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

Grabbed by the hands of several people.With his body being pulled hard, Ruth's body felt like it could be lifted off the water.

"Nh, bhah!"

Your breathing is easier, and your lungs are filled with oxygen.Too much inhalation at once, on the contrary, it was painful.

I found him lying on the floor.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"Ruth, are you okay?!"

"Are you hurt!?"

"There's nothing to hurt!?"

"Hah, hah, hah, hah... well... oh"

I replied reflectively, but I didn't understand who was peeking at me.I felt people's signs ahead of my blurred vision, but I didn't know what was happening because my head wasn't clear.

"... here..."

As time went on, the blurred focus came into sharp focus.----The appearance of those surrounding themselves lying on their backs became clear.

"Mi, everyone...?"

"Luce, thank goodness!"

Around Ruth were Silas, Ed, Karen, Yuan, Kia, and Maxim, who were with Olha - members who came into the ark together.

(That's me... ah, that's me!)

At last, Ruth remembered where he was and with whom he was acting until he went to the world.

Ruth arrived at the deepest part of the ark with his friends and, knowing that Alec was under the magic cube in his room, jumped across the line to bring him here.But before we could get out of there, the entrance was closed, and Alec and I were trapped together.

"- That's right, Alec! Where's Alec!?"

Calm down, Ruth. Alec's on your lap.

Karen told me that it was the first time Ruth realized that another human head was on his lap.

"Ah, Alec!"

Golden hair spread over Ruth's lap.The sunshine of nostalgia and loneliness is no different from the last time you saw it.

Alec lay Ruth's knee on a pillow, holding Ruth's soulless body.

"Alec, Alec, wake up, Alec!"

Ruth, who jumped up, slapped Alec in the face with his eyes closed.

I know you're alive because your body is warm and you're breathing, but the likelihood that you won't wake up due to the influence of Zagres is not zero.

"Get up!"

Ruth was driven by anxiety and anxiety, hitting her as hard as she could.Then, the eyes covered in the eyelashes moved slowly.

Ah...?

A faint voice echoed in the tight air.

The sound that approached my breath was, "Ah?With the murmur "Huh?", it gradually begins to have strength as a word.

The green color hidden in the eyelashes turned towards Loose under the surrounding light.

"Ruth... Ruth?"

I can see Ruth's face on a sparkling green jewel.

"You know me, Alec?"

"I know... of course, right? What's the matter, Ruth?"

Alec had no cloudiness in his eyes when he broke up.There was the usual glow.

"Ah, Alec...."

Given Alec's mood at the time he was captured by Zagres, it was also possible that he would wake up and be confused by remembering the past.

Sometimes Doll's body may have been rejected without recognizing that Ruth was Ruth.

On the contrary, there was a future in which the powers of the brave were once again rampaged and the powerless Loose were vanished without trace.

But Alec opened his eyes and stared at Ruth, and there was nothing like that.

"I'm so glad... ah, so, k..."

The voice that I thought would come out calmly so as not to cause anxiety turned into a dull sound.The expression trying to smile is very distorted.Shizukushi builds up around my eyes and I can't laugh well."Are you okay? Does it hurt somewhere?I'm sorry for making you suffer. "The words I prepared like that stopped coming out of my throat.

Instead, it was a roar like a swallow and an unstoppable tear.

"Ruth, huh? Oh, hey. What's wrong with you?"

"Ah, a... Lek... Alek..."

"No, why are you crying?Hey, Ruth!? "

Alec's stunned expression turned impatient and blued as he saw Loose shed tears.

Alec, who woke up in a hurry, embraced Ruth with confusion.

(I feel Alec's temperature. I smell... alive!)

By touching your body, you can feel that Alec in front of you is authentic.Loose also stretched out his arm and touched it so he could feel the softness of the person on his arm.

"Alec, good. Good... sorry... sorry..."

"Ha? Eh... what's wrong... what are you apologizing for?"

"What... don't you remember...?"

"Remember...? Hmm? Hmm, what...?"

Alec, who seemed obviously confused, realized that he really didn't remember anything that happened in the ark.

"I see... I see. Then it's fine."

"No, not really.Something happened, right? "

"Me... I can't take it off right now..."

"Oh, yeah. Okay. Don't apologize.I'm sorry. I'm here anyway, so calm down. Take your time. "

"Yeah."

Despite his own confusion, Alec didn't rush Ruth, who couldn't explain it well.They gently stroke your head and back.

With the comfort of his arms and the reality that Alec was in front of him, Ruth's breathing slowly regained calm.

(Warm, Alec is warm....)

I've never felt breathing or heartbeat on my side, and I've never felt so happy.I was filled with the desire to help Alec.

I couldn't help but be happy that I could touch each other, that I could communicate, that I could care for each other.

Alec murmured when he saw Ruth like that.

"Maybe I did something...?"

"Alec... where do you remember Alec?Do you remember coming to the ark? "

"I remember that. Separated from you and aiming for the lowest level of the ark with my people... and then... nh...?"

Alec put a wrinkle between his eyebrows and held his forehead down with one hand.

"Yes, I can't remember clearly from around here.I remember the pieces of information, but... I don't know if it connects well... as a mess... "

It was clear that something was wrong with Alec's memory.

There must have been an impact on Zagres.At the same time as being deprived of his magic, he was subjected to some kind of interference even in his memory.

(It may also be related to meeting Mitsumi and Alec as a child in the ark.)

All of that has something to do with Alec's memory.Meeting them in the ark means Alec's memory was dragged out by Zagres.As a result, Alec is now in a state of partial memory loss.

But that's why there's no such thing as terrible confusion or suffering as the last time we split up, and we can calm down now.

"That's right... you"

Me?

Alec's expression was distorted in agony.

"I remember you bleeding a lot and falling down.And now you're in front of me like this... that's why... what am I...? "

Ruth shook his head with anxiety.

"Alec didn't do anything.Nothing's wrong.... "

Alec was trying to save the world for people.However, he was named a curse by the administrator and used his power by Zagres, who knew it.What is Alec's responsibility?

If you're responsible, it's Luce who was deceived without knowing anything and created the incentive to make Alec look like this.

"So... what happened?"

"That's...."

[--Ruthuuuuu!]

Alec's scream, which was about to break, was repeated in Ruth's head.At the same time, I remembered the chest pain at that time, and I was stuck in my words.

Alec didn't just suffer from the heart, he must have suffered enough from the effects of the title to overflow his body with magic and cause a runaway.When I think about it, I don't know how to talk.

"--Um... can I talk to you about that?"

"Eh...?"

She raised her face from Alec's chest and saw Karen wave at her side.

"Oh... Karen?"

"It was a lot of emotional difficulties for Ruth, the party at that time.I think it would be better for a third party to talk to me at this time.Well, I just heard it from someone else, but I don't think it's much different from the facts. "

Karen was very grateful for her words, but Ruth couldn't respond well.

(Ah... ah...)

Looking around, feeling like you want to turn your eyes away from reality, other members have a complicated smile that seems like trouble.

(Everyone was here.....)

Ruth felt a headache when he exposed his friends to tears in Alec's arms.

------------

The room, which was supposed to have been dark, became brighter at some point.According to Karen, Ruth was dragged from the other side of the Magic Cube and suddenly the lamp turned bright.But the surroundings were still empty rooms, and there was no big change just because black turned white.

Upon confirming their safety, they all sat on the floor and told Alec what had happened and why they were here.

"- So me and Ruth were used by Zagres and his manager...."

Having briefly summed up the story from Karen, Alec pounded his fist on the floor with regret.

Even Ruth was angry and couldn't help but feel angry that he was being used.

"Besides, using my powers, such as the gates of heaven and other creatures... don't joke... what am I doing..."

Alec hit his fist on the floor again.There are thicker wrinkles between the eyebrows and a shadow on the expression.

(Alec....)

Regarding this incident, Ruth doesn't think Alec alone is responsible or anything.But Alec himself listened to the story, and what he thought was a different story.There is no way that the person who was trying to save the world by naming the brave man could not feel nothing after listening to this story.

Ruth grabbed Alec's knocked hand.

"Alec, it was the administrator who did everything and Zagres who used it.There was nothing wrong with Alec... nobody noticed Zagres' thoughts back then, nobody could stop him... "

"Ruth... but when I was..."

I don't think Ruth should let me say any more, and I held Alec's mouth when I said something.

"Alec, this isn't just about the present.It's been a problem for over a thousand years.It's not someone's fault.Everyone involved is responsible... so don't think you're the only one who's wrong. Please. "

"... Ruth"

I didn't want Alec to feel all responsible just because he used his power.That is too painful.

As Ruth stroked Alec's hand slowly, the dark shadow that had just disappeared on Alec's face.

I took the hand of Ruth that I put around my mouth.

"Sorry... it's a bit messy. Thank you, Ruth.That's right, now is not the time to discuss where responsibility lies. "

Alec closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.Ruth wraps his grip around it.

"Let's get rid of what's in front of us now.Looks like this planet itself is in pretty bad shape, so that way first. "

"Yeah."

There was no doubt in Alec's eyes that he looked forward again.