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110
<Hmm, this is quite a predicament.>
The sensation of consciousness flying away and returning – in other words, the feeling of the soul moving – was very unfamiliar and strange. It also felt a bit unpleasant.
As Rohan regained consciousness hearing the familiar voice, he quietly observed a man appearing in his hazy vision.
Long ebony hair fluttered in the gentle breeze, and amethyst-like purple eyes blinked, revealing signs of deep contemplation. The straight eyebrows, fluttering eyelashes, skin so white it seemed pale, and the slightly upturned corners of his eyes all resembled someone too closely.
He was a bit larger in build, had longer hair, more varied expressions, and looked older. These were the only differences that could be noted from Arpel’s face, which still vividly came to mind.
Instinctively, Rohan realized this man was the Demon God. After all, there was no one else who would be sitting alone in such a place except the Demon God.
A dark-colored sword was in his hand. After silently watching him twirl the sword in his hand, Rohan asked him:
“Is Arpel alright?”
Though he had several other questions he wanted to ask, Rohan first voiced his concern for Arpel’s well-being. Clear anxiety flashed across his slightly trembling golden eyes.
<First, sit down. It’s annoying to look up at you.>
One of Rohan’s eyebrows twitched. He couldn’t tell if he should take the Demon God’s annoyed demeanor as a positive sign that Arpel’s condition wasn’t too bad, or not. The dismissive attitude subtly grated on his nerves, but being in a position of need, he couldn’t point it out.
Finally, after Rohan reluctantly sat down, the Demon God continued his explanation. Though this was their first face-to-face meeting, he went straight to the point without any proper greetings.
<You probably know roughly why this happened, right?>
“Yes. He was exposed to strong holy power.”
This approach wasn’t much of an issue. At least, neither of them in this place cared about such unnecessary formalities.
Rather, Rohan was much more stable than when he first entered this place. The Demon God’s reaction didn’t seem too serious, and his voice going straight to the point sounded as if there was a solution.
<That’s right, but that’s not all.>
The sword in the Demon God’s hand slowly slipped out and floated in the air. From beneath the sword, fixed in midair by an unknown force between the two, dense darkness began to rise. It was magic power infused by the Demon God.
<There is residual holy power in the sword, but originally, it wasn’t enough to make consciousness fly away in an instant like this. So this is entirely…>
Clang, clang. The holy power that had remained trapped inside the blade shattered with a clear noise at his single gesture.
<This guy’s fault.>
When the holy power in the corner of the sword finally completely shattered, the Demon God grasped the sword slowly descending to the ground and shrugged his shoulders demonstratively. Even in that simple gesture, a subtle boredom was evident.
“…What do you mean?”
<Arpel is unique. In a sword that should only contain my divine power, the energy of an evil god dwells, and these two powers were maintaining a balance. But, from what I can see, it seems he’s absorbed specters a few times.>
Rohan’s expression, which had contorted as if he didn’t understand, hardened as the explanation continued. It was because what he said was true.
Soon, his eyes squeezed shut. It wasn’t much. Just twice, that was all the times Arpel had absorbed the power of specters. He had stopped after Rohan’s plea to please not do it anymore, worried about potential situations.
What slowly tightened around his neck was none other than guilt. He should have stopped him earlier, or prevented him from doing it at all. As the thought reached him that this careless choice had led to the current situation, he felt suffocated.
<Hmm.>
The Demon God was silently observing Rohan like this. The slightly raised corner of his mouth seemed to suggest he was getting a taste for watching over a single sword and a single person.
<It’s easier to think that the consciousness flying away due to being swept up in holy power originated from a small distortion created as the power of specters grew stronger. It’s just that the axis of the soul was shaken for a moment because of that.>
“Then, Arpel…”
<I’ve driven out all the holy power, so it’ll be over once I infuse a bit more power.>
“Hah…”
A deep relief was evident in the sigh that escaped before he could catch it. The anxiety that had made his heart flutter several times after first sprouting gradually subsided. Only then did it feel like he could breathe.
<But it’s too early to feel relieved.>
As dense magic power lightly swept over the blade, the Demon God raised the corner of his mouth towards Rohan, whose face showed visible relief. His eyes, full of interest, carefully took in the person whose face had just frozen at his added words.
“…Please explain in more detail.”
<It’s exactly as I said. This is just a temporary measure. Although he won’t lose consciousness all at once like this time, Arpel is still unstable. He’ll be in great danger every time he comes into contact with holy power.>
The purple eyes curved slightly. It was a teasing tone and a playful expression that anyone could see was meant to irritate the other person, but Rohan didn’t notice. More accurately, he was too preoccupied with the words “Arpel could be in danger” to pay attention to anything else.
<Still… since you successfully resolved the revelation I gave, I can give you a small help as a reward.>
After twitching his mouth for a moment, the Demon God stopped observing the other’s reaction and lightly extended his hand. A pitch-black sphere that had been hanging from his fingertip at some point slowly rose and settled on the long blade of the sword.
The shape, slightly more rounded at the bottom and narrowing towards the top, looked like a water drop or a small seed. What seeped into the sword sprouted, scattering dense magic power into the air.
Finally, the black stem that had completely surrounded the sword turned to ash and disappeared. Rohan’s eyes, staring at the revealed sword, somehow looked dazed.
“This is…”
<It’s a sacred artifact that stabilizes the soul and increases resistance to holy power. I got it directly from that enlightenment bastard, so be grateful.>
Rohan firmly grasped the sword flying towards him and carefully looked it over. The smooth scabbard, which could be described as elegant rather than flashy, fit snugly under his hand without any gaps.
Perhaps it lived up to its name as a sacred artifact. In addition to its excellent performance, it was aesthetically superior, creating a mysterious feeling that was hard to define the more he looked at it.
It was clear that this would become a barrier protecting Arpel. Clearing away the various impressions floating in his mind, Rohan obediently bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
<The thanks are done, now go.>
When had he been unable to hide his interest and made his eyes sparkle? Now, nodding his head roughly and waving his hand, his actions contained obvious annoyance. However, while Rohan quietly watched the Demon God who looked like he was about to lie down at any moment, he didn’t move first.
<Why aren’t you leaving?>
It was the Demon God who spoke first to Rohan, who showed no sign of leaving. There was a subtle uneasiness in the way he tilted his head.
“I have something I want to ask.”
<…Ugh.>
At this moment, the Demon God actively sympathized with the human saying “assumptions catch people.” Finally, he straightened his posture that was about to relax and watched Rohan with eyes full of annoyance. His gaze seemed to say, “Go ahead and speak.”
Therefore, Rohan didn’t refuse and started asking all his questions.
When will Arpel wake up, is there anything to be careful about after he wakes up, what if he doesn’t wake up, what should be done if he seems to be in even a little pain, and so on. Most of the questions were overly concerned about Arpel’s well-being.
<Stop! Stop it, you madman!>
The question barrage, which made even the Demon God who had been answering patiently at first shudder with boredom, ended with his scream that wasn’t quite a scream.
Thinking he had gotten all the answers he needed, Rohan nodded shamelessly. Only then could he completely erase the last bit of anxiety that remained, feeling like he had received definitive confirmation that Arpel was safe.
And, just as he was about to move his feet to leave this place as the Demon God had said, a strange question suddenly arose. Rohan stopped his advancing steps and glanced back at the Demon God.
“I have one more question.”
A look of exasperation came back. But since that wasn’t a sign of refusal, there was no hesitation in the voice that immediately began to speak.
“Are ‘arrangements’ and sacred artifacts different?”
The Demon God, who had been grinding his teeth unable to tell him to get out right away, paused. Of all things, the question he had been preparing for turned out to be a normal question. He couldn’t just give a halfhearted answer, could he? Lamenting his situation, he let out a deep sigh and shifted his gaze to Rohan’s earlobe.
An earring with a mysterious purple gem was sparkling there. His own arrangement that he had passed to Rohan through Arpel quite a long time ago. A peculiar resonance, different from the power of a complete god, continuously exerted its presence from inside.
Letting out another sigh, he began to explain willingly, despite looking like he was dying of annoyance.
<Although they’re not so different in that my touch is on them, their nature is different. While sacred artifacts are tools I directly created using my divine power, ‘arrangements’ are… touched by me but can’t be called entirely my creation. To put it simply, they’re ‘manifestations of will’.>
The Demon God’s finger lightly drew a circle in the air.
<Have you ever thought of this world as a single story?>
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
