Around the capital's western entrance gate area, the blowing wind carried fine dust dancing in the air. The gazes of dozens of pairs of eyes remained fixated, watching the backs of the two handsome youths as they slowly moved further away from them, heading toward the lush forest.
"Did you hear what that Young Master just said?!" a middle-aged woman exclaimed, breaking the silence with a tone of voice still trembling with awe and disbelief. She turned toward the crowd near her. "Do you all truly believe that Young Master Arvin Vedegra has never forced someone to become his spouse?"
A well-built man standing not far from the woman immediately shook his head with a skeptical expression.
"To be honest, I find it incredibly difficult to believe." the man said in a suppressed voice, as if afraid someone was eavesdropping. "Just hearing the Vedegra family name is enough to make my skin crawl and my legs tremble in fear."
"I agree with you!" chimed in another man standing not too far away. "The influence of that family name is too thick. Even before Young Master Arvin Vedegra opens his mouth to speak or ask for something, anyone would surely have fallen to their knees, surrendering whatever he desires out of fear."
The whispers of doubt and speculation began to spread quickly like ripples on water.
Hearing the conversation among the civilians that was starting to ramble out of control, the senior soldier who had previously spoken and received friendly treatment from Allen immediately took firm action.
"Please put an end to that empty talk right now!" the senior soldier said in a loud voice. His tone was polite, yet it radiated an undeniable firmness of authority. "Judging the personal lives of a noble family is none of our business. Finish your matters immediately so you do not make this western entrance route full and congested!"
The stern reprimand successfully snapped the crowd back to their senses. Everyone began to turn their heads and pay attention to the area around them. Sure enough, without them realizing it, quite a lot of citizens, merchants, and horse carriages were held up and waiting in a long queue to enter the capital.
Finally, with feelings still filled with question marks, they immediately stopped the chatter and hurried to finish their business at the capital's entrance gate.
Meanwhile, inside the western forest located outside the capital's walls, the atmosphere felt entirely different. Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves, creating a golden luminescence that warmed the surface of the ground.
Allen and Alrian walked side by side with calm yet vigilant steps. Their eyes constantly monitored every corner, bush, and gap between the trees around the area, searching for signs of a cave or any suspicious anomalies in accordance with their secret mission.
However, just as they had ventured a few dozen meters further past the forest boundary, an unexpected sight greeted them. Instead of a gripping forest silence or the roars of ferocious monsters, the area around them was actually filled with a great number of people. Most of them were youths who were busy cutting bushes, digging up roots, and plucking plants.
"Adventurers?" Allen uttered suddenly, his steps slowing down a bit. His eyes swept the surroundings, not expecting there to be so many young adventurers crowding this forest area.
"It seems this place is a safe zone where beginner adventurers carry out their first missions from the guild." Alrian replied calmly, analyzing the situation based on his knowledge. "That's why we don't see any dangerous monsters around here. This area is cleared out on a regular basis."
On the other hand, not far from the route the two youths were passing through, a boy with pale purple hair was crouching. He looked very serious as he gathered several types of herbal plants into his small basket to complete his first mission.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the boy looked up and noticed the arrival of Allen and Alrian.
The boy stood up, his eyes staring at the two youths innocently.
"Are you two also beginner adventurers who just registered today?" the boy asked in a distinctively friendly and cheerful tone.
Hearing the unexpected question, Allen offered a faint smile and responded by gently shaking his head.
"No, the two of us are not adventurers." Allen answered honestly. "We only came to this forest because we are looking for herbal plants."
"Oh, looking for herbal plants?" the boy repeated, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "What a coincidence! There are many types of herbal plants in this area. If I may know, what herbal plant are you looking for? Perhaps I can help point out the location!"
That simple question, tossed out with good intentions, instantly backfired. Allen and Alrian froze in silence.
The two of Arvin's spouses exchanged glances from the corners of their eyes. Both of them truly did not know how to answer. From the very beginning, their intention in saying they were "looking for herbal plants" to the gate guards was nothing more than a fake alibi to conceal their actual mission.
Amidst the confusion and awkwardness that began to fill the air, Alrian's brain worked incredibly fast. Having previously worked as a receptionist in the merchant guild, he rewinded his past memories. He suddenly recalled the name of a rare plant with a fantastic price tag, which he had once heard from a conversation with one of his major merchant clients in the past.
It seems plausible and good enough if I use the name of that flower as an answer to deceive this boy.
"The Sabda Flower!" Alrian finally answered, breaking the silence with a very calm and convincing voice.
Hearing that name, Allen was quite surprised. He shot a quick glance at Alrian, who stood upright beside him with an innocent face. He had absolutely no idea what kind of flower it was, where it came from, or what it looked like. However, he chose to remain silent and play along with his family member's charade.
"The Sabda Flower?" the boy repeated in confusion. He tilted his head slightly.
"Yes, Sabda Flower!" Alrian said, reinforcing his statement, fabricating a description based on a fragment of his memory. "That flower has highly striking red petals. The plant is highly sought after because it is used as one of the main base ingredients to craft high-level healing potions."
The boy with pale purple hair could only fall into a mute silence. He blinked a few times, trying to dig through the guild guidebook in his head. But he had never known, let alone heard of, the name of the flower that had just been mentioned by the foreign youth currently standing in front of him.
Seeing the boy's reaction as he suddenly went quiet and confused, Alrian could already guess it. He smiled triumphantly in his heart because his plan to avoid a longer conversation had succeeded. He then turned his head toward Allen.
"It seems that flower is not on the outskirts here. Let us continue our exploration deeper inside!" Alrian suggested casually.
"Okay!" Allen answered firmly, immediately understanding the intent behind Alrian's words.
Alrian looked back toward the boy who was still standing frozen in his spot. He flashed a sincere, friendly smile.
"In that case, the two of us will take our leave to look for the flower." Alrian said gently as he began to step away, leaving the bush area. "Good luck on carrying out your first mission as an adventurer, boy. See you later!"
"Have a great day and keep your spirits up, boy!" added Allen with a warm smile, who also stepped away to leave the boy.
"A—Ah, yes, thank you very much!" the boy replied, flustered because he was charmed by their friendliness. "I hope you two also succeed in finding the flower! See you later."
In his position standing amidst the lush forest, the boy did not immediately return to picking leaves. He stared intently at the backs of the two handsome youths as they slowly distanced themselves from him, penetrating the depths of the western forest.
Who are the two of them actually? he thought, filled with deep curiosity, without averting his gaze in the slightest from the silhouettes of the two youths. Why do I feel so familiar with the face of that pink-haired man? It feels like I have seen him somewhere before.
"Lorvin, come here quickly! I found a lot of herbal plants here!"
A shrill shout coming from the bushes behind him instantly shattered the boy's daydream. He blinked and immediately turned his head toward his party member.
"Yes, wait a moment! I'm heading there right now!" he replied as he lifted his basket.
Yes, that was true. Unbeknownst to Allen and Alrian, and without them ever realizing it at all, the pale purple-haired boy who had just interacted with them was Lorvin, a youth who was one of the romantic targets in the original storyline.
However, Elenora had warned Arvin very strictly never to even harbor the intention of making Lorvin as his spouse. Because in her vision, that youth was one of the four people who would betray Arvin in the future, bringing massive losses as well as a threat to their family.