Chapter 17: Outsmarting Through Bureaucracy
"I think that we have to give it up..."
"I understand your anger," Barou said slowly. "Believe me, I feel it too. But we can't ignore where they came from."
He looked toward the east, past the trees, past the faraway hills — toward the capital.
"Thalen might be a small noble, but the city behind him is extremely powerful. He probably comes from Luxia, the capital of the country. Last time I checked, they still have a military might of thousands of soldiers. Tell me, can we take on them all?"
"And The Church of Light may have been quiet, but they are not weak. Sister Lysaria is no mere acolyte — her robes mark her as a Vestal of the Inner Flame. That's not a title given lightly."
He paused.
"If we refuse... what will happen next? An embargo? A raid? The Church declaring us heretical?"
A long silence fell.
Even Gnord stayed quiet.
For all their defiance, the truth was clear: Elowen was still a village, and those who had come were backed by a kingdom with armies and a church with reach.
Then, a voice broke the quiet.