"... What the…" Under his breath, Lord Frantoch's full attention was on his new surroundings.
"SEE! NOW STOP HIDING HIM!!!"
Walking forward and patting Falix's chest, Tiberius never stopped scanning the area. "Calm down already, or you'll embarrass yourself even more."
"I'm an emperor, so I can act as I please!" Falix laughed and bowed his head to the woman alongside them. "Sorry, but me being emperor isn't about being a public icon. It's about me being the strongest and protecting my people. And I can do that however I feel is best."
Immediately bowing, Amma was confused. "I-I.. I'm not sure how to…"
"I appreciate the bow, but there's no need right now," replied Falix. "You're a town council member and a survivor, so I want to hear everything that happened that day. And if there was anything out of the ordinary, then all the better to share."
"... Right." Lifting her head, Amma calmed herself. "I ran numerous inns and was in charge of the town's hospitality industry, as well as affairs dealing with anyone and any group from outside of Emor.
"Trade had slowed so we rarely saw people come from the village to the west, but by noon we had the first survivor of the village appear in town. It took a couple of hours for them to wake up after having their injuries treated but they were the first to warn us of the angels and the god leading them."
Nodding and smiling wide, Falix asked, "Were there any other guests in town that were suspicious?"
Amma shook her head. "No. The only other guests that arrived that day were a blind man with his face covered in a head wrap and the two children he was caring for."
"Oh? And why is it that you remember them so well despite everything else that had happened that day?" questioned Falix.
"They.. were a peculiar group. But they fled town the moment the bell rang, so I only spoke with them twice that entire day."
"And what did you speak about–"
Interrupting Falix, Tiberius shook his head, "Stop hounding her and help me–"
"Tiberius, this is important information. I must hear it out." With no laughter and no smile, Falix glared at his old friend, startling Tiberius for the first time. "Forgive his interruption. Please, continue."
Sensing the strange pressure Falix was pushing onto Lord Frantoch, Amma did her best to meet the hulking man's intimidating gaze. "We spoke about getting them a room at my inn. That morning, I was in charge of the food stall. And since we were right next to the western gate, my inn was the first place they stopped."
"And what about the incident involving that blind man and the thief outside of the gate?"
"Th-that…" Astonished, Amma was speechless.
Tiberius noticed the shock on Amma's face and looked back to Falix. "How do you know the affairs of Frihet so well?"
"How do you think we got here first?" Falix responded with a question. "How else other than espionage? Of course we have spies planted in Frihet! As a neighboring country, we do our best to understand Frihet's affairs and actions better than you do. Now answer, what happened outside the western gate that morning?"
Amma was still speechless as she looked to Lord Frantoch for help. Seeing the lord nod and sigh, Amma swallowed her nerves and answered, "Well, the children under the blind man's care were targeted by a kidnapper, which wasn't uncommon in Emor. That's why I was stationed at the stall by the gate, so we councilmen would have a witness to help with our next investigation of the thief's kidnapping ring…
"But before I could give the order for the guards to follow the kidnapper to his new hideout, the blind man acted and stopped him immediately. The town guards only had to pry the thief out of a nearby tree and drag him to prison, something we never could've anticipated."
"What weapon did the man use?" questioned Falix, now leaning over the woman with excitement building in his gaze.
Looking away from the pressuring eyes, Amma answered, "He had no weapon. All he had was a walking stick."
"Just a walking stick? There wasn't anything strange about this stick?!"
"N-no. Well.. It was completely wrapped in cloth, but there wasn't anything–"
"And in what direction did that man flee!?" hounded Falix, not hiding his excitement at all.
"He..." Pausing, the woman blinked. All feelings of external pressure and interrogation faded for a moment as Amma looked down toward the burnt town in the distance. "... He.. went this way…"
"HA! NOW STOP LYING!!" Falix roared, turning to Tiberius with a mad grin. "WHERE IS HE?! WHERE'S BIL!?!"
"... B-Bil…"
Before Tiberius could respond and calm Falix, both men glanced at the woman as she dropped to her knees. She was muttering to herself, "Bil… His.. His name was Bil…"