In response, Chastille spoiled herself on the dark elf’s kindness.
Half an hour later, Nephteros had finished her treatment of the Angelic Knights in the barracks. She was in the sickbay, where there were about ten beds lined up for the injured, which were all escorted by the three knights. These were, of course, precautions against the earlier assailant.
“Well, I guess that’s everyone.”
“Yeah. Are you alright? I think you’ve used up too much of your strength, personally...”
“...Well, I am tired, but that’s all, really.”
Upon hearing that answer, a certain thought rose to Chastille’s mind.
The fact that she’s speaking about her own condition means she’s let her guard down a little, right? The two of them showed their embarrassing sides to each other earlier, so it felt like Nephteros’ attitude had softened up just a little.
“...I thought... they all died,” Nephteros said as she looked at the Angelic Knights atop the beds. There were four survivors among the patrol members, and two who had perished. Chastille was also hopelessly pessimistic about their chances for survival after arriving on the scene, but luckily, the Anointed Armor’s defensive powers had strengthened their vitality.
After a while, Chastille cast her gaze over to the sorcerer sleeping in the corner of the room. He was one of Zagan’s subordinates, and had been running about during the day without rest in an attempt to heal the wounded.
“Zagan sent over a sorcerer who excelled in healing, so we were able to heal those who couldn’t be saved by the church’s powers.”
Several sorcerers were alternating shifts, and it was set up so one of them was always at the church. At first, the sorcerers were treated with enmity by those of the church, but after spending some time under the same roof, they were able to build up a sense of affinity with each other. The sorcerer here also put in great effort to heal the Angelic Knights, so they naturally began helping him out. That was why Chastille had the leisure to check in on Nephteros’ condition in the first place. There was also the fact that it was late at night, and everyone had gone to sleep by then.
“There was no need for me to butt in, I guess,” Nephteros said, shrugging her shoulders.
“No, if not for you, we wouldn’t have been able to treat them to this extent. Besides, there were some here that we were told were too far gone.”
The sorcerer who was treating them said that while he was able to prolong their lives, they would have to give up after a few days. And yet, now that they were all stable. Everyone at the church owed Nephteros a massive debt of gratitude.
“In any case, it’s quite stuffy here,” Nephteros said as she looked over to the Angelic Knights behind her.
“We can’t be sure that the assailant from earlier won’t return, so there’s no way we can drop our guards.”
“That guy called themselves Azazel, right? That’s the first time I’ve seen the real thing,” Nephteros said as she let out a snort with a ‘hmph.’
“Hold on! Do you know something about Azazel!?” Chastille’s eyes shot open upon hearing that.
“Huh...? Aren’t they the assassination squad of the church? Mast... Bifrons said not to get involved with them.”
Assassination squad? It’s not the name of a Sacred Sword?
“T-Tell me more. Is Azazel not the name of a Sacred Sword?” Chastille asked as she squatted down in front of Nephteros.
“A Sacred Sword...? I don’t know anything about that, but I’ve heard that an organization within the church goes by that name... You don’t know about it despite being a part of the church?”
“I’ve never heard of it... Also, it’s likely that Lord Raphael hasn’t heard of it either,” Chastille said as she groaned. Zagan claimed that Azazel was the name of the Thirteenth, a Sacred Sword. However, it seemed to also be the name of an organization.
Still, the church went out of their way to use the name Azazel. It can’t be unrelated... What exactly did that mean, though?
“...Azazel may actually be the name of a Sacred Sword.”
“Is that so? Well, I’ve never heard of it. Doesn’t make any sense, either. I mean, wouldn’t the proud church go around bragging if that was true?”
“You don’t have to make us sound that bad...” Chastille muttered. She understood that the church could come off somewhat pompous, but it really did take some nerve to say that right to an Angelic Knight’s face. However, thinking of the church’s natural disposition may have led toward a strange connection.
“Azazel is the name of the Thirteenth Sacred Sword, but for some reason the church doesn’t possess it, or perhaps it’s judged as something abominable?” Chastille remarked.
“No, then they wouldn’t use it as the name of the dark side, right? If it were the name of an abomination, I don’t think they would take its name as their own.”
“Maybe they were one and the same at some point... I know the church has a reason to keep knowledge of this group from the public, but even Archangels knowing nothing about it is suspicious. And if they actually do specialize in assassination, and they had a Sacred Sword entrusted to one among their ranks, then there would have been cases where they were sent out to face sorcerers...”
“I see,” Nephteros said with a nod. Then, she continued, “That’s why sorcerers who aren’t a part of the church know about it... you mean? It certainly makes sense, but what of the reason it’s judged to be abominable?”
“That’s... I don’t know. Maybe a sorcerer took it, or the wielder is a traitor, or something...” Chastille said, clearly taken aback. Then, she said, “No, hold on...”
There was a far more important problem than whether Azazel was the name of a Sacred Sword or an organization. And somewhat astonished by the fact that she hadn’t realized it sooner, Chastille questioned Nephteros.
“Nephteros. I’d like to hear your opinion.”
“About what?”
“Do you think it’s a coincidence that an assassin naming themselves Azazel was sent after me while you’re being chased by that chimera?”
“Are you saying that was also instigated by Bifrons? Wouldn’t that mean that your church is also Bifrons’ puppet?” Nephteros inquired as her golden eyes shot wide open.
“That’s not necessarily the case. Couldn’t that sorcerer have just leaked insidious information and guided the church’s actions?”
Chastille was sheltering Nephteros. And as a result, she ended up getting in Bifrons’ way. There was a pretty high probability that Bifrons put Azazel into action to flush her back out.
“That assassin said they discovered you were a rebel, right? Would that mean they weren’t planning to kill you right away?” Nephteros cast down her gaze in thought for a moment as she muttered those words.
“Then, you were their original target?”
“That seems to make sense. Like you said, it would be difficult for Bifrons’ pawns to invade the church itself, after all...”
“Sorry. Even though I said it would be safe here...” Chastille mumbled as she let out a sigh.
“Don’t worry about it. In any case, I never thought I could get away from Bifrons.”
“Still, let’s get through this together, okay? We both need to make it through this alive.” Chastille said as she held Nephteros’ hand.
“...Hmph. I never planned to just lay down and die.”
And just like that, the long day finally headed toward its conclusion.
Chapter IV: Loving Someone Comes with Many Tiresome Misunderstandings, but They’re All Worth It
“Hey, Kuroka, why did you think of working at the church?”
It was late in the evening. Despite finally reaching the church, Kuroka was feeling down due to her repeated failures as Kuu questioned her. Since both of them were abducted together and were around the same age, the two girls felt comfortable talking openly.
They were in a room normally reserved for nuns, which they had been told to share. The
re was a bunk bed in the room, and since Kuroka couldn’t see, Kuu yielded the bottom bunk to her. The bed was stiff, but when Kuroka tried touching the sheet, she could tell that there wasn’t a single crease on it, which proved it was quite clean. It also smelled like an ash tree, which made her realize wood from such trees were used for either the bed frame or the floor.
Originally, since Kuroka came over to serve as a priest, she would have been assigned to a much nicer room. However, due to the incident from earlier that resulted in multiple casualties, no one had time to make preparations for her. The priest garments she was supposed to receive also had yet to be delivered, so she was still wearing the clothes that she received from the man who saved her in town.
“I’m not trying to be rude here, but isn’t working at the church kinda hard with your condition, Kuroka?” Kuu brought her face closer as she continued with her questions. She was likely worried about Kuroka’s eyesight.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard, but it’s a job I love,” Kuroka replied with a smile on her face.
“Huh...? What part do you like?”
“Um, let’s see...” Kuroka touched her own face as Kuu looked at her curiously, then continued, “My eyes ended up like this after some sorcerers attacked me, but at that time, I was saved by an Angelic Knight.”
Right when she gave up and awaited death, they showed up and routed the sorcerers. Even after that, when Kuroka was in low spirits due to the loss of her vision, they would frequently come to visit her and would encourage her all the time. The reason she was able to regain her footing was all thanks to that knight.
“Is this a love story!? I wanna hear more! I wanna hear more!” Kuu let out a rough breath as she screamed for more answers excitedly.
“It’s not really a love story. He’s far older than me, after all... If anything, he’d be a dad... I guess.”
“Oh, you like old guys, huh!?”
“...I don’t. Probably,” Kuroka said, pondering the thought. She liked the way that man’s hand felt as he brushed her head. Also, when she was scared of walking, he would lead her by her hand. Plus, when she finally learned to take care of herself, he gave her a cane as a present. Still, despite all that, it seemed a little naive to call the warmth she received from him love.
“Honestly, I really liked him. That’s why I wanted to try being like him...”
“That’s definitely love! You should confess!” Kuu exclaimed as she covered her face, seemingly overcome with emotion.
“He’s... already dead,” Kuroka responded, shaking her head solemnly. She could tell that Kuu had stiffened up right as she said that. The life expectancy of Angelic Knights was short. From sorcerers, to monsters, to wars, they had far too many enemies. Their lives were filled with constant battles. Frankly, that man had lived for far longer than the average for those of his profession.
“S-Sorry, that was insensitive.”
“It’s alright. I’m sure he fought valiantly right until the end, so it’s not something to be sad about...”
“Hey, Kuroka, do you have any other family?”
“Hm... No, I don’t.”
Her entire family was killed before she joined the church. That was why the only one she considered family was that Angelic Knight.
“Then... you’re the same as Kuu. Hey, if that’s the case, can I think of you as my big sis?” Kuu asked as she timidly grasped Kuroka’s small, yet warm hand.
“Yes. Of course you can,” Kuroka said despite being taken aback at first.
“Eheheh. We’ll be together forever!”
What a kind girl... Kuroka assumed she was doomed to be alone in that unfamiliar town, so Kuu’s kindness was more than welcome.
“Huh...? I wonder what’s going on? It’s really noisy,” Kuroka said as her triangular ears began twitching.
“Huh? Really? Hm... I don’t really hear anything...” Kuu replied. Because she lost her eyesight, Kuroka’s ears were far more sensitive than most. That was why she was able to hear Kuu’s screams when she was being abducted the other day.
“I’m going to go take a little look. There might be something I can help with,” Kuroka said as she picked up her cane and stood up.
“Kuroka, you work too hard.”
After returning a smile to Kuu, who was laid down in bed as if suggesting it was better to rest, Kuroka left the room. And as she did, Kuu called out to her.
“Oh yeah, what was your dad’s name, Kuroka?”
Since it was the name of someone important to her, Kuroka felt that she wanted her new friend to know. That was why she responded instantly.
“Raphael,” she proclaimed, not realizing that her answer was about to turn her whole world upside down.
◇
The next day, Zagan headed out to the town of Kianoides once more. He had left the muffler he got from Nephy back in the castle.
I need to throw out all the trash before our date... However, throwing out the trash would lead to his clothes getting dirty, and he wanted to have his muffler in perfect condition for their date. That was why he set off to quickly finish off Bifrons without it.
I guess I’ll capture Bifrons’ chimera first, then follow the traces of mana from there... Chimeras and golems were connected to their caster by mana, so it was possible to trace the location of the caster through them. Having said that, if a chimera had infiltrated the town, then there was no way Chastille and the Angelic Knights would be sitting on their hands. It was likely wiser for Zagan to contact them rather than loiter around town.
That being the case, Zagan was currently looking for traces of sorcery in town, which was easier said than done. There were still close to a hundred sorcerers living in this town, and all of them used sorcery in their daily lives. Lately, some had even been dispatched to the church on his orders. Add all that onto the fact that the battle with the chimera had only occurred the previous day, and it was obvious there were traces of sorcery everywhere.
Finding something similar to the wavelength of Bifrons’ mana in all that was like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, this was Zagan’s town. He had multiple barriers up surrounding it that did things like repairing damaged buildings to protecting the sorcerers under his employ. He even had a barrier to detect ‘foreign objects.’
“...Hmm. Over here?” Zagan said as he walked over to the slums, which were far away from the shopping district. There, he found a trace of sorcery that didn’t belong to a sorcerer of his faction. Taking a look around, there was no trace of destruction in sight. There was also no trace of his restoration barrier being put to use. There wasn’t even any sign of a conflict. And precisely because that was the case, Zagan was suspicious.
A normal sorcerer wouldn’t erase the traces of their sorcery so thoroughly like this... The sorcerer who acted in this area hid the evidence because they didn’t want Zagan to find out. Moreover, they clearly utilized a sophisticated technique, since he could find no real evidence of anything happening. Now, the problem was what exactly they had done. Zagan searched the area, hoping to find anything at all, when he suddenly felt a presence behind him.
One of Bifrons’ lackeys? Zagan turned around while preparing his sorcery perfectly for dealing with any sort of trap... and found an unexpected face before him.
“You’re the one from yesterday... Kuroka, was it?”
It was one of the two girls he saved from being abducted and dropped off at the church.
“This voice... are you the man I met yesterday?”
Why is she here... He knew Bifrons would use that girl to egg him on, so Zagan drew closer to Kuroka, remaining vigilant of his surroundings in an attempt to prevent that. Kuroka looked up at him with her vacant eyes... and then broke into tears in an instant.
“Waaaaaah! Mister! Wh-What do I do!?”
She was crying so desperately that it made him feel like an idiot for being on guard.
“...What happened?”
“Kuu... The girl who was with me y
esterday vanished!”
She was talking about the vulpin girl from the other day, and Zagan couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Calm down. Isn’t she being sheltered by the church?” Zagan asked as he guided her away from the dangerous slums and sat her down on a chair in a small plaza. After he bopped her head and calmed her down, Kuroka began explaining matters with a stutter.
“I’ve been... doing nothing but failing at my job, and Sir Torres always gets angry at me...”
Well, she definitely didn’t seem like the luckiest girl around, so it wasn’t all that difficult to imagine things going poorly for her.
“And so, because I wasn’t being useful, they told me to look after Kuu, but that girl... vanished...”
“When? Maybe knowing that will help?”
“I only noticed it in the morning, but it seems she vanished some time before that,” Kuroka replied with a shake of her head.
“Did you let the others know? Actually, why are you walking around outside on your own?”
“I haven’t told anyone else yet. There was some incident, and everyone is injured or busy, so I can’t cause them even more concern,” Kuroka explained as she shook her head once more. She then pulled a small piece of cloth from her pocket. It looked like an old rag, but seemed to be a ribbon.
“This is Kuu’s ribbon. When we were caught by the canus, she wrapped it around my wound. My eyesight is poor, but my ears and nose are good, so I thought maybe I could track Kuu by her scent...”
They weren’t at the level of canus or lycans, but tabaxi were said to have a much better sense of smell than humans. In Kuroka’s case, her sense of smell was likely amplified due to her loss of vision.
“You saved her and brought her to safety, so why did this happen...? I don’t think Kuu would just run away on her own.”
That made perfect sense, since she had no home to go to. Zagan had a bad feeling about it.
“You said there was an incident, right? Did something else happen after you arrived at the church?”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 5 Page 14