Chapter I: Even an Archdemon Shouldn’t Beat a Child

“‘Sigil of the Archdemon,’ huh?”

Zagan muttered that name to himself in his castle’s archives, where his collection of books had constantly continued to grow.

Yes, everything in there belonged to Zagan. He already had a considerable book collection to begin with, but there were now piles of books on the floor that wouldn’t fit into the bookshelves.

About half a month ago, Zagan inherited the legacy of his predecessor, Archdemon Marchosias. And the piles of books on the floor were but a small portion of it. He only brought over things related to what he wished to research, but even that seemed to be too much.

Zagan, who was sweeping up his bangs as if he were tired, was at the ripe young age of eighteen. His long black hair, which he had not groomed at all, was tied up behind him, and he wore a robe lined with red cloth. On top of that, his silver eyes, as well as the eternally sinister expressions on his face further increased the overbearing sense he gave off.

Zagan was a sorcerer who held the title Archdemon. And right now, he had something that he had to do.

“I can’t really find any clues...”

There was a certain ‘something’ called demons that once existed in this world. No, right now they were only hiding themselves, and likely still existed somewhere. Just the other day, Zagan encountered one of them.

There wasn’t a huge gap between them, but it was still not an opponent he could defeat. Or at least, that was how it should have been, yet Zagan still survived by some stroke of luck.

As he stuck out his right hand, a sigil floated up there, looking something like a letter. This was the Sigil of the Archdemon. And a demon bowed its head and obeyed its bearer.

There is a need for me to understand this thing’s true nature, then. It was a power that could even repel a demon. However, it was different from any sorcery crest that Zagan knew about.

He suspected that there may have been some sort of clue within the preceding Archdemon’s legacy, but the results didn’t look favorable.

“...Phew.” After pouring over them all morning, Zagan returned the books he pulled off the bookshelves to where they belonged. Even appetite and sleep could be freely manipulated by sorcerers, so the concept of fatigue essentially didn’t exist.

Still, willpower wasn’t something any sorcery could control. Depression and mental exhaustion were utterly unavoidable. And so, just as Zagan let out a breath, thinking of taking a little break due to that fact... he suddenly sensed that the door behind him had opened.

Nephy, huh?

It was the name of the girl who was Zagan’s disciple, servant, and... the one he loved from his heart. She was his only housemate.

Nephy was an elven girl. In ancient times, her race was called the fairies of Norden, a race whose characteristic feature was their pointed ears. And among those, Nephy possessed snow-white hair, which meant she possessed especially strong mana.

That long hair was adorned with a deep crimson ribbon, and her small facial features were accented by her large azure eyes. Wrapped around her dainty body was a white apron and a one piece dress, the uniform of a maid, and she also wore boots which had sorcery to reduce fatigue cast on them, but this was just her regular attire.

As Zagan shifted his attention to the sky through the window, he saw that the sun had already passed its peak. It appeared that Nephy had come to call him down for lunch.

However, since Zagan was facing a bookshelf, she was probably keeping quiet so that she wouldn’t get in his way. And yet, the presence behind him was slowly and quietly getting closer.

Is she maybe... trying to surprise me? After a certain incident passed, Nephy ended up calling him Master Zagan instead of just Master. That made him feel they were now more intimate, if only slightly.

There was a possibility that she came by to surprise Zagan as a joke. And of course, Zagan was no fool who would ruin her fun.

Now then, what’s she gonna do to me? While putting all his effort into pretending not to notice her, he remained there restlessly as the presence right behind him stretched out their hands.

However, there was about a head in difference between Zagan and Nephy’s height. Adding on to that fact, because he was probing around the archives, he was standing on a step ladder.

“Guess whooo... Huh? I can’t reach...” The hands she stretched out only reached as far as Zagan’s shoulders.

As Zagan turned around, the figure of a girl who was greatly perplexed since she couldn’t reach his face came into view.

And around her neck was a boorish collar. Though it no longer had the power to seal mana as it once did, it was the precious collar of vows between Zagan and Nephy.

After a while of her fidgeting, Nephy’s ears became a bright red all the way to their pointy tips.

“Um, what to do...?” Nephy said that as if at a complete loss. Her face looked as expressionless as ever, but her lips were quivering, and she had tears floating up in the corner of her eyes. Above all else, the tips of her pointy ears were quivering as if saying that she was unable to bear the shame.

It seemed even she was unable to endure the embarrassment of the situation.

No, seriously, what do I even do here!? He wanted to embrace her and rub his cheek against hers, but Zagan’s spirit was not so strong that he could do such a daring thing to the girl he liked.

As Nephy gripped her apron tightly, she muttered something while letting her gaze wander.

“Um, you see... I was thinking... maybe I could surprise you, Master Zagan...”

“Surprise me, and then what?”

“Oh, um, I hadn’t... Thought that far ahead.”

It seemed she just wanted to try it.

Nephy’s ears twitched repeatedly on short intervals as she replied while stuttering, and seeing her like that made Zagan want to slam his head against the wall.

What exactly are you planning to do to me by being so cute!? Zagan had many things he wanted to say like, ‘Even if you don’t do something like that, I’m surprised by your cuteness,’ or, ‘I was so surprised that I wanted to embrace you,’ but after taking a deep breath, he managed to calm himself down. And then, he cleared his throat out with a cough.

“I see. It’s time to eat, right Nephy?”

“Yes. Preparations for lunch have been completed, Master Zagan.”

They left the archives behind, red in the face all the while.

This was an ordinary, everyday occurrence for the two.

◇

The dining hall was a large room with an enormous table that could seat twenty people around it.

A deep crimson carpet was spread out on the floor, and an extravagant chandelier hung down from the ceiling. There was also a fireplace installed along the wall, which would definitely have been put to use if it was just a little colder.

Up until just a month ago, this room was overrun with cobwebs, skeletons, and torture devices, but now it was so clean that it was beyond recognition. The change was all thanks to Nephy’s effort.

“It really is beyond recognition here, too.” As Zagan unintentionally muttered those words, Nephy nodded bashfully.

“It is the room that you take your meals in after all, Master Zagan.”

“I-I see. Though, wasn’t it difficult to clean it all up yourself?”

“No... Actually, there are many rooms that I haven’t tended to as of yet.”

Though with the mess they were in, they couldn’t really be called rooms.

Zagan was always willing to lend a hand when it came to carrying heavy objects, but fundamentally, castle maintenance was under Nephy’s jurisdiction. She even managed all the meals, so she had quite a bit of daily work.

If I could just prepare something like a familiar... It wasn’t like the choice of hiring someone was out of the question, but Zagan wanted to enjoy living together with just the two of them. And unfortunately, sorcery which enslaved something like a familiar was outside of his realm of expertise.

Zagan headed toward his seat while racking his brains for a solution.

There were already two portions of food lined up atop the table. And next to the table was a cart with a pot on top of it.

Reflexively, Zagan let out a deep sigh of admiration.

So she’s learned even more recipes, huh? There were several dishes here that he was seeing for the first time.

As Zagan sat at the table, Nephy began to quietly describe the food.

“For the bread, I have prepared dinner rolls from rye wheat. The appetizer is a salad with tomatoes and green vegetables seasoned with Caesar dressing and grated cheese.”

Tomatoes were Nephy’s favorite food. She was likely confident in her work, since her somehow triumphant ears were quivering.

Incidentally, Caesar was the name of a sorcerer from ancient times. He was an odd man who was singularly fixated on his palate instead of immortality, so most believed the fundamentals of cooking was something he built up.

Next, Nephy poured soup into an empty dish while continuing her explanation.

“The soup is an oatmeal consomme. For the main dish, I have prepared a lamb saute, so please enjoy them together,” Nephy said as she lined up the dish filled with soup in front of Zagan.

A fragrant aroma tickled his nose. And then, she placed the main meat dish in front of him as well.

Normally, this would have been everything, but Nephy then took out a bowl with ice in it.

“And finally, I have prepared pudding for dessert.”

“What’s pudding?” It was the first time Zagan heard that word.

“Manuela taught me how to make it. It’s a confection made by steaming eggs and fresh cream... Um, it’s very sweet, and tasty to boot,” Nephy said as her cheeks turned slightly red.

Seeing that delighted expression of hers, even Zagan began to blush.

“I-I see... Still, you got it from that clerk, huh? Did she end up telling you to do anything strange?”

As Nephy nodded calmly, she put her hand to her chest and replied to his questions.

“It’s alright. All she did was make me wear some slightly embarrassing clothes.”

“That’s not alright!”

“Huh...? I only showed it to Manuela, so it’s alright?”

“That’s not the problem, though...”

The girl had yet to learn to suspect others of anything.

Well, it should be fine as long as it’s that woman.

Back when Nephy was caught in a trap, Manuela didn’t pay any heed to the danger and followed him all the way to an enemy sorcerer’s base. The chance that she would bring harm to Nephy was practically nil. Besides, meddling in Nephy’s personal relationships would have felt plain awkward.

He was unable to wipe away his anxiety, so Zagan urged Nephy to take her seat as well.

“Well, shall we eat?”

As Nephy nodded with a bob, she took a seat next to Zagan.

She was wearing clothes like those a servant would wear, but Zagan didn’t think of her as any sort of servant or slave. He made sure that they always enjoyed their meals together.

As he ate some of the freshly baked bread, the savory scent of rye was accompanied by the oily butter as it spread throughout his entire mouth. Even after he swallowed it, he could still feel that sensation in his saliva.

“Haaa... A home-cooked meal is something this delicious, huh?”

“Master Zagan, you always say the same thing, don’t you?”

She may have been looking at him from the side, expressionless as usual, but Zagan didn’t overlook the fact that Nephy’s tender lips had loosened.

One month had passed since Zagan purchased Nephy, but whenever the two of them had a meal, they would still have such an exchange.

Anyway, while having a taste of the soup, he listened to Nephy.

“Master Zagan, what have you been investigating lately?”

“Hm...? Let’s see, the other day, we encountered something called a ‘demon’ during the case with Barbatos, right? I’m looking into that thing.”

“Is it something difficult?”

“Definitely. Even with Marchosias’ legacy, I haven’t been able to locate any information that gets to the heart of the matter. I doubt an Archdemon who lived for a thousand years never looked into them, though.”

Or perhaps, precisely because he drew near to the core of the matter, he may have hidden it.

It may be a good idea to re-examine Marchosias’ castle, then.

Along with the Sigil of the Archdemon, Zagan inherited Marchosias’ legacy. That didn’t include just his assets, but also his castle and research material.

However, Zagan knew he would have to dig deep to find any real secrets within them.

As he pondered such thoughts, Zagan dropped his gaze down to his right hand. I feel like... I’ve seen a similar crest somewhere, though... Relatively recent, too. While racking his brains, Zagan tilted his head to the side.

“How rare of you to ask such a thing, Nephy. Are you interested?”

“No, it’s just that you’ve been making a tired face lately, so it’s been on my mind...”

Zagan felt up his own face. He’d tried to appear the same as always, but it seemed he’d failed. Wait, is that why she tried to surprise me earlier?

It seemed like Nephy was trying to cheer Zagan up in her own way.

That simple act of kindness made Zagan’s heart burn, but he let out a snort with a ‘hmph.’

“He was still the previous Archdemon. It would be boring if everything just fell straight into my lap right away. Seeing how far I can keep going through it is the fun part.”

“Yes.”

He was putting up a meaningless show of courage in an overly strong tone, but Nephy simply replied as if she understood all of that full well.

Why is it that at these times, I can’t say ‘thank you’...? And while he was thinking such thoughts, his last plate had become empty, and Nephy lined up the dessert in front of him.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Mmm...”

The pudding that Nephy brought out had something of a gelatinous nature which jiggled about. And there was a pitch black caramel sauce poured over it.

What kind of food is this...? Zagan had only eaten dried meat and milk, which only vaguely resembled meals, up until he met Nephy, so pudding was a completely unidentifiable object to him.

From the texture, it resembled a boiled egg, but its entire body would playfully jiggle about from a simple shake of the table. It also seemed unsteady to the point where he thought poking it with a spoon would make the whole thing crumble. She said it was steamed, but Zagan was unable to distinguish whether it was actually steamed food or raw.

While completely at a loss as to how he should handle it, Nephy pointed out to a small spoon.

“Please enjoy it by using that spoon over there.”

“...Got it.” Readying himself, Zagan tried scooping at the cusp of the pudding with the spoon.

With practically no resistance at all, a light brown bit was now set on his spoon. He felt like it would just topple if he handled it roughly, so he carefully and steadily brought it over to his mouth. And then—

“Oh, it’s sweet.”

“Yes!” Nephy nodded as if she was relieved.

The world is vast. Such a sweet and delightful taste has really existed all this time?

The corner of his eyes grew hot. Zagan jerked his gaze upward as tears began welling up in his eyes.

At the same time, he thought of one more thing that he had to learn. And, at that exact moment... the barrier protecting the castle shattered.

◇

“...Hm? It seems we have a guest,” Zagan nonchalantly muttered.

Zagan had put up a barrier around his entire domain, and his castle was at the heart of it. Forget getting close, a normal person couldn’t even perceive the existence of the castle itself. And even when one broke through it, they had to face numerous traps that Zagan had conjured, yet the intruder had even broken through those and advanced onward.

That’s... pretty impressive...

Zagan couldn’t tell how much of that Nephy understood as she tilted her head to the side like a small songbird.

“Shall we go out to meet them?”

“...No, it’s fine. We’re in the middle of a meal, so they can wait. Leave them be.”

He was able to return such a leisurely reply because this was not a first for him. Also, this was the other problem that Zagan had to put in order right away.

Since I’m an Archdemon, ‘guests’ come to visit pretty much every day.

Zagan was eighteen, but that was the mark of a mere novice to sorcerers who’d lived for several hundred years. And yet, he’d been crowned Archdemon, so people after his life were a dime a dozen. It wasn’t like he faced multiple opponents a day, but at least one seemed to appear every two days or so.

The intruders were mainly sorcerers and Angelic Knights who misunderstood the extent of their own powers.

...Incidentally, the number one intruders who came by since his coronation were those three Angelic Knights from the church who misunderstood not only the power they possessed but also the identity of their enemy.

Before, he wouldn’t pay any heed to the mere sparks falling down on him. However, his life had changed.

Right now he had Nephy. She was the first girl Zagan had ever yearned for, and the one who had taught him the true meaning of happiness.

Even the sparks from that rabble could burn Nephy, so he had to contain them.

Those damn idiots must be eradicated... This was also the very first step to letting Nephy live under the light of the sun.

If Zagan could demonstrate how it wasn’t worth it to challenge him, then the fools who would dare lay their hand on Nephy would also eventually vanish. For that purpose, he had to take those who challenged him while making incorrect assumptions, and make them suffer slowly but steadily until fear and despair were etched into their very being before sending them away.

A corpse was unable to spread the word of fear, after all. That was what he had to do, but Zagan simply sat next to Nephy and savored the pudding.

The traps will make them suffer without Nephy having to see anything.

Zagan preferred not to behave cruelly in front of Nephy. This compassionate girl would grieve even for the deaths of such rabble, and he knew it could potentially scar her too.

I feel like I wouldn’t be able to recover if she hated me after seeing me commit horrific acts.

That was why Zagan didn’t leave his seat, choosing to enjoy his lunch with her instead.

But... this time they might reach us... The current intruder tore down his barrier completely. Given the situation, it was possible they would march through the rest of his defenses and reach his castle.

As he though of his next move, Zagan moved his spoon carefully as if protecting the pudding that he had only taken a single bite of so far. Such a fine dish wasn’t one he could disrespect by gobbling it up in a hurry. The intruder was approaching, but Zagan wholeheartedly savored the pudding one bite after the other.

“Mm. I see... It’s delicious.”

“I am honored. But... is this really alright? Um, about the guest, I mean...” Likely worried about the intruder, Nephy was speaking while fidgeting about.

“At any rate, it’s the same as always. It’s their fault for coming while we’re in the middle of eating. Forget them.”

“Haaa...” Nephy didn’t speak any more about it, and let out a long sigh instead.

After that, she tore off a piece of bread and began chewing on it. She was a slow eater, though that may have been because of her small mouth. Even as Zagan gazed at her and wished she would eat faster due to the oncoming danger, he secretly enjoyed watching her.

And then, just about when they were halfway through eating... the gate to the castle was smashed down along with an explosive roar.

“...What an impatient guest.”

It seemed they had gotten through all of the traps and barriers Zagan had setup. The intruder appeared to have grasped Zagan and Nephy’s position by their presence, and was heading straight toward the dining hall.

“Haaa...” He could easily fix the door with sorcery even if it was broken, but he was unable to prevent dust from getting on their meal.

As Zagan waved his finger through the air, the door to the dining hall opened by itself. And then, a member of the mystic races wearing a mask appeared before them.

The mask had the shape of something like a snake, and gave off the impression of a native costume from somewhere. A jet black robe covered their entire body, and a hood was worn right down to their eyes, so it wasn’t clear what race they actually were. From the hems of the robe, he could catch a glimpse of arms and legs covered in boorish armor.

The intruder didn’t seem to think that they would be greeted, and was simply standing there as if faltering.

Sure is tall, huh?

Zagan’s height was average for an adult male, but the mysterious intruder was about a head taller than that.

Eventually, the intruder muttered as if they’d gathered their resolve.

“So you’re... Archdemon Zagan?” The intruder asked that question in a voice that was rather hard to hear.

“You should first name yourself before asking for the name of another... However, I happen to remember seeing your figure before. You’re called ‘Apparition Valefor’ or something, was it?”

Such a bizarre figure wasn’t one he would simply forget. And if he remembered right, it was one of the sorcerers in attendance at the dark auction where he met Nephy. His undesirable friend Barbatos had told him that this was one of the Archdemon candidates at the time.

Back then, he arbitrarily ignored them, but it seemed that was impossible now.

After a while, Valefor stuck out their armored finger.

“Archdemon Zagan, I will defeat you, and then... I will take your damn power as my own.” Such honest and clumsy words didn’t suit a sorcerer.

However, Zagan didn’t even look over to Valefor, and simply spoke as if to engrave fear in them.

“We’re in the middle of eating right now. Wait there a while.”

“Ugh...” Valefor shrank back as Zagan gave his order with such extraordinary vigor.

As they obeyed, Zagan gripped the small spoon in his hand and scooped up some pudding.

I want to savor the pudding that Nephy made for me, down to the very last bite.

It may have sounded like Zagan was making fun of them, but he was dead serious. Plus, there was also the fact that Zagan was irritated by having his meal interrupted. And due to that single phrase, which seemed filled to the brim with the dignity of an Archdemon, Valefor fell to their knees as if unable to endure it anymore.

Nephy then whispered to Zagan in a somewhat tense state.

“Master Zagan, if it pleases you, then I can make it again.”

“I’d like that, but setting down my spoon here is a different matter entirely.” And with that reply, the sound of Valefor gritting their teeth rang out.

“Don’t... make fun... of me...!” The intruder raised their arm as they yelled, and the light of sorcery came pouring out.

Valefor understood that Zagan was an Archdemon and still came to challenge him. Therefore, the sorcery they unleashed was likely the best they had. And yet, absolutely nothing happened.

“Uh...”

From the other side of the mask, Zagan could sense a suddenly shaken presence.

“If you’re going to invade the domain of another sorcerer, then you should at least investigate your opponent. My second name is Sorcerer Slayer, got it? Sorcery doesn’t work on me.”

Zagan ‘ate’ the sorcery of others. If it was within his own domain, then no matter where it was, he was able to suppress sorcery. No matter how outstanding a sorcerer this mysterious intruder was, as long as they were a sorcerer, they had no chance of victory.

While scooping at the pudding with his spoon, Zagan let out a sigh and informing them of the facts. He wanted to savor the pudding until the end. And thus, he hoped they would just understand the gap in power between them and just leave.

If a sorcerer with a second name were to leave without being able to do anything, that in itself would make my power known.

For the time being, it wasn’t like he’d lost sight of his goal of finishing the pudding, either.

However, Valefor raised their voice in praise.

“I see. Even though you’re rotten, you’re still an Archdemon, huh!?” The mysterious intruder’s arms transformed as they yelled that line. The steel armor turned into hardened scales, and the tips of their fingers turned into stake-like nails.

Zagan could sense enough power from those thick arms and claws to pulverize stone without relying on sorcery.

This... isn’t sorcery, right...? The flow of power corresponding to a magic circle didn’t occur. And it wasn’t like it had been replaced with a spell or a charm, either, since there was no change to the flow of mana itself.

In this world, there existed many races who possessed wisdom aside from humans. Like therianthropes who possessed claws and fangs, or the avian who possessed wings.

Because the claws and fangs of such races were not sorcery, they couldn’t be stopped by an arrangement that sealed sorcery. That would mean the transformation of Valefor’s arms also fell under that category. And among the mystic races, he recognized it as the arm of a dragon.

Dragons were, much like the elves, legendary beings spoken of in legends. They were a race who refused contact with the world, and furthermore, possessed wisdom and sorcery beyond the realm of humans. They were even said to pride themselves on mana that surpassed the elves. As they grew older, they were an existence who could take on the name of gods and devils and line themselves up next to them.

However, despite being a dragon, this one’s quite powerless, huh? Is this something like a sorcerer who gained the power of a dragon? At any rate, it seemed they possessed power disconnected from the structure of sorcery, which was likely why the mysterious intruder challenged an Archdemon in the first place.

Valefor leaped into the dining hall, then came swooping down with the claws of a dragon.

“I told you we’re in the middle of eating. I’ll serve as your opponent later, so can you not wait a little?”

However, the claws were stopped by a single hand. The spoon that he was previously gripping was now held in his mouth, and his left hand was protecting the pudding as if it were precious.

Zagan could tell that Valefor was opening their eyes wide within that mask at the absurd turn of events. But still, the intruder didn’t let up.

“Ridiculing... me!” The mouth of the mask opened with a snap, and the light of mana began converging in the area.

There was a well known legend that dragons burned mana within their bodies to fire a breath of light.

It seemed Valefor was trying to perform such a feat, and Zagan possessed no technique to seal it away.

As his face stiffened up in realization, Zagan roared.

You damn fool... I warned you!

“You’ll get dust on the food like this, so just cut it out already!”

It felt like he had mixed up his public stance and his brutally honest feelings, but Zagan let go of the claws and slammed his palm against the mask to forcefully shut its mouth.

The mana from the breath dispersed. Zagan’s palm was forced back, but the shock occurred right below the brain and shook it, so the intruder’s large body was blown into the air.

Nephy covered her face with a start, and when she opened her eyes timidly, she saw the intruder collapse to the ground with a heavy thud.

The transfigured dragon arms and legs returned to their armor form, and a fissure ran down the mask with a crick and a crack.

It seemed they’d lost consciousness.

Making sure that the hindrance had been silenced, Zagan let out a snort with a ‘hmph.’

I’ve also mellowed out, huh?

If it was the old him, the intruder would’ve been turned into mincemeat already. But now he was holding back and stopping at only knocking them out, which would have been unthinkable a mere month ago.

The change in him was all because of the joy of living with Nephy. And as if biting down on just how miraculous his happiness was, Zagan muttered.

“It may be better... to strengthen the barrier a little more. From now on, intruders like this will likely only multiply.”

He had defeated them with ease, but Valefor was by no means a weak sorcerer. Zagan knew he likely wouldn’t have had a guaranteed victory if he fought them a month prior.

The reason he was able to win so easily now was simple, really. Zagan had gotten much stronger. In addition to the Sigil of the Archdemon, he’d gotten Marchosias’ legacy. In general, sorcery grew stronger in proportion to accumulated knowledge. As such, after becoming an Archdemon, Zagan rapidly built up his power.

Nephy left her seat, somewhat pale, as Zagan let out a sigh. Leaving her meal as it was, she rushed over to the intruder.

“Hear me, Nephy, just leave them be. They likely won’t awaken until our meal is done.”

“No, this child... just may be...” As Nephy said that and lifted up the intruder in her arms, its limbs fell off with a clang.

“Huh?” The sight made even Zagan lose color in his face.

Wait, what? No, all I did was hit them, right? I didn’t tear off their arms and legs, did I? Even though he swore not to massacre anyone in front of Nephy, it seemed he’d broke his vow already.

And while Zagan was all shook up, Nephy muttered “Like I thought...” and removed the cracked mask.

“Master Zagan, she’s still a child.”

A small child’s face was under the mask. Moreover, it was a girl.

She had pale green hair like the sprouts of spring. Since her eyes were closed, he couldn’t see their color, but he did notice that she had long eyelashes. Her lips were a lively pink, and perhaps because she was wrapped up in a bulky robe, her cheeks were flushed.

The armored arms and legs were just for show, a sort of papier mache, so to speak. It seemed the hollow armor was being manipulated by sorcery of some kind.

And then, Zagan finally understood exactly what he had done.

Could it be... I just slugged a kid and knocked her out? Why did a child possess the power of a dragon while pretending to be a sorcerer? In the first place, was this really Apparition Valefor? A flood of such questions welled up within Zagan.

It seemed this wasn’t the time for Zagan to be pleased with the fact that he hadn’t killed her. As if hiding his loss of composure, Zagan opened his mouth to speak.

“Hmph... D-D-Do not panic, Nephy. If you are worried, then it is fine to give her aid. Well, let’s see, I believe there should be some cold medicine left around. Also, she’s not dead, correct? She’s alive, yes? For the time being, shall we carry her to a room with a bed?”

“Please calm down, Master Zagan. Cold medicine cannot be used to treat the wounded.” Nephy spoke out as if admonishing Zagan, who had not managed to hide a single particle of his unrest. Then, she put her hand to the child’s brow before nodding.

“It’s alright. It seems she’s only lost consciousness. She appears uninjured, as well.”

“I-Is that really true? You’re telling the truth, right? She’s not dead, right?”

“Yes.”

After hearing that, Zagan let out a sigh of relief with a hand against his chest. Nephy looked up at him as he did that, as if his actions were unexpected.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Master Zagan... You’re as kind as I thought.”

“Huh...?”

As Zagan stared back at her in wonder, Nephy held Valefor in her arms. Though she was just a small girl, it seemed difficult for Nephy to lift her with her slender arms.

And so, despite still being bewildered, Zagan gestured to let him carry the child instead.

“Is this fine?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously, what a troublesome intruder.” Even while grumbling out a complaint, Zagan was terrified by the thought that he’d slugged a child in front of Nephy. However, as if to banish such fears, Nephy nestled up against his side.

The little dragon’s intrusion marked the first change of many in the daily life they shared.