I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

56

“An ambush, you say?”

Only after their tense exchange ended could Lexia hear about the incident on their way. His face, which had maintained a smiling expression, suddenly hardened, exuding a serious atmosphere.

“I thought this might happen… It seems they’ve planted people near the temple after all. The one they’re focusing on is probably-“

“Me, I suppose,” Rohan answered calmly. He didn’t seem to care much whether he was the focus of attention or not. He casually waved his hand.

“We’ve captured one of them. Please handle it.”

“Well, alright. We might be able to get some information.”

This never gets old, Lexia thought, winking at Rohan. Of course, he paid no attention to Rohan’s sour expression.

Lexia made an ambiguous expression as he noticed the shadow at his feet beginning to ripple. A battered figure emerged from the shadow and rolled onto the floor.

The face was so covered in blood that features were barely discernible. Lexia calmly assessed the man’s condition, then glanced at Arpel. He naturally assumed Arpel had dealt with the man.

In reality, it was Rohan who had cut the man, but no one cared about his misunderstanding, nor did they correct it.

Lexia fiddled with something under the table for a moment, then pulled a cord. Soon after, the door burst open and someone entered with irritated footsteps.

“Why did you call me again? Huh?”

“Oh my, what’s with that tone?”

The face seemed somewhat familiar. It was the man who had guided them when they came to meet Lexia on his request. Judging by how much older he looked compared to then, it seemed time had taken its toll.

“It’s not just errands this time, so don’t make that face. We have guests, you know?”

“Hah… Understood.”

“Take this man away. Lock him up in the dungeon below.”

Dane, who had made an appearance after a long time, flinched only briefly at the sight of the bloodied man rolling on the floor. In the end, he dragged the unconscious man out.

“I often play pranks on him. But he’s quite a cute fellow, despite how he looks.”

Leriana, who had been silently watching the scene, shuddered. The seemingly friendly man before her appeared to be a rather terrible boss.

Casia, averting her gaze from the faint bloodstains on the floor, spoke up.

“We’ve already interrogated him once, but we didn’t learn much. It seems certain that the Emperor is involved… but there was one peculiar person, they said.”

“A peculiar person?”

“They said they’re a secret organization that systematically takes on assassination or murder requests. A new recruit joined just before this mission, but due to being mute, there was notably less interaction with them.”

Her words continued.

“During the battle, only one person escaped. Due to my incompetence… even with Lady Leriana’s power backing me, I couldn’t handle him and let him get away.”

“I assume this peculiar person was the one who escaped? Are you certain?”

“I’m sure. I showed him the faces of the dead ones up close, one by one.”

A brief silence fell. Leriana flinched at the unexpected method, but Arpel and Rohan showed no particular reaction. Lexia, who had been chuckling at the contrast, nodded.

“That person must have been quite skilled.”

“Without the help of the others, I would have been no match for him.”

It was indeed true. Throughout her confrontation with the unidentifiable man, she had felt a barrier. If Rohan hadn’t been there to help, if Leriana’s power had waned and couldn’t transmit her ability, the outcome would have been obvious.

“It will take some time, but I’ll look into it,” Lexia said.

For such a dangerous individual, it was right to quickly start an investigation and secure as much information as possible. Lexia nodded.

“As you already know, our ultimate goals are two-fold.”

Lexia held up two fingers, folding them down one by one as he continued.

“First is the downfall of the Salvation Church, and second is obtaining evidence of the Emperor’s collaboration with the Salvation Church. Originally, finding the Church’s branches was going to be very difficult, but thanks to your help, we found out easily.”

Thanks to Rohan and Arpel relaying information to Dionel, the Mercenary Guild and dispatched priests had begun full-scale cooperation three years ago. Although only a small portion participated in the branch hunt, the work progressed faster with the help of priests who could detect the power of spirits quicker than ordinary people.

“I thought it would be better to strike all at once without giving them proper time to prepare, so we’ve focused on gathering information and reconnaissance until now. If you look at these documents…”

Lexia rummaged through the countless papers on the table and returned with a few sheets. They were all documents detailing the locations of branches, characteristics of surrounding villages, and points to be cautious about.

“Given how large the organization is, it would be too difficult with just your help. I was thinking of asking you to focus on what seem to be important strongholds. Is that alright?”

His hand tapped on one document. It was about a village that had to be passed through to reach a territory famous for handicrafts. The explanation that it was particularly prosperous compared to other places seemed to be written for this reason.

“Ah, use this for expenses on your journey.”

Lexia smiled brightly and placed a money pouch in front of them. Arpel picked it up with an unimpressed face, but Leriana, experiencing this for the first time, was different.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she untied the pouch to check its contents, and her face immediately filled with surprise. Having always lived comfortably in the temple, she had never handled money. Even before the temple, she had lived in the slums, so this was her first time seeing such an amount of money.

“Shall I add more?”

The more, the better. Leriana held out the pouch as if entranced.

***

“I thought the number of priests had decreased slightly recently, so this was the reason,” Casia said as they left the village. With no further business in the village, they had a quick lunch and were now traveling in a rented carriage.

It was something that only someone who had stayed in the temple and observed carefully, like her, would notice. She nodded with an understanding expression, apparently having harbored doubts about the gradual decrease in numbers.

“It wasn’t a bad decision,” Arpel answered quietly, looking down at Rohan fiddling with his hand. The gentle touch caressing each joint, regardless of the slight trembling of their fingertips, was still difficult to get used to.

The meeting with Lexia had passed in a blur, perhaps due to the number of people, and they hadn’t spent much time on greetings. But he remained unchanged even as time passed.

A shameless, sly, and annoying human. He was the first person other than Rohan to make Arpel feel emotions. Even if that emotion was irritation.

But apart from the negative impression, Arpel felt that the guy would do a good job if entrusted with a task. Perhaps this was what people called trust.

Arpel had described Lexia as a “trustworthy person” several times before. But it was only that he had trustworthy abilities, which was clearly different from acknowledging a distinct ‘trust’ in someone. It was a newfound realization.

“What are you thinking about?”

And Rohan uncannily noticed that change. The eyes that had been lost in thought slowly rolled to meet Rohan’s gaze. The two people sitting opposite had long since started their own conversation.

“…He seems quite trustworthy.”

Rohan, who had been waiting for his words with an obedient face, suddenly widened his eyes. He quickly realized that this evaluation was about Lexia as a person, not just his abilities. His expression soon became complicated.

Although Rohan also knew that Lexia was trustworthy, he didn’t want to agree with Arpel using the same expression. Even while thinking it was a base desire, he couldn’t stop his actions.

“Still, I don’t like him much.”

Arpel, who had remained unchanged for a moment, finally lifted the corners of his mouth. It was very similar to Rohan’s own smile, as always.

Rohan occasionally felt fear. Although they were bound together for life through their contract, the only thing that bothered him was that Arpel could easily read his emotions.

He was afraid that Arpel would clearly read his base, twisted, and vulgar desires. He thought he might be sadder than expected if he saw Arpel avoiding him, saying he disliked it, even though he wouldn’t let go. Rohan smiled brightly, trying to suppress the emerging emotions.

“Alright. If you say so.”

Arpel faithfully responded even to this childish remark. His elegant fingers gently traced Rohan’s cheek.

Arpel couldn’t fully read those emotions. What he sensed were only the broad strokes of emotion, not the reasons behind them. He could resonate with emotions, not read thoughts.

He still couldn’t grasp how to deal with the affection poured onto him. But because the look in his eyes, the expression as he pouted, resembled some time in the past, his hand moved on its own.

It was the face of a young child, now buried in a corner of memory, begging not to be abandoned. Just as he had whispered to that child many times in his youth that he wouldn’t leave him alone, Arpel recited the same words in his heart.

As long as Rohan didn’t abandon him first, no, even if he did, Arpel would never let go of Rohan’s hand. This was an absolute and unchanging principle.

Though he wasn’t sure if he could easily detach himself if Rohan wished to be abandoned. Following the rising corners of his mouth, the selfishness that had been coiled deep in his heart dispersed and disappeared.