Starlight Military Base

After the academy was forced to shut down, the students who were still alive returned to their homes, and the academy itself was converted into a military base. The foundation of the academy was extremely rich, both in infrastructure and strategic value, so leaving the entire place abandoned was not a good choice under the current circumstances.

Thus, transforming it into a military base temporarily and using it to train soldiers became the most suitable decision available. The training grounds, defensive formations, and supply facilities that once served students could now be repurposed to prepare humanity for the coming battles.

As for the students, they were all given choices regarding their future. They could choose to live freely, open a guild, work under an existing guild or their family, or join the Human Association military. Every academy followed the same system, ensuring that no one was forced onto a single path.

At this moment, inside a large conference room within the newly established base, the top figures of the Human Continent were gathered, holding a serious discussion about the urgent problems humanity as a whole was facing.

"I would like to hear everyone's opinion on the matters I listed," Saint Mark said as his gaze slowly moved across the room, stopping briefly on each person present.

At that moment, Saint Myra, the only healing saint and the mother of Grace, spoke up.

"Regarding the first problem related to the lack of manpower, why don't we collaborate with the elves. With the power of the World Tree within their domain, they do not have to worry too much about large scale dungeon breaks. The World Tree can inform them of the exact location of a dungeon, as well as the number of monsters and beasts present in that area. If we approach them properly, the manpower issue can be resolved far more easily than trying to shoulder it alone."

"Hmph!" Saint Maelis snorted loudly, his expression twisting as if he had swallowed something unpleasant. "Are you suggesting that we should ask the elves for help? Are you telling us to lower our heads and show them our weakness?"

Myra shot him a brief sideways glance but did not respond. She knew his temperament all too well. Arguing with him would only escalate the situation, and at this moment, she neither had the time nor the energy for pointless confrontation.

"I agree with Saint Myra," Saint Lydia spoke next, her voice calm but firm. "Collaborating with the elves can indeed lessen our burden, and it is not as if we would be asking for one sided help. We can propose an alliance against the demons first, and once that alliance is established, cooperation will naturally follow. That way, it would not appear as though we are begging for assistance."

Saint Lydia was the mother of Lyra. Her daughter possessed the Nature element, and the elves had an exceptionally close connection with nature. If an alliance was formed, Lyra's growth would accelerate significantly, especially now that the academy had been converted into a military base and could no longer nurture her in the same way as before.

The discussions continued for quite some time, voices rising and falling as arguments were exchanged and countered. Eventually, a conclusion was reached. They would contact the elves and attempt to form an alliance. If successful, the issue of manpower could be temporarily resolved.

Furthermore, once the alliance was established, they could also discuss the problems related to the demons and the weakening of the space barrier with the elves. In this way, all three major issues could be addressed, at least for the time being.

"But we cannot depend on others for everything," Saint Maelis said suddenly, his voice firm. "We should recruit ordinary people into the military and assign them basic tasks. That way, the awakened can be freed to fight on the front lines where they are most needed."

The words came as a surprise to many in the room. Earlier, Saint Maelis had not been against forming an alliance itself, but against the idea of asking for external help. For someone like him, a battle maniac who believed wholeheartedly in personal strength, swallowing such a compromise was never easy.

He trusted power earned by one's own hands and despised reliance on others, yet even he understood that in a war of this scale, pride alone could not keep humanity alive.

After discussing the finer details regarding the alliance, they moved on to the next issue, which concerned the growing public sentiment against the academy and the Human Association.

This time, no one spoke. It was a sensitive matter, one where a single mistake could spiral out of control. No one present was foolish enough to underestimate its weight.

If they used force to suppress the voices of the public, it would only ignite rage, dissatisfaction, and deep rooted hatred. In the short term, such an approach might seem effective, as order would be restored quickly, but in the long run it would lead to nothing but disaster. Suppressed anger never disappears, it only changes shape.

People would begin to gather in secret, forming hidden groups and organizations, and over time these would evolve into rebellious factions. What started as whispers would eventually become open defiance.

One had to remember that the awakened population currently made up only ten percent of humanity. Every single day, someone from the remaining ninety percent awakened, and this ratio was bound to rise in the future, especially as humanity faced extreme situations that pushed emotions to their limits and forged an undeniable will to fight.

That was how the first human ever awakened, according to the history books.

These newly awakened individuals would slowly mix into society, blend into the ranks of the Human Association, and over time the Association itself would face danger from within. Whether through betrayal from its own members or open rebellion from all sides, the threat was inevitable if resentment was allowed to grow unchecked.

History had already shown this pattern countless times. The only lesson that humans could ever learn from history was that they never truly learned from it, and instead continued to repeat the same tragedies again and again, always believing that this time the outcome would be different.

All this time, Whisperer had not spoken a single word. He had merely listened, his eyes calm and unreadable. Now, as silence settled over the room and no one dared to speak, he finally opened his mouth and gave his opinion for the first time.

"There is a saying, give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt. Until now, the public never reacted this much because they had everything they needed, food, shelter, and safety. As long as those things existed, fear remained distant and abstract. But after this incident, they finally realized that they were not safe enough, that there was a real chance of them dying, and once that thought took root, panic naturally followed. That is why they are reacting so violently now."

"To control an angry and fearful crowd, there are many methods. However, the most effective one is to make them realize how small they truly are and how powerless they are on their own. The best way to achieve this is to start a war. The demons are already acting as perfect enemies, so we simply need to declare war against them. Tell the public everything about the demons, everything related to the dungeon breaks, the monster stampedes, and even the fall of the dwarf continent, without hiding any of it."

"Fear will bloom in their hearts, and when that fear reaches its peak, that is when you disclose the matter regarding the alliance with the elves. Their fear will lessen, turning into relief, and soon they will forget about this incident entirely. Their attention will shift toward their personal safety, and they will have no choice but to rely on us."

"And if someone still creates problems, send them to prison for a few days or give appropriate punishment. That will break the last bit of resistance they have left."

Silence filled the surroundings as his words slowly sank into everyone's hearts, and they began to understand just how effective this method truly was.

Although they were facing such a situation for the first time, since no one had ever revolted while they managed the Human Association, the old man had seen far too much of the world to be ignorant of such matters.

It was, without a doubt, the most effective way to control the public.

Soon, many agreed and began giving their opinions on the matter as well. The discussion continued for some time, with different viewpoints being raised and addressed, until it finally came to an end and everyone left the conference room one by one.

No one brought up the matter regarding Ash. After hearing the demon who attacked the academy claim that the Demon Prince himself was after Ash, no one felt the need to say it out loud. Saints had already fought that being, and even when seven of them faced him together, they were no match.

Because of that, no one was optimistic about Ash being able to escape. And even if he somehow survived, it was unlikely that he would remain on the Neutral Continent or any other continent for the time being.

They were already under immense pressure, facing problems on all sides. Adding Ash to the list of concerns would only increase that burden, and there was little they could realistically do about it anyway.

Only the Whisperer continued to think about it. His expression remained calm, but a faint sigh escaped him before he vanished silently from his seat.

After his disappearance, silence filled the conference room, lingering long after everyone else was gone.

***

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