MTM 82

Harto finally found a way out. He jumped and pushed the door open, and the dawn air blew in. The feeling of the cold but fresh against his face felt good.

Outside, the ground was covered in mud from the rain that had fallen overnight, and wet clothes hanging from tree branches swayed in the breeze.

‘It’ll be hard to move around in my monster form, but… if I change into a human, it should be fine.’

He was about to step outside, planning to put on one of the damp clothes hanging there.

“……”

Harto hesitated.

‘What should I do…’

The conversation he’d overheard in the kitchen kept replaying in his head.

When he thought about it, it wasn’t even his business. He could just pretend he didn’t know and leave.

Besides, Ser was the one who had tricked him at Honey. Even now, thinking about how easily he’d been fooled made his face burn with embarrassment.

“But…”

Harto bit his lip.

‘… I have to tell him. I can’t just ignore it.’

Whatever he still felt toward Ser, he couldn’t just stand by and watch him being sold off.

In the end, Harto turned around. He went up the stairs, searching for the room where Ser and Reina were. At the end of the hall, a streak of dawn light leaked through a slightly open door. When he pushed it open, he saw Ser and Reina fast asleep in their beds.

They both looked like angels when they slept.

Harto’s small body grew larger in an instant. He was about to wake Ser like that, but then stopped.

‘No, if I wake him while I’m in monster form, it’ll cause a scene…’

If that happened, they probably wouldn’t believe anything he said. Harto had no choice but to turn human. He grabbed a piece of clothing lying around and draped it over himself, then walked up to Ser.

“Hey, Ser…?”

Ser immediately turned in his sleep. Maybe he was a light sleeper, his eyes opened.

“Who’s there… what…”

His voice was hoarse, still drowsy from sleep. Harto quickly stepped closer.

“Do you remember me?”

“You…!”

Ser blinked slowly, still half-asleep, but once he recognized Harto’s face, his body went rigid.

“Shh, keep your voice down.”

Harto covered Ser’s mouth with his hand and whispered.

“You have to run. Right now.”

“……?”

Ser stared at him, confused, seemingly asking what that was supposed to mean.

“What’s with all the noise…”

Just then, Reina stirred on the opposite bed and sat up. Harto turned toward her quickly. Without even taking a breath, he spoke before any misunderstanding could arise.

“Reina, your aunt is planning to sell you both to the merchant guild master for auction.”

“What? Who are you… what are you saying…?”

Reina blinked, confused, and looked at Ser. Ser said nothing, but it was clear he sensed something was wrong.

“It’s true. I heard it myself in the kitchen. She said she was bringing the guild master here, after pretending she just wanted to drive you out. You need to get out of here right now.”

It was the first time Harto had ever tried persuading someone, but he spoke with all the sincerity he had, hoping they’d believe him.

But Reina still looked bewildered, and he could tell that Ser was suspicious of him from his guarded expression.

“…How did you even get in here? And how do you know we’re here?”

Apparently, Ser found Harto more suspicious than the danger itself.

“Well… it’s complicated to explain everything right now. But what I said is true. Oh! I also know you two were kidnapped and escaped from the carriage.”

“The carriage? What, were you following us from there?”

“I wasn’t following you, I was…”

“Don’t tell me you were kidnapped too. That’s the kind of story no one would believe.”

Harto froze.

‘Uh… what do I do…? I was kidnapped too…’

He wanted to be honest, but if he said that, Ser would think it was just another lie. He fidgeted in frustration.

“Wait.”

Reina interrupted.

“Stop arguing, both of you. Then how about we let this decide?”

She spread out a set of ornate cards in her hand like a fan and smiled. They were tarot cards.

“Reina, seriously? Now of all times…?”

Ser looked exasperated, but Reina scolded him instead.

“Sometimes, when you’re stuck, fortune-telling gives you the answer. You’re such a blockhead.”

“I’m a blockhead?”

Ser looked at her in disbelief, but Reina didn’t seem to care at all.

“Fine then, let’s just think of it as checking today’s fortune.”

Tap, tap, tap, Reina shuffled the cards quickly and spoke casually. Before anyone realized it, Harto, drawn in by the shimmering tarot cards, sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

“Bad luck.”

As soon as the card with a collapsing tower appeared, Reina clicked her tongue. The result didn’t look good. She told them to wait a moment and began shuffling again, then drew another card.

This time, it was a picture of a large heart pierced by three swords. Reina pressed her hand to her chest as if she’d been stabbed, frowning before she lifted her head.

“What’s wrong? Are we gonna die or something?” Ser asked with a serious expression.

“I don’t know about dying… but this is the answer to what’ll happen if we don’t follow him.”

She pointed her chin toward Harto.

Caught off guard as the subject of attention, Harto blinked wide-eyed and pointed at himself.

“Me…?”

Reina didn’t answer. She just smiled mysteriously and started shuffling the cards again.

“Um… I think we should go now…”

Harto said nervously, glancing at the door, but was completely ignored. This time, it was Ser’s turn.

“Pick one.”

“Hah… I really don’t get why we’re doing this.”

He said that, but ended up choosing carefully. After a moment of thought, he picked the card all the way at the end.

“The Hanged Man.”

The man drawn upside down on the card had a strangely sorrowful face.

“That’s bad too, right?”

“Well… if we go by the message alone, it’s not necessarily bad. But in our situation, I can’t say it’s good either.”

As Reina explained, she turned toward Harto.

“You looked familiar, and now I remember. You were my customer once, right? You came with that mage.”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, that’s right!”

Harto immediately beamed, nodding quickly now that Reina recognized him.

Tap, tap, tap.

Unlike the excited Harto, Reina resumed shuffling her cards with little concern.

“So how did you get here? Weren’t you in Hipora Village. ”

Her tone turned much more serious than before. Not quite like when she was doing a reading, but close.

Harto answered as carefully as he could.

“Well… you might not believe me, but I was in the carriage too, same as you.”

If he told the truth—that he’d ended up here after being stuffed into her pocket—it would sound too ridiculous.

“You’re not even blond.”

Ser, who had been quiet, gave him a suspicious look.

“You had a companion too. You stayed at the Golden Hoof in Hipora.”

“The Golden Hoof?”

Reina nodded reflexively.

“Yes, nice place. Big rooms, friendly owner.”

The talk drifted off for a second into inn gossip, but stopped there. Reina’s hands froze mid-shuffle.

“…Wait. Someone’s outside.”

She jumped up from the bed and hurried to the window. Through the curtain, they could see a large carriage pulling up in front of the house. Her aunt was greeting unfamiliar guests at the door.

“What did you say earlier?”

Her voice trembled slightly. Now, the weight of Harto’s words began to sink in. Before he could answer, Ser, who had gone to the window, spoke.

“That man… he’s a trader.”

“So… it was true?”

Reina and Ser exchanged shocked looks.

“Yes, it’s true…” Harto muttered in a small voice.

The next moment, Reina tossed the tarot cards onto the bed and started packing her things.

“Take only what we need! Don’t forget the money!”

Ser grabbed his coat and yanked the door open.

Harto ran after them, but something crinkled under his foot. He looked down, one of the tarot cards had fallen.

It was The Fool.

Harto quickly peeled it off his shoe and ran after the two who had already rushed out of the room.