MTM 27

“This one. This one. This one. And… this one.”

Zed, who came to the clothing shop with Harto, pointed at the clothes he saw and picked them one by one. The shopkeeper, who saw Zed suddenly come in and start picking clothes, blinked as she stood beside Harto.

“Sir, before that, can you tell me who will be wearing the clothes? Then I can help…”

Thunk!

As soon as the shopkeeper began to speak, Zed suddenly handed her a pouch of gold coins. The weight was heavy enough that it was hard for her to hold it still, and Harto helped her.

“T-this is….”

“With that money, we’ll try on all the clothes I just chose. I don’t want you to accept any other customers in the meantime.”

“Ah… yes, yes! I’ll do that!”

The shopkeeper quickly placed the gold pouch on the counter and hung a ‘close’ sign on the door.

“Zed….”

Harto, who was quietly watching, looked at Zed with a worried face.

“I… don’t need any clothes….”

Maybe because he mostly was in monster form after transmigrating, he thought having one outfit was enough.

Of course, if he was going to stay with Zed from now on, it would be hard to stay in monster form all the time. But wearing such fancy clothes that didn’t suit his position was wasteful.

‘It would probably look better on Zed….’

The clothes sold in the shop seemed to suit Zed much more than him. Zed was tall and well-built, so if he wore nice clothes, wouldn’t he really look like a prince?

“Harto.”

While Harto imagined Zed’s handsome appearance, Zed gently placed his hand on Harto’s shoulder.

“Didn’t I tell you about the mercenary group?”

“About the mercenary group…?”

He had only heard that they were going to join one, nothing more.

“Hmm. The guys in the mercenary group… are pretty picky. Since I’m taking you myself, they won’t say much, but…”

Zed paused for a moment before he spoke.

“There’s one thing they always check when they take in a new recruit.”

“One thing they check…?”

Harto was curious and anxious. Until now, he hadn’t thought much about joining the mercenary group, but hearing it directly from Zed made it feel more real.

Maybe the members could hear Harto’s name and recognize him as Hartiros. Zed had said the names didn’t sound similar at all, but no one knew. If by chance they found out he really was Hartiros… he didn’t even want to think about what would come next.

“What is it…?”

Harto swallowed and asked with a nervous face. Zed grinned.

“Something pretty.”

“Something pretty…?”

“Yes. They can’t resist pretty things.”

“Alright! Then shall we try on the clothes now?”

At that moment, the shopkeeper clapped her hands and walked over. She had tied her long hair that had been hanging loose before. Now that Harto looked again, she hadn’t only hung the sign on the door, she had locked it and looked fully prepared.

“This way, please!”

The shopkeeper picked up the clothes Zed had chosen and led Harto, who was hesitating, to the fitting room.

“Ah….”

While following her, Harto looked back at Zed with a nervous expression. But Zed only smiled.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Click.

After a short moment, Harto came out of the fitting room timidly.

He wore a loose blouse with fluttering lace at the collar and cuffs, and black suspenders shorts that came up above his knees.

“Oh my! You look like a fairy!”

“F-fairy?!”

Surprised by the shopkeeper’s compliment, Harto’s cheeks turned pink.

It was his first time wearing clothes like this. Not only such a fancy blouse, but suspenders too. Even in his previous life, his skin had been pale to the point of looking white, so he had never worn shorts.

“The blouse is a little long, but we can alter it. Let’s see… if we add a brooch or a ribbon here, it’ll look lovely.”

“Do you have one?”

“Ah… a ribbon! I think there’s a sample one kept somewhere, please wait just a moment!”

While the shopkeeper searched through the shelves, Zed, who had been staring at Harto all along, asked,

“How is it?”

He expected Harto to like the new outfit. He thought he would smile brightly, but Harto looked flustered instead.

“Uh… I think the clothes will get dirty easily. The fabric is thin, so it’ll be really cold at night…”

“If it’s cold, wear an outer coat, and if it gets dirty, wash it. And you won’t sleep outside anymore. Even if we have to camp while traveling with the mercenary group, we’ll pitch a tent and sleep inside, so don’t worry about the cold.”

“Mm…”

Harto nodded to show he understood when Zed spoke firmly, but his face didn’t look bright.

‘What’s this…? That’s not the reaction I expected….’

In that moment, Zed lost his strength. The reaction was completely different from what he expected. Or maybe it was because Harto wasn’t used to things like this.

“Here! Ah, here it is!”

At that moment, the shopkeeper, covered in sweat, handed over a green ribbon. Zed put it straight into his pocket and spoke.

“Try the next outfit.”

If he wasn’t used to it, then he would just have to get used to it. Zed had to see Harto’s smiling face today no matter what.

Click.

When Harto went into the fitting room to change into the next outfit, Zed spoke to the shopkeeper.

“How does he look?”

“Excuse me?”

“Does he look like a kid who gets teased and given goat droppings by children?”

“Goat droppings…?”

Zed stared at her, meaning exactly what he said.

“…Ah.”

At first, the shopkeeper didn’t understand, but then she smiled softly.

“No, not at all! In my eyes, he looks like a young nobleman.”

Zed rubbed his chin as if he liked that answer.

‘A young nobleman, huh. If Harto is going to look like one for real, there’s a lot he needs to learn….’

Zed recalled Harto at the dining table, unsure how to use a fork and knife, looking at him with a face that seemed ready to cry, silently asking for help. He probably didn’t even know how to greet a lady properly. He might hide behind Zed and whisper, ‘Zed, help me….’

Strangely, Zed didn’t dislike that thought, and it didn’t feel troublesome either. Instead, the idea of teaching Harto one thing at a time made him laugh.

“Um…”

While Zed was lost in thought, the shopkeeper spoke carefully.

“Did the kids here trick him and give him goat droppings, saying it was chocolate?”

She clearly knew exactly what had happened.

“How did you…?”

“Ah… I thought so. You must have been surprised if you’re from somewhere else. It’s a common prank among the children who live here in Belnok. They usually play those tricks on people they’re interested in.”

“A prank….”

Calling it a prank when they gave goat droppings and said it was chocolate.

“Well, actually, goat droppings are mild. A few days ago, the daughter of the shoemaker received a dead frog. She cried so much right there that it caused an uproar.”

“……”

That sounded a bit too much to call a prank.

But then again, every person and every country had its own ways, so he had no choice but to accept it. Anyway, even if Harto was wearing worn-out clothes, his looks still stood out.

‘At least they’ve got an eye for beauty.’

But he was relieved that the ones who approached him while his attention was away were just children.

“…Wow! This one fits perfectly!”

Harto came out of the fitting room after changing. The outfit this time was a cream-colored tunic that spread like a cape and linen pants of the same color, so he really looked like a fairy, not just by words.

“It’ll be perfect if he just changes his shoes!”

The shopkeeper also looked genuinely excited, seeing how well Harto suited the clothes.

“We have some display shoes in the shop, would you like to try them? Ah. Should I measure your feet first?”

The moment she reached to take off Harto’s old shoes, Harto pulled his foot back in panic.

“What’s wrong?”

Zed noticed and came closer. Harto looked troubled and bit his lower lip. It was the first time he showed such an expression.

“Zed… it’s just that…”

Zed blinked again. His already droopy eyes looked even more sorrowful, and his lips were dry and rough. Now that he looked closer, his complexion was pale.

Was he sweating that much? Until just a moment ago, he seemed fine….

“You told me to be honest, but… I couldn’t speak because you’d worry…”

“Take off your shoe.”

Hearing his trembling voice, Zed made Harto sit on a chair and bent his knee. When he slowly took off one worn-out shoe, the sock underneath was soaked in dark red blood.