The sentence of rejection, wrapped in an absolute prohibition, instantly made the atmosphere among the trees increasingly tense. Alrain, Davin, and Arion were quite surprised by such stubbornness, especially Alrain.
The green-haired youth did not take a single step back. Instead, he glaring sharply at the burly man who had just thrust his large sword into the ground. Behind his seemingly calm face, various kinds of suspicions began to emerge and churn within his mind.
Why did these adventurers suddenly appear and even insist on forbidding us from entering the forest any deeper? Alrain wondered inwardly, his eyes narrowing to scrutinize every detail of the seven men before him. Is there genuinely a great danger in this forest? Or... are they actually hired men assigned by Dalvanel to guard the area around this forest?
That suspicion almost caused Alrain to attack them. However, he once again forced his brain to replay the dark memories from the era of his previous life. He recalled the faces of the Dalvanel followers he had seen, one by one.
Nothing. He never remembered seeing even a single one of the seven men's faces in front of him during that time.
No, their faces are not familiar. They seem to be purely just an ordinary adventurer group. Alrain concluded in his heart. However, it's better for me to make sure again that they have absolutely no connection to Dalvanel before I act rashly.
"Answer me!" Alrain said suddenly, his voice sounding very straightforward, firm, and demanding. "What danger is actually haunting this northern forest area that the guild bothered to send A-rank adventurers?"
Seeing the youth in front of him not backing down, the burly man let out a rough sigh.
"The guild received reports that there are movements of highly aggressive, dangerous monsters in this area. Those monsters have claimed the lives of several people, including massacring an entire B-rank adventurer party that was carrying out a mission inside this forest." the man answered, beginning to explain the critical situation inside the forest with a slightly lowered tone. "Because the level of unrest and threat has exceeded reasonable limits, we were directly ordered to enter and investigate this forest."
Hearing that explanation, Alrain did not just believe it right away. He gave no verbal response, but merely remained silent while staring at the faces of the people in front of him one by one with an intimidating gaze, as if searching for a sliver of deceit in their expressions.
Realizing the gaze full of vigilance and suspicion directed at his group, the burly man furrowed his brow, displeased with the look.
"Why are you looking at us like that, Young Man?" the man reprimanded in an offended tone. "Do you not believe us?"
"To be honest, yes!" Alrain answered without the slightest hesitation. He still did not lower his guard against all the armed men in front of him. "I indeed don't believe you. Moreover, you appeared out of nowhere and fiercely forbade us from exploring this forest. Who knows what your true intentions are?!"
"I have been telling you that this forest—"
Alrain did not let the man finish his sentence of defense.
"I don't care!" Alrain interrupted loudly. This time, his eyes blatantly showed a deep dislike toward the adventurers. "If you still insist on blocking our path, don't blame me if all of you are killed right here!"
To Alrain, the mission given by his beloved husband was an absolute decree. It was a trust that could not be contested or hindered by anyone. No matter the obstacle, and by whatever means, they had to complete the mission of combing the northern forest area and immediately return home.
Hearing the loud remark that impolitely cut off his sentence, even accompanied by a death threat from a civilian, the burly man's patience finally ran out.
He tightly gripped the hilt of his large sword and clenched his other hand firmly. The veins on his neck bulged as he stared at the green-haired youth with a very sharp and threatening gaze.
Annoyance mixed with resentment for being threatened in such a way made the man truly want to beat up the arrogant youth who had just underestimated his good intentions. He was already preparing to pull his sword from the ground.
However, before he could take action, a comrade standing to his right acted quickly.
"Stop it, Dennis!" the man's comrade said while tightly grasping the burly man's arm, restraining his movements. "It's better if we just focus on the main mission given to us by the guild. Don't waste your energy. If they insist on entering the forest any deeper, just let the three of them do as they please."
The man called Dennis turned his head quickly to his comrade. His gaze indicated a profound sense of disbelief as well as shock. He did not expect his comrade to actually let civilians enter a forest territory that had clearly proven to be exceedingly dangerous.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Dennis exclaimed, his voice hissing in anger. "Bren, they are civilians! It's our duty as adventurers to not let foolish people like them enter a dangerous territory like this! What if they die in there? We will be the ones ultimately blamed!"
"I completely understand how you feel, Dennis." the man named Bren replied in a much calmer tone. "But you can see for yourself, right? That young man himself is very stubborn and desires to keep going. We have tried our best to stop him and give a warning."
"Bren is right, Dennis!" chimed in another one of his comrades, an archer standing in the back row. "If we keep entertaining them, our investigation will be delayed. We will be witnesses if something happens to those arrogant youths in this forest. Their deaths will be purely due to their own stupidity."
Dennis was left even more stunned. His grip on the sword hilt slowly loosened after hearing the rational words from his two comrades, who implicitly wanted him to wash his hands of the matter and let the three youths explore this dangerous forest further toward their own demise.
Watching the internal debate occurring among the fighter group, the tension on Alrain's face slowly faded.
"It seems... your comrades possess a much more understanding mindset than you do." Alrain said casually, suddenly interjecting the adventurers' conversation with a slightly sarcastic tone. "Please move your sword aside and allow us to pass. For us, this mission is not merely about finding herbal plants, but rather this is our pride as his spouses!"
Hearing the peculiar choice of words, Dennis, Bren, and the other five adventurers looked back at the green-haired youth. Their hardened expressions were now replaced by faces filled with confusion.
"His spouses?" they repeated in unison, not understanding the context of the sentence.
"Yes!" Alrain answered, still with his absolute and confident calmness. "The three of us are Arvin Vedegra's spouses. And he is the one who gave the mission and ordered us to this place!"
At that very instant, as if struck by lightning in broad daylight, the seven A-rank adventurers widened their eyes simultaneously. Their bodies froze.
There was not a single person among them who did not know the name of the noble family that was so feared and respected throughout the kingdom.
And what shook them the most right now was the fact that the crazy rumor circulating widely on the streets of the capital, about the Young Master of the Vedegra family who only wanted to marry fellow men, was apparently not mere nonsense, but rather a truth that now stood real before their eyes.
"Y-You are spouses of that Young Master?" Dennis asked to confirm. His voice, which had sounded loud and booming earlier, now trembled violently due to the shock and fear that suddenly crept up the back of his neck.
"You are right!" the green-haired youth answered quickly and straightforwardly, affirming his status. "I am his second spouse. My name is Alrain Vedegra."
Paying no mind to the shocked reactions of the men before him, Alrain turned to the side. He then gently patted the shoulder of the brownish-white-haired youth standing calmly on his left.
"He is Davin Vedegra, Arvin Vedegra's eighth spouse."
Next, he pivoted his body slightly and patted the shoulder of the reddish-yellow-haired youth on his right.
"And he is Arion Vedegra, Arvin Vedegra's ninth spouse."
The seven men grew even more shocked and speechless after knowing for certain that the three charming youths in front of them right now were Arvin Vedegra's spouses. They had just hindered and nearly attacked the family of the most dangerous person in the kingdom.
Seeing the adventurers' faces turning deathly pale, Davin, who had only been silently observing since earlier, finally spoke up.
"It's fortunate that you didn't provoke his anger any further earlier." Davin chimed in suddenly, his voice sounding casual yet carrying a highly lethal warning. "If Alrain had truly gotten angry because you blocked his path, all of you here would have definitely been killed by him in a matter of seconds."
"For him, any mission given by our husband is absolute and sacred!" Arion added in a flat tone, staring at Dennis who was still frozen. "He will not hesitate in the slightest to kill anyone who dares to block his path, especially if the matter is closely related to our husband."
Arion's words were immediately reinforced by a slow nod from Davin.