Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 531: Are You A Noble?

"So, Asher, tell us more about yourself," the woman who was seated beside Asher spoke, directing the conversation towards Asher, who had his eyes closed. Asher sighed mentally as he could already feel six gazes focused on him with open curiosity.

Asher wanted to spin the same story he had spun for Anna just yesterday at her pub, but after a moment of thought, he saw there was no need. As long as he didn’t say he was a Wargrave, there was nothing to hide, of course, if he was asked about his family, he would still lie about it without hesitation.

"Contrary to what you all believe, I’m not an adventurer," Asher began to speak with a steady demeanor. At his words, everyone arched an eyebrow in confusion as John had told them he was an adventurer.

"Aren’t you an adventurer?" one man asked as he stared at Asher in confusion.

"I never said I was," Asher replied with a shake of his head, as he said those words, eyes shifted towards John, who was also sitting within the carriage.

John, feeling their gazes, couldn’t help but cough awkwardly as he realized he had jumped to a conclusion by himself. He wasn’t angry that Asher hadn’t corrected him and had let him think that, after all, if he were in Asher’s shoes, he might have done the same to avoid unnecessary explanations.

"So where are you from, kid?" he asked as he stared at Asher with a small smile.

"I’m from the Star Academy," Asher replied without missing a beat. The moment those words left his lips, silence tore through the entire carriage as though the air itself had been abruptly drained away.

"Hahahah! I didn’t know the kid knew how to joke around," one of the men commented as he laughed loudly. But Asher didn’t laugh back, neither did the others, and that was when the man’s laughter gradually faded into an awkward cough.

The silence returned once more as they stared at Asher as though he were a monster in human skin, after all, everyone who got into the Star Academy, regardless of whether they were later expelled for one reason or the other, always ended up becoming someone of importance and made a name for themselves in one domain or another.

"Damn, no wonder he was about to use telekinesis through Astra energy manipulation, he was from the Star Academy all along," the woman seated near him commented in realization.

"And he also looks so strong, look at the handsome face, the matching hair and eyes, the cape, the swagger, he clearly was different from the start," a man stated as he clicked his tongue in mild admiration, as though all the signs had been present from the very beginning.

"So it was the Star Academy that gave out the mission, it seems the Adventurer Guild member didn’t want to risk their lives anymore, so it was given to the Star Academy," another man stated as he came to a realization, piecing together fragments of information he had overheard in past conversations.

John stayed silent for a moment before he asked, "Asher, are you a noble?" He didn’t beat around the bush, he asked in a straightforward manner. If this had been an arrogant young master, he would have hesitated and chosen his words carefully, but he understood Asher’s attitude to some level and knew that even if he turned out to be a noble, he wouldn’t overreact in an unreasonable manner.

At John’s question, another wave of silence tore through the carriage, the other five caravan members within the carriage with Asher squinted their eyes at the possibility. It wasn’t that they had anything against nobles, no, it was far from that.

Their fear was simple; the mission itself.

If Asher ended up being a noble, then it meant they were transporting a noble heir to his own death, and if Asher failed this mission and died, obviously, his father and family would investigate, and when they found out that they were the ones who had brought Asher even remotely close to the Blackstone Village, they would certainly kill all of them without a second thought.

Asher’s purple gaze met John’s black ones with a calm expression, his eyes then shifted towards the other members of the caravan who were seated with him. He could see their thoughts written all over their faces, their fears, and how awkward the situation had suddenly become.

If he answered yes, John would immediately stop the entire caravan and they would all turn around in order to drop Asher off back at Thornvein County, after all, they hadn’t gone too far, even if they had, they would still turn around and resume their caravan merchant journey tomorrow, valuing their lives above all else.

"Pffttt! HAHAHAHAHA!" Asher burst out laughing, "look at the expressions on your faces as though you are about to die," Asher laughed as he spoke, trying to ease the tension that had gripped the confined wooden space.

"Sigh, I nearly died of a heart attack, I was already imagining his family coming for my head," the woman seated beside Asher spoke as she heaved a sigh of relief, she placed a hand on her chest as she calmed herself down, her breathing gradually steadying.

"Same, I nearly shat my heart out," another replied as he wiped off imaginary sweat from his forehead, exaggerating his reaction now that the tension had dissipated.

"You did that purposely, kid, you didn’t answer so you would build tension," John spoke as he sighed, the caution and fear in his eyes vanishing immediately as he relaxed back into his seat.

"Forgive me, it was just fun to watch," Asher replied as he shook his head in amusement. Although Asher hadn’t even given them a direct reply, they had all jumped to another conclusion just because he had laughed at the situation, their imaginations running far ahead of reality.

"I guess it’s normal you aren’t a noble, after all, they all have this natural arrogance and air of pride floating around them no matter how humble they act, or at least most of them do," John stated as he shook his head, clearly speaking from experience gathered over many years of travel and trade.

Asher didn’t speak, he remained silent, a small smile appearing on his lips as he started conversing with them naturally, since he couldn’t tune out the noise, he might as well just join them and become part of it, blending into their rhythm and allowing the journey to pass with lighter hearts and easier laughter.