Counterattack

Aila stopped and looked back. When the sun rose and the Whale Call sounded, there was no billowing smoke. He knew his setup had been discovered.

Anger, guilt, and utter despair erupted from the depths of his heart.

He was deeply disappointed. Why were these people so weak and helpless when facing the Fictional Protocol, allowing it to occupy the Azure Sky Whale?

Yet they had discovered the trap he had set so quickly!

Were these people targeting him?!!

That disappointment and fury merged into his current dominant emotion—annoyance.

He was annoyed at those people. Why could they not simply follow his arrangements and become the main force distracting the Fictional Protocol?

He only wanted to retrieve his sister's body. Why could they not grant him even that?!!!

Yet that annoyance quickly vanished.

Because they caught up to him.

Mokania and the other clergy fleeing alongside him had somehow found him.

The moment they found him, Aila fell into complete despair.

By his understanding, he had betrayed them, so there was no way they would let him live.

And these people were timid as mice. They would never go to Kavila.

That meant his sister would still be hung from the wooden pole at the village entrance, left for those villagers to humiliate.

Aila's lifeless attitude of do whatever you wanted—kill him or torture him—further created a peculiar atmosphere.

Most of the people in the group were affected by that atmosphere, and their morale fell even further.

If the captured Aila had gone mad or panicked, they might have been able to vent some of their anger. But his utterly indifferent, despairing appearance was the most devastating to their spirits.

Mokania sensed the atmosphere and pointed his sword at Aila, asking why he had betrayed them.

After hearing that, Aila