An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 8 (Premium)

by Fuminori Teshima

  So... I guess I can’t just leave this thing sealed, huh...?

  He finally had a break from work, but he also wasn’t in the mood to shut himself in his laboratory now that he had heard something unpleasant. Displeasing a close associate to the boss was also the worst thing to do next to displeasing the boss himself.

  “Man... It’s tough being an underling.”

  Despite having a fairly large frame, Shax was now hunched over as he walked down the streets, when suddenly, he felt like he heard the sounds of a scuffle happening in a nearby alley.

  Rare species hunt.

  That unpleasant information overlapped with the faces of the alleyway waifs.

  There aren’t any rare species or anything among those brats, right...?

  However, those children were so dirty that it was sometimes hard to tell what race they were to begin with. It wouldn’t be all that strange for some rare species to be present among them.

  “...Dammit. I’m a weakling here. Can you cut me some slack with all this violence?”

  Shax walked over to the alley, hid himself against a wall, and took a look inside. The scuffle seemed to have ended, as he was unable to see anyone down there.

  Or not, there’s someone there?

  Taking a closer look, he could spot something moving on the ground. It seemed that someone had collapsed after perhaps being injured.

  Tch... I really should’ve just pretended not to hear anything.

  Now that he saw it, he couldn’t just ignore it.

  “Hey, is someone there?”

  Shax tried raising his voice. Even if someone troublesome was around, he could just avert his gaze and leave. He waited for a few seconds, but he didn’t sense any movement in the alley other than the one squirming on the ground.

  I’m just a common sorcerer without any outstanding features here. You won’t get anything good out of tormenting me, you know?

  He whispered a warning in his own mind and carefully drew nearer to the collapsed figure. Fortunately enough, there didn’t seem to be anyone dangerous around just waiting to attack. And after arriving at the fallen figure, he was left with a completely anticlimactic discovery.

  The hell?

  It appeared that there were just some clothes on the ground in the shape of a person. What was squirming around was a single black cat. Shax could only let out a strained laugh at steeling himself so ludicrously.

  “I was wondering what kind of ruckus was going on here, but it’s just you, huh, kitty cat? Did you get in a fight or something?”

  Shax really was losing his touch if he was getting scared over a fight between stray cats. He really was far too timid were that the case. He scooped up the cat in his arms and looked into its red eyes. It was about big enough to hold in one hand, so it was still a kitten. Perhaps because it was scared, its nose was twitching as it sniffed about. It really brought out one’s desire to protect it with its behavior.

  Today’s been nothing but a string of crap, so this is kinda soothing.

  Black cats also happened to be a symbol of good luck back in Shax’s hometown. Though it seemed there were other regions of the world which thought of them as misfortune too. He liked cats enough that he even once considered writing a book speculating on the discrepancy in such superstition. After taking a closer look at the cat, he suddenly realized that its eyes weren’t focused anywhere.

  “Hey, are you blind? That’s not a fresh wound, huh?”

  As a small time sorcerer, Shax at least had knowledge of healing sorcery. If it was an injury caused by the scuffle that occurred moments ago, then he would be able to heal it. But this injury appeared to be quite old. Having said that, it didn’t look to be a birth defect either.

  A pet cat then? But it’s got no collar.

  Its fur was also so pretty that it didn’t look like a stray either. Shax cocked his head to the side curiously, then noticed that a piece of cloth was stuck in the cat’s paws.

  “What’s this?”

  By the time he noticed it, the cloth fluttered down to the floor. It was unmistakably a pair of woman’s underwear.

  Why the hell is there underwear laying around here...?

  It was far too clean to be something that was laying around outside for a while. Shax looked around to see if it was possible that someone was hanging laundry in the area, but none of the houses here appeared equipped for that. He entertained the thought that some idiot sorcerer failed in trying some sort of transformation sorcery, but the clothes laying around didn’t match that.

  And perhaps because Shax’s bewilderment was being passed to it, the cat suddenly began struggling in his arms.

  “Ow, hey, don’t scratch me, that hurts. I’m not gonna eat you.”

  It was struggling, but it was still a kitten, and Shax was still a sorcerer. This made it all feel quite playful, and was conversely quite charming to him.

  Oh well. It’ll probably die if I just leave it here, guess I’ll look after it for a bit.

  Shax was a sorcerer, but he was still human. It wasn’t like he was incapable of feeling solitude. It wouldn’t be all that bad to at least have a kitten as a roommate. Moreover, even if he tried to heal its eyes, he wasn’t able to do anything for the kitten with the sorcery he had on hand.

  Hang on, first it needs a name.

  After thinking it over for a bit, Shax grinned broadly at the cat.

  “Okay! You’re Blacky! Be thankful that I’m the one who found you Blacky! Blacky for a black cat. Hahaha! You like it?”

  The cat emphatically bit him instead of replying. It was so vigorous with its response that it even brought a tear to his eye.

  “Oooh, I’m glad you like it...! I get it, seriously, stop biting, blood’s coming out!”

  And perhaps having understood him, the cat stiffened up as if sinking into despair, and stopped biting him. And so, Shax headed back home with a hop in his step as if his earlier depression had completely vanished.

  ◇

  “...Oh my. Now this has become quite troublesome.”

  A voice rang out in the alleyway after Shax left with the black cat. Following that, a cloud of flapping bats gathered together. It wasn’t just one or two, or even ten, but hundreds of bats, creating a black cloud. A thin arm then stretched out of the cloud of bats, followed by a black frilly dress. A girl emerged with tied up blonde hair and her pretty shoes tapped the ground. Her eyes snapped open, revealing her golden pupils, and she had long fangs peeking through her lips. After pulling out her creepy looking stuffed doll covered in stitches, the cloud of bats vanished. It was the vampire, Alshiera.

  “So that girl is a four ears. Atavism is certainly possible, but to think one would show with this timing... or perhaps, it is precisely because of this timing?”

  The distinction between the tabaxi and the cait sith was quite ambiguous, but long ago there was a clear difference between them. Kuroka was the only four ears in the entire Adelhide family. Moreover, she was the one the Moonless Sky recognized as its wielder. There was a sufficient reason to believe she possessed the lost ability of her people. Surely, the Adelhide family had made preparations for that time to come.

  “But, the Adelhides are no more.”

  They perished, leaving Kuroka all alone. Alshiera felt fairly indebted to them. That may have been why Lilith weighed on her mind more than necessary. She meant to be self-aware of this fact.

  Alshiera walked over to a corner of the alley and picked up a long rod from the rubbish there. It seemed that Shax failed to notice it because it was buried in the garbage. This was the sword cane that Kuroka dropped, the Moonless Sky. After brushing off the dirt and cleaning it up, she hugged it to her chest like a mother embracing a child.

  “How troublesome, Azazel. Does this mean that I’ve gotten involved I wonder?”

  She was supposed to be the only one present here, but she spoke as if talking to a dear friend. No reply came back to her, but the vampire nodded in agreement.

  “Yes.
.. you’re right. That girl is also one of my cute fawns, one who follows the great Silver-Eyed King. There is no way I can just leave her be.”

  Alshiera muttered, then wrenched open the back of her stuffed doll and jammed the sword cane within. It was quite clear that it wouldn’t fit, but the sword cane was simply sucked into the doll’s back and vanished.

  She then languidly turned toward the shopping district. It had suddenly become far more lively than before. It was as if a festival was going on.

  “No... Now that I think of it, it’s a carnival.”

  It was a church festival which was held once a year. And in an unusual turn, Alshiera’s smile crumbled, and she let out an irritated sigh.

  “Alshiere Imera... what poor taste in names. This is surely my dear brother’s doing. Aaah, how vexing!”

  She suddenly threw her stuffed doll to the ground and began trampling on it. Looking closely, the doll appeared to be wearing a gentleman’s vest, and could perhaps be seen as a male. After trampling it for a while, Alshiera was satisfied with herself and picked the stuffed doll back up. She brushed off the dirt and once more hugged it preciously. She then let out a strange laugh.

  “Heeheehee, this is practically a crossroads. People who have met before will pass again. As if all fates that began five years ago will cross right here.”

  Alshiera picked up the hem of her skirt and span around on the spot.

  “From time to time, an encounter will change a person. Sometimes it broadens their view, sometimes they’ll gain someone to protect, sometimes it will remind them of fate, sometimes it will even overturn their sense of values. Those who met here have had such fates.”

  Alshiera sang to the sky and gently lifted the hems of her skirt with a curtsy before looking at the entrance to the alley.

  “Just how will you change I wonder?”

  A single figure stood at the entrance to the alley, a sorcerer with the face of a lion.

  Chapter III: It’s the Day of the Festival, but the Dead Are Wandering Around, so Apparently the Saint Has to Work

  “Hang on, Selphy! How long do you plan on stirring that pot?! Come help over here already!”

  “Come on, don’t be like, all unreasonable Lilith. This stew will totally burn the second I look away from it.”

  “Lilith, Selphy will immediately fail if you rush her. You can’t push her too much. I’ll help you out there.”

  “Is it fine for you to be helping out with these things milady?”

  The kitchen was in a complete frenzy. They were currently in a complete uproar over preparing a feast for over fifty people. Lilith was currently in charge of churning the fresh cream as it cooled down. Fresh cream changed in nature based on how it was stirred, so there was apparently a need for it to be done by hand. Lilith wailed over how exhausted she was getting from it.

  “...Actually, now that I think of it, aren’t I the princess of the succubae? Why does a noble succubus like myself have to cook such strenuous meals? Ah, Sir Raphael, it’s beginning to harden, is this about right?”

  “Let’s see... Mm, that’s fine. All that’s left is to let it cool in the storeroom.”

  “Understood. Sweets on the continent sure have improved, huh? This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing.”

  “Are there no frozen sweets in Liucaon?”

  “We’ve got a sweet made of shaved ice and sugar, but I don’t think we have anything creamy like this.”

  Lilith brought the bowl of cream down to the storeroom in admiration. The storeroom of this castle was equipped with sorcery to cool its contents. It was originally where Zagan threw all his milk and jerky, but Raphael and Nephy cleaned it up and made use of it for both storage and cooking.

  Thanks to that, they were able to create high-class frozen sweets with ease. To create such a thing without sorcery required one to purchase fairly expensive ice as well as a large amount of a special mineral called saltpeter. It was an amount of money that only the richest nobles and royalty could afford. Thus, the recipe for such sweets was something prized by the church. If not for his position as an Archangel, Raphael would never have been able to read it.

  There were three girls in charge of cooking the feast along with Raphael. All of them were wearing a similar outfit to what Nephy usually wore, a one-piece dress and an apron. Setting aside the siren Selphy, the succubus Lilith was still inexperienced with cooking, having only come to the castle one month ago. However, even as she complained about everything, she properly did all the work and it could be said that she fully adapted to the castle life.

  Foll had been helping in the kitchen up until Zagan gained a whole lot of followers, so she was cooking as well. Actually, a large bulk of the pots and ladles in the kitchen were currently under her control using sorcery, so one could say that most of the burden was on her shoulders.

  The frenzy wasn’t limited to the kitchen either. All of the sorcerers within the castle were currently running about in one way or another.

  After Lilith returned from the storeroom, Selphy rushed over to her with a smile.

  “Come on Lilith. You’ve got cream on your cheek ya know?”

  It likely got there when she put her hand to her face after mixing the cream for so long. Selphy pointed that out, then scooped up the cream with her finger.

  “Hyaa, d-don’t touch me all of a sudden... Huh? You’re eating it?”

  “Uh, I mean, like, isn’t it a waste? It’s so tasty ya know?”

  “Aau... Aaauuuu!”

  Lilith squirmed about in agony and turned bright red as Selphy looked on in curiosity and once more raised her voice cheerfully.

  “Oh yeah, little lady, mine’s all done and ready! It tastes great!”

  “Got it. Look after the salad dressing next then.”

  “Roger! Eheheh, this is awesome. I get to taste test so much today!”

  Foll’s sorcery was definitely able to handle the work of multiple people at once, but it was unable to put the more delicate touches on seasoning and controlling heat. It was necessary for someone to personally handle the final touches and taste test each dish. That’s why Selphy and Lilith were indispensable. And looking over such a lively and cheerful kitchen, Raphael couldn’t help but smile.

  Watching over this uproar makes it perfectly clear what exactly Alshiere Imera is.

  It turned out to be a blessing that he had managed to drive Zagan out of the castle. Foll noticed his smile and cocked her head to the side.

  “Raphael, something wrong?”

  “No, I’m just relieved that it seems to be going well.”

  “Mm. Looks like we’ll finish before Zagan is back.”

  Foll’s secret plan was none other than holding a party for Alshiere Imera, which Zagan likely knew nothing about.

  “Zagan is always giving me the things I that I want but could never get myself. But, Zagan should be getting those things too.” Foll muttered meekly.

  And what came to this little girl’s mind was a fun celebration of Alshiere Imera involving everyone. It was a tradition from the church, but a festival was still a festival. Foll’s wish was a simple and pure thought that most sorcerers simply forgot. There were more than a few sorcerers who would recall such emotions longingly and empathized with her.

  Zagan’s subordinates saw Foll’s behavior and cooperated with her unconditionally. Before she knew it, the entire castle except for its lords were now merrily at work decorating away. It was a perfectly natural flow that it was all kept secret from Zagan and Nephy.

  The preparations for the appetizers and desserts were now complete, and they were now moving on to the main course. Now that they got this far, there was no longer a need for Raphael’s constant supervision. And just when he was considering checking in on the other sorcerers...

  “Raphael.” Foll suddenly called the butler’s name in a sharp tone.

  “I know. It seems we have an uninvited guest.”

  As the one responsible for the castle’s defenses
while its lord was absent, Raphael was given a certain portion of the barrier’s capabilities. He was notified by the barrier the moment an intruder appeared. All judgment as to whether the traps should be activated or not was left to him as well.

  Foll’s senses have certainly gotten quite sharp ever since coming back from Liucaon.

  Foll was being protected by the barrier, but she wasn’t given control of a portion of the barrier’s functions like Raphael was. Nevertheless, she was able to determine the presence of a visitor all the way at the edge of the barrier, far away from the castle, the moment they set foot within. It was difficult for Raphael to determine whether he should be rejoicing over her growth, or lamenting over the fact that her growth was inevitable.

  “I just happen to have some free time now. I shall go receive them.” Raphael said, shaking his head.

  “Are you fine on your own?”

  Raphael was left with a strained smile at the young girl’s consideration.

  “Receiving guests is the duty of the butler. You have your own damn work to do, don’t you?”

  “...Mmm. But, something’s weird. Be careful.”

  Raphael stared back at Foll in wonder.

  For Foll to say such a thing as she is now... does that mean the intruder is just that powerful?

  It wasn’t determined that their visitor was an enemy, but it appeared he was better off steeling himself upon receiving them.

  “Understood. I’ll be careful.”

  Raphael brushed the little girl’s head briefly, then headed toward the castle’s exit. After passing through the gate and proceeding through the forest, he found a single figure waiting there. They wore a hood low over their eyes and had a robe covering their large frame. They were breathing in ragged breaths in an ominous manner, making it difficult to tell if they could even be communicated with.

  Although, it’s not entirely out of the question that this is one of my liege’s guests.

  Zagan had gained even more followers upon returning from Liucaon. At a glance, this appeared to be an intruder, but it was possible that they were an unexpectedly upright person if talked to. Raphael didn’t really want to admit it, but both Zagan and himself were categorized as such. For that reason, Raphael did his best to put on his most friendly ‘I can’t bear not killing you for another second’ smile.