CH 56

I slowly swept my gaze below the podium. Nobody’s posture went slack because I was speaking; they still maintained their disciplined forms, but I could see the challenging dissent in their eyes. Rumors about me had already warped and spread; the enemy I face was the prejudice within these people. I reminded myself of this and continued, “I know everyone must be at a loss because I appeared out of nowhere and took the empty position of vice-captain. I’m sure there are many rumors about me spread regarding that.”

At the mention of rumors, the complexions of the men whitened; they seemingly feared that I would dig into the source of those rumors and mete out punishments. Holding back a sneer, I wondered how much they had to hide as I went on. “But I can dare say that those rumors came by because you all don’t know me very well. I’m not one to particularly care for obsessing with or ferreting out the past. Whatever you have all said about me before, I’ll forget about from this moment on.” Small sounds of exhalation came from among the men—involuntarily sighs of relief, no doubt. I chose that moment to jump on them. “But it’ll be different in the future. I don’t mind whatever rumors that may spawn about me, but I will not forgive such hearsay interfering with my goal, nor do I think it should be forgiven.”

A strong gust of wind blew then, making the flag of our corps flap violently, and my gray hair, the symbol of a support mage, fluttered along with it. It wasn’t the time to mind the bothersome sensation, though. With flared eyes, I looked straight ahead, and without any hesitation or any reservation, I shouted, “I have only one goal—to bring victory to the Dark Knights in the battle to come against the demon lord! And to that end, I don’t intend on sparing any means or methods!”

Suddenly, Mayer began clapping and the others tentatively followed suit until, eventually, thunderous applause filled the air as if I had given a masterful speech. Hah… If I were to score my performance, I suppose I could give good points in having aimed for this sort of response from them. Going on about defeating the demon lord was Mayer’s style, after all. My speech couldn’t have failed as I knew best whom to butter up.

I raised a hand, signaling for the unending applause to stop, and the sounds of clapping gradually died down. “As part of my goal, I plan to establish a special unit. You all may know about this from the rumors, but the special unit is a high-efficiency growth team that will hold priority over all dungeons assigned to the Dark Knights,” I said, breaking the renewed silence.

The establishment of the special unit was already known, but holding dungeon priority was news to everyone. Unsurprisingly, the crowd was stirred, but I paid no mind to that and continued, “Only those with talent and potential and those deemed essential to the corps will be selected for the special unit. You can refuse the invitation, but consider carefully before doing so—there will be no second chances.”

Before, the men would’ve expressed aversion, thinking that the special unit wasn’t even worth careful consideration. Now, though, everyone seemed confused. The right to dungeon priority aside, it was obvious that the special unit would be given more support and power than expected, so they must’ve realized it wasn’t a good idea to simply refuse. “The special unit member composition will be strictly decided by myself as the vice-captain. Those who are nominated to join will receive individual notices,” I added.

Those that wanted to join but had no confidence in their skills began to murmur among themselves, suspecting my objectivity and discernment. They spent so much time underrating and mocking the special unit as something no one wanted to be part of, yet now that it seemed worth something they talked of impartiality. They were a pack of sly cretins who wagged their tongues if it was to their advantage with more ease than flipping a hand. I calmly ignored their dissent; their voices would be forgotten anyway once the special unit was established. By then, they’d flip their attitudes again to curry favor with me. I needn’t bother with them.

“I, Jun Karentia, will do my best to eliminate harm, obtain everything of aid for the Dark Knights, and lead us to greater prosperity. Eternal glory be to the heirs of heroes and shields of the Champion—to the Dark Knights.”

I had declared my stance, and all that remained was to march onward. I looked to the future with determination in my eyes.