The warmth of their embrace still lingered between them, soft and steady like a flame sheltered from the wind, when they finally parted. Even as they pulled away, their foreheads remained lightly touching, breaths brushing together—silent promises exchanged without words. Alvin's earlier anxiety had dissolved completely, swept away by Kazien's unwavering affirmation.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They simply stood there, wrapped in the deep calm that followed honest vulnerability.
Then, finally, Kazien exhaled and smiled faintly.
"Come on," he murmured, stroking Alvin's hair. "We still have work to do."
Alvin nodded, cheeks lightly flushed. "Right… let's finish gathering everything."
Hand in hand, they returned to the glittering piles of Silver Pholidota scales scattered across the cavern floor. The scales reflected their light magic like shards of tiny moons, scattered in the darkness. Each piece shimmered with the distinct pale gleam of pure silver—dense, heavy, and incredibly durable.
Kazien crouched and lifted a scale the size of his palm.
"With this many… I can forge armor strong enough to withstand!" he said, excitement rising in his voice. "The knights won't have to fear sudden attacks. And the defensive line of Altavis—" He stopped himself and laughed lightly. "I'm getting carried away."
"That's a good thing," Alvin replied, smiling at him softly. "It means you're already thinking about protecting your people."
Kazien's hands paused.
My people…
A warmth flickered briefly behind his eyes before he forced himself to focus again.
"Let's gather all of it."
Together, they worked for several minutes—collecting, sorting, and storing the scales in Kazien's dimensional space. The repetitive motion felt almost peaceful, grounding them after the intense battle and the emotional confession.
When they finally looked around, the cavern floor was completely bare.
"That should be everything." Kazien said, dusting his hands.
Alvin nodded and clapped his hands lightly. "Now what?"
Kazien raised his palm toward the cavern walls. "Now… we make sure nothing like this ever nests here again."
He summoned his earth-element magic.
The ground trembled.
Loose rocks began shifting, flowing like thick mud but moving under his precise control.
Alvin watched in silent admiration as Kazien sealed the cavern from the inside out—layer after layer of compacted stone closing the tunnel until the entrance stood completely blocked.
"It'll be too dense for another Silver Pholidota to dig through," Kazien explained. "Better safe than sorry."
Alvin stepped closer, looping his arm around Kazien's.
"You're amazing, you know that?"
Kazien just replied with a big smile to Alvin.
They exited the area, expecting silence and solitude.
Instead—
They froze the moment they stepped out.
Standing near the newly sealed cliffside were men clad in noble armor—crests of two major families reflecting under the sun. Leading them were none other than Duke Elgard and Duke Hubert.
Alvin straightened immediately.
Kazien blinked in surprise.
Duke Hubert crossed his arms. "Why did you close the cave without informing anyone?"
Kazien's eyebrow twitched.
"That cavern is the nest of a Silver Pholidota," he explained, trying to keep his annoyance in check. "If it stayed open, more could appear. I prevented that risk."
Hubert frowned. "Regardless of the reason, this region is under my jurisdiction. You should have allowed an investigation first."
Kazien stared at him. "Investigation? Are you serious right now?"
Before Hubert could retort, Kazien flicked his hand.
A swirling rift opened beside him.
One by one—
Bodies of monsters began appearing, thudding heavily onto the ground.
D-rank wolves.
C-rank iron-backed boars.
B-rank thunder apes.
Several A-rank monsters.
And finally—
The massive corpse of the Silver Pholidota, scales gleaming brilliantly in the afternoon sun.
Gasps erupted from the soldiers. Even Duke Hubert took an involuntary step back.
Kazien folded his arms.
"If you're so eager to investigate, start with this!" he said coldly. "These monsters didn't just appear out of nowhere. Look at all these monster corpses. Then tell me again what I shouldn't have done!"
No one answered. No one could answer. Even Duke Elgard, watching the scene, let out a helpless sigh.
Kazien's expression softened slightly. "Check the nearby village. Many people died. If we hadn't killed these monsters, the casualties would be even greater."
He didn't wait for a response.
He climbed onto Lidaz, who crouched down to let them mount.
"Where are you going?" Duke Elgard called out.
"To Haslott. The monsters we killed—aside from the S-rank one—I'll sell them. The profit will go directly to the families of the victims."
Hubert frowned. "Why sell them there?"
"Because distributing compensation through you, Duke Hubert, who is the lord of this territory, is the correct political procedure." Kazien replied bluntly. "But I'm not doing this as a noble. I'm doing this as an S-rank adventurer."
He raised a single finger.
"In return, all I want is the body of the Silver Pholidota."
Hubert's jaw tightened, but he eventually nodded. "Very well… I accept."
Kazien gave a small bow. "Thank you for cooperating, Duke Hubert."
Then he turned to Lidaz. "Let's go, Lidaz!"
"Gwak!"
Lidaz spread his wings, wind whipping around them before he launched into the sky. The ground shrank beneath them as tension remained trapped on the cliffside.
The griffon landed in front of the bustling Haslott Adventurer's Guild, drawing attention from passersby. Lidaz shook out his feathers proudly, earning admiring stares.
"Lidaz," Kazien said, patting his neck. "Wait here. Keep watch."
"As you command, master."
Kazien and Alvin walked into the guild together.
Inside, chatter filled the air—until people noticed the unfamiliar high elf beside Kazien. Heads turned. Whispers rippled. Alvin, as always, pretended not to notice, focusing instead on his future husband.
The receptionist at the front desk, a beautiful girl greeted them with a bright smile.
"Good afternoon. I'm Liona, the recep—"
"We'd like to sell several monsters," Kazien cut in politely. "And we need the payment transferred to Duke Hubert Guartav."
Liona blinked. "Ah… may I see your adventurer IDs first?"
Kazien and Alvin handed them over.
Liona scanned them—
And her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "S… S-rank!? Both of you are S-rank already!?"
Before she recovered, Kazien spoke again. "We'll need a large space. The storage dimension won't open safely here."
"The guild grounds," she replied quickly. "Please follow me."
Curiosity drew a crowd behind them as they stepped into the back courtyard.
Kazien didn't waste time. "Liona, are you aware of the monster attacks on the settlements recently?"
"Yes," Liona said. "Many villages reported casualties."
"This," Kazien said, opening his dimensional space again, "is the source."
The Silver Pholidota appeared on the ground with a heavy crash.
The air froze.
"S-Silver Pholidota!?"
"It's really an S-rank monster!"
"Did they kill it themselves!?"
Liona swallowed. "Wh… what do you want to do with this one?"
Kazien shook his head. "Not selling it. This one is mine."
He stored it back instantly. Then he summoned everything else—hundreds of monsters piling into the courtyard, forming a grotesque hill that left the guild staff utterly speechless.
"This is what I came to sell!" he said. "Please process them immediately. The payment is to be delivered to Duke Hubert today."
"Understood!"
Kazien and Alvin turned around and intended to leave the guild courtyard.
"Please take care of all the monsters and send the money to Duke Hubert as fast as possible!" Kazien called out once more before leaving the yard.
"Okay! I will do it right away!" Liona shouted back.
Outside, Lidaz was waiting faithfully in the open area in front of the guild, his wings folded neatly and his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Lidaz! We need to leave, now!" Kazien ordered.
"Understood, Master!" the griffon responded, lowering his body to let them mount him.
Kazien climbed up first, then pulled Alvin up behind him. Once both were securely seated, Lidaz spread his massive wings, the gust of wind blowing dust across the street and drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Hold on tight," Kazien whispered to Alvin.
Alvin nodded, wrapping his arms around Kazien's waist.
With a powerful flap, Lidaz lifted off the ground—rising high into the air, leaving the guild courtyard and the astonished adventurers far below.
"We're heading to the village southwest of here!" Kazien shouted over the wind.
"As you command!" Lidaz roared back as he veered southward, cutting through the sky with incredible speed.
Behind them, the guild remained in chaos—everyone still discussing the identities of the two young S-rank adventurers—while Lidaz sped through the Haslot city, rushing toward the devastated village.