I couldn't quite put my finger on the cause, but at this exact moment, I felt his eagerness toward the matter to be surprisingly sincere.
He wanted me to join—and based on the intensity of his focus, it wasn't just him who was pulling the strings. There were greater shadows lurking behind his words.
"I can't promise you that," I said. Since he loved to play these cryptic games with me, I decided to mirror his casual arrogance. I leaned back, crossing one leg over the other with a practiced air of indifference. "You still haven't managed to convince me to join your pantheon, Nero."
"You won't find any other suitable pantheon ready to support you with the resources we offer," he replied. His tone didn't shift a single semi-tone. It was as if he wasn't even startled by my blunt rejection; either he was an expert at masking his emotions, or he had fully anticipated my defiance.
