MTM 36

“Alright, then…”

After drying himself off on a large rock, Allen began putting on his armor piece by piece. His status as a holy knight apprentice had been stripped, but since armor sold for a high price, he seemed intent on taking it with him no matter what.

“You asked about the mercenary group, right?”

Allen placed his helmet on his head and spoke. When Zed nodded, he shook the dust from his shoes and continued.

“I saw Leon recently.”

“Leon?”

As soon as he heard the name, Zed thought of Leon Finer, one of the core members of the Night Rage mercenary group.

Leon was a mage with a specialized ability to track scents and traces. In forests or ruins, he could follow an enemy’s trail more precisely than anyone, and he could even sense the flow of mana, so he often moved with the scouts.

“Yes. I only caught a glimpse, but I’m sure it was Leon.”

“What about the scouts?”

“Hmm, no. He seemed to be alone.”

Even if Leon was an excellent mage, he was still young. For someone like that to wander a crowded city by himself was strange.

“Do you know where he went?”

“No. Well… since Leon’s a mage, maybe he went to a magic shop?”

Allen answered without much interest and then suddenly added, as if he remembered something.

“Oh. Maybe a candy shop.”

“A candy shop?”

“You didn’t know? He always carries candy in his pocket.”

Even though a year had passed since he left the mercenary group of his own accord, Allen still remembered his comrade’s small habits.

“So, the information you wanted, this is enough, right?”

He meant that he had told Zed what he knew about the mercenary band and had nothing more to say.

“Yes. Thanks.”

Zed nodded, as if that much was enough, though it seemed he hadn’t gained much. Allen also looked like he didn’t know anything beyond that, so there was no reason to hold him longer.

“Where are you going now?”

When Zed asked, Allen grinned and pointed the tip of his sword toward the Cathedral.

“If I’m leaving, I should at least settle my share, don’t you think?”

He looked like he planned to end things his own way. Zed thought about stopping him, but Allen was no longer a member of the mercenary group nor his companion. Allen had always been the kind of man who couldn’t rest until he did what he wanted.

“I’m off. Goodbye, pretty boy!”

Allen waved at Zed and Harto and went over the hill.

“…Hey, Zed.”

Harto tugged at Zed’s sleeve as he watched Allen’s figure grow distant. Judging by his face, there was something he had wanted to say during their talk with Allen.

“Leon, is that person Leon Finer?”

“……!”

Zed’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t imagined Harto would know Leon’s full name.

“How do you know Leon?”

“Huh? That’s… ah! At the cabin… I overheard some wanderers talking about him. The name was unusual, so I wasn’t sure, but…”

That wasn’t true.

The moment Allen mentioned the name “Leon,” Harto had been startled. Leon Finer was one of Ares Carseon’s companions and one of the main characters of the story.

In the novel, Leon Finer was one of the few mages in the world capable of wielding exceptionally powerful magic, and he carried a complicated past.

His life had been harsh from birth. Before he was even weaned, his parents had abandoned him, and he fell into the hands of a vicious mage. That mage abused him to the brink of death but never let him die. He treated him worse than a slave, forcing him into constant labor. He received no real education, and he didn’t even speak until he turned ten.

Because of that history, Leon became severely withdrawn and introverted, unable to get along with people. But after meeting Ares Carseon, he began to open his heart and found small pieces of happiness.

Though he didn’t have many major episodes in the novel, Harto had always liked Leon Finer, whose story was filled with sorrow. He empathized with Leon’s difficult past and was drawn to the way Leon was easily moved by small kindnesses, as well as how his heart ached even when tiny creatures or insects were killed.

But now, such an important character had belonged to the same mercenary group as Zed…

“The wanderers talked about Leon?”

Zed didn’t look like he believed it.

It was understandable. Leon, as a tracker mage, was known for erasing all traces of himself so completely that, for years, only the mercenary band members even remembered his name.

“Yes. But I didn’t hear anything special. They were talking about candidates for the royal court mage, and someone said Leon Finer was young but incredibly gifted, that’s all…”

“Candidate for royal court mage…”

It didn’t seem like Harto was lying. Leon really had almost become a royal court mage before joining the mercenary group. Because he was so young, it had once become a big topic, and he had probably even appeared in the newsletter once.

“That’s all?”

“Huh?”

But for some reason, Zed wanted to be sure.

“You and him… you didn’t have any kind of connection, right?”

“Huh? Me and…?”

Harto looked flustered at Zed’s persistent question.

A connection? Did his fondness for a character from the story show that much? He didn’t want Zed to misunderstand, so he decided to make it clear.

“Of course not. I really only heard the wanderers talking, that’s all.”

When Harto spoke clearly, Zed felt a brief sense of relief. He didn’t even know why.

“But Zed, from what I heard, shouldn’t we be looking for that Leon now?”

“I guess so…”

Zed, who had planned to return to the inn after the long day, looked at Harto with suspicious eyes, he seemed too interested in Leon.

“Then, there’s somewhere I want to go…”

The moment Allen mentioned that hint earlier, Harto had been filled with anticipation.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

<The White Witch’s Candy Shop>

“This is the place you wanted to go?”

Zed looked unimpressed in front of the candy shop.

“Yes. And maybe that Leon person came here too. I think it’s worth checking inside and asking.”

“Well, sure. That makes sense.”

Zed agreed and turned the shop’s doorknob. But the door didn’t budge.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

When the sound of the rattling knob repeated, Harto grabbed it and tried himself. It didn’t move at all.

“Looks like it’s closed.”

“What? Really?”

There wasn’t even a “closed” sign. Harto remembered clearly that the door had been open earlier, so he walked to the window in disbelief.

“Zed, look! I think someone’s inside!”

Zed moved beside him and peered through the window. Something inside moved among the shelves lined with candy.

“That’s a breath worm.”

“A breath worm?”

Inside the magical cage on the counter, a breath worm wriggled. Breath worms were small creatures that purified air and were kept indoors as pets.

“……”

After confirming that, Zed went back to the door and pulled something from his pocket.

“Huh? A key…?”

Harto’s eyes widened. It was the same key Zed had received from the gatekeeper in the Cathedral’s underground prison. Before Harto could even wonder why he hadn’t returned it, Zed inserted it into the lock of the candy shop door.

Click.

With the sound of the lock releasing, the door opened. Harto’s eyes grew wide.

“What? What is that? A master key?”

“Shh. Let’s go in.”

Zed looked around, he gently pushed Harto inside, and followed him in, closing the door quietly behind them.

“Wow…”

As soon as Harto stepped inside, a small bell ringed pleasantly. Or maybe it only felt pleasant because the air was full of fruity sweetness that tickled his nose. The whole shop smelled so sugary it almost stuck to the air.

Glass jars filled with colorful candies lined the shelves. Each jar had a cute, strange label – “Silence Candy,” “Memory Explorer,” “Tear Flavor Candy.” Giant lollipops as tall as Harto hung on the wall in rows.

Maybe because of that, it really felt like stepping into a fairy tale. With an excited face, Harto asked Zed if he could buy some candy.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

Zed readily agreed. Unlike chocolate, candy was simple enough to tell apart, so there was no harm in it. More than that, watching Harto look so happy like a child was enough to make him forget the real reason for coming here.

Click.

“…You arrived sooner than I expected.”

The shop door opened again, and with a monotonous voice, the gatekeeper stepped inside.