CHAPTER 59: HYPORISY GALORE

The speed at which Narmidor rushed forth managed to take even Theo by surprise.

Save for his own, magic-improved runs, this was the fastest he has ever seen anyone move, even that huntress from the wilderness included.

Contrary to that huntress, though, Narmidor didn’t advance to charge Theo down and then take him down. Instead, he merely grabbed his arm, squeezing it tight and shaking it while all sorts of words boiled below his puffed-out yet tightly sealed mouth.

’What is he... Did he notice the degree of his emotions in the moment and thus decide to seal his lips not to let himself say something he would regret down the line?’

That was Theo’s best bet from what little he could observe while the patriarch violently shook his shoulder.

"The hell!"

Finally, Narmidor spoke.

Yet, rather than screaming out, he somehow managed to muffle his words, turning them into a hushed scold.

"What the hell are you talking about?" With the first word out of his mouth breaking the dam of silence, a flood of others continued right away. "Really? But... HOW?!"

Theo smiled a little.

Not with a smirk of an arrogant piece of shit wallowing in the moment when he could gloat. Despite his physical age, Theo was too old to bother with stuff like that.

Right now, his smile was perfectly genuine.

Who wouldn’t like to see such a shocked reaction to his achievements?

Yet, rather than answering any of Narmidor’s inquiries, Theo wrestled his arm free from his grasp before turning straight back to the crowd.

"And let’s not us forget, once this job is over, it will be a perfect time to celebrate our Patriarch’s ascendance, to whom I dedicate this great, diplomatic victory!"

Theo was in all the right to claim this success for himself.

The act of potentially stopping the tribes from raiding the kingdom’s frontier was a massive game-changer, not only for the Slevian sect but also for Vistra town and then many more settlements, hidden in the illusory safety of Vistra’s shadow.

Most of the settlers there believed that they were too far from the frontier for the tribes to ever get to them. What they failed to consider was how the kingdom marked this entire province as a frontier.

Or how the tribes loved to play the cat-and-mouse game with the local guards, moving around the big settlements and sneaking through the fields until they found a town small and weak enough to effortlessly raid.

With the Theo peace brought back, however, the situation was likely to change. After all, if the Slevian sect could get a cease-fire with the tribes, then surely, with time...

Theo shook his head, pushing those naive thoughts aside while letting the crowd merrily celebrate the great victory he just dedicated to the patriarch.

After all the silent insults he slapped that poor man with today, Theo was more than happy to take a loss on his behalf.

Yet, with the cheering of the crowd only growing, Theo waved his hands to silence the people for a little bit longer.

"All those who raised your hands, if you wish to take on this well-paying job, be sure to assemble at the Patriarch’s mansion in an hour," Theo announced, only to then turn right back to Narmidor and offer him a smile. "And with that said, I’m leaving my fate to your hands," he added with a grin.

For a moment, Theo couldn’t really get a read on the patriarch’s face.

On one side, it was filled with shock, surprise... and a bit of pride?

On the other hand, though, the fury borne from all the social insults Theo served him with continued to linger in the corners of his windows, making it quite clear that Theo wasn’t out of the woods yet.

In fact, as he waited for Narmidor to decide what to do with him, he felt as if he was only stepping into those woods right now!

In the end, though, the patriarch opted not to make his solution of the matter into a public event. Instead, he played along with the narrative Theo created, waving his head at the crowd all the way until the two of them left far enough to leave everyone from the crowd behind them.

"Okay then," a moment later, right as Theo stepped over the threshold of the man’s mansion, Narmidor’s boiling fury finally erupted.

And after taking a deep breath...

"What the hell is it that you are planning to do?!" he screamed out, minding not the potential presence of his servants within the range of his voice.

"I thought this was too much of a secret to talk so openly about...?" Theo hesitated, acting as if he was now the one being all careful around the big topic in question.

"You...!" Narmidor gritted his teeth and clasped his fists, struggling to contain his anger.

In the end, rather than calling Theo out on his hypocrisy, he decided to leave this matter aside and get back to the actual topic.

"Are you seriously thinking of letting so many people, so many mortals, learn about that method of yours?!"

Just like Theo thought, Narmidor’s anger wasn’t born out of Theo’s arranged social ineptitude, but it was fully centered on the issue of the spirit stones.

It was something he, just until recently, considered the sect’s top secret... Only to then watch how Theo went out and publicly announced he was looking for workers, right as they were finally about to put the whole plan in motion!

It was only then, after a long, exhausted shake of his head, that Narmidor finally breached the other subject.

"And what’s with that truce with the tribes you spoke of? Would you care to fill me in?"

Theo sighed.

"Yes, I would care to do that," he stated before shaking his head. Next, Theo raised his hand and slowly pressed his forefinger against his lips before drawing a circle in the air with it before giving the patriarch a meaningful stare.

"Shouldn’t we find a better place to talk about it first?"