Eralio, who had been watching from afar all along, felt incredibly amazed. As a merchant, he knew exactly the value of spatial artifacts. A necklace with such a massive dimensional capacity must be an extremely expensive treasure that could not be bought just anywhere.
His merchant brain instantly peaked. He wanted to ask about the origin of such a rare item, but he also felt hesitant and afraid.
After steeling himself and tempted by the imagination of how easy it would be to transport merchandise if he possessed that spatial storage necklace, Eralio finally mustered the courage to step closer and ask.
"E-Excuse me... where did you buy that extraordinary spatial necklace, Wolvin?" he asked in the most polite tone possible.
"Ah... this necklace?" Wolvin asked back, holding the pendant on his chest.
Eralio immediately answered with an enthusiastic nod.
"This necklace isn't something I bought." Wolvin answered in a very natural, innocent tone. "This necklace was given directly to me by Calian's mother. So, I don't know exactly where my mother-in-law got it."
Hearing that very lighthearted answer, Eralio instantly froze. His mouth was slightly open, but no sound came out.
Given directly by Calian's mother?
Eralio's brain repeated the sentence. The fact that Calian was a prince of the Erthland Empire hit his consciousness like a sledgehammer.
D-D-Does that mean... the necklace was given directly by Her Majesty the Empress?! the merchant thought, his legs feeling weak again. His dread resurfaced. He had just asked about the price of an heirloom belonging to the most powerful royal family in the Erthland Empire territory.
The man broke into a cold sweat, swearing internally to never again discuss any object attached to the bodies of that married couple.
Seeing the strange behavior of Eralio who suddenly stood like a statue, Calian only sighed.
"Mr. Eralio?" Calian called out, breaking the awkward silence created by the merchant. "Could we halt the journey and set up camp to rest here for a while?"
Hearing that unexpected request, Eralio blinked his eyes. He immediately looked up and stared at the sky. Overcast clouds were indeed hanging low, but the day was still considered early. Then, he looked back at Calian with a look of confusion.
"Why do you suddenly want to rest now?" Eralio asked, this time his professional instinct as a merchant slightly overcoming his fear. "Isn't it still early in the day? If we stop here, our schedule will be delayed by a full day. I... I am worried about the quality of the food ingredients and fruits in the rear wagons that I will be selling. They could rot if left on the road for too long."
Calian stared straight toward the dense forest flanking the dirt road.
"I want a few of us to inspect the area around this forest!" Calian replied, explaining his true intention, his tone of voice turning more serious. "Logically, if there is a large-scale bandit group intercepting on the main road, their temporary base must be hidden somewhere around here, right?"
Eralio fell silent, unable to refute that logic.
"I don't care about their looted treasures. But... I just want to be sure." the purple-haired youth continued, his eyes radiating a hint of care he rarely showed. "I want to ensure that there are no innocent people currently being held captive inside their base, only to end up rotting to death in vain just because we ignored them and left just like that."
The explanation Calian had just given was highly logical and undeniable. From any perspective, ignoring the possibility of innocent lives being held captive in a bandit lair was not the right course of action.
However, as a merchant whose business cycle relied heavily on his sales profits, Eralio felt conflicted.
A heavy dilemma struck his mind. On one hand, delaying the journey for a full day amidst this humid weather meant letting the food commodities and fruits in his rear wagons rot. The financial loss he would bear was not small.
But on the other hand, he lacked even the slightest ounce of courage to oppose the request of an imperial prince, especially after watching the youth slaughter those powerful bandits in the blink of an eye.
The middle-aged man fell silent and became lost in his own thoughts, causing the area around the caravan to fall into silence for the second time.
Seeing the lines of anxiety on the merchant's face, Calian sighed softly.
"You don't need to worry about the goods you are selling, Mr. Eralio." Calian said, breaking the silence, trying to ease the merchant's mind. "If that does happen, I will help you handle all your merchandise."
Eralio felt confused by the words he had just heard. How could he possibly maintain the freshness of the food ingredients and fruits out in the middle of nowhere?
However, as he looked up and met the purple-haired youth's pair of eyes that held no hesitation, the man cast his doubts aside and finally gave a nod of agreement.
The final decision made by their client successfully left Robert, Catrina, and Nora astonished. Throughout their careers, this was the first time they had seen a high-class client who hired adventurers actually submit to an adventurer's wishes without the slightest objection.
In their eyes, Calian's figure became increasingly shrouded in mystery. The youth now appeared to be a powerful adventurer who was not only lethal in combat but also possessed massive influence and authority, capable of bending even a wealthy and renowned merchant like Eralio to his will.
Without a second thought, Eralio immediately ordered his workers to secure the wagons and rest.
....
A few moments later, as the caravan area began to bustle with activity, Calian, Wolvin, and the members of the Black Axe party immediately held a discussion to divide the tasks for locating the base of the bandits they had just killed.
Once a strategic agreement was reached, it was decided that Calian and Wolvin would deploy first to inspect the dense forest area on the left side of the main road. Meanwhile, the Black Axe party was given the crucial task of guarding the merchant's wagon entourage from any potential follow-up attacks.
"Alright..." Calian said as he stood up, looking at his fellow adventurers for a moment. "The two of us will head out first!"
"Yes!" Robert answered with a firm nod, readying his axe. "Stay vigilant in there!"
Without wasting any time, the married couple turned around and walked side by side into the depths of the forest, leaving behind Eralio and the Black Axe party, who had to stand guard near the row of wagons.