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172
Rohan blinked blankly. The fabric of the world, divine arrangement, wishes. The scattered words that caught his ear jumbled his thoughts.
He remained silent for a long time. As if waiting for him to organize his thoughts, the voice that had been piercing his mind was quiet for that moment. On the land where the power of wraiths had settled thickly, Rohan had to take slow, deep breaths several times. The stale air felt heavy in his mouth.
“…So.”
He stammered.
“In the end, Arpel…”
His strained voice cut off abruptly. His breath caught, and he couldn’t continue speaking.
The only way to prevent the descent and keep Arpel safe. But paradoxically, to do so, Arpel had to break at least once.
It was a terrible assumption. It felt as if the world was shattering into pieces. It was a cruel request to hope with all his might that Arpel wouldn’t completely break, that he would return to his side.
His clenched fist trembled. And Arpel grasped Rohan’s pale hand.
“I’ll do it.”
“Arpel!”
“I can do it.”
The hand holding his tightened. At that aching sensation, Arpel raised his free hand and patted the back of Rohan’s hand. It was his way of comforting.
“You know, Rohan.”
“…”
“This is the only way.”
It was practically a unilateral notification. Perhaps that’s why Rohan’s already sunken expression twisted even more. His lips, ragged and bloodied, stuck stubbornly in Rohan’s vision.
After a brief silence, Rohan opened his mouth. The corners of his pale blue lips trembled.
“…Aren’t you scared?”
The clasped hands were desperate, and his wavering gaze was soaked with fear. He looked like a frightened child.
Arpel nodded and raised his hand. He gently wiped away the drop of blood on Rohan’s lip. Then, his touch lightly caressing Rohan’s cheek was full of affection.
For Arpel, whose essence was a sword, ‘breaking’ meant death. He must be terrified. He must be afraid. Yet the face in Rohan’s view was calm without the slightest tremor. Rohan could only stare blankly at that beautiful face, the same as always.
“Well.”
“…It’s death, isn’t it? How can you be so calm? If I make even a small mistake, Arpel might… might never open his eyes again.”
“…Because I believe you can do it?”
The response to his jumbled worries was an awkward question. The blinking purple eyes were full of questions, as if asking why he would even ask such a thing. As if it were an immutable truth.
“Haha…”
Rohan finally let out a hollow laugh. Only then did he feel Arpel’s almost blind trust in him. It made him feel strange.
“…Alright. Let’s do it.”
In the end, he nodded to Arpel. Yes. There was no choice. He struggled to control his jumping emotions. His mind was filled with the worst possible futures, but he tried his best to ignore those assumptions.
Even so, the thought of ‘what if’ couldn’t be shaken. Rohan closed his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath.
‘If it fails…’
If Arpel dies because of it. If he can’t return to my side. Rohan, picturing this terribly unthinkable future, repeated to himself.
We could disappear together, die together. Then there would be no need to struggle with separation, no need to patch up a heart that felt torn to shreds. Thinking this, his mind suddenly became calm. That alone was enough.
<You’re saying quite interesting things.>
If it weren’t for the Demon God’s voice chuckling softly, that is. One of Rohan’s eyebrows twitched. Perhaps because all the options presented were so extreme, it was a gesture filled with resentment he couldn’t quite hide.
<Stop worrying needlessly. It’s almost a disease at this point. Do you think I suggested this method for no reason?>
The voice lacked the previous serious tone. Rohan’s brow furrowed even more at the utterly frivolous attitude.
However, he didn’t voice the complaints piling up inside him.
<Is there anyone else in this world who cares about that kid as much as you do?>
The matter-of-fact tone and the following sound of clicking tongue spoke as if stating an obvious fact. Because that attitude was slightly, just slightly satisfying, he decided to let it go.
If they succeed, they would live on together, and even if they fail… they would die together. That alone was enough.
The anxiety that had built up so much he couldn’t keep his hands still slowly but surely calmed. Rohan quietly tightened his grip on Arpel’s hand.
***
“Arpel!”
On the outskirts of the forest, not far from the center where the power of wraiths was swirling, Leriana, who had been anxiously watching the situation, brightened when she saw Rohan enter the tent. More precisely, it was Arpel who had entered alongside him.
“Are you alright?! Earlier, Rohan said your condition was strange…!”
“I’m fi-“
“Are you hurt anywhere? I should heal you right away, no, holy power won’t work, right. Rohan! You heal him, now!”
“…Leri-“
“No, if it’s Rohan, he would have healed you as soon as he found you…”
“Leriana!”
It was soon swept up in the torrent of words pouring out. Arpel, whose words were cut off twice by Leriana’s muttering, could only blink in bewilderment.
Finally, Rohan had to step in and call out her name before the incredibly unsettled atmosphere could be brought under control.
Leriana, belatedly realizing the situation, showed an embarrassed expression. Casia was the same. They had been distracted trying to visually assess if Arpel’s body was intact.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, really.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
A brief exchange of greetings. Leriana’s red face and awkward smile were a bonus. Rohan, who had been quietly watching, asked:
“How’s the atmosphere?”
“…As you can see, quite desperate.”
The change of topic was natural, but it couldn’t maintain the warm atmosphere. Leriana, with a bitter smile, nodded towards the area beyond the tent.
“Priest Daniel is checking on the condition of the other priests. Quite a few priests who couldn’t protect themselves in time were caught up in the vortex.”
“Has the healing been completed?”
“Yes. But the power of wraiths in the air is so thick… It seems some priests can’t hold out for long. It’s bad news. Our fighting strength has been greatly reduced.”
“We’re making arrangements for them to quickly leave the Land of Wraiths. We can’t have unnecessary sacrifices.”
Casia added in a subdued voice.
It was already a situation where an unknown phenomenon was right in front of them. The ominous aura that dyed the sky black seemed to speak for itself that this change was a serious matter that couldn’t be taken lightly.
It was uncertain if they could hold out with the original number of people, and now their fighting strength had been greatly reduced. Even though they had requested reinforcements… A self-deprecating smile appeared on Casia’s face. All the futures she could imagine were dark.
“About that. It seems the remaining fighting strength won’t matter much.”
“…What do you mean?”
“We’ve found a way. A method to resolve this phenomenon and erase all the wraiths in this land.”
So… could you please call Priest Daniel?
Leaving the two expressing doubt behind, Rohan added. Casia, who had been hesitating, went outside the tent. It seemed to be to call him.
“…You have a plan, right?”
Leriana, left alone, muttered. Faint anxiety pooled in her wavering eyes. Rohan nodded slowly. Though he wasn’t sure if she would understand.
And when the confused Daniel safely entered the tent…
“What I’m about to tell you must remain only between us.”
Starting with this quite stern admonition, he recited his conversation with the Demon God. It was a plain voice without much inflection.
But those listening were different. As Rohan’s words continued, Leriana’s face turned pale, and she finally had to bite her lip hard and ask. Her impulsively uttered voice was full of disbelief and resentment.
“…Are you in your right mind?”
“Yes. I’m in my right mind.”
“Ha…”
A dejected sigh escaped between her teeth. The situation wasn’t much different for the other two. Casia was frozen in shock, and Daniel repeatedly rubbed his face. Having just received the new information that Arpel was a ‘Demon Sword’, he seemed twice as confused as the others.
“You’re crazy. You’ve gone mad. How could you, to Arpel…!”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Leriana. I said I wanted to do it.”
“…”
Even amidst this, Arpel spoke in a calm voice that seemed to lack any resentment, or even worry. At this attitude, exactly the same as usual, Leriana was struck speechless. She had to do her best to bite her lip and not let her face twist in sadness.
“…I’m sorry.”
Finally, she apologized to Rohan. It was an apology for the words of blame she had uttered thoughtlessly.
She knew it was something Arpel had volunteered for of his own will. She couldn’t not know. The Rohan she knew wouldn’t push Arpel into such a pit. His feelings towards Arpel were deeper than she could even imagine.
So even now, he must be tasting hell. Leriana dared to assert.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
