41 Ceremony Speech (1/2)
”Good morning!” The mayor yelled towards the crowd. Several voice amplifiers constructed from copper horns carried his voice throughout the large crowds. Additional mana-radio speakers were set up to carry the sound even further.
The mayor spoke slowly and solemnly, ”We are here today to honor the actions of the great hero, Earnest. He sacrificed everything to save the lives of the great people of Atlanta. I don't wish to hog the floor today, so allow me to introduce our first guess of honor. Please welcome Ms. Orrow. The mother of the late and great Earnest Orrow.” He clapped his hands while stepping back from the stage. Most of the audience clapped to welcome her as well. The chorus of hands was loud enough to make it feel like the street was shaking.
A woman walked up to the microphone. She had neat blond hair tied up in a bun and a homely look to her. She looked at the crowd in silence for a moment and the crowd slowly quieted down in response. ”I knew my son had great power...”
She paused for a moment before managing to find the words she wanted. ”I'm so proud of him for what he's done... But I wish he hadn't.”
Tears formed in her eyes. ”I asked him to help, but I didn't know.” She shook her head back and forth while tears poured down her cheeks. ”I didn't know he would die from using his powers! If only I knew!”
Sobbing noises rang out from her as she covered her face. Surprisingly, OP Baldy walked up and patted her on the shoulder to attempt comforting her. She glared at him, ”WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP HIM?! You're supposed to be the greatest esper, right?! It should have been you!”
Mr. Sai grimaced before sighing and shaking his head. ”I too have my own limits. I am not a god.” He stepped back from the crowd while looking slightly depressed.
The mayor quickly took over. ”What a brave woman!” He clapped excitedly. ”We all deeply mourn the loss of Earnest today. I can only imagine the hardship she must be going through. Give her another round of applause folks!” The crowd enthusiastically clapped once again.
'So, the monster of a mayor that ruined Roger's life is this good at public speaking.' Ed chuckled to himself, 'Well, it's always the monsters that wear the best masks. I'll be wearing one quite frequently here soon.'
”Our next guest is the esper that inspired Earnest to make his great sacrifice. Please welcome-” The mayor hesitated a moment before laughing, ”Haha, I never actually caught his name. Come on up here and introduce yourself boy!”
Ed smiled. Before walking forward, he glanced at OP Baldy. He whispered, ”You've heard of the mana-collars from Europe, right?”
Mr. Sai's eyes widened in surprise, but he did not turn towards Ed. He simply stood there quietly, as if he hadn't been spoken to.
Ed continued ”I've taken the liberty of implanting the core of such a device inside the skull of Yuki.”
This time it got his attention. He glared at Ed with anger clearly visible in his eyes. He ground his teeth before responding, ”What do you want?”
”Simple.” He responded. ”I'm a reasonable man. You're not to interfere with my speech in any way or I'll activate it and she'll die. Also, I've made a few minor modifications. If you kill me, she'll die. If she's over 100 meters away from me, she'll die. Lastly, if I flip the switch, she'll die.”
”Hmm.” Mr. Sai crossed his arms. ”So, you're saying I'm free to do whatever I want with you after you finish your speech?”
”That is correct.” He nodded in response. ”I'll deactivate the device once my speech is done.”
”What will stop you from threatening me with her safety again after I'm finished?” Mr. Sai questioned.
”Nothing.” He grinned. ”You'll just have to take my word that I won't use it after my speech is finished. I don't think you'll be able to hold back your anger and actions anyways. You're not exactly the most caring parent in the world after all! Haha.” He laughed while walking towards the front of the stage.
Yuki watched him with wide eyes. She had heard the entire conversation. He didn't even try to hide it from her. She looked back and forth between her father and Ed as she trembled. A mix of anger and sorrow appearing in her eyes.
The mayor laughed, ”Finally finished your conversation back there? The crowd is waiting!”
Ed stepped up to the platform while smiling. He clenched his metal fists in nervousness. He couldn't feel it at the moment since he hadn't added flesh to his new arms yet, but it comforted him nonetheless. 'Remember Dupe's advice. In public speaking, the words don't matter as much as the feelings and the charisma of the speaker do. Some of the greatest speakers in history weren't good with words nor did they have great causes. But their energy was infectious to the crowd and led to them becoming giants amongst men. That's not to say I shouldn't attempt making a good speech, but I'll need to ramp up the energy as I go.'
He took a deep breath before speaking. ”I would like to tell a story to all that came here today. The story of a boy that awakened his powers in America.”
The crowd quieted down as they listened attentively.
”This boy almost died as a result of a Flame Nightmare attack. Even after awakening his powers, he was helpless. Then a great hero showed up. A man much like Earnest, whom we've all come to pay respects to today. That man was my father. Despite being a completely ordinary man, he saved my life and took me out of that hell.”
'Time to turn on the waterworks.' He forced himself to start tearing up as he continued. ”What awaited the boy now that he awoke amazing powers? An easy life of luxury and respect no doubt? Wrong! He was blackmailed into joining the hunters! They threatened him with the freedom and life of his father who had ran away during the attack to save him!”
A few gasps rang from the audience while some others just nodded. Small pockets of chatter erupted throughout the sea of people. The mayor looked hesitant, debating whether he should interrupt. OP Baldy clenched his fists and teeth in anger.