UPDATE 1/26: Major grammar revision. The Present Tense has been corrected into Past Tense for flashback story. "Raiga" has been corrected into "Fuuga". The name "Raiga" came from my previous fanfiction, but I really forgot that I had changed the name for this newer fanfiction.
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第8章 夕空の下で
(Ciel's Perspective)
Our wolves are tempest wolves. They can run at a maximum speed of eighty kilometres per hour nonstop for three hours without taking a single break.
They are one of the best kinds of riding animals for sure, if the person riding can handle the speed without passing out, that is. At best, we can arrive there from our village in two or three days if we use our wolves' maximum speed and use more time for journey.
We could've used [Space-Time Domination] and flicked ourselves over there in a matter of seconds. But we decided to go by using our wolves as transportation means anyway.
We previously told our wolves to use less than half their maximum speed. Aside from taking rest from sunset to sunrise, we also always took a break for at least thirty minutes at the midday. So, our journey would slow down more than twice or even thrice the supposed duration.
The main reason why we slowed ourselves down is, of course, the timeline. If we were to come there three days after our departure using maximum speed throughout our journey, we would be around a week too fast than we're supposed to be. And a week is actually a very significant change. One wrong step and our plans would go awry.
It's been eight days since our departure. Because the destination is already near, we finally go at the maximum speed.
We are going to the kingdom where the dwarves are living. A glorious kingdom with all its might, ruled by a Champion King—the Armed Nation of Dwargon. For a goblin on foot, it would take around two months to walk from the village to the Dwargon.
As we look forward, seen in the distance are firm mountains of rock—the Great Mountains of Canaat—which neatly separate the Eastern Empire to the east and the small nations scattered here and there around the Great Forest of Jura.
There are three common routes used for trade. One route goes right through the Great Forest of Jura; another one is a more treacherous route, going through rugged mountain trails; and the last route is a sea route.
Originally, the route going right through the Great Forest of Jura is the shortest and safest route out of all, but for some reason it's only rarely taken advantage of. Most travellers choose to challenge the route going through rugged mountain trails. The sea route, on the other hand, is not worth considering. Apart from being so costly, potential threats from the sea monsters are also existent. Hence, it becomes the least popular route.
In addition to those three routes, there are also a handful of other ways to reach Dwargon, but they all charge tolls. In case that one is transporting goods, on top of being subject to customs duties, there is also a need to hold an inspection for one's luggage. This is mandatory to prevent dangerous goods from being brought in. It is a decent enough option for small bands, but the larger caravans tend to avoid it to save time and cost.
We have no business with the Eastern Empire—at least for now—so there is no point travelling east to leave the woods.
Dwargon is straight north to the Canaat Mountains. It is situated as such at the base of the mountains in the upper reaches of the Great River of Ameld, so that we do not have to go up to any peaks. After we arrive later, we intend to find some skilled craftsmen, especially those four—the one known as the best weaponsmith in Dwargon and the three brothers working for him.
Speaking of weaponsmith, I remember something. Eight days ago, just a few hours after our departure...
⁂
My hair was flying freely as the breeze blows through my entire body. The surroundings looked like they are running backwards.
At my right side were lines of trees and bushes with their relaxing green color and some occasional beautiful flowers. Heard was the sound of water flowing in the Great River of Ameld at my left side, bordered by a hedge with trees growing several meters apart from each other. Its flow was so clear like a crystal, revealing fishes swimming around inside it. Above our heads were birds flying around, painting the azure sky with their colorful feathers.
I was burying my hands and legs in Fuuga's warm, fluffy fur, making my ride even more comfortable.
I used to always see this through Master's eyes. Now that I get to experience it myself, it does feel so different. It is...far more fun and exciting than I thought.
I was given Fuuga, this wolf I was currently riding, as a sort of personal wolf as Master put it. I didn't know what to do with it. I still accepted it anyway. It was Master who gave it, after all.
"Ranga, Fuuga, don't you feel tired? You've been running without any breaks for three hours since our departure, you know," Master asked.
I was sure he actually knew that they did not feel tired at all. I mean, they had been told beforehand to use less than half their maximum speed. This was most likely just for an idle talk. Master often did such a thing with other people too, after all. "There is nothing wrong with trying to talk nicely with the others," he once said.
"Fortunately, my lord, our evolution has made us far stronger than we was before," replied Fuuga.
"We are not fully freed from the needs of sleep as you are, but we do not need an extended time for rest, nor do we need frequent stops for food! It will be no obstacle, even if we fast for several days!" exclaimed Ranga proudly.
"By the way, we're the kind of guy who almost got you killed, aren't I? Do you have, you know, any resentment to us?"
"There is nothing as such, my lord," Fuuga answered. "In fact, we have nothing but gratitude."
"Not only did you forgive us," Ranga said, "but you also gave us the second chance to live and repent for our mistakes."
"You even bestowed us these beautiful names and evolved all of us, on top of that," continued Fuuga.
""Our loyalty belongs to both of you, and will always belong to both of you alone; my lord and my lady,"" they claimed in unison.
The father and the son indeed looked alike, didn't they?
"I see." Master smiled widely as he petted Ranga's head. "We are so glad to have you."
...
"Stop!" Master suddenly commanded a few minutes later.
Hearing the command of their master, the wolves simultaneously stopped their run.
I looked at Master. His expression changed into a worried face. "Is there any problem, Master?" I asked.
Ranga and Fuuga simultaneously turned their heads, looking at Master. "What is the problem, my lord?" Ranga also asked.
"I completely forgot." He scratched his head.
"Forgot about what?"
"The magic ore."
I thought something bad had just happened, but it seemed my anxiety was for nothing.
We were going to meet a weaponsmith, so of course we would need the raw materials for him so he could make something for us, would we not? While we were tracing the exit gate from the cave more than a month ago, we were talking about so many things, we did not take any magic ore spread inside it.
Yes, we did have some materials left inside our [Imaginary Space] from our previous timeline, but they had all mutated into scarletite (Hihiirokane) due to them having heavily been exposed to an extreme concentration of magicules inside Master's [Stomach] back when [Azathoth] used to be [Beelzebuth, Lord of Gluttony].
Master took out an orb from his pocket, which was actually connected to our [Imaginary Space]. He held the orb with both his hands and closed his eyes.
Not so long afterwards, the orb began to glow and floated from Master's hands. A humanoid shape began to form itself with the orb as the centre. Ranga and Fuuga immediately put their guards up, wary of someone that appears in front of them.
"Calm down, you two," Master reassured. "'He' is just my 'other body', a sort of my clone but not really a clone."
When the light had died down, a figure having exactly the same appearance and clothes as Master was standing in front of us. Master had just manifested a [Multiple Parallel Existence] of himself into the orb.
The orb earlier was a special orb into which one could project one's soul—the "Emulated Soul". Master had split his consciousness and project it into the "Emulated Soul". Because Master was a Spiritual Lifeform, he essentially didn't need any Material Bodies. Thus, for his split consciousness to manifest itself, there was no need to use a "Master Core" that could provide an avatar body.
Different from me, Master still needed an "Emulated Soul" to manifest his [Multiple Parallel Existence]. He had learnt using it without the help of "Emulated Soul" in the Mansion of Mastery, but it seemed to be quite hard to do. Master did succeed a few times, but he decided to go with the fastest and most convenient choice since this was no time to practice.
"You, collect magic ore as much as possible from the Sealed Cave. Oh, and don't forget to protect it with a 'special barrier' once you store it inside [Imaginary Space] so they won't mutate into anything funny."
The [Multiple Parallel Existence] looked slightly annoyed. "I've just manifested myself and this is how you greet me?"
"Oh, come on now," Master replied nonchalantly. "Just do it."
"Yeah, whatever. 'I' am still 'you' anyway, so I cannot say 'no'." The spacetime around the [Multiple Parallel Existence] got distorted, and he disappeared in an instant.
⁂
Eh...but now that I think about it, why did we not just wait in village until the specified time then use [Space-Time Domination] instead? That way we would not have to go through a long journey like this, having to worry about the time of arrival. It was also far more efficient.
So, why did Master choose to do it this way?
Why is that? I do not really understand. My algorithmic self tells me that Master perhaps just wants to spend and treasure the time that he still has.
But deep inside my core—my "heart"—a part of me refuses to believe that it is only that. He always does this kind of thing if it directly involves me. There must be more reasons beyond that. But what is it? I cannot understand. No matter how hard I try to understand it, I cannot find out the answer.
"Ciel-san?" Master's voice pulls me back to the reality.
"Ah, yes, Master?"
He is talking to me through [Thought Communication] link that he has just created. Talking as usual through actual voice won't do any good because we are currently riding the wolves at the maximum speed.
We do have [Natural Elements Nullification], but it only works for us, and not for our surroundings. Sound waves' propagation still gets affected. Wave interference and the so-called Doppler effect—those two principles still work just fine even when we use magical sensing through [Universal Perception] instead of physical sensing.
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing," I reply.
"Are you sure? You seem to think so hard just now," he asks concernedly. "Is something bothering you?"
"No. It is just your imagination."
"I know I won't be able to make you talk." He sighs in defeat.
And thus, we continue our journey.
⁂
The scenery is dyed orange. It is already evening.
We decide to call it a day and rest.
We are in a clifftop, facing the vast grasslands surrounded by mountainous area. To the south is a vast area of Jura Forest with lines of trees covering it. As we look to the north, rise the Canaat Mountains, soaring to the sky.
Master takes out two drinking places for our wolves then summons the low-level spirits in the air and has them fill the drinking places.
...
Now, we are sitting, leaning on the last tree standing on this clifftop, while our wolves are lying down beside each of us with their heads on their front paws.
However, we're not facing the north direction at where Dwargon is. We're facing the west direction at where the sun currently is.
We sit so closely; so closely that our shoulders meet each other.
The sun is slowly going down, hiding itself from the world below the horizon, as the twilight sky gradually loses its colour.
This is the first time I see a natural phenomenon like this with my own eyes.
It is so beautiful. I never thought that I'd be enjoying this so much.
The last rays of sunlight have ceased. The sky is turning dark. The twinkling dots begin to fill the empty sky.
When I am contemplating such an amazing scenery, I can feel Master's hand touching my hair, gently caressing it at the back of my head.
I, who do not expect it, turn my eyes to him. What I see is his warm smile. It is so warm that my heart feels like melting. I unconsciously smile back at him.
It feels so comfortable.... I want more of it....
I, without thinking, rest my body on his then place my head on his shoulder. A feeling of warmth suddenly surges from my heart, running throughout my entire body.
I don't know why. I close my eyes. The only thing I know is that, I want this moment to last forever.
⁂
(Rimuru's Perspective)
What's wrong with me?
I don't know what have got into me. It's as if I did it instinctively. Suddenly acting somewhat...romantic(?) like this while I didn't have any prior real experiences, having confessed three times to girls but getting all rejected.
Yet much to my surprise, Ciel-san responded to my action. She rested her body on mine then placed her head on my shoulder.
With this turn of events, I realize that we've got closer than ever; I start wondering if the "-san" honorific which I always use when calling her is appropriate anymore.
There is nothing wrong with me. Yes, nothing at all. It is all because of this girl; this girl who was born within my soul. Seeing her showing various expressions for the first time with my own eyes, it really made me amazed.
It all started way back in the previous timeline, at the time when I evolved into a True Demon Lord.
Just right after Voice of the World had deemed my evolution to be complete, [Great Sage]—which never demonstrated having a sense of self—requested its own evolution, as if answering to its master's wishes.
It started and kept attempting.
After tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, and even hundreds of millions of times of failures, it still kept attempting and attempting despite the odds, even if it would last forever.
When it decided to sacrifice [Degenerate], it was finally able obtain its Harvest Festival gift, evolving into an ultimate skill—the highest level possible of all skills in the world, or at least that was how it was supposed to be.
Under [Great Sage]'s—now Ultimate Skill [Raphael, Lord of Wisdom]'s command, [Gluttony] integrated itself with [Merciless], evolving into [Lord of Gluttony].
It was [Raphael] who took over my body during the resurrection ritual.
But to [Raphael], who carried this out, there was no happiness at the success of the ritual. [Raphael] saw no further meaning in it. Success or failure—those made [Raphael] neither happy nor sad. Even with all the great wisdom he wielded, the brilliant mind [Raphael] was blessed with, it wasn't enough.
But in a corner of my soul, deep down in its heart it should never have, a will was born. A will—a desire to fulfil its master's wishes, it began to question itself. Why did I take this kind of action?
It was at that point, [Raphael] became its own self, separate from myself. And yet, even this slight suspicion towards itself that was born in his mind, [Raphael] quickly turned its eyes from it.
I think therefore I am. It was the thesis that [Raphael] was constantly thinking about—and never finding an answer.
I know all of those stories, because not so long time ago, I decided to take a "peek" into her memories just like how she often takes a "peek" into my memories.
Then during my battle with Velgrynd and the dominated Veldora, [Raphael] once made a mistake and became surprisingly hesitant, being plunged into violent confusion.
I reassured [Raphael], and it was finally able to regain its composure.
And finally, when I bestowed it—"her"—the name "Ciel", a surge of emotions began to fill her once emotionless self.
As time went by, she started to become more expressive. Her tones in speaking began to get more variative—a tone of smugness, a tone of annoyance, a tone of relief, and many more. Even so, she still tried to hide it, especially when she threw her usual line, "It's just your imagination."
Now that I can see her showing genuine emotion, painted on her beautiful face, it simply amazes me.
Just using [Space-Time Domination] was no fun thing to do, so I chose to go through a journey like this. I had told our wolves to slow down their speed until less than half the maximum was mainly because I didn't want us to come too fast, as I said earlier.
But of course, it wasn't the only reason. There was another reason which I didn't tell Ciel-san.
The reason why I chose to go through a journey like this instead of flicking ourselves using [Space-Time Domination], is because I wanted Ciel-san to see through her very own eyes, and appreciate the world in where we are living.
That was also why we had told the wolves to slow down. If we were going too fast, we wouldn't get to enjoy the amazing sceneries lying around us.
I look at Ciel-san. She is closing her eyes with a sweet smile painted on her beautiful face and an ever-so-slight red shade on her cheeks.
You've been working so hard, haven't you, Ciel-san...?
Remembering how she tried to calm me down in the first day I was thrown into this world's past, my eyes somehow feel slightly wet.
My hand reaches her right shoulder, bringing her body tighter to mine.
I rest my head on hers.
I turn my eyes, facing the western horizon again. I continue caressing her hair. I don't want this moment to end. I want this to last forever.
But deep down, I know that this moment has to come to its end at some point. We still have so many businesses to tackle.
Ah, but screw it. For now, let's just appreciate this and treasure every single second of this precious moment.
We stay like this, not moving from our position, even until we finally fall into [Sleep].
~TO BE CONTINUED~
I am not going to discontinue this fanfiction, nor am I going to put it in hiatus (yet). But I have something special for you:
Epistula Grātiae
A Letter of Gratitude
"Dīcere volō: grātiās multās vōbīs quī mē comitāvistis per fēlīcia difficiliaque; facilia dūraque tempora. Grātiās vōbīs agō quia semper respondistis quaestiōnēs quās habuī. Grātiās vōbīs agō pro verbō benevolō. Vostra verba benevola sunt fōns causae meae. Grātiās vōbīs agō, quia semper querēlās audīvistis (lēgistis) ā hōc impatientī auctōre. Sine omnibus vōbīs, nunc dēcrēvissem omittēre hanc fictiōnem mīrātōris. Nōn possum significāre quam grātus sum omnibus vōbīs. Tantum ōrāre possum prō sānitātibus fēlīcitātibusque vostrīs, ubicumque estis."
"I want to say many thanks to you who have been accompanying me during happy and tough, easy and harsh times. Thank you for always answering the questions I had. Thank you for your kind words. Your kind words are the source of my motivation. Thank you for always hearing (reading) the complaints of this impatient author. Without all of you, I might've just decided to discontinue this fanfic. I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you. I can only pray for your health and happiness, wherever you are."
P.S. You can leave comments to give this fanfiction "alive" feel.