It’s a rather sad story... Even though the Silver-Eyed King and Black Dragon Marbas were the closest of friends, he was had to murder him.
“Phew... H-How was that?” Lilith wiped away the sweat from her brow and smiled ear to ear as she finished her song.
“Wow... Father was cool.”
“Huh? Father? What do you mean?” Lilith asked as she cocked her head to the side.
“Foll’s father was the esteemed Wise Dragon Orobas who was in that song,” Nephy replied with a strained smile.
“WHAT!?” Lilith jumped up in surprise, but Nephy didn’t notice as she began absentmindedly staring off into the distance.
“Can a kiss... truly dispel a curse?”
“Well, it’s quite a common occurrence in stories... There’s also one about a prince who was turned into a frog returning to normal thanks to a kiss, and one about a sleeping beauty who was awoken by a kiss...”
“Zagan said that kisses are very special in sorcery,” Foll added with a nod.
“I see... Unfortunately, I’m not very familiar with such stories.”
“What a waste! Though, I’m also jealous!” Lilith exclaimed as she shook her head vigorously in grief.
“You’re jealous of me?”
“Yeah! You get to enjoy the stories without any prior knowledge. Stories are more fun when you don’t know the ending. There’s nothing better than that.”
I see. That’s an interesting though. It’s not one I would’ve had from my perspective, at least... Nephy swore to think of everything in an optimistic light, but it felt like her inexperience was being thrust before her.
If by some chance, a kiss can dispel a curse... Nephy tried touching her own lips as she had that thought. Then, she imagined Zagan’s lips locking with hers.
How bold! Would Master Zagan... permit such an act...? Nephy’s heart was beating like a drum. And noticing that, Lilith tilted her head to the side.
“Are you okay? Your ears are bright red.”
“I-I’m fine!”
Logically, there was no way a curse that two Archdemon gave up on dispelling could be solved with a single kiss. If it was that easy, Zagan would have tested it out right away. And so, Nephy drove her wild delusions out of her head in a fluster.
“You are quite knowledgeable, Miss Lilith. Are most succubi very familiar with such songs?” Nephy questioned the girl to try and change the subject, but Lilith looked back at her with a somewhat bitter expression on her face.
“The songs of the succubi aren’t all that special. Selphy’s singing is far better, but...”
“Um, if it’s something I should not pry into, then please forget I even asked,” Nephy moved to withdraw her question when she felt the tension in the air, but Lilith shook her head.
“No. It’s fine. How do I put it... It’s because it’s something Lady Alshiera taught me...”
Both Foll and Nephy stared at her in surprise upon hearing that.
“By Lady Alshiera, you mean the one from earlier?”
“Yeah. When both Selphy and Kuroka disappeared, she comforted me by teaching me to sing. That was the only time she ever did something for me without asking for any form of compensation.”
If that was the case, then who exactly was that girl they just met?
She... seemed kind of lonely...
She was just like Zagan when Nephy first met him, just like Nephy herself when she decided to kill her emotions. And so, several days flowed by without them ever getting the chance to meet her again.
Chapter IV: Angering a Dragon May Result in the End of the World, so Do Be Careful
“I see. There’s no method of dispelling my curse in Liucaon, huh?” Zagan’s voice was unable to hide his disappointment. It had been four days since they came to the city at the bottom of the ocean, Atlastia. Currently, the elders of the races represented at the conference were gathered together in the guest room that was granted to Zagan’s group. It was the very same room they had carried Lilith over to before. Lilith, who ended up spearheading the negotiations over the course of events, was kneeling down in the front with the elders of the sirens and succubi kneeling behind her. Behind them were Kuroka and Selphy. Zagan was reclining in a chair, and Nephy and Foll were standing by his sides.
The elders were reverently holding up a mirror and a jewel. Each were only big enough to snugly fit into one’s hand. The mirror was the one Lilith had showed them the other day. They were the so-called Holy Treasures handed down in Liucaon, which meant all three of their Holy Treasures were assembled once you added in Kuroka’s blades.
“These are the three Holy Treasures passed down among our people. We possess no means of dispelling a curse, but we do believe they may be of use to you, Lord Archdemon,” the siren elder replied to Zagan as sweat ran down their brow.
“I don’t need them. Such tools choose their owners. They won’t reply to me even if you hand them over.”
Besides, how do you plan on protecting yourselves if I take them with me? Letting go of their main defensive options would have been a huge mistake. Their Holy Treasures were similar to celestial mysticism. If it came to a fight, they could put outstanding power on display, but they also had other applications. Unfortunately, while it may have been possible to use one to prevent a curse, they weren’t tools that could dispel one.
However, Zagan didn’t feel he had the right to complain. He came to them looking for a possibility outside of sorcery because he couldn’t do anything himself. And, as he let out a deep sigh, he realized that Lilith had turned completely pale.
Oh, that’s no good. It must sound like I’m chastising them... Zagan cleared out his throat with a cough to prepare himself to speak.
“You have no need to worry. You’ve upheld your promise. I don’t care if you use my name to protect your precious people. An Archdemon’s sway will not waver due to some trivial change in form.”
“Thank you... Also, I’m terribly sorry. We weren’t very helpful,” Lilith replied as she bowed down deeply.
“I’m telling you not to worry. More importantly, I’m a little tired. You may leave.”
With that, the elders timidly left the room. And as they did, the siren elder called out to Selphy.
“Ainselph. You are an incompetent child who ran away from the royal family, but it is also true that you have the most talent for singing among all the princesses. You may keep this.”
After saying that, the elder slapped a blue jewel into her hand.
“Huh... HUUUUUUH!? Isn’t this, like, an heirloom?”
“Can’t you at least call it a Holy Treasure...? This is about all we can offer the Archdemon. From now on, devote yourself to serving him.”
“...Huh? Aren’t I, like, being treated as a total accessory to the Holy Treasure here?”
The elder mercilessly chose not to deny that, which made Selphy let out a helpless laugh.
“Well, I wasn’t, like, going to quit my job anyway, so I don’t really mind...”
“Selphy. Mister looks pretty tired, so let’s head out,” Kuroka stated. Out of consideration for Zagan, the two of them lightly bowed before leaving the room. And after that, Foll also left Zagan’s side.
“Foll, where are you going?” Zagan asked.
“...I want to get a look at the view,” Foll replied. Her tone made it obvious that she felt responsible for their current situation.
It’s not like it’s your fault... This was brought about by Zagan’s own carelessness, so there was no way he could resent her. However, Zagan knew his words would never get through to her, which meant his only option was to silently see her off.
In the end, the only ones left in the room were Zagan and Nephy. And, obviously, that meant the room was dead silent. Still, he was happy that Nephy was by his side.
However, before long, one of them decided to break the silence.
“Sorry, Nephy,” Zagan apologized in a despondent tone.
“Why are you apologizing to me, Master Zag
an?” Nephy asked as she stared back at him with wonder.
“Because we’re at the bottom of the ocean. My sense of time is a little off... but today is the day I promised to go on a date with you.”
And yet, Zagan was unable to return to his original form. He ended up breaking his promise in every conceivable way. But despite that, Nephy simply pinned down her chest, then aimed a gentle smile at him.
“Please do not pay it any mind. I will wait as long it takes.”
“It’ll be another ten years before I grow back to my normal form...” Zagan mumbled. Though, it wasn’t even clear if he was going to grow. And yet, Nephy just shook her head as if it were no big deal.
“I know. I will wait for ten or even a hundred years. After all, that much time is nothing to a sorcerer. Isn’t that right, Master Zagan?”
No, I can’t keep her waiting ten years... Back when Nephy was turned into a child, Zagan felt the same way, but he had something urgent he had to give her.
“Nephy, stoop down,” Zagan stood up from his chair, then turned to face Nephy as he said that.
“Huh? Like this?”
Zagan pulled a pendant out from his pocket and placed it around her neck. It was the mithril pendant Orias left behind for her.
“Master Zagan, what is this...?” Nephy asked him that question as she stared at him in surprise.
“I found it in the hidden elven village. It was the one and only thing you had when you were brought to that village, Nephy,” Zagan explained as he cast his gaze downward and clenched his jaw.
I wanted to end our date with this... However, there was no way he could make Nephy and Orias wait ten years. And so, as he looked down, he saw drops of water fall to the ground.
This is... the first time I’ve felt so pathetic... This was likely also the first time that he found himself unable to hold back his tears. And upon seeing Zagan like that, Nephy embraced him lovingly.
“Thank you very much... for giving me something so precious... Master Zagan,” Nephy croaked out, then brought her cheek to his as if to comfort him and continued, “But it’s fine. I know that you’ve been trying your best to protect us, so at least for this one moment, it’s fine to let your guard down. Don’t try to hide your emotions.”
Her embrace was extremely tender as Zagan followed her invitation and buried his face in her chest.
It’s so warm... And it was soft, too.
This was the first time Zagan had exposed his raw emotions since he had found someone he loved, since he had decided never to appear weak in order to protect his loved ones.
Clinging on to Nephy’s body, he remained perfectly still without stirring until the tears that fell from his eyes dried up. In the end, neither of them knew how much time had passed. And when his tears finally stopped, Zagan embarrassingly sniffed up his mucus.
“Ummm... Sorry. I showed you... something embarrassing.”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Honestly, I’m happy you’ve shown me a new side of you.”
I can never beat Nephy... Their roles were the exact opposite of how they usually were, but oddly enough, it didn’t feel bad. No, on the contrary, it may have been like this from the very beginning. Nephy understood everything about Zagan, accepted it, and stayed by his side regardless, so hadn’t she always been supporting him?
“Besides, I don’t believe you will break your promise, Master Zagan?”
“Huh...? What do you mean?”
Right as he said that, a pain like his heart had just been pierced ran through his body, which made him collapse.
“Gaaaah!”
“Master Zagan!” Nephy screamed, but Zagan was unable to answer.
What is this pain? It was felt like mana was being sucked out of his heart. Sweat poured out his entire body, and he was unable to breathe. And then, the door to the room flew open without even a knock.
“Zagan, this is bad!”
It was Chastille, who was left completely speechless when she saw Zagan passed out in Nephy’s arms.
“Chastille... You’re right... This is bad... Master Zagan has collapsed...”
“Huh...? Is this related to the thing outside?” Chastille muttered that to herself as if she hadn’t even heard Nephy’s words.
“What do you mean? What happened outside?”
Finally returning to her senses, Chastille nodded quickly. Then, her face paled as she tried to form the right words.
“A monster’s attacking... and it’s just like the one Bifrons summoned... I think it may be the Demon Lord.”
And so, the exact situation that Zagan feared most had just occurred. He was stuck in the body of a child, unable to use Heaven’s Phosphor, when an unkillable enemy was preparing to slaughter all those around him.
◇
A little while earlier, Foll aimlessly wandered out of the temple after leaving Zagan’s room. She distanced herself from both the temple and the town and simply walked about at the bottom of the ocean. Lilith’s song was fresh on her mind. The tale of her father was great, and she was happy to hear it, yet...
I’m... the bad dragon... She had cast a curse on Zagan, and unlike in the story, there was no way to dispel it. Even though she wished to be stronger in order to help him, she ended up doing the exact opposite. Zagan’s expression when he heard that there was no way of dispelling the curse was burned into her eyes and wouldn’t go away. He looked to be on the verge of tears.
“This isn’t... how it was supposed to go...” Foll mumbled. She thought that if she were stronger, Zagan would be happy. However, the result was different. After her body grew bigger, her power also grew proportionally, but it still wasn’t enough. She failed to destroy a member of the Night Clan, who was a being of lower rank than her. And despite everything, Zagan was still strong in his child form. He continued to not show his weakness and conducted himself with majesty.
The reason Foll didn’t get stronger was because she was weak. Because she didn’t understand something so simple, she couldn’t accept it, and that brought misfortune to those around her. If that was not the act of a child, then what was it?
“What should I do now...?” Foll asked herself. Even after becoming smaller, even when he couldn’t find a means of reversing his transformation, Zagan never once tried to blame Foll for it. And even if he yelled and cursed at her, he would surely comfort her pitiful self in the end.
Zagan would never do that... He watched over Foll in a kindly and strict manner. When she did something wrong, he would correct her. If she did something well, he would praise her. He’d only been by her side a few months, but the warmth she received from him was far greater than even what her Father had provided her in the past. That was why she was able to rely on him from the bottom of her heart. However, that was also painful at times, as he never once relied on her.
I wonder if Zagan is getting Nephy’s help right now... Nephy was the only one capable of comforting Zagan. Foll was happy he had someone who he could lean on, but at the same time, she was sad she couldn’t lend him her shoulder. All she could do was leave the two of them alone, which made her feel insignificant. She really hated herself. And, right as she sank to the floor in sorrow and hugged her knees, she heard a sweet voice.
“Heeheehee, oh dear, is the cute little fawn lost?”
“...Who’s there?” Foll asked as she looked up again and spotted a ‘shadow’ lurking about in front of her eyes. Despite her enhanced draconic senses, she couldn’t make out the figure clearly. And that had nothing to do with the poor visibility at the bottom of the ocean. No, she was simply unable to perceive it... It almost felt like its very existence was blurred, as if it didn’t have a particular shape at all.
“Alshiera...?” Foll uttered the first name that came to mind. She thought the vampire had dodged her attack during their earlier clash, but that form made her doubt that. After all, it wouldn’t have been all that strange for Alshiera to end up like that due to her draconic might.
The s
hadow then let out a curious laugh.
“What a naughty child. A naughty child who stole something important from that gentleman. Still, you’re also a clever one who carried it all the way here... Eeheehee. Keeheehee. Ahahahahah,” the shadow spat out some ominous words, then cackled wildly.
A mysterious sensation assaulted Foll as she raised her guard.
I have a bad feeling about this... Can I even hit her? If she unleashed her breath here, Atlastia would be reduced to rubble. On the other hand, she didn’t think the sorcery she fired earlier would have any effect, so Foll prepared some sorcery to hold her back for the time being.
“I didn’t... steal anything,” Foll explained. And then, she held up her right hand, showing that she was ready to fire off sorcery at a moment’s notice. However, a dark substance coiled around her arm as if to mock her vigilance.
“What a naughty fawn. It’s not good to lie,” the shadow replied. And in that instant, Foll saw them. She saw the golden eyes on the other side of the ‘shadow’ that seemed to be fading. And within those golden eyes, she saw pure, unfiltered hatred for anything and everything in the world.
“Don’t touch me!” Foll exclaimed as she tried to shake off the black haze. However, her body froze.
I can’t put more strength into my arm... Her hands were pitifully trembling, and even the strength in her knees gave out. For some reason, those golden eyes made the strength drain out of her body.
What is this? Sorcery? Foll didn’t understand what was going on at all.
“Still, you may be at ease. All who inhabit this world are thieves. They betrayed him, gouged out his eyes, dug out his heart, severed his limbs, plucked off his head, and even stole all that remained of his corpse... They are criminals who torment him even now... Aaaaaaaaah, how repulsive. They should all just perish!”
What am I feeling right now...? Fear...? Am I... scared? Foll finally started to understand why she was losing strength upon seeing the insanity within those golden eyes. Even though she was young, she was a dragon, yet she was now feeling fear to such an extent that she lost her voice. Foll’s body should have been bigger than the shadow, but she was trembling pathetically and even had tears spilling from her eyes. A red tongue peeked out from the shadow, then crawled across the back of Foll’s right hand... where the sigil was.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 6 Page 17
