Mayne's impassioned speech came to an end. His eyes were red by the time he finished, and he stood there with his neck stiff, defiantly meeting the furious glares directed at him from around the hall without retreating a single step.
"Clap! Clap, clap, clap, clap..." After a brief hush and silence, some in the room began to applaud—even though they knew they, too, were part of the joke.
Under the grave sweep of the Council President's gaze, the applause gradually died down.
"Then what do you think we should do right now, Mayne?" Once quiet was restored, the President turned to Mayne and asked.
Every eye turned toward Mayne in turn.
"Dispatch coalition forces immediately to surround the Third Fixed Exploration Site. Now, right here, take action at once. Let us surround that place of suspected guilt and take custody of everyone, including General Alphonse. Then interrogate and examine every single person, search every inch of ground, below the earth, in the sky..."
Mayne said.
In truth, Azure's investigation teams had entered the Third Fixed Exploration Site every single time before, but an investigation conducted beneath the stern, majestic gaze of a first-generation Starlight was far from adequate.
This man they were investigating had once saved Azure in history.
This was the crux of the whole problem.
"Bastard! Do you know what you are saying?! You are practically desecrating a first-generation Starlight!" the earlier councilor roared.
"Then let us desecrate him first!" Mayne whipped around and roared even louder. "Assuming he truly isn't standing in the shadows!"
Then Mayne turned back to address the entire hall. "This is the only way. If the investigation ultimately proves Mr. Alphonse innocent, we can discuss the rest then—and you can condemn me as well."
"Heh, heh. I don't think you possess that kind of authority, nor the capability to shoulder all the consequences, Mayne," the councilor sneered mockingly.
"Indeed, I do not. But the truth does! The countless soldiers of Azure bleeding on the front lines who wish for the truth have it."
Mayne fixed his resolute gaze on the President.
The President fell silent for the moment.
"What if General Alphonse refuses? He might do so out of anger, feeling humiliated, might he not? Quite possibly. In any case, my point is, handling things this way could very well spark an armed conflict..."
A questioning voice rose from a corner.
The President looked into Mayne's eyes and nodded slightly; clearly, he shared that concern.
"Then attack him! Militarily occupy it—otherwise why send coalition forces at all?"
Another voice answered from elsewhere.
Mayne nodded as he held the President's gaze. "Yes, that is precisely what I am saying."
His meaning was clear: they should not hesitate to wage war against a first-generation Star of Azure.
"Haha! What difference is there between a suggestion like yours and the actions of The King?!" yet another voice rang out.
"The difference is whether we do it, or he does it himself," someone answered on Mayne's behalf.
The difference between the two was immense.
After a brief hush, hushed murmurs and heated arguments broke out across the Council hall. Even the leaders on the rostrum leaned in close to confer.
About half an hour passed before the discussions finally ceased.
The President looked up. Instead of calling for a vote, he addressed Mayne directly:
"I think there is nothing wrong with your suggestion itself, Mayne. But I hope you understand that it is nearly impossible for us to actually do that. What I mean is, we cannot truly go to war against a first-generation Starlight. I will try to demand his cooperation with the kind of investigation you described..."
"We have actually made such a demand before, only to be met with silent refusal. That is the problem," one of the vice presidents chimed in.
When they finished speaking, backed by numerous reasons from the Coalition's perspective, the hall fell into silence.
"Then let him do it himself," Mayne said in a low voice.
"What?!"
"Since we cannot do it, let him do it himself. Are those incapable of delivering the truth going to use their own helplessness as an excuse to interfere and stop him?"
Mayne questioned.
His point was that Azure's current logic amounted to: We cannot investigate, there are too many difficulties, so for the sake of reputation and rules, we will also stop you from seeking the truth yourself, and let things go on like this forever...
"Isn't such logic utterly ridiculous?!" Mayne pressed once more.
No one responded.
Until a voice sounded from the back.
The French representative reappeared at the doorway and sneered:
"I think you are mistaken, Mr. Mayne. If Azure gives him the freedom to act on his own, as you suggest, then I believe Azure should likewise grant each Front the freedom to independently decide whether to intervene."
He was threatening intervention.
Yet that was merely on the surface. His true threat pointed toward internal division within Azure—when the forces of each Front could be mobilized freely and act autonomously.
The room plunged into a deadlock.
Perhaps five minutes passed.
"Report!" A secretary appeared at the doorway, holding a sheet of paper.
The President turned to him and asked, "What is it?"
"The King has responded to the briefing memo sent by the French Front to the various Fronts. Transmitted via an unfamiliar frequency originating from the Rejecters, it was likewise distributed to each Front..." the secretary said.
A commotion stirred across the room, followed by deep concern and keen anticipation.
Upon receiving permission, the secretary walked in and handed the paper to the President.
After reading it, the President looked up, only to find every single pair of eyes fixed squarely on his face.
Under such circumstances, attempting to conceal the document's contents was clearly not a wise choice. What was more, keeping it secret was virtually impossible; it had been sent to every Front, and once the meeting adjourned, everyone could look it up.
"The King says..."
The President began in an explanatory tone, paused, lowered his head, and decided to read it verbatim:
[Consider this an announcement. Just as you all know, I am going to kill Alphonse.]
When the President read to this point, everyone felt The King's tone and manner seemed mild and amicable. Perhaps he would go on to talk about his hardships and reasons, offer some explanations, or even make a plea.
Such an approach would have surely worked well, as many people would inevitably sympathize and empathize with him.
Yet, there was none of that.
[We today have long owed Azure nothing, lacking nothing from you, and having nothing to do with you. Therefore, this is purely a personal vendetta.
From Azure's standpoint, if you come to obstruct and kill me... you are fully justified, beyond reproach.
However, if we do clash, I will draw my blade to clear my path... and my conscience will be entirely clear.]
That was how it ended, signed Han Qingyu.
The President looked up after reading, wanting to hear the reaction.
Yet the entire hall remained silent. Because The King's stance was already abundantly clear: he bore no hatred toward Azure, yet on this journey he would press forward relentlessly. Whoever stood in his way would be his enemy.
"Now, three years later, he is entitled to say that," someone whispered from a corner.
Yet the assembly as a whole remained silent.
In that silence, people turned their heads in unison, looking slowly toward the French councilor standing at the back door.
"What a coincidence. The King's sentiment aligns perfectly with what you just suggested."
"So, are you going?"
Chapter 551