Nedra's face went completely blank.
"Yep. He's definitely an alien."
They had probably expected his explanation to lessen the shock. Somehow, it had only made things worse. Still, there was one thing Zephyrion hadn't told them.
Malach had somehow been receiving help from his commander, and there was a spy watching them from their side.
The truth was, well, it wasn't that he didn't trust them. After all, he trusted his judgment of them. But revealing the Sarakhels' plot now would enrage the entire empire and risk bringing the exercise to an abrupt end. More importantly, it could cost him the rewards of the bet.
A thousand high-grade elixirs was not something he could afford to let go.
For now, he would keep the secret.
"So this whole thing was to catch Malach off guard." Tobias nodded thoughtfully as he pieced everything together. "He can't activate the barrier without abandoning his own people, which means we can storm the fortress."
