An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 8 (Premium)
Page 16
It may in fact have been a better idea to go to his lab, even if it would have only provided him temporary peace of mind. Yet Alshiera simply looked at the panicking Shax with an air of exasperation about her.
“I do believe I already lent you a weapon.” She said as she pointed to the cane from the church she handed over just moments ago.
“The hell is this old stick gonna do for us?”
“Haa... there’s a sword hidden within. Do Sacred Swords not work well against the undead?”
Shax didn’t notice until she mentioned it. The cane really did have a gap in it, which revealed a short sword as he pulled on it.
I mean, it’d be nice and all if this is a Sacred Sword, but ain’t this just a knife?
But when he had drawn it about halfway out, an electric shock ran through his body as if to reject him.
“Oow?!”
“No need to be so angry. Please just cooperate a little...”
Mysteriously enough, the shock from the short sword stopped as Alshiera appealed to it.
“What did you do?”
“Oh? Just what do you think a vampire can do to a sacred weapon of the church?”
Shax was left completely confused as to who this little girl truly was. However, the one who looked even more shocked than him was the black cat. Its eyes were so wide open that it felt like they would fall right out.
They continued to head deeper within, and eventually came upon a desolate space separate from everything else. Despite being within a building, the walls were made of stone. And enshrined in the center was a single coffin sealed with chains.
Shax had never been in this room himself. Taking a closer look, the coffin had a crude cross as well as a line of inscriptions running across its lid. He tried to read what they said, but he didn’t have the time to do so.
“Shit, they’re finally here.”
A swarm of undead was creeping toward them, mowing down the bookshelves in their way. Shax pulled a short sword from the cane and then addressed the cat.
“Blacky, be a good girl and stay here. It’s gonna get a little busy.”
Alshiera seemed to imply that the sword would be somewhat useful against the undead, but this wasn’t really a situation that he could handle on his own. Nevertheless, he wanted to act tough in front of the cat.
◇
“Now then, our little fairy is putting in some work for us now, so it’s about time that I part ways with you.”
The young girl, Alshiera, came to a stop, and held Kuroka up to her face as she spoke. They had apparently entered a small room, but the air was damp and cold as if they were in a cave. All this despite walking through what was clearly a building up until now. Kuroka still didn’t have a full grasp of the situation at hand.
“I’ll give you one last piece of advice. What happened to your body isn’t a catastrophe.”
Alshiera told the cat as she rubbed her forehead against her. With that, Kuroka felt like the girl’s emotions, despite her not even having a heartbeat, were conveyed to her. There was affection in her, like that of a mother.
Who exactly is this...?
And why did she feel this way about Kuroka despite them having never met before?
“The cait sith are the most blessed fairies in the world. They change misfortune to fortune, and those who simply see them are blessed. You are one of such a loved people.”
A bringer of fortune? Me?
It was a little strange for her to admit it herself, but Kuroka believed she was essentially the antipode of fortune. She tried not to pay attention to it, but she would trip over nothing, have water splash over her despite there being clear skies overhead and other such events. She had an abnormal amount of misfortune visit her every day.
And this was all before she had lost her sight. She’d never even heard of the cait sith possessing such a power either. Yet the girl before her continued speaking with an air of confidence about her.
“So pray. Pray for your own fortune. Pray to grant luck to those you wish to save. If you do, you will surely call upon the miracle you desire.”
Alshiera whispered in her ear, then quietly lowered Kuroka to the ground. Kuroka could feel the sensation of crude stone from her paws. She couldn’t even meow back in response, her eyes simply darted about in confusion.
Alshiera then left her behind and proceeded deeper within the room. A short while later, the sound of metal clanging about, as if chains were being undone, rang out.
What are you saying I can even do here?
Alshiera called her a bringer of good fortune, but this sounded outrageous. Kuroka had only ever experienced a chain of misfortune since her birth. It was to the point where she thought it was possible that the calamity facing the sorcerer who was protecting her now was something she had brought about as well.
Well... I may be better off compared to Mister and Lady Nephy, though... Even though she believed that she had lost everything, there were unexpectedly many people who had saved Kuroka. It may have been that she was simply filled with the conceit that all was lost to her. However, it was unreasonable to try and cling to that good fortune in this situation.
Lilith and Selphy had their own duties to attend to. And despite it being Alshiere Imera, the probability of Zagan or Nephy dropping by town was considerably low. It was far more likely that they didn’t even know what the day signified.
Chastille and the other Angelic Knights had their hands full with the festival already. Even if they realized the presence of the undead, it was impossible for them to come rushing into Archdemon Palace. Unable to take a step forward or backward, a hard object then struck against Kuroka’s forepaw. It was Kuroka’s sword cane, the Moonless Sky.
It seemed that Shax didn’t realize there were two swords concealed within, and Kuroka could tell that the second blade was still in its sheathe. Kuroka stuck out her tongue and gave it a lick.
What exactly will change if I just pray...?
Nevertheless, all she could really do now was pray. She wanted to return to her original form. She wanted to ask Shax about what happened five years ago. She wanted to meet Kuu and the others, who she left in town waiting for her. But what she wanted above all else right now was...
I want...
And just at that time...
“[He who rules over the journey to death.]”
She suddenly heard a song come out of nowhere.
Singing...?
It bore a strong resemblance to Nephteros’ singing back when Kuroka had attacked Chastille. Actually, it wasn’t just a strong resemblance. It was Nephteros’ voice itself. It seemed that Nephy’s voice was mixed in as well.
Why can I hear it here...?
Kuroka was currently deep underground. The light of day had no way of reaching her, and there was no way sound from above could do so either. But curiously enough, she could tell that this was their song.
It’s the same as back then.
Back when she tried to get revenge for her adoptive father Raphael and failed, she heard this song. Even as she cried, even as she suffered, Nephteros prayed for the safety of her friend, and this emotion was passed to Kuroka. That’s why she was once more able to grip her sword.
And that’s when Kuroka realized. The singing was reverberating from her sword.
I see. You’ve always been with me, huh?
Even in the depths of despair, even when she went down the wrong path, even when she lost her sight, even when she lost Raphael, these swords were what gave her the power to walk on at all times.
Kuroka gave the sword another lick.
“Will you lend me your power once more, Moonless Sky? I need to go save the one wielding your other half.”
She really did want to ask him the truth of what happened five years ago. But what she had to accomplish right now, what was far more important, was returning her debt to the awkward sorcerer who carried Kuroka, continued to protect her, and refused to abandon her in her time of need, unable to even
walk on her own.
I don’t just have to, I want to!
She held out her hand, and mysteriously felt like she could grip her sword. And in the next instant, she was already dashing.
“Oh dear, what an impatient girl. A lady shouldn’t run about in that state of dress, you know...?”
She didn’t even notice the girl muttering helplessly behind her.
◇
“Huh...? Am I screwed here?”
Shax was putting in more effort than he thought he was capable of. He somehow or other managed to hold back the flood of undead using shoddy sorcery, a short sword, and some awful tricks.
However, each corpse simply gave birth to another undead. It used up all his strength just to endure the first wave, and now he had his back pressed against the door and was just barely able to look up. He didn’t have the strength to stand anymore.
He then spotted a familiar face among the endless wave of undead. It was a young woman with ears akin to a cat atop her head.
“You were... in that village five years ago...?”
It was the woman who had entrusted the lone survivor to Shax.
That means all of these undead were the ones killed by Shere Khan...?
If that were the case, this was all done in rather repulsive taste. The title of Tiger King wasn’t just for show.
“Kuro...ka... my... cute... Kuroka...”
The woman repeated the same thing over and over in a delirium. It was likely the name of the girl she handed to Shax that day.
Huh? Kuroka? Where did I hear that name before...?
The undead came rushing in before Shax could find the answer. Even if he wanted to run away, his legs couldn’t move anymore.
“Man... I really shouldn’t do things out of character, huh...?”
A small-time sorcerer like Shax trying so hard to protect someone else could only be on a one-way road to death. It wouldn’t even serve as any form of repentance if he managed to protect this one cat. And just at that time...
“[He who blows over the reeds, and passes wisdom to man.]”
He suddenly heard a song out of nowhere, and the inside of his hand became hot. The source of the heat was the short sword he was gripping.
That little missy told me to return this to its owner, right?
He didn’t have any way of returning something to someone he didn’t even know in the first place. The only choice was to have her give up, having chosen the wrong person to deliver the goods.
“Tch... Crap, isn’t this bad?”
If these were the people killed by Shere Khan, it meant that they were possibly targeting the girl who had survived back then. Alshiera seemed to be hinting at that as well.
“...Oh well. Guess I’ve gotta struggle just a bit more.”
He didn’t believe that he could atone by doing so. Nevertheless, it made him remember. His own life was worthless, but it wasn’t something he could just throw away here.
If I’m gonna get killed anyway, I should get killed by the brat from back then.
If they met, she would surely throw so much disparagement at him that she would run out of things to say. And in the height of her anger, she would kill him.
But, that’s the way it should be.
That was surely what this short sword was for. And after avenging the fallen, the child from back then would be able to face forward and live her life. In that moment, Shax would finally be able to repent for the very first time.
That’s why he had to stand his ground. If he were to die here, he would have to repent for the vampire... well, for the cat behind him at least. And just as he mustered his will power...
“Whoa?!”
The door Shax had pressed against his back was kicked down, and the short sword in his hand was sent flying away.
Why am I so damn unlucky...?
To think that he would face such a sloppy death right at the very end. Shax chased the hilt of the sword which left his hand with his eyes, and spotted a pure white hand grabbing it.
“Huh...?”
It was a girl in a black dress. But not Alshiera. It was the same dress, but the girl wasn’t Alshiera. She had triangular cat ears atop her head. But she also had human ears on the side of her head. It was a four ears tabaxi girl. She had another short sword in her other hand, and both of them were giving off a blinding light like a Sacred Sword.
She mowed down the undead plunging down on her from straight above with the short sword in her left hand, then thrust forth the short sword she caught in her right hand into another undead’s neck.
You dumbass! The sword’ll get stuck like that!
Ignoring Shax’s concerns, the girl twisted her body and span in a circle. The sword smoothly slipped through the neck of the undead without pressuring the flat of the blade and lunged at its next target like a snake.
The girl continued to trample down the undead with each step she took forward, as if the swords were already a part of her body. Her dress fluttered in the air with every undead struck down, as if she was dancing.
She’s strong.
She was on par with... or perhaps even beyond Zagan’s butler Raphael as well as the Archangel Chastille. Not only that, each undead she struck down began to slowly dissolve away. Even when the wounds she dealt were nowhere close to fatal, the undead were being annihilated. Moreover, the next undead didn’t come crawling out of the newly made corpses.
The sword didn’t display anywhere near the same amount of power in Shax’s hand. Perhaps it was because both swords had to be wielded together, or perhaps this girl was their original owner. And finally, all the dots began to connect in Shax’s head.
Oh yeah. I heard there was a tabaxi priest at the church wasn’t there?
She wasn’t an Angelic Knight, but for some reason there was an order out from Zagan that she was a vital target to be kept safe. She was a cait sith from Liucaon, who also happened to be blind, named Kuroka Adelhide. Shax interpreted this order as a command not to make trouble, so he only ever spotted her from a distance.
“She’s been so near to you all this time.”
He finally understood the meaning of Alshiera’s words. It wasn’t all that complicated. The girl he picked up five years ago was thrown into the church, and she ended up at the church in the same town that he was in.
A woman with cat ears then stood before the girl who was cutting down the undead like a black tempest. This was the woman who had handed her daughter to Shax five years ago. And knowing full well who she was, the girl grit her teeth.
“Mom...!”
Watching the girl swing her short sword at the woman, Shax jumped out before he even knew it.
“Huh?”
The killing blow pitifully missed its target. Shax had grabbed the girl from behind. Her dignified dancing came to a complete stop, and the girl began yelling in confusion.
“Hwah? Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What’s going on?”
“Sorry, that’s my duty.”
Killing your own parent is something only worthless scum like me would do.
Even if they weren’t alive anymore. In any case, Shax had already accumulated a mountain of sins. Nobody would be troubled if he added one more to the list.
The boss could probably do something about it without killing anyone, though...
Several months ago, during an evening ball on a boat, that Archdemon showed that he could save the dark elf girl who was pitifully made to be a sacrifice by her master. However, a mediocre sorcerer like Shax had no other choice but to kill. And just as he gathered his mana around his hand to go for the killing blow...
“Good work watching the house.”
The woman was blown away with a large thud. Taking a closer look, an iron coffin flew into her. As it did, the inscription engraved on the lid came into sight.
In celebration of my dear sister’s birthday, Alshiere Imera.
It was something unthinkable to carve onto a coffin, but for some reason it felt completely natural.
It was a mysterious tool, but Shax had seen this weapon before.
There’s no mistaking it. That’s...!
A slender hand grabbed each one. It was Alshiera. If her arms only possessed as much strength as they appeared to, it would be questionable whether she would be able to lift one with both hands. Yet here she was with one in each.
“Good day to you, Stern, Mond, my dear Seraph Hunters. How does it feel to awaken?”
The young girl leisurely said, as she held ‘those’ up and gave them a kiss. And as she did, the path toward them overflowed with the undead. Kuroka’s skills were terrifying, but the speed with which the undead poured in was even more terrifying. Moreover, since Shax got in the way, they had already replenished the numbers that she’d struck down.
Alshiera faced the oncoming flood and held her two iron pieces out toward them. Seeing that gave Shax chills.
“Get down!”
“Eek!”
Shax pulled Kuroka down before she could parse what he was saying. And Alshiera pulled the trigger.
Shax knew full well that those lumps of iron, the Seraph Hunters, fired out small projectiles. They were far faster than arrows or bolts, and could not even be perceived by a sorcerer’s eyes such was their speed. The undead, of course, had no way of recognizing this at all, and two holes opened up in the vanguard.
Darkness flickered at the center of the pitiful undead who were struck. Dark globes broke out along with the sound of something being crushed. The globes were large enough that the two of them could cover the entire passage from the archives to the graveyard.
They spread out for but an instant, and after vanishing, nothing was left behind. The walls and bedrock that they touched were bored out like a mortar, and the undead that were previously in that space were nowhere to be found.