An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 9

by Fuminori Teshima

  Alshiera narrowed her gaze.

  “I see. I have a read on the mechanism here now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know how much the Archdemons themselves are aware of it, but once they’ve been entrusted with a Sigil, they’re unable to escape its influence. The Silver-Eyed King may have realized this instinctively. That’s why he keeps that power at such an extreme distance from himself. However...”

  She gently brushed the parchment in the middle, likely the one representing Zagan’s Sigil.

  “The heart is the source of mana. Its role is ‘to provide.’”

  Foll likely wasn’t the only one who felt uneasy upon hearing those words.

  Zagan liberally grants power to others as a reward. This could surely also be attributed to his personality, but it may have been that he was already under the influence of the Sigil.

  “His refusal to offer such ‘provisions’ is practically nonexistent. When he interrupted the Sigil’s power with little Andre, all he halted was the power from the heart.”

  She then smiled as if this were inevitable.

  “...I’d like the Silver-Eyed King to face and understand the Sigil just a little more, though.”

  She was speaking of the Sigil like an old friend.

  “What does that mean?” Foll asked as she cocked her head.

  “...I’ve said a little too much. You want to know about Shere Khan’s Sigil, right?”

  Apparently, she would only tell Foll about one or the other. She wasn’t going to answer as many questions as Foll wanted even if it was a reward. As such, Foll reluctantly nodded.

  “First, is this.”

  Alshiera pointed at the two small parchments lined up at the top. The symbols of those two Sigils appeared to be different from the others.

  “It’s possible the ‘eyes’ and ‘memories’ have joined hands.”

  “Bifrons... and Shere Khan?”

  “This may also be a result of the Sigils being drawn together.”

  Foll still didn’t understand, but Gremory clapped her hands together.

  “By ‘memories,’ do you mean the brain?”

  “Is that different?”

  “Mmm... The part of the brain which governs the memories sits right next to the optic nerve... that’s why Lady Kuroka’s treatment is quite difficult.”

  That was the first Foll had heard about it, but apparently, that was how the brain worked.

  The contents of the head are outside my field. I don’t get it at all.

  “Let’s get back on track...” Alshiera cleared her throat with a cough, then said, “Writing it down as memories is perhaps an error by the writer. But it may be accurate as a result...” For whatever reason, she trailed off and stopped talking.

  Is it hard to say? No... she probably doesn’t want to say it. Gremory also seemed to have sensed this. She simply kept silent while looking at Alshiera without urging her on. And after eventually giving in, Alshiera finally continued.

  “The seal of the ‘memories of the Archdemon’ is literally the ‘memories of the first Archdemon’... Shere Khan may possess the truth of what happened a thousand years ago.”

  “A thousand years ago...? What happened?”

  But Alshiera shook her head.

  “I can’t say.”

  It didn’t appear to be out of stubbornness or selfishness. Foll could sense there was some sort of reason she couldn’t speak of it.

  “I can understand the reason for Shere Khan’s actions if he’s inherited the memories of the Archdemon. It’s truly foolish and absurd though.”

  “The reason behind the rare species hunt?” Foll asked to confirm, and Alshiera nodded sadly.

  “Yes. He may be trying to save the world, so to speak.”

  Foll and Gremory were both left staring wide-eyed at the completely unexpected answer.

  “Save the world? By killing all rare species?”

  “Yes. It truly is foolish. Even though he can’t become ‘that thing’ precisely because it’s just the memories.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In a manner of speaking, the memories are like the contents written in a book. You can’t become the author just by possessing the book, right?”

  “I don’t really get it. Is it like he’s imagining that he’s become the author?” Foll asked, and Alshiera gently brushed her head.

  “You catch on quickly.”

  It didn’t feel bad, but Foll was still wondering what exactly was hidden within the Archdemon’s memories, so she tried to take a step forward.

  “I don’t get it. What did Shere Khan see?”

  “...He likely saw a certain man’s unnatural death. The man he tried to save, but couldn’t. And then...” Alshiera trailed off, gripped her chest tightly, then said, “The sight of ‘me’ dying at that time.”

  She showed neither regret nor anger. She simply smiled vacantly.

  “If only I had more power... Anybody who lived at that time thought the same. That’s why they desperately rebelled, fought, struggled, fell, and rose again. And yet...”

  What exactly did she see with that tiny body of hers? She cradled her slender shoulders as she bit on her lips in grief. The dreadful vampire looked like little more than a young girl who wanted to cry but couldn’t. And so Foll climbed up onto the table next to her and hugged her.

  “...It’s okay. It’s okay now.”

  She didn’t know why she did it, but Foll brushed Alshiera’s head. She could tell that the vampire’s body relaxed completely.

  “Heehee, you can’t oppose your blood I see.”

  “Huh...?”

  “A long time ago, your father said the same thing to me.”

  “Father...?”

  She surely wasn’t referring to Zagan but Wise Dragon Orobas, the legendary dragon who lived during the age of legends. It wouldn’t be strange for Alshiera to know him, having lived for a thousand years.

  She seemed to have calmed down completely. And after Foll let her go, she continued in a composed tone.

  “We’ve gone off track. Shere Khan saw me die. And he knows that I still yet live.”

  “When you became one of the Night Clan?”

  It was common knowledge among sorcerers that many sorcerers became members of the Night Clan while trying to attain immortality. But Alshiera shook her head.

  “I became one for an entirely different reason. If not for that...”

  She was unable to say any more. She then touched her abdomen, as if trying to explain with that motion instead.

  Does her wound hurt...? No, that’s not it... That wasn’t where her wound was. Foll knew what that gesture meant. That was why she pretended not to notice and asked a different question.

  “So you died once before becoming one?”

  That explained why Alshiere Imera was Alshiera’s birthday and was celebrated by the church as a holy day.

  “A person can rise from the grave while remaining a person,” Alshiera answered with a nod... “And Shere Khan came to know of this. It’s possible to regain a life that had been lost. That can also be interpreted as the possibility to free people from death. Is it not something worth accomplishing even if the world must be destroyed?”

  If people were truly freed from death, the world would become a paradise.

  But... would that really bring happiness? Even Alshiera, who could be said to be close to immortal, always looked to be carrying anguish with her. And above all else, Alshiera herself didn’t accept it. Foll didn’t believe a better world awaited beyond that dream.

  “Is Shere Khan trying to revive someone? And if so, who?”

  “That I do not know. It may be someone personally related to Shere Khan himself, or perhaps someone from a thousand years ago. Or maybe even... No, he wouldn’t be that much of a fool.”

  Alshiera then pulled the Seraph Hunters out from underneath her skirt.

  “Apparently, my dear brother failed to finish him off. But ther
e should never have been a need to go as far as using the Seraph Hunters. Shere Khan should have died at that time too.”

  That should have been an astonishing revelation, but Foll’s attention was attracted by something else.

  Brother...? The one who defeated Shere Khan was supposed to be Zagan’s friend Marc. Meaning... What do I do? Should I tell Zagan? Is it better to keep quiet?

  Zagan had complex feelings towards Alshiera as it was. If he knew that she was perhaps someone even closer to him, he would surely agonize over it. However, Foll felt it wasn’t something she could just put off either.

  Alshiera continued, not making it clear whether or not she knew of Foll’s dilemma.

  “I do wonder if Shere Khan is truly ‘Shere Khan’ himself. He may just be something else that’s under the impression that he is.”

  “Something... else...?”

  Foll’s gaze was attracted to the parchments lined up on the table. The thought of what was sealed by the Sigils of the Archdemon sent a shiver down her spine.

  Alshiera then shook her head, having come back to her senses.

  “Oh my? Now that I think of it, the other one here has been awfully quiet.”

  She looked at Gremory, and Foll shook her head as if this wasn’t all that big a deal.

  “It’s the same as always. Don’t worry about her.”

  “...Why has she fallen to the ground covered in her own blood?”

  Gremory likely left behind the words, “Nice... lover power...” while spurting blood with a satisfied expression when Foll hugged Alshiera earlier. Gremory’s eccentricity seemed to be even beyond the understanding of someone of Alshiera’s level.

  This was par for the course for Foll though, so she simply returned her attention to the table. There were other parchments than just the ones detailing the Sigils. And noticing her gaze, Alshiera began reading those aloud too.

  “These appear to be deconstructed Sigils. Oh my, and this one’s written in Elvish,” Alshiera murmured. Then, after passing her eyes over it, she knit her brows and asked, “Hmm...? What’s this about?”

  “What?”

  “It’s written here that she went to look for Azazel’s Staff.”

  It was precisely the name Zagan was investigating.

  Orias went searching for that and vanished. Meaning Zagan is looking for her? Raphael was with him as well. He may have been the one who’d arrived at the idea of the Holy City. It wasn’t clear whether Zagan’s objective was Orias or the staff, maybe even both. But Alshiera’s reaction was peculiar. The vampire sat there with her arms folded and cocked her head.

  “Staff...? What does she mean by staff? Was there such a thing...?”

  “Is it something you can talk about?”

  Alshiera was apparently unable to speak of anything related to Azazel. Foll asked to see if it was something that would be bad for her to mention, but it turned out that Alshiera simply nodded with a perplexed look.

  “If you want me to talk about something I have no knowledge of, then sure.”

  “Is it strange for it to exist?”

  “It’s baffling that I would know absolutely nothing about it. Does it really exist, I wonder...?” And after pondering over it for a while... “Oh. Huh? Could it be that...? Really? That thing...?”

  “Did you remember something...?”

  “Rather than remember... You could say I have a clue as to what it is... But I don’t know whether it should be classified as a staff or not.” She then let out a deep sigh. “Well, if the Silver-Eyed King went to the Holy City, it means it’s been enshrined in the church as a relic. How ostentatious. Well, my dear brother has always been like that I suppose.”

  Foll grimaced upon hearing something else she couldn’t let pass.

  Is Alshiera’s brother from the church? This meant that the clue to the person Zagan was looking for was also in the church.

  Alshiera then hopped off the table, seemingly losing interest.

  “Well, we know why the Silver-Eyed King has gone on a little trip now.”

  “Is it all right?”

  “It certainly would be troublesome if Shere Khan were to usurp control of that thing, but it should be fine. The child who left behind this note seems to know the true nature of the ‘staff’ anyways.”

  The reason she left behind all these memos on the table was likely to serve as a message to a visitor. Meaning it was for Zagan. The way she completely cleaned up the fireplace gave off the feeling that she wanted him to know he didn’t need to worry about chasing after her. So for Zagan to take chase to the Holy City anyway, there had to be a reason for him to hurry.

  Maybe something to do with Kuroka’s treatment? Or perhaps it was necessary for Nephy so that she could perform the treatment. In any case, it was just like Zagan either way, and Foll was now fully convinced.

  “Now then, let’s go back. I would like to relax and have some wine.”

  “Raphael will get angry, so you can’t.”

  “Oh my, is Kianoides not right near the castle? The day is just starting, so we can stop by on our way back.”

  “You’re a bad girl,” Foll said with a sigh.

  “Your shoulders will get stiff from being too much of a good girl.”

  And dragging Gremory along the ground, the three little girls headed home.

  ◇

  “Hmm, what are these beads?”

  “It seems to be called tapioca. This is the first time I’ve seen the real thing.”

  “Is it some sort of egg?”

  “No, it’s apparently some species of potato that’s been treated in some way...”

  Zagan and Nephy had been sound asleep with her sleeping on his arm right until morning. And although they were far too embarrassed to look each other in the eye after that, the awkwardness in the air had vanished the moment they were brought a snack. The two of them had changed out of their sleepwear and were now fully prepared to do some sightseeing.

  They were both downright perplexed with serious expressions, having been presented with some form of dessert they had never seen before. It was something they called tapioca juice. It was apparently a tremendously popular drink in the Holy City, and there were even those who had journeyed here just to have some.

  “Judging from the straw, do we sip the drink through it?”

  Two drinks in luxurious-looking glasses sat on the table before them. The liquid itself seemed to be a mix of sweet cocoa and milk. It was clear from the straw that it was meant to be enjoyed by sipping on it. And yet, there were several bean-like beads sitting at the bottom of the drink.

  Is it meant to serve the same purpose as ice? Or can they be eaten? Nephy normally had the answers regarding such matters, but she also didn’t know about this drink. It was an unknown quantity to both of them.

  Zagan took another look at the straw. It was just thick enough for the black beads to fit through. It was over twice the thickness of a regular straw. It would be trivial with the lung capacity of a sorcerer to suck them up. However, did the shop prepare this under the assumption that their customers were sorcerers?

  He tried giving the beads a poke with the straw.

  “Hmm...? It’s unexpectedly squishy.”

  “Yes. It’s somehow quite cute too.”

  “Cute...? I see. This can be called cute, huh?”

  “Um, auugh...”

  Zagan nodded along with Nephy’s unexpected sensibilities, leading the point of her ears to turn red.

  “Nothing will come out of staring at it. Shall we try some?”

  “Should I have a taste first?”

  “No. What’ll we do if it happens to be dangerous? I’ll investigate it first.”

  Zagan was dead serious, having come to some kind of outrageous hypothesis on the dangers tapioca juice could possibly pose. He put his lips on the straw and timidly tried sucking through it. The liquid rose through the straw, and the sweet taste of cocoa milk spread throughout his mouth.

  Hmm. The juice i
sn’t bad. I feel like Nephy will like this too. However, the problem was the solid objects in the drink known as tapioca. Zagan didn’t know what they were there for, so he tried moving his straw over one and sucking through the straw.

  “Oh?”

  The bead unexpectedly crawled up the straw with ease and fell into his mouth.

  Hmm...? It doesn’t taste like anything. Zagan recalled the first time he’d eaten a cherry tomato. It had taken him several minutes at the time to arrive at the answer of biting down, at which point he was left with a sadly lukewarm feeling. As such, Zagan immediately resolved to bite down so as to not repeat such folly.

  “Ah...! Hmm, it’s rather sweet.”

  “It’s sweet?”

  “Mmm... I think the taste of the juice has soaked into them. It’s quite sweet. Also, the surface seems like jelly, but the interior has a consistency like marrow.”

  The lumpy sensations weren’t bad at all. And after coming to an understanding and nodding, Nephy took her own straw.

  “Then I will also try some.”

  She brought her pink lips to the straw and the cocoa-colored liquid crawled up the transparent tube. Her tense expression lightened up completely like a blooming flower.

  “Oh! How sweet.”

  “Right?”

  “Yes... Hm? Huh?”

  Nephy’s relaxed expression stiffened up with bewilderment. Zagan was about to ask her what happened but then remembered what he had experienced himself. Taking a closer look, there was not just one but two beads halfway up the straw. They appeared to be stuck, and she wasn’t able to suck them up because of that.

  She might have been panicking because Zagan was watching her. Nephy’s pointy ears stiffened up, and the beads in her straw remained where they were. However, this was dangerously cute to Zagan, and he was near his limit of wanting to hug her and rub his cheek against hers.

  Mm. Let’s keep a record of this with Memorandum later. This was the sorcery he created with Gremory and Barbatos to store memories on a medium like paper. He really was glad they had managed to complete it without any difficulties.