66 Joyful Occasion...?

"People of Antomiers! I am Marquess Carmel, your lord, and lord of this city! You are all well aware of the tragedy that befell us last night. A massive fire caused by not only the three criminals you see behind me! But also one Michael, also known as the 'False-Familiar!'. But do not despair! I pledge to do everything in my power to have this madman, this, arsonist captured and hung like the scum he is!... I promise you all! Any who harm this great city will feel the wrath of Brimir!" he shouts, using erratic gestures to emphasize his points.

He then gestures behind him and a man carrying a large ledger steps onto the stage, "We present Mary Dieu-Le-Veut, for her crimes of Sabotage against the Kingdom, piracy, tax evasion, murder, arson-..." the man continues to list off a long, long list of crimes that the rather attractive woman was purported to have committed. Once done, he moves on to the next person, who had a similar laundry list of crimes, which isn't strange considering that they belonged to the same group.

Then, the man steps next to Marcel Patiot, "We present Marcel Patiot for the crimes of, murder, kidnapping, theft, rape-Urgh!" the man abruptly stops as Marcel spits a globule of phlegm at the side of the man's face, causing him to step back in disgust.

"Stop talking and fuckin' get this over with you fuckin' pansies! And you, 'Lord', can suck my fat cock!" he turns to the crowd, "You can all suck it! Fuckin' bastard sheep, following these bastard nobles! DO YOU NOT WANT FREEDOM FROM YOUR OPPRESSORS!? WHY DO YOU ALLOW THEM TO TAX YOU, PUNISH YOU, HARM YOU!? LOOK AT ME! THIS IS THE FATE THAT AWAITS YOU ALL! And you BATUMAN! YOU'LL PAY OF THIS ASW-URG-HKK!" he 'grand' speech is abruptly ended as the annoyed-looking Marquess pulls the lever which opens up holes in the floor, allowing the three people to drop and hang freely from their necks.

The crowd exuberantly cheers at this, with even women and children laughing in delight at the morbid sight... Michael was taken off guard by how easily the people here enjoyed the three's suffering. Sure, he'd killed a lot of people at this point, but torturing them and enjoying their deaths? Never.

He unconsciously steps back from the crowd at the realisation that they'd cheer at the same intensity if he had been up there with a noose around his neck... "T-these people..." he mutters, glancing over to Loutiel who was simply smirking at him.

"Quite barbaric, no? They take great pleasure in watching the deaths of people who they think have oppressed them. Truth be told, they'd cheer to witness the hanging of anyone. It isn't strange for simply thieves to be hung for the entertainment of the city." he states.

Michael runs a hand through his hair with great consternation, "Haaah... Entertainment...? Why did you want me to see this?"

Loutiel shrugs, "I just wished for you to see the true face of people. Even those you deem as innocent." he gestures at a young girl who was cheering while atop her father's shoulders, seemingly caught up in the atmosphere... "A sad state for humanity. I wonder if we're any better than the Elves?"

Michael shakes his head, "I... I think I'm done watching this. I think I'm leaving this city today. Maybe tomorrow." he mutters, unable to comprehend why people were acting like this.

Loutiel rests his hands comfortably behind his back, "Where will you go?"

"Albion, I think." Michael says, still wanting to follow his plans to 'save' Louise from the fate of being brainwashed and married to that traitor Wardes.

Loutiel taps his chin, "Then, I would recommend taking an airship there." he gestures over at the currently empty airship platform, "I believe one will be returning tomorrow with yet more refugees. That will be your chance to leave.

Michael nods and extends a hand to Loutiel, "Er, for what it's worth, thanks for your help... I'm not sure if I'd have lasted if you weren't keeping an eye out for me." 'Even if you did try to take advantage of me couple times' he mentally adds, while not letting the thought deter his awkward smile.

Loutiel grins and shakes his hand, "It was my pleasure... Maybe in the future, we'll work together again. I suspect our goals may align at some point."

With that, the duo separated, Loutiel headed back towards his store while Michael looks over his shoulder at the stage where the dangling corpses were. People had started throwing rotten vegetables at them now, and it was almost starting to feel like a festival instead of an execution...

He releases a long sigh and looks to leave, only to notice a familiar face poking out of a nearby alleyway. "Samara?" he mutters, quickly following after her as she begins to leave.

"H-hey! Samara!" he calls out, causing the girl to stop and turn to face him, "You!?" she exclaims, pointing a finger at his face in surprise.

He pushes the finger away and nods, "Yeah, it's me. See that? I managed to deal with Marcel and even the Baleine gang." he smugly raises his head while crossing his arms, his nose almost pointing at the sky.

Samara shakes her head in slight exasperation but eventually allows herself to smile, "You did. Thank you."

Michael nods, "So... Are things going to get better for you guys? Without D'argent you should get a bigger cut now right?" he says, but trails off when he notices some dried blood on the sleeve of her ragged top. "... Is. Is that your blood?" he asks suddenly asks, causing the girl's smile to fade slightly.

"No... It isn't mine... Lateef, he. He wanted to... To sell me to the Salhope... Everyone was watching when he tried to grab me and..." she tears up slightly, "We fought back." she states.

...

"Is he dead?" Michael asks, feeling his anger rising like a coiled snake.