Nephy must be cold in those clothes, right? I wonder if she’d be happy if I bought her some gloves... Zagan was unable to make gloves by hand, but he could cast sorcery on something that was already made to protect her from the cold. And with that thought, he finally felt like he found the answer to what he wanted to do on their date.
However, at that exact moment, thunder struck out from the pitch black sky.
“Oh no!”
It occurred right as all the tension in the room dissipated, so it surprised Nephy quite a bit. After letting out a short scream, she clung onto Zagan, who reflexively wrapped his arm around her waist. And despite it being through the apron, he could feel something soft pushing against him, leaving him quite shaken himself.
Now that I think of it, the weather was quite bad today... After Zagan started to think of other matters to try and calm down, he noticed that Nephy was trembling in his arms. Rather than being surprised by the lightning, it felt like she was trembling because of the cold.
“Hmm, Nephy, stay still.”
“Okay? Um, huh?”
Zagan gently carried Nephy like a princess, then sat down atop his throne. Following that, he undid the muffler around his neck partway and wrapped it around Nephy’s neck as well.
“Isn’t it warmer like this?”
“Yes... Um, it’s very... warm...” Nephy muttered, turning bright red once more as she trembling in an entirely different manner, leading Zagan to suddenly doubt his actions.
Wait... Wearing the same muffler while she sits on my lap... Isn’t this a situation where we have to stick really close to each other...? Zagan had just done something incredibly bold without even knowing it. And while he was shocked by that revelation, Nephy leaned back against him. Her rapid heartbeat was passed through her chest to him, and Nephy pressed her slender fingers against Zagan’s chest in an attempt to share the same feeling.
“...Your heartbeat is very fast, Master Zagan.”
“Y-Yours is too, Nephy.”
Reaffirming that they were in, fact, close enough to hear each others hearts, both of them began blushing.
“Should we... stay like this for a while?”
“...Yes.”
When Zagan stole a glance at Nephy’s face, he could see her lips trembling as if she was stuck somewhere between shyness and relief. Tears were gradually forming in her eyes, but her hands were gripping onto Zagan’s clothes tightly as if separating from him wasn’t even a thought in her mind.
Nephy’s become a fair bit more expressive lately... Even when she was expressionless, he could tell what she was thinking by watching her ears, but there really was a distinct charm to her displaying her emotions openly.
However, Zagan noticed a slight tinge of gloominess in Nephy’s expression that was mixed in with all the joy.
I see. I guess she’s still worried about Nephteros... The previous day, she had raised her doubts about whether it was really alright for her to be the only one who was happy, so he had to help put her mind at ease.
“Come to think of it, I went out to Kianoides today and met Chastille,” Zagan said. The preparations for their date were naturally a secret, but on the surface, his main purpose for going was to have Chastille investigate the Thirteenth. Incidentally, he also managed to procure a picture book for Foll as well. Upon hearing her friend’s name being mentioned, Nephy’s expression brightened up just a bit.
“I see. Did she seem to be doing well?”
“As well as ever, at least. She seemed to be busy with all sorts of things, though. Anyway, I managed to find out something amusing.”
“Something... amusing?” Nephy cocked her head to the side in confusion as she asked that question, and Zagan looked at her with as gentle a smile as he could manage.
“Seems Chastille is looking after Nephteros,” Zagan gently said.
“Nephteros was with Chastille?” Nephy blinked with a blank gaze as she replied, having found that idea extremely surprising.
“The person in questions seems to want to keep it a secret, but yes.”
“If it’s a secret, how do you know?”
“Despite her best effort, she wasn’t really able to hide it. I could tell right away without her even mentioning it.”
“Thank goodness...” Nephy muttered as she raised her hand to her chest in relief.
“Mm. You trust Chastille quite a lot, huh?” Zagan inquired. He knew that the girls were good friends, but that that was still surprising.
“Chastille is the first person aside from me who truly understood you, Master Zagan. I’m sure she can save Nephteros too,” Nephy nodded confidently as she said that.
Chastille understands me...? Zagan made a somewhat awkward face upon hearing that. Well, when they first met he did think that she was somewhat awkward, yet also a good person. Still, the portion of the girl that spurred on the desire to tease her was far more pronounced than anything else. And thanks to that, he just reflexively teased her all the time. He wasn’t really sure how any of that meant she understood him as a person.
“If we’re talking about trust, then it seems you trust Chastille a fair bit as well, Master Zagan,” Nephy muttered in a surprised tone.
“Hmm... is that so?” Zagan questioned that idea, though he quickly realized that he never really doubted Chastille either and said, “You’re right. That may be the case. When it comes to protecting something, Chastille is quite capable. At least to the point where I can entrust my back to her, anyway.”
“Yes,” Nephy responded, nodding happily before puffing out her cheeks.
“...But, Master Zagan, you’re talking about Chastille an awful lot right now.”
“Aren’t you doing the same, Nephy?”
“That’s... true... but...” Nephy’s voice trailed off. Rather than being a bad mood, she seemed somewhat lonely. Zagan couldn’t tell why she was pouting all of a sudden. And after tilting his head to the side and thinking for a while, he was suddenly taken aback.
Huh, could this be that thing they call ‘jealousy’? After taking a look at Nephy’s face and ears, he could see that she was thinking, “I’m glad that you’re praising my friend, but it’s a depressing to hear you talk about another girl when we’re finally alone together.” Of course, he wanted to tell Nephy that she was the most important girl to him, but...
Mm. This is a refreshing sight... And so, he simply stared at her fixedly. Before long, Nephy surely thought that there was something strange about the way Zagan said nothing for a while, and looked up at him while still pouting. Their eyes met, and though she looked at him blankly, she immediately realized that he was gazing at her the entire time, which made her turn completely red and cover her cheeks.
“...Master Zagan, I doubt staring at my face is all that interesting...”
“I beg to differ.”
“Huh!?”
Zagan reply was instantaneous, which made Nephy’s eyes dart about in bewilderment. He then went on to talk about it with a serious expression.
“You hear me, Nephy? I, um... love you... I do believe I told you before.”
“...You did.”
“That’s why, um, how do I put this? Um, it’s only natural for me to gaze at your face, Nephy.”
“...I see.”
Even Zagan thought he was being a bit silly, but Nephy simply nodded in a completely meek manner. She was sitting with perfect posture, though perhaps that wasn’t true because she was sitting on his lap. Still, sweat was running down her cheeks and her lips were trembling as if she was extremely shaken. Her azure eyes were darting about every which way, seemingly unable to decide what she should be looking at.
If you readily accept that, then I’m the one who’ll be most embarrassed by it...!
Zagan cleared out his throat with a cough to try and hide his embarrassment.
“You may not have noticed it, but your expression has softened up quite a bit, Nephy. Enjoying that change is a precious pleasure of mine. Don’t take that from
me.”
“...A-As you wish!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Nephy covered her face with both her hands. She then peeked up at Zagan through the gaps in her fingers.
“Um, Master Zagan. Have I started to... smile properly... I wonder...?”
Was Nephy also worrying about that? Zagan never thought such a question would cross Nephy’s lips, so he’d been thrown for a loop.
“Hm... Well, what do you think?”
“Uh, um, I am practicing, but I’m not really confident that I can do it well...” Nephy began pulling on her blushing white cheeks as she spoke. Then, she used her two index fingers to lift up the corners of her mouth in an attempt to mold a smile. Her lips were certainly in the shape of one, but her gaze was perplexed, her behavior was clumsy, killing the illusion. Still, she was so earnest about it that Zagan felt a shock to his heart greater than any he had ever experienced before.
Stop! If you do something so criminally cute on top of my lap, then my heart won’t be able to bear it! Even as he trembled violently, Zagan contemplated the matter. Back when Nephy was turned into a little girl, she was always smiling in a reserved manner. And so, he had never once witnessed her smiling wholeheartedly.
I kind of want to see Nephy practicing her smiles, to be honest...
“I wonder about that. I said this before, but your expressions have been gradually changing, Nephy. The way you smile with all your heart may not necessarily be the same as what I think it looks like, right?”
“Th-Then, what should I do...?”
“For the time being, try showing me that practice of yours,” Zagan responded with a smile.
“Huh...?” Nephy mumbled, frozen in place.
“Um, um, Master Zagan, that’s... um... really just a bit too... embarrassing...” Nephy answered him properly, though her voice got quieter and quieter as she went on. However, upon seeing such a cute reaction, Zagan lost control of his actions.
“...Hmm. I see. That’s a shame. Sorry. That was unreasonable of me,” Zagan said as he slumped his shoulders and made a face like he was in utter despair, leading Nephy to begin stammering in a fluster.
“U-U-Under... Understood. Even if I’m unable to do it well... could you please not laugh?”
“Do you think I would ever laugh at you, Nephy?”
“...You often laugh when you see me troubled by something...”
Oh, come on. My face just loosens up when I see something cute, I swear! Zagan was at a loss for words as the realization that Nephy had seen right through him dawned on him. He felt like it was a completely unreasonable demand, but when he really thought of it, Zagan was the one who always thrust unreasonable demands at her. Every time he wondered why he was doing that to the girl he loved, he always ended up recalling just how cute she looked when she was trying her best to meet expectations. And seeing her try her very best once more, Zagan nodded resolutely.
“Understood. I promise not to laugh this time.”
“...Okay.”
Having her path of retreat cut off, Nephy drooped her shoulders. Next, she took in a deep breath a few times over, then snapped her eyes open.
“Here I go!” Nephy proclaimed before using all her might to form a smile. She held her hands at the side of her lips, tilted her head to the side slightly, narrowed her eyes, and gently opened her mouth a little. The smile was reminiscent of the little Nephy from the hidden elven village.
“Wh-What!?”
Before he even knew it, Zagan embraced Nephy. Her eyes began darting about like she had no idea what was going on.
“U-Um, um...”
“...Oh, um... It was... really, really cute.”
“Uh, what?”
After hearing his honest opinion, Nephy began squirming around in his arms wildly. Her ears were also shaking up and down violently, exposing her inner turmoil. And then, after seemingly exhausting all her strength, she gave up.
“That’s... the first time... you said something like that, Master Zagan...” Nephy muttered as she went limp in his arms.
“Huh, is that so?”
It was certainly true that he always agonized about how cute she was in his mind, but he couldn’t recall ever saying it aloud.
Am I able to properly say it now that we’re in a real relationship? If that was the case, he had to properly tell her everything he was unable to before. And so, Zagan gently brushed Nephy’s head as he spoke.
“You may be at ease. I’ve had that thought in my mind since I first laid eyes on you.”
Nephy’s pointy ears shot up straight with enough vigor that it felt like they made a snapping sound, and her face flushed red right to the very tip of those ears. After a short while, she looked up at Zagan with tears in the corner of her eyes. Their hearts were beating furiously. And in that moment, her pink lips captured his focus. Their faces drew closer completely with every passing second. And then, just as their lips were about to meet...
“Yowch!”
Someone collapsed into the throne room with a thud. Zagan and Nephy jumped up and tried to separate from each other, but that wasn’t possible because of the muffler tied around their necks. The two of them staggered, then ended up in a state where they were embracing.
“Eh, eheh, eheheh...”
The one who raised their voice with sweat tumbling down their face... was none other than the siren servant, Selphy.
Dammit! How dare you intrude just when it was getting good!?
Upon taking a closer look, Zagan noticed that Gremory, Kimaris, Raphael, and even Foll, who had her eyes covered by Raphael, were all there behind her. It just may have been that the thunder that struck with such good timing was their doing.
“You bastards... What the hell are you doing there?”
Zagan stood up with Nephy still in his arms, which made all of them scatter in an attempt to escape his wrath. However, there was no way he would just laugh it off and let them go. And so, he dashed around the castle with Nephy firmly pressed into his body as she hid her face in embarrassment.
◇
“Where... am I...?” Nephteros spoke in a hoarse voice as she regained consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she found an unfamiliar ceiling stretching out above her. It was a dim and narrow ceiling. However, it appeared to be well taken care of. The shadows in the room on the ceiling swayed about, so she could tell that the room was lit with candles. It seemed to be evening, and she appeared to be in a bed within a small room.
“Are you awake?”
When she turned over to look at the source of that dignified voice, she found a girl with red hair sitting down next to the bed. It was a face that she was familiar with, and it pulled on her memories. If she remembered correctly, this girl’s name was Chastille. She was one of the servants of Archdemon Zagan. Even though she was an Angelic Knight, she was a fainthearted girl who clung to a sorcerer like Nephteros in tears. Yet somehow, she was the wielder of a Sacred Sword, and Nephteros recalled that she was quite powerful when she gripped said sword. Perhaps because it was evening, she wasn’t wearing her Anointed Armor, but was instead in a blue uniform. Her Sacred Sword was standing up against the chair next to her.
Hm, why am I here with this crybaby...? Her thoughts were muddled because she had just woken up. Her body felt like lead, and she didn’t feel like she could even raise her arm. As she remained stuck in place, dumbfounded, Chastille held out a cup to her with a worried look on her face.
“Are you alright? Would you like some water?”
Nephteros realized that her throat was unusually parched when she heard that offer.
“It’d be better for you to drink little by little,” Chastille said as she supported her head to sit her up a little, then put the cup to her lips. It was somewhat irritating that only a little at a time was pouring into her mouth, but thanks to that, her throat wasn’t in pain.
What a considerate girl... Now that she thought of it, this girl was the first one to leap in immediately to protect Nephteros
when she had celestial mysticism fired at her back at the hidden elven village. Even though it happened just a few days ago, it felt strangely nostalgic. And upon thinking that, Nephteros finally remembered what had happened to her.
“Wait, where is it!? What happened to that chimera!?”
“Calm down. We drove the chimera away for now. My subordinates are in pursuit, but they haven’t found its tracks yet,” Chastille explained. Hearing that, Nephteros tried to get up, but was pushed back into bed by Chastille, who attempted to reassure her by saying, “You’re safe as long as you stay here, so rest for now.”
Nephteros shouldn’t have believed in such words, but they were somehow relieving to hear.
“It seems your fever has gone down. Still, it looks like you’ve lost quite a bit of strength. I think it would be better for you to sleep some more,” Chastille said as she gently touched Nephteros’ forehead.
“...Why? Why... did you save me? Was it Zagan’s order?” Nephteros muttered in a bewildered tone.
“Maybe I should start by showing my gratitude first. Thank you for protecting my precious subordinates. If you weren’t there, I would have lost all of them,” Chastille said, looking back at Nephteros in wonder, then smiling as if admonishing her.
“I... didn’t save... them...”
The image of the Angelic Knights who tried to save her getting killed one after the other came to mind.
If I didn’t come here, none of them would have died... It was strange to be thanked even though she had caused all those deaths. And yet, Chastille shook her head.
“You saved them. Even though you could have run away, you stood firm right there and fought back, didn’t you? That’s why I must thank you as the representative of the Angelic Knights.”
“You’re Chastille, right? The one who’s Zagan’s servant...?” Nephteros asked as she looked up at her face like she couldn’t believe it.
“No, I cooperate with him, but I’m not a servant or anything, got it?”
“...The image of you in my memories and the one I see right now don’t really match...”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 5 Page 11