Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: PunishedLyly	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

There were still people in the shallower parts, so we went deeper inside until there was no longer any human presence nearby.

「We got out easier than anticipated.」
「That’s true. My hunter rank wasn’t high either, so I expected us to be held back for longer. It must really be safe around here.」
「Though when you go this deep into the forest, it’s surely no longer safe.」

While there aren’t that many monsters around, you would probably bump into one if you blindly stumbled about.
Even relatively weaker monsters can endanger high-rank hunters who are caught off guard.

However, since I currently deployed a barrier to keep them at a safe distance away and, most importantly, the spirits seem to have done something as well, the monsters show no signs of drawing near.
I want Mia to search for the medicinal herbs without any worry.
Though I have no idea if she can actually identify the night-exclusive herbs.

「Once again, Lady Ainsel, your barrier is amazing.
The fact that I can’t properly perceive it is genuinely frustrating.」
「Unlike Ciel, this is the only thing I have as a hunter, so I try my best with it.
However, my barriers aren’t exactly flawless.」
「Really!?」

Mia had a look of genuine surprise.
I have faith in this barrier that has protected us for many years now. Even on the rare occasion that it gets destroyed, I do not plan on allowing any attack to reach Ciel, and if I focus solely on durability, I can continuously deploy multiple barriers near instantly.
However, the weakness it has had for the longest time still remains.

「We are living humans after all, so we will die if we remain submerged underwater for a long time. Similarly, we will also die if we are trapped in either an airtight or a poison-filled room.」
「Wouldn’t those sorts of conditions kill anyone?」
「I think Mother Fii could live through them, but that’s a fair point.」

I understand that my examples are basically in the same vein as vampires and stakes to the heart; anyone would die from it.

「Besides, judging from the way you speak, you must already have countermeasures in mind, no?」
「Naturally.」
「I rescind my previous statement. What’s actually amazing about you, Lady Ainsel, is your diligence and commitment to improvement.」

Now that she mentioned it, I can’t refute that. The constant deployment of a barrier that can only be destroyed by attacks that can shatter the land should be more than enough defensive capability.
Even among sorcerers, I have never seen any with barriers deployed while inside town; in fact, I’ve only even seen a few who use barriers outside in the wild. With this considered, I must seem crazy to pour everything I have into defense.

However, I do have a reason for this.

「If I don’t continue to improve my abilities, other people might eventually grow capable of destroying my barrier.」
「Is that so?」
「It is so.」

It’s an indisputable fact that Cielmer was born as a result of a mortal having touched the realm of the gods. Now, if this fact is simply ignored, I believe that humanity will eventually manage to break into the divine realm.
At the very least, humanity in my old world was capable of transforming most of the earth into their own habitable realm.

That being the case, there is a possibility that a method of easily breaking through my barrier might be established. And for that reason, I want to have the upper hand at all times so that I can protect Ciel in any situation.

Though experimenting with sorcery, magic, and divine energy is also just fun to do.

「Now then, Mia, I suppose it’s time for you to look for medical herbs.」
「Affirmative.」
「If you sense any magic power that wasn’t there earlier this morning, those are probably the herbs, so please do your best. Even if you don’t find any, I’ve already seen a few, so don’t feel pressured over it.」

After I said that, Mia looked like she wanted to say something, but she silently lowered her head and began her search.
As this was happening, the spirits began to gather around.
Floating in the air, their appearance ranged from that of small animals to small humanoids, and even those that simply look like orbs of light.

In terms of size, there were also some that were larger than Lisyl—like the one having the form of a dragon—but it seems like she is still higher in the hierarchy, as I see her giving instructions to them.
Unfortunately, I still can’t talk to them, so since Lisyl told me that I can interact with them however I like, I decided to sing.

Just a normal song without the use of the Song Princess’ abilities. We’re in the forest at night, so I considered going with a melancholic tune, but since the spirits were so energetic, I opted for a cheerful song.

◇◇◇

I personally find folk music to be perfect when you’re having fun with a crowd. It brings the abundance of nature and the lives of people to the imagination, and, most of all, it makes you want to dance around a fireplace, giving it a sort of ritualistic feel to it.
Well, to be honest, I actually don’t even know which group of people this folk song originated from.

The best thing about music is that you don’t need to understand the words to enjoy it, and the spirits seem to be enjoying it very much.
They ran around and tries to get my attention while I sang, and when I waved my hand, they showed a beaming look of happiness; watching the spirits is really therapeutic.

I can understand why Ciel likes them so much.

Since this seems to be the perfect opportunity, I tried singing Lisyl’s song, which surprised her at first, but then she happily sang it together with me.
The bigger spirits, who seem to be of the same rank—or maybe a bit lower—as Lisyl, appeared somewhat frustrated, probably due to this song being related to forests.
After I finished singing, they then frantically tried to say things to me, which I found both adorable and bittersweet. Please wait for me until I can finally hear your words.

It was around ten songs in, if I remember correctly. While I was checking Mia’s location, a young spirit that looked like a light orb transformed into a humanoid form.
It had androgynous facial features and was less than half of Lisyl’s height.
The sudden transformation was awfully surprising, but the now humanoid spirit seemed to be awfully attached to me, so its cuteness won me over.
Perhaps due to the abrupt growth, the spirit shortly fell asleep, so I entrusted Lisyl to take care of it and returned to singing.

In the end, we disbanded before daybreak and decided to camp out right where we are for the rest of the day.

⇐ Previous

Next ⇒

⌈ Index ⌋

And that ends this chapter! One grown spirit fresh right out of the metaphorical oven!

The conversation between Ain and Mia about their barrier’s weakness had me chuckling. Yeah Ain, it’s not like air deprivation is an exclusive weakness to you or anything, not at all. The vampire and wooden stake comparison was on point. Also, Ain was such a wet blanket with Mia and the night herbs, lol. I’m pretty sure she was bummed when Ain said that she already found a few. (My personal opinion, may or may not be true)

I always like the Ain singing chapters for some reason, especially now that she has a larger audience. Also, it’s funny when she explains her song choices. Having one spirit evolve right then and there was interesting, I wonder if the spirit’s going to be a permanent addition.

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!