As soon as the words were spoken, the layer of deliberate humility on Orland's face was ripped open as if in front of everyone.
He struck the ground heavily with his cane, and the wooden thud sounded particularly harsh in the quiet room.
"Wanted?" The old man's voice suddenly rose, his face turning purple with anger, "That's not a warrant, it's persecution!"
"It's a purge by those mad dogs of the Golden Feather Flower Church!"
Once his emotions breached the dam, the pent-up anger could no longer be contained.
"They have their eyes on my shipbuilding techniques and want me to hand over the latest ship design blueprints to them. Fine, let it be..." Orland's hand trembled slightly, "But they even forced me to publicly renounce the Dragon Ancestor!"
He suddenly lifted his head, humiliation filling his eyes.
