MTM 53

After Harto finished the soup, he went to the riverside to find Zed. Since the weather was cold, Leon lent him a thick cloak.

He quickly found Zed. He was standing by the water. The morning sunlight fell over his hair and shone with a golden glow. It reminded Harto of the sight of his body shining completely with light at the sanctuary.

There were things he wanted to ask, but he decided again not to.

“Harto, how long are you going to stand there?”

When had Zed noticed him? Zed was already looking in his direction and spoke.

“Ah… I, I was about to come….”

Harto, looking embarrassed, walked closer and jumped toward him. As soon as he came near, Zed, pulled his arm toward him.

“Did you eat the soup Leon made?”

“Yes, it was delicious…!”

“He’s good with his hands. Harto, let me see your wound for a moment.”

“Mm….”

It was a small wound that would be hard to notice, though it had bled a little. Even so, Harto felt shy and grateful that Zed cared.

“It’ll heal in a few days.”

Zed’s expression relaxed as he said it, and his eyes ran over the cloak Harto wore.

“That’s Leon’s?”

“Yes, it’s really warm. The inside fur’s so soft….”

As Harto examined the inner lining of the cloak in admiration, Zed’s gaze turned discontented.

“But it smells too much like Leon. Wear mine.”

“Huh? Smell…?”

Before Harto could react, Zed took off the cloak himself and wrapped his own clothes around him. It wasn’t as thick as Leon’s cloak, but it was warm because it carried Zed’s body heat.

“When we reach a southern village, let’s buy you new clothes and get other supplies too.”

“Yes….”

While remembering what they had talked about yesterday, Harto spoke cautiously.

“Um… Zed.”

“Yes.”

“About… Hartiros. You really don’t have to go kill him, right…?”

Nervous about what kind of answer he might get, Harto clenched both his fists. Zed showed a thoughtful look for a moment, then smiled.

“Are you really interested in that?”

“Huh…?”

“It’s not about some grand cause. He’s just a terrifying being. I thought he should be destroyed.”

Then Zed looked into his eyes. Harto’s face was reflected in Zed’s dark pupils.

“Are you scared?”

“A little… and it’s dangerous too….”

It was because of his own identity, but mostly, he didn’t want to see Zed in danger again like in Belnok.

“Then let’s not go.”

“Really?”

“Yes. How about we spend this winter entirely in the south? I heard there are mermaids in the southern sea.”

“Mermaids?”

Harto’s eyes widened. Mermaids, creatures that existed only in fairy tales. But in a world where there were dragons and magic, mermaids’s existence didn’t seem strange.

“Ah. Harto, don’t even think of eating them. They’re protected.”

“I, I wasn’t thinking that…!”

“You were.”

Harto repeatedly shouted that he wasn’t, but he was feeling happy. He didn’t know if it was excitement for the southern sea or because he was with Zed, but he felt warm inside.

Someday, even this moment would remain only as a sad memory, but for now, he was happy just knowing that Zed was by his side.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

A few days later, the group reached the southern border of Belgarde. Unlike the mountainous Belnok, this region was a vast grassland. Herds of horses ran across the green fields. Watching their powerful movement made his heart flutter.

Even Harto, who knew nothing about horses, could tell this was a place where horse trading flourished.

“Which direction is the Regnovar Empire?”

When Leon asked, Allen pointed into the distance. At the end of the plain, a desert sparkled under the sunlight. That must have been why the air was dry and hot.

“To the left from here is the Regnovar Empire. To the right is the desert… do you see those mountains?”

When Harto turned in the direction Allen mentioned, he saw a vast mountain range stretching up to the sky. It was far larger and higher than any mountain he had seen in Belnok.

“Beyond that range is the Elysion Empire. This place is like a border dividing the two nations.”

Harto recalled the world he had read about in novels. Regnovar and Elysion had long remained enemies because of their terrain. Their border stretched from the southern desert to the mountains, and since there was no direct path connecting the two, they had no choice but to use the sea or other empires as routes. Because of that, even small disputes of interest sometimes deepened into conflict.

However, there had never been a war that lasted long. Regnovar could not break through the mountains, and Elysion could not cross the desert. Because of that, Belgarde, which connected the two empires, maintained friendly relations and grew as a free city-state.

“Is that… a city?”

While Harto looked around the grassland, the desert, and the mountains, something caught his eye.

“That’s a town called Hipora. In the old tongue, it means ‘Land of Horses.’”

“Oh, the name sounds different from other Belgarde cities.”

Not only the name, but even from afar, its scale looked big enough that calling it a city rather than a village wouldn’t be strange.

“That’s true… Hipora grew large not just because of its horse market, but for another reason too….”

Allen trailed off and looked at Zed from the corner of his eye. He seemed to found the topic uncomfortable.

“Another reason?”

Harto and Leon tilted their heads curiously, but Allen leaned closer to Zed and whispered something.

“……”

Zed’s expression suddenly turned rigid.

“Alright, you get it, right? Let’s just sell the horse and stay only one night in Hipora!”

Allen raised his voice on purpose and walked toward the town, leading the horse along.

“Zed, what did Allen say?”

“Yes, why aren’t we being told?”

Not willing to let it pass, Harto and Leon questioned him. Zed looked at the two of them silently for a while, then shook his head.

“It’s nothing. Like Allen said, we’ll stay just one night in Hipora.”

Zed followed after Allen without saying anything more, as if there was nothing else to explain.

“…Do we look like we’ve got some kind of problem?”

Leon asked with an expressionless face as he watched them walk away. Harto shook his head.

“I don’t know… Ah! Maybe it’s because I’m a monster?!”

“I’m not a monster, though.”

“Oh, right! But Zed said it’s nothing, so maybe we don’t have to worry?”

“Hmm….”

Harto said it like that, but Leon didn’t look like he believed it as he started walking with him.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

From the outside, Hipora didn’t look very different from Belnok. There were maze-like alleys, streets lined with shops, and people chatting in small groups everywhere. But there was one difference. There were horses everywhere. Not only actual horses, but even in people’s mouths, they repeatedly used the word “horse”. Everyone gathered in groups, chatting nonstop, and even old men walking alone hummed tunes as they passed.

The whole street buzzed with noise. The atmosphere felt far livelier and more vibrant than Belnok. Because of that, it didn’t take long before they could hear bits of conversation around them.

“Did you hear about Belnok?”

“They say the cathedral completely burned down.”

“I heard it was a monster’s doing!”

“Ah! Then was it Hartiros…?”

“No way. If it was him, the whole city would be gone.”

“That’s true. Just the thought of that thing coming here… gives me chills. I really hope it never comes to Hipora.”

Startled, Harto, who had been listening, felt a pang of guilt and quickly hid behind Zed’s back.

“Harto, are you tired? Just hold on a little longer. We’ll rest at an inn soon.”

“Yes….”

It wasn’t that he was really tired, but Zed’s hand on his shoulder calmed him, so Harto only nodded.

“Friends, over here!”

From the alleyway, Allen waved his hand. He had returned from selling the horse at the market, and judging by excited expression on his face and the full coin pouch in his hand, he had earned quite a bit.