It's a strange feeling to be guided by magic power. It was as if I somehow knew which way to go. Moving from the Yggfresis city to the forest as I was guided, after walking through the forest, I reached an open area in about ten minutes.
Moving my gaze, I saw Lillie-san on both knees, looking like she was praying.
With the sunlight streaming in and the surrounding trees shimmering, I felt like the atmosphere around her was very sacred. When I approached, slightly overwhelmed by her appearance, she slowly stood up and turned towards me.
[...Once again, hello, Miyama Kaito-san. I'm glad to meet you here.]
[Hello, Lillie-san... Errr...]
[Thanking me for that incident in the God Realm? Please don't mind it... You have a gift for me? In that case, I guess it would be rude to refuse, wouldn't it?]
[Ah, yes. Thank you for that time.]
[I'm glad that I could be of help. Fumu... Let's see, I don't really eat, so it would be better if it's things other than sweets.]
How should I say this... Conversation with Lillie-san, who can read my surface thoughts, develops very quickly. The fact that she understands what I want to say immediately means that the conversation proceeds at a really fast pace.
I feel a different kind of ease in talking to her than I do with Kuro or Alice. If I were to describe it, I guess it's almost like I'm talking with Shiro.
As I was thinking about this, for some reason, Lillie-san suddenly looked surprised and she became silent.
[...…]
[Lillie-san?]
[No, I was just thinking that you had an unusual way of thinking... Normally, people would be creeped out by this... I guess it shows how really generous of a person you are.]
Indeed, having your mind read may be a reason why you'd be avoided, but Lillie-san is only reading my surface thoughts. Since she doesn't really look into the depths of people's minds, I think she's easier to talk to instead.
Also, more than anything else... I was just "really used to it". Since there's Shiro-san who can read my mind from a distance, I think it's already too late for me to react to seeing someone who can do the same thing.
Reading my thoughts, Lillie-san looked like she was thinking for a moment, before she spoke with a serious expression on her face.
[...I've heard rumors about you for a long time. There's something I've always wanted to ask you if we ever meet.]
[There's something you wanted to ask me?]
I'm not really sure what's going on, but judging from the atmosphere around her, I think it's an important question for her. With that in mind, I sat up straight and waited for Lillie-san's next words.
[...Isn't it painful?]
[...Eh?]
[Understanding the emotions of others. That doesn't mean that such ability would always be a good thing. Feeling the malice of others towards you, isn't it painful?]
[...…]
When she asked that question, I could understand why she had such a serious expression on her face.
This was probably based on Lillie-san's personal experience. Speaking of this matter, I would actually be lying if I said I haven't felt like that.
Bluntly speaking, when I first came to this world, I felt incredibly uncomfortable in Lilia-san's mansion. Staying in the mansion back then somehow makes me feel that I was an irregular existence.
I think it was probably because I had the ability, Sympathy Magic, and unconsciously felt the emotions of people around me. I remembered how some people were easy to talk to and others were hard to talk to.
For example, the maid who was assigned to me, Illness-san, had a peculiar way of speaking and expression, but I found her very easy to talk to. However, there were other maids who I found difficult to talk to even though their tone was polite and had gentle expressions on their faces.
Well, there are almost no such maids nowadays but...
[It's true that I have had such experiences. There were times when I felt it was painful.]
Thinking back to it again, in Lilia-san's mansion, there are only a few people who have been friendly towards me when I first came to this world... when I met them for the first time. Lilia-san, Lunamaria-san, Sieg-san... and Illness-san.
This is really just in the beginning though. As I spent time in the mansion and exchanged words with many people, the mansion gradually became a place comfortable for me.
[However, I was blessed with the people surrounding me. There were at least a few people who welcomed me with open arms. So, it's not painful at all now. In fact, I feel really happy.]
[...I see.]
When she heard my reply, she smiled somewhat happily and then spoke again.
[...I thought that if you were feeling uncomfortable with your ability, I, with an ability similar to yours, would be able to understand your distress and help you but... Fufu, it seems like my concern was unnecessary.]
[No, thank you for your concern.]
[It's a blessing to be able to say without hesitation that you're blessed with your surroundings. I hope that you will continue to feel that way for the rest of your life.]
[I'm sure it will be alright... The people around me really are kind people after all.]
[Fufufu, then, I have nothing to worry about.]
I don't know why, but even though I've only met her for a short while, I can tell that Lillie-san is a very kind person.
I think she was genuinely worried about me having an ability similar to hers, and if I was actually in trouble, she was going to help me.
I somehow feel like... we'd get along well with each other.