"I am Icarus Veyne," he said finally, lifting his chin. "Second prince of the Veyne Kingdom. The Deputy Leader of the Desmont bandits."
Kiara tilted her head slightly.
"No wonder there is a ten-thousand gold bounty on you."
His hand twitched reflexively.
She waved dismissively. "That amount does not interest me."
His suspicion deepened regardless.
Trust did not bloom so easily in exile.
Kiara decided persuasion required spectacle.
She retrieved a shotgun first.
"Observe."
Icarus Veyne accepted it cautiously, feeling its weight. He braced it against his shoulder, uncertain but intrigued.
*Bang*.
The blast thundered through the valley, pellets shredding a one-meter rock into fragments that scattered violently across the gravel.
Dust erupted.
Icarus Veyne stared at the destruction.
"This can kill a three-star Spirit Warrior?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And it costs fifty gold coins?"
