A couple of hours went by, and the room was now fully crowded. Over a hundred civilians had come but there were very few soldiers. The anomaly was so blatant that everyone noticed it, and a few of the honourees even began to speculate.
During this time, Nero had talked to various groups, getting to know them better while also introducing himself to them. He also assuaged the rumours that he was anti-military as best as he could, which were more widely spread among the few soldiers.
But there was only so much he could do. Although they were pleased to hear what he had to say, he could also tell that they only took his words at face value. They did not actually believe him.
It was a good start. More importantly, by talking to various groups, Nero had noticed one thing that he was not so sure everyone picked up. Although they hid it well, the only soldiers who were in the waiting room were those who were still recovering from some kind of injury. They hid it well, but when it was such a consistent pattern, it was only a matter of time before Nero noticed.
Something was definitely going on. If more soldiers were present it would have been easier for Nero to probe for answers, but as it was, no one was feeling too talkative. Contention was high right now among the soldiers, and they all had various views on Sage Haiden's recent actions, though they didn't say it out right.
Without more sources of information, Nero also couldn't figure out why he was being targeted. The handbook Invictus had, and the one he had, were not the same! Clearly the posture he had been given was different, but he did not know why.
If there was a ploy to use him somehow, or get him into some kind of trouble, then it was a poor one. He had been given more than enough time to interact with others, so it was not like it was difficult for him to find out. What exactly was their play?
He did not get the time to figure it out as the doors to the hall were opened, and everyone was escorted to an open field covered with countless chairs and a stage. The setup was fairly simple, but he finally understood what Hamid meant when he said this ceremony attracted too much attention.
Compared to the hundred or so honourees, there were well over a thousand spectators sitting and watching. It was difficult to judge the cultivation level of someone by sight alone, at least in Nero's level, as long as the other party kept their aura restrained.
But having said that, the entire flow of either in the region had changed, and was gathering around the countless seated spectators forming an unusual yet natural aura of deterrence.
The weather was pleasant outside so that the sunlight did not feel too warm, yet walking by the seated crowd felt as if his skin was being scathed.
Nero noticed Footer sitting in the crowd, his expression fixed in its usual- Nero almost stumbled when he realised something. Footer's expression was not the same stern face he was used to seeing. His jaw was clenched and his brows furrowed ever so slightly. The man was feeling tense!
The honourees were seated near the front, with Nero especially being right in the front row. Nero could feel his internal pressure being pricked now and then, even if he increased the internal pressure to boost his defence. Footer had alluded to the fact that many would try to probe him, though he should not be concerned.
What Nero didn't understand was why he was being given so much attention. He had been used once, he could understand. In fact, everyone understood that he was merely a prop, a mere reason for the sage to declare what he had. If he hadn't used Nero, then he would have found another reason.
But his role was already over. Getting the commendation should have been nothing more than a formality. Yet even so, he could not shake the feeling that he was getting too much undue attention.
On Nero's left sat some unknown man he hadn't met yet, but on his right sat Idris. The mature, rough looking man flashed Nero an all too practised smile. For some reason, Nero got the impression that Idris was used to scare young children when they misbehaved at the orphanage.
"Do you have any family in the crowd?" he whispered, clearly trying to divert Nero's attention.
"I have a teacher here. My family… well, they're out of reach at the moment."
Nero could not help but think of his father. He already knew his mother was undergoing treatment, but his father hadn't really contacted him since the last letter. He was not worried or anything - his father was an Arcanist, and a good fighter. He would be fine. He just wasn't used to staying out of touch with his family for so long.
Idris nodded, then looked at Nero oddly for a moment.
"I didn't want to say this in front of the others, stuff like this makes them very awkward, but thanks for taking care of Isa. He told me everything."
Nero raised an eyebrow. That, he had not been expecting.
"You still talk to Isa? Hasn't he moved out of the orphanage?"
"He has, yes. But we Hammels, we're a family. We take care of one another. Isa has been extremely troubled since he unlocked his ability, but now, he finally has some peace."
"Family, huh?" Nero said, smirking. "In that case, do you know Irene? She gave me a really cool back tattoo."
Idris froze, not expecting that. She was one of the more… eccentric members of their orphanage.
"She's a good kid. It's hard to live independently, her tattoo parlour is the only means she has to make a living. She won't let anyone from the orphanage help her, so I guess I should be thanking you once more for giving her some business."
That had been a sort of test. Considering the orphanage actually had hundreds of kids at any one time, it was impressive that Idris knew who he was talking about.
Nero turned to look at Idris because he was really curious to see how the man reacted when he shared the next bit of news.
"She didn't really charge me since I got a family discount. She married my brother after all."
SNAP!
The armrest of Idris' chair snapped off.