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

Hey, Ruth!

But before she grabbed the candy, Celine found her and pulled her hand.

"Mother....."

"Aunt Celine...."

"What were you both trying to do?"

"Er... what do you want me to do...?"

"Don't lie to me.I've never asked you to help me before.And you were just about to take this, right? "

Celine said that and lifted the cage of baked confectionery that she had placed at the counter.

They both looked awkward when they discovered their plan.And Alec apologizes before Ruth does.

Where's Ruth?

"... I'm sorry."

Seeing Ruth who managed to apologize, Celine sighed.

"If only I knew I had done something wrong.I made it for my customers... so I'll probably give it to both of you. "

Really!?

I did it!

"But wash your hands first.And Ruth needs Clark. "

Er, why!

"It's not fair you can't just eat Clark.Call me. I'll have to call you. "

"Yes."

Celine told them to go out to the backyard to wash their hands, and only Alec came back first.Ruth must have gone to get Clark.

Celine was open for a little while, as she had already finished serving dinner.Rosa is talking to a guest in the dining room.

Celine took Alec to the living room of her mother's house and placed three baked goods on the table.

"Alec, there are only two types, so choose what you like."

"Yeah... ah, thank you..."

"Yeah, Alec's good... Ruth needs a little apprenticeship to grow up."

After listening to the dialogue, Ruth felt sorry for Celine.

"This is the nut, this is the fruit.You can take it first, or they'll take it from you. "

"Yeah."

Celine told Alec to be careful and went back to the cafeteria.

"Hmm...."

With one nut in it and two fruits in it, Alec was worried about which one to take, with an uneven number.Because Alec doesn't like it or dislike it, he can eat either.

"Which do you like better, Ruth...?"

That's what I'm staring at.Even though he's so young, Alec wants to prioritize Ruth's favorite over his own.

(... not good, I'm a little happy)

When I found out that it was considered a priority from such a young age, there was something in my chest.

"Nh, what if it's a gift?"

If there are two types and one is more than one, it is not uncommon to take it from the larger number, considering the latter people, whether it is better to have many choices.--But Ruth, who was watching, opened his mouth unexpectedly.

"Ruth doesn't like that nut."

"Eh...?"

Alec raised his face from the confectionery, surprised by Ruth's voice.Then he noticed Ruth standing by the door, and he took a step back with a vigilant look on his face.

Looking at the situation, Ruth continued in a hurry.

"Ruth doesn't like nuts that much, so you should leave him some fruit confectionery.The nuts are so hard when they put baked confectionery in their mouths that they don't like it. "

The same thing was said again, and Alec's leg stopped trying to escape.Her expression remained stiff, but she was listening to Ruth.

Looking at Ruth from a distance with a smile on his face, Alec's lips eventually moved.

"... you know about Ruth...?"

"Yeah, I know a lot about Ruth.By the way, oniisan Clark likes fruit better, so if Alec doesn't hate nuts, he leaves two fruits, they'll both be happy. "

"... really?"

"True"

…………

Alec still seemed suspicious, but still worried about Ruth's words, he reached for the nuts.

"Alec, are you kidding me?"

"Ah, Ruth! Yeah! I got it."

In the meantime, young Ruth brought Clark back.He walked past Ruth standing at the door and approached Alec.

"Wow, I'll take this!"

Without waiting for Alec's reply, Ruth picked up the candy placed on the table and put it in his mouth immediately.Alec was reaching out to the nuts, so Ruth took the baked confectionery with the fruit.

Ruth feels sad about herself for the delicious behavior of a young Ruth who immediately puts it into his mouth without checking the contents.

"Ooh! Gifts are here! Delicious!"

"What did Alec get?"

"I got the nuts... do you like Ruth and Clark?"

"I like it!"

Do I like fruit too?

Clark, who came closer later, checked that the confectionery was fruit and put it in his mouth.Saying, "It's delicious," the expression looks very happy.As a child, Clark the Bear is cute now.

"... it was true."

Alec murmured impressively and turned again to Ruth, who was near the door.

Alec, what's going on? Anybody home? "

Clark looked in the same direction as Alec, but naturally he couldn't see Ruth, so he tilted his neck.

"... yeah, it's nothing."

Alec didn't get mad at Clark for not noticing Ruth was there, but ate a sweet with nuts as it was.

After that, Celine returned to the living room.Asked Alec what to do for dinner, he turned it down and said goodbye to young Ruth and Clark and left the house.When I had dinner at another house, I had to contact Honza, so I didn't like it.

Alec goes to the church alone in the darkening village.Ruth arrives after a short distance.

Alec walked silently to the middle of Central Square, but unexpectedly looked back at Ruth.

"... hmm? What?"

Ruth smiles as softly as he can without moving from the scene, so as not to scare Alec any more.Alec was somewhat alert, but he didn't try to escape.

But all of a sudden, Ruth stared at Alec, blocking someone else's back.

"Nh, aren't you Alec? What are you doing? It's too late.Get back to the church and don't bother the priest! "

"Ah... yes..."

It was an unknown man who stood in front of Alec in an attempt to immerse himself in Ruth.He must have left Hashi Village because he had a face he didn't see in modern times.The man appeared to have called out because he lived nearby or there was a small shadow in the dim central square.

Alec looked at Ruth overlapping a man and his presence diminished, and when he had a complex expression, he left the scene without saying anything.

The man stares at Alec like that.

"Damn, suddenly you're a really weird kid staring at nothing... and I didn't want to leave it in the village without Rosa's opinion..."

That said, the man walked away barefoot through Ruth.

Loose wanted to throw a stone at the back, but I knew he wouldn't grab it, so I gave up and followed Alec.

As he approached the back of the church, he noticed Alec staring at Ruth as he approached him, hiding in the tree.

"... oneechan, you don't look like anyone?"

"That's right. Unfortunately, nobody seems to see me... Ah, by the way, can you do it with" oniichan ”instead of" oneechan ”?I'm a man. "

He was a little surprised to hear Alec speak aggressively for the first time, but Ruth answered the question gently, telling him not to hurry.It's easy to imagine Alec running away again if he talks to his arrow in a hurry here.

"Is this the other one? But let's go tell Ruth's mother... why?"

"Ah, well... it's only natural that I look like Ruth's mother because I'm shaped like her."

Did you?

"Yes, I did, because I didn't have a shape, so I rented my mother, Celine.That's why they look alike. "

In fact, Ruth, who was always next door, grew up.It resembles Celine because her mother's blood is thick.Rather than explaining confusingly, it would be better to say, "Because there was no substance, I made it resemble Celine," than to say that Alec was a young opponent.It's hard to believe I lied, but now it's not about Ruth's existence.

It seems that Alec was immediately convinced in that way.

"That's why we're all... turning on oniichan?"

"Yes, I only see Alec.That's why people don't ignore me, they don't think I'm here. "

"... you can only see me?"

"Yeah, only Alec sees it."

Alec looked very surprised.

After telling Alec in detail how Ruth seemed to see the situation from another person's point of view, it seemed that he finally understood.

"But why do you only see me?"

"Well, that's...."

Ruth was worried about how to answer.

There may be some reason why Alec is only visible in this world, but Ruth doesn't know exactly what he is so far.

"Could it possibly be Shii-san?"

Shirai-san?

"Marianne told me that her father had trouble, but he didn't usually see anyone else, but he knew a lot and said it was amazing."

Alec has secretly heard from Marianne about the spirits of the village chief.Marianne may not understand the meaning of the Spirit, but she would have liked to argue that her father had a special presence and was great. It's a childish story.

(But is that easier for Alec to understand?)

Lies may not be very good, but they're easier for Alec to understand than not answering any questions and tilting his neck together.

If you think about it, Ruth today is like a spirit without reality.This explains well what is invisible to others.

"Yes, I'm a spirit.Spirits that look just like Alec. It was the Spirit who made Ruth's mother look like him. "

"That's right, wow... Seiii-san!"

Alec's eyes, which had been suspicious until now, suddenly rose brightly.He must have had something similar to yearning for the word 'Spirit'.

I'm glad the vigilance faded all at once, but Ruth is a little worried that she'll believe this lightly.

"So you know my name?"

Oh, yeah.

"Because you know about Ruth, and you're a jerk?"

"Ah... yeah, that sort of thing."

The magical word ”Spirit” convinces me that Ruth was worried about how to explain it.It seems that Alec's trust in the Spirit is higher than I thought.Marianne must have bragged about her father's spirit every time.I don't remember Ruth at all.

Afterwards, after telling me some of Ruth's favorite things, Alec's expression began to shine.

"Wow, wow! What else do you know?"

"That's right... for example... ah, this is good."

Ruth crouched on the spot, pointing to the weeds growing near the trees.

"Alec, can we pull this through?"

This one?

"Yeah, pull it out. Grab the roots when you pull them out."

Ruth taught Alec to pull out the weed.The wild grass, with its thin leaves and shallow roots, pulled through Alec well at a young age.

"What is this?"

"This is Lacovella, a grass that can be eaten.It's not that delicious, but I'm hungry, so if you're planning on making soup for dinner today, you can mix it up. "

There are rare poisonous items in the wild grass, but Ruth knows how to hunt in the mountains and also has experience in wild boarding.Naturally, I have eaten this grass several times.

Not only does Ruth teach you hunting in the village, but people in the village know this kind of knowledge at the same time.

Alec hasn't learned yet, so it's only natural that he doesn't know.