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Daniel led Rohan and Arpel into a spacious tent, accompanied by other high-ranking priests. It was large enough to comfortably accommodate about a dozen people, suggesting it was usually used for strategy meetings.
“Here, this part is the newly expanded land of wraiths.”
“…It’s larger than I expected.”
“How many wraiths are there?”
“For now, we’re managing to hold out. But strangely, their numbers are increasing exponentially as time passes… Without support, our defense line would have likely collapsed soon.”
He spread out a large map and began his explanation. Using a long branch to point out various areas, his explanation was quite easy to understand, allowing Arpel to grasp the information about the expanded territory without much difficulty.
The conversation among the priests continued. Arpel remained quiet, sandwiched between them. Occasionally, he glanced at Rohan sitting beside him. Each time, Rohan would quietly take his hand.
‘…I didn’t mean for him to hold my hand.’
Of course, Arpel didn’t reject the gesture. It somewhat alleviated the discomfort caused by the damp, heavy air.
“We haven’t yet discovered the cause of this phenomenon. So, we have two tasks ahead of us: periodically dividing the area to eliminate wraiths, and identifying the cause of this phenomenon.”
Daniel then assigned personnel, led by several high-ranking priests. The scheduling process also proceeded smoothly.
As they communicated well with each other, morale rose. Despite facing an unprecedented and strange phenomenon, they seemed to believe they could overcome it without much difficulty.
***
However, their investigation showed little progress. The priests’ expressions frequently darkened, and the atmosphere became gloomy. The air was thick with the aura of wraiths and various negative emotions.
Arpel quietly closed his eyes as he observed this. When his vision turned black, he could more clearly sense the emotions flowing from the people. It was as if a hazy fog had settled around them.
“Lord Rohan, Lord Arpel!”
Amidst all this, there was still someone who didn’t lose their smile. Someone who steadfastly held their position without being swept up by the atmosphere could become a pillar of support for others.
In that sense, Daniel fulfilled his role. There must have been a reason why he had been leading the investigation team even before the group arrived. Rohan seemed to share Arpel’s thoughts, as he warmly greeted Daniel who was approaching from afar.
“How are the injured?”
“Fortunately, they’ve all recovered nicely. Some have even regained consciousness. Please drop by when you have time. They’re all eager to express their gratitude.”
Rohan laughed awkwardly. Daniel shrugged his shoulders once and skillfully changed the subject. His gaze, alternating between Arpel and Rohan, was filled with obvious curiosity.
“You two are always together, aren’t you?”
Yes, things like this. Observing actions in detail and bringing up casual conversations had the power to naturally lighten the mood. This must have been his intention.
Thinking this, Arpel subtly tilted his head as he stared at Daniel. On second thought, he seemed to be genuinely curious.
“Well, we are…”
“Could it be that you two…?”
Before Rohan could finish his answer, Daniel cut in with sleepy eyes. It was as if he was trying to probe them.
The subtle question seemed to urge them to confess, implying he already knew. Rohan momentarily stiffened at this transparent intention, but after a brief hesitation, he finally spoke.
“Arpel is my lover.”
“Oh my.”
A peculiar interjection followed.
His voice, speaking gently, was filled with clear affection. His cheeks were flushed, and his long eyes curved beautifully as he smiled, making him appear shy. Daniel, standing opposite, couldn’t have missed this.
Only Arpel’s reaction was slightly different. His eyes, usually half-lidded, widened unbelievably, and his normally impassive gaze wavered as if hit by a strong wave. Daniel, who had uttered “Oh my,” closed his mouth upon seeing Arpel’s shocked expression.
He seemed both shocked and moved. Discovering the honest side of someone who usually doesn’t express emotions was quite a unique experience, so Daniel couldn’t take his eyes off him. He soon found his answer.
This person can be moved too, he thought with renewed realization.
“Haha! I thought so.”
Looking at them, it seemed stranger not to have known. Daniel laughed heartily and innocently voiced a doubt that suddenly occurred to him.
“Then, that thing on Arpel’s neck…?”
Although it was mostly hidden by the loose robe, it was inevitable that the inside would be visible occasionally. When making large movements, the inside of the robe would sometimes be revealed.
Daniel had always been curious about the nature of that strange line. The reason he asked this question now, after keeping quiet all this time, was largely due to Rohan’s straightforward revelation of their relationship.
“…That’s.”
However, unlike before, Rohan couldn’t answer immediately. There were two reasons for this. First, he was taken aback as it had been a long time since he received such a question. Second, Daniel’s face showed no indication that he was thinking of anything like a ‘collar’. So, he unconsciously hesitated to answer.
Arpel answered on behalf of the hesitating Rohan.
“It’s a collar. I asked him to put it on me because it’s my preference.”
“…Pardon?”
It was an excessively direct statement.
Arpel didn’t consider the limits of Daniel’s common sense. He was only considering Rohan, who might have struggled to explain or suffered misunderstandings. It was easier to just cleanly state that he had requested it and end the conversation.
As expected, Daniel stood there for a while, his lips moving without producing any words. His wavering eyes seemed to reflect the confusion he was experiencing.
“Ha, haha. I, I see. That can happen.”
The words he finally uttered were clearly those of someone who hadn’t comprehended. Desperately nodding his head, he quickly disappeared with the back of his neck bright red. Arpel just watched his retreating back. His eyes were calm, without a trace of emotion.
However, when he looked to the side, his eyes trembled just like Daniel’s had. This was because Rohan was standing there, his eyes sparkling excessively.
“Rohan?”
“I didn’t know…”
“Wh-what?”
Arpel stuttered uncharacteristically, so dazzled was he by Rohan’s appearance. He awkwardly fidgeted with the hand that had somehow been caught.
“I didn’t know you had such preferences.”
“…Huh?”
“If Arpel likes it, I’m fine with anything. I’ll do everything for you.”
The fidgeting hand stopped abruptly. Arpel had mindlessly asked in a stupid way, but Rohan was adamant. It was then that Arpel realized an unexpected misunderstanding had built up. Holding Rohan’s hand tightly, Arpel hurriedly opened his mouth.
“No, that’s not it.”
“What?”
“…Never mind. Do as you like…”
But the explanation didn’t last long. The gaze he met was too dazzling, as if finely ground gold had been poured into it. Bit by bit, the emotion of joy leaked out from him.
Although he wasn’t sure exactly what aspect Rohan was enjoying… Arpel had no choice but to nod. Since he seemed satisfied, there was no need to stir things up and disappoint him. Arpel brushed aside the nagging feeling in his chest.
It was only much later that he realized that feeling had been ‘anxiety’.
***
The investigation continued sluggishly. Nevertheless, there was a turning point. Following the group from the Demon Sword Temple that had arrived a few days ago, this time many priests were dispatched from the Celestial God Temple. Among them were Leriana and Casia.
“Rohan! Arpel!”
“Hello.”
Leriana waved her hand cheerfully as soon as she spotted the two, while Casia offered a gruff greeting. These were familiar sights they had seen many times before.
“Why are you so late?”
“Don’t even ask. The atmosphere at the Celestial God Temple isn’t good right now. The High Priest was trying to resolve that…”
Leriana’s grumbling voice gradually subsided. Eventually, she couldn’t finish her sentence and stopped abruptly. Arpel thought her pink eyes seemed to be exuding melancholy. It seems this observation wasn’t his alone.
“Lady Leriana.”
“…No! I wasn’t thinking that!”
“Thinking what?”
“…You must have heard that the Celestial God has fallen asleep. Because of that, the atmosphere at the Celestial God Temple has been quite chaotic recently. Lady Leriana thinks it’s all because of her. It seems self-blame is still a habit of hers, now as before.”
“Alright, I won’t do it! So stop!”
It made sense. Rohan looked at Leriana as if he had expected this, and Arpel… he just quietly observed her, but the person receiving the gaze seemed to interpret it differently, her face turning bright red.
Just as Leriana was about to make an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse, a familiar voice suddenly interjected between them.
“I’ve been looking for you two!”
“What?”
It was Daniel. With a smile so bright it was almost burdensome, he instantly whisked away Leriana and Casia. With the two disappearing so suddenly, Rohan could only blink in bewilderment.
“Seems like things are quite urgent.”
“I guess so.”
Rohan and Arpel simply accepted Daniel’s actions without much thought. But Leriana, who had been abruptly cut off from the conversation and dragged away, did not.
“Why are you doing this…”
“Haha. Let’s leave those two together.”
She was about to spit out sharp words but closed her mouth as soon as she looked to the side. Daniel’s eyes were somehow hazy. His voice, saying to leave them together, was tinged with a sense of wistfulness.
In the end, Leriana could only stare bewilderedly in the direction where Rohan and Arpel had been. She wondered what they could have possibly said to elicit such a reaction.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
