An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride (魔王の俺が奴隷エルフを嫁にしたんだが、どう愛でればいい？)

Deep, deep in the forest

known to all as the Lost Woods

sits a man in a desolate, decaying castle

that looms ominously over the trees.

This man is a sorcerer.

Both feared and hated by the populace

who surround his domain.

His name is Zagan.

And at this moment,

he faces a challenge most grave.

Pardon me.

May I please ask a question of you,

-Master? -What do you want?

My fate.

I was wondering

how exactly you plan to kill me?

Wait. Wait, wait, wait!

Why does she assume that I want to murder her?

All of this is completely new territory for me.

How am I supposed talk to the girl that I love?

Where do I even start?

Our story begins

the previous morning.

Please, stop!

What's gotten into you, Meyers?

No!

Wait, this is a trick, isn't it?

Stay away from me!

What have you done to him?

Gotta say, that's a tasty lookin' face

you're makin' there!

Thinking up some nasty scenarios?

Hate to disappoint, but this isn't the kind

of assault you're hoping for, girl!

See, the skinned face of a virgin

will make one hell of a catalyst for my research.

A sorcerer?

Don't you die too quick on me, yeah?

No!

Be a good girl!

Let me peel your face off.

I swear I'll treat your body extra nice!

Huh? Hey! Who the hell're you?

I should ask you the same.

And if you knew you're trespassing

in somebody's yard.

I had been hoping to get some nice

shut-eye this afternoon.

Shit. This must be his turf.

Take it easy!

We're on the same side!

Let me go and I'll share every juicy

detail of my research with you!

Weird sorcery that involves peeling the skin off

of young virgin bodies?

Pass.

I went too far.

She's gonna be a mess when she wakes up.

Just pull it together. I'm a sorcerer.

This'll be easy to fix.

Rewound Cycle.

Everything is back in its place

with that spell cast.

But, with the blood removed,

maybe she'll think it was a nightmare.

A cross, huh?

Affiliated with the Church.

Apostles of the self-proclaimed god.

Our sworn enemy.

Anyone could point the finger at me

for this mess, even though

she'd be dead without me.

Well, it's not my problem.

Someone will find her if I drop her off near town.

Interference with my sorcery?

This is my domain,

surrounded by protective fields.

No average sorcerer could pull this off.

Should've known you'd muck around

with my casting, Barbatos.

The one and only!

And you look like absolute shit,

as usual, Zagan.

That's rich, coming from you.

And what's this?

Throwing a party without me?

I was just teaching a lesson to a creep

making a scene in my yard.

You're one to talk.

Where do you get off, man?

Preaching as if our kind isn't cut

from a similar cloth.

We seek power, and other people

are nothing but fuel in pursuit of that.

Am I right?

We're both sorcerers, after all.

Speaking of, nice catch.

This girl's got a decent amount of mana.

She your sacrifice?

Sacrificial sorcery isn't really my style.

Aww, no fun!

You should've let me have her!

Nodding off over here.

Stayed up way too late last night reading.

Bother me some other time.

How dare you?

I came all this way to visit

and you're ditching me because it's naptime?

What is wrong with you?

A jolt of adrenaline to the brain

will have you up and running in no time.

Why, so I can end up looking like

the walking mess you clearly are?

There's something so freeing about

the manipulation of flesh and bone

through sorcery to increase one's lifespan.

You nearly forget that pesky

thousand-year limit.

On that note, got some real

interesting news for you.

Didn't you hear?

The Archdemon Marchosias just passed away.

The Archdemons.

Earning that title bestows one an incredible

amount of mana, not to mention authority

to command lower-ranked sorcerers.

They are the pinnacle of sorcery.

Details are vague,

but from what I understand,

the longest-lived of the thirteen Archdemons

died recently after being around for a millennium.

My goodness, that look on your face

right now is absolutely to die for!

Well, too bad, I'd tell you more,

but think of your precious beauty sleep!

Stop wasting my time!

Out with it already!

Okay, okay!

Wide awake now, aren't we?

They're auctioning off his possessions

over in Kianoides.

Everything from legit goods to the stuff

you and I want.

Which is?

Do I have to spell it out?

Listen, Zagan.

An Archdemon's legacy will be up for grabs!

And I thought you actually had some news for me.

Let me guess, you just wanna mooch

a few coins off me for the auction, right?

Better idea.

I'll just buy the legacy myself.

Come on, don't be like that!

I told you about the sale, you know!

Then mooch off someone else.

Oh, come on, you're the only sorcerer

I know who'd loan me money!

Help me out, and in exchange,

I'll pick up some nice chicks for you, Zagan.

You and your women.

Can't say I'm not interested,

but in the end, it's not worth the hassle.

Trouble in town, huh?

Guards have been working overtime

thanks to the recent abductions.

It's been the talk of the town.

Some dumbass sorcerers've been

snatching up young ladies

for their sacrifices.

Sounds like a quick way to paint a target

on your back.

Making yourself an enemy of the Church.

And for what?

Who's to say?

Maybe they're planning on summoning

something big?

Like an actual demon. Morons.

They're chasing something out of a fairy tale.

Fess up, Zagan.

Word on the street is you're a prime suspect

in those kidnappings.

Don't be stupid.

How practical can sacrificial sorcery be?

Waste of time, if you ask me.

True enough.

And, sorcerer-to-sorcerer,

it's not like you'd have any friends

to bail you out!

Friends aren't that necessary, so who cares.

Check it out.

Looks like some big names have come to play.

Kimaris the Black Blade.

Gremory the Enchantress.

And over there, Valefor the Apparition, too.

Second names.

What sorcerers use as titles to distinguish

themselves from the lot.

So are they strong?

What do you think?

They're candidates to become the new