Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Aftermath (6)
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The atmosphere in the chamber was shifting.
Ivan, who had been trying to seize control of the meeting hall, keenly sensed it and inwardly expressed his dismay.
'That bastard Total Chairman... I never imagined he'd been hiding a card like this...!'
A practical training exercise targeting the entirety of Academy City!
That was the excuse the Total Chairman had put forward.
From Ivan's perspective, it was laughable, but the other councilors thought differently.
"The demon raid was all part of the Total Chairman's arrangement?"
"No wonder there were so few casualties compared to the scale of the incident. Who would've thought he'd prepared for it in advance!"
"Sure, it was wrong not to notify us beforehand, but if it was a city-wide training exercise, even the command staff would have been part of it. Taking that into account, it at least makes sense."
"He shook down the infiltrating demons to their limits and even used them as tools for practical training... What kind of devilish idea is this!"
Even the councilors who had been sharply opposing the Total Chairman nodded in admiration at his ingenuity.
Ivan, who had been trying to maintain the hostile atmosphere, spread his arms wide and strongly countered their reactions.
"Wait just a moment! Even if safety was guaranteed, that's only in hindsight! The gate incident in the skies over Academy City was a gravely serious matter! We can't claim it was safe just because a few countermeasures were in place...!"
But before Ivan could finish, the Total Chairman struck first.
"Does that mean the active heroes I called in weren't enough?"
"Th-that...!"
"Choose your words carefully, Councilor Ivan."
Twenty-three top-tier heroes.
Unable to cover a single Academy City?
Gulp—
"......"
Ivan couldn't bring himself to speak under the Total Chairman's piercing gaze and swallowed hard.
What were top-tier heroes?
Individuals equivalent to a nation's strategic weapons, weren't they?
Moreover, among the heroes he had described, there were numerous clan leaders of major clans.
In this era where countless heroes roamed, those capable of building major clans were exceedingly rare.
For Ivan, who had been seeking connections with major clans, these were people he absolutely could not afford to offend!
"......!"
Thus, upon receiving the list of heroes dispatched from the Vice Chairman, Ivan refrained from speaking rashly and examined the list.
At the same time, his eyes shook violently!
'『Wild Hunt』's Thunderbolt, 『Einherjar』's Flash, 『Flower Bird Wind Moon』's Silver Moon, and even 『Yggdrasil』's Mercy.'
Every one of them was the leader of a heavyweight major clan.
'I can't afford even the slightest slip of the tongue!'
Confirming this, Ivan did his utmost to change the subject.
"That's not what I meant. However, entrusting the lives of millions solely to them would be an overwhelmingly heavy responsibility, wouldn't it?"
Fortunately, his excuse seemed to work, as the Total Chairman readily nodded.
"Indeed, leaving the city's defense entirely to just twenty-three people would place an immense burden on them."
"Then...!"
"But they weren't handling all of Academy City's defenses, were they?"
"Kuh!"
"The heroes I called were merely insurance. Since this incident was ultimately a training exercise, they were nothing more than the final bastion, stepping in only at the very last moment. That's why I minimized situations where the heroes would need to intervene in the training, and in reality, Academy City repelled the raid splendidly without relying heavily on their aid."
The heroes' involvement had been nothing more than insurance.
With that, the Total Chairman raised his voice as he addressed the other councilors.
"Listen well. It's true that I orchestrated this incident. However, I didn't sit idly by while something that could have turned into a major disaster unfolded. I invited multiple top-tier heroes to prepare for any contingencies, ordered the control AI to deploy a barrier across the entire city to distinguish illusions, and collaborated with research district labs to boost our firepower using their equipment. I can confidently say that, even in the worst case, the city would not have suffered significant damage."
I swear this on my name.
A murmur rippled through the meeting hall at the Total Chairman's declaration.
"If he prepared that thoroughly, then..."
"Turning a crisis into an opportunity like that... impressive maneuvering."
"And there were no deaths in reality."
"Property damage was minimal too."
The councilors' reactions shifted dramatically in response to the speech, which carried far more persuasive power than expected.
Now, it was Ivan who found himself on hot coals.
'Like hell I'm backing down now! After all the investment I've put into this hearing!'
He had bribed numerous councilors for this hearing.
Not only his own faction, the anti-Chairman group, but even members of the opposing pro-Chairman faction.
He couldn't afford to retreat from this hearing.
Though the councilors he had bought wouldn't easily reverse their decisions, the current situation was too precarious to take lightly.
'I have no choice but to strike at his weakness before public opinion fully turns!'
With that, Ivan uttered his trump card to shift the room's atmosphere.
"I understand there were no casualties in this incident. I even understand that the city likely suffered no damage. However! What about the students of Ramos School of Magic who suffered because of your plan!"
"Mm."
"I know the Ramos faculty accepted demons with your agreement. It was probably the most effective way to handle them. But because of that, Ramos's students have suffered greatly right now!"
Currently, Ramos School of Magic—a prestigious G2-grade institution—was unable to escape the stigma of being a "demon school."
Some were even mocking Ricardo's students as demon puppets, making it a natural move for Ivan to attack the Total Chairman on this front.
"You just said the city suffered no damage! So, what do you plan to do about the students who clearly suffered due to your scheme? Ramos School of Magic is a time-honored magical powerhouse! We can't keep someone who tarnished its reputation in the Total Chairman's seat forever! Right, Councilor Phillips?!"
"E-eh, y-yes...?!"
"......"
Phillips, startled by Ivan's words, unwittingly blurted out an affirmative, drawing the Total Chairman's indifferent gaze toward him.
"Eek!"
"Come on, say something! Mr. Total Student Council President!"
The atmosphere flipped in an instant.
Even the councilors who had been favorable toward the Total Chairman hesitated to speak now that a clear victim had emerged.
"We suffered no damage, but..."
"Ramos, which actually had demons in it, can't avoid the infamy."
"The students aside, the entire faculty there just lost their livelihoods."
"That's enough to get angry about. Phillips, was it? He's probably Ramos's student council president."
"As Ramos's student council president, you could say he's the biggest victim of this incident."
Listening to the hushed murmurs, Phillips felt like he was sitting on a bed of nails as he stared downward.
The Total Chairman, who had fallen silent after Ramos was mentioned, and Ivan, wearing a triumphant smile in contrast.
Gazing at them, Phillips inwardly wailed in despair.
'You idiot! I told you not to bring up our school in a situation like this!'
Mentioning Ramos in a place like this, where the elite of Academy City gathered, scrutinizing the Total Chairman's rights and wrongs!
What was the difference between this and publicly humiliating his alma mater!
Phillips wanted to cry at the thought of facing his school's stigma here.
Yet, it was an undeniable fact that his school was the greatest victim of this incident.
Thus, he reluctantly followed Ivan's gesture and descended to the floor.
"Oho! Welcome, Councilor Phillips! I'll help you vent your frustration on your behalf!"
'Why the hell are you venting my anger?!'
Though Phillips screamed that inwardly, the words that left his mouth were a clichéd expression of thanks.
After bowing his head slightly in response, he naturally turned toward the Total Chairman as his voice rang out.
"Certainly. The ones with the right to be angry at me must be the people from Ramos."
Nodding as he acknowledged his fault, the Total Chairman soon looked at Phillips and said,
"Are you Ramos's student council president?"
"...Yes. Phillips Neumann."
"I see. I've heard about the situation at Ramos. As the Total Student Council President responsible for managing all students, I deeply apologize for what happened at your school."
With that, the Total Chairman bowed deeply.
The unexpected sight caused everyone in the meeting hall to freeze stiffly for a moment.
"N-no no no, wait a second! Please, raise your head!"
To receive an apology from the Total Chairman himself!
It was far too generous a treatment for him.
As his stomach began to ache faintly, Phillips hurriedly tried to stop him and forcibly pulled him upright.
Thankfully, he didn't resist the hand and rose smoothly, then bowed his head slightly and spoke.
"Originally, I chose Ramos as the demons' infiltration point purely based on my own judgment."
"Your judgment...?"
"Yes. The field where we could most effectively exploit the demons' habits and weaknesses is undoubtedly magic."