I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

34

Originally, she was supposed to appear when Dionel requested help from the Celestial God’s temple to comfort Rohan, whose humanity had been depleted and mind ravaged by the Demon Sword. However, that future became non-existent when Arpel took care of Rohan and brought him directly to the temple.

Arpel thought that perhaps the meeting between Rohan and Leriana had been completely derailed. That is, until Leriana appeared before him for a different reason than in the original work.

“…You can just call me Arpel.”

“Wow! Really? Thank you!”

Arpel, having finally gathered his thoughts, belatedly added these words, perhaps feeling that he hadn’t responded to Leriana’s earlier greeting. The child, who had been momentarily downcast, quickly smiled again. It was a smile that seemed to shine like all the sunlight in the world gathered in one place.

The reason Leriana was called “Saint” unlike others who had received blessings was due to her beautiful smile and her kind, lively personality.

Except for someone like himself, wouldn’t most people fall in love with this child upon seeing her? He was thinking this when suddenly…

The pressure on his hand holding Rohan’s intensified. It wasn’t painful, but the sudden change drew his attention. Turning his gaze to Rohan, Arpel realized that Rohan had been staring at him the whole time, though he wasn’t sure since when.

Somehow, the expression he showed was strange. He looked angry, seemed hurt, and his face also overlapped with the one he made when he wanted to be hugged and pampered.

“Hello! You’re Rohan, right? I heard we’re the same age!”

Although she must have known that Rohan wasn’t looking at her, Leriana steadfastly greeted him with a bright voice. Despite this, Rohan didn’t give Leriana even a single glance.

Even though it was a situation where he should have said something, Arpel couldn’t bring himself to scold Rohan. He was captivated by Rohan’s gaze, which was almost blind in its intensity. After staring at Arpel for a long time with eyes that betrayed no thoughts, Rohan finally spoke.

“I don’t like her.”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Arpel doubted if he had heard correctly. He had never once imagined a situation where such words would come out of Rohan’s mouth.

And for good reason – Leriana was the female protagonist. The one who shared love with Rohan in the novel. That’s why Arpel had been feeling an inexplicable emptiness until just now.

Although it wasn’t the same flow as the original work, he thought there would be a special atmosphere between the children. In his imagination, Rohan had long ago reduced the time he spent with Arpel because he had made a friend.

Even Dionel, seemingly not expecting Rohan to act this way, had his mouth wide open. Leriana’s eyes were already brimming with tears.

“Please apologize for your rudeness, Lord Rohan.”

Amidst all this, the female knight who had been silently guarding from behind spoke up. Her cold blue eyes were shining fiercely.

“Why should I? You said she came here to be protected, right? There’s no reason I have to become friends with her. Is it rude to say I don’t like someone I don’t want to be friends with?”

Even faced with those fierce eyes that seemed capable of making any child cry, Rohan answered firmly.

Arpel couldn’t say anything, experiencing a feeling he had never felt before. Somehow, the child seemed sharper than usual. He also looked like a small wild animal wary of an unknown entity.

The hand he was holding tugged. Although it was a very weak force, Arpel willingly let himself be pulled along. As they left the temple entrance where they had greeted Leriana and turned onto a side path, they reached a small garden that, while not extravagant, held its own beauty.

“Rohan?”

There was something odd about the child walking silently. Arpel, who had been matching his pace all along, belatedly called out to Rohan to stop him.

The child’s eyes were full of moisture when he turned around.

“Do you… like her?”

“…You mean Leriana?”

“You’re already… calling her by name…”

Finally, the wavering eyes spilled tears. Arpel froze at the sight. His helpless hands hurriedly traced beneath the child’s eyes.

“Why are you crying? Hm? Did I upset you?”

The child who had been speaking so articulately until just now had disappeared somewhere, and Rohan didn’t answer Arpel’s questions for a long time. This response made Arpel even more anxious. Thoughts of Leriana had long since flown from his mind.

“…Being together, *sob*. I don’t like you being together.”

“……”

“I don’t like you… being together with her.”

“…Why?”

“Because she’s sparkling, pretty, and kind. What if you end up liking her more than me…?”

I only have you, Arpel….

As tears fell drop by drop and his voice trembled, Arpel silently embraced Rohan, taking in every detail with all his senses. Only then did his chest ache at the sound of sobbing that burst forth like a broken dam.

At the same time, he understood why Rohan had shown such a sharp attitude towards Leriana. Arpel was the only one Rohan depended on. Whether adult or child, it’s natural to have various kinds of possessiveness towards such a person. Rohan probably saw Arpel as both family and a parent figure, so he might have thought he could lose Arpel to Leriana.

“That won’t happen, Rohan.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. Because there’s no way I could like anyone other than you.”

Rather than giving a long-winded explanation to comfort the child, he chose to calmly state the truth. He slowly patted Rohan’s back to help his anxiety gradually subside.

The conversation didn’t continue, but Arpel knew that Rohan had accepted his words. It was about ten minutes later when Rohan raised his head with reddened eyes.

***

Even after that, Leriana didn’t give up on approaching Rohan. Although Rohan looked quite fed up, he didn’t ignore or glare at her saying he disliked her like he had yesterday.

“…I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“It’s okay!”

In the end, Rohan apologized to Leriana. He did so even though no one had urged him to apologize. It was thanks to the sincerity in Arpel’s words that had moved the child’s heart. However, that doesn’t mean yesterday’s incident was completely forgotten.

The child occasionally turned his head abruptly to check on Arpel. He seemed to be keenly observing whether Arpel was looking at Leriana. He appeared to be trying not to show it, but of course, every single action was clearly visible to Arpel’s eyes.

He just pretended not to notice. Meanwhile, the child’s attitude of constantly being mindful of him was cute. Each time, Arpel responded by quietly meeting Rohan’s gaze.

During this time, Arpel received a brief introduction from Dionel about the female knight who had come with Leriana. The knight’s name was Casia.

“I was very rude yesterday.”

She offered a brief apology to Rohan. In reality, conflicts between children are not entirely avoidable. Her apology was for intervening and speaking of rudeness in their quarrel.

“I scolded her. Right, Sia?”

“Yes, Lady Leriana.”

Unlike Rohan’s, Casia’s apology seemed to be the result of external intervention, but it didn’t really matter. Since Rohan seemed fine, Arpel decided not to make a big deal out of it.

***

After that, Leriana and Rohan got along well. Rohan still seemed to have some reservations about Leriana, but whether aware of this fact or not, Leriana treated Rohan, her only age-mate, familiarly and chattered about various things.

Despite having a rather annoyed expression, Rohan listened to Leriana’s words until the end. The only time he would ignore her and leave regardless of whether she had finished speaking was when Arpel approached.

“Did you study well?”

“Yes~”

The child who had plunged into his arms smiled docilely. The blush on both cheeks was lovely. When Arpel buried his lips in the soft cheek, he heard a laughing voice as if ticklish.

With each passing day, he felt more intoxicated by this peacefulness. It was similar to when they traveled alone together, but back then, he had approached the child with anxiety about possibly parting ways.

But not now. There were still countless grueling trials waiting for them, and major enemies like the Emperor and the Salvation Church remained standing. Although he hadn’t been able to create a world where Rohan could fully enjoy happiness without worry, lately he felt like he might become completely immersed in the sweetness each day brought.

The fact that he could spend his entire life with this child. That was the only thing that had changed, yet it made all the difference.

“Arpel, won’t you do that for me too?”

And Leriana, who had been silently watching this scene from below, reached out her hand. Her pink eyes sparkled with interest.

“No.”

“Tch.”

This was a repertoire that had been repeated many times. When Leriana reached out her hand, Rohan would glare at her with a face as cold as a winter wind. The child who had been flatly rejected would pout and complain.

Of course, Arpel had no intention of granting Leriana’s request. He was just a little, slightly concerned. The reason Leriana bothered him a bit more than others was probably because she was the one who had shared a passionate love with Rohan in the novel.

At the same time, he couldn’t deny the indescribable satisfaction that welled up. His heart fluttered as if he was being proven over and over again that he was the person Rohan prioritized above all others. He also felt a ticklish sensation, as if feathers were chaotically moving around inside him.

It might have been a petty emotion to have towards a small child, but Arpel turned a blind eye to that fact.

“Sia! I only need Sia!”

Leriana, who had been looking at the two of them forlornly, always belatedly sought out Casia. Despite the armor she wore probably being hard, Leriana rushed into Casia’s arms and finally achieved her wish.

“See? I have someone to hug me too!”

Rohan made no response.

Each day was a repetition of this situation. Rohan spent most of his day immersed in studying magic, and Leriana, inspired by Rohan, received lessons from Casia.