Hearing Damien's question, Lane momentarily froze.
Ah, damn. He had been supposed to think about it throughout the day, try to come up with something to say to Damien so that the man wouldn't be angry at him…
But he hadn't. Once they had stepped into the dungeon, he became so preoccupied with hunting the monsters that he had forgotten to come up with any reasonable excuses.
What could he even say, anyway? 'I didn't mean it?' That would make it even worse! Then, he would have been stirring unease and doubt among the team members for no reason.
No, since it had already come to it, then it was better to just own it. Damien was already aware that Lane was critical of the Association, and there was no reason for him not to share his views with the others. There was no rule that prohibited people from speaking against the authorities. Damien might have been acting as if there were, but those were only his personal principles. He couldn't possibly force Lane to follow them as well.
