Chapter 16: An Announcement
"F*ck…"
Although what he said wasn't loud and could be barely heard in fact, it still made the entire crowd go dead with silence.
He stopped rubbing his eyes and raised his head. He noticed that he clearly made a mistake but his expression barely changed with a slight twitch of his lips.
In terms of appearance he seemed a bit out of ordinary as his hair was not only red but also messy and shoulder length which was uncommon for men as shorter hairstyles were a mainstream preference in the Verondian Republic. He also had a short beard but it was barely a stubble. Perhaps he forgot to shave today? He also appeared to be around forty but he might be younger and it's just that his tired out face made him look older than he actually is. He appeared to have a few really rough days past him.
His attire of choice was a red robe that had golden engravings on it from which Arthur could sense spiritual fluctuations. He guessed that those were runes which were a simplified version of magical arrays.
If a group of people were to approach him from behind they might be amazed and think that an impenetrable wall of fire was standing in front of them but if he were to suddenly turn to look at them they would instantly think of a dimming candlelight. That at the very least was the impression he gave off during his 'opening statement'.
"Sigh…"
He clearly had no intention of correcting himself or apologising for his slip of the tongue. The only thing he appeared to have on his mind was how the whole situation was annoying to him.
"My name is Victor Rosebud and some of you should know that I took post as the city's protector mage a few months ago…"
As soon as he said this a lot of chatter appeared among the crowd.
"I still can't believe someone like him was admitted as a protector mage"
"I heard that he is skilled but just look at him! So uncivilised… Tsk!"
"Who did he fool to get this job?"
The opinion of the crowd appeared unanimously negative regarding Victor and even Arthur appeared to subconsciously develop an image of him being unreliable but the person who should be the first to ridicule appeared rather calm.
"People are always so quick to judge…"
Amon muttered in disappointment but he did not elaborate further even though Arthur shot him an inquiring look.
"SILENCE!"
Victor shouted and his voice must've been augmented with magic as it was so loud probably half of the city heard him.
"Now then…"
He looked around and somehow made the crowd numbering thousands of people go silent for a second time and now it was for a completely different reason.
They were reminded that although he appeared messy he was still a mage qualified enough to take post as the city's protector. It was not a position that could be gained with connections or mere money but pure skill and years of experience.
"...Around three days ago the Korin cliff mysteriously exploded and I investigated the matter as my duty required me to do so in a case involving a higher level of magic. My initial findings pointed me to a blasphemous organisation named Ouroboros which so far was proved to only operate in the depths of the northern continent and I assume something went wrong during one of their experiments which caused a violent explosion. Faced with these facts I made a report to the Church of Purity which handles such organisations and I expect them to sent some people to do further research into the matter but as of now all of you should prepare for an upcoming search as there is a certain probability that some of their members survived or simply remained inside of the city during the explosion. They will be found and brought to justice, you have my word… That's all"
This caused the crowd to go into an uproar as soon as he finished speaking but he did not wait and quickly vanished from sight.
All that however did not matter to either Arthur or Amon as they quickly realised their sightseeing trip had to be postponed and without saying anything to each other they decided to march back to 'their' hideout as soon as possible.
They left the square and the city centre quite swiftly and only when they made sure that they were not followed did they speak.
"I knew that this would cause a lot of stir but I didn't expect them to cause such a commotion and we are unlucky enough that this area is managed by someone competent who found out about Ouroboros being involved"
"Sorry"
Amon lamented about the situation and Arthur could only apologise to him once again for his mistake.
Strangely, he did not get angry and instead appeared serious and in deep thought which impressed Arthur since although Amon showcased many faults so far, in the end it turns out that he is someone who could be relied on when needed.
"We have to change our accommodation for something else. It was my mistake that I looked at things only from one perspective… Perhaps I turned rusty after a short break with the conspiracies and the like which put as at a risk of exposure"
Arthur agreed wholeheartedly and liked Amon's self reflective side, if only he did that more often it would've been perfect in his opinion.
They didn't talk much after this and quickly reached the hideout.
Renfri was there reading something while leaning back in her chair and she clearly did not expect them to return so soon as she was startled by the door suddenly opening.
At first she wanted to ask what happened for them to cut their trip so short but couldn't help but tremble when she saw Amon's intense gaze falling on her.