I Became the Main Character’s Demon Sword

29

“Thank you. Now, may I proceed to the main point?”

“What do you mean by the main point…?”

“It’s also the reason why we brought Lord Arpel here.”

While all attention had been focused on Arpel before the meeting began, he was now excluded amidst the confusion caused by Dionel’s spy statement.

Attention turned back to Arpel. Most expressions were distrustful, but among them, Gilbert had a rather incredulous look on his face.

“Are you saying he has evidence?”

“Yes. You’ve understood my intention well.”

Dionel gave a slight smile. However, Gilbert didn’t feel a sense of crisis. There were also some looks of incomprehension. After all, Dionel was the only one in this place who knew that Arpel was a demon sword.

“Do you remember the power Arpel used?”

Most of the people here weren’t present when Arpel unleashed his magical power against the knights. While high-ranking priests might know, the elders were not easily gathered in one place to begin with. Even today, if it weren’t for the commotion Arpel caused, they wouldn’t have responded to the summons.

But there are exceptions to everything. The elderly elder who had first blocked Dionel when he tried to bring Arpel into the temple turned pale.

“…I heard he used magical power, but.”

“Originally, the power of specters and magical power cannot coexist. Why would he be the only exception?”

Feeling dozens of gazes still fixed on him, Arpel wondered if what he was feeling was annoyance. He had no interest in listening to lengthy exchanges of verbal sparring.

Instead of listening to this conversation as background noise, he needed to quickly finish the business and return to the room where the child was sleeping soundly. If he delayed any longer, Rohan might wake up. Since Rohan had fallen asleep exhausted after crying profusely, Arpel wanted to be there with him when he woke up, at least.

Feeling that the conversation would drag on if left alone, Arpel decided to bring this discussion to an end himself.

“Twenty years ago, I saw it at that place.”

The words Arpel uttered after keeping silent had a big impact. The priests who had been engaging in fruitless conversation all focused on Arpel’s words. As if trying to gauge the meaning of his words, a moment of silence swept through, and then Gilbert, his face red, burst out shouting.

“Can you take responsibility for those words!”

Arpel had said he was a witness to that incident. If that were true, it would overturn all the circumstances up until now.

Looking at Gilbert, who was shouting with bloodshot eyes, Arpel showed no signs of being shaken. Just as Gilbert was about to shout again, heated by Arpel’s attitude that seemed not only calm but almost uninterested…

Suddenly, the view began to brighten. The source of the light was none other than Arpel. The knights standing nearby drew their swords in surprise, but Dionel, who had anticipated what was about to happen, raised his hand to stop their actions.

“Th-This is…!”

The person who had been speaking just moments ago was gone, and in his place, only a single sword remained. Every time the blade vibrated, strong magical power spread around it.

Anyone with magical power couldn’t help but know. The fact that this magical power was of a grade incomparably higher than anything else, enough to make one instantly accept the unrealistic situation of a person suddenly turning into a sword. A faint magical power enveloped the sword, preventing it from falling to the floor.

The jet-black blade was decorated with purple gems that were noticeable but not gaudy. The beautiful sword, with its sharp and noble aura, instantly captivated the priests’ attention.

“A demon sword…”

Someone exhaled those words like a sigh.

“It can’t be, it can’t be…”

And another person, unable to adapt to the sudden situation, could only repeat the same words like a broken machine. At the same time, the black blade swiftly turned and plunged into the table where people were seated, making a loud noise. Then, a quiet stillness settled all around.

A voice broke through the silence. It was the same words spoken when he was in human form just moments ago, and though the voice was similar, the feeling was different.

Not only did it give the impression of whispering directly into one’s mind, but every time it spoke, strong magical power swept over the priests. In the face of this overwhelming aura, no one could open their mouth.

As if by magic, everyone’s gaze turned to one person.

Gilbert, who suddenly found himself the focus of so many intense yet silent gazes, opened and closed his mouth with a pale face.

“N-No. It’s not me. Who knows if that thing is lying!”

“Elder Gilbert. The demon sword is proof of the divine grace bestowed by the Demon God. Are you truly insulting the Demon God?”

Arpel glanced at Dionel. Since he was in sword form, Dionel wouldn’t be aware that Arpel was looking at him, but his expression was clearly hoping for Arpel to push harder.

Having made a contract, the job needed to be finished cleanly. Responding to Arpel’s will as he impassively stared at Gilbert, the blade began to vibrate, emitting a lump of magical power.

A demon sword is modeled after the power of the Demon God. It was natural for it to be revered by the priests. Even if it had been tainted by the power of specters, fragments of divine authority still remained within it, and the fact that it had not ultimately succumbed to the specters and had protected the blessed child, bringing him to the temple, was clear.

This fact swallowed up the seeds of distrust that had been nestled in the priests’ hearts.

Unfortunately, those blinded by this fact failed to notice that Arpel’s tone was devoid of any emotion, as if reading from a book. Having no memories of the past to begin with, it was all just made-up stories. There was no room for emotion to enter.

“I, I…”

The situation ended there.

Whether there were many or few priests following him, when the lost demon sword returned and pointed to that person as the one who had diverted it, there was no one who could deny that fact. Although strangely in human form, no one could deny that Arpel was that demon sword from back then.

Every time strong magical power enveloped the blade, the faint remnants of spectral energy disappeared, leaving only the intoxicatingly pure power of divine authority in its place. Feeling such energy with their entire bodies, there was no one of importance who could deny that Arpel was the demon sword.

“Th-This… to say this is that demon sword from back then…!”

The already wavering eyes and cold sweat pouring down seemed to show that he had been driven to the edge of a cliff.

It was natural. He had erased all records and, not missing the period when the High Priest position was vacant, did his best to make the incident fizzle out so that his actions would be buried. On the surface, he continued days of praise by pretending to be a devout priest.

He thought that while he couldn’t aim for the position of High Priest since he couldn’t prove pure and devout faith, days like now where he controlled the temple while pretending to assist weren’t bad either.

He simply hadn’t expected it.

This moment when the sword that had gained the power of specters transformed into a human, brought the blessed child to the temple for protection, and was now revealing the past events it remembered.

People tend to be flustered when something completely unexpected suddenly happens. Gilbert, who had been confident he could naturally brush off any suspicions and speculations without flinching, felt his world crumbling.

For a moment, the blade seemed to turn even blacker, and shadows surged up from the floor. The shadows moving according to Arpel’s will quickly enveloped Gilbert’s body.

“Aaaagh!”

“…I believe I’ve provided an answer satisfactory to everyone.”

Dionel, who had been silently watching Arpel’s actions, wore a gentle smile. Of course, no one objected to his words.

“Take him away.”

“Yes!”

At those words, the nearby knights grabbed Gilbert’s arms. As the shadows dissolved, they nodded to Arpel and began to drag Gilbert away. Throughout being dragged away, Gilbert kept shouting that it wasn’t his doing, but no one listened to him.

Feeling that the situation had been somewhat resolved, Arpel immediately changed back into human form. Many stared in awe as he returned to human form in the blink of an eye with a faint light.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. I’ll come to see you after things are settled.”

He turned around without hesitation and walked out. No one stopped Arpel.

Rather, he was worried about Rohan. He had wanted to be by Rohan’s side before he woke up, but he had sensed a small presence fidgeting in front of the room before the conversation had even finished.