The desert wind blew softly, carrying fine dust that brushed against their faces. However, for Alvin, the shock he felt at this moment was far more slapping than any sandstorm. His eyes were wide open, staring at the dark-green-haired boy beside him as if Hudeon had just said that the sky was the color of blood red.
"What is your reason?" Alvin whispered with a choked voice, making sure his hearing was not mistaken.
Hudeon looked straight into Alvin's eyes without a shred of doubt. The boy's cheeks flushed, but his gaze was firm. "He is handsome, kind, and very thoughtful. I also feel... very safe and comfortable when I am near him!" Hudeon whispered, praising Kazien with pure enthusiasm. "It feels different from anyone I have ever met."
Alvin fell silent for a moment. Deep in his heart, he understood that feeling perfectly. The warmth and security radiated by Kazien were indeed like a sweet poison that could make anyone fall in love, regardless of age or gender. However, for Hudeon, that dream was like trying to pluck a star with bare hands. It was something impossible and dangerous.
Alvin took a long breath, then patted Hudeon's shoulder with sympathy.
"I'm sorry, Hudeon..." Alvin replied softly. "You might find it very difficult, even impossible for you to have him."
"Why?" Hudeon demanded an answer, his forehead furrowed in protest.
"First, you are the future husband of Ritalia, Kazien's younger sister." Alvin answered gently but with full firmness. "Kazien loves his family very much. It is impossible for him to let his sister be hurt by taking her own future husband."
Hudeon went silent. That reason made sense. However, Alvin was not finished yet.
"And the most important thing... Arken is the dead-lock key to this relationship!"
Hudeon's eyes blinked in confusion. "Why does it have to be Brother Arken? He looks like the one who dislikes me the most among you."
Alvin shook his head slowly, bringing his face closer to Hudeon's ear so their voices would not be carried by the wind toward others.
"Arken is like that because he has sworn on his blood and life, that he will die if there is anyone else besides himself becoming Kazien's fourth 'wife'." Alvin whispered in a tone that made the hair on the back of Hudeon's neck stand up. "His position is the final limit. If a new person tries to enter, Arken will not hesitate to block them by any means."
Alvin pulled his face back, looking at Hudeon with a warning gaze. "Even if you could convince the stubborn Arken, then convince the possessive Allen, I might not necessarily agree. And above all, Kazien himself would never want to betray us."
Hudeon lowered his head, appearing to reflect on Alvin's words. "I.... understand...." he murmured softly.
However, in his heart, the fire of determination had not yet died out. I understand the obstacles, but it doesn't mean I give up. Hudeon thought stubbornly.
Without Alvin's knowledge, Hudeon decided to keep his feelings and continue to look for a gap to get closer to Kazien, the person who was so kind and enchanting in his eyes.
Meanwhile, a few dozen meters in front of them, Kazien was busy among the piles of dragon carcasses.
He extended his hand over the body of an earth dragon whose condition was already very miserable. A golden-green light glowed from his palm, enveloping the giant carcass. In an instant, the cut flesh, the charred meat, and the shattered scales became whole again as if nothing had ever happened.
After the dragon's body was perfectly smooth again, Kazien put it into his dimensional storage space.
"My Huby..." Arken called out pamperedly while pointing at the remaining scattered carcasses. "Are you going to sell all these monsters here?"
"Not all of them." Kazien replied while continuing to work efficiently. "Alvin warned me earlier. We shouldn't sell everything at once and should leave some behind."
Kazien patted the remaining dust off his hands. "When we adventure to other kingdoms in future, we will certainly need money in different currencies. Selling high-level monster materials is the fastest way to get emergency funds."
Arken and Allen nodded in agreement. Alvin's reasoning was indeed logical and very oriented toward the long term.
"So, after this business is finished, will we immediately return to the Guartav territory?" Allen asked to confirm.
"Yes!" Kazien answered firmly. "We will all return to Haslott. We have to report the mission requested by the guild there."
After storing the last carcass, Kazien and his two fiancés walked back to the city gate, meeting Alvin and Hudeon who were already waiting.
As soon as they stepped near the gate, the hauntingly silent atmosphere from before had turned into thunderous cheers. The residents of Gaterland city, the dwarves, gathered to welcome them.
Faces that were previously pale with fear were now adorned with expressions of happiness and a sense of relief on their faces.
"Thank you very much!" a citizen exclaimed while waving his hand. "Thanks to you, our city did not suffer destruction!"
"You are heroes!" a female dwarf shouted while carrying her child. "Long live our Savior!"
Hearing the continuous praise, Arken, who usually moved in silence, now raised his hands high.
"Hahaha! Thank you! Thank you everyone!" Arken exclaimed enthusiastically while waving his hand like a top-tier celebrity.
Kazien shook his head while smiling amusedly seeing his fiancé's behavior.
Unbelievable! Kazien thought. When I first met him in the capital he was so cold, quiet, and very much avoided crowds. But look at him now... after officially becoming engaged to me, he turned into a very active narcissist. He is truly full of surprises.
The five of them, accompanied by Ella who was still looking at them with admiration, walked through the crowd entering the city of Gaterland. All the local residents worshipped the heroes who had just slaughtered the horde of earth dragons at the east gate.
Back inside the guild building, the atmosphere was a bit calmer although admiring glances still followed their steps. Ella immediately took them to a special area for large transactions so as not to draw excessive attention.
"So, Mr. Kazien..." Ella started the conversation, returning to her professional mode. "Are you going to sell the bodies of those monsters?"
"Will the guild buy them?" Kazien asked back.
"Of course!" Ella replied excitedly, her eyes sparkling imagining the commission the guild would receive. "Earth Dragons are a rare commodity! Their meat can be processed into super delicious dishes in luxury restaurants in the capital. Their bones are very useful for making heavy-class weapons, and their skin is very beneficial for making light but strong armor. The guild dares to buy them at prices ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 Saxth per head, depending on the condition!"
Hearing the words "super delicious dish", the ears of Alvin, Allen, and Arken instantly moved. Their eyes, which were previously bored, immediately stared sharply at Ella.
"Are you serious that the meat can be made into a super delicious dish?" Alvin asked to confirm, his enthusiasm surging even more than when he was fighting earlier. His instinct as a good future wife for Kazien immediately filled his mind.
"Of course!" Ella replied, who was no less enthusiastic. "The texture is like the best premium meat but with a distinctive herbal aroma."
"Who can make that delicious food here?" Allen chimed in quickly, impatient to learn how to cook it so he could become an ideal future wife for Kazien.
Ella fell silent for a moment, then smiled awkwardly. "Ah, that... surely the five-star restaurant chefs in the royal capital. In a border city like this, there are no chefs who have skills high enough to process the tough earth dragon meat."
"Oh my..." Arken took a long breath, his shoulders slumped weakly because he couldn't learn how to prepare earth dragon meat for his beloved future husband. "I thought that chef was here. Though I was already prepared to accept everything related to those earth dragons."
Kazien's three fiancés instantly became sluggish, as if they had just lost a treasure.
Ella looked at them in confusion. These people... they just slaughtered dozens of dragons without breaking a sweat, but immediately got depressed just because they couldn't find a chef who can prepare this earth dragon meat? Ella thought in wonder. However, she did not dare to ask further beyond her duties.
"So... back to the initial topic." Ella cleared her throat. "Are you willing to sell them to the guild?"
Kazien smiled seeing his fiancés' behavior, then turned to Ella. "From the 36 earth dragons they defeated, is it okay if we only sell 20 to the guild?"
"No problem at all!" Ella answered quickly without thinking twice. "Twenty dragons are more than enough to fulfill the guild's quota for a year! We are very grateful."
"Okay!"
Kazien pointed his hand toward the wide lobby floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One by one, the earth dragon carcasses appeared from thin air. The 14-meter-long monsters from head to tail piled up neatly, filling almost half of the wide guild room. The smell of earth and a slight scent of ozone wafted from their bodies.
Ella immediately approached to check the condition of the merchandise. However, as soon as she looked closely, her eyes widened. Her hands trembled as she touched the dragon's body.
Silence fell over the lobby.
"T-this..." Ella stammered.
The condition of all the monsters was too perfect. There were no scratch wounds, no slash marks, no char marks, and no ice spear holes. Even though she saw with her own eyes how Arken decapitated them, Allen used his ice spear magic, and Alvin burned their bodies until they were charred. Now, their bodies were back to their original state as if all the earth dragons were just sleeping soundly.
"W-why is everything in such great condition?" Ella asked in shock, her voice trembling violently. "Where are the wounds?"
Kazien shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I am the one who regenerated the cells of these monsters so they are whole again without a single scratch!" he answered casually, as if talking about patching torn clothes. "It would be a pity if the price dropped because the skin was damaged, right?"
"Impossible!" Ella screamed, this time she completely lost her composure. "They are already dead! According to the laws of basic magic, healing spells or regeneration only work on living things that still have mana flow! Healing magic will have no effect on something that has already become a carcass!"
Ella stared at Kazien with a look of horror mixed with awe. The man in front of her was not just a strong adventurer. Because the silver-white-haired man had just broken the laws of nature held firmly by all the magicians in the world.