Chapter 682: All Eyes on Me
The silence from Kuromon pressed down on everyone like a tangible entity. The deliberation hall was so quiet one could faintly hear the flickering of flames within the bronze lamps, their dancing light seemingly frozen by the somber atmosphere. All executives focused their gazes on Hyōshō Muramasa, who was speaking, or more accurately, on the semi-transparent mental projection behind him. Although most attendees didn’t know who [Coffin] was, they could clearly infer that this projection, brought into the meeting hall by Hyōshō using his Great General authority, was indeed the person he spoke of. Countless gazes swept over Kazumi’s projection like searchlights, now carrying a hint of curiosity and doubt, a departure from the earlier simple probing.
A brief silence fell over the entire hall. Kuromon, on his throne, remained silent, but beneath his rolling, black fog-like face, a gaze seemed to pierce through the mist and fix directly on the white-haired young boy on the stone chair.
After a prolonged, suffocating silence, Kuromon’s gaze slowly shifted from Hyōshō Muramasa to the mental projection behind him, lingering for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was terrifyingly calm.
“You know the organization’s process for nominating executives. Since you’ve chosen to propose it at the assembly, what is your reason?”
Hyōshō Muramasa’s rigid expression softened slightly, his frosted eyes quivering. He fell into a brief silence, as if searching a distant memory. Finally, he raised his head, and with eyes devoid of warmth, he stared directly at Kuromon’s blurred face and spoke earnestly:
“Because… she completed a very important mission, and I need to give her the corresponding reward.”
The dead silence that followed was utterly indescribable. If the previous quiet was solemnity, then the present silence was sheer absurdity. Several executives’ projections flickered violently, clearly too shocked by the earth-shattering statement to maintain their mental stability.
Kazumi, further back, froze in her spot, her semi-transparent projection flickering uncontrollably due to her speechless emotions.
“Big brother! I know you speak bluntly due to your lack of emotions because of your ability, but couldn’t you have been more tactful?! Even if this is an executive meeting of a villainous organization, openly showing favoritism here in front of everyone is way too perverse!”
“Aren’t you just making myself a target?!”
Kazumi felt a headache brewing. She knew Hyōshō Muramasa’s personality, and after their few interactions, she understood that due to his ability, his emotional deficiency often resulted in his speech. Kazumi had simply treated him as an eccentric person to interact with, especially since eccentric individuals were not uncommon in the [Dark] Organization. In a way, Hyōshō Muramasa was on the milder side.
However, the young girl truly hadn’t expected him to pull something like this here. She could even clearly feel the distinct amusement and disdain mixed into the gazes directed at her.
In this organization that revered strength, even the villains who didn’t commit evil had their pride and bottom lines. Such an blatant display of favoritism was more shameful than admitting one was a complete failure in public.
Despite this, Kazumi could only stand obediently behind Hyōshō Muramasa like an accessory. The young girl knew that until she reached a certain level of strength and status, no matter how passive the situation, she could only accept it.
This was perhaps the helplessness of the weak.
Kuromon’s aura on the throne remained unchanged. Knowing his subordinate’s personality well, he did not directly reject the desperate suggestion. He merely shook his head slightly.
“But there’s no reason for her to become an executive. Strength? Contribution? If neither of these can be met, then even your status as a Great General can’t casually endorse someone as an executive. I believe you know this.”
Kuromon’s voice was low and steady, but every syllable carried immense pressure, surging like a tide towards the air where Hyōshō Muramasa stood. The air in the deliberation hall seemed to thicken under this pressure. Although Hyōshō Muramasa, the leader who ruled the entire organization, was not angered by Kuromon’s words, he still had to show the appropriate attitude.
However, Hyōshō Muramasa’s strength was equally unfathomable. The white-haired young boy acted as if he felt none of this terrifying pressure. He simply nodded gently, appearing unfazed by the authority released by the leader. Yet, his final words were an apology.
“Apologies, Leader Kuromon. I’ve been sealed for too long and have forgotten the organization’s rules.”
This statement caused many in attendance to wear somber expressions. Indeed, this Great General had only recently been released from his decades-long seal, and unfamiliarity with the organization’s current rules was understandable. If viewed from these two aspects, “Hyōshō Muramasa looked up, his expression becoming extremely serious. [Coffin] indeed has reasons that compel me to nominate her as an executive.”
His gaze swept across the entire hall, finally settling on Kuromon. When he spoke, his icy voice clearly resonated throughout the deliberation hall:
“Because, in a previous mission, she was the one who personally killed [White Bone].”
“What?! Impossible!”
“[White Bone] Lord is…”
The entire deliberation hall erupted. The executives’ projections fluctuated violently, and some executives attending physically stood up in shock. Countless voices of discussion turned the vast venue into a cacophony.
The three [Great Generals] on their stone chairs did not react much, merely looking with curious eyes at Kazumi’s mental projection standing behind Hyōshō Muramasa. However, the young girl could keenly sense that compared to the man controlling water power from behind his mask, the [Great General] who had been hiding under a cloak this entire time was looking at her with a subtle tenderness in his now-fixed gaze.
In stark contrast to the commotion throughout the hall, Kuromon remained on his throne. He maintained his seated posture, his face obscured by mist, expressionless. Only the eyes hidden within the mist narrowed slightly, as if appraising some interesting morsel. Like everyone else present, he quietly watched the skinny figure concealed by the cloak. At the focus of this gaze, Kazumi’s mental projection flickered slightly due to her inner turmoil, sputtering like an old black and white television screen.
Feeling the attention of the entire hall on her, Kazumi’s mind was filled with only one desperate thought.
“No, big brother, how can you say something like this so casually!!!”
