The Traveling Hero Won’t Let the Innkeeper’s Son Escape

(Uh..., what do you mean, this...?

Said there was a raw warm air, but I felt the daze and unpleasant sweat propagating my back. The fist that grabs Ed's hand naturally becomes stronger.

And I managed to stay calm, smiling and walking relying on the memories and sensations I had cultivated in twenty years. But eventually the river came into view and Ruth stopped his legs. I've never seen a river so wide that I can't see such opposite shores before.

"What's up, Ruth?

"…… Ed, I'm sorry"

"What's wrong!?

Ed approaches me as if in a hurry, on Ruth's side kneeling in.

"I'm sorry... I think I'm lost."

"Eh!?... Lost, you mean you don't know your way home?

"Yes. Instead of finding Mr. Remias, I don't know where we are right now... I'm really sorry, Ed..."

It was all Ruth's fault for watching the mountain walk sweetly in the mist. The fact that Ed was distracted and neglected to equip himself in a hurry to find him, that he had brought an unfamiliar Remias to the mountain path, that he had moved around inadvertently even though it was foggy. And even worse, they all moved to the wrong side.

(You should have known about the secondary disaster that would happen during the search... I don't know what to do, instead of being able to bring Ed home, I can't believe that Mr. Remias, who came with me, is off the hook...)

My head would have known, but I've done it. It makes me want to cry about my idiocy additions and subtractions. I also fully understood that crying just wouldn't make things any better. But I can't stop feeling depressed easily.

Ruth had all the words' what am I supposed to do 'all around her head about a "shipwreck in the mountains” situation she had never experienced in her previous life or in this world.

"……… Ruth, don't blame yourself too much"

That's how they call me, and they stroke my head with their little hands.

As Ruth looked next to him with his face up, Ed stared at him, turning his usual cool face into something that seemed just a little worrying.

"Speaking of the original, it's because I came here on my own in the fog when you told me not to come out. Ruth is nothing wrong, don't blame him. I appreciate that."

"But I'm the one who brought Mr. Remias..."

"That Remias is not a person, let alone a child, who has no means of defence whatsoever, is it?

"... right, older than me, I guess. He said the spirits loved him, and he was actually amazing. He said he was good at magic along the way."

That Remias is the one who told me to make a statement about Ruth who never seemed strong in such a fog in the first place. I mean, there's a good chance I was confident that I could handle that even if something happened. Different levels of magic that showed to Ruth also only seemed real.

"Then the person should be able to protect himself to some extent. Let's not worry about him at this time. I don't think that's a good idea, but right now we're worried about him, and he's just more likely to go wrong."

"... but"

"What needs to be resolved before that is if we are lost. If we don't solve this, it's not going to be a fundamental solution, is it, where we found that person, the" two of us were in distress ”just turns into" three of us were in distress ”?

"Well......"

"Besides, he might be back in the village on his own, just out of touch with Ruth, right?

Sure, Ruth and Ed lost sight of their current location in the mountains, but Lemias wasn't always the same. Maybe Ruth and the others haven't found him and he's giving up looking for him and going back to the village first. I'm sorry for the unsolicited image, but I couldn't imagine Remias getting lost in the mountains and walking away. He's going to get through the pinch somehow with his floating behavior ahead of him.

"Then we will give priority to doing something about our shipwreck. So the question is... Ruth is doing better in the mountains, right? Have you ever been lost?

"Uh, I think mountain walking is pretty good in the village. I don't have any lost experience..."

Even when transported to Snow Mountain in the five days of disconnection, he woke up in a place he had never seen, but Ruth was able to grasp the positional relationship. Of course, it was sunny at the time, and I had the sun to make sure it was in position, but it's not like I've never been in a mountain before and suddenly darkened. It took me a while to get back to the village. Alec also said Ruth had a better sense of direction.

(Yet now... it's like being suddenly flown to a place you don't know, you don't know where you are...)

That's why Ruth was panicking a little. Until now, I had somehow known the direction, even if I had gone out to an unrecognizable place. Because this was the first time I had ever been in a situation where I could not make more decisions.

When I told him about it, Ed had the only face of adult face loss.

"It's not so long since we started walking in search of that Remias. Sure, it's foggy, but we didn't go down a cliff, we didn't climb an impossible mountain. I mean, I'm not traveling unscrupulously. Yet I am concerned that you, who grew up in the village, have come to a place so unrecognizable to the terrain that you judge it 'lost'. Honestly, I also feel that the signs around the area have changed since just now. I thought it was because of the fog, but when you showed up, there was a little bit of cold in the air, somewhere raw and warm...... what's up, Ruth?

"... oh, no. I thought Ed was amazing."

Again I was impressed with Ed, who calmly judged the situation, not to be angry or crying, let alone afraid, of Ruth, who declared himself lost, but on the contrary even made him care for Ruth. Ruth should have done the position, but he's completely overwhelmed by Ed. I don't care what you look like. He's a five or six year old boy.

That said, Ed did a little gaze approximation.

"Is that right? … don't you think you can say something busy?"

"I don't think so. Instead, thanks to Ed, I was able to calm down. Thanks."

……

"What's up, Ed?

He loosened his cheeks just a little as he wondered if he had said anything wrong to Ed that would harden his surprised expression. That look is softer and more adorable than any of it has ever been.

"No, I thought being thanked by Ruth wasn't a bad idea."

"What, that way? No, not like that?

"I don't hate it at all...... rather glad"

Ruth felt kind of complicated by the bossy and crushed words, feeling serious.

(... maybe Ed has never been 'appreciated' before?

Given his special birth, the possibilities were well considered as well. Because of this, I felt cute and I felt pain in my chest when I couldn't keep up with my expression.

I don't know how long Ed will be in the village, but until then, I thought Ruth would give you a lot of words.

Ruth stroked Ed's head as hard as he could to praise him, and rose to the occasion.

(That's true. Not if you're being taffed)

Thanks to Ed for his hard thinking, Ruth's mood, which was depressing, finally went back to normal.

I'm sure I'll wait here until the fog clears and the sun rises, so I have to act to reveal it overnight as soon as possible.

"Sorry. Not if it's dented, right? We need to figure out what to do."

"Yes. I'm not very familiar with mountains. I'll think about it, but I think we'll end up relying on Ruth."

"Yeah. I'm counting on you too, Ed."

"Yeah, for Ruth's sake, I'll do my best."

Saying such a glowing thing, Ed stood up as he grabbed Ruth's hand and lined up.

I felt uncomfortable lining up next door when Ed felt kind of grown up, forgetting the situation and feeling smiling.

(………………… that? Was Ed this tall?

During the day yesterday, when Ed was jumped while acting at the village chief's house, he should have grabbed Ruth's thighs with both hands, but when Ed now stood next to him, he was tall enough to have to sit back a little. At this height, it should be Ruth's hip to grab it.

(... I don't remember, or was Ed crouching?

"What is it? Ruth?"

"Oh, yeah. Anything...... hey, no? Uh, it's dangerous to inadvertently move on a lost night's mountain path, and we'll stay close until morning arrives. But the riverside is dangerous with animals stopping by, so why don't we find a place to rest a little further away?

"Okay. Let's do that."

Ruth's confusion grew deeper and deeper on Ed's face, who honestly nodded. I think Ed's face is sharp when Ruth is five or six years old. Just as unchanged as an eight-year-old bird, he looks more polished with less unusual cuteness and plenty of beautiful boys.

(Ha... With this fog, is it because of the dark? Or are your eyes tired?

As Ruth was trying to escape reality into an unexplained situation, Ed, who was looking around, pulled his hand.

"Ruth, look. There's a light over there! Did you have one of those earlier?

"Huh!?

Those to whom Ed refers saw an artificial light blurring in darkness and mist.

(Artificial lights behind these mountains?

Sometimes near the dungeon is far from the village, basically behind the mountains. In particular, there are rare B-ranked demons and bales around here, and there is nothing like a mountain hut for people to live in.

But what I saw in Ruth's eyes was artificial lights, no matter what. Moreover, given the terrain and height, it looks like a two-story house.

"It could be people, let's go, Ruth"

"Uh, no, but... I can't believe we're home around here...?

"... is it dangerous?

Ed, aware of Ruth's concerns, seizes the power of the arm he was pulling. At the same time I'm glad Ed responds much more honestly than at first, and at the same time I get worried about letting him go wild without safety measures in such a foggy and dangerous mountain. If we get around Bal to be honest, Ruth won't win. Even considering the characteristic that Bal likes kids as a meal, I noticed letting Ed go wild.

(I have a knife, but I don't have a bow... oh, that... knife? Huh?)

Ruth tried to reach for the knife he borrowed from Remius, but noticed that the tip of the hook he was lowering to his belt was missing.

(Yep!? Why is there no weapon!?

The knife that should have been on the tip of the hook had somehow neglected to disappear. Ruth didn't even realize she'd lost weight.

I searched around in a hurry, but there is no sign of a single-edged knife falling out of the water. I mean, it doesn't look like I just lost it or anything.

"Yes, since when………?

"What's up, Ruth?

"Uh, no. It's nothing……………."

I rushed to fix it and smile at Ed's strange appearance, but inside it was a cold sweat. There is so much inadvertence in walking the mountain where demons roam without weapons.

(Ko, this sucks... when it comes to that...)

Ruth turns his gaze again to the artificial lights. Ed and I were in a pile of foggy nights, unarmed wildlife, or a somewhat suspicious but seemingly hidden house - it was like we didn't have a choice.

(Besides, maybe I usually have a house around here just because I don't know it)

There was also a good chance that Ruth was out of the range of mountains he could know more than he knew where he was. Besides, Ruth and I don't know all about the mountain. Then it would be better for people to ask me to stay rather than let Ed do the dangerous wildlife. All you have to do is run away if the person smells dangerous.

"No, shall we go? Better than Nojuku."

"I could be anywhere with Ruth."

"Hmm... I'm glad you can count on me. Sorry, I don't have any weapons, and I might not be able to protect Ed from the wolves yet."

"... I don't want you to protect me. Well, let's keep it safe and let's make it home."

'Then let's go,' Ruth said to Ed, trying to lead him by pulling his hand. 'I wonder if this is what it's like to see my brother grow up,' and thinking out of place.