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Several days ago, during Alshiere Imera, the cait sith Kuroka became a cat, and an incident took place where a flood of failed undead poured into town. The first to realize who the culprit was behind the incident was a sorcerer named Shax. He was a former disciple of Archdemon Shere Khan and currently Zagan’s subordinate.
It wasn’t clear what he looked up to in Shere Khan, but the healing sorcery he used was something he originally studied under that Archdemon. And while he was under the belief that he could save somebody with it, Shere Khan attacked Kuroka’s home.
The rare species hunt, the incident Shere Khan perpetrated five years ago. Following that, Shax guided the former Archdemon Marchosias’ subordinate who took action to purge Shere Khan. And thus, Shere Khan was reduced to a cripple who couldn’t possibly recover. The power which reduced the Archdemon to such a state was the Seraph Hunters.
During the incident the other day, Shax took action to protect Kuroka and Alshiera so that the tragedy five years ago would not repeat itself.
“—And that’s pretty much all I have to report.”
Shortly after Lilith returned to her room, the next to visit Zagan at his throne to report such details was a young sorcerer. His outward appearance was that of a man in his mid-twenties, but he was still a talented sorcerer right below the level of an Archdemon candidate. He had sloppy long hair and a stubbly beard. He was actually fairly tall, but his slumped posture took away any dignity or impact he had. He looked like a battered young man, but Zagan assessed him as one of the top five sorcerers in the continent when it came to healing sorcery. This was Zagan’s subordinate Shax, who was normally stationed at the church.
This man held the biggest clue as to Marc’s whereabouts, but due to a few ongoing issues, Zagan hadn’t had a chance to ask him about it when he found this out. One reason was because this trusted subordinate of his wanted to be placed by Kuroka’s side at the church, seeing that she was the one being targeted. The other reason was that since those two were getting closer, her foster father Raphael showed an unusual amount of anger towards him.
During the incident on Alshiere Imera, it was like all concerned parties of the rare species hunt five years ago were gathered in town once more.
It’s natural to think they were gathered together by someone’s will... But Zagan believed this was actually all by coincidence. He thought maybe it was just good fortune that brought those who needed to be saved here so that they could be saved.
The reason for that was because the girl at the center of the incident was a cait sith, who were said to be the most blessed fairies in the world. That was why he believed that perhaps her prayer to move forward and affirm herself brought everyone together. That’s because there was a need for everyone involved five years ago to gather together for her to take that step forward.
If that’s the case, then I guess that’s another form of mysticism.
Mysticism was capable of manifesting miracles through nothing but a prayer. Only high elves could properly utilize that ability, but the cait sith possessed a similar power that was far more unstable. In a sense, it was somewhat like a curse.
Or perhaps it was, in fact, a curse. Kuroka was basically completely unrelated to good fortune during her everyday life. This could be explained by the power being too much for her own body, causing a backlash.
That’s probably the power that Shere Khan was targeting... Which was why Zagan couldn’t allow anybody to know about it. He wouldn’t pay so much attention to a complete stranger, but Kuroka was Raphael’s adopted daughter. And a daughter of that loyal butler could be said to be someone just as important to protect as Nephy and Foll. So Zagan had one more important person under his care.
“Shere Khan...”
A tigryn Archdemon.
If I remember right, back when I inherited the Sigil of the Archdemon, a therianthrope sorcerer was sitting in a wheelchair.
The Archdemons were all wearing robes, so it was difficult to see their faces. But therianthropes stood out either way. He wasn’t sure whether that was the face of a tiger, but he didn’t see any other therianthropes there.
“Hmm, I’ve also heard stories that Shere Khan was purged by Marchosias...” Zagan said as he nodded to himself.
It was something that happened when Zagan was around thirteen years old, just when he began gaining power as a sorcerer. After knocking out Barbatos, who hadn’t learned his lesson despite this being a monthly occurrence and had come to pick a fight, he was told about it while they shared drinks.
Back then, the thought of Archdemons had been far away from both of them, so he hadn’t considered it to be relevant to him at the time.
Zagan pulled out a pair of worn-out glasses from his pocket. Shax said that he didn’t remember that person’s face or name, but the hazy impression left in his mind was of a man wearing round glasses. They were antiques with a cracked lens and rusted frame, but Shax’s eyes shot open when Zagan showed them to him.
“So Marchosias’ subordinate that you guided five years ago wore these?”
“Yeah, I’m sure... At least I think I am.”
His response implied that his memories of the time were rather vague, but the reaction he had upon seeing them made Zagan believe he genuinely recognized them.
“Why are you looking for him, Boss?”
“...Because he was a man I called my friend.”
Though, it was rather heartless that Zagan hadn’t even given him a thought until recently.
No, that’s not quite right...
He thought he was unconsciously driving the two of them out of his mind due to the incident with his other childhood friend Stella, but that may not have been the case. Every single person he met who may have known Marc said the same thing, as if the story had been arranged beforehand.
“I feel like I might know him, but it may be my imagination.”
There were even Archdemon candidates who said the same thing, so it was quite abnormal. It was especially unthinkable for Shax, who spent the last five years in regret after meeting the man. It was as if the world itself was trying to forget Marc’s existence.
I bet that’s actually what it is.
This was a curse. Though it was somewhat insignificant, Zagan suffered from a curse himself, so he could tell. It was a variation of a curse that could bend the very laws of the world, which sorcery could not heal.
Zagan looked over to Shax once more.
“Let me ask you again. What happened to him in the end?”
He was already told the outcome. Shax’s report sorted out all the main points. Any sorcerer would be able to fully understand everything he said after hearing it once.
However, Zagan felt compelled to confirm it one more time. His expression was surely quite severe. Shax stepped back in fear, but he opened his mouth to speak nonetheless.
“He traded blows with Shere Khan... and they struck each other down... That’s what I think I saw.”
That was why the Seraph Hunters he possessed were in Alshiera’s hands.
Zagan clenched his teeth tightly.
Marc was the one to purge Shere Khan... And after trading blows with the Archdemon, he died. Zagan had thought of this possibility ever since he’d been handed the glasses. He knew that Marc may not in fact be alive anymore. But even so, after reuniting with Stella, he had hoped that he would also be able to meet Marc once more. And that brittle hope crumbled to pieces. It felt like his head would boil over with rage, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
“I do have a guess as to what happened to Marc,” Zagan stated.
“...Which is?”
“They say that those who incur the wrath of an Archdemon have their very existence erased. If this doesn’t just refer to the annihilation of one’s entire bloodline, then it means that some sort of sorcery... or curse, exists which can do just that.”
This might have been knowledge that only Archdemons possessed.
“Mean
ing there’s sorcery... or by your guess a curse, which is capable of erasing someone’s existence from other people’s... or perhaps the world’s memory?” Shax stated as he put his hand to his chin and ruminated over the hypothesis.
“That’s what I hypothesize, but it does seem appropriate.”
“But curses can’t be managed with sorcery, right? Can you really accomplish that by being an Archdemon?”
Just as he said, curses were a calamity which even sorcery could do nothing about. That was why Zagan and Andrealphus both sought out Liucaon for other means of dealing with them. And yet, Zagan shook his head.
“Curses are infectious. If we think of the foundation of the curse being in the Sigil, then it would be easy to infect Marc with it.”
Doing so was already well beyond the realm of simple sorcerers, but with the power of an Archdemon, it was entirely possible. Shax didn’t look fully convinced, but nodded anyway.
“Well, if you say so, Boss. You got a reason for thinking so, right?”
This guy’s an idiot, but he’s still talented I see. He was devastatingly poor at reading the atmosphere and maintaining his relationships, but he was quick on his feet. He didn’t just digest what Zagan had to say, he built up a theory on top of that and came to a conclusion of his own.
Zagan leaned back against his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
“Kimaris reported something to me... You’ve seen the Seraph Hunters, right?”
“Yeah.”
“According to him, three people worked together to make them. Alshiera, Eldest Marchosias, and one other.”
“Hang on a sec, Marchosias...? Who exactly is that girl?” Shax asked as he stared in wonder at the mention of that name.
Now that he thought of it, Zagan only introduced Alshiera as a guest who happened to be a vampire. Shax was supposed to have cooperated with her for a while, but he still didn’t seem to know who she was.
“Well, I’ll tell you one day if the need for it comes. That third person is the important matter right now.”
“Did the little missy not say who it was?”
“Apparently she did tell Kimaris. And he heard her clearly...” Zagan paused briefly there and stared at Shax once more before saying, “But he can’t remember.”
“S-So that means?”
“Doesn’t it sound similar to the phenomenon around Marc?”’
Was the source behind it Shere Khan’s curse? Or perhaps...
That third person is Marc himself...?
If that were the case, that young man would have been alive for several hundred years by the time he met Zagan. He didn’t really want to consider the possibility, but it also couldn’t be discarded at this point.
At the very least, there was a clear connection between Marchosias and Marc. He was, in fact, the one who was sent out to execute Marchosias’ purge.
If Marc was the third person to help create the Seraph Hunters, it could explain his connection to Marchosias.
The dots are starting to connect...
According to what Alshiera said, Marc’s entire life was related to Azazel. And that same man possessed the Seraph Hunters and possibly lent a hand in creating them. With that in mind, it was entirely possible that Azazel was one of the seraphs that Marchosias obliterated.
Seraphs. A name that no longer existed in the world. Another existence brought to ruin by an Archdemon. Furthermore, when Zagan had asked Alshiera about it...
“It’s not that I won’t answer or that I don’t want to answer. I cannot answer you.”
If answering was related to the curse cast on Marc, then he could understand why she was unable to answer at the time. Though he still didn’t know how it was all related to himself and Nephy.
No... I guess we’re already involved.
That was why the vampire had asked him not to chase after it.
“But that being the case...” Zagan mumbled to himself.
I won’t be able to do things with Nephy that normal lovers do no matter how much time passes!
Their talks of Marc were naturally getting to him, but Marc was still the man who had taught Zagan how to survive. It wasn’t like he was killed through cowardly means while filled with regret. He challenged an Archdemon. He must have had the will to do so. Going for revenge in such a case was just barking up the wrong tree.
This matter with Nephy was far more unforgivable. When was the last time he had even embraced her? He’d wanted to hug her with all his heart that evening during Alshiere Imera when they exchanged presents, but it didn’t go his way.
Ever since then, Nephy had been busy because of Kuroka’s request to have her eyes healed, and Zagan himself had to deal with becoming Shere Khan’s target. So it was difficult to have some private time just between them. He was, of course, able to have a frivolous conversation with her just like he did in the morning. But that wasn’t the lover-like things that Zagan wanted to do with her.
I want to run my fingers through her silky hair and touch her ears and see her be all embarrassed and have her sit on my lap and rub my cheeks against her and hug her and take a stroll through a park while holding hands and walk through town and have her feed me and sleep together and have another kiss!
His sheer anger made his vision go red, and it felt like the blood in his eyes would burst into tears. He thought that since he wasn’t able to find any clues about Marc, things would calm down and he could go on another date. But Shere Khan popped up right at that time, and now things were busy again.
Indeed. This was all Shere Khan’s fault.
Zagan didn’t care if he was the second strongest, or if he had escaped death, or whatever. That sorcerer was now right next to Bifrons as Zagan’s sworn enemy, a nemesis that had to be annihilated even at the cost of his own life.
“Damn you, Shere Khan... I will never forgive you! I’ll chase you to the very ends of the earth and make you curse your misfortune for having survived five years ago...!”
As a matter of fact, it wasn’t really Shere Khan’s fault, but due to Zagan’s personality, this was an inevitable conclusion. He unintentionally put all his strength into his hands and crushed the stone armrests of his throne.
And having sensed such raw anger from him, Shax gulped loudly.
“Uh... Hey, Boss? Actually...”
“...What?”
Shax still had something to say. It wasn’t really his fault or anything, and Zagan was trying to be as gentle as possible, but his voice was still trembling with rage.
“N-No, it’s nothing. No need to trouble you over it, Boss...”
“...Hm? Is that so?”
He didn’t really get it, but he realized he might have made things a little awkward for Shax.
Well, if it’s truly a problem, I guess he’ll come tell me about it later.
This man wasn’t foolish enough to keep quiet when it was better for him to look for help.
And so, his talented subordinate left Zagan behind atop his crumbling throne.
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After leaving the throne room, Shax suddenly fell to his knees, sweating profusely.
I didn’t think the boss would be so pissed...
It only stood to reason though. Even if he was Shax’s former teacher, Shere Khan’s actions were unforgivable. That was why Shax had betrayed his teacher and guided Marchosias’ purge on him. He knew this, which is why he couldn’t cut to the chase of what he really wanted to consult Zagan about.
Shax pulled a card from his breast pocket. Or more specifically, he pulled a “certain something” out in the shape of a card.
“What should I do with Kurosuke’s clothes...?”
During the incident on Alshiere Imera, Shax ended up picking up Kuroka, who had turned into a cat. At the time, he only thought she was a cat, so he picked up the clothes he found at the same time thinking they may be a clue to find her owner.
That was thoughtless of him though. A sorcerer secretly carrying around a young woman’s clothing, which ha
d traces of being used, was obviously evidence of a crime that anyone could identify.
I’m dead if old man Raphael finds out I have these...
He would definitely be killed. Without a doubt. It was possible Raphael would at least hear out his will, but his death would be determined. Even if he ran to the very ends of the earth, he would get killed. Not even Zagan could protect him.
The thought of returning Kuroka’s clothes to her room secretly did cross his mind.
That won’t do, she’ll totally notice my scent.
Her sense of smell and her hearing were terrifyingly sharp precisely because she’d lost her eyesight. Even if he used sorcery to erase any hint of smell, there was still a risk that he would leave behind some sort of trace she could follow.
It was possible she would understand Shax’s circumstances, but that girl also had a vulpin roommate named Kuu. That one was definitely a chatterbox. It was clear as day that she would tell everyone about it before her and Kuroka could come to a proper understanding.
Betting on Kuroka’s ability to read the situation was far too large a risk. It was actually more normal for a girl to shrink back or be afraid of a man she just met holding onto her clothes, including her underwear.
She was someone that Shax had to protect even if he had to stake his life on it. He couldn’t possibly let her experience such a thing. But above all else, if Kuroka was to find out, there was a fairly high probability that Raphael would hear of it.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t like he could just dispose of them. He vaguely recalled hearing that those clothes were something precious that she had received from her benefactor. Just how sad would she be if she found out they were disposed of? There was a need to somehow get them back in her hands.
That was why he wanted to consult Zagan about it, considering he likely possessed the ability to settle things peacefully. However, given his rage, it seemed inappropriate at the time.
And as Shax racked his brain over this...
“Mister Shax? Is something wrong?” A cat-eared girl peered at his face with curiosity. Well, she wasn’t really peering. She just brought her face closer. Nothing was actually reflected in her eyes.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 9 Page 4