Mithril... Is that Azazel’s Staff?
And noticing Zagan’s gaze, Ginias raised his voice.
“This can’t be... Is this the treasury? Did someone break through our labyrinth?”
This was apparently the treasury. Taking a closer look at the floor, there was a colorful assortment of jewels and gold which was ruthlessly crushed by the rubble. It was somewhat comical that all this treasure they hoarded by collecting forced donations from the public was so splendidly put to waste like that.
The area around the staff was no exception either. About half the pedestal was missing, and there was even a dirty broom tumbling about on the ground. Zagan simply didn’t notice all this because of the sublime glow of the mithril.
And seemingly brought to their senses by Ginias’ shocked voice, groans could be heard all over the room.
“Ow... Are you hurt, Lord Valjakka?”
“I’m fine... You also appear unharmed, Chastille.”
Zagan’s body stiffened up with a jolt. He turned to the familiar voice and spotted a girl with red hair getting to her feet a short distance away from him.
Ah, I didn’t expect the crybaby to be here as well... It was pretty much guaranteed that Zagan’s identity would be exposed. Well, he had been informed that she would be in the Holy City, so it was careless of him not to foresee this situation, even if he was all giddy on his fake honeymoon.
Chastille immediately noticed Zagan and raised her voice.
“Huh...? Ah! Why are you—?”
“Hm? Is that Ginias?”
Chastille was brought to her senses by the voice of the Angelic Knight next to her and covered her mouth in a panic.
“Gah! No way! Why is that brat still alive?”
“Dexia, you’re too loud. It’ll be tough to take on so many Sacred Swords at once right now.”
Zagan took a look over to the whispering voices and spotted two girls who looked like sorcerers hiding in the passageway’s shadows, as well as a fully armored Raphael. He didn’t quite understand their grouping, but they seemed to be the intruders who had snuck into the treasury.
Taking another look around the room, there were signs of people stirring all over.
The one hiding behind the rubble there is Oberon, I think. It seemed that she didn’t want to be spotted here and took up a position where the other Angelic Knights couldn’t see her. Among the others in the room was Michael, who was shamelessly giggling, and for some reason, Stella was with him.
Huh? Why’s she dressed like an Angelic Knight? He didn’t know what her current circumstances were, but Stella also looked speechless upon spotting Zagan.
Ginias’ Sacred Sword then began to tremble with a jarring hum. And it wasn’t just his, even Chastille and Michael’s swords were humming.
One of the Angelic Knights then muttered in disbelief.
“They’re resonating? Does that mean all twelve Sacred Swords are gathered here?”
And with that, all gazes naturally gathered on Zagan.
Well, I guess I’m the only outsider here. In other words, all twelve Archangels, including Raphael, were gathered in this room. Zagan couldn’t help but sigh.
Twelve Sacred Swords and four Archdemons. This is going to become a ridiculous uproar... And after observing the faces of everyone present, Zagan was left somewhat confused. There was a strangely large number of young Archangels. He heard Raphael was the oldest, but the gap between him and most of the others was quite large.
How odd... Still, now’s not the time to get all curious... And the moment he began considering how to deceive them all, another voice rang through the air.
“Heeheehee, that’s right! That’s because the man standing right there is none other than the one who possesses the lost Sacred Sword! Right, Archdemon Zagan?”
Ah, that damn Bifrons really does the most hateful things... It may have been better to just listen to Barbatos’ warning at the time and kill the Archdemon instead of doing something so halfhearted as trying to punish them. Barbatos was surely rolling in laughter himself, seeing that the shadow at Chastille’s feet was squirming about.
Tension ran through the bodies of all the Archangels as they focused their gazes on Zagan. Bifrons’ goal was likely also the staff. Having said that, it wasn’t all that simple to outwit twelve Archangels and Zagan at the same time, even for an Archdemon.
So the best plan was to stick one’s enemies against one’s other enemies. Zagan was planning on doing that himself.
And the first to step forth at this revelation was none other than Ginias.
“Don’t be deceived! These two are but simple civilians! Is the owner of that voice not the Archdemon here?!”
“But what are civilians even doing here?! Isn’t it strange?!”
One of the young Angelic Knights pointed out something perfectly obvious.
“That’s because...” Ginias faltered. In any case, Zagan managed to get some information out of him and got some use from him to get here too. It really was pitiful to fool him any longer, so Zagan spoke for himself as if it wasn’t all that big a deal.
“Oh, now that I think of it, I never named myself. I’m Zagan. I’ve taken residence near Kianoides and serve as a king among sorcerers.”
Ginias’ face froze over as if he had just been betrayed.
“No way... You’re lying, right?”
It was somewhat pitiful, but this would also serve as a lesson not to trust sorcerers. It felt like this might serve as an impetus for him to build a grudge against sorcerers, but Angelic Knights and sorcerers were enemies to begin with. This was how it was supposed to be.
Zagan removed his right glove and revealed his Sigil of the Archdemon. A storm of mana suddenly broke out, and the Archangels all gulped.
Ginias was completely stupefied. Whereas Chastille was surely getting ready for battle. She was looking at both Zagan and the Angelic Knights vigilantly. Stella was keeping silent, but she was wisely keeping watch on Michael’s movements. As for Michael, he was simply averting his gaze indifferently like this had nothing to do with him.
Zagan then steadily spread out his arm and pushed it into his chest pocket. And while he made that exaggerated gesture to overpower the room, he shot a look to Raphael.
Don’t move from there... It would be bad for the knights here to find out Raphael was still alive. Zagan was the one to bring out this situation, so there was no need to take on any further risks. The remaining uncertain elements were Oberon and Bifrons, but it was probably fine to leave Oberon at large.
Now to smoke Bifrons out. Zagan removed his hand from his pocket, retrieving his pipe.
“Ugh, it must be some tool for sorcery!”
“Don’t let your guard down, Julius!”
The Angelic Knights put themselves on guard with sweat on their brows, preparing themselves for some sort of atrocious sorcery. And as they did, Zagan idly held up his hand and turned his attention over to Nephy at his side.
“Oh yeah, Nephy. Now that I think of it, what’s the proper way of holding this?”
“Ah, right.”
Nephy lined her fingers over Zagan’s and guided his thumb and index finger into the correct positions.
“The elegant way of holding it is to place your finger on the bottom here around the center.”
“Hmm. It’ll require practice to get used to.”
“It suits you, Master Zagan.”
The two of them then began giggling.
“What exactly are you showing us?”
“Is this also some manner of sorcery?”
Several of the Angelic Knights groaned, unable to bear it any longer. Even so, Zagan put tobacco in his pipe with calm motions and lit it. After puffing out some smoke, he suddenly turned to Michael as if he just noticed him.
“Ooh, isn’t that Archangel Michael Diekmeyer over there?”
Zagan went out of his way to name Michael, who was trying his best to pretend not to know him.
“Ah, idiot,
don’t look this—”
Michael raised his voice in a fluster, but it was too late.
“I’ve truly come to fancy this tobacco you recommended to me as a sign of our friendship.”
“Y-YOU ASSSSSSSSSSSSS!”
“Ahah! Ahahahahahaha! You look hilarious , teach!”
“Quiet, you!”
Michael’s resentful shrieks were truly pleasant to the ears.
Hmph. Just be glad I didn’t call you Andrealphus. Now the Angelic Knights would have to be vigilant about covering their backs. They surely hadn’t forgotten about Bifrons either. There was no way Zagan would let them all get along happily. Stella, on the other hand, was still cackling loudly.
Zagan then finally turned his attention to the remaining Archangels.
“By the way, gentlemen, is this place not sacred to the church? You’ve got intruders here. Shouldn’t you be capturing them?”
“H-He’s coming!” Chastille exclaimed.
Zagan raised his index finger, and a black flame appeared above it. Surely aware of what he was about to do, Chastille turned remarkably pale as she screamed.
“S-Seriously?! Everyone take cover!”
It wasn’t clear how much they trusted her, but the other Angelic Knights could tell from her desperation that something serious was about to happen. They all leaped out of Zagan’s way.
Mmm, they’ve been properly trained... Zagan made sure to avoid any of the Archangels and pointed his finger steadily at the staff.
“Heaven’s Phosphor — Single Petal.”
A single black nail shot out from his finger.
This is a miniature version of the Fivefold Flower... Firing five of the needles at the same time was what made up the Fivefold Flower. This sorcery was capable of destroying even a demon, but it had a flaw in that its destructive power was too high, and it obliterated anything and everything in the area. The Single Petal was an experiment of sorts to help progress his research, but it had just enough destructive power to take care of whatever he wanted dead. And his aim this time was pointed at the church’s staff.
“Oh no! The staff!”
“Now’s not the time for that! Get out of the way!”
They all managed to get out of the effective range of his spell. The needle made direct contact with the staff, but it showed no signs of breaking.
“...You really are an unpleasant guy. What did you plan on doing if I didn’t protect the staff?”
A glass-like wall took shape in front of the staff. It was likely a terrifyingly high-level defensive spell, but it crumbled away while Zagan was trying to observe it. And as it did, a sorcerer who couldn’t be identified as a boy or a girl appeared behind it.
“Hmm, to think you managed to defend against Heaven’s Phosphor, even if I did hold it back. You really are an Archdemon, Bifrons.”
Zagan clapped his hands for show, which made Bifrons reply with a spite filled smile.
“Hey there, Archdemon Zagan. All I did was tease you a little, and you tried to break the treasure. You’re like a child throwing a tantrum, you know?”
“Nothing of the sort. I simply believed you would block it.”
“Aah, nevermind. That’s not what I want to talk about.” Bifrons grinned. “Let’s talk about your cute little daughter. She was coughing up blood, you know? Is she okay?”
“F-Foll!”
Nephy gulped, and Zagan gently embraced her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. She’s gotten stronger. Strong enough for this bastard to bestow her a name.”
Zagan was aware that Bifrons attacked Foll.
This guy’s vision is unexpectedly narrow. Zagan completely thought Bifrons withdrew upon noticing that Zagan was watching, but apparently, the Archdemon just ran away normally.
Bifrons smiled like an innocent child.
“Hehehe, and you came here to play despite knowing that? It doesn’t suit the rumors of how much human emotion still burns within you. What are you getting all merry for?”
“My daughter sent me off with her best wishes. What kind of parent would refuse that?”
This was the reason Zagan had gone to have fun on a little vacation despite it being baffling to everyone around him.
I’d be hopeless if I was the one to cause her to worry. He had to show that he was capable of playing around properly once in a while, or those around him wouldn’t be able to relax. Having said that, it pissed him off that Bifrons said that in front of Nephy and caused her to feel shaken.
Zagan laughed lightly.
“Well, let’s stop our talks of human emotion there.”
“Oh? What’s this? Did something happen?”
“I actually intended to be quite considerate to you though?”
Bifrons likely didn’t understand the meaning behind this. The Archdemon knit their brows, and Zagan answered with a gentle smile.
“Didn’t the big sister you loved so much leave you precisely because you couldn’t understand human emotions?”
And with that, it felt like one could hear something snap in the air.
“...Wait, isn’t that really bad?” Michael said as he scratched his head.
At the same time, Bifrons’ body vanished.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself youngster!”
“Aren’t we both youngsters?”
Sand-like crystals gathered in the air and squirmed about as if being sucked into Zagan’s body. And just at that time, Zagan swung his fist.
“Ugh!”
Both Zagan and Bifrons groaned.
This guy is disconnected from the sorcery! The movement of the crystals couldn’t be stopped by devouring the sorcery. Even though it was being moved with mana, it was different in nature from sorcery.
The crystals slipped through his clothes, stuck to his body, and pierced into him, attempting to gouge out his heart. It seemed there was no need to even change the crystals into the shape of a hand or a blade or anything if Bifrons was serious. And if Zagan had been just a moment too late, he likely would’ve had his heart gouged out.
Zagan used the crystals as a medium to slam his mana into Bifrons’ very existence. The Archdemon’s body appeared in mid-air, red in the face, and fell to the ground. And at the same time, Zagan fell to his knee.
“Master Zagan!”
“...We were just fooling around a little. This is nothing.”
However, in the short amount of time it had taken Zagan to respond to Nephy, Bifrons’ body once more crumbled away into debris.
“Raphael!” Zagan reflexively yelled. The crystallized Bifrons wasn’t heading towards Zagan but was crawling toward Raphael, who was hiding secretly in the rubble.
“Burn to ash — Metatron!”
Raphael immediately drew his Sacred Sword and unleashed the flames of purification, but Bifrons’ crystals advanced on him despite being burned. However, the one to scream at that point wasn’t Raphael.
“Aristella! Gah!”
The two girls who were with Raphael were swallowed by the swarm of crystals.
“Heehee. I have a promise with Shere Khan, you see. So I’ll be retrieving these.”
After that, both Bifrons and the girls vanished without a trace.
“Tch!”
Dammit! I’ve been had! Bifrons didn’t get goaded by Zagan’s provocations at all. Attacking Zagan, getting punched, everything was part of a plan to abduct those two girls. All that was left behind was Raphael, with his identity now exposed. Bifrons had claimed complete and utter victory, while inconveniencing Zagan at the same time.
One of the middle-aged Archangels timidly raised his voice.
“That sword... Not just that... The fact that Metatron replied... Is that you, Raphael?”
It was impossible to explain their way out of this situation, so Raphael let out a small sigh and removed his helmet.
“It has been a long time, everyone.”
The Angelic Knight next to Chastille then raised his voice in shock.
“Impossib
le! A man of your caliber betrayed us?!”
“Betrayed? Hmm, I suppose I have. I did kill a cardinal and flee, after all.”
“That’s wrong!” Chastille screamed. “Cardinal Clavwell was assassinating Archangels for generations! That’s why Lord Raphael had no choice but to cut him down! It was the church who betrayed him!”
And this was where Michael finally decided to chime in.
“So, he ended up living under the patronage of Zagan, who had a cordial relationship with the Unification Faction, right?”
Raphael said nothing and simply shrugged his shoulders. That itself was a sufficient reply for those gathered. Over half of them, especially the younger knights, were clearly perturbed. They all began hesitating, unsure of who they should be pointing their swords at.
And yet, Zagan was still unable to hold back a grimace.
Ugh, dammit. It’s just getting more and more complicated... He really just wanted to get back to sightseeing with Nephy. There was also Foll’s matter, so it was about time that he finished up their trip. In any case, he just wanted to leave already.
It would probably have been fine to just take Raphael and leave, but Michael likely didn’t plan to let him leave so that he could recover his position. And above all else, it didn’t seem like these Archangels were going to let him go after the treasury had been reduced to such a state.
If there was one person capable of breaking this situation, it would be Oberon, who had yet to say anything until now.
But I doubt she’ll do anything... She had relaxed her body and showed no signs of wanting to participate.
They were in a complete stalemate. However, something unexpected broke the stalemate in an instant.
“Master Zagan, shall we return to the castle? I’m worried about Foll.”
“...You’re right. I’ve got to punch Bifrons anyway, so let’s head back.”
Zagan nodded without hesitation at his beloved bride’s suggestion. And seeing that the one who could be considered the primary culprit behind this entire incident was planning to leave, the Angelic Knights stiffened with anger. The stalemate had crumbled ever so easily.
◇
“Don’t... screw with us!”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 9 Page 18