The murmuring around us vanished.
There had been scattered whispers, but they were swallowed by a sudden silence.
The only sound remaining was the faint crackling of the torches mounted on the walls.
After a long stretch of this oppressive stillnessâ
"Did the Star Dragon Captain just say that?"
One of the Azure Dragon soldiers, standing at a distance, whispered cautiously.
That broke the dam. Murmurs rose again, but this time they were centered around Ilcheon Sword.
"The captain⦠used poison?"
"No, forget the poison. What did he mean by the Celestial Stream Sect?"
The whispers, though hushed, carried clearly in the still air. The reactions were as expectedâshock, disbelief, and confusion.
"The captain was involved with the Celestial Stream Sect? What the hell does that mean?"
"From the sound of it, itâs like the captain was working with someone from the unorthodox factions!"
"What kind of nonsenseâ!"
It didnât take long for their bewilderment to turn into anger.
Was it because of their faith in Ilcheon Sword? I wasnât sure, and frankly, I didnât care.
The important part wasnât their reactionâit was Ilcheon Swordâs reaction.
âGood.â
A smile tugged at my lips as I glanced at Ilcheon Sword. It was impossible not to laugh.
The man was a spectacle.
His trembling eyes, the beads of sweat forming on his brow, the faint quiver in his energyâall of it betrayed the deep anxiety boiling within him.
And yetâ