Ch.284284. Six Clock Hands (4)

The only fact that was outwardly apparent was that Senia had disappeared.

Because of this, Junon was beaten so severely that blood seeped through the bandages covering his wounds that hadn’t even healed yet.

But he couldn’t give up. Now that he understood the two professors’ intentions, the operation had to continue as planned.

However, this time it wasn’t the officials but Tembris who began to hold him back.

“Hey, Junon. Do you even know what we’ve lost this time?”

This time, what they had lost wasn’t civilians or soldiers, but one of their own comrades.

“I thought something was off from the beginning. Moving the capital? Why the hell couldn’t we fight in Levrant?!”

“Aris, we couldn’t have held out in the capital anyway. There was nothing left…”

“Shut your mouth!! The mistake was putting someone like you who can’t do anything in the commander’s position in the first place!! How are we supposed to trust and follow you in this situation?!”

“…”

And another person opposing Junon’s opinion once again.

Erica sides with Aris.

“Not Schütt or Algenib… What? Sirah? You don’t even know what we lost thanks to your absurd strategy, do you?”

At this, Aris, as if she couldn’t tolerate this above all else, brought the conversation back to the original point.

“Even if we put everything else aside… shouldn’t you at least say something? Why aren’t you saying anything at all?!”

“…”

“Senia disappeared because of you, and how can you be so composed…? Just how…”

Although Aris often bickered with Senia, they never fell out of sync when fighting together. During battles or when carrying out directives, they moved with one mind.

Because they were comrades. Because they were fellow warriors who had overcome hardships together. And because she considered her a friend enough to express anger at her death like now.

Junon silently bowed his head in response.

Despite losing Senia while implementing a reckless strategy, Junon appeared far too calm. Aris hated that and ended up saying harsh words.

“You piece of trash… To think I’ve considered someone like you a comrade all this time…”

Aris’s hand rose up, but Michelle arrived and stopped her, ending the confrontation.

In the empty conference room, Junon sighs.

Thinking that Senia must have had her reasons, and wanting to keep her secret, Junon couldn’t bring himself to speak up.

And then, half a day later that afternoon.

Erica, who had only exchanged a few words in the conference room, made her move.

“I can’t accept that bastard Junon as the leader of our party.”

In an emergency meeting she had called with the officials, she was demanding the removal of Junon from his position as the Tembris party leader.

***

The Sirah Capital Relocation.

Everyone had grown weary of the incomprehensible strategy of leading soldiers to the Los region and taking all refugees there to face the horde of monsters led by Ashpern.

Not to mention the number of injured, the death toll was highest at the Mirpark outpost, but even just the wounded had greatly reduced the Imperial Army’s fighting strength.

The refugees should be abandoned. Sometimes sacrifices of the few are necessary for the many.

The officials had repeatedly emphasized that as a commander, he needed to remember to weigh options depending on the tactics.

However, Junon had rejected all their opinions.

He argued that all lives were equal and shouldn’t be weighed against each other. Even if not all of them were directly involved in combat, they belonged to the broader category of production, including processing, repair, manufacturing, and inspection, and couldn’t be left behind.

But the Imperial Army’s situation wasn’t good, and protecting everyone while relocating to Sirah resulted in numerous casualties.

Among these, the most problematic issue was undoubtedly:

A Tembris member, the only one counted as deceased, had disappeared without a trace.

“The current Imperial Army Commander also holds the position of Tembris Party Leader. However, if he cannot even prove his suitability as a leader, naturally he cannot hold the position of Commander, can he?”

It was clear they were cleverly circumventing direct opposition to Tembris by suggesting that Junon must first prove himself as a leader before being qualified as a Commander.

Their plan seemed to be to strip him of his position as Tembris Party Leader by questioning his qualifications, thereby removing any justification for him to remain as Imperial Army Commander. This appeared to be the consensus among the officials.

Looking at the essence of this meeting, its purpose was essentially the impeachment of the Tembris Party Leader and Imperial Army Commander.

“The vote is on the motion to remove him from his position due to inadequate leadership qualifications, and this matter was discussed with all members a few hours ago. We conducted a secret ballot to prevent you, the subject, from interfering. Any objections?”

“…”

“Seems not. Then, I’ll now begin counting the votes.”

And as luck would have it, Erica had joined hands with them.

Since the motion itself had no chance of being rejected, there was no point in making excuses.

While it was certain that officials couldn’t interfere with Tembris’s internal affairs, depending on the vote results, Junon might have to step down from all his positions.

Senia’s absence and Charlotte’s subsequent rampage to fill her void.

Public opinion was unfavorable no matter how you looked at it, so he was prepared for the worst.

Still, it wasn’t over yet.

If Senia returned at an appropriate time after finishing her business and explained everything, he could regain command.

During his absence, he decided to focus solely on defeating Ashpern, following the two professors’ wishes.

But then.

“Two votes in favor… two votes against…?”

“What? How did this happen?”

Excluding abstentions, the result was a tie.

Those who voted in favor of removing him were undoubtedly Erica and Aris. One of the opposing votes must have been from Michelle.

Then who cast the remaining vote?

Senia would have obviously left this place, so there were only two candidates left.

‘Is it… Cain?’

He had indeed taken his seat. But with Lumia’s death from the Lemtert plague, he shouldn’t have been in any state to participate in such a vote.

Could Charlotte have cast a vote against? No, that was contradictory.

How could she, who had demanded he leave the party, cast a vote against his removal? She would have voted in favor if anything, or more likely abstained.

‘Whatever. It doesn’t matter either way.’

Whether it was Charlotte’s vote or Cain’s.

Now he needed to firmly grasp this opposing vote, whether it was luck or intentional.

“Since there are two abstentions, it seems we have a tie. As it didn’t reach a majority, this meeting will result in rejection.”

“That can’t be…”

“Erica said it herself. It was kept secret from me, the subject. In fact, I didn’t even know this vote was taking place and was the last to enter.”

The faces of the officials who had been eagerly anticipating Junon’s impeachment hardened.

The meeting was automatically adjourned. Although the result was somewhat hard to believe, contesting it on the grounds of incredulity would mean questioning Tembris itself, as the vote was conducted internally.

This was Junon’s complete victory, achieved without lifting a finger.

However, there was someone cursing his victory.

“Fuck. How the hell is that bastard not only in the same group as Miss Erica but also her leader? Huh? It’s so fucking mismatched. It makes no sense.”

The Tembris party was different from the start.

They were all born with qualities capable of overturning the world, including Erica whom he had once served, and were a group of skilled individuals who could overturn a corrupt society and make crucial national decisions.

They not only dealt with monsters but also effectively moved against nobles involved in corruption.

They were truly pillars firmly supporting the future of the Empire, each one worthy of being a role model. Kelnur took great pride in having joined Tembris as a clerk through Erica’s introduction.

However, they had one single flaw.

There was a single impurity mixed in with well-cut diamonds. That was none other than Junon. His very existence was the flaw.

While his written exam scores might be acceptable, when it came to fighting monsters directly, practical skills were what truly proved one’s ability, and wasn’t his page ranking at the bottom? While everyone else was firmly placed in the upper ranks of A-rank.

And it wasn’t as if he was helpful in other ways; Junon was even worse than himself, a mere clerk.

He was so confident that even if he relearned magic, he could defeat Junon.

His combat ability was limited to defense. Even his unique magic focused on defense with almost zero offensive power, and while he had apparently mastered Anti-Cast, a technique devised by Professor Muniher, that close-range technique required others to provide support for him to land it.

The tail wagging the dog—whenever Junon tried to attack, the entire Tembris team had to change their strategy, creating a bizarre situation. Yet they didn’t seem to mind.

“But why does everything have to get so complicated? Huh?”

Kelnur swept back his bangs with an annoyed expression at the vote results.

The motion to remove the current Tembris Party Leader due to inadequate qualifications was drafted by him, making the result even harder to accept.

“Even the people who always protected him are divided now, and just when I thought we could finally get rid of that annoying guy… What? A tie? This is ridiculous.”

It was already puzzling that he had been selected as the next leader with Goden’s full trust, but watching Professor Muniher directly hand over the commander position to him was infuriating.

Nevertheless, he had endured, and an opportunity finally came. The internal division within Tembris related to Senia’s death.

But. When the chance to finally expel that leech-like human from sucking Tembris’s lifeblood had finally arrived.

It was another failure.

‘Fuck… Fuck…!’

Kelnur left the conference room, gnawing on his fingernails, refusing to accept the reality that he had failed once again to bring down Junon.

***

Meanwhile, a young girl is anxiously pacing outside the conference hall.

As the emergency meeting ends, officials pour out in large numbers.

When the person she was waiting for emerges, Charlotte waits nervously at the agreed meeting spot.

Shortly after, Cain arrives at the rendezvous point.

“How… did it go?”

“…The leader remains unchanged.”

Charlotte sighs in relief at the news that the leader won’t change.

“You could have gone in yourself instead of asking me.”

“Ah… that’s…”

Because she couldn’t face him directly.

She wanted to say that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“You don’t need to explain. More importantly… I’d like to go now.”

“Oh, yes! Thank you, Senior Cain.”

Cain nods once with an expressionless face before going his way.

The place Cain arrives at after walking straight ahead is none other than someone’s grave.

A rare ring was placed on the grave situated in a sunny spot.

“…Did I do the right thing?”

If the owner of the grave had been there to answer Cain’s solitary mutter, they might have replied:

-Of course! But that’s not enough? You owe that senior a lot, you know.

“Yes. I still have quite a debt to repay.”

Originally, Cain might not have acted on Charlotte’s request to cast an opposing vote.

After losing his beloved in such a tragic way, he was already broken beyond repair.

But this grave was made by Junon, who had somehow recovered Lumia’s body and brought it to Sirah.

So, he took action in a matter he would have otherwise ignored, attended the meeting.

And cast an opposing vote as Charlotte had asked.

-Cain. You need to help that senior a lot?

“Yes. Since he’s the senior who tried to save you until the end… I can help him a little.”

-I said help him a lot!

“…”

In front of the grave of the deceased daughter of House Penarive, Cain sheds tears again today.