"And I said it then, but you neither refuted nor agreed. Why are you doing this? Is it on purpose? Were you the one who sent the dungeon here and then pretended to assist us?" Evelyn's voice trembled as she accused Lionel, her breath labored.
Lionel ran a hand through his hair, glancing around at the chaos consuming the village. Huts burned fiercely, injured villagers lay sprawled across the dirt, blood pooling around their still bodies. The cries of the wounded and grieving echoed through the air.
"Trust me," Lionel said, his voice low but steady. "I have nothing to gain from causing harm to you or your people. I didn't orchestrate this. I didn't even know they'd follow me here."
He exhaled sharply, ruffling his already tousled hair. "This is why I told you I needed to leave sooner than planned."
