CHAPTER 416: I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR OPINION

Damien slowly lifted his eyes from the tablet, giving Section Leader White a hesitant glance. If Section Leader were to ask him about it, what was he supposed to say? The truth? Technically, what Lane was doing wasn’t against the law, and it would even benefit the Association, since they would be able to harvest all the resources from those dungeons if they cleared them, but...

He subconsciously felt that the less he revealed about his boyfriend’s... additional activities and investments, the better. Even if it felt like something he shouldn’t do, from the job’s point of view.

Luckily for him, he wouldn’t have to make any of such decisions, as Section Leader White wasn’t planning to ask Damien about his opinion as to why he might think those Guilds had suddenly bought dungeons they couldn’t clear. He had no reason to suspect that Damien might know anything, after all. Instead, after giving Damien a moment to read the list, he said,

"We are still waiting for the official confirmation from the scouts as to whether those dungeons meet the conditions necessary to be seized. However, considering the past records of those Gates and the lack of any reported progress from the Guilds, the chances that they will be confiscated are high."

"Is that so..." Damien didn’t quite know how to react. If those Gates had been bought by Lane with the purpose of raiding them together as a team, then Section Leader White was likely right... But he couldn’t exactly say it, could he?

Section Leader White didn’t expect any elaborate response, though. He just nodded his head, and continued, "The board would like the A-rank team to be in charge of clearing the A and B-rank dungeons on the list. However, before I make the final decision, I would like to hear your opinion, as the leader of the team. Do you think the A-rank team should handle it, or would it be better to split the dungeons between four of our high-ranking teams?"

Damien went silent for a while, his brows furrowing.

To be honest, he didn’t understand why Section Leader White was even asking him about it. If the board wanted the A-rank team to handle it, then unless there was a valid reason that prevented it - for example, a dungeon break, or another emergency that some of their A-rankers had to be dispatched to assist with - then it was pretty much decided that they would do it. Section Leader White confirming the assignment was just a formality.

And asking Damien, out of all the people? Yes, he was technically the leader of the A-rank team... But that was only because he was the only S-rank Esper on the team (excluding Lane, but he was officially an A-ranker, not to mention, a ’new recruit’, so he didn’t count). Among the Awakened, be it at the Association or in the Guilds, there was a lot of emphasis placed on the ranks. No one would put a powerful Esper under the command of someone weaker than them, not unless they were a newbie in training... That’s why Damien had been able to become a Team Leader so fast, despite being a late bloomer - the Association quickly trained him under an A-ranker, before sending him to the Capital to be a Team Leader here. Damien had been taught all that he needed to know, and could do the job well, but...

That didn’t change the fact that he was still inexperienced. In fact, on the A-rank team, the only person with less experience than him was perhaps Clara, since she had been only working part-time until recently. As for everyone else... It would be more suitable for Section Leader White to ask them about their opinions. Especially the other four Team Leaders, who were stuck working under him, despite their superior experience...

While he might have been confused and, honestly, also kind of uneasy about answering the question, since he had been asked about his opinion, Damien thought about it seriously. And eventually, he had been able to provide his answer,

"I don’t think that it’s the most efficient approach. Although the A-rank team gathers the strongest of our Field Agents in Capital, it is not well-balanced. Some of the abilities of our Espers conflict with each other, causing the teamwork to be challenging. We have been able to work out a method to remedy it, which would allow us to clear dungeons together... However, I still believe that sticking with our original teams for the mission is the best solution. Although the individual strength of the team members might not be as good in them, the cooperation and the compatibility of their abilities and fighting styles more than make up for it."

Section Leader White listened to Damien’s words quietly, slowly nodding his head. It seemed that he agreed with Damien’s assessment, because as Damien talked, a small smile started appearing on his face...

Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something, though, Damien added,

"Still, I think we should go with the board’s suggestion. Of course, it is up to Section Leader to decide, but I personally think that it might be the best solution..."

Section Leader White’s smile faltered, replaced by a frown, as he was confused, or perhaps disappointed, by Damien’s conclusion. Just like Damien, he thought that the board’s suggestion was inefficient and ridiculous - clearly, the board members had been away from the front lines for too long, which caused them to lose all of their common sense! - and had been glad to hear Damien analyze the situation so well... After all, Damien was the future of the Association. He was bound to advance in ranks, and would eventually be in charge of a lot of decision-making. It was good to know that the Association would be in good hands...

Only his last two sentences were disappointing. It was one thing to respect the higher-ups, and another to follow them blindly!

Of course, he couldn’t possibly know the real reason as to why Damien suddenly changed his mind at the end. While it was true that he respected his superiors, what he had in mind when he had said it was...

Lane.

He was just worried that his boyfriend would be sad if some of the Gates that he might have bought had fallen into other teams’ hands!