Ruger and Layden exchanged another glance. Their feelings were exceedingly complicated now, but in that instant of eye contact, even the most tangled thoughts gave rise to a plan—or rather, to what they should do next. Whether their wild speculation was true or not, they had few choices. In the end, they decided to do nothing and continue waiting here for the wizard who had accepted the commission to arrive.
Ruger watched the girl before him delicately savor the sour fruit on her meat skewer, his thoughts running wild.
He looked again at the strand of hair stuck to the back of his hand.
Ever since that petite figure had suddenly appeared and interrupted their conversation, loyal Stray Hair One had not spoken again to its wise and mighty master. Still, after Ruger stuck it to the back of his hand, it behaved itself well enough. Even when he flicked his hand twice, it did not fall off.
Ruger noticed that it seemed deeply unwilling to enter the Blood Curse Doll and throw itself into the pile of fur with its friends. Presumably, its earlier accidental fall, as well as the two times during the doll's creation, had all been deliberate acts by this fellow.
Ruger had originally wanted to keep talking with it and get to the bottom of things.
A meal with no appointed time and no particular name came to a perfect end through the combined efforts of the three. Ruger and Nana Erz had worked hard at eating, while Layden had taken charge of both cooking and eating.
As for this so-called hard work, Ruger glanced at the petite girl before him.
She truly had been trying. She had already eaten no fewer meat skewers than he had—more than Layden, in fact.
Another pot of tea