“It’s not sorcery, but it’s also different from a dragon’s power... If I had to compare it to something, elven mysticism seems like the best fit.”
Is this one of the lost powers that reside in Liucaon? This conference was closer to Liucaon than the continent. It was said that a power different from sorcery remained in that island nation, which filled Zagan with hope.
“It does feel similar, doesn’t it? I sense something like the power of spirits that shouldn’t be in the water here. Perhaps they’re borrowing power from such beings?” Nephy muttered while observing her surroundings.
“Seems it’s, like, the power of some Holy Treasure that’s been passed down through the royal family,” Selphy replied in a rather indifferent tone.
“...Is it fine for you to reveal that to outsiders?”
“Huh, aren’t we all, like, family?”
“I’ve heard that servants are just like family, so you are,” Foll nodded her head and gave that reply in Zagan’s place as he was too embarrassed to answer Selphy.
“Wow! You’re saying we’re, like, really close, right!?” Selphy exclaimed, clearly seeming quite happy. Zagan didn’t understand why she would ever be pleased by Foll’s statement, but he didn’t bother mentioning it because he didn’t really care.
“Anyway, this is my kingdom. Though, there’s only, like, a few hundred people living here, so it’s totally more of a small village.”
Like the elves and dragons, sirens were an endangered species. And since only several hundred residents lived in this kingdom, it was hard to imagine them surviving the next hundred years. Luckily, its existence was a closely guarded secret. If sorcerers ever managed to sniff it out, sirens would go extinct overnight.
“Is that conference or whatever always held here?”
“Dunno. But, like, this is the first time I’ve seen it myself, so they probably move it around, right?”
“I’m surprised you can call yourself royalty when you know so little.”
“Haha... I mean, isn’t it, like, hard to remember things you aren’t interested in?”
“Now that I think of it, what races are coming?” Nephy turned to Selphy and asked her that question. However, Selphy simply cocked her head to the side as if she’d never even given the matter any thought, which made total sense.
“Let’s see. I don’t know how many races gather for this conference, but the rarer ones are dragons like Foll, as well as elves like Nephy or Nephteros,” Zagan cut in to answer Nephy’s question. Then, he stuck out his fingers as he began counting them down by saying, “Other than that, there are fomorians like Gremory, leonins like Kimaris, tabaxi like Kuroka... Oh, and I’ve heard there are fairies too. Though, the term fairies encompasses a lot. Elves and cait sith are included in that category.”
“Are tabaxi and cait sith different races?” Nephy tilted her head to the side as she asked that question.
“For the time being. Having said that, it’s only a matter of whether their human or cat portions are more prominent, so they’re largely considered the same. However, the quality of their mana is clearly different, so sorcerers definitely note the difference.”
“Yup! Also, I’ve heard that cait siths possess a similar amount of mana to sirens and succubi! The three of them are, like, quite special in Liucaon!” Selphy exclaimed as she thrust her right hand into the air.
“I see. You’re quite knowledgeable, aren’t you?” Nephy replied.
“Hehehe. I’m a siren, too. Those old geezers would totally have, like, yelled at me if I didn’t learn this much,” Selphy explained. Unfortunately, it likely took all the effort said geezers could muster to force just that little information into her head.
“Those are all of the rarer species. Avians like Manuela, lycans, canuses, and dwarves can be found anywhere you look. Other than that...” Zagan trailed off as he thought of other races. Then, a certain name suddenly came to mind, so he said, Hm... I don’t know if they’d be included among the continent’s races, but... the Night Clan. There are a lot who go by that name.”
It was likely Nephy’s first time hearing that name, as her ears quivered, which showed her interest in the matter.
“What are they like?”
“To put it simply, they’re undead. However, they’re fundamentally different from the zombies and skeletons sorcerers create. They can survive without being supplied mana, and they can’t be killed. Though, you can apparently break them into small enough pieces to stop them from taking any kind of action,” Zagan replied. He was unsure if even Heaven’s Phosphor was powerful enough to finish them off, since their constitution was rather unique. Having said that, Zagan had never met one.
“Wow, there’s someone that scary here, huh!? I wonder if they’ll listen to me sing?” Selphy let out a thoughtless laugh as she said that, seemingly not noticing Nephy turn pale next to her.
“Who knows? Well, the church has their eyes on them, so you’ll never see them on the continent. Anyway, they’re strong, which about sums them up.”
From the way Selphy was speaking, it seemed the Night Clan had nothing to do with the conference.
And, as they were talking about such things, they arrived at the temple. It was an old building made of a strange material that was neither metal nor stone. He didn’t know what wear and tear was like under the sea, but still, based on the thick seaweed and sediment stuck to it, he guessed it had been around for at least two hundred years. There were several lights set up around it, and it seemed like something was there, but...
“Zagan. Someone’s coming,” Foll raised her voice in alarm while Zagan was taking in his new surroundings. Then, she pointed at a girl who was running toward them, yelling something and waving about her hand with all her might.
“Oh! Isn’t that Lilith!? Heeey, Lilith! It’s me! The siren, Selphooomph!?” Selphy shouted out in joy upon seeing her and swam toward the girl, but she was cut off by a merciless slap.
“You big dummy! Why are you acting so casual about all this!? No princess from of one of the three great royal families has ever run away from home, you know!? Don’t you realize you’re in for a huge scolding!? And hey, how come you didn’t even try contacting me at all!”
Her final sentence seemed unconnected to all the rest, but it did make it apparent that she was Selphy’s friend. Selphy was drifting in the air with her eyes spinning about, but soon enough, she regained her consciousness and started laughing without an ounce of timidness in her voice.
“Ahahah, sorry about that. But listen, if I got in touch, those old geezers would’ve totally found me. I’m, like, really sorry, so don’t cry, Lilith.”
“I-I’m not crying you dummy! What you’re doing out there has nothing to do with me!”
Before they knew it, the girl who slapped Selphy hugged her with tears in her eyes. Apparently, in contrast to her sharp tongue, she was a good person on the inside.
“...Gremory would jump for joy if she saw this,” Zagan stated in a monotonous voice.
“...You’re right. Not bringing her was a good choice,” Foll readily agreed.
And with that, the girl looked over to Zagan’s group, having finally noticed them.
She looked to be about the same age as Selphy, at 15 or 16 years old. Her vivid crimson hair was tied up at both sides of her face, and she had horns growing out of her head. She looked almost like Gremory, but the bat-like wings on her back were a rather obvious difference.
A succubus, huh? They were a race who could apparently traverse the world of dreams. This was Zagan’s first time meeting one, and she appeared to be someone of high standing, since she was wearing a frilly one-piece dress and had a nice necktie draped over her back.
“And who are you? Some spoiled little brat?” Lilith wiped away her tears, then aimed a glare at Zagan as she asked that question.
Well, I guess this is Selphy’s home... It wasn’t all that unusual to find others like her around the area.
“Oh, this is my l
ord, Mister Zagan. And, the ones behind him are, like, his... wife? Fiancee? Well, that’s Miss Nephy and their daughter, Foll. Guys, this girl is my childhood friend, Lilith.”
“Um, daughter...? What’s that supposed to mean? And how does he have a fiancee at his age? Is he someone important?”
“It’ll take, like, way too long to explain! I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“When have you ever said that and properly explained things?”
Ugh, this is so annoying. I just want to ask around about the curse and get out of here... Perhaps having noticed Zagan’s irritation, Nephy let go of his hand and faced Lilith.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Nephelia, Master Zagan’s disciple, maid... and recently, I’ve become his lover.”
“Hm...? Wait, hold on... I feel like... I’ve heard the name Zagan before...?” Lilith cocked her head to the side in confusion as she said that.
“Why don’t you introduce yourself as well?” Nephy asked with a flat smile on her face. Her voice had a somewhat cold ring to it, which made the succubus involuntarily gulp.
“Uh, right... My name, huh? Very well. Clean out your ears and listen carefully. I am Lilithiera Fauna Hypnoel, first princess of the succubi and descendant of the proud Silver-Eyed King. I am a member of the three great royal families, so do remember to pay your respect!”
“Is that so? Well, Miss Lilithiera, though it is rather presumptuous of me to say this, allow me to give you a single piece of advice,” Nephy said that as she clasped the girl’s shoulder with a thud, then put on a refreshing smile and continued, “I am not so gentle that I will continue to just smile when someone is ridiculing my lord.”
The atmosphere froze over instantly.
Crap, this is bad. Nephy’s mad... She was a girl who never let her anger show on the surface, but it seemed she was overly sensitive due to Zagan’s transformation.
“Sh-Sh-Sh-Shorry...” Lilith stumbled over her apology as she began trembling and tears welled up in her eyes. She was scared enough to faint at any moment, so even Zagan sympathized with her.
“It’s fine, Nephy. Don’t get so mad. A brat should be disciplined by their parents, right?” Zagan requested she just leave it at that, and Nephy obliged with a dissatisfied expression on her face. After being freed from that pressure, Lilith weakly sank to her knees.
“Nephy, you got too mad. Bad children should be scolded, not hurt,” Foll claimed as she turned to Nephy with a look of pity for Lilith in her eyes.
“Oh... You’re... right. My apologies, Miss Lilithiera, I went too far,” Nephy bowed as she said that, having finally returned to her senses.
“You okay?” Foll asked as she held her hand out to Lilith.
“H-Hmph! This is nothing... Wait, what!?” Lilith let out a scream.
“What’s wrong?”
“Wh-What’s wrong? Wh-What... What are you? Why does something like this exist in the world...?”
Hm? Has she noticed that Foll’s a dragon? The succubi were a rare species, but they had little in the way of actual strength, especially when compared to dragons. That was why her reaction was perfectly...
“Ohhh, Lilith, your tits still haven’t, like, grown at all, huh?” Selphy unleashed that cruel statement in a casual manner, which made Lilith pin down her flat chest bitterly. She had been hit with those words right after being scolded by Nephy, which just made the whole thing too much for a girl in her teens. Lilith fell to her knees once more, going silent as her face twisted due to the humiliation of it all.
“Why did you get so mad? Usually, you would try to teach a bad child to act better,” Foll turned to Nephy and asked her that question due to the immense feeling of pity that was welling up within her.
“That’s... Master Zagan suffered through a harsh childhood, just like I did, but unlike me, he’s working hard to move past it. That’s why I took it as a personal insult, since that would make me even worse...”
“I see. That’s what set you off, huh?” Zagan said, ruffling his hair as he came to an understanding. Unlike what she claimed, her reaction seemed to give away the fact that she was angry about someone she loved being insulted in front of her.
Perhaps Nephy’s memories have taken on a new meaning... Her change in expression and displays of emotion were things he believed she carried back from the hidden elven village. Initially, he assumed it had only happened because she had been turned into a child, but maybe visiting her old home triggered a change instead...
“Hear me, Nephy. The truly strong are not affected by such trivial heckling. Do not lower yourself to her level,” Zagan ordered.
“Master Zagan...” Nephy mumbled as she crouched before Zagan, then replied in a dignified voice, “People are constantly wounded by thoughtless words. Not feeling anything when faced with them is a sign that your heart has frozen over. That’s why it’s best to get angry when you’re insulted.”
Zagan couldn’t believe he had forgotten something that simple. And so, he shot a glare over at Lilith, since he blamed her for Nephy scolding him.
“I see... You really are the one at fault here!”
“What’s with this brat!?” Lilith roared out those words as tears ran down her cheeks, leaving Foll and Selphy dumbfounded.
“That’s so petty, Zagan...”
“This is, like, the first time I’ve seen Mister Zagan be such a big, fat jerk...”
Well, it’s true that I wouldn’t normally make such a lame excuse in front of Nephy... Zagan thought as he groaned in the face of their reproachful stares. However, luckily, Nephy had a pleasant smile on her face, which cheered him right up.
“Master Zagan is cute when he’s childish,” Nephy claimed. His reaction seemed to satisfy her. And upon seeing her rare happy expression, he felt himself go weak in the knees. However, Foll seemed to have her own thoughts on the matter.
“This Zagan is different from when he’s an adult? Isn’t the only difference between a child and adult their power?” Foll, whose body only grew bigger, asked, as she was seemingly unable to understand the differences between adults and children. Feeling sorry for her, Zagan stretched his hand out to Foll’s head.
“...Zagan, what are you doing?”
He was stretching out his hand to pat his daughter’s head, but he couldn’t get anywhere close to it in his current form.
“I can’t reach. Lower your head.”
“Like this?” Foll asked as she lowered down with reservation, which finally let Zagan brush her head.
“Hear me, Foll. People accumulate intelligence as they grow up. And I believe intelligence is not just knowledge, but the ability to understand.”
“The ability to understand...?”
“That’s right. Listen, Foll, you may have attained the body of an adult, but you’ve yet to accumulate such intelligence. You’ll never learn the true difference between an adult and a child unless you look past the surface level.”
“That’s hard to understand,” Foll claimed as she folded her arms and puzzled over the idea for a while.
“I may look young now, but I’m still your parent. I’ll be strict with you when I have to.”
“Are you saying Lilith is still a child?” Foll asked as she shifted her gaze over to Lilith.
“...It’s good to see that you at least understand that much.”
“Hey, you lot! Don’t think you’ll get off lightly after making a fool of the next head of the succubi! I’ll put in a formal complaint to the church!” Lilith roared as she turned bright red due to Zagan and Foll’s comments. However, upon hearing the word church, everyone aside from her cocked their heads to the side.
“What does the church have to do with anything?”
“What? I mean, you people... don’t seem to be from the church... Huh? Wait, who are you?” Lilith inquired. It seemed she had misread them entirely up to that point.
“Huh? Lilith, didn’t you, like, come to greet us?”
“I didn’t. This is your home
, so there’s no need for me to guide you, right? I came here to—” Lilith cut herself off as she felt someone approaching them.
“Hello there. Is this the location of the Continental Interracial Elders Conference?”
It was none other than Archangel Chastille Lillqvist.
◇
Why is Chastille here? Zagan’s body stiffened upon hearing that familiar voice. And upon looking behind her, he noticed that Nephteros and Kuroka were accompanying her. There were several other Angelic Knights as well, but perhaps out of good fortune, the three idiots weren’t among them.
As he wondered why she was there, Zagan recalled Raphael’s words from earlier. “The representative for the humans is selected from the church, after all.”
He did mention that Chastille would be their most likely choice, but Zagan hadn’t really been expecting to see her. And so, he hid behind Nephy in a fluster.
“Nephy? Wait, why are you here?” Chastille asked as her eyes widened in surprise.
“Chastille? Um, well, that’s rather hard to answer...” Nephy trailed off as she tried to think up an excuse. Zagan had wanted his situation to be kept secret, but she wasn’t very good at lying, so she just looked troubled as she spoke with her head cocked to the side.
“Hm...? Hold on... Uh, I don’t think it’s possible, but is the one over there... Foll?” Chastille asked, clearly confused as she looked over to Foll.
“Yeah. It’s me. You got it despite not being a sorcerer. How admirable, Horse Head,” Foll replied.
“What happened? Also, is it just you two? I don’t see Zagan anywhere... Does he know you two are here?” Chastille inquired as she began to massage her brow as if she was getting a headache.
“That’s, um...”
Crap. Chastille’s in her work mode... She was usually a huge crybaby, and a total wreck, but that all changed when she was on duty. That made her extremely reliable as an ally, but that wasn’t what Zagan needed at the moment.
“What are you saying, Lady Chastille? Isn’t he standing right there?” Kuroka said as she pointed straight at Zagan, her triangular ears twitching curiously.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 6 Page 11