Chapter 74

Using the starlight as our lamp, Snow and I practiced constructing magic together in the training ground. Knowing we would be working together for a long time, we had decided to confirm each other’s abilities before the day was out.

Snow placed her hand on a rock in the training ground. As she did, the rock seemed to blur, and at the same time, a small crack appeared.

“…This is my specialty magic.”

So saying, Snow made the cracked rock vibrate further until it split vertically.

Because I had [Dimension] deployed, I understood. The true nature of Snow’s specialty magic was “vibration.”

“Are you vibrating the rock?”

“…Mm. My attributes are ‘Null’ and ‘Fire.’ If I combine those with my mana nature and ‘Ancient Magic,’ I can do more interesting things.”

Snow took several magic stones from her pocket, infused them with mana, and scattered them around. Then, she muttered something under her breath.

Suddenly, the scattered magic stones began to glow, and her whisper echoed throughout the training ground, layered many times over.

…If we combine this with your dimensional magic, it will become a formidable weapon. That’s what Palinchron told me.

As if surrounded by speakers, Snow’s voice emanated from every single scattered magic stone.

“Amazing… You’re controlling vibrations to produce sound from the stones?”

…Yes. I infuse the magic stones with my ‘clinging mana’ and reproduce speech using an application of ‘Ancient Magic.’ I’ve had a lot of trouble because I can do this.

Snow snapped her fingers lightly, and the vibrations of the vocalizing magic stones stopped.

“Can you do this even from far away?”

“…I can. I will use this to support you. That was the promise I made to Palinchron.”

I broke into a cold sweat at the abnormality of Snow’s ability. Means of communication in this alternate world were scarce. For example, if you wanted to maintain constant contact over a distance, you had to lay a “Magic Stone Line.” Even with a “Line,” voice transmission shouldn’t have been this seamless.

In other words, Snow possessed technology that was several stages ahead of this world’s current state. It was like one person using a cell phone in a world of carrier pigeons.

“Certainly, with this magic, we could do a lot of interesting things. And you’re going to help me with it?”

“…Mm. I’ll support you.”

Snow nodded. Then, she opened her sleepy eyes a little wider and continued in a voice that carried a sense of resolve.

“I will keep my promise to Palinchron. But as agreed, I will do as I please with the rest. My own way—”

“Ah, yes, of course—”

Thinking she was starting a negotiation about her freedom within the guild, I tried to give my consent. However, I was cut off by her powerful words before I could finish.

“A little while ago, you weren’t calling yourself ‘Kanami Aikawa.’ You went by ‘Christ Eurasia.’ Most likely, your memories of that time were erased by Palinchron’s mental magic. Surely that ‘bracelet’ is the key to the magical formula. You should break it right now.”

Snow brought up the name “Christ Eurasia” and claimed that Palinchron had erased my memories.

I was stunned. I was shocked in two ways: by that name, and by the mention of my memories.

“Huh—? Uh, um, what? What do you mean?”

“For now, that ‘bracelet’ is the most suspicious thing. Back then, you weren’t wearing a bracelet.”

As she spoke, Snow stepped close to me and reached for the bracelet.

“W-wait a second!! I need this! I’ll be in trouble without it!!”

I brushed Snow’s hand away and pulled back. This bracelet stabilized my mana and assisted with my language abilities. Since I had been strictly told to keep it on at all times, I couldn’t remove it.

—Yes. No matter what happened, I absolutely couldn’t take it off.

“…It’s all a lie. You, too, are being played with by Palinchron.”

Snow spoke sharply to me as I stood at a distance. However, I didn’t understand the meaning of “being played with” at all.

“Sorry, Snow. I don’t understand what you’re saying. So, even if you tell me the bracelet is suspicious, I can’t believe it.”

I rejected her flatly. Hearing that, Snow lowered the hand she had reached out and muttered softly.

“…I see.”

It was a weak mutter, lacking the strong resolve she had shown just a moment ago. Hearing that small voice, I regretted that I might have rejected her too forcefully. I began to explain my reasoning as if making an excuse.

“Snow. This bracelet is very important to me, so I can’t take it off. Besides, even if you tell me something like that so suddenly, there’s nothing I can do…”

“…It doesn’t matter. But if a time comes when you can believe my words, break that bracelet. If you do, I think you’ll find a chance to reclaim yourself.”

Snow didn’t try to force the issue. I felt no heat in her attempt to push her own opinion. True to her name, I thought she had a personality as cold as snow. Then, she continued as if making an excuse of her own.

“…I did warn you. I’ve done the bare minimum. Just remember that.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

I nodded. Simply remembering it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, I could see from her expression that her words just now came from a place of genuine concern for me.

The conversation hit a lull, and Snow and I stood facing each other in silence. Snow was the first to break the quiet. She spoke as if she were exhausted.

“…Continuing this conversation is a bother. I’ve mostly finished checking our magic. Let’s call it a day, okay?”

“You’re right. Let’s wrap this up…”

“…Follow me. I’ll show you to your room, Kanami.”

“Oh. Right, okay.”

I followed behind Snow as she headed out of the training ground. Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard from Palinchron where I would be sleeping. In fact, I hadn’t heard anything about what happens after joining the guild. Apparently, those explanations had been left to Snow.

As we walked toward the room, I asked her about the thing that was bothering me.

“Hey, from whom did you hear the name ‘Christ Eurasia’?”

“…Kanami.”

Snow answered concisely. However, I had no such memory. In the first place, I hadn’t even met Snow until today.

Since wandering into this alternate world, I had met very few people. I didn’t think I would forget the faces of those few people—especially not a girl as distinctive and beautiful as her.

“Then, do you know the meaning of ‘Christ’ and ‘Eurasia’?”

“Meaning? I only know them as your name.”

“I-I see…”

Snow only tilted her head inquisitively. Apparently, I was the only one who found that name awe-inspiring because I knew about my original world.

However, I understood clearly now. Snow didn’t know about my world. It seemed she had just heard the name “Christ Eurasia” somewhere. But I didn’t know who she had heard it from.

As I was trying to guess her source of information… Snow stopped in front of a certain room.

“…Here.”

Snow stepped inside the room. I followed behind her.

It was a spacious room. There was minimal furniture, and only slight traces of daily life. For a room newly prepared for me, I thought there were quite a lot of things—specifically, many small accessories. It looked as though a girl was living there.

“Is this my room?”

“…No. It’s my room.”

It seemed my powers of observation hadn’t failed me. These were the traces of a girl’s—or rather, Snow’s—daily life.

“Then why am I in your room right now?”

“…I was told you should sleep here. The Guild Master’s quarters haven’t been prepared yet.”

“That’s… unthinkable!”

I pressed both hands to my head and groaned. At the same time, I cursed Palinchron in my heart, knowing he was surely the one who had decided this.

“…I thought you’d say that. If it’s a problem, I’ll sleep on the roof.”

“You on the roof? That’s even more unthinkable. In that case, I’ll sleep in the hallway.”

“…I also thought you’d say that. I can sleep anywhere, but you won’t be satisfied. A bother, such a bother. …So, I’ll compromise.”

“Compromise?”

True to her word, Snow approached me looking extremely bothered. She reached out her hand as if to touch me—

Detecting an abnormal surge of mana from that hand, I leaped back.

“—!”

“…A shame.”

“You were just trying to cast a spell on me, weren’t you…?”

“…I thought it would be less of a bother to knock you out with a surprise attack. But I failed. Even though I was stronger when we first met.”

Snow looked disappointed as she shed her thick outer coat and flopped onto the bed. Even though she was still wearing clothes underneath, I felt it was improper to stare and averted my eyes.

“Then I’ll sleep in the hallway. As long as there’s a roof and a blanket, it’s fine.”

“…That makes me feel guilty. At least sleep in the corner of the room.”

“If it’s come to that, I’ll just sleep in my sister’s room. This is just Palinchron playing a prank anyway. There’s no need to follow his orders to the letter.”

“…I see. Then do that. But for the record, I introduced this room according to Palinchron’s instructions. Remember that.”

“Yeah, I got it. I’ll remember. …Well then, goodbye for now. Goodnight, Snow.”

“…Mm, goodnight.”

With that final bedtime greeting, I left Snow’s room. Snow didn’t try to force her opinion on me. Whenever an argument seemed likely, she immediately backed down. While feeling a slight sense of oddness at her unusual level of understanding, I headed toward Maria’s room.

On the way, I noticed the moonlight streaming through a window in the hallway and looked outside. A waning moon floated in the sky. It was no different from the moon in my world—a moon that waxed and waned.

Since lunar phases existed, the concepts of the calendar and time were likely close to those of my world as well. It seemed that if similar humans lived on a planet with a similar environment, they ended up with similar ideas.

I found that coincidence disgusting. Because it was so perfectly constructed, it gave me the sensation of living in the palm of someone else’s hand. It was unpleasant.

Come to think of it, all day today—it had been truly unpleasant.

An indescribable anxiety was constantly lurking behind me. The sense of wrongness I felt this morning had never gone away. Something was wrong. I was forgetting something. It was a sense of misalignment far worse than simply buttoning a shirt incorrectly.

Along with that sickening feeling, I reached Maria’s room and stepped inside.

“Maria… it’s me…”

“Brother…? Welcome back…”

Maria’s face brightened when she heard me arrive. Even meeting my beloved sister, the sense of wrongness didn’t vanish. However, I couldn’t keep making an unpleasant face in front of Maria. I brushed off all the reasons for my discomfort with the thought “it’s because this is another world” and spoke to her gently.

“Maria, has your headache gone away?”

“No, it’s gotten a bit better, but… a dull pain is clinging to me and won’t vanish. Besides, I have this strange sensation. Like I’m getting something wrong… It’s a little sickening…”

I was startled. It seemed Maria was feeling the same thing I was.

“It’s a strange world, so it can’t be helped. Don’t think too deeply about it and just rest for now.”

“Yes…”

I stroked Maria’s head and encouraged her to rest. Her eye injuries and burns hadn’t fully healed yet. There was no doubt she had to stay as quiet as possible.

“Hey, Maria. I don’t have a place to sleep today. Is it okay if I use this room?”

“…! O-of course. In fact, I’d rather you stay here forever!”

“I see, that’s good. Then I’ll borrow that chair.”

“No, not a chair! …Brother, let’s sleep together. The bed is wide, and we’re siblings, so it’s fine. I’m sure you won’t be able to sleep well in a chair, right?”

“Eh, but—”

“Please. Brother.”

Maria’s tone was firm, and she had an anxious expression. In truth, she might have just been so incredibly anxious that she wanted someone to sleep beside her.

We were siblings. Sleeping together for the sake of comfort wasn’t particularly strange. I felt we were a bit too old for it, but since these weren’t normal times, I decided to overlook it.

“Then let’s do that.”

“Yes!”

Maria smiled happily, and I lay down beside my precious sister. Then, Maria gripped my hand as if it were something dear to her.

“Your hand is so cool and feels good, Brother…”

With that, Maria relaxed and let the tension leave her body. Seeing that, I realized she had been on edge the entire time I was gone.

It was only natural. Wandering into another world, losing her sight, and waiting for her brother in the darkness—during that time, her heart couldn’t have found any rest. Until she touched me, Maria surely hadn’t felt safe for even a single moment.

I decided in my heart that even if I were given a Guild Master’s room, I would continue to sleep here with Maria from now on. I would never leave her again. I would stay by her side.

I felt like I had made such a promise before. While remembering that promise, I felt the warmth of my precious family through our joined palms.

However, even then, the sense of wrongness refused to disappear. Even though I was in the midst of the happiness of being with my sister, something didn’t sit right.

I shook my head slightly to chase the feeling away. I should rest for now. First, I had to secure our safety in this world. I would establish my position in Lauravia and earn enough for Maria’s medical expenses. To do that, I had to work hard starting tomorrow. I didn’t have time to worry.

And so, while squeezing Maria’s hand back tightly, I fell into a deep sleep.

Into a deep, deep sleep—