As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

—After all, nobody knows what this kid is planning to do.

Bifron raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"It's not like I touched her and it will make her sick."

"No, you'll get sick."

Sagan's extremely serious answer left Bivron speechless.

But he wasn't too bothered and continued:

"Then I'll get straight to the point. Your spirit may look like a spirit, but it's not actually a spirit."

"What's the meaning?"

Sagan narrowed his eyes, and Bivron then said:

"—Noble Elves—that's what they're usually called."

Upon hearing the name, Sagan's eyes widened immediately.

"You mean... a noble elf?"

Sagan had never heard of that name.

This sounds like a race or something similar to an advanced elf, but Sagan has never seen anything like it in the magic books and documents he has read.

"That's right. Elves are a race that inherited the bloodline of the ancient gods, and those elves who are closest to the purebred are called noble elves."

Sagan knew that elves were beings close to gods and spirits, but he did not know that they had actually inherited the bloodline of the gods.

Bivron seemed pleased with Sagan's reaction and continued:

"However, maintaining the bloodline is not an easy task. The number of noble elves has been decreasing, and they have now become completely extinct. Today, only ordinary elves with more magic power remain in the world. Eventually, even flawed individuals like half-elves have appeared."

But Nefertari is right here.

That is to say-

"Is it possible that a so-called atavism could occur?"

After Sagan finished muttering, Bivron nodded in satisfaction.

"Hehehe, you really get it right away."

Neferpitou's ears trembled with confusion at that moment, and Sagan did not miss her expression.

"Nefi, please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

"But……"

Nefi's gaze toward Bifron was hesitant, causing the diminutive "Demon King" to nod with his hand on his chest.

"Hehehe, do you think you shouldn't interrupt your master's conversation with the other masters? But it doesn't matter, this topic is related to your background after all. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask."

Neferpitou's ears twitched hesitantly as he cautiously spoke:

"So, please allow me to ask a question. What exactly is atavism?"

"Oh, I almost forgot, this is indeed a very unfamiliar term to most people."

Bivron, feigning familiarity, attempted to approach Nefertari, but Sagan stopped him and said:

"The so-called atavism, in other words, is the inheritance of traits that skip a generation."

"Intergenerational inheritance...?"

"That's right. A very small number of magicians are born into ordinary families but possess extremely powerful magic. This phenomenon is possible as long as there are magicians among their ancestors. As for Nefi's case, it's probably because a small amount of noble elf blood mixed in with ordinary elf blood has been revived in you."

After Sagan finished answering, Bivron shook his finger.

"This is the standard answer, but it's not quite a perfect score."

Bifron smiled sinisterly and continued:

"Atavism refers not only to passing on abilities such as magic to one's offspring, but also sometimes to inheriting a certain 'curse' from one's ancestors, which then manifests in distant descendants."

Illustration p185

Upon hearing this, Neferpitou's almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise.

—Child of the Curse—

That's how the villagers in the elven village called her, in a contemptuous way.

Nefi's reaction made Bivron nod in satisfaction.

"Hehehe, it seems you recall this matter. I imagine to most elves, your white hair and magic would seem like some kind of curse. After all, that power is indeed too much for inferior species."

Perhaps the elven village once gave birth to a child with power similar to Nefi's.

Children with unknown powers.

They may be awe-inspiring beings, but the fear felt by other elves may also contain a touch of envy for lost powers.

As a result, the elves called the white-haired children "the cursed children" and persecuted them.

The evidence lies in the fact that after the human attack, they ultimately turned to the Cursed Children for help. Elves, being a naturally proud and arrogant race, would never normally do anything that would damage their self-esteem.

Thinking about it this way, Nephtros can be considered a typical elf.

Neferi didn't know how to bear this fact; her face was pale and she was trembling.

Bifron chuckled a few times and bowed in front of Nefi.

"But you need not lament, for you are a noble descendant of the noble elves. In fact, I think you should learn more from your master's arrogance."

"You don't need to say anything more."

Hearing that he seemed to be trying to instill something in Nefaire, Sagan then stepped between Nefaire and Bivron.

"Let's put that aside for now. Let's assume Neferi really is a case of atavism, but what evidence do you have that she's a noble elf? Shouldn't that race have gone extinct long ago?"

Nephi's appearance was no different from that of ordinary elves. Since Bifron had concluded she was from a race he had never seen before, what basis did he have for believing this?

Bivron grinned, as if he had been waiting for this question for a long time.

"Of course there is evidence. Putting aside the divine language for a moment, the first thing is her most distinctive feature—her white hair. It is said that every noble elf has pure white hair and eyes as blue as lake water."

That does indeed match Neferpitou's appearance.

"And most importantly, she possesses the power of prayer to control nature with a wish, even healing the grievous wounds of the dead. However, that seems to be called magic."

Nefair had used his abilities in front of Sagan more than once before, so Bifron, who was monitoring Sagan and the others, certainly couldn't have been unaware of it.

But Sagan scoffed.

"That legend sounds really exaggerated. Nephew can indeed heal wounds inflicted by the Holy Sword, but how could he possibly revive the dead?"

When Sagan raised his question, Bivron's eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? You didn't know that?"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"Waaah... No, no, no, I wasn't wrong. Your spirit really can even bring the dead back to life. But actually, 'death' has different stages. If it's just a skeleton, even if you wake it up, it can only be like these undead. But she has a way to completely revive humans whose bodies have already 'died'."

"This...could it be...?"

Neferpitou's eyes widened immediately.

Do you remember?

"...Yes. When I was attacked in Chirnold, many people on the street were also affected. I originally thought it was your magic, Mr. Sagan, that saved them."

Sagan did indeed lay down a protective barrier for Kionnoind.

Neferi assumed it was the effect of the barrier and therefore did not report it to him.

"What's going on? A person who has died can become immortal, but they cannot be brought back to life—at least magic can't do that. Since it's been done, doesn't that prove she's a noble elf?"

At this point, Sagan had no further rebuttal.

Bifron nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"I've been a magician for over three hundred years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a noble elf in such perfect condition. It's such a pity I didn't manage to get my hands on her back then."

This statement made Sagan suspect something was amiss.

He then glanced at Neferpitou.

The shocking truth made her pale, and one could even worry that she might faint if any more tragic topics were brought up.

Although hesitant about whether to ask, Sagan finally spoke to Bivron:

"...So, you're the one who instigated the humans to attack the elven village?"

Neferpitou's eyes widened in disbelief.

As for Bivron, he nodded nonchalantly.

"Well, so what? I spent a lot of effort to get information about the noble elves, but Magasiia snatched it away. Plus, that old man died not long after, leaving me completely unable to track his whereabouts. And then you stole him away."

"So that's how it is..."

Nefi muttered to himself as if he were talking about someone else.

—Huh? She doesn't seem to be holding a grudge as much as I thought…

No, it wasn't that she didn't care; rather, she accepted it all with equanimity.

Sagan took Nefi's hand for the time being.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

Nefi nodded firmly, surprisingly.

"My village may be threatened because of me. I must face this seriously, but I don't need to live in its shadow."

"I see. Neferi, you're much stronger than before."

When Sagan praised her, Neferpitou inexplicably puffed out his cheeks and looked up at Sagan.

"Didn't you teach me all of this, Mr. Sagan?"

After Neferi finished speaking, a reassuring smile spread across his face.