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Two more attacks followed before they reached the temple. By then, Rohan had to admit it. This was close to the final struggle of those guys.
As time passed, their skills became worse, but they acted more desperately in return. Their intentions were always transparent, as usual. Those who aimed for Arpel until the very end met a miserable death at Rohan’s hands.
Although he didn’t know for what purpose they were desperately trying to take Arpel, it was clear that they were trying to use ‘Arpel’ as a breakthrough in their crisis. Rohan’s face crumpled mercilessly as he recalled this fact again. Clear displeasure swirled in his sunken golden eyes.
Arpel’s soothing touch, seemingly concerned about this reaction, was welcome, and soon the tense expression relaxed.
“Let’s go, Rohan.”
When the carriage finally stopped in front of the temple, Arpel stood up before Rohan and reached out his hand to him.
It was a white hand no different from when they first left the temple. After staring at it blankly for a moment, Rohan grasped that hand as if entranced. Ridiculously, at this moment, he strongly felt that they had returned to the temple. It was a novel feeling.
Even after getting out of the carriage, their hands didn’t separate. As if they had made an unspoken promise, their clasped hands held each other tightly.
“…It hasn’t changed at all.”
The view of the temple, unchanged to the last detail from the past, soon came into sight. For that moment, all the worries lingering in a corner of his mind were completely swept away.
This place touched by divine power would never change no matter how much time passed. Rohan felt comfort in this fact. Both Arpel, being a demon sword, and himself, fixed at the appearance of 20 years old due to the contract with Arpel, were in a similar situation.
Perhaps that’s why. He thought the inside would be as quiet as when they left. This was why he was surprised by the bustling noise that spread after just a few steps.
“Gasp…!”
“Is that Lord Rohan? Isn’t it?”
“My goodness, it’s like his face is glowing…”
“…Oh Lord.”
Arpel also hesitated at the sudden situation. Various voices reached their ears.
Someone let out an exclamation unable to contain their emotion, someone grabbed a nearby person asking if their eyes were correct, someone was captivated by the dazzling appearance. Yet another person even called out to God as if praying, clasping their hands together.
It was truly a scene of madness. The crowd filling the entrance of the temple, and the energy they were emitting. Rohan quickly moved his body, taking a step back. He was confused by the sudden situation.
On the other hand, Arpel watched them with a gaze close to observation. Even as he slightly retreated following Rohan, his calm eyes continuously scrutinized them.
‘It has changed.’
Arpel commented lightly.
In the past, when they left the temple, although the clergy loved Rohan, they never showed such an intense reaction. Rather, Rohan at that time was closer to being ‘someone to protect’ for them.
But not now. After leaving the temple, Rohan had destroyed many branches of the Salvation Church and successfully resolved incidents that could have turned into tragedies. He even directly defeated three executives.
For the clergy who believed in and followed God, these actions couldn’t help but seem noble. In other words, Rohan was now being treated as a hero by the clergy.
This atmosphere wasn’t bad. Although he didn’t like the countless gazes directed at Rohan, Rohan’s bewildered reaction was quite cute. His eyes kept turning towards him.
“Lord Rohan! I’ve wanted to see you again so much! Do you, do you remember me?”
At that moment, a man who had squeezed through the dense crowd raised his hand and asked. He had sparkling eyes that didn’t match his large build.
Rohan’s gaze also turned to him at the loud voice. Perhaps due to the sudden question, he was reflexively alternating between examining the man’s face and body.
“…Hmm.”
A small sigh escaped. Soon, Rohan tilted his head. That answer was enough. The unnamed man wilted on the spot as if a plant was withering. However, his bear-like large body didn’t actually shrink.
“Have you met him before?”
“Well, I don’t really…”
Rohan shook his head at Arpel’s casually thrown question. He still didn’t seem to know. At this, the corners of Arpel’s mouth rose slightly.
Unlike Rohan, he remembered the man in front of him. A clergyman they met at the temple in Bemos Village. He was also someone who had grated on Arpel’s patience with excessive interest and fondness for Rohan, as if he admired him.
You don’t remember, huh. Amusingly, this made him feel elated.
Rohan also tended not to remember well the faces or names of people he wasn’t interested in, like himself. In short, the fact that he couldn’t remember that man meant that he had no interest in that clergyman at the time. Unconsciously, a hum escaped him.
“…Arpel?”
Rohan blankly repeated his name at Arpel’s suddenly improved mood. His blinking eyes were full of puzzlement.
“It’s nothing.”
A fresh answer flowed out. Arpel had no intention whatsoever of explaining who the man was, so his gaze left the clergyman in front of him without any lingering attachment. The same was true for Rohan, who had all his attention drawn to Arpel’s sudden reaction.
In the end, Halion, the clergyman they met in Bemos Village, could only leave the place with great disappointment.
“Excuse me. Let me pass through for a moment.”
Rohan, who had been staring only at Arpel for a while, raised his voice loudly. It was to pass through the people lined up in front of the temple.
It was the result of a simple thought sequence: I want to know why Arpel’s mood improved, I want to ask more, but there are too many people here, so we need to quickly leave this place… This finally made Rohan, who had been at a loss in the unfamiliar situation, move.
Fortunately, although the clergy murmured, they listened well to Rohan’s words, and so the two smoothly made their way through the crowd.
“Lord Rohan!”
If it hadn’t been for someone’s sudden shout, it would have continued like that.
“Could you perhaps show us your sword just once!”
In fact, this wasn’t a particularly strange request. The demon sword and holy sword symbolize those blessed by God. It was natural for people who were captivated by Rohan’s heroic tales to want to see ‘Rohan holding his demon sword’.
However, the problem was that Rohan cherished his sword, Arpel, more than anything else… and he was in a quite sensitive state due to the recent attacks from the Salvation Church. His face, which had been wearing an embarrassed smile, suddenly hardened coldly.
“Gasp…!”
A female clergyman who saw this face up close involuntarily inhaled. A chilling countenance as if a frosty wind was sweeping through, a fierce energy settling in the golden eyes that had been gentle.
The emotion that would soon turn into killing intent if anyone provoked him even slightly sharply poked at those around. As the murmuring people all closed their mouths, a quiet silence enveloped the surroundings.
Hiccup. Someone’s pitiful hiccup was heard. It was that clergyman who had asked if he could show the sword.
“Rohan.”
A stream of voice leaked out, cutting through the silence that had settled all around. It was Arpel, who had been watching Rohan’s sudden change up close.
At the light touch and low voice, Rohan’s eyes gradually softened. The hand that fidgeted with his hand and lightly stroked his cheek was unrestrained. One clergyman opposite them let out a “Hic!” sound upon witnessing this, but anyway.
“Lord Rohan!”
Rohan fully came to his senses when Owen, who suddenly appeared, urgently grabbed him. Only then did his eyes, regaining their original light, exude an awkward energy. He seemed to have realized that he had reacted too sensitively.
“The sword is being kept separately and safely. However, it seems difficult to bring it now… I’ll show it to you later if there’s an opportunity. I’m sorry.”
His calmly apologizing voice quickly melted the icy atmosphere. Although one clergyman was still pitifully unable to stop hiccupping.
After that, Rohan moved his steps following Owen, who was exuding an air of “Follow me right now”.
As the murmuring sounds gradually faded away and the crowd filling the surroundings completely disappeared, Owen, who had kept his mouth shut since the initial call, slowly opened his mouth.
“…Please don’t think too badly of them. They’re people who don’t know anything.”
“I reacted too sensitively. There have been some annoying things recently, so I must have done that without realizing it.”
His casually spoken words were a defense of the clergy gathered in front. Rohan scratched his cheek embarrassedly and shook his head as he answered. Just as Owen was feeling relieved at the gentle tone no different from usual, he reflexively looked at Arpel at the words ‘annoying things’.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…No. It’s nothing…”
Arpel turned to look at Owen, noticing the obvious gaze. They held each other’s gaze for a while, but no fragment of emotion could be found in Arpel’s firm eyes. In the end, Owen awkwardly changed the subject and had to withdraw his gaze from him.
Does he not know anything? After instinctively trying to find an answer for a moment, Owen abruptly cut off his endless thoughts. If he had to guess, those were eyes without any particular thoughts.
It’s not like this was the first or second time. His eyes, which had accepted this as it was, instantly became calm.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
