips as if biting on them before timidly opened her mouth to speak.

  “No, it is not like anything happened. I just so happened to have some free time, so I just...”

  So you just wanted to see my face!? Is it that!? Zagan felt like he’d been struck by lightning. Somehow, Nephy had fulfilled his deepest desires without even thinking about it, which set his heart ablaze.

  “Um, also...” Nephy shyly muttered.

  “Also?”

  Did she have something that she wanted? Or perhaps she wished to chat? Or maybe she wished for him to speak in response to her words? Zagan’s heart throbbed from the tension and expectations of what was to come. After a while, Nephy shut her eyes as if mustering her courage before finally continuing.

  “I just wanted... to call out your name, Master Zagan.”