MTM 197

“Why are you….”

“It’s been a while.”

The man who appeared before Zed was Gerard, the commander of the holy knights of Carseon. Without saying a word, he used his free hand to pull a note from his pocket. Then, he swapped the rabbit Zed was holding for the note.

Gerard walked over to Alec, who was standing outside the workshop, and handed him the rabbit.

“I’m sorry, but I’d prefer if you took care of the rabbits yourself.”

He said this as he slipped a silver coin into the pouch hanging from Alec’s chest. Alec pouted and muttered something under his breath, but, surprised by the unexpected coin, he turned around with the rabbit and the crate without a word.

“…Have you been following me the whole time?”

When Zed asked with a glare, Gerard shrugged with his characteristic shameless expression.

“Well… I suppose you could say that. Oh, and the witch and the river guardian are safe.”

“……!”

“By the way, the mage came along too.”

Zed was confused.

“Leon… where is he right now?”

When Zed asked about Leon’s whereabouts, Gerard stroked his chin and replied.

“I sent him ahead to the inn where you’re staying. The witch told me her familiar is there.”

“…Then I’ll have to see for myself if that’s true.”

Zed ignored Gerard, who seemed eager to continue the conversation, and headed for the inn. More importantly, he was worried because he’d left Harto alone in the room.

But before Zed could take even a few steps, Gerard spoke from behind him in a low voice.

“Do you think creating a heart with holy power is that easy?”

“……!”

At that single remark, Zed’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He slowly turned around and glared at Gerard with a cold stare.

Gerard paid no heed to the murderous aura radiating from Zed and raised his head toward the sky, where dusk was beginning to fall.

“I heard the whole story from the witch.”

Gerard was already aware that Harto’s true identity was Hartiros, and that Zed was attempting to create a heart using holy power to prolong his life, which was slowly fading away due to the fragment of the Demon God.

“But let’s be realistic. You can’t do it with the power you have right now. Forget about completing the heart, it’s obvious that your holy power will be corrupted at the very stage of infusing it with life force, and the whole thing will fail.”

“…….”

“That’s why I came all the way here myself to help you.”

Even as Gerard explained why he had tracked him all the way to Nordheim, distrust and skepticism clouded Zed’s eyes.

As Edmund had mentioned, Zed was well aware that Gerard stood at the pinnacle of holy power mastery and possessed an exceptional ability to pierce through the essence of things with his holy sight. Though he hated to admit it, accepting his help might prove invaluable in creating Harto’s heart.

However, one thing weighed on his mind. It went beyond simple jealousy. Knowing that Gerard’s interest in Harto was almost excessive, Zed couldn’t help but wonder if this offer of help was just a ploy to take Harto away from him.

“…You really don’t listen.”

As if he could see right through Zed’s suspicions, Gerard muttered with a low sigh. He seemed to have realized that to dispel Zed’s distrust, he needed proof far more convincing than words.

Clunk, clunk.

Gerard suddenly began stripping off the thick armor he was wearing. The heavy iron armor hit the floor with a dull clang. Even after stripping off all his gear, he unbuttoned the uniform he wore underneath.

“What….”

Zed frowned and tried belatedly to stop him, but he froze in his tracks at the sight before him.

Through the gaping folds of his clothing, Gerard’s muscular chest was completely covered in scars. Zed found himself unable to look away from the gruesome wounds that looked as though flesh had been torn away and barely stitched back together.

“You can tell just by glancing at them. These aren’t ordinary wounds.”

“…….”

In response to Gerard’s matter-of-fact tone, Zed stared at the deep scars [stolen content]etched into his body before asking.

“How did you get those wounds?”

Gerard then chuckled softly and raised his head.

“I… was torn to pieces by monsters that used to inhabit ancient ruins.”

Gerard continued the gruesome story, just as he had told Leon.

“Only a small part of my heart remained; my body had barely retained its shape. It was a holy knight of Carseon who brought me back to life when I was little more than a corpse. That man used his holy power to create my heart from scratch.”

Zed’s eyes widened. He knew that some holy knights of Carseon possessed powerful holy power, but creating the organ of a living being – especially a human heart – was a forbidden realm that defied common sense.

“He l used forbidden ancient magic.”

Gerard continued his explanation.

“As the price for using divine power in a way that blasphemed the gods, that holy knight was permanently exiled from Carseon. And after he died, I wandered here and there until I was taken in by Archpriest Edmund, which is how I barely managed to survive and live in Carseon.”

Faced with this unbelievable story, Zed’s eyes wandered aimlessly. Gerard looked him in the face and raised the corners of his mouth in a bitter smile.

“Do you have a better idea now of why I’m drawn to monsters?”

He wasn’t referring to Harto specifically. Zed realized that what Gerard was trying to convey wasn’t merely an obsession with Harto as an individual, but an inherent attraction to the monster race itself.

As if he was confessing a hideous sin he had spent his entire life concealing, Gerard slowly lowered his eyes and murmured softly.

“I… wasn’t raised by human hands, but by monsters. I was too young to remember the details, but it seems I was bred to provide fresh nourishment to be offered to their superior hosts. Perhaps because of that influence, I lost my pure human essence long ago.”

“…….”

“When I once gazed at my reflection in the River of Life, what stood there was not a human, but a single blood-red monster. Even at this very moment, my deepest subconscious and instincts still yearn to become a monster. But….”

Gerard tapped his scarred chest.

“By receiving a heart transplant filled with holy power, I’m barely managing to maintain my human form and stay alive.”

After Gerard’s shocking confession, a heavy silence hung over the workshop for a while. Zed broke the silence.

“…Harto isn’t a monster.”

Harto, whose transparency and purity were incomparable to any other being, could no longer be defined simply as a monster. It was a warning not to equate the nature of the desire Gerard harbored with Harto.

Gerard nodded with a wry smile.

“I know. I’m well aware that he’s not just a mere monster. But regardless of his true nature, his heart is currently being consumed by demonic energy. I could vividly feel that power growing stronger and stronger.”

Gerard looked into Zed’s eyes.

“We have to remove the Demon King’s heart as soon as possible. If we delay any longer, Harto will completely lose his sense of self and become a true monster.”

“…….”

Zed sank into anguish as he mulled over Gerard’s warning.

Zed felt it in his bones that Harto’s terminal diagnosis, as well as his unexplained fever and coughing up blood, were all due to that heart. To resolve this, there was no other option but to cut open his chest and remove the heart, just as Cynthia had said.

But could he trust Gerard? Since they had fought just a few weeks ago, Zed couldn’t let down his guard in this situation.

“…I think I’d better go back to the inn, meet up with Leon, and talk it over with him.”

As Zed took a step back and replied, Gerard let out a sigh, resigned to the situation. Then he turned around and waved his hand toward somewhere outside the workshop.

Thinking that since they couldn’t communicate, he must be up to some other trick, Zed reached for the sword at his waist, but just then, Gerard spoke in a low voice.

“Weren’t you looking for a ship bound for Ruinbelt?”

Clank.

“Old man! Why are you loitering around here again instead of working!”

Alec’s voice rang out, he hadn’t gone back but had been peeking out from outside the workshop. Then Boris, the checkpoint guard clad in a wolf pelt, appeared with a sly smile.

“I knew you were a bit prickly, turns out you’re with Gerard guy’s group.”