103 Truth or Lie? (1/2)
In fact, Gwendoline, since it was her that had both the guts and the will to face the angry crowd, had absolutely no idea what the Mayor had planned. But, since he had already been in charge of this city for many years, it would make sense that he could gather a few things before dawn, and that's what she was counting on. After the beginning of the battle, she hadn't any contact with Meridiana, but as she came more and more in contact with the succubus, her personality suffered a few changes.
Previously, she was filled with sorrow and anger, seeking revenge for her murdered family. She still retained her memories about that terrible fate, but the feelings connected to it weren't as strong as before. Her mind was getting clearer and clearer, and subtle details she couldn't see previously appeared distinctively. Her subconscious was sometimes making her do things that she could only remember do after a few seconds. Her entire posture was built by this newly found instinct, like the fact that she almost never removed the beautiful smile on her face. Before, she couldn't maintain that façade for more than a few dozens of minutes, but now, it seemed to be part of her.
This proved to be extremely efficient, since she managed to appease most of the terrified citizens of Archet, under the baffled sight of the guards. But the latter were quick to act, and immediately retreat from their earlier aggressive postures and formations. The bearded officer that was the first to trust her could only have his eyes wide open, not knowing how a frail young girl could manage to do this. However, he kept his inner thoughts for himself, since she had resolved that explosive situation almost by herself. However, right after she arrived at the northern part of the wall, where the fights were extremely close, he couldn't help but ask the question that everyone wanted to ask.
”Hmm, young lady, did the Mayor said anything else about the help? And was is preventing him from speaking in person?” His voice was neither loud or quiet, but the few dispersed guards nearby were on high alert, meaning that everyone heard it. They tried to stay impassive, but one could easily see them looking at Gwendoline with the corner of their eyes.
To this, the woman only raised her right hand and pointed it with her left one. This puzzled many, but the officers were quick to understand the meaning of this action. Her white hand was looking even paler under the light of the torches, but only one thing could be linked to it. The previously tense bearded man relaxed because it made sense that those criminals could respond more quickly than the regular army of Avenio. And it also explained that the Mayor couldn't leave, because negotiations with those bandits were filled with multiple checkpoints, tests, and searches.
”Thank you very much … young lady …” By then, he was a bit ashamed that he didn't ask her name even when they traveled for nearly half of an hour by now. He could only murmur a bit the young lady, not really looking at Gwendoline in front of him. But she didn't take this seriously and only smiled back, making the officer a bit redder than he should be. Nonetheless, a citizen couldn't stay on the ramparts, so he personally escorted her beyond the line of soldiers. He could only stay slightly dazed, as her silhouette was absorbed into the huge crowd.
It didn't take long for the important families to also inquire about the same thing as the officers. Most of them were members of the previously hold council, and all recognized the cheerful servant that was often attending to them. Normally, they were in a position of force compared to the young woman, but the attack of the undead changed that. Not wanting to lose even more reputation than they already did, all appeared to be calm and collected, even when their lives were in danger. The Mayor would have happily laughed, seeing those old turtles trying to be brave, even when their faces were filled with sweat and even paler than a corpse.
”Miss Gwendoline, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. We feared that something could happen to those working inside the City Hall, but our worries were apparently unfounded. What a relief.” They of course still acted like the businessmen they were. No one would refuse someone that was smiling or was extending his hand. But seeing the five or six old men surrounding a frail girl could lead to malevolent rumors. Fortunately, the adventurers were blocking the sight of the curious that was nearby.
”Yes, yes, if you had been injured, this would have been a terrible loss for Archet. A terrible loss.”
”Indeed, but, we know each other, isn't it Miss Gwendoline? We heard that you spoke to the Mayor, but we haven't caught sight of him after the gian … can we say that?” One almost blurted something that shouldn't be said in public, but the others only looked around. Seeing that no one was nearby, they nodded at the talkative elder.
”Since you know about the future, I guess we can trust you. After all, you were the best attendee inside the City Hall.”
”Yes.” ”Absolutely.” ”Without any question.” The praises could have kept coming if the patriarch of the Eltritch family hadn't stopped them. He was the one with the lesser amount of adventurers because he was one of the few that had directed all his forces toward the eastern walls. But after the bells resonated in the city, even he couldn't stay any longer, so he began his escape with his family.
”Miss Gwendoline, we have lost contact with the Mayor after the liches created terrible creatures, gigantic skeletons. He left asking for help, but no one saw him after that. You said that help will arrive at dawn. Are you absolutely sure about that, would you bet your life on it?” The friendly atmosphere disappeared immediately, worry and expectations could be seen on the faces of those old foxes. However, Gwendoline was unfazed, and she repeated the same gesture she did in front of the bearded officer. Sighs of relief could be heard, and even the adventurers nearby relaxed a bit.
”So this explains everything. It is only weird that you were chosen to transmit the information but …” Looking at the young woman, she seemed trustworthy and absolutely not capable of catching any of the outlaws of the Organization ” … you were a great choice nonetheless. That speech managed to calm even my eccentric sister, that is scared when a bird land on a tree. Thank you very much, Miss Gwendoline, for bringing comfort and warmth to our old bones. We won't hold you back anymore, but if you want to stay here, you are extremely welcome.”
One person more to defend wouldn't change anything for them, and it was always pleasant to have a beautiful woman in the surrounding. She also couldn't be considered as a stranger, since they had more contacts with her than even some members of their own families. But she dismissed the idea.