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It has been over a day since we obtained the magic stone, and it seems unlikely that we will come across any people anytime soon if we continue at this slow pace. While the sluggish movement is a contributing factor, I doubt we will reach our destination by the end of the day.

The main reason why we are making slow progress is that Ciel is not used to walking in a forest and carrying a cloak and pouch, which drains her stamina. However, her regular dance practice has helped her build up some stamina, which has allowed us to cover more ground than we would have otherwise. Additionally, Ciel’s focus seems to be scattered, which is also affecting our pace.

We haven’t left the mansion in 10 years, so it’s no surprise that a 10-year-old like Ciel is curious about everything. Even I am intrigued by this new path we’re taking. However, since it leads to the mansion, I’m keeping my detection at maximum output to detect anyone approaching us, and make sure that we can hide at a moment’s notice.

Anyways, Ciel was adorable yesterday.

I urged Ciel to leave the caravan as quickly as possible because I wanted to put some distance between us and the place. However, as soon as we were far enough, Ciel called out to me excitedly, “Ain, Ain!” and exclaimed about the blue sky and green leaves, “The sky really is blue,” “Look, look! The leaves are so green,” and such. Her enthusiasm made me reflect on the hardships we had endured in our lives up until this point.

Yesterday, Ciel was in high spirits despite being in an unfamiliar forest. However, she ended up falling asleep before sunset. We couldn’t set up a proper campsite, but the soft soil provided a comfortable sleeping spot for Ciel, who was used to sleeping on stone beds and floors.

Truth to be told, a small wolf-like creature came while she was asleep, but since there were no signs of my barrier breaking, I watched it give up and go home without waking Ciel up.

To be exact, I did try waking Ciel up but she didn’t even budge. Given that she had been constantly vigilant until now, I had no issue with her falling into a deep sleep now that she was free from that. However, for our future survival, I hope that she can wake up when I rouse her. But, it’s all because I lack the ability to fight.

Nonetheless, my detection isn’t reacting to anything right now and we are simply strolling through this picturesque forest under the warm sun, so it’s probably fine for me to loosen up a bit. Though I say loosen up, all I can do is sing. Well, I do like singing and Ciel will be listening as well, so it’s fine. As I sing a song that fits my mood, the pace of Ciel’s steps change to suit my song.

Walking forth as though she was skipping, Ciel stops walking just as I ended the song.

『Is there anything wrong?』
「Hey, Ain. You’re singing a song, right?」
『That’s right, is there anything strange about it?』
「There’s nothing strange… or perhaps there is? A song is when you say words matching the rhythm of music, right?」

I observe as Ciel speaks slowly, carefully choosing her words to convey her message, and eventually, I grasp the essence of what she’s trying to say. Essentially, she seems to be intrigued by the fact that the lyrics of the song I sang were in Japanese.

『I lived in a country where the language is different from here, Ciel. That’s why the song might have sounded unfamiliar to you. But it does have a meaning. The lyrics roughly translate to ‘I’m walking on a forest path!’ and so on.』
「Oh, I see. So anything can be made into a song then!」
『That could be true. I only sing, but I’ve never composed a song before. Come to think of it, you can sing a little bit of my country’s song, right?』
「You sing to me every day, so I remember it naturally. However, I don’t understand the meaning of the words, so I just follow the melody.」

Certainly, I don’t even remember how many songs I’ve sung to Ciel. I’m sure that I’ve sung about 2,000 to 3,000 songs, but the frequency of repeating songs differs for the ones I know well and the ones I don’t.

At any rate, I have a shallow but wide knowledge of songs. Since singing is what I enjoy doing the most when I was still alive, I’m pretty confident on just the number of songs I can sing. I never imagined that it would be useful when I’m in another world. Still, rather than being useful, it was just the only way I could kill time.

「Speaking of words, is “Cielmer” perhaps a name used in Ain’s country as well?」
『You name is, based on words from another country different than that of where I lived in.』
「So, Ain knows words from different countries. That’s amazing.」
『Not really. Except for the language of my country, I only know about a few words, you see.』
「You didn’t know about this country’s language, after all. Does Cielmer, have some meaning to it?」

I believe it’s a common trait among Japanese people. Despite struggling with English, many of us have an unusual familiarity with certain French or German phrases.

Although I’m hesitant to discuss Earth with Ciel, I could possibly share some information by framing it as if I’m discussing a different continent on this world. As the one who came up with her name, I’m glad that she’s curious about its meaning.

『Ciel means ‘Sky’ while Mer means ‘Ocean’. I thought that your blue eyes and white hair resembled them.』
「I still haven’t seen the ocean, but the sky, is it? Now that you’ve said it, it really is blue. It’s a blue that I’ve never seen before. And it looks like it continues on forever; almost as though it’s sucking me in. But, are my eyes really that blue?」
『Yes, definitely.』
「In that case, I’m just a bit jealous of you, Ain. After all, you see this blue every day.」
『It’s a side benefit.』
「Well, I can listen to Ain’s song too, so we’re even.」

Saying so, Ciel flashes me a broad smile. Even though I was the one who started it, her ticklish words almost made me writhe in embarrassment. In my past life, at the very least, there was no one that frankly praised me like this and I haven’t even praise anyone like so. However, Ciel seems to be delighted, and most of all, it’s not like I’m unhappy about being praised; so I guess I’ll just bear the embarrassment.

「So if my eyes are the blue of the sky, then this means that my white hair are the clouds, right? When I first saw the sky, I wondered what those floating white things are, you know. But because of our situation, I kept quiet.」
『That really helped a lot. Since I really had my hands full with just escaping yesterday.』
「I just didn’t want to disturb you, Ain.」

And even as she humbly said so, for some reason Ciel delightedly snort out a chuckle. It’s adorable how she sometimes displays this kind of age appropriate reactions, so even I become delighted as well. This whimsical conversation of ours continued until evening.

◇

As the sun started to set, we stopped walking and used our magic to light up the fallen leaves we gathered along the way. While Ciel remained clean due to her usual cloth, I felt the need to take a bath once we reached a village or town. Does my casual thought suggest that I am too accustomed to Ciel’s body? Or is it because she’s still a child that I’m not conscious of it? Putting these silly thoughts aside, we finished our food rations from the wagon and it seemed like it was time to rest when Ciel called out to me.

「Ain will always be on the lookout from now on, right?」
『I’m fine even without sleep after all. I can use the barrier and detection as well, so I’m suited for it.』
「Can I perhaps stay up with you? I think that it’s not good to always burden Ain with this.」

Upon hearing Ciel’s words, I feel hesitant. Honestly, for the sake of our future safety, I would prefer if Ciel were to get enough sleep. Lack of sleep could impair her judgment, and there is also a risk of her dozing off during tomorrow’s journey.

Considering our safety, the only threat that could possibly penetrate my barrier at the moment is the one-eyed giant that ambushed the caravan. Since that incident, I haven’t sensed any other danger, so even if Ciel were to fall asleep during our journey tomorrow, I am confident that I could protect her adequately.

「I can do it. Is it perhaps bad that I want to do so?」
『In that case, well…』

Honestly, I should refuse her request. If we are preparing for future night-watch, we should choose a safer location to practice. However, it’s challenging to reject Ciel’s desire to do something for me. My tendency to give in during such moments reminds me of how Japanese I am. As we pass the time conversing, the sky above us is illuminated by a blanket of stars. It’s then that I realize that the moon, which is singular on Earth, has a twin here.

The two moons, one golden and the other silver, reminded me of Ciel’s hair and also made me realize that I was in a different world. I couldn’t observe my surroundings like this calmly last night, but having Ciel awake by my side had helped me relax a bit.

「So night are actually this bright. Yesterday I fell asleep before night came, so I didn’t know.」
『It was totally dark when the lights are out in the cell after all. I couldn’t even see my own hand.』

In the cell, there was usually a torch-like light source. However, during the 5 years of our confinement, there were times when it would go out. Being underground, if the light went out, you would be in complete darkness. It’s not a matter of your eyes being unaccustomed to it.

「So because of that, I thought that nights were always that dark. See, even the books just state that it’s dark at night and not much else.」
『Well it is darker compared to daytime, but it’s still not bright enough for reading and it’s difficult to recognize roads and paths.』
「In that case, it must be hard to work at night. But can you recognize the road, Ain?」
『Rather than the road itself, I can grasp the area we’re walking in.』
「So, what were you thinking about while watching the sky, Ain?」
『Why do you ask?』

Well, I certainly was thinking about the differences between this world and Earth a while ago. Did I do something that made Ciel notice? Rather, my current form shouldn’t even be recognizable as a human silhouette. Ciel stares at me and lets out a giggle.

「There are times that Ain suddenly goes silent when we talk, after all. On those times, I thought that Ain might be thinking of something, but am I wrong?」
『That’s, I’m sorry. Certainly it’s rude to do while we were talking.』
「Not really, I don’t mind it. I’m sure that it’s something you needed, right Ain?」

Now that Ciel mentioned it, it’s just as she said; it does seem like I tend to drown in my thoughts every time I experience a disparity from Earth. Despite not feeling particularly attached to my previous world, it seems that the disruption of my common sense is still a significant shock to me. I recall that we were discussing night watch when I became lost in thought. Although Ciel took it positively, I should be more cautious in the future.

「As I thought. You want to go back to your country, right Ain?」

Hearing her ask me in a small voice, I deny it and reply with 「Not at all.」 I don’t know how she reached that conclusion, but I suppose it could be a scene from a book where a character reminisces about their hometown while looking at the sky.

『Normally, life ends when people die after all. I practically have no regrets on the things I left behind in my old country and right now, I’m just someone that exists together with Ciel.』
「Then, what were you thinking about while looking at the sky?」
『About how being in a different place also changes what you see in the night sky, and such.』
「? The night sky is the night sky, it doesn’t change, right?」
『The fact that you can see the moons and the stars doesn’t change, but the positions of the stars and so does change. I’m not knowledgeable about it, so I can’t exactly explain how it’s different. Also, it’s quite bright.』
「Is that perhaps compared to the sky that Ain has seen?」
『That’s right. I don’t know if it’s different here, but it’s bright even in the evening where I lived at, so the light of the stars were drowned out. Because of that, even among the stars I see right now, the only ones I could see are those that are particularly bright.』

Maybe because I convinced myself that I was referring to a country on a separate continent, I felt more comfortable discussing my life in Japan. Nonetheless, I cannot delve into topics such as technology or the lack of magic. However, I believe that keeping everything to myself will cause more problems eventually, so I consider discussing it a necessary compromise.

After that, I did notice Ciel drowsily nodding off a few times but we spent our time talking until dawn arrived.

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