As they walked through the bustling main streets of the Astoria Kingdom's capital, the presence of the group of youths inevitably became the center of attention.
Eight youths with handsome features walked side by side.
Allen, Alrain, and Ordion led the way at the front, while the other five youths, Davin, Arion, Dylan, Victor, and Alrian, followed with calm steps close to them.
The gazes of the capital's residents and the passing merchants could not tear themselves away from their charm. However, the people's attention was not solely focused on their handsomeness.
The keen eyes of the residents noticed that four out of the five new youths walking with Allen, Alrain, and Ordion still did not have the white contract symbol on the back of their respective right hands.
Upon seeing the intimacy and closeness naturally intertwined among the eight youths, the residents felt utterly certain that they were all Arvin Vedegra's spouses. However, at the same time, the people became puzzled and whispered to one another upon realizing the absence of the head of the family among them.
Amidst the increasingly loud whispers, a girl who felt so curious about the handsome youths gathered her courage. With hesitant steps, she broke through the small crowd and stepped closer to them.
The sudden arrival of a girl blocking their path immediately made Allen and the others halt their steps in unison.
"Is there anything the matter, Miss?" Alrain asked, opening the conversation in a calm and polite tone.
"I... I am just feeling curious." the girl answered in a nervous voice, her face flushing slightly from being stared at directly by them. "Are the four of them who don't have the contract symbol yet also Young Master Arvin Vedegra's spouses?"
The green-haired youth showed no change in expression whatsoever. He responded with a slow nod. "Yes, they are Arvin's spouses."
That short, concise, and clear answer from Alrain instantly sent the girl, as well as the crowd around them who had been eavesdropping, into an uproar.
Gasps of surprise were heard from various directions. None of them expected that Arvin Vedegra actually had five other handsome youths taken as his spouses.
For the capital's residents, it was the first case they had ever witnessed: a handsome man having eight handsome male spouses simultaneously. In the eyes of the general public who still strictly adhered to conventional traditions, the large-scale same-sex relationship Arvin engaged in was a highly strange and unconventional phenomenon.
"If they were all women, I could still understand it because of their function to pass on the bloodline." an old woman whispered to her friend beside her with a cynical look. "But, if he gathers men like them who cannot even produce offspring, isn't that a massive waste?"
"You are right!" another woman chimed in, shaking her head slowly. "It feels like such a pity. Those handsome youths will eventually grow old and die without having offspring as handsome as their faces. What exactly is that Young Master thinking?"
The judgmental and disbelieving whispers among the capital's residents continued. However, Alrain and Alrian, who could hear everyone's mocking voices clearly using their wind magic, decided to remain silent.
The two of them let those ignorant laypeople speak as they pleased without paying them any mind.
Alrain refocused his gaze on the girl who was still standing frozen in front of him. He did not want to waste any more time, as they had to quickly go and execute the mission given by his husband.
"Is there anything else you would like to ask, Miss?" he asked, breaking the girl's reverie. "If there is nothing else, please allow us to pass and leave. We wish to go to the forest to gather the ingredients our husband needs to brew potions."
Hearing the reasonable excuse Alrain uttered calmly, Allen and the others smiled faintly in their hearts. That sentence indirectly provided them all with a highly plausible alibi when facing the soldiers guarding the capital's entrance gates later.
"I-I apologize for being so bold as to stop you." the girl said, feeling terrible as she stepped back and made way for the youths. "Please continue on your journey."
After the girl made way, they resumed their footsteps, walking away from the crowd that was still whispering behind them.
As soon as they arrived at an intersection of the capital's main roads, all the youths began to split up according to the directions they had agreed upon.
Alrain, Davin, and Arion walked straight ahead, following the road leading to the northern forest. Ordion, Dylan, and Victor turned right, taking the route toward the eastern forest. Meanwhile, Allen and Alrian, the two of them turned left, walking down the street that would lead them to the western forest.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Alvein, Kaydan, and Calverd, who were still maintaining their invisible forms, had apparently moved much faster. They, who had separated from Allen's group earlier, had now arrived at the southern gate area of the capital.
With relaxed and soundless steps, the three of them walked side by side past the guard soldiers who were standing by near the wide-open gate doors.
There were numerous adventurers and merchants lined up neatly, queuing to undergo the identity check process. However, not a single one of them, not even the trained guards, realized the presence of the three of them as they freely breezed past the checkpoint.
Even though Calverd already knew about the existence of the invisible magic from Arvin, who had once practiced it directly, being able to experience the sensation of becoming invisible with his own body made the indigo-haired youth feel absolutely amazed.
This is incredible! he praised enthusiastically in his heart. Everyone truly does not notice the presence of the three of us. This invisible magic is truly amazing!
However, amidst his awe, Calverd's forehead slowly furrowed. His mind was suddenly distracted. He still did not understand what was actually inside his husband's mind.
What is my husband thinking? Why did he decide to marry so many youths like us? he thought, filled with deep curiosity. Is he intentionally gathering strength to face the great war that might happen again in the future?
Even though he was struck by an extremely bothersome sense of curiosity, Calverd restrained himself from talking about it right now. He decided to save that question and ask Arvin directly when he returned home later.
The youth truly wanted to know for sure the real reason behind his husband's decision to build a harem consisting solely of many boys, instead of girls.
However, amidst his long reverie, without realizing it, their footsteps had carried them away from the bustling gate, deep beneath the shade of the lush trees in the southern part of the capital.