Upon hearing him, most of the wolf-kin found their blood boiling. Their pupils reddened with anger, and their hearts swelled with disgust.
Exactly, how could he commit such a heinous crime?
The wolf-kin, burning with rage, glared daggers at Petro.
Petro, now faced with their glares, became even more terrified. His heart pounded, threatening to jump out of his chest.
He felt his limbs weakening.
He could feel his death approaching.
This made his pupils even more frantic. While sweating profusely, he cast a gaze at Vorrack, begging for help.
'Help me!'
He screamed inside.
Vorrack himself was panicking right now. If Petro opened his mouth and got himself involved, it would be the end for him as well.
Fear gripped his heart, making it beat faster than usual.
He ransacked his mind, thinking of a solution. He knew the situation looked bleak for them.
"But is it a crime to torture the ones who tortured us?" He said as he attempted to divert the crowd's attention.
"When the elves invaded our village, we didn't just lose our loved ones. Some of us were even captured and taken as slaves. Who knows, if those elves didn't defile our kins?"
Just as he mentioned, the elves had indeed enslaved some of them. Then who knows what kind of torture their kins would have suffered at the hands of the elves?
Hence, is it even wrong of them to do the same to their kin?
The crowd, once burning with rage, grew milder. The wolf-kin started to contemplate, their whispers rippling through the clearing.
Their faces showed mixed reactions.
Hatred burned deeper in their hearts than the sense of justice. The scar left behind by the elves was opened once again. It bulged as the pain grew.
"Yeah, he's not wrong."
"Who knows what our brothers and sisters have endured under their control?"
"But even so… It's wrong."
Some agreed to Vorrack, while some still couldn't bring themselves to side with him.
Witnessing the shift in the atmosphere, Vorrack couldn't help but grin. His once raging heart calmed down, and his once panic-stricken eyes glinted with relief. He knew the situation was bending in his favor.
Though Valen couldn't understand their speech, he could tell from the shifting reaction of the crowd that the situation looked grim for them.
Hope blossomed in Petro's heart, and he couldn't help but cheer on Vorrack.
"I understand what you're trying to say. But replicating their crime only makes us participate in the very evil we condemn. Then what's the difference between us and them?" Kael argued.
Though Kael was the leader of the tribe, it was solely due to his strength. If he didn't have the strength, Vorrack would have already usurped the position.
He wasn't driven by justice but rather by mutual benefits.
He knew how to appease others. However, precisely because of his methods, he was deemed dangerous and thus exiled alongside them.
Even now, he was capable of inciting a rebellion.
"Then what do you suggest? Forgive them and forget about the crime they committed?" Vorrack pressed.
He wasn't willing to back down either. Well, unlike Kael, he had a lot to lose.
The crowd found it even harder to differentiate. Both of them sounded right, making it hard to choose.
"Their crimes will be judged," Kael said, turning to the crowd. "But it's not us who shall judge. We will let our lord decide. He shall be the one judging the crimes. We will proceed according to his will."
Ripples of agreement spread among the crowd.
Even Vorrack couldn't bring himself to refute. Now that the name of the god was mentioned, what was he supposed to say?
If he tried fighting, his intentions would become clear, and the people might start pointing their fingers at him. Then, this would raise suspicion about him.
"So, do you agree with this proposal?"
Kael questioned, his voice calm and resolute. He knew he had cornered Vorrack. Hence, he was confident in himself.
"Y— Yes!"
Though reluctant, Vorrack agreed with the proposal.
There wasn't much he could do now except wish for the decision to come in his favor. Even so, he wasn't very hopeful. Rather, his expression darkened as his heart sank.
He bit his lips and stepped back.
The only one capable of communicating with God was Kael. Hence, he feared Kael would fabricate the decision in his favor.
But even if he feared, there wasn't much he could do about it.
The people here trusted Kael more than others, and without him, this village wouldn't even exist. If he were capable of defending this village himself, he wouldn't hesitate to sideline him. But his strength wasn't enough.
Hence, he needed Kael for better or worse.
The crest in Kael's chest glowed silver as he closed his eyes. The crowd couldn't help but stare at him in awe, their eyes sparkling with reverence.
Some joined their hands and began to pray.
Witnessing this ethereal scene with his naked eyes, Valen couldn't help but stare at him with his eyes wide open.
What was happening?
He found it hard to comprehend.
It looked like Kael was channeling something. When his instructor used the blessing of the wind, he could spot a green aura on his sword.
Whatever Kael was attempting seemed similar to it.
While Kael had his eyes closed, some of the wolf-kin found themselves on their toes. It felt as if they were standing at the edge of the cliff.
Soon, Kael opened his eyes, and the amber glowed brighter than before.
"The lord has decided. For the crime Petro committed, he shall be executed."
Kael didn't beat around the bush. He had decided it a long time ago and was just waiting for this moment to voice his verdict.
The god had nothing to do with this decision.
He had decided on this on his own. However, he still needed the support of the god to make it more convincing.
Petro, upon learning of the verdict, became even more terrified. His pulse quickened, and his brows furrowed as he tried to defend, "N— No! How can it be?"
The crowd, however, didn't care about his wails as they looked at him indifferently. Some even hissed, saying, "Serves him right!"