“Well, right now I’m looking for records of those who left the village or descriptions of heretics who idolized sorcery. They can’t be all that common in an elven village. And since they went out of their way to make a move on us out here, it’s only natural to believe that they have some connection to this place.”
Based on what Nephteros and Gremory had said, the culprit was definitely an elf.
“I get that much, but how will finding a description of them help?” Chastille asked, a confused expression on her face.
“Most elves can’t survive out in the world. If they left the village, they would need to create some sort of barrier with sorcery. And in that case, I can track the sorcery as long as I find out what it is.”
Elves were hunted by regular people and sorcerers alike. Nephy being auctioned off was one such example. The only way for them to protect themselves was to master sorcery and make use of their massive reservoirs of mana. And if they were using sorcery, Archdemon Zagan would definitely be able to corner them.
In other words, the documents he was pouring over were his best leads. However...
“Why the long face?”
“Hmm...” Zagan let out a puzzled groan as he flipped through the pages of one of the books.
“None of these mention Nephy at all.”
“Are they not just journals from before Nephy was born?” Chastille asked as she stared back at him in wonder.
“They aren’t. The journals end with a description of how humans invaded their territory. I assume they scribbled it down right before the village was destroyed. And I know for a fact that Nephy was there when that happened.”
“I heard Nephy was, um, called a cursed child here, right? Then, isn’t it safe to conclude that she was being ignored?” Chastille muttered, deep in thought.
“If I was in their shoes, I would have kept a constant eye on such a dangerous brat. The fact that they didn’t makes it clear that they understood Nephy’s power. I mean, they even begged her for help in the end, didn’t they?”
“You’re right... If they actually thought she was dangerous, then they would have paid more attention to her...” Chastille muttered as she gathered her thoughts. Then, a look of enlightenment graced her face, and she said, “Wait, wouldn’t there be a journal dedicated entirely to Nephy’s surveillance? I’m sure the elves hated her, but acting up in public was probably frowned upon, right? Isn’t it possible that they hid any information on her from the other villagers?”
Zagan’s mouth popped open in surprise. He never expected to hear such wise words coming from her.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just... I’m surprised that you had such a good idea.”
“What do you take me for!?” Chastille exclaimed as her face spasmed in shock and anger.
“Try saying that after you stop being a crybaby.”
“I just try to keep my public and private faces separate, that’s all. And I’ve judged the current situation to be a part of my public duty.”
In other words, despite being a fairly capable Angelic Knight, this girl’s a complete wreck in her private life? Zagan was left at his wit’s end by her response. Thinking back on it, she actually seemed quite dignified and prudent when they fought for the first time. At that time, she had challenged Zagan due to her mission as an Angelic Knight. And then, when Nephy reunited with her in town, she was a total crybaby. That was when she was relieved of her duties as an Angelic Knight, which made sense thanks to all the new information she just provided. After that, she only ever met Zagan when she was off duty, cementing her status as a complete crybaby.
Chastille’s ability to so clearly split the two parts of her was worthy of praise, but that made one wonder why she couldn’t at least retain some of her composure in private. Not that it mattered in the end, though. In fact, her split personalities proved quite useful in this case.
“I have a request. Bring over every single elven book you can find in the elder’s manor. Just look for anything written in Elvish and bring it over!” Zagan looked up from his book as he asked her for that favor.
“So you’re saying it might be hidden in plain sight, huh?”
“Exactly. How clever, Chastille.”
“U-Uh, thanks... Ehehe...” Chastille’s face slackened for a moment, but then she immediately regained her composure and ran over to the elder’s manor.
I can’t believe she’s acting like this and being a big help... Something’s wrong with this village.
Completely unfamiliar and abnormal phenomenon were occurring left and right. However, if Chastille was willingly casting aside her crybaby persona and taking this seriously, there was no way Zagan could just play around. And so, he continued to scan through the pile of journals at his side.
Unfortunately, he failed to find Nephy’s name anywhere, even after he went through fifty years’ worth of journals. And while he sat there, puzzled by that turn of events, he felt something weigh down on his head.
“Ehehe...”
Zagan looked up and caught sight of a tiny Nephy with an enormous smile on her face.
Why are you so damn cute?! Nephy’s smile brightened his once gloomy heart. Zagan could barely contain himself anymore. The urge to protect her was overflowing from within him. And because of that, his body ignored his mind and he ended up giving her a ride on his shoulders.
“Wooow, I’m up sooo high!”
“Zagan, me too!” Foll exclaimed.
“Gaaah, fine!” Zagan said as he moved Nephy over to his left shoulder in order to make room on his right for Foll. And then, he ran a lap around the plaza with the two of them up there.
Kimaris, who was investigating the other houses in the village, seemed to want to join them, but he ended up controlling himself.
“That was fun.”
“It was! Big Shish!”
Foll let out a sigh of satisfaction, and Nephy was bouncing around next to her. After a moment of silence, Nephy began speaking with a smile plastered on her face.
“Mashter Zagan, I made a flower crown with Big Shish Foll! It’s for you!”
“Y-Yeah, thanks...” Zagan replied in a bewildered tone. This was the first gift he’d ever received from Nephy, which meant he had to protect it. And so, Zagan used sorcery to keep the flowers from withering. However, as he did that, the tiny Nephy looked up at him with a worried look on her face.
“Do you feel better now, Mashter Zagan?”
“Do I... not look well?”
“Yeah. You usually seem to be having fun, but you looked really sad earlier, Mashter Zagan.”
That was obviously because it was difficult to remain happy when the girl he loved was suffering under some kind of curse.
“So, here’s a good luck charm to cheer you up,” Nephy said as she stretched out with her tiny arms to grab Zagan’s cheeks. After getting a firm grip on them, she rubbed her forehead against his. The sensation was all too familiar. Or well, of course it was, since he’d done something similar in the past when he was trying to help Nephy.
This girl really is the same at heart, huh? Even after shrinking, losing her most recent memories, and having her personality reduced to that of an innocent child, Nephy was still Nephy. And that made Zagan extremely happy.
“What a useful charm. I see. I really do feel better now.”
“Really? Ehehe...” Nephy said with a smile.
This Nephy really does smile a lot, doesn’t she?
It was like she knew nothing of rejection or loss. She was the very definition of a pure little girl. Perhaps this was her true nature all along, and it went dormant due to the years of abuse she suffered in the village. He was happy that she had regained her smile, but the fact it only came back because she was turned into a child left Zagan feeling rather bitter.
In an attempt to banish such thoughts, Zagan tried touching the flower crown Nephy made for him. When he did, he noticed that it was made of beautiful violet flowers.
&
nbsp; “I’m surprised such delicate flowers bloom in this weather.”
The seasons were beginning to transition toward winter even back in Kianoides, which meant Norden, a typically cold country, was already in full-blown winter. That was why Zagan was so surprised by any flowers being in bloom.
“Those are violets. They aren’t in season right now,” Foll said as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.
“...What do you mean?” Zagan asked in a tone that made it clear he was just as puzzled as Foll. In response, Foll just pointed up at the sky. And when he looked up, he saw... a swarm of butterflies fluttering about.
“...Huh?” Zagan stood up as a shocked expression rose to his face, then said, “Butterflies... in this cold weather?”
Butterflies were a race closely linked to fairies, which made their wings ideal catalysts for sorcery. That was why Zagan knew about them. Unlike most creatures, they could not survive through a harsh winter. If it was just a single one, then it was possible that it woke up by mistake, but a whole swarm was an entirely different matter. After all, butterflies were so sensitive to the cold that they wouldn’t even hatch unless they were in a warm climate.
Foll looked around the area, clearly confused. And as Zagan followed her gaze, he noticed something rather odd. The previous evening, the houses simply didn’t have any people in them, and showed no signs of really wasting away. However, they were now overrun by ivy and moss. Additionally, flowers of every color bloomed on the ground, butterflies fluttered about looking for nectar, and a warm spring wind brushed against his cheeks. There was no way this made any sense. Such a huge shift couldn’t have occurred in the time it took him to read through all those journals.
“The weather here has gone mad... No, the flow of time itself is weird. We should leave quickly...” Foll informed him of that fact in a voice filled with dread.
◇
After taking notice of the irregularity, Zagan called everyone together. Nephteros, Barbatos, Kimaris, and Gremory were gathered. Searching about while in the form of an old woman seemed unbearable for her back, so she was currently in a more young, beautiful form.
Chastille, who was left in charge of searching the manor, had not returned. She had just began searching, which more than excused her absence, but Barbatos said that she found something of interest. For the time being, his shadow was connected to her, so it was fine even if they didn’t forcibly call her back.
Nephy’s high elf blood should have protected her against sorcery, but she was still turned into a child. I should’ve realized something stronger was at play... Zagan beat himself up about missing the obvious. Somehow, he didn’t even realize something was wrong until Foll pointed it out to him.
Zagan tried touching the ground. Even now, the earth was being pushed aside as new sprouts poked out their heads here and there. By evening, the area they were in would undoubtedly be completely covered in weeds. He could sense the flow of mana, and that told him this phenomenon was not ‘something created’ like when a person made use of sorcery. It was clearly unnatural, yet it was also natural in the same way the earth transformed over the course of months and years. It was like watching a sea of trees grow at an accelerated pace.
“So this is also mysticism? How troublesome. For the time being, should we get out of here?” said Zagan. He specialized in breaking sorcery, which meant he was totally out of his element. Plus, if the barrier around this land was responsible for turning Nephy into an infant, there was a chance that getting away from it would return her to normal. And honestly, even if that didn’t work, it may have been best to have his subordinates seek refuge elsewhere.
“No, it’s probably useless. Seems like the barrier is already covering the entire village. Someone like Purgatory may be able to slip through, though...” Gremory corrected the position of the large scythe on her shoulder and shook her head as she denied Zagan’s suggestion.
“Is that true?” Zagan asked.
“Maybe if it’s just me. Dragging a bunch of people through makes it pretty hard, though...” Barbatos replied, shrugging his shoulders all the while. The way he said that made it seem like he’d already tried and failed.
No dice, huh?
“My sense of smell has been limited. It’s probable that we’ll end up being transported right back even if we try to run away. Whoever is doing this is in total control...” Kimaris strained his face as he conveyed his thoughts.
“Even this Balor’s Evil Eye of mine is sealed. It’s probably the same for Valefor’s breath...” Gremory possessed an evil eye that could turn anything she cast her gaze on to ash. It was an ability that some fomorians possessed which was different in nature from sorcery, and in some ways, it was even more powerful than mysticism.
“I see. We’ve basically been imprisoned inside this village, huh?”
Everyone fell silent as he voiced their collective thoughts on the matter. Nephy was the only one who didn’t really understand, and she curiously tilted her head to the side.
“...What’re we gonna do, Zagan?” Barbatos asked. However, instead of answering his question, Zagan simply put his hand on the ground and examined the flow of mana once more.
It’s quite complex, but it’s not like I can’t read it, either... Based on his findings, there was likely a ‘gap’ somewhere. And Barbatos being able to escape at all supported his theory.
“By the way, Barbatos, do you remember what we had for breakfast?” Zagan questioned Barbatos in order to nail down specifics.
“Huh? The hell are you...” Barbatos raised his voice in anger, but went silent when he saw the serious expression on Zagan’s face. Then, he thought it over and said, “Leftover soup and bread from yesterday, and salad made of wild plants, right? What about it?”
“Hm... Then Kimaris, can you talk about what’s happened since Nephy ended up like this?”
“Sir Zagan, you told me and Miss Gremory to investigate Lady Nephy’s old house because my nose is useful for tracking creatures, and Miss Gremory is well-versed in sorcery that manipulates age. And upon finding anything strange, we were to return without engaging in any hostilities...” Kimaris answered with a puzzled expression.
“Foll. Before coming here, you worked on a flower bed with Kimaris, right? What did you dig up back then?” Zagan finished things by questioning Foll.
“Huh...? A mandrake. It’s tasty as a snack, and it also strengthens mana, so I was growing them with Kimry.”
“That’s right. Next time, let’s try procuring some nice ones along with better soil.”
“Mmm...” Foll purred and happily nodded at Kimaris’ words as Zagan gently brushed his beloved daughter’s head
“What’s the point of all these questions?” Barbatos asked in a flustered tone.
“Let’s see. For the time being, I can tell that all our memories are intact. Only Nephy is an exception...” Nephy’s recent memories were all vague. If there was some sort of malevolent influence, it would likely have altered their memories of the last few days, as well. Zagan checked each of them just to be sure, but it seemed there was nothing out of the ordinary with any of their memories. Perhaps it was due to their race, as everyone in his group was different?
Regardless of the reason, they seemed fine mentally. Plus, he couldn’t tell if their bodies were holding up okay. Though, sorcerers naturally resisted the effects of old age, so that wasn’t actually much of a concern.
After confirming all those facts, Zagan explained his conclusion like it was no big deal.
“Well, we have ways of breaking through it by sheer force. For the time being, let’s continue our investigation.”
A time warp was certainly something to keep a cautious eye on, but there were no traces of any other threat. In that case, kicking up a fuss would accomplish nothing. That was the answer Zagan arrived at.
“Sheer force? This ain’t a barrier made by sorcery, right? Is there something you can do?”
“Who cares if it isn’t sorcer
y? We can still break through with sorcery, right?”
Sure, Zagan couldn’t devour it, but that wasn’t his only skill. He hadn’t just been wasting his days away in his castle after he learned of celestial mysticism. In fact, he’d developed at least one means of dealing with such sticky situations.
This place will probably end up as scorched earth where not even a single blade of grass will grow, but it’s not like anyone lives here anymore... The only doubt in his mind was if it was really alright to decimate Nephy’s hometown. That was why he wanted to try and gather a few more clues. Also, Zagan came here to investigate the connection between celestial mysticism and Sacred Swords, so looking around more couldn’t hurt.
“You know, putting it like that really stings. You make it sound like this isn’t all that big a deal...” Gremory said, looking visibly depressed.
“That’s just how it is. Leaving this place isn’t all that hard. Plus, even if it was, I’d have you to help, so I was never worried.”
In truth, this was an extremely powerful barrier that may have even transformed Nephy into an infant, which meant there was a chance that the same would eventually happen to Zagan and the others. However, its power simply piqued Zagan’s sense of curiosity. He wished to take his time and investigate its structure.
But I guess I’ll have to end things early if they start getting nervous... Either way, this situation wasn’t something they had to worry about. And, as Zagan’s subordinates relaxed due to his lack of tension, Nephteros spoke up to challenge his resolve.
“Stop right there. I know what you may be thinking, but I can’t do anything about this barrier. Celestial mysticism isn’t all-powerful, so if you’re planning to depend on me here...”
“I told you already, remember? You’re a guest. A guest doesn’t have to get riled up over such trivial matters!” Zagan bopped Nephteros on the head repeatedly as he said that.
“Huh...? What?” Nephteros made some sort of complicated happy-yet-embarrassed face, but she didn’t brush away Zagan’s hand.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 4 Page 9
