Hill naturally knew that Russell was confused by Ulrich's actions because the boy knew he was not the real Gilbert.
There was a deeply sincere side to Russell's nature, so he had always felt that if even he, after such a short time together, could tell whether Gilbert was genuine, then shouldn't Ulrich have seen through it even more easily?
That was Ulrich, who had grown up under Gilbert's protection and was utterly loyal to him. So whenever Ulrich did something that seemed a little out of step with reality, Russell became wary.
Yet those very actions were what made Ulrich who he was.
From beginning to end, that child's greatest wish had been for Gilbert to live his own life... He had always treated the family's apprentices well, and he had even been fair enough not to give his own children any special treatment, because he hoped the family would produce people capable of helping Gilbert shoulder some of his burdens.
Even if Gilbert was always the strongest among them... when it came to minor matters unrelated to life and death, people naturally turned to those closer to them.
Many of Gilbert's memories reflected Ulrich's way of thinking.
Russell had not been able to see that before only because Gilbert had still been gravely injured at the time. Although Ulrich had been dissatisfied with the family, he still held onto a sliver of hope... If Gilbert ultimately needed the Hainalson Family to lend him a hand, then Gilbert could not become too distant from them.
Making those old men feel grateful was useless, but those people who were around Gilbert's age, or even older, had gradually reached the ends of their lives.
The ones left behind who were qualified to take over the family's power had all lived in