Calian and Wolvin walked side by side, cutting through the bustling main streets of Gias City. Around them, the residents were beginning to busy themselves with their respective daily routines. Merchants setting up their stalls, horse-drawn cargo carriages passing by each other, to adventurers preparing to head to the guild.
Even though they did not know the ins and outs of this city for sure, the two of them did not feel daunted. All they did was continue to step along the city streets that felt foreign to them, relying solely on instinct and visual observation to navigate their way.
The further they walked, the crowd that had previously dominated the city slowly dwindled and became increasingly sparse. Although there were still a few residents passing by or simply sitting in front of their houses, the atmosphere was not at all as crowded and lively as the city center.
And after several tens of minutes walking at a leisurely pace, Calian and Wolvin finally arrived at the outskirts of the city that directly bordered the outer wall.
"The atmosphere in this place is rather quiet." Wolvin said while looking around, observing the slum area and narrow alleys surrounding them.
"Yes, you're right." Calian replied as he stared straight at the quiet street ahead of him. "I truly did not expect that the outskirts of this city could feel this far from bustling. Do you think the outskirts in the imperial capital are also like this?"
As the two of them were casually conversing and comparing the city's atmosphere, their sense of hearing caught the voice of a man interrupting from behind them.
"Hey! What are the two of you doing here this early in the morning?"
Hearing that suspicious-sounding question, Calian and Wolvin spontaneously turned around.
In front of them, there were eight well-built men walking casually toward them. Furthermore, each of them carried a bladed weapon sheathed at their waists.
Seeing those people carrying weapons, Wolvin's fighting instincts immediately reacted. He became highly vigilant and prepared to attack them if they were pushed into a corner. However, that was not the case for Calian, who still looked incredibly calm as he stood in his position.
In his calmness, Calian's brain worked incredibly fast. He immediately connected the appearance of these people with their initial plan to gather more information regarding the string of missing person cases in this city. His eyes scanned the eight men, weighing the pros and cons of the situation they were currently facing.
If these eight people are part of the kidnappers' syndicate, then I must prepare a plausible alibi for them. Or in the worst-case scenario, I have to play along with their game to find out where their base is. Calian thought, formulating a strategy in a matter of milliseconds. But, if they are merely city residents patrolling for the security of this territory, I will have to extract information from them in another way.
"We just arrived in this city and it seems we are lost." Calian answered, putting on a confused expression like an amateur newcomer, initiating the plan he had neatly arranged in his mind.
Hearing the innocent answer Calian gave to the eight armed men, Wolvin, who was standing beside him, immediately realized something. He knew very well that his husband was currently planning something.
Understanding this, Wolvin decided to follow the flow engineered by his husband. He instantly lowered his level of vigilance and put on an innocent face so as not to ruin everything.
"Looking at your clothes... are the two of you adventurers?" asked the man who appeared to be the leader of the group again, his eyes scanning Calian and Wolvin's equipment.
"Yes, you are right." Calian replied, explaining their profession with a lowered tone. "The two of us are Rank E adventurers who just started our journey."
"Is that so? Rank E adventurers who are lost?" the man said again. "Do the two of you know the way back to the city center from here?"
Calian, immediately followed by Wolvin, shook his head with a confused facial expression.
"In that case, you are very lucky to have met us! Let us escort the two of you there so you do not get even more lost."
Hearing the offer that sounded friendly yet felt fake, Calian quickly nodded in agreement, acting as if he felt relieved.
"Thank you very much! We appreciate your help, Sir!" Calian said.
The eight men then started walking, getting closer to Calian and Wolvin. However, right when the distance between them became very close and left no room to escape, their friendly expressions instantly vanished.
In a synchronized movement, three of the men immediately drew their swords from their sheaths and pointed the sharp blades right at Calian and Wolvin's necks.
Instantly, Calian raised both his hands parallel to his shoulders as a sign of surrender. Wolvin, seeing his husband raise his hands, also raised both of his hands.
"W-What?!" Wolvin exclaimed, playing his role perfectly by pretending to be panicked and scared. "W-Why are you pointing weapons at us? Didn't you want to help us?!"
"Shut your mouth! There is no need to talk too much, just follow our orders if you still want your lives to be spared!" the leading man threatened while continuing to point the tip of his sword at Wolvin's neck, completely unaware that the Night Wolf youth he was threatening could kill him in an instant.
Without further ado, the man closest to Calian immediately and forcefully snatched the sword attached to the purple-haired youth's waist.
And Calian simply let his sword be confiscated.
"Turn around! Walk that way!" the man barked as he shoved Calian's shoulder roughly.
Calian and Wolvin turned around and stepped forward, following the men's orders without putting up the slightest resistance.
Surrounded in the middle of the formation of the eight armed men, Calian and Wolvin were herded away from the main street, forced to enter a quiet, narrow alley wedged between dilapidated wooden buildings.
While stepping down the alley, Calian calmly observed the surrounding area. This route slowly took them further away from the city streets and hidden from public view.
Even though he had anticipated every worst-case scenario that might happen, Calian still found it hard to believe that he would actually be held at swordpoint and dragged by force to a confinement place so blatantly on a bright morning like this.
Does this kidnapping syndicate feel so above the law that they no longer care when they carry out their operations? Calian thought, analyzing the group's audacity.
Calian's thoughts ran wilder with various logical speculations in his mind. A human kidnapping operation conducted so openly could not possibly run smoothly without protection from parties with high authority. This further strengthened his suspicion regarding the involvement of the city's ruler or the security forces of Gias City.
Seeing them act without hesitation like this, it seems there really is an important figure behind the rampant missing person cases in this city. Calian concluded inwardly. But for now, I have not obtained any clues as to who that figure is. I just need to follow their flow until we reach their base.
Amidst his serious thoughts, Calian glanced briefly at his spouse, who was walking with a feigned expression of fear on his left side.
I feel relieved because Wolvin could immediately understand the situation so quickly without us having to speak to each other. Calian praised in his heart, feeling very proud of his spouse. He is truly amazing, perceptive, and smart.