It wasn’t like it was completely certain. But even so, hoping for the good fortune that these facts were completely unrelated was quite unreasonable.
After that, Zagan took a glance at and scowled toward Barbatos.
“You’re being awfully generous with your information today...”
“Well, think of it as an apology for last time. Or something like a tribute to you, even. Rather than make an enemy of you, I’ll be able to sip at sweeter nectar by going along on your wild ride.”
“...You sure can talk.”
Acting disconcerted by that, Zagan then poured some spirit into his glass.
“I’m quite skilled, you know? I doubt this is all too bad an offer.”
“If you were such an admirable person, then I may even trust you a little... So, what do you want?” Zagan knocked back the spirit and asked him that, but Barbatos simply let out a laugh with a ‘Hehehe.’
“The Eldest’s legacy, could you try leaving its management to me? Anyhow, he’s a sorcerer who lived for a thousand years. Even if we simply call it a legacy, it shouldn’t be just some ordinary amount. It’s too much for you to manage all on your own, right?”
Having Barbatos hit the bull’s eye in an unpleasant spot made Zagan unable to hide his sullen face. However, he didn’t hesitate at all in answering.
“Rejected.”
“The hell was that!?”
“...You’d just go and hide anything that’s inconvenient for me to see.”
“Isn’t that obvious? What’s wrong with that?” Barbatos stared back at Zagan in wonder, as if there was no need to say such a thing after all this time.
Why is it that he can be so stupid despite knowing so much...? On the contrary, it was Zagan who came to a worrisome understanding.
“...Haaa. I’ll split a few writings on sorcery from the legacy with you. Just keep yourself happy with that.”
“Well, I guess that’s good enough. Man, having a lavish friend really is the best,” Barbatos said, then slammed his mug into Zagan’s glass and made a toast all on his own.
After that, the atmosphere in the shop froze over. The door to the bar opened, and a certain guest came in. Since Barbatos had his back to the door, he didn’t realize this and continued to talk in high spirits.
“But I’ll be the one to decide which I’ll be taking, got it? If you hand me some shitty writing on sorcery just ‘cause it’s from the Eldest’s legacy, then I won’t even look at it!”
“...By the way, Barbatos.”
“What?”
Lifting up his glass of spirit, Zagan questioned Barbatos while gazing at the customer who came in through the glass.
“That Angelic Knight you talked about just now, what does he look like?”
“Ah, let’s see... I hear he’s a huge man that you wouldn’t think is an old fart. Also, he’s got a huge scar across his face. Heard he got it from the dragon he killed.”
“Really, now...?” While looking at the customer who entered the bar, Zagan let out an agreeable response. And then, taking one more sip of his drink, he made an expression like it was bothersome as he asked Barbatos one more question.
“So about that scar, does it cut across deeply from his left cheek to his right brow?”
“Huh? Well, yeah, I did hear it looked something like that. You sure know a lot about him, huh?”
“It’s a complete coincidence, but I’ve seen a man with very similar features.”
“Wow man, I’m surprised you got out alive. He’s a guy who seems to only have killing sorcerers on his mind, you know? If he spotted you, then he’d probably come slashing in right away.”
Zagan continued to gaze behind Barbatos, who was letting out his ‘geragera’ laugh again.
“It seems... that part comes next.”
“Huh...?” At that, Barbatos finally seemed to notice Zagan’s gaze. And as he looked over his shoulder, his face turned completely pale.
Because standing there... was a large man with a scarred face carrying a Sacred Sword.
◇
“Raphael Hyurandell...!” Knocking down his chair, Barbatos shot up. And without sparing him a single glance, the scar-faced Angelic Knight looked straight at Zagan.
Has he come to take my head all of a sudden? The power of the Sacred Sword was troublesome, but it was conceited to think a single one on its own could strike down an Archdemon. If he was such a fool, then he would not have lived so long.
As Zagan knit his brows from being unable to read the Angelic Knight’s aim, Barbatos raised a trembling voice.
“Y-You son of a bitch, why are you here!?”
The scar-faced Angelic Knight then finally shifted his attention over to Barbatos. And as he did, a smile formed on his brusque face that looked like a rocky surface. From that fiendish expression, the unlucky bar owner’s daughter, who was behind Barbatos, let out a scream to the point of fainting.
Even though he hadn’t looked directly at her, his sight had such power behind it. And facing that smile, which already made one feel a physical pressure, Barbatos resolved himself as he roared.
“U-UOOOOOOH, I’ll fucking do it!” The light of mana lit up in both of Barbatos’ hands, and the scar-faced Angelic Knight also put his hand on the hilt of the Sacred Sword at his back.
“Stop that, Barbatos,” Zagan said as he placed his glass on the table with a clunk. And the moment he did, the mana pouring out of Barbatos’ hands vanished. It wasn’t like he actually stopped or anything, though. No, Zagan had ‘eaten’ it.
After that, Zagan lightly waved his finger in the air, and the chair Barbatos knocked over returned to its original position.
“Well, take a seat. The liquor will lose its taste.”
“The hell are you taking it so fucking easy for!? You planning on just quietly getting killed?”
In response to Barbatos howling as if his fear had been overturned by anger, Zagan shook his head like it was all just too bothersome.
“That guy there... doesn’t really seem to want to fight, you know?”
“The fuck? He’s got his hand right on his sword, don’t he!?”
“Isn’t that because you picked a fight?”
After Barbatos began invoking sorcery, the scar-faced Angelic Knight gripped his sword. And Zagan did not overlook that fact.
Besides, I can’t sense any bloodthirst or hostility, either.
Both Nephy and Foll didn’t really specialize at expressing emotion. No, in Foll’s case, rather than not expressing emotion, she simply didn’t speak enough. That was why this method of sensing intent was known to him. In any case, there were many things that couldn’t be known just by looking at their faces.
That was why, when it came to what they were thinking, and what they wanted him to do, Zagan had ended up developing a habit of looking at the subtleties of emotion by observing them and taking in such things.
The scar-faced Angelic Knight then made a smile that looked like it split the earth.
“The Archdemon this time around... is quite the composed one, I see.”
“An Archdemon won’t make a racket over every little thing.”
Although, sensing no hostility from such dreadfulness was quite strange in itself, and Zagan was unable to hide his bewilderment.
Eventually, Zagan looked at the chair he raised with sorcery. It seemed that in such a situation, Barbatos had no intention to get back to drinking, and even after the Angelic Knight let go of his sword, Barbatos would not take his seat.
“It appears we have an empty seat. Will you join us?”
“Hooo... What an amusing man.”
Straining his scarred face fiendishly, the Angelic Knight sat down in the seat across from Zagan. Barbatos created some space as if to avoid him.
Rather, you should be the one talking here. I don’t have anything to talk about with this stone-faced man, you know? Zagan ended up telling the man to take a seat by just kind of going with the flow, but he didn’t really have any sort
of goal in mind.
Or rather, since his time with Nephy was completely lost, he only wanted to at least enjoy some liquor. But despite that, Barbatos was backing off as if saying that he wanted to be excused from getting involved with any of it. On the contrary...
“Shit, why does a sorcerer like me have go through this kinda crap?”
“Mr. S-Sorcerer, could you maybe save my daughter?”
“Like I know. Healing sorcery is outside my field of expertise, but I’ll at least do what I can.”
“Oooh... I should’ve expected as much from Master Zagan’s attendant.”
“I’m not a damn attendant!” While cursing at the man who seemed to be the owner of the bar, he began nursing the girl who had fainted. Since she’d only lost consciousness, Zagan didn’t think there was any need to go as far as to use sorcery, though.
I also wanna go over there, but... The woman Zagan had set his heart on was none other than Nephy, but when it came to deciding between this stone-faced man and the owner’s daughter, it didn’t even need to be said which he’d rather be stuck with.
Having said that, nothing would be accomplished by just constantly glaring at Barbatos. And so, Zagan finally turned about to face the Angelic Knight.
“So, what do you want with me, dragon killer?”
“It’s Raphael,” he replied, pouring some spirit into a glass as he did. His hand was enormous to the point where the bottle looked like a miniature to him.
“I’ve heard that my fellows owe you much, so I came to take a look at your face.”
He was likely talking about Chastille, which made Zagan shrug his shoulders like it was no big deal.
“My face is nothing compared to yours, is it?”
“Fuhaha, even you’ve got quite the evil face, just as those damn rumors said, don’t you?”
Zagan was self-conscious about his villainous features, so he felt a little down. Still, as if glossing that over, he knocked back his glass.
“I’ve heard that it’s your hobby to kill sorcerers, so is it alright to put it off for today? There are two sorcerers here before your very eyes.”
The girl seemed mostly fine now, so Zagan asked Raphael that question to prevent his undesirable friend’s quick exit. Barbatos, who was about to place his hand on the door, looked back at him with a sullen expression.
After Raphael finished the spirit in his glass in a single swig, he let out a hearty laugh.
“Worthless. All I did was shake off the sparks that happened to fall before me, but those around me saw fit to kick up a big fuss.”
Zagan then tilted his head to the side curiously.
Somehow, he’s different from what Barbatos was saying. He was a homicidal maniac who had killed nearly 500 sorcerers, or so the rumors claimed. Due to that, Zagan was prepared to have him come slashing in gleefully, but unexpectedly, they were sharing an ordinary conversation.
Perhaps he had come to weigh out Zagan’s capabilities? And as Zagan hit upon that notion and once more took a sip from his glass, Raphael was the one to open his mouth to speak.
“It seems you had a quarrel with Chastille, right? Why didn’t you kill her?”
Sensing a sort of discomfort in the Angelic Knight’s words, Zagan knit his brows.
“You’re saying that as if she didn’t have any chance of winning, huh?”
Chastille may not have been a good match for him, but even so, their pride as wielders of Sacred Swords should not have allowed them to speak like they couldn’t win against a sorcerer. Zagan at the time wasn’t yet an Archdemon, either.
However, Raphael simply let out a snort with a ‘hmph’ in response.
“Then let me ask you in return, was she strong enough to rival a bastard like you?”
“Who knows... However, she was the strongest among the humans I’ve faced so far. I’m sure of that, at least.”
Sure, even Barbatos had managed to capture her, but Zagan had also yet to see Chastille seriously swing her sword. Zagan had faced off against both of them before, so he found it doubtful that Barbatos would win if they both fought head-on.
After being given that reply, Raphael narrowed his eyes like a blade.
“I see. Then that means she has become sufficient enough a threat to the church, does it?”
“Huh...? I don’t see where you’re going with that... What are you talking about?”
It sounded to Zagan like he was saying that Chastille was an enemy of the church. And hearing Zagan’s confusion made Raphael’s stone-like face twist into the shape of a smile once more.
“She raised an objection to the subjugation of an Archdemon. That is more than enough reason for the church to decide on her execution. They even went as far as revoking her Sacred Sword for a spell... A foolish decision, I must say. As long as the wielder of a Sacred Sword is left alive, the next Angelic Knight won’t be able to succeed them.”
Hearing that made Zagan open his eyes wide.
That girl is too damn honest! It would have been fine if she just arbitrarily matched what those around her were doing, and yet, it seemed she revolted in a foolishly brazen manner. Not only that, she covered for Zagan.
With his head in his hands, Zagan let out a deep sigh.
“...I did think she didn’t seem the type to live a long life.”
“Yeah, seriously. I even went and warned her, but I guess she just didn’t listen.”
Raphael spoke like he somehow pitied her. And in response, Zagan opened his eyes wide as an unexpected thought ran through his mind.
Does this guy plan on killing Chastille? If it was said that his hobby was killing sorcerers, then it only stood to reason that he would also gladly execute Angelic Knights who covered for sorcerers.
Zagan felt like he finally understood the reason why he sensed no bloodthirst from him at all.
So he came here to verify the connection between me and Chastille, then? In other words, he was looking for justification to kill Chastille.
The one connected to her wasn’t Zagan, but Nephy. However, it wouldn’t be strange to take the statement just now as if he was.
He got me. Zagan let out a groan as he realized he’d been played like a fiddle. And at that exact moment, Raphael stood up.
“Now then, I no longer have any damn business with you. I shall take my leave.”
“...Wait,” Zagan muttered, well aware that his voice had grown cold.
“Do you need something?” Raphael said as he turned around, sporting a gaze that made it clear he would cut Zagan down if he made even a single wrong choice in words.
“Chastille seems to be rather well loved within this town. She has many friends here, too. There would be no small number who would grieve her death, I assure you.”
Nephy and Manuela would definitely be thrown into the depths of despair. That was why Zagan informed him of that fact in an overbearing manner.
“This town is my domain. If you go too far doing whatever you please, then I’ll crush and grind you into the ground, got it?”
It didn’t matter whether she was part of the church or that she was an Angelic Knight. As long as Chastille lived in Kianoides, she was Zagan’s property. And if this man was saying that he would willfully kill her, then Zagan would crush him. Simple as that. That was what it meant to be under Zagan’s protection.
The two reasons why he didn’t do it right then and there was because there was a mountain of ‘citizens that could be used as shields’ around them, and also he was still in the middle of enjoying a drink. If the bar was destroyed, he could repair it with sorcery, but he knew it was difficult to repair people.
However, that was simply a reason for him not wanting to fight, and wasn’t a reason for him not to fight.
It’s a pain in the ass to avoid the shields while slugging him, though...
And perhaps having understood what Zagan was getting at, Raphael opened his eyes wide as if he found his actions rather unexpected.
“That doesn’t seem li
ke a thing an Archdemon would say, now does it?”
“Precisely because I am an Archdemon, I am arrogant.”
And as he replied so haughtily, Raphael burst into a hearty laughter.
“Hahaha, as I thought, you’re exactly the type of man I was hoping you’d be. That’s exactly it. The ‘evil’ that the church must exterminate.”
What he sensed from Raphael was not bloodthirst, but exaltation.
Meaning he doesn’t think that sorcerers are even people, huh?
It was the same as hunting in his eyes. After all, when hunting beasts one harbored neither bloodthirst nor hostility. They only got excited by the kill itself.
And, as Raphael formed a smile that seemed to challenge Zagan, he left the bar.
Released from the tension, the customers in the bar all let out a sigh of relief. Eventually, while throwing a sidelong glance at Barbatos, who plunked back down into his seat, Zagan muttered something.
“...I don’t like it.”
“There’s no way a sorcerer would like anything to do with an Angelic Knight, right? Wouldn’t it be better to go and fucking kill him right now?”
Zagan let out a small sigh as he watched Barbatos whine.
“...I guess. Then go, Barbatos.”
Barbatos opened his mouth in shock as he heard those words.
“Hey, you just told me to go and die, didn’t you?”
“Not really. It’s true that I’d like you to die, but don’t misunderstand.”
“So you do want me dead?”
Finding his teary-eyed, undesirable friend bothersome as he watched him, Zagan shook his head.
“I told you not to misunderstand, didn’t I? I want you to go check on Chastille’s condition.”
Barbatos’ second name was Purgatory.
Purgatory referred to the plane that existed between heaven and hell, but in the same vein, it was also something akin to a valley between dimensions that had a controlling presence over the strange space given birth to by sorcery.
And his second name came from the fact that he could freely come and go from that space.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 2 Page 10