I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

3

After that, until Rohan woke up, time was spent wiping his skin that had turned black from the ashes, washing his hair, and making him swallow herbs mashed with water to bring down his fever.

‘From tomorrow, I’ll have to go outside.’

Considering Arpel’s financial situation, the doctor advised on a way to earn money immediately. He suggested that if Arpel gathered herbs or edible mushrooms from the forest behind and sold them to stores, they would pay a decent price.

When Arpel mentioned leaving the village once Rohan recovered, the doctor even suggested that it might be good to save some money and try mercenary work in a larger town. It turned out to be a place where more was gained than expected.

“Arpel…?”

As Arpel was organizing future plans in his mind, the child who had been sleeping soundly opened his eyes. Arpel reflexively placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature and nodded.

The fever has gone down a lot. I was worried something might go wrong.

“Where is this?”

“Formal speech?”

“…I was told to use formal speech with adults.”

It seems he was well-taught. Arpel told him to do whatever was comfortable, as it didn’t matter how others addressed him.

Arpel handed water to Rohan, who was coughing dryly as if his throat was dry, and waited for the child to calm down. The child seemed to regain some strength only after grasping the water cup with his small hands and gulping down the water.

“Do you remember?”

“I do…”

“That’s right. But know this. What happened to the village wasn’t your fault.”

“But…”

“No. It’s the fault of those who set the fire.”

The child, who had been fidgeting with his lips for a moment, slowly nodded. He didn’t seem to fully accept it, but he appeared somewhat relieved. Arpel planned to keep repeating this whenever the child looked troubled. He might change his mind after hearing it repeatedly.

“We’re going to the temple.”

“The temple…?”

“Because you’re a child blessed by the demon god. They’ll protect you at the temple.”

“…What about Arpel?”

At those words, Arpel turned to stare at Rohan’s face. The eyes tinged with a faint golden color trembled.

They were eyes clearly wanting someone to stay by his side.

“…For now, I’ll go with you to the temple.”

The word ‘for now’ meant that they might part ways afterward. Even a young child would understand that. After a long silence, Rohan finally nodded with a face that looked like he might cry.

Even seeing that face, Arpel couldn’t bring himself to say he would stay with him. Because there was a high chance of being caught and sealed at the temple.

While Rohan was the protagonist, the fact that Arpel had just watched that nightmare unfold without being able to do anything kept haunting him.

Whether it was lingering attachment or guilt, Arpel struggled to endure the unidentifiable emotions that kept surfacing. Since the child had gone through a difficult experience, Arpel wanted to help him reach the temple without much hardship if possible.

Having an adult around would probably make things a bit better.

Rohan still looked like he had many questions. It was understandable, given how much had happened in such a short time.

But Rohan swallowed those questions and voiced only one:

“Arpel, you won’t go anywhere, right…?”

Is he afraid of being left alone? Arpel hesitated before reaching out again to stroke the round brown head.

“That’s right. I’m not going anywhere.”

At least, not until you safely reach the temple.

Thinking it wasn’t something to say to an anxious child, Arpel swallowed the latter part. Only then did Rohan seem reassured, his breath becoming relaxed.

At the same time, a growling sound was heard.

“You’re hungry.”

“Ugh…”

His face turned red, probably from embarrassment.

And not long after, Arpel could only silently observe the disaster his hands had caused. The charred, coal-like result was hardly believable as food.

“My goodness, who cooks like this?”

“…I’m sorry.”

The doctor, who had introduced himself as James, openly clicked his tongue.

It was worth scolding, so Arpel decided to just keep quiet.

He had tried to cook food for Rohan but failed miserably. Although James had given permission to use the kitchen, he probably hadn’t anticipated such a disaster.

James patted Rohan’s head, who was fidgeting as if he was being scolded in Arpel’s place.

“If you’re going to stay with the child, learn to cook a bit.”

“Yes.”

It was a fair point, so Arpel nodded obediently.

In the end, that evening’s meal consisted of a simple stir-fry made by James.

The meal ended quickly as there weren’t many side dishes. Although James had joined them for dinner, he went downstairs to tidy up the clinic as soon as he emptied his plate. Since they had been served food, dishwashing became Arpel’s responsibility.

As it was close to simple labor, there was no repeat of the earlier disaster. After arranging the sparkling clean dishes in one place, Arpel shook off the water droplets from his hands.

The sun that had been hanging outside had disappeared, and the time was approaching midnight. Despite having slept deeply after exhausting himself from crying, Rohan’s eyes were starting to droop as bedtime approached.

“Go in and sleep.”

When Arpel lightly touched his cheek and let go, Rohan’s drooping eyes opened wide again.

…Does he not want to sleep?

“I feel sleepy, but why?”

“Together… no.”

Arpel, who had been quietly looking down at Rohan, silently picked up the child in his arms. Since James had said it was okay to sleep first, it seemed better to sleep with Rohan now.

“Let’s sleep together. If that’s okay with you.”

“! Y-yes, that’s good…”

At those words, the child’s cheeks turned red. It was a very honest reaction.

It was understandable. Having just experienced something scary yesterday, how could he sleep comfortably? After entering the room and pondering for a moment, Arpel laid Rohan on the inside of the bed and lay down beside him.

If it were two full-grown adults it might have been different, but since one was a small child, the bed space was quite ample.

After turning off the lights and covering them with a thick blanket, the child, who had been fidgeting with his hands for a while, asked in a small voice.

“Um, Arpel… you’re a sword, right?”

“Yes. A demon sword.”

“…Arpel told me that I’m blessed. Since you said only blessed people can use demon swords. Then I also…”

“It’s too early for that.”

Looking straight into the child’s wavering eyes, Arpel whispered softly.

“Later, when you need a sword, I’ll become your sword.”

After a moment of silence, Rohan smiled brightly. His cheeks, like rice cakes, were still very red.

As a smile finally bloomed on Rohan’s face, which had been constantly anxious or depressed, he finally seemed similar to other children his age.

Although he had suffered an unforgettable wound, the one by his side was not the demon sword from the novel, but Arpel, himself. Arpel decided to give the child a daily life where he could often smile as brightly as he did now.

***

“Wow…”

In the room where darkness had faded and sunlight was streaming in, Rohan was looking at what he held in his hand with sparkling eyes and a flushed face.

Despite being worried that it might be too heavy for a child to hold, what was being held quite steadily was none other than a pitch-black sword. The elegant curve of the sword handle and the blade so dark it seemed not a single ray of light could enter it sparkled in the sunlight as the child turned it this way and that in his hands.

The purple jewel decorating the sword made it ambiguous whether it was a decorative sword or one for actual use. However, its moderate beauty and the sharp atmosphere flowing from the sword made it feel like a mystical existence.

“Yes!”

Having slept deeply as if the tension from last night had eased, Rohan woke up late and his stomach growled. It was a sound that couldn’t help but be clearly heard in a room with just the two of them. Perhaps due to embarrassment, Arpel comforted the child who had lowered his head and prepared to feed him the leftover food from yesterday.

In the midst of this, suddenly being in the form of a sword held in the child’s hand was due to the child’s request to see the sword’s appearance.

What’s so difficult about that? As soon as Arpel nodded and changed back into a sword, Rohan’s eyes sparkled as he picked up the sword that had fallen to the floor.

“Can I use this too…?”

He would probably get to hold the sword after arriving at the temple.

However, since Arpel only planned to go as far as near the temple together, it was hard to be certain if there would ever be a day when he would be held in Rohan’s hand.

Having suddenly promised to become his sword, Arpel thought he should let himself be held at least once someday.

The child’s hand stroked the blade. Even though it was a demon sword, it never dulled, so caution was needed even when touching it lightly. A wrong touch could result in a cut.

Arpel could feel the sensation of the touching hand, but no particular thoughts came to mind. It was just a feeling that something was touching him. It was also fascinating, being the first time experiencing this.

“It looks like Arpel.”

Arpel affirmed, making the blade vibrate.

It seems he’s talking about the appearance when transformed into human form. Unfortunately, Arpel had been too busy taking care of Rohan to have a chance to check his own face.

Maybe I should check once before we leave.

As Arpel was thinking absent-mindedly, Rohan spoke up softly.

“The blade is exactly the same color as Arpel’s hair, and this jewel is the same color as your eyes.”

“Yes! It’s pretty.”

The lips chattering away moved constantly. Was it strange that the child’s fidgeting with the sword with his small hands felt so endearing?

Whatever it was, it was fine as long as he seemed to be in a better mood than yesterday.

Arpel left Rohan alone for a while to handle the sword as he wished, and only changed back to human form after the child was satisfied.

It wouldn’t have mattered to stay in the original form, but if James caught them, the situation could become troublesome. Of course, he wouldn’t imagine that Arpel had transformed into a sword, but he might interrogate about where the sword suddenly came from, or where Arpel had gone leaving the child alone.