“He should not be a man that thou needst worry about to such an extent...”
“Yes, it’s exactly as you say. I’ve asked of a trivial matter. Please forget about it.” And after that, another shadowy figure nodded in realization.
“We have had a lapse of memory, I see.”
“About what?”
“That thou dost not possess a second name. It is most inconvenient.”
“Yeah. Now that you mention it, I don’t.” Giving the name Archdemon to such an individual was likely unprecedented.
“However, something like thine name has already been settled, correct?”
“So it has. It seems Marchosias had already decided on it.”
Thus, Zagan unexpectedly became an Archdemon.
◇
“Welcome home, Master.” Nephy came out to meet Zagan as he returned to the castle. As always, the changes in her expression were meager, but her ears were quivering with a twitch. It made Zagan think she was anxiously awaiting his return.
“Preparations for dinner have been completed. I have made lamb stew this evening.”
“Y-Yeah, thanks...” A sense of guilt began welling up within Zagan as Nephy treated him so kindly.
Nephy has yet... to be sullied.
Even in the incident back at the elf village, Nephy simply did nothing, so she hadn’t actually killed anyone. And when they were attacked by the Angelic Knights, Zagan had stopped her before it was too late.
However, Zagan was different. In fact, he was made painfully aware of just how different he was mere moments ago.
The mysterious Archdemons. Every sorcerer sought their power and prestige. A position among them was the end goal of each and every individual who studied sorcery. And Zagan was now among their ranks. He had already become one of them.
By sticking around Zagan, Nephy would be drawn into their world. She would dive deep into that muddy darkness, where not even a single speck of light would shine.
Right now, it’s still possible for her to turn back. It was already too late for Zagan, but Nephy still had a future within the light.
“Master? Did something happen?”
As Zagan cast his eyes downward, Nephy looked up at him, her gaze full of concern. Her ears, which had been pointed out perfectly seconds ago, were now despondently drooping down. It was clear she was sympathizing with Zagan.
Was it really okay to drag such a pure girl into the darkness?
Nephy’s neck had a boorish collar wrapped around it. It was the symbol that marked her as Zagan’s property.
If it weren’t for that thing, Nephy could be free.
If that collar didn’t exist, then surely everyone would accept her without prejudice. In fact, Kianoides would likely have been a good place for her to reside. After all, the people of that town warmly received a sorcerer like Zagan. And if something were to happen, Zagan was close enough to protect her.
At first, Nephy was sure to be bewildered, but if she was warmly received, then she would gradually open her heart. She had managed to relax her guard a lot around someone like Zagan, so it would be even quicker with ordinary villagers.
After thinking his plan through, Zagan removed a key from a pouch.
“Nephy, I ended up becoming an Archdemon.”
“An Arch...demon?”
“A king among sorcerers. The height of power, which all other sorcerers must obey.”
After staring in wonder for a while at the sudden news, she clasped her hands and nodded.
“Congratulations, Master.” Her expression was the same as always, but he could still feel that she was congratulating him from the bottom of her heart.
And, precisely because of that, the pain in his heart only grew worse. However, he wasn’t done yet. Zagan continued speaking, even though the weight of his words seemed to be crushing his very soul.
“I obtained the legacy of my predecessor, Marchosias, when I took his place. Nephy, that’s the sorcerer who captured you.” And so, the key in Zagan’s hand was also part of Marchosias’ legacy. It was what Zagan demanded from the twelve Archdemons.
“Nephy, don’t move,” Zagan said, as he inserted the key into her collar. And, with a light click, the iron collar crumbled to pieces.
“Huh?” Nephy stared at the wreckage of the collar that had fallen to the ground, sporting a dumbfounded expression on her face all the while.
“M-Master, this is...” As Nephy began tearing up, Zagan nodded.
“Yeah. As an Archdemon, I no longer need you, Nephy. Get out.” Zagan coldly declared that to a girl he found more lovely than any other.
And so, the long cohabitation between two awkward individuals abruptly ended.
Chapter V
An Archdemon’s Actions Are Expected to be Audacious
Before she knew it, Nephy was in a corner of town, crouching down in front of a deserted house.
Why... am I in a place like this...? It was like a fog had rolled over her mind, and she was unable to think properly.
The scenery looked familiar. It was likely Kianoides, the first town that she went out to visit with Zagan, and also a place that she visited every now and then to shop for ingredients and whatnot.
She had absolutely no recollection of how she came to be there, however.
In the first place, what reason did she have to travel so far? She remembered up to the point of preparing dinner, but did Zagan eat it? It was the first meal Nephy had ever made, the stew that her unsociable master would stare at in wonder and delight.
She wanted to see that joyous expression of his once more. And so, she had to quickly return to his service.
However, as that thought came to mind, she realized what she was grasping. A fragment of a collar that had crumbled to pieces. And, to her surprise, there was no longer a collar around her neck.
Ah, that’s right. I was...
“Thrown away... by Master.” As she put her thoughts into words, her mind shattered to pieces and became a jumble.
She felt her heart coming to a standstill. And if it hadn’t, then perhaps Nephy had simply lost her mind.
Even though he said... he would allow me to remain by his side...
It was a first for her.
The first time Nephy had been treated as a person, and was spoken to as such. He’d even prepared a room and clothes for her, and had given her a reason to live.
The only one who ever told her that she was needed... was Zagan. He said it was fine for Nephy to be there, so she thought that she’d found a place where she truly belonged.
And yet...
Nephy buried her face in her knees and curled up into a ball.
“Do tears... not flow at times like this...?” The whole situation didn’t seem real to her. And perhaps because of that, she was not drowning in sorrow.
She thought that if she just closed her eyes and fell asleep, then by the time she woke up, she would be back at the castle.
And yet, in a corner of her mind, she understood that there was no way that would ever happen, that this was reality, and she had to face it head on.
Despite that, none of her emotions were working properly. And at that exact moment...
“You’re... the one from back then...? Sorcerer Zagan’s servant, yes?” It was a voice that she didn’t recall hearing before.
As she looked up, a girl wearing the Anointed Armor of an Angelic Knight was standing before her. And she was carrying a greatsword on her back.
Even though Nephy didn’t recognize her voice, it felt like she recognized her appearance, so she observed her for a while longer. Before long, she remembered where she had seen her before.
“The one who fought against Master...?” It was one of the Angelic Knights from the fight in the forest.
And now that she thought of it, this girl was the only one who retreated without any significant injuries.
“You hear me, Nephy? Stay away from those damn Angelic Knights.” Zagan had given her that warning at some p
oint.
He’d told her how they were the natural enemies of sorcerers, and how they were professional killers who even executed all those related to sorcerers, condemning them as sinners. And also, about how there was a danger that they would set their sights on Nephy, so she should be wary of them.
Unfortunately, Zagan, who had told her all that, was no longer by her side. Why exactly did it end up like this? She had no idea at all.
“You’re... going to kill me, right?” Nephy muttered as if she had given up on everything.
It was likely that this girl had also witnessed her mysticism. She didn’t think that those who arbitrarily decided that even a sorcerer with a kind heart like Zagan’s was evil would let Nephy live.
Plus, she didn’t have her collar anymore, either. With the sorcery that Zagan had taught her and her mysticism, she may have been able to fight against the girl before her eyes, but she couldn’t even find a reason to do so.
If Master isn’t here, then there’s no point in living. She thought it would be fine to just die there.
Oddly enough, the girl in front of her shook her head with a panicked look.
“W-Wait! Don’t misunderstand. I don’t intend to bring any harm to you.”
“Hm...? Angelic Knights are people who kill sorcerers, right? I am... Master’s servant, and Master’s disciple. By all means, please behead me.”
“S-Stop speaking of me like I’m some sort of cutthroat!”
“Am I wrong?”
“Completely!” For some reason, it was the Angelic Knight who was on the verge of tears.
And perhaps because such a dispute broke out, before they knew it, a crowd had gathered around them.
(Hey, what’s with the uproar here? Isn’t the one over there Nephy?) (It’s an Angelic Knight... Don’t they have their eyes set on Nephy ’cause she’s a servant at that sorcerer’s place?) (Shouldn’t somebody save her, then? Even at the best of times, it seems like Nephy has a weak disposition.) The onlookers were each saying whatever they wanted, but for some reason all the criticism was focused on the Angelic Knight.
“I-I’m telling you that’s not true, okay?” And she shrank away as if frightened by their words.
And then, as if unable to watch anymore, a person jumped out from the crowd of people.
“Hup! Nephy, you alright?” The one who leaped out as if to cover Nephy was a young avian girl that Nephy clearly remembered.
“Manuela...” It was the clerk who picked out stuff for Nephy at the clothing store.
Even after that, they would sometimes meet in town and she would recommend new clothes to Nephy. The night gown that she wore in the castle was also something that Manuela hand-picked.
Looking at Nephy’s face, Manuela was left speechless.
“Wh-What’s wrong? What did she do to you? Are you hurt? Where’s your master?” Somehow, it seemed that Nephy was making a considerably miserable face. Manuela broke into a panic as if she had just found a wounded person covered in blood.
“It’s... nothing. I’m not... hurt.”
“There’s no way it’s nothing, right!?” As her voice grew harsh, the avian girl aimed a scowl at the Angelic Knight.
“Hey, you! Don’t you feel embarrassed doing this just ’cause you’re from the church? Bullying such a frail, kind-hearted girl is disgusting!”
“Exactly! That’s right!” “Get lost, Angelic Knight!” “And make your donations cheaper, too!” A storm of criticism broke out from the crowd.
“Y-You’re wrong...”
“What’s wrong, exactly!?” “You made Nephy make such a sad face, how dare you lie so calmly!” “That’s just inhuman!” The angry roars had reached a fever pitch, and the Angelic Knight had become remarkably pale and sank to the floor.
The uproar was getting larger and larger all on its own, but it wasn’t like the Angelic Knight had done anything to Nephy. And so, she raised her voice to mediate.
“Um, please wait... everyone.”
“It’s fine, Nephy. We’ll definitely protect you!” As Manuela turned back to her with a determined smile on her face, Nephy responded while maintaining her corpse-like gaze.
“...No, that person... hasn’t done anything to me.” Suddenly, the crowd fell into silence.
“Eh, but...”
“Even though I’ve been telling you that you’re wrong...” The young Angelic Knight had already burst into tears. It was just a miserable sight, seeing her covered in tears and mucus.
“Hic... I just ... hic, got worried when, ack, worry... I saw that she looked hurt...” It seemed that she really did only call out to Nephy because she looked miserable.
Thinking that she was cornered by the citizens because of her, Nephy somehow felt apologetic.
“Uh....” Manuela made a frankly troubled face.
“Then, why is Nephy making such a sad face? It doesn’t look like a trivial matter...”
“That’s...”
“Waaaaaah!” At a loss at for how to reply, the Angelic Knight burst out into more tears without taking her disgraceful behavior into consideration.
Nephy then stood up, and lowered her head with a bob.
“I apologize... for causing confusion... And to the Angelic Knight as well, I’m sorry. Well then, I’ll take my leave now.” And as she tried to leave, Manuela stopped her in a panic.
“W-Wait... Wait a sec. There’s no way I can just leave you alone after seeing you like that, right?”
“But...” As she muttered that word, Nephy was looking at the Angelic Knight who was continuing to wail excessively before her. Speaking of people who couldn’t be left alone, Nephy believed that it also applied to that girl.
Manuela was also at a loss of words, and eventually let out a ‘Aaah, geez’ and pulled at the girl’s red hair.
“Both of you, come with me!” Just like that, the odd combination of the disciple of a sorcerer, an Angelic Knight, and a clerk of a clothing store, left together in a hurry.
◇
“...Sorry for showing you such unsightly behavior.” The Angelic Knight, who had finally stopped crying, said that while her nose was still red. Looking at her once more, the young woman appeared to be around the same age as Nephy.
The three of them entered a bar together, but unfortunately the atmosphere around them was rather awkward. Even though it wasn’t all that spacious a shop, the customers around them all moved to seats closer to the walls.
If possible, Nephy also felt she would have preferred to join them and become an ornament on the wall, but she was one of the reasons the air had soured.
Setting aside the Angelic Knight who wounded Zagan, Manuela had gotten involved in it by covering for Nephy. Nephy hadn’t lost all feeling to the point where she could just run away and abandon her.
Although, she had no idea just what sort of face she should be making, given the situation.
That was why the only thing Nephy could do was remain expressionless and silent.
Manuela then put her best effort into speaking with a cheerful voice.
“There are a lot of friendly faces here, so you can relax. The second floor is also an inn, so...” Judging from the state that Nephy was in and the fact that Zagan was nowhere to be found, she concluded that Nephy wasn’t going to head back home.
After being brought over to the bar like a paying customer, Nephy shook her head.
“I don’t have... any money right now.” It really did seem like she went out with little more than the clothes on her back. All that was in her pocket was a memo for the recipe for dinner, nothing less, nothing more.
Looking at that scrap of paper, Manuela’s expression clouded over.
“Ah, geez, tonight will be my treat, so just sit down! You haven’t had dinner yet, right?” Nephy had no intention of replying, but the Angelic Knight next to her let out a grumble from her stomach, which made Manuela look over at her coldly.
“...”
“W-Well sorry about that!”
&nb
sp; As a disciple of a sorcerer, Nephy, and this girl who was an Angelic Knight were sworn enemies... Or, they were supposed to be, anyway. However, for whatever reason, Nephy could not sense any sort of enmity from the unreliable girl.
After Manuela sat Nephy down, she began ordering one thing after the other... Most of it seemed to be alcohol, though.
As they awaited their food, the Angelic Knight opened her mouth to speak.
“Now that I think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? Name’s Chastille. I’m sure you can tell, but I serve as an Angelic Knight.”
“...Manuela. You pay for your own portion, got it?”
“Why the hell are you so cold toward me!?”
“’Cause I still don’t know if you were really bullying Nephy or not?” Chastille stiffened up with a twitch, perhaps because she had, in fact, attacked Nephy’s home.
“Er... That’s...”
“See!? Like I thought, you really did something.”
“B-But that was my mission, so...”
“What? You saying it’s okay to hurt her if it’s your mission?”
It seemed Angelic Knights didn’t have a good reputation amongst the townspeople. That only made sense, as Kianoides was considered the domain of a sorcerer, which probably affected the residents’ opinions.
And in response to Chastille, who seemed liable to cry again, Nephy spoke up.
“No, it’s quite alright. Even back then, you didn’t harm me in any way.”
“Really?”
“Someone else injured Master, and that person already properly compensated us for it.” Perhaps having recalled Nephy’s mysticism, Chastille’s body trembled with a start.
“Sooo, what did this one do?”
“I don’t really know. But she helped make our request for them to retreat a reality.”
“Oh, so like, she carried the luggage?”
“Yes.”
“You’re wrong!” Chastille yelled out as she slammed her hands on the table with a bang.
“I’m the Maiden of the Sacred Sword, you know? In other words, I’m among the twelve Archangels! And yet, what’s with that phrasing!?”
“Well, is there something actually wrong with the way I described it?”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride - Volume 01 Page 15
