Of course, Auren's plan, while reckless to some, had a strange charm—and more importantly, it made sense. What the King had done was deserving of death. If it truly was the Dark God who had sent him, then this was no longer just vengeance. It was judgment.
Auren hadn't anticipated the people mistaking them for emissaries of the Dark God, nor had he expected Asenya to carry a hidden card capable of turning their fortune so sharply.
But his mind, ever quick and calculating, immediately grasped the value of the misunderstanding.
And it was going to be useful—immensely so.
He had won the Knight's heart on purpose. The priest? He wasn't a problem. Auren had sewn fear into the nobles, and it had worked—subtly, but enough. They had started to acknowledge him, even if they didn't realize it yet.
The Priests weren't a threat. Or maybe they were—but not one worth fretting over. They would attempt to control him, certainly. But he had already crafted a way out of that web.
