As the refugees began moving into the settlement under guard supervision, Vex approached Satou again.
"Lord Satou... I need to tell you something. About the humans that attacked his settlement."
Satou's attention sharpened. "What about them?"
"When they attacked Thornwood, before the massacre started, he read a proclamation. Church official statement." Vex's voice was bitter. "He declared that all monster settlements in the region were 'demonic corruption that threatens human civilization' and would be 'cleansed by holy order.'"
"Meaning?"
"Meaning Thornwood wasn't isolated incident. Riverside wasn't just convenience. This was planned genocide. The Church sent four thousand soldiers to exterminate every non-human settlement in this entire region. Your settlement was the primary target, but we were all marked for death."
Satou absorbed that information with cold fury. "Did he say why?"
