“Somehow, I feel like I saw something similar not too long ago.”
Zagan didn’t have enough information to work anything out with only that much. And so, Barbatos spoke in a tone that made it seem like he was holding back his vomit.
“It’s that one... The monster that looked like mud that appeared in Suflaghida, I mean. The one Bifrons called the ‘Demon Lord’ or whatever.”
“Hmm...?” Zagan let out a quizzical voice.
Well, that thing really could regenerate its wounds instantly... At the time, it was a formidable enemy that took Zagan, Nephy with her newly attained celestial mysticism, two Sacred Sword wielders, several former Archdemon candidates, and a few dozen other sorcerers to fight it on even ground. So, if Barbatos was saying that it was similar, he surely wasn’t just referring to its ability to regenerate.
In that case, the culprit likely has the same goal.
“I see. In that case, the one who created that chimera is probably Bifrons,” Zagan muttered, seemingly putting his thoughts in order.
“...Hold on, aren’t you jumping to conclusions here?” Barbatos asked, sweat running down his brow.
“Although it was just residue, he resurrected the Demon Lord. There’s no way he was only just spectating. I bet he brought back some of its corpse or a core or something with him. Besides, the only one who could control something more dangerous than a demon like that would be the Archdemons,” Zagan spoke as if it was only obvious. According to Bifrons, the Sigil of the Archdemon held by the thirteen Archdemons was akin to a key that sealed the husk of the Demon Lord. That was why demons submitted to the Archdemons, and also why they were able to use the Sigil to call forth the residual thoughts of the Demon Lord. There was no other means of interfering with that existence which surpassed human intelligence other than the Sigil of the Archdemon.
I didn’t think that Bifrons was one to pull back so easily, but they’re acting faster than I imagined...
Barbatos also surely understood all this as a gulp rang out from his throat.
“Still, despite the chimera taking action, the place it showed up and its goal is a total mystery, huh? If Bifrons was planning to stir things up with me or Nephy, it would have made more sense to have it closer to the castle or somewhere we would be.”
The same even applied if Bifrons’ target was Chastille and her Sacred Sword. If Barbatos wasn’t saying anything about her, then that was proof that Chastille was alright. And, even if Bifrons left a target alive, there was no way they would just let their target get away.
Then, maybe it’s better to think that there’s some other goal, and it just so happened to get caught up in my territory... Zagan already taught Bifrons that it wasn’t worth stirring up trouble with him, so the only reason for Bifrons to kick up a fuss while bearing that risk in mind was...
“Nephteros, huh?” Zagan remarked. If the girl who disappeared at the hidden elven village was being chased for some reason, it would make sense to send a fiendish chimera after her. That dark elf possessed enough power that an entire group of average sorcerers and Angelic Knights couldn’t even keep up, after all.
Barbatos’ body stiffened up completely. Judging by his reaction, the man knew that Nephteros was involved but kept quiet about it. And so, Zagan glared at him fixedly.
“Why did you keep quiet about Nephteros?”
“That crybaby... said to keep quiet.”
“Hmm...?” Zagan exclaimed. He didn’t know what exactly happened, but Chastille doing such a thing and Barbatos cooperating with her were both unexpected actions.
Although, since this is Nephteros we’re talking about... Judging from her personality...
“If she didn’t want me to know, it means she didn’t want Nephy to find out, huh?”
“Were you watching?”
It seemed Zagan hit the bulls-eye, leaving Barbatos completely taken aback.
“No, isn’t it pretty easy to figure out considering the situation and her personality?”
“Like anyone could tell...”
“Well, whatever,” Zagan casually replied.
“Huh? Is that alright?”
“She’s not a kid. If Chastille says she want to keep it quiet, then that means she decided to look after her herself. Let her do as she pleases,” Zagan said shrugged his shoulders in response to Barbatos’ surprised reaction.
“Don’t you feel like nothing good will come from this?”
“That girl’s a complete crybaby in her personal life, but she’s capable when she’s at work.”
“...Were you praising her there?” Barbatos said with an exasperated look on his face, but didn’t quip about it any further.
Yeah, forget all that, I want to go on that so-called date with Nephy! Like I give a crap about someone like Bifrons! Zagan thought, though a moment later he was taken aback as his mind wandered, No, wait a sec. Is it even possible that Nephteros is the only thing Bifrons is aiming for?
Sure, Bifrons was a sorcerer whose very purpose in life seemed to be to harass people. But still, it would be idiotic to assume Bifrons let their pet dog who betrayed them free so that they could torment them, especially when she somehow managed to escape all the way to Zagan’s territory. Was it not far more natural to think that Bifrons was intentionally aiming to stir up trouble right at the moment Zagan didn’t want anyone to interfere with his plans the most?
In other words, Bifrons was aiming for this instant where I just wanted to have a quiet date with Nephy! That conclusion may have just been a result of his persecution complex, but unfortunately, the Archdemon Bifrons was a sorcerer who couldn’t make any excuses when accused of such deeds.
“Ku... Kuhahaha...” Zagan spontaneously broke out into laughter.
“H-Hey... Zagan...?” Barbatos muttered, looking quite startled. It was a laugh that he hadn’t let out lately... Or rather, one that he hadn’t let out since he met Nephy. And that fact made Barbatos shrink back in fear.
“How amusing. It seems that damned idiot has yet to learn their lesson. How dare they try to make a fool of me.”
The beautiful stone pavement cracked under the pressure of Zagan’s mana boiling over from his rage.
“It seems it’s about time to finish off Bifrons. There’s no need to worry about them anymore,” Zagan proclaimed as he shifted his gaze over to Barbatos.
“What’s got you so... The hell is Bifrons planning?”
“I’m saying there’s no need for you to care about that,” Zagan dryly replied. He felt like Barbatos would make fun of him if he said it was because Bifrons planned on getting in the way of his date with Nephy, so he simply glared at him in an overbearing manner. Thanks to that, Barbatos gulped down and sealed his mouth shut.
“Is that all you have to report?”
“Ah? Yeah...”
“Then get going. I have business with Chastille before I go and kill Bifrons.”
“G-Got it...” Barbatos said, nodding with a worried expression on his face before vanishing into the shadows. After seeing him off, Zagan once more tapped his heel and undid the barrier. Chastille’s office was faster to get to from the backdoor of the cathedral. And as he walked that way, he took one last look into the cathedral. Kuroka was running about carrying a large container of hot water, and fell over in a spectacular fashion.
◇
Zagan boldly marched into the rear entrance of the church’s sanctum as if he owned the place.
Now that I think of it, this is the first time I’ve come this way, isn’t it? He’d gone to visit Chastille with Nephy before, but they always talked in the sanctum. He’d never been in the inner areas. Angelic Knights immediately rushed out with their swords drawn, but came to a halt the moment they saw Zagan’s face.
“Ugh... Y-You’re Archdemon Zagan! What business do you have with the church!?”
Though it was a temporary position, Chastille was still the one in charge here, and she was a member of the Unification Faction that aimed to coexist with sor
cerers instead of being openly hostile toward them. However, that only applied to Chastille herself. It seemed the regular Angelic Knights still despised sorcerers.
I hate dealing with Angelic Knights since they’re such a pain... It probably would’ve been fine to just ignore them and kick them aside, but this region was under Chastille’s jurisdiction. Thus, Zagan spoke with the bare minimum amount of respect for that fact.
“I have business with Archangel Chastille. Is she in her office?”
The Angelic Knights shrank back as if intimidated, but nevertheless, they gripped their swords with their trembling hands and howled back.
“G-Grrr... Understood. I shall call her, so wait in the guest room.”
“Don’t bother, it won’t take that long. I can tell things are busy.”
Arbitrarily making that decision, Zagan briskly proceeded into the sanctum. The Angelic Knights stiffened in place, but didn’t obstruct him, perhaps because his lack of hostility was conveyed to them.
“I-I couldn’t move...! We must inform Lady Chastille of the impending danger!”
“Wait, did he maybe mean... ‘I can tell that you’re busy, so there’s no need to go out of your way to call her’?”
“Huh, no, I mean, isn’t he an Archdemon?”
“Well, you’ve got a point, but...”
The knights were mumbling to each other about something or other, but soon after they tagged along behind Zagan in an attempt to keep an eye on him.
If you’ve got that much free time, then go and treat the wounded or something... Having said that, they all likely had their own jobs assigned to them, so it wasn’t something for Zagan to criticize. The solitary sound of solid shoes tapping against the wooden floors resounded throughout the quiet corridor. The inside of the church was fairly well maintained, but unlike the sanctum, it had a simple and compact layout. Zagan thought it would be lined with luxurious goods, since the church often wrangled donations out of the populace, but that was unexpectedly not the case.
Well, I suppose the Angelic Knights are soldiers. They do at least deserve a wage that compensates them for laying their lives on the line... It seemed several Angelic Knights had just lost their lives. There was surely a need to provide their families with compensation for that as well, so the compulsory donations may not have been a complete scam.
After walking for some time while contemplating such matters, Zagan arrived at Chastille’s office. Verifying that the nameplate was indeed correct, he then knocked on the door.
“Chastille, are you there?”
“Ah! Huh? That voice... Zagan?”
After some clattering echoed from within the room, the door eventually opened.
“Um, come on in...” Chastille said, poking her head out with a clearly confused expression on her face.
Could it be that Nephteros is inside? According to Barbatos, Chastille wanted to keep her a secret. And so, Zagan pretended not to notice and averted his gaze.
“Um, I heard what happened from Barbatos. Do you have time to talk right now?”
“Y-You came all the way here for that? Were you, um, w-worried...?” Chastille asked, her face noticeably flushed.
“Well, I have other business here too...” Zagan said as he looked at the Angelic Knights behind him. Chastille was currently in her work mode, so after figuring out what Zagan was implying, she nodded.
“He is my guest. I’ll be fine here, so please return to your duties.”
“B-But...”
“Hey, get the hint already...”
There was one among them trying to raise an objection, but another knight saluted and cut him off.
“If you require any further assistance, please call for us, Lady Chastille.”
And so, the Angelic Knights left. Several among them seemed to be crying with drooped shoulders.
“No way... To think Lady Chastille would fall for a man like that...”
“No! There’s still no definitive proof!”
“Don’t say that, Dominguez. If Lady Chastille has decided on someone, then we should accept it.”
“Wipe your tears, Andal.”
Oh, come on, they’re saying some pretty inexcusable things here... Is that really alright? Chastille didn’t seem to hear what the knights were whispering about, and simply cocked her head to the side with a blank expression on her face.
“What’s wrong? Are you not going to come in?”
“...Well, whatever,” Zagan said as he decided to pretend he didn’t hear anything and stepped into the office. It was a compact room that could be traversed from one end to the other with three long strides or so. It was also the room where Raphael once assassinated Clavwell, but there was no disturbing aura lingering in the air.
Nobody else seemed to be present. There was a large oak desk in the room with a pile of miscellaneous documents on it. And next to it was a short table and sofas meant for receiving guests, which was where Chastille took a seat.
“A-Anyway, take a seat. Everyone is really busy right now, so I can’t offer much in the way of hospitality, unfortunately.”
“How exactly would Angelic Knights go about offering a sorcerer hospitality, I wonder...” Zagan was astonished, yet Chastille returned a bitter smile.
“Did you actually forget what faction I belong to?”
Zagan didn’t really know what activities the Unification Faction undertook, but it seemed this situation wasn’t really all that bad to them. Judging from the fact that Chastille was able to respond so casually, he could tell that Chastille really was in ‘work mode,’ which made him shrug his shoulders.
“Hmph. I suppose so,” Zagan said as he took a seat on the sofa. Then, he noticed that Chastille was restlessly looking at the wall behind him. Taking a glance over in that direction, he spotted an inconspicuous cupboard standing against the wall with a small hidden door behind it. Considering the location, it was likely something like a break room for her office. The way Chastille was staring at it made Zagan think she was worried whether things were really alright over there instead of being anxious about whether or not Zagan would spot it.
Could it be that Nephteros is in there? He thought that she was rather dignified when on duty, but it seemed that her inability to keep secrets wasn’t all that different from when she was going about her daily life. Zagan tried straining his ears and searched for a presence, but he only managed to barely pick up the faint sound of someone breathing. There were no signs of any movements at all. She was likely in a deep slumber, or perhaps just unconscious.
Which means... Nephteros really was injured somehow? Zagan knew that Nephteros was somehow involved, but he never bothered to think about her condition. He wanted to make his request about the ‘Thirteenth’ and leave right away, but after noticing her condition, ignoring her had become difficult. And so, after brooding over it for a few seconds and reclining in the sofa, Zagan cut to the chase.
“A chimera or something showed up, right? The one manipulating it is, most likely, Bifrons.”
“That’s amazing. I didn’t think you would know that much, since I just encountered it,” Chastille said, staring back at him in wonder all the while.
“Bifrons is my enemy. It’s not something for you to be concerned about. I don’t mind if you leave dealing with that Archdemon and chimera to me.”
If I leave something like a chimera prowling about, then I can’t go on a relaxing date with Nephy! That was the number one priority for Zagan right now. And though Chastille looked surprised for a moment, she immediately smiled.
“There’s nothing I find more reassuring than hearing you say that... but for you to be so angry... Could it be that something happened to Nephy too?”
Huh? Was she always this perceptive? Zagan knew she was quite capable when on duty, but she was far more astute than he imagined she would be. She was right on the mark, but it was difficult to tell her that it was because they were getting in the way of his date, so Zagan cleared out his throat as if glossing
over that fact.
“Well, nothing yet. However, Bifrons will surely mess with me and Nephy soon enough. That’s why I’ll just finish things off before it comes to that.”
“Huh...? I don’t really get it, but if that will ensure Nephy’s safety, then I don’t have any objections,” Chastille claimed, though her smile was somewhat uneasy. She really did seem worried about Nephteros.
“Come to think of it, he said you picked up a wounded sorcerer. Quite the unlucky fellow to get attacked by Bifrons’ chimera. How are they?” Zagan asked, pretending not to know it was Nephteros.
“Y-Yeah, that’s right... Their injuries aren’t all that serious, but they’ve lost quite a bit of strength... I sure hope they’re alright...” Chastille’s body trembled as she replied. It wasn’t really a leading question, but Chastille didn’t seem to notice that she was frowning as he touched on the subject.
Back when she used celestial mysticism, Nephteros coughed up blood... Celestial mysticism likely placed all too great a burden on her body. Just from that, Zagan could tell that the chimera powerful, since it forced her to use it.
“When mana is exhausted by the use of sorcery and mysticism, it takes time to recover. Sure, there are ways of supplying it from outside, but it’s best to just let them rest.”
“Huh? You can get mana from somewhere else?”
It may have been a mistake to mention mysticism here, but that wasn’t the point that piqued Chastille’s interest.
I guess that just means Nephteros is in a worse state than I initially assumed... Having said that, there wasn’t really anything Chastille could do about it.
“Well, I just meant that it’s not impossible. Nobody does it normally,” Zagan stated. Though, he felt like someone like Gremory would happily do it, which led him to realize he should remain quiet about Nephteros’ condition to that granny.
“Could you at least tell me how it’s done? Is supplying mana something that can be done even if you’re not a sorcerer?”
“Uh, no, well, I think you can, but...”
“Then I want to know how. There might be someone I can save thanks to that method.”
Um... I need to say this to a woman? Zagan grimaced and was reluctant to answer her.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 5 Page 8