Up until that point, they had gone on trips to the lake and the bottom of the ocean, but they had never been all alone.
Zagan took another look at Nephy, who was sitting next to him. Manuela really was good at picking out clothes. They were trim and stylish. Anybody who saw her would be charmed by her loveliness.
“I quite like the clothes you have on now, Nephy. I even want to go around looking for more like that. Well, I’ll refrain if you don’t want to though.”
“There’s no way I would refuse!” Nephy’s red ears stiffened out to a point. She then twiddled her fingers as she continued shyly. “Um, in that case... I also think that your clothes are... w-wonderful, Master Zagan.”
Hnnnngh! What a thing to say! He thought she was going to express her happiness over wearing such cute clothes, but she ended up counterattacking when he least expected it. And yet the way she constantly corrected the position of her skirt and cardigan conveyed how pleased she was with them.
“I-I see. Then... should we look for clothes while we’re in the Holy City?”
“Y-Yes!”
And then silence. After a short while, Nephy hesitantly opened her mouth to speak.
“Um, is it really all right?”
“Is what all right?”
“I have to take care of Kuroka, yet we left the castle...”
Zagan was trying to escape Gremory’s surveillance, so he’d practically abducted Nephy and run away. It was only natural for Nephy to be anxious.
I still can’t tell her about Orias... Their trip to the Holy City was related to her, but he still couldn’t bring himself to tell Nephy the truth.
Zagan leaned back into his seat.
“Hear me, Nephy, that’s exactly why we’re going.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mmm... I know you’re feeling tense over such an important matter. However, that can lead to your nerves snapping at a crucial moment. Trust me, you need to relax because this is such a serious situation.”
Nephy nodded but cocked her head.
“I’ve never seen you relax in such a manner, though, Master Zagan...”
“Huh? I’m always less tense when I’m with you, aren’t I?”
“What? Uh, um, to be honest, it feels like you grow more tense around me...”
Zagan became quite flustered after having something so unexpected pointed out to him.
“Aaah, um... You’re not wrong... But it’s the same for you, right?”
“Th-That’s, uh...”
Despite eight months passing since they’d begun living together, the two of them didn’t appear to have grown at all. They turned as red as lobsters, and Raphael called out to them with a strained smile.
“My liege. My apologies for interrupting you while you relax, but may I say something?”
“What is it?”
“It’s better if you do not mention the name Zagan while in the Holy City. I’m sure it’s not something you would pay any mind to, but it will bring about obstructions.”
This had completely slipped Zagan’s mind, and he returned a nod.
“You’re right. We should avoid mentioning an Archdemon’s name if we want to enjoy some sightseeing.”
Nephy tilted her head in a troubled manner.
“Then what should I call you, Master Zagan? Perhaps just Master, like before...?”
“It’s a date. You can’t just call me Master.”
“Ah... A date...!”
Apparently, she didn’t realize this... Or perhaps she was just trying not to be conscious of it. Nephy’s ears turned redder and redder.
“But this is a problem... I’ve never thought of using an alias.”
Zagan didn’t want to use a lousy name if Nephy was to refer to him that way. But he didn’t even know his own real name. He had no idea what name he wanted to go by after all this time. Such was the case, but the driver replied as if the answer was perfectly obvious.
“What are you saying? Won’t everything be settled with ‘dear’ and ‘honey’ and the like?”
Zagan and Nephy both stiffened up completely.
Sure, Nephy’s now my bride, but it’s not like we actually ever got married. We just confirmed our feelings for each other... How do I explain that I don’t hate the idea, or rather, that I’m actually extremely interested in it, but I feel like it’s too soon? No, wait, is it really too soon?
Even the brain of an Archdemon was incapable of processing such a shocking suggestion. All Zagan could do was laugh while his eyes spun in circles.
“Huh? ‘Honey’...? Is that not... um, a little too bold?”
Nephy covered her face as if she was unable to bear it, but she then peeked through her fingers as if mustering her courage.
“R-Right... D-D-Dear..?”
“Hnnngh!”
Zagan fell from his seat while grasping his chest, a shock running through his entire body. He would surely have died if he wasn’t a sorcerer.
What resolve! What speedy determination! His bride was a step ahead of him in this regard... Well, she was one who seriously complied with his embarrassing and nonsensical requests all the time. So a slightly higher hurdle wasn’t all that difficult for her to surmount.
Being unable to answer in kind would have wounded his pride. And so Zagan suppressed his rapidly beating heart and rose to his feet, mustering all of his willpower to do so. He then looked straight at Nephy’s blindingly cute face and opened his mouth.
“H-Honey...”
“Eeek!”
And in an unusual turn, Nephy let out a yelp and sank to the floor. Her ears were so red it felt like they were generating a significant amount of heat, and her eyes peeking through the gap in her fingers even had tears in them.
The two of them were out of breath as if they had just run a marathon at full sprint and somehow managed to return to their seats.
“There’s a need... to get accustomed to this...” Zagan stated.
“Is that... even possible... I wonder...?” Nephy replied.
In any case, he was grateful that Raphael had pointed it out now rather than later. The butler likely knew this was exactly how it would turn out.
Zagan fanned his face with his hand in a fluster.
“......”
“......”
Realizing that they were both doing the same thing, Nephy and Zagan spontaneously began fanning each other instead.
Th-This kinda makes me happy... It felt like it was getting even hotter, but neither of them showed any signs of stopping.
About half an hour later...
“My liege, there are people on the road in front of us.”
“Hm? All the way out here?”
“It seems they’re stranded.”
Zagan opened the window and took a look for himself. The terrain around them was an empty wasteland. There were no rivers or lakes in the area, so this region was barren. It wasn’t suitable for habitation, which meant the only things to pass through here were pretty much just merchant carriages.
A town or two would come into sight after a few hours by carriage, so this wasn’t a place anybody would come to without a horse. And now there were two people in the middle of this wasteland just standing there in complete isolation.
“That armor... they’re Angelic Knights. I suppose their horses were done in while they were out on a mission of some sort.”
Anointed Armor was quite heavy, although the one wearing it didn’t feel this. Spurring on a horse too hard while wearing such armor could easily crush the horse. Zagan honestly didn’t want to get involved with Angelic Knights while sightseeing with Nephy, but...
A woman and a child... The woman was wearing a helmet, so he couldn’t see her face, but her armor was clearly shaped for a woman. The other one wasn’t wearing a helmet and looked to be a young boy.
Zagan sat back down in the carriage with a grimace.
“Stop for them. They’ll freeze to death if we leave them be at this time of year.”
“Is that all right?”
“We found them, so there’s no other choice.”
It was irritating that they were getting in the way of his private time with Nephy, but they would remain on his mind if he abandoned them here and went to the Holy City. And that would get in the way of enjoying his trip. Zagan then looked over to Nephy.
“Aah, that’s how it is. Sorry. It looks like we’ll have some extra guests. Do you mind?”
Nephy replied with a delighted smile.
“Of course not, Master Za... Oh...” So she started to say, but she tensed up and corrected herself. “Of course not, dear.”
◇
“We’re in a hurry to get to the Holy City of Raziel. Excuse me for asking, but could you allow us aboard?”
After bringing the carriage to a stop, the young boy called out to Zagan in an energetic voice. Upon asking him, he informed them that he was thirteen. He had chestnut hair and green eyes. His features gave off an upright and serious impression, and it really did look like it was too early for him to be wearing his armor.
The woman’s face was still hidden by her helmet, but she was about the same height as the boy. She had an even smaller build than Nephy, and judging from her perfectly straight posture and the way she held herself, it was apparent that she was quite young as well.
However, Zagan didn’t perceive this young boy as an apprentice, even though his appearance suggested it.
That sword at his waist is definitely a Sacred Sword. It’s the first I’ve heard of a brat being an Archangel. Zagan wasn’t aware of how skilled he was, but the sword meant the boy was an Angelic Knight on par with Raphael and Chastille. It didn’t sound enjoyable to be accompanied by such a troublesome guest all the way to the Holy City.
But he did already stop the carriage, so Zagan spread out his arm as if it didn’t bother him.
“I don’t mind. We also happen to be on our way to the Holy City. Come on in and relax.”
“Thank you. You really saved us.”
The boy bobbed his head down then turned to the woman next to him.
“Come now, Lady Oberon.”
Zagan noticed the woman stiffening up as he urged her on.
Hmm? Does this woman know who I am? Chastille was also an Archangel. It wasn’t all that strange for Angelic Knights from other cities to visit her, and Zagan hadn’t just visited her at the church once or twice. It was fairly likely that Angelic Knights Zagan didn’t know of could recognize his face.
“...I’ll be fine,” the woman said as she shook her head.
“What are you saying? How do you plan on getting back without a carriage? Please get on.”
She didn’t appear to be carrying a Sacred Sword, but the Archangel was bowing to her. It seemed that she was someone of significant status. The woman looked up at Zagan, then she shook her head once more.
Huh? Is that a signal that she won’t remove her helmet? Zagan wasn’t planning on making a fuss of it just because she wouldn’t remove her helmet. It would be nonsense for a sorcerer who was hiding his identity in a far more dangerous way to complain about a mere helmet. And yet he felt like that wasn’t all there was to the woman’s behavior. He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes met those of the woman behind her helmet.
“—!”
And Zagan figured it out in an instant.
I don’t know why it ended up like this, but I guess I get it for now.
Zagan opened the door of the carriage all the way and urged the two of them in.
“I can’t possibly leave two Angelic Knights out here. Please get in.”
“...Sorry. We’ll be intruding.”
The woman—who was apparently named Oberon—squeezed out those words and bowed her head. Her voice sounded young... or rather, childish. She was also quite short, giving off the impression that she was even younger than Nephy.
Zagan continued to observe her and let out a laugh.
“Nothing of the sort. You’re more than welcome.”
In an extremely unusual turn for Zagan, he held out his hand and escorted her to her seat. The young boy also took off his sword belt and boarded the carriage, but upon noticing Nephy, he came to a stop and stared at her in wonder.
“Huh...? An elf?”
Well, even Angelic Knights didn’t have many opportunities to encounter any elves. Nephy bobbed her head to greet him back, and after the two of them were on board, Raphael closed the door and urged the horses on once more.
“Umm, this is quite a nice carriage. Does it belong to you?”
“No, we only rented it in town. I don’t know anything about carriages.”
“I-Is that so...?”
And then silence.
The boy once more shifted his gaze to Nephy’s collar. Zagan and Nephy treated it as a perfectly natural accessory that they weren’t ashamed of at all, but it wasn’t all that amusing to have such an unreserved gaze pointed at it.
“Does it bother you?”
It may have been somewhat mean-spirited, but Zagan questioned the boy.
“No, I couldn’t possibly...” He started to deny it, but then shook his head as if changing his mind. “This may be rather rude to ask after being allowed to board your carriage, but how are you two related?”
“I wonder... What do we look like?”
Zagan laughed, clearly amused, and the boy turned red in the cheeks with resentment.
“Could you stop teasing—hwah?!”
Just as he tried to stand to his feet, the woman next to him flicked his forehead. She then began speaking in a somewhat troubled tone.
“...Lovers, right? You can tell at a glance...”
Zagan’s bold expression crumbled in an instant and he began blushing. Nephy also covered her mouth on reflex.
To think it’d be so embarrassing to have it pointed out...! He tried scratching his cheek to regain his composure from such an unexpected blow.
“Uhh, right. Well, that’s how it is. It doesn’t feel good to have such strange looks pointed at my bride.”
“...Sorry. That was insensitive of me.”
The boy apologized seriously and bowed to Zagan, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
What to do? I’d hoped to use this as practice for talking to people we might meet in the Holy City... It was unexpected for the atmosphere to make everyone feel awkward.
And the one to break the silence, unable to bear it any longer, was none other than Oberon.
“I apologize for my companion’s discourtesy. I don’t mean this as a way of making up for that, but do you have any interest in a psychological test?”
“A psychological test?”
“It’s like a simple game with words. It’s used by Angelic Knights to try and smoke out sorcerers.”
Zagan shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly.
“How frightening. Are you perhaps suspicious of us?”
“Nothing of the sort. This is just for entertainment. I’ll refrain if you don’t feel like it.”
Zagan took a glance over at Nephy. She was somewhat confused, but her pointy ears were twitching about in interest. So Zagan corrected his posture and spread out his arms.
“No, please go ahead. It sounds interesting.”
Oberon nodded slightly and continued.
“You arrive at a dining table and find four items lined up before you: a dessert, a bowl of soup, a drink, and a meat dish. However, one among these items is actually a person held captive by a sorcerer. Which do you think it is?”
Zagan didn’t understand the intent of the question, but it certainly didn’t sound like something capable of probing the identity of a sorcerer, so he answered honestly.
“The soup. A drink is too conspicuous, and the delicate flavors of a dessert makes it easy to realize something is wrong. In a similar vein, meat takes a long time to eat, which leaves a long time to figure things out.”
“Hmm. And what do you think?”
Oberon looked at Nephy, and she
nodded back.
“Let’s see... I also think it’s the soup. I can’t really think of a reason, but that’s the first thing that came to mind.”
“That’s fine. Just as I said before, this is nothing more than a simple game. You don’t need to ponder it too deeply.”
And lastly, all gazes gathered on the young boy.
“I think it’s the dessert. People will relax the most when they get to dessert.”
Oberon nodded without much of a reaction.
“I see. Those answers do seem to suit all of you.”
“And what’s your answer?” Zagan asked, but Oberon smiled back bitterly.
“I know the way the question works, so it’d be unfair to answer myself.”
“Is that how it goes...? So, what meaning is there behind the question?” Zagan asked carefully, and Oberon replied nonchalantly.
“It’s a test about whether you’re capable of finding a lover.”
Everyone broke into a coughing fit at such an unexpected answer.
“Wha? L-L-L-L-L-Lovers...?” Nephy sputtered.
“Let’s start with you two who answered with soup...” Oberon completely disregarded everyone’s agitation and mercilessly cut forth. “Those who pick soup are the ones who are trying to act calm in front of others but are actually perceived as having a great amount of fun by those around them. This isn’t definitive, but there’s apparently a strong trend in people who make that choice.”
“Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-That can’t be!”
“R-R-R-R-Right!”
“Umm, it’s all right,” the young boy said as he averted his gaze... “It’s just a game.”
“Ugh...”
Zagan groaned, completely unable to refute him, and Oberon ruthlessly continued.
“Next is you, who picked the dessert.”
The boy quickly turned pale.
“L-Lady Oberon, there’s no need to...”
“You’re the type to be deeply influenced by others. You should be careful in picking your partner.”
“G-Guhhhh....!”
The boy began trembling and looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“This is the first time I’ve tasted such humiliation,” Zagan commented out of the blue.
“Does it displease you?”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 9 Page 9