Nephy formed a bitter smile again after saying all that.
“Personally, those are the kind of memories I consider painful. I hated the things you did, Miss Nephteros, but they weren’t bad enough to make me hold a grudge...”
“Haven’t you... had a much harder life than me?” Nephteros inquired as she began to find it difficult to speak.
“I wonder? In my opinion, painful memories differ between people. For example, Master Zagan has gone through much more painful ordeals than I have, but he treats them like they’re no big deal.”
“No, really, my case wasn’t all that serious. It’s just stuff like my first memory being that of a rat-infested sewer I called home, or the times I got beaten to the verge of death for trying to steal food or money. Honestly, I had it pretty good,” Zagan answered, panicking as the conversation turned to him. There was the young man who shared his bread with him, the young girl who read him a picture book, and so many other people he loosely considered friends, which meant he had not truly suffered.
In his mind, true suffering was loneliness. Loneliness was an unbearable pain to those who once knew the warmth of others, but also a poisonous worm that ate away at human emotions if they didn’t. Or well, that was how it affected Zagan, at any rate. No matter what he did, he couldn’t find any meaning in life, and he felt absolutely nothing. However, he disliked the idea of dying miserably more than anything else, so he simply continued to accumulate power.
“You guys had it hard...” Foll said with a light groan.
“This is the first time I’ve realized my own powerlessness since joining the Angelic Knights...” Richard, the young Angelic Knight who had remained silent so far, started to tear up. And perhaps because his grief was infectious, Nephteros also let out a depressing sigh.
“...It would be foolish to even try to compete,” Nephteros mumbled as she brushed back her hair and continued, “I will continue to call you Nephelia. I know I’ve been told you’re my elder sister, but it’s hard to accept that right away.”
“Yes. I do not min— Huh? Elder sister...?” Nephy’s pointy ears stiffened as she lost her train of thought. Then, she aimed her bewildered gaze at Zagan.
“Oh... Um, well, that’s just how it is. Nephteros is actually your little sister, so... I’ve decided to accept her as my sister-in-law.”
“Huh? You didn’t tell her?” Nephteros seemed to doubt her ears, which made Zagan avert his gaze.
I can’t tell her I forgot because my mind got so caught up on planning our date... Naturally, there was also the fact that he couldn’t mention Nephteros’ upbringing, but still, he could have at least mentioned it indirectly.
“P-Please wait a moment. There were no other white-haired elves in that village. And if there were, they would have suffered much like I did, so a little sister would be...” Nephy remarked in a bewildered tone.
“O-Oh. That’s also something I meant to tell you. You see, Nephteros wasn’t born in that village, and neither were you. You were just entrusted to them because your mother was worried about you being targeted if you remained among other high elves.”
Nephy stumbled around upon hearing that stunning revelation.
“Nephelia!” Nephteros cried as she moved to support her. Unfortunately, Zagan’s childish arms were far too short to reach her.
Why won’t my body listen to me! Zagan bit down on his lip in frustration at his powerlessness.
“...Come on. Keep it together. This should be no sweat. You just said nothing I did even fazed you, remember?” Nephteros spoke in a blunt tone. Her words sounded almost scornful, but Zagan could tell that was just her way of encouraging people. Nephy surely understood that as well, since before long, she stood up on her own two feet.
“My apologies. I was just... a little surprised,” Nephy claimed before gripping Nephteros’ hand and saying, “I was... never truly alone. This feeling is probably... happiness... I think?”
“I-I see,” Nephteros replied as her ears quivered.
“Then, Miss Nephteros, do you know anything about our mother?”
“Um, I’ve only met her once, so not really... Still, she’s alive.”
“Is that so...” Nephy’s tone made it clear that she felt both relieved and hurt at the same time.
“Are you happy? Or do you resent her?”
“I wonder...? This is all too sudden, so I’m not quite sure how I feel...”
“...Well, that’s understandable.”
Even Nephteros was still in the middle of putting her feelings in order, so Nephy’s confusion made total sense.
“Anyway, stop calling me Miss Nephteros. I’ve been using just your first name this whole time.”
“You have, haven’t you? Understood... Nephteros.”
This indescribably awkward moment was when the two of them finally recognized each other as sisters.
◇
Zagan went over their predicament again once Nephteros joined up with them.
“So you’re here to find something other than sorcery that can fix your issue?”
“I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes.”
“Even Archdemon Orias threw in the towel, so there’s really nothing for you to be ashamed of,” Nephteros commented, then folded her arms and said, “I understand the situation, but in that case, wouldn’t it be better to actually attend the conference? Surely the elders would be your best bet.”
“Why would I go there when they’re debating the fate of strangers? I don’t care about any of that, and if I go to ask them for help, they’ll attach troublesome conditions.”
“Yeah, you definitely don’t care at all...” Nephteros said as she rolled her eyes.
“What are you trying to say?” Zagan asked.
“Well, it’s a little hard to believe that when you helped Kuroka and I after speaking to us only once or twice,” Nephteros replied. And in response, Zagan simply cocked his head to the side as he mulled over his actions.
“It’s certainly true that if Master Zagan met them, he would try to shoulder all their burdens himself. We should wait for the conference to end before doing anything,” Nephy said with an air of delight in her voice.
Even Nephy’s saying that? Hearing his bride reiterate Nephteros’ point made Zagan squat down and cover his face. He was shocked that he had failed at playing the part of an arrogant Archdemon.
“In that case, can’t we just go kidnap someone?” Barbatos inquired.
“That’s a viable option, but this is their domain. As I am now, that would be a dangerous choice, so it should be our last resort,” Zagan responded. They possessed treasures that were on par with Sacred Swords and had power that was neither sorcery nor mysticism, which made them a very real threat.
“Wait, really? Tch... You’re right. My shadows won’t open properly.”
Everyone present cocked their heads upon hearing that. And, after turning around, they finally noticed that Barbatos had recovered and joined in on their conversation.
“When the hell did you wake up?”
“Huh? Somewhere around ‘I prefer the usual you,’ I think?”
“Wait, Zagan. The handyman’s pretty handy. It’d be a waste to kill him now,” Foll said as she quickly scooped Zagan up and stopped him before he finished Barbatos off. Then, she turned to Barbatos and stated, “Hey, watch your words. Zagan isn’t feeling too tolerant right now.”
“Oh please. Do you know how many times he’s almost killed me?” Barbatos casually replied. In a certain sense, it was impressive that he never thought of changing his attitude despite all that. However, Nephteros curiously tilted her head to the side, confused by the turn of events.
“Why are you so angry? Because he listened in on your conversation? But what’s so bad about that? Both of you seemed to be having a lot of fun when you were brushing Nephelia’s head...” Nephteros inquired. And that, in turn, made Zagan and Nephy cover their faces and collapse on the spot.
“Lady Nephteros, it would be
better if you did not talk of such things in front of the people in question,” Richard, the young Angelic Knight, spoke up to correct her.
“Huh? Why? Is it immoral?”
“Um, no, not exactly, but, um...” Richard stumbled over his words. He didn’t seem like a bad person, but his common sense was clearly ineffective when faced with dragons, elves, and sorcerers. And sensing that, Foll decided to step in.
“Zagan and Nephy are shy. They’re embarrassed that other people saw all that, so you can’t point it out.”
“Hm... I see. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Unfortunately, having their daughter thoroughly explain the situation only served to cause both of them more mental trauma.
“Are you interested in the things they’re doing?” Foll asked.
“A little. I kind of want to know what it’s like,” Nephteros responded with those words and an honest nod as she gazed at Zagan and Nephy.
Cut it out! At that point, Zagan wanted to just curl up into a ball and die.
“You’re trying to speak more like an adult now, aren’t you?” Nephteros asked as she cast a searching gaze over at Foll.
“Mhm. I’m the big sister now, so I have to!” Foll exclaimed. Zagan found the way his daughter thrust out her chest in pride extremely childish. However, Nephteros didn’t seem to question it at all. Instead, she merely cupped her hands in front of her body in a pensive manner.
“You mean the mind grows alongside the body? That doesn’t really seem to be the case with me, though...”
“Nope. That’s wrong. Zagan said that adults think things through from different perspectives, which probably means we’re supposed to see things from other points of view. Zagan obviously can’t do that anymore, since he just did that with Nephy out of the blue, so I need to step up in his place.”
“Urgh...” Zagan groaned as his consciousness faded because of her relentless barrage. He knew she had no ill will, but it was still a tough pill to swallow.
“I see. It really does seem like I have a lot left to learn,” Nephteros muttered helplessly.
“A-Anyway! If what Selphy said is true, there should be people living here. Let’s start by asking around,” Zagan said as he used sorcery to improve his vision and spotted several structures near the temple. That was likely where the sirens lived.
“Zagan. We stand out a lot. We’ll look suspicious,” Foll pointed out.
“There’s no need to worry. The conference is a perfect excuse. There should be plenty of outsiders here, so it won’t look strange if we’re wandering around,” Zagan stated as he shook his head with an air of composure.
“This whole thinking from other perspectives thing is... really hard,” Foll claimed as her shoulders drooped in disappointment.
“No, it’s important to think of potential risk as well. You made a good point.”
“Really?” Foll asked as her cheeks flushed despite his rather blunt words.
“Yes, really,” Zagan answered. And after that, he said, “Well then, it’s decided. Let’s explore this place. Are you fine with that, Nephteros?”
Nephteros was Zagan’s sister-in-law, not his subordinate, so he had no right to order her around.
“Got it, Zag...”
“What?”
“Now that I think of it, what should I call you?” Nephteros wondered, clearly confused. To her, Zagan was a sorcerer of a higher rank, a former enemy, a current guardian, and a brother-in-law. She was likely confused by all that conflicting information.
“Call me whatever you want. But as I said before, spare me any formalities.”
“Then... Big Bro.”
When she said that, everyone present was shocked to their core. They stared at her in wonder, trying to desperately unravel her thought process.
“...What?”
“No, um... Well, whatever. I suppose that’s fine.”
What is this? I’m getting the exact same strange feeling I do when Foll calls me daddy... At any rate, it definitely wasn’t unpleasant, so Zagan simply nodded back at her despite how embarrassed he felt.
◇
“So... why are you tagging along, Barbatos?” Zagan inquired. He followed them as they set off for the siren town, so their party currently consisted of Zagan, Nephy, Foll, Nephteros, her escort Richard, and Barbatos.
I need to return to my original body before my date with Nephy... Zagan didn’t believe that Barbatos would be of any use, so he wanted him gone. And he felt especially strongly about it, since this could’ve been a family trip of sorts if not for his intrusion.
“That cat lady’s over there, so it’ll be fine. Actually, I can’t even get close to Chastille when she’s around, so I’ve got no choice but to kill time over with you,” Barbatos stated as he let out a laugh and brushed back his unkempt hair.
“Hm...? Well, whatever.”
Barbatos was speaking in an irritated tone, but Zagan couldn’t really tell if he just hated Kuroka, or if he was mad he couldn’t be by Chastille’s side.
No, wait... Can’t it be both? Zagan began to think something had changed about Barbatos. And based on their interaction earlier, Chastille didn’t seem wholly dissatisfied with him, so what could it all mean? He was rather curious, but he knew he had to put his own romance first.
As they closed in on a road that was still some distance from the temple, the party came across an area covered in something that appeared to be green snow.
It looked to be a bronzed green color. And, of course, it wasn’t really snow, but actually fragments of green moss-like debris that was scattered about in the area. Upon stepping into it they left a footprint behind and scattered the debris into the air. It truly resembled snow more than anything else.
Since sirens simply swam around, the clumps of debris always remained as they were. And so, though there was no debris near the buildings, there was plenty of it at their feet.
This is... sand? No, it’s the remains of living beings... Zagan thought as he tried scooping some up in his hand. There was no smell of rot, but the irregular fragments looked more like fragmented bones than grains of sand. And, at the same time, he could see that they weren’t in fact green, but white. Zagan looked up overhead, and though it was faint, some sunlight streamed coming down. It seemed the color of light that could reach them was limited, so at that depth, they largely only had green light, which was what tricked them into thinking the debris was green.
The houses around them were likely originally constructed using processed stones, but now they were covered in debris, barnacles, and seaweed, and the individual stones could no longer be distinguished. A faint light came out from the openings in the hundreds of dome-shaped buildings that were spread out before him. It was a fantastical sight that made one think countless glowing fish were floating about.
“Hm... It’s unexpectedly beautiful, isn’t it?” Zagan mumbled to himself.
“Yes. I think so as well,” Nephy added as she nodded along, seemingly in a good mood.
If taking a walk through a special place is considered a date, then this may be one... Though, there were several others around them, which kind of ruined the mood. Still, Zagan was honestly happy as long as it pleased Nephy. And, as they gazed at that scenery, he suddenly heard Barbatos’ voice.
“Hey, Zagan.”
His voice wasn’t resonating in the air. Instead, it felt more like it was ringing inside his head. And so, Zagan squinted his eyes for a moment, but immediately realized its nature and replied.
“Telepathic communication? When exactly did you learn this, Barbatos?”
It was sorcery that allowed people to communicate with another via thought. However, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. Though imperfect, it meant meddling with the thoughts of another person. If the gap in power was too large, or if the sorcerer didn’t specialize in the field, it wouldn’t even activate. And as a result, Zagan was unable to use it himself.
However, Barbatos failed at both those conditions, yet somehow
succeeded in communicating telepathically with Zagan. Such a feat would have been impossible a mere half a year ago, so it seemed he was building up strength in his own way.
The fact that he’s going out of his way to use it means he doesn’t want the others overhearing us, right? Zagan realized his intent and awaited his reply quietly.
“Who cares. Listen, there’s something I want to check. It’s about Bifrons,” Barbatos relayed that message in an irritated voice. In a surprising turn, it appeared Barbatos was using telepathy out of consideration for Nephteros. Bifrons was no longer able to appear before Nephteros because Zagan cast sorcery on that Archdemon to force them into a covenant. Considering the fact that Bifrons was also an Archdemon, it may have been possible for them to eventually break it, but there were no signs of that occurring thus far.
“What about Bifrons?”
“...Were you serious about what you said in the end?”
Zagan knit his brows. He didn’t remember saying anything all that strange at the time, but it seemed Barbatos thought differently.
“I’m talking about how Bifrons fell in love with Nephteros. Is a monster like that capable of human emotions?”
The only one who witnessed the conclusion to Zagan’s confrontation with Bifrons was Barbatos. And his doubts regarding that matter weren’t entirely unfounded. If Bifrons didn’t love Nephteros, then the punishment Zagan bestowed upon the Archdemon wouldn’t have been a punishment at all. And yet, Zagan started to reply instantly, as if it weren’t all that big a deal.
“Those words were a simple poison. When people have something pointed out to them, they start seeing it more.”
“Huh? Then, that was all a bluff? You a fucking idiot or something?” Barbatos exclaimed as he began to chastise Zagan in an angry tone before getting cut off.
“Nope. Bifrons is in love with Nephteros. However, if they weren’t aware of that fact, it wouldn’t have been much of a punishment. That’s what I mean by my words being a poison.”
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 6 Page 13
