As soon as Cain said it, the two people before him stared wide-eyed. Rudeus was an apostle of the Human God?!
"H-how could that be? But Rudeus..."
"It's confirmed."
Cain folded his arms and spoke with conviction, his gaze steady.
He wasn't making a baseless guess.
Cain had always been willing to let things slide where Rudeus was concerned. But now even he had to admit that Orsted had an eye for people.
"I know you don't believe it. I didn't either..." Cain placed a hand against the wall and cast a soundproofing spell, then led them into an empty room.
"Rudeus really is an apostle of the Human God?!"
"Yes. I'm more than ninety percent certain."
Cain laid out each clue he had found.
"First, Alexander, you told me yesterday that Rudeus vanished while you were chasing the bandits. But you were only gone a few minutes. Given Rudeus's stamina, even if he'd run for half an hour, you could've found and caught up with him easily. Yet you didn't. And Rudeus has an excellent sense of direction. There's only one way he could've gotten lost..."
"He got lost on purpose. He knew where you would be in the future, so he deliberately avoided every route you'd take."
Alexander's pupils contracted. After a moment's thought, he nodded.
"That's right. I searched everywhere nearby and couldn't find Rudeus."
Cain nodded slightly. Ghislaine's silver ears twitched, and she looked troubled.
"But that alone isn't enough... And didn't Rudeus nearly die?"
"Don't worry. That's my second point."
Cain sat in a chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
"The whole thing was a ploy to win our sympathy..."
"A ploy to win our sympathy?!"
Cain nodded. Of course, their world had no name for such a tactic.
"You make your opponent