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

by Fuminori Teshima

  I managed to heal her... And as Nephy gazed over that unbelievable scene, Zagan plopped his hand on her shoulder.

  “You did well, Nephy.”

  “...Thank you.”

  Nephy was so happy from being praised that her tears began to flow.

  “Congratulations, Kuroka. And good work, Nephelia.”

  Nephteros also praised her with a smile, but Nephy’s gaze was already affixed on the girl standing still next to Zagan. It was precisely because of her advice that Nephy’s mysticism had succeeded.

  “Um, thank you very much. Lady Oberon... right?”

  She wasn’t wearing her helmet today, so Nephy asked to confirm. As she did, Zagan looked somewhat troubled, while Nephteros was astonished.

  “Nephelia, Big Bro gave you a pendant, didn’t he?”

  “A pendant?”

  It was true that she’d received a mithril pendant from Zagan at one point. It was back when they were in the city at the bottom of the ocean. He’d told her it was a memento from her mother. Nephy pulled up her pendant from her chest and popped it open, revealing a single picture. It was a portrait of an elf with her child. The child was supposedly Nephy, and the words “To my beloved daughter” were engraved within. But the face of her mother was the most startling fact... it was the very same one as the girl before her.

  “...Huh?”

  She couldn’t keep up, so her mind went blank. Zagan then urged the girl in front of her forward.

  “Nephy, allow me to introduce you. This is Titania Nimueh-Oberon. She also currently goes by the name Orias, but... she’s your mother.”

  “Mo...ther...?”

  Oberon smiled with a troubled expression on her face.

  “I don’t think I have the right to be called that after all this time, but that is our relation by blood, yes.”

  Nephy had no idea how to respond. Nephteros had once said that her mother was alive, but Nephy didn’t even understand the concept of family before meeting Zagan, so she didn’t know how to regard her. She looked up at Zagan for help, and though he looked a little troubled, he eventually smiled and answered her.

  “I’ve never even met my own parents, but she seems to feel the same way about you that you and I do about Foll.”

  After worrying and worrying even more about how to put it, he ended up stating it exactly as it was, leaving Nephy with a smile of her own. She then finally faced Oberon once more.

  “Um, I thought my mother would be somewhat older.”

  Oberon looked down at her own figure.

  “This is how I looked when I gave birth to you. I thought this way would be easier to understand...”

  Nephy vaguely felt that her mother would be someone terrifying, but she looked truly anxious and didn’t show the slightest hint of rejection on her face.

  “Even if you suddenly tell me that you’re my mother, I don’t have a real feeling of what that means. So, um... I’d be happy... if you could teach me that... from now on.”

  Nephy somehow managed to put her feelings into words, and Oberon’s eyes shot wide open when she heard the unexpected answer.

  “I came here planning to be struck by you, though...”

  “Do you think I’ve grown into a person who would do such a thing?”

  And having that thrown back at her, Oberon formed a strained smile.

  “I see. We certainly don’t know each other, do we?”

  “Yes. That’s why, um... I’d like to know you more... Right, Nephteros?”

  “Ah...! Well, I suppose so, Nephelia.”

  Nephteros, who had a worried look all this time, finally smiled. Nephy wasn’t sure whether this was the correct choice. However, just like Foll had accepted her through all her fumbling, the three of them surely had no choice but to accept each other as they fumbled along as well.

  Oberon then held out a broom hesitantly.

  “Take this.”

  “This?”

  It looked vaguely familiar.

  Oh, right. This was the broom that was in the Holy City’s treasury... It was the one Oberon had picked up after the staff was taken.

  “This is Azazel’s Staff. It’s something I used when I killed Archdemon Orias.”

  Both Zagan and Nephteros stared at the broom in shock.

  “Huh? This was the staff?”

  “Sh-Should it really be called a staff?”

  Oberon shrugged her shoulders.

  “I don’t know the reason for its name. But it is quite useful, you know? It makes mysticism and celestial mysticism easier to use. And look, you can even use it to fly.”

  Oberon began trying to explain things in a fluster. She then held the broom sideways and sat on it, and she mysteriously began floating in the air.

  “Oh, a witch like this showed up in one of the picture books I read to Foll.”

  “A witch...? Well, that’s not wrong, but do you have any other examples? This is the first thing I’m giving my daughter, you know?”

  The tip of Oberon’s ears suddenly turned red, and Zagan pinched his brow as if a headache was coming.

  “...Sorry, but could you return to your usual form? This is throwing me off.”

  “Unlike Gremory, even her tone changes, huh?”

  Nephteros was also shrinking back, having a hard time accepting it as well.

  And with that first meeting between mother and daughter going on, Shax and Kuroka whispered to each other just a step away.

  “Seems like we should excuse ourselves.”

  “You’re right... But... Lady Nephy looks so happy. I’m a little relieved.”

  Kuroka had only recently given her final farewell to her own mother, so she replied in a truly happy yet tearful voice. And just as the two stood up, something came tumbling out of Shax’s pocket.

  “Oh crap—”

  “What’s this?”

  The moment Shax froze, Kuroka picked up the object that fell to the floor. And that was... a pair of underwear. Women’s underwear. And scattered around it... was the clothing that Kuroka usually wore.

  Now that Nephy thought of it, she hadn’t been wearing it lately.

  So... is that Kuroka’s...?

  Shortly after, Kuroka appeared to realize it was her underwear. She began to tremble violently in place with tears in her eyes, her face turned red, and her two tails stood on end.

  “Wait... H-Huh? Why? This? Mine...?”

  “Wait, you’re wrong. Calm down, Kurosuke. This is, um, right, that,” Shax mumbled those words, turned pale, and what eventually came out of his mouth was... “I-I’ve been taking proper care of it as research material.”

  “MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

  Kuroka put all her strength in her claws and began to tear Shax apart. She never thought she would see the light again. And despite thinking this, immediately after regaining her sight, the benefactor she idolized had her underwear on his person. None could blame her.

  “M-Master Zagan! Please don’t look!”

  Nephy suddenly blocked Zagan’s sight with both her hands.

  “I get that, but someone stop Raphael. Shax will die.”

  “S-Stop that, what are you doing?!”

  After turning her focus to Raphael, Nephy spotted Nephteros clinging to Raphael by the waist, desperately trying to stop him. It didn’t appear to be doing much, though.

  “Don’t stop me, Lady Nephteros. This is beyond what a parent can permit.”

  “...When you put it like that, it becomes harder to stop you.”

  Oberon agreed with Raphael’s reasoning and hesitated to stop him. Her miraculous reunion with her daughter had become quite a mess, but at least Nephy was smiling. However, a certain thought passed her mind.

  What manner of people are Master Zagan’s parents, I wonder...? She couldn’t help but be curious, both as a parent and as a daughter.

  Afterword

  It’s been a long time, everyone. I have come to deliver An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride Vo
lume 9. My name is Fuminori Teshima.

  This time, we’ve shaken off Granny Gremory and eloped! However, obviously, our couple has no idea what to talk about when they’re all alone! And so, we’ve got married couple play, flirting, sneaking into a secret treasury, and fighting with the angry Angelic Knights! But the main topic at hand is Nephy and Orias’ reunion along with Kuroka’s eyes being healed!

  By the way, I know I said I’d be careful not to make these volumes any thicker. But, well, I lied.

  So, sorry. As you can see, it’s quite thick. I really did do my best to shave down as many pages as I could. I had stuff like Zagan and Raphael loitering around in front of Orias’ house, and what happened between Foll and Alshiera, and what happened to Dexia and Aristella, and all sorts of things, but we’ve got a lot of good things coming up too, so it all got cut entirely.

  Still, despite all that, I think I managed to progress all the things that came up in the previous volume.

  Let’s stop talking about the excess here and move on to two announcements!

  First is the launch of volume 3 of the manga version! This one has the “Guess who?” scene from volume 2. We’ve also got a raffle for an adorable acrylic keychain, so everyone please buy your entries!

  Second announcement! A drama CD for Elf Bride has been announced! Yay! We’re going to hear Zagan and Nephy talk! The drama CD is going to cover some things from before meeting Marc, so there’s tons of stuff to focus on.

  It’s actually my first time writing a script for a drama CD, so I was quite worried. As a result, the bath scene that I never actually wrote in the books ended up being the longest part.

  Other than that, well, it’s not like I’m out of work, but I still can’t report on any of it. I think it’ll start trickling out soon enough in 2020. Can’t say if that’ll be before the next Elf Bride volume, though.

  Now then, allow me to offer my gratitude to everyone who has assisted me.

  To my chief editor, K, who saw the number of pages this time and took my manuscript without any complaints. To the illustrator, COMTA, who also drew some lovely new costumes for us (the date outfit was super cute). To the chief editor at Comic Fire. To everyone involved with the cover design, proofreading, publicity, and such. To everyone who came to my last autograph session. To my children, who always give me more energy. And to you, my dear readers, who are holding this book in your hands at this very moment.

  Thank you very much!

  July 2019: Now that I think of it, this is my first Reiwa era book. —Fuminori Teshima

  Bonus Short Stories

  Childhood Friends

  “Oh, Lilith. Is it okay for you to be up?”

  “Yeah. I talked to His Majesty already. I’m fine now,” Lilith said as she smiled back at her childhood friend Selphy. She had seen a strange dream in the morning and was in bad shape, but she returned to work in the kitchen come the afternoon.

  “Don’t push yourself too hard, you hear? Sir Raphael said that getting some proper rest is, like, totally part of the job.”

  “He’s pretty good at taking care of others despite how uncaring he looks, huh...? Wait, what are you reading there?”

  It was, in fact, time for their break, but strangely enough, Selphy was reading a bulky book.

  “It’s a novel Miss Gremory lent me. It’s pretty neat, actually. It’s, like, a story about two girls, but they’re all worried about whether they’re friends or lovers.”

  “...Can you tell me more about it?”

  “Sure thing? Does this sort of story interest you?”

  “Th-Th-That’s not what I mean! Well, um, there’s a need for me to understand the interests of the masses as the princess of the noble succubi, right?” Lilith denied being interested in a fluster, which made Selphy curiously cock her head.

  “I don’t really understand, but I’m sure you’ve got a point!”

  “...Aren’t you also royalty? Actually, what do you think about it?”

  “Huh? It’s totally okay, isn’t it? I mean, aren’t Miss Nephteros and Miss Chastille in that kind of relationship?”

  “Huh? Isn’t that Angelic Knight in a relationship with His Majesty’s friend, Ba... Bar... Bearbatos?” Lilith grimaced as she tried to recall his name, and Selphy sat down next to her nonchalantly.

  “Well, you know I love you, right Lilith?”

  “What?!”

  “I mean, we’re childhood friends, right? I wanna be with you forever!”

  “...Hmph. Well, I suppose that doesn’t sound all that bad.”

  The uplifting conversation made it feel like Lilith’s languid feeling from the morning was a mere dream.

  Avoiding More Questions

  “By the way, Mister Shax, are you here to make a report today?” Kuroka and Shax were in front of Zagan’s castle as she posed that question.

  “Yeah, something like that. The boss wanted to know how things have been going since Alshiere Imera.”

  “...Is that all? Even from the hallway, I could tell he was pretty angry.”

  “Apparently his relative got caught in the incident.”

  “Is that so? Is that also the reason you were panicking earlier?”

  “Huh? Uh... Oh! Yeah, that’s it!”

  “I see. But... you’re lying, right?”

  Kuroka could hear Shax’s face cramp. She was fairly confident in her ability to read others. And with someone as simple as Shax, tone and presence were more than enough to catch a lie.

  “A-A-A-About that! Uhhh...”

  Cold sweat ran down Shax’s face, making Kuroka even more suspicious. She wanted him to properly talk to her about things if he was in any kind of trouble... Not that she thought that Zagan would ignore his subordinates in their time of need, but that man’s awkwardness surpassed her imagination. And, as she puzzled herself over what the issue was, for some reason, Shax suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

  “Kurosuke!”

  “Eep? Y-Yes?!”

  “I swear! I don’t plan to ever let you go through anything dangerous! And I don’t plan to leave your side! So, um, don’t worry about it!”

  “U-U-Uhhh...”

  Kuroka’s knees gave way due to his suddenly serious words that also pretty much sounded like a confession.

  “H-Hey? You okay?”

  “I-I mean, you just...”

  “Oh well. Come on, I’ll carry you, so let’s get back to the church already,” Shax picked up Kuroka without any hesitation as he said that. Plus, he wrapped his arms around her knees and back, in a so-called bridal carry.

  “A-Ah...”

  Kuroka suddenly forgot to push him for answers because of his sudden counterattack. She only got her answer several days later, with the absolute worst possible timing.

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  Copyright

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

  by Fuminori Teshima

  Translated by Hikoki

  Edited by DxS

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Fuminori Teshima

  Illustrations Copyright © 2019 COMTA

  Cover illustration by COMTA

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2019 by Hobby Japan

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo

  English translation © 2019 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publish
er is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

  J-Novel Club LLC

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  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Ebook edition 1.0: February 2020