I let a grin slip onto my face.
The kind of grin that suggested I genuinely wanted them to attack.
That was enough to make them second-guess everything.
Behind me, the crewmates were slowly recovering.
They staggered, held their wounds, and tried to stand.
If they recovered enough, the Exorcists would lose their chance to attack me freely.
So the Exorcists would want to act soon.
At least, that was what they thought I believed.
But I knew they wouldn't attack at all.
A soft mechanical whir cut through the air. The drone that had been observing us from above descended.
"New Order. I am Judy. Identification: partner of Saint Maverick. Executing diplomatic protocol," Judy said, her voice flat through the drone's speaker.
There was a brief silence.
Then the voice answered. "So it seems he has decided to join your group. Are you planning to tell us not to kill him? Him joining you only increases our reasons to eliminate him."
