Join our separate discord server now: The Imperial Of BL
165
Thanks to the busy movement of the priests, the situation was resolved quite quickly. Rohan mingled in and lent a hand. Arpel did the same.
“What did you talk about with that priest?”
As such, Rohan and Arpel’s conversation resumed after the commotion had somewhat settled. Arpel turned his head at the voice that made no attempt to hide its sulky tone.
“Priest?”
“The priest you were talking to before people came.”
“Ah.”
That person. The face of the nameless priest who had been so frightened he looked ready to burst into tears easily came to mind.
Arpel slowly rolled his eyes to examine Rohan’s face again. His narrowed eyes held a faint dissatisfaction, and the corner of his pouting lips looked oddly hurt.
“I asked him to keep it a secret that I was the sword. Nothing else.”
The other seemed to be pretending to faint and imagining strange things, but there was no need to mention that, so Arpel refrained. Rather, that priest seemed to want to follow Rohan…
Recalling the sparkling eyes that occasionally caught the corner of his vision to an annoying degree, Arpel chose to quietly smile. After all, receiving such petty jealousy was quite pleasing to him.
“…Is that so?”
Rohan seemed to relax only then.
He wasn’t particularly concerned about the ‘secret’. Once they set foot in the Land of Wraiths, and decided to live among unfamiliar people, it was difficult to completely exclude the connection between Arpel and the demon sword. When Arpel was present, the sword wouldn’t be, and when the sword was there, Arpel wouldn’t be.
Someone might become suspicious of this someday. So Rohan and Arpel had discussed this before arriving in the Land of Wraiths. They agreed to reveal it if the situation was unavoidable.
Therefore, whether the priest who learned the secret had a loose tongue or not, it wouldn’t be a problem for them. Even if it became known, it would just mean that something they had already prepared for would happen a little earlier than expected. Of course, it would be better if the priest kept quiet, but still.
As Rohan’s expression softened as if by magic, Arpel habitually stroked his head. His heart warmed as Rohan slightly lowered his head as if he had been waiting for it.
He wanted to kiss him if he could… but Arpel suppressed the desire that suddenly arose. It wasn’t appropriate behavior in this place where the traces of the battle with the executive were still fresh.
“Right.”
So this was the only answer he could give. They had enough time left, after all.
***
“The executives might be acting as a kind of medium to control the wraiths.”
The sudden appearance of a Salvation Church executive in the form of a spider. While fighting him, Rohan was able to confirm several things with his own eyes. For instance, how the wraiths moved at a single word from the executive.
Or how the executive’s eyes were also an ominous red.
As before, Rohan read traces of an unfamiliar god in it. It was a bonus that he recalled a not-so-old voice still lingering in his mind.
<There are two divine arrangements left in this world. You have one, and the other… well, your guess is probably right.>
When they first arrived at the temple, Rohan and Arpel met the Demon God after talking with Dionel. The words he just recalled were among those he heard then.
<You won’t have anything to worry about.>
At that time, Rohan had openly shown an anxious expression. No matter how nameless the god was, the value of the name ‘divine arrangement’ was impossible to ignore. Moreover, the fact that the emperor held it.
But the Demon God asserted that there was nothing to worry about. It was a statement filled with excessive confidence. Rohan wanted to ask what exactly there was not to worry about, what he knew, but he kept his mouth shut after that.
It was obvious that he knew but deliberately chose not to say. However, while Rohan was boiling with anger, he couldn’t bring himself to vent it at the Demon God. It was all because of that damn face that resembled Arpel.
<Hey, I told you he resembles my face, not the other way around! How many times… Oh, are you ignoring me?>
He boldly ignored the voice of the past that continued to ring in his ears. Thanks to this, Rohan, who had been briefly reminiscing about the past, was able to focus on what was in front of him again.
One executive killed by Rohan’s hand, and traces of another executive found in a different area. Perhaps because of these two topics that seemed to have suddenly fallen from the sky, the space where the meeting was taking place was particularly noisy today.
“Indeed, it’s a plausible story.”
Leriana’s words were mere speculation, but highly probable. Daniel also nodded positively.
“There have been no reports of Salvation Church executives being sighted in this area until now. The movement of wraiths, the changes in the land… the timing wouldn’t match for no reason.”
“Certainly, it’s no coincidence that one executive was eliminated and traces of another were found. We need to launch a large-scale subjugation before the situation becomes more serious. There’s a high probability that the remaining three executives are all hiding here.”
“But many were injured in this battle! We were lucky that no one died, but if we had been a little late, there would have been countless casualties. If we rush into subjugation without considering the difference in strength, there will surely be significant losses…”
Loud voices clashed repeatedly. Leriana wore a quite perplexed expression. As soon as she spoke, words clung to her from everywhere, and they started their own war of nerves.
Arpel was observing them with an indifferent face. Meanwhile, his gaze lingered a bit longer on a priest who was fervently arguing that ‘immediate subjugation is unreasonable’.
He stared at the features but couldn’t recall a name. It was an unfamiliar face. But that energy…
“Ah.”
“What is it?”
“…Nothing. I think I know who it is.”
The energy, the leaking emotions were familiar. It was a priest from whom anxiety was particularly noticeable. A vague nervousness was evident on the middle-aged man’s face.
Rohan also turned his head in the direction where Arpel had been looking. The sigh that followed as if understanding was a bonus.
“He’s quite famous.”
“Famous?”
“Yes. He’s known for being particularly conservative in our temple. It seems the recent increase in injuries has made him quite anxious.”
Rohan whispered into Arpel’s ear in a voice inaudible to others. Oh, there was such a person. Arpel, learning this new fact, patted Rohan’s thigh in gratitude.
“…This is endless.”
Casia, sitting nearby, muttered. While reaching out to Rohan, Arpel could sympathize with her words.
The meeting dragged on. Both sides agreed on the need to ‘subjugate the executives’, but the problem was the preparation period. One side insisted on maximum preparation, while the other argued for starting as quickly as possible, making compromise seem unlikely.
It was then that Leriana, who had been silently listening, suddenly raised her hand.
“Um…”
Because of her alias as the Holy Maiden, despite the small utterance, everyone’s attention turned to her. Leriana, who had flinched for a moment, quickly composed herself and spoke nonchalantly.
“Can’t we just split it between me and Rohan?”
Was it just his imagination that the words “it’s troublesome” seemed to be omitted? Soon, a heavy silence fell over the tent.
***
In conclusion, Leriana’s opinion was the most appropriate for the ‘current situation’.
Rohan and Leriana’s leadership, proper placement of high-ranking priests, and ample forces were adequate to deal with both the foolish executives and the sudden influx of numerous wraiths.
“Attack the wings first!”
As Rohan’s voice rang out, spheres of mixed magical and holy power shot up into the sky, piercing through the flapping wings.
Huge wings, scales covering the body, vertically split pupils, sharp horns sprouting on the head, and a massive skeleton.
What they faced after carrying out the subjugation was a ‘dragon’ that they thought only existed in fairy tales. No, perhaps such an expression is inappropriate since the overwhelming appearance commonly imagined was nowhere to be seen.
Although it had a grotesque appearance, half-mixed between human and dragon, there was no doubt that it was the Salvation Church executive that had appeared before them.
“It’s easier than we thought!”
“Pierce through! Pour in as many attacks as possible! We need to bring it down to the ground!”
“Establish a defense line! Don’t let the wraiths push you back!”
Shouts came from here and there. There were excited voices at the subjugation proceeding more smoothly than expected, voices urging to hasten the attack, and voices warning about approaching wraiths.
Boom!
Soon, a heavy noise arose as what was in the sky fell to the ground. A massive vibration transmitted through the soles of their feet. Led by Rohan, who kicked off the ground with magical power enveloping his blade, attacks poured in from all directions, targeting the executive’s body.
The large body couldn’t avoid them. Kieeek! A scream reminiscent of a beast’s cry rang out, and the creature’s breath ceased.
“…”
As usual, the executive’s body turned to ashes and disappeared. The mask that fell to the ground and broke in half was the same. An unfamiliar energy leaked from it, feeling strange no matter how many times they encountered it.
“Thank you for your hard work, Rohan!”
“That’s right! Thanks to you, we were able to complete the subjugation without any deaths!”
“…Yes. Everyone, take a rest. We’ll depart again shortly.”
While politely responding to the cheers from around him, Rohan recalled the eyes he had just faced. Those ominously glowing red eyes.
“Arpel.”
<Yes.>
When the people around had retreated to some extent, Rohan spoke again. His voice was more subdued than before. The consistently calm voice returned.
It was too easy this time too. Strangely so.
Rohan responded slowly. An inexplicable anxiety rose to the tip of his chin.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
