Frankly, all of them were ruining the atmosphere. But still, Zagan felt like forgiving all of it.
Unfortunately, Zagan failed to notice one important fact at that time.
Nephteros was nowhere to be found...
◇
“...Hmm. Did you have some business with me?” Orias inquired.
Inside the dense forest.
Nephteros erased her presence and chased after Orias. Before long, her pursuit was noticed, and Orias stopped walking and called out to her. As Nephteros revealed herself, Orias nodded in understanding.
“You’re... I see. You aren’t Zagan’s subordinate, but Bifrons’, correct?” Orias replied with no hint of hostility in her voice. But even so, Nephteros felt ready to fall to her knees as their eyes met.
Zagan managed to defeat this monster so handily...? Everyone else in the village combined were unable to even lay a finger on Orias, but he defeated her all on his own. How terrifying. And an audible gulp made Nephteros’ fear resound from within her throat. It made her hate herself for creating a situation where she was meeting with an Archdemon on her own. It wasn’t like Nephteros was under Zagan’s protection. If she displeased someone who had no reason to keep her alive, then she would surely die.
This was how Archdemons were, and Orias was one of them. Still, Nephteros mustered her willpower and opened her mouth to speak.
“Please, somehow forgive my discourtesy. I have come forth... because there is something that I would like to ask you.”
“I’m in a good mood right now. There is no need to humble yourself,” Orias said as she shrugged her shoulders.
“I see,” Nephteros said, turning pale and pitifully trembling, despite Orias’ gentle tone. This Archdemon was certainly scary. However, potentially learning the answer to what she wanted to ask was also quite frightening.
“Go on. Speak. It seems Zagan has taken a liking to you, so I will do you no harm,” Orias stated in a comforting tone. Somehow, her words almost seemed to be filled with pity.
“You are... Nephelia’s mother, are you not?” Nephteros asked as she finally managed to gather her resolve.
“...I am. Though, if possible, I would prefer you not speak of it.”
“My apologies. However, this is an important matter,” Nephteros replied with a quick bow. Then, she asked, “Do you... have any other children?”
“Hmm...? I don’t really understand the point of your question. What do you mean?”
“I... have the same face as Nephelia. I have the same white hair, and am also well-versed in Celestian,” Nephteros replied while nervously gulping down all the saliva in her mouth. And then, while touching her own face, she continued, “But I don’t have any memories... I remember nothing of my childhood... or my family...”
Above all else, she was scared that she had never even doubted that fact before. Her voice was trembling in an unsightly manner as her face twisted, ready to burst in tears at any moment.
“Just... what am I?”
And in response, Orias said...
To be continued...
Afterword
It’s been a long time. I have come to deliver An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride Volume 4. My name is Fuminori Teshima.
The main focus of this volume? ‘My bride has turned into a little girl, so how should I show my love for her?’ On a visit to Nephy’s hometown, Nephy ends up turning into a child. Foll is happy to be a big sister, Gremory runs wild in her child form, and, for some reason, Nephteros gets caught up in the mix! However, among all that, the one who remains most levelheaded is Chastille. Will you turn Nephy back to being your bride, or will you raise her as a daughter!? It’s time to choose, Zagan!
Well, that’s the gist of this arc.
Perhaps due to Nephy becoming smaller, Nephteros hangs around a fair bit more than usual. It’s also quite fresh to have Nephy show so many different expressions in the illustrations.
Also, contrary to my expectations as the author, Gremory, who was kind of a side character in volume 3, has taken center stage. Thanks to that, I feel like the plot ended up diverging a lot, but, well, that’s not a really a big deal. Honestly, I’m just really glad that my chief editor, K, didn’t put a stop to Nephteros’ scene with Gremory.
I mean, I really enjoyed that scene.
Wasn’t it nice? This is just my personal opinion, but I prefer that kind of relationship to people getting all clingy all the time... It’s also nice when there’s a couple with an age gap, right? Like a middle-aged boss and a new recruit. Or wait, maybe more like an experienced butler and a new maid?
You know where one is really noisy and boisterous, but the other is stoic and silent? Or like, a very earnest young girl who’s also foul-mouthed and lonely. It’s really great when those types of characters start to open their hearts. And by that logic, the pairing of an eccentric granny and a young girl is nice too, isn’t it? Like, the granny looks all lonely when the girl isn’t there, and then the girl shows up and the granny frowns to hide her embarrassment... Ah, that thought warms my heart...
Hold on, this afterword is getting awfully long, isn’t it? Guess I spent too much time talking about how the plot was shaped by my feti— No, um, I’ve just been speaking about things totally unrelated to this book. Anyway, enough about those hobbies. Though, speaking of hobbies, the compressor for my airbrush broke, so I got a brand new one. Using precise tools makes things a lot more fun, so I’m honestly glad I have a new model. The tablet that I’ve been using also broke, which means I’ve got a new one of those, too! And I got a kind that pros use, to boot! What’s really amazing is that when I draw a straight line, it doesn’t bend at all. Makes drawing a whole lot easier!
I think the next volume will focus on Nephteros, who had an awfully turbulent ending this time around, and Chastille, who’s been working herself to death. Since it involves Chastille, maybe a new character from the church will appear? Also, this time around, Zagan and Nephy made their relationship clear, but they have no idea how a normal couple acts. That’s got me real fired up to write An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love your Elf Bride Volume 5. Hopefully, I can release it this spring.
Oh, one more thing! The news is already out, but the manga adaptation of this story is going well. They showed me the key visuals ahead of time and assured me that they’re doing everything they can to keep the tone consistent with my work. I’m looking forward to the complete product.
The serialization date for the manga may not be set by the time you read this afterword, but I hope we’ll be able to deliver it to you soon. Please look forward to it!
As for my other plans, this volume was supposed to be a new publication for January, but it ended up getting shuffled around because of the new year’s schedule. That’s why it’s going on sale in December, the same month as the novelization of ‘Desktop Army: The Evil Tower of Rapunzel,’ the final book of the trilogy! Also, we’re done designing merch for this series, and it should be on sale come January.
Oh, wait, I’m not done yet! I do believe volume 2 of I Married the Demon Lord’s Daughter and Started Living in the Country, but It Seems We’re Not Allowed to Be Happy! will soon go on sale, courtesy of GA Bunko.
I think that’s about everything I have to report? Hope I didn’t forget anything...
Now then, allow me to offer my gratitude to everyone who has assisted me.
To my chief editor, K, who always takes care of me. To the illustrator, COMTA, who provided the gorgeous illustrations yet again (Kid Nephy is cute, but that dragon was wonderful). To everyone involved with the cover design, proofreading, publicity, and such. To my children, who have been busy with the PTA and cleaning the house. And to you, my dear readers, who are holding this book in your hands.
Thank you very much!
December 2017: On a certain noisy day at the end of the year
— Fuminori Teshima
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Copyright
An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 4
by Fuminori Teshima
Translated by Hikoki
Edited by DxSA
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Fuminori Teshima
Illustrations Copyright © 2017 COMTA
Cover illustration by COMTA
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published in 2017 by Hobby Japan
This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo
English translation © 2018 J-Novel Club LLC
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: February 2019
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 4 Page 16