fynovel Chapter 416: Bad News
Chapter 416: Bad News
Chapter 416: Bad News
***
"Class SS-1's ruin dive will be brought forward."
"...Say that again?"
Two men, Amon and Emir, sat opposite each other in the latter's office.
The larger of the two leaned forward on his table, his arms digging into the expensive wood.
"What was brought forward?"
The younger-looking, but actually much older of the two, chuckled, his right hand flicking the air.
"Your. Students. Ruin. Dive. Was. Brought. Forward."
"...When?"
"Friday."
"You can't delay it?"
"No, it has to happen on Friday. That's final."
"Why?"
"Because I say so."
"Is there nothing I could do to delay it?"
"Why are you so adamant? Heh, will you even accept being called that or-"
"I am. Tell me."
Amon paused for a second, staring at him, then slowly said:
"...No. I fear an influx of Aether is arriving by Saturday. Due to that, even the monsters in our ruin will be too much for the students to handle. We'll be forced to other ruins that aren't in our complete control, giving way to variables that I don't have the time nor mind to manage." Emir opened his mouth then closed it, speaking only after a few seconds had passed:
"How do you know? I expect there to be an influx soon, but I can't predict the exact date like you did."
Smirking, Amon waved his hand again and then gestured for Emir to look up.
"A praying woman told me."
Closing his eyes, Emir matched his expression and nodded.
"I see..."
Opening his eyes, he looked back down and continued saying:
"Guess I should've expected that."
Their snappy back and forth ended there.
Emir then looked further down.
'Hm.'
It seemed that he hadn't heard wrong...
What he jokingly mused would happen did in fact happen.
The first major disaster, an event that was scheduled to happen a few weeks from now, was forwarded to Friday... Tomorrow.
And that was due to the increase of Aether on Earth, which was something that he had kept track of since their day of judgment.
Furthermore, a hidden character influenced this date's advancement.
Templar's true leader.
Like how the Liberation Army had kept its true leader, Judal, concealed from the public eye, Templar also had their own figurehead, taking away the spotlight from who truly mattered. This puppet was a religious fanatic who stirred the masses with fervent rhetoric, but the actual leader, "Praying Lady," was the exact opposite of that.
Behind the scenes, it was she who truly wielded power, using Templar for her own gain.
She operated from the depths of the underworld, her influence shaping much of it through a vast network of information, manipulating the many gangs to her whims.
All that Emir knew of her from the 'novel' was that she was an Astral, a specialization that used the power of stars and read fate.
Her unique abilities made her the Templar's most valuable asset, the reason they could stand toe-to-toe with other powerful factions and corporations.
Her information was invaluable, drawing in the wealthiest and most influential donors- whales that kept them above water, and her many digital pockets full.
The biggest whale of them all was Isidore, a king of assassins who always dealt in
information.
That low mumble from Amon indicated that he had just processed all the information that he
received.
There was no need to question the authenticity of that information, he knew Emir wouldn't
lie about such things. And the fact that he seemingly knew the future wasn't under question.
Again, Amon knew Emir to be an Order's Chosen, or at least he used to be, and that meant that
he had information others could only dream of.
"So..."
Emir silently looked at him and then asked:
"Can all the students survive?"
The principal blinked a few times, lost in thought.
"I... don't know."
Snickering, Emir sat back down and said:
"Me neither... me neither." Amon remained standing for a while, and after a minute or so had passed, he finally moved.
But instead of sitting down like Emir, he headed towards the door, intending to leave.
"Where are you going?"
He glanced back, then continued forward, exiting the office.
Emir was left alone, his eyes staring at where his self-admitted father used to be.
"He'll need Arthur's luck to get through this without using up any of his strong abilities."
Turning around in his chair, he too became lost in thought.
'The disaster was moved up, so that must've affected Templar's and Liberation Army's
preparations, right?'
[No, they're prepared. At least I'm sure LA are.]
His left eye twitched.
[Ly?]
Her hologram materialized as he called her by her nickname.
[Yes?]
[You, how are you sure of that?]
She smiled and reported, which was quite an unusual combination of actions for her:
[Once I heard the news, I immediately informed the family.]
Emir nodded, guessing the rest.
[Ah... I see. Kiera did something drastic.]
[Yes...]
She confirmed and added:
[Her grudge at what they did to her family remains. Unfortunately, I didn't check where she
was when I shared the news.]
[The slums.]
[Correct. She went to one of their hunter group's bases and... well, let's just say that she's
under house arrest.]
There wasn't any need for her to complete that sentence.
It was obvious that Kiera had gone loose, crashing out and killing an entire hunter group in
the time Emir and Amon had talked.
"Can't blame her... Though this'll cement their involvement in the disaster."
Sighing again, he tapped the table twice and said:
"This only makes my decision harder."