Cyno and Lumine walked over. Cyno asked coldly, "Have you betrayed Aaru Village?"
Rahman laughed heartily. "So this is the famed General Mahamatra?"
"Dehya, rather than siding with them, why not come work with me? You can see I have the means, and my ideals are nobler and more glorious than theirs."
Dehya shook her head. "You know I'm not easily swayed."
Paimon was confused—this was completely different from what they had overheard earlier.
Paimon asked, bewildered, "Dehya, what's going on here? Whose side are you on?"
Dehya spread her hands, turned around, and asked, "Paimon, are you an idiot?"
[Paimon: I get it now. Dehya is definitely on our side.]
[Lumine: Yes. Paimon, you really have gotten smarter.]
[Alhaitham: Absorbing our wisdom through the livestream naturally leads to growth.]
[Paimon: I've never met anyone so arrogant before.]
[Alhaitham: Haven't you met Cyno?]
[Cyno: Wait, Alhaitham, what do you mean by that?]
[Alhaitham: If you can't even understand what I mean, I suggest you resign.]
[Paimon: Oh great, they're arguing again.]
[Lumine: Arguing is their daily routine. It happens every day.]
[Ningguang: It's quite headache-inducing, honestly.]
Rahman raised his hand. "It doesn't matter. Who sides with whom won't affect my great work of awakening King Deshret. When the ancient king returns to this land, everything can begin anew."
Dehya tried to persuade him. "Wake up. You know better than I do that such a thing can never happen. Rahman, you've been a mercenary for so many years—how can you still hold out hope for a ruler's return?"
Rahman placed his hand over his heart. "I am a child of the desert, a devotee of King Deshret. Whether I live on the edge of a blade or in comfort, my faith will always remain deep in my soul."
Dehya's tone grew serious. "It's not too late for you to give up now. Those mad scholars can't actually bring King Deshret back to life."
Rahman shook his head. "You still don't understand, dear girl. Pursuing my faith is my life's purpose. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, I have to take the risk."
[Lumine: Suddenly these desert people seem so pitiful. They don't even realize they're pawns of the Akademiya.]
[Paimon: Yes. They believe everything the Akademiya tells them—it's like drinking poison handed to them by their enemy.]
[Nahida: Paimon, your metaphorical skills have improved quite a bit.]
[Paimon: Of course! I learned from the God of Wisdom herself.]
[Dehya: The desert people haven't had an education, so they can be stubborn. If there's no other way, we'll have to fight—though I really don't want to raise my hand against them.]
Dehya said, "So you're willing to expose yourself to the Akademiya's attention, even if they use it as an excuse to destroy the Eremite group you've worked so hard to lead?"
Rahman nodded firmly. "Yes. We've waited too long for this day. The sun and moon no longer shine, the earth is broken and cracked. Now fate has placed this trump card against the Akademiya in my hands."
"With these scholars, we can turn the tables on them and break through the Wall of Samiel together."
Dehya spread her hands. "You're being too naive. You're vastly outnumbered. How could you possibly stand against the Akademiya, which covers all of Sumeru?"
"If you don't believe me, just ask those two men over there. They've also opposed the Akademiya, but none of them were as conceited as you are."