I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

37

Arpel suddenly grasped Rohan’s hand that came into view. He opened the palm and traced the embedded calluses, as if trying to deeply imprint in his eyes the difference between Rohan’s current appearance and his delicate childhood look.

“It tickles…”

“Ah.”

Arpel only stopped when he heard Rohan’s voice. By then, Rohan’s face had already turned subtly red. Seeing his pouting lips, a thought of wanting to press them firmly flashed through Arpel’s mind, but he deliberately ignored it.

The soft, fluffy hands of a young child had now grown longer, and developed many calluses from countless sword swings. Dionel’s voice saying Rohan hadn’t had a proper rest day echoed momentarily in his ears.

Somehow, his chest felt tight. He also felt a sense of frustration.

“Arpel?”

“Rohan. Shall we… go somewhere for fun?”

It was before Rohan, puzzled by that gaze, could ask why. The question was half impulsive, but filled with sincerity.

Rohan was silent for a moment. Arpel, belatedly checking the child’s face and wondering if he had misspoken, froze in place. Rohan’s face was flushed, his eyes wide and sparkling, full of expectation.

“I want to go, I’ll definitely go. You won’t take it back, right?”

“…Yes, I promise.”

I should have said it earlier.

He felt somewhat resentful of his own insensitivity. Yet, this feeling of his heart swelling must be gratitude towards Rohan, who continued to like him despite being this way. He smoothed Rohan’s disheveled brown hair and kissed his forehead.

This is why I can’t let you go. Watching Rohan stiffen momentarily and then bow his head, seemingly embarrassed, Arpel smiled softly.

***

While the temple wasn’t enormously large, it did have its own private grounds. The place they were heading to now was one of these private areas.

“…Why are you coming along?”

“You said it’s a picnic. I want to go too!”

And so, what was planned as an outing for just the two of them ended up with a significantly increased number of people. This was entirely Dionel’s fault.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to go with… friends of the same age?’

As they spent more time studying and training together, Rohan and Leriana had grown quite close. Dionel must have been aware of this when he made the suggestion, but when Rohan heard this, his face crumpled miserably.

Why should he have to see faces he’s already tired of seeing at the temple during an outing?

By that logic, he saw Arpel every day too, but Rohan didn’t consider such contradictions. To him, Arpel was different from the start.

Only then realizing that what Rohan wanted most was an outing “alone with Arpel,” Dionel looked quite troubled. His voice trembled slightly as he hesitantly explained that he had already told Leriana about this and received her reply that she wanted to join.

In the end, the conversation concluded with Rohan compromising, but as Dionel had worried, they didn’t stop arguing the entire way to the private grounds.

“I’m going to be with Arpel alone, so don’t follow us.”

“No! I’m going to be with Arpel too. Why do you get to decide that on your own?”

Their bickering voices echoed through the forest.

After Rohan had been sensitive towards Leriana due to the holy power issue, surprisingly, Leriana treated Rohan as if nothing had happened. Rohan also interacted with her as usual, albeit awkwardly, but later it was revealed that he had asked Leriana if she wasn’t angry.

‘It’s okay! You had your reasons, right?’

After hearing that response, Rohan seemed to open his heart to Leriana and became more amenable. He started engaging in light conversations and initiating playful interactions more often, as one would with a close friend.

He still remained sensitive when it came to Arpel, but Leriana seemed to understand after Rohan explained, if not the exact reason, at least that holy power wasn’t good for Arpel.

However, as close as they had become, there was never a quiet moment when they were together.

The private grounds turned out to be a large forest behind the temple. While the distance between the temple and the forest was relatively short, the forest itself was vast. By the time they entered deep into the forest, the temple buildings that had been visible above the entrance were no longer in sight.

With only the dense trees, the scent of grass, and the sound of rustling foliage remaining, it felt as if they had come to a completely different place. It was perfect for changing the atmosphere.

Dionel’s words came to mind – that the wide lake in the middle of the forest was open and refreshing, quite beautiful and perfect for an outing. As he had said, the lake was pretty and expansive.

Some might marvel at the sparkling sunlight on the lake’s surface, but for Arpel, the only impression was that it was ‘large.’ This was because Arpel’s gaze was fixed on Rohan, not the lake. He had been observing Rohan’s mood since they set out on the outing. Fortunately, the lake seemed to be to his liking…

“Eik!”

“……”

Or so it seemed.

Just as Rohan’s expression was about to soften at the sight of the vast blue lake stretched out before him, he was suddenly splashed with water. Leriana, who was nearby, had scooped up water from the lake with her hands and splashed it on Rohan.

“…Haha. Surprised?”

“……”

An awkward laugh scattered. But there was no response.

Sensing something amiss in his silent demeanor, she hesitantly backed away before turning to flee. Rohan chased after her at a frightening speed.

Still, it’s good that he seems to be in a good mood. Arpel, standing behind and watching the scene, thought to himself. He sensed someone approaching him. It was Casia, who had accompanied Leriana on the outing.

“I have something I’d like to tell you.”

Only then did his gaze, which had been fixed on Rohan all along, turn to the side.

Arpel had hardly ever spoken with Casia. Not only was Arpel uninterested in anyone except Rohan, but Casia herself wasn’t the type to engage in friendly conversation with others.

Leriana often described this as ‘shyness,’ but well… No one could deny the fact that Casia was silent regardless of who she was with.

Given their natures, it was unlikely for the two to converse. Especially without Rohan and Leriana, who were their connecting points.

There was no particular response, but this was also a silent permission. Casting a glance at the two running around noisily, Casia began speaking in a calm voice.

“I first saw Lady Leriana right after she arrived at the temple. Being an orphan, her clothes were tattered and dirty, but her shabby appearance couldn’t hide the light in her eyes. She was an incredibly kind person who loved helping others.”

What she laid out was Leriana’s past. The contours of her past, described in the novel but not particularly remembered, suddenly took shape.

When Leriana was very young, her parents abandoned her in a slum and ran away. Afterwards, as an orphan who didn’t even know her parents’ faces, she struggled through each day in a place where it was hard for a child to survive alone.

Nevertheless, she didn’t lose her kindness. A difficult childhood, the shared experience of being an orphan who lost their parents – these were the reasons why Rohan gave his heart to Leriana in the original work, and her unwavering kindness gradually captivated Rohan.

The Rohan in the story was truly in a position where he couldn’t help but love Leriana.

Even knowing the past, it wasn’t easy to understand why this story was brought up so suddenly. The gaze that stared blankly, as if asking for the reason, subtly urged her on.

“Do you know why Lady Leriana came to the Demon God’s temple?”

“I understand it was out of concern that a spy within the temple, whom the Celestial God’s side couldn’t root out, might cause harm.”

“That was the main reason, but there’s one more reason we didn’t mention. She likes helping others and has a kind nature, but that’s all there is to it. She hasn’t found any goal to achieve, nor any beliefs or reasons.”

It was a scathing criticism never heard before. Casia, who cherished Leriana, had never said anything negative about her.

It would have been a surprising statement to most who knew Casia, but Arpel showed no reaction. He simply gazed calmly into her blue eyes. Perhaps taking comfort in his unchanging demeanor, her expression softened slightly.

“I’m not saying that’s bad. But having been born with a blessing, she will eventually have to navigate the battlefields against specters. Someone who can’t find a single reason to fight will gradually wear down and eventually break.”

“……”

“I’m afraid that Lady Leriana might become like that. That’s why we came here, hoping she might change by meeting peers. It was a good choice, as she wouldn’t have even welcomed the training we’ve done so far if Lord Rohan wasn’t by her side. In that sense… Lord Arpel. I wanted to express my gratitude to you.”

“To me?”

Not to Rohan?

The latter part wasn’t spoken, but the intention was conveyed. A pointed gaze was directed at her, but only a firm nod returned, as if to say it wasn’t a mistake.

“I know that you don’t like the two of them being together.”

Arpel’s eyebrow twitched. It was the first meaningful change in expression.

…Unfortunately, her words were correct. Arpel didn’t particularly like Rohan being with Leriana. On days when they were close together, he even felt an unwarranted sense of crisis.

Though the original novel had now become largely irrelevant due to how much the plot had diverged, nevertheless, in that novel, the two were passionate lovers. Even while knowing that their current relationship was completely different, Arpel often found himself gripped by the feeling that Rohan might drift away.

It wasn’t good. To be honest, it was unpleasant.

“Lord Rohan blindly follows you. Without your permission, Lady Leriana wouldn’t have been by his side.”

“……”

“That’s why I’m expressing my gratitude. I’ve wanted to convey these words for a while now.”

Sunken eyes focused precisely on Casia. It was the first time his inner thoughts had been read.

Describing her as merely quiet and blunt was insufficient. She was calm and skilled at perceiving others’ psychological changes. She was perfectly suited to assist someone blessed by the gods from close quarters.

It was exactly as she said. Arpel could have separated Leriana from Rohan’s side, but he didn’t.

“…Arpel. What are you two doing?”

Only when the sound of small running footsteps was heard did Arpel snap out of his unnecessary contemplation. Rohan was right in front of him, eyes narrowed, wondering what he was thinking.

“We were talking.”

“About what?”

“Just… this and that?”

“What’s ‘this and that’?”

…It had been a while since he’d experienced such a barrage of questions. The interrogative demeanor even looked somewhat anxious.

“I was just expressing my gratitude.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Even though Casia standing beside them had answered for him, Rohan’s double-checking was simply adorable. He had completely forgotten even the fact that he had been flustered by the continuous questioning.

Rohan, who could no longer be called a young child and was on the verge of boyhood, still looked pretty and cute in Arpel’s eyes.

“Where’s Leriana?”

“Is Leriana more important to you than me…?”

The question was based on the memory of Rohan chasing after Leriana just moments ago. Arpel was momentarily at a loss for words at the unexpected response.

Though his tone was sulky, Rohan didn’t forget to crumple his now considerably grown body to snuggle into Arpel’s embrace. Only then did Arpel’s previously still hand gently brush through Rohan’s hair, which still had some moisture in it.

“There was an injured animal, so she’s treating it.”

The returned answer was unexpected.

Casia had already left to find Leriana, and Arpel followed her with Rohan. He held Rohan’s hand firmly, which Rohan had extended as if it were the most natural thing in the world.