I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

49

Arpel had tried to infer people’s ‘positive emotions’ before, but he had never directly experienced them. The only thing that remained clearly in his mind was the feeling close to despair that Rohan had conveyed when he first grasped him. But this was different, instantly consuming him.

Excitement, preciousness, affection, and love.

“…Arpel?”

He could understand the identity of these emotions that felt as if someone was injecting them from the outside, even if he didn’t want to. They were emotions so thick they were suffocating. Only after Rohan called him several times did Arpel properly recognize his voice.

“Arpel, are you in pain? Arpel!”

“…Wait. Hold on, Rohan.”

Seeing Arpel squeezing his eyes shut, Rohan, his face turning pale, acted as if he was about to lift Arpel with both hands and rush out of the prayer room. He was about to lift him up, but Arpel’s hand stopped him.

The purple eyes that opened late were filled with confusion. Nevertheless, the moment Rohan met those eyes, he couldn’t look away.

Trembling fingertips settled on Rohan’s cheek. As Rohan felt that faint vibration and held his breath, Arpel’s lips finally moved.

“Have you successfully completed the contract?”

Owen, who had frowned slightly as it took longer than expected, opened the door to the prayer room immediately after knocking. Then he froze, witnessing the two in a precarious posture.

A moment of silence passed.

“…I’ll report that it was successfully completed.”

Bang!

The door was quickly shut.

The sound, clearly conveying embarrassment, echoed through the spacious but silent prayer room. The two inside didn’t pay attention to it. Even when Owen suddenly appeared, they only briefly glanced at him before quickly returning their gazes to each other.

The influx of emotions was still ongoing. Whether he had assimilated with the emotions or was just surprised, Arpel felt dazed.

Arpel didn’t know what ‘love’ was. He had thought Rohan’s smile was lovely before, but he believed that was just a feeling towards a precious and cute child. It had taken him a considerable amount of time to even acknowledge that loveliness.

So he certainly didn’t know about romantic love.

“…Rohan.”

But if it was someone else’s emotion, it was different. It felt as if someone was directly injecting the feeling that filled his chest to the brim, threatening to overflow beyond his throat, clearly telling him it was love.

Arpel finally noticed the quiet sound of Rohan’s heartbeat. Though faint, it was beating fiercely as if asserting its presence, and it quickened every time their eyes met. Keeping his hand gently placed on Rohan’s cheek, he whispered a question.

“Do you like me?”

“…I do like you.”

“No. Not in that sense.”

Eyes resembling the summer sun began to tremble slightly. Slowly but surely, Rohan was realizing what Arpel was about to say.

“Are you in love with me?”

As if receiving a shocking verdict, his heart thumped loudly once. Staring blankly at Rohan’s widened eyes, Arpel got his answer even though Rohan didn’t speak.

Looking at Arpel’s still confused face, and taking in each word of the voice asking the unbelievable question, Rohan felt as if time had stopped for a moment.

Why? How?

He had thought that someday, Arpel would discover all the emotions he was swallowing. Even if not discovered, it wasn’t an emotion he could endure forever, so at some point in the future, he would have no choice but to confess his love.

However, none of the futures he had imagined included a situation like this.

‘Whether it’s a Demon Sword or a Holy Sword, once they complete the contract with the blessed one, the sword will begin to resonate with their emotions.’

Suddenly, a voice came to mind. It was Dionel’s, explaining the relationship between the sword and the blessed one.

‘They have a distinct, albeit not clear, sense of self. If you’re happy, they’ll be happy too, and if you’re sad, they’ll become beings that share your sadness. Of course, Arpel might be a bit different.’

Why had he forgotten that?

At the time, Rohan hadn’t particularly emphasized this when he heard it from Dionel. He had just considered it as one of the theoretical aspects.

The sword resonates with the emotions of the blessed one. Now Arpel was a Demon Sword that had formed a lifelong contract with Rohan. So… a fact he wanted to ignore crossed his mind.

He had been discovered.

“…That’s right.”

His throat felt excessively dry, with a scratchy sensation. The voice that came out after a moment of silence was significantly lowered and even showed signs of cracking.

The sound of his pounding heartbeat was so dull that nothing else registered in his sight except for Arpel right in front of him. It felt as if all his senses were focused on him. The entirely dazed feeling was reminiscent of a scene from a dream.

“I’ve continued, continued… to like you. Maybe I’ve liked Arpel since I was very young.”

His eyelids trembled, but his voice conveying his emotions was clear. While carefully holding Arpel’s hand that was still on his cheek and burying his face in it, he murmured.

Memories of the past flowed like a long story. Throughout many moments, his gaze had always been directed at Rohan. It wasn’t just speaking in physical terms.

Even in his young heart, he knew that much. All of Arpel’s actions were ultimately for Rohan, for him. His kindness was always Rohan’s share. The moment he realized this, he thought it was irreversible. Rohan had no choice but to love him.

Blankly, as if repeating those words several times, Arpel remained silent. His lips moved, but only faint breaths escaped.

Even though he knew the answer that would come from him, Rohan whispered with a bright smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m in love with you… so much.”

“…Rohan.”

The voice uttering the name was as frail as someone being choked. Nevertheless, Arpel, without removing his hand from Rohan’s cheek, tried hard to calm the confusion that seemed to be turning his mind upside down.

Even now, Rohan’s affection was continuously pouring towards Arpel. Somehow, his body felt hot. It felt as if a corner of his mind had broken down, buried under countless waves of emotion.

Arpel could grant anything Rohan wanted. A sudden confession of love was no different. It was natural since he was the only person Arpel cherished in this world and the one to whom he was bound.

Nevertheless, there was one thing holding Arpel back.

“I’m sorry.”

The bittersweet smile behaved as if it already knew Arpel’s answer. Seeing that expression made a part of his heart sting. More than that, the thought of wanting to hug and comfort Rohan took precedence.

Arpel couldn’t know exactly what his own emotions were. The feelings that welled up whenever he saw Rohan usually stopped at the sentiment of ‘feeling good’. This was due to the limitations of bringing back memories from his past life and connecting them with words encountered in books.

Only now did he realize. Arpel wasn’t human, but because of that, he wanted to maintain the ‘human line’ even more.

Because he remembered the promise to become family from long ago, and because he realized that his actions of watching over and caring for Rohan for a long time were similar to what people called ‘parental’ behavior. He couldn’t bring himself to give an affirmative answer.

“…It’s okay.”

Rohan, who had been silent for a while, lost in thought, showed surprisingly little agitation. Rather, his face was closer to that of someone who had gained some realization.

“Because you decided not to abandon me… because you’ve contracted with me now. You’ll still stay with me, right? Right?”

“…Yes. I’ll always be with you.”

“Then that’s enough. Everything’s fine.”

A fresh smile spread across his face. At the same time, an undeniable affection poured out. It felt as if his breath was catching and stopping, and he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

It was an obvious wavering. While observing each and every aspect of this without missing anything, Rohan didn’t erase the smile on his face.

“…We still have plenty of time.”

“Hm?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go out now.”

Even if he flinched, Arpel eventually took Rohan’s hand. His behavior still hadn’t changed at all. The hand holding his was always imbued with the same caring emotion.

While applying a little strength to the hand holding his, Rohan decided to maintain this distance. Yet, one thought floated in his mind.

Perhaps… his wish might come true.

***

Dionel quietly observed the two.

Owen, who had come to report that the contract had been successfully completed, had an somewhat uneasy look. When asked what had happened, he ultimately shook his head and refrained from speaking. Until then, Dionel had thought that Owen might have been overreacting.

But the moment he directly saw Arpel and Rohan, he could be certain that something had changed.

“Did something happen between you two?”

“No. Nothing in particular.”

Rohan was the one who answered immediately.

Although he wasn’t as elated as Dionel had thought, Rohan, who answered in his usual tone, seemed to be in quite a good mood. He looked like someone envisioning a hopeful future.

On the other hand, Arpel appeared somewhat complex and restless. Although he was facing Dionel, his gaze kept glancing at Rohan sitting beside him.

His narrowed gaze was directed at their hands holding each other. Occasionally, Arpel’s hand would flinch, but neither of them let go first.

In the end, there was nothing Dionel could say to them. Although they seemed different from usual, they showed no signs of talking about the reason, so it was natural.