Candace said, "We are the people who live here. We don't truly care who is the deity or who rules everything. Even if life is hard and exhausting, we want to maintain our current way of life."
"The arrival of war will make people lose everything. That is a responsibility you cannot bear."
The prisoners apologized repeatedly.
"We'll tell you everything we know. Please, just spare us."
Candace crossed her arms. "Speak."
Zaki said, "Even if you don't believe me, I have to say—we didn't do these things on our own initiative. Someone did spread rumors in the taverns, telling us that King Deshret was about to be resurrected."
[Cyno: The people of the desert are far too easy to deceive. The Akademiya's lies are so obvious, yet they still fall for them.]
[Dehya: I have to speak up for them. The desert people have suffered for too long. This is their only hope—their only hope.]
[Candace: If they could live normal lives, not so many desert people would be like this.]
[Dehya: Desert people can be divided into two groups. One group is dissatisfied with the current situation but accepts it, just wanting to get by. The other group is the radicals—they want to tear down the existing order to change their fate.]
[Ningguang: Though there are understandable reasons, they are still guilty and must be punished.]
"The mysterious person said that the mad scholars were the best sacrifices for King Deshret's resurrection. As long as we gave their lives, our wishes would be fulfilled."
Cyno said angrily, "Call them Village Guardians. I don't want to hear that incorrect term."
The prisoners quickly agreed and continued, "That mysterious person told us to spread the news that King Deshret was about to be resurrected. He also said that as a token of thanks for our help, he would help us bring about King Deshret's resurrection."
Lumine asked, "So where are the Village Guardians now?"
Zaki shook his head. "I... I don't know."
Cyno said coldly, "Once."
Zaki scratched his head. "What does that mean?"
Cyno explained coldly, "The number of times you can test my patience. Exceed three, and I will kill you."
Zaki begged for mercy. "Wait! I'm not lying! We really don't know! We really don't know!"
Cyno said, "Twice."
[Paimon: Cyno's presence is so intimidating. If they keep lying, would you really kill them?]
[Cyno: Yes. Otherwise, this method would lose all effectiveness in the future—it would lose its deterrence.]
[Paimon: That's really frightening.]
[Cyno: Being polite won't solve problems.]
Zaki quickly explained, "He told us to use incense every night to lure the Village Guardians out of their homes and to a crossroads at the village entrance. That's where we'd hand them over. The mysterious person would come and take them away."
"It's true! All of it! I'm telling the truth! You have to believe me! If you don't believe me, ask them!"
Cyno turned and said, "Indeed, that's the truth. Traveler, you can continue asking."
Lumine nodded and looked at Zaki. "Do you have any guess about the mysterious person's identity?"
Zaki frantically explained, "You have to believe me—if I knew who he was, I would have said his name already! Why would I risk getting beaten just to protect his identity?"
"That person always wore a hooded cloak, with his face completely covered. He always said he was an emissary of King Deshret."