“Huh?”
Right. She distinguishes people by their scent and presence, doesn’t she? Zagan may have shrunk, but nothing else about him had really changed. And so, it seemed Kuroka’s perception of Zagan hadn’t been altered either.
“Wait a minute... What’s going on?” Nephteros asked, seemingly bewildered.
“H-Hold on... Who is that kid? Why does he look so much like Zagan? Don’t tell me...!” Chastille’s eyes shot open as if she’d just realized the truth before she continued, “Is he Nephy and Zagan’s illegitimate child!?”
I see she’s back to her usual self now... It seemed that despite being in work mode, the shock of it all had made her revert to her normal state. Sensing that continuing to keep quiet would only cause further problems, Zagan reluctantly stepped forward.
“You reacted the exact same way when you first saw Foll.”
“Huh!? If you know that, then... No way, are you really Zagan?”
“If you want to laugh, then go right ahead. I ended up like this after failing some sorcery.”
“...I won’t laugh. How did a sorcerer of your level end up like this?” Chastille asked that question, hoping to hear a response, but...
“HAHAHAHAHAHA! You serious? You’re really Zagan!?”
Damn it. How’d I forget? If Chastille is here, then so’s that idiot... Zagan facepalmed as a gloomy man suddenly crept out of the shadow at Chastille’s feet. It was Barbatos.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA! I can’t believe it! This dumb kid is Zagan? Guess it’s time to get some payback. I’ll finish you off and become an ArchdAMPH!”
Zagan’s fist sank right into Barbatos’ cheek before he finished speaking. He instantly broke through his molars, then drove him down to the stone floor of the sea. Eventually, the bedrock caved in, and Barbatos’ face vanished into it.
Chastille put her hand to her head, looking almost embarrassed, while Kuroka seemed to be deeply moved, since she was clapping her hands. Foll and Nephteros, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care at all, while Nephy formed a strained smile as if it was a common sight. The clear outliers were Selphy and Lilith, who were trembling as they hugged each other.
“Hm... I meant to kill him with that, but it seems this form is limiting me,” Zagan claimed as he looked down at the hand he used to strike Barbatos. The number of circuits he could construct at once hadn’t been reduced, but it seemed there was now a limit to how much he could increase his strength. He was unable to bring out even twenty percent of his full power.
This is a huge problem... He had to fix it before they got into any trouble. By that point, Kuroka also seemed to have noticed something was amiss, so she stepped forward while knitting her brows.
“Um... Mister, are you... crouching?” Kuroka asked, likely judging Zagan’s height based on where his voice was coming from. However, it seemed she hadn’t discerned that he turned into a child yet.
Well, the cat’s already out of the bag, so I shouldn’t leave her out... Zagan took Kuroka’s hand and placed it against his own face. He had heard before that the blind could grasp the shape of people’s faces by touching them.
“U-Um... No, wait, huh?” Kuroka’s eyes shot open in astonishment as she began trembling.
“Do you get it now? This is my current form,” Zagan stated.
“Oh... I see...” Kuroka replied. It seemed she may have hated touching people’s faces, since her hand was still shaking.
“Oops, my bad,” Zagan said as he released her hand. And once he did, she shrank back extremely fast.
“Kuroka, what’s wrong?” Nephteros asked as she shifted over to her companion.
“Oh, it’s just... my hands... are dirty... so touching someone’s face is a little...” Kuroka trailed off, but it was obvious that she was feeling rather embarrassed. It seemed Nephteros and Kuroka had grown quite close while living at the church, which pleased Zagan immensely.
“Huh... Kuroka? Just now... you said Kuroka, right?” Lilith asked as she gulped audibly.
“Hm? They don’t look dirty to me. Did you touch something filthy recently?” Nephteros knit her brows and asked that question without paying Lilith any mind at all.
“Um, uh, yes! I don’t really know what it was, but it felt squishy!”
“Seriously...? Hey, siren, are you a local? Is there some place she can wash her hands?”
However, before Selphy could answer, Lilith raised her desperate voice.
“Hey! Are you... Kuroka? The one from house Adelhide!?”
“Huh...? Yes. That’s me,” Kuroka nodded despite her confusion.
“It’s me! The succubus Lilithiera! You played with me and Selphy a lot, right!?” Lilith exclaimed as tears began to well up in her eyes.
“You’re... Lilith?” Kuroka muttered as her eyes widened in surprise. And upon hearing that, Lilith threw her arms around Kuroka.
“WAAAAAAAAAH! I was so worried! You could have at least let us know you were still alive, you big dummy!”
“Sorry. Um... a lot of things happened.”
They know each other... Kuroka was a therianthrope from Liucaon, Lilith was royalty there, and Selphy was a resident of the ocean that tied it to the continent. It wasn’t all that strange that they were connected in some way. Plus, they were all close in age, so it made sense that they were childhood friends.
“Wow! What a coincidence! Kuroka, can you, like, tell who I am?” Selphy asked as she joined in on their hug.
“You’re the same as ever, I see. I remember you,” Kuroka replied. She was being jostled around by the unruly pair, but looked considerably happy regardless.
“So, like, how are Aunty and Uncle doing?” Selphy asked. Unfortunately, it seemed she had not managed to read the air.
“I see. Now that I think of it, you ran away from home before it happened...” Lilith muttered as her face stiffened.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Selphy asked as she cocked her head to the side. However, it seemed a little cruel to make Kuroka explain it herself, so Zagan stepped forward.
“Kuroka’s people have perished. She’s currently being sheltered by the church. Right, Chastille?”
It was about time for Chastille to recover from her shock. And as he shifted the focus over to her, Chastille returned an firm nod.
“Yeah. Pastor Kuroka is doing splendid work at the church, and is currently serving as my advisor. She’s been a big help.”
“Then, is that also why your eyes...?” Selphy’s sense of endless optimism seemed to fade as she asked that question.
“Yes. Like I said... a lot has happened...” Kuroka replied with a troubled smile, which made Selphy droop her shoulders and hang her head.
“I didn’t know at all... Sorry...”
“You’ve got no reason to apologize. Besides, someone saved me, so I’ve got no regrets,” Kuroka claimed as she looked toward Zagan.
“I don’t know what you mean. Honestly, you should be thanking Raphael. It had nothing to do with me,” Zagan replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
“I see... Even you get embarrassed, huh, Mister?”
Kuroka said before slapping Lilith on the back and asking, “Come on, aren’t you here because of your duties?”
“...I-I-I know that.”
Having finally remembered why she was there, Lilith turned bright red and took her distance. And even though her eyes were still red and swollen, the succubus lifted the hems of her frilly skirt and curtsied before them.
“I apologize for my late introduction. My name is Lilithiera Fauna Hypnoel. I’ve been sent to guide the representatives from the church. Would it be correct to assume that you are the envoys?”
It seemed Lilith had been sent to serve as the guide for Chastille’s group. Her declaration made the entire church group stand to attention.
“Archangel Chastille Lillqvist. It seems that Pastor Kuroka requires no introduction, but this is my personal friend, Nephteros. And the others are my subordinates. We’ll be in your care.”
“...And who’s that?” Lilith asked as she pointed at Barbatos, who was still buried headfirst in the ground.
“An ally... probably?” Chastille replied hesitantly. She probably still disliked the idea of calling such a heinous sorcerer a friend, which was only natural, but...
Did something happen? Zagan felt something other than simple disgust in Chastille’s words. And while he stood around, trying to piece things together, Chastille walked over to Lilith.
“He’ll join us eventually, so just leave him be for now.”
“Is that so...? Well, whatever. The ocean capital is protected by the sirens’ Holy Treasure, so an ordinary sorcerer is no real threat.”
Selphy had mentioned it before, but it seemed there really was a Holy Treasure here. And it was a weapon on par with the Sacred Swords.
“Speaking of Holy Treasures, is it similar to the one enshrined in Liucaon? I’m interested in it as a wielder of a Sacred Sword.”
“That’s just a replica, so I doubt it has much power. As for the original...” Lilith glanced over to Kuroka. And perhaps noticing her gaze, Kuroka returned a nod.
“Liucaon’s Holy Treasure is known as the Moonless Sky. It consists of a pair of opposing swords.”
“Huh, a pair of swords? You can’t mean...” Chastille’s face stiffened as her words trailed off.
“Yes. My people were the ones who enshrined the Moonless Sky,” Kuroka stated as she drew her blades. That really surprised Zagan and Nephteros.
Is that why those shortswords reacted to celestial mysticism? If that were the case, the Holy Treasures were likely related to the Sacred Swords and the elves.
“Selphy’s house Neptuna, Kuroka’s house Adelhide, and my house Hypnoel are the three great royal families who’ve inherited the Holy Treasures of Liucaon,” Lilith stated as she proudly puffed out her chest.
In other words, there are only three Holy Treasures... Kuroka’s shortswords were as strong as a Sacred Sword. The idea that a small island nation like Liucaon had three such artifacts in their possession was quite terrifying. Still, that meant there was a possibility that one of them could cure him.
“Now then, dear guests. We don’t know if the last invitees are even coming, so you’re probably the last ones,” Lilith said as she pointed toward the temple.
“My apologies for being late... Wait, who’s missing?”
“The new Archdemon. He never sent a reply, so he probably won’t be coming.”
“Huh? By Archdemon, you mean...” Chastille looked over to Zagan, but he held his finger to his lips to urge her to stay silent.
I don’t give a damn about this conference. I’m just here to find a way to regain my true form... He really didn’t have time to speak to strangers.
“You’re tagging along, aren’t you, Kuroka? Do you have time to talk?”
“Yes. Let’s catch up, Lilith.”
Selphy said nothing as she watched her two childhood friends walk away. And after a short while, Zagan roughly slapped her back.
“That hurt, Mister Zagan...”
“Like I care. Listen, you’re too noisy, so you make us stand out. Get lost.”
“By that, you mean, I should... like, go with Lilith and the others?” Selphy asked as she stared back at Zagan in surprise.
“...I don’t care where you go. Do whatever you want.”
“Thanks. I’ll, like, totally never forget this debt, or what you did for Kuroka!” Selphy pat Zagan’s head with sparkles in her eyes as she said that.
“Whatever. Just get going already, you damn nuisance.”
After Zagan cruelly thrust her away, Selphy waved her arm about in the air so vigorously that it felt like it would tear off at any moment before running after her friends.
◇
“Why must they always exaggerate,” Zagan said as he let out a snort.
“I don’t believe that’s the case,” Nephy refuted before continuing, “Even if you claim it was no big deal, you saved all those girls. That’s why I believe you should honestly accept their gratitude.”
“Hm...”
For whatever reason, Nephy seemed a lot more strict when Zagan was in this form. Or wait, was kind a more fitting word? Either way, her reactions were quite different from usual, which troubled Zagan.
Gratitude huh? He didn’t really care about receiving gratitude, but he knew he was very bad at expressing it. Honestly, he had barely ever done it.
This is bad... Zagan thought as he cleared out his throat with a cough.
“Then, Nephy...” Zagan stretched out his hand, but he couldn’t reach Nephy’s head in his current form. However, he managed to touch Nephy’s bangs when he stood on his toes. And as he did, Nephy sensed what he was trying to do and lightly lowered her head.
“Is this fine?”
“Y-Yes,” Zagan said as he began awkwardly brushing Nephy’s head.
“Nephy, thanks for getting angry on my behalf earlier. Still, there’s no need to force yourself. I prefer... the usual you.”
Was Zagan able to properly convey his feelings? It wasn’t hard to tell, since the tips of Nephy’s ears turned bright red.
“That’s not fair, Master Zagan. Saying such things at a time like this is...” Nephy trailed off, then placed her own hand atop Zagan’s hand. She didn’t say anything more, but she didn’t let his hand go, either. They simply remained like that for a while before Foll interrupted them.
“Zagan, Nephteros is coming back.”
“What!?” Zagan and Nephy exclaimed as they separated from each other in a fluster. Perhaps due to good fortune, visibility was poor, so Nephteros didn’t seem to really suspect anything as she walked up to Zagan’s group. There was a young Angelic Knight following her, but his face didn’t look familiar.
“Please wait, Lady Nephteros. It’s dangerous for you to walk about on your own.”
“Shouldn’t you be escorting Chastille? There’s no need to follow me.”
“You are also someone I’ve sworn to protect. I shall remain by your side.”
It seemed that he was there to keep an eye on Nephteros, or guard her, or whatever.
His strength... is somewhere near the top, huh? He was at least an equal match for the three idiots. However, he was nowhere close to Chastille or Kuroka.
“What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be with Chastille?”
“Um, Kuroka and the others are there, so they should be fine. More importantly...” Nephteros trailed off and averted her gaze. The tips of her pointy ears then quivered as she gathered her resolve and said, “You’re troubled by this turn of events, right? I’ll lend you a hand.”
Even her dark skin turned bright red as she said that.
I see... She’s probably been practicing those lines this entire time, huh? Zagan was charmed by that and squinted his eyes. If his sister-in-law was trying this hard, there was no point turning her down. And so, he decided to accept her offer.
“Sure. Thanks. I’m not even sure what I need right now, but I’ll be relying on you.”
“Th-That’s a little hard to handle. You shouldn’t pressure me like that!” Nephteros turned her face away in a huff, though Zagan didn’t overlook the faint smile that rose to her face.
“You’re so cute, Nephteros!” Foll exclaimed.
“Huh...? Wait, you’re... Foll, right? Does you becoming bigger have something to do with this?”
“Yeah. But before that... welcome back, Nephteros,” Foll said as she hugged her tightly.
Foll was really worried about Nephteros...
“...I’m back,” Nephteros replied in an earnest tone. And after that, her gaze naturally shifted to Nephy.
“...”
A heavy silence fell over them.
This is bad... In truth, this was their first real meeting since the incident atop Bifrons’ ship. They did meet at the hidden elven village, but Nephteros wasn’t exactly in a calm state of mind back then, so they only exchanged a few short, polite words. And by the time
night came, Nephy had been turned into a child.
Plus, although Zagan had mentioned who was sheltering her, he had never informed Nephy that he had accepted her as a sister-in-law, which was tied directly to her growth. That was why he continued to nervously watch over the two elves. And, as he worried about what to do, one of them spoke up.
“It has been quite a while, Miss Nephteros. I’ve heard that you are currently staying with Chastille. Do you find it to be inconvenient in any way?”
“...Not really. That girl is irritatingly attentive, and the people of the church are also very kind.”
“That’s a relief. Still, please let me know if you’re ever troubled by anything. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
Nephy’s trying to probe their distance... Zagan was completely astonished by that fact. If she acted overly familiar, Nephteros would reject. But having said that, if she acted too reserved and treated her coldly, the distance between them would only increase. Despite the fine line, Nephy was somehow managing to walk that tightrope.
“Do you not... resent me at all?” Nephteros asked as she hung her head.
“Huh? Why would I?” Nephy asked as she stood there with a confused look on her face.
“Why? I mean, I deserve your scorn, don’t I? Um, I attacked you, and pretended to be you... There’s... a lot I’ve done...”
I see. Nephteros must feel extremely guilty... I hadn’t expected that. It made sense that she regretted her actions, but Zagan had just assumed she would try to justify her actions instead of accepting all the blame.
It seems Chastille really did save this girl... Zagan honestly admired her change in character.
“There’s no way I can just stay angry forever,” Nephy replied with a somewhat bitter smile on her face. And those words seemed to set Nephteros off, as her expression shifted to one of indignation.
“What’s with that? Quit trying to act like the bigger person!”
“No, that’s not what I’m doing...” Nephy muttered. And, in an usual turn, she folded her arms together and began thinking before eventually replying, “You didn’t do anything like crush a little songbird that’s been my friend for years before my very eyes, or ignore me for a full sixteen years despite living in the same house, or say, ‘You shouldn’t even be allowed to live,’ right? Well, that means you haven’t done enough to make me truly hate you.”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 6 Page 12
