Owen's vague response only made Corvo more curious as to what an 'Ender' was and he was about to press the matter until Gerhardt spoke up, "Leongarde chose to let Belisio fall, because the relationship between the two countries has been strained for quite some time. In their eyes Belisio had become nothing more than a bully, regardless of how we might feel about such matters."

[i]You dare[/i], the prince thought as he tried to formulate a response, sharing Owen's look of incredulity. [i]A bully? My nation burns and you dare to say it is nothing more than a bully? No... Leongarde. It is from their perspective, but why? What have we done to offend them?[/i]

Corvo received his answer soon enough as Gerhardt spoke on of mist harvesters, border disputes and the lives of mages within the Priestdom, which only served to further the prince's ire. [i]So because they decide to shoot themselves in the foot with their own intolerance of magic, they let some minor incident dictate our fates?[/i] he wanted to scream, brooding in contempt as the brothers quibbled over mercenary business. [i]Do they not realize that by allowing us to fall, they only stand to be next and all over a few harvesters?[/i]

The prince did not make a single sound or movement, nor even a change in expression until he caught the tail end of Owen's words, "... so I suggest you both eat and rest, cause if you’re set on this, I’ll take you with me tonight."

"No," Corvo said, standing up swiftly as he addressed the master of the house. "No, we've wasted enough time here."

Then with a scornful look towards Gerhardt, he continued, "If what you say is true then we will find no aid here no matter what. More aside, I will not bow and scrape for some blinkered theocrat when we could be back home rallying what remains of our forces, of our people, so that we might mount a resistance while we still can. For Gaia's sake, what are we even doing here in the first place?"

His spirit inflamed, Corvo turned hotly towards the door whilst declaring his convictions aloud, "We fled when we should have fought!"