At the very end of the cave corridor, Calian stood in silence. His eyes meticulously inspected every inch of the surrounding area.
He stepped closer to the wall at the end of the cave, then began touching the cold stone surface. He knocked and occasionally pushed suspicious-looking boulders, trying to find a gap or a secret room mechanism that might have been intentionally disguised.
However, nothing happened. There was no sound of shifting walls or a hidden basement opening. What he touched was purely a hard and solid rock formation that served as the dead end of the corridor.
It turned out that this was indeed merely a natural end to the corridor. There was no secret place used to hide the bandits' loot.
While engrossed in his thoughts about where the bandits' loot was hidden, Calian completely failed to realize that Wolvin had walked over and was standing very close behind him.
With a casual and gentle movement, the Wolf youth patted his husband's shoulder.
Tap!
Spontaneously, Calian flinched in shock upon feeling an unexpected touch land on his shoulder. His lowered guard caused him to react slightly out of proportion. He turned around swiftly.
Seeing his husband suddenly jolt so violently, Wolvin was also startled and reflexively pulled his face back.
"W-Wolvin? Why did you startle me?" Calian asked in a slightly higher pitch than usual, trying to cover up his shock.
"I should be the one asking you that!" Wolvin replied spontaneously. "I was startled as well because you suddenly jolted like that."
The Night Wolf youth took a deep breath to calm his own heartbeat, then looked at his husband's face with a serious gaze.
"Actually, what are you thinking about and looking for in this dead end?" Wolvin asked in wonder.
Calian glanced back at the stone wall behind him before looking at Wolvin again. "I was just inspecting this area. I was trying to find out where the bandits hid their loot."
"Why are you going through the trouble of looking for that stolen loot?" Wolvin asked curiously, tilting his head slightly.
"Of course, I am looking for it to return it to its owners." Calian answered without the slightest hesitation. His eyes radiated a sincere determination. "Everyone held captive out there must have lost their valuables, money, or even their merchandise. Unfortunately... it seems there is nothing here. Everything is empty. Let's leave this place immediately and return to them."
Hearing his husband's noble reason, Wolvin smiled faintly and nodded in agreement.
The two of them walked side by side back down the dark corridor. By the time they reached the prison area, the dozens of hostages freed from their ropes were already standing and gathered together, awaiting the arrival of their two saviors with a sense of anxiety.
As soon as they saw Calian and Wolvin return, the tension on the hostages' faces eased slightly.
"What were you two looking for at the end of that dark cave, young men?" asked a middle-aged man whose clothes looked the neatest despite being covered in dirt stains. He was most likely a merchant.
"The two of us went there to look for your confiscated loot taken by the bandits, intending to return it to you." Calian answered honestly, looking at the crowd of exhausted people. "But unfortunately, we did not find anything at the end of the cave."
Hearing that, the middle-aged man's face turned pale, reflecting a deep resignation. He shook his head slowly.
"You will never be able to find it here." the middle-aged man replied with a hoarse voice. "Because three days ago, another bandit group came here. They transported and took away all the treasures and stolen goods to an unknown location. There is nothing left in this place except an empty cave functioning specifically as a prison."
Hearing the middle-aged man's answer, Calian and Wolvin's train of thought immediately wove together a new, rather unsettling conclusion. The fact that 'another group' had come to pick up the loot indicated a highly organized system.
They immediately realized that the bandit gang led by Holvis and Silgard were not ordinary bandits, but rather possessed a massive, structured network that was most likely scattered across various regions of the empire.
Damn it! Calian grumbled inwardly, his gaze darkening slightly. I thought they were just a small bandit group that happened to operate in this region. As it turns out, their group is a large syndicate spread across many territories. Their movements must be protected by someone with power.
Realizing that investigating the missing goods would take a long time, Wolvin immediately took charge of the situation.
"If that is indeed the situation, we have no other choice. Let's get out of this stuffy place immediately!" Wolvin urged with a loud and encouraging voice. "None of you need to worry. Our companions are already waiting on the main cross-regional road over there."
Hearing the words and assurance from the Night Wolf youth, the dozens of freed captives instantly felt extremely relieved. The thought of food, clean water, and freedom immediately restored a little strength to their legs.
Unanimously and full of hope, they exclaimed, "Yes!" to Wolvin.
Wolvin stepped to one of the cave walls, then pulled out a torch that was still burning brightly. He would use the torch as illumination for the line of captives as they passed through the dark cave corridor.
Holding the torch in his right hand, the Night Wolf youth walked at the very front, leading the large group out of the cave. As for Calian, he positioned himself to walk at the very back of the line, ensuring everyone's safety from the rear.
The group continued walking along the dark cave corridor, guided by the light of Wolvin's torch.
After a while, a gust of fresh air began to brush against their faces. They finally arrived at the mouth of the cave and stepped out into the open grassland area.
The sunlight greeted them directly. The sun was already right above their heads, shining brightly without any clouds blocking it, indicating that the day had entered noon.
For the captives who had been locked in darkness for days, the light felt slightly blinding, but at the same time, it provided the warmth they had missed the most.
Seeing that the area around them was already brightly lit, Wolvin immediately extinguished the torch he was holding by beating its flaming tip against the rocky ground in front of the cave until it went out.
After the fire was completely dead and he discarded the remaining wooden torch, Wolvin turned around and looked at everyone who was squinting to endure the glare.
"Let's keep moving across the green grassland ahead!" he called out, giving directions. "The main road is just across the forest!"
Then, slowly but surely, they all resumed the long journey. The long line parted the sea of grassland that swayed in the midday wind.
After passing the expanse of grass, they re-entered the lush forest area, walking beneath the canopy of trees that protected them from the stinging sun.
Due to the physical condition of the hostages, who were very weak and lacking nutrition, Calian and Wolvin did not force a fast pace. The journey that should have been covered in a short time ended up taking more than two hours.
However, all the exhaustion finally paid off completely. From behind the last trees, they could see the wide dirt road. They had arrived at the main cross-regional road.
As soon as they stepped out of the forest boundary, the people saved from the dark and stuffy cave prison were instantly filled with feelings of happiness and deep gratitude. Tears of emotion could be heard among them once again, especially when their eyes saw numerous loaded wagons lined up neatly by the side of the road.