Chapter 103 (1/2)

Isaac 103

Isaac was an important individual. Although the Directorate of Security was founded just recently, the t.i.tle he held as Director alone meant that he needed to be protected at all times. Even if he didn’t have the t.i.tle, others kept a curious eye on him.

That was why Central immediately engaged in action when they didn’t receive contact at the expected time, even when they could have waited a little longer. Thankfully, because it was about time for the Gate to open, much of the army was already organised and ready for deployment, even if it was slightly lacking.

Central determined this was a battle against time as they acknowledged the worst case scenario. They pushed themselves by throwing the transports into the mana storm recklessly, even expecting some of the forces to never complete the trip. But the result was an unbelievable feat, to the point where one would doubt if it could get any better.

The Expeditionary Forces lost one armoured company. No casualties on Central’s side. And the creation of an entirely new defence strategy that didn’t rely on existing ones. The Grand Council had gathered at the sudden summons, marveling at the situation as more reports came through.

“The Gate opened without any prior signs, and the garrison troops tasked with reporting were running around in a panic. Yet, the Directorate of Security alone managed to defend the Gate.”

“That’s not all. They sealed the Gate completely. Ha! Are there only fools in the Directorate of Strategy? This is an incredible success if you look at the results alone.”

“You can’t blame the Directorate of Strategy alone. These were special circ.u.mstances.”

The representatives that attended the Grand Council responded in a myriad of ways. Some admired the unexpected success all the while taking a neutral stance. Some found this to be an ideal opportunity to denounce the Directorate of Strategy, and others defended the Directorate of Strategy. This was a rough outlook of the three factions’ power struggles. The Emperor didn’t bother hiding his displeasure. The defence of the Gate had entirely been under Directorate of Strategy’s jurisdiction up until now.

Although the number of casualties were lessened with the development of the defensive coats, every race’s warrior ranks still suffered casualties, including humans. There wasn’t a single race that enjoyed watching what could have been their future leaders and prodigies dying meaninglessly.

But they couldn’t just save their own skin in the face of this world crisis, so they could only endure. Ironically, the races sought different solutions to extinction.

The most encouraging part was the increase of birth rates. Races that lived for hundreds of years innately had very low birth rates naturally, but in order to sustain the sacrifices of their kind in the war, they had no choice but to increase their populations. Thanks to that, they now held just as much of a voice in the council as the humans did, who had held the lion’s share of power. The individual who played the most critical role in this increase of birth rates was the Queen herself, so other races favored her unconditionally. This was one of the reasons why the Empire, who represented humans, found the Queen so problematic.

But even if the number of their tribesmen had increased, they still weren’t fond of seeing their families die on the battlefield. So it was natural that they were enthusiastic about Isaac’s promising success.

Reduced mortality meant the tribe’s strength was going to increase that much. So as the other races’ faces brightened, the Emperor’s face tensed up. Even Duke Pendleton, who was also a representative for humanity, held his tongue with an unhappy look and listened closely to other members’ conversation. The Duke’s mind urged him to defend the Emperor, but there was nothing he could say since the Directorate of Strategy was clearly at fault.

There was nothing they could do about the Gate’s sudden opening, but the loss of communication due to ill maintenance of their equipment was not something they could excuse themselves from. Who could they possibly blame when the Directorate of Strategy demanded sole jurisdiction over the Forbidden Lands, refusing offers of support from the Directorates of a.n.a.lysis and Surveillance.

In fact, their mistake almost led to the loss of the Forbidden Lands and the capture of high-level clearance VIPs by the Expeditionary Forces. The Duke’s blood boiled, knowing that his own daughter was one of those put at risk. Although his head demanded him to defend the Emperor, his heart was wringing the Emperor’s neck.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Just as the voices demanding change in the defense strategy and a curtailing of the Directorate of Strategy’s influence grew louder, Yoo-rah entered the meeting room.

All of the members greeted her respectfully, and Yoo-rah acknowledged her closest friends with a pa.s.sing gaze as she walked to the stage.

“Don’t you think they finished too quickly?”

The Emperor muttered, trying to buy time. He was implying that the a.n.a.lysis could not be trusted if it was finished in such a short amount of time. But replies came not from Yoo-rah but other members of the Grand Council.

“Are you trying to say you cannot trust the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis’s work? Ha! As for me, it’s the Directorate of Strategy’s actions that don’t seem trustworthy.”

“I agree. It seems that the Directorate of Strategy thinks that they are allowed to act as they wish without the approval from the Grand Council.”

“There have been many complaints from the agents themselves too. Especially in regards to the Dark Royale’s tyranny. That is very irritating.”

Those who pounced on the Emperor were representatives of the races that had been on the brink of extinction, only to be saved by Yoo-rah. They were the representatives of the races that favored her unconditionally.

The Emperor didn’t try to hide his anger and tried to retort, but Yoo-rah stepped in first.

“Stop. Now isn’t the time to fight amongst one another.”

Those who were friendly to Yoo-rah immediately quieted down, but the Emperor’s faction and neutral parties looked at Yoo-rah with curiosity.

Everyone was aware that the royal family and the Queen had been competing for political superiority. The Directorate of Strategy had been dragged through the mud while the Directorate of Security, formed at the Queen’s strong suggestion, had achieved almost surreal levels of success. From the Queen’s perspective, this was her greatest opportunity, so they wondered why she was going to overlook it.

As everyone’s eyes gathered on her, the Queen sighed briefly and looked at her audience firmly.

“Although the Directorate of Strategy’s inability to maintain their own equipment is worthy of denouncement, that isn’t the important issue. The conclusion alone is that we are in a perilous situation.”

The council began to murmur to one another, and one of the members asked.