Calverd perfectly understood all the explanations he had just heard. The bitter reality of his situation made perfect sense, and he also felt he had absolutely no right to blame his invisible savior for not intervening sooner.
"Will I... will I truly leave this cursed kingdom with you and your spouse?" the indigo-haired youth asked, his voice trembling slightly as he sought absolute certainty regarding his future.
"I already say that you and my spouse must flee toward the forest, right?" Arvin replied in a gentle whisper, yet his tone was heavily laden with an unshakable certainty. "It is an absolute imperative that I take you away from this place!"
Hearing that resolute promise from his savior, Calverd felt a new wave of emotion wash over him. He raised his hand, intending to wipe the tears from his eyes. However, before he could do so, he instantly felt the sensation of a warm, invisible hand touching the skin of his face.
The hand wiped away the tears staining his cheeks very gently.
"Don't ruin your cute face just to cry over an event that has already passed." Arvin whispered affectionately, his touch offering a profound sense of comfort. "For now, focus entirely on your freedom. And I beg of you, lend your strength to help my spouse who is currently fighting in there."
Calverd nodded obediently while holding back a small sob.
As soon as the touch faded from his face, indicating that the invisible man had stepped back, the indigo-haired youth immediately turned around. He sprinted into the depths of the prison corridor to help the spouse of his unseen savior.
He is an incredibly kind and wise man! Calverd thought in awe as he kept running toward the center of the commotion. A relieved smile finally graced the youth's lips. At the very least, that man has promised me freedom.
The deeper he ran through the underground prison, the more deafening the cacophony became.
The despairing screams of the soldiers and the thunderous crashes of heavy iron doors being torn from their hinges echoed off the narrow prison walls.
And when he finally arrived at the epicenter of the chaos, his eyes widened. He saw a brown-skinned youth with gray hair who was aggressively rampaging, wielding devastating sand magic.
And standing right behind that youth was a massive crowd of freed captives.
Is that Larde tribe boy the spouse of the invisible man? Calverd guessed, feeling a slight jolt of surprise as he observed the gray-haired youth's fierce combat prowess. They really are a same-sex couple.
However, Calverd quickly shook his head, remembering his primary task. He had to help the rampaging youth clear the path.
Calverd extended his hands straight forward, his eyes narrowing as his mana flared. Using his potent telekinesis magic, he forcefully lifted the fully armored bodies of the soldiers blocking the prison corridor into the air.
Instantly, Kaydan and the mob of freed prisoners behind him halted their advance, utterly shocked by the bizarre phenomenon.
"Assistance?" Kaydan muttered, looking at the heavily armored soldiers floating helplessly before him. "Who is attacking them from the outer side of this prison corridor?"
On the other side of the floating blockade, Calverd swung his extended hand very swiftly and sharply to the right.
Whoosh! Bang!
The bodies of the levitating soldiers shot horizontally at a terrifying speed, before finally slamming hard against the solid prison walls, producing the horrifying sound of crushing bones.
Seeing the path now wide open without obstacles, Kaydan and all the freed individuals cautiously approached Calverd, who stood upright watching them.
"Who are you, and why did you suddenly attack from the outside?" Kaydan asked with a guarded gaze, positioning himself as a shield for the prisoners behind him. "What exactly is your purpose in helping us?"
"Are you his spouse?" Calverd asked back without answering the question, glaring sharply with deep scrutiny from head to toe at the gray-haired youth in front of him.
Hearing such a highly specific question, Kaydan finally understood. His instincts told him that the indigo-haired youth standing firmly before him was someone who had a connection with his husband.
Is he one of my husband's spouses? Kaydan guessed, eyeing the youth from head to toe. He is very strong. The nature of his telekinesis magic completely opposes yet complements my gravity magic. It's no wonder my husband sent him to help me clear the way.
"Yes, you're right!" Kaydan answered without the slightest hesitation, lowering his guard. "Were you asked directly by him to help me get out of here?"
"Yes! In that case, let us leave this filthy place immediately!" Calverd invited, his eyes burning with the desire for absolute freedom.
Without hesitation, Kaydan nodded in agreement. He quickly stepped up beside Calverd, and together they ran while continuously destroying all the remaining iron prison doors on the left and right sides of their corridor.
Behind the two of them, dozens of people freed from the prison also followed with a burning spirit. They all ran together like a tidal wave toward the exit of the underground corridor.
The sound of footsteps from dozens of people running in unison continued to echo back and forth, creating a deafening noise in the long and narrow prison corridor.
Once they reached the pitch-black section of the corridor, several of the prisoners capable of using magic immediately activated fire magic. Fireballs began to appear, erasing the darkness that hindered their vision, guiding them to keep running through the exit path.
Even though some of the prisoners began to pant and run out of breath, their unyielding spirit to keep running was not extinguished in the slightest. Their goal at the end of this night was only one: to get out of that hellish place alive immediately.
However, just as Kaydan, Calverd, and all the freed people finally managed to tread the last step and exit completely from the mouth of the underground prison corridor, their footsteps instantly froze in place.
Under the dim moonlight, a chilling sight welcomed them.
There were hundreds of fully armed soldiers forming a barricade with rows of archers and mages behind them, already standing battle-ready in the vast palace courtyard, as if they had been anticipating the arrival of all the escaping prisoners.
Their desire to immediately breathe the free air instantly turned into a tension that invited despair.