The conference room was designed in a large circle.
The seats on the first floor were already filled to capacity with many people.
In contrast, the second-floor seats that Kirwan and I entered were more spacious than those on the first floor.
Judging by the atmosphere of the people coming up to the second floor, it seemed to be divided between the first and second floors based on their respective positions.
Kirwan quickly found a seat and whispered to me.
"I'm sorry, but I think only I can sit."
"It's okay."
"Just stand by my side. The meeting will start soon, so please be patient."
"Okay."
I stood next to Kirwan's seat, assisting him. I didn't feel like complaining about the slight discomfort.
I restrained my movements as much as possible, moving only my eyes to observe the surroundings.
Most people seemed to be interested in when the meeting would start and nobody appeared to pay attention to me.
When the seats in the second-floor gallery were nearly filled, a tall Angel stepped into the center of the conference room. He turned to the spectators and shouted loudly.
"Silence! Everyone, please be quiet."
The noise from the spectators vanished instantly.
"Due to the unfortunate event, the start of the meeting has been delayed. Therefore, the opening address, attendance checks, and preliminary preparations, etc. will be omitted. Once the members have entered and the agenda confirmed quickly, the main meeting will commence. I hope those observing the meeting will not be mistaken."
The man briefly conveyed the information and headed to the moderator's seat in the conference room. Soon after, the members of the Ekruas Council revealed themselves.
The members entered the conference room with serious expressions. Among them was Judge Arc, who appeared surprisingly calm despite the major event.
The members automatically moved to their respective seats.
After confirming the members' seating, the moderator opened his mouth again.
"Now, let's proceed with the temporary meeting of the Ekruas Council. As I mentioned earlier, we will omit the pre-meeting procedures and quickly confirm the agenda"
"Wait a moment!"
"?"
One of the seated members raised his hand, attracting attention.
"Before we confirm the agenda for today's meeting, shouldn't we discuss a certain issue first?"
With that, he glared at where Judge Arc was sitting.
"The person who attacked the guard today and helped an individual with an unidentified identity to infiltrate the Assembly Hall is sitting in the member's seat right now. I think we should talk about this audacious person first."
-Murmur murmur.
-Murmur murmur.
The gallery started murmuring louder in response to the direct statement aimed at Judge Arc.
Reactions also appeared among the members seated in the Council. While some nodded in agreement, others frowned in disapproval.
Arc, the party in question, responded with a comfortable smile.
"Heh, it seems Member Leto has many complaints about me."
"This is not about personal complaints. I just want to talk about the outrageous act you committed today!"
"I just prevented the guards from moving rashly. I had no intention of harming them. I only wanted to bring a necessary witness to this meeting."
"That's nothing more than an excuse. The fact remains that you attacked the guards and aided an intruder."
The Angel named Leto turned his gaze to an elder seated in the center of the Council.
"I formally suggest to the chairperson that we should hold a disciplinary committee for Member Arc before we proceed with the temporary meeting."
"That's right! No matter the rank of the judge or affiliation with the Ekruas Council, we can't just overlook what happened today!"
Kirwan stepped forward to block the guards rushing toward me.
"Would you step back? This person is an important witness brought by Judge Arc."
"Officer Kirwan, step aside. If you interfere with the arrest of the intruder, we have no choice but to arrest you too.
"I don't care what you guys think. If you want to arrest this person, you'll have to get past me first.
There was a tense standoff between Kirwan and the guard captain.
"Enough!"
On the brink of crisis, the chairperson stepped in. He gestured for the guard captain to back down and turned his attention towards Judge Arc.
"Judge Arc, is that man indeed the witness you brought?"
"Yes, he is. A Judge attending the conference can bring anyone as a witness according to their judgment. I brought Sihyeon because I believe he is an important witness for this temporary meeting."
No sooner had Judge Arc finished speaking than Leto snapped sharply.
"Such an outrageous farce! To bring a criminal who invaded the Assembly Hall without permission, and whose identity has not even been confirmed, as a witness!"
"That is an inherent right of a Judge. No matter how much you deny it, it's pointless."
"Such audacity"
Shaking with anger, Angel Leto looked around at the others and shouted.
"We should open a disciplinary committee immediately and strip him of his Judge status."
"Member Leto is correct. We must open a disciplinary committee at once!"
"Do you not understand the significance of the Judge's position? This isn't a matter to discuss lightly!"
As each person voiced their opinion, the meeting room descended into complete chaos. A confused atmosphere was spreading from the spectators' seats as well.
"Everyone, silence!"
""
"As members of the Ekruas Council, refrain from reckless behavior!"
The chairperson raised his voice once again, quelling the uproarious atmosphere.
He carefully surveyed the members before shifting his gaze to me. He studied me with a profound look, reminiscent of Judge Arc.
After a moment.
The chairman spoke with a stern face.
"I believe Judge Arc's claim regarding his witness to be valid. Although an unfortunate incident occurred just before the meeting, the rights of a Judge must be respected by all."
A few faces, including that of Leto, contorted. Ignoring them, the chairperson continued.
"However, as Member Leto pointed out, we can't ignore the incident that Judge Arch caused. So, Judge Arch?"
"Please speak."
"You claimed to have brought a crucial witness to this meeting. Then, can you prove to everyone here that this is indeed the case?"
Judge Arc confidently replied,
"Of course! If that wasn't the case, I wouldn't have brought Sihyeon in the first place."
Hearing the reply, the chairman nodded.
"I understand your point. Therefore, as the chairperson of the council, here is my conclusion. I will allow the attendance of the witness brought by Judge Arc. However, if you fail to make the council members understand the necessity of the witness, you, Judge Arc, will have to take full responsibility for the chaos that occurred today."
The chairperson finished his statement, warning Judge Arc. Some made uncomfortable faces, but the majority of the council members seemed to agree with the chairperson's words.
"Let the security staff and Officer Kirwan step back. We will proceed with the meeting immediately."
CH 398-407 (Subduing the Angels) $2CH 408-417 (Farm family, Assemble) $2CH 418-424 (The END) $2