Companionship.
"Please, eat comfortably! This is all just my gesture of goodwill in return for hearing your story!"
Aurelius shouted heartily as he reached out with his golden hand and grabbed the nearest meat, chewing it with gusto—bones and all.
Though the Goldkin (金人族) looked like creatures that should be consuming petroleum or coal, contrary to appearances, they could taste like normal sentient beings and thoroughly enjoyed cooked food. In fact, their range of consumable materials was even broader than that of ordinary creatures.
The food chewed by the Goldkin was converted inside their bodies into energy to power their metallic forms, and a portion of it was absorbed into their "core." This core, as it absorbed more energy, would gradually grow in size.
And the larger the core became, the more metal a Goldkin could manipulate.
A race that grows stronger with rare metals and time—meaning money and patience.
That was the Goldkin.
I picked up a piece of food from in front of me and put it in my mouth as I quietly observed Aurelius.
Was he someone I could trust? Goldkin were known for being pure-hearted when it came to rare metals, but in all other matters, they were usually like snakes.
Well, expecting purity from merchants in the first place was probably a mistake on the part of the one expecting.
For now, I focused on the meal.
'Kill!'
My mother urged me to try the darkly braised meat dish I'd never seen before. I scooped a little onto my plate and chewed it slowly. As expected, I couldn't taste anything. I wished I could feed it to my mother directly, but with so many eyes around us, it was obviously impossible.
"The Saviors of Eradico! So it was you all!"
Aurelius, who had been chatting with Carmen, suddenly exclaimed in admiration. He blinked his metallic eyes—which didn't actually need to blink—rapidly and looked around at us. Then his gaze locked on me.
"Not the woman, nor the armored one, so it must be you—the Demon Slayer of Geuse, the Foe of the Evil God of Kelton, and the Savior of Eradico—Priest Marnak!"
I put down my spoon and bowed my head slightly as I replied.
"It's a title far too grand for me."
"Hahahaha! A hero who saved three cities, and yet so humble! If someone like you isn't worthy of such titles, then who else could be?"
His metallic eyes suddenly shifted to the weapon hanging at my waist. His jaw clanked as he exclaimed in awe.
"Th-that's... Immortalium!!!"
He sprang to his feet, his luxurious red robes fluttering, and dashed toward me—more precisely, toward my butcher blade. I took a step back to widen the distance between us. He stared at the weapon as if entranced and said in a trembling voice:
"May I… may I see it up close, just once?"
I considered whether he might try to snatch it and run, but even Goldkin would need at least a full day to synchronize with a new metal. Even if he did steal it, I was confident I could retrieve it.
When I handed the butcher blade over to him, Aurelius let out a shriek.
"Uoooooh! Uoooooooooooooh!!!"
So that's why the blade was so unnaturally hard—it was made of Immortalium.
Aurelius caressed the edge of the butcher blade like one would a lover's skin—gently and obsessively.
"Beautiful. So beautiful! Such a beautiful metal! Truly worthy of its title as the eternal alloy containing the essence of ancient imperial technology!"
He rubbed his face against the blade, unconcerned about scratching his metallic skin.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
Okay, that's enough. Time to get it back. I carefully spoke up.
"Excuse me…"
Before I could even finish the first word, Aurelius suddenly came to his senses. He returned the butcher blade to me with trembling fingers, as if it pained him to part with it.
He regained his composure like a proper merchant and bowed deeply.
"I lost myself for a moment. I'd never seen a full Immortalium blade before. My apologies for the disgrace."
"It's fine. The Goldkin's desire for Immortalium is perfectly understandable."
"Thank you for your understanding. By the way… perhaps…"
"I have no intention of selling it."
At my firm reply, Aurelius slumped his shoulders.
"I… I figured. I wouldn't sell it either…"
He returned to his seat and sank into it. After taking a deep breath, he suppressed his instincts and reverted to being a merchant. He chugged some honey mead, then spoke in a booming voice:
"I sincerely apologize for showing such disgrace to the Saviors of Eradico."
Aurelius extended his golden hand toward us. His palm opened, and a metal orb the size of a human heart emerged. He held it out and said:
"This is the Immortalium I've collected over 120 years."
Then he pointed to my butcher blade.
"That blade contains at least twice as much as what I've collected in over a century. It's truly a precious item."
Immortalium wasn't something money could easily buy. Since it couldn't be produced with modern technology, all circulating Immortalium came from ruins of the ancient empire. Every nation actively hoarded it and rarely released it back into the market.
In other words, a merchant openly purchasing Immortalium would quickly earn the ire of the state.
For the rest of the meal, Aurelius continued to praise Immortalium, and only near the end of dinner did he finally get to his point.
"We're headed to the capital of the northern kingdom. If the Saviors of Eradico would accompany us to the capital, I would make sure you're well compensated. As you are heroes of great renown, I'll ensure you're treated far above any ordinary mercenary."
Carmen, who had been sitting quietly, politely responded to Aurelius.
"Would you mind giving us a moment to discuss it among ourselves?"
Aurelius answered with a gentle smile.
[As you wish. I look forward to hearing a favorable answer.]
After leaving Aurelius's tent, we gathered together and began seriously discussing his proposal. Carmen spoke first.
"While we'll need to hear the detailed conditions, the offer itself poses no loss to us, considering we were already planning to head to the capital. Besides, even if we decline, we'll likely have to follow this caravan to the next city anyway, since our route overlaps. In that case, it may actually be better to travel with them while being treated as guests."
Sagitta, who had been listening quietly, cautiously voiced her agreement.
"I agree with Carmen's opinion."
Dacia, deep in thought, glanced toward Aurelius's tent before speaking.
"But with a caravan this large, is there really a need for him to hire us specifically? Especially since Aurelius didn't even know we were the Saviors of Eradico before sending someone to make the offer. I might be overthinking it, but when a merchant seeks extra guards regardless of who they are, it usually means they know someone is after them."
Her concern was valid. I gently stroked the handle of the Butcher and offered my input.
"I agree with the lady as well. On top of that, as I traveled here, I took a close look at the equipment of the caravan guards. There are clear signs of repeated combat."
The noblewoman's eyes widened.
"Really?!"
"Yes. If we do choose to travel with them, I'd say it's very likely we'll encounter at least one battle."
Sagitta and Carmen's expressions grew more serious. I turned to Carmen and said,
"Still, I think it would be best to accept this request, just as Carmen said. Our paths will keep overlapping regardless, and if the pursuers are bold enough to attack a caravan this big, I doubt they'd leave us alone even if we followed separately."
After a bit more discussion, we agreed to accept the request. When we informed Aurelius, he smiled broadly and immediately drafted a contract promising ten gold coins per person upon arrival in the capital, along with room and board included.
He once again asked if I'd consider selling the Butcher, and I firmly refused.
And that night, the caravan was attacked.
WEEEEEEEEENG!
The violently spinning metal blades tore through the head of a snow bat, spilling its brain matter. Leaping off the corpse, I swung the Butcher at another snow bat diving toward me.
With bodies over twice the size of a grown man and massive membranous wings that could block the sky, snow bats descended at speeds that ordinary people would have no chance of countering.
KIEEEEEEEEK!
The Butcher sliced another one clean in half, but not far away, I saw a caravan guard fail to react in time and get grabbed by a bat's claws.
Quickly judging the distance, I drew my bone sword and hurled it. It ripped through the air at explosive speed, leaving a long gash in the bat's wing membrane and embedding into the ground.
KIIIIIIIIIK!
A shrill cry. As the wounded snow bat writhed in pain, I sprinted across the snowfield and swung the Butcher again.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEENG!
The enormous bat's head was shredded by the spinning metal blades. Blood poured over me. I quickly severed its leg and rushed to the fallen guard, checking for a pulse—he was already dead.
Recovering the embedded bone sword, I assessed the situation.
KIIIIIIIIK!!!
A bone arrow pierced through a snow bat's eye. As the enraged creature dived, Sagitta stepped forward, deflecting its claws and thrusting her spear.
The white spear impaled the bat cleanly.
"Haah!"
Then, right on cue, Dacia rushed in and decapitated the struggling bat.
Seeing that my party was holding their own, I restarted the Butcher and rushed off to assist other guards.
KIIIIIK!
The fierce battle continued for a while, but realizing the tide had turned against them, the snow bats eventually all took to the sky and fled.
As everyone was resting, I made my way to Aurelius's tent. His personal guards blocked my path.
"Step aside."
"You should clean yourself up and return."
As they said, my clothes and face were still covered in the warm blood and flesh of the snow bats, releasing a faint white steam.
Before I could argue, a voice rang from inside.
[Let him in.]
I strode into the tent. With every step, the monster's blood and bits of flesh fell from my body onto the floor. Aurelius, watching me with his golden metallic eyes, smiled quietly.
[Have you reconsidered parting with that magnificent Immortalium weapon?]
I glanced at the Butcher in my hand before answering.
"Depending on your answer, I may consider putting it away."
[Then I must choose my words very carefully.]
"Yes. You must be very, very careful with your answer."
Smiling faintly, I asked him,
"Why are worshippers of the evil god attacking your caravan?"
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://ko-fi.com/s/04ceacec81