MTM 18

During that brief silence, Zed and Madam Mare just blinked at each other.

Zed broke the silence first.

“Ha, hahaha… maybe because I climbed down the mountain, my stomach feels a bit… unwell…”

Zed awkwardly grabbed his stomach and tried to escape the situation, and Madam Mare smiled softly.

“You should have said so sooner. Come with me. There’s a restroom behind my shop.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Zed followed Madam Mare, and the cat that had crawled out of the cloak tilted its head.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Clack.

Zed entered the outdoor restroom that Madam Mare showed him and immediately took off his cloak.

“What’s wrong, Harto? Does your stomach still hurt?”

He sounded like he was scolding him, but worry filled his voice.

Harto, still clinging to Zed’s back, raised his head carefully. Tears glistened in his big eyes.

“It’s… th-the cat…”

“The cat?”

“My… my butt…”

“The cat… your butt? Ah.”

At first Zed didn’t understand what that meant, then he realized and asked again.

“Did it scratch you?”

“No…”

“Then? Did it bite you?”

“No…”

Harto continued denying it but didn’t say what really happened. He was too embarrassed to say the cat had licked his butt. In the end, he buried his face in Zed’s shoulder. Heat spread over the spot that had been touched.

Zed found it amazing that Harto could still get flustered over things like this. Even if he was a low-class monster, he was still a monster. He was a being far above animals, but he couldn’t even react against one little cat and just got embarrassed.

He thought of someone who had studied spirits and monsters at an advanced level heard this, they would be thrilled. But that was someone Zed could never meet again.

“You’re not hurt, right? Let me see.”

Zed turned his body and tried to look at Harto’s rear.

‘But this…’

In Harto’s monster form, it was impossible to tell where his back ended and his butt began. His shapeless black slime body didn’t even keep its limbs out most of the time and just wobbled around. But it wasn’t right for him to turn into human form here just to check.

For a moment, Zed recalled Harto’s pale butt that he had seen by the river.

“Hm. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad…”

“Zed, let me down first…”

While Zed wandered in his imagination, Harto asked to be put down. Zed untied the belt around his waist and set Harto down on the wooden chair in the corner of the restroom. Harto turned his head here and there and checked his own backside.

“How is it?”

“I think it’s fine.”

Harto rubbed his butt with his hand a few times and smiled as he felt relieved.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the restroom door.

“Zed! I forgot to mention something. The sink won’t give water!”

“Ah, is it broken?”

“No, it’s just… like the well earlier, our storage tanks dried up because of the drought… sigh, I need to fetch water from the river, but…”

Madam Mare sighed. Zed knew that the river was quite far from the village. Unless one went through the same path they had descended from the mountain, the only way to reach it was through the cabin route. It was a long and rough path. But if a few strong young men went back and forth, the village wouldn’t need to worry about water for a while.

“Hm…”

Zed recalled the villagers who were enjoying the festival. The musicians singing, the children playing, the women selling goods under the tents. There wasn’t a single young man among them.

When villagers had come up to the cabin before, there had been young men among them. But now, not one was visible. Was it possible that there had been a nationwide conscription? Even so, it would be strange for soldiers to come this deep into the mountains to take men unless there was a major war. And there had been no sign of such a thing in the bulletin brought by the hunters.

“Zed, I’ll leave a wet towel by the door. Wipe your hands with it.”

“Thank you, Madam Mare.”

Zed gave his thanks through the door, and soon the sound of her footsteps faded away.

“The drought must be really bad…”

Harto, who was sitting on the chair listening to their conversation, looked worried.

‘When I was on the mountain with Zed, it rained a lot… maybe I should fill the well with water myself?’

Harto imagined using his ability to fill the well and the villagers rejoicing at it. Just the thought made him excited. His fear of the villagers was disappearing without him realizing it.

But before that, he had to tell Zed about his ability.

“Um, Zed… actually…”

Just as Harto, with a shy face, was about to confess that he had another ability besides fire, Zed suddenly threw the restroom door open.

“Ah! The bag!”

When the door opened, Harto got startled and quickly jumped onto Zed’s back. If anyone found out he was a monster, not only he but also Zed would be in trouble.

“What, was it just a bird…”

Zed muttered after seeing a bird spread its wings and fly away. When he saw its white feathers, he felt slightly relieved.

“W-what? It was because of the bird?”

“Did I scare you? Sorry. I just felt like someone was watching us.”

Harto already knew that Zed had keener senses than others, but he didn’t expect him to notice even the movement of a bird outside the door.

“Harto, you can take off the cloak. Wouldn’t it be better for you to get some air?”

“Yes, I was sweating a bit…”

“Use this.”

“Thanks…”

Zed picked up the wet towel Madam Mare had left and handed it to Harto. Feeling grateful for Zed’s care, Harto laid his body down in the shaded spot.

He wiped his face and body roughly with the wet towel, and Zed sighed.

“You can’t just wipe that part. Give it here.”

Unable to watch any longer, Zed took the towel from Harto’s hand and wiped him everywhere. He swept across him like brushing a dog’s fur, but because Harto’s body was soft, it rippled like waves under his hand and started trembling as if it couldn’t handle the touch.

“Ze-Zed… ah, i-it tickles!”

“Shh. Someone’s coming.”

“Hup.”

Harto opened his eyes wide and closed his mouth.

Zed was about to cover him with the cloak again when he stopped at the sight of a creature appearing between the buildings.

“Meow!”

It was the cat that had licked Harto’s butt earlier.

“Ah, you…”

When Harto recognized it, the cat meowed happily and jumped.

“Meowww!”

Thump.

Like a cat throwing itself onto a soft sofa, it landed comfortably and purred against Harto.

“W-what…”

Harto had never experienced this before, so he hesitated, then petted the cat with his hand. Its fur was very soft and warm. The pleasant feeling made him move his hand more. The earlier incident had long flown from his mind.

“That’s the same one from before, right?”

“Yes. I think it just wanted to climb on me.”

Harto patted the cat’s backside as it curled on his body like a coiled snail. The purring grew louder. Harto smiled as he stroked its neck and head with care.

“……”

For some reason, seeing the two of them look so content made Zed feel uneasy.

“Let me check. I’ll see if it’s really just a cat.”

Zed placed his hand on the cat’s head and closed his eyes.

The next instant, his body trembled.

“Hiss!”

The cat suddenly jumped up like a spring and bared its fangs at Zed. Its fur stood on end, even its tail puffed up, and its entire body bristled in anger. Harto froze in shock.

“Z-Zed?! The cat suddenly, why…”

The innocent cat that was purring under his hand just moments ago had suddenly turned violent.

“……”

Zed slowly opened his eyes, and his expression turned rigid. He turned his gaze toward Harto and spoke.

“…Now I think I know why this village has no young men.”

“Huh?”

Harto had no time to ask what he meant.

Rumble.

The cat that had been glaring at Zed quickly ran away, and right after that, a low sound rolled through the sky. The once clear sky darkened very quickly as thick clouds covered it, and rain fell heavily like hail.

“Ah, rain!”

Harto rejoiced at the rain falling on the drought-stricken village, but Zed didn’t. He stood under the downpour with a grave look and then spoke to Harto.

“Harto, it’ll be hard to stay in this village, but can we rest here for tonight? We’ll leave early in the morning.”

“Yes! If you decided that, I’m fine with it.”

Since it was raining, Harto thought there was no harm in staying a night, because rushing out could only get them hurt.