Chapter 23 - 3
Anna, who had gotten off the coach first, looked around with curiosity at the beautiful townscape she was seeing for the first time.
Franz followed suit and surveyed his surroundings. For Franz, who had left his hometown for the first time, a large town like this was the second he'd seen since Saradio. But the scale was different. This town was clearly larger. And the atmosphere of Faldina was completely different from Saradio.
What it had in common with Saradio was that the Traveler's Highway ran through the center of town. That highway intersected in a cross shape at this plaza where they had gotten off the coach. Ritz had told him that most of the central towns in the autonomous regions of Yuresla were built in the same way, but this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.
Looking at the well-maintained signpost, the north-south highway was called the Sears Highway because it connected the royal capital and the north. The east-west highway was a little narrower than the one they had been walking on and seemed to be called the Faldina Highway.
It seemed they had gotten off the coach right in the middle where the roads crossed.
It appeared to be a plaza located right in the center of town. In the middle of this considerably large space was a raised area where people were relaxing and several stalls were lined up. It might have been a park. He could also see birds getting bread crumbs from children's hands.
Around the plaza, carriages circulated in a concentric pattern, dispersing in all four directions. The carriages only moved in one direction, so there were no accidents and movement seemed smooth.
Feeling a strange sensation under his shoes, he looked down to see that the ground was paved with red flagstones of baked brick.
Looking up again, the buildings were taller than in Saradio. Three or four-story buildings lined the plaza and the carriage road. Some of the taller buildings were even five or six stories high.
Roads extended in all directions, weaving between the buildings. The major streets were lined with gas lamps here and there, so it was probably bright at night as well.
"First, an inn."
As he was spacing out, he heard Ritz's murmur. He looked back to see the ever-energetic Anna jumping up and down with joy. She must have had a lot of pent-up energy from being on the coach.
"Yay! Lunchtime!"
"…That's not what I said."
He had retorted without thinking. It was a conditioned reflex. It had been a while since he started being with these two, but he felt like he was starting to be influenced by their vibe a little.
"Huh, why? It's already noon."
"How can you be hungry when you were just sitting in a coach?"
"? Of course I am. Right, Ritz!"
"Of course. Time passes, your stomach settles."
"…I see."
He wasn't hungry, but he would probably be made to eat something. With a small sigh, he watched as Ritz and Anna seriously studied the guidebook.
At first, Anna had happily opened the guidebook, but Ritz's comments gradually made her dejected.
It was full of places for somewhat wealthy tourists to stay and didn't seem to be of any use. Although their pockets were a little fuller, the three of them needed a place that was safe, cheap, and had delicious food, not luxury.
In the end, since it was a hassle to search aimlessly through the large town, they went into a building with a sign that said 'Tourist Information Center' and had them recommend an inn. As befitting Faldina, which prided itself on its tourism, the people at the information center were very kind and gave them a warm welcome.
The place they recommended was an inn called the 'Green Forest Inn,' about a ten-minute walk from the plaza.
He was concerned by the staff's laughing comment that there was a reason it was so cheap, but it seemed to be the only place that met their criteria.
With Ritz leading the way, map in hand, they strolled through the town, looking around like complete country bumpkins. It was a lively and nice town. He didn't feel the kind of atmosphere that the man named Heath had described.
It took them considerably longer than the information center staff had said to reach the 'Green Forest Inn.' It faced a back street, one of a row of buildings standing shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the road. With its wooden sign hanging on the door, it had a somewhat gentle and comfortable atmosphere.
He had been worried about what kind of inn it would be, so he was a little relieved. Then, Ritz's voice entered his ears. He looked over to see Ritz looking at the front of the inn with a wry smile.
"Now I know why it's cheap."
"What?"
"Take a look."
As Franz turned his gaze, Anna came to stand beside him.
"Huh? What is it?"
Anna read aloud the sign hanging at the entrance of the building Ritz was pointing at.
"'Royal Capital Defense Corps, Faldina Garrison Unit.' Oh, that's where Heath-san works!"
"Yep. For tourists who want to let loose, having a military facility right in front of them is a buzzkill."
That was certainly true. If anyone got drunk and rowdy, they would probably be apprehended immediately. Franz didn't have to worry about that, but he could somehow understand how a tourist would feel.
"But, this is our destination, right?"
Anna smiled innocently.
"We're lucky we didn't have to look for it!"
"…Well, if you think about it that way, yeah."
Ritz scratched his head. It was true that they had been spared the trouble of searching for the barracks in the large town of Faldina, so it was convenient.
They couldn't just stand there forever, so the three of them opened the slightly heavy wooden door of the inn in front of them, the 'Green Forest Inn,' and stepped inside.
The small interior was uniformly decorated with smoked-like wood, creating a rustic yet warm atmosphere.
The windows were a little small, making it difficult to see in from the outside, but it was easy to see out from the inside. It didn't give a dark impression at all.
There were probably about twenty seats. Perhaps because it was past noon, there were only a few customers in the shop. Just as Ritz, who had come in after them, was about to call out to the back, a cheerful voice called out.
"Welcome!"
The person who greeted them was a surprisingly young woman. No, she was more of a girl than a woman. She looked several years younger than Anna. Probably twelve or thirteen.
She was a slender, boyish girl with firm-looking brown hair tied in a ponytail.
"Welcome!"
Next, a deep voice greeted them. It was a stocky, slightly overweight man. He wasn't tall, but his presence was overwhelming.
What was most impressive was his bushy, curly, firm-looking beard of the same color and texture as the girl's, and in contrast, his shining head.
"We heard about this place at the tourist information center. Can we stay for a few days?"
Ignoring the two who were staring intently at the innkeeper, the seasoned Ritz called out, and the man replied with a broad smile and a loud voice.
"Of course we have room!"
"Then, we'll take two rooms. One for two, and one for one."
"You got it! Lira, show our guests to their rooms."
"Okay, Papa!"
The girl from before, Lira, responded cheerfully to the man's words and greeted the three of them with an innocent smile.
"Welcome to the Green Forest Inn!"
With her large eyes and lively gestures, it was hard to believe she was this man's daughter.
"They don't look anything alike for a father and daughter…"
Anna nodded at Ritz's quiet murmur, and the gazes of the two slowly turned towards him. He knew what they wanted to say. The two of them still brought up the fact that Franz and his father didn't look alike.
Especially Anna, who had no real parents, was interested in families and was persistent.
He knew, but it was unpleasant, so he glared at them. Then, suddenly, someone grabbed Franz's shoulder.
"Hey."
Franz froze at the man's abrupt words. The one grabbing his shoulder was the innkeeper. The sight that met Franz's eyes as he cautiously turned around was the innkeeper's smiling face.
"Have you eaten yet, customer?"
The words made him relax. Why was it always about food, everywhere he went?
The man turned his gaze from the silent Franz to Ritz and Anna and spoke.
"How about it?"
"Not yet! I'm hungry."
Anna was rubbing her stomach with an embarrassed smile. The man laughed happily.
"You won't have any energy if you don't eat! I'll get it ready for you, so hurry up and put your luggage away. It's a service for our guests."
He looked intimidating with his bearded face, but it seemed he was a kind person, different from his appearance.
"The rooms are this way."
The three of them followed the lively Lira to the back of the shop.
They went up a rather narrow staircase at the end of the hallway and were shown to the third floor.
According to the girl, the inn's rooms were only on the third and fourth floors. The first floor was a restaurant, and the second floor was their living quarters. Apparently, there were only eight rooms in total. Her mother had already passed away, and this inn was usually run by just that innkeeper and this girl. But during the tourist season, they ran a tavern at night, so relatives from the neighborhood would come to help.
Lira, who had explained all this cheerfully and at a rapid pace, stopped abruptly in front of a door.
"This is the single room, and this is the double room. You can decide which one you want. Oh, if you don't like the room, we can prepare another one. It's the off-season for tourism, so we're not busy."
"You're not busy?"
The girl smiled brightly at Anna's question.
"Well, there aren't many flowers that bloom in autumn, are there?"
It seemed that tourism in the flower town was mainly in the spring. Anna looked at Ritz disappointedly, and Ritz gave a wry smile and patted her head. Now that he thought about it, Anna had been pestering Ritz about wanting to eat flowers.
"Breakfast is until ten, and you can only use hot water for the bath when the boiler in the kitchen is running, so please be careful. Please have dinner before eight. We're not running a tavern this season."
Ritz shrugged at the bullet-like explanation, and Franz was slightly overwhelmed by her energy.
"Got it. Thanks."
Ritz took some coins from his pocket and placed them in the girl's hand. The girl happily accepted them and bowed her head.
"Thank you. Please enjoy your stay."
The ponytail bounced cheerfully on the back of the girl as she ran off.
Franz had learned about the system of tipping the guide after he started his journey. Ritz paid it casually, as if it were a matter of course. This was probably what it meant to be an adult.
"Please enjoy your stay!"
Lira smiled and went down the stairs rhythmically.
"She's like a whirlwind."
Franz, left behind in front of the room, muttered. She had explained everything necessary, but she was so fast he couldn't even get a word in.
"But she's a responsible girl."
Anna said with deep admiration. It was a strangely mature way of speaking, but for Anna, who had always been a caregiver at the orphanage, the city girl must have been a marvel. The sensibilities of city children and country children were surely different.
The three of them entered the room to put down their luggage for the time being.
Last time, it had been the strange combination of Franz & Anna and Ritz in a single room, but this time it was naturally decided that Ritz and Franz would share, and Anna would have a single room.
Of course, the official reason was that Anna was a girl and should have her own room.
But the real reason was the earnest wish of the two men to have a peaceful morning without being woken up by the noisy Anna.
Anna's way of waking people up was not gentle. Having woken up nearly twenty children at the orphanage, it was only natural, but it was painful for Franz and Ritz.
In Franz's case, he would be shaken before he was even awake, and then all his blankets would be forcefully ripped off. In this season of deepening autumn. That was probably how she woke up the children who were bad at waking up at the orphanage.
It was extremely frustrating to protest while shivering all over immediately after waking up. Though, of course, his irritation never reached Anna.
Still, it was better than Ritz's situation.
Ritz was pounced on by Anna almost every morning at the inn. It had been like that for all three days while they were waiting for the medicine in Tushil, so it was nothing short of pitiful.
Hearing Ritz's grumpy groans every morning, he felt sorry for him, but he kept his mouth shut to avoid Anna's wrath turning on him.
Strangely, although he was a much better sleeper than Franz, Anna never woke Ritz up normally for some reason. Without even calling his name, she would suddenly jump on him with a 'Riiitz, good morniiing!', so Ritz had no way of avoiding it.
Very occasionally, Ritz would complain, "I'm not a mattress," but it was no use with Anna.
On the road, Ritz was a very light sleeper, but at the inn, he was terrible at waking up. But Franz knew the reason.
Ritz was probably resisting Anna. It was probably a childish resistance, like 'if you wake me up normally, I'll get up normally, but if you wake me up like this, I won't get up'.
But from any angle, Ritz's strategy seemed to be a mistake. Anna did whatever she wanted to the unresisting Ritz.
According to Ritz, for Anna, who had always been required to act like an adult at the orphanage, this was probably a rebound. She had been holding back what she wanted to do, so seeing the children at Vishnu wake Ritz up, she probably thought it looked fun and was trying it out.
So, since they had started their journey, he probably thought he should let her do what she wanted for the time being.
From Franz's perspective, Ritz was astoundingly tolerant of Anna. He must still feel responsible for almost letting her die in the previous village. It was true that that had been Ritz's mistake.
In the quiet room, separated from Anna, Franz threw down his luggage and finally took a breath.
The room, like the dining hall, had a rustic feel, but the cute flowers placed on top of the rustic furniture were a surprising match. He wondered if that girl had arranged them.
There was a large window on the road side, with a good view of the Faldina Garrison Barracks in front.
Ritz, having finally put down his luggage, was rotating his shoulders to relieve the stiffness. Although he didn't say it, Franz felt a little bad. Even if he was strong, it must have been tough carrying all that luggage.
As he sat down on the soft bed, he was reminded all at once of how tired he was, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
He didn't need lunch. Depending on the situation, he didn't need dinner either. He wanted to be allowed to sleep until he was satisfied.
As he sat there in a daze, barely able to think, Anna, in light clothes, burst in. He reflexively braced himself, but Anna's target, as always, was Ritz. The word 'tired' did not exist for her.
"Ritz, it's amazing! You know, you can see the soldiers working!"
Franz, who had no interest in such things, sat there in a daze, not looking at anything in particular. It was even a hassle to move his eyes. But Ritz reluctantly stood up at Anna's clamoring and looked outside.
"Hey, hey, is it okay for it to be this visible?"
Ritz muttered with a wry smile. When he casually turned his gaze, he could see soldiers writing something or talking.
"Is it bad to see? They're not doing anything wrong."
"No, it's not like that…"
"Then what is it?"
"…"
Ritz seemed to find it a hassle to explain to Anna and completely changed his tone, calling out to Franz and Anna.
"You're hungry, right? I'm starving."
"Yes! Me too, me too!"
Her question forgotten, Anna energetically raised her hand. When faced with food, all other interests were probably put on the back burner.
"Franz, you're coming too, right? Right?"
Unable to escape, Franz reluctantly stood up. He really wanted to sleep a little rather than eat, but since he had taken it easy on the coach, he couldn't say such a thing.
Besides, if he said he was skipping the meal, he would be subjected to Anna's 'why attack'. That was also a hassle.
The three of them went downstairs to find that the innkeeper had just finished preparing the meal.
"Oh, you're here. Go ahead and eat."
On the table the innkeeper pointed to, a splendid lunch was laid out.
"Wow, it's so pretty!"
Anna exclaimed at the sight of the food. There were roast beef sandwiches, tomato soup, and a beautiful salad with vegetables and beautiful flowers scattered on it. Flowers of various colors such as red, yellow, and blue were placed on top of the salad, making it look just like a flower garden.
"Glad you like it. This is the last flower salad of the year. You won't be able to eat it again until spring."
The innkeeper laughed as he sat Anna down, who couldn't take her eyes off the salad.
"This is amazing."
Ritz and Franz were also captivated by the salad, with its extreme vividness of the rainbow colors scattered among the green vegetables. Was it just Franz who felt it was more garish than beautiful?
"…Is it edible?"
The innkeeper answered the unconsciously muttering Franz, who was taken aback by the primary colors of the flowers, with his chest puffed out.
"Of course. This is the pride of our town."
Seeing Anna's sparkling eyes, in contrast to the suspicious Franz, Ritz laughed and said to Anna.
"Glad your wish came true."
"Yeah! Let's eat!"
With a sigh at the happily eating Ritz and Anna, Franz also brought the food to his mouth. The moment the food entered his mouth, he suddenly realized he was hungry.
The flower salad, too, he was a little hesitant about due to its overly vivid colors, but it was surprisingly delicious when he tried it. It might be obvious, but he learned for the first time that flowers also have various tastes. He couldn't have imagined it from the innkeeper's appearance, but he was a very skilled cook.
"Did you make this, mister?"
Anna asked the innkeeper, who was cleaning up after the lunch service, while still eating. Each time, he would stop what he was doing without any sign of annoyance, look up, and answer. He was a true professional.
"Yeah, I did."
"That's amazing. I want you to teach me."
"Sure thing!"
"Yay!"
He was only intimidating on the outside; he was a kind man who was friendly even to Anna, whom he had just met.
Anna was overjoyed to have secured a promise to be taught. With this, the time it took for Anna to cook would surely get even longer.
Ritz and Franz secretly sighed at the thought that while they could eat delicious food, the waiting time would be longer.
By the way, the flower salad, with its spicy yellow flowers, sweet red flowers, bitter blue flowers, and crisp vegetables, was exceptionally delicious.
But it seemed Anna wouldn't be able to learn how to make just this flower salad. Because it was extremely difficult to obtain edible flowers outside of this town, and even if she could, they were apparently very expensive.
"I'll just learn the dressing then!"
While giving a wry smile at the slightly sad Anna, the three of them had an enjoyable mealtime and paid the innkeeper for three days' lodging.
According to Ritz, it would take at least five days for Heath to return. A fast horse could make the round trip to the royal capital in two days, but since he was taking the shared coach and would be leading an army, it would take a considerable amount of time.
When they said they didn't know how long they would be staying, the innkeeper, without any particular annoyance, said they could settle the remaining payment on the last day. The inn was indeed as kind as the tourist information center had described.
After a short tea time to let their food settle, Franz decided to go out with Ritz to check out the town. He was reluctant, but to be honest, he did want to see the town a little. Faldina was a town in the same position as Saradio.
But Anna, who was usually so enthusiastic on such occasions, was still engrossed in cooking and, for a change, said she would stay behind. She was going to learn how to cook from the innkeeper. It was also Anna's personality to act immediately once she decided something.
"See you later!"
Seen off by the smiling, waving Anna, the two of them, with minimal luggage, entrusted Anna to the innkeeper and left the 'Green Forest Inn'.
Coming out of the slightly dark inn, he squinted at the brightness. Franz looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day.
The two of them went to the central plaza where the coach had arrived and then decided to explore the town. From here, they could go anywhere in the town.
The town was bustling with people and lively. It was full of energy, with people loitering and relaxing in various places. It was a very peaceful scene.
Franz let out a small breath. Unlike in Saradio, the absence of stares was comfortable. Leaving the town had been such an easy way to free himself.
What's more, this wasn't even the Saradio Autonomous Region. No one knew about the Lucina family anymore. He hadn't thought it would be this relaxing.
"It doesn't seem to be completely peaceful after all."
Ritz, who was next to him, had been looking at the same scenery, yet he muttered this.
"Huh?"
"Take a look. There are guys with harsh gazes here and there."
Saying this in a low voice, Ritz gestured not with his finger but with a jerk of his chin. Looking in that direction, he could see people averting their eyes from each other or glaring at each other as they passed. It was true that there were people who were on the verge of a confrontation, just as Heath had said.
"I wonder if they're hostile to each other…"
"Well, probably. But it doesn't seem to be that serious of a conflict."
He nodded at Ritz's words. It was true that there were few people who showed open hostility, and most people seemed to be interacting normally on the surface.
"Isn't this just Heath and the others' groundless fear?"
"No. I don't think so. Faldina is a tourist town. If they cause a conspicuous disturbance and people stop coming, that would be a matter of life and death."
"Ah… I see."
It was true that no one would go sightseeing in a town where a riot had occurred. If something happened, the ones who would suffer the most would be the people of this town themselves.
He hadn't seen the people involved in the commotion yet, so he couldn't be sure, but just by looking around a little, he couldn't tell which direction this problem would go. He would have to look a little more.
The two of them wandered around aimlessly, but the state of the town didn't change.
It wasn't completely peaceful, as the earlier dispute had shown, but on the surface, it was a very peaceful town. It was hard to believe that a commotion that was dividing the town in two was happening in this town.
Just as he was getting tired of walking around aimlessly, Ritz suddenly stopped and made a suggestion to Franz.
"Why don't you buy a slender sword for practice?"
He said that since this town had a garrison unit, there would surely be a well-stocked weapons shop. A decent weapons shop would have something that Franz could handle, and the prices would surely range from high to low.
Franz thought for a moment before agreeing. It wouldn't hurt to just look. But for financial reasons, whether he would buy one or not was a separate issue. So far, Franz had never felt a desperate need to have one.
If it was cheap, it wouldn't be bad to have one for self-defense, but even if he had one, he couldn't use it, so it would be a waste. He did want one a little for his training with Ritz, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a waste of money, and he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Ritz probably noticed this, but he didn't say anything. The one holding the purse was none other than Franz, and the decision was his. Ritz wasn't the type to comment on how the wallet he had entrusted to him was used.
Of course, all three of them had some money of their own. It was money that Franz had distributed as an allowance, separate from their basic living expenses.
Aside from Ritz, Franz didn't want to meddle in Anna's personal expenses, since she was a woman. Ritz had complained a little about the small amount, but he didn't seem to be seriously troubled. Ritz probably had some money hidden away for himself.
In fact, he had witnessed Ritz secretly going out for a drink after Anna had gone to bed after the incident in Tushil was resolved.
After walking east from the central plaza for a while, they finally reached a weapons shop. It felt more like a general store than a weapons shop. A real weapons shop was hard to enter, but Franz could manage something like this.
The sign said something like 'We have everything. Please consult with us.' Of course, they sold weapons and armor, but it seemed they also sold various other things.
Persuaded by Ritz, Franz decided to go inside for the time being.
The interior was a little dark and the decorations were plain, but the selection of goods was surprisingly large. On the shelves to the right were medicines and tools, behind the shopkeeper, an elderly man, were weapons such as swords, spears, and bows, and to the left, armor and other items were crammed together.
He was a little concerned about whether the shopkeeper could keep track of what was in this cluttered mess. If it were this cluttered, Franz's master would have already lost many things.
"Not bad."
Ritz muttered. Franz was at a loss. He couldn't tell a good weapon from a bad one at all.
"Which one will it be, customer?"
The shopkeeper, who looked like a stubborn craftsman, asked Ritz. But Ritz pointed to the greatsword on his back and smiled.
"I'm good with this one, old man. Could you pick one out for this guy?"
"For this one… hmm, hmm."
At the shopkeeper's serious gaze, Franz felt uncomfortable and glared at Ritz.
"If you say that, I'll have to buy one."
He protested in a low voice, but Ritz and the shopkeeper ignored him and began to appraise the swords. It didn't seem like there was any room for Franz to join their serious conversation.
"This sword is light and good, but the hilt might be weak."
"It's his first time holding one, so it doesn't have to be that sturdy… Well, for the first one, we can just think of it as something that's okay to break."
Franz listened for a while, then quietly moved away from the engrossed pair. The person who was supposed to be using it was not consulted about the sword.
"Whose sword are we even looking for?"
Franz sighed and sat down on an antique-looking chair in the shop. This was going to take a while.
The sword appraisal, which seemed to go on forever, came to an abrupt end with the sound of a child's crying from outside the shop, and the voices of several children teasing him.
"What's that?"
When Ritz looked at the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper frowned and muttered.
"It's the kid from the house with the rumors. He's always being bullied by the town kids and crying."
"Rumors?"
"Yeah, the one they're making a fuss about hiding a treasure."
Ritz and Franz couldn't help but look at each other.
"Why is he being bullied?"
When Franz asked, the man muttered bitterly.
"I don't know what the townspeople are thinking. They shouldn't be getting the children involved."
Ritz asked the shopkeeper to set aside a few swords for him, then put his hand on the shop door.
"Thanks, old man. I'll be back."
As he said this, Ritz dashed out of the shop.
"Wait for me, Ritz!"
He might be able to get some unexpected information from the child. Thinking that, Franz couldn't just sit there. He hastily got up from the chair and chased after Ritz.
When he got out onto the street, he saw several children surrounding one child. There were several adults around, but they didn't seem to be trying to stop it.
If anything, they looked like they were eagerly hoping to get some advantageous information out of the child. It was a very unsettling sight. Were they saying it was okay for a child to be sacrificed if it meant learning about the treasure that was dividing the town?
"What do you think you're doing!"
He heard Ritz's voice in the middle of the commotion, berating the children.
"Why aren't you stopping this when there are even adults here!"
The place, including the adults who had been surrounding them, fell frighteningly silent.
"I don't like it when a bunch of people gang up on one person. A fight is something you do one-on-one! Ganging up on someone is what weaklings do!"
For some reason, Ritz was lecturing the surrounding children. It made Ritz look like a strangely old, kid-loving, grumpy old man. Maybe Ritz, just like Anna, was a meddlesome person who liked children.
Franz sighed. It was no use just loitering around the outside of the crowd. He steeled himself and plunged into the crowd he hated, pushing his way through.
Inside the crowd, the children were completely frozen. They seemed to be terrified by the sudden appearance of the large man.
At the same time, the adults were also frozen stiff. Franz, who was pushing his way through the crowd, became conspicuously noticeable.
"And you, don't just stand there crying when you get hit."
What Franz saw when he finally entered the center of the crowd was Ritz admonishing a boy with dull blond hair and freckles. His bright brown eyes were wavering with anxiety. This made it look as if Ritz was the one bullying him.
He happened to look back the way he had come and saw that the crowd was growing. This was a bad situation.
"Ritz, the crowd is growing. What's going on?"
Franz, who had finally reached Ritz's side, asked him in a low voice. The stares of the people watching them from a distance were painful.
"How should I know?"
Ritz stood up as he spoke.
"What kind of tourist town is this? What kind of flower town? When a single child is surrounded by a large group, and not a single adult tries to help, it's not a decent town at all."
Ritz looked around at the surrounding adults with calm eyes. His eyes had a frighteningly cold atmosphere, and he could see the adults holding their breath without a word. At times like this, Ritz had a sharp atmosphere, as if you would be cut if you touched him.
"Damn it. This is disgusting, and we just got here."
As he said this, Ritz hoisted the crying boy onto his shoulder. The boy's stick-like thin legs dangled at Franz's eye level. Ritz was about two meters tall. The boy's view was surely higher than Franz's.
"Huh, huh!?"
The boy, who had been crying until now, let out a panicked voice. But Ritz paid him no mind.
"Let's go back."
Of course, Franz had no objections. If they left the boy, the same thing might happen again, so it would be faster to just take him with them.
"Move it, move it. This isn't a show."
The boy, who had been lifted up, was so surprised that he couldn't even speak, and had forgotten to cry, his eyes wide open. His figure, carried on Ritz's shoulder, was like that of a fawn caught in a hunt.
With the stares of the people watching them with hushed voices behind them, they quickly retreated to the 'Green Forest Inn.' They didn't want to be a spectacle any longer, so even though they were tired, their feet moved.
He sighed at the thought of why he attracted so much attention when he had set out on a journey because he hated being looked at. Perhaps it was difficult to live a normal life with Ritz and Anna.
Franz, who hated crowds, hurried his steps to escape the stares. So he was relieved when they reached the shop.
There was no one in the shop, and even the lights that illuminated it were turned off, making it dim even though it was daytime. The light was leaking from the back, so the kitchen must be there.
Franz finally took a breath. It was a relief that there were no customers during the break in service.
The boy, who had finally been let down from Ritz's shoulder, still had a dazed look on his face, as if he didn't understand what had happened. His tears had already dried.
"Welcome back. Did you bring a souvenir?"
Anna, dressed in a borrowed apron, came running out from the back kitchen with a light step. Franz sighed and shook his head. With all that commotion, there was no way they would have a souvenir.
But Ritz, facing Anna, grabbed the shoulder of the child he had been carrying and held him out towards her.
"A souvenir."
"Huh?"
"I picked up a kid."
"Why?"
Anna peered into the face of the boy, who was a little shorter than her. The boy looked down and bit his lip.
"Where did you pick him up?"
From behind the questioning Anna, Lira called out.
"Dill! Were you being bullied again?"
"…Lira."
The boy, called Dill, looked up at Lira with downcast eyes.
"I'm telling you, if you get bullied, you have to fight back! You're such a crybaby!"
At the commotion, the innkeeper came out from the back of the shop.
"Hey kid, what is it, you hurt again?"
"Uncle Net…"
Dill looked at the innkeeper with tear-filled eyes. The innkeeper's name was apparently Net.
"I'll treat you, so sit down."
Lira said to Dill and ran up the stairs.
"Customer, where did you meet Dill?"
At Net's question, Ritz recounted the entire incident he had witnessed. After listening, Net let out a big sigh and sank heavily into a nearby chair.
"Sorry, customer, for your help."
"No, I don't mind. But what's going on? It was a strange atmosphere."
Net frowned and thought for a moment, then finally opened his mouth heavily.
"It's a long story… I'm sorry, please forgive me."
Ritz and the others couldn't very well say that they knew about the matter and ask him to tell them, so they kept their mouths shut. It seemed that, just as Heath had said, something serious might be developing under the surface.
It seemed it would be better to pay a visit to the garrison barracks soon, as promised to Heath. In the heavy silence, Lira came running down the stairs with a first-aid kit.
"Dill, let me see your injury."
Dill cautiously sat on a chair and showed his knee. A large area was scraped.
"This is going to hurt even when I treat it."
Dill nodded painfully at Lira's murmur.
"Honestly! Why don't you fight back? This happens because you cry right away!"
"But Lira…"
Anna, who had been watching this exchange, gently knelt down next to Dill.
"I'll heal it for you."
Lira and Dill's eyes widened at the sudden offer.
"Anna will?"
"How?"
Anna gave a wide smile to the two of them, who looked completely baffled.
"Leave it to me."
Anna sat down near Dill's scraped leg and held her hand over the area.
"O, Water Spirit who governs healing, mend this wound."
A warm light glowed in Anna's hand, and Dill's wound gradually disappeared. Lira, Net, and Dill himself were so surprised they were speechless.
"There, all done!"
Confirming that Dill's wound had disappeared, Anna patted the healed area and stood up.
"It's my thanks for teaching me how to cook."
Anna smiled nonchalantly, and the three of them sent her looks of admiration.
"That's amazing, Anna-chan."
Net stood up from his chair and clapped. Lira looked at Anna with a gaze of respect.
"You're embarrassing me."
Anna waved her hands around aimlessly, blushing.
"At times like this, it's Anna's power that's the most reliable, isn't it."
Ritz shrugged and gave a wry smile. He spoke to Franz in a low voice. Franz was of the same opinion.
Ritz was a combat class, and Franz was a Fire Spirit user. The most constructive was undoubtedly Anna's Water Spirit power.
Dill was jumping to confirm that his injury was completely healed.
"It doesn't hurt. Thank you."
It was only then that the three of them were finally able to see the boy's genuine smile. Dill turned around and looked at Ritz and Franz.
"Thank you for helping me."
Ritz gently knelt on the floor and asked Dill. He was used to dealing with children.
"Why were you in such a situation?"
"I don't know, but it seems to be about my mom."
The boy looked down sadly, his eyes on the floor.
His mother was hiding a treasure. People desperately wanted to know what it was, and if they could get information, they wouldn't help a child even if he was being attacked.
Franz pressed a hand to his chest. It was a disgusting story. How could they steal a treasure they hadn't earned themselves? You only deserved to profit from what you had bought yourself.
Ignoring the irritated Franz, Ritz was looking into Dill's eyes and talking to him.
"If you're a man, you have to fight when it's time to fight."
"But…"
"Do you think your mother did something wrong?"
"…I don't."
"Then you have to fight, right? You can decide what kind of fight to have, but don't just take it lying down. If you just take it and don't resist, you won't be able to protect your mother."
Come to think of it, he had said something similar to the village chief of Tushil when he was a child. Was this Ritz's belief? The boy nodded with a troubled expression.
"Should I walk you home?"
Ritz asked the now much calmer boy. He seemed surprised, but eventually shook his head slightly.
"…I'm okay now."
"But…"
"I was just unlucky today. But I'll be okay next time."
Dill finally showed a faint smile with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Thank you for helping me today."
Ritz lightly patted the shoulder of the bowing Dill. As Dill raised his face, he winked and said cheerfully.
"We'll be in this town for a while, so if anything happens, come to the 'Green Forest Inn.' Don't hesitate."
At Ritz's kind words, Dill's face looked like it was about to cry for a moment, then he bowed his head as if to hide it, pushed open the door as if he was bumping into it, and dashed out of the inn.
The bell attached to the door rang with a light sound.
In the inn after Dill had left, an air of helplessness lingered. They wanted to do something, but there was nothing they could do. That was the feeling.
"It's tough, with the town in that state."
Franz and Anna also nodded at Ritz's heartfelt words. It wasn't his fault, but he was the one suffering.
"What is the mother thinking?"
Franz shook his head at Ritz's murmur.
Franz didn't know anything about parents and couldn't say anything. He had no memory of his parents doing anything parent-like. Anna, who had no mother, also just sighed silently.