Only Wisdom Awakened - Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Press
“Fuck”

“I hoped to have caught a big fish but I found a shark instead.

Is this how it feels when you have to manage something above your level?”

“Report everything you know about him as soon as you can, I’ll leave you alone so you can process everything that we just said.

Also, I’ve heard the news, I’m sorry for you, but I still hope you’ll remain as the dean of the academy.

That’s all, I hope your life goes on smoothly.”

“Beep, Beep” the call was hung up by the man, while the woman remained alone in her dark room.

Lying on the floor, she watched the ceiling like if she could see the sky above it, and let out a chuckle of desperation.

She looked tired, her red eyes weren’t focused, and had lost their blazing flames, her beautiful slim hands remained grip less on the ground.

“Is it really time for me to give it all up?

Have I really made it this far just to be replaced by someone I don’t even know the name of?

My career, my powers, my authority, just a single mistake was enough to make them crumble in the eyes of the people.

I suffered through all those exhausting years, working like a dog and fighting like a cornered animal, just to attain my objective, and now that I am here, I still haven’t managed to do anything of what I promised myself.

If I give up now.. will I live the rest of my life in regret, or will I be able to move on?

Not that it matters, since the association has decided to throw me away, I can’t help but retire.”

Just as she was getting ready to publicly announce her retirement, a hint of madness lit up in her mind, she changed idea at the last second and decided to say something completely different than planned.

As she walked inside the wide hall, countless flashes covered her body and face, almost blinding her, but not caring, she just moved forward ignoring the journalists.

Seated, she held the microphone, and moved it to speak comfortably.

“Mh, Mh”

She cleared her throat, shutting upmost of the chatting reporters.

“I thank you all for attending this last minute press that has been announced by me.

I would first of all like to apologize for my lacking performance in defending the students and the academy, unfortunately,

We haven’t been able to completely guard ourselves against the suddenly attack, causing some of the students to be slightly injured.

The fact that they haven’t been able to adapt to fighting and battling yet has also played a role in some of the mental repercussions displayed on some students, like severe anxiety, or fear of swords.”

Even if while saying this it looked like she was remarking the errors she had committed as the dean, it was in fact a phrase said to intentionally lower the seriousness of the situation:

She highlighted the fact that the students were only slightly injured, and place more importance on the academy by saying that the students hadn’t been accustomed to fighting ‘yet’.

This implied that the training of the academy was necessary for any of these events to never happen again.

” after the incident, many of the parents, other than asking for a seventh tier barrier to be cast around the academy, have made the request of letting me step down from the position of Los Angeles branch leader, so that I could focus my attention on defending the students from any future threat.”

The moment she finished speaking, a chatter erupted, since many of the journalists had begun talking among themselves about what she had just said.

“Stepping down as a branch leader? Isn’t that too bold of them?”

“Well, think about it, would you ever send your kid to a a school that is always running the risk of getting caught up in a terroristic attack?”

“Well… that’s true”

“See? If she were to stay there instead it would become one of the safest places on earth, she’s almost one of the top S-ranks after all”

“That’s right, that’s right, I think what he’s saying makes sense”

“But will she…

When all the expectations gathered towards her, as the curious eyes of all the people in the room turned just to watch her, and watch her next move, that’s when she screamed, interrupting all the conversations.

” you must all think that’s a reasonable request right?!”

No one replied, scared of giving the wrong answer, but some of them shook their heads in agreement.

“However, that is if we are assuming that there isn’t someone capable of protecting the students just as well as me while I’m not there”

Everyone in the room was shocked by this statement.

“Huh?”

“Since when was there anyone like that in the academy?”

“Did the dean hire someone to keep her seat as a branch leader?”

“You all are forgetting something?..

we have our teachers”

Sighs took over the room.

“Ah what? It was just the teachers?”

“I thought I would’ve been able to get a big scoop for once but it was just useless babbling”

Someone even dared to directly talk to the dean:

“Hey, do you think we aren’t aware of what happened last time? Will the teachers who lost once protect the students better now? Huh? Why should we entrust young lives to your words?!”

The reply that came back was calm and composed:

“An unknown group of awakened came inside the academy and made shame of all the professors before leaving since they were scared of me…

That’s probably what you’ve heard isn’t it?

How about I tell you….

what really happened that night.”

Just this one phrase had every single person in the room focused on her lips and words.

The bored journalists, those who were packing up to leave, and even those who were currently walking towards the exit, they all immediately turned around, and readied themselves to write what the dean was about to say.

“The sky was orange, painted by the sunset, when the attack begun, from every direction, with a special tool to break through the barrier, a total of about a hundred awakened individuals entered the academy.”

The journalists already begun to write down as quickly as they could, talking with their colleagues as soon as they could:

“So many?”

“We were told it was only a small organization”

The dean didn’t let any of these chatters stop her story:

“Amongst them there were about eighty five C-ranks, almost ten B-ranks, an A-rank, and finally, a mid S-rank”

“What?!”

“A mid S-rank? Had the world gone crazy?”

“A mid S-rank, the same power of some of the world leaders, has personally taken action to kill some kids?!”

“Write that down! Now!”

When they were all done speaking, their attention was once again directed to the dean, eager to listen to the rest of her speech.

“Amongst their ranks was even a sixth rank mage.

The mage was killed by Caleb Harris, that afterwards faced against the S-rank warrior.

Even if there’s a rumour going around saying that he lost, that’s partially untrue.

Mr. Caleb fought with the opponent for fifteen minutes, and managed to corner him into a position in which he couldn’t continue anymore.

The opponent took a chance to use a dirty trick and put Caleb asleep, to run away in pain.

In the meantime, even in the thundering battles, not a single one of the students was badly injured.

One of the best teachers, that had been under my jurisdiction for a while, Scarlet Evans, gave her life to kill the A-rank while defending the students, and in the moment their three commanders died, the remaining B-ranks took the lead and retreated with their tails between their legs.

They could’ve followed them and exterminated them, but the teachers remained with the students to protect them, even if it meant giving up an opportunity to avenge their fallen colleagues.

That is what really happened that night, and the moment I arrived on site, everything was already resolved.

I will now ask you.

Does it really look like our academy’s teachers are weak?”

Everyone was astonished, the dean impeccable speaking ability turned the story a whole 180 degrees without straying too far from the truth.

She turned the attack and injuries received by the association into an honour.

If they were first considered feeble awakened that had lost to an unknown association, they had now become heroes who had managed to face off against a power strong enough to rival the top guilds.

Speechless, all the reporters who had come to witness the fall of the Los Angeles association branch leader, left the room one by one, too ashamed to even squeak a single word.

The news soon became public, and they circled everywhere around the net.

In a faraway place, a man was watching the tv while enjoying a burrito.

“Burp”

“Haaa, that was nice”

He exclaimed, covering his belly with his hand.

“But n° 2, that bastard…

is he still alive?

I guess I should report it to boss, even if he was pretty expendable, we ought to punish him if he betrayed us.

No one, and I mean no one…

Is allowed to leave the Red Tyranny.”