Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

Chapter 115 The Road Home
Under the flickering firelight, Lake and Poro looked at the two children who were eating voraciously.

Whether it is Rek Poro or the veteran, they all have wilderness survival abilities far beyond the level of ordinary people. With their current abilities, they can return with a full load even if they do it casually along the way.

Therefore, there were still a lot of prey that had not been eaten during the day in the car of several people.

When it was taken out at this time, Hans and the two children all ate it with great enjoyment.

Even though it only has ordinary seasonings, it feels like a heavenly feast.

"What are your names?"

Lake looked at the two skinny and pale children with pity in her eyes. Seeing how hungry they were swallowing, she asked carefully.

The little boy glanced at Lake secretly, swallowed the barbecue in his mouth, and showed a hint of gratitude.

"My name is Hansel, and this is my sister Gretel."

He lowered his head and said softly, "Thank you for the food."

The little girl Gretel also hid behind Hansel, looking a little shy and timid. She just nodded slightly and said "hmm".

"What's going on when you said you wanted to go home?"

Poro asked, in such a dark forest, two children... want to go home?
In any case, this is a bit too dangerous. Since you already have a home, why would you get lost so far away?

"They said they seemed to have lost their way in the forest."

On the side, Hans, whose expression had eased a little after eating the barbecue, curled his lips and said.

"We followed our parents out to cut wood, but when we returned home, we couldn't find our father."

Hansel whispered, "They must have forgotten. However, we should be able to find our way back. It's just that by the time we realized it, it was already getting dark..."

After hearing this, Rek Poro and the others looked at each other but said nothing.

But everyone knew that these two children were probably abandoned by their parents. After all, who would take two such young children, including the eldest Hansel, who looked only twelve or thirteen years old, to do a job like logging?

Even if they were lost for a moment, these two well-behaved and precocious children would not run too far.

It won't be difficult to find them if you just look for them.

"Do you guys... rarely eat? You look so thin."

Lake thought for a moment, took off her hood, and asked the two depressed-looking children in a comforting tone.

Poro also pricked up his ears and listened to the two children's answers.

"Well, I heard from my father that things have been tough at home lately. A lot of the wheat we planted has frozen to death, and we can't even afford bread anymore."

Hansel said this with a bit of disappointment.

After hearing these words, Poro became more certain of his thoughts.

These two children were abandoned by their parents!
"How do you know where home is?"

At this moment, a trace of pity flashed in Lake's eyes. She walked forward and touched the two children's heads, "How about this, do you want to come with us to the town ahead?
Maybe there will be kind uncles and aunts who can take you in.”

Poro knew what Lake meant.

In today's world, "kind-hearted" uncles and aunts are definitely rarer than magicians. Most people can't take care of themselves, so how can they adopt a child?
Even if it's just me and others, there are other things to do.

There will be many dangerous journeys ahead. It is impossible and there is no room for raising two children.

Therefore, the only way to meet "kind" uncles and aunts is -

There is only money.

Before the final battle between the giants began in the palace of Boren, he and Lake used the giant tongues they had hunted to exchange for a lot of money from the king.

Even more than the reward.

Generally speaking...if you buy more than a dozen houses in the capital of Boren, you can still have more than half left.

With this kind of money, as long as you can find some honest people, not necessarily those who are selfless and loving, but ordinary kind people, they will be happy to raise two children.

The two children looked at Lake's friendly face and calmed down a little.

But the older Hansel shook his head:
"Thanks, sis, but we can find our way home!"

Hansel pointed in a direction and said to the others, "I have a good sense of direction. During the day, I secretly brought some stones and placed them on the ground. We can use those stones to find our way back!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Poro's pupils shrank.

At the beginning, he felt familiar with the names of the two children, and when the little boy mentioned the word "stone", long-lost memories finally flashed out of his mind!

This boy and girl were also the protagonists of a well-known fairy tale in the Grimm's Fairy Tales in their previous life!
This story is called "The Candy House".

In some versions, it is also called "Hansel and Gretel".

"But, with such a long distance, relying on stones... can we really find the way?"

Lake asked.

Yes, Poro has long known that although this world has some inseparable and complicated relationships with the fairy tales of the previous life, the darkness and reality of this world are by no means comparable to those illusory fairy tales!

Along the way, even with the moonlight and torches, Poro did not see any special stones.

He looked at the two children in front of him again.

Although Hansel's pants had pockets, they were so worn and narrow that they didn't look like they could hold many stones.

"I can. I'll come home."

The little boy, Hansel, clenched his fists, as if to himself, or to comfort his sister, "Gretel and I will get back. I'm very good at finding my way back, even though it's a long way... But I have the little stone! It won't be a problem!"

Seeing the two children like this, Poro and Lake couldn't say anything like "Your parents don't want you anymore."

When the two children had just finished eating, Lake climbed up the tree and looked around.

There was no sign of a small town or lights.

All I could see was the vast forest at dusk.

With the starlight of the Star Killing Sword and the effect of the second sublimation level [Spiral Beacon: Hunter], Lake's physical fitness improved like a rocket.

Although the time is still short, without the Star Killing Sword, it won’t be long before he reaches the same physical level as the Witch Hunter.

Under such circumstances, Lake has determined that the two children's "homes" will never be too close!

"Do you want to rest for a while before going on? It's dark now and the road is a bit difficult to walk on."

Hans also spoke at this time.

He looked at the two children. For some reason, these two children seemed much more mature than their peers.

If an ordinary child was left in a dark forest, he would have been scared out of his wits. If he met a passerby, he would probably not be able to be driven away.

But the two people in front of me are different.

"Thank you, uncle, but if we don't go back, father... will be sad."

Hansel lowered his head slightly, a hint of loss flashed in his eyes, but when he looked at his sister Gretel beside him, he still managed a strong smile.

"Also, we saw the road to heaven...where there were countless delicacies, cakes, and candies—

Once we get there, we won't be hungry anymore, and our father will smile again and have strength, so he won't lose us again!"

Hansel said firmly.

The way to heaven?

At this moment, when they heard Hansel say these words, Pororek and the others were stunned at the same time.

They didn't expect that the fertile plain that the veteran had talked about would appear in a child's mouth so soon.

Is this what all the hungry and cold people yearn for... heaven?

The night was as dark as ink, with only a faint crescent moon casting a snow-white moonlight, but under the cover of the forest branches, the ground in the forest still looked a little dim.

Torch, dispel the shadows.

Without any rest, they followed the two children and set out on the journey "home".

But in fact, except for Poro, the others did not think that the two children could really find their way home.

It’s impossible for these two children to have many stones at their age, and it was a dark night...they just wanted to watch these two strong children fall asleep from exhaustion.

They are very smart and seem to have their own beliefs. Perhaps, after a night of fruitless efforts, persuading them again will have a better effect.

"It should be on the right..."

Veteran Invi was leading the horse, while Hansel was sitting on the horse, pointing in a certain direction of the dark forest.

Next to her, on another horse, Lake was holding Gretel, a girl with a tired face.

The poor girl was very quiet and stopped crying after dinner.

"Hmm... on the left. I remember that fallen tree trunk. I was a little ahead of it and dropped a stone!"

To the surprise of Lake and the others, after following the direction pointed by Hansel and walking forward for about dozens of meters past the dead tree, they found an inconspicuous stone on the ground!
"You can really... remember such a long way!?"

The veteran Invi, who was standing next to the boy, showed a look of surprise on his face.

In such a dark forest, although there is no influence of magic, most ordinary people find it difficult just to identify the direction.

"Well, the forest is vast, but there are special places like that where I can still remember my path..."

Hansel answered quietly, pointing to the edge of the forest.

It was a sharp, protruding rock.

After hearing what he said, the others also realized that the old tree that had fallen earlier was probably a signpost to help Hansel remember the way.

"If there's a long stretch of road with no obvious features, I'll throw a stone... That way, when I see the stone, I know I'm on the right track."

These words are easy to say, but when it comes to actual practice, even adults find it extremely difficult to remember a route in the dark that is completely different from that in the daytime!
Undoubtedly, this is a special talent.

The forest moved behind them, and not far ahead, at midnight, they finally saw... In a wide forest, inside, a small wooden house appeared before their eyes.

Judging from the expressions of the two children, this is their home.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"

The veteran went forward and knocked on the door. A few muffled sounds were heard from inside the room. Then the door opened, and inside was a man who looked a little tired.

He looked at the veterans outside, noticed the saber on the veteran's waist and his weather-beaten-looking face, and his expression changed.

"You, you are——"

But then the old soldier made way, allowing the man to see Hansel and Gretel.

"We met these two lost children on the road. They had put in a lot of effort to find their way home. Leaving children like that in the forest is not what parents should do!"

As the veteran spoke, his expression looked a little cold.

"Thank...thank you all for helping us find our child."

The man looked at Hansel and Gretel, a look of surprise on his face, followed by a clear expression of guilt.

He walked forward and hugged Hansel and Grayle, which was different from what Lake and the others had expected.

The man's expression didn't seem fake at all.

"I'm sorry, Daddy...accidentally...left you guys behind during the day. I really won't do that again in the future. Please forgive Daddy, okay?"

At this moment, footsteps were heard again in the room behind the man.

This time, a woman came out. When she saw Hansel and Gretel being held by the man, a trace of astonishment appeared on her face.
"How did you-"

But then, she saw the faint disgust revealed in the expressions of Rekporo and others behind Hansel and Gretel, which was instantly covered up by her. This time, she really looked like a mother who cared about her children.

She walked forward quickly, and like a man, she bent down and touched the heads of the two children:

"Oh, you two are so troublesome. Why did you suddenly run away into the forest? Your father and I had to search for you for a long time!"

After the woman finished speaking, she put her hands on her face and wiped it a few times.

But Poro could see clearly in the darkness that there was not even a trace of tears on the woman's face.

Among the two children, Gretel, the younger one, clearly trembled when the woman touched her!
But seeing the expressions of the man and woman, Lake and the others really didn't know what to say.

"Don't ever forget such a young child in the forest again."

Lake said as she looked at Hansel and Gretel's parents.

"Well, thank you, thank you all."

The man said gratefully.

Lake looked at Hansel and Gretel in the man's arms, her eyes flashed, and she thought of something and spoke again:

"It's getting late now, can I stay overnight..."

But before she could finish her words, the woman behind the man spoke first:

"I'm sorry, we're out of beds and room, so are you guys still—"

"Ma'am, that's not what we meant."

Lake was stunned for a moment and added, "We'll borrow the open space in front of your house and rest for one night."

Lake took out several gold coins from her backpack and handed them out, "This is the money for borrowing the vacant land in front of your house. With this money, it should be enough for you to buy a lot of food, right?

Don’t let the children go hungry.”

The man looked at the gold coins in Lake's hand, his eyes staring in surprise.

But soon, the woman behind him, as if afraid that Lake would regret it, took the gold coins!
"Haha, you're so polite, little girl. You can use it as you like, as long as you want!"

The woman smiled brightly and spoke enthusiastically, then nudged the two children who had just returned home and said, "You two playful kids, why don't you say thank you?"

Hansel and Gretel looked at Lake and the others.

"Thank you, sister, thank you, uncle... and little wolf, thank you..."

The two children's voices were low, but their words were extremely sincere.

This made Poro feel happy.

It was late at night, and Lake and his companions fell asleep in the carriage.

The small house in the distance was also plunged into deep darkness.

"Polo, now that they have the gold, they should be able to... take good care of the two children, right?"

Lake and Poro leaned against each other, their blue eyes gazing at the somewhat dilapidated house. "Those gold coins, no matter where they are, can be exchanged for several years of food."

"I... don't know, but abandoning a child is usually a helpless act due to lack of money."

A faint green light flashed in Poro's eyes. "Looking at that man, if he has food, he probably won't do what he did before."

Poro leaned his head against Lake's arms again. Under the girl's cloak, he could vaguely smell a faint fragrance.

"Rather than that, would you like to hear a story?"

"story?"

The girl's eyes lit up and she looked down at the Poro, "Of course, I love hearing your fairy tales!"

"Hmm... the name of this story is 'Candy House'. It's about two children who were abandoned by their parents in the forest..."

//The picture is the original text. If you don’t want to read it, you can skip it directly or read the synopsis in the author’s words

　In a distant village, there lived a poor man with two children, Hansel and Gretel. When the man's wife died, he married another woman to be the stepmother of his two children.

　　Due to their poor family and lack of food, the man and his wife decided to abandon their two children. In the dead of night, they took the children into the depths of the forest, left them in an open area, and lied that they were going to collect wild fruits for them.

　　Hansel had cleverly scattered white pebbles on the road as a mark. The next morning, when the sun shone through the treetops, they found their way back home along the gravel road.

　　However, the stepmother once again had evil intentions and led them deeper into the forest. This time Hansel used breadcrumbs as marks, but the birds quickly pecked the crumbs clean.

　　In desperation, the siblings stumble upon a small house made of candy—a chocolate roof, frosted sugar biscuits, and clear hard candy windows. Hungry, they begin to taste a portion of the house. Just then, the house's owner, an evil witch, appears, plotting to fatten the siblings up and eat them.

　　Hansel and Gretel decide to take the initiative and trick the witch into going into the furnace to see if it is suitable for roasting them. The witch foolishly jumps in and Hansel quickly closes the furnace door, roasting the witch to death.

　　Finally, the brother and sister returned home safely with the gold, silver and gems they found from the witch. Not only did they escape the fate of being abandoned, but they also used the wealth to improve their family situation and live a happy life.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)