Chapter 489: Finding A Mole
One Day Later
"How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?"
A woman covered in a cloak of pure white stood behind a podium.
"And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?"
Her words flowed like honey, smooth and sweet, yet their underlying meaning was nothing but.
"And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
She raised her hand high and called out:
"Oh, heavenly tree. Aether. My father. My mother. Hear my call and-"
Tst!
The holoscreen suddenly turned off, and a tiny remote was thrown into the wall behind it.
Clack...
"Praying Lady, huh? Chick's got some nerve."
Judal's words echoed as he stood up, hitting the oval table he sat adjacent to.
'Tell your brother that.'
Emir rolled his eyes and glanced towards Judas, not hiding his contempt.
The man receiving such stares didn't react one bit, keeping his eyes on Amon, seemingly waiting for him to speak, which he did after a flick of his fingers:
"I bet one thought is dominant in your minds right about now..."
Judal, Judas, Emir, and a few senior professors chuckled in response to his words.
"Who will take the fall?"
Indeed, Amon spoke true. Most of the first-year and second-year professors hadn't yet cemented themselves.
Their heads could still be presented to the chopping block.
Since the disaster yesterday, every single one of them tried their best to push the blame onto another.
Especially Emir; they targeted him the most.
But, unfortunately for them, he had already anticipated this and had planned ahead.
All they did was waste their time, and they realized that too late when Amon himself had excused Emir of any responsibility, as did another senior professor, mentioning how he saved him even with a single arm.
He was described as a hero.
It was funny, and quite ironic, that the one who said that most was the one who least believed
it.
And rather than believe it, he thought the exact opposite.
Since their argument in the ruin, Amon and Emir had yet to talk.
They were too busy dealing with the aftermath, accounting for their losses, and calming those affected, death threats and all.
Well, that last part was something only Emir did, but one could get the gist.
"You needn't worry. Everyone in this room is excused. You may go home today knowing that your position as a professor is safe."
Sighs of relief met his words; even Evelyn, who wasn't present in the ruin or in the subsequent operation, was worried, so this certainly was a relief for her.
As it was for Ragnar and the other professors who had no cake in the upper levels of the Academy.
"Dismissed."
Without a word, they all stood up from their chairs, exiting the room.
Only three professors remained: Emir, Judas, and Judal.
They glanced at each other and then at Amon, silently asking an obvious question.
But Amon wasn't going to give them an answer, at least not to the twins.
He pointed at them and then at the door, quietly telling them to get out.
'Hoh~...'
Emir chuckled.
It seemed that even the principal could hold a grudge.
The two didn't react to his disrespect; knowing when to hold back, they simply stood up and headed to the door.
"I liked the fight..."
Judal glanced at him but didn't stop moving, not wanting to test Amon's limits.
"You..."
He took a moment, then pointed at the door with his thumb.
"Have a love-and-hate relationship with those two, even more than me. You don't keep Judas around just because it's easier to control a known enemy, but because you want to teach him
what 'good' is."
Amon's eyebrows flinched, not liking how Emir could see through him so.
"...It's nothing close to love. People like them are just easier to handle."
Emir chuckled.
"Really now? You'd say that after 'failing' to catch the attacker?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"What can I say? Went to the other side of the planet but saw no one. I think he dug himself a
hole and hid to be FORGOTTEN about."
Picking up on Amon's not-so-subtle command, Emir shook his head.
"Unfortunately, that wouldn't be so easy. Someone spotted him before he hid."
Amon gave him a knowing look.
"Who knows?"
"...Aquila."
"Only him?"
"Yes."
Clicking his tongue, he quickly realized why Emir revealed Judas's name to the man of Eagle.
"Why... why do you want them killed so bad? I know it's not simple revenge for the fight you
guys had. There's something more to it."
"You seem to have forgotten."
Emir leaned back in his chair and looked up, his face appearing nostalgic as if going over
precious memories.
"Templar, I can't annihilate anymore; attacking a state religion isn't feasible. But the Liberation Army? I want them gone."
"I realize that, and you still didn't answer, why?"
His smile widened.
"Raven... Some cyborg from who knows where kidnapped me. She sent me back to her base,
ordering her goons to have some 'fun' with me. I was strapped to a chair, under a dangling
bulb, got beat the shit out of... now that I think about it, they were really trying to set the
mood."
Chuckling even more, he added:
"Since that day, I promised their destruction. I'd deliver even at a loss."
Emir looked back at Amon; this time his face held no familiarity, as if he was looking at a
stranger.
"Will you stop me?"
"....."
They stared at each other for long, both seemingly analyzing whether the man opposite them
would truly pose a threat to their personal objectives.
Both knew this one thing: at times, usually more often than not, it was better to let a bridge
burn than to watch as the wood rotted, even when the bridge was like no other.
But then, Amon awkwardly coughed and gestured for him to calm down, quickly switching
the subject.
"Alright, alright, enough about that. Let's get to business."
Emir played along with another shrug and waited for him to go ahead.
He did:
"I know you to be a mastermind, so tell me how you'd go about finding a mole."
"Simple, you'd just..."