Sir Arthur and his cadre of trusted Paladins had ultimately chosen to seek refuge beneath the banner of House Solaris. To any outsider, it would have seemed a fortuitous turn—an elite brotherhood of sanctified warriors, sworn to purge evil, now standing alongside the Eldorin Order in their crusade against the Demon Empire.
Yet Leon did not share in that optimism.
It was not the Paladins' strength he doubted, nor their resolve.
It was their faith.
The Goddess's influence ran deep within the ranks of the Holy Church, subtle and insidious. Devotion could so easily become a chain, and chains could be pulled. Leon had seen it before—warriors of unshakable conviction reduced to vessels for a will not their own.
A single moment of divine interference could turn allies into spies… or worse, executioners from within.
So Leon kept his distance.
