While waiting for the report from the informant, I will train Ares. Since I donât have time to train him slowly, should I go with some Spartan approach?
Well, first of all, I have to find out how far Ares can go.
Come to think of it, can heroes use magic? If they can use magic, I have to teach him, but if itâs some kind of inherent magic, I canât help but wonderâŠ
When I arrived at the inn and opened the door, the innkeeper father was sitting at the counter with his chin resting on his hand and looking as bored as ever.
âOh, youâre late. That boy was worried that you might have abandoned himâŠ.heâs been waiting for you in your room, so get going.â
âIâm not going to abandon him now after being involved for this longâŠ. Iâm just running a little late on a personal errand.â
Donât be too negative⊠Maybe it canât be helped because of the situation Ares has been in so far.
âAh, Gray-san, how are you today?â
Rina came out from the room next to where Ares is staying and cheerfully greeted me. She is holding a cleaning tool in her hand, so she is probably in the middle of cleaning her spare room.
âŠShouldnât the innkeeperâs father also help out if heâs not busy?
âIâm here to pick up Ares.â
âAres?â
âHeâs staying in that room.â
âSo that customer is an acquaintance of Gray-san.â
âOh⊠kind of.â
The innkeeperâs father apparently didnât even tell her that it was me who brought Ares here. I donât know what he said, but he is a trustworthy guy.
âHmm⊠hey, is that guy going to live with you too?â
âJust for now. Whatâs it about Ares that bothers you?â
âHuh? Not at all. I donât think heâs a bad person, but I wonder if heâs a little too quiet.â
âŠYou just restated something.
âOh, I have to continueâŠsorry I kept you.â
âOhâ
With that, Rina hurriedly went into another room.
I then knocked and waited for a response before entering Aresâ room. There I found Ares sitting in a chair, looking a little depressed.
âŠI guess I gave him the wrong impression that I had abandoned him, so I apologize in advance.
âUm⊠Gray-san.â
âWhatâs wrong?â
But before I can say anything, Ares speaks to me.
âIâm âŠâŠ dark⊠right?â
âUhâŠâ
That way.
SorryâŠI just asked Rina something I shouldnât have.
After that, I lightly followed up with him and bought all the necessary things for daily life. Ares was apologetic to me about the money, but seemed to be enjoying himself.
In Storia, he spent most of his days just going back and forth between the room he was assigned to and the training center, and he said it had been a long time since he had gone shopping in the city like this.
On the way there, he looked blankly at the fruit vendor. I asked him if he wanted to eat.
âAt the orphanage I was in, we were served small fruits for dessert on special occasions. To me, the small apples we ate together felt more luxurious than any of the extravagant meals I ate in Storia. âŠWeird, isnât it?â
Ares looks a little sad as he speaks, looking somewhere in the distance.
ââŠNoâ
âThatâs right, the food you eat with your family is delicious. didnât you know? ă
I remembered the words of the innkeeperâs father.
Ever since I met my children, I have been looking forward to my meals every day. I am so happy now that I can say that I would do anything to preserve this life.
I will do what I can for Ares who has lost such happiness⊠I thought so.
âWelcome back, Gray-san. Is that Ares-san you were talking about this morning?â
âUmmâŠsorry to bother you.â
After shopping, Ariamel greets me and Ares as we return home with our bags in both hands.
When Ares awkwardly greeted her, Ariamel smiled kindly and said, âYes, please.â
âIâm home, Ariamel. Yes, Iâd like us all to get acquainted, so can you gather everyone in the living room, please?â
âYes, I understand. Can I help you with some of your bags?â
âNo, itâs fineâ
âOkay, then please wait in the living room first. Iâll prepare some tea.â
Saying that, Ariamel runs to the back of the room in a hurry. I donât mind if she takes it easyâŠ
ââŠperhaps that wasâŠâ
Ares mutters.
âAh, thatâs Ariamel, whom Storia had taken the liberty of calling âthe saintââŠShe is my precious family.â
ââŠâ
âWhatâs wrong? Letâs go.â
ââŠokayâ
Ares must be feeling guilty for being a part of those who tried to take Ariamel away.. âŠI should follow up on this later.
With this in mind, I led Ares into the living room.