It wasn't long before the Elder Council's debate assembly convened.
The Elder who had summoned Derick earlier came to call them. Seeing Lycurgus, he was taken aback for a moment.
"Your Excellency Lycurgus, you are here as well?"
"Yes, one must always observe both sides before a meeting," Lycurgus said with a smile. He then gave a slight bow to Aglaea and Derick.
"Lady Aglaea, Mr. Derick, Lady Castorice, I look forward to your performance."
Lycurgus turned and left.
"My master, Derick, Castorice, let us go." Aglaea puffed out her chest and strode forward gracefully.
Seeing Derick and the others following behind, Aglaea didn't forget to whisper a reminder to Derick, "Don't worry, no need to be nervous. Even if the debate fails later, it won't have much impact until a resolution is formed at the Citizen Assembly."
"Mm."
Derick nodded.
The deeper they walked into Dawncloud Cliff, the clearer and more magnificent the figure of the Worldbearing Titan, Kephale, became.
They arrived at the Demigod Council.
It was a circular plaza, surrounded by rows of seats where the Elders of the Elder Council were already seated. Derick also noticed Mydei, Hyacine, and Phainon, still wrapped in bandages, in the spectator seats.
Mydei had his arms crossed. Seeing Derick's gaze upon him, he clenched his fist, signaling to Derick that he was ready to help at any moment.
And in the center of the plaza, Caenis and her followers were already standing there, waiting for Aglaea, Derick, and the others.
Derick now also saw Caenis's appearance. Her face was aged, but it was clear she had been a beautiful woman in her youth; her features were still delicate. However, her sharp gaze and thin lips revealed the extent of her inner bitterness and ruthlessness.
Castorice reminded him from the side, "Derick, be careful. Caenis has the lives of Golden Lineage members on her hands."
Derick nodded.
Aglaea, Derick, and Castorice stepped into the plaza.
The two sides faced each other.
Caenis looked at Derick, a cold sneer on her lips. The killing intent flashing in her eyes was clear even to a novice like Derick.
Evidently, Caenis already knew about Derick smashing her subordinate Elder with the greatsword earlier.
"You missed your last chance," Caenis said in a voice only audible to those nearby.
"Chance? You mean the chance to be your dog? Then my luck is really good," Derick retorted without any fear.
Sending Cipher to kidnap him, an Elder from the Elder Council showing up at his door and bossing him around. Not to mention Caenis still wanted to dissect him. If Derick were willing to join forces with her, he would be far too weak.
"Good, very good," Caenis said through gritted teeth, then took two steps back.
Caenis addressed all the Elders present in a loud voice, "Everyone, the reason I have convened this meeting today, I believe all the Elders present are already aware. Now, I shall announce it to you all again. The first item on the agenda for this council is whether Aglaea is fit to be the leader of Okhema."
Her gaze, sharp as a knife, fell upon Aglaea.
"Your operation in Suspended Sword City resulted in the loss of the Strife Titan's Core Flame. In the future, our search for the Strife Titan will consume more resources and manpower. Do you admit to this? In the presence of Kephale and Talanton, you cannot tell any lies."
"I admit this. The events in Suspended Sword City did indeed lead to the Strife Titan's Core Flame being taken by another monster," Aglaea nodded in reply.
Hearing her words, the Elders present couldn't help but cause an uproar.
"It's actually true."
"Then Aglaea has indeed suffered a setback. A reprimand is indeed necessary."
"But is it too much to have her relinquish her duties?"
"However, isn't she a demigod? Yet she couldn't achieve anything. Isn't it right to have her stop ruling Okhema?"
The last person to speak was clearly one of Caenis's faction.
Seeing the crowd's clamor, Aglaea continued, "Failing to retrieve the Core Flame is naturally a mistake. However, what if we never had a plan to retrieve the Core Flame in the first place?"
Everyone was stunned.
"Our operation was not to retrieve the Core Flame, but to rescue Derick. Otherwise, why would only a few of us have gone to Suspended Sword City?"
Caenis sneered, "What a joke. A few people? The demigod Trianne, the Golden Lineage members Castorice and Mydei, and also the demigod Cipher. You say all these people acting together wasn't to retrieve the Core Flame?"
"Cipher was not with us," Castorice couldn't help but interject from the side.
"Whether she was or not, who has the final say?"
"I have the final say," Aglaea said faintly.
Hearing her say this, Caenis took a step forward and continued to press, "Oh? Is that so? It seems Aglaea, you believe your word is truth in Okhema? Unquestionable? Who do you think you are? Can you disregard the supervision of the Elder Council's Elders? Can you disregard Kephale and Talanton?"
As she spoke, the Elders present looked at Aglaea with slight displeasure on their faces.
Was Aglaea speaking like this to prove she was unique in Okhema?
"No, what I mean is that before the operation, I had already submitted an application to the Elder Council." As Aglaea spoke, her Garmentmaker floated towards the distance. Soon, the Garmentmaker returned, pressing down on a clerk from the Elder Council, who was holding documents.
"I have no intention of usurping the duties of the Elder Council. These documents are a testament to my respect for the Elder Council. Furthermore, they record the kidnapping of Okhema citizen Derick, and our Golden Lineage going to his rescue."
"You, when did you do all this?" Caenis was genuinely surprised that Aglaea had actually submitted a report to the Elder Council while carrying out her duties.
Aren't most matters in Amphoreus your responsibility? Why submit a report?
Aglaea smiled faintly.
She wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole in her actions.
She then addressed the crowd:
"This operation was not a failure of our mission to retrieve the Core Flame, but rather the execution of a mission to rescue a citizen and resolve a crisis in Okhema. The loss of the Core Flame was merely a minor incident during the operation."
"Resolve a crisis in Okhema?"
The Elders looked puzzled.
Aglaea turned to Trianne, "Teacher Trianne, please show the recording of the scene at that time."
"Alright."
Trianne nodded excitedly and then took out her phone.
"Regarding the battle in Suspended Sword City, I've been recording videos all along~"
Submitting reports, recording itineraries...
What else had she prepared?
Caenis stepped forward and pressed down on Trianne's hand.
"Alright, let's look at the specific battle details later."
The tragic nature of the battlefield would definitely affect the atmosphere of those present. Caenis felt that if this video was shown, the Elders would completely side with Aglaea.
Seeing Caenis's action, Trianne inwardly sighed with relief.
Fortunately, this woman thought the same as Aglaea.
She wouldn't let the video be shown.
Otherwise, if Trianne were really asked to show a video, she truly had nothing to show.
______________
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