All eyes turned to the source of the voice.
Of course—it was Caelen.
Leaning back lazily in his chair, one hand raised like he was the damn star of the room, Caelen wore the kind of smug look that made Kairo want to throw something sharp across the table.
'This fucking bastard.'
Kairo didn't speak. He didn't need to. The tension rising around him spoke plenty.
"I agree with Caelen," Richard Kim, the guild master of Lion's Fang, added smoothly. His smirk matched Caelen's too well. "How are we sure Kairo truly struggled because of the ogres' strength, and not from his own weakness? From the footage, he succeeded once his team stepped in."
The undertone in his voice was clear.
Doubt.
Challenge.
Mio scoffed, his hand slapping the table lightly as he leaned forward. "Yes, and Zaira almost died—if it weren't for that hunter, Elione. We struggled as well."
