MTM 153

“Harto…?”

As soon as his consciousness surfaced, the first person Zed looked for was Harto, who should have been by his side. However, the sheets he touched were devoid of warmth. Along with the sensation of his heart dropping, Zed sat up in bed.

“Harto!”

Fear-consuming reason surged up from his toes. Just as he was about to leave the room, the elementals blocked his path and started squeaking. Zed’s gaze passed them and stopped at a single sheet of paper placed on a round table.

[Zed, you were sleeping so soundly I couldn’t wake you up. I’ll be right back after a quick walk around the area!

I promise I will never leave the castle. I brought a communication device, so you can contact me anytime!

I’m just getting some fresh air and will be right back. Get some rest, Zed!^ ㅁ ^]

Harto’s rounded handwriting danced over the lengthy sentences. It was as if he could see right through everything Zed was worried about. Perhaps because the Read on smiling face drawn at the end of the note was so typical of Harto, it calmed the anxiety that had risen to the top of his head.

“Ha….”

Zed leaned back in his chair. As he closed his eyes, memories of yesterday swirled in his head. The sight of Harto with Gerard in the square, the story Ser and Allen had told him, and even the time he had lost his temper and cornered Harto under the bridge. And…

‘Prince Ares, do you know why Hartiros became an ‘evil being’?’

“Ugh…!”

As Edmund’s voice struck his ears like a hallucination, a terrible headache surged through him. He felt suffocated, as if his lungs were being constricted, and his chest tightened as if something hot were stuck in his throat.

“Pipipit!”

“Pyu!”

Spi and Mir circled around Zed, not knowing what to do at the sight of his face contorted in pain. Meanwhile, Read on Krom rolled his heavy body over and quickly retrieved Zed’s communication device.

“Krng!”

Krom placed the communication device on Zed’s palm telling him to contact Harto, but he hesitated.

‘Harto… Shall we go back to our cabin? Let’s live there and hunt like we used to. Without anyone knowing, just the two of us.’

The memory of last night, when he indulged while out of his mind and Harto finally burst into tears, was vivid. Also, the ugly way he forced himself to push forward out of fear that he might lose him, even though he knew he was in pain.

‘I can’t… burden Harto anymore.’

It was only a short walk. Yet, this terrible possessiveness refused to allow Harto even that small breathing space. It was already beyond normal. Though he knew this, the anxiety he felt the moment Harto disappeared from his sight grew uncontrollable.

“You crazy bastard….”

Zed let out a self-deprecating laugh. He realized that he was no different from [Read on]a monster for wanting to cling to Harto like a parasite.

“Pyui….”

The elementals watching Zed could not hide their look of pity. Sleepy, who had only been peeking his head out from inside Harto’s hood, also quietly gazed at Zed with blue eyes that resembled Harto’s.

***

“It seems everything is finished now.”

“Huh, is it already over…?”

Harto looked slightly disappointed as he recalled the dreamlike scenes that had unfolded before his eyes just moments ago.

The sound of the bell resonated with a clear tone, and responding to that signal, monsters and spirits parted the veil of the forest to reveal themselves one by one. As the wounded approached, the holy power emanating from the priests’ fingertips turned into a halo of light and began to heal them. The process of deep wounds healing wherever the light touched was a wonder.

What surprised Harto the most was their attitude. Even a monster three or four times bigger than a human lay down like a gentle puppy in front of the priest. A spirit [visit our site]in the form of a horse with a bluish tint sang a clear song to express gratitude after the treatment was finished, and a small dwarf monster with cat-like eyes shyly approached and offered a mushroom just picked picked from the forest as a gift.

‘This is…’

As he watched the entire process, Harto realized that this was not simply treatment, but an act akin to communion. As Noel had said, there were no species boundaries or hostility here. Only the profound warmth of comforting each other’s pain filled the field.

‘I wish Zed could have seen this scene too… I wonder if Zed knows about the Waterfall Rite?’

Harto, suddenly reminded of Zed’s face, fiddled with the communication device in his pocket. Since there was no response yet, Zed must still be sleeping.

“We finished earlier than usual today because more residents came to help. Aside from treating the Night Behemoth’s deep wounds, there weren’t any major difficulties.”

The Night Behemoth was a monstrous creature with a physique resembling a mix of a cow and a bear, and one of the top predators of Silpirnoa. Seeing such a powerful being sustain such a severe injury, it was speculated that it might have been caused by a conflict within the pack.

“Then, I will guide you to the library.”

“Ah, is it alright if I don’t help clean up?”

“Others will take care of it. The library should be open by now, so let’s go right away.”

Guided by Noel, Harto headed toward the Logos Grand Library. The passageway leading west past the arched gateway he had just passed exuded an atmosphere completely different from that of the temple.

Unlike the interior of the temple, which was nothing but modest, the windows of the corridor leading to the library were decorated with stained glass intricately decorated with a bird holding an olive branch, the symbol of Carseon, and the stone pillars were splendidly adorned with bird sculptures.

“The library is beyond this door.”

“Ah….”

Harto desperately wanted to take his time appreciating it, but because he had arrived at the entrance of the library before he knew it, he had to settle for a brief moment of disappointment.

“Mr. Harto, I think I will have to guide you only this far due to my next schedule.”

Noel bowed politely to Harto.

“No, it’s fine! Thank you so much for letting me experience the ceremony today and for kindly taking me to the library.”

“If you have trouble finding the book you are looking for, please ask the librarian. They know the location of every single book in the library inside and out.”

“Yes, I will.”

As Harto expressed his sincere gratitude, Noel smiled in response and walked back toward the temple.

Squeak-.

Harto immediately pushed open the door and stepped into the library. The sight before his eyes was beyond his imagination. The bookshelves filling his field of vision reached the high arched dome ceiling, and every shelf was packed with tens of thousands of books. The hall was illuminated by spirit stones floating in the air instead of candlelight, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

This place was more like a huge fortress of knowledge than a simple library.

The dark velvet carpet on the floor completely swallowed up the sound of Harto’s footsteps. The soft sensation Read onbeneath his feet made him feel as if he were walking on fluffy clouds.

“It’s so early, there’s nobody around… huh?”

Harto, who was walking while absentmindedly admiring the interior, met the gaze of someone who suddenly lifted their head from beyond a bookshelf. It was an orc with light green skin and piercing eyes wearing magnifying glasses.

‘O… Orc…?!’

Harto’s eyes widened in surprise at the appearance of a race he had never once encountered in Carseon. He suddenly recalled the orc from Black Crown who had escaped through the hole he had dug. He had heard from Isadora that the orc’s whereabouts were never found; could he have possibly drifted here?

“Are you looking for a book?”

In that brief moment, the orc had already approached right up to Harto’s nose and asked kindly. Her voice was high-pitched, and upon closer inspection, she looked completely different from the orc Harto had met before.

“Ah… um, well….”

As Harto hesitated to speak, a benevolent smile appeared on the orc’s lips.

“I am the librarian of this library. Judging by the way Priest Noel guided you, you must be one of the distinguished guests staying with Prince Ares at the temple.”

The orc who introduced herself knew exactly who Harto was.

“I… I didn’t realize you were the librarian. I’m sorry for being rude…”

“No, not at all. Anyone is bound to be flustered to see an orc mixed in with human civilization. My name is Michelle Dustglare. Please feel free to call me Michelle.”

At Michelle’s polite yet warm tone, Harto finally relaxed and mustered up courage.

“Ah… then… Ms. Michelle, by any chance….”

He hesitated and glanced around nervously. Afraid that others might hear him, he pursed his lips and spoke in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s.

“Hah… regarding Hartiros….”

“You are looking for books about Hartiros?”

“Ah…!”

Despite Harto’s cautious attitude, Michelle spoke in a very confident voice.  Startled, Harto looked around, but fortunately, those buried in the silence of the bookshelf paid them no attention.

“If it is those books, you will need to go up to the second floor section. Please follow me this way.”