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154
It was natural that the already poor evaluation of Rafon hit rock bottom. The image of him reluctantly bringing up the topic of Arpel, despite showing signs of dislike, was still vivid.
It was evident even just now. While greeting, he kept turning to one side, didn’t he? It wasn’t just once or twice; Rohan’s patience had reached its limit with this blatant behavior repeating day after day.
In the end, he had come to the point of openly being wary of Rafon. He was doing his best just by suppressing the sharp killing intent.
However, human affairs don’t always go as one wishes.
“Lord Arpel.”
Rohan tried to stay with Arpel as much as possible, but it couldn’t be all day long. Inevitably, there were brief moments when the two had to be apart.
And Rafon had an uncanny knack for noticing these gaps and making his appearance.
***
Arpel turned his head at the unwelcome voice. In fact, it was a movement closer to a brief hesitation, too subtle to be called turning his head. Rafon, not unaware of this, furrowed his brow imperceptibly.
“It’s unusual to see you without Lord Rohan. Did something happen?”
“…”
Nod. Not even a response, just a halfhearted nod came back. Once again, a crack appeared in Rafon’s expression.
When asked if something happened, one usually explains briefly why the person in question isn’t there. If it’s something difficult to talk about, they might give a simple excuse like being away momentarily due to urgent business.
But not Arpel. His eyes were indifferently sunken, as if feeling no regret towards the person he was conversing with.
“It seems you don’t want to talk to me.”
Apart from feeling uneasy and irritated, his pride was hurt every time he faced this emotionless response. It was all because of this that Rafon finally spoke bluntly while staring at Arpel.
He could understand if Arpel showed signs of dislike. If Arpel was the type to bristle every time he encountered him, he wouldn’t feel this way. But from Arpel, not even a hint of such emotion could be felt.
“Yes.”
“…Haha.”
Just look at this now.
Arpel showed his unwillingness to talk without any filter. This wasn’t due to aversion towards the person he was talking to… but troublesomeness. He found the very process of opening his mouth and choosing words bothersome.
Rafon intuitively realized one thing. Unless it was a situation where he was directly opposing Rohan, the day Arpel would show a clear reaction to him would never come.
Charitably put, he felt no need to take interest, and less charitably, he was treating him like a roadside pebble. Rafon’s face subtly distorted. The faint laugh tinged with despair was an added bonus.
“Lord Arpel, you really are…”
Finally, Rafon spoke up with a voice still not free of laughter. His flashing eyes were filled with the will to tear down the other.
‘He is not human.’
As someone’s voice echoed in a corner of his mind, he said,
“You’re not very human-like, are you?”
It was a remark heavily imbued with both his personal feelings and observations. Hoping that this would become a small thorn to provoke a reaction from the other.
Rafon first heard those words about a week ago, when he received a sudden summons from the Emperor. In the late night hours when darkness had settled in the sky, following the secretly issued order and heading towards the audience chamber, he thought.
This is an opportunity.
The atmosphere in the imperial palace was unsettled after Oscar, who had been his closest aide, met his death on charges of treason. In other words, this was the only chance to solidly secure a position.
‘I want to hear your thoughts.’
When he finally faced the Emperor, Rafon felt a faint sense of discomfort.
The Emperor wore his usual gentle smile, but… strangely, he couldn’t shake the thought that the smile looked as cold as winter frost. His heart tightened with inexplicable tension.
‘I will listen attentively.’
Starting with these words barely uttered, the Emperor’s story began. His calm voice was like reading a fairy tale to a child, but the content was not.
Enormous information that he had never even imagined poured into Rafon’s mind. What thoughts did he have as he struggled to absorb each piece of information?
Some might criticize the Emperor’s actions as cruel. Others might fear the Emperor who carried out such actions without the slightest hesitation, and some of those who had followed him until now might tremble with piercing betrayal.
However, Rafon…
‘Ah…’
He was impressed.
For him, even evaluating the Emperor’s actions was a luxury. The fact that it was none other than himself hearing this story swept through his mind, making it difficult just to control the overwhelming emotions.
The Emperor’s eyes were narrowed. He was testing him now. To judge if he was suitable to stand by his side.
As soon as he realized this, a thrill ran through his entire body. The shadow of the man who had acted so pompously riding on the Emperor’s authority despite having no clear status was completely lifted.
Now, truly, all that remained was to rise.
After that, everything went smoothly. Rafon secured a place by the Emperor’s side and gained the next highest power in the imperial court.
Although he had to personally visit the temple, which he was reluctant to do… this too was part of the orders, so he followed without complaint. Acting according to the plan he had been told in advance, matters within the temple were resolved ridiculously easily.
This gave Rafon several impressions. What’s the use of being large in scale and strong in power? They’re ridiculously easy to manipulate and detached from politics. Not a single word the Emperor had said was wrong.
And if he were to mention another impression…
“I see.”
It was about Arpel, who was in front of him.
A demon sword that wasn’t human. It was a story that made even Rafon, who was listening to the Emperor’s words without the slightest doubt, hesitate for a moment.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it. He had no intention of doubting the Emperor’s words. However, when he first saw Arpel, who had the appearance of a perfect ‘person’ without any room for doubt, he did feel confused.
‘That’s a sword?’
A sword that turns into a human. It was the most unrealistic story of all. But as time passed, Rafon came to realize that Arpel was indeed a ‘sword’.
“…Is that all?”
“…? Yes.”
The indifferent purple eyes were tinged with the question of what more needed to be said.
Rafon moved his lips slightly and then silently laughed. He was an eerily emotionless being. After realizing this, he felt a sense of dissonance different from ordinary people every time he saw Arpel.
It was the same even when he had indirectly pointed out a part that was no different from his own sore spot. The consistent attitude of seeming to have little interest in not only those around him but also himself wasn’t even amusing.
Perhaps, there was only one being in this world to whom he showed ’emotion’.
Rohan. That irritating name. Rafon slowly rolled it around in his mouth and firmly closed his lips. He was annoyingly bothersome. The corners of his mouth trembled slightly, unable to overcome the rising emotion.
***
“I’m talking about the clergyman who accompanies Lord Rohan.”
“Ah, you mean Lord Arpel?”
“Yes, him.”
After that day, Rafon went around asking various questions, mainly to ordinary clergy who had some degree of fondness for him. To avoid being too obvious about inquiring about just one person, he mixed in other light topics as well.
“I’d like to become friends, but he seems very shy. Our conversations never last long…”
The brown-haired female clergyman, who had been blinking with round eyes, burst into laughter as soon as she heard this. Rafon reflexively had to frown and then relax his brow at the loud sound that buzzed in his ears.
Although it was a moment so brief that the other person didn’t notice, he found this situation extremely unpleasant nonetheless.
‘Tsk, how frivolous.’
If it weren’t for His Majesty the Emperor’s orders, he would never have associated with people of such lowly status. He deliberately suppressed the discomfort that suddenly surged up.
After all, his friendship with them didn’t produce only bad results, such as extracting information or leading the atmosphere in the temple. They were people he would ruthlessly discard once this matter was over anyway.
“We all found him very difficult at first too.”
“…And now?”
“Now… rather than difficult, the atmosphere is more like everyone has accepted it. That’s just how he is. Why don’t you try approaching slowly while maintaining an appropriate distance instead of trying to get close right away? You’re so kind, Rafon, so I’m sure it won’t be long before Lord Arpel opens up to you too.”
The clergyman continued chattering. There wasn’t a single piece of useful information. It wasn’t as if Rafon had brought this up because he truly wanted to become friends with Arpel.
However, the woman’s story didn’t end there.
“Actually, if you get to know him, Lord Arpel is a very kind person.”
“…Kind, you say?”
“Yes! There are several quite famous anecdotes. The new clergy might not know, but those who were here long ago when the two stayed at the temple all know these stories. Me included.”
That emotionless piece of metal is kind?
This thought dominated his mind, causing Rafon to reflexively ask again. Belatedly, he checked the woman’s demeanor. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to sense anything strange and just nodded once before continuing enthusiastically.
She rattled off these so-called ‘anecdotes’. Rafon’s expression grew cold from time to time as he focused, wondering if this might be useful information.
“…Well, don’t you agree with what I said?”
“Yes… indeed. He’s unexpectedly quite kind, isn’t he?”
While forcing a smile as if agreeing, he inwardly spewed bitter curses. Stupid fools.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
