MTM 167

“Why do you call Harto ‘Hartia’?”

[What?! Isn’t that obvious? Of course I call Lord Hartia ‘Lord Hartia’! What else would I call him! This human is so arrogant!]

No sooner had Zed’s question fallen than the Rizos began to pout and grumble one after another. Dozens of small voices overlapped, and the tunnel instantly became boisterous.

‘It must be true that Harto is safe. Spirits don’t lie…’

Zed took advantage of the lull in their noisy argument to sort through his jumbled memories.

Based on the circumstances, Elquir, the guardian of the River of Life, had snatched him and Harto away and sent them here. However, the reason was unknown. The thoughts of a guardian spirit were even more difficult to understand and capricious than those of spirits, so there was no need to question it too much.

However, one thing that worried him was that Hartiros had burned down both the Eastern Kingdom and the Forest of Life. He couldn’t help but feel nervous at the thought of how those who remembered this might react.

So, Zed decided that a slightly more unauthorized copy clever approach would be needed to get a proper explanation from these small spirits who were chattering incoherently.

“Then… let me change the question. Since when have you known Harto, no, Hartia?”

In response to Zed’s question, the Rizos stared blankly at each other.

[Well… I don’t know. I’ve heard that name for years.]

[Really? It was a few months ago for me?]

[Today for me!]

[I just heard it!]

True to their nature as spirits who don’t know how to lie, their answers were honest, but because their sense of time was all over the place, the information was a complete mess. They whispered amongst themselves and argued for quite a while, until someone shrieked after reaching a conclusion.

[It doesn’t matter! We are just happy that someone has come to make the ​stolen content​Forest of Life green again!]

[Right, right! It’s so exciting! Now we’ve finally gotten rid of our emotional distress!]

The Rizos no longer cared how long they had known about Hartia’s existence, they floated around excitedly and danced.

[Lord Elquir brought him here for our sake! Though we didn’t expect this human to come along.]

[Hmph, instead of thanking us, you just keep arguing. Humans really have no manners!]

Eventually, the arrows of blame turned back toward Zed, the human. Faced with the ceaseless barrage of rebuke, Zed eventually gave up on hearing a logical answer and bowed his head.

“It’s late, but thank you for saving my life. I really want to tell Lord Elquir that I’m grateful to him as well…”

[Hmph, you’re only thanking him now!]

[But it’s better than not doing it at all. You might be considered pretty decent among humans.]

[You use holy power too. Holy power is a precious gift given only to those chosen by the gods!]

[Right, right!]

The Rizos once again reignited their chatter. Fearing his voice would be drowned out by their conversation if left unchecked, Zed hurriedly unleashed his holy power. As the Rizos, caught off guard by the sudden burst of light, squinted and fell silent, Zed seized the opportunity and spoke firmly.

“Please, let me meet Hartia right now.”

***

[This way, this way!]

The Rizos floated through the air and led the way. The soft light emanating from their hair illuminated every corner of the dark, labyrinthine tunnel. The scale of this underground world was much larger than he had imagined. With the countless branching passages, he felt he would have been lost without the Rizos’ guidance.

[Here we are! We’ve arrived!]

Fortunately, at the end of the tunnel where he had followed the Rizos, Harto was asleep, buried deep in the earth.

“Harto…!”

As soon as Zed spotted him, he tried to approach him. However, one of the Rizos placed their index finger to their lips and whispered softly.

[Shh, don’t even think about waking him. He is currently cooling down the heat within his body. The fireballs harming Lord Hartia’s body need to be cooled down with cold earth.]

“I can help with my holy power as well.”

Despite the Rizo’s explanation, Zed did not back down. The Rizo glanced at their comrades with a slightly troubled expression, then nodded.

[Hmm… If that’s what you insist on.]

Zed approached the soil where Harto was buried without hesitation. The heat radiating from the ground to his fingertips was considerable, but compared to the high fever he had felt when he first held him in his arms, he certainly seemed to have stabilized. He leaned toward Harto and unleashed the holy power from his entire body to gently embrace him.

The Rizos watching the scene exclaimed in awe.

[Wow, it doesn’t seem to be hot at all. This human is amazing!]

[So this is the power of holy power I’ve only heard about?]

[It’s the power of love!]

The Rizos giggled and teased each other playfully. Zed didn’t even have the luxury of listening to their chatter. He checked on Harto’s condition, hoping his holy power would heal his pain. Fortunately, the breath felt through the collar was regular, and his heartbeat was regaining a much calmer rhythm.

[Hehe, it really is love! It really is love, right?]

The Rizos circled around Zed again; the light their hair shone was even brighter.

[Alright, let’s turn this place into a Grunde!]

“Grunde…?”

[Grunde is our love sanctuary. We all live together in precious pairs!]

One Rizo, seemingly in a good mood for once, kindly explained. Only after hearing that did Zed realize that the Rizos always traveled in pairs.

“You don’t really need to go that far…”

[Ooh- Ooh-]

Before Zed could even express his refusal, the Rizos began singing in unison. Immediately afterward, the rough space where the two were staying began to transform.

The thick tree roots hidden in the soil moved in an instant like living creatures. They intertwined and formed a cozy wall. On the dirt floor, soft green moss sprouted up, creating a soft bed. Finally, as the Rizos hung mysterious gray moss infused with fresh air essence from the ceiling, the cave was instantly filled with an atmosphere more refreshing and invigorating than a dense forest.

[Spend some quality time here, just the two of you!]

After transforming the desolate tunnel into a pleasant sanctuary, the Rizos floated away into the darkness, leaving behind a sound of cheerful laughter.

“…….”

As the boisterous Rizos left, silence fell over the tunnel.

“…I’m exhausted.”

Only then did Zed let out the long sigh he had been holding back. Then, he saw the luggage arranged in a corner of the Grunde. Zed first checked the sealed fragment of the Demon God among the items, then opened the pendant of the necklace and took out a single elixir.

“Harto, try swallowing this.”

Worried about Harto, who hadn’t eaten for over a day, Zed brought the elixir to his lips to replenish his strength. However, the unconscious Harto could neither chew nor swallow the medicine. Just as he was desperately wishing for even a sip of water, a small sound came from between the moss.

“Pyu…”

It was Mir. The tiny elemental, no bigger than a fingernail, leaped high and poured clear water droplets onto Zed’s palm. Although it was a small amount, it was enough to give Harto the medicine.

“Thank you, Mir.”

He poured the water into Harto’s mouth, and heard the sound of him swallowing.

“I’m so relieved…”

When Zed realized Harto was safe, he started to feel less tense. However, unlike the lightness of his heart, his mind became even more complicated. It was because the vivid horrors he had faced in his nightmare just moments ago came back to him.

‘Why did I have such a dream….’

Hartiros’s screams as he burned to death in the flames were too vivid to be dismissed as a mere nightmare. The arrogant smile he, with the identity of Ares, had directed at Harto, Leon indiscriminate attacks, and the faces of Isadora and his comrades laughing in jubilation overlapped.

‘It’s just a nightmare. My subconscious is manifesting as anxiety. It’s not a prophecy.’

Zed rubbed his face; he struggled to get rid of the ominous premonition swirling in his mind.

“Pyu…”

Just then, Mir climbed onto his shoulder with a concerned expression and let water droplets drip down. It seemed he wanted to share some moisture with Zed as well. Grateful for Mir’s thoughtful gesture, Zed took a sip of the water he had prepared.

“Are the others doing well?”

When Zed belatedly remembered Spi and Krom, Mir bounced his body over to a corner of the room. There lay a small nest made of woven green moss. Krom, still in the form of a stone, and Spi, perched on a hard tree root, were there too.

“Pippit…!”

Although Spi was glad to see Zed, he looked weak. The thin air and humidity beneath the ground were an unbearable ordeal for him.

“I know it’s tough for everyone… but let’s unauthorized copyrest here for a while, just until Harto recovers to some extent.”

As Zed asked for the two elementals’ understanding, he leaned his heavy body against the wall woven from tree roots. With his gaze still fixed on the sleeping Harto, he slowly closed his weary eyes. And he earnestly prayed to God.

He begged that nightmares would never again take away the small peace he shared with Harto.