Chapter 219: Confronting Veyrath II

The silver-haired Assassin’s voice contained a tone of finality as she spoke further.

"You see, while it might seem that Veyrath’s actions were something that only affected your well-being, that isn’t the case at all. After all, if he could betray you today and was more than willing to hand you over for the sake of his own safety, then who else amongst us wouldn’t he be able to betray in the future?"

Aureleah’s question lingered heavily in the air, causing the group to reflect upon her words.

They all had to admit that what the silver-haired Assassin said was right. And while her disposition was cold, it was quite clear that she had made that statement out of a place of care and concern.

Even Regaleon had no choice but to pause and properly consider her words, entering a state of genuflection. The more he ruminated over them, the more he realized that, in a sense, she was right.

The group was something that existed as a unit at this stage of their journey. In other words, whatever happened to one of them happened to all of them, and whatever they were going to do, they would do as one.

For that reason, if one of them were to suddenly go astray, then it wouldn’t merely affect that person alone. Instead, such an action could trigger a series of repercussions that might eventually become unfavorable for all of them.

Therefore, one could say that, at this stage, the circumstances had become even more complicated.

Also, from Aureleah’s words, it was clear that she already distrusted the failed Alchemist after his previous stunt. And why wouldn’t she?

The group regarded themselves as a close-knit family at this point of their exile in the Scarlet Canopy.

So, if Veyrath—someone they were supposed to be close with—could actually decide to turn his back on one of them, and that person happened to be Regaleon no less, then it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that, when the time came, he could turn his back on any one of them.

Furthermore, the reason the group thought even further and used Regaleon as a benchmark was because, if they were being honest with themselves, no one could deny that, of all of them, Regaleon was the one who had made the greatest impact upon the cohort.

As a matter of fact, this influence could be proven and seen clearly if they were to think back to the beginning of their exile into the Nether Lands and compare it to their current state in the Scarlet Canopy.

When they first found themselves in the Crimson Forest, Regaleon was the first person to confront the Wights.

And in a way, he had somehow saved some of them who had already given up all hope by rekindling the need to survive within them and giving them the much needed motivation necessary to fight on.

After that, the silver-haired Knight had done even more.

Firstly, it was through him that the group had even learned how to survive within this forest.

Using his experiences and knowledge as a guide, they had been able to find shelter, hunt for food and water, and devise various methods to survive.

And if they were now to talk about the reason the Black Stalker was hunting them and why Veyrath had supposedly decided to turn against them, then one couldn’t deny that although it was Regaleon’s actions that had brought forth such consequences, those same actions were also what had brought them to where they were now.

This was because if Regaleon hadn’t led them to the Breeding Nest, where they encountered the Sauryean, then by now, they would still be afraid to venture outside at night because they would have to worry about some Wight killing them.

And based on the monstrosities and creatures they had seen within the Breeding Nest, it was quite clear that had they not destroyed it, the Wights would have been the least of their problems.

This is because there were other abominable creatures far more dreadful than the Wights.

In a nutshell, from the day of their exile until now, the group couldn’t deny that Regaleon had become their central pillar and the person who had carried the greatest burden in keeping them alive and moving forward.

Now, one would expect this particular contribution to be a reason for Veyrath to stick with the silver-haired Knight through thick and thin.

But surprisingly, in an unapologetic manner, when the situation called for it, Veyrath hadn’t hesitated to sell out the greatest benefactor of the group.

And not just to them. But to the failed Alchemist himself in particular.

As a matter of fact, his action hadn’t merely been selfish. It had been outright self-serving, ungrateful, and reprehensible.

And for that reason, Aureleah wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

Actually, if it had been left to Aureleah, she wouldn’t even have allowed the failed Alchemist to keep drawing breath.

Instead, since he had already shown himself to be an extremely distrustful and unreliable person whose nature was like that of a snake, she would have eliminated him to prevent him from causing any more trouble.

But she knew that Regaleon might not appreciate such an extreme judgment.

And the moment Regaleon actually tried apologizing on his behalf, she became even more certain that killing Veyrath was off the table.

However, even if she couldn’t kill him, there should at least be a consequence they could enact upon him.

A heavy silence lingered amongst them for quite some time, as what should have led to a celebration after a major victory had suddenly become something far more somber.

However, the silence didn’t last long because Veyrath finally spoke after doing some self-reflection of his own.

"Guys..." His voice caused him to attract some kind of attention from the others.

However, since he knew that the group was genuinely angry with him, Veyrath knew better than to mind the scornful and disapproving stares being directed at him...