Chapter 14

I was given a name.

The one who named me was the female knight, Tina.

Here, I am called 'Mil'. It seems to be from 'milk', but it coincidentally matches my real name, Milfia, which surprised me.

Even though I can't speak yet and can't introduce myself, it's a bit sad to be called by a different name from the one my mother gave me, but I'm happy to be called Mil, even if it's by chance.

I'm glad I wasn't given a name like 'Shiro' (White) or 'Chibi' (Small) just because I'm white or small. Well, 'Mil' from 'milk' is also a bit simple.

But if I had been called 'Chibi', I would have felt bad when I grew up.

I successfully slipped out of the crowded cafeteria and was walking briskly down the corridor, following the one-eyed knight.

When I passed people in the narrow corridor, I tried to hide behind the one-eyed knight's legs. I get nervous when strangers see me.

I don't think I was like this in my previous life, but in this life, I'm shy. Maybe it's because I've only been in contact with my mother since I was born.

The one-eyed knight seems to be quite important here, as all the knights who pass by greet him. They also call him 'Deputy'.

Come to think of it, I still don't know the one-eyed knight's name...

We returned to the dormitory from the cafeteria and came back to the one-eyed knight's room. The one-eyed knight is getting ready to go to work, putting on his jacket.

I wonder if I'll be going with him or staying behind.

While thinking this, I watched his every move closely. Staying behind would be boring, and I'd prefer to go with him.

"I'll be back by noon."

I looked at him hopefully, but it was no use. After getting ready, the one-eyed knight looked down at me and said that.

Staying behind, huh...

My ears and tail drooped visibly.

"I'm going on patrol outside with my subordinates this morning. You can't ride a horse, can you?"

The one-eyed knight smiled slightly at my pouting face.

I can ride a horse. If you pick me up and put me on its back, I can keep my balance. Besides, I get along well with the horses in the stables.

But I understand that I might get in the way of his work. So, I'll stay behind obediently.

I resigned myself and headed for my bed, which is a basket with a blanket inside.

Then, for some reason, the one-eyed knight followed me eagerly.

"I'll be back by noon, okay?"

He said, patting my head.

I heard that already.

After petting me for about five minutes, the one-eyed knight left for work, looking a little reluctant.

"I'll be back by noon, okay?"

I get it, I get it. I've heard it three times already.

I'll wait here like a good girl until noon.

After the one-eyed knight left the room, I immediately climbed into bed and fell asleep. This body is wonderful, as I don't suffer from insomnia.

However, I had a good night's sleep last night, so I couldn't sleep until noon.

I woke up after about an hour—though I can't be sure since there's no clock—and then I lay on my back on the blanket, rolled around, and even bit the handle of the basket, but...

It's boring.

Really, really boring.

If I had some toys, I could play by myself, but there's nothing to play with in the one-eyed knight's simple room.

I got out of bed and looked out the window. But from my small height, all I could see was the sky. The window is a bit high.

It was sunny in the early morning, but now thick clouds cover the sky, and it's snowing continuously. The snowflakes are a bit large and flat.

Flutter, flutter,

Flutter, flutter

As I watched the snow, my tail started wagging on its own. The movement of the snowflakes, which seems to have a pattern but doesn't, makes me feel excited. I'm not as interested in the fine snow that falls like rain.

After enjoying the view from the window for a while, I got bored and looked around the room, wondering what to do next.

With a bit of mischief, I climbed onto the one-eyed knight's large bed. The softness under my feet was fun, but the bed was full of the one-eyed knight's scent, which made me feel a bit embarrassed, so I hurriedly got off. What am I doing?

Next, I set my eyes on the desk by the window. I could see some documents spread out, a quill pen, an inkwell, and a few old, thick books.

Come to think of it, can I read the language of this country?

Curious, I first tried to climb onto the chair. I couldn't jump directly onto the desk.

I put my front paws on the chair and stood on my hind legs, then jumped repeatedly, trying to get on.

But it wasn't going well. My legs are weak.

I'll do it on the next try! I jumped with all my might, and at the same time, used my front paws to support my body.

My upper body was on the chair, and only my lower body was left. I kicked my legs in the air and used the momentum to climb up. If I let go, I would fall right away.

Come on, biceps, pull up my lower body!

When I finally succeeded in climbing onto the chair, I felt a slight sense of achievement. My front paws were trembling.

After that, climbing from the chair to the desk was easier because the height difference was lower.

The view of the room from the desk was fresh. The higher vantage point made me feel excited.

Now, I turned my attention to the few books stacked on the desk. I tried to read the titles on the spines, but they were incomprehensible. They looked like a more complex version of the alphabet, something I had never seen in my previous life.

I guess I need to study properly. Maybe I could read it with some kind of spirit power? No, that's not possible.

Actually, I didn't understand spoken language from the beginning. I learned by listening to my mother speak. But I think I learned faster than a human baby. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a spirit or because I have memories from my previous life.

I tried to open the top book with my nose. The smell of ink and slightly damp paper spread.

I followed the fine letters with my eyes. No, I can't understand them!

When I get a bit bigger, I'll ask my mother to teach me how to read.

Giving up on reading, I turned around on the small desk, intending to climb back down to the chair and then to the floor.

But as soon as I took a step, my front paws hit something small and hard. It was the inkwell, which had not been fully closed, and it was knocked over by my kick.

Needless to say, ink is a liquid, smooth and runny. The moment I knocked it over, it spread across the desk. There was no time to stop it.

And, needless to say, the ink is black. Pitch black.

I watched the black ink spread over the important documents without panicking.

In an emergency, people often become calm.

I watched the black ink seep into the white documents and the wooden desk, thinking, "Oh, what should I do...?" My brain refused to accept the fact that I had spilled the ink.

When the ink started to reach the books, my brain finally kicked into gear. I pushed the books away from the ink with my nose.

But I pushed too hard and knocked them off the desk.

They scattered on the floor with a loud rustling sound. My brain stopped working again.

It's okay, it's okay.

I encouraged myself and cautiously looked down from the desk. The miserable bodies of the books that had been forced to fall were there. Oh...

I climbed down to the floor. The ink that had spread on the desk couldn't be undone. It was too late for that.

But I could at least try to tidy up the scattered books. With my paw pads, I could do that.

Using my nose, mouth, and front paws, I started to arrange the books one by one on the floor. I closed the ones that had fallen open and put them back in place.

Then, I noticed something.

The books were stained with ink.

That's strange. I did knock them off the desk, but I thought I had saved them from the black monster.

Searching for the cause of this tragedy, I faced a terrifying reality.

My front paws were stained black with ink.

I hadn't realized that I had been standing in the ink on the desk.

I swallowed hard. My heart was pounding.

It's okay, it's okay.

Despite my fear, I cautiously looked around.

The floor and the chair were stained with black paw prints where I had walked.

Ink was dripping from the desk, creating new stains on the floor.

This is... uh...

Don't panic, don't panic.

I tried to think of a way to salvage the situation with my small brain.

There don't seem to be any tissues or rags in this world. Even if there were, I couldn't handle them well with my paws, and I couldn't completely clean the black ink. It would only spread more.

"..."

Cold sweat burst from my paw pads.

W-What should I do?!

If I leave it like this, the one-eyed knight will be angry! I have to restore the original state before he comes back!

Unable to stand still, I started pacing back and forth.

But I realized that this was making the floor even dirtier, so I quickly stopped. I shouldn't move around recklessly. My paws are cursed with ink. I can't let the damage spread further.

The ink spilled on the desk, the documents stained black by the ink, the black paw prints on the chair and floor, and the scattered books...

Faced with this disastrous scene, I was at a loss and just stood there.