I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

41

“Lord Arpel, is something wrong?”

Dionel noticed Arpel sitting alone at the back of the chapel and looked puzzled. Rohan, who was usually by his side, was nowhere to be seen today, and Arpel’s expression was noticeably stiff.

Dionel had come directly to where Arpel was said to be sitting after hearing a priest complain that he couldn’t approach him because he seemed to be in a bad mood. Dionel could understand why the priest had said that.

Without Rohan by his side, Arpel was like an expressionless doll. Even when conversing, he would respond but show no sign of focus unless it was related to Rohan. Nevertheless, he wasn’t unkind, so there were occasionally people who would greet Arpel.

But today was different. He was exuding a chilly aura from his entire body, making it clear to anyone that something unpleasant had happened.

Pretending not to notice the priests cheering him on from behind, Dionel asked, and Arpel’s gaze turned to him.

“Is the service over?”

“Yes, it ended quite a while ago… Didn’t you hear from Rohan?”

“…I see.”

His expression worsened.

As Rohan grew older, he began various studies, including duties he had to perform as someone blessed by the Demon Sword.

No one forced him to follow a set schedule, but Rohan did what he had to do without complaint. This was why more people respected and revered Rohan, even though he wasn’t yet an adult.

On mornings when the central temple was open, Rohan often participated in services wearing formal attire indicating his special status among the priests. Thanks to this, Rohan’s name spread outside the temple, but he never once took Arpel to the services.

Dionel could roughly understand why. From a young age, Rohan had been blindly devoted to Arpel and wary of getting close to anyone else. He acted that way even with the priests, so it would only be worse with complete strangers.

As he grew up, these behaviors intensified rather than lessened.

Perhaps he was worried that too much attention would be focused on Arpel. Dionel didn’t want such a situation either, so he didn’t interfere much.

However, Rohan didn’t leave Arpel behind when he went. Arpel always waited in a small room at the back of the chapel. When the service ended and people disappeared, Rohan would quickly find his way to where Arpel was and stick close to him.

As this routine continued, people rarely tried to hold Rohan back after the service ended.

But now Rohan wasn’t there?

“Did you… perhaps have a fight?”

“…No. That’s not it.”

A trembling voice escaped, unable to hide it completely. A quarrel between Arpel and Rohan would be a disaster that no one wants. Fortunately, Arpel shook his head.

While this relieved Dionel, he was still curious about why Arpel had such an expression.

After remaining silent for a while with eyes full of deep hesitation, Arpel finally moved his lips. A small voice escaped like the wind.

“Rohan… is avoiding me.”

“…What?”

Dionel’s face turned pale.

It was literally a bolt from the blue.

**

The problem started on the morning of a day with an early service. It was strange from the beginning when Rohan, who usually stayed in bed until Arpel woke him up even after waking, suddenly got up.

“…Couldn’t sleep?”

“Ah… Yes. A little.”

Arpel could only blink blankly when he faced Rohan. There were bloodshot eyes, and dark circles under them. The deep dark circles under his eyes were proof that he had been tossing and turning all night.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Arpel’s expression immediately turned worried.

Except for when they first started staying together, Rohan always slept soundly by Arpel’s side. Of course, he didn’t have nightmares.

Although it had never happened before, he could suddenly have a nightmare, couldn’t he? Arpel hadn’t felt any signs of Rohan trying to scratch his neck or cry during the night, but he could have woken up and fallen asleep repeatedly due to nightmares.

“No. I just had a lot on my mind.”

“…Is that so?”

If he didn’t have a nightmare, that was at least a relief. Arpel relaxed his expression and reached out to Rohan. It was also an action born out of concern for his face, which seemed to have become gaunt in such a short time.

Everything would have been normal if Rohan hadn’t slightly backed away from Arpel’s hand.

“…Ah.”

Rohan seemed to have belatedly realized that he had avoided Arpel. Whether it was an unconscious action or not, his face turned pale when he became aware of his behavior.

Arpel, who had been blankly looking down at his hand for a moment, couldn’t say anything when he saw Rohan looking dejected, surprised by his own action.

“I didn’t… mean to do that.”

“Okay. I understand.”

If it had ended there, there wouldn’t have been a problem. But Rohan, in such a hurry for some reason, quickly gathered his clothes and left, saying he needed to go for the service, before Arpel could say anything.

And although Arpel waited in the back room of the chapel as usual, Rohan didn’t come even when it was time for the service to end.

That was the current situation.

It was the first time for everything – Rohan avoiding his touch, leaving first. Arpel was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling as he recalled these facts. His mood just kept sinking to unfathomable depths.

Come to think of it, things were strange at dawn too. As if he was hiding something…

The fact that he was hiding something and avoiding him felt like drawing a line. Looking down at his palm that had been pushed away, he swallowed the gloomy emotions.

“Could it be puberty?”

“Puberty?”

Arpel snapped back to reality at Dionel’s words.

“Rohan is 17 years old this year, isn’t he? People around that age often go through an emotionally turbulent period before becoming adults, so if his behavior has suddenly changed, there’s a high probability it’s puberty.”

“…I see.”

Come to think of it, there was a similar saying in the previous world. His mood improved slightly. It was fine as long as it wasn’t because Rohan disliked him or found him uncomfortable.

If it was an inevitable process to go through, what Arpel could do for Rohan was to stay by his side unchangingly.

“I think it would be good to try talking with Rohan.”

“I understand.”

Without even noticing Dionel sighing in relief as he looked at him, Arpel got up from his seat and left the room where he had been staying. It seemed like a good idea to talk as he suggested.

Not long after he started walking, there was a tapping sound from the outside window.

“Arpel!”

“…Leriana.”

It was Leriana, who was walking in the outside garden. Arpel, who had been staring at her for a moment, only opened the window after hearing her whining to open it. The sound that had been muffled became a little clearer.

“What about your class?”

“Haha.”

On days when Rohan participated in the service, Leriana usually attended morning classes alone. Although he hadn’t particularly paid attention to it, Arpel was well aware of this fact as it was a repetitive sight. Judging by Casia’s absence, she was most likely playing hooky.

“It’s a secret from Sia!”

“Alright.”

Leriana, who laughed brightly, suddenly turned her head and looked beside Arpel.

“But where’s Rohan?”

“…He left early today.”

“Really? That’s unusual…”

Her tilting head caused her golden hair to flutter in the breeze. The dazzling golden hair floating out the window was quite similar to the color of Rohan’s eyes. While Arpel was blankly staring at it, it happened.

“Arpel. What are you doing with her?”

A sound of someone running quickly approached, and soon, the body that had been close to the window frame was pulled back. In the blink of an eye, the distance between Leriana on the other side increased.

“…Rohan.”

The sound of catching his breath was clear, as if he had come in a hurry. He had left his outer garment somewhere and was only wearing a shirt and vest.

“Didn’t we agree that you’d only meet her when I’m with you? Didn’t it affect your holy power?”

“Am I some kind of germ…?”

Leriana looked aghast, but no one paid attention to her. Even Arpel, who had briefly glanced at her, now had all his attention focused on Rohan.

“You left first, so…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to avoid you, but my thoughts were too complicated…”

Leriana had already disappeared, but the two remained there with the wind gently blowing through the gap of the open window. Looking at Rohan’s dejected face as he apologized for his mistake, Arpel recalled Dionel’s words.

‘…I guess it really is puberty.’

Judging by how he said his thoughts were complicated, it seemed Dionel was right.

But he still worries about me. Feeling the careful gaze checking if he was in pain anywhere due to his holy power, as usual, Arpel found himself strangely too relieved.

Shaking off the inexplicable emotion, he moved his hand. Instead of stroking Rohan as his heart wanted to, he chose to pat the arm that was holding his body.

It was a consideration, or lack thereof, for the sensitive period of puberty.