“Why would a letter come from your home? I don’t know any other sirens.”
“That’s why I thought it was, like, for me...” Selphy replied in a completely dispirited tone, which made Zagan shrug his shoulders.
“I understand your circumstances for now. You may release her, Foll.”
“Fine.”
“Whoa!” Selphy’s head slammed into the marble floor as Foll abruptly let her go. After watching her tumble around the ground as she gripped her head, Zagan turned to Foll.
“Foll, you should treat animals with a bit more care. Unlike sorcerers, they’re weak and may die right away,” Zagan chastised her in a sympathetic tone.
“...I didn’t notice. I’ll be more careful next time,” Foll replied. Zagan gently brushed Foll’s head after she obediently apologized, which made Selphy shift her attention over to him in displeasure.
“An animal... Well, I guess it’s good that you at least recognize me as a living, breathing creature...” Selphy muttered. In any case, Foll went out of her way to deliver that letter to him, so Zagan quickly traced his finger along the edge of the envelope, which was enough to open it as if a knife was passed through it. Then, the letter inside flew out. It wasn’t something so grandiose that one would call it sorcery, as all he did was use mana to sever the paper. And, as the letter settled itself in front of his eyes, Zagan knit his brows.
“The Continental Interracial Elders Conference?”
He’d never heard of it before. This continent was host to a countless number of races, including elves and all the therianthropes. Among those, races like the dragons and elves had low populations. Based on the contents of the letter, it looked to be a meeting for all the races to attend, but...
“Hm...” Raphael muttered in interest before saying, “It’s a conference held for the representatives of each race. There are those among them who are practically on the verge of extinction, so it may be a conference that’s supposed to help them find a way to survive, or start a cultural exchange of sorts. And whatever is decided there will be adopted by all races within the continent.”
“You’re quite well informed on the matter, aren’t you?”
“That is because the representative for the humans is selected from among the church. I have never attended myself, but I at least know the general outline of it. This time around, someone like Chastille was most likely selected.”
Sorcerers were humans who lived in the underworld. When it came to a gathering of races on the surface, it was only obvious that personnel from the church would be selected.
“We were also told to, like, run to the church if sorcerers were after us. They take money, but they do shelter the other races at least,” Selphy said, adding her own input. This was something Zagan only learned about when he picked up Kuroka and Kuu on a whim the other day, but the church had a side to it that was akin to a refugee shelter. That was why the people still relied on the church despite the high cost of donations. He understood that fact, but still, Zagan let out an astonished voice.
“Did you forget that this is a sorcerer’s castle?”
“Uhhh, I guess it is, huh?” Selphy mumbled those words in a dumbfounded voice. How was she such a scatterbrain?
“But this letter means they want me, a sorcerer, to attend as well. Have they gone senile? This is like a big, fat sheep inviting a hungry wolf over, isn’t it?” Zagan cocked his head to the side as he asked that question.
They couldn’t be thinking that a sorcerer, let alone an Archdemon, is virtuous, could they? Selphy had hinted at the idea earlier, but the reason so many species were on the verge of extinction was because of sorcerers. There were many non-human races who had inherent magical properties, so sorcerers hunted them down to use them as catalysts and sacrifices. And yet, they were inviting a sorcerer over to an important gathering. However, the only one laughing at the idea was Zagan.
“You really don’t get it sometimes, Zagan,” Foll said that in an unusually astonished voice.
“Huh...? Did I say something strange?” Zagan inquired. In response, Foll made a face like it would be a pain to explain it to him, and in her stead, Raphael turned to Zagan with a strained smile on his face.
“My liege. This castle houses a high elf, a dragon, a fomorian, a leonin, and recently, even a siren. It would be unreasonable for them not to be interested when there are so many races coexisting here with no conflict to speak of. There are countless endangered species out there that require protection, after all.”
“Oh...” Zagan muttered. Setting aside Nephy and Foll, the others were all people who dropped in of their own accord, so he found that conclusion hard to accept. And so, he lowered his gaze back down to the letter as if trying to gloss over it, then knit his brows once more and said, “I don’t really care what the other races are thinking, but this letter says I’m to go with the envoy. Did someone bring this letter to the castle? They haven’t been killed, right?”
It was an envoy for a conference of all the races, so there was a very high probability that they were someone of rather high standing. In that case, they were like a sitting duck to a bunch of salivating sorcerers. Be they human or of the other races, Zagan thought nothing of someone he didn’t know dying. Still, it certainly left a bad aftertaste if someone who came here especially for him was carelessly killed by his subordinates before he even got the chance to speak to them. And so, he turned to Selphy in search for answers.
“Uhhh, what’s up?”
“I mean, you were carrying this letter, right? Where did you get it?”
“Huh...? It was, just, like, brought over by a carrier pigeon.”
“A carrier pigeon?”
It’s not like that carrier pigeon was the envoy or anything, right? It was unclear how many of the races were attending, so he was left confused.
“The name that’s written here is Ainselph Thalasa Neptuna... a third princess from somewhere or other,” Zagan read the name on the letter out loud, which made Selphy tilt her head to the side with a blank expression.
“Huh, me?” Selphy asked. And this time, it wasn’t just Zagan, but everyone present who glared back at her.
“Now’s not the time for such jokes,” Zagan said with a sigh.
“So mean! All I did was react to my own name!” Selphy exclaimed, completely shocked by their hate-filled words and gazed.
“Your names might be similar, but it says princess here. It’s someone else,” Foll replied in an admonishing tone.
“But I’m, like, totally a princess!”
“Has being dragged here made you lose your mind?” Foll replied with a hint of pity in her eyes.
“Gaaah, it’s true! Selphy is short for Ainselph! And Thalasa is, like, a name that can only be used by siren royalty. I totally wouldn’t lie about this!” Selphy exclaimed as she was on the verge of tears, which made Raphael peer in at her face with a puzzled expression.
“Hm... Now that you mention it, I’ve heard that sirens with blue hair are part of a special bloodline...”
“Right? Right!? Look, aren’t I, like, super elegant?”
“Not at all,” Raphael replied without a moment’s hesitation, rendering Selphy completely silent. Zagan found this somewhat pitiful, so he decided to at least hear her out.
“Well, for the sake of argument, if you’re royalty, why were you working as a singer atop a sorcerer’s boat and getting drunk in a bar because you were unemployed?”
“It’s not just for the sake of argument! I’m, like, totally not lying!” Selphy roared as she stood up languidly, and because all her crying earlier had wet her face, she was wiping the tip of her nose bashfully as she said, “Well, you see, our people kind of have this rule where royal songs are, like, sacred or something, right? So, they can only be listened to by, like, a chosen few. I didn’t like that, so I ran away from home. I never thought I’d end up as a servant at your castle, though!”
“So, what’s with you being an envoy?” Zagan asked. Wat
ching this girl laugh without a care in the world was starting to give him a headache.
Selphy folded her arms and wracked her brains over the matter. It seemed the person in question didn’t know either.
After waiting in silence for the second hand of the clock to make a full lap, Selphy finally clapped her hands together.
“Oh, maybe it’s that. Like, my family’s been real worried about me staying at your place, Mister Archdemon, since I sent them a letter about it. So, like, they wrote to bring you along next time around.”
“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Zagan asked.
“Ahaha, I mean, like, even I’m not shameless enough to drag you down to my place beneath the ocean, Mister Archdemon,” Selphy replied. For the time being, it seemed that she was at least aware that she was shameless.
Although, I guess this timing makes sense now... The sirens knew about Zagan because of Selphy’s letters, so the elders probably thought to call him over to that conference.
“I know I may not look it, but I am busy here...” Zagan said as he tossed the letter onto a table as if it was garbage. His date with Nephy was fast approaching. He only had a week left to prepare.
I also can’t bring myself to keep Orias waiting much longer... Zagan’s focus shifted over to his pocket, where he had left a mithril pendant, as he thought that.
Archdemon Orias also happened to be Nephy’s mother. She had dropped by the other day, but because of the open hostilities with Bifrons, she decided to come back another time. Zagan was looking after the pendant, which was the only proof in the world that they were mother and daughter, and had yet to give it to Nephy. He wanted to give it to her in a nice atmosphere, like while on a date, so he ended up constantly putting it off. Orias was someone he deeply respected, and he couldn’t really keep her or Nephy waiting much longer, so he had to hurry.
“No, no, no, it’s not like I’m planning on causing you any trouble here, Mister Archdemon. If anything, it’s, like, kind of awkward to show my face to my family, so I don’t really wanna...” Selphy easily let her true intentions show, and Zagan shut her up with a single glare as he leaned back into his throne.
“...Well, whatever,” Zagan muttered. All he wanted to do was try things couples would do with Nephy. And since he was already busy planning for that, he didn’t feel like increasing his workload any. As he racked his brains over the matter for a while, Foll came tottering over and plopped down on his lap. It seemed she sensed that the serious talks were over, and came to get spoiled. And so, Zagan gently brushed the head of his beloved daughter.
Hm, if it’s a gathering of all races on the continent, then it’s not completely unrelated to Nephy and Foll... Foll’s case was special. Dragons were said to have vanished from the world entirely, so it was possible that she was in fact the very last living member of her race. And in that case, it wasn’t something she could just ignore to protect her current way of life. A dragon’s lifespan far surpassed that of an Archdemon like Zagan, after all, so she would eventually have to live without him. And, as he brooded over that, Raphael nodded.
“It is about time for dinner. Give your damn life to your professional duties already,” Raphael demanded as he stared at the siren.
“I, like, don’t even do any of the cooking, remember?” Selphy replied.
“Hm... Now that I think of it, there’s a legend in Liucaon where they cook mermaids into a dish called ‘sashimi’ that grants eternal youth.”
“Why are you mentioning that now!?” Selphy screamed in terror as Raphael dragged her out of the throne room.
That damn Raphael, he’s properly met up with Kuroka already... The tabaxi, Kuroka, was something like a daughter to Raphael. After the incident in town came to an end, Zagan instructed Raphael to go take care of things at the church, but he never heard whether or not they were actually reunited. Even if Raphael was his butler, Zagan didn’t like to pry into the private life of others, and Raphael himself likely thought the topic awkward, so Zagan never brought it up himself.
In the end, I found out nothing about Azazel... Kuroka was a member of an organization called Azazel, but that wasn’t the Thirteenth Sacred Sword itself. It seemed the Thirteenth had some sort of involvement with the elves, so he wanted to get some definitive information on it, but...
While he was thinking of such things and watching the two of them leave the throne room, Zagan noticed that Foll was looking up at him like she had something to say. And so, he gently brushed his beloved daughter’s head and tilted his head to the side.
“So, what is it? You have something you wish to talk about, right?” Zagan asked. The other day, Foll had looked up at Zagan like this because she had a personal request. At that time, she was badgering him to read a picture book because he was being indecisive. Zagan questioned his daughter in as gentle a voice as he could, and Foll opened and closed her mouth several times as if she couldn’t find the words to say. And, as he patiently waited for her to put her feelings into words, before long, Foll cut to the chase.
“Zagan, you know what?”
“Oh?”
And once more, silence. Still, it didn’t take all that long this time for her to continue.
“Zagan, you told me that if I wanted power, I should steal it,” Foll stated.
“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Zagan replied. It was something he told her when she first came to the castle. At the time, he had yet to decide to make her his adopted daughter, and he had no intentions of taking any disciples aside from Nephy. Thus he told her that. Now that Foll was officially his daughter, Zagan didn’t have any problem teaching her sorcery, but...
I want Foll to experience an ordinary life filled with happiness... That was why Zagan didn’t want to give her too great a power.
“...But you gave Gremory and Kimry power,” Foll timidly continued.
“...I did,” Zagan responded. He gave them the power to fight so that they could protect his subordinates from demons and the other Archdemons. Even though he told his daughter to steal power, he ended up granting power to his other subordinates. She was likely unhappy about that.
“I also... want power...”
“Don’t make that face. I’ve also thought of a suitable power to grant you,” Zagan said as he stroked Foll’s head.
“...Really?”
“Heaven’s Scale Snowfield,” Zagan quietly muttered those words as he raised his hands into the air. With that, lights that looked like powdered snow filled the air. It was a variation of one of the two sorceries Zagan created to kill the other Archdemons. Heaven’s Scale was defensive sorcery that created an invincible shield. The floating lights in the dimly lit throne room looked like twinkling stars in the dark night sky.
“So pretty...” Foll said with a sigh. Then, she looked up at the scenery in a trance for a while, but eventually cast her gaze down in discontent as asked, “Zagan, this is Heaven’s Scale, the one used for defense, right?”
“It is. What about it?”
“I’d prefer... the one that burns... Heaven’s Phosphor.”
That was the other sorcery Zagan created, the fire that burned life itself, and turned anything it touched to ash, Heaven’s Phosphor. It was a power that should have been sealed as a forbidden spell because it was so powerful. It was also the very same power that Zagan granted to Gremory and Kimaris. Having said that, those were versions that were adjusted for them, and couldn’t compare to the one Zagan himself used...
Well, wanting power tends to come hand in hand with seeking out violence... It seemed that Foll wasn’t pleased with the self-protection sorcery Zagan displayed. Still, he showed no signs of being offended, and stroked his daughter’s head.
“Hear me, Foll. Do you know what is most important to a sorcerer?”
“...To become strong?”
“That answer gets you fifty points.”
“I’m wrong?” Foll asked as she cocked her head to the side.
“What a sorcerer needs to priorit
ize above all else... is extending their lives. Most sorcerers, including myself, stained their hands with sorcery in order to continue living. Power can help you live, which is why we seek it. If we were to die, we would lose our knowledge and everything else with it. That’s why we build up our strength to live.”
That was why sorcerers possessed superhuman physical strength, tenacious skin which could stop a blade, brute strength that could tear apart steel, a heart that could endure running at full sprint for miles without running out of breath... Once one was able to reach such a stage, they were true sorcerers. And even with all that, you would only be a freshly hatched chick in the world of sorcery. To reach the extremities of sorcery that people like Gremory had attained, a person needed to dedicate another several hundred years to honing their craft. Zagan was the strange one for having reached the very peak of sorcerers while in his teens.
“Foll, you may end up living a longer life than me, but you’re still young. For now, learn more ways to defend yourself. This shall become a new set of scales to protect your skin.”
Foll wasn’t so foolish that she couldn’t understand the logic behind that. However, she also wasn’t mature enough to just accept that on an emotional level.
“Can I not use Heaven’s Phosphor... because I’m small?”
“That’s right. Once you grow bigger, I’ll definitely teach it to you,” Zagan promised.
“...Got it,” Foll replied. Her voice didn’t make it sound like she was convinced in the least, but she likely felt that she could only nod as she was now. Foll jumped off of Zagan’s lap, then tottered out of the throne room.
I ended up ruining her mood... Foll surely knew that Zagan hadn’t said anything unreasonable. However, children couldn’t always act logically. The privilege to complain so selfishly was something he granted to her alone, since she was still a child. That was why he gazed at her back in a loving manner as she walked away from him.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 6 Page 2
