I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

11

As Arpel sensed, Rohan was a child with a kind nature and deep consideration for others. He had grown up receiving many compliments for being good in his village, but the difference now was that he was enveloped in fear of possibly being abandoned.

And that fear moved the child. Rohan acted like a good child so that Arpel wouldn’t get tired of him. He keenly observed Arpel’s mood each time and tried to be a good and innocent child so as not to make him uncomfortable.

‘What if… Arpel gets disappointed in me for deceiving him?’

Sometimes thoughts like this crossed his mind.

If Arpel had heard this, he would have firmly stated that such a thing would never happen. Unaware of these feelings, Rohan couldn’t ignore the vague anxiety that remained.

Once, he begged Arpel to make a contract with him.

Arpel was a Demon Sword, and he had said that those blessed by the Demon God could make a contract with a Demon Sword. The blessing received from the god had been the trigger for losing everything precious to him, but now it gave him confidence that Arpel wouldn’t abandon him.

“It’s too early, Rohan.”

But Arpel firmly shook his head even at the suggestion of making a contract.

It was the first time he had heard such a clear refusal, and though he pretended otherwise, Rohan was slightly hurt inside.

Still, he endured it. If he pressed on asking why Arpel wouldn’t make a contract, if he was abandoning him, begging not to be abandoned, Arpel might frown. He was anxious despite the fact that Arpel had never frowned or gotten angry at Rohan even once.

The anxiety that had been slowly gnawing at him burst when he witnessed the terribly formed beast while being held by Arpel.

He couldn’t breathe properly at the hideous sight, and his heart pounded. It was a bit different from the fear he felt on that nightmarish night. If then he had felt suffocated as if his heart was being torn out, the fear he felt facing the beast was an instinctive fear of death that any living being would have.

Even while feeling this vivid fear, Rohan thought:

‘Arpel mustn’t get hurt.’

In that brief moment, frustration also welled up in the child’s heart. He wanted to protect him. But he didn’t have the strength to do so.

Rohan, who had never before felt dissatisfied about being weak due to his young age, had to experience severe helplessness twice in a short moment.

Fortunately, Arpel wasn’t hurt. But Rohan couldn’t be fully happy about this fact. While worrying that Arpel shouldn’t get hurt, he also felt self-loathing for having strange emotions about the fact that he wasn’t hurt.

He still remembered that scene vividly.

The carelessly raised hand drew a line in the air. Simultaneously, that part shattered, and the undulating darkness that leaked out from it devoured the beast.

Although it was pitch black, Rohan felt for a moment that it was beautiful. The overwhelming power and wonder captivated his eyes.

But soon after, what he felt was fear. Rohan became depressed seeing that the beast, which had made him feel the fear of death just moments ago, had died helplessly before Arpel.

‘Is it because I’m weak?’

Is that why he won’t make a contract?

Arpel was a sword, beautiful and strong. To Rohan’s eyes, he seemed like a being who had everything. In comparison, he felt intimidated by his own situation of having nothing and needing protection.

Wouldn’t a sword prefer strong people? Surely, Arpel would want to contract with a strong person too… As such thoughts occurred to him, it felt like his heart was sinking.

‘I don’t like it.’

He didn’t like that. The thought of Arpel leaving him behind, of being left alone again… Rohan bit his lips.

After that, Rohan couldn’t bring himself to speak to Arpel. What if Arpel said yes when asked if he wouldn’t make a contract because Rohan was weak? What if he made a troubled face? Imagining the worst-case scenarios, he couldn’t muster the courage to speak.

In the end, it was Arpel who reached out first. He looked at Rohan, who had been keeping his mouth shut all along, with worried eyes. The clearly visible concern made Rohan feel choked up.

“Rohan.”

“…Yes.”

“Are you afraid of me?”

“What?”

And what he heard was something unexpected. Far from thinking it was pretty or cool, Rohan had never thought Arpel’s power was scary.

Only after he shook his head vigorously did Arpel’s face become relaxed. He had seemed afraid that Rohan might answer that he was scared.

Towards Arpel, who said in a kind voice that it was okay to say whatever he wanted to say, Rohan held back the words trying to escape his mouth several times. He was afraid of what response he might get.

But he didn’t want to disappoint Arpel, who had been considerate of him. Rohan’s world, where nothing had been left, was now revolving around Arpel. He didn’t want to see a sad face.

“Are you… going to abandon me?”

At first, he had clearly tried to speak as calmly as possible. But as time passed, the more he looked at Arpel’s face, the more he didn’t want to be separated from him. The pent-up emotions leaked out, and tears formed and began to fall.

“I said I’d become your sword. It’s okay even if you’re weak.”

“People who contract with a sword no longer age. They can’t exceed their destined lifespan, though.”

“If you contract with me now, you’ll have to live as a child for your whole life, Rohan.”

I’ll make a contract with you when you’re as big as me.

Arpel, flustered by Rohan’s sorrowful crying, laid out explanations. The reason why he couldn’t make a contract, and a sincere promise to make one when Rohan grew up.

Feeling the embrace that was holding him tightly, Rohan buried his face in Arpel’s chest. Somehow, he felt like laughing. The anxiety that had lingered in a corner of his heart throughout his time with Arpel had completely disappeared.

He felt silly for having been afraid, and embarrassed for crying… but as long as he could be with Arpel, anything was fine.

***

Although it wouldn’t have been a bad choice to leave the village immediately the next day since the request was completed in just one day, Arpel decided to stay in this village for about two more days. There was still quite a distance to the central temple, so it was good to rest when possible. They also needed time to look for suitable requests that could be resolved on the way.

Rohan’s complexion had improved even more after that conversation yesterday. The child, who used to rarely speak first unless there was a special topic to talk about, now often initiated conversations.

In fact, the conversations weren’t particularly substantial, but Arpel felt soothed just by hearing the child’s chattering voice. He nodded his head earnestly and responded sincerely.

If he had known the child would be this happy, he would have explained more thoroughly before the child misunderstood.

He wasn’t good with words, and he had never raised a child before. With memories that were mostly just a shell except for the contents of the novel, he couldn’t find any clear memories that would be helpful.

The child had been hurt by words Arpel had uttered without even thinking they might be misunderstood. A faint sense of guilt lingered at the back of his throat. Arpel gently stroked the chattering child’s head.

“Should we just rest today?”

“Yes.”

They could take on a request tomorrow. When Arpel nodded to Rohan, who asked with sparkling eyes, the child’s flushing cheeks clearly showed his good mood.

Habitually reaching out to touch the soft cheeks, Arpel brought another piece of bread to the child’s mouth. The small lips parted, and he chewed the bread.

He had bought it after asking the inn’s cook about a good bakery. They planned to laze around in the inn like this until lunchtime, then go out to eat.

“Arpel should eat too, okay?”

“Thank you.”

This time, Rohan reached out to offer bread. Since the day they first bought something together and started eating it like a snack, the act of bringing food to each other’s mouths had become familiar. This was because Rohan often imitated Arpel’s actions.

Arpel quickly put what Rohan offered into his mouth and slightly raised the corners of his lips. He was always a kind-hearted child.

Though he seemed unaware of it, an expression that others would perceive as very satisfied spread across Arpel’s face. It was then that he suddenly felt the lower floor becoming noisy. The sound of metal clashing with people asking what was going on.

His gaze briefly turned. Knights?

“Arpel, what’s wrong?”

“It’s noisy outside.”

“I can’t hear anything…”

“It’s just that my ears are good.”

Rohan’s eyes were round as he asked, with bread crumbs stuck to the corners of his mouth. Arpel wiped them off for him and frowned slightly.

The metallic sounds were getting closer. It didn’t feel good.

Knock knock-. As soon as he thought this, someone knocked on the room door.

“We’re looking for Sir Arpel.”

Rohan, who had seemed a bit scared, looked at Arpel after hearing the voice from outside. Arpel, wearing an expression that clearly showed his annoyance, quietly put his index finger to his lips.

“We know you’re in there. Please open the door.”

Although the content could be perceived as somewhat forceful, the tone was polite. And it was closer to desperation than politeness.

Ten more minutes passed. The man no longer knocked on the door or asked for it to be opened, but the presence standing in front of the door didn’t disappear.

Finally, Arpel, frowning, flung the door open.

“What is it?”

As soon as the door opened, the face of the large knight opposite brightened. And then he suddenly knelt down. Despite kneeling right in front of him, Arpel’s gaze looking at him remained cold.

“Please, just listen to me once. There’s something I want to ask of you, sir…!”

In this world, the status of knights is quite high. It means they wouldn’t suddenly come to a mercenary whose status isn’t even properly proven and bow their heads.

Yet taking such a humble attitude… it meant there was a very urgent matter.