Chapter 484: Conditions? (2)
Chapter 482
"Wall Rose. I will take my squad to retake Wall Rose from the hands of the Aberrants next week."
"....."
"....!!!"
"....?!"
[Noctis2nm: Is he mad? According to reports, isn’t Wall Rose overrun with Aberrants now?]
[Jimmy_Parker: Indeed. About hundreds of Aberrants have made camp there...I think. Not sure about the numbers yet.]
"...?!"
"Are you crazy?" Captain Drey retorted in shock as he abruptly rose from his seat.
"Wall Rose is already overrun with hundreds of Aberrants. Two hundred Aberrants have made camp there ever since the invasion. Or why do you think we haven’t made any attempt to retake it?"
Captain Jake immediately added:
"Exactly. We have been postponing the attack for a while because of all the unprecedented variables, and you want to go there with a squad of seven? Isn’t that madness?"
Captain Drey chimed in again.
"During the invasion, a total of two hundred Aberrants attacked the food factory, and it took the combined forces of the Aspirants’ Militants and the Iron Corps before we could clear them all.
"Heck! We even needed backup from the Vanguard Order, and you want to do this?"
Raze listened to their complaints with a completely nonchalant expression.
One argument after another was thrown at him.
He simply ignored them.
As they continued yapping, Raze walked forward and casually picked up his cup of coffee.
He looked inside.
Swirled it.
Then took another sip while staring across the hall.
"Ah..."
A satisfied sound escaped his lips.
The next instant, his relaxed expression disappeared.
His eyes swept across the jury, becoming sharp and stern.
"You all wanted to punish them, and I presented a solution. So what happened?"
He raised the coffee to his lips again.
"Isn’t the punishment grave enough? Because I don’t know of any worse punishment than death."
Raze shrugged.
"I mean, if we win, we survive, which is good for us."
His eyes briefly shifted toward Ray and the others.
"And if we fail, you wouldn’t have to worry about the werewolf and his unruly friends anymore."
"Yes, we want a punishment, but not at the risk of humanity’s strongest soldier!"
The current General of both the Iron Corps and Aspirant Corps, whom Ray had recognized earlier, shouted.
Raze nodded along as though the General had made a reasonable point.
Then he took another casual sip of his coffee.
"You call me ’Humanity’s strongest soldier’ and worry about my death?"
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Ha! Is that how little you trust my prowess?"
He lowered the cup.
"Think about this..."
His gaze shifted toward Ray.
"A human monster, a werewolf who grows stronger after every major battle, and his cohort taking down the very threat you all are worried about."
He paused.
"What will happen?"
Raze’s eyes swept across the spectators.
"What better morale boost for humanity do we need than this?"
Berg’s tightly clenched hands slowly loosened.
His eyes moved between Raze and Ray.
A flicker of light appeared in them.
’Hang on... this could work in my favour.’
His thoughts raced.
’If they die, I won’t have to—’
Berg’s expression suddenly stiffened.
’No, wait.’
He remembered.
’There have been so many times I hoped that he would die, but he always came back stronger.’
His fingers curled slightly.
’I need to keep calm right now.’
"....Besides," Raze continued, interrupting the tension with a tired yawn.
"After this event, fewer and fewer Aspirants would want to join the Vanguard Order."
He lazily scratched the side of his head.
"So you can say we’re lucky to get seven more at once."
He looked toward the jury.
"So hurry up and agree. I need to sleep badly."
The jury exchanged brief glances with one another.
Some looked uncertain.
Others appeared deep in thought.
Finally, with a tired sigh, Jack glanced down at the jury.
"All in support of Captain Raze’s proposal, kindly lift your hands."
Raze immediately turned his back on them.
He began walking away until he reached his fallen weapon.
He bent down, picked up the axe, and propped it against the same pole Ray was chained to.
Then he leaned against the pole with one leg crossed over the other, casually sipping his coffee as though the fate of seven people—and potentially the future of an entire section of humanity—wasn’t being decided behind him.
’Damn.’
He stared into the cup.
’It’s cold.’
Slowly...
One hand rose from among the jury.
Then another.
Then another.
Ray inwardly began counting.
’One...’
Another hand went up.
’Two...’
Another.
’Three...’
’Four...’
’Five...’
Ray’s heart began pounding harder with every hand that rose.
His eyes remained fixed on the jury.
’...Six.’
Several seconds passed.
No more hands rose.
Ray’s expression gradually tightened.
’Damn it!’
Out of twelve jury members...
Only six had accepted the proposal.
And out of those six, Captain Jake, Captain Drey, and the General were among them.
Looking at the raised hands, Jack’s brows drew together.
"I’m taking it that the rest of you with your hands down are against this proposal?"
"It’s too risky," one of the jury members replied.
Taking one final sip from his cup, Raze let out a tired sigh.
"It’s a tie. So what now?"
Naturally, every eye in the hall turned toward Jack Kyre.
"It’s left to you now. What should be done?" Captain Jake asked.
Jack remained silent.
For several seconds, his mind weighed the options as his eyes moved between Caster, the jury, Raze, and Ray.
’If I accept, Caster will be sent away, and he could potentially die in this mission.’
His gaze eventually settled on his son.
’If I don’t, Ray gets executed...’
There was no hesitation in the answer that followed.
’The choice is clear to me right now.’
’My son or his friend?’
Caster slowly lifted his head.
His eyes met Jack’s from across the hall.
For a moment, father and son locked gazes.
Caster’s hands tightened against the ground, his fingers digging into the surface as desperation filled his eyes.
He didn’t say a word.
He didn’t need to.
Seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity inside Ray’s head.
Everyone’s attention remained fixed on Jack.
Even the millions watching from home seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the decision that would determine whether Ray lived or died.
The clock continued to tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Until, finally, Jack came to a decision.
"The choice is simple for me, and I have come to a decision."
He slowly stood from his seat.
The legs of his chair scraped against the ground, the harsh sound echoing throughout the silent chamber.
Jack stared down at the Tribrid.
"With the power vested in me as a Big Four Legacy, and the authority vested in me by the Commander to oversee this trial..."
His voice remained firm.
"...and with the choice of breaking this tie between keeping the Tribrid or sending him for execution, I have decided to..."
Ray slowly lowered his head.
His heart thumped heavily against his chest.
His friends felt the same.
They could barely breathe at this point, their bodies tense as fear of what the man would say consumed them.
Caster’s gaze remained fixed on his father.
Then Jack finally spoke.
"...I have decided to accept Captain Raze’s proposal."
Ray’s eyes widened slightly.
Jack continued.
"With immediate effect, Aspirant Dawson and his friends are welcome into the Vanguard Order and will be part of Captain Raze’s personal squad."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then Jack added,
"Furthermore..."
His gaze shifted toward Caster.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I approve of this Wall Rose expedition."
He paused.
"Good luck."
And with that, Jack turned and walked away.
In the next moment, he seemed to vanish from the room like a ghost.
Silence.
For a brief second, disbelief remained plastered across the cohorts’ faces.
They had expected the worst.
Ray had prepared himself for death.
Caster had been terrified of losing his friend.
And yet...
They were alive.
They had been granted entry into the Vanguard Order.
And they were going to Wall Rose.
Then—
"HELL YEAH!"
Felix suddenly shot to his feet, cheering without thinking twice.
The Vanguard members stepped away from the group, allowing the kids to rise from their positions.
"WE’RE IN!"
"YES!"
"We’re joining the Vanguard!"
Excitement erupted throughout the group as the weight that had been crushing them for so long finally disappeared.
Raze watched them from a short distance away.
He took another sip of his coffee.
Then pushed himself away from the pole.
"Congratulations."
His quiet voice was directed toward the Tribrid.
Without waiting for a response, Raze turned around and walked away, raising his comm device as he spoke.
"Ella, kindly have them all delivered to my place for finalization. I’m too tired."
And then...
He left.