Kassel's professors could not fully agree with Amon's "priorities." Faced with a world-ending threat, any internal purge seemed like needless infighting before a battle—like wasting time fixing one's appearance while racing Death.
"What exactly is he waiting for?" Manstein roared hoarsely more than once, slamming his fist onto the console. "That thing is right beneath us! Every extra minute could bring another variable!"
"Perhaps he is ensuring absolute stability behind the lines?" Manstein tried to soothe his colleagues, and himself, with logic. "Just as he said, to avoid conspirators like Tachibana Masamune—"
"Stability?" Schneider sneered, his voice muffled yet dangerous through his breathing mask. "Taking two months to stabilize things, gambling against a First Generation Dragon that could awaken at any time? The price is far too high."
"Could Pompeii have been telling the truth? Maybe Amon is a conspirator just like Tachibana Masamune," someone said.
"I don't know why the Principal is still letting him serve as head of the Japan Branch—he is obviously under such serious suspicion."
Longdeshited shook his head. "It is not a matter of letting him. There is nothing we can do—between his status as a US Military general and the full support of the Eight Clans of the Serpent, do you think we can make him relinquish his power with a single word?"
"The Principal has already gone to Japan. All we can do is hope he can keep the situation under control." Manstein sighed, his gaze sweeping over the large screen. "Perhaps things are not that bad yet."
The Embryo's relatively steady heartbeat curve suggested that it was still in its long gestation period, showing no signs of accelerated hatching or abnormal activity.
To some extent, that calm had become the professors' psychological pillar, the only thing that offered them even a little