As Millia entered the city, the guards hastened to greet her, "Milady Millia, Captain Liam of the Liaison Squadron awaits your presence." Ethan accompanied her to the barracks to meet Liam. They were escorted by the guards to the council chamber of the barracks, where Liam, adorned in full warrior regalia, was seated upon a sturdy wooden chair, awaiting their arrival. His mane was slightly disheveled, bearing the marks of recent travels. Upon noticing Ethan's presence, his brow furrowed. Millia swiftly explained that Ethan was now her ally, and regarding Joseph's affair, Ethan was a firsthand witness.

Liam's gaze remained skeptical as he surveyed Ethan. Placing trust in Ethan, a former mercenary of the Southern Tribes, with his lineage as a wandering werewolf, was indeed a daunting task. Millia couldn't help but steal a glance at Ethan, facing Liam's provocation and disdain, which could easily ruffle the werewolf's pride. Yet Ethan maintained his composure. Perhaps, as a wanderer, he had long grown accustomed to the scrutiny of those guards.

Liam returned with intelligence from the River Territories. They confirmed that the OLVE New Alliance was currently under the sway of an enigmatic figure known only as White Shark, whose true visage remained shrouded in mystery. "They manipulate the wanderers through the guise of the OLVE New Alliance, enticing them with coin to assail and pillage dissenters, seizing their wealth and lands," Liam spoke with palpable indignation. "Moreover, this organization operates with utmost secrecy, unlike other factions with overt strongholds. We've commenced joint efforts with the constabulary to instill order, but time is of the essence."

Ethan fell silent for a moment before interjecting, "During Joseph's tenure as leader of the OLVE New Alliance, we did not engage in such actions."

Liam scoffed, "Do you reckon that mere coinage can metamorphose ordinary folk into ruthless marauders? As a seasoned warrior, Liam understood that the slaughter of innocents required more than mere brutality; it necessitated a distortion and manipulation of potent spiritual forces."

Once more, Liam turned his gaze towards Millia, his countenance grave. "Milady Millia, regarding Chief Kenny, ah, Kenny's feigned demise and the substitution of his body for Joseph's, there are myriad suspicions that demand our scrutiny. I believe it imperative that we engage him in direct dialogue. Additionally, we rendezvoused with Heidi, the High Priestess of the River Territories. She conveyed her intent to gather further intelligence in the ensuing days before returning posthaste." Millia drew a deep breath. Destiny's design inevitably unfolds; the past, inexorable in its grip, has long dictated fate's course.

On the day the High Priest returned from the divine realm to the Laurence City-State, Millia and Kenny sought audience with him. To evade detection, they clandestinely slipped into the temple under the shroud of night.

Clad in a somber black robe, the High Priest appeared weary, his silver locks thinning, rendering him an even more venerable visage. Millia regarded the aged figure with a pang of sympathy, bowing her head, troubled by the weightier repercussions he might endure.

"The gods have taken note of Kenny's plight, and I offer my very fate as collateral; however, the gods are none too pleased," the High Priest intoned impassively. "I have forfeited the privilege to serve the divine further. Presently, an emissary of the gods shall assume my mantle." Placing a reassuring hand upon Kenny's shoulder, the High Priest continued, "Child, though we have been relegated to commoners, serenity yet beckons. This, perchance, is the most auspicious denouement."

Upon hearing these words, Kenny's face relaxed into a slight smile, while Millia's lips tightened with pain. Suddenly, a knock resounded at the temple doors, and to the surprise of the High Priest, Liam and Ethan strode in together.

"Your Eminence," Liam declared boldly, "we've come to reveal the murderous deeds of former leader Kenny." His proclamation struck the High Priest like thunder, causing the old man to sway and collapse into his seat, wearing an expression of disbelief as he glanced between Liam and Kenny.

In a dramatic gesture, Kenny sprang to his feet, his expression twisted in exaggerated outrage as he lunged towards Liam, grabbing his collar and shouting, "What nonsense are you spouting! I've already explained everything!"

Shaking off Kenny's grip, Liam pushed him back forcefully, and Ethan, his gaze as cold as ice, fixed upon him. "Enough with the lies, you coward. I saw you take Joseph away unconscious, only for him to end up dead at your hands!"

Kenny retorted with scorn, "Who do you think you are to accuse me? You shameless mercenary, a mere vagabond without status."

Ethan scoffed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Chief Kenny, you didn't speak like that when you recruited me into the OLVE New Alliance. Didn't you preach equality for all? Didn't you claim that regardless of tribal affiliations, we were all equal?"

With a disdainful snort, Kenny continued his tirade, and Ethan pressed on vehemently, "You also promised to help me find my missing sister, urging me to trust your leadership. What happened to that promise? Did you even make an effort to find her?"

Kenny's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Your sister is better off without you, a penniless wanderer. She's probably living it up with some nobleman by now. Stop worrying."

Fueled by anger, Ethan clenched his fists, ready to strike Kenny, but Liam intervened swiftly. "Our purpose here today is to seek a fair and just resolution with the High Priest, not to settle personal scores," Liam's words calmed Ethan's fury. He composed himself and then dramatically tore open his robe, revealing his chest bearing the healed scars of a werewolf's attack. "Your Eminence, these are the marks Kenny left on me when he attacked me after I suspected him of Joseph's murder. Lady Millia witnessed it all!"

Quickly turning to the High Priest, Kenny adopted an expression of innocence. "Please don't believe these accusations. I am Dade's son; why would I resort to dishonorable tactics instead of honorable challenges?" He then glanced back at Ethan with a sneer. "This vagrant is merely trying to extort me; he demanded a large sum of gold. I am innocent; there is no evidence against me!"

"Enough! Stop lying, I have evidence!" Millia's cry shattered the silence, and all eyes turned to her in astonishment. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gazed at Kenny's insolent face, which now seemed so unfamiliar, devoid of the gentleness and trustworthiness she once knew, replaced by the gaze of a deceiver, cunning, and cruel.

Millia trembled from head to toe as she presented the small wooden box. Somewhere along the way, she realized she had already made a decision, one that defied her own rationality and abandoned her tendency to compromise and show gratitude. She chose to follow the strongest voice within her. Stepping forward, she extended the wooden box toward the High Priest.

Kenny's gaze snapped toward the box, his surprise tinged with a hint of fear. He remained unaware of its contents until the High Priest unveiled it, revealing a delicate porcelain bottle. His eyes widened in recognition, and in an instant, he lunged toward the High Priest, seeking to snatch the box away with his towering stature and feigned strength.

Fortunately, Liam, with his seasoned eye for such desperate maneuvers, intervened swiftly. With a mere glance and nod, Ethan understood. The two formidable werewolves surged forward, seizing Kenny by his shoulders and arms, forcibly dragging him away from the High Priest and the box.

The High Priest regarded Kenny with an unwavering gaze. Even before fully discerning the box's contents, the old man seemed to grasp everything. His icy stare and trembling lips betrayed his disappointment. Lowering his head, he examined the box's contents, retrieving the piece of paper and then the small bottle. His fingers quivered slightly, emitting a silvery light that danced like serpents through the air, enveloping the porcelain bottle. These silver tendrils wound tightly around the bottle, lifting it into the air like a subdued silver fireball. After a few moments of soft illumination, the glow faded, and the bottle descended gracefully into the High Priest's hand, unscathed.

The High Priest's pallor turned ashen, his voice hoarse and subdued. "The Oath of Death is indeed real; I heard its lament. It recounted the events that unfolded, witnessed by someone who saw you administer poison to Joseph before they departed."

"Dade's sole heir, the leader I anointed. I relinquished my divine mantle to absolve you of your false demise, child. Why did you choose murder?" The High Priest's words were not directed at Kenny; they were a whisper to his own conscience.

Kenny erupted in fury, struggling against Liam and Ethan's restraint to no avail. His ire then turned towards Millia, his features contorted with rage. "Have you lost your senses? How could you surrender this? Who bestowed it upon you? Was it that scoundrel Ethan?"

"No, it wasn't him. It was Mrs. An."

"What?" Kenny's confusion was palpable, as if he were ensnared in a bewildering maze.

"It was Mrs. An; she is no mere servant. She orchestrated a group to abduct you from the River Territories, and then, with Thomas's son Burke, used your life to coerce me into their service, distributing gold to the refugees and tending to the wounded when violence ensued." Millia's lips compressed with anguish.