The room felt far too quiet. The paranoia slowly faded as he thought.
What exactly is happening within the Kingdom? What can I do? Ciel pondered the matter. But he knew that all of this was beyond anything he could handle right now.
He slowly closed the book. Outside, the wind began whispering once more.
Ciel couldn't do anything about it and simply remained silent. Everything his grandfather had written about the Kingdom felt foreign to him. There was still so much he didn't understand. In the end, Ciel pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He placed the book beside the bed and turned his attention to the other box.
The box was somewhat long. It wasn't very large, and golden engravings adorned its surface.
His heart pounded as his hand touched the box. Did it contain another one of Michelle's belongings, or something else entirely?
Slowly, he opened it. Resting atop the red velvet was a simple wooden rod. It was about thirty centimeters long. Strange carvings covered its surface, carvings that couldn't be properly described. Once again, Ciel had no idea what it was. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary wooden rod without any apparent significance.
But that wasn't the most shocking part...
Beneath the rod was an object resembling a necklace. It was silver in color and slightly tarnished. Three gemstones were embedded at its corners. The engravings were distinctive, and the shape felt familiar.
It was a cross, the silver cross from the yellowed book!
The same cross he had seen in the ancient book he stole!
His thoughts raced. Shock and fear spread through every inch of his body. He searched through every piece of information contained within Ciel's memories. Yet no matter how hard he looked, nothing resembling it existed in this world. Ciel carefully recalled every symbol of the orthodox gods worshipped here. None of them resembled this object.
The emblem of a crescent moon surrounded by stars, belonging to the Church of the Goddess of Night. The emblem of waves and two seahorses facing one another, belonging to the Church of the Sea God. The golden emblem bearing the image of the sun, belonging to the Church of the Sun. The silver emblem adorned with a pair of wings, belonging to the Church of the Sky God. Then there was the emblem of two bundles of wheat topped by a crystal, belonging to the Church of the Heavenly Mother. Finally, there was the emblem of a sphere with a single eye at its center, belonging to the Church of the Goddess of Darkness.
Not a single one of the six orthodox churches used a cross. Not one. His body trembled, and his breathing became difficult to control. An impossible thought crossed his mind.
Is there really a way back? Back to that world... London? But why... why does it feel like I don't want to return? Arianna needs someone she can lean on. She's already lost her grandfather. There's no way she can lose her brother as well. Ciel's thoughts refused to stop.
He had found the thing he was searching for too quickly, far too quickly. It left him unsure of what he should do next.
His heart pounded as though competing against his own fear.
"Ciel?"
The gentle voice snapped Ciel out of his thoughts. He immediately returned the book, the cross, and the rod to their places before hastily shoving them beneath Michelle's bed. Swallowing hard, he stepped out of Michelle's room.
Near the doorway, Arianna stood silently. The redness in her swollen eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by the exhaustion of someone who had just awakened. Her lips trembled slightly as she began to speak.
"Ciel..."
"What is it, Arianna?" Ciel replied while looking at his sister.
"I don't know why. But my heart feels so heavy. This feeling is unbearable. Grandpa is gone now. This difficult life will continue, even if we rely on Grandpa's insurance money."
"It's alright. You don't need to worry about that. You know, in a few days I'll be meeting Johan. He said he found a job for me."
Ciel answered gently while softly patting Arianna's head, trying to comfort her, even if only a little.
Arianna tightly clenched the fabric of her skirt.
"Ciel, please... Please stay with me..."
Ciel's eyes reddened, and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. For a brief moment, he saw himself as Joseph, a man who had lived without a family for so long, now experiencing what it felt like to be needed by someone. Whether it was the emotions of "Joseph" merging with "Ciel," or his own deepest feelings, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that he felt warmth.
"Yeah... I'll stay here. For as long as you want me to."
Ciel embraced Arianna, a warm embrace amidst the cold pain of loss.
From this moment onward, Ciel was Arianna's only family, her only shelter, and her only older brother. Perhaps he would leave one day after discovering the truth behind the cross, or perhaps he would remain in this world forever. He didn't know. Deep down, however, he was afraid. Afraid that Joseph August would eventually disappear completely.
After escorting Arianna back to her room, Ciel lay on his bed for some time, waiting for her to fall asleep. During those moments, Arianna occasionally whimpered and tossed about, as though suffering nightmares amid a storm of genuine grief.
The silent room and the gentle drizzle seemed to whisper into his ears. Ciel still didn't know what he needed to do next. Perhaps things wouldn't go the way he hoped, but deep inside, he wanted to try.
At some point, Ciel stood up, left his room, and headed toward Michelle's room.
He opened the box containing the rod once again and took it out. His gaze lingered on it for several moments. The rod was engraved with abstract diagonal lines that somehow felt classic. At first, Ciel thought it might be a conductor's baton. However, its shape was far too strange. It twisted and curved in unusual ways. Besides, there seemed to be little connection between a conductor's baton and Michelle's profession as a military officer.
Even now, Ciel had no idea what it was. He placed the rod back into the box and looked at the brooch that resembled a military decoration among Michelle's belongings. It felt too luxurious for him to wear, but he decided to pin it inside his blazer.
"If I wear it on the outside, it'll be too noticeable, won't it? Hopefully it'll bring me some luck."
However, Ciel paused and looked down at his blazer. It appeared worn, with several areas damaged by friction and age. Although it wasn't nearly as dirty or tattered as the clothes he had worn back in London, it was still far from suitable for a job interview.
I think I need to buy a new blazer...
A gloomy morning blanketed the city of Goumn, a city touched by pollution. Though it wasn't nearly as bad as the industrial city of Liyeh. Goumn had several factories that still failed to meet proper standards for gas emissions. Unlike Goumn, which had only a handful of factories, Liyeh had earned its reputation as an industrial city for a reason. There were more than fifty factories in Liyeh alone. As a result, Liyeh almost never saw sunlight throughout the year, despite every factory being required to follow waste-disposal regulations.
With the air feeling slightly suffocating, Ciel woke up at seven in the morning and went out to buy bread and a new coat before meeting Johan. Even though it was still early, many shops in Goumn opened before dawn or operated twenty-four hours a day. As the saying in the Kingdom of Noir went, "The earlier you work, the more money you earn."
As he walked through the market, Ciel eventually turned into a modest clothing store. The shop wasn't particularly clean, but it wasn't dirty either. Dust could still be found in some corners, though there were no visible footprints from customers. Inside, countless coats, jackets, dresses, and suits were displayed. There were even several accessories available for purchase.
As soon as Ciel entered, a store employee approached him with a smile.
"How may I help you, sir?"
"Ah, I'm looking for a coat for a job interview. As you can see, this one is already too worn out," Ciel replied, explaining his needs.
"Would you like a full suit or just the coat?"
"The latter, please."
"Very well."
The demand for formal suits had increased dramatically ever since the steam engine revolution initiated by Donald Murph of the Kingdom of Noir, as such attire came to be associated with prestige and respectability. However, in modern times, the Kingdom of Noir—now known as the Abraham Empire—had developed different fashion trends. Nowadays, only nobles and the upper class regularly wore three-piece suits or tailcoats, while ordinary citizens preferred practical long-sleeved clothing and more casual sport jackets. Even women had simplified their dresses, making them far more suitable for everyday wear. Falheim had adopted suit-style fashion largely due to cultural assimilation during its wars against the Kingdom of Noir.
The employee was remarkably professional. He paid no attention to Ciel's worn clothing and served him with a polite smile and a slight nod. The man walked over to a rack filled with coats and suits, he began selecting suitable options. Seeing this, Ciel could do nothing but follow behind him.
Very professional...
After quite some time, and after repeatedly taking blazers down and returning them to their places, the employee finally presented two choices. One was a dark brown blazer with white accents on the chest pocket. The other was a plain black blazer.
Ciel stroked his chin thoughtfully. He actually preferred the dark brown one because small stains wouldn't be as noticeable. However, black offered the same advantage and suited him better. Before he could speak, the employee continued.
"This brown blazer costs two pirch, sir. It's from a fairly well-known brand. The black one costs one pirch and five skotl."
Ciel's mouth nearly fell open as he stared at the employee, who looked back at him without the slightest hint of guilt.
Calm down, Ciel... He's just doing his job. This is perfectly normal. Two pirch? What kind of price is that? That's equivalent to two kilograms of premium beef! Looks like I'll have to choose the second one... sigh...
"I'll—"
"But if you buy both, the total will only be three pirch!"
****
Ciel slowly walked out of the store and stopped for a moment. His gaze seemed vacant as he stared down the street. At the same time, he awkwardly carried two brown paper bags.
"Why... did I... buy both of them...?"
His breathing was slightly heavy, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
Everythings had already been done.