Calian and Wolvin stepped through the hustle and bustle of the caravan workers who were loading the last of the goods into the row of wagons. The scent of dry hay and horses filled the morning air.
Just as they approached the main horse-drawn carriage, which featured the most luxurious design, an overweight older man dressed in high-quality silk garments came over to greet them.
The man had a round face, a thick handlebar mustache, and the trademark commercial smile of a seasoned merchant who had weathered much in life.
For a moment, his pace slowed. The midle-aged man stared intently at the figure of the purple-haired youth and the Night Wolf beastfolk youth standing tall before him.
"Good morning!" greeted the plump man in a very friendly tone. "Are the two of you among the adventurers who took the guild's request to escort us to Gias City?"
Hearing the greeting, Calian and Wolvin exchanged a brief glance. The phrase 'among the adventurers' immediately made them realize that they would not be the only ones assigned to guard the caravan on this escort mission.
However, as they looked around, they saw no signs of other adventurers present around the north gate at the moment.
"Yes, you are correct, Sir," Calian answered politely and calmly. He gave a small nod. "I am Calian, and he is..."
"I am Wolvin!" answered the Night Wolf youth in an enthusiastic and cheerful tone, immediately completing the introduction his husband had yet to finish. His tail wagged slowly behind him, showing his friendliness.
"The two of us are Rank A adventurers." Calian stated again after Wolvin introduced himself, simultaneously handing over the officially stamped parchment scroll from the guild to the man in front of him.
Learning that the two youths standing before him were Rank A adventurers, the man's eyes instantly lit up. He accepted the parchment and let out a very relieved sigh.
"Ah... this is truly extraordinary! The presence of two Rank A adventurers to escort our journey is certainly a great blessing!" the man exclaimed, his tone still very polite but now filled with genuine enthusiasm. He tucked the parchment away and immediately extended his hand forward. "I am Eralio, a merchant and the leader of this caravan entourage."
Calian smiled faintly. He accepted the outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Eralio."
After their handshake was released, Wolvin also stepped forward and shook the old man's extended hand.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Eralio!" he greeted with a sweet smile that revealed a hint of his fangs.
However, at the exact second Wolvin and Eralio's skin touched, the old merchant secretly focused his mana.
As a merchant who frequently traveled across various regions and met many strangers, Eralio had an absolute habit of always using his blessing, [Valuation], on every guard he hired to ensure they were not bandits in disguise.
A transparent information window visible only to Eralio instantly appeared in the air. However, what was written there immediately made the man's heart feel as if it had stopped beating.
•Name: Calian Larvin / Calian Wallfend Zien Da Erthland (22nd Future Emperor of the Erthland Empire)
•Age: 17 years old (Maybe)
•Blessing: [T*** ***p] (Details: Obscured / Unreadable)
Eralio's eyes widened stiffly. His body instantly tensed. He quickly shifted the focus of his blessing to the Night Wolf youth, who was still smiling and standing loyally beside Calian. A new information window appeared, overlapping the old one.
Name: Wolvin Wallfend Zien Da Erthland (Spouse of Calian Wallfend Zien Da Erthland, Future Empress of the Erthland Empire)
Age: 18 years old (Maybe)
Blessing: [True Assassin]
The air around Eralio suddenly felt as if it had vanished. His breath hitched in his throat.
Oh Gods... I never expected that these two Rank A adventurers who look so young are the future supreme leaders of the Erthland Empire! Eralio screamed internally in shock.
Suddenly, beads of cold sweat began to emerge from the pores of his face and neck, dampening his silk collar. His head spun.
I don't know what kind of blessing Prince Calian possesses that the transparent panel of my blessing cannot read it. But...
Eralio swallowed hard, then turned to look at the face of the Night Wolf youth, who was currently chatting lightly with Calian.
This Night Wolf beastfolk truly possesses a terrifying blessing! [True Assassin]? That blessing is the absolute peak of the [Assassin] class hierarchy. He could snuff out my life before I even had the chance to blink!
Amidst the panic overwhelming him, there was one more thing that threw Eralio's logical mind into chaos. He stared back at the fading information window in his mind, looking at the section displaying the two youths' ages.
What does the word 'maybe' mean regarding both of their ages? Eralio wondered, now struck by extreme confusion. For the decades I have used this [Valuation] blessing, a person's age has always been written in absolute, exact numbers. This is truly bizarre!
While Eralio battled his own sanity inside his head, Wolvin's instincts immediately reacted as he noticed a highly awkward change in the plump man before him.
Eralio's friendly smile looked as stiff as a cracked mask, his pupils dilated in fear, his heartbeat raced erratically, and the scent of cold sweat wafting from the man's body truly told the whole story.
Wolvin narrowed his golden eyes. His cheerful aura evaporated without a trace. The Night Wolf youth cast a quick glance around his surroundings, making sure the caravan workers were busy with their own tasks and that not a single one was paying attention to the three of them.
Feeling that the situation was safe and under control, Wolvin immediately stepped forward, closing the distance and approaching Eralio without hesitation. His face was only a few inches away from the merchant's pale visage.
"Are you the possessor of a blessing useful for viewing a person's hidden personal data?" asked Wolvin in a fairly low tone, almost like a whisper, yet every syllable dripped with lethal intimidation.
Calian, standing beside him, was slightly surprised by the sudden shift in atmosphere. He furrowed his brow, processing what his spouse had just said to the middle-aged man.
As for Eralio, his legs felt like they had turned to jelly. He was both incredibly shocked and horrified because the cute-faced Night Wolf youth in front of him had not only noticed his use of magic but had also guessed the function of his blessing with absolute accuracy in less than five seconds.
Seeing the man's shoulders trembling slightly and his lips suddenly struck mute, Wolvin could confirm that his deduction was indeed one hundred percent correct.
No wonder this old man chose and succeeded in becoming a merchant if he possesses a blessing that can uncover hidden details about people and objects. Wolvin analyzed coldly. That blessing will be a threatening the secrecy of the two of us!
"Answer me honestly!" pressed the Night Wolf youth. His voice grew deeper, sharper, and highly threatening, as if the jaws of a giant wolf were ready to chew Eralio's head off. "Who are the two of us, really?"
Eralio felt his knees were ready to give out at any moment. A barrage of imperial family titles flashed through his mind, overlapping with the threat right in front of him.
"Y-Y-You are the future Empress... and h-h-he over there is the future Emperor!" Eralio answered haltingly, his voice deliberately lowered to the absolute minimum, scared half to death that their secret might leak from his own mouth.
Hearing his husband's true identity and his own stated so plainly in an open place like this, Wolvin's eyes flashed dangerously.
Wolvin's right hand moved very fluidly, immediately pulling out his beloved black dagger from his dimensional storage necklace.
The moment the dagger's hilt was in his grasp, Wolvin immediately prepared to end Eralio's life right then and there, as the man had discovered their disguised identities.
In the eyes of the Night Wolf youth, Eralio was a threat that had to be eliminated without a trace immediately.
The middle-aged man did not even have time to react upon seeing the flash of black iron that suddenly appeared, ready to pierce his stomach. He could only widen his eyes in horror.
Oh no! the old man thought in resignation. There was no time left to scream or run away. He felt deep regret for having used his blessing on these two monster adventurers. Am I going to die here?
However, right before the tip of the deadly blade could tear the silk of Eralio's clothing, a hand moved faster than the wind.
Grab!
Calian took a half step and immediately gripped Wolvin's wrist tightly. His grip was incredibly strong yet painless, stopping his spouse's intention to kill Eralio.
A deadly silence now froze the three of them amidst the bustling morning preparations of the caravan.