Guildford raised an eyebrow and adjusted his glasses again, looking somewhat baffled at the Chief Justice before shooting Euphemia—whose face was full of confusion over the current situation—a questioning glance.
Just as he was about to say something, Guildford heard a flippant voice. "Demoting him to a commoner won't do. Count Jeremiah is a crucial component of my upcoming plans. A commoner cannot be involved in my plans. Starting over as an ordinary Knightmare pilot would be fine, though. If it really comes to that, I can always specially recruit him into the Special Dispatch Division. After all, the Special Dispatch Division does have certain special privileges, doesn't it?"
Lloyd stepped forward after the Chief Justice, leaving everyone in the hall except Euphemia confused once again. The Chief Justice held considerable authority in Area 11 and was responsible for all military discipline and judicial matters. Of course, under Butalia's structure, he could never outrank the Governor. But Cornelia was not the Governor of Area 11, and Guildford, captain of Cornelia's Guard Force, was even less so. Put simply, the Chief Justice was telling Guildford that he had no right to interfere in Area 11's affairs.
The Chief Justice stepping forward had already confused many people, but Lloyd stepping forward deepened that feeling even further. The Special Dispatch Division did not belong to Area 11. It was a special independent organization directly under imperial control. Though it had no direct authority over Area 11, it possessed other privileges, and both the military and civil administrations often had to fully cooperate with it. It even occupied a large section of the Council Hall in Area 11, and no one could say a word about it. As a special institution independent from yet located within Area 11, Lloyd was not merely making an