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Though they didn’t say it out loud, the two following Owen knew that his footsteps were heading towards where Dionel was.
Unlike the crowded outside, the inside of the temple was quiet. It seemed even the priests who had been wandering inside had all poured out. Perhaps because of this, as soon as the voices of people passing by ceased, the surroundings quickly became silent. All that could be heard were the footsteps on the floor.
“Did everything wrap up well?”
“Yes, well… just need to take care of the aftermath.”
It was Rohan who ended this ambiguous silence. Although it was an unkind question that suddenly broached the main topic, Owen easily understood the meaning of what he wanted to say.
Bemos Village, which belonged to Marquis Fides’ territory. He was asking if the incident that occurred in that village had been well resolved. Owen nodded readily, recalling what happened after Rohan and Arpel left the village.
Remembering that time, there was one thought that naturally came to mind. He glanced slightly at Arpel.
“…”
Even though he noticed the gaze staring intently at him, Arpel didn’t open his mouth. He only raised an eyebrow slightly to express his question.
In the end, Owen, with a disgruntled look, spoke first. It was something that had been bothering him all along.
“…Why did you ask if anything was happening with the Marquis’ family back then?”
“Ah.”
Arpel let out a short sigh a beat late. Although he rolled his eyes as if searching his memory for when he had said such a thing, he quickly recalled the past when he had asked about the ‘Marquis’ family’.
‘Is nothing happening with the Marquis’ family?’
He certainly seemed to have asked such a question.
There was no big reason. It just happened that the dream he had while sleeping was related to that.
He was also worried about being entangled with the imperial family, but his concern for Rohan was probably much greater. Owen was also one of the people Rohan cared about, and if his family was ruined because of the Emperor, Rohan would surely be sad.
So he had just checked directly. Although Owen had answered awkwardly at the time, showing signs of bewilderment, Arpel, now examining him again with narrowed eyes, was certain. Nothing had happened.
“I had a bad dream.”
He answered simply, as he had no intention of spilling out every detail of what dream he had. Even if he did share, there would be no way to explain it since it was about future events that hadn’t happened yet, events that occurred in the novel.
At this, Owen’s face became dumbfounded in the blink of an eye. It was obvious without looking that all sorts of thoughts were filling his mind.
Indeed, that was the case.
‘…Is it because he’s a demon sword that he has good intuition?’
Normally, he wouldn’t have paid this much attention. If Arpel had just been a sword without receiving the ‘power of the god’, that would have been the case.
Because of the connection with the god, he kept having thoughts of ‘what if’. Like whether he had some power to glimpse a bit of the future through dreams. Although the process of his reasoning was all wrong, he had inadvertently reached a conclusion similar to the truth.
Of course, Owen had no intention of voicing the various speculations swelling in his mind. He just felt a bit uneasy. If the incident in Bemos Village hadn’t been resolved safely and had escalated… Owen’s brow quietly furrowed.
He didn’t want to imagine what future might have awaited that place, which had exuded an aura similar to ‘land teeming with specters’.
But if it had come to that, the Fides Marquis family would not have been able to avoid the Emperor’s censure. Owen, who knew the other side of the Emperor who looked at the temple with disdain and played tricks, could dare to be certain of this fact.
He decided to kindly answer Rohan, who had first brought up this topic on his behalf. Hadn’t he asked if everything had been resolved well?
“There were quite a few injured people, but thanks to the priests stepping in, treatment was quickly completed. Many places were destroyed in the battle, so currently we’re mobilizing manpower for reconstruction. We’ve agreed to provide them with housing and work until then.”
Owen added something else along with this. Regarding their faith, they decided to end it at the level of just correcting ‘wrong common sense’. It would have been too much to overturn something that had taken root deep in the village over a long time.
“So, I was wondering, is there anything you want as a reward?”
“…A reward?”
“If possible, feel free to ask for something big.”
Owen, who had been slowly walking while carefully recounting what had happened, suddenly turned his head towards the two. Unexpectedly mentioning a reward was an added bonus.
Sure enough, Rohan made a seemingly flustered face. Of course, the agitation was brief. He quickly composed his expression and answered with a smile.
“You know we didn’t do it expecting a reward.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then…?”
“Someone in the family begged me to please ask just once. Shouldn’t I at least bring it up out of courtesy?”
It was a firm refusal, but Owen, who immediately nodded, seemed to have no lingering attachment. His attitude was as if he had known all along that Rohan would refuse. As for Arpel… his opinion would be no different from Rohan’s, so he was beside the point.
It was clear who the person who had begged was. It must be Riteran Fides, who had welcomed them at the Fides Marquis’ house. Rohan, who guessed this identity in the blink of an eye, let out a hollow laugh. The relationship between Riteran and Owen remained the same as ever.
“You can enter here.”
It was then that Owen’s footsteps suddenly stopped. Only then could Rohan raise his head and observe the familiar surroundings.
The prayer room that Dionel mainly used, which they had often visited when staying at the temple. Leaving Owen behind, who seemed to indicate he would guard outside by not approaching any closer, Rohan opened the firmly closed door together with Arpel.
A faint light seeped through the large door that opened softly.
***
“It’s been a long time. Have you both been well?”
A gentle voice greeted them. Soon, a scene they had seen countless times in the past unfolded before their eyes. A simple table set up in the prayer room with several chairs, and teacups placed on top.
Soon, Rohan and Arpel found their respective seats. It was a familiar action that made the not-so-short gap between the three people seem insignificant.
“Yes, we’ve been doing well.”
Rohan answered gently, and Arpel nodded. The greeting exchanged after a considerable time had passed flowed smoothly like water.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve looked forward to this moment. I really wanted to hear about what you two have been through.”
“…Haven’t you already heard?”
“Haha, but since it’s been a while since we met, I’d like to hear it directly.”
Despite surely having heard countless reports about the two from the priests collaborating with the mercenary guild, Dionel asked about their past experiences with a smiling face. His subtly brazen attitude seemed no different from the past.
In the end, Rohan began to unfold one by one the events they had experienced so far.
What did it matter? Neither Rohan who was speaking, nor Dionel who occasionally added interjections while listening, nor Arpel who silently watched the two while occasionally tilting his teacup, disliked this time. It was a strangely peaceful scene.
“…So, it seems the Salvation Church is currently targeting Arpel.”
However, no matter how warm the atmosphere was, the topic of their conversation couldn’t help but be heavy. The Salvation Church and the Emperor, the conspiracies surrounding them. That was also why wrinkles occasionally formed between Dionel’s brows.
It was the same now. As it was news he hadn’t heard about, having happened just before they arrived at the temple, Dionel’s reaction was even more intense.
This had happened once at the imperial banquet too. Could there be some connection between the ‘goal’ pursued by the Salvation Church and Arpel?
“Did you perhaps kill them all…?”
“No, I left about four or five alive.”
“That’s a relief.”
Rohan glanced at Arpel. Arpel, who caught that gaze as if by instinct, nodded towards Dionel as if answering on his behalf.
Dionel, who understood the meaning from their expressions, replied with a relaxed smile. Along with the thought that when they returned, he should interrogate those handed over by Arpel.
That train of thought was interrupted when Rohan casually posed a question. It was partly because it was quite an unexpected question.
“…By any chance, has the imperial family ever followed a god?”
To this, Rohan added an explanation. The existence of the ‘god’s provision’ that had surfaced during his conversation with Casia, and even the history of the imperial family that they didn’t know. Dionel’s face, which had looked bewildered at first, gradually became serious.
“Indeed, it’s a plausible hypothesis.”
“Then…”
“But I can’t be certain. There are no remaining records, so I don’t know anything either. This… it would be best to request a direct conversation with the Demon God.”
Rohan nodded at the words that he would lend this prayer room if needed. And… Arpel turned his eyes from Dionel to look at him. Faint fragments of emotion were bubbling up from Rohan.
“…Rohan?”
It wasn’t difficult to gauge the nature of that emotion. He just couldn’t understand why he was harboring such feelings.
“Ah.”
His voice trembled as he let out a short sigh in response to being called. In fact, even without responding to the emotion, his state could have been easily noticed. His quivering lips and eyes that caused a faint tremor revealed it.
Rohan was hesitating about something.
Dionel, sitting opposite, seemed to have noticed this as well, exuding a puzzled concern. With gazes fixed on him from both sides, and Arpel’s hand gently patting him… Rohan thought he couldn’t bear not to speak.
That must have been why. He suddenly threw out words resembling a child’s complaint.
“…Why didn’t the Demon God save Arpel?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
