The smile that followed was genuine in a way that his earlier expressions had not been, carrying the unguarded quality of someone who had not yet fully finished being surprised themselves. "I myself was shocked when this was announced," he admitted.
"If you want to thank anyone, I suppose you start with the kid who took away the sword of the Sword Sovereign," he said, his tone settling into something more deliberate and weighted than the casual dismissiveness he had been wielding since his arrival. "Even though the Sword God Palace has yet to make their position on this publicly known, I am very sure they have their eyes on this Max just like the entire Divine Realm does."
The implication behind those words was not a small one, and he made no effort to soften it or dress it in anything more reassuring than what it was.
