I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

44

Dionel easily permitted Rohan to skip the service. He added that since it was left to Rohan’s free will from the beginning, he could skip anytime, just needing to inform them in advance.

‘Quite a lot of people come looking for Rohan… Fortunately, he draws the line well.’

Dionel looked quite troubled as he said this. It was natural for Arpel to frown upon hearing those words.

“Should I quit after all?”

Rohan circled around like a puppy. Seeing him like that, Arpel’s expression quickly softened.

“We’ll do it together later.”

“…I’d rather not do it at all.”

Something that had been done consistently for years became nonexistent overnight. Facing the questioning eyes, Rohan pouted and turned his head.

“I don’t like other people looking at Arpel…”

After blinking silently for a moment, Arpel eventually wore a faint smile. He was happy that Rohan still seemed to rely on him, and he didn’t dislike the possessiveness Rohan showed.

He had thought about whether this mindset of his was somewhat twisted. But it stopped at just a thought. Arpel had no intention of changing in the first place. He reached out and caressed Rohan’s cheek.

“Alright. Let’s stop then.”

He was also quite proud that Rohan was drawing the line well.

The two immediately went outside the temple. It had been quite a while since they left the place they had been staying all this time, as they hadn’t had any particular reason to go out.

“This way!”

There was someone waving at the two walking side by side. Since it was obvious that the person was sent by Lexia, they went to where the man was without any objection.

“It’s been a while. Is this… the child who was young back then…?”

“…Yes, but who are you?”

It didn’t seem like someone who could greet them with “It’s been a while.” He wasn’t a particularly memorable face. Rohan, who had subtly frowned, stood diagonally in front of Arpel and looked at the man.

Arpel was busy looking anew at Rohan’s figure. The back of the once small child had become more robust than he thought.

Perhaps flustered by the gaze that was almost a glare, the man scratched his head.

“Haha. You don’t remember me… I’m Dein, who briefly met you when Arpel took the mercenary rank test and when he completed the request from the guild master. It’s the first time I’m introducing myself by name.”

A vague figure appeared in his hazy memories. Since he hadn’t paid much attention, the face in his memory was cut off.

The young Rohan couldn’t have remembered the man’s face. Since Arpel’s face showed no interest at all, Dein ended up looking a bit gloomy.

“I’ll guide you to where Lexia is…”

His steps dragged as he walked.

The place he guided them to was about a 30-minute carriage ride away. It seemed close enough that it wouldn’t be bad to walk back without taking a carriage.

As for Rohan… couldn’t he just carry him? Even if hugging him like when he was young might be too much, a princess carry should be possible if done right.

With such thoughts that would have horrified Rohan if he knew, Arpel entered a small tea house boasting a serene atmosphere.

As noon approached, sunlight slanted through the gaps in the windows. The atmosphere inside the shop wasn’t bad. He thought it wouldn’t be bad to come here alone with Rohan next time.

“Well then, I hope you have a pleasant time.”

Dein, who had guided them, retreated as soon as he confirmed that the two had entered. Almost immediately, as if replacing him, a voice was heard from inside.

“It’s been a really long time, hasn’t it? Come, sit down, Arpel.”

Lexia smiled brightly and waved, patting the seat next to him. Then his gaze quickly narrowed.

“The person next to you is…”

Soon, Lexia’s expression changed several times. Although seven more years had passed, making his face look more mature than when they last met, his behavior seemed no different from before.

“Could it be that little kid… like this?”

“Yes.”

“What on earth did he eat to grow like that? He was a bit annoying, but at least he was cute back then?”

“I have no intention of being cute to you, so keep those eyes to yourself.”

Rohan’s voice, sounding quite irritated, followed. Lexia shut his mouth like a mute. At the same time, he turned his gaze to Arpel. His eyes were asking for an explanation of what was going on.

But Arpel had no reason to pay attention to him. Lexia lost his words for a moment, seeing the gaze directed entirely at Rohan. He laughed helplessly at the attitude that remained the same despite the years that had passed.

“I really didn’t expect you to bring him along… Wasn’t it supposed to be a secret?”

“Secret?”

Rohan’s face, as he asked back, looked beyond annoyed to displeased. Unable to withstand the sharp gaze, Lexia finally raised both hands and feet as if surrendering, directly denying what he had just said.

“Right, it wasn’t a secret. There’s someone I want to introduce this time, but it might take a while for them to arrive, so shall we chat in the meantime?”

Rohan, looking disgruntled, sat opposite Lexia with Arpel and listened to his story. Hidden branches of the Salvation Church, various experimental and research data obtained from there, and the strange seal stamped on some of them.

For Rohan, who was young at the time and had been bedridden with fever, unable to hear the story, it was as good as hearing it for the first time.

Rohan asked with his brow subtly furrowed.

“Are you saying it took seven years to investigate that seal?”

“Ah, not quite. It took a while, but it was finished about two years ago. There was no point in knowing quickly, so I just didn’t mention it.”

“Even five years seems long.”

“Do you know how difficult it was? They divided the original into 16 parts and rearranged them. I wonder what madman created it.”

As if upset by Rohan’s frank statement, Lexia muttered in an aggrieved tone. Soon after, he returned to his usual smiling expression. Arpel was just quietly listening to their conversation.

Soon, Lexia’s gaze turned sharply towards Arpel.

“If your curiosity is satisfied, can I ask questions now?”

Of course, no one answered that question, but Lexia continued nonchalantly.

“I had a lot of questions for Arpel. It seemed like he had never held a sword, yet his skills were immeasurable. There’s no one else like that. So we did our own investigation.”

He casually pushed forward a piece of paper. It was the document Arpel had submitted when he first registered with the mercenary guild seven years ago.

“Birth, residence… not a single thing matches. No one knows you either. The first person to meet you was this woman who guided you to the doctor in the neighboring village closest to the residence you had written down.”

“……”

“I’d believe it if you said you fell from the sky.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Lexia, who had been asking playfully, met a sharp gaze. As if to prove they had been living together, Rohan, who had quickly dropped the formal speech that was only for form’s sake, spoke.

“Such a person protects a child and takes him to the temple, and it turns out that child is blessed by a demon god unknown to anyone… Moreover, nothing has changed even after seven years. Is this really a coincidence?”

That was the limit. Just as the expression was gradually disappearing from Rohan’s face, the teacup that the waiter had brought earlier shattered in his hand.

In the blink of an eye, Rohan held a sharp piece to Lexia’s neck. Lexia, who glanced at the object threatening his neck, awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Aren’t you going to stop him?”

“…Rohan. That’s enough.”

Although he spoke after a pause, there was not a hint of warmth on Arpel’s face as he faced Lexia. Inwardly tense in front of the doll-like face he still wasn’t used to, Lexia silently sighed as Rohan withdrew his hand at Arpel’s single word. He had tried to test them, but he didn’t expect to be threatened so quickly.

But he couldn’t counterattack either. He had an intuition that if he inflicted even a small wound on Rohan, this man who had single-handedly taken down a branch of the Salvation Church would try to kill him, so he couldn’t move.

“What if you break the teacup? You might hurt your hand.”

“I’m not hurt…”

“Still. What if a glass shard gets stuck?”

“I reinforced my body with magic, so it’s fine…”

“Give me your hand. Let me see if there are any injuries.”

“…Alright.”

As usual, the focus of the conversation was Rohan. Listening to the conversation between the two that didn’t consider his well-being at all, Lexia felt the emptiness welling up in his chest. He suddenly started feeling very lonely.

Arpel took Rohan’s hand and examined it carefully. Entrusting his hand to Arpel, Rohan blushed as if shy. It was impossible to imagine that this was the same person who had just threatened someone by breaking a teacup.

“Should I buy you a dagger?”

“It’s okay, I have Arpel.”

Lexia decided to let the following conversations go in one ear and out the other. It was a very unhealthy conversation for his mind and body.

After this atmosphere continued for a while, Arpel belatedly turned his gaze to Lexia. He seemed to have forgotten for a moment that Lexia was still there.

“Whatever my identity is, don’t dig any deeper.”

And what he uttered was a warning. In the end, although he pouted in dissatisfaction, Lexia had no choice but to agree to those words.

If he dug any deeper, it seemed they would storm out of this place, and if this matter went wrong, he would not only be pressured by his business partner but also his future plans would likely go awry.

“Then just confirm this one thing for me. Arpel is related to the temple, right? And he’s also someone they trust?”

“I’m not unrelated to the temple… but I’m only by Rohan’s side because I like him. If Rohan leaves that place, I have no reason to stay either.”

He didn’t bother to correct the fact that he was a sword, not a person.

Of course, Lexia, who had no way of knowing this fact, seemed satisfied and raised both hands. Then suddenly his gaze turned to the person next to him.

“…Oh?”

The face that had only been shyly blushing was now deeper in color than expected. The finely trembling eyelashes above the downcast eyes created shadows.

Rather than an embarrassed face… As Lexia carefully examined his expression, the corner of his mouth twitched for a moment. A thought of ‘Could it be?’ flashed through his mind.

“Haha, this is interesting. I have no prejudice against that sort of thing!”

A murderous gaze met his laughing words. The golden eyes conveying an implicit intention to kill if he spoke were ready to pierce Lexia at any moment. With his smiling face unchanged, Lexia closed his mouth.

“What prejudice?”

“Ah, I misspoke. Please forget it.”

Arpel asked with a strange expression, but there was nothing to answer. As he wisely chose to change the subject, Arpel’s gaze soon fell away as if uninterested.

“Time really flies…”

He lamented briefly, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention. Even though it was seven years ago, the image of Rohan sniffling wrapped in a blanket remained in a corner of his mind.

Apart from the hair color, eye color, and that personality clinging to Arpel, isn’t this man who just gave such a murderous look too different from common sense?

Even his attitude towards Arpel had changed. Unlike before, when it could have been interpreted as a child’s severe possessiveness towards their guardian if done well, now it had become immeasurably more intense. It seemed like he might have more serious emotions than expected.

Whatever it was, one shouldn’t interfere between the two. That was an unwritten rule that remained unchanged.

“When is that person you wanted to introduce coming?”

“If we wait a little longer… Ah. I think they’re coming now?”

Since they had rented the entire second floor of the tea house for their conversation, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was even more distinct. As soon as Lexia finished speaking, the door swung open.

It was someone with their face tightly wrapped in a robe. Judging by the build and height, it was clearly a woman.

“Ah, now I can breathe.”

Along with a voice grumbling that the robe was too stuffy, a hand with fine skin pushed back the hood. It was a woman with quite a striking appearance, her red hair that resembled burning flames tied up high.