"At the very least, they had to say something to the people."
Aria nodded in agreement. While everything looked calm on the surface, many people were actually worried. The heroes, despite their flaws, were the ones keeping the monsters back, literally.
Without them, most of the dungeons would have erupted with an overwhelming number of monsters capable of wiping out entire cities. The heroes were literal one-man armies.
The soft murmurs going around gradually died down as one of the heroes moved to stand at the podium. Under the screen was the name of the hero, and also the pseudo-head of the thirteen: Damien Kenroy.
[Hello, people of the world]
The hero's voice echoed through the office space as everyone focused on him. Some had eyes filled with doubt, others with hope, and a few with an indifferent look in their eyes.
[The unexpected and tragic loss of our future heroes affects us all. As you all know, being chosen as one of the thirteen heroes is a great honour anyone can ever dream about.]
The hero looked around with a solemn gaze, ignoring the flashes that came from the cameras. As a person used to fame, it was but of little consequence.
[Many of you believe this may be the start of something tragic, something that has plagued us before. However…] Reaching this point, his expression turned gentle.
[I stand before you today to say… we will not fall back into dark times. Yes, there will be no heroes after our generation. But before we stand down, we, the thirteen chosens, will make sure we leave a lasting legacy that will protect our world till a new generation is born.]
From his words, the two commanders could tell that Lord Damien and his colleagues did not believe they could keep their powers for two generations. Maybe he was bullshitting the public, maybe not. There was no certainty.
Moreover, leaving a lasting legacy suggested that the heroes were planning on doing something that would ensure that the threat of dungeon monsters doesn't overwhelm the world when they stepped down. How plausible that was, no one knew. After all, this was all unprecedented.
[And to our future heroes who were taken from us before they could share their light with the world, know this…]
Elara and Aria immediately frowned, not liking where this was going. As if their instincts could see into the future, the hero's following words deepened those frowns.
[My colleagues and I plan to work hand-in-hand with the Awakened Response, Investigation, and Special Affairs agency. We will bring the killers to justice. Have faith in our strength; we will prevail.]
As soon as those words left his lips, more flashes rained down on him as the media began shooting questions at him. Unfortunately for them, that was all they would be getting.
Without hesitation, Damien stepped away from the podium, leaving the stage with his colleagues.
The current heroes had addressed the world, instilling a sense of hope in the hearts of the people. False or not, they did their part. Whether they would keep the rest of their words was up for debate, and that was precisely what the media houses did.
"..."
Elara and Aria glanced at each other, seeing the displeased look in each other's eyes.
"I don't like this at all…" Aria expressed flatly. "Having those people around will make our movements too stiff."
"Agreed." Elara nodded. "But knowing the boss and the heroes, I doubt they'd actually partake in our investigations."
Despite her words, she was not too sure. The heroes could have their way, regardless of what anyone says. The only thing that keeps them in line is the fact that they'd step down eventually.
Furthermore, if their investigations led to the heroes themselves, it would ultimately result in an awkward situation. Taking down heroes was not possible in any scenario. They were cheat existences capable of destroying cities within an hour.
Aria turned around as the commotion grew more intense. "Alright, people. We've heard the heroes say their piece. Now get back to work."
"But will the heroes really be joining us?" One of the agents asked with uncertainty in her eyes.
"I don't know…" Aria replied honestly. "But I do know that the heroes do whatever they want, and might even decide to only send their retainers to us. You should relax."
Many among the agents nodded and got back to their stations. As for the parents who stuck around for the heroes' address, they left as soon as it was over. They had given everything that could be helpful to ARISA. Moreover, they had to give their children a proper burial worthy of their destinies.
"What next?" Elara stepped closer to her friend and asked. "Our people can handle the other contacts, surveillance footage, and emails. Riley is already investigating some of the leaders."
"Actually, I have something I want to check out, so I'll be leaving for a while." Aria did not wait for a response and quickly walked away, heading to her office.
Aria's theory on the witnesses being brainwashed was not out of the picture. While the address went on, the woman recalled something that could potentially shed some light on her suspicions. Taking out her phone, she dialled Dave and passed on her instructions.
"Dave, I need you to arrange for the guardians of Ethan Banny to meet me at the research facility. Don't ask me why, just get it done." She ended the call as she pushed the doors into her office, needing to grab her jacket.
Meanwhile, Elara was left visibly confused. "What was that about?"
She genuinely wondered. However, she didn't want to pry into Aria's business, so she put that aside and moved to her office, which was located a floor above the current one.
Whether they continued now or the next day did not really matter. Their subordinates took care of the minor details they usually didn't do.
Contacts and organisations were investigated, calls were made, and people were invited over for an interview. However, with every narrative they got, they took it with a grain of salt until it proved useless or connected to their case.
The agents of ARISA were building a solid case around the murders, and soon, they would have potential suspects they would deeply dive into. Slowly, the first official day for the investigations came to a close.