Chapter II: When Crybabies Attract, Everyone Else Has It Rough

“My name is Asura! Hex Arm Asura! The Hero of the West, Asura! Carve it into your mind!”

That was what the boy exclaimed as he revealed himself to me. I had never seen him before. He was a human with scarlet hair and crimson eyes, which meant he was a grigori. They were quite common among Solomon’s team. They were a rather tragic people who were used as tools by the seraphs.

In this world, where all people but seraphs were undesirables, attention from seraphs didn’t make the grigori a symbol of envy. They were disposable tools. The seraphs killed them without any particular rhyme or reason. They were just toys to be played with.

Born under the management of the seraphs, they didn’t even have the choice of running away like all the other races. Those who had survived this long were, without exception, granted life at the cost of another. In that sense, it could have been said that they were the race the seraphs hated the most.

The grigori boy stood in an imposing stance, blocking my path and gazing at me with hopeful eyes. After several seconds of standing there in a confused daze, I realized he was apparently introducing himself to me.

I found it a tremendous pain to remember names and faces. I mean, even if I tried to remember, everyone vanished rather quickly. Thus, I did my best to avert my eyes and walk past him. I was still carrying Murdock around. It was heavy, and I had to go maintain it, so I was rather busy.

“Hey, hang on! Why’re you ignorin’ me?!”

He clung to me with teary eyes. Most people understood when I ignored them and didn’t try talking to me, so his reaction was rather unexpected. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that he looked to be somewhere around fourteen or fifteen years old. Perhaps such behavior made sense for a child. I stopped walking and turned around with an extremely displeased look on my face. The boy stared at me blankly for a moment, then shot back to his feet with vigor and puffed out his chest.

“Heh. You’re the ace around these parts, yeah? Well, I’m the man who butchered the seraphs to the west. Let’s get along as fellow leaders!”

I gave him a nod that was accompanied by a sigh of understanding. Newcomers showed up here every now and then. They tended to say inexplicable things when driven by the high of knowing they were going to fight seraphs, so his act didn’t surprise me in the least.

Having said that, I was still a child myself. I had no reason to live except for a burning desire for revenge. I wasn’t such a remarkable person that I could look down on him for his excitement. As such, I gave him the minimal courtesy of a slight nod—something Orobas and Solomon never got off my back about—and turned on my heel.

“Hey! At least tell me your name!”

I couldn’t answer him on the spot. This wasn’t because I found it troublesome, however. I simply couldn’t remember my name. Solomon and my older brother called me Ashy, but that was but a nickname. I had a proper name of some kind, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t recall it.

Still, it didn’t make much of a difference. If anyone needed me, they could just say “Hey” or “You there.” Everyone eventually died while fighting the seraphs, anyway. If we were to bury each of the deceased and carve their names on tombstones, they would probably fill the entire continent to capacity.

I wasn’t sure how the boy interpreted my reaction. All I knew was there was suddenly a look of extreme sorrow in his eyes. He probably thought I was ignoring him. Well, I was used to people thinking that way. I was aware of how little I thought of being cooperative. And yet, the boy lowered his head as if he had committed an irredeemable mistake.

“Sorry...” he said, then laughed it off with a troubled look. “So how ’bout this? When I make it back alive after the next sortie, you tell me your name. Will that do?”

The boy left me behind without even waiting for my answer. After that, he came back from the next battle just as he had declared so proudly. I ended up having to rely on Orobas so that I could remember my own name. It then became a habit for this boy to make arbitrary demands of me every single time he did battle with the seraphs.

When I get back, have a meal with me.

When I get back, tell me what you like.

When I get back, let me hear you sing.

When I get back... When I get back...

At first, I found the whole thing unpleasant, but eventually, I got used to it and all feelings of discontent had since vanished. The boy was certainly strong. The grigori boasted of great strength by nature. His wounds healed quickly, and above all else, a single strike from his Hex Arm broke a seraph’s barrier with the same ease as the Seraph Hunters.

He was, in fact, far stronger than I was, seeing as I could only shoot my targets from a safe distance. It looked like he wasn’t going to vanish from my life. Just like Solomon and my brother, it seemed he would continue fighting with us. When I first began to believe that, we ended up going to battle with one of the high seraphs.

High Seraph Camael.

In general, seraphs had a pair of wings made of light that sprouted from their backs. These were called Hex Wings. They were also the true nature of a seraph’s barrier. Two wings already gave them powers akin to gods, but high seraphs had six wings.

Each additional Hex Wing apparently multiplied their powers greatly, far more than just double per wing. With six of them, a high seraph was at a level far beyond three regular two-winged seraphs.

My role was to destroy at least three of the high seraph’s wings before Camael wiped out the vanguard. This was sure to lead to many sacrifices. The vanguard was being supported by that boy—by Asura.

Despite the odds, they were confident they could hold out for thirty seconds. Still, that was very little time to shatter three Hex Wings. If I missed even one shot, everyone was sure to die. Plus, the seraph obviously wasn’t going to simply stand still and offer me the perfect shot.

When the battle began, I desperately lined up my sights and squeezed the trigger. There was no point in surviving. I always dreamed of fighting, struggling, leaving even a single claw mark on a seraph, then dying. But in that moment I knew I couldn’t die. I knew I couldn’t die until I fulfilled my role. At the very least, Asura and his warriors were staking their lives, trusting wholeheartedly that I would shatter those wings.

I shot out one wing, and taking advantage of the seraph’s agitation, I lined up a second shot and fired. With two wings gone, even the high seraph had to begin taking evasive maneuvers. Once a seraph focused entirely on dodging, their movement far surpassed human perception. It was impossible to cope with this at short range, which was why we needed to deal with them through long-range sniping.

The high seraph cut down my comrades one after another. Sweat began soaking my palms as I gripped my Seraph Hunter. My finger trembled on the trigger. However, I shook off my panic by taking a deep breath.

It’s okay. I can do it, I reassured myself. The high seraph was fast, but it hadn’t vanished entirely. I simply had to predict my target’s trajectory.

I fired a third shot. A third wing shattered. Twenty seconds had passed. However, after taking three shots from the same spot, I had attracted the high seraph’s attention. A single strike from a seraph’s attack could easily obliterate a small village. That was the case for one with two Hex Wings, so a high seraph with three could unleash devastation on an entirely different scale. I had no hope of fleeing to safety.

The three remaining wings on the high seraph’s back radiated light as it held a luminescent spear aloft. There was a thousand meters between us. The Seraph Hunter had a muzzle velocity of 853 meters per second, which meant it would take just over a second for a bullet to reach my target. In contrast, this spear of light erased its target the instant it was released.

I would be annihilated by the time my bullet landed. I couldn’t intercept the attack or evade it.

In that case, I’ll just shoot!

I couldn’t be saved, but the seraph couldn’t dodge while attacking either. I found myself surprised by my composure as I took in a breath. My finger trembled. I had the fourth Hex Wing in my sights. The hammer fell on the striking pin, unleashing a bullet from the muzzle.

A sudden thought came to mind.

What did Asura say this time? When I get back—

I watched through my scope as the spear of light extended, when suddenly...

“I won’t let you kill Ashy!”

I felt like I saw a boy dive in front of the light. And then, I passed out. When next I awoke, I found myself atop a bed in Orobas’s castle. The dragon, who’d taken on the form of an old man, sat by my side. He had apparently been caring for me.

I tried sitting up, which sent waves of pain coursing through my body. I had over twenty fractured bones, including three of my ribs, my upper arm, my collarbone, my femur, and my tibia. What’s more, my entire body was covered in high-degree burns. And yet, I was somehow alive.

Orobas gave me a brief summary of what had happened since I collapsed. Three days had passed. High Seraph Camael had been defeated. We had won.

He told me that Murdock’s barrel was broken. And then, he told me Asura hadn’t returned.

At that time, Asura’s Hex Arm had managed to deflect the seraph’s spear ever so slightly. That was why I had barely managed to survive.

What was it that boy had wanted me to do when he got back this time...?

When I get back...

When I get back, show me your smile.

Pain that was completely unrelated to any of my broken bones surged through my heart. My mind turned into a mess, and before I knew it, hot tears streamed down my cheeks. The old dragon said nothing and stuck close by my side.

I had always wished for death, but in the end, he had also died before me. He had been another one of the irresponsible ones. However, considering the fact that my heart was in a state where I hadn’t even bothered to remember my own name, recalling how to cry had definitely saved me.

This was one of the precious memories that supported me over the years of my long life to follow.

◇

“Alshiera, are you listening?” Foll asked, bringing Alshiera back from her memory trip.

“Oh, sorry about that. I’ve been remembering many things since coming here.”

They were in the entrance hall of Archdemon Palace, where the golem made out of a demon had previously resided. Nephy and Lilith were also with them. Looking up, Alshiera saw enormous stone statues lording over the hall just as they had in the past. These were golems that could fire Heaven’s Phosphor that had been modified exclusively for Gremory’s use.

Raphael had remained in the castle. There was apparently a need to scheme a little to keep Zagan from figuring out what they were up to, and the butler also had housework to attend to. All the people in charge of such tasks couldn’t leave the castle at the same time.

Several hours had passed since Alshiera was abducted from the kitchen. During that time, she had given them an explanation of how birthdays were celebrated—or, well, Lilith did, mostly—but it was still questionable whether any of it had truly gotten through to them.

They really are such adorable children.

They were all so brave, so pure, so earnest that Alshiera wanted to protect them, even if they weren’t Zagan. She had started to feel like she no longer wanted to part with them. Her remaining time was already nearing its end, but...

How unsightly of me.

A thousand years ago, they had also fought while believing they didn’t have much time. Alshiera shook off her sentimentality as Foll shot her a puzzled look.

“What did you remember?” she asked.

“Nothing, really. Just recalling some memories of an old friend.”

Zagan’s subordinates were also at Archdemon Palace. Of the forty or so personnel who worked under him, around thirty percent served at the castle, sixty percent at Archdemon Palace, and the remaining ten percent were dispatched to the church and various other missions. Shax was part of that last ten percent.

In other words, the entrance hall had sorcerers passing through it at all times, so Alshiera opened one of its doors and proceeded further within. A long corridor stretched before her with many doorways lining its walls. They primarily served as guest rooms in the modern era, but a thousand years ago, they were sickrooms, storerooms, and waiting rooms for Seraph Hunter wielders, among other things. She walked down the hallway with the three other girls behind her. After passing three, then four doors, she stopped at the fifth.

“This room will do.”

The walls around it were thick, which kept the sound inside, so it was the perfect place to talk in secret. Nothing of the past remained here, but this was once the sickroom Alshiera had spent time in. She proceeded to open the door without so much as knocking.

“H-Huh? What?”

A masked sorcerer with a large build was already inside. He seemed to be in the middle of working on something, seeing as he wasn’t wearing his robes, exposing his muscular upper body. He had his back turned with a hammer in hand, and the moment he saw Alshiera enter, his single eye darted about in confusion.

“Um, Lady Alshiera?” Nephy said in bewilderment. “It seems to already be occupied, so should we not look for another room...?”

Nephy took a peek inside, meeting the gaze of the baffled sorcerer.

“Um, you are Lord Naberius...right?” she asked. “I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion.”

She had never properly introduced herself to him, so Nephy gave him an elegant curtsy alongside those words.

“O-Oh, you’re...Nephy? Zagan’s bride?” he asked in return.

Her pointy ears turned red upon hearing that.

“Oh... Um... Yes... But we’re still only at the stage of dating, so...”

Despite being glued to each other day and night, she apparently still felt embarrassed when others pointed out how close they were. Well, the people of the castle only ever watched those two from afar, so there nobody ever really said it to her face. In a sense, her timid nature when confronted was perfectly natural.

Nephy blushed, a happy yet embarrassed expression on her face. In contrast, Alshiera could tell that Naberius had turned deathly pale under his mask. Throwing aside the tool in his hand, he rushed over to Alshiera, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her into the room.

“A-Aha ha ha ha. I’ll be borrowing this girl for a moment, okay?” he said, then slammed the door shut without waiting for a reply. This room had been assigned to Naberius to use as his workshop. He had been tasked with the duty of repairing Alshiera’s Seraph Hunters and fulfilling an order from Zagan.

Taking a closer look, Alshiera could see one Seraph Hunter sitting on a table in the room. The chair Naberius had been seated at was in front of a hammer and anvil, along with a high output furnace that could be controlled with mana. She couldn’t spot exactly what he was working on, however, perhaps because it was in the middle of being cleansed in chemicals.

Even with his mask on, she could tell Naberius made a ghastly expression as he closed in on her.

“Are you insane?!” he yelled. “What are you thinking, bringing that girl here?!”

He shook her shoulders back and forth. A muscular man was shaking a little girl who had a stuffed doll in her arms, which didn’t exactly paint the prettiest picture. In any case, Zagan had requested that Naberius prepare Nephy’s present in secret. It would be troublesome for Nephy to see him making it. Alshiera knew this, of course. She had also known he would be here. However, she simply looked up at the ceiling, feigning ignorance.

“I wanted someone to share the unreasonable misfortune that has suddenly fallen into my lap,” she shamelessly admitted.

“Like I care!” Naberius wailed, grabbing her by the collar with tears in his eye. “Didn’t you bring this on yourself due to your habitual mischief?! Why do you have to drag me down with you?!”

“Speak for yourself. Is this not all a result of your usual mischief?”

Things had gotten somewhat hazy because of Zagan’s intervention, but Alshiera hadn’t forgiven the man for putting Lilith in danger. Well, Lilith had technically already gotten involved, but he had still tried to egg her on without knowing that.

Whatever the case, Naberius knew that Alshiera was still mad at him. If Zagan’s request were to be revealed, Naberius would no longer have his protection from Alshiera, and Zagan would become his enemy. There would be no way for him to survive.

Still, Alshiera hadn’t been the one to propose talking in secret at Archdemon Palace, so Naberius could only resign himself to his bad luck.

“Nothing about you aside from your face and voice and personality is cute at all!” he spat out, grinding his teeth.

“Are you complimenting me or disparaging me?” she replied in astonishment.

“Lady Alshiera?” a reserved voice called out from the other side of the door. “Would it not be better for us to go to another room after all...?”

“It’s fine,” Alshiera answered. “This man is simply shy. Don’t worry, he’ll kindly provide you with advice on a present to pick.”

“Noooooo!” Naberius’s quiet shriek was music to Alshiera’s ears. He seemed to have given up, so she went to open the door. With a snap, all the tools in the room vanished thanks to sorcery before anyone could see them.

“Um, is it really all right...?” Nephy asked timidly.

Having just managed to hide everything, Naberius placed his hand on his mask and turned around at the waist with a laugh. His incomprehensible mind apparently allowed him to quickly regain his composure, so no one questioned his actions.

“You’re rather polite, aren’t you? Unlike a certain vampire. I was in the middle of working, so it’s a bit of a mess, but don’t mind me and come on in.”

“Th-Then, please excuse us...” Nephy mumbled and bent back slightly, overwhelmed by Naberius’s behavior, before stepping into the room.

“May I also come in?” Foll asked, peeking into the room all the while.

“Foll. You are the Silver-Eyed King’s daughter, meaning you’re practically the master of this castle. There is no room you may not enter freely,” Alshiera told her.

“Really?”

“I’m surprised you have the nerve to so calmly indoctrinate someone else’s polite daughter with such nonsense. What happened to you not being allowed to get involved with the comings and goings of the living?”

Alshiera thought she heard someone complaining, but it was probably just her imagination. Foll gave her a quick nod, then entered the room. Lastly, Lilith timidly looked inside.

“Oh... Um, you’re the person who helped save me that time...right? Uh, I haven’t properly thanked you for that yet. So, well, thank you. My name is Lilith.”

Now that Alshiera thought of it, Lilith and Naberius had met, but had never had the opportunity to speak to each other, let alone do proper introductions. Lilith gave him a bow, and for some reason, Naberius pushed his hand against his mask—likely where the corner of his eye was—and hung his head.

“Um, are you okay?” Lilith asked him.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry... My heart was simply shaken by the fact that there’s a girl who can show proper gratitude here...”

Alshiera shut the door, sealing off all sound from the outside. It was a spacious room, befitting its former use as a sickroom. It had about as much space as the entrance hall. Half the room was lined with tattered beds, while the other half had become Naberius’s workshop, where all sorts of tools were set aside.

Alshiera walked up to the bed closest to the workshop side, pulled a handkerchief out of her beloved stuffed doll, placed it atop the bed, and took a seat. Everyone else followed suit and started sitting down as well.

Naberius leaned against the wall opposite Alshiera. Foll plopped down on the chair to her right. There wasn’t a chair on the left, so Lilith restlessly took a seat on the next bed over. Nephy hesitated over where to go before deciding to take a seat on the same bed as Alshiera, right next to her. Thus, they all formed an impromptu circle.

Just then, a rumble erupted from Foll’s stomach.

“Oh my. Are you hungry, Foll?” Alshiera asked.

“No, but something smells really good here.”

“A smell...?”

Foll’s amber eyes sparkled as she stared at Naberius.

Oh, she did mention being treated to beholders on her birthday...

An adult beholder was far beyond the reach of a young dragon, but age actually accented their vast mana and flavorful meat. Foll wasn’t just any young dragon, though; she also had power on par with an Archdemon, granting her more than enough strength to challenge the strongest of beholders. Given her growth at such a young age, she would likely surpass Wise Dragon Orobas by the time she grew up.

“I’d rather you not look at me with the eyes of a predator...” Naberius grumbled, his eye quaking behind his mask.

“Don’t be so stingy. Come now, why not offer her one of your arms?” Alshiera suggested.

“I’m already running a deficit here. Why must I cut off pieces of my own body on top of that?”

Just looking at Naberius’s annoyed face—or, well, his mask—Alshiera felt satisfied.

“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t invite Nephteros, but shall we begin?” Nephy said, getting things back on track now that everyone was seated.

“Zagan was headed for the church. It would’ve been dangerous to try to let her know,” Foll said.

The girls had tried to head to the church before coming to Archdemon Palace, but Zagan had just been on his way there as well. There was a fairly high risk of bumping into him, so they had given up on contacting Nephteros and gone straight to their final destination instead.

I could’ve always contacted her with bats...

Still, Alshiera had no obligation to cooperate to that extent. More importantly, Zagan had gone to see Nephteros because of the problem she was burdened with. It was a heavy subject. Alshiera knew this, having spent the last month glued to Nephteros’s side, but she didn’t have a solution either.

Given the situation, they couldn’t possibly call Nephteros over so brazenly just to celebrate Zagan’s birthday. These girls did not need to know of that situation for now, however. Foll was the only one giving Alshiera a curious look, but she figured the topic was better left untouched and kept her silence.

“So, do we celebrate birthdays by holding a party much like we did for Alshiere Imera?” Nephy asked as she turned toward Lilith.

At the sudden mention of her own birthday’s name, Alshiera let out a groan. Naberius gave her a curious look, then seemed to realize what was bothering her, a look of joy gracing his face in response.

He brought both his hands in front of his chest and shamelessly declared, “You’re right. Alshiere Imera is a ritual to celebrate the holiest of maidens who’s revered by the church. Even if they are antipodes, it isn’t a bad idea to imitate such a celebration for an Archdemon’s birthday.”

Alshiera grit her teeth while maintaining a pleasant smile. That was apparently his petty form of revenge for her recent behavior. Her teeth creaked under the pressure, almost liable to shatter. And with no signs of noticing this animosity behind the scenes, Nephy raised her head as if remembering something.

“Alshiere Imera... Now that I think of it, we found an inscription in the holy city’s treasury that might have been related to it in some way.”

“Huh...?” Alshiera muttered, completely dumbfounded by the unexpected remark.

“What did it say?” Naberius asked, leaning forward with great interest. “Anything related to Alshiere Imera could be a reference for a birthday party, right?”

“No, wouldn’t imitating a church event for an Archdemon’s birthday be a questionable choice?” Alshiera protested coldly. However, Nephy didn’t pay her any mind.

Nephy knew that Alshiere Imera was on the same day as Alshiera’s birthday, but she didn’t know that it was an actual celebration of it. It seemed that was a miscalculation on the vampire’s part. Nephy put her finger to her lips as she tried to remember the inscription.

“Ummm, I think it was ‘Please save the endlessly pitiful one. If you are the one who wields the thirteen swords and Sigils, we shall yield the path to you.’”

Alshiera’s face burned in embarrassment. She wanted to turn into mist and vanish from Kianoides entirely.

What are you carving into your treasury, you stupid brother of mine?!

“Hmmm. Heh heh. That’s quite the inscription,” Naberius said, scratching his chin with a knowing look.

All Alshiera could do in protest was direct her bloodlust at him, implying she would kill him if he said anything unnecessary. It was a complete waste of effort with this Archdemon, though.

“The thirteenth...” Naberius muttered in an unexpectedly serious tone.

Nephy had only said thirteen. Alshiera’s brow shot up at the mention of this word.

“That” was fixed in Naberius’s generation, if I recall correctly...

He’d ended up finding out something unnecessary, it seemed.

“Ha ha ha. What an amusing story,” he said with a pleased nod. “As thanks... Oh, you’re deciding on Zagan’s present, right? I’ll help you prepare anything, so long as it’s within my capabilities.”

“Really? Thank you very much, Lord Naberius,” Nephy replied.

“Don’t worry about it. We should help each other out in our times of need, right?”

It took Alshiera everything she had to keep her right hand from drawing her Seraph Hunter and aiming it at the sorcerer’s detestable gaze, which peeked through his mask. Having noticed the burning rage behind her smile, Lilith let out a quiet shriek and jumped up.

“Is something the matter, Lilith?” Nephy asked with a cock of the head.

“I-I-I-I-I-It’s nothing,” Lilith replied, vigorously shaking her head before lifting a finger to change the subject. “More importantly, you wanted to decide on a present, right? Is there anything in particular you want to give him?”

“A present... Well, the kiseru pipe I gave him last time seemed to please him greatly.”

“Oh, you mean the one he puffs at whenever he’s in a great mood? He really does seem to like it, yeah.”

He didn’t smoke much in front of others, but he’d clearly taken a shine to that present.

Well, I’m pretty sure he’d be overjoyed by anything Lady Nephy gives him... Alshiera smiled at the thought.

“Naberius, what can you make?” Foll asked.

“Oh, right. I can make pretty much anything out of metal, ranging from small jewelry like a ring to larger items like swords...or even magical machinations like Seraph Hunters.”

He gave Alshiera a pointed gaze, to which she returned a girlish smile.

I really should just kill him here. The temperature in the room dropped at the thought, leaving Lilith trembling and on the verge of tears.

Foll nodded, not really showing any signs of noticing Lilith’s panicked state, and said, “Jewelry or a weapon? Which would be better?”

“Hmmm...”

The three girls groaned in unison. They likely wished to pick something memorable for a birthday present, but Zagan was an Archdemon, so he would surely continue to throw himself into battle. As such, they also had to consider getting him something more practical to help guard his life. Whatever the case, the greatest blacksmith in the world stood before them.

Alshiera gazed at them as they pondered the problem, but her thoughts were elsewhere entirely.

His bride, his daughter, and... Her focus was on Lilith, but she didn’t look directly at her. Excluding Naberius, what fate could have brought those who were so closely related to Zagan together like this? Even without any blood relations, they were his family.

How much does the Silver-Eyed King remember, I wonder...

He hadn’t even recalled Alshiera’s face. Which meant, in all likelihood, he didn’t remember anything. But still, even so, even if it was just her own selfish desire...

I want him to remember Lilith...

Zagan wasn’t responsible for any of this. He was the biggest victim, if anything. The fact that he was still alive was something to be endlessly thankful for.

But still, the Silver-Eyed King entrusted those two to me.

And yet, Alshiera hadn’t been able to meet his expectations. The life she had thought completely exhausted had been extended once more, so unnecessary desires were beginning to form within her. That was the real reason she had been so engrossed in her memories as of late. It had, in fact, been a necessity for her to tell the others of Zagan’s birthday too. As she racked her mind over the matter, Lilith gave her a puzzled look.

“U-Um, My L— I mean, Alshiera?”

“What is it?”

She clearly hadn’t gotten used to calling Alshiera by her name yet.

“Have I maybe met His Highness somewhere before?” she asked.

Alshiera’s eyes widened in shock. She never thought Lilith would be the one to ask such a thing. The vampire was unnerved by the question, but she simply shook her head as if it was no big deal.

“Tee hee hee. There’s no need to worry. You haven’t met him.”

“Really...?”

Alshiera was dodging the question but wasn’t lying. Lilith could likely discern that fact. Even though she didn’t look satisfied with the answer, she quietly backed down. Naberius also gave Alshiera a probing look.

It seems that when I give myself up to the flow of events, I end up handing out too much unnecessary information. That won’t do.

It went against her principles to interfere in their lives, but Alshiera decided to correct the course of the conversation without bending the girls’ wills.

“Let’s see...” she said. “Wouldn’t the Silver-Eyed King like something he could bring on a date with Lady Nephy?”

“Th-That’s...certainly true...” Nephy said, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

That was enough to get the girls to arrive at the correct answer.

“I see,” Lilith said with a nod. “Why don’t we get him a case for the kiseru pipe?”

“What an excellent idea! In that case, I’d like to try blessing it with mysticism,” Nephy exclaimed.

“It’s immediately become a legendary treasure...”

The girls sounded excited now. Things were heading in a good direction. Alshiera let out a sigh of relief when she noticed Foll was staring at her.

“Alshiera. What did you want to do?” she asked.

The vampire was left wide-eyed by the unexpected question.

“What do you mean?”

“You wanted to do something for Zagan, right? Well, we haven’t heard what yet.”

Foll really was a smart little girl. She’d brought that up even though Alshiera had forgotten about it herself. This was the reason they had all left the castle for Archdemon Palace to begin with. Before she knew it, Nephy and Lilith were now focusing on her. As for Naberius, well, she would rather he didn’t look at her.

Despite hesitating for a moment, Alshiera shrugged and resigned herself, saying, “It isn’t anything particularly significant. I just...”

She couldn’t find the right words. She knew this better than anyone, but Alshiera whispered as if remembering a dream, “I just want to hug him...and tell him congratulations. That’s all.”

However, past experience had proved that the act of wanting to hug him looked like nothing more than an attempted attack in Zagan’s eyes. Besides, even if she asked for such a thing, Zagan would surely hate it. She could easily hear him saying “What the hell are you planning?” And yet, the moment she began deriding herself, Nephy grasped her hand.

“Please tell him, Lady Alshiera.”

“It will only court suspicion. There’s no point in doing that on his birthday.”

This was karma, in a sense. Alshiera smiled bitterly.

“Master Zagan will be the one to decide that,” Nephy said with a reassuring shake of the head. “Besides, he’s never experienced anyone celebrating his birthday before. If you know even a little of his past, then please offer him your congratulations.”

This bride of his was endlessly stubborn and overbearing when it came to Zagan. Alshiera suddenly raised her head, seeing that Foll and Lilith were also nodding along with her.

“Well...I’ll at least put in the effort,” Alshiera muttered.

“Please do. It’s a promise,” Nephy said.

She truly was merciless. After confirming that Alshiera had given in, Lilith turned to Naberius.

“So the idea is to make something to store the kiseru in. Do you happen to have any knowledge of this? None of us have ever smoked.”

“I do. Well, there are many different kinds of cases out there, so I’ll draw up some plans for you. I did get to hear about all sorts of amusing things today, so I owe you.”

Alshiera started giving some serious thought to bringing today’s matter to an end with this...when Naberius suddenly recalled something.

“Now that I think of it,” he said, “I haven’t spoken with you about this, have I, Lilith? How are things going with Furcas?”

Lilith’s face stiffened up splendidly when faced with the manifestation of a brand-new calamity.

◇

Around the same time that a calamity was befalling Lilith at Archdemon Palace, Zagan was walking the streets of Kianoides.

Argh! What should I do about Nephy’s present?!

She was sure to be happy with anything he got her, but that was exactly what made it tremendously difficult. Naberius was already making a ring for Zagan to give to Nephy. It was a wedding ring, which was a necessity between a normal husband and wife. However, that and her birthday were entirely different matters.

As far as something Nephy’s liked before... There were those gloves I gave her, I suppose?

She had been rather delighted by the present he gave her for Alshiere Imera. She’d even gone as far as wearing them and rubbing them against her cheek when she slept. Simply trying to imagine such a thing was liable to have Zagan’s heart bursting. Still, it was a bit of a problem that she treated them too dearly and didn’t use them regularly.

In that case, what about a ribbon?

Nephy always had her beautiful white hair tied up in a red ribbon. If he got her one, she could actually use it every day, and she would most definitely wear it.

But is a ribbon a suitable present from a man?

Zagan didn’t have the knowledge necessary to discern that. Perhaps it would’ve been better to honestly rely on Manuela or the like, but at times like these, he preferred to try and think things through himself. New clothes were another option, but when it came to clothing, he preferred to pick them out alongside Nephy, which would make it impossible to avoid getting Manuela involved.

As such thoughts crossed his mind, Zagan arrived at the church.

Now then, I need to do something about this so that I can celebrate Nephy’s birthday with no reservations.

This was a problem that needed to be prioritized over Shere Khan’s disposal. And just as he raised his hand to knock on the door...

“Huh? Zagan?”

“Hrm? Chastille?”

The door opened on its own from within, revealing a familiar face. Chastille—with scarlet hair and eyes—wore a dignified expression. She was apparently in work mode. When it came to her private life, she always turned into a complete wreck, but the same couldn’t be said during work. She wasn’t wearing the clothes of a bishop, but was instead clad in Anointed Armor.

“Judging by your appearance... Did something happen?” Zagan asked with a grimace.

This girl not only carried the title “Maiden of the Sacred Sword,” but was also the one in charge of this church. She usually dedicated herself to office duties, so she didn’t step onto the front lines often. It must’ve been an emergency for her to take up her sword.

Chastille shook her head with a troubled expression before replying, “No, it’s nothing all that serious yet. We’ve just been receiving multiple reports of a suspicious individual appearing on the outskirts of town. Given the current circumstances, I’m a little worried, so I’d like to go take a look with my own eyes.”

“On the outskirts, eh?”

Kianoides was under the rule of the church but was also Zagan’s domain. Multiple barriers that would react to any trespassing sorcerers protected the town. That only applied to the inside of the town, however. They couldn’t detect anything on the outskirts.

Meaning someone with a who knows the exact location of the edge of my barrier is sneaking around to scope it out?

At minimum, that required the skill of an Archdemon candidate to pull off. Zagan’s hunch was probably the same as Chastille’s.

“Do you think it’s one of Shere Khan’s subordinates?” she asked him to be sure.

“That would be the logical assumption...”

“You speak as if you have another idea.”

When it came to work, this girl really was rather capable.

Zagan nodded with an irritated look, then said, “It’s about time for Bifrons to take independent action. We should assume the worst-case scenario if that’s what’s going on, though; that bastard will surely take things one step further than that.”

“Did you come here to tell me that?” she asked with a grimace. She had experienced this for herself already.

“Oh... No, I came to discuss a separate matter,” Zagan replied wearily. “I’d like to see Nephteros...”

He hadn’t come to town today to pick a present. His goal was to see Nephteros.

“Nephteros? She should still be in my office,” Chastille stated with a confused look. “Is it urgent? She said she was going to go to your castle in the afternoon.”

Nephteros visited the castle on a regular basis to get lessons in celestial mysticism from Orias. However, the topic he wanted to discuss would be difficult to broach in that situation. She was certain to hate the idea of Nephy overhearing them, and Zagan wanted to resolve this before her birthday. He believed Chastille should also know all about it, but she was heading out on patrol. Shaking her up too much could cause her work mode to crumble, so he decided not to involve her.

“Uhhh, oh right... Actually, I learned the date of Nephy and Nephteros’s birthday.”

“Huh? Their birthday?” Chastille mumbled, looking utterly confused. But then she pressed her hand against her brow upon figuring it out and said, “By that, you mean you didn’t know until now...?”

“I didn’t even know birthdays were meant to be celebrated...” Zagan muttered defensively.

The shadow at Chastille’s feet shook. Based on the unease Zagan could sense from within it, it seemed the master of this shadow also didn’t know that...or had completely forgotten. Zagan felt like he could even hear the rippling shadow say, “I’m begging you, ask the crybaby when her birthday is.”

Ask her yourself, dammit...

Having said that, it was clear as day that this man would ridicule Zagan for making a big fuss over Nephy’s birthday. If he shared the same concern, it would keep such behavior in check, to a certain extent.

“Now that I think of it, when were you born?” Zagan asked, seeing no other recourse.

“Huh? I didn’t expect you to care.”

“I’ve got a reason to ask you about it now. It’ll make things easier down the line.”

Chastille cocked her head in bewilderment, but still answered, saying, “I was born on the nineteenth of Arnaki.”

“Hmm? That’s rather close to Nephy’s birthday. How convenient.”

The way the shadow at Chastille’s feet squirmed in desperation was ever so pleasant.

“Is that so? When is Nephy’s birthday?”

“The twenty-fourth, apparently... Don’t tell anyone, okay? I want to surprise her.”

“You two are the same as ever. Okay. I promise,” Chastille said...before pausing and asking, “So, when exactly is your birthday?”

“Does it look like I know?”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

She quickly averted her gaze, figuring out the general gist of things right away. Then, she suddenly recalled something, turned back to Zagan, and asked, “Th-Then, do you happen to know when Barbatos’s birthday is?”

“Do you really think I know such worthless information?”

“I-It’s not actually worthless, right? Even he has the right to be congratulated on his birthday.”

The shadow jumped at the unexpected stray bullet.

“I see...” Zagan muttered with folded arms. “So one really must offer congratulations on a birthday.”

Chastille’s eyes shot open. A second later, she gave Zagan a gentle smile and said, “It’d be nice if we could figure out when your birthday is one day. I’m sure Nephy and all the others will want to celebrate it with you.”

“Perhaps you’re right...”

However, that could only happen if there was someone out there who knew the exact date. Zagan smiled bitterly, not knowing that the others were already panicking about what to do for his birthday.

“Now then, I should get back to work,” Chastille said. “I’ll get someone to call Nephteros for you... Torres, do you have a moment?”

She called out to someone inside the church, and one of the three idiots waltzed over. It was the spearman. He walked away to get Nephteros, and Chastille went on her way. Several minutes later, Nephteros came out of the church.

Her features were extremely similar to Nephy. She had pointy ears like an elf, and her hair was silver. In contrast to Nephy, however, her eyes were golden, and her skin was dark. She had settled down in the church but wasn’t actually a part of it, so she remained dressed like a sorcerer. The woman was now considered Nephy’s little sister but was actually her clone.

“It’s unusual for you to have business with me, Big Bro. Did something happen?”

“Yeah...” Zagan said as he walked his sister-in-law over to the plaza in front of the church and sat her down on a bench. “There’s something important I need to tell you. This might be somewhat harsh for you to hear, but...”

Nephteros stiffened up. However, perhaps having faintly realized this already, it didn’t take her all that much time to prepare herself.

“Okay... Let me hear it. What’s happening to my body?” she asked.

Zagan took a deep breath, then said in a clear voice, “Nephteros. You’re going to die in a few more months.”

Such was the problem Zagan had been racking his brain over to the point that he had to put thoughts of Nephy’s birthday celebration on hold.

◇

With no way of knowing the anguish Zagan was experiencing, Lilith found herself in an entirely different dilemma within Archdemon Palace. Nephy and Foll didn’t appear disinterested in Naberius’s question either. They weren’t meeting her gaze, but were very clearly listening intently.

Silence reigned. Lilith did, of course, have the right to keep this to herself, but her heart wasn’t able to withstand the pressure from an Archdemon’s bride and daughter, another Archdemon, and the vampire who served as her home’s protector.

Yes, even Alshiera, who’d feigned disinterest, was actually quite interested in the matter. She never thought that boy would become an Archdemon. Honestly, she had been quite surprised when she reunited with Furcas inside the barrier. Their paths had crossed five hundred years ago, and here he had reappeared before her with the Sigil of the Archdemon in his possession. Alshiera felt somewhat dejected that he didn’t remember her. Even if long-lived beings like sorcerers could be seen everywhere, reuniting with someone after several centuries was a rare event.

And now, that boy was trying to seduce her cute little fawn. There was no way she would be disinterested. Such peer pressure could crush the faint of heart, yet Lilith squeezed out her words between ragged breaths.

“Ummm... Uhhh... I haven’t...answered...yet...”

“Oh my. Is he not to your tastes?” Naberius asked, his eye wide as he shamelessly acted like this surprised him.

“No, that’s not...” Lilith muttered, twiddling her fingers all the while.

“Do you hate sorcerers?” Foll asked, bending forward in her seat.

“N-No! The people of the castle are all sorcerers, and they’re a lot nicer than I’ve heard. I don’t have that kind of prejudice...”

Well, the lord of said castle spent every single day squirming over how he could get along with Nephy despite declaring she was his bride. Witnessing such a thing on a daily basis would make even the most jaded of sorcerers remember their humanity.

“So is it his age, then?” Nephy asked. “Um, I’ve heard Lord Furcas is far older than he appears.”

“Huh? He’s that old?” Lilith asked.

“Oh! No! Please forget I ever said anything.”

“What?!”

This troubled Lilith even more. Nephy covered her mouth with both hands and averted her gaze. She was pretty bad at keeping secrets, so this was pretty much to be expected. In any case, what exactly did Lilith find inadequate about him? She didn’t look like she could withstand any more questions.

“Um! I mean...” Lilith muttered before anyone else could say anything. “I don’t really know what to do...when he so suddenly tells me he loves me...”

This innocent maiden with flushed cheeks was actually a succubus who gathered vitality by showing others obscene dreams. She also happened to be the princess of all succubi who boasted of the greatest strength among her people.

Well, I would feel bad if we kept pushing the subject.

Now that she had seen something so nice, Alshiera decided it was about time for her to mediate. However before she could say anything, Lilith quietly continued.

“Besides...I’m not the one he really loves.”

Alshiera scowled, unable to read the true intentions behind those words. It was pretty much impossible for Furcas to be in love with anyone else given his current state.

“Lady Alshiera,” Nephy whispered, leaning over to her ear. “Lilith saw that dream on the boat.”

Alshiera blinked a few times in confusion, unable to understand what that meant, then figured it out.

He’s still clinging to that nightmare from five hundred years ago so zealously?

Back then, a certain incident had brought Alshiera and Furcas together. They had acted together at the time, but were never reunited. She remembered him every now and then, only ever wondering what kind of life he had lived after that, but had never once tried looking for him. She’d already sworn not to get involved with the living, and the time they had in this world as a vampire and a human was far too different, anyway. However, this was a different matter for Furcas. The fact that they had seen that dream meant it was his very last memory. In other words, it held that much weight to his life. Alshiera rose from her seat and stood in front of Lilith, pressing her palms against her cheeks.

“Lilith, you’ve got it wrong,” she said. “You’re the only one in Furcas’s heart right now. It’s far too sad for you to doubt that.”

However, Lilith shook her head, then looked right into Alshiera’s golden eyes and said, “You didn’t see what I did... He spent his entire life chasing after you.”

“Oh, I get it now,” Naberius chimed in with a nod. “I suppose that would trouble you, wouldn’t it?”

“Can you not act like you know everything?” Alshiera replied, glaring at the Archdemon.

“Oh my. Perhaps you’re the only one who doesn’t know,” he said teasingly before continuing as if singing a song. “The Valley Cat. The greatest master in the world of leaping through space. There was no land that Archdemon couldn’t step foot on. And the last challenge he took up was passing through the barrier around the world. However, in the very end, he fell victim to the throes of despair.”

“Despair...?” Alshiera repeated.

“Yes. He despaired at how he’d failed to find what he was looking for, even though he had already scoured the entire world. He despaired at how he had forgotten what he was even looking for to begin with. Though honestly, I never thought you’d be it.”

Furcas had searched for Alshiera until all of his memories and emotions had shattered. Those words stabbed at Alshiera’s heart.

“I see... Then I’m the one who killed him, huh?”

If I’d stayed by his side until the end, none of this would’ve happened.

She had meant to not get involved with the living but had ended up treating him far more brutally than she could imagine. She now had one more sin to carry before disappearing, but that was also exactly why it had to be this way.

Alshiera gripped Lilith’s hand and said, “In that case, now that he has finally found a new love, I’d like you to properly answer him.”

“Are you really fine with that, Alshiera?” Lilith asked.

“I never intended to accept him...”

When they had parted ways on that boat, she knew he had called out to her. However, Alshiera hadn’t turned around. As a result, Furcas had lost everything. His past couldn’t be changed. His future was a different matter, though.

“You may reject him. You may accept him. In either case, I’d like you to give him a proper answer.”

Pushing what she hadn’t done on children seemed extremely selfish and irresponsible of her, but that boy was finally able to look at the future now. The price for that was losing all of his memories, which was far too heavy a burden, but at least he was finally free. Regardless, Zagan had taken on the role of looking after him. So long as Furcas didn’t betray him, Zagan would never abandon him.

“A new love...” Lilith muttered.

“Yes. People fall in love. There are times when it can’t be realized, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t allowed to find a new love, right?”

So she said, but Alshiera found it very inconsistent with her own experience. Despite living for a thousand years, she would never forget her one and only love. Was it really possible to find another one? Love was a onetime thing in her mind. Once was more than enough. But that was also exactly why she wanted to affirm the boy who had found his next love.

“Okay. I’ll give it some proper thought,” Lilith finally said with a nod.

“Thank you.”

Alshiera was sure this would cause Lilith a great deal of worry. Nevertheless, the way the succubus nodded firmly to her request was so utterly beautiful.

◇

Come nighttime, after leaving the church, Zagan remained in Kianoides and went to a tavern. It was rare to see him alone with such a grim expression on his face, brooding in silence, which made the townsfolk realize once more, for the first time in a while, that this man was an Archdemon. As a result, nobody tried to speak with him.

Zagan had told Nephteros everything. He had tried not to shock her as much as he could, but just a year ago, he hadn’t even understood the concept of being considerate. It wasn’t clear how well his intentions had gotten across.

“Nephteros. You’re going to die in a few more months.”

She had apparently had a vague notion of this already, since she hadn’t appeared terribly shaken by the news itself. However, she hadn’t approved of Zagan’s plan to resolve the matter. Not much could be done about that. Zagan was an Archdemon, a king among sorcerers. Any resolution he had to offer involved sorcery. Being born of sorcery to begin with, it was very difficult for her to accept such a thing.

Nephteros is my sister-in-law. I must save her...

Such thoughts drove Zagan, but keeping her alive through a means she didn’t wish for couldn’t be called saving her. That would be forcing his own beliefs on her, which was something Zagan despised the most in the world.

There was, of course, also the view that she could one day be saved so long as she survived. But in Zagan’s opinion, such a view was simply a way to cope with troubled times. It wasn’t justification for prolonging someone’s life by forcing them to take medicine they didn’t want. That was why he was left agonizing over the problem.

I have no way of saving her.

How could he possibly celebrate Nephy’s birthday under such circumstances? He left the drink that had been brought to him untouched, completely immersed in his own sorrows, when an idiot took a seat across from the Archdemon without asking.

“Get lost, Barbatos. I’m in a bad mood.”

Sitting before him was a young man with the same unhealthy-looking face as always, enhanced by the large bags under his eyes that made it seem like he hadn’t slept for several days. He had many amulets dangling from his neck, a worn-out robe, and unkempt hair. This was one of the former Archdemon candidates and Zagan’s undesired friend, Barbatos.

Zagan failed to hide the irritation in his voice as a crack ran down the glass in front of him. He wasn’t exuding enough pressure to outright kill the faint of heart, but it would likely render them unconscious. The waitress, who had been waiting for the chance to take his order, gasped, but didn’t collapse. Now that he looked at her, he realized it was the same girl who had fainted when he’d first met Raphael.

Zagan’s anger could pretty much be considered an attack, but his grim friend didn’t even flinch, taking the cracked glass in hand. The ice inside had completely melted. Barbatos gulped its contents down in one go, then slammed the glass down in front of Zagan, shattering it to pieces.

“Like I give a shit about your mood,” Barbatos said.

“Do you want me to kill—?!”

This time Zagan spoke with clear killing intent, but Barbatos was the one to grasp him by the collar, flipping over the table. Silence dominated the tavern.

“What’s with your half-assed grumbling?! You wanna pick a fight? Then do it like you actually give a shit!” Barbatos yelled, then spat in rage. “The hell are you looking so goddamn depressed for?! You mad that elf rejected your stupid idea?!”

Zagan looked daunted by the unexpectedly straightforward words coming from this man’s mouth. He was the sorcerer known as Purgatory, capable of appearing anywhere through shadows. He had, of course, overheard Zagan’s conversation with Nephteros.

“Then can you save her?” Zagan asked, grinding his teeth.

“Hah! Why the hell do I gotta save that haughty woman? That’s what you want, not me.”

He had a perfectly reasonable point. Zagan was the one who wished to save Nephteros when not even the person in question did. He was out of his mind to ask this man for help.

“I’m begging ya, man... You’re the one who fired me up and all,” Barbatos continued, slumping his shoulders. There was a pleading tone to his voice as if his anger from before had all been a lie. “I don’t even know whether it’s okay to celebrate her birthday or not, and here you are moping about like it don’t even matter!”

The tension in the tavern dispersed in an instant. The customers returned to their seats, going back to ordering food and drink and having friendly conversations. The fear they had for the Archdemon had been reduced to lukewarm gazes watching over a growing young man. There was something about this that didn’t sit right with Zagan, but he hadn’t even intended to frighten them, so he simply endured before turning back to Barbatos.

Ah, so this guy came here for advice regarding Chastille’s birthday...

Well, after fanning the flames so much, it did make sense that it would piss him off to see Zagan act like he didn’t care about birthday celebrations at all. Actually, seeing Barbatos’s grief-stricken face, it was clear he only had Chastille on his mind. He didn’t care about Nephteros in the least. What a terrible human being.

But I guess I’m in the same boat.

Zagan was only trying to save Nephteros so that he could enjoy Nephy’s birthday to the fullest. Of course, he had no intention of abandoning Nephteros, but Nephy was still a higher priority to him. These two men were the worst sorcerers, the very height of selfishness, but as a result, they were in agreement that Nephteros had to be saved.

Zagan let out a small sigh, twirling his finger in the air to enact sorcery. The flipped-over table and broken glass went back to how they were as if time had been rewound. Fortunately, the glass was still empty, so there was no need to worry about disposing of the contents. After that, he called over the waitress.

“Brandy.”

“Beer. Also, smoked meat and cheese,” Barbatos added.

“You’re going to pay for that yourself...”

And just as they sat themselves back down at the table...

“Tee hee. And I’d like some wine.”

Zagan and Barbatos turned to face the sweet and familiar voice. Before they knew it, a young girl who looked completely out of place in a tavern had taken a seat with them. She placed another chair next to her, where she sat her creepy stuffed doll down. It was apparently far heavier than it looked. The chair, and even the ground beneath it, creaked under the pressure.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Zagan asked.

After finding out about her pitiful past and knowing that he couldn’t save her during that nightmare, he felt a fair amount of relief when she had been saved by someone else. However, he still couldn’t guess what was going through her mind and he was bad at dealing with her. Furthermore, this vampire was worse than Zagan at reading the mood. In such a serious situation—serious to the people here, at least—he didn’t want to see her.

Alshiera shrugged, feigning ignorance, before saying somberly, “I’m also well aware of Lady Nephteros’s circumstances.”

After sticking by her side for a month, it was only natural that Alshiera had noticed the irregularity. However, Zagan remained on guard. It would be problematic if things got even more complicated.

“I still don’t know why Nephteros weighs so heavily on your mind,” he said.

This girl only moved when it involved the direct descendants of the Silver-Eyed King or Azazel. Nephteros was more closely related to Azazel, so she was actually someone Alshiera should’ve wished dead.

And yet, Alshiera replied with a pitying whisper, saying, “Even I can’t help but sympathize with such a pure and straightforward girl.”

Zagan was about to retort, but oddly enough, it didn’t feel like she was lying. Noticing his puzzled gaze, Alshiera elaborated a little more.

“I actually intended to remain no more than a mere spectator, but the situation has changed a little.”

He could only imagine turbulent times to come when this vampire was involved.

“Fine then,” Zagan said with a snort, remaining cautious of her. “Now that you’re here, I’ll have you lend your damn help.”

This was the moment these three, who had lived lives completely unrelated to the act of celebrating birthdays, formed an alliance to save Nephteros for the exact purpose of celebrating the birthday of others. In any case, Zagan had been at a complete loss on his own, so he welcomed any and all advice.

As their conversation reached this point, their order arrived.

“Excuse me...? This is grape juice,” Alshiera said to the waitress.

“Yup. How about you give wine a try after you grow up?”

Alshiera puffed out her cheeks as the waitress casually treated her like a child. Giving her a sidelong glance as the waitress consoled her with a pat on the head, Zagan emptied the contents of his glass in one gulp, then cut to the chase.

“So? You at least have some useful information after bothering to come here, right?”

“Hah! What kinda convenient crap are you hoping for? Like hell I can do anything ’bout a homunculus’s life span,” Barbatos said, taking a vigorous gulp from his tankard. Still, he looked Zagan right in the eyes. This man didn’t think of human life as anything more than weeds by the roadside, but continued in all earnestness. “I’ll lend you a hand, at least. The crybaby will start putting in a bunch of wasted effort if she finds out that elf’s gonna die. She’ll go as far as throwing everything away for it, then end up all depressed like an idiot for not being able to save her.”

An Angelic Knight had no way of saving a homunculus. Chastille was sure to know that, but would still recklessly try to do something. Barbatos took another swig of his drink, emptying it and slamming the tankard back down on the table with a thud.

“I’m sick of seeing her face like that.”

It was an astonishing reason for him to lend Zagan a hand. Blind to his own shortcomings in this regard, Zagan gave his friend an exasperated look as Alshiera raised a question.

“Sorcery is outside my area of expertise, but...I thought the extension of one’s life span was a sorcerer’s specialty.”

Zagan and Barbatos’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected statement. Well, apparently, even a thousand-year-old vampire didn’t know everything.

“We have to start from there...?” Zagan said. “Whatever. I’ll explain it to you. Nephteros is Nephy’s clone. In other words, she’s a homunculus.”

Alshiera looked like she understood this much. She returned a nod without any further questions.

“However, homunculi live short lives by nature. At most, they only live a few years. If they hold out, perhaps ten. There are various theories as to why their life spans are so short, but I’ll leave those out for now.”

Among sorcerers, living beings were considered to be composed of minuscule spheres called cells. A homunculus took these cells, split them up, and multiplied them to create a human form. This multiplication caused damage at a level that couldn’t be observed through sorcery, or perhaps there was a limit to how many times these cells could be divided. Either way, a homunculus’s body always self-destructed within a decade.

“Allow me to jump straight to the conclusion,” Zagan continued. “It’s possible to extend their lives with sorcery, but the most we can do is help her reach that decade limit.”

Zagan knew this full well. He didn’t only have sorcery at his beck and call. He had high elf mysticism, dragon sorcery, and even all the Holy Treasures of Liucaon. Given a few more years, he could likely find a way to extend her life further.

But the deterioration of Nephteros’s body is going far faster than I had imagined.

Azazel was the probable cause. Back in the underwater city, and when she came in contact with Aristella, Azazel had encroached on Nephteros’s body. Counting the Sludge Demon Lord at Suflaghida, that would make it three times. This had fatally shortened the already brief life she had as a homunculus.

“Seriously... The hell is that woman’s problem with your solution?” Barbatos grumbled in discontent.

“There’s a way to save her?” Alshiera asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Well, yes. There’s no reason to throw out a finished homunculus unless it’s a total failure, so there’s a special way of handling them.”

Alshiera looked completely lost, which made Zagan supplement his explanation.

“Normally, a homunculus is just an apparatus meant to do nothing but obey the orders of its creator. Nephteros is an exception among exceptions. Still, ordinary homunculi do accumulate knowledge and experience, so it’s far less efficient to give orders to a brand-new homunculus.”

A homunculus was just a tool to a sorcerer, but they were still supremely valuable creations that needed to be handled with care. Even Head Archdemon Andrealphus had maintained a homunculus of himself for several centuries. Considering the amount of work that went into their creation and cultivation, only an enormous idiot or self-destructive fool would throw one away.

Nephteros is Nephy’s little sister before anything else.

Zagan had never seen the girl as a tool. He saw her as an individual. Regardless, her body was, in fact, that of a homunculus. He had to properly recognize this to find a solution.

The creation of homunculi had already gone on for centuries. Sorcerers had obviously spent much of that time developing the technology further. It was impossible to extend their life spans, but there were ways of keeping them alive.

“So, when a homunculus’s life span runs out, they swap to a new body,” Barbatos concluded.

If the vessel was to break, they simply needed a replacement. By creating a new homunculus, it was possible to transplant the original’s mind. That was the current method used by sorcerers to maintain their homunculi.

“I already knew she wouldn’t accept that...” Zagan said with a shake of the head.

“Why is that?” Alshiera asked.

“Nephteros was created by Archdemon Bifrons,” Zagan answered. “While I don’t think there are any upstanding people among sorcerers, that asshole is the worst among all the ones I know.”

Barbatos scratched his head, realizing the answer with a sigh.

“What did Bifrons do?” Alshiera asked.

Zagan let out a heavy sigh, then said, “All of Bifrons’s failed trials were turned into chimeras half for fun and then thrown away.”

When Nephteros ran away from her master upon finding out her origins, Bifrons had sent those monsters after her. If not for Chastille, Nephteros would have perished by their hand. Zagan could’ve protected her, but he doubted she would be able to smile like she could now if he had. He believed that Nephteros had managed to overcome that incident, but there was no way she would accept swapping out her body for another homunculus.

Alshiera placed her hand up to her mouth as if holding back an urge to vomit, then said, “I’ve seen many worthless things after wandering this world for a thousand years, but that is among the worst I’ve ever heard.”

Her tone seemed to imply that she would go and finish Bifrons immediately were they not counted among the living.

“It’s not realistic to think that we can find a solution in the one month we have left when others have spent centuries researching the matter,” Zagan muttered, trying to get his thoughts in order.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Barbatos agreed.

If they couldn’t save Nephteros within a month, they wouldn’t have time to prepare for Nephy’s birthday. Seeing as Chastille’s birthday was also around that time, Barbatos let out a deep groan.

“We don’t have that much time...” Alshiera said, shaking her head.

“What?”

“One week... No, I need to resolve it in a few days, if possible.”

Impossible was the first word that came to mind, but Zagan knew why this girl was in such a rush.

“I see... You also...”

Zagan cast his pity-filled eyes downward. During the nightmare the other day, Zagan had discovered Alshiera’s secret. He had seen her true form, which had been used as a human sacrifice to maintain that temple. Her body, which seemed somewhere between stone and lead, had continued to support the entire world in that terrifying and cold space for a thousand years. However, despite all that, her body was still alive. Even if Alshiera’s life were to come to an end here, she would likely never be released from her role as the barrier’s keystone for all eternity. The temple’s destruction should’ve caused the Alshiera before them to vanish, but Lilith’s power had managed to maintain her existence... However, it hadn’t restored her lost life span.

Meaning the last thing she wants to do is save Nephteros.

This was probably the last time she could vanish. There was no resurrecting anymore, even though she was of the Night Clan. That cold space would become her everything for eternity. She was an irritating vampire, but he wanted to at least grant her final wish.

“Huh? No, that’s not really...”

Alshiera tried to say something in a panic, but couldn’t deny him.

“Meaning we have to save Nephteros in the next few days,” Zagan said, turning to Barbatos.

“Hah... What a pain in the ass.”

Even as he grumbled, Barbatos had likely realized what was going on, so he didn’t object. Alshiera made an awkward expression, feeling even more guilty about this than before, but that was pretty much the same as usual with this girl. Zagan showed great consideration by pretending not to notice it.

“In that case, the means with which we do so is even more of a problem than ever. At worst, we might even have to consider making her undead like you.”

There was a method of turning a sorcerer into a vampire. Zagan had never heard of a homunculus becoming one, but it was possible for any race, apparently, so it seemed worth a try.

“Undead... Oh, maybe...” Alshiera muttered.

“What is it? Just speak. I’ll take any information at this point.”

Alshiera showed signs of hesitation, but nodded after a brief pause and said, “I might have an idea. However, there are two hopeless disadvantages that come with it...”

“Quit dragging your feet. You’re the one in a hurry here, yeah?” Barbatos said.

Alshiera looked annoyed at him, but still answered, “You’ve witnessed it yourself, my Silver-Eyed King. My true body, I mean. Using that, it might just be possible to grant Lady Nephteros a new body. One that isn’t a homunculus, that is.”

“Really?!”

“However, there are some major hurdles in our way,” Alshiera said, raising a finger. “First, even I don’t know how to release my body from that place.”

“You don’t?”

“Well...we never really had time to consider what came afterward.”

Alshiera had become a human sacrifice one thousand years ago. Zagan couldn’t even begin to imagine what had happened back then to necessitate such an act.

Still, if that’s all, there’s hope.

Analysis of sorcery was Zagan’s field of expertise. He had even touched her body directly before, so he knew it definitely wasn’t impossible. However, Alshiera then raised another finger.

“Second is the biggest problem of all,” she continued, holding her tongue for a moment before resolving herself to say it. “If my body is released, the barrier will collapse.”

Oh, in other words, the world will end...

Zagan cradled his head in his hands at the thought. The destruction of Alshiera’s barrier would lead to Azazel’s invasion. The world wasn’t likely to last three days in that situation. Even if all the Archdemons and Archangels worked together, they wouldn’t be able to buy any time. Nephy’s birthday would vanish entirely. That was one thing Zagan couldn’t counteract at the moment.

“Huh? I don’t really get it, but don’t that mean it’s impossible?” Barbatos said with a click of his tongue. “Damn, you’re useless.”

“I simply spoke because I was asked to provide any information I had...”

Actually, considering how this girl would usually brush off pretty much any question thrown at her, she was being surprisingly cooperative.

A new body... I’ve heard this somewhere before...

A sudden thought came to Zagan. He felt like the dots were starting to connect. What was Shere Khan’s objective to begin with? To remake Azazel and bring back the dead...

“My Silver-Eyed King.”

Alshiera’s voice brought Zagan’s thoughts grinding to a halt. He shook his head to clear his mind. Giving Azazel any more thought would be dangerous. Now that he understood what it was, even if just a little, drawing any closer to the truth could awaken it.

“It’s nothing... Don’t worry about it,” he said.

In any case, Alshiera’s information did bring up a means to save Nephteros, but it wasn’t something that could be accomplished in just a few days. He was at an impasse.

Zagan folded his arms and looked up at the ceiling. There appeared to have been a spill on the upper floor, causing mold to spread between the cracks in the wood. If that board wasn’t replaced entirely, then the erosion was liable to spread further. Considering the inconvenience he had caused them earlier, Zagan held up a finger and twirled it around. He incinerated the mold completely, along with the damaged portion of wood, then sealed the gap with materialized mana. It was the same sorcery he had used to repair Alshiera’s statue the other day. He had done all of this in a daze before coming to a sudden realization.

Can’t I use this to remake Nephteros’s body from a cellular level?

Recreating a person using only mana would require the mana of hundreds of average sorcerers. The mere thought was ridiculous, but Zagan had something that could be considered a furnace of pure mana...namely, the Sigil of the Archdemon. Using it, maybe it was possible. Still, it would be extremely difficult to bring such a technique to a practical level within several days.

It wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t realistic either. There was worth in trying it, but he couldn’t say that such a method would be able to save Nephteros on its own, especially with only a few days to develop it. At best, it was worth considering as a secondary option. He really did have to prepare some other plan in parallel.

As the three of them continued to draw blanks on any good ideas, Barbatos let out a groan and said, “I guess the only way really is to swap out her vessel? It’s more realistic to think of a way to get that woman to agree rather than finding some weird solution that might not actually even work.”

It was an unexpectedly sound argument coming from this man. Creating a new body for her was a simple matter. If Zagan called back Gremory or Shax, they could easily create a homunculus and base its cells on Nephy using a strand of her hair. It wouldn’t even take three days.

“We’re agonizing over it because we can’t do that,” Zagan said with an astonished shake of the head.

“No point in just bitching and moaning about it, right? What’s with her, anyway? Why’s she rejecting a means of survival? She suicidal or something?”

Alshiera grimaced at his words, but that didn’t really have anything to do with the current problem.

“She doesn’t want to die,” Zagan said, shaking his head once more. “But she also doesn’t want to live if it means making another homunculus.”

“Haaah... What a nice problem. I’m jealous.”

It seemed about time to give this man a good punch to the face. Zagan clenched his fist as Alshiera suddenly raised her hand, coming upon some sort of revelation.

“Oh my, that’s a terrific idea,” she said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Convincing Lady Nephteros, I mean.”

Zagan grimaced. He didn’t think the vampire was as stupid as Barbatos, so she must’ve had something to base this claim on.

Alshiera placed her hand to her chest, then confidently said, “In short, we simply need to make her want to live so badly that she won’t care about the means, right?”

“Is there a way to do that?” Zagan asked.

“Dear me, I never thought you’d be the one to ask that, my Silver-Eyed King. It is but a simple matter, really.”

Zagan cocked his head upon hearing that, to which Alshiera proudly declared, “We just have to have her fall in love.”

“What the hell are you saying?!” both Zagan and Barbatos exclaimed with matching serious looks on their faces, sighing in unison.

“Alshiera... I’m being serious here,” Zagan added.

“Haaah... Why are women all roses and daisies up there? Even the crybaby can do things properly when she tries, ya know?”

“That’s true. Nephy would never joke around when I’m seriously troubled over something.”

“Could you two gentlemen try saying that one more time while putting your hands to your chests?” Alshiera asked in utter astonishment.

Both of them averted their gazes.

“Still...” Zagan said, trying to put up a minimal show of resistance, “Isn’t it somewhat outlandish to try to guide someone’s thoughts using love?”

“That’s not entirely true. Lady Nephteros is the same as Foll was not too long ago. She has an interest in love. What’s more, there’s already a gentleman who’s perfect for her.”

Rage and despair dominated Zagan’s mind at the thought of his daughter falling in love with a man. Setting that aside, however, he did understand what Alshiera was getting at.

“Richard, you mean.”

That was the name of the Angelic Knight who had been assigned as Nephteros’s guard. He was an honest man at heart. Even Zagan didn’t have any complaints about his character. If he did have to fault Richard for something, it would be that he’d prefer he obtained the strength of an average Archangel so that he didn’t cause him any unnecessary concern.

Regardless, Zagan shook his head and explained, “She hasn’t noticed his gallant approaches at all thus far. Do you really think something can be done about that in a few days?”

“Tee hee hee. Now that you’ve unveiled the truth to her, my Silver-Eyed King, I do believe it will be possible.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, just watch and see,” Alshiera answered with a suspicious smile, refusing to say another word on the matter.

However, reluctant as he was, it seemed like the most likely plan to succeed, so Zagan had no choice but to get on board with it.

◇

Around the same time, Lilith found herself wandering aimlessly around Kianoides. Naberius had ended up taking up the task of preparing everyone’s presents for Zagan. They had simply told him what they wanted to offer, which was apparently enough for him. Lilith had wondered why an Archdemon was being so generous, but he had laughed it off, saying he had already received more than enough of a payment.

All that was left was to make preparations for the party behind Zagan’s back. Luckily, they had more than enough time to do so. Lilith didn’t have any other business in town. It would have been better for her to head right back to the castle, but she knew if she did, she would end up seeing Furcas.

She had promised to properly face Furcas’s confession, yet she still felt like it was really awkward being around him, which prevented her from holding a proper conversation. As such, even after the others had returned to the castle, she was here walking around town with heavy steps.

I need to get back soon and help out in the kitchen... I’m also worried about Selphy...

Her childhood friend had been acting rather odd that morning. Lilith remembered seeing that expression on Selphy before. It was the same face she had made right before running away from Atlastia without informing a single soul. If Lilith had properly realized Selphy’s state of mind at the time, perhaps she wouldn’t have run away. Selphy did, of course, have her own issues to deal with back then, but even so, Lilith endlessly regretted being unable to be there for her childhood friend. This time, she had to speak with her.

“I need to give Furcas an answer, so why is Selphy the only thing on my mind...?”

Perhaps this was just a matter of course, considering both problems arose at the same time. Regardless, it made Lilith feel heartless. With no actual destination in mind, she continued walking through the streets and let out a heavy sigh.

“Haaah... Seriously, what should I do?”

Lilith raised her head when she heard someone else say the exact same words as her in unison. An Angelic Knight with scarlet hair and eyes stood before her. The girl appeared to be one or two years older than Lilith. Her splendid armor was a little dirty, perhaps because she had engaged in battle outside the town. Lilith had seen this girl a few times at Zagan’s castle. The girl returned Lilith’s surprised gaze in kind.

“Oh? You’re...um, the Angelic Knight who stops by the castle every now and then...?”

“Chastille. And you’re the succubus staying at Zagan’s place, yes?”

“Mhm. I’m Lilith.”

Thinking back on it, despite seeing each other fairly often, they had never had the opportunity to speak. After introducing themselves, Lilith felt a strange sense of kinship with her. The same seemed to apply to the Angelic Knight. She looked at Lilith with an affectionate gaze as if she had found her long-lost sister. Perhaps crybabies attracted each other? Whatever the case, they were meant to cross paths. And so, it came to be.

The Angelic Knight, Chastille, cleared her throat, then said, “Um, if you’d like, could we talk a little? Only if you have the time, of course.”

“Oh! Th-Thank you. That would be great. I was just hoping to talk to someone myself...I think.”

Chastille made her way to a nearby shop with Lilith close behind her. It appeared to be some kind of teahouse that served simple meals like sandwiches. Drinks were their primary business, judging by the large variety on display. Inside, there was even a mountain of desserts that didn’t seem possible for one person to finish. The shop was rather crowded with customers, so they took a seat around a small table. Oddly enough, they both ordered herbal tea.

“Oh, do you also drink chamomile, Miss Angelic Knight?”

“Just call me Chastille. I’ve only ever had a taste for black tea, but a good friend of mine who worried about my anxiety recommended this, and I’ve been drinking it ever since. I feel like it really soothes my soul.”

“Doesn’t it? I sleep very well when I have some before bed. The aroma is quite wonderful as well.”

The two of them smiled at each other upon immediately finding a common interest. Chamomile was rather famous for being used to relax and recover from anxiety, and crybabies lived on an accumulation of anxiety, so their affinity for it made perfect sense. Lilith didn’t know about such effects, but she raised her face at the mention of a good friend.

“Do you mean Miss Nephy?” Lilith asked. “She was the one who recommended it to me.”

“Oh... No, I’m sure we both got it from the same person, though. Manuela told me about it. She works at a clothing store.”

Lilith stiffened at the mention of that name, then asked, “Do you mean the avian who comes to the castle to play every now and then...?”

Manuela was a non-sorcerer, much like Lilith and Selphy. What’s more, despite being a complete outsider, she boldly entered the castle freely as she pleased. She was quite the mystery.

“Are you another one of her victims...?” Chastille asked.

“No, I’m not. She seems to be quite taken by my childhood friend Kuroka, though...”

Every single time they met, Kuroka would scream about being forced to put on all these weird clothes. Nephy was strangely accustomed to it too, so she never really intervened. Having said that, she did put a stop to things when she thought Manuela was having too much fun. Incidentally, whenever the sorcerer Shax saw the clothes Kuroka was made to wear, he looked terribly shaken, and the butler Raphael would chase him around.

“She’s not a bad person,” Chastille said, covering her face as if she could see all of this clearly. “I hear Nephy and one of our church’s workers often fall victim to her schemes, however.”

Apparently, Chastille hadn’t fallen victim to her yet either. Judging by how Manuela had been the one to recommend chamomile to Chastille, perhaps the avian paid special consideration to crybabies.

Not that we’re crybabies.

Lilith tried hard to convince herself of that fact. Regardless, it felt like she had opened up completely to Chastille in such a short time. It looked like this went both ways too.

“Let’s set Manuela aside for now,” Chastille said with a gentle expression. “You look rather depressed. Did something happen at the castle?”

This was the first time they had actually spoken to each other, yet Chastille was worrying about her. Seeing Lilith stare at her in wonder, she went on to explain things slowly in a considerate tone.

“It’s not that I don’t trust Zagan, but you’re no sorcerer, and you’re living in a castle full of them. I’m sure there are things you can’t discuss with them, right? If you’d like, I could lend you an ear.”

What a wise and generous person.

Chastille surely had worries of her own, but she still understood Lilith’s anguish at a single glance and kindly offered a helping hand. The corners of Lilith’s eyes turned hot.

“Th-That’s not really the case,” Lilith replied, trying to brush things off to hide her tears. “It also looks like you’re worried about something, Chastille. I’m not sure what kind of troubles people of the church face, but I think I understand a little about how heavy the responsibilities of an Archangel are.”

Lilith was a member of one of Liucaon’s three great royal families. She was the first princess of the Hypnoels. She had put great effort into her duties as royalty to evade the crisis of the extinction of her people and the other rare species of Liucaon. Negotiating with an Archdemon all on her own had been one such duty, in fact. Due to that, she understood the difficulties of those in high positions quite well. For some reason, Chastille put her hand to her chest and staggered at those words.

“A-Are you all right?” Lilith asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. Um, it’s just, there are so few people who see me in such a light...”

Lilith marveled at that fact. They were both still in their teens and carried a heavy burden that most normal people would never experience, yet there was nobody around them who realized that. Lilith leaned over the table and grasped Chastille’s hand.

“I think you’re a wonderful person,” Lilith said. “There might not be much I can do, but I’d like you to talk with me about anything on your mind.”

“Th-Thank you!”

Tears of joy blurred Chastille’s eyes as if she had found her kindred spirit. It was then that Lilith realized that she had yet to answer her first question despite having just confirmed their friendship.

“Um... I guess you can’t really consider my problem something worth anguishing over... Recently, a new resident moved into the castle.”

“Hmm. A sorcerer?” Chastille asked.

“Umm, I wonder? He was apparently a sorcerer before, but he doesn’t actually remember any of that now. I don’t think you can really call him a sorcerer anymore.”

He was still one of the Archdemons, though. To Lilith, Archdemons were like Zagan and Marchosias, sorcerers who possessed tremendous power and majesty. Orias seemed to be a kind Archdemon, but the moment she stopped smiling, she was also capable of unleashing so much pressure that it was impossible to look her in the eyes. Lilith couldn’t imagine Furcas doing the same thing at all.

“Did that person cause some sort of trouble?” Chastille asked.

“I guess you could call it trouble...” Lilith paused there, then took a deep breath before continuing. “He confessed to me...and I have no idea what to do.”

Chastille’s eyes shot open. Then, she nodded as if she fully understood and said, “I see... That’s why you’re troubled.”

“I’m sure he’s serious, but I ended up finding out that he was in love with someone else before losing his memories...” Lilith mumbled. When she said it aloud, Lilith’s chest suddenly hurt. “The person he loved is a precious friend of mine. She’s really awkward, and it seems she’s trying to hide it from me, but she went through some horrible experiences, yet still continues to do her best...”

Lilith couldn’t even imagine how hard it was to live in a country with no sorcerers for a thousand years. Still, she knew it had to be painful to immediately part with everyone she met. It should’ve been fine for Alshiera to obtain some amount of happiness for herself.

“Hak, gak, hnnngh...”

For some reason, Chastille clasped her hand to her chest and broke into a coughing fit as if Lilith had been talking about her.

“I-Is something the matter, Chastille?”

“No, it’s nothing. Nothing at all... Please continue.”

Judging by the cold sweat pouring down Chastille’s brow, it didn’t appear to be nothing, but Chastille stubbornly refused to say anything more on the matter. Lilith worried whether it would be okay not to call a doctor, but decided to continue as requested.

“I can’t help but wonder if the feelings he has for me now should be directed at her... She says it’s not the case, but I feel like I’m snatching away something she should’ve accepted...”

“That’s not true!” Chastille yelled with conviction, grabbing Lilith’s shoulders. “If that man truly has fallen in love with you as a replacement for your friend, then he’s the scum of the earth.”

Lilith could tell that Chastille knew that this wasn’t the case. Chastille continued as she gazed into Lilith’s eyes.

“But if he hasn’t, then that means he has fallen in love with you after properly resolving his feelings,” she said. There were even tears in her eyes as she then declared earnestly, “I’m sure his feelings for you are far greater than what he felt for your friend!”

Lilith was completely overwhelmed by her passion. Chastille’s answer appeared to come from her own experiences.

“H-Have you also gone through something similar?” Lilith asked.

That brought Chastille back to her senses. Her face turned bright red from her chin all the way to the tips of her ears.

“Augh... No, um, I’m, um...”

It seemed older women truly were far more experienced when it came to love. Lilith accepted her words with unexpected ease.

“I see... I never once thought of it that way,” Lilith muttered.

“M-Mmm! I’m sir that’s the cate!”

Chastille bit her tongue as she panicked. It didn’t look like she knew what she was even saying. Still, Lilith believed these greater feelings really were meant for Alshiera. Didn’t it seem dirty to snatch it away from her? The more she thought of facing Furcas, the more guilt she felt not only toward Alshiera, but also toward Furcas. It was like she was tricking him. But perhaps Lilith had only been convincing herself that to make things easier for herself.

“I don’t think I can give him an answer right away,” Lilith replied after a long pause. “So first, I’ll try learning more about him.”

Chastille’s expression loosened up with relief. She was still bright red and had tears in her eyes, however.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she said. “I mean, who knows, you might end up falling in love with someone else.”

“Someone else...?”

For some reason, Lilith’s carefree childhood friend suddenly came to mind.

Wh-What am I thinking? We’re both girls.

She shook off such thoughts immediately.

“Um, thank you for hearing me out. So you really do have such experience, Chastille?”

“Huh? No, um, not really, but maybe just a little, so...”

Chastille’s face looked ready to burst into flames at a moment’s notice. She shook her head, then cast her gaze down.

“Right, you opened up to me about a difficult to broach subject, so I should also tell you about mine...” she said.

“You don’t need to! I just wanted someone to listen to me! You shouldn’t force yourself to tell me!”

Lilith was very grateful already. However, Chastille shook her head once more and began talking with a fleeting expression of sadness on her face.

“Um... There’s a girl named Foll living with Zagan, right?”

“Huh? Yes. She’s a good girl.”

Lilith was left dumbfounded at the mention of an unexpected name. Foll was Archdemon Zagan’s daughter, yet she still worked in the kitchen with her. She had also taken part in today’s fuss and seemed to be having a lot of fun. Honestly, it was hard to believe that she was actually a sorcerer, let alone a dragon. She acted like any other normal child. Lilith couldn’t imagine Foll causing someone else trouble. Had something happened with Chastille? Lilith cocked her head as Chastille twiddled her fingers and timidly got to the point.

“She visited me the other day...” she said, then paused. Evidently, the next words were stuck in her throat, but the Angelic Knight eventually covered her face and continued, “Sh-She asked me all about love!”

Lilith’s eyes shot open at the shocking news. Then, she asked, “W-Won’t things get really serious if His Highness hears of this...?”

“M-mmm. I think so as well, so I haven’t told him.”

In truth, Zagan had already heard about the matter, and it had turned into a family gathering of the most powerful forces in his camp, but these girls had no way of knowing that.

Chastille had managed to calm down a bit after opening up. She finally brought her hands down from her face before continuing, “She asked me all sorts of embarrassing things, but we can leave those out. I’m sure she’ll fall in love one day, so such behavior is merely proof of her growth.”

If that was all, then it could certainly be laughed off as the precocious curiosity of a child. The Archdemon might make such a big fuss about it that the world could end, though. In any case, what was it about this that had worried Chastille?

“Um, until a little while ago, there was someone I loved,” Chastille continued. “However, by the time I met him, he already had a lover, so he was someone I couldn’t be with. But he had gone through such hard times that I wanted to be there for him to rely on.”

Lilith cocked her head at the oddly familiar story.

Not that I think there’s anyone out there who’s had it as hard as Alshiera... So Lilith convinced herself, unable to identify her king, Nephy, or even herself.

“Well, in the end, he never once looked back at me. He didn’t even notice me, in fact. I also didn’t want to get in their way, so I thought I had settled these feelings within me... I thought I had, but...”

Chastille’s smile couldn’t exactly be described as bright, but it wasn’t clouded over either. Just as she said, she had already come to a clean decision regarding this matter. Lilith still didn’t truly know much about love, so she couldn’t really imagine the pain of having an unrequited love.

Meaning Furcas suffered for a long time after meeting Alshiera...

She wasn’t really sympathizing with him, but the thought pained her heart.

After that, Chastille’s face turned red once again as she returned her gaze downward and said, “Well, that’s enough of that... Um, when Foll came to ask me about love, someone else’s face came to mind...”

Lilith was left wide-eyed at the unexpected remark. Back during Alshiere Imera, she had passed out from drinking. During the vacation on the uninhabited island, she had been with Selphy. Thus, on both occasions, she hadn’t seen Chastille spend time with Barbatos.

“Wh-What kind of person is he?” Lilith asked, bending forward over the table.

“Huh? Um, even if you ask me...he’s...not much of a gentleman, I guess? He always makes fun of me and calls me a crybaby...and treats me like an Amazon. Also, he probably does bad things when I’m not looking, I think? Mmm. He’s the worst.”

Lilith felt like he was the sort of man an Angelic Knight shouldn’t get involved with, or should arrest, but she wisely kept that thought to herself.

Saying it aloud seemed to irritate Chastille. Her voice had grown rougher during the latter half of her statement. And yet, perhaps thinking she had gone too far, she began muttering.

“But...sometimes he’s a good person. Only sometimes, though. Oh, and he also gave me a cute hair ornament.”

Now that she mentioned it, Lilith noticed that Chastille had a cute butterfly pin decorating her hair. It looked to be made of real gold rather than bronze, showing it was definitely a gift that had been given serious consideration.

“Besides, he’s always protecting me. It was apparently Zagan’s request to begin with, but he’ll probably save me completely disregarding that fact now. I mean, he’s even helped me out with things unrelated to that request...”

Lilith finally understood why Foll had gone to this girl with questions.

I get it! This is what it means to brag about your love life!

Now that she gave it some thought, there was a tacit understanding among the people of the castle that Zagan and Nephy were meant to be gazed at from afar, so there weren’t many opportunities to ask them about their love life directly. She was sure both would talk at length if asked, but that would cause a sugar overdose.

On that point, there were things Chastille was unable to keep hidden as she honestly played up her love. This was terrific for anyone interested in love. But in that case, what was it that troubled her? Lilith patiently waited for her next words.

“And yet...” Chastille started with a troubled expression. “He hasn’t shown himself at all today. He won’t answer me even when I call him... It’s not like I’m lonely or anything...so why do I feel this way...?” Chastille said before falling silent. A second later, she clenched her fist tightly by her chest, then spoke as if gasping for breath, “I’m not really the most considerate person, so I can’t help but wonder whether I did something to anger him. And once I start thinking that, I get really worried, and it starts to hurt... I don’t want him to hate me... I-I don’t want him to leave my side... I start to feel all these selfish things...”

It sounded like she was on the verge of tears. This matter seemed to trouble her greatly, but a certain question came to Lilith’s mind.

“Is it weird to be selfish...?” she asked.

“I-I mean, love isn’t something you’re meant to want compensation for, right?” Chastille said as if she had committed a grave sin.

Oh, I get it now. That’s what’s got her stuck.

Chastille was talking about love with no compensation. That was, of course, noble, but Lilith believed it was different from actual love.

“I’m just borrowing my friend’s words here, but...” Lilith said. “Desire and affection are different things.”

“Desire and affection...?”

“Yes. Affection is something you give to another, like a mother to a child,” Lilith explained. That was clearly what Chastille had been talking about. “But desire is different. You want to know more about them, to have them with you. That’s why you fervently cry and smile over them.”

Lilith couldn’t imagine that vampire so head over heels in love like that, but that was how Alshiera had described love to her.

“When those two emotions come together, that’s love. You can’t only have one. It has to be both.”

This was only secondhand knowledge from Alshiera. It didn’t come from Lilith’s own experience or anything.

Still, I feel like I had to tell her.

“Only when you have both is it love...” Chastille mumbled. It wasn’t clear how much of it had gotten across to her.

Lilith suddenly recalled what Chastille had said earlier.

I’m sure his feelings for you are far greater than what he felt for your friend!

Perhaps those words actually reflected Chastille’s own experience. In any case, it was clear that she was worrying over how grand her feelings were. Chastille slumped her shoulders, finding that concept rather difficult to accept.

“But I don’t even really know if I love him...” the Angelic Knight said, sounding like the textbook example of a maiden in love. “And above all else...” she continued with a sigh, “falling in love with someone even though I had been in love with another rather recently makes me seem like a frivolous girl, doesn’t it?”

“That’s not true!” Lilith yelled on reflex. “There’s no rule saying that you can’t find a new love when your first fails to bloom. Isn’t it amazing to be able to properly move on?” she said, grabbing both of Chastille’s hands in hers. “The person I know wandered around forever, unable to move on to his next love. He even forgot who he was looking for. My friend won’t admit it, but I think she’s always been in love with someone she can never see again.”

Perhaps it was a wonderful thing to love a single person for such a long time. That was the relationship Zagan had with Nephy, after all.

“I still don’t really know much about love,” Lilith continued, “But I think when such love goes unrequited, it’s really painful. So isn’t it amazing to overcome that and fall in love with someone else?”

That thought sounded laughable coming from a girl who knew nothing of love. However, after seeing Alshiera and Furcas, that was what she truly believed. She was sure falling in love took a great amount of courage. Just then, tears started streaming from Chastille’s eyes.

“H-Huh? Um, I’m so sorry...” Lilith said.

“Y-You didn’t do anything. I just didn’t think...anyone would ever put it like that...”

I’m sure it’s been hard for her...

Chastille had likely fretted about this all on her own. Her tears of relief looked ever so beautiful.

“You’ve been worrying about this for a long time, haven’t you?” Lilith asked.

Was this enough to dispel some of Chastille’s anxieties? As Lilith wondered about that, Chastille wiped her eyes and shook her head.

“No, not really,” she said.

“You haven’t?”

So what was all this about? Lilith was left dumbfounded.

“Um, the topic of birthdays came up today,” Chastille muttered awkwardly. “I got this hair ornament from him, and when I thought about it, I realized that I never gave him anything in return...”

“Ooh. So you want to get him a birthday present, then?”

Chastille nodded shyly, then replied, “But I don’t know when his birthday is... I don’t think he’ll tell me if I ask, and considering his friend, it’s possible he doesn’t even know when it is himself.”

That did, in fact, make it dangerous to try to ask him about it directly.

“The best person to ask didn’t even know that birthdays were meant to be celebrated,” Chastille continued. “Honestly, I’m at a complete loss as to what I should do.”

“I-I see...”

In all honesty, none of this sounded serious to Lilith compared to the shock of Chastille’s unrequited love and her new love, but the succubus nodded along anyway. She then recalled how Foll had picked the day Zagan and Nephy had adopted her as her own birthday and had an idea.

“Umm, if you don’t know his birthday, then maybe you don’t really have to look into it too deeply?”

“What do you mean?” Chastille asked.

“How about giving him a present to commemorate some kind of anniversary between you two instead? I’m sure that’d make him happy.”

“O-Our anniversary?!” Chastille yelled, the hair tied to the side jumping up in shock. Shortly after, she nodded in understanding, still red in the face, and said, “I see. That makes sense. But what should I pick as an anniversary...?”

“How about the day you met?”

“The day we met...” Chastille muttered, a sudden cloud darkening her expression.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“I just remembered that he abducted me when we first met...”

“Why did you fall in love with him, exactly?”

“I-I-I-I-I-I still don’t know if I’m in love with him!”

You can’t even say that with a straight face...

Well, that was a rather delicate subject to broach, so it seemed best to leave it alone. Lilith decided to simply watch over her. She strained a smile and looked to the shop’s entrance, realizing that the sun had set before she even knew it.

“Oh no! I completely skipped out on preparing dinner!” Lilith exclaimed.

“Sorry I ended up keeping you here for so long.”

“It’s not your fault. You also listened to my worries, after all.”

“But it’s so late now... I’ll at least see you to the castle. Nobody around these parts is foolish enough to lay a hand on you, but lately, there have been those incidents with Shere Khan, so it could be dangerous.”

With that, she couldn’t possibly refuse. And just as Lilith was about to accept...

“Don’t be stupid, crybaby. Office hours are over. You really think you’re not gonna screw up somehow?”

Lilith had no idea where he’d come from, but a sorcerer with a pale complexion suddenly ruffled Chastille’s hair. Lilith had seen him several times before at Zagan’s castle and in Liucaon.

“B-B-Barbatos?! Where have you been all day?! You wouldn’t answer me when I called!” Chastille yelled.

“The hell? Don’t go calling me for some stupid patrol. Reserve that for when things get outta hand.”

“S-So you knew I was out on patrol!”

“Haaah... Quit yapping already.”

She didn’t think it was possible, but was this the man Chastille had been talking about? Lilith was left in a daze as the sorcerer turned her way with a tired look.

“Uhhh... What was your name again? Well, whatever. That asshole Zagan says you should get back to the castle. I ain’t no handyman, dammit... I’ll send you there, so get going already.”

He was apparently going to use sorcery to send her back.

“Umm, thank you...”

After honestly expressing her gratitude, Lilith noticed something. The sorcerer’s ears were red. Chastille also seemed to have noticed because of Lilith’s gaze, which made her face stiffen up with a cramp.

“Um... Barbatos?” she said.

“What?”

“Were you listening in on us?”

“Huuuh? It’s not like I can hear everything through the shadow! Like hell I’d eavesdrop!”

“R-R-R-R-really?! You didn’t hear anything?!”

That was precisely what someone would say after listening to everything from the very beginning, but Chastille didn’t interpret it like that, which made perfect sense. People believed what they wanted to believe, after all. Chastille was desperate to calm herself down, so she accepted any explanation, no matter how wild it seemed.

“O-Oh yeah...” Barbatos muttered, staring far off into the distance. “I was born on the fifteenth of Kavouras.”

He was clearly also shaken to the core. There were far more casual ways of bringing this up, given the time, yet it came out extremely unnaturally. And unfortunately, that was enough to bring Chastille back from her flight from reality.

“Um, so you really did hear everything?” she asked.

He couldn’t come up with an excuse now. The sorcerer averted his gaze and kept his silence.

The next instant, Chastille fainted.

“C-Crybaby?!”

Lilith couldn’t watch them anymore. The sorcerer panicked and held Chastille in his arms, but her eyes had already rolled back and she showed no signs of coming to.

“H-Hey! Wh-What do you want me to do about this?!”

Oh, so he’s at least human, huh? Lilith thought to herself upon seeing the flustered sorcerer. Noticing her gaze, he turned back to look at her.

“E-Eep?!” Lilith screeched and jolted upright on reflex. For some reason, the sorcerer looked around restlessly. Everyone in the shop avoided his gaze, not wanting to get involved.

“Uhhh... You didn’t see nothing, got it?” he muttered quietly to Lilith.

“U-Umm...”

Seeing her hesitate, the sorcerer placed something on the table. It was a sword with a delicately carved crest on it that appeared small enough that even Lilith could handle it.

“I’ll give you that, so act like you never saw this. Got it?”

“Umm, okay.”

Lilith didn’t dare to ask what it was, so she simply accepted it without a second thought. With that, the sorcerer remembered why he had come here to begin with and set out to fulfill his task.

“I’m gonna go toss her into the church, so gimme a sec,” he said, then stood up and suddenly looked relieved. “Oh, guess there’s no need. Someone else is here to get you.”

Upon hearing that, Lilith looked out the window and spotted an all too familiar boy.

“Oh, is now a good time?” Furcas asked, a smile on his face as if he didn’t have a worry in the world. “I noticed you were out late, so I came to get you!”

I need to properly face my problems as well... With that thought in mind, Lilith realized her trials were far from over.

◇

Lilith and Furcas took a carriage to get back to the castle. Nephy and Foll often went shopping, while Chastille and Manuela made frequent trips from the town, so there was actually a decent demand for carriages between Kianoides and Zagan’s castle. That was why Zagan had hired an exclusive carriage for their use. However, there was only a single carriage assigned to the task, so once it arrived at the castle, it couldn’t be used again until it made the return trip.

Quite a bit of time had apparently passed while Lilith and Chastille talked. It took the carriage two hours to make a one-way trip, or one hour if it hurried. Despite this, it was already back in town for Lilith to ride it to the castle.

The inside of the carriage was large enough to fit six people, but the only passengers were Lilith and Furcas. She lacked the courage to sit beside him, so they were seated facing each other.

Uhhh, I should say something...

Silence dominated the carriage. Lilith had decided to properly face this boy, who was at least worried enough about her to come all the way from the castle so late at night just to pick her up. Thus, she knew she had to consider his affections with a sincere heart. In truth, Kimaris was keeping watch over them from a short distance away, but neither of them had any way of knowing this.

In any case, Lilith had no idea what to talk about. She was groaning about the problem when suddenly, Furcas struck up a conversation on his own.

“Hey, Lilith? What’s that you’ve got in your hand?”

“Huh? Oh, this? His Highness’s servant...I think? He gave it to me...” Lilith mumbled before trailing off and pausing. It was something like hush money, so she couldn’t really dive into the details. “Something like carriage money, I guess?”

“Huh? Carriage money?”

Zagan paid a monthly fee for the exclusive carriage, so there wasn’t actually a need for them to pay anything.

“Can I take a look?” Furcas asked, still somewhat shocked by her answer.

“Uh... Sure, go ahead.”

Lilith handed over the shortsword. He unsheathed it halfway up the blade, then whistled in admiration.

“This is amazing! It’s got crazily complex sorcery engraved onto it. I’m guessing it cuts open space itself? I’m pretty sure this would be hard even for Zagan to make... I’d still bet he can, though!”

“Have you remembered your sorcery?” Lilith asked, staring in wonder at his unexpectedly specific analysis.

“Huh?” Furcas cocked his head, apparently not aware of what he’d even said. “Oh yeah, what am I saying? I’ve never seen this circuit before.”

Despite losing his memories, he was still an Archdemon. He might have been remembering his sorcery skills while studying under Zagan.

“Hmm. So wait, is this really that amazing?” Lilith asked.

“Yeah, beyond amazing. You could probably sell it for the cost of a small castle.”

“A castle?! Wh-Why did he hand over something like that...?” Lilith muttered. She now questioned her choice of calling it carriage money.

“I mean, yeah, it costs a lot, but the sorcery here is the really amazing part,” Furcas replied. “In theory, I’m pretty sure it can cut anything in existence.”

“R-Really...?”

Lilith had seen that sorcerer by Zagan’s side on numerous occasions. It always looked like he was on the receiving end of harsh treatment, getting punched by the Archdemon in the face pretty much every single time. And so, it was a matter of course that he would be among the greatest sorcerers out there.

That old man Kuroka likes is apparently quite amazing as well.

The sorcerer named Shax was dreadfully bad at reading the mood. Kuroka always grumbled about this whenever she visited the castle. However, he apparently possessed such outstanding talents that Zagan kept him close at hand despite his shortcomings.

In any case, Lilith’s focus right now was on the shortsword.

“Is it really okay for me to accept this?” she asked.

“You got it from Zagan’s servant, right? That means it’s for your protection. I think you should keep it!”

“W-Well, in that case...”

It was actually hush money, and apparently a tremendous amount of hush money at that. Perhaps that was just how badly he wanted to keep it a secret. Well, an Archangel being in love with a sorcerer had to be kept secret, so Lilith wasn’t ever going to let that slip, anyway. Besides, she could even sense similar feelings coming from the sorcerer, which meant they were all set. She truly hoped Chastille’s love would be reciprocated this time around.

Furcas returned the shortsword to Lilith, who placed it atop her lap. She decided to get some sort of sword belt prepared so that she could carry it around with her.

“I barely know any self-defense techniques, though...” she muttered.

“Hmm. You know some self-defense?”

“I learned a little from Kuroka... Oh, you haven’t met her yet. My childhood friend showed me a few examples...is all. Don’t expect anything like an Angelic Knight out of me.”

That was when Lilith realized she was able to keep up a conversation with him rather naturally. Once things had gotten started, it felt like her tension had just melted away.

“Now that I think of it, what were you up to today?” she asked, trying to start a discussion on her own now.

“Me? Well, I’ve been studying sorcery and the legends of Liucaon!”

“Liucaon? Why?”

“Zagan is called the Silver-Eyed King, right? I want to know what meaning there is behind that!”

Lilith nodded in understanding.

This guy is really attached to him...

Not that there was anything bad about that, of course. She simply found it mysterious.

“Besides...” Furcas paused before continuing bashfully, “I heard Liucaon is your hometown, so I wanted to know more about it.”

Lilith bent backward at the unexpected frankness of his affection. She could tell her face was getting hotter.

“U-Umm, did you find any interesting legends?” she asked, trying to get off that topic.

“Sure did! The fight with Black Dragon Marbas was super cool!”

“Isn’t it? It’s one of my favorites among the Silver-Eyed King’s legends. I often pestered Alshiera to tell it to me when I was little.”

After saying that, Lilith covered her mouth at the careless mention of Alshiera’s name, but Furcas paid it no mind. His eyes were sparkling with interest.

“Really?! Maybe we actually have a lot in common!”

“M-Maybe...” Lilith replied with mixed feelings clouding her heart.

“Also, the stories of Hex Arm Asura were really cool.”

“One of the heroes who served the Silver-Eyed King, right? He died killing a monster to protect a single girl.”

“Yeah! That one! Also, the stories of Clairvoyant Bato!”

“The strategist who was known as the Silver-Eyed King’s right-hand man. In his dying moments, he made it seem like an army of ten thousand was under siege, when in fact he was all on his own, granting an opening for the Silver-Eyed King to escape through.”

Lilith had read the legends of the Silver-Eyed King hundreds of times. She threw in proud remarks every now and then as Furcas brought things up. He also seemed to enjoy this and smiled at her amicably.

“They’re both so cool!” he exclaimed. “That’s the way a man is meant to live!”

“You dummy. Nothing good comes from dying, understand?”

Once in a while, Lilith considered how pretty much all of the legends of Liucaon’s heroes ended with their deaths. And she often wondered whether Alshiera had been present in those moments. Lilith didn’t believe that the legends had gone exactly as they were told, of course. Nevertheless, it was fairly likely that they were all based on events of the past. If so, what kind of feelings had Alshiera gone through after getting left behind by everyone? Lilith’s expression had turned unintentionally dark at the thought when suddenly, Furcas tightly gripped her hand.

“I won’t die! I definitely won’t leave you behind, so don’t worry!” he yelled, closing in on her rapidly.

“E-Eep! C-C-Close! Too close!”

“Oh! S-Sorry...”

Furcas returned to his senses and jolted back. Silence fell over the carriage once more. It was clear that they were both red in the face.

Wh-What do I do? That sure got my heart pounding...

It was a little late to realize this, but it was somewhat careless of Lilith to ride in a carriage all alone with a man who had already confessed to her. Luckily, the carriage arrived at the castle the very next moment. They passed through the gate and stopped in front of the entrance.

“Heya, Lilith. Welcome back.”

When the doors opened, they found Selphy waiting there.

“Selphy!”

Lilith’s childhood friend had been acting strange that morning, but now her smile was as bright as ever. Lilith jumped down from the carriage, a sudden liveliness to her voice. She then returned to her senses and pouted to the side with folded arms.

“H-Hmph. From the looks of it, you’re feeling better now. Not that I was worried about you looking out of it in the morning or anything!”

“Oooh, were you worried about me?”

“I-I-I-I-I-I said I wasn’t worr— Waaah?!”

Selphy suddenly gave Lilith a great big hug.

“Sorry for worrying you,” Selphy said. “I just had, like, a little something on my mind.”

She even went as far as rubbing her cheek against Lilith’s.

“Huh?! Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What’s wrong, Selphy?! Y-You seem kind of closer than normal or like a little clingier, I mean, um...!”

“Mmm... Just a little longer. I was totally lonely without you around today, so I need my Lilith resupply.”

Lilith was left at her wit’s end as Selphy hugged her like a stuffed doll.

I-If this goes on any longer, my head will boil over!

Lilith’s heart pounded like a hammer, her vision went blurry, and her mind went blank. It felt so good being hugged by this childhood friend of hers, and she smelled good—she could even tell that Selphy’s heart was also pounding—but in any case, Lilith’s mind couldn’t keep up with any of it.

“Um, uhhh... C-Could you let me go now...?” Lilith pleaded, mustering what little willpower she had left.

“Mrgh... Oh well... Oh, you okay, Lilith?”

Selphy gave her one last squeeze, then finally let Lilith go. However, Lilith’s knees gave way, and she weakly sank to the floor. Seeing this, Furcas put on an astonished and cramped smile.

“Y-You two sure are close,” he said.

“Well, duh! We’re, like, childhood friends and all,” Selphy replied with a laugh. She had the same carefree smile as always. Or at least, it was supposed to be the same, but Lilith felt like there was a tremendous ferocity behind her smile now that verged on bloodlust.

“Mine! Got it?” Selphy declared.

“Huh? What is...?” Furcas asked in wonder.

“Mine!”

This boy, who was burdened with the title of Archdemon, could do nothing but shrink back from the smile of a girl who supposedly possessed no power at all.