Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Aftermath Handling (3)
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"Welcome, Supreme Student Council President."
"Mm."
I entered, receiving the Representative Council Chair's warm reception.
Was it because everyone was so tense?
I could clearly feel the surrounding gazes fixed on me.
Expectations, wariness, fear, relief, awe... all sorts of emotions directed my way.
I glanced up and looked at the council members.
"......"
Seeing their uniformly hardened expressions, I swallowed hard inwardly.
'As expected, they've come fully prepared.'
Just from their faces, I could read their thoughts.
They were definitely pondering how to oust me.
I was familiar with these kinds of stares.
'In times like this, I can't let the atmosphere intimidate me.'
If I showed even the slightest weakness in front of them, they'd tear me apart in an instant.
So, I had to appear confident.
Chest out, I advanced step by step, putting weight into each footfall.
'Good thing the floor is marble.'
It helped set the mood with the sound alone.
For some reason, I sensed tension from the vice president behind me, but I brushed it off as unimportant and soon ascended the podium to face them.
"Long time no see."
I opened with a light greeting and addressed the council members staring silently at me.
"So. What's the reason you summoned me this time?"
I already knew from the written notice, but I asked them anyway.
'Groups are inherently selfish. Whoever steps up first to answer will be their representative.'
And sure enough, the one who responded to my question was a familiar face from memory.
"As the President is surely aware, our Representative Council is taking this incident very seriously."
"Hmm. And?"
"Therefore, to verify whether the President handled this incident appropriately, we have convened this hearing."
"...I see."
His name was Ivan, if memory served.
G2-grade Solaris Hero Academy's student council president.
'A commoner from the Rishel Kingdom, strong ambition and high thirst for power. His specialty is... swordsmanship, right?'
As I roughly recalled his profile in my head, Ivan took my silence as tacit approval and continued with a more relaxed expression.
"We want to know. Did you truly not notice the demon tribe's intrusion? Or did you know and allow it? If you didn't notice the intrusion, that's a major blunder in itself. But if you knowingly tolerated the demon tribe's entry!"
"Ivan! Watch your tongue!"
"What kind of language is that toward the President!"
As Ivan crossed the line, other council members jumped in to attack him.
They seemed to be pro-president faction members pushed out of the mainstream.
I watched their bickering for a moment, then lifted my gaze higher to the top council members.
Six seats flanking the Representative Council Chair in the center.
Distinctive figures occupied each one.
The most familiar among them sat to the Chair's left.
"How dare you......"
Slaine Academy's student council president quietly gripped her sword, radiating killing intent.
My sister, who had been subtly pressuring Ivan, met my eyes and broke into a bright smile, waving cheerfully as if nothing had happened.
I gave a small wave in return and thought.
'For now, Ji-eun will side with me. In terms of voting influence, SKY tops the list. Her voice will carry significant weight.'
Nodding to myself, I turned my gaze to the massive man beside her.
With deep bronze skin and a gleaming bald head, he had shed his upper garment to reveal unique tattoos across his body.
Like my sister, he noticed me and grinned broadly after glancing over.
'That crazy battle maniac.'
His name was Tremos.
Student council president of Yeoncheol Academy, one of SKY, and the great warrior of the Lukidus Kingdom dominating the Lukidus continent.
Nicknamed the Immortal Tremos for his robust physique and exceptional vitality.
Ever since losing to me in the past, he'd been nagging me to spar whenever he got the chance, so lately I'd been avoiding him out of annoyance.
Still, since I'd sparred with him enough to build some camaraderie, he wouldn't openly oppose me.
"Kuhuhu."
Rather, seeing that grin, I figured he'd come charging for a fight once this hearing ended.
"......"
Looking at him, I thought.
'Time to run.'
Fighting him was a waste of time.
He was needlessly tough and wore you out, so I had to dodge.
I quickly shifted my gaze to the petite girl beside him.
'Baekhwa Girls' Academy.'
Among Academy City's countless academies, it had an especially aristocratic bent.
Despite its G1 prestige, it didn't produce top heroes, but it was a renowned political powerhouse that churned out excellent administrators.
'As Baekhwa's student council president, she must have keen political instincts.'
The other council members knew it too, so some would surely look to her to gauge alignments.
'Baekhwa students have a sharp eye for the landscape. If I can sway her to my side, turning public opinion wouldn't be impossible.'
Her name was Mano Sadonix, I believed.
A brown-haired wolf beastkin, memorable for her prominently exposed forehead.
The small girl, not hiding her sleepy eyes, was leaning against the vice president's chest.
She had been ignoring the surrounding noise with eyes closed, but sensing my gaze, she looked down at me and lightly waved her sleeve.
At the same time, a finger peeked out and vanished from her baggy robe sleeve.
'No matter how I look at her, she seems middle-school age, yet she's a third-year in the university division. The more I see, the dizzier I get.'
Come to think of it, Seon-hwa was the same type.
I lightly returned Mano's greeting and turned away, marveling at the mysteries of the human body.
My gaze now fell on the Representative Council Chair's right side.
Saint Maria Divine Academy's seat.
And there sat Academy City's top buffer.
Among the three saint candidates, the first to receive the divine revelation.
The first saint candidate, Maria.
Wrapped in her pure white uniform, she gazed at me with compassionate eyes.
'The Goddess Church is a bit awkward.'
Because I'd caused such a huge incident, facing their people felt uncomfortable.
Look, even now, our eyes met and she naturally began praying.
At this point, I wondered when the bubbles would finally settle.
"Mm."
I desperately avoided Maria's sparkling gaze when...
A clear bell toll echoed through the chamber.
"Enough, now."
All eyes naturally turned upward at the alluring voice.
The figure at the chamber's highest seat overlooked everything with detached poise.
Holding a golden bell that drew all attention, she calmly spoke.
"What kind of disgrace is this before a guest? The hearing has already begun, so follow Ivan's lead for now."
Gold Star Shaman Academy's student council president and the Representative Council's Chair.
The Black Dragon Fafnir.
She seized control of the chamber's atmosphere in an instant.
───
'Not to be underestimated.'
As the hearing began, Ivan fixed his sharp eyes on the Supreme Student Council President, having seized the initiative.
With the Chair's backing, he'd silenced the pro-president faction's endless opposition and started the hearing—that much had gone well.
But the President's defense was more solid than expected.
"...So, President, as per these documents, you couldn't prevent the attack in advance? Isn't failing to increase patrols during enrollment season too negligent?!"
Even as he pressed aggressively, the President just sat there impassively.
Staring back with utter boredom was all he did.
Fine, if that were it, he could question the President's qualifications and impeach him.
"That's not quite right. As you'll see in our materials, our Student Council significantly upgraded security quality a week before enrollment began. We have rotation schedules for patrols, so we didn't increase frequency, but we selected more skilled personnel than usual and maintained continuous patrols in the area. And we achieved results, as shown here."
The problem was that guy.
The vice president beside him.
While the President simply sat, the vice president handled all the actual responses.
He'd prepared so thoroughly that not only did he counter every attack, but he even pointed out flaws in their assaults.
'I'd heard the vice president was exceptional, but I never imagined this level...!'
He'd focused too much on the President and somewhat neglected his executives' responses.
But what vice president memorizes the entire city's patrol schedule?!
"...But the attack still happened. Doesn't that mean the patrols you mentioned were insufficient for the city's defense? Therefore, here..."
"Agreed. That's why we've brought improvement plans. We've already gotten approval from the board and control AI for feasibility, so please review."
What? Already?!
It's only been two weeks since the incident?!
His shock and suspicion were brief.
When the vice president produced the actual documents, Ivan let out a hollow laugh after checking them.
"Y-You've already prepared improvements... Impressive."
Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, Ivan continued.
"I've heard your explanation on the improvements. But there's no guarantee a past incident won't recur."
"Quite right. That's why, alongside improvements, we're reforming the system to prevent incidents altogether, strengthening ties with the control AI for faster intel sharing..."
"......"
What the hell are these guys?
The quality of their compiled information was absurd.
Thorough reports piled up before Ivan one after another, as if they lived 48-hour days.
Ivan, who had planned to exploit their lack of countermeasures, now resorted to his trump card as the situation turned.
"Understood. We've confirmed the Student Council's response. If your explanations hold, entrusting Academy City to you seems fine."
"Then...!"
"However, one thing remains to verify."
With that, Ivan shifted from the vice president to the President.
"The attack, I get it. No shield is 100% safe. No fatalities is excellent. Your results are top-notch."
"......"
"But President. Someone like you didn't notice a demon tribe intrusion three years ago?"
The chamber's briefly relaxed atmosphere grew heavy in an instant at Ivan's words.
The seated council members, guessing what came next, wore grave expressions.
Proving it, even the top seat's Chair hardened her face.
"I am absolutely certain you did. Not because I trust the city's defense system, but because I trust your strength."
He vaguely knew.
The level of strength the Supreme Student Council President, Yeon Je-seong, possessed.
He hadn't witnessed it himself, but piecing together rumors made it a public fact: an extraordinary powerhouse.
Thus, Ivan focused not on the beast attack, but the demon tribe intrusion.
'Would someone of the President's caliber fail to notice a single demon tribe member sneaking in?'
That tiny doubt had ballooned into firm conviction.
Ivan stared at him with utmost seriousness.
"You knew about the demon tribe's intrusion, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"As expected, you say no. However...... Eeeek?!?!?!"
Why the hell is he admitting it──?!