Elior felt his heart pounding.
Fear gripped his heart as he looked around him. He could see disgust in their eyes. He thought he had braced himself for the outcome, but when he found himself surrounded by the wolf-kin, he couldn't help but panic.
However, Lina, who was the same as him, looked different. There wasn't a hint of dread in her eyes, but rather her eyes were filled with reverence.
Her eyes were fixed on Kael, who stood before the crowd.
She couldn't forget the moment he saved her.
The looming silhouette, the expression of calm, and the sense of haven she felt in his presence. She couldn't forget.
Even though their situation was still perilous, she couldn't help but look at him in a different light.
Her eyes lit with gratitude as she thought about thanking him. She wanted to thank him for saving her, but before she could even calm down, Kael had disappeared, leaving her unable to fulfill her wishes.
But no matter how much she wished to thank him, right now wasn't a moment to do so.
The three of them were brought before the crowd.
Elior couldn't bring himself to look in front. Hence, he kept his gaze lowered at his feet. On the other hand, Valen looked fearless even in the face of death.
He met their glares while he counted their heads.
There were a lot of them. But most of them didn't seem to possess the strength of the wolf-kin behind him.
Lina had told him about the earlier incident. Hence, his impression of Kael had changed. Just like Lina, he didn't feel intimidated standing before Kael now.
He felt hostile gazes from most of the people over here. However, he couldn't feel it from Kael. This made him a little hopeful.
From his observation, he had understood that Kael held the ultimate power to make decisions in this village.
If he decided against the execution, then that was the final verdict, meaning their lives were at his mercy.
"These are the intruders sighted near our village. But before we decide on their judgment, we have another important matter to deal with…"
Kael's voice resounded, grabbing the attention of the crowd.
"Huh? What matter is he talking about?"
Confusion rippled through the crowd. People were unaware of the incident. But the ones who knew, their face darkened upon the announcement.
Especially those who held extreme grudges against elves.
"Tch—"
Some clicked their tongue.
"Bring them!" Kael ordered the guards.
Just as he ordered, the guards dragged Petro, whose hands were tied. There were bruised marks on his face, and his right eye was swollen and bluish.
From the looks of it, it appeared as if he had endured a deep round of beating.
"Isn't that Petro?"
"What happened to him?"
The crowd felt even more perplexed upon seeing his appearance. The shackle made it even more bewildering.
The crowd couldn't understand what was happening here.
First, the elves and now Petro.
Did he commit a crime?
"I heard from a relative, he assaulted the female elf…"
Murmurs of confusion spread like wildfire, engulfing the crowd as a whole. The murmurs intensified with each passing second until Kael put an end to it.
"I know you all have a lot of questions, and I certainly will address those doubts. But before that, I want to ask you a question…"
"Question? What is Kael talking about?"
Once again, the crowd was left bewildered.
"How should you punish someone who preys on the weak and helpless?" Kael asked.
The people looked at each other before a few answered.
"Isn't that obvious? We should execute such people. Those people are a menace to society."
"Yeah, they are a disgrace."
"Kill them!"
The crowd roared in unison.
Most of the wolf-kin gathered here didn't possess martial prowess. Hence, most of them were aware of their vulnerabilities.
Now, what if tomorrow the one with strength decides to dominate them?
How would it make them feel?
Fearing one such scenario, the wolf-kin roared. It was obvious these people weren't speaking out of compassion, but rather out of fear.
It was to save themselves.
Witnessing the reaction of the crowd, the elders, and some other wolf-kin warriors frowned. Especially, Petro, his complexion darkened, and his heart pounded as if it would tear open his chest and jump out.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, and his limbs shivered.
He could tell that it would be him who was getting executed here.
The fear made him frantic, and he rolled his eyes towards an individual dressed in a black robe. The individual wore a necklace embedded with jagged fangs.
His face bore a distinct jagged scar above his right eye.
Vorrack's brows furrowed as he met eyes with Petro. He could tell the meaning of those gazes— he was asking for help.
If he decided to help him here, he would suffer as well.
He didn't want to be involved.
Vorrack panicked as he gritted his teeth.
'Look away, you idiot. You brought it upon yourself. Don't get me involved!'
He cursed through his gritted teeth, his temples sweaty.
'No, if that bastard opens his mouth, I'm done. I need to act fast.'
Fear and panic gripped his heart as he thought about the consequences. It was he who had meddled with the guards, allowing him to intrude on the female elf's cell.
He had used his influence to let him fulfill his desire.
Now, if he pointed his fingers at him, wouldn't he get accused of colluding?
"Now, I'll answer why I brought Petro here."
Kael was satisfied with their reaction, and he had heard enough.
"Petro here, intruded inside the female elf's holding cell, and tried to force his way while she was being held captive. Even if she's a prisoner, even if she's an enemy, is it right for him to assault someone helpless?"
Kael's eyes lit up with bloodlust as killing intent surged within.
"Are we wolf-kin such degenerate races? Where's our pride? Where's our moral?"