Chapter I: Sometimes the Indoor and Outdoor Factions Are Hopelessly Incapable of Seeing Eye to Eye

“Do you need something from me?”

A grassy plain with countless swords stabbed into the ground. It was the location of a tremendous battle that had taken place just over a year ago. Two groups who should’ve been mortal enemies, sorcerers and Angelic Knights, fought side by side and were even joined by the Wise Dragon, all dying a noble death.

Two figures stood among the myriad of grave markers. Both of them wore hoods over their eyes, making their faces, physiques, and even genders completely indistinct. The figure who spoke first had their back turned to the other.

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying I need something. I simply thought I’d offer you a warning as a fellow Archdemon,” the second figure replied in an insistent and saccharine voice before continuing in an imposing tone. “You mustn’t continue past this point. These are Marchosias’ words, Valley Cat Furcas.”

The figure named Furcas shuddered at the mention of that name.

“That’s quite the unusual statement from Archdemon Naberius, of all people. Or would you prefer Mystic Artisan, or perhaps Lord of Magic Eyes Naberius?”

Furcas’ booming voice forced back Naberius’ hood ever so slightly, revealing a silver mask. It was made of mithril. There was a single crack running along one side of the mask, showcasing a light within that looked like the darkness of hell combined with a ruby.

It was likely some form of magic eye. Balor’s Evil Eye, the King’s Silver Eye, the Entangling Gaze. There were many powers, be they by sorcery or artificial implants, that were classified as magic eyes. However, Naberius’ eye was particularly special among all of them.

Exceptional sorcerers were given a second name, but they were only ever given one. That was because the second name was a symbol of the field they carried to the very extremes. This Archdemon held the unique distinction of having two second names.

Naberius’ ruby eye narrowed beneath the mask. That simple action would have amounted to nothing if done by any other person, but when performed by the Lord of Magic Eyes, it had enough pressure to cast a curse of petrification on anything with weak enough mana. In fact, the blades of grass at Naberius’ feet helplessly transformed into piles of salt and crumbled away.

And yet, Furcas paid this gaze no mind and simply asked, “Naberius, how many centuries has it been since you became an Archdemon?”

“...Who knows? I’ve forgotten. I’m not so bored as to count such things.”

Furcas showed no signs of really paying attention to the answer, and instead simply continued speaking in grief, saying, “It’s been 500 years for me. Five centuries since I became an Archdemon. There is not a spot of land left in this world that I haven’t tread upon. The northern Holy Land, the Ocean City Atlastia, Iris in the heavens, even the land under the great Wise Dragon’s care, Faskomilio. There is nothing unknown left for me to pursue.”

Naberius replied with a sigh, then said, “Why does the human brain imagine and daydream? Why does a dragon’s breath bring destruction to all creation? Why do mana and aura oppose each other when they’re based on the same foundation?” An armored hand stretched from Naberius’ mantle, its fingers counting one by one. “Why? Why? Why? There are countless unknown facts yet to be explained out there. Is it not far too arrogant, even for an Archdemon, to pretend not to see them and act like you know everything?”

Even with a lifespan extended by sorcery, many unknown mysteries couldn’t be perused in books. It was unforgivable for even an Archdemon to deny that. Thus, Naberius’ voice was filled with wrath.

“I’m not interested in any of that,” Furcas replied with a hollow voice. Though, it wasn’t out of scorn, but grief. Furcas then finally turned around to face Naberius and continued, “I’m not interested in the least. Tell me, are you truly fine with that? It’s possible to find countless unknowns within the confines of sorcery, yes. And honestly, I even envy those who are satisfied by such pursuits. However, I have no interest in it.”

Furcas looked up at the sky in lamentation, seemingly actually feeling depressed by the thought.

“I honed my sorcery in search of unseen lands. And yet, this world is far too small. Beyond the horizon, beyond the endless sky, even that twinkling sea of stars is naught but a framed picture of gourmet food within a sealed-off world. I’m tired of it.”

Mystic Artisan Naberius and Valley Cat Furcas saw the world far too differently. They never had a chance of seeing eye to eye.

“I truly cannot get along with you, Furcas,” Naberius said with a sigh.

“We’re in agreement for once. You’re the only one I’m incapable of having a proper conversation with.”

And so, even while knowing it was useless, Naberius looked up at the sky together with Furcas and said, “...It’s no different from suicide, you know?”

“I don’t care. I’ve waited a year since Marchosias’ death. That’s sufficient time to fulfill my obligation.”

“The current head is Andrealphus, though.”

“He’s also vanished. Marchosias is one thing, but I have no reason to mourn his loss.”

Was that the reason Furcas had chosen to take action now, of all times? Naberius let out a sigh for the umpteenth time. A month had passed since Head Archdemon Andrealphus left to purge Archdemon Shere Khan. And in that time, he’d vanished.

Did Shere Khan kill him? Or perhaps Bifrons is to blame?

Naberius believed Andrealphus was the mightiest of the current Archdemons. And the other Archdemons were likely in agreement. It was undeniably true that he had surpassed Marchosias, who’d weakened over his final years due to age.

Still, I suppose that man wasn’t very popular...

Sorcerers didn’t simply learn sorcery because they wished to get stronger. The desire for strength really only took root during the first few years, when one’s knowledge could be easily plundered by others, making it impossible to conduct research until a bare minimum amount of strength was acquired. Unfortunately, strength alone wasn’t enough to inspire respect in other sorcerers.

That was why Andrealphus, who’d devoted himself to acquiring sorcery to make himself stronger than any other, garnered no sympathy from sorcerers. Nevertheless, he was chosen as Head Archdemon because of the power he possessed to act as an enforcer. And yet, he was struck down within a single year.

He’s still an Archdemon, so I doubt getting killed is enough to keep him down...

Meaning he was either weakened to a state where he couldn’t show himself or had been imprisoned. If he truly was dead, then he was utterly worthless. Even Naberius felt an irrepressible sense of disappointment at the thought.

“Forget Andrealphus. That girl won’t keep quiet if you pass through the barrier, you know?” Naberius pointed out, which made Furcas twitch.

“Alshiera... The notorious barrier guardian, huh?”

She was a monster who made even Marchosias claim, “Alshiera is the only one you should never stir up trouble with.” As the barrier’s guardian, she apparently wielded power that rivaled Wise Dragon Orobas, let alone a measly Archdemon.

Despite that, she can be pretty cute...

Regardless, it was true Naberius didn’t want to make an enemy of her.

“Not a problem,” Furcas replied with a shake of the head. “She’s weakened to the point where she had to take the Seraph Hunters in hand, right? She did come to you to repair them, didn’t she?”

This is why I hate speaking with Archdemons. Even a hermit like Furcas is quite cunning.

“...What an indecent man, eavesdropping on a maiden’s secret,” Naberius said, a hand pushing back the silver mask.

Unfortunately, there were no means remaining with which to convince Furcas to draw back. They’d reached a dead end. And just as that thought crossed Naberius’ mind, Furcas grew oddly hesitant.

“Now that I think of it, I never once had such an encounter despite constantly wandering this world.”

“...What does that mean?”

Naberius didn’t understand, but Furcas shook off such hesitation and floated into the air.

“Farewell, Archdemon Naberius. Your frivolous jests were grating to the ears, but it was a good waste of time.”

“Goodbye, Archdemon Furcas. I’ll never understand your hobby, but best of wishes to you.”

With that, Furcas vanished into the sky, slipping into the crevice where that being, the one Bifrons called the Demon Lord, had manifested one year and several months ago.

“...Well, I’d say I’ve paid my debt, right, Marchosias?”

In the end, Naberius had failed to stop Furcas, but had still handled it about as well as could be expected.

Still, to lose a Sacred Sword... and now a Sigil of the Archdemon... This is pretty bad, isn’t it?

The seal had remained intact thanks to the lives of Wise Dragon Orobas, Marchosias, and countless Angelic Knights. However, in just over a year, it had started to fray once more. Was the one responsible for this Shere Khan? Or Bifrons? Or perhaps both of them?

It was currently nothing more than the tiniest of cracks, but the ‘door’ was already open. ‘That’ had recognized it as such. The destruction of the seal could no longer be stopped. With the continuous loss of the Sigils of the Archdemon and the Sacred Swords, there was surely no longer any way of stopping ‘that.’ The world had already spiraled toward its inevitable doom.

Still, that was utterly irrelevant to Furcas. He was hopelessly tired of the world already, and Naberius had no way of stopping him. And it wasn’t just Furcas, either. Due to Andrealphus’ disappearance, the other Archdemons who had been keeping quiet were sure to start moving according to their own whims. Naberius let out another sigh and looked up at the sky.

“Marchosias. Do you think this world has changed in just a single year?”

The masked Archdemon at least had the curiosity to go and confirm whether that was the case, even within a world on the verge of extinction, and thus disappeared into nothingness.

With the figures gone, something resembling a scream of despair resounded from the crack in the sky, vanishing into the air without reaching a single ear.

◇

“Haaah, I can’t seem to settle my problems...”

After breakfast, Zagan let out a sigh within his throne room. He’d slept nicely, so his head felt clear. That was why he tried to put his current situation in order, but was unable to hold in his sigh at how troublesome it all was.

“Hm? How strange to see you sighing, Sir Zagan,” Kimaris said.

Zagan had asked the lion to accompany him over the last month to aid in the experimental use of sorcery and training. That was the plan for today as well, which was why he came to get Zagan in his throne room.

“Oh, is it already time?”

“There’s that too, but I’ve yet to see Miss Gremory today. I was wondering whether she’d been a bother again...”

Zagan grimaced with understanding.

“Gremory had another fit this morning, so I forced her to handle something for me. She should return tomorrow.”

“Is it business that’s situated far away? In that case, I do believe it would’ve been faster for me to go.”

There were no sorcerers who could mimic Black Blade Kimaris’ speed. The only one who even came close was Foll, who possessed a fundamental difference in potential as a species. And yet, Zagan shook his head.

“It’s business suited to her. Regarding Kuroka and Shax, that is.”

“Ah, I see...”

Kimaris narrowed his eyes as if he’d figured it all out, and Zagan gave him an annoyed shrug.

“As for your first question, we started setting things in place to deal with Shere Khan during Alshiere Imera. With three months of continuous squabbles, I can’t help but sigh.”

Zagan wanted to simply clock him in the face and get it over with already, but the conflict had been prolonged pointlessly due to Bifrons’ involvement.

I really need to kill Bifrons already. That pest already got one chance from me, so there won’t be a second.

Leaving the Archdemon alive had brought nothing but harm.

“And... Azazel, I assume,” Kimaris added in a heavy tone.

Zagan nodded back to him with a grave expression. It had all started when he found that name in a note from the hidden elven village. He started pursuing the name Azazel, met the vampire Alshiera, chased leads concerning his old friend Marc, and once he finally discovered that man’s true identity, Azazel appeared before him. On the day construction of the grand bath was completed, Zagan and Barbatos encountered the ‘shadow’ that stole that pitiful girl’s body. Alshiera avoided answering directly, but it was definitely Azazel.

She did say it was her enemy, after all.

Alshiera claimed she planned to deal with it with her own hands, but Zagan wasn’t the type to leave such problems to others.

It seems Andrealphus failed as well...

He hadn’t actually expected anything from Andrealphus, but it seemed all important matters really did have to be settled with his own hands. Regardless, even though Andrealphus had handed his Sacred Sword over to his successor, he had his Sigil of the Archdemon. Even without the Seraph Confession, he was still the strongest Archdemon.

Meaning Bifrons did him in...

During his golden age, Shere Khan had rivaled Andrealphus in strength. However, Zagan considered the possibility of him defeating Andrealphus a joke. The only reason Zagan had won their last bout was because Andrealphus wasn’t trying to kill him. If that terrifying Archdemon went straight for the kill, nobody stood a chance against him. If he’d been defeated, he must’ve never even had a chance to fight back.

Bifrons had the ability to transform their body into something akin to debris. Zagan didn’t know the true nature of the power, but he believed it was more likely to be part of their inherent nature as a species than something brought on by sorcery or the like. And even Andrealphus stood no chance if such debris encroached into his body.

Naturally, Bifrons had tried the same thing on Zagan many times in their open hostilities. However, Zagan’s eyes could vaguely see the debris. That was why he desperately lashed out all the time before they could touch him.

Zagan leaned back into his throne and looked up at the ceiling.

“It seems I have too many enemies muddying the waters.”

“It’d be nice if we could simply end things by crushing one head...” Kimaris agreed with a bitter smile.

I figured I had a heap of problems, but maybe it’s quite simple after all? Zagan sank into thought, then put things in order and decided to speak his mind.

“Maybe we can actually get away with crushing one head... for now.”

“For now?”

Zagan raised his fingers one by one as he went through the details.

“Currently, I have three enemies. Shere Khan, Bifrons, and Azazel.”

Alshiera had told him not to get involved with Azazel, but it was too late. Now that it had appeared before Zagan and attacked him, he had to deal with it. Nephy and the others had no shot at true peace while it was at large. Zagan held up two fingers on his right hand and one on his left.

“Among them, Shere Khan and Bifrons are working together, but Shere Khan is the ringleader. Bifrons would surely have come at us in far nastier ways if they were in charge. In other words, if Shere Khan dies, Bifrons won’t have a reason to fight.”

The little Archdemon would, of course, continue clashing with them regardless, but that was a separate matter that required a fair amount of preparation on their part. In other words, Bifrons would remain quiet for a while.

Kimaris simply nodded in response. He didn’t appear to have any objections.

Zagan then pointed over to his left hand and said, “Next is Azazel. I’ve set countermeasures in place, but I honestly don’t feel like I can win. If it comes again, I don’t think we have any choice but to borrow Alshiera’s assistance, as much as I hate to do so.”

“...So, it’s an opponent that even you cannot overcome?”

Zagan had never mentioned being unable to defeat an opponent on his own up until now. Kimaris’ jet black fur trembled at the thought.

“But here’s the thing. Why has it remained silent for a month after appearing before me? Why did it show its face with such timing to begin with?”

“Such timing...?” Kimaris said, sinking into thought and trying to digest the meaning behind this.

“In my opinion, Azazel is incapable of freely moving about in this world. Doesn’t that sound about right?”

Kimaris’ eyes widened, and he responded by saying, “Certainly. In that case, it could explain why it hasn’t appeared since then. But tell me, do you have a reason to believe that?”

“First, it had to use that pitiful girl’s body. When I last saw the brat, Aristella didn’t have anything like that monster Azazel within her. She was possessed in some way on the night Azazel manifested.”

Zagan didn’t know the specific method of possession, but he believed it was Bifrons’ doing.

“In other words, it requires some sort of medium to manifest?”

“...Exactly.”

And that ‘medium’ had been utterly and thoroughly destroyed. Bifrons’ intervention had apparently saved her life by a hair’s breadth, but the Seraph Hunter was a weapon similar to Heaven’s Phosphor. Wounds inflicted by it couldn’t be healed. It was impossible to recover without making an entirely new body, or something else along those lines.

She wasn’t such irredeemable trash that she deserved to go through something like that...

Regret still tore at Zagan’s heart. He’d never imagined that being unable to save someone he wished to help would leave such a bad aftertaste. And that was precisely why he refused to allow Nephy, Foll, Nephteros, or any of the others to experience such a fate.

Kimaris then pointed out an obvious problem with Zagan’s theory by asking, “But she has a twin, right? In that case, wouldn’t it mean there’s one other medium out there?”

“...Not necessarily just one, no.”

Dexia and Aristella. Those twins were Shere Khan’s subordinates, but they had the same face as the girl Zagan’s old friend Stella brought over to the castle. And that was far too convenient to be a mere coincidence. Zagan had sent Stella a warning already, so even an Archdemon wouldn’t be able to meddle with her without proper preparations.

“Before I answer your doubts, allow me a question of my own,” Zagan said, taking such things into consideration. “What is Shere Khan’s actual objective?”

“That’s...”

Shax had said he acted as if he was trying to save people, all while attacking rare species like Kuroka. His mismatched behavior was enough for one to suspect him of having split personalities.

“About Aristella... A part of her body was left behind. I tried analyzing it, which led me to discover something rather peculiar.”

Her two severed arms had been left behind. Zagan truly was a sorcerer after all. Calmly dissecting them without providing a proper burial was a most sacrilegious act. Luckily, the information he’d garnered from them was great.

“It seems she isn’t human. Though, she also isn’t an incomplete being like a homunculus. At the very least, she’s different from any being I know of, meaning she’s probably some original magical life form created by Shere Khan.”

“A magical life form...?” Kimaris muttered, staring back in wonder at the unexpected term.

“Don’t you think Shere Khan plans on completing this magical life form?”

“Hmm,” Kimaris murmured with a nod. “You mean, the rare species hunts were conducted in order to gather materials for that purpose?”

“Exactly. And wouldn’t that make the swarm of shadows that popped out during Alshiere Imera the failed experiments who didn’t reach the degree of completion those twins did?”

“Then, you don’t mean...” Kimaris trailed off, stiffening up at the mention of the shadows.

“Shere Khan is likely trying to create Azazel,” Zagan replied, nodding without hesitation.

Zagan still only had theories about what exactly Azazel was. However, he did at least have a general idea. There were two people the twins came in contact with before they vanished from town. Zagan had witnessed one with his own eyes, but there was one other they met before that. Zagan had been informed of how this person had witnessed strange nightmares for a period of time. It was rash to draw a conclusion while lacking positive proof, but if that girl could be considered the first to be possessed, the twins might have reached completion after coming into contact with her.

In other words, Azazel and the Demon Lord are one and the same.

Zagan then reminisced over the events of Alshiere Imera, saying, “Those shadows that showed up during Alshiere Imera shared the forms of murdered rare species. I don’t know how it works, but perhaps it’s possible to use Azazel to resurrect the dead.”

“Then, even after killing the rare species, he plans to resurrect them afterward...?”

“I bet it’s something like that. Though, it’s still intolerable for those who were killed.”

There was no way to prove that the ones who were resurrected were the same as those who’d been killed.

Kimaris put his hand to his head as if hit with a headache and asked, “Is he...? Is he really chasing such an absurd illusion?”

“Huh...? What are you talking about?” Zagan inquired with knit brows.

Kimaris shook his head in a fluster, then expanded on the topic at hand. “Oh, it’s nothing. More importantly, does that mean Shere Khan is using even Azazel as his pawn? That means the remaining twin will...”

“Don’t be stupid. Even if it was destroyed, Bifrons took Azazel’s sample away. They’re surely happily dissecting it right now. They won’t use up a valuable spare all that easily.”

That was most likely the reason those two Archdemons had kept quiet over the last month. Shere Khan could use Dexia to call forth Azazel once more, which was precisely why he was handling her carefully and dearly. Even if she was incomplete, he had to protect the first fruits of his labor with all his strength. That was just how sorcerers were. He wasn’t likely to throw something so precious at Zagan and lose it.

Kimaris shuddered at the dreadful thought. He then muttered something, as if praying for the sanity of someone he was close to, and asked, “What’s the probability that Shere Khan is healing his precious subordinate...?”

“He’s the kind of lunatic who thinks he can just revive people after slaughtering them, remember? At most, he probably thinks he can resurrect her after using her to complete Azazel.”

On the contrary, he was likely keeping them carefully locked up to keep them from dying. Kimaris covered his face, feeling pity upon realizing their tragic fate.

“...We’ve gotten a little off track,” Zagan told him. “In short, it looks like everything is unrelated, but Shere Khan, Bifrons, and Azazel are all tied together by a single line.”

If Azazel truly was the Demon Lord, then Bifrons was the first to attempt to resurrect it. Shere Khan then tried to do the same thing using a different method. That was why the two of them had joined forces and Azazel had started to take action.

“Shere Khan is the one currently directing everything. If we take care of him, Bifrons will quiet down and Azazel can be stopped.”

There was, of course, a need to settle things with Bifrons as well. And though ridding Azazel of its medium seemed smart, there was no guarantee that doing so would seal it away, since it’d started moving already. Nevertheless, defeating Shere Khan seemed like the fastest way to resolve the incident itself.

I’ve played my hand to accomplish this already. All that’s left is to prepare as much as possible before the time arrives.

And yet, Kimaris muttered in resignation, saying, “...I see. That makes sense. It’s the only way, I suppose.”

“Hm...?” Zagan mumbled, knitting his brows once more.

However, Kimaris simply smiled brightly, much like he always did, and replied, “Oops, it seems this discussion has gone on for far too long. The time is upon us.”

“Oh, that won’t do. I’ll be depending on you again today.”

“Of course.”

And so, the Archdemon and his right-hand man exited the throne room.

◇

“Fwaah...” Lilith let out a huge yawn in the kitchen of Zagan’s castle. Her crimson hair was tied up on both sides of her head and she had a tired look in her golden eyes. She had small, bat-like wings sprouting from her lower back and a pointy tail right above her butt, although she had the misfortune of having a flat chest. She was a succubus, as well as the first princess of the Hypnoel royal family. She wore revealing clothing, much like any succubus, but she had a white apron on as well as a white kerchief wrapped around her head.

“Didn’t get enough sleep, Lilith? Staying up all night is, like, totally bad for your health.”

“But I’m a succubus.”

The succubi were a race who lived in dreams. And so, they were most active at night. It was actually stranger for one to be up and cooking during the day, all things considered. The siren next to Lilith merely shot her a cheerful smile in response.

This was Selphy. She had fins where a normal human would have ears and blue hair much like the color of the sea. She was currently standing on two legs, but her natural form was that of a girl with the lower body of a fish.

“But it’s, like, super weird to see you yawning in the middle of work,” Selphy said with a laugh. “Something happen?”

“It’s nothing serious...”

Upon seeing Lilith’s ladle stop moving, Selphy turned to face her.

“I’ll, like, listen if you’ve got something troubling you.”

“I’m not really troubled by it... It’s more... worrying, I guess?”

Selphy gave her an understanding nod and said, “Ah, it’s been three days since Kuroka left and all, huh?”

Lilith, Selphy, and the cait sith Kuroka were all childhood friends. Kuroka had gone through indescribable suffering during the time they were apart. And until recently, though it had been a full two months since she was treated, she was completely blind.

The restoration of Kuroka’s eyesight had gone off without a hitch, so she’d returned to work. She was staying at the Archdemon’s castle during the treatment, but she was originally a priest at the church, an organization that stood in opposition to sorcerers. A sorcerer named Shax went with her to serve as her guard, but that man was hopelessly incapable of reading the mood.

Both of them saw each other in a much better light than they let others believe, yet their feelings always slipped past each other at every moment. Now that the two of them were away from Kianoides, Lilith couldn’t help but feel worried for their future.

They’ve got worries of their own, I suppose... Lilith felt a headache coming and put her hand to her brow.

“It’ll be fine!” Selphy reassured her with a cheerful smile. “Kuroka can be kinda unlucky, but isn’t Mister Shax, like, a nice old man who’d throw himself in harm’s way to protect her and all that? At this point, they’ve just gotta get their feelings in order.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a major roadblock...”

It actually felt like the greatest misfortune of Kuroka’s life was falling in love with that man. How did Shax truly feel about her? Wasn’t Kuroka going through more hardships with him after having suffered so much already? It pained Lilith’s heart to think about it.

“But I think it’s gonna be okay, ya know? I mean, Mister Shax is, like, a totally peerless cat lover.”

“Huh? He is?”

“Yeah! When stray cats come in through the garden every now and then, he goes off to feed them with a super gentle look on his face. And then, when Kuroka walks by, he turns bright red and totally panics.”

“So wait, is he looking at her as a girl or as a cat?!”

That was likely the exact problem Kuroka was worried about.

“Oh, speaking of cats, Miss Nephy said she never even saw a cat before coming here, huh?”

“Oh, I suppose there aren’t any cats out in a secluded forest... Wait, that’s not the point!” Lilith raised her voice and shook her head. The conversation always seemed to go off track when speaking with Selphy.

“H-Huh? What’s with you?”

“No, I mean... Lately, His Highness looks strangely tired, doesn’t he?”

“Really? He looks, like, embarrassingly energetic whenever Miss Nephy’s around.”

“Well, that’s the case when they’re together...”

Seeing them so happy made Lilith feel stupid for being worried about him.

“But that’s not what I mean,” Lilith continued. “He’s just forgetting he’s tired. His fatigue isn’t actually going away, right?”

“Well, he’s a sorcerer and all, so isn’t he handling it in some magicky way? Have you ever heard of a sorcerer collapsing from fatigue?”

Their king stood at the peak of all sorcerers, resting on the seat of an Archdemon. Collapsing from fatigue was something even a novice sorcerer would be ridiculed for. Lilith understood this full well, but she still cast her gaze to the floor.

“The color of mana about him looks tired to me...” she muttered.

He didn’t show it on the surface at all, but mana didn’t lie. Selphy suddenly had a serious look and turned to face Lilith completely.

“Seriously?”

“Mmm...”

Zagan was a terrifying Archdemon, but he was also a king who treated a non-sorcerer like Lilith impartially as his subordinate. When she selfishly asked for a large bath one month ago, he even made the grand bath behind his castle. Well, the biggest reason for him doing so was to please Nephy and her mother Orias, but in the end, it was still true he ended up responding to her selfish request. That was why Lilith wanted to do something to repay the favor as one of the people under his protection.

Just then, the door to the kitchen opened.

“Sorry I’m late.”

A small girl walked in. She had beautiful, vivid green hair with rough-looking horns peeking out from its gaps. Her large eyes were colored amber. She appeared no older than a small child, but in truth, she was both a dragon and the Archdemon’s daughter.

How strange. This girl is never late...

Nephy was often late due to how busy she was, but Foll was always on time. Did she get stuck doing something else?

“Oh, hey there, little lady! Don’t you worry one bit!” Selphy greeted her with a cheerful wave.

“I’ve been wondering this for a while now, but you’re the princess here, right? Why are you helping out in the kitchen?” Lilith asked.

Actually, everyone residing in the kitchen was essentially royalty. Furthermore, the Archdemon’s bride, or at least Lilith assumed she was his bride, also worked away busily in the kitchen. Why was that?

“I’m just doing what I can. It’s better for a meal to be even a little tastier.”

Foll wasn’t a very expressive girl, but the way she helped with the cooking was so lovable that it stirred up a desire to protect her within Lilith.

“You’re honestly a big help. You, Lord Raphael, and Lady Nephy are the best at seasoning,” Lilith said, preparing a stool for Foll to stand on.

The butler Raphael and the maid... the Archdemon’s bride, Nephy, were very busy. So lately, Foll had managed everything related to seasoning the food.

Lady Nephy’s been spending less time in the kitchen recently...

She was already responsible for all the housework in the entire castle. Plus, she had her own studies of sorcery and mysticism to attend to. It only made sense for her to be busy. She pretty much had no time to herself. This was perhaps the reason Zagan’s fatigue stood out lately.

Foll climbed up onto the stool, then shook her head modestly and said, “You’ve gotten quite good, Lilith. Have more confidence in yourself.”

“R-Really? Thanks.”

Lilith used to be afraid of the dragon, but that just made her all the happier to be praised by her. Foll’s expression just seemed strangely absentminded, however, as if she was zoning out. Did this have something to do with her tardiness?

I wonder what’s troubling her? Lilith was unsure if she could be of any use, not being a sorcerer and all, but she still wanted to help. However, right when she was about to speak up...

“Lilith, what were you two talking about just now?” Foll asked.

“Huh? Oh, umm...” Lilith was at a loss, unsure of how to answer when she’d prepared to ask a question herself. She couldn’t even remember what they were talking about.

“Oh, Lilith was just mentioning how Mister Zagan looks kinda tired lately,” Selphy answered.

“...Lilith?” Foll stared at her with her amber eyes, which made Lilith’s body stiffen.

“Umm, it just looks that way to me.”

“......”

It wasn’t much of an explanation, so Foll continued to stare at her dubiously.

“I mean, I’m a succubus, so I can see human vitality. Or, I guess you can say it’s the healthiness of mana or the like,” Lilith added in a panic.

Succubi manipulated dreams. They could show people nightmares, but the original purpose of their power was to fulfill the desires of others. In recompense, they stole their target’s vitality.

I have quite a few customers in this castle, in fact... Lilith actively worked as a succubus ever since coming here from Liucaon. She resolved the desires of Zagan’s sorcerer subordinates in their dreams. That was one of the reasons she’d been yawning earlier. And she did, of course, have Zagan’s permission to do so.

When exposed to Zagan and Nephy, as well as Kuroka and Shax, each and every day, anybody would want a partner of their own. It was Lilith’s job to show the spectators their ideal dreams at night. But gazing at those glacially slow relationships from afar spurred on strange feelings within people, so the residents of the castle all had unusually wholesome desires, like nestling up against someone in the town plaza all day.

They were such peaceful thoughts for heinous sorcerers serving directly under an Archdemon. Even so, the quality of the vitality she received in payment was quite high, seeing as they were all top-class sorcerers. It was enough for Lilith to feel strangely guilty, since it felt like she was ripping them all off.

“...I completely forgot. I thought it was just me and Zagan,” Foll said with a surprised look on her face.

“You mean being able to see mana?”

Foll returned a small nod.

Is there a problem with being able to see mana?

“Can Selphy and Kuroka see it too?” Foll asked curiously.

“Me? Nope. Not at all. Kuroka never mentioned anything like that, but she probably can’t? Actually, she couldn’t even see normally, huh?!”

“Right...” Foll murmured. Then, she shifted her focus to Lilith with an overly-guarded expression. “Lilith, how much can you see?”

“How much? Like... whether or not... it’s healthy, I suppose?”

Since she fed on human vitality, it was better to target humans in good health. That was why she could see the quality of mana. Was there anything else to it? Lilith cocked her head curiously as Foll blinked at the anticlimactic answer.

“That’s it? What about the flow and connections?”

“Connections? I don’t really get what you mean...”

With that, the young dragon finally let out a sigh of relief and replied, “Sorry for asking something weird.”

“Um, I don’t really mind...?”

Lilith didn’t really understand what was going on. Seeing how clear her bewilderment was, even Foll could tell she wasn’t being clear enough.

“Seeing the flow of mana is an outrageous ability for a sorcerer to possess. I wanted to know if you had it.”

“Oh, that? Sorry, it’s just a normal sense we succubi have. Well, the royal family prides itself on our ability, but I’m pretty sure it’s useless for sorcery.”

“Zagan can see it,” Foll replied in a deadly serious tone. “That’s why he became an Archdemon at such unprecedented speed.”

It was apparently that amazing of an ability. Lilith was quite moved to learn that fact.

“Sooo... could the Silver-Eyed King see it too?” Selphy asked curiously.

Lilith’s eyes shot open.

“However, he was also known as such... The Silver-Eyed King.”

It happened about a month ago. On the day the grand bath opened, Alshiera unveiled the name of Zagan’s father. Lilith felt like she finally figured out what was weighing on Foll’s mind.

I mean, our three royal families are the direct descendants of the Silver-Eyed King...

Additionally, Alshiera mentioned the Silver-Eyed King was the former wielder of Kuroka’s Moonless Sky. Foll might have hoped for some kind of clue or connection from Kuroka’s childhood friend Lilith. Having said that, Lilith had nothing of the sort on hand, so she could only shrug her shoulders.

“The Silver-Eyed King might have had such powers, but he was our great ancestor from over a thousand years ago. I’m pretty sure we haven’t inherited any of... Huh? Hang on.”

Lilith noticed a slight inconsistency in what she was saying.

“What’s up?” Selphy asked curiously.

“It’s just... The Silver-Eyed King was a hero from over a thousand years ago, right? So if he’s His Highness’ father... Huh? Isn’t that weird?”

Lilith had heard before that Zagan looked exactly his age, which was somewhere around 18 or 19 years old.

“Uhhh? Wasn’t the last Archdemon, like, over a thousand years old? So, the Silver-Eyed King would at least be older than that, yeah? Even setting that aside, dragons and the like live tens of thousands of years,” Selphy commented.

“But the Silver-Eyed King wasn’t a sorcerer.”

“...Maybe people just kept inheriting the name?” Foll added in astonishment, bringing Lilith back to her senses.

“R-Right. That would make sense... But still, I’ve never even heard of anyone inheriting the title Silver-Eyed King.”

Even if it was simply being kept from the public, it was somewhat unthinkable for the first princess of one of the three great royal families to be left in the dark.

Meaning... Wait, what does that even mean? Lilith was left completely confused, unable to get her thoughts in order, when Foll shot her a glance.

“Lilith, get it off the fire. The stew’s burning.”

“Ah!”

Lilith lowered the cauldron from the fire in a panic. After that, she had to focus on her cooking and was unable to continue their conversation.

Maybe I should try asking His Highness in his dreams tonight? Lilith had no way of knowing at the time that her idea would trigger a major incident.

◇

“Good day to you. Is it time for work?”

After entering the office, Nephteros was greeted by the small girl seated within. The girl had blonde hair tied up on both sides and golden eyes like the moon. Her dress was black, as if a symbol of the night, and she had a creepy stuffed doll in her arms. Two sharp fangs could be seen peeking out from her lips. Upon seeing this vampire, who didn’t spare a single thought for the window’s sunlight, Nephteros let out a sigh.

“You came again? I don’t think you’ll find anything interesting by sticking around me, Alshiera.”

It had been about a month now. Ever since she was invited to the party celebrating the completion of the grand bath at Zagan’s castle, this girl had followed Nephteros around. She wondered what she’d done to offend or attract her, but Alshiera didn’t really do anything in particular. Nephteros already knew the girl acted in a way to make her intentions completely unreadable.

“Indeed, it isn’t interesting at all,” Alshiera replied with a giggle.

“So, how about going back to the castle? Aren’t you being targeted by Shere Khan? Let me just tell you now, I’m not strong enough to protect you from an Archdemon.”

Alshiera narrowed her gaze pleasantly at that and said, “Teehee, it isn’t interesting, but watching you is rather enjoyable.”

“...I don’t get it.”

“You don’t need to.”

The girl acted however she pleased in Zagan’s castle, and she was no different in front of Nephteros, who couldn’t tell whether she was being friendly or hostile, or whether she could let her guard down at all. But in any case, it was exhausting. As always, she was unable to read the girl’s intentions.

“Has your condition been stable lately?” Alshiera asked.

“My health? Well, I’ve been feeling much better ever since you started coming here.”

Nephteros had had an episode where she collapsed right before the grand bath was completed.

I don’t really remember what happened back then...

According to Richard, she’d apparently shown symptoms akin to sleepwalking. Feeling that she would be a bother to everyone around her like that, she made sure to never be alone. But perhaps as a result of that, she’d been in strangely great condition lately.

Setting that aside, Nephteros was somewhat troubled that Alshiera wasn’t getting out of the office chair, And so, she waved her hand to drive the girl off.

“Anyway, that’s Chastille’s seat. Could you move? It’s about time for her to start her duties.”

They wouldn’t be able to finish their work if they had to have this discussion during office hours. And yet, Alshiera showed no signs of getting off the chair, as if she didn’t even hear Nephteros to begin with. Having said that, their little exchange had gone on for a whole month already. Due to that fact, Nephteros no longer had a sense of reservation toward her. She brought over another chair with familiar movements.

“Here, use this one.”

“...Very well.”

“You can have some of the macarons we were gifted, so don’t make that face.”

“...Do you perhaps take me for one of the neighborhood children?”

At first, Nephteros found the girl to be ominous and a complete mystery. But after seeing her at Zagan’s castle, all such feelings were completely dispelled.

It seems she saved Kuroka and the others as well... Nephteros believed she wasn’t a bad person. At the very least, she didn’t appear to bear any hostility. And as she shot her a smile with such thoughts in mind, a sour look graced Alshiera’s face as she bit down on her lips. Nephteros actually found that part of her rather cute.

After carrying the chair, with Alshiera still in it, over to the reception table of the office, Nephteros saw the girl eat the snacks set aside there with a composed expression.

“I would prefer some fine wine rather than macarons.”

“Giving you wine when you look like that feels immoral.”

With that, Nephteros began organizing documents.

“If wine is no good, then your blood will also do,” Alshiera replied with a bewitching smile.

Nephteros raised her head at the disturbing thought. A second later, Alshiera peeled back her lips and revealed her two fangs.

What’s this strange sense of déjà vu...?

There was no hostility in those words, and yet she looked awfully aggressive. It was rather confusing... But after thinking it over, Nephteros arrived at an answer right away.

“I don’t really mind,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Not that I know whether my blood will taste any good.”

Alshiera looked back at her in a daze as said, “Oh my? I thought you’d be more opposed to the idea.”

“I know you’re injured. This stuff is important to a vampire, right? I don’t really mind if it’s not going to hurt. I do owe you one.”

“...You remember?”

Alshiera’s voice took on a sharp tone, as if she were raising her guard. Nephteros grimaced, then brushed back her silver hair from her face.

“I don’t really get what you mean, but you protected Kuroka, didn’t you? It’d be problematic for me if she wasn’t around.”

That single fact was more than enough reason for Nephteros to feel indebted.

“Hmm... I see,” Alshiera replied, sinking into thought.

Nephteros’ answer was apparently beyond her expectations. And seeing her sink into silence, Nephteros thought of asking something she always wanted to hear from the girl.

But I suppose she won’t give me an answer... In that case, she figured it was better to close in by prodding at Alshiera’s interest inoffensively. After sorting out the right questions to ask, Nephteros cast her line and waited to see if she would take the bait.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“About?”

“You’ve known Big Bro for a long time... You knew him before you even met him in Liucaon, right?”

Alshiera narrowed her eyes. Nephteros couldn’t tell whether that was out of wariness or admiration, but she’d at least succeeded in taking the first step in drawing her attention.

“Now, why do you believe that?” Alshiera asked, urging her on.

“I mean, didn’t you say ‘we meet again’ or something like that?”

“Alas, how truly surprising. To think the day would come where I would meet you once more.”

That was what Alshiera had said when they first met her in the Atlastia. Nephteros didn’t understand the meaning of those words back then, but now that she knew about Zagan’s father, it made sense. The reason she called Zagan Silver-Eyed King was because she’d overlaid the image of his father on top of him... and because she was acquainted with Zagan himself.

Perhaps... she was in love with this Silver-Eyed King. However, that was an entirely unfounded theory, so Nephteros didn’t mention it aloud.

Alshiera averted her gaze for an instant, yet it seemed her self-respect didn’t allow her to dodge the question. She let out a small sigh and acknowledged it, saying, “Well, it isn’t something to keep hidden after all this time. Indeed. I knew the Silver-Eyed King when he was a child.”

Nephteros was already convinced of that, but hearing it from Alshiera’s own lips somehow made it feel unreal. What exactly did she know about Zagan?

Should I cut to the chase? Or should I try adding in one other topic? Nephteros hesitated over how to proceed. Getting the answers she wanted out of Alshiera was no simple task. If she didn’t shake her up a little more, she felt the girl would simply gloss over everything. As such, Nephteros prepared her next lure while prodding a little more.

“Oh? So, can I ask one other thing?”

“...I don’t plan on answering even if you ask, just so you know.”

It appeared she really didn’t want to be asked about Zagan. In a rare showing, Alshiera’s agitation was clear in her behavior. That left Nephteros a little happy, which was why she ended up saying something rather careless.

“Weren’t you the one who asked this Marc person to look for Zagan?”

Marc was the name of Zagan’s childhood friend who was much like an older brother to him. And yet, he once wielded the Seraph Hunters, much like Alshiera. It was also said that his true identity was the pope, the head of the entire church. He’d apparently acted like an alley waif to stay at Zagan’s side at someone’s request. Such was the case, but...

The air froze over with a crack. A bead of sweat ran down Nephteros’ cheek.

Did I go too far...?

Even if it was over 200 years ago, Alshiera had handily defeated Archdemon Andrealphus. Touching the wrong nerve could have led to Nephteros being strangled to death with ease. The difference in power between them was just that large. As such, a major prerequisite to drawing her interest was to not anger her.

Alshiera returned to her senses upon seeing Nephteros so frightened, then let out a deep sigh. At the same time, the frozen atmosphere dispersed.

“I don’t recall asking for such a thing. He simply made it a promise all on his own,” Alshiera practically spat out.

“...Sorry. That was rather thoughtless of me,” Nephteros said upon reflecting over how she got caught up in the moment.

“I don’t really mind.”

The way Alshiera huffed to the side gave a glimpse at how she felt somewhat guilty for acting immaturely. Seeing such a reaction, Nephteros suddenly smiled.

“What is it now?” Alshiera asked.

“Nothing. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I just thought you really resembled Big Bro.”

“...What exactly are you looking at to think such a thing?”

Alshiera blatantly averted her gaze, but her fingers twiddled about over her skirt. Apparently, she didn’t hate the comparison.

This girl gets happy over the strangest things...

Zagan’s adopted daughter, Foll, was similar in that regard.

Now that I think of it, she gets along with Foll, doesn’t she?

Was there something that tied them together, perhaps? Putting that thought aside, Nephteros decided to elaborate and praise her as a form of apology for what she’d said earlier.

“Right, that face you were making just now is a good example. In general, your affection is kind of hard to understand. Even though you treat others kindly, it can feel somewhat misleading. That part of you is just like him.”

After saying that, she started doubting whether her statement was actually praise, but Alshiera didn’t seem to be offended. She twirled her finger proudly through her golden hair while shooting glances at Nephteros as if asking for more. That reaction also reminded Nephteros of Zagan’s adopted daughter.

“I do believe the Silver-Eyed King is quite easy to understand, though.”

“You mean recently, right? He was quite different when I first met him...”

Recently, he’d learned how to voice his honest feelings for Nephy and talk to other sorcerers without inviting any misunderstandings. But when Nephteros first met him, his conversation skills were abysmal. In a sense, his butler Raphael was easier to understand.

And now that they’d touched on this topic, even Alshiera made a sullen expression.

“I don’t try to be that difficult to understand...”

“Is that so? You were quite odd yourself when we first met, just so you know. I was completely under the impression you were lunging in to attack.”

When a certain accident had turned Zagan into a child, he went to the underwater city to look for a solution. At the time, Alshiera closed in behind the small Zagan and gestured like she was going to suck his blood. Because of that, she ended up getting into a dispute with the grown-up Foll. It was just four months ago, but it felt like an eternity. It felt somewhat nostalgic, even.

Alshiera smiled dubiously at this and said, “Oh my, perhaps I truly intended to attack him back then...”

The small vampire tossed another sweet into her mouth. It seemed her wariness from earlier had dispersed as she settled into a good mood once more.

And still feeling somewhat nostalgic, Nephteros replied, “Hm? In truth, weren’t you so happy you suddenly wanted to hug him?”

In the early days, Zagan often demonstrated such an attitude around Nephy.

“Hgk— Hak! Ack!”

“A-Are you okay?”

Alshiera broke into a splendid coughing fit as Nephteros hurried over in a fluster and rubbed her back. The undead didn’t have beating hearts or a need to breathe, so Alshiera must’ve been shaken by her statement. There were even tears in the corners of her eyes. Nephteros only meant to reminisce over old times, but she’d apparently accidentally hit a bullseye.

“S-Sorry. I didn’t think you would be so surprised...”

“No, it’s fine...”

Alshiera raised her head and brushed back her hair as she regained her composure. She then stared reproachfully at Nephteros, putting her up guard.

I guess that one did make her angry...

It wasn’t enough to freeze the air like before, but it wouldn’t have shocked her to learn that she’d ruined Alshiera’s mood. And after tensing up... Nephteros was left feeling rather let down.

“Hm...?”

She thought Alshiera would hurl harsh insults at her, but nothing came from her mouth at all. Her eyes showed a desire to complain, but her mouth remained open as if she’d been rendered mute. From one perspective, it was like she’d received a shock and her heart couldn’t keep up.

“......”

“Umm...? What’s wrong?”

Had she offended her again? It didn’t look like it, but something about Alshiera’s behavior felt strange. Nephteros cocked her head when Alshiera suddenly squeezed her stuffed doll tightly and hung her head.

After a little while, she finally regained her voice and muttered, “Yes... It’s just as you say.”

“What do you mean?”

“...I wanted to hug him. Even though I knew I wasn’t allowed, I couldn’t endure it,” Alshiera said in a muffled voice, as if she was repenting.

“You weren’t allowed...?”

Zagan was definitely surprised back then, but it wasn’t something he would be so obstinate as to disallow.

Alshiera didn’t seem to pay attention to Nephteros’ bewilderment as she continued her soliloquy by saying, “I mean, the Silver-Eyed King looked just like the child I knew... It was so nostalgic, so unbelievable... It may be laughable for an undead like me to say this, but it was a miracle...”

What manner of feelings were behind those words? The way she held her stuffed doll and curled her back reminded Nephteros of a lost child left all on her own. Or perhaps it was more apt to say she resembled a girl carrying the burden of having destroyed a country or something. She looked ever so helpless, like she would break down into tears at any moment.

I wonder what happened between her and the Silver-Eyed King..? Nephteros couldn’t even begin to imagine, considering it hadn’t even been a year since she was born. She was created as a copy of Nephelia, a toy for Archdemon Bifrons. If she hadn’t ended up finding a friend in Chastille, she would’ve broken down long ago.

Alshiera’s behavior reminded her of how she’d acted when there was no salvation in sight. No, Alshiera looked even more fragile than that, as if she was walking all alone down a far darker path. It made Nephteros believe that the girl’s usual flippant attitude was a shell to desperately keep herself together amidst the hell she lived in.

This girl had lived in isolation for a thousand years, and had likely spent her time before that suffering a great deal as well. Nephteros didn’t mean anything by what she said, but she ended up creating a crack in this girl’s protective shell.

“......”

She couldn’t think of what to say. About the only thing she was capable of was embracing the small vampire in front of her. That was why she couldn’t ask. She couldn’t ask the real question she’d hoped to get an answer for. About that time they met in the underwater city.

Hey, were you referring to me back then?

“Then I shall bid you adieu, my beloved Silver-Eyed King, and—Azazel.”

That was the name of the enemy this girl had dedicated the rest of her life to fighting. It was the secret Zagan was searching for. And, in all likelihood, it was something outrageously bad. Nephteros wondered whether she was somehow involved with it... and if that was the reason this girl was staying by her side. She wanted to press Alshiera for answers, but after seeing her like this, she couldn’t say a thing.

Time passed in complete silence just like that, and before either of them knew it, a knock came at the door.

“Do come in,” Alshiera said, raising her head.

“Is that up to you?”

The way Alshiera acted like this was her own room left Nephteros astonished. It seemed she had managed to calm down.

A girl entered the office accompanied by a young Angelic Knight. She had gallant, scarlet eyes and hair of the same color tied up by a butterfly hair ornament. She was wearing the vestments of a bishop and had a sword hanging from her waist.

It was Chastille, one of the twelve Archangels and the leader of this church. The other Angelic Knight was a young man named Richard. He was currently serving as the bishop’s private guard, so he was wearing his Anointed Armor.

They were the only two who entered, but Nephteros shifted her focus to Chastille’s feet. He didn’t show himself while she was working, but that gloomy sorcerer was surely hiding with the shadows stretching out beneath her.

Upon spotting Nephteros, Richard smiled and said, “So this is where you’ve been, Lady Nephteros... Oh, and Miss Alshiera, too.”

“Pardon the intrusion,” Alshiera replied with a nonchalant smile.

Oh well...

Seeing Alshiera not act flippant had thrown Nephteros for a loop. After recomposing herself, she rose to her feet to return to work when something tugged on her robes. Alshiera had gripped on her sleeve while keeping her gaze averted.

She then muttered in the quietest of voices, “Please keep what you just heard a secret.”

“...Sure.”

Seeing them like that, Richard strained a smile and stated, “You two are getting along quite well now, I see.”

“Yes, of course we are. In fact, we’re on friendly enough terms for her to say it’s okay for me to suck her blood.”

“Blood...?”

The disturbing phrase had Richard lowering his hand to the sword at his waist. Seeing that, Chastille stopped him like it was no big deal.

“That’s just Miss Alshiera’s brand of humor. She doesn’t mean ill by it, so don’t pay it any mind, Richard.”

It was office hours already, so Chastille was in work mode. As such, she handled Alshiera’s misleading behavior with familiarity. Meanwhile, Richard still hesitated, wondering if it was truly fine to let his guard down.

“...Is that so?”

“She probably meant ‘we’re friendly enough not to get angry over such jokes.’”

“...I’m surprised you inferred that from what was said.”

“I’ve known Zagan and Lord Raphael long enough to figure that out. You should get used to it yourself.”

Richard was left perplexed at the heartless declaration, so he simply replied, “I do believe it will be rather difficult for me.”

That was perfectly natural, but for some reason, even Alshiera looked confused.

“What...? Is something the matter, Miss Alshiera?”

“...No. I was simply wondering whether I looked that way to you as well. I mean, that I resemble the Silver-Eyed King, or that I’m difficult to understand.”

“Yes. In fact, you’re similar enough that I would suspect you were Zagan’s sister.”

Alshiera suddenly covered her face.

“Umm, what is it now?” Nephteros asked.

“...Please leave me be. I’m just feeling somewhat responsible for this.”

“Is that so...?” Nephteros muttered in confusion. She had no idea what Alshiera felt responsible for, but she returned a vague nod anyway.

Does it have something to do with when they met further in the past, I wonder?

She had such a quirky personality. If she met Zagan while he was a child, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to have been unconsciously influenced by her in some way. Still, that clearly wasn’t a topic to touch on carelessly, as Nephteros had learned mere moments ago.

Nephteros forced her conjecture into the corner of her mind as nothing more than fantasy and continued her work.

A short while later, when she looked back up from her work, Alshiera was no longer there. She truly was an incomprehensible girl. And even as she questioned that, Nephteros continued the work she had on hand.

With thoughts of the mysterious vampire now in the corner of her mind, she immersed herself in work, and noon arrived before she knew it.

Suddenly, a violent knock resounded from the door to the office.

“L-Lady Chastille! This is serious!”

It was a familiar and irritating voice that belonged to one of the three idiots. Namely, the one who used a shield.

“What happened?” Chastille asked as she rose to her feet with a grim expression on her face.

The door to the office burst open.

“A-About that...”

The large man with the shield entered the room hesitantly. He seemed strangely inarticulate as he directed Chastille’s attention behind him.

“Foll?”

Hiding behind the large man, merely because they were far too different in size, was Zagan’s little daughter. Since she was out in town, she had her hood on, which resembled a cat’s head. She got along with Chastille about as well as cats and dogs, although that was mostly due to one-sided prejudice from Foll.

“Horsehead... No, Chastille. There’s something I want to ask you.”

“...Did something happen?” Chastille asked, tensing up as she heard Foll’s suddenly respectful attitude.

“Chastille, listen—”

On that day, Chastille... no, the entire office of Kianoides’ church was thrown into unprecedented chaos.

◇

A dull shockwave spread out as a cloud of dust rose to the air.

“Are you okay, Sir Zagan?!”

Underneath Kianoides, far down within a large grotto in Archdemon Palace. The space was similar to the cave beneath Zagan’s castle, but this one was larger and the walls and ceiling were scrupulously reinforced.

A sorcerer with the face of a lion ran up to Zagan. His body was covered in muscles that looked as hard as steel. In terms of simple physical strength, he was a giant who far surpassed Zagan. He was Black Blade Kimaris, Zagan’s trusted retainer and right-hand man.

Zagan got up from within a pile of rubble, shook his head, and said, “Don’t worry about it. It was my mistake. I should have gotten out of the way in time.”

Blood dribbled down his head, but the bleeding itself had already died down. The wound would close in a few more seconds. The dripping blood was simply the remnants of what he’d already bled running down his hair.

Zagan was a specialist amongst sorcerers who focused on reinforcing his own body. Even if his entrails were torn out, he could regenerate in under a minute. Having said that, there were faint signs of fatigue within his silver eyes.

“...Sir Zagan. This really is reckless. I know this sounds like hubris, but I believe it will be difficult to catch my figure using a human’s kinetic vision, even when enhanced with sorcery.”

“I know. That’s why I’m relying on you.”

Normally, a sorcerer’s skill in sorcery determined their strength. And because of that, there was absolutely no need for normal physical strength. For example, say there was an Angelic Knight who wielded a sword which could cut anything and moved as fast as light. There was absolutely no need whatsoever for a sorcerer to fight such an opponent head-on. Things could be brought to a simple end by mixing a tasteless, odorless, colorless poison that could kill with a single whiff, then administering it in secret. It could even be settled by simply dropping the target into a bottomless pit.

A sorcerer’s true ability was the knowledge to cook up such schemes and carry them out. The time Barbatos kidnapped Nephy, back when Zagan first became an Archdemon, clearly showed that. If Barbatos had ignored Zagan entirely and stuck to running away, how would things have turned out? Who in the world could possibly have cornered a teleportation specialist like him? Perhaps an Archdemon who specialized in the same field, like Valley Cat Furcas, but there were surely no others. That was what a difference in strength meant between sorcerers.

Zagan won simply because Barbatos stubbornly attempted to beat him in a fight. And he understood this well. In short, so long as he showed his face, he knew Barbatos would be dragged into Zagan’s field of expertise.

That’s precisely why I respect Kimaris...

Such power traditionally didn’t have much meaning to sorcerers. Kimaris wasn’t nominated as an Archdemon candidate because he possessed some otherworldly power like Zagan did. He simply possessed that much raw strength. Even though sorcerers would normally not have even spared him a glance, he had to be acknowledged. In other words, the sorcerer known as Kimaris was an expert who surpassed Zagan in the field of violence.

How’s this guy such a gentleman despite specializing in this kind of sorcery?

Kimaris was a man of far better character than most Angelic Knights, let alone sorcerers.

“Sorry, but I need you to keep me company a little longer. It seems this sort of technique can only be gained through endless repetition.”

Kimaris returned a troubled smile and replied, “As you will. But first, I’d like to suggest a break.”

“...Hmph. If you say that, I can’t possibly ignore such counsel.”

Zagan was unable to deny his fatigue had been accumulating. If he returned to the castle in such a state and caused Nephy unnecessary worry, he would be putting the cart before the horse. And so, he obediently accepted Kimaris’ advice and sat himself down on top of the rubble.

“Can I ask you something while we rest?” Zagan asked.

“Yes. Ask anything you wish to know.”

“Why did you gain such power?”

Kimaris’ eyes widened. Much like Zagan, his specialty seemed abnormal for a sorcerer. Nobody would choose such a path unless they had a very good reason. It also required a reasonable amount of resolve to reach such a stage without dying.

“...Hmm. Consider that question a result of my curiosity. It’s fine if you don’t wish to answer.”

To that, Kimaris shook his head and responded, “No. I’d like to keep it a secret from Miss Gremory, though. Will that do?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Having said that, it was strange for Kimaris to keep secrets from Gremory.

“Very well. At first, I desired power in order to enact revenge,” Kimaris said as he took a seat on one of the larger chunks of rubble.

“I see. That makes sense,” Zagan replied with a nod. It was a truly easy reason to sympathize with and understand.

“I had a close friend when I was little. At the time, I was conceited and violent in all sorts of ways. In contrast, my friend was a very kind person. Whenever he saw someone injured, he would treat them. Whenever he saw someone in trouble, he would save them. That sort of behavior felt perfectly natural to him.”

This sounded somewhat unbelievable coming from the Kimaris that Zagan knew.

Meaning he was influenced by this friend of his?

Whatever the case, it wasn’t hard to imagine this was deeply related to his desire for revenge.

“But...” Kimaris paused, grinding his teeth. “But one day, my village was attacked by a sorcerer. The leonin were a race who could fight on equal terms with sorcerers without even needing any sorcery. We were a strong race. This went for my father, my brother, and even the village elder... However, only my friend and I survived.”

The leonin were a rare species already said to be extinct. Considering this event was from Kimaris’ childhood, it had to have taken place around 70 to 80 years ago. And yet, Kimaris’ eyes didn’t contain even a hint of resentment as he spoke. Rather, they looked despondent.

“My conceited self learned just how powerless I truly was. I felt bitterness, shame, and cried for hours on end. But I didn’t lose myself completely to despair, just rage. And I think that was because my friend was with me. After all... he was the one who attacked the village.”

Zagan’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked, “...Why did he do that?”

Kimaris shook his head and replied, “ I don’t know. Even on that morning, we fought as usual and helped out around the village. Perhaps he only got close to me simply to investigate the ins and outs of the village.”

This likely wasn’t something as simple to understand as betrayal. In contrast to his gruesome past, Kimaris’ voice sounded completely hollow.

“Soon after, I lost all sense of reason from my rage and wandered the world for years as nothing more than a monster. That was when Miss Gremory picked me up and taught me sorcery.”

So that’s where Gremory came in...

Honestly, she really was a troublesome granny. Though, his memory at least meant there was a period where she lived a diligent life.

“Even after learning sorcery, I didn’t forget about my revenge. Rather, I learned sorcery so that I could defeat my friend and Miss Gremory. But she trained me ruthlessly despite my desire... It was irritating, but I didn’t hate it.”

Listening to that part made Zagan feel awkward. But Kimaris’ expression quickly turned gloomy once more.

“After around ten years, Miss Gremory collapsed.”

Huh? Was it her usual love power overload or whatever? Zagan barely managed to keep those words to himself.

“...What happened?”

“Miss Gremory was the one who stopped my violent rampage. But in truth, she suffered serious wounds from the encounter. By then, it had aggravated to the point where even her teacher couldn’t heal it, and I only knew sorcery used for battle...” Kimaris paused there and covered his face. “...And that’s when he showed his face once more. That friend of mine.”

He spoke as if the complex relationship between them had still yet to become clear.

“My friend told me. He told me he could save Miss Gremory. But in exchange, he wanted me to part with the power I’d gained to help enact my revenge. I had to choose. Revenge... or Miss Gremory.”

Zagan wondered what kind of power he’d had, but it was clear what he’d picked. Gremory was still by Kimaris’ side, after all.

“I made my decision right then and there. I had Miss Gremory to thank for my life, so I decided to grow strong enough to protect her. That’s what I fight for.”

“...I see. So that’s why you’re so strong.”

That was how he managed to become an Archdemon candidate.

Zagan went on to poke fun at him and say, “And Gremory has no idea about any of this?”

“I haven’t told her, but I believe she’s noticed by now.”

Well, that granny was still a former Archdemon candidate. She was an outstanding sorcerer who rivaled Barbatos. In fact, it wasn’t even clear which of the two was more talented. She must’ve realized that something had happened after a fatal wound she’d suffered suddenly healed.

I see. That’s why Gremory acts like such a late bloomer only when it comes to Kimaris... Zagan presumed that she felt indebted to him because he had to give up on his revenge for her sake. Though, from his perspective, that was nothing more than an excuse. In any case, she hadn’t sorted out her feelings in over half a century, which left him rather puzzled.

Wait...? Hang on. Half a century isn’t all that long, is it...? Zagan thought. He was completely incapable of picturing himself in an intimate relationship with Nephy in 50 years. On the contrary, he could easily picture himself blushing and writhing over the smallest thing even after 100 years.

“Um, I don’t believe this is anything for you to worry about, is it?” Kimaris asked as he cocked his head.

“Oh, well... how do I put it? I was simply reflecting on myself. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh... Right.”

The way Kimaris looked fully convinced by his words made Zagan feel a little down. And that was when he came upon a sudden realization.

That means this friend of his is still alive?

And considering how he hadn’t revealed his name...

“I don’t mind if you refuse to answer, but let me ask you one more thing,” Zagan said.

“What is it?”

“This friend of yours... Was his name Shere Khan?”

Kimaris fell silent, which was an answer in and of itself. Thus, Zagan silently rose to his feet.

“We’ve spent a little too much time chatting. We’ll be late for dinner if we don’t head back soon.”

“...Right,” Kimaris replied in a gloomy voice.

Zagan gave the lion’s chest a good slap.

“It’s my principle to answer the hopes of my subordinates as best I can. If you so desire it, I’ll serve up Shere Khan’s head on a platter for you. And if you wish it to be so, I don’t mind leaving him with just his life, either.”

He seemingly yielded all power over Shere Khan’s life over to Kimaris.

Kimaris blinked in surprise, then returned a small smile and said, “I really am glad to have entered your service, my king.”

◇

“Welcome home, Master Zagan.”

Zagan was greeted by Nephy upon returning to his castle.

Hm? Foll’s not here today?

Usually, Zagan’s daughter would be right alongside Nephy to greet him, but it seemed she had much she wanted to do. Quite a bit of time had unintentionally passed due to his chat with Kimaris. It left an insignificant amount of time for training, so he brought things to an end earlier, but he still failed to get back in time to see his daughter.

It was quite unlucky that he couldn’t see Foll’s face, but Nephy’s lovely smile was more than enough to immediately disperse the entire day’s fatigue. He lived for that sight.

No! This is no good! I need to proceed further!

He’d just experienced a moment of bliss, but if that went on for 50 years without changing, he could never apologize enough to Nephy or Orias. And above all else, Zagan himself wouldn’t be able to endure it. But in that case, what was he to do?

My only option is to invite her on a date...

It had been about a month since their last date. Moreover, Nephy was the one who invited him last time. And yet, because he fully realized how lacking he was in the fight against Azazel, his private life died during the month he spent thinking of countermeasures and training.

He did, of course, still have time for his family, like Nephy and Orias. But peaceful and tranquil times spent with Nephy were Zagan’s starting point. That didn’t change even after he’d gained new family members in Foll and the others. On the contrary, it was precisely because his family grew that he had to cherish time with Nephy above all else. He couldn’t call a relationship where his own happiness had to be put on hold the same as being family.

Azazel, Shere Khan, and Bifrons weren’t just threats to his life. Zagan wanted to live peacefully with Nephy, so he simply fought those who got in his way. But that meant his priorities were backward, since preparing for them had kept him away from her for so long.

“Hear me, Nephy!”

“Yes, Master Zagan?”

However, just as he was about to invite her on a date, he suddenly realized something.

“Hm...? You look rather pale. Have you been resting properly?”

“Hwah? Huh...?” Nephy touched her own face in a fluster. “My apologies. I didn’t think it was bad enough to show on my face...”

“There’s no need to apologize. More importantly, did something happen?”

Nephy stared back in wonder, shook her head, and said, “No, that’s not it... Um, my lessons with my mother are so enlightening that I end up staying up late studying without even realizing it.”

“Is that so?”

A developing relationship with Orias was favorable, so it wasn’t something for Zagan to caution her about.

“I tried using sorcery to maintain my health, but when I lose my concentration, it just...” Nephy trailed off, covering her face with both her hands shyly.

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, rest a little tomorrow. We’ve supplemented our personnel enough for you to take some time off without any issues, haven’t we?”

She hadn’t shown her face much in the castle lately, but Alshiera was also capable of housework. Unfortunately, Nephy drooped her shoulders in shame upon hearing those words.

“Right... We have... I’ve failed you by making you worry, so I’ll take some proper rest.”

Nephy understood her position and that of those around her. She knew that trying to burden herself with everything didn’t help others, but actually troubled them. That was why she complied.

“Oh,” Nephy said, suddenly realizing something. “I will get some proper rest, but what were you about to say, Master Zagan?”

Nephy was a sharp woman, so she didn’t let that pass.

“Uhhh... Actually, I’ve gotten quite hungry from moving around so much. I’d like something hearty to chew on tonight.”

Even Zagan knew not to suddenly invite her on a date tomorrow in such a situation.

“Of course! I’ll be sure to make your portion somewhat larger.”

It was unusual for Zagan to make any particular requests about his food, since he found everything delicious, so Nephy replied in a joyous tone as she ran off.

Nephy’s happy face really is cute... Zagan thought as he waved his hand until his beloved couldn’t be seen anymore, then suddenly fell to his knees.

“S-Sir Zagan? Is something the matter?” Kimaris inquired in a shaken voice.

This is no good! I haven’t been able to do anything that normal couples do with Nephy lately!

His Nephy-deficiency had rendered him short of breath. That was the one thing he couldn’t satisfy with sorcery. It was possible to temporarily abate the symptoms by using Memorandum to view a picture of her, but without hugging her, then sitting her on his lap and rubbing cheeks and playing with her ears, he fundamentally couldn’t solve the problem.

Aaah... How long has it been since we talked about going into town and finding clothes for each other? Two months? What are you even living for, Zagan?! He felt like he was going to be driven mad by his own worthlessness and his yearning for Nephy. Why did he have to experience such suffering?

“...Sorry, Kimaris. I might just kill Shere Khan after all.”

“Wh-What...?! D-Did he do something?”

The sorcerer known as Shere Khan was still breathing, so Zagan and Nephy couldn’t enjoy their time together as lovers. It was all his fault. The only choice left was to kill him. And while Zagan was at it, he figured he would kill Bifrons, seeing as that Archdemon was also liable to do something bothersome. There was already the previous offense of getting in the way of his (fake) honeymoon in Raziel, too. Bifrons would most likely get in the way in the middle of another date, so Zagan had to deal with them in a definitive manner.

And as the Archdemon writhed about, he failed to notice something rather important. Lilith stood in the shadows of the kitchen Nephy had just entered, staring at him.