Thud!
Eralio's knees finally gave out completely. The merchant's plump body slumped helplessly onto the ground, his back hitting the wooden wheel of the wagon quite hard. His breath was ragged, his eyes widening as he stared at Calian's hand, which had just saved his life from the tip of the dagger.
Wolvin slowly turned his head, looking at Calian's face after he stopped his movement. The Night Wolf youth's golden eyes sharpened, radiating a dense murderous aura, even though that gaze was directed at his own husband.
"Why did you stop me, Darling?" whispered Wolvin in a restrained tone full of annoyance. "He has to die. He already knows our true identities!"
"Don't do unnecessary things in the middle of a crowd like this, Wolvin." Calian whispered back. His tone sounded flat, yet the vibration of his voice was very firm and laden with the absolute authority of a leader. "Killing him here will only trigger panic. It is better if we discuss this with him and negotiate for his life later."
As a highly loyal spouse, Wolvin fundamentally never wanted to contradict his husband's words or decisions. However, his instincts continued to rebel. Right now, their secret identities had been leaked and discovered by a merchant, a possessor of a blessing capable of 'peeking' into a person's hidden personal data.
To Wolvin, letting a potential threat stay alive was a fatal mistake.
The Night Wolf youth stared intently at Calian's face for quite a while, searching for any hesitation in that pair of purple eyes. However, all he found was unwavering calmness and solid rationality.
In the end, Wolvin yielded. He took a long, deep breath to expel all his anger and suppress his killing intent back into the depths of his soul. The black dagger in his hand vanished, returning into his dimensional necklace.
"Alright, I will obey." said Wolvin, having no other choice but to trust his husband's calculation. "But remember this... I will immediately kill him without hesitation if I know he shows any suspicious behavior!"
After delivering that warning, the Night Wolf youth squatted right in front of Eralio, who was still trembling on the ground. He looked straight into the merchant's eyes.
"We hope you will not leak anything about what you have just discovered." Wolvin said in a very low tone full of blood-curdling threat. "Keep your mouth shut tight. If you end up ruining everything... I swear on my life, I will search for and find you, even if I have to chase you to the ends of this world."
The cold threat he had just heard felt like a sledgehammer striking Eralio's chest. The middle-aged man swallowed hard, increasingly regretting his actions of audaciously checking the personal data of these two monsters.
I should have restrained myself and not checked their personal profiles. Eralio thought, now swallowed in a vortex of regret. Cold sweat once again dripped down his temples. How do I convince them that I won't leak their secret? If I misspeak even slightly, this beastfolk will truly tear my throat out!
Amidst Eralio's internal panic, a calm voice intervened.
"Please stand up, Mr. Eralio!" Calian said flatly. Even though there was no hostility in his voice, the sentence sounded like an undeniable command. "If you remain sitting and trembling on the ground like this, your behavior will gradually attract too much attention from your workers."
His gaze then shifted, directing back to his spouse who was still squatting. "You too, Wolvin. Please stand up!"
Hearing that highly rational instruction, both the plump man and Wolvin finally stood up. Eralio hastily brushed the dust off his clothes and tried to compose his facial expression as best as he could, forcing a professional smile even though his legs were still trembling slightly. They blended back into the atmosphere, as if the deadly incident that had just occurred was merely a casual chat.
Right after they stood in a more relaxed position, the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. Five other adventurers, the adventurers who would escort the caravan's journey, had arrived at the meeting location.
From the five adventurers wearing quite decent combat gear, Calian and Wolvin could see a diverse racial composition: three humans, one female beastfolk from the Mountain Cat clan who possessed distinctively patterned ears and tail, as well as one male elf with long blond hair.
"Hello, everyone!" greeted a solidly built human adventurer walking at the very front as he arrived next to the wagon where Calian, Wolvin, and Eralio were. The man extended his hand with a friendly smile. "I am Robert, the leader of the Black Axe party. We are the Rank C party that accepted this mission."
Seeing the newly arrived adventurers, Eralio instantly put his merchant mask back on. He cleared his throat softly to neutralize his voice, which was still a bit hoarse.
"Welcome. I am Eralio, a merchant as well as the leader of the caravan entourage you will be escorting." the middle-aged man answered, introducing himself while returning Robert's handshake. Eralio then directed his hand to the side. "And these two youths are the adventurers who will also be escorting this long journey alongside you."
"Hello! I am Calian, and beside me is—" Calian greeted amiably, intending to introduce himself and his spouse normally.
However, before Calian could even finish his sentence, Wolvin suddenly interrupted swiftly.
"I am Wolvin! I am Calian's spouse, as well as his party member!" the Night Wolf youth cut in with a slightly raised and very firm tone of voice.
It was not without reason that Wolvin behaved that way. His pair of golden eyes were currently glaring sharply like dagger blades at the female beastfolk from the Mountain Cat clan standing behind Robert. The Night Wolf youth's tail instantly stiffened, as if he highly anticipated that his handsome husband would be seduced by the woman.
Damn it! Wolvin grumbled in annoyance in his heart. He gritted his teeth softly. Why, out of so many adventurers in Sellon City, does there have to be a race from the Mountain Cat clan coming along with our entourage? This is truly bad luck!
In the beastfolk world, the Mountain Cat clan indeed carried a rather troublesome stereotype. They were known to possess an alluring natural charm and not infrequently used that appeal to seduce stronger individuals.
Receiving such a sudden piercing glare from the Night Wolf beastfolk in front of her, the Mountain Cat woman naturally felt quite surprised and confused.
"Why are you glaring at me so sharply like that?" asked the Mountain Cat woman, unable to hide her bewilderment. "Do you have a personal problem with me? Or do you dislike having a Mountain Cat clan member escorting this caravan together with the two of you?"
"Of course that will be a problem!" Wolvin answered quickly without the slightest hesitation. His tone of voice truly showed blatant antipathy and dislike towards her. "Most of the Mountain Cat clan always look for opportunities to seduce someone stronger, regardless of whether that man already has a wife or not!"
Hearing the blunt accusation thrown by Wolvin with such a serious face, an awkward silence momentarily enveloped the group.
However, a few seconds later, an unexpected reaction occurred instead.
"Hahaha!"
The Mountain Cat woman laughed out loud until she clutched her stomach. She did not feel the least bit offended after hearing the ridiculous reason and classic stereotype behind the sharp, hostile glare from the Night Wolf youth.
"Oh my, you are too vigilant." said the woman after her laughter subsided, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Rest assured, I am not like what you think! I will not seduce your husband. Besides, I already have a husband whom I love very much, and just so you know... our party leader here is my husband."
Hearing that statement, Wolvin furrowed his brow, still not fully believing it. He immediately shifted his sharp glare to the human man named Robert.
"Is she speaking the truth?" demanded Wolvin, asking for confirmation.
"Yes, of course she is speaking the truth!" answered Robert casually without hesitation, wrapping his arm affectionately around the Mountain Cat woman's waist. "The two of us have been married for two years. So, you can rest easy, my wife is not like the majority of the Mountain Cat clan you have known all this time."
Hearing the proof and convincing words from the man, the tension in Wolvin's shoulders slowly loosened. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing that his blind jealousy had almost triggered an unnecessary conflict among teammates.
The Night Wolf youth then looked back at the Mountain Cat woman. Unexpectedly, he bowed his head and bent his body sincerely.
"I apologize for being consumed by prejudice and accusing you of such baseless things just now." Wolvin said, regretting his impulsive behavior.
The Mountain Cat woman was quite surprised, her mouth falling slightly open upon seeing Wolvin bowing his body. It was very rare, perhaps even almost unheard of, for her to see a beastfolk from the Night Wolf clan, a warrior clan famous for its high pride and immense stubbornness, willing to bow down just to apologize to another clan.
"T-This is the first time I have ever seen someone from the Night Wolf clan willing to bow their body to apologize like this." said the woman with an evident expression of amazement on her face. Her gaze shifted to Calian for a moment. "Is it... your husband who has changed your stubborn nature?"
Hearing that question, Wolvin slowly raised his body back up. He glanced briefly at Calian, who gave him a faint smile, then looked back at the Mountain Cat woman.
"Yes, he is the one who has changed me!" Wolvin answered in a tone laden with love and full of pride. His protective demeanor had vanished, replaced by his genuine friendliness. "By the way, to ensure our cooperation goes smoothly, what is your name and the names of your other companions?"
The Mountain Cat woman smiled warmly, appreciating Wolvin's change in attitude.
"My name is Catrina!" she answered gently, pointing to herself. Then she pointed to her friends one by one. "This man holding the shield beside me is named Esteban. That female magic user is named Nora. And the elven archer back there is named Alfred."
Hearing the complete introduction, Wolvin smiled widely, displaying his small fangs. His tail returned to wagging cheerfully behind him, signifying that he was fully ready to accept them as travel companions.
"Alright!" Wolvin responded with great enthusiasm. "Nice to meet all of you from both of us!"