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

by Fuminori Teshima

  Hence Zagan had developed his ability to reflect and absorb sorcery to the point where he could imitate it. Andrealphus’ advice was rather useful, although it vexed him to admit that.

  The boy struck the floor in irritation.

  “Ugh. It’s a small mercy that I came out in Raziel, but how much time will it take to chase after them from here?”

  “Hm. I don’t know your exact circumstances, but can’t you return using that?”

  Zagan pointed up at the ceiling like he had just noticed it. The teleportation circle that Zagan had repaired and connected back to its source was shining brilliantly.

  “It looked to me like you fell from there...”

  The boy shot up to his feet with his eyes wide open.

  “Oh! I can go back!”

  Just as he was about to plunge through, the boy stopped and turned to Zagan.

  “I must apologize once more. I will definitely repay—”

  “Enough already. You’re in a hurry, right?”

  “Right!”

  “Good luck.”

  Zagan waved his hand, Nephy bobbed her head down, and the young boy leaped gallantly through the magic circle. After seeing him off, Zagan pointed Nephy to her hat and coat.

  “Well then, shall we get going ourselves?”

  “Huh...?”

  “To Raziel’s underground treasury. You said you wanted to go see it, right?”

  With that, Nephy smiled like a blooming flower.

  “Yes!”

  Thus the unprecedented incident of three different Archdemons being allowed to infiltrate the church headquarters was headed to its climax.

  Chapter IV: Archdemons and Archangels Have Gathered, so We Decided to Have a Party

  “...Hmph. It seems the intruder before me has been rampaging about.”

  Clouds of dust fell from the ceiling, accompanied by a chain of intermittent tremors. It seemed that someone was fighting above this giant armored man in Raziel’s great underground labyrinth.

  It was none other than Raphael. After escorting Zagan and Nephy to Raziel, he had infiltrated the great labyrinth once he had permission to act on his own. His artificial left arm glimmered dimly and illuminated the area around him.

  His goal was, of course, to make contact with Archdemon Orias. If his already-aging body could gain more power, then he would even rely on an Archdemon to do so.

  This place is truly easy to infiltrate for members, after all. In fact, the keys to the treasury were the Sacred Swords themselves. The labyrinth was set up so anyone not carrying a Sacred Sword was assaulted by a countless number of traps. Meaning the only ones who could enter the treasury directly were the twelve Archangels.

  Even as the oldest Archangel, excluding Michael, Raphael only knew of the entrance at the central cathedral. The people who built this place likely never considered the possibility of a traitor Archangel. Well, in a sense, the betrayal of an Archangel spelled the demise of the church. It was somewhat meaningless to hypothesize such a scenario.

  Such was the case, but by the time Raphael had infiltrated the place, it had already turned into a labyrinth and was flinging traps at another intruder.

  I’ve heard Archdemon Orias was somewhat smarter about this, though... In that case it would be appropriate to consider the existence of another intruder. One week had passed since Orias had vanished. He was worried that she had perhaps already come and gone, but judging from the current state of things, there was still some hope that she hadn’t. At the very least, she hadn’t returned to her hideout two days ago.

  There was Raphael, Orias, a third intruder, and depending on the circumstances, it was likely that Zagan would sneak in while sightseeing too. Raphael had already turned his back on them, but this day seemed like it would be a disaster for the church.

  He continued to proceed through the treasury by relying on his old memories and found people tumbling on the ground further down the path.

  “Ugh... Keep it together, Aristella... Everything... will be fine...”

  “...Hak... Ugh... Who the hell is that woman...?”

  It was two girls who appeared to be sorcerers. They were hurt quite badly and were bleeding from the head with wounds all over their bodies. The girl dressed like a bandit was lending her shoulder to the girl dressed in frilly clothing. Judging by their wounds, they’d been injured by a sword rather than any form of sorcery.

  Are these two intruders? He had no obligation to save them. On the contrary, they were more like rivals. Having said that, delivering the coup de grâce to women and children on the verge of death pained his heart somewhat.

  Raphael at least kept himself on guard so that he could draw his Sacred Sword at any time, and when they finally noticed his presence, one of the girls looked up at him.

  “Eep, an Angelic Knight...”

  Her hand lit up with sorcery. She likely wouldn’t die if he hit her with the flat of his blade. But just as Raphael was about to grab his sword, a jarring shriek ran through the air.

  “AAAAAAAAFAAAAAAAAAAAAUL! ETAAAAAAN DAAAAAAA SAAAAAAAACEEEEED SOOOOOOOOOOOORD!”

  A pale shadow appeared before him. It didn’t really have the shape of a person and was likely some manner of ghost. It seemed to be saying something, but it didn’t have a jaw and was largely unintelligible.

  Is this one of the treasury’s traps? Though it was largely triggered by these two girls, it was still reacting to Raphael. And with no other choice, Raphael swung his artificial arm in the air.

  “GWAH?!”

  The ghost, which somehow or other resembled a cardinal, slammed into a wall and vanished.

  “Hm? Does that ghost perhaps have some manner of grudge against me?”

  People with a grudge against Raphael were basically a dime a dozen, so he had no idea who it could possibly be. He then shifted his attention to the girls cowering at his feet. And seeing their sullied faces, Raphael’s eyes shot open.

  “...Hm? Why the hell are you here?”

  It was definitely someone he recognized.

  “Huh...?”

  “Hm...? Am I mistaken?”

  The girl looking blankly back at him had the exact same face as the girl next to her. They appeared to be twins. Both of them reacted like they had no idea who Raphael was. Well, that was perhaps understandable since he was hiding his face, but a sorcerer would surely be able to recognize him by voice. The time they met was back at Zagan’s castle, after all.

  Meaning this is someone else. They look very similar though.

  Having sensed hostility from Raphael, the girl put her brow against the ground.

  “Judging from your ability to defeat a ghost without sorcery and that armored figure, you are the former Archdemon candidate, Apparition Valefor, correct?”

  He was wearing armor different from Valefor’s, but apparently the girl decided this based on his height and appearance.

  I suppose I’m using that name when outside, so it isn’t wrong. And after hesitating over how to answer her, Raphael nodded.

  “Indeed. And who the hell are you lot?”

  “Sir! I am Archdemon Shere Khan’s subordinate, Dexia. And this one is called Aristella.”

  The bandit looking girl was Dexia, and the frilly looking one was Aristella. The latter was suffering from serious wounds, and it was clear that her consciousness was hazy. Raphael cupped Aristella’s chin.

  “Can you not use healing sorcery? If you can, then treat her. I’ll at least wait that long.”

  “R-Right! Hang in there Aristella. I’ll heal you now.”

  Dexia was moved to tears and began treating the other girl. Ghosts popped up here and there while she was doing so, and since they were annoying, Raphael swatted them all away. Shortly after, her treatment was complete. Dexia wiped her brow and looked up at Raphael.

  “Are you done?”

  “Y-Yes. I’ve only stopped the bleeding, but she should be fine for now.”

  Dexia gingerly placed her on her lap and replied wit
h a relieved look.

  “So? What the hell are you two doing here?”

  Dexia straightened herself up in a panic and bowed her head.

  “Sir! We’ve infiltrated this treasury at our master’s command. Judging from your presence here, I assume you share the same goal?”

  “Indeed. So?”

  The sorcerer was telling him her reason for being here. There was no way she had entered aimlessly. Dexia gulped from the tension, and her next words were...

  “We can guide you to the treasury. Can we enlist your cooperation?”

  Unfortunately for them, Raphael already knew the path to the treasury.

  Still, I suppose my liege wouldn’t abandon them here. On the off chance that they became an obstruction to Zagan, everything would be fine as long as Raphael took responsibility and dealt with them. Besides, it was true that he had business in the treasury to attend to.

  “Very well.”

  Aristella, who had shown no signs of being able to stand up until now, raised her right hand.

  “Eek!”

  “Awawa! Aristella?!”

  The girl must have been cornered pretty badly earlier, and she began trembling in Dexia’s arms violently.

  “Don’t lose your mind over every little thing. I said I’ll cooperate.”

  “Oh... Right.”

  The two of them calmed down, and Dexia rose to her feet.

  “Th-This way.”

  They still seemed to be nervous, but the girls began guiding him to the treasure.

  “So? Who did this to you?”

  The others present in the labyrinth were likely Archdemon Orias and any Archangels who had noticed their intrusion. He wanted to get an idea of who was there. And yet, Dexia’s answer was completely unexpected.

  “It was an Angelic Knight named Oberon or something.”

  It was one of the two knights they picked up in the carriage the other day. Raphael knew that this was the name used for generations by technicians behind the creation of Anointed Armor. In fact, the first time he’d heard the words “Azazel’s Staff,” that was the first person to come to mind. It was likely that she had taken action to defend the staff after sensing that it was their target.

  Raphael had never seen Oberon for himself while he’d served as an Archangel. Up until yesterday, he’d believed that the technician known as Oberon was just a fabrication of the church.

  “Oberon? Not an Archangel?”

  “There was also an Archangel, but we dealt with that one.”

  “Hmm...”

  He didn’t know who they had dealt with, but apparently, these girls possessed enough power to defeat a wielder of a Sacred Sword.

  It’d be nice if it wasn’t Chastille. That girl was the bridge between the church and the sorcerers. He pinned the hopes of the Unification Faction on her, making her the person Raphael had to protect the most, right next to Foll. Although Zagan also attached a bodyguard to her, so she likely wouldn’t die.

  “But... that woman... was hiding... her power...” Aristella added in a weakened voice.

  “She wasn’t using a Sacred Sword, but...”

  “She cut down... Aristella’s sorcery... It doesn’t make... any sense...”

  Raphael nodded back at them.

  Hmm, is it something like Kuroka’s short swords? Those swords were one of Liucaon’s Holy Treasures, which possessed power similar to that of a Sacred Sword. The history of the church was quite long. It wouldn’t be strange if they had other such relics hidden away.

  Actually, it’s more likely that it’s something made by the technician who makes Anointed Armor. As a high elf, Nephy was capable of manufacturing more powerful Anointed Armor than the church. Meaning there was a high likelihood that other such relics of the elves existed. Back when Zagan had visited Nephy’s hometown a few months ago, he’d found a legendary weapon that wasn’t quite on the level of a Sacred Sword. And considering all those possibilities, Raphael nodded once more.

  “I have some knowledge of such weapons. I didn’t think they’d exist in the church though.”

  “There ares other things like that out there?” Dexia asked while trembling. “But... her skills are scarier than her sword. She’s way stronger than the Archangel. It looked like she was hiding her real skills while they were together, but the moment we let our guard down, we were done in right away...”

  Well, they were powerful enough to boast of defeating an Archangel.

  “Allow me to ask. Who was the Archangel you defeated?”

  “I don’t know his name. It was some little brat.”

  “He said... he was... Ginias...”

  “Oh! Right! That!”

  Raphael let out a silent sigh.

  Ginias’ orphan, huh? He was a youngster with potential, so Raphael found this somewhat regrettable. But it would be barking up the wrong tree to blame these two girls. On one hand, there was an Archangel, and on the other were two sorcerers. Enemies meant to fight each other fought. It was his fault for being too weak.

  And with no way of knowing what Raphael was thinking about, Dexia continued speaking.

  “But I heard the other ten are in here too, so just taking care of one of them doesn’t get us anywhere.”

  “What? All ten?”

  Raphael had heard that Chastille had come to the Holy City for a meeting of Archangels, but he never would have thought that all eleven Archangels had actually convened.

  It’s said that if all twelve Sacred Swords are gathered, they could even defeat an Archdemon. He didn’t think it was remotely possible against an Archdemon of Zagan or Orias’ caliber, but the gathering of Sacred Swords and Archdemons here in this labyrinth was somewhat ominous.

  “...Good grief. It’s become quite troublesome.”

  As such, he was unable to keep himself from sighing this time.

  ◇

  Around the same time, Chastille and Valjakka were progressing through the labyrinth.

  “The tremors have stopped. Have things been settled?”

  “It was likely Ginias or Diekmeyer who was engaged in combat. The Juutilainen brothers wouldn’t be making such gentle sounds.”

  The sounds that had been resounding throughout the labyrinth had come to a halt half a minute ago.

  It’d be fine and all if the thieves were suppressed, but if not, that means one of the Archangels has fallen. Chastille cast her eyes to the floor.

  “Worried?” Valjakka asked.

  “Of course I am. Even if we’re opposed in opinion, they’re still my comrades.”

  “I’m relieved to hear that.”

  Chastille knit her brows.

  “What do you mean by that, Lord Valjakka?”

  Valjakka shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated manner.

  “I believe in you, but there’s no way I can loosen my guard after hearing the rumors about you, right? At any rate, it’s said that you’re connected to Archdemon Zagan, who’s been the topic of our recent troubles.”

  “I feel like it isn’t great that such rumors exist, but it’s true that I have indeed bound myself to him with an oath.”

  “An oath?”

  Valjakka suddenly narrowed his gaze, to which Chastille replied with resolution.

  “That’s right. There will be no future for this world if the church and sorcerers are to continue fighting each other until one of us perishes. Just like the church is a necessity to serve as a deterrent against sorcerers, sorcerers are required by the weak. That’s why I want to grasp that boundary line that we are both unable to yield and find a way to live across that line from each other.”

  “...Do you truly believe the church will acknowledge such a thing?”

  “If they won’t acknowledge it, I’ll just need the church to change until they do. I’ll become as strong as I need to until it does.”

  The two of them stared each other down and the first to give in was Valjakka.

  “Such nonsense... is what I’d like to say. However, it seems
you’re serious.”

  “You believe me?”

  He looked up at the ceiling helplessly.

  “After seeing that you even have an elf on your side, I have no choice but to accept it, right? I’d wager that even Diekmeyer will cooperate with you. In which case you’re already an influence in the church that they cannot possibly ignore.”

  Chastille never thought he would accept, so she was left staring in wonder. Valjakka then bowed to her.

  “Allow me to apologize in exchange for acknowledging you as a full-fledged Archangel.”

  “...What do you mean?”

  “It’s about Sylvester, your brother. I was an incompetent superior for allowing him to die.”

  “That’s not...”

  Valjakka shook his head.

  “That day, we were handling an incident called the rare species hunt. However, we were caught in Archdemon Shere Khan’s trap, and I lost many of my subordinates. If not for Sylvester’s devotion, I would also have died there.”

  Stopping for a moment there, Valjakka bowed even more deeply.

  “The reason I’m able to live while bearing my shame is thanks to Sylvester. I swear to cooperate with you as a means to atone for what happened to him.”

  “Lord Valjakka...” Chastille shook her head. “Raise your head, Lord Valjakka. Both my brother and I have been saved just from your regrets over what happened.”

  “You’ll say that for me?”

  And as tears filled his eyes, a great tremor ran through the labyrinth.

  ◇

  “Dammit, woman! How long are you planning to follow us?!” Kaltiainen roared in a boisterous voice.

  And finding this trouble tiresome, Stella looked up at her teacher.

  “You hear him? Hey, can I leave already?”

  “Haah... Do you plan on leaving me all alone in this stuffy place? I’ll cry?”

  “I also want to cry, though.”

  Michael and Kaltiainen had ended up forming a group for entering the underground labyrinth. However, even Stella was forced to come along, maybe out of pure harassment. A vein could be seen twitching about on Kaltiainen’s head.

  “It seems like you really want to fucking die, woman.”