MTM 135

Harto woke up to the cold air of dawn. Zed was sleeping soundly beside him. Harto gazed at Zed’s handsome face, using the moonlight streaming through the window.

The prominent bridge of his nose and the eyelashes casting long shadows over the closed eyes were unusually vivid. His Adam’s apple moving beneath the tightly closed lips and strong jawline was a feature Harto particularly liked. The intensity that had cornered the Seeker was nowhere to be seen; the face, sleeping unaware of the world, was defenseless and gentle like a child’s.

Squeak.

After staring at him for a long time, he carefully slipped out of bed so as not to wake Zed and headed out of the annex.

Whoosh.

Spi appeared quietly over his shoulder and illuminated the ground beneath Harto’s feet.

“Ha….”

As he stepped out of the annex, white breath scattered into the air. Harto briefly inhaled the cold air and then turned his gaze away.

Under the bluish moonlight, the snowman that he had made with Zed that morning came into view. Harto approached, treading softly on the snow, and straightened the slightly melted, crooked branch arms, and adjusted the shape of the nose and eyes to fit.

“Pit…!”

Just then, he heard a short signal from Spi. When he turned his head, a snow fairy appeared from somewhere and fluttered around Harto like a butterfly. Whenever he tried to touch it out of curiosity, the snow fairy cleverly dodged him and flew off somewhere as if telling him to follow.

As he shifted his gaze to follow him, the Seeker was standing like a ghost not far away.

“Oh…!”

Harto froze in place, his entire body stiff. Spi, too, filled with wariness, grew his flames twice as large as usual. Ignoring their reactions, the Seeker spoke in a calm voice.

“Don’t worry. I won’t get any closer. I just want to talk for a moment.”

The Seeker still had many suspicious aspects, but he didn’t seem to have any particular malice. However, if Zed found out about the Seeker’s presence, something truly dangerous might happen this time.

“It’s alright. I kept my presence as quiet as possible so he wouldn’t notice.”

The Seeker saw right through Harto’s worries and spoke in a low voice.

“…What do you want to talk about with me?”

After hesitating for a moment, Harto stroked Spi to calm him down and asked. The Seeker stared at Harto in silence for a long time before finally speaking.

“Inside you… there is a heart that is not yours.”

“……!”

“But strangely enough, you still remain ‘you’.”

As Harto wore a blank expression, unable to fully grasp the meaning, the Seeker looked at him with compassion. Those eyes were clearer and gentler than expected.

Ah… This person knows my true identity.

His heart sank at the belated realization. Harto barely managed to ask in a trembling voice

“By any chance… does Zed know who I am…?”

At that question, the Seeker gave a smile.

“The problem you worry about and the problem he worries about are different. However, they might ultimately be the same. In the end, fate will not change. But if the truth is revealed, that fate might head toward a slightly different conclusion.”

They were enigmatic words that could not be understood at once. Confused, Harto asked again in desperation.

“In that case, what am I supposed to do?”

The Seeker slowly raised his hand and pointed at Harto’s chest.

“As your heart follows.”

With those words, the Seeker vanished into the darkness as if he had never been there.

***

“One more day…?”

Harto opened his eyes wide at the news that reached him as soon as morning broke. He was having breakfast sitting side by side with Zed.

“Right. We have plenty of time now. There’s no real rush, so I thought it would be a good idea to stay in Etheria for one more day.”

“Um… did Allen and Leon say so too? Ser?”

“Yes, everyone liked it.”

If everyone had agreed, Harto couldn’t raise any further objections. However, for some reason, he felt the desire to meet them in person and verify it.

“Then I’ll finish this and go to the main building.”

“There won’t be anyone down there today.”

Harto tilted his head at Zed’s assertion.

“They went down to the nearby market early in the morning. I guess Allen was nagging them because of the alcohol.”

“Uh, when? Did they leave already?”

“Yeah, they went a little while ago.”

“I wanted to go too… but they didn’t even tell me…”

Zed chuckled as he watched Harto mumble in a voice filled with disappointment.

“You were sleeping so soundly I couldn’t wake you up. We pushed ourselves too hard yesterday.”

“Huh? Uh-huh… Th-that’s true, but….”

As the heated memory of last night returned, Harto’s face instantly burned. Zed playfully poked his nose with his fingertip.

“Or shall we go out for a bit, just the two of us, this evening?”

“Really? Yes, that’s great!”

Zed held out a hidden plate to Harto, who was smiling brightly as his mood instantly improved.

“There’s dessert too.”

It was a fancy dessert topped with plenty of strawberries on a freshly baked tart. Harto picked up his fork with delight as he watched the sweet syrup glisten and drip down over the whipped cream.

Zed watched the scene with satisfaction and smiled. However, as Harto focused on eating, the smile gradually faded from Zed’s lips.

Soon, Zed’s face hardened into a blank expression. His eyes, gazing at Harto, were filled with a profound anguish of unfathomable depth, completely different from just moments before.

***

Zed left the annex holding a tray filled with empty plates. Outside the door, Ser was standing anxiously.

“Talk to me.”

“Alright.”

Zed replied briefly and began descending the stairs leading to the dining room. Ser followed behind him, speaking urgently.

“I don’t know what you talked about with that person called the Seeker. But keeping your mouth shut won’t solve anything. As you know, we can’t keep living like this. If it’s something that will eventually come to light, I’d rather….”

“Go to the Land of Abundance.”

Ser stopped abruptly at Zed’s cold words.

“…What?”

“You joined in the first place to help seal the fragment. I’m saying I don’t need your help anymore.”

Ser was speechless with disbelief. Shame and anger welled up inside him, feeling as though he were being mercilessly discarded the moment he was no longer useful.

“What about Allen and Leon? Why don’t you tell them to pack their bags and leave right now, too?”

“I’d be grateful if you did that.”

“You, you really…!”

While Ser was burning in anger, Zed suddenly placed his hand on his head and closed his eyes. Caught off guard by the unexpected action, Ser froze in place, unable to even swat the hand away.

“W-what are you doing!”

Ser belatedly slapped Zed’s hand away. Zed slowly opened his eyes as if nothing had happened. He stared at Ser with cold eyes.

“Do you believe what the Seeker blabbered?”

“What….”

“I am asking if you blindly trust the words of a man who is completely drunk and spouting nonsense just because he guessed your past correctly.”

“Uh, how did you….”

Ser was shocked. He had met the Seeker privately at Etheria’s secret tavern last night and heard the relevant story. He grew despondent as he realized that Zed had read his memories through his action just moments ago.

“Haa… You really have incredible abilities… Right, so you are Prince Ares….”

Ser let out a self-deprecating laugh, muttered to himself, and stared at Zed.

“Allen and Leon don’t know. I went to find him separately and heard it directly from him.”

“I know.”

“A fragment of the Demon King is embedded inside Harto’s body. It is the ‘heart.’”

Ser spoke without a moment’s rest before Zed could interrupt him or leave.

“Even if the other two don’t know, don’t you think at least Harto himself should know?”

“…….”

“Right, I don’t know much about the two of you. Maybe I’m being too hasty in my meddling without knowing the full story. But Zed, you already know that simply forcibly keeping Harto by your side won’t solve anything.”

Ser tried to persuade Zed, pointing out that what he was doing now would eventually backfire. However, Zed showed no reaction. Feeling as if he was talking to a wall, Ser finally raised his voice.

“Harto’s life is on the line!”

“That’s why, that’s why…!”

Zed could no longer bear it, he shouted just as loudly. The moment Ser met Zed’s face, contorted in pain, he felt as if his breath had been caught in his throat.

“Ser, just as you said… Harto’s life is on the line. So, must we offer Harto as a sacrifice according to that man’s sophistry? Are you telling me to blindly follow such nonsense about sacrificing Harto for the sake of the world?!”

Zed vented his rage at Ser. In his eyes, pain and agony, beyond measure, swirled.

“That….”

Serre could not find the words to answer. He was by nature indifferent to the affairs of others. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt for being presumptuous in his interference, but he could not simply pretend not to notice. Perhaps he was projecting his own unfulfilled wishes onto the happiness of the two people who cherished each other with all their hearts, a happiness he had never experienced.

However, peace built while ignoring the truth is nothing but a sandcastle. He knew better than anyone, through painful experience, that it would eventually lead to even greater destruction.

Ser closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them.

“But… Zed. You saw it with your own eyes. That thing inside Harto….”

Ser bit his lip, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence. Zed glared menacingly at the hesitating Ser and said in a low voice.

“…What exactly did you see?”

Ser swallowed. Although overwhelmed by the pressure emanating from Zed’s gaze, he could not turn away from the truth.

“Alchemy… is not merely a technique of devising magical formulas and breaking seals. To fully control a target, a deep understanding of its essence must come first.”

Ser looked straight into Zed’s eyes with a trembling voice.

“The Demon King’s Essence… Zed..it isn’t a simple curse like you think.”