I've Got A Mana Processor In A Magic World-Chapter 63: The Overseer

Just as they entered the city, drawing closer to the nearest floating platform, a group of horse riders trotted up to them. Jim and Dirk—the coachmen—allowed them after seeing the crest on the black uniform they wore. These were the keepers. Enforcers of law here within the Sanctuary. Their leader trotted up to the window on Veronica’s side of the carriage and offered a greeting. "Good evening Madam Veronica. The Overseer requests your presence immediately." He delivered the message succinctly, "We’re here to escort you there."

Veronica simply nodded slightly as their carriage started after the keepers. They were led past the nearest floating platform that seemed to be dedicated to commercial buildings, and continued on to the platform situated directly in front of the chest of the large central statue all the platforms orbited.

Perched atop this platform was a grand city hall, the administrative heart of the Freehold Sanctuary. It was supported by towering white marble pillars, lending it an air of enduring authority. As they rode onto the bridge that led to the building, Zephyr found that it was perfectly stable beneath them. In fact, he couldn’t tell the moment when they rode onto the bridge. They closed in on the City Hall and slowed, their carriage stopping directly at the foot of the wide stairs that led up to the doors. People trickled up and down the stairs as they went about their affairs, a tinge of curiosity at the parade of keepers escorting the carriage. They knew that whoever was in there was very important.

"Alright. Simply keep your face straight and look forward. Don’t talk to anyone, and just follow behind me." Veronica looked between Zephyr and Rita.

Zephyr looked on non-committally and kept silent, waiting for her to be done with her short speech. Rita on the other hand nodded her head attentively, now realizing the depth of her earlier outburst. That was her teacher she had yelled at. The thought made her fidgety, so she was presently trying not to do anything that might trigger Veronica.

Veronica gave a final nod to both of them after confirming they had heard her words, and pushed the door open, stepping out.

A light chatter erupted from the passers-by as they noted who she was. It seemed she had a fair bit of reputation here as seen by the shocked double-takes and fervent whispers her presence elicited.

Zephyr and Rita stepped out after her, squinting in the mid-day sunlight before adjusting and taking after Veronica who had begun to walk up the stairs with a regal poise.

’So she’s some bigshot here, huh?’ Zephyr thought with his gaze locked straight ahead. The glances and whispers were overbearing even for him.

Madam Veronica is back—?!

Everyone needs to know this!

Who are those kids?

Did Madam Veronica take in apprentices?

I thought she said no one was qualified to be taught by her—?

They approached the massive arch that led to the doors of the hall, entering, they walked across the lobby and straight towards a side door without stopping for the aides who helped direct the residents of Freehold who had come to the city hall for various tasks. As the aides saw who was leading their brisk walk, they stopped in their tracks and resumed their duties.

’Okay... infamous reputation it seems? Why am I not surprised?’ Zephyr mused as they took the stairs up to the top floor, leaving the chatter of the lobby behind. This floor was different— Serene. The floors were covered in white carpet that cushioned their every step. Zephyr wondered how much it took to keep the carpet in pristine condition. There had to be magic at play, else, he couldn’t see how it was sensible to use a white carpet for the ground where everyone stepped regularly.

The floor was spacious, with only one large door at the end of the room, some few chairs, and a desk just right by the door, where a refined middle aged woman sat, busy at work. The sound of her scribbling echoed through the room as the three newcomers drew closer to her.

"Sandra." Veronica called the woman’s name in greeting, causing her to look up from the papers she was working on.

Her eyes focused on Veronica’s face, and a flash of recognition and surprise— as if in disbelief that she was actually here— flickered in her eyes for a beat before her expression reverted to a professional look.

"Veronica." She greeted back without any inflections in her tone. "Here to see the Overseer?" She asked more as a formality than as an actual question.

"Can we go in?" Veronica asked.

"Sure." Sandra replied. "He’s expecting you."

Veronica gave a light nod, still courteous to the secretary, before stepping towards the door with Rita and Zephyr following behind. As Zephyr followed after, he also gave a short nod of thanks to the secretary— Sandra, but the stare she gave him made him somewhat uncomfortable. It was like she could see through the illusion that disguised him, or at least was able to tell that there was an illusion spell active.

Whatever the case was, Zephyr was sure the woman was not ordinary.

He turned his gaze away sharply, just as Veronica pushed the door open and they all walked into the office of the Overseer.

The man’s office was... simple to say the least. Bare bones. Aside from the low shelf of books by his desk, all that was in the office was his large mahogany-looking desk, stacks of paperwork—reports and the like— and a sofa for visitors to sit on.

The Overseer in question was a young man. That fact took Zephyr by surprise. He’d thought the Overseer would be an old man, or at least middle-aged. But this man seemed to be around Veronica’s age or slightly older at most. His gaze was intense, full of vigor, and very purposeful as he scanned their faces. He had a different air about him. Like he was always in control.

"Veronica." He greeted softly, walking to give her a light hug. "I haven’t seen you in years." He took a step back to get a better look at her. "Look at you, even more dashing than I remember."

Zephyr held back a smirk, he could practically hear the sharp remark she was sure to give... but it never came. Instead, to his utter disbelief... Veronica blushed. Like a bashful young girl.

It jarred him so much that he had to look away, giving Rita a questioning gaze.

Even she was shocked, but there was more of a teasing look in her eyes, like she now saw Veronica in a more human light.

"And you must be her first apprentice." He turned to Rita with a smile. "Rita, yes?"

"Yes." Rita replied respectfully, glancing quickly at Veronica whose expression had returned back to normal like she had never blushed in the first place.

"Lovely name. I’m Petyr." He introduced himself. "The current Overseer of this Sanctuary. Don’t be shy to ask me for any help you may require. Your master is a bit of an oddball, so I’m sure it’ll still be up to me to cover for her every now and then." He laughed, eliciting a snort from Veronica. "You can ask for me anytime. My doors are always open to you."

Rita gave a short bow in thanks as he moved on to the last person. Zephyr.

"And you must be... the otherworlder. Zephyr. I’m Petyr." He stretched out a hand in greeting. Zephyr took it. "Nice to meet you Petyr."

"Firm handshake." Petyr complimented, then without beating about the bush, he jumped straight into the main reason Zephyr was here.

"You’re a valuable asset to us Zephyr, and I want you to feel as comfortable here as you possibly can. I know this whole thing feels rushed, but we’ll make it as transparent and as straightforward as we possibly can to ensure a great relationship between both of us." He said sincerely as Zephyr stared at him in deep thought.

He’d just realized what made the man more different from the others.

He barely had any scales on his body. There were only hints of it on his neck and arm, and that was all. Zephyr’s ears had grown accustomed to picking up the slight scruffing sound of fabric rubbing against hard scales from everyone he’d met, so he could tell that either this man had no such scales on the rest of his body, or they were so negligible that his ears couldn’t pick up on them. He was very tempted to ask whether the man was one of those half-breeds Frederick had described.

"As a show of my sincerity. I’ll allow you to choose who your teacher would be." Petyr said. "Though that’s after meeting with all of them." He added. "And besides that, we’ll also allow you to move around freely, so you don’t feel stifled. We’ll also provide a better disguise spell for you in the meantime." He finished with clear eyes that tried harder than usual to show Zephyr how sincere they were.

But Zephyr wasn’t buying it. He knew there weren’t free meals anywhere in the world. "...So what’s the catch?" He asked with a stoic expression, watching as his question caused an amused smile to color Petyr’s face.

"Well. There’s no catch aside from what you already know." He said. "...But we’ll like to go into the specifics. Just to make things clear."

"Aha! Here it comes. The catch." Zephyr snapped his fingers, smirking.