Calian stood in silence, looking at Holvis's lifeless body sprawled on the ground for a moment. His eyes stared blankly, ensuring there were no remaining traces of life left in the bandit he had just killed.
Expressionless, Calian bent down, then began to drag the lifeless body with one hand, walking back toward the caravan, creating a dragging sound that set one's teeth on edge. Blood still dripping from Holvis's chest stained the ground, forming a long, straight red line as the stiff body was dragged.
Upon arriving near the front line of the caravan, Calian swung his arm.
Thud!
He roughly threw Holvis's corpse until it rolled and piled up right next to the bodies of Silgard and the other bandits.
Calian directed his gaze to Eralio, who was still standing stiffly near the carriage.
"Mr. Eralio?" Calian called out, his voice returning to its usual normalcy, as if the massacre earlier was merely something insignificant. "Will handing over the corpses of these bandits to the adventurer guild or the city guards yield a reward?"
Eralio flinched in surprise when his name was called. The middle-aged man swallowed hard.
"Y-Yes, of course! It is very likely!" he answered nervously, his voice trembling slightly, still overwhelmed by an immense fear of the youth's mysterious and deadly power. "If there is an official request to subjugate them on the guild board, you will definitely receive a sizable reward from the local authorities."
Calian nodded slowly, understanding the information. He then directed his gaze to Robert, the leader of the Black Axe party, who was standing not far from him with a tense face.
"Hearing that... I hope you and all your party members can cooperate with me." Calian said casually, yet there was a binding firmness in his tone. "When we arrive in Gias City and hand over these corpses, just tell the guild that all of us fought and defeated this bandit group together."
Hearing the unexpected request, Robert's brow furrowed. As a man who highly upheld the pride of an adventurer, his first instinct was to refuse. He felt that it was Calian's absolute right, having slaughtered all those bandits single-handedly. Boasting about a contribution he had never made felt like a stain on his own honor.
Robert opened his mouth, preparing to voice his objection. However, before a sound could even leave his throat, Calian cut him off.
"I strongly advise you against refusing my request." Calian asserted, a killing intent peeking from behind his gaze. "If you refuse and let my name become the center of attention... then I have no other choice but to do what I must do to all of you right here."
That veiled threat made Robert's breath hitch. He realized Calian could simply kill them all right here to eliminate witnesses, as easily as flipping his palm.
Sensing her husband's life was threatened, Catrina immediately stepped forward, positioning herself slightly in front of Robert. Her cat ears stood erect, enduring the tension.
"Tell us your reason first!" Catrina chimed in suddenly, looking at Calian with the remnants of her courage. "What is your reason for wanting us to cooperate with you? You are a very strong Rank A adventurer. Why do you want to share this fame with us who didn't even contribute anything?"
Hearing the highly logical question from the Mountain Cat woman, Calian's intimidating aura slowly faded. He let out a short sigh.
"The reason is quite simple!" Calian answered casually again, glancing briefly at Wolvin who stood watching him. "Being a Rank A adventurer alone is already very conspicuous. Right now, I just want to adventure calmly, relaxedly, and freely with my spouse without having to be monitored. I think... you understand exactly what my words mean."
Robert's brain worked quickly. The answer he had just heard immediately opened his train of thought.
If he alone takes all the contribution for this, his name will instantly blow up. Robert thought, beginning to unravel the common thread of their current situation. He will definitely be targeted, interrogated, or even strictly monitored by the nobles and military rulers in Gias City. His freedom as an adventurer will be forcefully snatched away for the sake of the city's political interests.
Cooperating to hide Calian's true strength would not only save the lives of the Black Axe party from the threat, but also grant them massive reputation and money. It was a mutual symbiosis born from a subtle coercion.
After thinking everything through thoroughly, Robert finally lowered his shoulders and nodded in agreement.
"Very well, I understand your position. We will cooperate with you and maintain this story so it continues to look like a group battle." Robert decided professionally. "But I hope you won't complain if the reward is later divided equally among us as well. That is the payment for keeping our mouths shut."
Calian smiled faintly, feeling satisfied with the answer Robert gave him. "Not a problem. Not a single penny is a problem. I don't really care about the reward anyway."
Once the agreement was reached, the tension among them finally completely subsided. Calian then turned his head, looking at his spouse with a much warmer gaze.
"Wolvin, could I ask you for a favor to put all these corpses into your necklace? If we transport them using the wagons, the smell will attract forest monsters, and the blood will stain our client's merchandise."
Hearing his husband's request, the Night Wolf youth's tail wagged slowly. "Okay, Darling! Just leave it to me."
With Calian's help, Wolvin began to gather all the bandits' corpses. They lifted the stiff bodies and piled them at a single spot on the side of the road, keeping the blood away from the wagon's path.
Wolvin performed the task with a cheerful face as if he were arranging a pile of firewood, making the members of the Black Axe party swallow hard upon seeing the stark contrast in the cute youth's demeanor.
After all the corpses were piled up neatly, Wolvin stood in front of them. He touched the jewel pendant on his necklace, then focused his mana.
Zip!
In the blink of an eye, the pile of corpses along with their weapons and the blood splattered around them were sucked into an invisible void, vanishing without a trace, leaving the dirt road clean once again.