Honestly, at this point there were very few things the man could've said to quell Odin's growing irritation and stop the Lich from turning violent, and yet he managed it spectacularly, not only changing Odin's mood, but interesting him at the same time. The man wasn't just saying that he didn't like the Rune Knights for show, he had even planned out the best ways to completely eradicate their existence. He sought more than just fighting them, he wanted to destroy them and cause every well respected mage to forget about the organisation. He wanted chaos.
With a deep breath, Odin decided to admit, "You have my attention now."
Divide and conquer huh? Always a simple enough strategy in theory, in practice a lot harder to pull off correctly, which was probably the first thing Odin agreed with he man on: a lot of effort would be required to turn the rune knights, who for decades had protected the people of Fiore, into a laughing stock, such that no one would ever consider joining their ranks. The man had the idea, but apparently it was up to Odin to actually see it to fruition. It seemed like a valid possibility until he mentioned that little caveat.
Odin looked to the man's finger, raising one of his own phalanges to point at himself, "Me, a hero? You understand the bias against my kind is not just limited to the knights, but to the people of Fiore en masse, right? I'm not suited for the hero role, which is precisely why I play the villain." Odin, using that same finger, pointed his hand out towards the artisan building, amused at the concerned looks passers by were giving him, "A well placed comment could stop anyone thinking about joining the knights, that is true, but so too would the fear of death. Perhaps my acts of terrorism will only cause more knights to join up the fight, but eventually they will see their folly. Joining the knights will become a death sentence. Thinking it's a silly idea and knowing you'll die if you join both have the same effect, mine is just easier to achieve."
Perhaps it was because Odin had rarely cared about lowering his voice, or perhaps it was just because he was who he was, but almost perfectly on cue a knight walked up to the pair, a hand ominously resting on the hilt of a sabre while the other looked ready to cast a spell if required.
"So tense."
"Is this man bothering you, sir? Do you feel in any danger?"
Honestly, the fact that Odin had just been diminished from a powerful dark mage to a slightly rude citizen was enough cause for the Lich to kill the man, but he didn't. He wanted to see where this went, as his face stayed blank. If there had been an eyebrow to raise, Odin would be doing so, curious to see how his new friend would react.