"Argh! Wait wait wait! Not there!"
"Stop moving around, I can't apply the ointment if you do!"
On top of me, a doctor was treating the burn on my back by applying some sort of cream.
"But it hurts!"
"If I don't do this, your wound might get worse and even get infected."
"Amon dear, do what the doctor says and let him apply the cream."
'Hah... Why do I have to go through all this? Can't I just ask Mr. Carrow to use his healing abilities on me or something?'
I gritted my teeth, and each touch the doctor made sent a jolt of pain down my spine.
"Wow I did not think you would be such a wuss Amon."
Litch, who was lying next to me, gave me a sly remark.
"As if you are one to talk. I can see the tear flowing down your cheek."
I barked back, giving him a side eye.
"It is the ash in the air I tell you! I am not crying. Hick."
"Yea, yea whatever you say."
It had already been an hour since we escaped the fire, and only now had the fire finally been put out. It had completely turned the middle-class residential area into a pile of ash and rubble, destroying the homes of an estimated hundred people.
It is very likely that no one can live here for a long while due to the amount of smoke and ash in the air.
During this time, my mother and I also cleared up the misunderstanding of me being a dangerous suspect due to me firing the gun.
At first the police officers were still on guard, but after I mentioned Mr. Carrow's name and Litch's testimony, they seemed to back down.
'Hmm, Mr. Carrow's name carries more influence in this town than I thought...'
This was piling onto the ongoing mountain of suspicious things that Mr. Carrow was able to do. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I hadn't heard or encountered him before in my twenty-four years living in this town.
Besides this, I also found out the cause of the fire.
"What mother you almost got robbed?!"
Once I found out, I felt like my head was going to explode in anger and my blood started to boil.
"Amon dear, relax... Luckily I managed to escape the house before they saw me. But unfortunately when I called for help to the neighbours, the two robbers set fire to our house and fled. By the time the police arrived they had already disappeared from the scene."
"Well have they caught those two by now?"
"Don't be rash Amon, the police officers have a lot on their plate. Especially trying to save civilians and control the fire from spreading. Of course they don't have time or the manpower to chase the two robbers. Though I am sure after this is all settled they will do a manhunt for those two."
She patted me on my shoulder trying to comfort me.
'Hah. As if, those two probably skipped town already. After all, who would be stupid enough to stay here after they caused such a big commotion.'
In fact this fire might even make national news due to its severity. So there was an almost zero chance they would still be in this town.
"Hah..."
I let out a soft sigh, while I buried my face into the ground.
The robbers were the least of my problems, because now with our house turned into a pile of ashes there was one major question that arose.
'Where are we going to live now?'
Even though I have some money saved up in my bank account, there is no way I can just purchase another house just like that. Furthermore, with so many people now homeless, the competition for housing will skyrocket!
'I suppose I can book a hotel for a few weeks, but what after? We can't possibly live there forever.'
I felt an incoming headache thinking about this, as I used my left hand to rub my temples.
'Maybe I have to take out a loan from the bank or something, but that will still not leave us in a financially stable position... Should I ask the Bravehearts if they are willing to allow us to crash at their bar for a few days? But thinking about it, I don't think there is enough room for all of us.'
Just as I was feeling puzzled, an unexpected person came to visit us.
"You look like you went through hell Amon, Litch."
I turned my head upwards to the voice, and my eyes widened at what I saw.
'Huh? Why is Mr. Carrow here?'
I tried to sit upright to greet him, but the pain from my back caused me to flop back onto my face.
'I guess I have to greet him while lying down here...'
I composed myself before greeting him in a polite tone.
"Ahem. What brings you here Mr. Carrow?"
"Well Emily heard that there was a horrible fire near where you lived and I decided to pay you a visit."
He said to me while turning his head to the distant pile of rubble and ash.
'Well that is a surprise... I didn't think he would care so much about me, I am almost moved.'
My mother, who was next to me, tugged at my clothes before asking me about the imposing blue-haired man in front of us.
"Amon dear, who is this fine gentleman?"
"Oh, he is my boss--"
"Good afternoon Ma'am, my name is Thomas Carrow, and I am Amon's employer. Nice to meet you."
He bowed slightly to my mother.
"Oh, I see. It is a pleasure to meet you too, my name is Margaret Civik."
She, following proper etiquette, returned the bow to him.
He then stared off at the place where the middle-class residential area used to be, squinting his eyes as if observing something.
"Hey! What about me?"
Litch, who was next to us, questioned Mr. Carrow while trying to draw his attention.
"What about you?"
However, opposite to what Litch wanted, he didn't even spare a glance and just casually asked.
At this, Litch had an incredulous expression.
'Pfff. Hahahah! Look at his face! Just priceless!'
My mouth curled up into a small smile as I laughed inwardly at the situation Litch was in.
"You! Aren't you going to ask about how I am doing? Or better yet why am I here?"
At Litch's words, he did not even move, still fixated on the destroyed residential area, while giving a sly remark.
"What is there to ask? You broke your leg in the fire and you followed Amon home, simple."
"Well... I mean you are not wrong. But still!"
My mother then bent down towards me and asked me what was happening. I just shrugged and told her that Litch was also a colleague of sorts.
'It is funny to see Litch get trashed on, but what exactly is Mr. Carrow trying to observe about the wreckage?'
I, similar to him, turned my head to try to see what he was seeing but found nothing interesting.
'Maybe he is just shocked by it, that is why he can't take his eyes off it...'
"And also, it is not like I wanted to follow Amon home, it is just that Victor asked me to protect him because apparently weird things are happening to him lately."
Thomas Carrow flinched slightly at Litch's words, before finally turning to look at him.
"What did you say?"
He had a hardened expression which seemed to scare Litch, who opened his mouth but nothing came out.
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"Madam Civik and you doctor, would you mind leaving us to talk in private for a while?"
"Uh, ok..."
My mother looked at me slightly worried, but I reassured her by giving her a small nod.
The doctor, on the other hand, tried to protest, saying that I still needed to be treated.
"It is fine. Amon is a strong man, he can handle it, and I've got a feeling his wound will heal very soon."
'Ah, I see. So he is going to heal me is it.'
I smiled inwardly as I thought about the pain in my back subsiding from his healing ability.
The doctor reluctantly gave in at his insistence, and soon it was only us three alone — as alone as we could be while surrounded by many other victims of the fire.
He then walked closer to the both of us and asked Litch to explain the situation softly.
"Well it is just that Amon has been suffering memory loss about a certain someone and he thinks that the someone is closely related to the Graham case."
"Memory loss? What is your thoughts Amon?"
"Well I, I..."
'Crap... I don't remember anything about the person anymore.'
"I can't remember... All I know is that I subconsciously wanted to avoid thinking about him and also I started to lose all my memories about this person... But I did tell Victor about it before I forgot so I think he should be able to explain it to you."
"..."
After listening to the both of us, he then stepped back before looking back at the rubble.
I then heard him mutter something under his breath.
"This is definitely more serious than I thought..."