Corpse Shield
Lee Sena stepped into the center of the hearing.
But in that moment, her appearance gave off a distinctly different impression from usual.
Normally, she wore a face of pure arrogance mixed with a touch of shamelessness—the kind of expression that looked as if it had been plated in iron.
Now, standing before the crowd, Lee Sena showed none of that.
Her face was filled with anxiety, restlessness, and deep worry. She looked like a little girl who had wandered into a room full of adults.
And watching her walk out with that expression, Choi Yujin and Na Jiseon, who were also present, wore completely opposite looks.
"Will she be... okay...?"
"There's no way she won't be. You think that goddamn bitch would have spouted all that crap in front of us if she was going to collapse this easily?"
"Ugh..."
Unlike Na Jiseon, who had completely turned her back on Lee Sena, Yujin still had a little concern left for her as a friend.
Even though many people had died because of her—including their precious friend Seo Jiyun—Choi Yujin still thought it was hard to pin this entirely on Lee Sena's fault alone.
The change in the Abysses' behavior this time was, by anyone's standards, an extremely unusual case.
Those things, little better than beasts, drawing up a plan and luring them into a trap?
No matter how many ominous signs there had been, this was a complete overturning of what everyone considered basic common sense. So Choi Yujin believed there was at least some room for consideration.
Looking at it that way, isn't this situation too harsh on Sena...? She's still trembling with anxiety like that...
And right before Choi Yujin's eyes, filled with that sense of pity for Sena, the hearing against Lee Sena began.
"Are you Hunter Lee Sena, Guild Master of the 28th Hunter Guild?"
"Y-Yes... I am Lee Sena."
Lee Sena answered the major general's question in a trembling voice.
The major general continued his questioning for analysis and judgment of the situation.
"According to the previous testimonies, the responsibility for this defeat is said to have arisen entirely from Hunter Lee Sena's unilateral decisions. What is your opinion on this?"
"Th-That... it's true that I was wrong... B-But..."
"But... what?"
"Th-That is... N-No. Th-This entire matter is entirely my responsibility. Please handle it that way."
Lee Sena started to say something in a shrinking voice, then stopped herself.
The major general asked her once more in a firm voice.
"Of course, we already know that your fault in this matter is great. But first and foremost, this is a hearing. If there is something we have overlooked, speak of it clearly so we can move on. This concerns not only your treatment but also the proper respect for those who died."
"Y-Yes... I-I understand. If you insist... I will speak."
Sena spoke carefully, as if she had made up her mind after the major general's words.
Seeing her like this, Choi Yujin thought she would talk about the points she herself had considered—that she would apologize for her excessive greed, bring up the completely different behavior of the Abysses this time, and ask for leniency.
And right in front of Choi Yujin, Lee Sena hesitated slightly once more, then began to open her mouth.
"Th-The truth is... although it's true that I stepped forward and took action this time... it was never of my own will..."
"...?"
"What do you mean by that?"
As the unexpected story came out, a look of doubt began to appear on Choi Yujin's face, and the major general also asked Sena with a questioning tone.
And regarding this, Sena continued speaking to the major general in front of her with a trembling voice.
"The truth is... this operation... no... the truth is, for a very long time now... I was not the Guild Master of the 28th Guild. All I did was essentially play the role of a figurehead. In reality, everything was controlled by the person who died in this operation... S-class Hunter Seo Jiyun."
"...What?"
"...Wh-What are you saying right now..."
At Lee Sena's sudden nonsense, not only Choi Yujin but even Na Jiseon began to show bewilderment.
But regardless of their reactions, standing at the center of the hearing room, Lee Sena continued her story in a hesitant, mumbling voice.
"Although I held the position of Guild Master, that was only because I forced myself into the role to live up to my father's expectations. In truth, I was someone with many shortcomings as a Guild Master. Because of that... I fully accepted the opinions of Seo Jiyun, who was also an S-class hunter and possessed outstanding abilities, and as a result, I was able to lead our 28th Guild quite well up until now."
"Certainly... considering the overall performance of the 28th Guild so far, aside from the brief period of confusion recently, it has been quite good. So are you acknowledging that all of that was not your achievement, but Hunter Seo Jiyun's?"
"Yes... that's right. But the greater Seo Jiyun's influence grew within the guild, the more my own position kept shrinking... and that ultimately led to this incident."
"I would like you to explain that a bit more specifically."
Showing a rather interested reaction, the major general instructed Lee Sena to continue her story.
And in response, Lee Sena began to spill everything in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry.
"Yes... although she had shown capable performance until now, after going through a period of declining results not long ago, Seo Jiyun began to obsess over achievements. It seems she felt anxious as her long-held goal of becoming Guild Master started to waver... and because of that, she started taking more extreme actions than usual, and often put guild members in danger as well."
Just like that, Lee Sena rattled off a stream of completely fabricated stories as if they were flowing water.
Listening to this, Choi Yujin's face turned ashen, and she couldn't say a word.
As for Jiseon, she began to feel the urge to rush over to that bitch right then and there and stop her from spouting such insane nonsense.
But the hunters who had been positioned around them at some point immediately began to restrain their actions.
"If you cause a disturbance, we will have you removed from the chamber immediately."
"You have no right to speak here. Remain quietly in your seats."
"Th-These bastards..."
The hunters suppressed their movements with quiet voices and heavy force.
Even as Jiseon recognized what was happening here, all she could do was curse this goddamn situation.
And so, while thoroughly twisting the insides of her comrades standing off to the side, Sena continued speaking as she looked at the major general.
"In that sense, this expedition raised quite high expectations for Hunter Seo Jiyun. She thought that if she did well this time, she could achieve the dream she had always wanted. But the situation did not go so well, and in the end, she caused an incident like this. An incident that made me incite our own forces, resulting in the sacrifice of countless lives."
Lee Sena spoke with tears welling in her eyes.
The major general slowly nodded and spoke to her.
"So what you're saying is... you were merely pressured into forcing the battle, and the one who actually led all of this was Hunter Seo Jiyun... is that correct?"
"Yes... that's right... B-But... that doesn't mean I intend to avoid this crime. Whatever the reason, all of this is the result of my incompetence in failing to lead the guild properly. I will gladly accept the punishment for that."
"Hmm..."
Lee Sena's words were quite different from what they had expected.
Regarding this, many of the people there thought she was lying to escape the current situation.
However, since the majority of people did not know the detailed internal circumstances of the 28th Guild, there were also quite a few who wore expressions of half-belief, half-doubt.
Some even felt a bit of sympathy for her as she welled up with tears and expressed regret.
And among those people—unfortunately—the major general who held the authority to make a judgment on this matter also seemed to be included.
"If what you say is true... then there does seem to be some room for consideration. In a case like this, the responsibility naturally lies more with the one who led the matter rather than the one who was forced to act. On top of that, the Abysses' movements this time were certainly an unprecedented and unusual case in history..."
Like this, the major general seemed to be leaning toward granting as much leniency as possible.
But in that moment, Lee Sena—who had been welling up with tears and spinning her story in front of him—already knew very well what would happen next.
Of course she did.
She already knew exactly what kind of person the major general fretting in front of her was.
A man within her father's sphere of influence... in other words, someone who could be called Lee Sena's ally.
In short, if Lee Sena just created a suitable pretext, the major general would snatch it up without hesitation. And looking at it that way, now that a suitable pretext had been created, the situation was already as good as over.