The journey resumed after the attack incident had passed. The wheels of the horse-drawn carriages turned once again, cutting through the long trail, accompanied by the rhythmic clopping of horse hooves.
Inside the carriage, Arvin sat leaning back while smiling to himself, his eyes occasionally sparkling with satisfaction as he gazed out the window.
In his mind, he felt incredibly lucky. The dozens of Grizzly Forest monster carcasses he had just killed and stored in his dimensional space were top-tier materials. The fur of those giant bears was extremely thick, warm, and soft. It was the perfect material for making heavy jackets, coats, or thick blankets to face the winter.
However, Arvin's happy smile, which was laden with the intention of gathering materials, was interpreted differently by his four spouses.
Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein had been exchanging questioning glances for a while. They kept observing the behavior of their husband, who had been smiling to himself all this time. In the minds of the four of them, there was only one logical conclusion: their husband must have found the candidate for his fifth spouse inside that carriage.
Unable to bear his curiosity any longer, Ordion finally broke the silence.
"My Dear, why do you keep smiling to yourself like that?" Ordion asked in confusion, looking at his husband with furrowed brows. "Is your future spouse inside that carriage, and that's why you immediately darted into action without a second thought to help them?"
Hearing a question that strayed so far from what was in his head, Arvin's daydream about warm fur blankets instantly shattered.
"Of course not!" Arvin denied quickly and firmly to straighten out his third spouse's assumption. "I don't care at all about who is inside that carriage. I just feel very happy because I got a lot of Grizzly Forest carcasses for free. Their fur will be very useful for making thick clothes and blankets for the upcoming winter."
Arvin's four spouses were stunned for a few seconds by that firm and rational answer. They truly never expected that a pile of bear monster carcasses was what successfully made their husband smile to himself.
Realizing their assumption was too far-fetched and wrong, Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein looked at each other before finally chuckling softly. Not long after, their laughter simply burst out.
"Hahaha!" The crisp laughter of the four youths instantly filled the moving carriage cabin, warming the atmosphere inside.
"Why are the four of you laughing like that?" Arvin asked in confusion, staring bewilderedly at his four spouses who were suddenly laughing.
"It's nothing." Allen replied while wiping the corner of his slightly watery eyes, trying to stop his laughter. "We just feel silly for thinking that you had found your fifth spouse."
That honest answer coming from Allen's mouth made Arvin let out a long sigh, then shake his head at their way of thinking.
....
....
Time continued to pass until the color of the sky slowly turned into a purplish orange. That afternoon, Dean Saires once again gave instructions for the group to stop and set up a resting place, deciding to resume the journey when morning arrived.
The horse-drawn carriages pulled over and stopped in an orderly manner in a fairly spacious empty plot of land.
At the back row of the newly joined carriages, the door of the luxurious noble carriage opened. Five pairs of feet stepped out from inside the cabin one by one. They were two male youths and three female youths wearing high-quality clothes.
At the same time, Arvin and his four spouses also alighted one by one from their carriage, which was not far from the nobles' position, and walked toward them.
"Hey, the five of you!" Arvin greeted casually without beating around the bush. "Thank you very much for the monsters, and don't expect me to share even a single one of those bear carcasses with you!"
For Arvin, the concept of this life was not much different from the logic of the games he used to play in his previous life. Item drops were the full right of the players who dealt the fatal blow, and they would usually be looted automatically when picked up.
Because he was currently in the real world and had killed those monsters near their carriage, Arvin felt he had to state it firmly from the beginning so there would be no debate or claims over his loot.
However, a very different expression was shown by those youths. All of them gaped. Not a single one of them could understand his mindset.
"Why are you thanking us instead?" replied a bluish-white-haired youth who seemed to be the leader of the small group. He stared at Arvin with a forehead wrinkled in confusion. "We should be the ones thanking you."
"Don't think about it. Just consider it a fair payment." Arvin said casually while waving his hand, not wanting to prolong the conversation.
Ignoring their confusion, Arvin turned around and walked toward the vast expanse of land alone, preparing to use his magic once again to build a temporary house for the academy group to stay in.
The bluish-white-haired youth along with his four companions could only stand frozen. They gaped at the back of their lifesaver who just walked away like that.
However, one of the female youths turned her head. Her eyes immediately landed on the figures of Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein who were still standing near the carriage. The appearance and handsome features of the four youths successfully mesmerized the girl.
"Hello, I'm Tania!" the female youth greeted in a very friendly tone, walking closer because she felt attracted to the appearances of the four of them. "What are your names?"
Arvin's four spouses returned the greeting politely and calmly.
"I am Allen."
"I am Alrain."
"I am Ordion."
"And I am Alvein."
The four of them answered alternately, introducing themselves briefly.
Seeing their interaction, the bluish-white-haired youth stepped forward to catch up with Tania. He puffed out his chest slightly, displaying the aristocratic aura attached to him.
"I am Kylenciel Carventias Alua Flamort, the fifth prince of the Flamort Kingdom. You can call me Kylen." the bluish-white-haired youth said, introducing himself formally. He then pointed to his companions one by one. "This guy next to me is named Vian, the girl next to me is named Ziona, and the last one is named Anna."
From a distance, Arvin, who was preparing to place his hands on the grassy ground, was secretly still listening to their conversation thanks to his sharp hearing.
Kylen, huh? Arvin muttered in his heart. From that highly distinct bluish-white hair color, water must be the strongest element he possesses.
Meanwhile, Arvin's four spouses who were standing in front of Kylen were quite surprised in their hearts. They just realized that the bluish-white-haired youth currently before them was a genuine prince from the Flamort Kingdom.
However, instead of bowing respectfully or acting awkwardly like commoners meeting the royal family, Allen and the others chose to remain casual.
Seeing that the four youths in front of him were not intimidated by his status at all, Kylen shifted his gaze toward Arvin who was squatting in the distance.
"By the way, who is the guy that saved us?" Kylen asked curiously. "His strength is truly absurd."
Hearing that question, Allen smiled faintly, a smile radiating pride and a sense of absolute ownership.
"He is Arvin Vedegra," Allen answered casually without the slightest hesitation, "as well as the husband of all four of us!"