“It’s an immense pressure.”
The smell and atmosphere emanating from the old man felt similar to the end that Aesha had attached behind her, so I brought it up, but I never expected such a reaction.
For the first time in a long while, or perhaps it could be said to be the first time, a powerful energy filled the conference room, creating an environment where Yoon Si-woo could speak nothing but the truth.
“Um… could you tell me quickly?”
Though smiling, it was not a smile.
Having made that judgment, Yoon Si-woo slowly began to speak about what he knew.
“First of all, I found this person in the outer archive.”
“The outer archive, you say.”
“Yes, that’s where that person was attacked. I thought it was hard to believe that they could be so easily caught…”
“That person?”
“No, please continue talking, Si-woo.”
“Yes.”
As they nodded in agreement and exchanged words, he felt excluded, as if he was the only one unaware of some information, but he continued with the story.
“When I went there, the building was in ruins, and many people were injured.”
“And you discovered that?”
It was a strange feeling of not treating a person as a person, or rather, a sense of disgust from the President’s gaze directed at the old man.
And Yoon Si-woo thought.
It was definitely Aesha who brought down the old man at that place.
Even if she wore a mask, with hair as white and a height that small, she would be the only one in this academy.
But should he really talk about that properly?
If he made a wrong statement and something big happened, could he free himself from the responsibility?
“…I confirmed that another person fainted this old man.”
“Who was that?”
“That…”
The contemplation was brief.
“I don’t really know. They suddenly threw this person at me and left.”
“…Si-woo.”
However, was that truly the right choice?
In the softly persuasive voice, Yoon Si-woo felt that something was wrong.
“What do you think this place is? If you think there’s no protection…”
“No, not at all.”
The silence flowing within the conference room and the increasingly heavy pressure weighed down on Yoon Si-woo’s body.
Perhaps she had already noticed that Yoon Si-woo was lying.
No, it seemed that way.
Otherwise, there would be no reason to pressure him like this after bringing the old man.
“….”
But… precisely because of that, he maintained silence, saying nothing.
‘I believe in myself.’
Even if she had the ability to see through lies, as long as she didn’t rummage through Yoon Si-woo’s brain to peek into his memories, she wouldn’t know who it was.
“Huuuh…”
“Why are you lying?”
And finally, breaking the silence, the President spoke.
“Really… I can’t understand. No, regarding this incident, I can believe there’s mistrust, but for hundreds of years, the academy has never allowed any intrusions.”
“That’s…”
“Alright, I won’t ask who caught that person anymore. However, I think you should hand that over to us.”
“Th-this person?”
“Oh, don’t worry, we will provide adequate compensation. …By the way, that person is a notorious criminal, so you don’t have to care too much about their treatment.”
The President noticed Yoon Si-woo’s lies but stopped the pressure and smiled.
That was a signal to conclude the conversation.
Yoon Si-woo understood that this was the limit the President could impose.
This offer was made considering that Yoon Si-woo brought in the old man.
Therefore, it would not be a good judgment to express any more negative opinions.
“…Yes, I understand.”
“What a good student you are. Really…”
As soon as he agreed, the pressure fully disappeared.
At the same time, several professors around began to drag the old man somewhere.
And catching his breath, Yoon Si-woo thought.
‘That person is really strong…’
That power, which could hardly be considered human, was enough to eclipse Yoon Si-woo’s presence.
Against such an entity, there seemed to be no chance of winning, even in a fight.
It was evident why this person was called the head of the academy.
Gripping his trembling hands, he spoke calmly.
“Well then, I will take my leave.”
“Yes, let’s discuss the compensation later separately.”
Although it was Aesha who actually caught the old man, it seemed prudent to avoid being detected, so it would be better to speak directly.
If he got her agreement at that moment, he could inform the President of her identity and receive compensation instead.
Time was abundant, so there was nothing he couldn’t do.
However, he needed to think a bit more about how to approach it.
***
After Yoon Si-woo left, only a chilling silence lingered in the conference room.
“I never expected that despicable maniac would invade the academy.”
The President frowned, recalling the fond yet disgusting smell he had detected upon entering.
“What should we do with that old man?”
“Naturally, extract as much information as possible. There will be no restrictions on methods…”
“…”
No restrictions on methods.
That meant allowing any type of torture and even magic related to mental manipulation restricted only to specific countries or institutions internationally, causing everyone to fall silent.
Each professor’s mind filled with various brain-breaking magic.
Some of them trembled slightly.
“Well… let’s move on to the unfinished topic from earlier. Who is the deceased?”
“It has been confirmed as one of the collateral heirs of the Barthesel family.”
“Is it a distant collateral?”
“Yes.”
“Haa…”
Many incidents have occurred at the academy until now, and there have certainly been fatalities in the past.
There was a student who went berserk during training and killed an opponent, among others.
Some had secretly raised monsters, leading to fatalities when the initially docile creatures grew aggressive and devoured them.
Or there were cases of jealousy that resulted in curses leading to death, though they were seldom seen.
No matter how thoroughly one is educated in their family and possesses a more mature mentality than their peers, it does not necessarily reflect an older actual age.
The education and mentality appropriate for that age cannot be easily modified by the surrounding environment.
Even if they received mental training from a young age, predicting and understanding accidents that occur occasionally is nearly impossible.
However, this incident was different.
A student who was torn apart by a monster that came out of a gate.
So horrific was the body that even a professor, who had seen many such corpses, grimaced while collecting it.
Dying from a monster in a place meant for training students to combat such threats would undoubtedly create a significant uproar.
Indeed, the honor and status of the academy could plummet.
‘That cannot happen.’
How long had he worked to elevate this academy to its current status?
Such events must never occur because of this one incident.
“What’s the relationship with the student’s family?”
“Based on verification, it has been assessed that the relationship is not very good. Additionally, according to testimonies of other students who were hiding inside, it was confirmed that he went out alone despite the guard trying to stop him and was killed.”
The screen produced by the professor displayed the relationship between the student and family, as well as brief articles recently published in news and newspapers.
“Alright, let’s do it this way.”
“…”
“Well, it’s quite a common story. He died after overexerting himself to gain his parents’ attention.”
“Is that really acceptable?”
“It’s a sad case… but I have seen many such children, and I suspect this incident is no different.”
“…Yes.”
Based on the content of the article and the reputation of those around him, it appeared that the student had a rather poor family relationship.
The boy’s father seemed obsessed with raising the family as a collateral, while his wife was caught up in recent private gambling issues.
Additionally, during the counseling sessions with the student, it was revealed that he had an almost obsessive desire to gain his father’s approval… a rather unfortunate story was included.
“Yes, let’s talk about the compensation plan directly with them.”
The likelihood of rejection was low, but even if they were to decline their compensation plan, it would not matter.
It is indeed the best way to negotiate with the family to avoid escalating the case significantly, but conversely, there is also the method of formally apologizing while showing courtesy toward the student.
It was clear that using this method would undoubtedly lead to critical news stories from some broadcasters or journalists, but it couldn’t be helped.
Regardless of whether the student acted recklessly and died, closing their mouths and burying the death was an act that could not be tolerated as sentient beings, prior to any sense of responsibility.
‘I cannot become the same as those damned beings.’
As living entities with rights, they must bear responsibility for the student’s death.
“That’s why we are here.”
After that, various discussions took place, and future schedules were slightly adjusted.
“What about the upcoming festival?”
“The festival.”
However, the festival scheduled for May posed a slight problem.
Currently, there were some issues and damaged facilities throughout the academy, along with injured students.
If they were to proceed with the academy’s festival and the damned things invaded again… then the position of the Central Academy would truly be at risk.
[Is the Central Academy trembling again?] This type of article would clearly be written.
No, journalists always attracted attention with more vicious headlines than they imagined, so it would be even worse than that.
However.
“We will proceed as planned.”
“Uh… isn’t that a bit hasty? There will likely be injured students or some who are feeling a bit anxious.”
“That’s exactly why we must proceed.”
She decided to continue with the plan.
Why?
“Let’s show that this place does not waver due to a mere act of terror.”
The world’s best academy.
That motto is like a pillar.
It must never break – humanity’s most solid pillar.
Even after a major incident with dozens of gates opening, showing no signs of disruption will ultimately make them stronger.
Let’s turn this crisis into an opportunity.
All the professors understood that meaning.
“The ground becomes firmer after the rain.”
The President spoke quietly with a smile, and with those words, the professors’ emergency meeting was concluded.
