MTM 180
“Are you saying this yourself, Leon…?”
Robert’s eyes widened in surprise at Leon’s words. Gerard reacted the same way.
“Yes. I decided it would be impossible for me to find Prince Ares and Harto on my own, so I asked for his help. That’s why I hope he’ll stay with us until the very end. After bringing him this far, it would be a grave disservice and a source of shame for me to simply send him back now.”
Leon was taken aback by the smoothness of his own response. He had always kept a proper distance from others and paid them little mind. He never imagined he would end up telling a lie for someone else’s sake.
Gerard, taken aback by Leon’s words, simply stared at him.
“…I see. Under those circumstances, I suppose he has no choice but to continue traveling with us.”
Upon learning of their situation, Robert agreed and pointed toward the horizon across the river.
“If we cross this river and take a wide detour to the north, we should reach the Eastern Kingdom in half a day.”
Just as the group was about to set off following Robert’s explanation, Robert stepped up beside Leon and spoke cautiously.
“I heard that the reason Prince Ares was banned from Carseon was because he partially destroyed the library. I’ve been feeling heavy-hearted the whole time, wondering if the note I gave him might have been the cause of this trouble….”
“A note?”
Leon and Gerard’s eyes widened simultaneously as they recalled that the place where Zed had fought a bloody battle was none other than the Logos Grand Library.
Robert let out a sigh and continued cautiously.
“Yes, when His Highness was staying at the Grenhardt Mansion, he made a request of me. He asked me to look into ancient texts related to ‘Hartiros.’ So, I asked Harto to deliver a note listing those books to him. After all, the Logos Grand Library has the largest collection of banned and rare books on that subject.”
“That note… is this it?”
When Leon pulled out the note Zed had left behind and showed it to him, Robert’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Ah, yes. That’s exactly the note I gave to Harto.”
Gerard, who had been listening silently to the conversation, finally spoke up.
“The Archpriest mentioned it too. He said Prince Ares was heading to the Silpirnoa Forest to uncover the true nature of ‘Hartiros.’ I was simply assigned to provide his escort during that expedition.”
“Hartiros….”
Gerard’s words sent a whirlwind of confusion swirling through Leon’s mind.
So does that mean the reason Zed and Harto headed to the Eastern Kingdom was ultimately because of Hartiros? But why?
The secret conversation between the Seeker and Zed in Etheria, Zed’s anxious face as he lost control after losing Harto, and the way he had refused to say anything in the Silpirnoa Forest, these memories surfaced one after another.
The scattered fragments of memory collided inside Leon’s mind. The Fragments of the Demon God, the secret Zed couldn’t speak, and the Hartiros he was pursuing. The outline of the truth, which had been on the verge of coming together, became clearer.
“That can’t be….”
Leon’s face turned pale. If his hunch was true, everything would fall into place. If so, what Zed was trying to protect right now was a being dangerous enough to shake the world to its core.
***
“Harto… you’re not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”
“Nope, don’t worry! Besides, Zed’s ridden on my back before!”
Harto nodded vigorously in response to Zed’s reminder.
“That’s true, but… right now…”
Zed was about to say that Harto’s physical condition was different now compared to back then, but he swallowed his words when he saw the sparkle in Harto’s eyes.
“If it gets even a little tough, you have to tell me right away. Understand?”
“Yes!”
As Harto answered in a loud voice, Elquir also clasped his hands, his gaze a mix of worry and anticipation. Perched on his shoulders, Spi and Mir watched with tense expressions.
“Huuu…”
Harto closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly drew up the power that had been slumbering deep within him.
Wobble… wobble….
Suddenly, the once-soft black slime’s body began to ripple. His rounded form increased in volume, then traced soft curves before stretching out into a long, slender shape.
“…Done.”
After successfully completing the transformation, Harto cautiously opened his eyes.
“Huh…?”
But as soon as he looked at his own body, his eyes filled with shock.
With a smooth, elongated body devoid of wings and horns protruding from the top of his head, it was unmistakably the form of a dragon.
However, it was much smaller than expected, and the head bore a strange resemblance to a horse. Moreover, standing on the ground with four short, slender legs, he looked somewhat comical.
It was a far cry from the image of the colossal dragon that had once overwhelmed everyone in the Regnovar Empire merely by his presence.
“Ah, my strength isn’t fully restored yet…!”
Embarrassed by his clumsy transformation, Harto curled up. Zed smiled and stepped closer.
“To me, you look absolutely magnificent.”
“R-really…?”
When Harto timidly asked again, Zed gently stroked his head with both hands in a gesture of affirmation. Although he looked different from the dragon he had seen before, he resembled the unicorns of legend, differing only in color.
And unlike before, the figure before him now looked much more like Harto, which actually put Zed at ease.
“L-Lord Harto…!”
Elquir, who had been watching Harto’s transformation with bated breath, was also overwhelmed with emotion and cried out.
“You look absolutely magnificent! How is it possible… your body is so sleek and noble…!”
“Don’t touch him.”
Just as Elquir tried to run his hand over Harto’s dragon-like body, Zed mercilessly swatted his slender hand away.
“Pip-pit!”
“Pyu-pyi!”
Spi and Mir were thrilled too. Eager for him to take flight, they chirped and jumped up from Elquir’s shoulders.
“Harto… can you fly?”
“Huh? W-well, of course! Of course I can fly!”
In response to Zed’s worried question, Harto shouted confidently and relaxed his body. Just like that, his body floated gently into the air. Perhaps because he was smaller, he definitely felt lighter than before. With this sensation, he felt he could easily take off while carrying Zed and Elquir.
“Zed! Lord Elquir! Hurry up and get on!”
At Harto’s triumphant shout, Zed and Elquir carefully climbed onto his back.
“Ah, to think the day has come when I can ride on Lord Harto’s back myself… This is the happiest moment of my life!”
Elquir’s eyes brimmed with tears, as if he were a parent watching a child he had raised take their first steps. Feeling proud of his sincerity, Harto pushed off the ground with all his might and soared into the sky.
As their altitude rose, Zed grabbed the dragon’s neck with both hands. Harto, pleased by the firm grip of someone relying entirely on him, grinned and shouted.
“Alright! We’re going fast now! Hold on tight!”
Harto charged vigorously toward their destination: the top of the castle in the Eastern Kingdom.
Whoooosh–
He flew freely among the birds soaring through the fierce wind. Though his appearance might have been a bit funny, the way he glided on the air currents looked mysterious.
“Indeed… the symptoms of Epimer addiction are becoming quite noticeable.”
Elquir said as he looked down. At the end of his gaze, dozens of wild orcs were prowling around the castle walls, emitting eerie sounds. Purple spots bloomed in patches across their pale green skin, as if poisonous mushrooms had grown there, and their eyes, which should have been yellow, were stained red.
“It’s hard to believe the number of poisoned orcs could have increased this much in the blink of an eye… Didn’t they say Epimer is a flower that blooms and withers on just one day of the year?”
At Zed’s observation, Elquir also frowned, his face filled with doubt.
“Exactly. Could someone have intentionally harvested the flowers in bulk and processed them for consumption? But the wild orcs, with their low intelligence, wouldn’t be able to figure out such a complicated process…”
As one question led to another, Harto had already reached the aerial bridge connecting to the top of the castle. Thanks to Harto’s flight, they were able to arrive in an instant without encountering a single wild orc.
“We’re here!”
The black dragon set his feet on the bridge. Impressed by Harto, Zed affectionately stroked his head and neck as if he were petting a horse. Harto didn’t mind the attention, thought he might have to change his form like this from time to time just to receive such kindness.
Whoosh–
It was at that moment, from behind a pillar precariously propping up the ruins of the collapsed castle, he saw something darting by. Hartos flinched in surprise and shuddered.
“Harto? What’s wrong?”
As soon as he sensed Harto’s slight tremor, Zed immediately gripped his sword hilt and turned around. At that moment, a black bird flew high into the sky from behind the pillar.
“It’s alright. It’s probably just a bird.”
“Mm-hmm…”
Zed released his grip on the sword hilt and patted Harto’s head. Relieved by that gentle touch, Harto relaxed and returned to his usual soft, sooty slime form before burrowing into Zed’s embrace.
“This way! I think this is the path leading up to the tower!”
Meanwhile, Elquir, who had already reached the tower entrance at the end of the bridge, waved his hand.
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