Chapter 222: Questioning Aelric II

"I don’t know why you keep trying to make it sound as though I suddenly abandoned you in the moment you needed me the most..."

Aelric was just about to explain his actions when Caelestra suddenly cut him off with an accusatory tone.

"But you did ditch us."

Her voice rose slightly as she spoke, her brows furrowing deeply while her eyes remained fixed upon the green-eyed youth.

"You see, we aren’t angry at the fact that you didn’t fight with us. Rather, we’re annoyed at you because you suddenly disappeared without warning when we supposedly needed you the most."

Her arms remained folded across her chest, and the irritation in her expression only intensified.

"I mean, even if you didn’t want to fight, you could have just stayed out of it. Perhaps you could have simply stood on the sidelines and watched us closely without making us feel as though we were completely abandoned."

"But that was what I did." Aelric suddenly spoke up, defending his actions.

His expression remained surprisingly composed despite Caelestra’s obvious displeasure.

"I mean, it wasn’t as though I literally left you guys on your own. I practically watched you like you said I should, and I was even ready to jump into the fight should you need it."

Immediately after saying that, Aelric shifted his attention toward Sylveris. "Right, Sylveris? Didn’t I have that intention?"

Sylveris nodded her head eagerly, the sincerity in her silver eyes unmistakable as she supported Aelric.

"Yes. While we were up in the tree, Aelric personally told me that should the situation demand it, he would intervene and save you guys."

Upon hearing Sylveris’ agreement, Aelric suddenly gestured toward the group with both palms, as though presenting her testimony as irrefutable evidence.

"See..." Aelric smiled. "I really didn’t abandon you guys. Like she said, I was ready to intervene should the matter demand it."

For a brief moment, Aelric seemed to believe that he had finally managed to defend his integrity and justify his actions.

But before he could savour that thought, Aureleah spoke once more.

Her voice was cold, her eyes were penetrating and the way she looked at Aelric carried the sharpness of a drawn blade.

"You know, I don’t care about whether you abandoned us or not."

Aelric’s smile gradually faded.

"You see, what I really want to know is this: what did you not tell us about the presence of the wolves before it was too late?"

Her gaze narrowed.

"I mean, it was as if you were inadvertently putting our lives in danger intentionally, in a manner that was reckless and irresponsible."

"Wait, what?"

Valmyr suddenly exclaimed.

The failed Vanguard rubbed the back of his head in confusion, his bewilderment clearly visible through the smears of blood that besmirched his face.

"And how did Aelric put us in danger? I mean, wasn’t it just the wolves we had to take care of? So how is Aelric suddenly involved in it?"

His question reflected the confusion shared by most of the group.

Except for Regaleon and perhaps Kaeloris, it seemed that none of them had thought about the matter from Aureleah’s perspective or realized how Aelric’s cultivation base was a crucial factor in the entire situation.

But because Regaleon possessed the same logical reasoning as Aureleah, he turned toward the green-eyed youth and spoke.

"She’s right, Aelric."

His tone was calm, but there was a noticeable seriousness behind it.

"I mean, even you can’t deny that your Divine Sense picked up the traces of the wolves before they closed in on our position."

Aelric’s expression remained unchanged.

"So if that was the case and you perceived them, then what was it that you waited for until Veyrath said something?"

Regaleon’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why didn’t you just tell us directly so that we could have been better prepared for the battle?"

The moment the rest of the group heard the two words Divine Sense, their expressions changed. Also, it did not take long before they began connecting the dots and one by one, their eyes widened slightly as understanding dawned upon them.

And the moment they did, they discovered that there really was a legitimate reason for both Aureleah and Regaleon to question Aelric.

Therefore, at this point, the matter was no longer simply about Aelric abandoning them.

It was about why Aelric had deliberately—or at the very least knowingly—left them ignorant of the impending danger that had been closing in on them at the time.

As a matter of fact, one could say that this entire conversation was not necessarily a consequence of Aelric’s abandonment.

At least, Regaleon did not treat it with the same gravity as the rest of the group.

After all, shortly after Aelric had left them, he had already explained the reason for doing so.

He had told them to treat the wolves as sparring partners.

And after ruminating over what that statement was supposed to mean, Regaleon had developed a fairly solid idea about what the green-eyed youth had intended.

It was precisely because he understood Aelric’s good intentions behind the battle that Regaleon had not even bothered becoming angry with him.

Aelric had wanted them to experience the true nature of their newfound strength.

He wanted them to test their abilities against genuine opponents and understand the limitations of their recently enhanced bodies.

There was logic behind that.

However, what truly bothered Regaleon was something else entirely. It was the fact that Aelric, despite knowing about the approaching wolf pack, had decided to remain tight-lipped about it.

That was where the problem lay.

As a matter of fact, if they were being honest, the entire gore and massacre that had just occurred could have been avoided had Aelric simply said something.

And although doing so would have meant losing the opportunity to become accustomed to their newfound strength, that was something they could accomplish later.

They could train, they could spar amongst one another and they could also hunt individual Animas.

Moreover, they could gradually familiarize themselves with their enhanced abilities in an environment that was considerably more controlled and safer than suddenly being forced into battle against a savage wolf pack numbering in the hundreds.

After all, if they were to go after other Animas within the Scarlet Canopy, they could do so as a group. They could select their targets carefully and bring them down one after another.

There was no need to throw themselves headfirst into an overwhelming situation simply for the sake of testing their limits.

Therefore, in this particular case, there was no way Aelric could use his previous excuse as a pretext to get himself out of the situation.

His intentions might have been good and his reasoning might have been understandable.

But that did not erase the fact that he had withheld information that could have significantly changed the circumstances of their battle.

And from the way things were developing, even if Aelric attempted to use such an excuse again, it would be exceedingly difficult for him to wriggle himself free from this particular issue...