An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 4 Read online

  Well, I’m the same, in a way. I need to live a long life.

  A normal human’s lifespan was far too short. If Zagan wished to grow old with Nephy and Foll, he needed to lengthen it significantly. In that way, Gremory’s research was a huge boon for him. As such, Zagan had no intention of mistreating Gremory. However...

  “Well, when it comes to loving them, I will admit that you’re quite skilled. Still, from my point of view, you have a long way to go. Contrary to the great power possessed by elves and dragons, humans are delicate beings, therefore—”

  What does she mean by “skilled,” exactly...? Zagan pointed an exasperated gaze at her while she was talking, and perhaps having noticed that, Gremory glared back at him.

  “What’s that? Looks like you have something to say, my dear Archdemon.”

  “Who knows...” Zagan shrugged his shoulders in response, and contrary to expectations, Gremory returned a serious expression to him.

  “Hear me, my liege, for these are the words of my mentor. If you desire immortality, then you will lose your ‘love power,’ you know?”

  “L-Love... what?” Zagan had never heard the words put together like that, so he doubted his ears.

  “I said love power. We sorcerers possess perpetual youth already. If we aim beyond that, and seek true immortality, then no matter how devoted to our research we become, we will eventually be tormented by boredom. And when that happens, the utopia that we sought will turn into an eternal prison.”

  Zagan was unable to simply laugh off those words, as they seemed to ring true. And, after a short pause, Gremory continued her speech.

  “The only thing that can cure a person’s loneliness when that comes to pass is being able to love something other than themselves. Look at the Archdemons we have now. It’s because they possess no love power that they rush into foolish acts like Bifrons. And due to that, his elf is helplessly pitiable.”

  Despite how vague that sounded, Zagan was unable to deny what she was saying.

  “...It seems most people won’t die from being alone, but they are also unable to live happily.”

  Those were the words said to him back when he selfishly tried to keep Nephy at a distance. And as he repeated them to Gremory, Nephy’s ears quivered shyly.

  “So you remember that, Master Zagan.”

  “Of course. Do you think I would ever dare forget the words we exchange?”

  Nephy said that she wanted to be by his side even after he abandoned her. And back then, he truly believed he had been saved from eternal solitude by her words. Thanks to that, even Zagan understood people were unable to live alone. Sure, a person could protect themselves, but they were unable to live a fulfilling life on their own.

  “That’s embarrassing...” Nephy wanted to bury her face in her hands, but they were on the back of a dragon. So, since she had to hold Foll tight, she buried her face in Zagan’s mantle instead.

  “Mmm, nice love power!” Gremory remarked, nodding as if praising Zagan as she did so.

  ...I really would have liked the three of us to just go as a family.

  The old woman was noisy and annoying, but he still couldn’t bring himself to kick her off midair.

  And just like that, the group traveled until night began to fall, at which point a snow-covered mountain range came into view.

  “We’re almost there. Once we pass over those mountains, we’ll be in Norden.”

  It was a place filled with miserable memories of Nephy’s childhood. And yet, they continued on their way to the place she was raised.

  ◇

  A dark forest spread out before the group after they crossed over the snowy mountains. It wasn’t as eerie as the one surrounding Zagan’s castle, but the darkness was because the forest was made up of conifers with dark leaves that were tightly packed together. Perhaps because of the high elevation, the mountain was covered in snow, but the trees still had leaves.

  It was said that the hidden elven village was concealed within this forest. It couldn’t be approached from the sky, so Zagan and the others were walking the rest of the way. Foll also returned to her form as a little girl... and was being given a piggyback ride by Zagan.

  “...I’m tired.”

  “You held on well. Just get some sleep.”

  “Okay...” Foll was fast asleep within seconds.

  It’s only natural that she’s this tired.

  They had decided to travel to Nephy’s hometown at noon yesterday. And after getting their preparations in order, they left early in the morning today, and now it was evening.

  They took a few breaks along the way, but it was almost an entire day of continuous flight.

  “Foll tried her best today, didn’t she?” Nephy said as she snuggled up next to him.

  “She did. It may be best to prepare a bed for her now. Finding your hometown can wait.”

  “My apologies. If I knew of its location, then we wouldn’t have to spend all this time searching for it...” Nephy’s ears drooped apologetically as she said that.

  Due to her status as a cursed child, Nephy wasn’t even permitted to leave the village, so she didn’t really know the surroundings of her village at all. That was why they had to carefully investigate the area from here on out.

  “Nephy, you weren’t even able to leave the village, right? Then just think of this as sightseeing. I’m actually quite interested in the area, so a stroll seems good to me,” Zagan claimed as he shook his head like it was no big deal.

  I really would like to take a look around...

  Luckily, this time around, he managed to put it in a way that wasn’t misleading. Nephy stared at him in surprise, but the tips of her pointy ears were quivering with a twitch in a somewhat happy manner as she walked next to him.

  And just then, a large shadow was suddenly cast over them. It was Kimaris. He had returned to his humanoid form.

  “Sir Zagan, I believe I can figure out the location of Lady Nephy’s village.”

  “What, really?”

  “Yes. It seems there isn’t any sorcery in place to stall us, or perhaps it has already lost its function. Whatever the case, we should be able to get there by following Lady Nephy’s scent.”

  Zagan nodded and sank into thought. The sky was already dyed red, so if even an hour were to pass, it would turn pitch black. If they spent too long moving about, Nephy would join Foll in the depths of slumber. Plus, Gremory was riding on Kimaris’ back already, too.

  “...That seems to be the best course of action. Well, I’m counting on you, Kimaris.”

  Zagan wanted to try wandering around, but getting to the hidden village earlier was the best option. Even if it was abandoned, having buildings to take shelter from the rain and wind would be a huge help.

  “Please leave it to me,” Kimaris responded, a smile creeping onto his face. He returned a small nod and began walking ahead of them, exuding a sense of reliability that made Zagan think of Raphael.

  Nephy tightly gripped the hems of Zagan’s robe as they walked. He took a fleeting glance back at her, and saw that the tips of her pointy ears were drooping.

  “Are you anxious?”

  “Yes. In truth, I’m just a little... scared. Of seeing the village as it is now, I mean,” Nephy replied, her body trembling all the while.

  In her own way, Nephy had come to terms with her past. However, this was still a village where she left people to die.

  If Zagan was in her shoes, he would have laughed upon seeing its dilapidated state, but he didn’t think Nephy would be able to imitate that... and honestly, he didn’t want her to.

  After thinking about it a little, Zagan adjusted Foll’s position on his back so he was carrying her with one arm. Then, he took his now free hand, gripped one of Nephy’s, and gave it a tight squeeze.

  “Ah...” Nephy’s expression didn’t change, but the tips of her pointy ears stood up stiffly.

  Now I just need to say something to ease her mind... Unfortunately, that was the hardest po
ssible task for him. Zagan had still not even said ‘I love you’ to Nephy, so there was no chance of him saying anything heartwarming in this situation.

  Nevertheless, remaining silent was unacceptable in Zagan’s mind. Maybe he was being guided by ‘love power,’ as Gremory put it.

  “You may rely on me to your heart’s content. I find it quite amusing,” Zagan proclaimed.

  Wait, amusing? Doesn’t that make it sound like I’m delighted by Nephy’s suffering?

  “I will!” Nephy answered, nodding as if she understood him completely. She may have just been putting up a strong front, but Nephy at least seemed a little more energetic as she spoke.

  “...Sir Zagan, it seems we’ll be arriving at our destination shortly,” Kimaris declared in a voice rife with tension.

  Upon looking forward, Zagan spotted the red light of sundown pouring in through a break in the dense forest. When they looked down from the skies, they didn’t spot anything like a gap in the trees, yet there was still somehow an open space in front of them.

  In spite of their fortuitous discovery, Kimaris’ voice contained no relief or joy. Instead, it was filled to the brim with apprehension. After a moment of hesitation, Gremory climbed off Kimaris’ back and gripped her large scythe in hand.

  “Is something there?” Nephy asked.

  “Seems like it,” Zagan answered. He could tell Nephy poured all her strength into gripping his hand. The hidden village was once the target of Archdemon Marchosias, who held the second name Eldest, and it was also assaulted by Archdemon Bifrons in a bid to capture Nephy. In other words, Nephy’s hometown was already involved with two different Archdemons.

  Worst of all, no one in Zagan’s group knew of what had actually transpired. They had no clue what cruel, repulsive things the two Archdemons had done. Now that they’d made it so far, though, they knew things wouldn’t go smoothly any longer. After all, the Archdemons’ influence could have lingered...

  “Let’s go,” Zagan said in order to spur on his subordinates. Then, he walked forth into the light. And the sight he took in once his eyes adjusted was rather shocking...

  “Oh, well if it ain’t Zagan. You’re late, man. We got tired of waiting and emptied out a bottle already, buddy.”

  For some reason, his undesirable friend was brazenly drinking some liquor alongside two women.

  ◇

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Zagan was stunned by the sight before him.

  There were three people surrounding a bonfire in Nephy’s hometown. Zagan’s group couldn’t tell it was there because of the sunlight, but they even had some soup boiling over it.

  However, the only one in good humor was Barbatos. The other two seemed to be on the verge of tears. It was a terrible atmosphere.

  Zagan took a look around at the village. Unlike Kianoides, there were only a few dozen houses which seemed to be built into natural rock formations. The roofs were all woven out of straw. In the center of the village, there was an open plaza and a decrepit well.

  Zagan had heard Bifrons had this place attacked, but contrary to expectations, the buildings were left in a clean state. There were a few that had been burned down, but the place looked otherwise untouched.

  He assumed it would have more of a sacred atmosphere, but it actually felt just like a normal village.

  I wonder where Nephy lived? Zagan knew that was probably something Nephy didn’t wish to recall, but he still looked about restlessly in anticipation.

  “Well, you know, you just went and left me behind again, so I thought maybe I’d deliver a nice surprise. Heeheeheeheeheee!” Barbatos took a swig of his drink and laughed, clearly in good spirits.

  “...How did you get here ahead of us?”

  “Come on, did you forget my second name? Purgatory can reach anywhere, so all I had to do was dive in a teensy bit and look around. Gahahahaha!”

  I really want to slug this damn drunk... Zagan had prepared himself to do battle with another Archdemon, but Barbatos was just fooling around without a care in the world.

  Unable to resist the temptation, Zagan swung his fist at him. However, Nephy rushed over to stop him in a panic.

  “Snap out of it, Master Zagan! If you don’t stop, Sir Barbatos will die!”

  “...Ah, sorry, I started punching on reflex.”

  The phrase ‘my body moved before I even knew it,’ surely referred to just such situations. Zagan grabbed Barbatos by his collar and drove his fist into his face unconsciously. From the wounds he could see, it appeared he had punched Barbatos a good ten times. Barbatos’ eyes were completely peeled back as his head swayed in circles.

  Zagan threw aside his foolish friend like a sack of garbage when a girl came running over to them.

  “Nephy, are you alright? I heard you were going through something terrible in your hometown, uh... Huh? Wait, did you... just get here now?”

  The girl was wearing Anointed Armor. She had her beautiful red hair, which resembled polished copper, tied to the side, and her scarlet eyes were filled with tears. Her shapely, toned body was pleasing to the eye, and her appearance was well in order, but it was all ruined by how she quickly broke down into tears whenever they met.

  She was the lone woman among the Archangels who wielded Sacred Swords, Crybaby Knight Chastille.

  She’s not a bad person, but... At any rate, she was a girl whose disappointing features always stood out most.

  “I-I’m alright, Chastille.”

  “No way... Did I misunderstand the situation again!?” Chastille placed her hand on her chest in relief upon verifying Nephy’s safety, but then immediately formed an awkward expression on her face.

  “That is not the case. Meeting you here has me feeling a little relieved.”

  Makes sense. Seeing someone more shaken up than you is bound to make you feel better... Surely Nephy wasn’t looking at Chastille in the same way as Zagan, but there was something that oozed out of her that spurred on one’s sadistic tendencies.

  “Mmm...?” Foll opened her eyes as she let out that noise. Her wandering gaze stopped on Nephy and Chastille holding hands, which made her speak in a dazed voice.

  “I can see Horse Head... Did I... die?”

  “Why would you be dead because I’m here!? Just so you know, I’m still alive and kicking!”

  “What... so this is all a dream?” Foll fell asleep once more, seemingly relieved by her revelation.

  Zagan tilted his head to the side upon seeing Chastille on the verge of tears due to her humiliation, then questioned her.

  “Tell me, why’d you even come here?”

  “That’s, um... That man was kicking up a fuss, saying Nephy was in distress, and that girl was with him, so I assumed it was something important...” Chastille mumbled in response.

  The words ‘that girl’ made Zagan shift his attention to the girl who was hugging her knees as she warmed herself by the fire.

  “Well, this is pretty standard behavior for Chastille, but—”

  “Hold on, what’s that supposed to mean!? Ah, but it’s been a while since you’ve called me by my name...” Chastille’s teary face turned a little red as she said that, but Zagan pretended not to notice and continued questioning her.

  “Look, I’m saying I get why you’re here, but what about Bifrons’ subordinate?”

  “Please leave me alone. This time around, I really didn’t have any intent to mess with all of you,” Nephteros said in a voice filled with self-loathing.

  Where had the high-handed attitude she had the last time they met gone? Right now, she was cradling her knees like a starving orphan and her eyes looked vacant. She didn’t appear to be scared, but Zagan could tell that she was feeling down.

  “She’s been like that since they came over to my place. Seems she went through something painful... Well, at the very least, she doesn’t look to be hostile, so can you try to cheer her up?” Chastille whispered to Zagan and Nephy.

  “What exactly do you expect me to do?”
Zagan was terrible at speaking to people, and Nephy was much the same. There was no way either of them could cheer her up.

  “Um, Miss Nephteros...” Nephy tried calling out to her first, but Gremory stopped her.

  “Hold on a bit. I shall show you the essence of love power here and now,” Gremory proclaimed as she took a seat next to Nephteros.

  “Keeheehee, have you had an unpleasant experience recently...? I suppose it’s fine if you don’t wish to speak of it. More importantly, how about you try some candy? If you eat something sweet, you’ll feel more at ease!” Gremory claimed as she pulled a bag of sweets out of nowhere. There were many chocolate balls packed together inside.

  They were most likely leftovers from the sweets she made the previous day.

  “Now that I think of it, wasn’t there a story about an old woman tricking a girl into eating a poisoned apple?” Zagan asked as a sense of apprehension overtook him.

  “You’re thinking of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,’ I believe. Long ago, I saw it in a picture book someone left around. Though, I was mistaken for a thief soon after.”

  “I see. We’ve finally made it back to your hometown, Nephy. It may be fun to resurrect the fools who dared to do such things and force them to atone, don’t you think?” Zagan nodded at his own idea.

  “Calling somebody out of their grave over something so trivial is a bit much... Putting that aside, Master Zagan, I’m surprised you’re aware of such a story,” Nephy said, her ears quivering to emphasize her point.

  “Sure, the apple was poisoned, but a tale of a girl filling her belly, then getting rich by sleeping was something I envied back then.”

  “You have a point. Even if it was poisoned, it’s only natural to eat whatever food is given to you.”

  “Quit being so noisy! All those sad stories are making my heart hurt!” Gremory yelled at them in a tone that was a mix of anger and sympathy.

  Despite the rather odd conversation, Nephteros was their real focus, and they could clearly see the tips of her long ears jump as she gazed at the chocolate. She was still staring at the bonfire with a hollow gaze, but it was obvious she was interested in the sweets.