MTM 38

The warmth from the hand he held made Zed look at Harto. Then he smiled to say that he was fine.

“……”

Leon stared at the two of them in silence.

“Are you sure the soldiers are from the Elysion Empire?”

After a moment, Zed turned back to ask.

“No.… It may be a disguise. The wanted order as well.”

“A disguise?”

“When you entered Belnok, Zed. You gave your name, but they let you in too easily.”

When Leon pointed it out, Zed nodded, he understood what that meant.

Wanted orders had ranks. A first-class order spread through the entire empire and its allied nations. A second-class order applied only to the empire’s major cities. A third-class order was limited to one region. Anything below that, an unofficial order, usually spread through internal information channels only.

The village where the mercenary group had stayed lay near the Elysion Empire’s border. For such a small place to burn down and then immediately bring a troop deployment and a wanted order was too formal an action unless it was at least a second-class case.

Belnok, their current location, was a major city. If a second-class wanted order had really been issued, the guards at the gate would never have allowed a stranger through so easily.

Leon’s words that both the soldiers and the wanted order could be fabrications gained weight.

But another question arose. Why chase the mercenary group under a disguise? What purpose could be behind it?

Zed felt he knew the answer but refused to accept it.

“What about Walter?”

He brushed away the thought that came to mind and asked Leon.

“Captain Walter is safe. You can meet him, though only late at night.”

The mercenary band seemed to be hiding in this city better than he had expected.

“Alright. Then I’ll come back at midnight.”

Zed said and stood. Harto rose as well and returned the chair to its place.

“But where did the owner of the candy shop go?”

Zed asked as he looked around the shop.

Leon waved his hand, breaking apart the magic map. Then he carefully gathered the fallen candy powder in one palm and answered.

“The owner is asleep.”

“You put them to sleep?”

“No. I only borrowed the space for a while.”

Leon said it as if he found the question strange and reached his hand, which held the candy powder, toward the breath worm inside the magic cage.

Slurp.

The breath worm smelled the candy dust and opened its mouth. It had no teeth, but its tongue was long, thick, and green. The breath worm licked the powder from Leon’s palm with slow movements.

“Ugh…”

Harto frowned. He could handle most strange sights, but the worm’s size destroyed any chance of it looking cute.

“Is that so? Then I guess we’ll have to buy candy later.”

Zed muttered, uninterested in the breath worm at all. At that moment, Leon’s eyes widened.

“Candy? Zed, you dislike sweet things.”

“Harto likes them.”

Zed answered naturally and smiled at Harto, who smiled back.

“……”

Leon watched them wordlessly. He had sensed it for a while, but there was a peculiar atmosphere between them that no outsider could intrude upon.

“…Hand.”

Leon murmured quietly. Zed and Harto were not holding hands now, but he could not forget the image of them doing so earlier.

“Hand?”

When Harto heard it and looked confused, Leon spoke clearly, as if something had occurred to him.

“Yes. It must be because of the hand.”

“……?”

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Leon pulled a basket from under the counter.

“You should take this with you. It holds every candy flavor in fashion these days.”

The basket brimmed with candies of every size, shape, and color.

“Wow…”

Harto’s eyes sparkled as they filled with the sight of the candy basket. He wanted to jump with joy, but he restrained himself so as not to seem more childish than Leon.

“How much is it?”

“I’ve already received payment.”

“Received it?”

Zed, who was taking out his coin pouch, looked up in surprise, and Leon nodded. From his expression, he had already decided not to take payment even if offered. Zed had no idea what Leon had meant by already receiving something, but since he said no payment was needed, Zed chose not to ask further.

“Let’s go, Harto.”

When Zed stepped out of the candy shop first, Harto hugged the candy basket against his chest and waved toward Leon.

“Bye, Leon. See you later…!”

Harto spoke brightly, sounding shy yet cheerful.

“……”

Leon lifted one hand with an indifferent face.

Ding.

The bell rang as the candy shop door closed. The place had not been that noisy before, but now that the two were gone, it was even more quiet.

Leon stood still for a while and then raised both hands, joining them slowly together.

“Hand…”

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

When Harto and Zed returned to the inn, the first-floor dining hall was already crowded with people. The kitchen seemed chaotic, and the voices of Jackson and the chef shouting came from inside. Zed thought it was fortunate they had bought food on the way, then he went up to the second floor.

The moment Harto entered the room, he placed the candy basket on the table and flopped onto the sofa. From morning to now, the day had been tiring, so he welcomed the softness of the sofa.

“If you’re tired, rest comfortably.”

“Yes…!”

Harto immediately answered and stripped off his clothes in seconds. It couldn’t be called undressing since he shifted into his soot monster form.

Zed had not told him to turn into a monster, but that form seemed to be what Harto found most comfortable.

Thud.

As Zed took off his outer coat, his foot hit a bundle of papers. They were the newsletters he had received from the stable keeper the night before. If he had to move again tonight, he might not return to the inn, so it was better to put them away now.

“Harto. I’ll take care of this first. If you’re hungry, eat ahead.”

“Okay.”

Clack.

When the door closed, Harto listened to Zed’s departing steps for a while, then crawled down from the sofa. He folded the scattered clothes one by one and hung the cloak on the hanger. As he did, saliva pooled in his mouth.

Harto turned his eyes toward the table. He had been feeling that sweet smell for some time. Zed had bought the apple pie that was famous in Belnok.

He slid his body closer to the table and stretched his head.

‘It smells so good…’

He only sniffed through the wrapping paper, but he grew even more excited rose he swallowed his saliva again and again. Zed had told him to eat if hungry, but Harto decided to wait. He wanted to eat something so delicious together with Zed, like when they shared chocolate and tea.

He sat on the sofa with the apple pie in sight. As he waited for Zed, the events of the day came back one by one.

He had visited a cathedral for the first time, met Allen in the underground prison, watched a duel, and met Leon, his favorite from the story, and even received candy.

He had been in danger, but he had not worried much because Zed was beside him. He trusted in Zed. Zed had never said it, but Harto knew that Zed trusted him as well.

‘Is this what people call best friends…?’

He had never made friends in his previous life, so he was unsure, but at least now, with Zed, he felt he could confidently call it friendship.

Of course, since he was a monster, Zed might see it more as taking care of him, but Harto was content with what they had.

But…

“I’ll have to tell him someday…”

About his identity, and about his fate, someday he might have to tell the truth. At first, he thought he could just run away before being found out, but the longer he stayed with Zed, the harder that thought became. His bond with him grew heavier, like water soaking into cotton.

“Haaam…”

Despite his worries, Harto’s eyelids slowly grew heavy. He lay down on the sofa and thought he would just close his eyes until Zed came back, then he fell asleep.