Killing the protestors, whether it was actually his fault or not, would only reinforce the people's belief and paint him as the guilty one.
'There could be more here.'
Though they had stopped one of them in ti, the sa couldn't be said about the others. He focused on the roaring crowd, on the chanting mass and their furious eyes.
Anyone here could be a spy.
'I have to find another way to find them.'
A thought slamd him, and he turned to the others.
"Find a way to obvious my na. I'll focus on the remaining spies."
He vanished the mont they nodded, reappearing in the commissioner's office.
"M-my lord!"
The rotund man was at it again. Even more girls than before were scattered across the office, giggling and doing all sorts of… immoral things.
Hundreds of children were dead, the territory was on the brink of collapse, yet this foolish man was here having the ti of his life.
Atticus felt a wave of anger rise through him but forced it down. 'He's not real.'
He reminded himself and snapped a finger. Instantly, the man was fully clothed, the won gone, leaving only the two of them inside the quiet office.
The commissioner stiffened, eyes wide, but Atticus had no ti for nonsense.
"Give everything you have on the citizens of this territory. In paper form."
The commissioner blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly. He gulped when he saw Atticus' expression.
"B-but there are more than a billion…"
"Do it. Now."
"O-of course!"
Though terrified, he bolted from the office to fulfil the order. It took many monts, and the effort of the entire building. to gather and transport the necessary files. Information had to be sent from multiple regions, and after about half an hour, he finally returned.
"T-this way, my lord."
Atticus was led to a massive room where he saw rows upon rows of stacked docunts sprawled across the floor.
"It took a while, but we were able to gather the information of every citizen in the territory. It's up to date, even children born less than an hour ago."
He cast a hesitant glance at Atticus. "If you need any help, lord, I'll be happy to—"
"Leave."
The commissioner swallowed, cleared his throat, and quickly nodded before exiting.
Atticus fixed his eyes on the mountainous stack before him. He had felt the commissioner's doubt, the silent question of how he planned on going through this much information. They had no idea how wrong they were to question Atticus' ntal capacity.
Atticus simply blurred. A gust swept through the room, ruffling countless docunts. They hadn't moved an inch from their place, yet Atticus' eyes flickered endlessly with calculations.
'I got it.'
He vanished from the room and appeared high in the sky, closing his eyes.
His plan was simple: gather and morize the information of every citizen, then use it to scan the territory for anyone who didn't belong.
Atticus let out a slow breath as his awareness spread, encompassing the entire territory. He sifted through every face, one after another.
'Found them.'
He vanished from the clouds and appeared above the square once more. His eyes instantly locked onto the ones he was searching for. With a thought, six individuals were dragged out of the crowd and appeared before him, each one struggling.
"W-what!?"
"Who—?!"
Their eyes widened the mont they saw Atticus.
Atticus didn't bother asking questions this ti around. Their screams echoed as his will enveloped them, tearing through their minds.
He nodded as soon as he sensed the cloud around their thoughts.
'Abyss faction.'
In the next instant, Atticus vanished again, appearing throughout the entire territory. Using the information he had morized, he identified each outsider one by one.
Whenever he found one, he wrapped them in his will, silencing them completely.
Monts later, when he'd gathered everyone, Atticus summoned the others to reveal his findings.
More than a dozen n and won hovered behind him, each one frozen and unable to move.
"You work quickly, my star actor," Whisker whistled.
Atticus gave a brief nod at the praise, then focused on him.
"A way to clear my na."
Whisker nodded once. "I found one."
Monts later, Atticus and his generals stood above the roaring crowd.
"People of Fartonia," Atticus said, his voice carrying effortlessly across the square. "This is your lord."
"Look! It's the lord!"
"He's here!?"
"The monster! We will end your reign!"
The masses exploded in shouts and insults, until Atticus waved a single hand. Their voices cut off instantly, leaving only silence.
"Listen to what I have to say," Atticus said calmly. Seeing the muted crowd, he nodded.
"I have heard your words, and I understand the gravity of what is at stake. That is why I personally investigated the case of the missing children."
"Working with the commissioner," he gestured to the rotund man, who bowed stiffly, "I'm afraid we uncovered so grim news. We were able to link the cri to these eighteen individuals behind . Upon further investigation, we discovered the remains of the victims."
He waved his arm, and the rotten corpses of the children appeared before him. Gasps tore through the masses. Many dropped to their knees, sobbing.
"It is unfortunate, and I sympathize with your pain," Atticus said quietly. "These n and won will be punished in the worst way possible. I promise."
He allowed a mont of silence before continuing.
"As for their motives, we discovered the truth upon further examination. None of these eighteen people belong to our territory. They were sent from an opposing land with one goal, to destroy and take over our ho. They spread the rumors. They caused the chaos. They are responsible for everything, and they will pay."
He saw fists clench, jaws tighten, eyes burn.
'It's working.'
Whisker's advice had been simple: tell the truth, then speak to their hearts. His reasoning was even simpler, most protestors just wanted to feel heard.
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