MTM 28

At the outskirts of Belnok City, under the great wall, Zed walked while carrying Harto on his back. Even when he walked alone, Zed’s size was large, and since he now carried Harto too, people turned to look at them with curious eyes.

Especially Harto, who had black hair and blue eyes. It was natural that people’s gazes would fall on him, dressed in a clean blouse with a ribbon.

“Hey, Zed…”

But Harto was more bothered by something else than by strangers’ stares.

“I… I think I can walk now…”

“……”

Harto spoke softly, almost whispering, and tapped Zed’s shoulder with his finger. But Zed continued walking with a blank face, as if he didn’t hear Harto’s voice at all.

‘Wh-what should I do? He looks angry because I didn’t say anything…’

His nose started to sting. The left foot wrapped in bandages was the one that hurt, but the pain seemed to spread to his chest. He almost cried without realizing it, so he buried his face against Zed’s back.

He regretted what happened earlier.

‘Take off your shoe.’

When Zed noticed something was wrong with Harto in the clothing shop, he immediately took off his shoe. When he removed the blood-soaked sock too, a small foot covered with blood and fluid was revealed.

‘Oh my! Wait here, I’ll bring medicine!’

The startled shopkeeper ran off, and Zed looked down at Harto’s foot in silence.

He didn’t get angry or scold Harto for not saying anything. He just remained silent until the shopkeeper came back with the first-aid box, disinfected the wound, and wrapped it in bandages.

After that, Zed paid for the clothes Harto had worn and left the shop.

‘Zed, I… I can walk…’

‘Get on.’

‘…….’

His voice was too stern, so Harto didn’t argue anymore. He did as Zed said and curled up while being carried on his back.

‘I should’ve just told him…’

Harto regretted it. He only endured it because he didn’t want to trouble Zed over something like this, but now it felt like he had tried too hard to hide it.

While they crossed the mountains together, blisters and sores had formed on Harto’s feet. He had never walked such rough terrain before, and his old shoes didn’t protect his feet anymore. During the long trek through rocky paths and swamps, his feet became a mess. The blisters burst, and the soft skin peeled away, bleeding.

It hurt whenever he walked, but for several days he endured it. He thought he shouldn’t complain over something like that when there would be far harsher ground ahead.

‘Ah!’

But earlier, when they were heading to the market shop, someone stepped on his foot. The swollen part burst then, and it seemed to start bleeding again. Because he didn’t stop the bleeding quickly, his body weakened. When he changed clothes in the shop, cold sweat was running down his body, and in the end, Zed noticed everything.

Clack.

“Two people. We’ll stay for two nights.”

“Huh…”

The noise of people talking around his ears had grown louder, and suddenly, Harto realized they were already inside an inn. He raised his head in surprise.

“Two? There’s only one room left, hmm…”

The innkeeper with a long silver beard braided down his chin looked back and forth between Zed and Harto.

“Then give us that room. Is there a bath inside?”

“Of course! That one even has a bathtub. It’s the best room in the inn.”

The innkeeper laughed heartily and took a key from the wall. He was about to hand it to Zed, but he pulled it back.

“Your companion looks injured?”

The innkeeper looked at Harto on Zed’s back as he spoke. His face was warm like Santa Claus, but Harto shrank as if intimidated.

“Yes.”

Zed answered instead, and the innkeeper came out from behind the counter.

“As you can see, the stairs are narrow and steep, so carrying all that baggage with someone on your back will be tough.”

“It’s fine…”

“I’ll help him up, so you bring the luggage.”

The innkeeper lifted Harto from Zed’s back and headed for the stairs. He was short, about the same height as Harto, but his exposed arms and calves were thick. His arms looked built entirely of muscle, and he held Harto firmly by the waist as he climbed the stairs in large strides.

Harto’s blue eyes trembled as he was carried by someone other than Zed. At the end of his anxious gaze, Zed stood still, holding the luggage.

“……”

Zed looked at Harto quietly, then silently followed the innkeeper upstairs.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Clack, clack.

“Ah, the keyhole’s giving trouble again. Hold on a moment. It’s always tricky the first time it’s opened…”

The innkeeper set Harto down in front of a room at the end of the corridor, then struggled with the keyhole.

“Hmm, but where did you two come from? You look like you came from far away… Arcadium? Regnovar?”

While he worked to open the door, the innkeeper asked.

“……”

Zed didn’t answer, though the innkeeper expected him to say Regnovar right away. The innkeeper glanced at the silent Zed and then, as if he thought of something, his eyes brightened.

“…Ah, Carseon?”

“No. We came from Regnovar.”

Zed, who had said nothing until then, answered.

“Really? You were quiet, so I thought you were from Carseon. You’ve a fairy-looking kid with you.”

The innkeeper smiled at Harto. At first, Harto didn’t realize the man meant him, but when he did, his cheeks flushed. Then he grew curious about what the man had said earlier.

‘He must mean Carseon of Ares Carseon…?’

He couldn’t remember all the empires that appeared in the novel, but Carseon was a name he knew. It was the house of the protagonist, Ares Carseon, and also the holy kingdom where his mother was born and raised.

Click.

“Ah! Finally open. Whew…”

Harto wanted to ask more about it, but the door opened at that moment.

“Now, this is the best room in our inn!”

Just as the innkeeper had boasted, the room was much larger and cleaner than the lodging they had stayed in back in Lindel Village. In the center stood a king-size bed and a sofa, and wardrobes were placed on both sides. Outside the small terrace, the towering Bellancia Cathedral came into view. Even up close, it looked magnificent.

“I’ll pay for two nights in advance.”

“Oh!”

When Zed took out gold coins after moving all the luggage inside, the innkeeper clapped his hands with delight. But when Zed was about to hand him the gold, he stopped.

“I’d like you to replace either the key or the lock before the day ends.”

Zed took out another gold coin and gave it to him.

“I’ll immediately call someone to fix it!”

The innkeeper laughed loudly at the sight of the shining coin and then, after showing them the bathtub inside the bathroom, told them to ask an hour ahead if they wanted hot water.

“Can we use the dining room?”

“Ah, about that…”

When Zed asked, the innkeeper made an awkward expression.

“After sunset, the dining hall on the first floor gets crowded. Ever since the holy knight admission ceremony, groups of them crowd in every night. It turns into chaos! We don’t serve meals separately for guests, so you’d better come down early to get yours. If you’re late, you might end up with nothing but empty plates.”

Zed nodded in understanding, and before the innkeeper could leave, Harto quickly approached to thank him.

“Um… thank you for helping me up to the room.”

“Thank me? You were so light I barely used any strength, fairy boy.”

The innkeeper laughed heartily as if he found it amusing, then finally left the room.

Clack.

When the door closed, silence settled between the two. It might have been because the room had been noisy until the innkeeper left.

“Harto.”

“Yes…?”

Harto stood awkwardly near the door, unsure whether he should sit or keep standing, when Zed called him. Zed was already sitting on the sofa.

“Come here.”

Tap tap.

Zed tapped the spot beside him on the sofa. Harto hesitated, then walked over. His bandaged foot ached and made him limp, and Zed suddenly stood up.

“Z-Zed… I can walk…!”

When Zed tried to help him, Harto stepped back and waved both hands. Zed stopped where he was.

“Can you really walk?”

“Yeah! …Ugh, it hurts a bit, but I can…”

“You don’t want me to touch you?”

“Huh…?”

Startled, Harto froze mid-step and looked at Zed. Zed turned his gaze away and clenched his fist.

“…You let that man hold you quietly earlier.”