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

  What Zagan wanted to do most was try something a normal couple would do with Nephy, but his original goal was to destroy all his enemies. He had to in order to guarantee Nephy and Foll a peaceful, carefree life. And there were currently multiple enemies standing in the way of that goal. First was the twelve other Archdemons... although Nephy’s mother Orias was no longer on his list. Next came the ‘demons’ passed down in legends. They were said to have already departed from this world, but Zagan had faced them on multiple occasions already. It also seemed that the Sigil of the Archdemon had a connection to the Demon Lord who once led them. As long as Zagan was an Archdemon, he was surely fated to clash with them, and that was why he needed a means to stand against them. The third enemy was the church... but for now, they weren’t much of a threat. He had also gained an ally within them in Chastille, so they weren’t an opponent that had to be eliminated right away. Though, he naturally couldn’t take them lightly, either.

  That being the case, he still required more power. And as Zagan continued to flip through the books, his hand stopped in place. The notes were written using elven letters, and among them were even more peculiar letters... Namely, portions written in Celestian. Zagan was still unable to read all of it, but there were a few recognizable words among them.

  “Metatron... Azrael... Is this a list of Sacred Swords?”

  There was a very high probability that high elves created the Sacred Swords. He had expected to find information on them among these journals, but he never expected them to be out in the open. He couldn’t read the names of the other Sacred Swords, but he could understand everything else that was written. The texts went on to describe how the Sacred Swords were created by high elves in ancient times, and were then handed down to humans. It seemed that on a certain day, the ones who wielded the Sacred Swords visited the village and the villagers were told to cooperate as much as they could. It was also written that elves couldn’t use the Sacred Swords, but could somehow amplify their power.

  In other words, having elves alongside the Sacred Swords helped them cut down the Demon Lord in the past... It was a little soon to just jump to conclusions, but there was nothing that invalidated the theory. Zagan had gotten absorbed in the book, but halfway through, he felt a sense of discomfort.

  “Huh? Is this... a Sacred Sword’s name?” Zagan said as he stared at a word written in Celestian. There were two other names he was familiar with, so that was probably the case, but no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t tell. After thinking it over a bit, Zagan set the book aside and clapped his hands.

  “Raphael. Are you there?” Zagan asked. And after waiting a few seconds, there was a knock on the door to the archives.

  “It’s Raphael. You called, my liege?”

  “Yeah. Come in,” Zagan replied. And with that, the tall old man walked through the door. He had a terrifying scar carved across his face from his brow to his cheek, and was wearing boorish armor around his left arm. The armor was an artificial limb that he could move thanks to sorcery. A greatsword was hanging down from his waist, and though he had a fiendish glint in his eye that would make the faint of heart pass out, he was wearing a perfectly ironed out tailcoat. This was the ex-Archangel, Raphael, who currently served as Archdemon Zagan’s butler. And it seemed he was making preparations for dinner, as he was gripping a ladle in his hand when he entered the archives.

  “There’s something I’d like to ask you. There are only twelve Sacred Swords, right?”

  “Indeed. As far as I know, that is true.”

  Zagan folded his arms and nodded at Raphael’s words. Upon seeing him make an unusually meek expression, his loyal butler tilted his head to the side in confusion.

  “Is something the matter, my liege?”

  “I think this is the name of a Sacred Sword, but do you recall seeing it before?” Zagan opened the book in front of Raphael and showed it to him as he said that. Sure, Raphael was unable to read Celestian, but the name was carved into the blade like an inscription. An Archangel of Raphael’s tenure would surely have seen every one of those at least once.

  “Let’s see. This one is the inscription carved on my Metatron. If we think of these as names, then this one is Chastille’s Azrael. This one is Chief Archangel Ginias’ Raziel. This one is Michael’s Zachariel. This one—” Raphael gazed at the book fixedly, then returned a nod, listing off each of the names until he came to a sudden halt and his eyebrows shot up.

  “There are twelve of them. However...”

  “Yeah, there’s a thirteenth name written here.”

  The fact that Raphael could read them out proved that they were definitely the names of Sacred Swords. But if that was true, then there was a thirteenth one written there that should not have existed.

  “...Hmm. So what do you think?” Zagan inquired.

  “You mean whether or not this thirteenth name is a Sacred Sword, right? This is the first I’ve heard of it as well, but if what’s written here is information on the Sacred Swords, then would it not be sufficient proof that there exists a hidden thirteenth sword?”

  “But why is there a Sacred Sword that you know nothing about?”

  Raphael was unable to immediately reply. And after placing his hand against him temple and ruminating on the matter for a short while, he opened his mouth to speak.

  “Let’s see. The church possesses a treasury to store the Sacred Swords that have no wielders. And within that treasury, there are pedestals for each of the Sacred Swords. However, there are only twelve pedestals there. Taking that into account, there may be a Sacred Sword outside the church’s jurisdiction.”

  “In other words, the church doesn’t know of its existence either?”

  “On the surface, at least.”

  Zagan knit his brows when he heard Raphael’s vague answer.

  “That is to say, there may be some secrets that even you don’t know?”

  Even then, Raphael could only groan without finding a real answer.

  “My liege. Just as you know, the Church isn’t a monolithic organization. Though they are united in their belief against sorcerers, if a Unification Faction like the one Chastille and myself are part of exists, then an Anti-Unification Faction also exists. And among them, I have heard that there exists a faction that should not be.”

  “A faction that should not be...?”

  Raphael paused for a moment, but Zagan could somewhat guess what the old man was about to say.

  “That is to say — a dark side. Though it shames me to say this, it’s true that there have been strange deaths within the Church. Also, I have heard rumors of ‘something’ designated as the Thirteenth.”

  Zagan didn’t have any conviction that it referred to a Sacred Sword, but with the name ‘Thirteenth’ it didn’t seem to be unrelated either. And after nodding with a sigh, Raphael gazed at the forest stretching out beyond the window... No, he was looking at the town of Kianoides further away.

  “To tell the truth, I did come to this town to invite Chastille to my faction, but my other goal was to look into this. Several Archangels assigned to this town had died here mysteriously, after all. I was hoping to catch a lead with Chastille’s case too.”

  But the one to try and kill Chastille was her direct superior, Kianoides’ Cardinal Clavwell. Raphael assassinated Clavwell to protect Chastille, and faked his own death. That was also one of the reasons that he was now serving Zagan.

  I see, and since he struck, he lost his chance to chase a trail huh.

  Now that Raphael was no longer part of the Church, it was difficult for him to gain information about their inner workings.

  In that case, shall I have Chastille dig around it?

  Strictly speaking, Chastille wasn’t Zagan’s subordinate, but even so she was a collaborator of his. To an extent, it should have been possible for her to dig into the internal affairs of the Church quite well. The existence of the ‘Thirteenth’ wasn’t something that the Church could ignore after all.

  O
f course, even though they were all the same organization, there was a certain danger to digging into the dark side of the Church, so he would have Barbatos serve as her escort. There really was no saving that man’s personality, but his ability as a sorcerer was something that even Zagan was unable to mimic. In the off chance that something were to happen, he at least possessed the power to escape with her alive and run over to Zagan.

  “Got it. Let’s try relying on Chastille with regards to the ‘Thirteenth.’ She’s somewhat awkward, but when it comes to her professional duties she’s quite talented.”

  “Indeed. I share the same opinion. When she stands at the ready as an Archangel, then she truly is a respectable knight.”

  Zagan was somewhat astonished that that was the point they agreed on about her and nodded back with a bitter smile.

  “However, I’d like to at least know how to read this before it comes to that. Nephy would probably know, so I guess I’ll just ask her later...”

  And just then, Zagan realized that a small girl was peeking in at him from the entrance to the archives.

  “Foll? What are you doing over there?”

  It was Foll. Just as always, she had her green hair tied in braids along her back, and dragon horns were sticking out behind her ears. The native dress she wore using white and scarlet as basic tones truly suited her. Her amber eyes were wandering about, and she looked to be somewhat fidgety.

  “Can I come in?”

  It seemed that she understood that they were having a serious conversation, and was wondering whether she was being a bother.

  “Yeah. We just about finished our talk here anyways. You may enter.”

  Foll pattered along and ran over, then looked up at Zagan.

  “Nephteros... didn’t come today?”

  Nephteros also played a bunch with Foll alongside Nephy at the hidden elven village. Since Nephy’s memories of the time were hazy, it was possible that it was actually Foll whose emotions were welling up the most with regards to that. And so, Zagan gently brushed his daughter’s head.

  “It’s alright. She possesses enough power that she would only be second to me. I don’t know what she’s doing where, but she’ll eventually come back.”

  As he informed her of such, Foll stared back at him in surprise.

  “Nephteros is that strong?”

  “Yeah. Raphael, when that girl came over to the castle, you said she came from the sky right?”

  “Indeed. It seems she came to return your mantle my liege, but since you were absent I simply entertained her with tea and sweets.”

  “Mm. That’s what’s amazing about Nephteros.” Zagan said as he laughed. “There are those who have broken down my barrier before. That’s because it can be broken by sheer force with the power of dragons or Sacred Swords or the like. However, there have been no sorcerers who could slip through without breaking or rewriting it.”

  “Slip through...?”

  Foll tilted her head to the side, and Zagan questioned her in return.

  “That’s right. Answer me Foll, would you be able to make it all the way to my throne room without breaking a single barrier around the castle and without anyone sensing it?”

  “No way.” The young former Archdemon candidate replied immediately.

  “Indeed. But Nephteros did just that. I don’t know of any other sorcerers who could do such a thing. I myself questioned whether it was possible no matter how much talent or whatever it was one possessed or however efficiently they put in great efforts to do so. But she surely did use her talent worthy of admiration to put in just such efforts to the point where her blood would run to do so.”

  “...Zagan, you seem happy.”

  For some reason, Foll was puffing out her cheeks. It seemed that she wanted him to praise her too.

  “Don’t get so angry. As a dragon, you will surely become far stronger than myself or Nephteros.”

  “...I’ll do my best.”

  As Zagan once more pet his daughter’s head, in an usual turn, Raphael let out a pleasant laugh.

  “You seem to be in a good mood, Raphael.”

  “Hm? Excuse my discourtesy. I was just thinking that if I had children, I would be able to see such a scene much sooner.”

  It was a truly unexpected answer from him.

  “It’s not really something to apologize for, but do you not have family?”

  “I’m quite old after all. Besides, though it’s unfortunate, I haven’t been fortuitous enough to meet someone whimsical enough to wed me.”

  “I see. The world is full of people who lack a discerning eye.”

  Raphael stared back in wonder at Zagan upon hearing him say that. And then, he broke into loud laughter.

  “Fuhahahaa, as expected, you say things of a different caliber my liege. I have also unexpectedly come to enjoy my livelihood here. Well then, it’s about time I return to my duties so that you don’t drive me out.”

  Perhaps in an act of shyness, Raphael hastily turned his back to them. And just as he was about to exit the archives, he came to a stop.

  “...Actually, I did have one person I could consider family.”

  “Oh? How interesting. Let’s hear it.”

  As Zagan pestered him, Raphael spoke in a somewhat uneasy tone.

  “It’s not like we were connected by blood or anything though. There was a young girl I picked up in passing and took care of for a while. Thinking back on it now, I believe she may be one that I could call family.”

  Raphael’s voice was full of nostalgia. And Zagan averted his gaze over to the window as he muttered.

  “I am fully satisfied with your work. Moreover, it is only natural for a job to allow for a leave of absence. It wouldn’t be unthinkable to take just a little bit of time off you know?”

  Officially, Raphael was made out to be dead. Zagan was thinking that it was probably better to at least notify his relatives of his safety. But Raphael shook his head to that suggestion.

  “I am a traitor who killed a cardinal. If it is known that I am alive, she will also come under needless suspicion. All is fine as it is.”

  “...I see.”

  Raphael then looked over his shoulder.

  “However, I am grateful for your consideration, my liege.”

  Raphael quietly bowed down, and left the archives.

  I guess it was none of my business to think that I wanted the two of them to meet.

  Zagan had built up a friendly relationship with Kianoides to a certain extent, but sorcerers and the Church were still mutual enemies. If something like an Anti-Unification Faction were to find out about Raphael, it wouldn’t be strange for his relative to get involved. However, even so...

  I probably... also think of that guy as family.

  Zagan didn’t even know of the concept called ‘family’ before meeting Nephy, but nowadays he at least understood that the feelings he had towards his companions would be called just such a thing.

  Looks like I have one more thing that I must accomplish huh.

  But unexpectedly, this didn’t feel bad to Zagan.

  After Raphael returned to work, Foll plopped down on Zagan’s lap. It was strange for Foll to act this way, but perhaps she wanted to be spoiled. Zagan didn’t really feel like getting angry about it either, and he simply pet the small girl’s head as he continued ruminating over his thoughts. And as he did, Foll eventually looked up at Zagan’s face timidly.

  “Zagan. Um, you know what...?”

  “What is it?”

  She was using a careful tone as if she had some sort of request. But she sank into silence and was unable to continue on.

  Looks like it’s something important huh.

  Zagan didn’t urge her on or anything, and waited for his daughter to speak. Foll’s shoulder’s drooped down as if she were unable to gather her resolve, but eventually looked back up as if she thought of something.

  “Oh yeah. Zagan, read this.”

  Foll held out a thin looking picture boo
k. Zagan took the book and took a look, and inside were many large pictures, so there wasn’t all that much writing in it.

  Now that I think of it, the brats I grew up around also read this kind of picture book quite a bit.

  Zagan was illiterate at the time, so the older kids read them aloud. If he remembered correctly, the title was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.’

  “Hmm. Seems like quite the old picture book.”

  The paper felt like it would tear if he put just a little strength into it. The fact that it was still in a state where it could be read surely meant it was treated with care by its owner. Reading it without damaging it may require tenacity. And while being cautious with it, Zagan questioned his daughter.

  “Foll. Where did you get this from?”

  “Gremory lent it to me. She said to have you read it for me.”

  It was extremely unexpected for that granny to be carrying such a thing, but the condition really showed how well she treated it. She possessed quite the strange... no, twisted inclination among the people of the castle, but Gremory was a sorcerer who even had her name included in the list of Archdemon candidates. It was surely simple for her to keep a book like this in brand new condition with her power, yet there were no traces that any sorcery was used. In other words, that granny treated it as something that special. And before he knew it, sweat was forming on Zagan’s brow.

  Gaaah! What’s an Archdemon getting all nervous about over a mere picture book!?

  Zagan opened the first page of the book with Foll still on his lap.

  “Let me say this now, but I’ve never read a picture book for anyone before. Don’t expect me to be good at this alright?”

  “Mm. It’s fine as long as you read it for me.”

  “Hmph. You sure are able to talk now huh.”

  The parent and child laughed as if they were challenging a mighty nemesis, and Zagan then began reading the first page.

  “Ummm, let’s see here... ‘Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived with her grandmother in a certain place. The grandmother told the girl to go pick berries in the forest all alone...’ Oi, is this hag sane? It’s suicidal for a brat to venture out into a forest on their own.”