Elior looked around him anxiously, the grim atmosphere pressing down on him.
From what he could tell, the wolf-kin didn't like their proposal. Well, considering their status, they weren't in a position to make one such proposal.
Valen was well aware of the gamble he was taking. Though deep down, it terrified him as well, he didn't flinch.
Instead, he stared at Kael with a determined gaze.
Even though it was nerve-wracking to stare at him, he couldn't back down. He didn't have much to lose even if he revealed the whereabouts of his tribe.
Hence, he felt it was worth the gamble.
"I give you my word. You won't be harmed." Kael said.
Only after hearing those words did Valen relax.
Then he revealed the truth without hiding. He revealed the incident that took place in his village, and he revealed the torment he had gone through.
The wolf-kin grew more serious as they heard him.
They were introduced to the looming power hidden in the shadows. This revelation made their expression grim and forced them to contemplate.
If whatever Valen said was true, then it wouldn't be long before their village was swept up in this brewing storm. From what he said, it was evident that a conflict was unavoidable.
"We were still equal in terms of strength before. But after their previous leader died and a new leader took charge of the throne, the tide of the battle shifted. Their new leader possessed incredible strength, and he could command a large army of Leo-kins."
"Our village was burnt down to ashes. I can still hear their agonizing screams…."
Valen's expression contorted as he mentioned the events that transpired that night of escape. His brows furrowed, and veins popped on his forehead.
His pupils revealed deep agony and hatred.
It seemed as if he was suffering through great torment.
The wolf-kin could see through his expression, and from how he was reacting, it didn't seem like he was faking it.
Most of them were convinced, while a few held some doubts.
Kael himself was convinced.
"Sudden leap of strength, huh?" Ethan pondered as he tried to figure out the mastermind behind the incident.
This sounded oddly familiar.
Just like how he had bestowed power upon the wolf-kin, he couldn't help but notice something similar to it.
"I'm not sure, but it does feel familiar. If that's the case, then it should mean I'm not the sole player here…" Ethan figured.
This was the most feasible explanation he could come up with.
"If that's the case, then a clash is inevitable… We must start preparing. I'm glad I spent the miracle point on the blessing; we would have lost even more time. There's no more time to waste. We need to prepare."
Ethan's expression became complacent as he began to ponder. But one thing was clear: war was inevitable.
"We are located in a flat land. Hence, we don't have a geographical advantage for taking a defensive stance. Then that just leaves us with an option: we have to attack them first."
Ethan's pupils glinted with determination.
"But we can't charge recklessly either. We need more information on them before invading them."
Though the presence of another great force made him vigilant, Ethan kept his cool. He knew aggression wasn't the answer, and neither was recklessness.
The opposition wasn't aware of their existence, while they were aware of theirs.
This was a massive advantage. However, this advantage alone wasn't enough for them to win the war.
It was clear to him that he needed more information before acting.
Hence, Ethan came to a decision.
"Let's send some scouts to gather more information."
Upon coming to a decision, Ethan conveyed the message to Kael through divine link. Since Kael was his apostle, he could connect to him using the divine link, spending some miracle points.
Just as Kael heard the message, his pupils dilated.
He didn't flinch. He was used to hearing the voice of his god.
His expression became solemn as he asked, "Can you guide us there?"
Valen looked at him, his eyes flickering with hope. It seems like he had found allies.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, he nodded vigorously, "Umm… I'll lead the way."
With this, the interrogation ended.
**** ****
Inside the spacious chamber, the wolf-kin gathered around the round table.
The lantern light cast a warm glow over the room, its shadows flickering.
"Have any of you heard of Leo-kin before?" Kael asked.
Though the wolf-kin had encountered elves, they hadn't encountered Leo-kin before. However, he might not have encountered them, but he hoped there would be a few in the room who would have heard of them.
The others remained silent, shaking their head.
Kael swept his gaze. This wasn't a surprise.
"Elder Raegon, what about you?"
Elder Raegon shook his head, "I haven't heard about them either."
From this, it was clear that none of them had heard of the Leo-kin before. Even the elders of the tribe hadn't even heard about them, let alone encountered one.
"It's clear that we don't have much information about them except the ones we've heard from the elves. But if they're as strong and massive as the elves mentioned, then there's a great chance that we wouldn't be a match to them…"
The committee members became complacent as they heard him.
"Then… what are we going to do about it?" Elder Raegon asked concernedly.
Kael could feel their expectant gaze converge on him.
"We're going to investigate them from the shadows. We need to collect as much information as we can before deciding."
"But who's going to investigate?" Elder Raegon questioned.
"I'm thinking of setting up a scout team…"
Kael leaned closer as he voiced his opinion.
"That's a great idea, but what about the members? We don't have a lot to spare…"
This time, it was Thran who voiced his doubts. Though he was impressed with Kael's idea, he couldn't help but feel curious about the participating members.
There weren't many warriors in the tribe, and from what he could tell, the tribe couldn't afford a large-scale expedition. This meant the team would be compact in size.