An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 2

by Fuminori Teshima

  Prologue

  “Chastille Lillqvist — thine authority as an Archangel is hereby indefinitely suspended.”

  As the head of the church’s Kianoides branch, Chastille’s direct superior, Cardinal Clavwell, informed her of her punishment three days ago. In reality, it was a command of penitence, but she wasn’t being restrained.

  Having already lost her place in the church, Chastille was just aimlessly staggering down a street in Kianoides. Eventually, she arrived at a place where she once reunited with a certain girl.

  “I’m rather... foolish, huh?” And all alone, she muttered those words to herself.

  Chastille had no Sacred Sword on her back, and wasn’t even wearing the proof that she was an Angelic Knight, her Anointed Armor. The three knights who served as her subordinates offered to escort her, but she turned them down flat. After all, as she was now, she was just a normal person.

  Half a month ago, a new Archdemon was born. His name was Zagan. Sorcerer Slayer Zagan.

  An Archdemon was not a king of monsters, demons, or anything of the sort, as the name may have implied. Instead, it was the name given to those who had reached the very heights of sorcery. They were individuals that the church had to hunt down with all their might, their mortal enemies.

  However, Chastille rejected the duty of subjugating that Archdemon. On the contrary, she raised an objection and argued that Zagan was someone they should not fight. And as a result, she lost everything that gave her a sense of belonging.

  Even after all this, I’m sure Zagan would never thank me.

  He wasn’t one to desire the help of an enemy. In fact, she doubted he even knew of the concept of gratitude in more ordinary circumstances. He did nothing but believe in his own power, and was a man who used that power to cast aside anything he found irrational.

  Still, I wanted to do something for his sake. Chastille herself wasn’t sure whether that was because he had saved her life twice already, or for some other reason.

  She would likely be snuffed out sooner or later. There was no way the church would just allow a former Archangel to live freely. No, she was sure taking care of her would even be a higher priority than subjugating Archdemons.

  She became an enemy of the organization that was hell bent on exterminating sorcerers. The mere thought of that fact made her blood run cold. From the beginning, Chastille had a timid personality. And yet, curiously enough, she didn’t feel any sense of regret. Chastille stood strong and didn’t waver in the face of authority, so she wanted to be proud of that.

  Zagan remembering her would be thanks enough. The only thing in his heart was that white-haired elven girl, and the thought of forcing herself in there never once crossed her mind.

  At the very least, though, she wanted to watch them pass their time in peace, and eventually, see them raise a happy family. If they did that, then them remembering her every once in a while was more than enough for her.

  As that rather depressing wish grew stronger, she saw their figures rise up in front of her eyes. It was the young man with his usual evil countenance, and the elven girl. Plus, there was an adorable girl in between them holding each of their hands. She was a lovely young girl with a nasty look in her eyes, which made one think of Zagan.

  “Well, that damn Zagan would surely become a doting father.” Chastille knew that man was essentially kind at heart.

  “Are you... pleased with those clothes?”

  “Mm... Thank you, Zagan.”

  Those sure sounded like the words of an awkward father... Was it an auditory hallucination? Having even heard that kind of voice, Chastille finally came to her senses.

  “Z-Zagan?” Finding it unbelievable that she would happen across them at such a time, Chastille unintentionally raised a hysteric voice.

  And with that, they likely also realized she was there. The young man then returned her gaze.

  It wasn’t a hallucination. And yet, just what was going on? There was a small, young girl between the two of them.

  “N-No way... you two... have already gotten close enough to be blessed with a child...?”

  Seeing Chastille’s utter shock, the young man’s face became remarkably red.

  “D-D-D-D-D-Don’t say such shameless things! Nephy and I have yet to, um...” And then, he exchanged glances with the elven girl next to him, which made them both turn their faces away in a fluster.

  It almost felt like he was showing off, which made Chastille want to hit him.

  And while both of them were shaken, the little girl pointed her finger at Chastille.

  “Zagan, who’s that?” She still had an undeveloped tone, but her voice seemed to contain both trust and affection.

  The young man then nodded to the girl, and turned to face Chastille. Would his eyes contain a pleasant look of nostalgia, or perhaps a sense of unease due to their previous positions? A sound unintentionally rang out as Chastille gulped.

  And then, what the young man said was—

  “Oh, right, who are you?”

  With a snap, some sort of thread within Chastille was severed. It can’t be... There’s no way he doesn’t remember me, right...!? Wasn’t that going a bit too far? And, as one would expect, Chastille was unable to hold back her tears.

  Let us go back to several days ago in order to properly explain this situation.

  Chapter I: Even an Archdemon Shouldn’t Beat a Child

  “‘Sigil of the Archdemon,’ huh?”

  Zagan muttered that name to himself in his castle’s archives, where his collection of books had constantly continued to grow.

  Yes, everything in there belonged to Zagan. He already had a considerable book collection to begin with, but there were now piles of books on the floor that wouldn’t fit into the bookshelves.

  About half a month ago, Zagan inherited the legacy of his predecessor, Archdemon Marchosias. And the piles of books on the floor were but a small portion of it. He only brought over things related to what he wished to research, but even that seemed to be too much.

  Zagan, who was sweeping up his bangs as if he were tired, was at the ripe young age of eighteen. His long black hair, which he had not groomed at all, was tied up behind him, and he wore a robe lined with red cloth. On top of that, his silver eyes, as well as the eternally sinister expressions on his face further increased the overbearing sense he gave off.

  Zagan was a sorcerer who held the title Archdemon. And right now, he had something that he had to do.

  “I can’t really find any clues...”

  There was a certain ‘something’ called demons that once existed in this world. No, right now they were only hiding themselves, and likely still existed somewhere. Just the other day, Zagan encountered one of them.

  There wasn’t a huge gap between them, but it was still not an opponent he could defeat. Or at least, that was how it should have been, yet Zagan still survived by some stroke of luck.

  As he stuck out his right hand, a sigil floated up there, looking something like a letter. This was the Sigil of the Archdemon. And a demon bowed its head and obeyed its bearer.

  There is a need for me to understand this thing’s true nature, then. It was a power that could even repel a demon. However, it was different from any sorcery crest that Zagan knew about.

  He suspected that there may have been some sort of clue within the preceding Archdemon’s legacy, but the results didn’t look favorable.

  “...Phew.” After pouring over them all morning, Zagan returned the books he pulled off the bookshelves to where they belonged. Even appetite and sleep could be freely manipulated by s
orcerers, so the concept of fatigue essentially didn’t exist.

  Still, willpower wasn’t something any sorcery could control. Depression and mental exhaustion were utterly unavoidable. And so, just as Zagan let out a breath, thinking of taking a little break due to that fact... he suddenly sensed that the door behind him had opened.

  Nephy, huh?

  It was the name of the girl who was Zagan’s disciple, servant, and... the one he loved from his heart. She was his only housemate.

  Nephy was an elven girl. In ancient times, her race was called the fairies of Norden, a race whose characteristic feature was their pointed ears. And among those, Nephy possessed snow-white hair, which meant she possessed especially strong mana.

  That long hair was adorned with a deep crimson ribbon, and her small facial features were accented by her large azure eyes. Wrapped around her dainty body was a white apron and a one piece dress, the uniform of a maid, and she also wore boots which had sorcery to reduce fatigue cast on them, but this was just her regular attire.

  As Zagan shifted his attention to the sky through the window, he saw that the sun had already passed its peak. It appeared that Nephy had come to call him down for lunch.

  However, since Zagan was facing a bookshelf, she was probably keeping quiet so that she wouldn’t get in his way. And yet, the presence behind him was slowly and quietly getting closer.

  Is she maybe... trying to surprise me? After a certain incident passed, Nephy ended up calling him Master Zagan instead of just Master. That made him feel they were now more intimate, if only slightly.

  There was a possibility that she came by to surprise Zagan as a joke. And of course, Zagan was no fool who would ruin her fun.

  Now then, what’s she gonna do to me? While putting all his effort into pretending not to notice her, he remained there restlessly as the presence right behind him stretched out their hands.

  However, there was about a head in difference between Zagan and Nephy’s height. Adding on to that fact, because he was probing around the archives, he was standing on a step ladder.

  “Guess whooo... Huh? I can’t reach...” The hands she stretched out only reached as far as Zagan’s shoulders.

  As Zagan turned around, the figure of a girl who was greatly perplexed since she couldn’t reach his face came into view.

  And around her neck was a boorish collar. Though it no longer had the power to seal mana as it once did, it was the precious collar of vows between Zagan and Nephy.

  After a while of her fidgeting, Nephy’s ears became a bright red all the way to their pointy tips.

  “Um, what to do...?” Nephy said that as if at a complete loss. Her face looked as expressionless as ever, but her lips were quivering, and she had tears floating up in the corner of her eyes. Above all else, the tips of her pointy ears were quivering as if saying that she was unable to bear the shame.

  It seemed even she was unable to endure the embarrassment of the situation.

  No, seriously, what do I even do here!? He wanted to embrace her and rub his cheek against hers, but Zagan’s spirit was not so strong that he could do such a daring thing to the girl he liked.

  As Nephy gripped her apron tightly, she muttered something while letting her gaze wander.

  “Um, you see... I was thinking... maybe I could surprise you, Master Zagan...”

  “Surprise me, and then what?”

  “Oh, um, I hadn’t... Thought that far ahead.”

  It seemed she just wanted to try it.

  Nephy’s ears twitched repeatedly on short intervals as she replied while stuttering, and seeing her like that made Zagan want to slam his head against the wall.

  What exactly are you planning to do to me by being so cute!? Zagan had many things he wanted to say like, ‘Even if you don’t do something like that, I’m surprised by your cuteness,’ or, ‘I was so surprised that I wanted to embrace you,’ but after taking a deep breath, he managed to calm himself down. And then, he cleared his throat out with a cough.

  “I see. It’s time to eat, right Nephy?”

  “Yes. Preparations for lunch have been completed, Master Zagan.”

  They left the archives behind, red in the face all the while.

  This was an ordinary, everyday occurrence for the two.

  ◇

  The dining hall was a large room with an enormous table that could seat twenty people around it.

  A deep crimson carpet was spread out on the floor, and an extravagant chandelier hung down from the ceiling. There was also a fireplace installed along the wall, which would definitely have been put to use if it was just a little colder.

  Up until just a month ago, this room was overrun with cobwebs, skeletons, and torture devices, but now it was so clean that it was beyond recognition. The change was all thanks to Nephy’s effort.

  “It really is beyond recognition here, too.” As Zagan unintentionally muttered those words, Nephy nodded bashfully.

  “It is the room that you take your meals in after all, Master Zagan.”

  “I-I see. Though, wasn’t it difficult to clean it all up yourself?”

  “No... Actually, there are many rooms that I haven’t tended to as of yet.”

  Though with the mess they were in, they couldn’t really be called rooms.

  Zagan was always willing to lend a hand when it came to carrying heavy objects, but fundamentally, castle maintenance was under Nephy’s jurisdiction. She even managed all the meals, so she had quite a bit of daily work.

  If I could just prepare something like a familiar... It wasn’t like the choice of hiring someone was out of the question, but Zagan wanted to enjoy living together with just the two of them. And unfortunately, sorcery which enslaved something like a familiar was outside of his realm of expertise.

  Zagan headed toward his seat while racking his brains for a solution.

  There were already two portions of food lined up atop the table. And next to the table was a cart with a pot on top of it.

  Reflexively, Zagan let out a deep sigh of admiration.

  So she’s learned even more recipes, huh? There were several dishes here that he was seeing for the first time.

  As Zagan sat at the table, Nephy began to quietly describe the food.

  “For the bread, I have prepared dinner rolls from rye wheat. The appetizer is a salad with tomatoes and green vegetables seasoned with Caesar dressing and grated cheese.”

  Tomatoes were Nephy’s favorite food. She was likely confident in her work, since her somehow triumphant ears were quivering.

  Incidentally, Caesar was the name of a sorcerer from ancient times. He was an odd man who was singularly fixated on his palate instead of immortality, so most believed the fundamentals of cooking was something he built up.

  Next, Nephy poured soup into an empty dish while continuing her explanation.

  “The soup is an oatmeal consomme. For the main dish, I have prepared a lamb saute, so please enjoy them together,” Nephy said as she lined up the dish filled with soup in front of Zagan.

  A fragrant aroma tickled his nose. And then, she placed the main meat dish in front of him as well.

  Normally, this would have been everything, but Nephy then took out a bowl with ice in it.

  “And finally, I have prepared pudding for dessert.”

  “What’s pudding?” It was the first time Zagan heard that word.

  “Manuela taught me how to make it. It’s a confection made by steaming eggs and fresh cream... Um, it’s very sweet, and tasty to boot,” Nephy said as her cheeks turned slightly red.

  Seeing that delighted expression of hers, even Zagan began to blush.

  “I-I see... Still, you got it from that clerk, huh? Did she end up telling you to do anything strange?”

  As Nephy nodded calmly, she put her hand to her chest and replied to his questions.

  “It’s alright. All she did was make me wear some slightly embarrassing clothes.”

  “That’s not alright!”

&nb
sp; “Huh...? I only showed it to Manuela, so it’s alright?”

  “That’s not the problem, though...”

  The girl had yet to learn to suspect others of anything.

  Well, it should be fine as long as it’s that woman.

  Back when Nephy was caught in a trap, Manuela didn’t pay any heed to the danger and followed him all the way to an enemy sorcerer’s base. The chance that she would bring harm to Nephy was practically nil. Besides, meddling in Nephy’s personal relationships would have felt plain awkward.

  He was unable to wipe away his anxiety, so Zagan urged Nephy to take her seat as well.

  “Well, shall we eat?”

  As Nephy nodded with a bob, she took a seat next to Zagan.

  She was wearing clothes like those a servant would wear, but Zagan didn’t think of her as any sort of servant or slave. He made sure that they always enjoyed their meals together.

  As he ate some of the freshly baked bread, the savory scent of rye was accompanied by the oily butter as it spread throughout his entire mouth. Even after he swallowed it, he could still feel that sensation in his saliva.

  “Haaa... A home-cooked meal is something this delicious, huh?”

  “Master Zagan, you always say the same thing, don’t you?”

  She may have been looking at him from the side, expressionless as usual, but Zagan didn’t overlook the fact that Nephy’s tender lips had loosened.

  One month had passed since Zagan purchased Nephy, but whenever the two of them had a meal, they would still have such an exchange.

  Anyway, while having a taste of the soup, he listened to Nephy.

  “Master Zagan, what have you been investigating lately?”

  “Hm...? Let’s see, the other day, we encountered something called a ‘demon’ during the case with Barbatos, right? I’m looking into that thing.”

  “Is it something difficult?”

  “Definitely. Even with Marchosias’ legacy, I haven’t been able to locate any information that gets to the heart of the matter. I doubt an Archdemon who lived for a thousand years never looked into them, though.”

  Or perhaps, precisely because he drew near to the core of the matter, he may have hidden it.