An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 4

by Fuminori Teshima

  Do the ears of all elves move based on their emotions? If that really was the case, then Zagan was glad they were so easy to understand.

  Gremory stuck out her bag of chocolate with a smile on her face. Nephteros had surely heard what Zagan and the others were talking about mere moments ago, yet her hand still stuck out to take a piece of chocolate. Perhaps her mental state was on the brink of collapse.

  This looks exactly like a girl being tricked by a shady old woman... Gremory herself was most definitely a suspicious sorcerer, so there was no other way to interpret the situation.

  “...Didn’t I say to just leave me alone?” Nephteros didn’t even look at the old woman as she muttered those words.

  “Keeheehee, I can do no such thing when a young woman makes such a pained expression before me. How about it? There’s no poison in here, I swear!” Gremory made a show of throwing a chocolate into her mouth.

  Seeing that the old woman wouldn’t budge an inch, Nephteros raised her face to speak.

  “...After I eat this, you’ll leave me alone, right?” Nephteros said as she reluctantly put a chocolate ball in her mouth.

  “It’s sweet...” Nephteros uttered, her golden eyes blinking in surprise.

  “Of course it is! How about another?”

  “Mmm...” Nephteros pushed the chocolate into her cheek with a completely dejected face.

  ...Is she really alright? Seeing her depressed state even spurred on Zagan’s protective instinct. Plus, both Nephy and Chastille donned tense expressions.

  “H-Hold on! Didn’t I tell you to leave me alone!?” Nephteros screamed. Seemed she’d finally returned to her senses after gobbling down a bunch of Gremory’s chocolates.

  “Sure looks like you’re full of energy now,” Gremory said, nodding with a satisfied look on her face as she handed Nephteros the entire bag of chocolates.

  “Jeez...” Nephteros groaned in irritation, but she didn’t throw away the bundle.

  Doesn’t that mean she’s recovered in her own little way?

  The dark elf continued to grumble her complaints as she corrected her posture in front of the bonfire. The fact that she wanted to be left alone didn’t change, and she still wasn’t looking in the direction of Zagan’s group, but unlike before, she wasn’t huddled up with vacant eyes.

  “Now then, what do you think?” Gremory inquired as she returned to Zagan’s side.

  “How do you expect me to answer that question?” Yeah, she did succeed in cheering up Nephteros, but Zagan had no clue how love power factored in to her actions.

  “Zagan also... baited me with food once. Nephy’s soup... was really delicious,” Foll murmured, then began squirming around on Zagan’s back.

  Do you really have to bring that up? When Foll first entered his castle, Zagan gave her some soup, which tempted her into staying with him. Saying that she was baited with food was completely accurate, but he didn’t really want to admit it.

  Zagan casually looked over at Nephteros in an attempt to distract himself, then noticed the girl’s ears start to tremble.

  I guess she’s irritated that we think she was tempted by food. She can’t really get angry, though, since that’d be the same as admitting it... Zagan found that she had an unexpectedly charming side to her as he continued to gaze at her.

  “Keeheehee, as I’d expect of the Archdemon I’ve placed my hopes in. Techniques of this caliber are simply natural to you, I see,” Gremory said with a satisfied laugh.

  “What does baiting people with food have to do with loving them?”

  Nephteros’ ears began twitching about again, but Zagan paid them no mind. He knew he could just treat her to some of Nephy’s soup later to make up for things.

  “Did I not say that I would show you the essence of love power?” Gremory said, then pointed to Nephteros and continued, “If one eats their fill, then they’ll be able to put their heart at ease. That’s what I did, but even without love power, anybody could accomplish that.”

  “Well, that’s true...” Zagan did the same thing for Foll, after all. Eventually, he returned a nod, which made Gremory thrust her finger at him repeatedly.

  “Then answer this. When you saw such a crabby little girl gingerly taking candy from me, what did you feel?” Gremory asked, then slowly sidled up next to Zagan and whispered in his ear like a devil, “You felt charmed, correct?”

  “Erk...” Zagan’s body stiffened up as he realized Gremory had seen right through him.

  “What did you think when her eyes shot open due to the sweetness of the chocolate? How about when she bashfully muttered ‘It’s sweet...?’ And then, at the end, how about the way she tried to hide her embarrassment with a ‘ Jeez...?’”

  She shot out each and every word as if trying to stab Zagan. And the stray fire from them slammed right into Nephteros, leading her to bite down on her lips and let out bitter groans. Seeing her react like that, Gremory’s lips curved into a grand smile.

  “‘She has an unexpected cute side...’ I’m sure that thought came to mind.”

  “Ugh, I didn’t really feel—”

  “It’s fine,” Gremory claimed, cutting him off and continuing with, “That’s just it, my Archdemon. When you see something adorable, you feel relaxed, don’t you? Would anyone take offense to loving the look of a bunny scratching its head? Is it strange to be fascinated by the sight of a beautiful flower? However, wanting to love such things for your entire life is an entirely different matter.”

  “Hear me, Archdemon, love all creation. If you do, the world itself shall become yours!” Gremory spread her arms wide and yelled.

  There was something about her words that Zagan couldn’t just laugh off as nonsense.

  “Hear me, Archdemon. If you feel love, a flower on the roadside will become a treasure that surpasses even a mountain of gold. The ability to accumulate such treasures... is love power!” Gremory proclaimed with a suspicious grin on her face.

  Zagan couldn’t understand a single thing she was saying, but she was speaking with such fervor that it felt she was unraveling a fundamental truth of the world.

  “Then, Miss Gremory, by some chance... is it the same as the throbbing I feel in my chest when I see Master Zagan worry so much about saying just a single phrase correctly?” Nephy asked, clearly taken aback by Gremory’s explanation.

  That’s way too specific! How does she know me so well? Zagan covered his face, barely managing to keep from passing out.

  On the other hand, Gremory stared at her in wonder before responding.

  “Amazing! To think the Archdemon is loved... No, of course he is! You are fit to be by his side because you love him. So I dare to say... Nice love power!”

  Next, while squirming on Zagan’s back, Foll raised her hand.

  “Then, the soothing feeling I get when I see Zagan put Nephy on his lap and squeeze her tight is the same?”

  “Indeed! And the way that butler refuses to show that to you and covers your face is also some splendid love power.”

  Nephy covered her face and squatted down after being hit with an unexpected counterattack.

  “You already get it, don’t you? The act of comforting a pitiful lass is not love power, but drawing out her charm and perceiving it as adorable is. You have both the talent and the power for it. One day, you will surely ascend to heights even beyond me,” Gremory whispered to Zagan with a satisfied look on her face.

  Zagan could only groan as she praised him for something he didn’t want anything to do with.

  If she became an Archdemon instead of me, wouldn’t the world have gotten totally messed up? He started regretting that such a sorcerer was under his command, but at the same time, he knew it would have been worse if she was left at large.

  At that point, Nephteros finally seemed to have run out of patience as she stood up.

  “You, the fomorian over there, I’ve been quietly listening for a while now, but you sure have some nerve. Cut it out alread— Eeek?” Nephteros was trying
to pressure her to stop, but she suddenly let out a scream instead. Zagan looked up to see what was going on, and before he knew it, Gremory had transformed from an old woman to a young, beautiful one. Then, in that form, she started gently caressing Nephteros.

  They two of them looked odd together. Nephteros seemed to have fallen backward, and Gremory embraced her from behind and ran her finger along Nephteros’ chin.

  “Keehee, your angry face is also quite lovely, isn’t it? Do not pleasure me in such ways. I’ll lose my patience!”

  “Eeek, wh-what are you...”

  “Oh my, your skin is beautiful. Your golden eyes and white hair are also splendid. Keehee, come now, is this really enough to make you blush?”

  “S-Stop... Let me... Oh...”

  When it came to simple power as a sorcerer, Nephteros should have been far superior, but having such straightforward words of praise showered on her made her go limp. Her dark skin was tinted bright red, and the way her hand was trembling in anxiety atop her chest made her seem like a nervous little girl.

  “L-Let me go... I’m... telling you... to let me... go...”

  “Keeheehee, you truly are quite innocent, aren’t you? Well, if you’re set on teasing me, then I’ll guide you. Go on, call me ‘sister dearest.’”

  In that moment, Zagan recalled that Gremory held the second name Enchantress.

  Nephteros was grimacing at the humiliation of it all, but her disagreeable attitude eventually turned to quivers of defeat. And then, just as she was opening her mouth to signal that she’d succumbed...

  “Ow!” Kimaris mercilessly smacked Gremory’s head.

  “Miss Gremory, please restrain yourself.”

  “You son of a... Don’t get in my way, Kimaris! Just a bit more and this girl would have been unable to live without me!”

  Why did I bring someone like her with me again...? Oh, right, she just invited herself.

  After watching such misleading conduct, Zagan was once more reminded just how loyal and capable Raphael was.

  With Gremory’s attention drawn away, Nephteros was liberated from her arms. However, since she’d completely lost all strength in her legs, it didn’t seem like she could stand.

  “I must apologize to you as well, Miss Nephteros. Once she becomes like this, it’s hard to control her...” Kimaris apologized to her on Gremory’s behalf as he caught her in his fluffy arm. After steadying her, Kimaris let Nephteros down, then grabbed Gremory by the back of her neck and lifted her up.

  Nephteros used that opening to distance herself from Gremory and hide behind Zagan. She even scurried across the ground on all fours to get away as fast as possible. Frankly, the sight was quite pitiful. Feeling bad about it, Zagan opened his mouth to speak.

  “Ah... Sorry that the old hag messed with you.”

  “No... It seems like you’ve been through a lot as well, Archdemon Zagan.”

  “It isn’t normally like this, I swear...” Nephy responded to Nephteros in a weary voice. In that moment, a strange sense of camaraderie was born between the three of them.

  On the other hand, Gremory and Kimaris were still going at each other.

  “Leeet meee gooo!”

  “I will, so please help me make dinner. The sun has already set, and it’s pitch dark out here.”

  The sun had set while Gremory was screwing around. At his words, everyone came to the conclusion that it was time to start pitching tents and cooking dinner, but Chastille raised her voice in a fluster to stop them.

  “H-Hold on, Barbatos has stopped moving completely!”

  Zagan thought the two of them were strangely quiet, so that made sense. Chastille was tending to Barbatos, who still hadn’t woken up. The sight made Zagan suddenly recall a certain doubt he had in mind.

  “I don’t really care about Barbatos, but is it alright not to show some love to that one?” Zagan asked Gremory.

  “Where’s the fun in showing love to a crybaby who’s favored by everyone with little effort? Besides, do you really think I’d ever love an Angelic Knight?”

  Chastille was left speechless by those harsh words.

  ◇

  Zagan’s group chose to sleep in a particularly large house that was still standing. The silver furnishings made it readily apparent that some sort of noble once lived there. Having said that, the construction of the house itself was the same as the other houses, and though the floor was composed of wooden boards, the walls were simply made of rocks piled atop one another. Moss was growing rampantly along them, making it feel like they were staying in a cave. Still, including the basement, there were enough rooms for over ten people, so that was good enough for them.

  Zagan held his hand up to a silver candlestick on the wall, then gathered his mana and lit it. It was a fundamental power that couldn’t even really be called sorcery.

  “So this... is the house of the chief of those elves... is it?” Zagan muttered as he gazed down the now-colorful corridor.

  “Yes. This is the elder’s manor. Though... this is the first time I’ve been here...” Nephy nodded as she replied to Zagan’s question.

  That makes this the best place to look for any clues on celestial mysticism or high elves. Unfortunately, they had wasted all their sunlight thanks to Gremory, so they had to wait to search outside. Left with no other choice, Zagan, Nephy, Chastille, and Nephteros wandered through the house slowly.

  “Why am I even here...” Nephteros let out some dissatisfied words. She had gotten dragged into this and had no way to return home on her own. Because of that, she was reluctantly cooperating with Zagan.

  “You can just wait in the kitchen with Foll if you’d prefer.”

  To take responsibility for the earlier uproar, Gremory and Kimaris agreed to take care of dinner. Foll was taking a break in the kitchen, chowing down on some snacks while waiting. And since Barbatos wasn’t waking up, they just threw him in the first room they could find and left him to rot.

  “No, it’s not like this is all bad. Besides, it would be boring to just sit around and do nothing,” Nephteros replied, trembling in response to Zagan’s question. It seemed the terror of Gremory messing around with her wasn’t so easily forgotten. Honestly, it felt like she was actually saying ‘for the love of god, anywhere but the kitchen.’

  “Well, relax. Sure, Bifrons gets on my nerves, but I’m not going to hold that against you. I’ll look after you until we get back,” Zagan said, shrugging his shoulders.

  Barbatos was at fault for her current predicament, but as an Archdemon, Zagan thought it best to at least be a little generous.

  “About Master Bifrons... Um...” Nephteros’ dark ears quivered as she hung her head.

  Zagan was unable to catch what she said beyond her initial words. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, intending to ask her to speak up, but Chastille spoke first.

  “What a strange building. It feels like the aura of my Sacred Sword is sharpening from just being here...” Chastille said as she touched the walls around her.

  “You sure about that?” Zagan’s eyes widened upon hearing something so unexpected.

  “It seems like Norden really might be sacred land. Even the church’s cathedrals are nowhere near as spiritually clean...” Chastille claimed, sticking her chest out in pride. It seemed that the energy Sacred Swords possessed that was similar to mana was called ‘aura.’

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to draw out the true power of my Sacred Sword in this place. And this time around, I’m wearing my Anointed Armor, so I won’t be scared by any enemy!” Chastille proclaimed, nodding repeatedly in admiration of the place the entire time.

  “Wouldn’t the most likely enemies in this place be the ghosts of the elves whose beds we’re using?”

  “Eeek, ghosts!?” Chastille shrieked, turning completely pale in a flash.

  “I really hope this isn’t true... but... are you scared of ghosts?” Zagan asked in an exasperated voice.

  “I-I mean, come on, they’re dead people
who just pop up out of nowhere!”

  “Isn’t dealing with ghosts and the undead a part of your job as an Angelic Knight?”

  The church didn’t only do battle with sorcerers. It was also their job to respond to the concerns and grievances of their followers. And since sorcerers often enslaved ghosts and the undead, Angelic Knights had to go fight them.

  For an Archangel of all people to be scared of ghosts... How pathetic. Chastille was unable to hide her trembling hands as she replied to his question.

  “A job is a job, but scary things are scary. What’s wrong with that?”

  Even Nephteros was let down by that response.

  “...Do you not even possess a notion of self-respect or pride?” Zagan asked.

  “I believe that being too proud is a recipe for disaster.”

  Well, that sure fit her meek, crybaby persona. In truth, Zagan was genuinely curious how such a person ever even became an Angelic Knight.

  Oh, right, she was chosen by her Sacred Sword. Her sense of responsibility was strong, so she was probably unable to free herself from her burden against better judgment. Perhaps Gremory had said there was ‘no need to show any love’ to her because of her strong convictions.

  “I-Is that so...?” Nephteros faltered in her response. It seemed Chastille’s rather dignified response had stumped her. Her tone made it apparent that she was unsure whether to sympathize with her point of view or scorn her for it.

  This girl... Looks like she’s bad at dealing with unexpected responses, huh? Thinking back on it, she was quite shaken when Zagan wasn’t tricked at all by her Nephy act. After taking that into consideration, Zagan was sure her arrogant attitude was all an act. And with that in mind, it was clear that Nephteros was quite loveable.

  This is bad. I’ve started thinking of love far too much thanks to Gremory. She was truly terrifying. Gremory had even managed to infect the ever-apathetic Zagan...

  “Now that I think of it, it seems like you can’t really handle Foll either, can you?” Zagan muttered to Chastille as he pulled himself together.