Kanashimi continued to watch the criminals. Soon, one of the bandits turned to the man in the black coat
"Erebos!"
He was immediately answered.
"What do you want?"
The one who answered was the man in black whom Kanashimi had identified as the leader. It was convenient, since Kanashimi knew his name now.
His voice sounded as if the serpent of temptation were speaking; it was soft and melodious, instantly inspiring trust, as if it were the voice of God himself... or the devil.
The voice seemed to have a hypnotic effect; Kanashimi even momentarily succumbed to it, losing touch with reality.
Kanashimi blinked, returning to reality, and continued his observation.
'There's something off about his voice.'
The disgruntled bandit continued.
"We've been hanging around here for half an hour and doing nothing. I don't like how quiet everything is."
Erebus pulled a pocket watch from his pocket and checked the time.
"It's been 37 minutes. I think the special squad will arrive soon. In any case, we'll leave only when Tomi comes running to us with guards on his tail. Until then, we wait here. Is that clear?"
It seemed the bandit was also affected by Erebus's hypnotic voice. He immediately calmed down. Though not entirely.
Not even a minute of silence passed before the restless bandit moved from his spot.
This earned him a displeased shout from another bandit.
"Where are you going?"
The restless bandit replied in a grumbling tone.
"I'll check the surroundings."
Stepping into the very center, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed his finger straight up at the sky. Immediately after, a small ball of light shot from his finger, soaring upward at tremendous speed.
What happened next no longer concerned Kanashimi. He ran as fast as he could as soon as the restless bandit said he would check the surroundings. It was obvious that this man possessed magic that could scout the area, and even if not, staying there was too dangerous. Kanashimi realized this instantly, so he was already almost at the main square, where a bandit from their gang was handing out papers to people.
Kanashimi ran past at full speed, not even thinking to check if the guards had arrived.
He ran all the way home.
Upon arriving home, his father, Andrian, greeted him. Andrian was very surprised to see Kanashimi struggling to run. He took him by the shoulder and led him to the house.
Andrian silently led him to their training area and laid him on a bench.
After a couple of minutes, Kanashimi was almost fully recovered. Then Andrian addressed him.
"Well, champion runner, tell me what happened."
Kanashimi swallowed and, still breathing heavily, replied.
"At the square... a man was distributing news."
Andrian looked at him with interest.
"Were you running from him?"
Kanashimi paused for a few seconds, finally calming his lungs.
"No, a little further away were his accomplices. They had piled up the guards and were sitting in one of the alleys."
Andrian frowned.
"Are the guards dead?"
"No, there was no blood. Probably some kind of magic. Where's Shiro?"
Andrian smiled. No matter how cold Kanashimi tried to appear, deep down he was kind and cared for his brother.
"He's sleeping and won't wake up anytime soon. He stayed up all night practicing his beloved magic."
If Shiro had been there, he would have done the same as Kanashimi, but he certainly wouldn't have been able to run and react quickly enough. That's what Kanashimi was thinking.
"Now, tell me more about the bandits you saw."
Kanashimi told him everything he knew. The names Erebos and Tomi, their appearance, the presence of reconnaissance magic, and the disabling magic used on the guards.
Andrian listened to everything and, with a calm expression, addressed Kanashimi.
"Go home and rest. I'll take care of the rest."
Kanashimi nodded, stood up, and went into the house.