Chapter 196: Picking Sides
Riyala hadn’t put on anything under her nightgown because she couldn’t find any in the clothes that were salvaged from the fire. She thought that the nightgown was dark enough to cover her properly, but it obviously wasn’t! She immediately hugged her hands around her body in embarrassment and ducked her head!
What was really causing problems was the fact that Jason was still not wearing a shirt, so Riyala had been staring at Jason’s body since she saw him earlier, and she couldn’t deny that she found it very attractive! This was the first time she would ever think in such a way about any man, so she had no idea that it would make her react like this! Jason threw his towel over his shoulder and turned around.
"Be ready in an hour."
Riyala turned in surprise and asked Jason what she had to be ready for. Jason raised a brow at her.
"You said you wanted to come, right? So be ready in an hour."
Riyala’s mouth immediately split into a happy smile, and she happily jumped to her feet to hug Jason!
"Thank you! Thank you! I promise I won’t hold you back!"
Jason hummed while patting her on the back, and then he said,
"You should really put on something else."
Riyala let out a shriek and flew back immediately! She put her hand over her face and quickly dashed up the stairs while screaming,
"I’m sorry!!"
...
[The SMD Building]
In the large conference hall in the SMD building, twenty stakeholders who were all high-ranking members of the government were seated around a large table as they listened to Liam’s speech about what had happened earlier with Jason. Liam had been swamped with work for the past few hours, and it showed from the slight frown that was stuck on his face. The issue with former Director Millicent, as well as the current task of finding and apprehending members of one of the higher-ranking guilds in the country, was really taking its toll on him!
"...And that is what he said to me. Jason is willing to give us till tomorrow to find and apprehend the criminals, after which he will take action. I don’t know what sort of action he is going to be taking, but from what I’ve seen, he isn’t planning on taking anyone alive—"
"And why should we be listening to the orders of some rookie S Rank?"
One of the men seated at the table leaned forward with a frown after hearing everything that Liam had to say! The mere thought that there was a superhuman out there who thought he could order the SMD around irritated them! They were the ones who gave out orders to the superhumans, not the other way around!
Liam released a sigh while glancing at the door. There was a bed somewhere out there with his name on it, but he first had to deal with this entire situation! Liam spoke with as much respect as he could manage.
"Sir, it would be wise to remember that this ’rookie’ S Rank was only an A Rank a week ago. And after seeing the things that he could do, it is in our best interest to maintain good terms with him. He is a rational person, and if we manage to resolve this incident while keeping our relationship secure, then it will be very beneficial for the SMD."
Another voice spoke up. This time it was an older man with a long beard and narrowed, wise eyes. He said:
"And what about the BloodRaven guild? Unlike this newbie, the BloodRaven guild has been with us for the better part of ten years now. Would you say that it is wise to risk antagonizing a guild of that level and prestige just for a single superhuman? It makes no sense."
The other executives in the room all voiced their agreement at different levels.
"Yeah, it makes no sense!"
"We shouldn’t get rid of BloodRaven! Do you know how much money they make for us every year?"
"If we arrest the strongest Supporter and remove her from the country’s roster, then we’ll suffer large damage! The other five great countries will start looking at us like fools! How can we give up someone who boosts our country’s image and prestige just because of one mistake?"
The voices were starting to get louder and more assured of themselves and Liam had to fight off a headache from all the noise. He closed his eyes and counted to five to try and get rid of all the anger and irritation in his heart before he finally sighed and reopened his eyes to speak.
"Yes, I understand that BloodRaven served as a powerful pillar for the country. They boost our GDP significantly from all the Magic Crystals that they sell to us, and their guild master, Katarina Ford, is one of the most powerful women in the world. But I believe it would be much more detrimental for the country if we choose Katarina Ford over Jason Marc."
The entire room broke up in questions from all the executive members! Accusations and expressions of disbelief could be easily heard over the other shouting voices and for a second, Liam even debated calling security to take everyone out of there, but then he remembered that one of these men paid his salary and he sighed and calmed himself once again. He couldn’t get angry here! He just had to get through this meeting and he would be able to get some sleep!
Liam waited until everyone had finally stopped screaming before he spoke up.
"My opinion about Jason Marc and Miss Katarina is grounded in the facts of what we have seen. Madam Katarina is strong, and she possesses masterful control over her gift that allows her to perform great feats, but that can also be said for Mr. Jason. He not only possesses a potential that is greater than anything we’ve ever seen from a superhuman before, but he also has the fighting power of hundreds of other monsters sitting at his command. Jason Marc is a necromancer, and that alone should tell you how powerful he is. The dragon we saw on screen was only one of his summons, and although he had declined to reveal more about his power, there is no denying that he has many more monsters at his command."
"So you’re sure that he is stronger than Katarina? From what I heard recently, Katarina managed to raise the power level of her entire guild by 50% the last time she went all out. That is better than any other supporter alive."
Liam nodded.
"I am not saying we should remove her from service completely. All I am saying is that we should throw our weight behind Jason Marc since it will benefit the government more in the long run."
Liam eyed the seated executives calmly to gauge their reactions. Liam knew that there was a lot riding on the choices they made here, so he was making sure to pick his words carefully so that they would make the right choice. Liam couldn’t use sentiments like ’justice’ with this group of people. If Liam had said that they should back Jason because Katarina had tried to kill him, then the executives would have said that it was nonsense and they would have just dismissed it since they didn’t have any proof other than Millicent’s words.
But by framing the situation the way he did, Liam was making sure the executives would pick the right side. One of the executives, a man that was respected as a former governor, stood up and spoke.
"I trust your judgment, Liam."