Erus went out of the shop beaming with a victorious grin that no one else understood—a total landslide. Beside him, Cana inhaled the fresh air outside, her eyes filled with satisfaction from what she had just pulled off inside.
"It feels great," she murmured. "Where to next?"
Instead of answering, Erus simply gestured for her to follow him.
As they walked, Cana couldn't help but ask about the man who had been insulting him earlier.
"I'm curious—how is that bug related to you? He kept calling you his bastard brother. Are you actually related by blood?"
"That is nonsense. I don't know him," Erus answered wryly.
The moment he had seen how far the king was willing to go just to end his life, he had already cut every tie he had to them—bloodline be damned. From that day on, Uruja was his only true family. No one else.
Just seeing the way Erus clenched his fist, Cana understood and didn't push any further. She had felt his underlying rage the entire time he was facing that man, and that was all she needed to know—he was her enemy now, too.
"That's good," Cana said with a grin.
He stopped, confused. Seeing that kind of reaction from her definitely meant she was up to no good. That was her lunatic side showing.
She just kept walking, forcing him to hurry and catch up with her. Even though he knew she was a Triple-S rank—two whole ranks above him—he still couldn't afford to let her go on a rampage for his sake. If he struggled to control his own immense power, her baseline normal was entirely out of the ordinary, making her far more dangerous than he was.
He took a deep breath.
What would Cana do if she found out she had just threatened a crown prince, and he hadn't even told her?
Her reaction would be quite funny.
When they arrived at the tailoring shop, he had to pull Cana inside because she kept staring at the displayed clothes outside—the owner's rejected products, which were practice pieces made by her new tailors.
"Uruja has dumped a lot of clothes on me. I don't need one here," Cana immediately retorted, even though he hadn't said a word yet.
"Oh, dear—"
Seeing Erus holding a woman by the arm, the shop owner froze on the spot.
"Get her size. Ten sets each for school uniform, combat, and hunting. Use the same fabric as mine," Erus said, not waiting for the middle-aged lady to recover from her shock.
"What?" Even Cana was surprised, her brows knitting together as she stared at him.
She could understand the combat and hunting gear, but what was with the school uniform? Did he just decide on his own that she was going to school in this world? Still, it actually worked in her favor—enrolling would be the perfect way to gather more intelligence about this realm. But even so, he should have at least told her.
"Yes, my lord," the shop owner answered, bowing deeply to Erus. "This way, Miss."
Cana was baffled by how the woman addressed him. Her ears definitely weren't used to hearing that.
When the owner reached out to guide her, Cana shot Erus a deadly look that clearly said, We are definitely talking about this later.
Meanwhile, Erus had no idea what that look was even for. Cana had asked for usual clothes, and he was simply providing them.
Half an hour later, Cana finally emerged from the fitting room pouting, followed by the shop owner and her assistant.
"The measurements are done, my lord. The clothes will be ready in five days."
Erus nodded to the owner, then turned his attention back to Cana's face. She didn't seem happy at all, though she didn't look completely furious either.
"They were so strict with the fitting. They didn't even want to alter the design," Cana grumbled.
Erus didn't dare react immediately, but he finally understood the look on her face.
"Those uniforms have standard designs and can't be modified. If you want, you can have your other clothes customized here," he offered to at least lift her mood.
"Aren't you spending too much on me? I don't want to be a freeloader," Cana muttered.
"And who said you were? You have your own money to spend."
It was then that Cana remembered the pouch filled with a heavy sum of coin Erus had tossed to her before. So that was hers? What a generous uncle! But then she recalled that every single coin in that pouch could purchase a human life—and they still had a merchant to deal with because of that single token.
She quickly brushed off the thought of using that money again unless it was an absolute emergency.
Wait—she could buy an entire city with that money! And finding a decent home to live in, rather than squeezing themselves into a small inn, was definitely a better idea.
She smiled at Erus, leaving him completely baffled by how fast her mood had shifted.
Instead of asking, he stood up, shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, and walked out of the shop. Cana deliberately thanked the owner and her assistant before following him outside.
"What are we doing here?" she asked when they hit the dead end of a narrow alleyway. There was nothing there—just some useless junk. Was he planning to scavenge?
"Teleportation magic is forbidden in this kingdom, so we have to do it here," he told her, lightly grabbing her arm to pull her closer to his body.
Cana didn't argue.
With a single snap of his fingers, they were standing in the middle of a bustling crowd, and not a single soul noticed the two of them blending in. Erus held Cana's hand tightly as they navigated through the rush. Cana, on the other hand, wondered where on earth they had landed. The place was entirely different—it seemed like a market, but definitely not the same one she had shopped at with Letty.
Once they cleared the crowd, Erus, still holding her hand, kept walking until they stopped in front of a heavy iron door adorned with a sculpted bear's head, its mouth wide open. A large ring hung inside its jaws for knocking, and Erus used it—striking a very specific rhythm. A secret code. Soon enough, the iron door creaked open without anyone asking who was outside, letting them right in.
Inside, a short man—no taller than four feet, heavily bearded, and clearly a fully grown adult given his bulky muscles—greeted them respectfully. Just like the woman in the tailoring shop, he addressed Erus as "My Lord".
To Cana, it was starting to sound like Erus was a gang leader in this place.
Walking down the corridor, they passed a tall, pretty young man with pointed ears who also bowed respectfully to Erus.
"Isn't he—"
"Don't look into their eyes for even a full minute," Erus warned quietly. "Their charm magic is surprisingly potent."
"Ha? As potent as yours—I mean, is he an elf?" Cana made a regretful expression, though she quickly hid it from him. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but her tongue had slipped.
"You dare compare me to him? Wait." Erus stopped, forcing Cana to a halt since he was still holding her hand. He turned to look at her. "Are you saying I charmed you?"
Such sharp ears left her with no choice but to stare right back at him, forcing herself to act as confident as possible. "Why? Didn't you? Because you're doing it right now."
Erus gasped at how boldly she spoke without holding anything back, and he quickly looked away. Wasn't she the one flirting with him? How on earth had it turned into him charming her? He didn't even know that kind of magic!
But was he really doing it without realizing it? He remembered the other women who had tried their luck clinging to him. Weren't they just after his fame?
Unbeknownst to Erus, Cana's brain cells were locked in a chaotic battle between her angelic and devious sides. She knew full well that what she had just dropped were shameless words. Being forward wasn't her thing, and she certainly wasn't trying to look like a flirt to Erus. But she had to act tough so he wouldn't tease her, having noticed how he always backed down whenever she met his gaze head-on.
He looked back at Cana. "Am I really—"
"Solari! Your instincts are as sharp as ever. You're just in time," someone barked at them from down the corridor.
Cana witnessed Erus blink, visibly displeased at being interrupted. He practically side-eyed the air. Internally, Cana was mentally thanking the newcomer for stopping Erus from pressing any more unnecessary questions.
"Oh? What a pleasant day, Gregory," Erus said, his voice ice-cold as he turned his back to Cana to face the intruder.
Gregory, who was usually a bright, jovial person, froze on the spot, stunned by Erus' frosty tone. He had no clue what he had done to set the man off.
While Cana noticed that Erus still hadn't let go of her hand, despite how far they'd walked. Was he really that afraid she'd get lost in this place? Sensing the stiff, heavy silence stretching between Erus and the man who had interrupted them, she casually stepped up beside him so his arm wouldn't cramp from the awkward angle he was holding her hand at. And there, standing in front of them, she saw another full-grown man no taller than four feet.
And, poor Gregory's eyes widened as Cana emerged from behind Erus, blinking in total disbelief at their joined hands.
Was this what happened when Solari was furious? Gregory was starting to think he was hallucinating things. Was this why people called him a walking curse?
"What was so urgent that you couldn't wait to tell me?" Erus asked after the long silence.
It seemed he now had to get used to taking the initiative whenever Cana was around. Every time someone saw them together, their reactions were identical—as if they were all clones.
"I was about to tell you... that your mansion is almost finished," Gregory spoke slowly, his eyes continuously darting to Cana, waiting for her to finally vanish from his imagination. She was insanely beautiful, but he couldn't function properly with her standing beside Solari. It made him feel like he was losing his mind, and this short-tempered man might kill him the instant he questioned what he was seeing.
Meanwhile, the word mansion practically echoed in Cana's head. She had assumed he was completely content living in his tiny space, but it turned out he was the exact opposite. Just imagining a single person living in an entire mansion was ridiculous.
"How many more days?" Erus asked Gregory.
"Be... before classes start."
Erus still looked displeased as he nodded, though there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't afford to waste money on anything less than good—and when he said good, he meant the absolute best. Regardless, that wasn't why they had come here.
He tossed the golden gauntlets to Gregory, who caught them nimbly.
"Can you inspect these?" Erus asked.
Gregory nodded, but his eyes were already fixed on the golden gauntlets. They were far too familiar; every dwarf knew the legend that immediately sprang to mind upon laying eyes on such an artifact.
It bore the elite hallmark of dwarven craftsmanship, but this piece featured intricate designs and symbols that could only be marked by someone immensely powerful who had endured countess tribulations to break through. And there was only one dwarf in history famous for such work.
"These gauntlets have been lost for nearly a hundred years. The great Riparam's finest creation." Tears began to well in his eyes. "Great Lord, tell me... where did you find these?"
"I told you to drop that title," Erus retorted. "Cana found them in a weapon shop back in our city. Was this really Riparam's handiwork?"
Erus recognized Riparam from history—the first dwarf to ever serve as the king's right hand. He was the only dwarf with affinities for multiple elements, capable of forging unmatched weapons for the kingdom. History books even recorded that he was the one who created the artifacts used to subjugate the Teumessian foxes until their annihilation. But those same books stated that after the foxes were wiped out, Riparam took his own life, recalling every ounce of energy he had poured into his creations. The weapons were reduced to ordinary junk, as if he deeply regretted ever making them. Yet, there was not a single word recorded about his finest creation.
"The best way to prove its authenticity is to activate all the elements embedded in it."
Erus turned to look at Cana, his eyes narrowed with doubt over her innocence. He had already managed to activate the fire element—and that had only been possible through her direct guidance. How on earth had she known how to do that?
"All at once? Are you trying to kill Erus?" Cana's cold voice echoed down the corridor.
Gregory nearly lost his balance, stumbling on his feet as he heard Cana speak with a tone even colder than Solari's. And the way she had just addressed him so casually—
"Is she... an actual mortal? Not just a hallucination?!" Gregory asked, panicking.
To avoid a long explanation, Erus simply raised their joined hands. "Do you think I would hold a hallucination?"
Gregory's eyes darted between the two of them. So, Solari was indeed holding a woman's hand—and she hadn't lost a single limb! Had Solari completely lost his mind?
Everyone in the sanctuary knew his reputation when it came to women. He treated those who bore no malice toward him with standard respect, but he would go absolutely ballistic on any woman who tried to touch him. Flirting from a distance was survivable—touching him was a death sentence.
Did that mean she was the real deal, too?
Gregory cleared his throat, composing himself so as not to further humiliate his kind in front of Solari.
"Please pardon my rudeness, my Lady. I certainly didn't mean to harm Solari; I simply don't fully grasp this artifact," he said, bowing low before Cana. It was immediately clear to him that she possessed genuine knowledge about this weapon. And the fierce way she had just protected the man beside her made it painfully obvious that she was by no means inferior to Solari.
"Then don't make hasty recommendations out of emotion."
Erus was flustered by how Cana lectured the leader of the dwarven sanctuary as if she were his great-grandmother. Honestly, he would completely understand if every single one of them grew to fear her, too.
Gregory nodded while continuing to bow. "Yes, my Lady."
"The fire element is already activated," Erus stated, stepping in to dispel the awkward tension between Gregory and Cana. "Would that be enough to confirm it's Riparam's handiwork?"
"Show him the bow, too. Its carvings follow nearly the same pattern—the smiths might share the same lineage," Cana suggested.
Without a second thought, Erus did as she told him and handed the bow over to Gregory.
"Let's inspect them inside my office. We can't keep chatting out here in the corridor," Gregory offered upon receiving the bow.
They followed him back to his office.
"Erus, are they the ones supplying that weapon shop?" Cana asked out of nowhere as they walked.
"Yes. Dwarves and elves are the best at crafting the finest gear."
"That crescent blade I picked... its aura somehow resembles an elf's. Like the one I felt from that elf earlier."
"We'll have them inspect that one as well," Erus said, finally realizing why Cana had been looking at that elf earlier. So, that was what caught her attention.
"Okay. Thank you."
Gregory listened in silence as the two chatted so calmly and casually. There wasn't a single trace of tension or violence between them—especially from Solari, who was currently in the calmest mood Gregory had ever seen. Even the casual, natural way she tossed around his forbidden name felt completely unbothered.