Twilight began to paint the skies over the capital of the Kingdom of Astoria, casting a stunning reddish-orange glow across the rooftops of the classic-style buildings.
Amidst the bustle of the main streets, Arvin and Allen walked side-by-side toward the market district. Although they were currently wearing their academy uniforms, the commanding aura radiating from Arvin caused the crowd to unconsciously part and make way for them.
Upon arriving at the market, Arvin went straight to a meat stall owned by an elderly male merchant. Without preamble, his blue eyes swept over the entire array of hanging beef, lamb, and even high-quality monster meat.
"I'll buy everything." Arvin said flatly.
The butcher's eyes widened in shock, his mouth falling open slightly. "A-All of it, Young Master? But this is stock for three days...."
"Yes, all of it."
Without waiting for the merchant to wrap the meat, which would likely only waste time, Arvin stepped forward. He reached for the magic bag fastened at Allen's waist and opened its mouth. With elegant hand movements infused with a hint of mana, Arvin touched the piles of meat one by one.
Zip! Zip!
In the blink of an eye, dozens of kilograms of meat vanished, sucked into the dimension of the magic bag he was holding. The merchant could only gawk as his merchandise disappeared at lightning speed into the seemingly small bag.
Once the stall was completely empty, Arvin turned to the merchant, who stood frozen like a statue.
"How much for everything?" Arvin asked.
"Eh? Ah... th-that would be... a total of 150 Silvers, Young Master." the merchant stammered.
Arvin dug into his storage pocket. However, instead of taking out Silvers, he dropped 5Golds into the old merchant's rough palm.
The merchant's eyes nearly popped out of his head. His breath hitched in his throat.
"Y-Young Master?! Th-This... this is too much!" The merchant panicked, his hands trembling violently as he held the coins. "One Gold alone is worth a thousand Silvers! This is 5 Golds! T-This is enough to buy every single item in this entire market!"
Arvin gently brushed the merchant's hand away when he tried to return the money, then offered a faint smile.
"Take it. Consider it a bonus because you kept the quality of your meat fresh. Use the rest to fix your leaky roof and buy some good food for your family."
Allen, standing beside him, could only slap his forehead. He pulled gently on Arvin's sleeve once they had moved a bit of a distance away.
"My Husband...." Allen whispered in disbelief. "Do you realize what you just did? You paid 5 Golds for meat worth 150 Silvers? That is many times the actual price!"
Then, Allen pointed to the now-empty stall. "And what are you going to do with all that meat? Isn't that wasteful?"
Arvin turned, looking at Allen with a gaze that was gentle yet filled with principle. "So that you don't have to trouble yourself going to the market for a long time, Allen. I don't want your feet to get tired."
He patted the magic bag in his hand. "And relax, inside this magic bag, time stops for inanimate objects. That meat will stay fresh forever until we cook it."
Arvin glanced back at the merchant, who was now smiling with pure joy and gratitude not far from where they stood. "Besides, for a small merchant like him, a few Golds can change his family's fate. Do we not possess a vast amount of money and treasure right now?"
Allen, who initially wanted to protest about the price and the sheer quantity of goods bought, fell silent. He had forgotten that the magic bag his husband created was an extraordinary item. And indeed, they currently possessed a great deal of wealth. Arvin's humanitarian reasoning melted his heart. To Arvin, 5 Golds might be nothing, but to the common folk, it was an immense fortune.
"Oh my..." Allen complained with a long sigh, though his lips curved into a small smile. "Do as you please. You really are a strange person." Allen said resignedly, followed by another sigh. "Sometimes you can be strict, merciless, and rude, but other times you can be too kind and act like a child."
Hearing that, Arvin chuckled and pulled his spouse's hand again to continue wandering. "Come on, let's find the other ingredients!"
The shopping spree continued. They stopped at stalls selling vegetables, flour, and spices.
Every time they stopped, Arvin did the same thing. He would take the goods himself. Sacks of flour, crates of vegetables, and baskets of fruit, and put them into the magic bag with swift movements.
And every time he finished, he paid with Golds. Even though the price might have only been a few hundred Coppers or a few Silvers. His actions made the small merchants weep with emotion and bow respectfully repeatedly.
Allen, acting as the 'housewife', watched it all in silence. His heart warmed. His husband certainly appeared arrogant and acted on a whim, but every action was grounded in good intentions.
Ah... just let him do what he wants. Allen murmured inwardly while watching the side profile of his handsome husband, who was busy stuffing all the potatoes he had just bought into the magic bag. At least he looks very happy to be shopping with me while helping all the merchants here.
After the last stall selling various spices was cleared out, Arvin turned to face Allen.
"Allen?" Arvin called out suddenly.
"Yes, my Husband, what is it?" Allen responded softly.
"Is there anything else you want to buy?" Arvin asked, his eyes sweeping across the surrounding market where almost every stall was closing early because their goods were sold out. "Maybe we need to buy other supplies?"
Allen laughed crisp at the crazy idea. "That's everything, my Husband! Look, the market is almost empty because of you. In fact, everything we bought is more than enough."
"Hahaha. Really? Even though I feel like we only shopped a little." Arvin answered with an innocent, sinless face.
"Of course it's enough!" Allen exclaimed with feigned annoyance, showing a pouting face, though he only looked even cuter in Arvin's eyes.
"Alright, alright. Don't be angry like that, my cute Allen. You actually look even cuter when you pout." teased Arvin.
Allen became flustered and shy after hearing his husband's words.
After returning Allen's magic bag that he had used for shopping, Arvin held out his hand. "In that case, let's head to the Merchant Guild now!" Arvin invited, holding back the urge to pinch his spouse's adorable cheeks. "I'm sure Alrain and Yonna are still there. Let's pick them up, then go to our new home together!"
Allen nodded in agreement, accepting his husband's outstretched hand. And so, the two of them left the market, heading toward the Merchant Guild to pick up Alrain and Yonna.