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

by Fuminori Teshima

  They’ve seen through everything... Nephy thought as she bit down on her lip. It seemed this shadow knew everything about her. Bifrons was clearly not the only one who was monitoring her and Zagan.

  “Hm... You truly mourn the death of such riff-raff? Amazing. You believe in second chances for even the most heinous villains... and grieve over the loss of such possibilities. How noble.”

  Nephy was taken aback by the ideas the shadow was expressing, which seemed almost ripped straight from her mind.

  “Just... what are you?” Nephy forced that question out as she trembled in fear. However, the shadow simply replied in a carefree tone.

  “Oh dear, my apologies. At my age, I don’t get the chance to meet new people often.”

  The shadow removed their hood as they said that, revealing an old woman with white hair. She possessed a stern gaze that exceeded anything Gremory had ever shot at Nephy, which was accentuated by her all-too-familiar azure eyes.

  It can’t be... Is she...? Nephy gulped as she took in those eyes and ears that seemed so similar to hers.

  “I am the one who carries the fate of this village, the...”

  Nephy cut her off and took action. This old woman was too dangerous. Bifrons was amicable compared to her.

  Spirits of the forest, answer my call! The roots of the trees around the village reached far under the ground, so Nephy’s call reached them even though she was inside a building.

  Roots shot through the floorboards one after the other due to Nephy’s mysticism. The only attack she could use with sorcery was a blade of flame, and celestial mysticism required her to sing, so that was her only option. Unfortunately, the roots failed to capture anything.

  “She’s gone...?”

  The old woman shook and vanished from sight.

  That wasn’t her real body? Even now, the land obeyed Nephy’s will, but it couldn’t find any trace of her.

  Does that mean the threat is gone? Nephy’s opponent had power that far outstripped hers, but she had left her alone.

  “Have I become a stronger person now?”

  It sure didn’t feel like it. Nephy had stood up to the old woman, but it seemed like she didn’t even spare her a second thought. Dumbfounded by the situation, she just stood around for a while before returning to her senses.

  “That’s right. I have to report this to Master Zagan...” Nephy felt that Zagan needed to know about this mysterious old woman. And so, she turned toward the front door, but found herself interrupted by ominous laughter. It was a deep, gloomy, and creepy cackle that echoed through Nephy’s head and distorted her vision. However, there wasn’t anyone around who could be the source, which left her perplexed.

  Did she set this up before she left...? Nephy was capable of crushing the entire house and dragging it underground, but she wasn’t sure that would do anything. Moreover, there was a possibility that the thing Zagan was looking for was here in this house, so she couldn’t take that risk.

  Still, Nephy couldn’t think of any other options. And so, she slowly walked out of the house with her guard up. For whatever reason, the laughing stopped as soon as she stepped outside.

  What’s happening? She had felt quite dizzy at first, but now she was fine. Pleasantly surprised by the turn of events, she started walking toward the elder’s manor, but...

  “H-Huh?” Nephy’s feet buckled, leaving her unable to walk properly. Wait, am I even standing up right now? It looks a lot like I’m crawling instead... My body won’t move the way I want it to...

  The night grew colder, but even so, Nephy somehow managed to struggle over to the elder’s manor.

  “Mashter... Zagan...” Nephy was speaking with a lisp, presumably because of the cold weather, as she stretched out her hand out to the doorknob. However, she found herself unable reach it. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that her hands were completely hidden inside her sleeve, and her boots were suddenly oversized.

  Something’s wrong with my body... Nephy didn’t understand what was going on, which made her knock on Zagan’s door sound all the more desperate.

  “Mashter Zagan...”

  Surprisingly, the door slammed open before even a second passed.

  “Nephy!” Zagan roared. He stretched out his arms to embrace Nephy, but immediately stiffened, a shocked expression on his face.

  “Are you really Nephy? What’s with that body?”

  “Huh...?” Nephy looked down at her body again, at which point she realized that her clothes were far too big for her. Confused, she tried touching her own face, which was oddly squishy and stretchy. And as a final test, she moved her tongue around the inside of her mouth, which made it clear that not all her teeth had popped out yet. After confirming all that, the truth finally dawned on her.

  Nephy had turned into a small child.

  Chapter III: An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Child Elf Bride

  “Wow, she came back as a kid, huh?” Barbatos said as he tried to poke Little Nephy’s cheeks.

  It was still late at night. Zagan had immediately rushed outside when he realized Nephy was missing, but he found her on the other side of the door, seemingly de-aged. Unsure how to deal with the situation, Zagan gathered everyone in the living room. He had managed to get Foll, Chastille, Nephteros, and Barbatos.

  Gremory and Kimaris weren’t there. The two of them went to investigate the house Nephy had visited. This was because sorcery that manipulated age was Gremory’s field of expertise, and Kimaris could track people by scent. They left the window open so that the two of them could report back the moment they found anything.

  Zagan looked down at his lap... where the now tiny Nephy was sound asleep. Her usual maid outfit was too baggy to wear, so she’d changed into some children’s clothing that they’d found in the manor. It was quite old, yet still cute, with frilly lace decorating the collar and skirt. It looked more like formal wear than anything, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  Foll was gently brushing Nephy’s head. Judging from her appearance, she looked to be about five or six years old. It was difficult to judge the age of a child, but it was certain that she was under ten, which left her looking younger than Foll.

  Nephy tried her best to explain the situation, but walking through the cold had left her winded. She ended up dozing off before they got any relevant information. Luckily, she had left a clue beforehand...

  “This note was left behind in Nephy’s room. It reads, ‘I saw a light in my house, so I’m going to investigate it.’”

  “Why the hell’d she go off on her own? Doesn’t she always ask for Zagan’s opinion before doing something?” Barbatos inquired, a puzzled expression on his face. Even Barbatos, of all people, seemed to understand Nephy fairly well. Next, Chastille took the note from Barbatos’ hand.

  “You really don’t get it, do you? It was her old house, a place full of awful memories. Do you really not understand the sense of shame and embarrassment she must have felt?” Chastille asked as she ripped the note out of Barbatos’ hands.

  “No way in hell I’d understand crap like that.”

  Chastille glared at Barbatos in response, but it didn’t have much effect.

  This is all my fault. I should have kept her by my side at all times... Sure, Zagan knew Nephy must have thought things through before taking action, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He wanted to commend her determination, but he wished they could have just talked things through and worked together from the start. Then, things wouldn’t have turned out so bad.

  “Zagan, can you turn Nephy back?” Foll asked.

  “I’ll show you that I can,” Zagan immediately replied. However, he wasn’t actually so sure. And it seemed he’d done a poor job of hiding that unease, as Barbatos raised an eyebrow.

  “Hold up. If you could fix things, she’d be back to normal already... You can’t break down this sorcery, can you?”

  “...It’s not sorcery.”

  “Say what?”

  T
hat was the reason Zagan was making such a grim expression.

  “Nephy wasn’t turned into a child by sorcery. It’s mysticism, or if not that, something even more ancient, like a dragon or god’s curse.”

  In other words, it was something even Sorcerer Slayer Zagan could not overcome.

  “It’s... not a dragon’s curse. It’s something else. Maybe something even more powerful...” Foll claimed as she placed her hand on the sleeping Nephy’s forehead. She may have been young, but Foll was still a dragon, so she was most likely correct.

  “...I think it’s mysticism,” Nephteros declared.

  “Are you certain?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but it feels quite similar... Still, that’s odd. The only living high elves in the world, let alone this village, are Nephelia and I.”

  “Think you can break it?”

  “That would be quite difficult. Master Bifrons never taught me anything like this. Maybe you can ask them for help, but...” Nephteros was being rather vague, but her expression relayed that she thought it best not to consult Bifrons.

  Suits me just fine. Don’t really want to end up indebted to that guy... Even if they did go to Bifrons, there was no trusting that shady Archdemon. Bifrons would probably just abduct Nephy under the pretense of examination.

  “It’ll take some time, but I’ll try looking into it... I hate to say this, but that old... Gremory is probably your best bet,” Nephteros proclaimed as she begrudgingly gave credit to the woman who had harassed her earlier.

  It was certainly true that Gremory could change her age with sorcery, which did make her their most valuable asset on this case. Nephteros’ response was sound, which surprised Zagan and made him turn a warm gaze over to her.

  “Hm? What do you want?”

  “Mmm... I just never expected you to actually want to help Nephy.”

  “D-Don’t misunderstand! I’m indebted to you, so this is just my way of paying you back! Besides, I can’t exactly leave after putting you in a bad mood earlier, right?” Nephteros said, her ears turning bright red as she continued to ramble.

  “Man, you’re a pretty annoying girl...” Barbatos muttered in an exasperated tone.

  “...What are you trying to say?” Nephteros inquired as she glared back at him, but Barbatos simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

  “I understand you completely!” Chastille claimed as she clasped Nephteros’ shoulder with a burning gaze. She seemed to think she’d found a kindred spirit.

  “About how I find this man irritating and want to kill him?”

  “That too, but I’m talking about how you’re a truly kind person at heart!”

  “Wha... Wh-Wh-What?!” Nephteros’ ears were dyed bright red as they began flapping about. It seemed that she was completely thrown out of sorts, since she wasn’t even able to coldly retort as she usually did.

  “Oh, come on, why do you guys hate me so much? I’ve saved your skin a ton of times, remember...?” Barbatos was muttering something, seemingly depressed, but that didn’t really matter.

  I see. If Nephteros slips up even a little, she ends up the same as Chastille, huh? Sure, she wasn’t breaking down like a crybaby, but the way she looked when Gremory was toying around with her reminded Zagan of Chastille’s tear-stained face.

  The person in question seemed self-conscious of that fact, since she shrank back with a pale face, then shook her head in a fluster.

  “I don’t enjoy being bullied like you do!”

  “...Isn’t that a little rude?” Chastille looked downright depressed. It seemed being rejected by a potential comrade was far too much for her to bear.

  At that exact moment, Gremory and Kimaris returned from Nephy’s house.

  “We’ve returned, my Archdemon,” Gremory said.

  “...How was it?” Zagan asked. Unfortunately, the two of them shook their heads.

  “There are traces of something being used, but the caster is long gone.”

  “Their scent was also erased, so I was unable to track them. I’m sorry.”

  They were facing an opponent who could turn Nephy into a child before she even knew it, so he wasn’t surprised that they covered all their tracks.

  “Good work. There’s something I’d like your help with starting tomorrow, so get some rest,” Zagan offered his thanks to the pair as he let out a sigh.

  “Hm...” Gremory nodded at his words as she adjusted the scythe on her shoulder, but it was clear to Zagan that something was wrong.

  “Is something bothering you, Gremory?”

  “...Only a little. It’s just, the traces of power I saw seemed awfully familiar.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s just a hunch. I don’t actually know its true nature, but...” Gremory trailed off before shaking her head and saying, “Well, I’ll report back to you right away if I remember anything. Don’t get your hopes too high, though.”

  “No, I’m relying on you,” Zagan said, asserting his belief. Even if they were unable to break the curse itself, Gremory’s sorcery had the potential to help cure Nephy.

  Both Gremory and Kimaris were taken aback by Zagan’s reply, so they simply stared back at him in wonder for a while before responding.

  “Keeheehee, you’re quite the sweet talker, aren’t you? Well, if my Archdemon is relying on me, I can’t afford to cut any corners.”

  “I shall also do everything in my power to aid you,” Kimaris proclaimed.

  “You’re relying on them...?” Nephteros watched the two of them intently as she said that. Her voice almost sounded envious. And honestly, Zagan could understand that feeling. After all, he had only learned the joy of relying on others and being relied on in return quite recently. Thankfully, that lesson had also made him realize he had to show others his sincerity, which was why Zagan repeated the same words to Nephteros.

  “I’m also relying on you, Nephteros. You’re the only one of us who knows a thing about mysticism.”

  “...I-I already agreed to cooperate, didn’t I?” Nephteros turned her face away as she said that, but Zagan could tell her ears were quivering happily.

  I’m not sure who’s stupid enough to mess with Nephy, but I’ll be sure to make them regret it.

  In general, anger was a prime motivator, and Zagan was positively seething. He had trouble containing the burning rage that was coursing through his veins, and he eagerly awaited the chance to direct it straight into the source of all his frustrations.

  However, unfortunately for Zagan, things didn’t go according to his plan at all.

  ◇

  “Mashter Zagan! What’s this?” Nephy asked as she dug up a frog who was in the middle of hibernating in the forest.

  “That creature... is known as a frog. It’s edible, so we can at least use it as an emergency ration.”

  “I-I could never!”

  “Only if you’re ever starving. It looks like it’s still hibernating, so put it back where you found it for now.”

  “Hibernating...?”

  “This sort of creature can’t gather much food in the winter, which makes it resort to sleeping through most of it.”

  “Mashter Zagan’s amazing! You know everything, don’t you!?”

  “...Not really.”

  The next morning, Nephy’s mind had regressed to match her outer appearance. By the time morning rolled around, she had completely forgotten what happened the previous night. Having said that, it wasn’t like she forgot about Zagan and the others. In fact, she was actually quite attached to them.

  “Nephy, let’s go bury it,” Foll said from right beside Nephy.

  “Yes, Big Shish!” Nephy responded as she tottered along behind Foll. It seemed that Nephy’s change had resulted in them getting closer. Foll also seemed to quite like being called a big sister, and she continued to lead Nephy by the hand all over the place.

  Zagan was reading a book in the shade of a tree while watching over the two of them. Contrary to the graveness of the situation, the
scene playing out before him was akin to a family picnic.

  For the time being, I guess it’s a good thing that Nephy isn’t all that depressed... Luckily, she hadn’t forgotten about Zagan and the others, or that might not have been true.

  Zagan glanced behind him. Now that it was bright out, the others had begun investigating the village. None of them knew exactly what happened to Nephy’s body, so Zagan and Foll ended up staying by her side.

  Barbatos, who had deep shadows beneath his eyes and whose speech and conduct were damaged beyond repair. Gremory, who had once more returned to the form of an old woman and was far too untrustworthy. Kimaris, who had the face of a lion that could kill a beast with a single glare. Nephteros, who upon their first meeting, only ever scowled at people. And Zagan, who, needless to say, did not have a countenance that attracted children at all. At best, the only person around who a child would trust upon a first meeting was the crybaby, Chastille. No child would survive in such a hostile environment.

  Zagan looked over to see how his companions were doing. Perhaps having noticed that, Chastille walked over to him with a bored expression on her face.

  “How’s it going here, Zagan?”

  “Foll’s doing great with Nephy. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find anything of particular use.”

  Of course, it wasn’t like Zagan was just babysitting. Next to him was a pile of journals that he found in the manor. They were the journals of the village elders that spanned generations.

  “Can you read elven writing?” Chastille muttered in admiration.

  “Celestian is another matter, but I can understand their common tongue to an extent, yes,” Zagan said. Then, he threw a question back at Chastille, “Is everything fine on your end?”

  “Sorry, but my knowledge of elves and sorcery can’t compare to any of you. I’ll probably be more useful as Nephy’s bodyguard...” Chastille replied in a dignified manner that made her usual crybaby persona seem utterly fake. And after that, she cast her gaze downward and said, “Do you think there are any clues in those elven journals?”