Only Wisdom Awakened - Chapter 47

Trial
“Logan Harris,” Hans seethed, his eyes once again blazing with fury as the sight of Aiden’s swollen and scratched face flashed in his mind.

“You’re fired!”

The dismissal came so abruptly that Logan couldn’t even manage to contain himself and exploded in front of everyone.

“W-wha- what the hell do you think you are doing kid?! I object! I demand a process! And in case of your loss, I expect you to retire from your position!” Logan pointed accusingly at Hans.

Much to his surprise, the young man immediately replied, “I accept.”

‘What? He accepted?! That’s.. unexpected. Why would he do that? Has he gone mad?’

‘Well, I had originally planned to take my time to deal with you, but now, you’ve dug your grave kid.’

‘I’ll make sure to wield the branch leader position as I please once I have you removed.’

…

All the seats were reorganized, with Hans positioned on the extreme left and Logan directly opposite to him on the extreme right.

In the middle of the steps sat three seats for the guild masters of the major guilds, and as expected, the Asura guild’s guild master wasn’t present.

Behind them, representatives from the smaller guilds were seated.

In the center, at the lectern, stood a man who would serve as the judge for the trial, Tyler Brown.

He was the vice leader of the branch and also the person who supervised everything regarding internal matters and politics.

In contrast to Logan, Tyler was known for his absolute righteousness and unwavering personality, a figure Hans didn’t even dream of trying to sway with money, knowing it would just backfire on him.

Tyler, with his muscular build and a towering stature measuring at least up to 190 cm (about 6’2), looked imposing despite his white hair, which made him look like a grandpa even though he was only in his fifties.

His serious voice resonated as he officially opened the case.

“Today, we are here to discuss the dismissal of Logan Harris, the security team leader of the Chicago association branch.”

“First of all, according to clause 3.6.2 of the internal jurisdiction of the association branches, in case the branch leader wishes to replace one of the officials, they must propose another suitable substitute, who will accept the charge in case of a successful outcome in the debate.”

“Mr. Hans, have you thought of a worthy candidate for the position of security team leader?”

“The requisites for the candidate are as follows:

The said individual must be at the very least a low B-rank warrior.

They must be able to speak English.

They must possess American citizenship.

They mustn’t be under any accusation.

They mustn’t hold any criminal records.

They mus…”

At least twenty requisites were issued and the more the man continued to point out, the more Hans wondered how Logan was able to take on the position since he didn’t doubt that at least half of the stated conditions weren’t met by that fellow.

Once Tyler finished listing the requisites, Hans replied, “Yes, I have.”

Logan clicked his tongue and realized, ‘So you have come prepared, kid.’

“You may enter, Kenta,” Hans announced.

The door opened and through it entered a handsome man with blonde hair and a tall stature, catching the attention of everyone present.

Meanwhile, Hans introduced him, “This is Kenta Kurogane. He was born in Japan but has lived here in America for the past three years. Currently, he is a top B-Rank awakened and has the potential necessary to rise to A-Rank in the coming years.”

“Woahh!”

“Look at his face, he looks like a model”

“What is with those blue eyes, aren’t Japanese people supposed to have black hair and eyes?”

“I don’t know, maybe he dyed them, and wears contact lenses,” one thought.

“Oh you’re right,” someone agreed.

The silence in the room of the officials broke because of the man’s appearance, people who should’ve acted as protectors of the city were currently no different from high school classmates, reacting to their new companion.

Even the red-haired woman who led the Blaze Guild was quite intrigued by this person, after all, no one had ever heard anything about this newcomer.

Tyler analyzed the newly arrived individual before continuing to speak to the AUDIENCE, “The necessary arrangements are now completed; the real debate will start now.”

“Hans Ritcher, you should provide a sensible reason as to why Logan Harris should be removed from his position,” Tyler prompted.

Holding a file having at least a couple of dozen pages with his fingers, Hans raised it and asked the room, “Does anyone perhaps know what I have here?”

He then glanced at the gathered individuals who had puzzled expressions on their faces and were shaking their heads as they exchanged uncertainty.

“Well then, I’ll explain it myself. All the documents stored inside here detail Logan Harris’ crimes,” Hans declared.

“Bullsh*t!” Harris immediately interjected across the room, rising to his feet and pointing at Hans.

However, a cold and stern gaze from Tyler was all it took to make him sit back down. Mr. Brown then gestured for Hans to proceed with his explanation.

One by one, Hans began to read through the documents, revealing all the atrocious acts committed by the security team leader.

The heaviest crimes among them included murder, kidnapping, torture, drug trafficking, smuggling of illegal items, and collaboration in the trespassing of wanted individuals.

After hearing the list, the faces of the people present twisted with disgust and anger, especially those who had been unaware of the situation.

The security team of the association functioned as a pseudo-police department within the association and was in charge of apprehending awakened criminals and blocking the entry of such wanted awakened inside the city and its environs.

Everything that regarded hunters was under their jurisdiction, meaning that the team leader was expected to uphold justice and be a righteous person who would ensure the safety of the citizens. However, Logan was the furthest opposite and clearly not worthy of holding such a position.

‘How… how does he know all those things? Could it be that..?

‘Aaaarrrrg, f*cking Garrison, you should’ve stayed in your place. Let’s see how it turns out. After this is over, I’ll make sure to let you sink into the depths of hell,’ Harris seethed internally while maintaining his composed facade on the outside.

Just to be sure about it, Mr. Brown inquired if there were any false accusations from the opposing side, but Logan just remained silent, effectively confirming everything.

Logan didn’t have any evidence to refute any of the accusations, but even if somehow these accusations passed, there were still the votes. He was sure that once they were taken, he would surely win and once he took the seat of association leader, he would cover this entire affair by using his newly acquired authority.

No matter what, in the end, he would reign without any losses.

However, his overwhelming confidence led to his downfall. The right move at the time would have been to deny the accusations and buy some more time, perhaps waiting for the Asura guild to emerge from the gate, not that it would’ve changed the outcome anyway.

His fate had already been sealed from the moment the accusations began.

The man on the pedestal, clearly furious about what he had just discovered pressed on with the proceedings.

“Given the validity of the accusations, the verdict will be decided by a vote from all present, including myself.”

The speaker at the lectern changed once again, this time to a normal association worker who had been tasked with tallying the votes.

She frowned, her legs almost failing her when she found herself facing countless officials.

The tension in the room was so thick that it could be cut with a knife when she started:

“I will now collect the votes regarding the dismissal of the security team leader, Logan Harris.”

After a gulp, she continued, “Before the vote begins, I will explain the various possible outcomes.”

She then continued to read through the page that was given to her, “The voting will be conducted by a show of hands and will last 30 seconds for each side.”

“In case the votes against it surpass 50%, the case will be closed immediately, and the security team leader will maintain his current position.”

“If the votes in favor surpass the votes against, the case will proceed to the court for further examination.”

“Finally, in case the votes in favor exceed 70%, then, the team leader, Logan Harris will be immediately removed from his position and assuming his position will be the newly selected candidate, Kenta Kurogane.”

This method of voting was designed to make each voter’s stance explicit.

While the government opted for the secrecy of the chosen vote, the association wanted the ones who voted to be accountable for the consequences of their own votes, making them warier in their decisions.

In the room, around eighty to ninety people were seated, each carefully pondering which side to choose.

After all, the dismissal of one of the officials was a big deal for the publishing companies that managed the newspapers and the association would be definitely ridiculed in case Logan’s misdeeds were to be revealed.

Some, however, such as the two most influential guild masters and Tyler Brown, already knew which side they wanted to stand by.

The lady’s voice resounded once again in the room as she announced:

“Let the voting commence.”