Chapter I: A Daughter’s Rebellious Phase Is Scary Enough to Even Terrify an Archdemon

“Clothes... for a date?”

Nighttime. Zagan found himself at a loss for words upon being informed of something by his butler Raphael. Three days had passed since he invited Nephy on a date, but they hadn’t actually gone yet. There was a large increase in the number of residents in his castle thanks to the aftermath of Bifrons’ attack on Kianoides, which left them all swamped in work. Nephy herself was busy running about, dealing with all the housework in the castle.

Bifrons still manages to get in my way even after their defeat. Archdemons are really something else... It wasn’t like it was all Bifrons’ fault, but that was where Zagan decided to point his resentment. And with all that going on, it was decided that the date would finally occur one week later, but... Raphael had suddenly brought up the topic of clothing as if he had remembered something.

As always, Zagan had a fiendish countenance that could make a child cry on sight. His black hair, which he had previously disregarded entirely, was at least combed down and tied back, but it didn’t really change much, and he wore a completely plain black robe underneath his red mantle. Zagan looked down at his own clothing in shock, then turned back to his butler.

“I can’t just go in these?”

“...My liege. Think it over. Between Lady Nephy showing up to your date wearing her usual maid uniform, and Lady Nephy showing up after putting all her effort into her appearance... which would make you happier?”

“Isn’t it obvious that both would make me happy!?” Zagan replied with a serious expression on his face. That was his immediate reaction. Zagan had no intentions of making Nephy wear something embarrassing, and she already looked stunning in her maid uniform. Naturally, the dress she was wearing when he first met her was also quite lovely, but that didn’t really matter. It was impossible for Zagan to assign a ranking to how she looked.

“That is not what I mean... Then, are you perhaps saying that you do not care what Lady Nephy wears?” Raphael asked as he put his hand to his forehead in a troubled manner.

“No, that’s a different matter altogether. Well, I certainly do wish for her to wear new clothes on our date, but... I see. So that’s what you mean.”

His butler certainly had a point. Zagan definitely wanted to see Nephy getting all worried about what clothes to wear for his sake... Plus, he genuinely wanted to see her dressed up as well. In that case, Nephy would surely also be happy to see Zagan wearing properly selected clothes.

But... aren’t these the only clothes I possess? The reason sorcerers wore such unfashionable robes and mantles wasn’t because of their whims or to create some sort of atmosphere. They were fortresses which were implanted with all forms of magic circles for defense, offense, physical reinforcement, and regeneration. It wasn’t something that could be planted into the flimsy shirts or fancy trousers that nobles and commoners wore. However, that wasn’t a good enough reason for Zagan to go on his date dressed like a slob. He still had a week, so he still had time to do something to remedy the situation.

“Tell me, Raphael. What should I do? What sort of clothing would be appropriate?”

“I am also not well versed in this area. However, you may wish to start by fixing your hygiene.”

“My hygiene!?”

Now that he mentioned it, Zagan realized that he wore the same clothes every day. If they got dirty or began to smell, he could deal with it using sorcery. And because he could decompose sweat and dirt in the tiniest crevices down to the last bacteria, it wasn’t like he was in any way filthy. However, whether or not it was hygienic was a different issue.

“Also, a gentleman would surely at least wear a tie,” Raphael added.

“A tie? I don’t even own one of those,” Zagan groaned. The only thing he owned that was even close was a rope used to hang people.

Surely, when the time came that Nephy and the others could live freely under the light of the sun, Zagan would have to wear normal clothes and live out a normal life. And so, his current hurdle was acquiring that first ‘normal’ set of clothes. A date was apparently something a normal couple did, after all.

“Then... I guess I have to go out and buy some clothes...” Zagan quietly muttered, seemingly resigning himself to his fate. Though, he was certain he would have to do it without letting any of the other sorcerers in his castle find out. Especially Gremory.

“Raphael, you understand what it is that you must do, right?” Zagan asked as he aimed a sharp gaze over to Raphael.

“A foolish question, my liege. All I need do is keep your true intentions hidden from everyone and seal the movements of those damn sorcerers, right?”

On one hand was the youngest Archdemon in history with a villainous countenance. On the other was the most dreadful ex-Archangel with an enormous scar across his face, who had a body count that neared 500. The scene of the two of them having a confidential conversation was enough to make one think they were plotting dastardly deeds. But, in truth, they were just discussing the small worry of ‘what should I do to look good?’ In any case, Zagan nodded in satisfaction at Raphael’s response, which perfectly lined up with his own intentions.

“I see that my butler is as impressive as ever. I’ll leave the castle to you.”

“Understood.”

All that was left was procuring clothes fit for a date. Having said that, it was a little late in the evening to head out, since it was just about time for dinner. He realized that if he wanted to head into town, it would have to be rather late in the night or during the following morning.

I don’t have time for this... This may be a dangerous move... but should I count on Manuela...? Thinking back on all the times she picked clothes for the others, he knew he ran the risk of being used like a toy, but that suspicious clerk’s eyes could be trusted. She would definitely pick out clothing suitable for a date... Or rather, there wasn’t really any other store where he could even ask for such a thing. Zagan’s name was too well known in Kianoides. If he were to order them to choose clothes for an Archdemon at their own discretion, most clerks would just cower without giving him a proper response.

It was good fortune that Raphael had pointed it out to him with a week to spare. He truly was rather useful. And right about when he was deciding on what the optimal timing would be to slip out of the castle unnoticed...

“This is all, like, a total misunderstanding, little missy! I was just, like, kind of interested in what was inside! Or, like, I thought maybe it was addressed to me!”

“What’s going on...?” Zagan and Raphael knit their brows upon hearing that headache inducing scream. Shortly thereafter, the door opened along with a knock. The one who entered after that was Foll, and she was dragging Selphy along by the neck. As always, Foll had her green hair in braids running down her back, and she had dragon horns sticking out behind her ears. Her amber eyes were sparkling, and judging from the rough breath coming from her nose, she seemed to be mad about something. This young girl was a descendant of dragons, and was also Zagan’s adopted daughter. She had Selphy in her left hand and an envelope in her right.

As for Selphy... Well, she was a girl with blue hair. She had quite the pretty face when silent, but right now she was letting out a waterfall of tears while begging for her life. And perhaps because it was drenched by her tears, the lower half of her body had transformed into that of a fish’s tail and was wriggling about. She was a siren. And, as one might expect, her specialty was singing. However, even her crying voice was abnormally noisy.

“Can I come in?” Foll looked up at Zagan and Raphael, came to a stop, and asked that question. Apparently, she could tell that they were talking about something serious, and was asking whether she was being a nuisance.

Well, it’s not like it was anything too important. I was just asking for dating advice... From the outside, there was a sense of tension in the air that made the meeting seem extremely serious and dangerous, but Zagan himself did not know that.

“Yeah. We’re just about finished. You may come in.”

“Here. A letter for you,” Foll walked all the way up to Zagan with her baggage in tow.

“Oh. Good work... By the way, what is that?” Zagan inquired as he cast his gaze over to Selphy.

“It’s totally a misunderstanding, Mister Archdemon! I wasn’t, like, trying to read your letter or anything, I swear! I’m not that brave!” Selphy began appealing to him in a booming voice as tears streamed down her face.

“Then why were you opening it?” Foll asked with a glare.

“...I don’t really get what’s going on. Did she try to read my letter or something?”

“Yeah,” Foll replied. It seemed she had caught her red-handed.

“Well, I doubt anything important would get sent to me by letter, but you still shouldn’t open other people’s letters without permission. If it was a letter from a sorcerer, it could’ve exploded the moment you opened it.”

“That’s not it, okay? The sender of that letter’s from my home, right? So I thought, like, maybe they sent it here for me...” Selphy mumbled in a cracking voice. She had turned ghastly pale and began trembling violently upon hearing Zagan’s earlier warning. She probably wasn’t lying or anything. This girl was rather thoughtless on occasion, but she at least understood that she was working in a place where she could die just by Zagan’s whim. However, in that case, the letter itself was rather incomprehensible.

“Why would a letter come from your home? I don’t know any other sirens.”

“That’s why I thought it was, like, for me...” Selphy replied in a completely dispirited tone, which made Zagan shrug his shoulders.

“I understand your circumstances for now. You may release her, Foll.”

“Fine.”

“Whoa!” Selphy’s head slammed into the marble floor as Foll abruptly let her go. After watching her tumble around the ground as she gripped her head, Zagan turned to Foll.

“Foll, you should treat animals with a bit more care. Unlike sorcerers, they’re weak and may die right away,” Zagan chastised her in a sympathetic tone.

“...I didn’t notice. I’ll be more careful next time,” Foll replied. Zagan gently brushed Foll’s head after she obediently apologized, which made Selphy shift her attention over to him in displeasure.

“An animal... Well, I guess it’s good that you at least recognize me as a living, breathing creature...” Selphy muttered. In any case, Foll went out of her way to deliver that letter to him, so Zagan quickly traced his finger along the edge of the envelope, which was enough to open it as if a knife was passed through it. Then, the letter inside flew out. It wasn’t something so grandiose that one would call it sorcery, as all he did was use mana to sever the paper. And, as the letter settled itself in front of his eyes, Zagan knit his brows.

“The Continental Interracial Elders Conference?”

He’d never heard of it before. This continent was host to a countless number of races, including elves and all the therianthropes. Among those, races like the dragons and elves had low populations. Based on the contents of the letter, it looked to be a meeting for all the races to attend, but...

“Hm...” Raphael muttered in interest before saying, “It’s a conference held for the representatives of each race. There are those among them who are practically on the verge of extinction, so it may be a conference that’s supposed to help them find a way to survive, or start a cultural exchange of sorts. And whatever is decided there will be adopted by all races within the continent.”

“You’re quite well informed on the matter, aren’t you?”

“That is because the representative for the humans is selected from among the church. I have never attended myself, but I at least know the general outline of it. This time around, someone like Chastille was most likely selected.”

Sorcerers were humans who lived in the underworld. When it came to a gathering of races on the surface, it was only obvious that personnel from the church would be selected.

“We were also told to, like, run to the church if sorcerers were after us. They take money, but they do shelter the other races at least,” Selphy said, adding her own input. This was something Zagan only learned about when he picked up Kuroka and Kuu on a whim the other day, but the church had a side to it that was akin to a refugee shelter. That was why the people still relied on the church despite the high cost of donations. He understood that fact, but still, Zagan let out an astonished voice.

“Did you forget that this is a sorcerer’s castle?”

“Uhhh, I guess it is, huh?” Selphy mumbled those words in a dumbfounded voice. How was she such a scatterbrain?

“But this letter means they want me, a sorcerer, to attend as well. Have they gone senile? This is like a big, fat sheep inviting a hungry wolf over, isn’t it?” Zagan cocked his head to the side as he asked that question.

They couldn’t be thinking that a sorcerer, let alone an Archdemon, is virtuous, could they? Selphy had hinted at the idea earlier, but the reason so many species were on the verge of extinction was because of sorcerers. There were many non-human races who had inherent magical properties, so sorcerers hunted them down to use them as catalysts and sacrifices. And yet, they were inviting a sorcerer over to an important gathering. However, the only one laughing at the idea was Zagan.

“You really don’t get it sometimes, Zagan,” Foll said that in an unusually astonished voice.

“Huh...? Did I say something strange?” Zagan inquired. In response, Foll made a face like it would be a pain to explain it to him, and in her stead, Raphael turned to Zagan with a strained smile on his face.

“My liege. This castle houses a high elf, a dragon, a fomorian, a leonin, and recently, even a siren. It would be unreasonable for them not to be interested when there are so many races coexisting here with no conflict to speak of. There are countless endangered species out there that require protection, after all.”

“Oh...” Zagan muttered. Setting aside Nephy and Foll, the others were all people who dropped in of their own accord, so he found that conclusion hard to accept. And so, he lowered his gaze back down to the letter as if trying to gloss over it, then knit his brows once more and said, “I don’t really care what the other races are thinking, but this letter says I’m to go with the envoy. Did someone bring this letter to the castle? They haven’t been killed, right?”

It was an envoy for a conference of all the races, so there was a very high probability that they were someone of rather high standing. In that case, they were like a sitting duck to a bunch of salivating sorcerers. Be they human or of the other races, Zagan thought nothing of someone he didn’t know dying. Still, it certainly left a bad aftertaste if someone who came here especially for him was carelessly killed by his subordinates before he even got the chance to speak to them. And so, he turned to Selphy in search for answers.

“Uhhh, what’s up?”

“I mean, you were carrying this letter, right? Where did you get it?”

“Huh...? It was, just, like, brought over by a carrier pigeon.”

“A carrier pigeon?”

It’s not like that carrier pigeon was the envoy or anything, right? It was unclear how many of the races were attending, so he was left confused.

“The name that’s written here is Ainselph Thalasa Neptuna... a third princess from somewhere or other,” Zagan read the name on the letter out loud, which made Selphy tilt her head to the side with a blank expression.

“Huh, me?” Selphy asked. And this time, it wasn’t just Zagan, but everyone present who glared back at her.

“Now’s not the time for such jokes,” Zagan said with a sigh.

“So mean! All I did was react to my own name!” Selphy exclaimed, completely shocked by their hate-filled words and gazed.

“Your names might be similar, but it says princess here. It’s someone else,” Foll replied in an admonishing tone.

“But I’m, like, totally a princess!”

“Has being dragged here made you lose your mind?” Foll replied with a hint of pity in her eyes.

“Gaaah, it’s true! Selphy is short for Ainselph! And Thalasa is, like, a name that can only be used by siren royalty. I totally wouldn’t lie about this!” Selphy exclaimed as she was on the verge of tears, which made Raphael peer in at her face with a puzzled expression.

“Hm... Now that you mention it, I’ve heard that sirens with blue hair are part of a special bloodline...”

“Right? Right!? Look, aren’t I, like, super elegant?”

“Not at all,” Raphael replied without a moment’s hesitation, rendering Selphy completely silent. Zagan found this somewhat pitiful, so he decided to at least hear her out.

“Well, for the sake of argument, if you’re royalty, why were you working as a singer atop a sorcerer’s boat and getting drunk in a bar because you were unemployed?”

“It’s not just for the sake of argument! I’m, like, totally not lying!” Selphy roared as she stood up languidly, and because all her crying earlier had wet her face, she was wiping the tip of her nose bashfully as she said, “Well, you see, our people kind of have this rule where royal songs are, like, sacred or something, right? So, they can only be listened to by, like, a chosen few. I didn’t like that, so I ran away from home. I never thought I’d end up as a servant at your castle, though!”

“So, what’s with you being an envoy?” Zagan asked. Watching this girl laugh without a care in the world was starting to give him a headache.

Selphy folded her arms and wracked her brains over the matter. It seemed the person in question didn’t know either.

After waiting in silence for the second hand of the clock to make a full lap, Selphy finally clapped her hands together.

“Oh, maybe it’s that. Like, my family’s been real worried about me staying at your place, Mister Archdemon, since I sent them a letter about it. So, like, they wrote to bring you along next time around.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Zagan asked.

“Ahaha, I mean, like, even I’m not shameless enough to drag you down to my place beneath the ocean, Mister Archdemon,” Selphy replied. For the time being, it seemed that she was at least aware that she was shameless.

Although, I guess this timing makes sense now... The sirens knew about Zagan because of Selphy’s letters, so the elders probably thought to call him over to that conference.

“I know I may not look it, but I am busy here...” Zagan said as he tossed the letter onto a table as if it was garbage. His date with Nephy was fast approaching. He only had a week left to prepare.

I also can’t bring myself to keep Orias waiting much longer... Zagan’s focus shifted over to his pocket, where he had left a mithril pendant, as he thought that.

Archdemon Orias also happened to be Nephy’s mother. She had dropped by the other day, but because of the open hostilities with Bifrons, she decided to come back another time. Zagan was looking after the pendant, which was the only proof in the world that they were mother and daughter, and had yet to give it to Nephy. He wanted to give it to her in a nice atmosphere, like while on a date, so he ended up constantly putting it off. Orias was someone he deeply respected, and he couldn’t really keep her or Nephy waiting much longer, so he had to hurry.

“No, no, no, it’s not like I’m planning on causing you any trouble here, Mister Archdemon. If anything, it’s, like, kind of awkward to show my face to my family, so I don’t really wanna...” Selphy easily let her true intentions show, and Zagan shut her up with a single glare as he leaned back into his throne.

“...Well, whatever,” Zagan muttered. All he wanted to do was try things couples would do with Nephy. And since he was already busy planning for that, he didn’t feel like increasing his workload any. As he racked his brains over the matter for a while, Foll came tottering over and plopped down on his lap. It seemed she sensed that the serious talks were over, and came to get spoiled. And so, Zagan gently brushed the head of his beloved daughter.

Hm, if it’s a gathering of all races on the continent, then it’s not completely unrelated to Nephy and Foll... Foll’s case was special. Dragons were said to have vanished from the world entirely, so it was possible that she was in fact the very last living member of her race. And in that case, it wasn’t something she could just ignore to protect her current way of life. A dragon’s lifespan far surpassed that of an Archdemon like Zagan, after all, so she would eventually have to live without him. And, as he brooded over that, Raphael nodded.

“It is about time for dinner. Give your damn life to your professional duties already,” Raphael demanded as he stared at the siren.

“I, like, don’t even do any of the cooking, remember?” Selphy replied.

“Hm... Now that I think of it, there’s a legend in Liucaon where they cook mermaids into a dish called ‘sashimi’ that grants eternal youth.”

“Why are you mentioning that now!?” Selphy screamed in terror as Raphael dragged her out of the throne room.

That damn Raphael, he’s properly met up with Kuroka already... The tabaxi, Kuroka, was something like a daughter to Raphael. After the incident in town came to an end, Zagan instructed Raphael to go take care of things at the church, but he never heard whether or not they were actually reunited. Even if Raphael was his butler, Zagan didn’t like to pry into the private life of others, and Raphael himself likely thought the topic awkward, so Zagan never brought it up himself.

In the end, I found out nothing about Azazel... Kuroka was a member of an organization called Azazel, but that wasn’t the Thirteenth Sacred Sword itself. It seemed the Thirteenth had some sort of involvement with the elves, so he wanted to get some definitive information on it, but...

While he was thinking of such things and watching the two of them leave the throne room, Zagan noticed that Foll was looking up at him like she had something to say. And so, he gently brushed his beloved daughter’s head and tilted his head to the side.

“So, what is it? You have something you wish to talk about, right?” Zagan asked. The other day, Foll had looked up at Zagan like this because she had a personal request. At that time, she was badgering him to read a picture book because he was being indecisive. Zagan questioned his daughter in as gentle a voice as he could, and Foll opened and closed her mouth several times as if she couldn’t find the words to say. And, as he patiently waited for her to put her feelings into words, before long, Foll cut to the chase.

“Zagan, you know what?”

“Oh?”

And once more, silence. Still, it didn’t take all that long this time for her to continue.

“Zagan, you told me that if I wanted power, I should steal it,” Foll stated.

“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Zagan replied. It was something he told her when she first came to the castle. At the time, he had yet to decide to make her his adopted daughter, and he had no intentions of taking any disciples aside from Nephy. Thus he told her that. Now that Foll was officially his daughter, Zagan didn’t have any problem teaching her sorcery, but...

I want Foll to experience an ordinary life filled with happiness... That was why Zagan didn’t want to give her too great a power.

“...But you gave Gremory and Kimry power,” Foll timidly continued.

“...I did,” Zagan responded. He gave them the power to fight so that they could protect his subordinates from demons and the other Archdemons. Even though he told his daughter to steal power, he ended up granting power to his other subordinates. She was likely unhappy about that.

“I also... want power...”

“Don’t make that face. I’ve also thought of a suitable power to grant you,” Zagan said as he stroked Foll’s head.

“...Really?”

“Heaven’s Scale Snowfield,” Zagan quietly muttered those words as he raised his hands into the air. With that, lights that looked like powdered snow filled the air. It was a variation of one of the two sorceries Zagan created to kill the other Archdemons. Heaven’s Scale was defensive sorcery that created an invincible shield. The floating lights in the dimly lit throne room looked like twinkling stars in the dark night sky.

“So pretty...” Foll said with a sigh. Then, she looked up at the scenery in a trance for a while, but eventually cast her gaze down in discontent as asked, “Zagan, this is Heaven’s Scale, the one used for defense, right?”

“It is. What about it?”

“I’d prefer... the one that burns... Heaven’s Phosphor.”

That was the other sorcery Zagan created, the fire that burned life itself, and turned anything it touched to ash, Heaven’s Phosphor. It was a power that should have been sealed as a forbidden spell because it was so powerful. It was also the very same power that Zagan granted to Gremory and Kimaris. Having said that, those were versions that were adjusted for them, and couldn’t compare to the one Zagan himself used...

Well, wanting power tends to come hand in hand with seeking out violence... It seemed that Foll wasn’t pleased with the self-protection sorcery Zagan displayed. Still, he showed no signs of being offended, and stroked his daughter’s head.

“Hear me, Foll. Do you know what is most important to a sorcerer?”

“...To become strong?”

“That answer gets you fifty points.”

“I’m wrong?” Foll asked as she cocked her head to the side.

“What a sorcerer needs to prioritize above all else... is extending their lives. Most sorcerers, including myself, stained their hands with sorcery in order to continue living. Power can help you live, which is why we seek it. If we were to die, we would lose our knowledge and everything else with it. That’s why we build up our strength to live.”

That was why sorcerers possessed superhuman physical strength, tenacious skin which could stop a blade, brute strength that could tear apart steel, a heart that could endure running at full sprint for miles without running out of breath... Once one was able to reach such a stage, they were true sorcerers. And even with all that, you would only be a freshly hatched chick in the world of sorcery. To reach the extremities of sorcery that people like Gremory had attained, a person needed to dedicate another several hundred years to honing their craft. Zagan was the strange one for having reached the very peak of sorcerers while in his teens.

“Foll, you may end up living a longer life than me, but you’re still young. For now, learn more ways to defend yourself. This shall become a new set of scales to protect your skin.”

Foll wasn’t so foolish that she couldn’t understand the logic behind that. However, she also wasn’t mature enough to just accept that on an emotional level.

“Can I not use Heaven’s Phosphor... because I’m small?”

“That’s right. Once you grow bigger, I’ll definitely teach it to you,” Zagan promised.

“...Got it,” Foll replied. Her voice didn’t make it sound like she was convinced in the least, but she likely felt that she could only nod as she was now. Foll jumped off of Zagan’s lap, then tottered out of the throne room.

I ended up ruining her mood... Foll surely knew that Zagan hadn’t said anything unreasonable. However, children couldn’t always act logically. The privilege to complain so selfishly was something he granted to her alone, since she was still a child. That was why he gazed at her back in a loving manner as she walked away from him.

She doesn’t hate me now, right?

He’d be completely lying if he said her behavior didn’t hurt, but he just had to deal with it. And, after checking that nobody else was in the throne room, Zagan pinned down his chest and squirmed about.

◇

“So, you ended up running away from Master Zagan?”

After getting into a fight with their father, there was a limited number of places a child would run away to. And so, Foll ended up going to Nephy, just as one would expect. They were currently in the food cellar behind the kitchen. Since Selphy had come over to do her job, they ended up with enough hands to go around, and preparation for dinner was already complete. Even if they stayed and talked in the cellar for some time, it didn’t seem like anybody would come and interrupt them.

“You don’t need to make that kind of face. It’s not like Master Zagan is belittling or bullying you, Foll,” Nephy, who was squatting down in front of Foll to line up with her sight, gently brushed her head as she said that.

Is it that obvious? Foll thought as she touched her own face. The moment Foll came running into the kitchen, Nephy rushed over to her right away. She had intended to stay rather resolute, but it seemed like that hadn’t worked. After pondering over the matter for a bit, she immediately found her answer.

I said I would sense what you want, right? Don’t worry about every pointless thing... That was what Zagan had said when he made Foll his daughter. Both he and Nephy cherished Foll to the point where they could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her face. She understood that fact well.

“But Zagan taught you, Gremory, and Kimry... It’s unfair that I’m the only one he won’t teach,” Foll said as she tightly gripped at the hems of her skirt. She knew she was in no way inferior to the rest of them, so the situation felt especially odd.

“Your hair has grown as a bit, hasn’t it?” Nephy said as she started undoing Foll’s braids.

“It has?” Foll replied. Thinking back on it, Foll had been residing in the castle for three months already. Her hair definitely must have grown longer, but she’d never even noticed... When Nephy drew a magic circle in the air with her finger, a comb manifested in her hand. It was rudimentary summoning sorcery.

“The reason Master Zagan is teaching me sorcery is because if he doesn’t, I won’t even be able to do simple things like this. Since he told you to steal it, doesn’t that mean he acknowledges your abilities already?”

“That... may be the case, but...” Foll started replying to Nephy’s words, but eventually trailed off.

“It’s alright. Just as your hair has grown longer, you will also grow stronger, Foll. Someday, you will surely grow far stronger than me, or Miss Gremory, or Sir Kimaris... or maybe even Master Zagan...” Nephy said as she moved behind Foll and began combing her hair. Foll’s untied hair went past her waist and right down to her thighs. The way her hair danced around her buttocks felt ticklish. When she came to this castle, her hair had only gone halfway down her back.

“Master Zagan says good things come to those who wait. There’s no need to be impatient. We all love you so much already, Foll, so you can count on us for now,” Nephy claimed as she stopped combing Foll’s hair and suddenly hugged her from behind. Wrapped up by her tender warmth, Foll felt a sense of relief that took the strength out of her knees.

Is this what... a mommy is like? Foll’s father was the great Wise Dragon Orobas. However, she knew absolutely nothing about her mother. Seeing as how she wasn’t there when Foll was first aware of her surroundings, it was possible that she had long since passed away.

Nephy had an air about her that made Foll instinctively feel she was a mother. Zagan had a different way of dealing with her than Orobas did, but she at least knew that he loved her... She knew that much... but Foll began trembling in Nephy’s arms.

“I also... love Nephy and Zagan. I really love you two just as much as I loved father.”

“Yes. I know,” Nephy replied. However, Foll felt like she didn’t really get it.

Because I love them so much... I want to protect them... She didn’t like being only on the receiving end. Foll wanted them to depend on her. She wanted to be useful to them, and have them tell her ‘You did well.’ Those feelings had always been inside Foll, but she understood what Zagan and Nephy were saying. That was why she tried to remain patient. However, she was no longer able to endure it because of the incident several days ago. Zagan’s castle was attacked by a chimera Bifrons sent. It had the fragments of the Demon Lord embedded in it, and was a repulsive and dreadful enemy. There was no way Foll stood a chance against it, but Kimaris had managed to slaughter it. Not only that, but there wasn’t the slightest bit of damage to his surroundings, and he did it on his own. Even though Foll could only tremble in place, he could defeat that monstrosity with ease. She had assumed they were equals, so his sudden growth was troubling. However, that wasn’t the main issue.

When Zagan came back, in an unusual turn, he was quite injured. However, rather than worry about his own body, he praised Kimaris by slapping his bulky chest and saying ‘You did well’ with a smile on his face. Foll was jealous, and she also came to realize how truly powerless she was. It had been the same when Archdemon Orias attacked. She was completely useless. All of their enemies were defeated by Zagan’s powerful fist.

I want to be of use to Zagan. And then... I want him to praise me... And yet, she was far too little right now. She wanted to return all his favors by protecting him, so why was she so weak?

Plus, I even ended up troubling Zagan again... She wasn’t even being selfish, so why didn’t it work out? If the only real issue was her age...

“...I want to hurry up and get bigger,” Foll muttered those words to put her feelings in order, not because she was looking for help. However...

“Keeheehee, I heard everything!”

The problem child of a granny, Enchantress Gremory, kicked down the door and charged into the food cellar with vigor. She had twisted goat horns coming out of her head and was currently in the form of an old woman, wearing her usual pitch black robe. Though, in an unusual turn, blood was dripping down from her nose.

“Gremory... nosebleed...”

“Urgh... Too much love power has built up, huh? Allow me to say this. Lady Nephy... nice love power!” Gremory screamed those words and rubbed away at her face with her sleeve as she showed them a fully content expression. Then, she looked down at Foll and said, “Lady Foll. I have a way to grant that wish.”

Foll could somehow imagine that this was an evil whisper that would bring along a terrible situation, but she was not in the right frame of mind to argue. So, in her stead, Nephy faced Gremory with a cold smile on her face.

“Miss Gremory, you wouldn’t dream of doing anything that would cause Master Zagan trouble, right?”

Although her face had become relatively more expressive as of late, this girl still didn’t emote much. So, when she said something with a smile like that, she had an intimidating air to her that even surpassed Zagan’s.

“Eeek? I-I promise I won’t, okay? I’ve been on my best behavior lately! There’s no way I could do anything to trouble my liege!”

Seeing Gremory shrink back, looking on the verge of tears, Foll figured out the truth.

Zagan is the strongest, but Nephy is the scariest... In that moment, she decided never to do anything that might anger Nephy. However, her mind was also focusing on something else.

Can I... really get bigger?

Gremory’s devilish whisper had a certain charm to it that made the thought remain at the forefront of Foll’s mind.

◇

Zagan had slipped out of his throne room in the middle of the night.

Alright, time to buy clothes for my date!

During dinner, Foll seemed unable to regain her composure and look Zagan in the eyes, but she showed no signs of taking offense to what had happened earlier in the evening either. Zagan wanted to believe that she would get over it after sleeping on it. He was worried, but his date with Nephy was only a week away, so he had no time to spare.

The sorcerers he passed all looked at him and said things along the line of, ‘Huh, Archdemon Zagan? Where are you going at this hour?’ but the most Zagan ever did was nod at them. They may have been confused by his behavior, but it was fine as long as he wasn’t discovered by someone noisy like Selphy or Gremory.

After he finished making sure that nobody was following him, Zagan cracked open his castle’s gates and slipped through the opening. However, at that moment, something surprising happened.

“Oh no!”

He heard an adorable scream resound from behind him. And, as he turned around, he caught sight of the woman he loved most.

“N-Nephy?”

“Master Zagan...?” Nephy replied, her ears quivering in surprise as she looked up at Zagan. She was currently holding a lantern in her hand, and seemed to be on her way back from the garden.

All my plans will be ruined if Nephy finds out what I’m doing! He had to think quick, or he was doomed.

“Uhhh, what are you doing out at this hour?”

“Well, there was just a little something I was worried about, so...”

“Something you were worried about?”

“Um, it is not something that you need hear of yet, Master Zagan. I’m most likely just being a little paranoid... In any case, what are you doing at this hour?”

“Uh, I’m, um...” Zagan’s gaze wandered about as he tried searching for an excuse, and he ended up looking up at the night sky. There was a thin moon hanging overhead, and the stars were twinkling beautifully.

Now that I think of it, the moon was just like this on the day we met... The moon was so thin that it felt like it would up and vanish, and Nephy stretched her hands out toward it, which made him follow suit. And that was why Zagan stretched his hands toward the moon once more.

“I ended up coming out here on a whim because of the night sky,” Zagan proclaimed in a grand manner. His excuse was entirely vague, but strangely enough, it sounded a lot like him.

“It really is a beautiful night,” Nephy said as she let her gaze follow Zagan’s hands, then let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah. It reminds me of the night I first met you, Nephy,” Zagan replied as Nephy nestled in close to his side and stretched out her hands to the moon as well. As always, her hands weren’t grasping anything, but it sure felt like they were. Zagan was completely taken aback by the situation.

Huh? Isn’t this like... a really good atmosphere!? It was a shame that he couldn’t go buy clothes for their date, but this was more than enough to make up for that loss. Even at the best of times, the two of them were strangely conscious of each other, so moments like this where both of them were at ease were rather rare. Zagan looked down at Nephy’s face.

“...Ah.”

And at the exact same time, Nephy looked up at Zagan, meeting his eyes.

“A-Ahahahah!”

“Fufufu...”

Both of them let out dry laughs, then averted their gazes. This sort of exchange had repeated itself often lately... No, not just lately. It had been happening for nearly half a month.

This is bad! Pull it together, Zagan! Zagan mustered his courage and cast his gaze at Nephy’s face again. Her embarrassment still seemed to be winning out, since she simply looked away and began twiddling her fingers despite noticing his eyes on her. Her cheeks were faintly flushed and her breath was white as she rubbed her hands together. Looking closely, Zagan noticed that she was wearing her usual maid outfit and didn’t have a coat. And so, he spread open his mantle and pulled Nephy into it.

“Wha...” Nephy let out a shaky groan as Zagan wrapped her up in his mantle. And honestly, she wasn’t the only one being ruled by her nerves.

H-Huh? Wait, isn’t this the same as a tight embrace? He only meant to share his mantle with her, but he ended up holding her close as a result. Zagan never intended to act so bold, but it was too late to back out now.

Well, I mean, this much is just natural for a couple, right? Right!?

Surprisingly, Nephy didn’t try to shake him off. On the contrary, she was lightly squeezing back on Zagan’s robe.

“...It’s warm.”

“S-Sure is!”

Zagan didn’t even know what he was agreeing with, but that was the best he could manage in the tense situation.

Would it be better if I find her a coat or something for our date? Zagan pondered as he felt Nephy’s body warm up. The muffler he received from Nephy the other day was rather comfortable, and with that, it was possible to warm the two both of them at once. However, he didn’t like the thought of getting it dirty, which was why he kept it safely tucked away.

After mulling over such thoughts for a while, Zagan looked over to the lantern Nephy was holding. And having noticed his gaze, Nephy held up the lantern with a curious look in her eyes.

“Is there something wrong with this?”

“No, it’s just been a long time since I’ve seen one being used.”

The last time he’d seen one was at Bifrons’ evening ball. Back then, the swaying lights of the lanterns atop the ship created a suspect atmosphere. Sorcerers could see in the night without relying on any source of light. They normally used some light when reading, but even then, cheap candles were more than good enough. Before Nephy came to the castle, he would just create light using sorcery. Lanterns took a hand to use, so they were far too unwieldy for Zagan’s tastes.

“My apologies. It seems I’m still inadequate...” Nephy ran her hand down one of her ears in shame as she said that. Nephy was a quick study, but she still only began learning sorcery a few months ago. Due to that, Zagan had forbidden her from using any long-lasting sorcery, which included any creation of light.

“There’s no need to be ashamed. Candlelight has a certain charm to it, so isn’t it fine?” Zagan claimed as he took the lantern from Nephy’s hand. And as he held it up, the lantern illuminated Nephy’s blushing face.

“...Yes. Thank you... very much...” Nephy responded as her ears quivered like she was unable to endure the swell of emotions within her. Then, Nephy leaned in against him, which drew Zagan’s attention to the pendant in his pocket.

Isn’t this the perfect moment to hand it over to her...? No, wait, if I give it to her now, the main purpose of our date will be lost... I know it’s fine as long as she genuinely enjoys the date, but it feels like all my hard work will be for nothing...

After hesitating for a little while, Zagan decided to leave the pendant for later. Instead, he illuminated more of the garden with the lantern.

“Well, since we’re both out here, why not take a little walk?”

“Yes, Master Zagan,” Nephy stared back at him in surprise for a moment before saying that and returning a slight smile.

She won’t get bored of just walking around, right? Baseless anxiety began building up within Zagan as he and Nephy walked through the garden hand in hand. The starry sky was beautiful, but it still wasn’t enough to illuminate their steps. Zagan could see without a problem, but Nephy had to remain cautious lest she trip. And, as that thought crossed his mind, Zagan was reminded of what happened a little while ago and came to a sudden realization.

“Um, Nephy...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Foll’s upset, isn’t she?”

It seemed he had hit the bulls-eye. Nephy’s pointy ears straightened out with a snap, and her gaze began wandering around looking for an excuse. However, before long, she figured it would be useless to try to dodge the issue and opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m surprised... you could tell,” Nephy softly muttered.

“Well, I just hurt Foll’s feelings earlier, and the last time she fled the castle was on a night like this, wasn’t it?”

It was something that happened back when Foll had first taken up residence at his castle. Because Angelic Knights were the ones who had killed her father and she had one right before her eyes, Foll fled the castle in order to obtain more power to fulfill her goals.

At the time, we got through things because it was all a misunderstanding, but Raphael still ended up severely wounded... That incident was the reason his butler had lost a hand.

“That child understands what you’re thinking, Master Zagan. It’s not like she fled or anything, but...” Nephy trailed off as she tilted her head to the side.

“But something happened,” Zagan chimed in, finishing her sentence.

“...Yes. I’m not trying to place all the blame on her, but Miss Gremory seemed ready for some mischief.”

That damn Gremory again? Zagan honestly felt that that granny was far too carefree.

“Well, Gremory can be a handful, but when it comes to distinguishing between doing right and wrong... she may not be the best judge... Still, she’s not so foolish as to spoil my good mood. It should be fine to leave her be.”

Besides, the image of a small child running off and clinging to a granny wasn’t all that unnatural a scene.

“It would be good if things ended peacefully...” Nephy replied with an anxious look on her face, which made Zagan laugh in agreement.

“Actually, Foll was badgering me to teach her Heaven’s Phosphor.”

“Yes. She told me already.”

“But, well, I gave Gremory a Heaven’s Phosphor that only she can actually use, so she won’t be of any help to Foll. I know that may anger her, but I promise I’ve at least tried to think of other things I can do for her. Besides, if I can’t at least put up with my daughter’s temper tantrum, then I have no right to call myself a father.”

“I understand how you feel, Master Zagan. Accumulating power draws people closer to danger, so honestly, even I hate the idea of our daughter learning such things... However, I understand Foll’s feelings as well,” Nephy replied, then silently nodded before casting her gaze over to the lantern Zagan was holding and saying, “I want to become someone who can be of use to you, Master Zagan. And yet, I require the help of a tool for something as simple as walking down a dark path. As I am now, I don’t even hold a candle to Miss Gremory or Foll.”

“That’s not true. I mean, you have mysticism and celestial mysticism, right?” Zagan rebutted. If it came down to a fair fight, especially in an environment with trees and rivers where she could borrow nature’s power, Nephy could currently rival even an Archdemon. Though, if they actually fought, someone like Nephteros could probably have defeated her due to their gap in experience, but that was another matter entirely.

“That... isn’t something I attained through my own efforts. I feel like I’m the only one who cheated when everyone else worked themselves to the bone to grow stronger, and I don’t like it,” Nephy said as she shook her head at his response. Mysticism was a power she was born with, and celestial mysticism was something she learned by seeing once. It took great talent to perform either of those feats, but it seemed that it was still difficult for Nephy to accept. That was why she could relate to Foll.

But if she could use her draconic powers better, she would grow far stronger... Unfortunately, Foll seemed fixated on improving her sorcery instead. It somewhat narrowed her vision, but it could also be said that gaining power a dragon did not normally possess was better for them in the long run. Zagan wasn’t quite sure he agreed, but he couldn’t refute the idea either.

“Do you understand now, Master Zagan? If you do, then please don’t scold Foll,” Nephy begged as she looked up to Zagan as if appealing to his kind heart.

“Like I’d ever scold her. I said I’d put up with her temper tantrum, didn’t I?” Zagan responded with a laugh, but nevertheless, his words were filled with sincerity.

Did I react poorly earlier...? Foll’s desire to become stronger was something he had known since they first met. And looking back on that, Zagan realized ignoring that facet of her completely and telling her to act the part of an innocent child was utterly selfish of him. Having said that, he still didn’t think it proper to grant her access to a destructive power like Heaven’s Phosphor.

“It’s not like I haven’t thought of what kind of power to grant Foll, though...” Zagan muttered with a groan. That was precisely why he created Snowfield, but unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be what Foll wanted.

“Wait, what were you planning on granting Foll?” Nephy asked, sounding rather surprised. It seemed Nephy wasn’t told about that part, as she stared back at Zagan with a blank expression on her face.

“Oh, about that... It’s still incomplete, but...” Zagan raised his hand as he trailed off and activated Snowfield. In the blink of an eye, specks of light enveloped the area like stardust, and Nephy let out a sigh, completely entranced by the sight.

“How beautiful.”

You’re far more beautiful... Those words made it all the way up to his throat, yet he didn’t dare voice them. Zagan came to a stop, and then demonstrated what happened when a mass of mana collided with Snowfield’s lights.

“It’s more than sturdy enough, but its far too complex to manipulate freely and it also forces the user to stand still.”

“Is that really an issue when you’re using it to defend against projectiles...?” Nephy asked. However, a moment later something dawned on her and she said, “I see... This is just practice for what you plan on teaching her next, right?”

“You really do have a good sense for sorcery, Nephy,” Zagan replied. He was shocked that she managed to figure out his intentions even though he hadn’t explained anything to her at all.

Nephy remained silent for a moment, gazing quietly at the snowy lights in the air before deciding to speak to him.

“It’s all a bit of a haze, but I do remember it. You once used sorcery to create an enormous light, Master Zagan. This Snowfield has the same color,” Nephy stated. Then, she suddenly thought of something and asked, “Master Zagan, are you controlling all of these Heaven’s Scales individually?”

“No, there’s nearly a thousand of them here. They’re set up to move about on their own and are attracted to nearby outbursts of mana,” Zagan replied. He was perfectly capable of controlling them all individually, but this had been designed with Foll in mind. There was no meaning in creating something she was unable to control. Though, in that case, it was possible to give it to her in an even more simple form...

“It seems the same circuit has been placed into each Heaven’s Scale, so would it be possible to control them in clusters?” Nephy inquired as she continued observing each and every speck of light that formed Snowfield.

“In clusters?”

“Yes. Controlling them by splitting them into grouped clusters. Wouldn’t using circuits to unify nearby Heaven’s Scales around one leader work? That way, you could manipulate all of them just by controlling a few select clusters.”

Zagan stared back at her in wonder. He was completely taken aback by her brilliant idea.

“I see. In that case, controlling it would certainly be simple, and it would make it easy to move around while using it... Good job, Nephy.”

“I’m just glad to be of help.”

“You always are... Still, I can’t help but be surprised that you thought of that,” Zagan said in a tone laden with admiration, which made Nephy cast her gaze to the ground shyly.

“I only thought of it because some celestial mysticism I used before worked like that. Plus, I could never hope to control a thousand Heaven’s Scales at once, so my mind moved to figure out ways for me to use them.”

Guess that means there are some things that are easier to figure out because you have trouble with them, huh? That fact left Zagan astonished. He was capable of individually controlling all one thousand Heaven’s Scales, which was precisely why he was unable to think of a solution from the perspective of someone who couldn’t. Nephy, on the other hand, lamented the fact that she was weak, but she was able to come to a conclusion that was foreign to him because of her weakness.

“It’s those parts of you that best serve me, Nephy, so have more confidence in yourself,” Zagan was delighted by her discovery, which made him press his face lightly against Nephy’s cheek as he said those words.

“Wawawa?” Nephy exclaimed. And within Zagan’s mantle, Nephy’s ears quivered up and down violently. That made him think he had made some sort of mistake again, but he decided to put such thoughts aside for now.

After that, Nephy continued to make completely incomprehensible noises, but before long, she settled down and nodded resolutely. And then, she spread her arms out in front of Zagan and kicked off the ground. When she reached his neck, Nephy wrapped her arms around it and embraced him tightly.

“O-Oh?” Zagan muttered. This time, he was the one whose eyes were left darting about, since Nephy was clinging to him extremely tight. It was extremely unusual for Nephy to take such a bold course of action, but it was more than welcome nonetheless.

What is this...? It’s really soft and warm... I swear, this is the first time Nephy’s expressed her love directly. I’m so happy that my heart might just jump out of my chest! Zagan happily returned the hug despite his nerves getting the better of him. The way Nephy’s bright red ears twitched about as she hugged him reminded Zagan of when Nephy turned into a child, which made her utterly irresistible.

It may have been that turning into a child helped Nephy regain her original personality. And if that was the case, Orias’ actions were more than justified. After all, there was no way the usually reserved Nephy would perform such a bold expression of her love without something changing within her.

“Um, Master Zagan,” Nephy mumbled as she basked in the joyous moment.

“What is it?”

“I’m, um, extremely happy that we were able to go on a walk together like this late at night. Is that thing called a date... something similar?”

“Huh? Uh, I wonder...?”

This was a first even for Zagan, so he didn’t know what exactly a date entailed. But at the same time, he felt that it had to have been something quite similar.

“Well, I’m sure it’s like this, but even more amazing! We’ll go to shops and streets we don’t usually go to, dress up, walk around, and do something special!” Zagan proclaimed. By something special, he of course meant handing the pendant over to her.

At that, Nephy’s pointy ears quivered with a twitch, and in an unusual turn, she formed a grand smile.

“Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”

Zagan felt that he had just unnecessarily raised the bar, but he decided not to worry about it. Nephy seemed overjoyed, and in the end, that was all that mattered. Unfortunately for him, he had no way of knowing what calamity would befall him the very next morning...

◇

“Zagan, I wanna get bigger.”

The next day, Foll stopped by the throne room before breakfast. Behind her was Gremory, in the form of an old woman, with sweat pouring down her brow.

“Hm... Go on. Let’s hear it,” Zagan scratched his jaw and nodded as he gave her his reply.

“L-Lady Foll. I don’t believe this is something we have to bring up to our liege all of a sudden. I mean, don’t you think fools like Kimaris or Purgatory could lend us a hand instead as long as certain conditions are met?” Gremory whispered to Foll from behind in a flustered voice, clearly worried about Zagan finding out about her dastardly schemes.

“You said you can’t do it, Gremory, so it’ll be the same for everyone else. Zagan’s the only one we can ask,” Foll replied resolutely.

“No, well, you might have a point, but...” Gremory trailed off as she continually stole glances over at Zagan with a completely pale face.

The fact that Foll could speak frankly meant she trusted Gremory a fair amount. Zagan, personally, would have preferred it if they stayed farther apart, since Gremory could only ever be a bad influence on his daughter. Still, he did rely on Gremory and considered her his trusted retainer, so it would have been strange if he told Foll to avoid her.

In any case, she wants to get bigger... not stronger...? That could probably be done with the help of Gremory’s sorcery, which manipulated one’s age, but from the looks of things they hadn’t succeeded yet. In that case, what exactly was the purpose of them telling Zagan everything? That wasn’t a very hard question to answer, but Zagan decided to wait for his daughter to continue explaining herself as he stared at her. And before long, Foll gathered her resolve and opened her mouth to speak.

“Zagan, you think I’m too small to grant power, which means I just have to get bigger!”

“I see your point. And?”

Foll was a girl who liked to take action. If she had come to that conclusion, then she would make her idea come true and show off the results to Zagan. The fact that she hadn’t already done so meant there was a reason she couldn’t. And, as Zagan urged her to continue, Foll bit down on her lip in humiliation.

“But... it didn’t work with just me and Gremory.”

“I see. I’ve heard that dragons have tremendous resistance against sorcery. Sorcery meant for humans must not have been good enough,” Zagan remarked. An ancient dragon’s scales were said to be able to naturally repel sorcery, and even a masterwork sword couldn’t leave a single dent on them.

Even putting that aside, dragons were incredibly powerful. Their speed and strength was unmatched, to the point where even Kimaris, who was known as the fastest being in the world, couldn’t keep up with Foll while carrying people like she could. This especially applied to Foll, as she was a descendant of the legendary Wise Dragon Orobas. Frankly speaking, her latent potential easily dwarfed both Zagan and Nephy. And that was why, even though she was still a young dragon, it wasn’t all that simple to manipulate her body. It wasn’t the least bit surprising that it was beyond Gremory’s capabilities.

“Help me, Zagan. I need to get bigger,” Foll looked up at Zagan’s face with a pleading look as she said that.

“...And once you’re bigger, you want me to teach you Heaven’s Phosphor?” Zagan asked.

Foll understood the reason Zagan wouldn’t grant her power, failed in an attempt to overturn his decision, and still came to Zagan for help. That may have seemed silly to most, but Zagan didn’t think her actions were at all unreasonable.

I guess this would be a good compromise... Foll found a means to gain Zagan’s approval on her own. And after choking down her pride, she even went as far as to plead with Zagan for help. How could he possibly deny his daughter when she was working so hard?

Nephy’s words from the night before rang through his mind, urging him on. “However, I understand Foll’s feelings as well.”

Zagan thought he understood Foll’s feelings as well, so he had to respond appropriately. After being asked by both his bride and daughter, there was no way he could refuse. And so, Zagan returned a steady nod.

“...Very well, then,” he declared.

“Really?” Foll asked as her amber eyes began sparkling.

“However, I have one condition. This is Gremory’s sorcery, so the effect is temporary, right? I will decide when it is fine for you to become bigger. I forbid you to do it without my permission.”

“Okay,” Foll replied without a hint of hesitation in her voice. She had likely already predicted that such a condition would be attached. At this point, Zagan’s expression finally loosened up.

“If you promise to keep to your word, then I’ll teach you the ‘Heaven’s Phosphor’ that burns all life.”

Foll’s eyes sparkled even brighter, and at that point, she leaped up and hugged Zagan’s neck.

“Thanks! I love you, Daddy!”

“Ah!” Zagan let out a yelp in surprise. Foll’s words made him so happy that he felt ready to keel over and cough up blood, but at the same time, he could tell that Foll had been brooding over the matter for quite a while, which made him hold it in.

I kind of wanted her to remain my little daughter for a while longer, though... Still, he knew that wasn’t for the best. After all, what kind of parent would he be if he wasn’t happy about his child’s growth?

Thus, though they had yet to have breakfast, Zagan headed over to Gremory’s lab.

◇

“What do I need to do here, exactly?” Zagan asked as he walked into Gremory’s lab.

A section of the castle had been allocated to Zagan’s trusted retainers like Gremory and Kimaris. These rooms were generally used as labs where the sorcerers performed experiments and furthered their research. The castle was actually large enough to allocate rooms to all his subordinates, but most of them were using Zagan’s other base, Archdemon Palace. He had suddenly gained around thirty subordinates at once, so managing all that was getting out of hand.

After arriving in Gremory’s lab, he found a large magic circle that had already been prepared. Sorcery was something that differed in shape with infinite variations, but the fact that the magic circle was fully drawn out told Zagan that the sorcery itself had been perfected. However, that also meant that they didn’t require Zagan’s knowledge, which greatly confused him.

Taking in his astonishment, Gremory tapped the edge of her large scythe against the magic circle and began laughing creepily.

“The structure of the sorcery is complete. Plus, I’ve thoroughly investigated the optimal flow of mana through it, so there’s no need to add any more circuits.”

“I can tell.”

Magic circles were woven together with crests called circuits, and Gremory’s magic circle had over ten thousand of them crammed into it. Zagan didn’t even know if he could put together such a delicately assembled magic circle himself, and that wasn’t just because this sorcery was outside his area of expertise.

“Keeheehee, I see there’s no need to explain my sorcery to you, my liege. What’s lacking here is the mana necessary to surpass a dragon’s resistance to sorcery. That is to say, we need power around the level of an Archdemon,” Gremory said as she squinted her eyes in a pleased manner.

“That much, huh...?”

Honestly speaking, Zagan was taken aback. He thought he understood the power of dragons already, but it seemed they surpassed even his wildest imagination. She really was the legendary Wise Dragon Orobas’ daughter.

In other words, they want me to use the Sigil of the Archdemon... It wasn’t like Zagan’s own mana surpassed theirs by a significant amount. The sigil on his hand was proof that he was an Archdemon, but in truth, Zagan didn’t really find it desirable. That was why he only used it when needed.

It was borrowed power, a dangerous sigil that could turn its fangs against him at any moment. He did use it as a means to seal the sigil of another Archdemon, but he had no intention of relying on it for much more than that. However, it was also true that it was basically a container filled with a preposterous amount of mana.

Well, I guess it isn’t a problem. I’ll just be using it to amplify Foll’s mana here...

“Let me get this straight. All you need is for me to send the mana from the sigil over to Foll, right?” Zagan asked.

“Exactly,” Gremory replied.

“Fine. Then I’ll just supply her with... huh? Hold on! You want me to supply her with mana!?” Zagan roared, clearly flustered. Some sorcery could steal mana from others, but from what he could see, Gremory’s magic circle included nothing of the sort. Including such a needless feature in such a delicately put together magic circle was something only an Archdemon could do, so that made sense. However, that meant he had to supply mana to her in a primitive way that wouldn’t interfere with the sorcery...

Are you telling me to kiss or have intercourse with my own daughter!? Sex was obviously out of the question, so that just left kissing. Still, there was no way he could do that.

I mean, I haven’t even kissed Nephy yet!

“Zagan, what’s wrong?” Foll tilted her head to the side like she couldn’t really understand what was going on as she asked him that question.

“No, it’s just that the means of supplying mana is...” Zagan faltered. There was no way he could explain such a thing to his young daughter. However, he had already promised to cooperate with Foll’s desire to become bigger. And above all else, he wanted to help his daughter who was earnestly trying her best. Having said that, straight up kissing her without explaining anything was completely out of the question.

Incidentally, Gremory was raising a clamor going, “Wooo, nice love power! What’ll you do, Archdemon!? It’s time to show me your true potential...! Ah, I’ve got a nosebleed.”

After worrying about it for a while, Zagan gave up on explaining.

“Listen, you’re about to have someone else’s mana poured into you. Are you really fine with that?” Zagan asked.

“I don’t really get it... but it’s fine if it’s you,” Foll replied. She was willing to force a growth spurt to gain power, so it was wrong of him to even ask such a thing.

Then, as a parent, there’s no way I can back off now... Zagan was the youngest sorcerer in history to become an Archdemon, which came about as a result of his great mental fortitude. That was why he found his answer even while faltering. And then, placing a hand on Foll’s shoulder, he addressed her quietly.

“Well then, Foll. You may close your eyes.”

“O-Okay...”

She was obviously nervous. Her body stiffened as she shut her eyes tightly. And then, Zagan brought his face to hers.

“Uh, is he really going to do it? Wait, this kind of development is far too sudden. Love power is something that should accumulate over time. It needs to be more graceful and dignified! But even if I don’t like it, seeing my liege about to commit a sin for love is enthralling... Aaaaaah, I want to stop him... No, I want to watch over him! Ugh, what do I do!?”

Gremory was probably trying to keep it to herself, but she was being way too loud.

Kimaris has low blood pressure and is no good in the mornings, huh...? In that moment, Zagan came to realize just how much that sorcerer had been helping him.

Even Foll looked to be making an irritated face, so Zagan obstructed all sound around them. He created a barrier to isolate those inside it from those outside. It had no defensive properties whatsoever, but even if lightning struck outside, they would be unable to hear it.

As the surroundings suddenly fell silent, Foll’s body shook with a start. And in order to put his daughter at ease, Zagan put his lips to her forehead.

“Huh...?” Foll mumbled, opening her eyes in surprise.

In short, I just have to create a path for the mana! A kiss was required, so this was Zagan’s answer to that difficult problem. Since he only needed to come in contact with her to send her mana, this much was enough.

“A kiss on the forehead... supplies mana?” Foll asked as she touched her forehead in confusion.

“Well, yeah.”

“...I didn’t know that.”

Even though it was on the forehead, it really did seem to be embarrassing for her. Foll’s cheeks had turned slightly red.

Should I have properly explained it after all? Zagan wasn’t confident he could regain her trust if that made her hate him. He was worrying himself sick over that dilemma when Foll spoke in such a quiet voice that it felt like it would vanish at any moment.

“Oh, that’s not bad...”

“I-I see...”

Why had things gotten that awkward? Zagan continued to worry about the status of his relationship with his daughter when he realized the usually noisy granny was far too quiet.

Oh yeah, I put up a soundproof barrier... After taking down the barrier, Zagan and Foll were left speechless.

“THAT! WAS! WOOOOOONDERFUL! Phew... I see. For a little girl, a kiss on the forehead is truly the best approach. You’re as masterful as ever, my liege. Ahhh, I’m going to die from an overdose of all this love power!”

Gremory looked to have turned white like a sheet and was about to drown in a pool of blood from her nosebleed.

“Zagan... Gremory’s...”

“Don’t look,” Zagan said as he blocked his daughter’s line of sight with his body.

“Keeheehee, I really thought that was going to kill me, but it looks like the preparations are complete,” Gremory said as she got back up to her feet unsteadily.

“Is mana really being supplied here?” Foll asked while shaking her head as if she didn’t believe it at all.

“Mm. Lady Foll, if you use sorcery now, you can pull mana from my liege’s inexhaustible supply using that path he just created. Though it was simplified, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Your mana is being amplified. Give it a try,” Zagan said as he nodded along to Gremory’s words.

“...Okay!” Foll exclaimed as she nodded with vigor. Then, she stood in the center of the magic circle. After verifying that, Gremory began clearly chanting, and before anyone knew it, her figure had changed from that of an old woman to that of a beautiful young one. It was her in her prime, and the fact that it was necessary showed how powerful this sorcery was.

“[Time is the ring which circles from the moon to the sun. The spiral which stretches out toward the flow from high to low. That which governs over the beginning to the end. Thus, what binds the change from the sun to the moon, from low to high, and from the end to the beginning, shall also be time itself.]”

Her spell was similar to a Celestian chant, perhaps because she was once the pupil of Orias. And while Zagan was instinctively drawn in by that, he was assaulted by a sense of exhaustion from having his power suddenly pulled out of his body. Foll required more mana, and it was flowing out of Zagan’s body at a rapid rate.

“Sigil of the Archdemon, lend me your power!” Zagan proclaimed as he held his right hand aloft. Suffocating mana swelled up in the area in an instant, and his sense of exhaustion dissipated.

Dragons have a rather terrifying capacity after all... Zagan believed the mana supply from the Sigil of the Archdemon was something that far surpassed the reach of man, but this situation made him realize there was a race that could easily consume it. Before long, a change began to show in Foll. Her arms and legs began stretching out, her hair spread out into the air, and her flat body began swelling. In other words, she was changing from a child into a woman.

Is it working? Zagan wondered. And at that exact moment...

“Ugh...” Zagan groaned as his vision distorted.

“Zagan!?” Foll yelled as she rushed over and supported him by the shoulder.

It’s dangerous to interrupt such a delicate ritual... They were even pouring in mana from the Sigil of the Archdemon. If things went south, it could run rampant and destroy the entire castle... No, even Kianoides wouldn’t be safe in the worst case scenario. That was why Gremory didn’t stop chanting. She surely understood the situation and wished to avoid any danger. Her chant accelerated, hurrying the ritual on to its conclusion.

Foll looked anxious, but went back over to the middle of the magic circle. Her figure had already grown to about the same size as Nephy.

Hold on, isn’t she getting a little too big here...? It was likely because he was crouching down, but Foll was now big enough that he had to look up at her. However, the one who looked even more bewildered than Zagan... was Foll.

“Zagan, you’re...”

Before she could finish speaking, the magic circle shattered, leaving behind a dazzling light. It seemed the ritual was finished. There appeared to be a considerable burden on Gremory as well, as she was gasping for breath after her chant stopped.

Foll’s body had grown large enough that her usual native dress couldn’t remain intact. In human terms, she looked to be in the latter half of her teens. The same age or older than Zagan, basically.

“Ow...”

Children’s clothing was far too small for her body now. The portions around her now striking breasts were especially unable to endure it, as a button shot off it and into Zagan’s forehead. It seemed the ritual was a success for the time being.

“Zagan...” Foll tried to rush over to Zagan again, but...

“Ah!”

She wasn’t yet used to her large body, and tripped on the way.

“Look ou— Huh?” Zagan leaped up to try and catch Foll, but for some reason his body didn’t move as he wished. His daughter’s body was far heavier than he imagined it was as it leaned down on him. He somehow made it in time, but the two of them ended up falling over together.

And since her breasts dropped down right over his face, he felt awfully hot... No, he didn’t have the time to let his focus shift over to that. The suffocating pressure they were putting on him was a more pressing issue. Somehow, they were crushing him.

“MmmMmmMmm!”

“A-Are you alright, Zagan?” Foll asked in a shaky voice. She was trying to do something to improve the situation, but she couldn’t move her body very well and was only capable of squirming about.

“Calm down. You’re not used to the sensation yet. If you panic, it’ll just get harder to move,” Gremory said as she instructed Foll on how to control her new body. Having gotten her breathing back in order, she worked to free Zagan from the jaws of death. However, when she did, Gremory’s face stiffened up completely in shock.

“Wh-What the hell is this!? Zagan... Wait, are you even Zagan?”

“What do you mean?” Zagan asked as he cocked his head to the side. And as he said that, he noticed that his voice was strange. It was usually far more low pitched than this, so the change surprised him.

And honestly, it wasn’t just his voice. His clothes had become slack and felt just about ready to fall off. The reason he was unable to catch Foll was because he ended up stepping on the hems of his robe.

Thoroughly confused, Zagan looked down at his hands... only to find that his boorish hands were now small and pudgy.

Hey, what’s going on here...? Zagan timidly touched his own face. It was all springy, and didn’t feel much like his own face at all. And to make matters worse, Foll and Gremory looked completely dumbfounded, like they weren’t sure they were even actually speaking to Zagan, and that really hurt him.

However, what stung most was that Zagan, who prided himself as a sorcerer with superhuman physical abilities, was unable to catch a girl in her teens. He could easily lift up Foll when she took on her dragon form, so how was that even possible?

Looking around his surroundings in exasperation, Zagan spotted a jug of water in the corner of the lab.

What the hell happened here... And, as he peered into the jug in an attempt to get some answers, all the color drained from his face.

Unfortunately for him, the reflection in the water showed a young child who looked an awful lot like Zagan.