An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 6

by Fuminori Teshima

  “Ask for that after you reflect on your actions.”

  “Are you telling me that she did other things as well?” Orias chimed in.

  Being glared at by two Archdemons was more than enough to make Gremory kneel in silence.

  “I feel like I’ve been kneeling since this morning...” Gremory mumbled, clearly unhappy.

  “It seems you’ve heard the gist of things from Gremory, but I ended up like this after we failed in casting some sorcery. I’m looking for a way to reverse this transformation, so do you have any ideas? I intend to pay you back in a suitable manner, of course,” Zagan said as he turned to face Orias. Then, he bowed down respectfully to her, and Orias simply shrugged her shoulders.

  “There’s no need for you to act so distant. I already owe you a great debt. You brought my daughter happiness, which is something I can never hope to repay,” Orias stated before turning to Foll and saying, “And this one is the dragon girl, right? I’ve heard she’s your adopted daughter?”

  “Valefor. You can call me Foll.”

  “Well, in that case, you may call me Granny.”

  “Got it. Granny,” Foll replied with a completely serious expression on her face, which made Orias scratch the tip of her nose in a troubled manner.

  “...Sorry. I meant that in jest.”

  This person is always apologizing, isn’t she? Zagan formed a bitter smile as he mulled over her joke. It may have been Orias’ attempt to liven up the mood, but she seemed to have failed.

  “You’re Nephy’s mommy, so it’s not strange for you to be my granny,” Foll claimed as she cocked her head to the side in confusion. Orias gaped in surprise upon hearing that, then smiled pleasantly.

  “Nephy has quite the straightforward daughter, I see,” Orias said that, then cast her gaze over to Zagan and continued, “Now then, let me have a look. Show me your right hands,” Orias demanded. Then, Zagan and Foll held them out, and the Sigil of the Archdemon appeared on both of them.

  “Hm... It seems to be the same sigil.”

  “What does that mean?” Zagan inquired. Orias, however, simply touched the sigil without answering, and observed it for a while before letting out a groan.

  “This looks to be quite a troublesome situation. This is my first time seeing such a complicated curse.”

  “Is it hard for even you to dispel it?”

  “...You’re correct. Sorry,” Orias apologized, bowing her head deeply all the while.

  “Please raise your head. This is nothing for you to apologize about,” Zagan barked back, seemingly flustered.

  “For the time being, I’ll let you in on everything I can discern. First off, Zagan, your sigil has lost most of its power. At this point, even if I were to suppress its power with mine, it would likely only have an effect on you,” Orias claimed as she looked back up at Zagan apologetically. Foll also had a sigil now, but the main part of it was still Zagan’s, which meant the outward flow of power had no effect on Foll.

  “Next up, Foll. I’m sure you’re a child of an exceptional bloodline even among dragons. The power within you is from the age of myths. In other words, it is quite literally godlike. It’s so vast that I’m certain you could easily challenge most of the current Archdemons.”

  “I see...” Zagan muttered, then said, “Foll is the daughter of Wise Dragon Orobas, who was said to have lived through the age of myths, so that makes sense.”

  In an unusual turn, Orias’ eyes shot wide open in shock upon hearing that.

  “That’s... quite the hapless fate. It almost makes me want to believe in destiny.”

  “What do you mean?” Zagan inquired.

  “Marchosias was Wise Dragon Orobas’ sworn friend,” Orias stated as she turned to Foll with a gentle look in her eyes. Foll, on the other hand, audibly gulped upon hearing that.

  “Somehow, it feels nostalgic.”

  That was what Foll had said when Zagan first brought her to Archdemon Palace. That, plus the fact that Archdemon Palace was filled with mechanisms that utilized dragon spells, made Zagan wonder if Archdemon Marchosias’ power was something granted to him by Orobas.

  “Is this all a coincidence...?” Zagan mumbled.

  “I wonder... Marchosias’ successor somehow ended up adopting Orobas’ daughter... Makes you wonder if this is all a part of someone’s master plan, doesn’t it?” Orias asked, then once more turned toward Foll and said, “Going back to what we were talking about before. Foll, your power is something that should have unraveled slowly over a long period of time. The current situation was brought about by trying to artificially remove that limit. It’s almost like if all the water within an infinite well burst out at once and flooded its surroundings.”

  “It’s... all my fault...” Foll cast her gaze downward, blaming herself for all of Zagan’s misfortune.

  “No. That’s simply hindsight. If your power truly ran wild, then Zagan and my foolish disciple would be dead already. That’s why you should consider yourself lucky and learn from it,” Orias claimed. Her words were both kind and strict, which made Foll return a firm nod in response.

  That’s essentially what I should have told her... He could have used his change in form as an excuse, but Zagan knew that would be the same as lying to himself. Frankly, the whole matter just made him realize how inexperienced he still was.

  “Now then, as I explained, you’re currently like the flowing current from a broken dam. The key to it is the Sigil of the Archdemon, but that was washed away as well. To stop the flow, you need to either rebuild the dam or find the key. Both are extremely difficult tasks, but they are your only options,” Orias spoke of their path forward in a gentle tone. Her answer was quite vague, but Zagan felt like he grasped the full picture of the curse thanks to it.

  In that case, if we forcefully cut off the path we created, Foll would be in more danger than me... If they took away the source of water behind the broken dam, the lake would dry up.

  “Hm, perhaps this situation was brought about by your sigil, Zagan.”

  “What do you mean?” Zagan asked. However, instead of answering immediately, Orias held out her right hand.

  “This is my sigil. Can you tell that its shape is a little different from yours?” Orias inquired.

  “Yeah,” Zagan responded. It was something Zagan vaguely realized when he saw Bifrons’ sigil. At a glance, they looked identical, but Zagan and Orias’ sigils differed slightly in their minute details.

  “I’ve discovered something similar to these. Namely, the Sacred Swords of the church. Whatever’s carved on them appears to also be in Celestian.”

  “That’s correct. You could say that these Sigils of the Archdemon are a type of circuit created with Celestian. Though, it may be more accurate to call it a cipher. Unfortunately, reproducing anything similar would prove difficult even for me,” Orias replied. Zagan opened his eyes wide upon hearing that it was such an advanced technique that even an Archdemon would find it hard to reproduce.

  “Nevertheless, I killed some time unraveling this cipher. After all, time was the one thing I had in abundance.”

  “And what does it say...?”

  “It’s nothing all that impressive. Seal, power, connect, god, evil. Something along those lines. Well, those are about the only words with meaning, anyway. The others are all things I can’t even understand. However...” Orias paused for a moment there, and stared right into Zagan’s eyes before saying, “Within this sigil, there is a word that signifies the right hand.”

  “Right hand...?” Zagan mumbled, seemingly confused. As far as he knew, all the Sigils of the Archdemon were located on the right hands of those who possessed them. Did that have some kind of meaning to it?

  “Hm... I’ve already considered that it may be because the sigils always appear on a person’s right hand. However, that seems unrelated,” Orias said that, then pointed to Zagan’s sigil and continued, “The part of my sigil that signifies the right hand has been replaced by something that means heart
on yours.”

  Zagan’s eyes shot open, and Orias gave him a silent nod.

  “To sorcerers, the heart is not merely the cornerstone of life, but also the furnace that gives birth to an enormous amount of mana. In other words, there is a high probability that your sigil produces the most mana among the thirteen. At any rate, it was Eldest’s sigil.”

  That was a rather shocking revelation, but one other point was on Zagan’s mind.

  The heart, the right hand... Each is a piece of a body. In that case, Bifrons’ sigil likely symbolized some other part of the body. And that made Zagan realize...

  “In other words, the Sigils of the Archdemon really do seal away the body of the Demon Lord...” Zagan muttered in a grave tone. That meant Zagan’s sigil contained the Demon Lord’s heart, which was like an infinite furnace of mana. It meant that Bifrons’ conjecture was correct. However, Orias let out a dubious voice.

  “Demon Lord...? Oh, is that how you refer to it? I see. It’s easy enough to understand.”

  Now that I think about it, only Bifrons called it the Demon Lord...

  “Well, what do you call it?”

  “Me? Hm, I’ve never actually given it a name. There was never any need. Oh, but let’s see...” Orias trailed off, then spoke in a somewhat nostalgic tone, “Marchosias called it... the Primordial Archdemon.”

  Zagan couldn’t tell what that signified. However, it matched the sigil’s name at least. After all, it was the Sigil of the Archdemon, not the Sigil of the Demon Lord.

  Still, I feel like all our assumptions are way off base... Unfortunately, Zagan was far too inexperienced to figure out how. An Archdemon of Bifrons’ level spent hundreds of years studying it just to create celestial mysticism, so a newcomer like Zagan had a long way to go before he could get to the heart of the matter. And as those talks came to an end, Orias finally relaxed.

  “Well then, I’ll try to search for a way to undo this curse, but don’t expect too much. A mere high elf can’t hope to compare to the power of legends.”

  “No, you’ve been a huge help already. Allow me to offer you my thanks.”

  After Zagan humbly offered his gratitude, Orias continued on quietly.

  “Also, Zagan, do you know about Liucaon? The island nation, I mean.”

  “Yeah. In fact, I got to know someone from there recently.”

  “I see. How fortuitous. This is the last piece of advice I can give you. Try relying on Liucaon. There are several secrets that remain there that have been lost to us for quite some time. The tools they use for rituals, which are called Holy Treasures, resemble Sacred Swords. Perhaps an ancient power resides there that can do something to combat this curse.”

  Zagan had heard that powers different from sorcery existed in Liucaon, and Gremory had even listed that as one of their possible choices, so that seemed like a good lead.

  It’s better than just sitting on my thumbs, anyway...

  “Do you know of the Continental Interracial Elders Conference?”

  “Of course. I am one of the last remaining elves, so I’ve at least heard the name.”

  “Would people from Liucaon attend?” Zagan asked.

  “Definitely. They’re one of the most important participants,” Orias replied.

  “Actually, I was invited too. I’m not sure who exactly will attend, but I’m thinking of making an appearance.”

  “What!? Why didn’t you tell me!? Just thinking of all the love power from all the races gathering makes me drool...” Gremory had a visceral reaction upon hearing that.

  “You must help me search for a way to undo the curse, you thoughtless fool,” Orias cut Gremory’s excitation off in a cold tone.

  “P-Please let me off for now! I promise to help once I get back from the conference, so just give me one free night!”

  “Have you been sincere enough with me that I would allow such a thing?”

  “You demoooooon!”

  Zagan and Foll returned to the castle, leaving the screaming Gremory behind with her mentor.

  ◇

  “Pheeew, really, thank goodness. Mister Archdemon didn’t seem to, like, care about that conference at all,” Selphy said, seemingly in high spirits as she was stirring a pot of soup in the kitchen. She was in such a good mood that she even began humming. And as she did, her boss, who was preparing the main dish behind her, let out a groan.

  “Fool. My liege is unable to participate in that trifle because he is far too busy, but do you think you can use that as a reason to exempt yourself?”

  “Um, you mean, like, a representative or someone might have to go, so don’t start celebrating? It’s totally fine. Like I said, Mister Archdemon really didn’t seem to care. Plus, if he went, everyone would be all scared, so, like, this works out better!”

  Selphy spoke to the rather frightening man in a casual manner. Raphael’s face and conduct were terrifying, but a simple conversation was enough to realize he was a good man at heart. In fact, it could be said that he was the kindest person Selphy had met. Well, aside from Nephy, anyway.

  He spends a lot of time training me on the job, and praises me if I do well, too... He was always upright and honest, though not many people noticed due to his manner of speech. It was most unfortunate that his phrasing and choice of vocabulary was awkward and created misunderstandings.

  That part of him is a little like my friend from back home, though... Even Selphy had at least one person she could call a friend. She hadn’t spoken to her since fleeing her hometown, but her childhood friend was someone who spoke and acted much like Raphael. Also, she let Selphy sing all she wanted.

  “Hmph... It seems you’ve also come to a damn understanding of the wideness of my liege’s bosom. He possesses genuine ambitions, so he has thorough knowledge of techniques that can both destroy and tame the ignorant masses,” Raphael said as a sneer rose to his face.

  “Genuine ambitions... Oh, like, about Miss Nephy? Well, you’ve got a point there. Seeing them flirt, like, all day really makes him seem less scary.”

  This butler was a perfect fit for that Archdemon, in that both of them acted in baffling ways. The Archdemon was relatively easy to read, though. Especially when it came to the woman he loved. The way he ran about in confusion when it came to speaking to Nephy didn’t suit the aura of terror and majesty that generally surrounded Archdemons. And in those times, he seemed like just an ordinary clumsy boy.

  Still, he can, like, turn a whole boat into dust with a single punch... Basically, he could jokingly poke Selphy’s head and send her off to the afterlife. And in that respect, he truly was an Archdemon. Though, if all the other Archdemons were people like Zagan, the world probably would’ve been a far more peaceful place.

  “Hey! Pay some damn attention!” Raphael roared at Selphy as she got lost in thought. And when she looked up, she saw that the butler was aiming a fierce glare at her.

  “Eeek, did you find out I was thinking of having a little taste?”

  “You’ll ruin it. Get the pot off the fire.”

  “Oh, okaaay... Hm, how’s it taste? Wouldn’t it, like, be better if it was a lil’ sweeter?” Selphy said that, then immediately took a wet towel and brought the pot down from the fire. After pouring some of the soup into a small dish and tasting it, she cocked her head to the side. Raphael followed suit and tasted the soup as well, but shook his head instead.

  “No, this is good. The seasoning on the main dish is rather strong, so it will pair well with the taste of this soup. You’ve performed admirably.”

  “Yaaay! Mister Raphael praised me!” Selphy exclaimed as she threw her hands into the air in celebration. And at that exact moment, a tall therianthrope stalked into the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you. My hands are free right now, so is there anything I can help with?”

  This therianthrope with a bushy mane and the face of a lion was Kimaris. Like Gremory, he was Zagan’s trusted retainer. In fact, the two of them were so powerful that they competed for th
e top spot among Zagan’s followers. However, despite that, he was so kind that he even dropped by to help in the kitchen when he had free time.

  “Indeed. You’ve come at a good time. We’ve just about finished here. Grab enough plates for everyone,” Raphael wasted no time and immediately barked out his orders.

  “Alright. Oh, Miss Selphy, those plates must be heavy, so allow me to handle them.”

  “Thanks, Mister Kimaris. Mister Raphael even praised my soup today, so I’m, like, totally confident about the taste!”

  “I’ll look forward to it, then,” Kimaris said, then tilted his head to the side and asked, “What shall we do about Sir Zagan and Foll’s portions? I believe they’re out at the moment.”

  “I haven’t been informed of when they’ll return, but we should prepare for them anyway.”

  Kimaris quietly accepted the butler’s orders, but then curiosity overcame him.

  “...By the way, did something happen today? I haven’t seen Miss Gremory around either.”

  “Hm... I’m certain my liege would have informed you directly himself, but a little problem occurred. Gremory is accompanying him on his hunt for a solution.”

  “...What did Miss Gremory do this time?” Kimaris asked as he began scratching his head.

  “Hey now, it’s not like the culprit is necessarily Miss Gremory!”

  Other sorcerers treated Gremory like a troublesome granny, but Selphy thought she was a good person. She often gave Selphy candy, and would gaze at her with a broad grin. Yet, Kimaris, who was supposed to be her closest friend, made a stern expression as he shook his head.

  “No, if it wasn’t her fault, Sir Zagan would have asked for my help as well. The fact that he didn’t must mean he doesn’t want me to feel guilty about Miss Gremory’s mistake. Though, I suppose it’s also possible that he simply did not have the time to tell me,” Kimaris said that, then paused and added, “Also, Lady Nephy scolded Miss Gremory yesterday. She seemed rather angry, so I’m certain it was her fault.”

  “...Oh.” Selphy muttered. She couldn’t refute that last point at all. The very idea of Nephy getting angry seemed impossible, so there had to have been a good reason for it to happen.