Chapter 41: *Let’s go home*
Kevin said as he stretched out, "I agree with you. Let’s tell him that we’re okay with his estimate and go home; I want to take a nice hot bath."
Axel hugged him and asked, "Can I take it with you?" Kevin nodded and told him without a second thought, "Of course there’s room for both of us in the small pool of the bathroom."
He then went back to the store to join Tony, and he didn’t see the predatory smile that had appeared on Axel’s face. Axel’s suggestion was anything but innocent, and Kevin would quickly find out at his expense.
When Kevin arrived, Tony seemed to be having a hard time with a client. At first glance, Kevin categorized him as a snobbish man who was full of money and liked to abuse his power. He moved closer to Tony, and when he saw the man grab Tony by the shirt collar and lift him off the ground, he felt he had no choice but to teach this man a lesson.
He said to the stranger, who was completely unaware of his presence, "I give you 3 seconds to release him or you will have to deal with me first." The man immediately released Tony and turned his full attention to Kevin. "Who the hell are you? What’s going on here is none of your business. If you don’t want to die, I suggest you walk away."
Kevin ignored the man and asked Tony, "Are you okay? What is the problem?" Tony, grateful that Kevin had intervened, replied, "I’m fine, Kevin, don’t worry. This man just disagrees with the prices in my shop and is accusing me of stealing from my customers."
Kevin tilted his head slightly, having seen a shadow from behind. He noticed it was Axel, who had stayed in the shadows to observe the situation. He read Axel’s lips, which indicated that there were four men outside who were stronger than this one, and that Axel would take care of them.
Axel disappeared as soon as he delivered his message, and Kevin smiled while saying to the man, "The prices in this shop are the fairest you will find in this area, but if you aren’t satisfied, you can always go buy what you need elsewhere. Why resort to violence when you don’t seem to be short of money? It seems those who raised you forgot to teach you good manners."
Tony coughed to hide his laughter; he had noticed the look that Kevin and Axel exchanged, so he wasn’t afraid it would end badly. The man tried to hit Kevin, but he easily dodged the weak attack, even putting his hands in his pockets while looking at him provocatively.
This behavior drove the man mad. He screamed in rage and tried to hit Kevin again and again, but no matter how many punches he threw, Kevin dodged them all effortlessly. He finally tripped the man, causing him to sprawl across the floor of the shop.
At that moment, Axel arrived and positioned himself alongside Kevin, putting his arm around his shoulders. He said to the man he didn’t know but couldn’t stand anyway, "I’m a representative of the Sun Sect, and this shop is under our protection. I advise you to leave quickly before I change my mind. And if you’re counting on your men outside, they are already unconscious and inside your carriage."
This man came from the capital and just wanted to have fun bullying this shop owner. Unfortunately for him, these two men spoiled his moment of pleasure, and without his bodyguards, he couldn’t do much, so it was better to simply leave. He then said to them in a disdainful tone, "This shop wasn’t even worth stopping by anyway."
Once the man left, Tony thanked them warmly and expressed his pleasant surprise that they had agreed to sell him the Nerudium. Once the deal was finalized, they chatted with Tony a bit and learned that a high-grade magic crystal of large size was worth 200,000 gold coins, and they had received two of them from the legendary box—how awesome!
Tony also told them that he knew many people, so if they ever needed to find something, he could make his network work for them. When Axel and Kevin left his shop, Tony thought to himself that it was better to have them as friends rather than enemies, and he was sure that Kevin would quickly become even more popular than Axel.
What Kevin didn’t know yet was that this continent had no shortage of powerful fighters, and what everyone was looking for and fighting over, were powerful mages.
In the forest, when Axel shapeshifted into a wolf to take them home, he immediately felt the difference due to the necklace Kevin had found for him. Usually, he underwent the shapeshifting process, but now it felt as if he could control it. He realized he had more control over his animal instincts; it was truly wonderful—he didn’t feel trapped anymore.
He quickly brought them home; the promise of a bath with Kevin gave him wings, and he sped through the forest using lightning speed. He could hear Kevin’s laughter and howls of joy whenever he took sharp turns or jumped over cliffs. He truly felt like he had found his soulmate; most people would be scared to death, but Kevin was exulting with joy.
As they neared the Sun Sect, Axel slowed down and sniffed the air to make sure they were alone before he shapeshifted back into his human form. Axel wanted to hug Kevin, but Kevin stepped back, throwing his magic bag at him and said, turning around, "Get dressed first, and I’ll ride on your back, Axel. Don’t even try to carry me like a girl again."
Axel chuckled and obliged; once he was dressed, he hugged Kevin from behind and whispered in his ear, "It’s still okay to have a bath together."
Kevin put a hand behind Axel’s neck and kissed him tenderly. He said, "Of course it’s still okay, but let’s save that for later. Just quickly take me around and show me where I need to go tomorrow for my first class. Let’s also go buy some food so we won’t need to go out afterward. Is that okay with you?"
Axel buried his head in Kevin’s neck, and a growl of frustration escaped him. But when he looked up, he said, "Alright, let’s do that, babe. It won’t take too much time anyway."
