80
The grand festival that began with the imperial palace banquet was still going strong even after two more days had passed.
The streets were bustling with crowds, and various small experience booths lined the roadsides. There were also many small shops selling food. As it was an annual festival that all citizens of the empire looked forward to, people gathered from all regions.
Countless families and couples on outings passed by. It was almost no different from when Rohan enjoyed the festival as a child.
Yet it was good. Just the fact that Arpel was sharing this time with Rohan now was precious to him.
“Arpel, you like these, right?”
Rohan had already bought a handful of snacks from a nearby stall. It was a treat that boasted a crispy texture, made by cutting bread into bite-sized pieces, frying them, and generously sprinkling sugar on top.
Arpel nodded and obediently ate what Rohan offered. In truth, he didn’t particularly like this snack. He had just eaten it often with Rohan, who liked sweet snacks when he was young. Having eaten it so frequently, it was natural to think he liked it.
Rohan didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding the happiness that was gradually rising. Of course, there were a few moments when his gaze, which seemed like it would never leave Arpel, did shift away.
“Please be careful.”
Rohan suddenly grabbed the shoulder of a man passing by and flashed a bright smile. It was a position where the man would have bumped directly into Arpel if he had continued without stopping. The man, who was about to get angry, quickly fled after seeing Rohan’s expression, which looked eerie despite smiling.
“You didn’t bump into him, right?”
“No. You stopped him.”
Even if Rohan hadn’t stopped him, Arpel would have easily avoided it, but Arpel’s priority was to reassure Rohan.
The problem was that such situations kept repeating.
People trying to bump shoulders as if looking to start a fight, people attempting to pickpocket… there was even someone asking for help moving things. And in a very secluded back alley at that.
At first, Rohan seemed to let it slide, but gradually his face filled with annoyance. It was inevitable that his nerves were on edge, as all the people approaching were targeting Arpel. Their intentions were too transparent.
“…Should I go away for a moment?”
After several repetitions, Rohan tripped those trying to bump shoulders, firmly caught and handed over pickpockets to the guard, and cleanly ignored those asking for help moving things.
Although he tried hard not to cause a disturbance, he was starting to get angry at the mere fact that these incidents were interrupting his time with Arpel. Finally, Rohan lightly ran his hand through his hair and asked with a slight smirk. His words were full of emotion, as if he was planning revenge and wouldn’t let the next person off easily, whoever they might be.
Nevertheless, those eyes asking for opinion remained constant. Arpel slowly shook his head at Rohan, who looked like he would dash off at any moment if given permission.
“Let’s go together.”
He firmly held onto the hand that was trying to slip away. Rohan couldn’t help but smile at the gesture that clearly showed the will not to let him go alone under any circumstances. The irritation that had been rising to the top of his head just moments ago subsided in an instant.
The target had already been identified from the moment they persistently aimed for Arpel. The two walked into a side alley without hesitation.
No matter where you go, there are always dark alleys where unsavory elements lurk. If there was a place where one’s safety could be threatened, there was no better place than this.
“Mmph, mph!”
“If you move even one step, this kid’s life is over!”
The two’s prediction was not wrong. As Arpel entered deep into the alley with Rohan, a masked man blocked their way as if he had been waiting. The sharp tip of a sword was pointed at a child captured in his hand.
“P-please save me! Save me!”
“Can’t you stay still?!”
The terrified child cried out, but was met only with threats from a gruff voice. The trembling child’s face was contorted with clear fear, snot and tears streaming down. The man snickered.
Rather than checking the child’s condition, Arpel observed Rohan beside him. His slightly furrowed brow suggested he was keenly assessing the child’s well-being.
If Arpel had been alone, his goal would have been to deal with the man who kept bothering them, so the child’s life wouldn’t have been a consideration from the start. He would have attacked regardless of whether the child got hurt. But the moment he noticed Rohan was worried about the child, he immediately discarded that option.
The reason was simple. Because Rohan wanted to save that child.
“What’s your purpose?”
“A hostage exchange! If you come over here, I’ll let the child live.”
The giggling appearance suggested he really thought this plan would work. Perhaps he thought they were outnumbered? He glanced at the several people lined up behind.
“…You want Arpel?”
“That’s right! Quickly hand him ov… Guh!”
But the man didn’t realize that his choice was the worst possible one. Rohan’s eyes, which had seemed concerned about the child until just now, suddenly changed the moment Arpel was mentioned.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, Rohan was gripping the collar of the man who had been threatening the child. Despite the difference in size, Rohan lifted the man by the neck with one hand, looking not just calm but devoid of any emotion.
“Hic, hiccup…”
Arpel caught the child who was about to fall to one side. He couldn’t leave the child alone, constantly remembering how worried Rohan had looked.
“Kuhak, attack! Attack now! Anyone, kill them all!”
The man caught in Rohan’s hand shouted as if making a final struggle. Those who had been blocking the rear to prevent escape began to rush in all at once. But they were nothing more than a ragtag group.
Arpel, who had been silently watching all of this, quietly raised his hand to cover the child’s eyes. In an instant, sharp black thorns sprouted from the ground, piercing through the enemies’ bodies in one go.
Numerous people perished in a single moment. The only survivor was the man who couldn’t escape Rohan’s grasp.
“Ah…?”
Those whose lives fled without even uttering their last words fell to the ground like puppets with cut strings. The shadows writhing on the ground rose like waves and devoured the corpses. Crunch, crunch. It seemed like auditory hallucinations could be heard from somewhere.
The man, who had to watch all of this without being able to offer any resistance, let out a stupid sound. He couldn’t believe all that he was seeing.
“P-please spare…”
What have I messed with?
Before he could even think that, a plea for his life reflexively burst out. The eyes devoid of any emotion were a brilliant gold color, but the man saw death in those eyes.
Even though his face was covered with a mask, the eyes visible through the holes in the cloth were filled with a desperate desire to live. Rohan couldn’t have missed that.
“I’ll spare you.”
The moment joy filled those eyes.
Rohan raised the corner of his mouth askew and released the man’s collar. But the man didn’t hit the ground.
He was eaten by the shadows that had been constantly swirling around Rohan, as if savoring the taste. Of course, Rohan kept his promise. The man, who was quietly buried in the shadows without a single scream, didn’t go in as a corpse like the others.
He would still be alive, just losing his senses and writhing in endless darkness. Rohan planned to hand him over to Lexia if they met in a few days.
“…Arpel.”
Rohan neatly finished dealing with the man and turned around to look at Arpel, but his expression soon became strange.
The child who had been in the man’s grasp until just now was now in Arpel’s arms. Arpel, who had belatedly removed the hand covering the child’s eyes, flinched when he saw Rohan’s gaze.
Somehow, that look didn’t seem right.
Arpel, who had little interest in the child’s well-being, reached the conclusion to embrace him for several reasons.
Rohan had been worried about the child. That alone was enough reason for Arpel to care for this child. It also had some influence that the child was around the same age as Rohan when they first met, equally terrified, and crying loudly.
Arpel naturally remembered how he had comforted Rohan back then. Hugging and patting him. Unlike then, it was a very mechanical patting without emotion, but the child seemed to find comfort in it and remained quietly in Arpel’s arms.
“You’re good at taking care of children.”
Would it be a misunderstanding to think there was a sting in those words? Arpel silently rolled his eyes. The emotion conveyed on the wind was very raw jealousy.
Arpel immediately put the child down. The child, who seemed to stagger for a moment, stopped crying and stood bravely in place. Although his legs seemed to be trembling weakly.
“Do you know where your parents are?”
“I don’t know…”
“Then let’s go to the guard station.”
The child didn’t ask about the people who had once filled the alley. It might have been an instinctive choice to protect himself.
They quickly took the child to the guard station. The child’s parents must have been continuously searching for him, as they immediately came and hugged the child while sobbing loudly. The child, who seemed to have stopped crying, became teary-eyed again and started bawling.
The two quickly left the guard station, taking advantage of the commotion. As soon as they came out to the street, Rohan’s hand quietly grasped Arpel’s. Although Arpel flinched at the familiar entwining of fingers, he didn’t reject the touch.
“Do you like kids?”
…It seems the jealousy hasn’t ended yet. Somehow feeling like the corners of his mouth might twitch, Arpel deliberately pressed around his mouth with his other hand to hide his feelings.
The inside of his chest felt ticklish.
