Erus didn't let go of Cana's hand until they turned left into a narrow, secondary alleyway. With his massive build, he would have crushed her if they had tried to continue walking side by side. He stepped ahead to lead the way, leaving Cana to quietly savor the lingering warmth of his touch. It wasn't born out of malice; the sudden, profound feeling of being protected simply felt incredible.
Once they were out of that narrow alleyway, they walked a few more strides until Erus stopped in front of a massive, metallic double door. He pushed it open effortlessly, and the heavy scent of raw iron, polished metal, and machine oils instantly greeted them both.
Erus walked inside with Cana following close behind. Noticing the way her eyes scanned the room with genuine awe, he felt a sudden spark of amusement; she wasn't just unmatched in the kitchen. She also possessed a real, lethal interest in weapons.
"Mr. Solari, good day!" a young man called out, quickly approaching to greet Erus. Though he noticed Cana right away, he hesitated to address her as a customer, even if her appearance screamed nobility. For all he knew, this woman was just stalling Solari—and if she did something wrong, she would cause a horrific scene. The absolute last thing they wanted was for their shop to be stained with blood. "We got new weapons made by the dwarves. Do you have the interest to look into them?"
"Lead the way," Erus answered.
The young man, though terrified of Erus, still managed to force a smile. "This way, Mr. Solari."
Erus followed, and Cana tailed behind them, her eyes scanning every weapon displayed in the shop. She wasn't a violent person, but a rush of excitement surged through her just by looking at the different blades.
They entered a secondary room where the highly maintained and most exquisite weapons were kept. As Cana followed, the young man caught sight of her and hesitated, unsure of whether he should even let her inside. But he couldn't afford to make a scene while assisting Solari.
"Mr. Solari, these are the new arrivals forged by the dwarves."
Erus nodded, inspecting every weapon the young man showed him. They were all exceptionally crafted; in truth, every weapon forged by the dwarves was always top-grade.
As he checked the blades, he noticed Cana wandering into a separate, adjoining room. He knew that specific area was reserved for old stock—items that had failed to sell or simply failed to interest anyone. His eyes followed her, filled with a sharp curiosity.
Even the clerk noticed the way Erus stared into the dusty room. Mentally, the young man thanked the gods that the woman had finally stopped stalling his high-profile client.
But then...
"Erus," Cana called out.
The clerk's ears almost fell to the floor at the casual mention of that name. His level of fear instantly maxed out, sending a sudden numbness straight through his limbs.
Hearing Cana call him, Erus stopped inspecting the new weapons and walked straight into the storage room. He found her inside, holding a pair of crescent-shaped weapons. They were the length of short swords, and their edges possessed a lethal sharpness. The blades were significantly thicker than a standard sword; he could tell just by looking at them that they weren't light, yet Cana held them effortlessly in both hands.
"Do you know how to use those?" he asked. Even he had no idea what the proper technique for such a weapon style would be. That was likely the exact reason they had sat unsold for so long.
"I..." Cana paused. She couldn't exactly tell him she had seen them on a television screen before. No ordinary mortal could wield these properly unless they possessed the telekinetic precision or brute strength required to control their trajectories mid-swing. Yet, this particular pair had immediately caught her attention, and she had no idea why she had reached for them. "This is my first time seeing this kind of weapon. It feels cool, and the design is incredibly intricate," she told him, which was honest enough.
"Really?" Erus didn't entirely believe her. It might be her first time seeing them, but even if he didn't know the exact martial style, he could tell she was holding them like a seasoned pro. "Then we're buying them. You can test them out later."
Cana beamed, offering a bright smile.
"Anything else here pique your interest?"
"You're not planning to send me into a battlefield, right?"
"I can't predict the future."
Cana furrowed her brows, handing the crescent blades over to Erus, who willingly accepted them. "Nothing else catches my eye here."
Clutching the weapons Cana had passed to him, Erus stared down at them. Just as he suspected, the weight was no joke—heavier than his own primary sword, and that was just a single piece of the pair.
Was Cana playing a joke on him? Or was she genuinely unaware of how heavy these things actually were?
"Ah, let me hold those. I didn't mean to make you carry them," Cana said, noticing his intense stare and immediately realizing what she had done. She had just forced the man paying for her gear to play the part of her porter.
Erus didn't hand them back, simply turning on his heel to walk out of the room.
The young clerk, seeing Erus emerge from the dust while wielding the dark moon blades, instantly dropped to his knees on the floor. There wasn't a single drop of blood on the steel, but the absolute terror in his mind had already painted a vivid picture of a massacre.
"We're buying these," Erus told the kneeling man. He wasn't surprised by the reaction; it was natural for people to tremble whenever he held a weapon. He couldn't control what their minds conjured up.
"Is he okay?" Cana popped up right beside Erus, peering down at the clerk.
The sudden movement nearly gave the young man a heart attack. He half-thought the woman's ghost had already separated from her body.
"I think you scared him," Erus murmured to her.
Cana looked confused, pointing a finger at her own chest. Scared him? How? She hadn't done a single thing to the man.
Being naturally kind, she reached down to help the shaking clerk to his feet. Once he was up, she shot Erus a serious, reprimanding look.
"You scared him!" she huffed.
"I didn't do anything," Erus countered smoothly.
"I... I..." the clerk stammered.
"Get a grip. You're making me look bad here," Erus told the young man directly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Solari!"
Cana arched an eyebrow at Erus, still entirely suspicious of him.
"Just show her the new weapons," Erus commanded. "I'm buying whatever she likes."
Those words immediately snapped the clerk upright, though his knees still shook. "Th-this way, Miss."
He had absolutely no grasp on what was truly happening, but he silently thanked the gods that the bloodbath was just his imagination. The lady was perfectly safe, Solari didn't seem remotely angry, and the two of them clearly knew each other well. It was his own panicked judgment that had nearly failed him today.
Guiding her to check the new weapons, the clerk watched as Cana's eyes instantly fixated on a specific piece. It was a small dagger, almost crescent-shaped, but only half of the curve was covered by the blade. The handle featured a single finger ring, though the loop's size was noticeably larger than a standard finger.
"This one," she said, pointing at it.
"That is for close combat," Erus commented, studying the blade.
"Best for mincing, too," Cana said. She offered a quick, cheerful grin. "Just kidding."
She immediately took back her words the moment she heard Erus abruptly sigh.
The young man looked between them, completely confused. His terror was slowly giving way to intense curiosity about this woman—someone who could talk so casually and get so close to Solari without losing a limb.
"Erus, this is a fire support bow, and it has a great energy capacity. Air will go well with this, too. It suits you."
Erus looked at the bow Cana pointed out. It was indeed one of the new weapons, but he hadn't considered it because he already possessed his own fire support bow. But how had Cana instantly detected that it could hold both fire and wind elements without even touching it? More importantly, how did she know he possessed the air ability? He had only shown her his fire and water attributes so far. Had she figured it out back when she was unblocking his energy paths?
"We are buying it, too," Cana decided for him when he remained silent.
The clerk looked at Erus for confirmation. Not wanting to argue, Erus simply nodded.
"How about your armor suits? Show us," Erus ordered the clerk, who immediately led the way.
They entered another room filled with various suits of body armor.
"Cana, pick your choice."
But just looking at the differently styled armor sets completely wore her out. They looked entirely too heavy and like a massive burden to wear.
"Those are heavy. I don't like wearing any of them."
It was an unbelievable answer for Erus to hear. She could casually lift and handle a pair of heavy dark moon blades simultaneously, yet she was complaining about wearing these light body armors?
"What do you prefer then?" he asked, considering she might actually have something better in mind.
"Just normal clothes are enough for me."
He gave up. Cana was entirely unpredictable today.
"We still have time," Erus muttered, adjusting his grip on the heavy crescent blades. "You can stroll through the shop and see if there is anything else you want to buy."
Cana smiled brightly at how generous Erus was being. She agreed at once—this was a now or never opportunity to explore.
"Assist her," he ordered the clerk.
"Yes, Mr. Solari," the clerk replied, bowing deeply.
When the two left, Erus casually tossed into his dimensional storage the weapons that Cana had chosen. Right after what he did, the heavy metal door opened and brought in the face he would like to see the least.
"Prince Lance is here! Greet his highness," one of the prince's guards announced to the entire shop the moment they entered.
Erus laughed inwardly. Such a loud ruckus just to pull attention from people.
Two of the shop staff quickly emerged to greet the prince, but Erus remained right where he stood, cold and entirely uninterested. He had no desire for the fuss or the attention. Unfortunately, Prince Lance desperately craved it—and the moment his eyes locked onto Erus, he chirped loudly.
"Oh, if not for that bastard brother of mine, I wouldn't have even noticed you, Solari," he said, throwing the insult with a proud grin.
The words were nothing new to Erus. It was the exact same drivel the princes of the kingdom spouted over and over again. He had long since become immune to it; responding simply wasn't his style. He just stood there, letting the prince blabber his nonsense like a noisy duck on a farm.
"I heard you have new weapons," Prince Lance asked loudly, ensuring Erus heard him, as everyone knew how fond of weapons Solari was. "I suppose I am the first one to see them?" He questioned the staff, though his mocking eyes remained locked entirely on Erus.
"Yes, Your Highness. The new items are right this way."
Erus grinned inwardly. The people running this shop were no fools—they knew exactly who truly held the power here, considering the shop was practically his to begin with. He had once spent a massive fortune in this very establishment simply because he didn't possess a smaller coin to settle a bill, a transaction that ended with the shop committing to supply him with weapons for a lifetime. Every new arrival and the priciest masterpieces would always be offered to him first.
"Erus! Look what I found!" Cana called out, running toward him like an excited child, her face glowing with a bright smile.
She seemed completely thrilled with whatever treasure she was holding, and the irritation Erus felt toward the prince instantly dissipated the moment he saw her expression.
Lance's eyes widened as far as they could stretch, his mind reeling as he heard that forbidden name casually shouted by a woman. And she was utterly stunning—her ethereal beauty immediately captivating him. He stood frozen as that very woman stepped incredibly close to his bastard brother, casually handing Erus a pair of gauntlets.
"Try them on," Cana told him.
"I told you to look for things you wanted to use."
"But I like them for you," Cana retorted easily. "These are fire-type, so stop complaining. Here, hold this one." She handed him one piece, which he mutely accepted, while she carefully slid his other hand into the matching gauntlet. Once that was done, she repeated the process for his remaining hand. "See? They fit you perfectly!"
Erus could barely contain the erratic, heavy pounding of his heart. To a seasoned warrior, having a woman personally assist him with his gear—especially his armor—was far more than a mere gesture. It was a sacred token of affection, an intimate blessing usually reserved for a chosen mate. And she was doing it completely out in the open.
Publicly. In front of a prince.
"And there is more to it. Try letting out a flame just the size of a water drop," Cana said, her eyes twinkling with pure excitement.
Curious, Erus did exactly as she said. He was instantly stunned as the gauntlets shifted colors, turning into a gleaming gold while the fingertips morphed into lethal, sharpened claws. He looked down at his hands, then back up at Cana with the exact same burning question: how did she know?
Even the clerk assisting Cana stood entirely mesmerized by the gauntlets' changing appearance. No one—not even the master smiths or the shop owner—had realized these were top-tier fire support gear, or that their true, magnificent form was hidden beneath a dull layer of old metal paint.
"How does it feel?" Cana asked eagerly.
"It feels... natural." He flexed his fingers, realizing with a start that the gauntlets felt as though they had been specifically patterned for his exact hands.
"Just a cheap weapon, and the bastard is so hyped," Lance sneered. Unable to contain his jealousy and the grating irritation of being ignored, he stepped closer. His guards followed him closely, their weapons aimed directly at Erus, even though Solari had done nothing to harm the prince.
Erus saw the exact moment Cana's smile faded.
"There's a bug!" she muttered under her breath, a curse only Erus could hear.
He almost laughed at her bizarre reaction, but he suppressed the urge, choosing instead to pull Cana protectively against his side.
Lance was always up to no good. Getting Cana involved in their personal feud would end badly; he didn't want her caught in the crossfire just because his half-brother had the backing of a king who would gladly bend any law for his favorite sons.
When Cana turned to face him, Lance's eyes immediately locked onto her. He stared with pure, uncovered malice and covetousness, no longer even caring why or how such a delicate, slender woman had managed to stay completely unharmed by Erus's side.
"Such a beauty," Lance purred. "It would be an absolute waste if you were to be slaughtered by this bastard. Aren't you afraid for your own life?"
Cana's eyes narrowed. Beside her, Erus ground his teeth in pure fury at the sheer disrespect radiating from the prince's sinful gaze. If Lance weren't a prince, he would have died the exact instant he looked at Cana that way.
Cana slowly appraised the prince—whom she still didn't know—looking him up from head to toe, and then from toe to head. Suddenly, a vicious, dangerous smile spread across her face.
"I am not," she answered Lance, her tone perfectly relaxed. "How about you?"
The way Cana uttered those last words was like a sentence of death, hitting with a sudden, freezing weight that almost had the prince swallowing his own tongue.