Calm down. I’m a sorcerer. A powerful sorcerer does not fluster.
It wasn’t like they were going to be sleeping in the same bed. First came thinking about what was needed to live... together.
Zagan sat up from his throne, then stood before Nephy.
“Nephy.”
“Yes.” He tried calling her name face to face, and a strange sense of embarrassment filled his heart.
But even so, he didn’t falter, and Zagan addressed her.
“Hear me, Nephy. You are something I bought, and you therefore belong to me.”
“Yes.”
“So for now, I shall grant you a room. It is fine for you to choose whichever one you like.”
“In other words, you’re telling me to choose the place I die?”
“Did I not say earlier that I will not be killing you?” Having finally raised her voice in grief, Nephy then cast her eyes downward as if she was troubled.
“I do not understand... the meaning to that. Just how will you be using me... in a way that I will not die?”
Surely, ever since she was captured by humans, she had been tortured by thoughts of her eventual fate. Due to that, she most likely no longer even believed in hope.
In truth, Zagan was also familiar with such feelings.
It was about the time that he was doing highway robbery while scurrying for scraps of food in the garbage of the slums.
Back then, what was it again that I wanted to hear...?
Even back then, he surely didn’t know the answer to that. Nevertheless, Zagan slowly stretched out his hand to Nephy’s hair.
He felt her snow-white hair with the palm of his hand. He knew that Nephy’s body twitched and trembled.
And just like that, while making sure not to put any strength in his hand, Zagan muttered something.
“I bought you... because I need you. So don’t just keep saying die, die, die like that.” Nephy opened her eyes wide and looked up at Zagan’s face.
She was surprised.
This was the very first time that he saw anything like an expression on her face.
“You... need... me?” It was somehow embarrassing, but he felt like he had to clearly convey that to her.
“Yeah, I need you. That’s why, from now on, you’ll live for my sake.”
“...Yes.” As usual, Nephy’s expression didn’t budge in the slightest, but she didn’t show any signs of doubting Zagan’s words either.
It likely wasn’t the case that she believed everything that Zagan had to say. But even so, she didn’t utter another word about lamenting her death.
This was the beginning of a long cohabitation between two awkward individuals.
◇
“Now then, about the room you’ll be using...” He was wondering where would be good.
Nephy was captured as a slave. She surely went through painful emotions. Rather than somewhere underground or any dark place, a room with a beautiful view would be better.
In that case, the spire at the very top of the castle was most appropriate. When it came to the view, that was the absolute best spot. And as he was guiding her there, he suddenly realized something.
“Nephy, are you fine with high places?” For once, he felt like he asked her something fairly naturally.
And without making any sort of expression, Nephy nodded once deeply.
“Yes. Hang me by my hands or neck, whichever you prefer.”
“Who said anything about torture, I wonder?”
“My... apologies. When I heard you speaking of high places, nothing else came to mind.” As Nephy stared blankly at him, Zagan put his palm to his head.
Have a little more hope in living here...
If it was like this, maybe a room in a high place was a problem. He didn’t think it was possible, but the danger that Nephy would throw herself off the balcony crossed his mind.
Still, they continued up the spiral staircase, and headed toward the top floor.
It seemed that the light outside had already darkened.
Zagan snapped his fingers, and the candles lined along the wall all lit up at once.
“This way.”
“Yes... Ah.” As Zagan began ascending the staircase once more, Nephy let out a small shriek as she staggered.
The flickering flames from the candles were a little unreliable as a light source. Their footholds were dark, and with the tapered heels of Nephy’s shoes, it seemed that it was difficult for her to walk.
Zagan then suddenly took her hand and supported her.
“My... apologies...” The face of the girl who said that was close enough that it felt like his nose would touch hers.
A faint sweet smell tickled Zagan’s nose.
He peered straight into her azure eyes, which were bordered by white eyelashes.
He was completely charmed by her, and at the same time he was nauseated by an extreme sense of embarrassment. And, as if trying to gloss it over, Zagan let out a snort with a ‘hmph.’
“B-Be careful. Pay attention to where you’re walking.”
“Y-Yes...” And he ended up speaking in a harsh tone. It appeared to him like Nephy was somehow faltering.
And just like that, as they continued to ascend the spiral staircase, Zagan noticed the tender sensation within his hand.
Hm? Could it be... that I’m holding Nephy’s hand? He grasped her hand when he supported her. And after that he ended up just nonchalantly holding it.
Zagan didn’t think it was his first time holding a girl’s hand, but trying to recall another instance in his memory proved to be difficult... In the end, it may in fact have been his first time.
Her white hand was slender, soft, and warm. From the palm of his hand, he could sense a palpitation. It may have just been his own, though.
Unexpectedly, Nephy continued to stare at that hand as she remained silent.
Zagan was nauseated by an inexplicable sense of shyness, but he also didn’t want to let go of her hand.
While switching between a quick pace and a slow one, Zagan reached the top of the castle.
Finally, after climbing three stories, the door at the top floor came into sight.
He was slightly worried about the difficulty of her having to go up and down if he made this Nephy’s room, but for the time being he put his hand against the door.
“This is a room that is not usually used. It may be... somewhat dirty, but...” Saying that, the fundamental question of ‘Have I even ever entered this room before?’ came to Zagan’s mind.
It had been about ten years since he began living here, but usually he would just seclude himself in the archives, so he was a proprietor who did not actually grasp the entire interior of his own castle.
And then, he regretted not properly verifying that doubt in his mind.
In this room where a refreshing wind blew, the blade of a guillotine made a sound as it swayed in the air.
Other than that, there were skeletons that had been neglected after many years, and vials containing mysterious things within them scattered about. With the aid of the gloomy light from the candles, it was the absolute worst and most creepy location.
“Let’s not use this place.” He immediately began shutting the door, but it was a little too late.
After all, people felt the greatest sense of despair upon having their faintest hopes dashed.
Just after saying he needed her, torture devices were thrust before her, so the light in Nephy’s eyes vanished.
The girl threw open both her arms as if she was throwing everything away.
“Please... do as you will, Master.”
“You’re wrong, you hear? This is, well... Oh, yeah! It’s a trap prepared for enemies who would invade from the skies.” Having said that, even Zagan thought it was quite the lame excuse.
“But well, how do I put it. It’s quite the useless setup, and things like this would just get in the way. So I’ll dispose of them.”
Saying that, Zagan threw lightning
sorcery into the room with the dangling guillotine blade, and once more shut the door.
Immediately following that, the sound of an explosion burst out.
The shockwave leaked out through the gap in the door, making Nephy’s snow-white hair flutter gently. And while Zagan was captivated by that, the door collapsed with a thud into the room.
It seemed even the hinges had crumbled to pieces.
And so, all traces of repulsive objects had utterly and completely vanished from within the room...
Well, the ceiling was burnt black, and it was disputable whether it would function as living quarters anymore. Even the candles had been blown away.
And just then, a cold sweat ran down Zagan’s cheek.
I-I meant to remove the source of her fears here.
And as he turned to look at the terribly frightened Nephy, he noticed that she had grown even more pale. Eventually, her trembling lips opened.
“That is the first time... I’ve seen such devastating sorcery...”
Well, I guess it’d be awfully scary if offensive sorcery was just suddenly let loose like that, right!? Moreover, even viewed conservatively, it had enough destructive force to reduce an average sorcerer to ashes three times over. There likely wasn’t any ordinary person out there who wouldn’t be shaken upon witnessing it.
That’s wrong. All because Barbatos is the only person I’ve really had normal conversations, I...
He went and fixed the problem using the common sense shared between fellow sorcerers.
Thinking that it couldn’t be helped either way, Zagan turned his back to the room.
“...Mhm. This place is no good. It’s too dreary.”
“Is this... what you would call dreary?” The girl tilted her head to the side like a little songbird, and Zagan couldn’t say anything back to her.
Nephy then took a step into the room.
As she walked, ashes fluttered up into the air. The window had no glass, and rather than a room, it was probably more fitting to call it a birdcage or something. Though it wasn’t too extreme, it wasn’t the kind of place that a girl should tread.
Even so, Nephy didn’t seem to pay that any mind and continued walking toward the terrace.
I should... set up a barrier to prevent her from falling over the edge, right?
He didn’t truly believe that Nephy would throw herself off the terrace, but Zagan threw out his sorcery anyways. In the worst case, it was possible to believe that it would simply collapse.
And to be ready for that unlikely event, Zagan lined himself up next to Nephy.
The terrace had a handrail made of stone bricks, so he felt it wouldn’t be strange if it were to crack and crumble to pieces.
Putting her hands atop the handrail, Nephy looked up at the sky.
It was now night, and the clouds had somewhat cleared up. A thin line of moonlight came down like a thread.
Looking up, Nephy stretched out both her hands toward the sky. Even though it was such a casual gesture, Zagan felt like it appeared to be some sort of sacred ritual.
“Do you... like the moon?”
“...I don’t know.” Nephy shook her head as if she was troubled as she answered Zagan’s question.
“Then, what meaning is there in that gesture?”
“...I don’t know.” And now she was only saying that she didn’t know.
However, Nephy’s eyes as she gazed at the moon looked to be mixed with a heartrending sense of nostalgia. And, for no particular reason, Zagan imitated her and stretched out his hands.
“I can’t really grasp anything, huh?”
“...I believe that’s the case.” Zagan felt like dying from embarrassment as he heard her reply in a serious manner.
Why was it that at such times he couldn’t think of anything sensible to say?
And then, Nephy muttered.
“Is it alright... for me to... receive this room?” It was the first time Nephy spoke on her own.
However, Zagan turned around to look into the dreadful room.
The dangerous articles had certainly vanished, but there also wasn’t a single thing left, not even a glass window. It didn’t look like a space that someone could live in.
If I use sorcery to restore it, then even the guillotine will come back...
The cleaning and decoration would just have to be done by regular effort.
“Maybe a more proper room would be...” And as he started to say that, he recalled that all the rooms were much the same.
Even if there weren’t any torture devices, there were ominous sorcery apparatuses lying about. In the end, none of them were rooms that a normal girl should use.
And, as that fact troubled him, Zagan spoke up once more.
“Are you fine with a place like this?”
“Yes. It is the room that you’ve prepared for me after all, Master.” All he did was fire offensive sorcery to reduce everything in the room to ashes. Zagan didn’t really think that could be described as having prepared the room...
However, since he couldn’t help but tilt his head to the side as he wondered if any other room would actually be better, Zagan nodded back to her.
“Very well. Then use this place as you see fit.” On the spur of the moment, he ended up speaking in an exaggerated fashion yet again, but Nephy bowed her head down with a bob and said the following.
“Thank you very much, Master.” And, for some reason, that single phrase pierced through Zagan’s chest.
Nephy then tilted her head to the side.
“Is something the matter?”
“...No, it’s just been quite the long time... since anybody’s said that to me.” There were times now and then where he let people who had gotten lost in the castle go without killing them, but Zagan was not a good person by nature.
In most cases, they would run away at full force and would not offer a single word of gratitude.
However, Nephy didn’t seem to find that curious at all, and nodded as if she was fully convinced.
“I also feel like... it has been a long time since I said that.”
“I see...” Zagan wondered if the day would come where he would also say thank you to someone.
Opening his heart up to others was still something that was far off, but he was honestly happy that she was now listening to what he had to say properly.
And so, their first day together concluded peacefully.
◇
The next morning.
Since the room Zagan granted Nephy on the top floor of the castle couldn’t possibly be used yet, the two of them slept in the throne room.
Actually, I couldn’t get a wink of sleep.
Zagan also didn’t get any sleep the day before. He thought he was going to be able to fall asleep right away, but simply thinking about how Nephy was right next to him kept him wide awake. It wasn’t like he had the guts to really do anything anyways, but despite that, just thinking about how she would end up hating him if he did kept him from doing so.
On the other hand, Nephy was probably quite tired after all.
After curling up on the carpet, she fell asleep right away.
However, that was also one of the reasons Zagan was unable to fall asleep. Having such a defenseless figure exposed to him, it was impossible for him to not have her on his mind.
In the dead of the night, Nephy seemed to be cold, and in lieu of a blanket, he covered her with his mantle. However, that may have been a poor decision on his part. For some reason, thinking of that lovely girl wearing his mantle made Zagan’s heart pound even harder.
And while he was worrying endlessly, by the time he realized it, the morning sun had ascended.
His stomach then let out a hearty and pathetic sound.
“...Guess I’ll get something to eat.” After Zagan descended into the cellar storehouse, he carried out two portions of the dried meat and milk he had stored down there. He didn’t know when Nephy would wake up, but he wanted to be prepared so that she could have b
reakfast right away.
When he returned to the throne room, Nephy was already wide awake and waiting for him, sitting on her knees. The mantle that he had covered her with was neatly folded to the side. For whatever reason, it now seemed wasteful to put it on again.
“So you’re awake.”
“Yes. Good morning, Master.” Zagan almost unintentionally broke into a smile.
So she’ll greet me properly.
And though he tried to reply, the thought ‘Hm? After being told good morning, what was it you were supposed to reply with again?’ left him completely perplexed.
Was it fine to just say good morning back? Or was he supposed to say hello? Good day to you was definitely wrong, at least, or so he thought.
When he thought about it, just how many years had it been since he had such an upright greeting directed at him?
And while Zagan was writhing in agony, Nephy stared at him with a dumbfounded look.
Seeing that, he cleared out his throat with a cough.
“I brought you a meal. Go ahead and eat.” After saying that, Zagan was somehow repulsed by himself.
So I can’t even greet her properly...? When had he become such a hopeless person?
...Thinking back on it, he felt like he may have been hopeless from the very beginning.
Even as she gazed at Zagan curiously while he was in anguish, Nephy obediently received the dried meat and cup of milk from him.
“Thank you very much, Master.”
“... Mm.” As Zagan felt dejected at his own spinelessness, Nephy timidly looked up at him.
“Master.”
“What?”
“What... should I be doing?”
“Hmm, let’s see...” Even though one evening passed, he still hadn’t thought of what he should have Nephy do.
Should I have her do some cleaning or something? However, just yesterday, taking a peek into a single room was quite the catastrophic event.
Within this castle, there were nearly fifty messy rooms like that, and more importantly, Zagan had never once cleaned a single one of them. It wasn’t something that could be done by one person, and somehow he felt that if he ordered her, this girl would see it through to the end.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride - Volume 01 Page 4