The silence that followed was suffocating. This was the first murder in history to happen so openly inside the guild lobby, yet not a single soul dared to protest.
After his task was done, Alvin's murderous aura vanished instantly. He trotted over to Kazien, hugging the young man's back in a spoiled manner.
"My dear, are you still in a bad mood?" Alvin asked with a gentle voice.
"Still am!" Kazien answered curtly without looking back. "Now, report our presence in the capital! Show your license card to Emma!"
Alvin pouted, sulking slightly because Kazien was still in a bad mood. However, he still handed his license card to Emma, whose hands were still trembling.
Emma took the card, and her eyes widened as she read the full name inscribed on it.
"Alvin Dass'el Latreess?" Emma stammered. "The middle name 'Dass'el'... Do... do you mean you are a member of the elven royal family from the Reavel Continent?"
"Yes, that's correct!" Alvin answered casually. "But, I don't care about my title as the Crown Prince anymore. Right now, I am just Alvin, an adventurer and the future wife of Kazien Altavis!"
Once again, the guild was in an uproar. The son of Duke Altavis engaged to an Elf Prince?
"He said future wife? Isn't he a man?" whispered an adventurer.
"No! This can't be! The prince of my dreams..." screamed a female adventurer in frustration, nearly pulling out her own hair.
Alvin looked at them with a confused gaze. "So what? Originally, High Elves like me do not have a fixed gender at birth. But because Kazien really likes cute boys, I chose to become the cute boy he wanted!"
That answer short-circuited the adventurers' brains.
"Are you crazy? What if the Duke's family finds out about this relationship?" asked one of the senior adventurers.
"Hahaha," laughed Alvin crisply. "They already know and have blessed our relationship. In fact, more than eight months ago, your King himself witnessed our engagement!"
The women present felt their world crumble. Two of the most handsome men with honorable noble titles were taken by each other. Some of them even fainted from sheer shock.
Emma tried hard to gather her sanity. She took a deep breath. "I-If I may ask, why have people as strong as you come to the capital?"
"Emma, just relax. No need to speak formally." cut in Kazien.
"O-Okay!" Emma responded nervously.
"He and I came because tomorrow we will be active as students at the academy."
"Huh?" Emma gaped. "Aren't you already Rank S? Why would you want to be academy students?"
"Just for personal satisfaction!" Kazien answered lightly. "We want to have graduation certificates from the academy to hang on our house wall. It looks good for decoration."
Emma and everyone else there were speechless. What kind of reason was that? Just for wall decoration?
"W-When did you become Rank S?" asked Emma, trying to take notes even though her hands felt weak.
"Since nine months ago. We were still 13 years old back then."
"What mission made you rise in rank so quickly?"
"During an escort mission for a guild supervisor, we killed more than 30 Shadow Tigers and a Shadow Tiger King. That supervisor recommended us."
Emma gulped. Shadow Tigers were monsters that were very difficult to kill.
"Then what else?"
"While in the Guartav region, we killed hundreds of monsters and a Silver Pholidota. Here is the proof!"
Kazien took out a metallic silver scale from his storage pocket and placed it on the table.
The silver gleam transfixed everyone's eyes. The Silver Pholidota was a legendary monster with absolute defense.
"What did you use the magic crystal and the other scales for? Is this the only one you brought?" asked Emma in amazement, holding the hard scale.
"Of course, I gave all the scales to make equipment for my father's military forces in the Altavis territory! It's the best armor material." explained Kazien. "What's left is just the body, only the meat and skin. I didn't know what to use it for."
"Sell it to us! The guild will buy it!" exclaimed Emma enthusiastically.
"How much is it?" asked Alvin suddenly.
"Show me the condition of the body first."
Kazien asked everyone to step back four meters. Once the space was clear, he waved his hand.
BANG!
A gigantic monster carcass fell onto the lobby floor, making the building shake slightly.
Everyone gaped at the form of the monster. The legendary Silver Pholidota looked terrifying yet pitiable. All of its silver scales had been forcibly plucked out, leaving thick, dark gray skin naked and flesh exposed in several parts. Without its silver shield, the monster looked like a giant mound of helpless meat.
"The condition... is completely clean without scales." murmured Emma, examining it carefully. "Only the hard skin and meat remain. But the condition is still very fresh. How did you kill it without damaging the meat?"
"Ah... I removed the battle wounds on the flesh so its freshness would be maintained," answered Kazien casually.
"Okay... the calculation is like this." Emma returned to business mode. "If complete with the crystal and scales, the price could reach 530 gold pieces. But since it's only meat and skin, the guild dares to pay 86 gold pieces and 378 silver pieces!"
"Deal!" they answered in unison.
"But, why would the guild buy this body without scales?" asked Alvin curiously.
"Silver Pholidota meat is a delicacy in luxury restaurants in the capital. The skin can also still be used for ordinary leather crafts. You didn't know?"
Alvin's eyes sparkled. "Wait! Then I want to ask for a little bit of the meat!"
"Just take it. I'll restore the meat part later so the weight doesn't decrease," answered Kazien casually.
Alvin enthusiastically took out a kitchen knife, then with the skill of a professional chef, he sliced a large chunk of the monster's meat from the thick thigh part.
"Why are you taking that much?" asked Emma, shocked to see the large cut in Alvin's hand.
"I will make a delicious dish for my beloved future husband after finding out the recipe for processing Silver Pholidota meat!" answered Alvin cheerfully.
"You... can cook?"
"Of course! Kazien eats my cooking every day!"
Emma was both incredulous and insecure when she found out that Alvin could cook and beat her, a woman who had no cooking skills whatsoever.
After Alvin finished securing the meat, Kazien aimed his hand back at the gaping hole in the monster's thigh. A soft green light radiated from his palm.
Sizzle... Sizzle...
In the blink of an eye, the muscle tissue and skin on the monster's thigh knitted back together. Fresh red meat grew to cover the hole, and the gray skin covered it smoothly again. The monster was whole again like before Alvin sliced it—of course, still without its silver scales.
"What did you just do?!" shouted Emma, her voice rising an octave. "You grew back meat that had been cut from a corpse?!"
"I just restored and regenerated the flesh cells to the condition before they were cut. What's so strange?" asked Kazien innocently.
"That is unnatural! Only you can regenerate a monster corpse's body like that!" exclaimed Emma in frustration.
Kazien and Alvin looked at each other, then simultaneously shrugged their shoulders as if it was perfectly normal.
Seeing the casual reaction from both of them, Emma held her forehead. Her head was about to explode because of the crazy abilities Kazien showed. What the hell is with this couple! They are truly beyond reason!
Emma gave up. She didn't want to ask anymore or her brain would short-circuit. She immediately processed the payment and walked to the vault room.
While waiting, a male adventurer dared to approach.
"Hey... how did you guys defeat a monster this hard? Especially when it still had complete scales?"
Kazien turned. "Attack the underside of its body that isn't scaled."
"But it always curls up!" protested the man.
"Every attack lasts six times in a row," explained Kazien analytically. "The interval is only four seconds before a new attack begins. I attacked right in that four-second gap."
"So... you analyzed its every movement in the middle of a deadly battle?"
"Yes. Alvin acted as the bait dodging attacks with his speed, while I calculated its attack patterns and delivered the final blow."
The adventurers in the lobby looked at Kazien with newfound respect. Not just muscle strength, but his combat intelligence was extraordinary.
Suddenly, Alvin pinched Kazien's cheek playfully.
"Ouch, that hurts!" complained Kazien flatly.
"At least, show me your smile if you feel proud explaining that!" demanded Alvin, his face very close. "Don't keep sulking!"
Not wanting to disappoint the person he loved deeply, and realizing that Alvin had done everything for his mood, Kazien finally gave in.
His lips curved to form a genuine smile that was incredibly handsome, causing the cold aura around him to melt instantly.