Sael's heart sunk when she heard these words. At that moment, it all clicked. She understood exactly why Leonel had apologized to her before the battle even began. From the very beginning, he had already planned to say these exact words. This was his goal from the very beginning.
"You… You…"
Sael's voice trembled.
She had tried so very hard, giving everything she had for the sake of keeping the organization she had been born in together. She owed Valiant Heart and her master everything she had. She had scratched and clawed, working herself to the bone so that she would never have to watch it crumble in her life time.
The result of her hard work resulted in her neglecting her training. She had been so caught up in the politics that she forgot to raise her own strength. The result was her losing to Aphestus and that reality slipping even further from her.