𝐈𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 (English)

Chapter 58

"You should have removed him from the board."

General Ironwood didn't say kill but the absence of a single word didn't do much for Jaune's queasiness. The emergency meeting had been called after he reported his dream to Glynda – well, Ozpin really, but Doctor Oobleck was there and didn't het know about Oswald, so he officially reported it to Glynda and Oswald was there as a trusted member of staff.

Or maybe Oobleck knew the truth, Jaune had no idea. It wasn't really his business either.

"Absolutely not!" Oobleck barked, much to Jaune's relief. "Mr Arc is a student and a young man not out his education. Being forced to take a life in self-defence is one thing, but I will not stand for anyone suggesting his Semblance should be used as a weapon. Not against his will. Pressuring someone to use their Semblance to murder someone else is a step too far, and a worrying one to take!"

"Agreed," said Glynda. Ironwood let out an annoyed sigh. "General, we all understand the benefits of Adam Taurus' death, especially given how dedicated he apparently is to his cause, but it is our job to find and stop him. The responsibility should not rest on the shoulders of a student. Mr Arc did the right thing in informing us."

"Yes. Yes. My apologies." It was half-hearted at best from the man, but he didn't want to get himself kicked out of Beacon a second time. "What I meant to say is that it would have been better had it happened, not that he should have, or that he should feel bad for not having."

Jaune didn't believe that but he nodded along anyway. Adam had said the same thing, but he got the feeling General Ironwood wouldn't like hearing that he and a terrorist had similar mentalities. In all fairness, Jaune wondered if it wasn't because both were soldiers in their own right. The only difference was their methods and legalities.

Although, in a sense, both flouted the laws like they didn't matter.

Anything for their goals.

I feel like the more I learn thanks to my Semblance, the more my trust in things is eroded. And here I thought things were bad when I was just uncovering hangups and traumas from my friends.

At least he could help soothe those.

"A worrying concern, if you will, is that the White Fang understands Mr Arc's Semblance." Oswald spoke a little differently to Ozpin, which implied to Jaune that not everyone here knew who he was. "Should we not be worried for his safety? While I'm sure no one here is an outright member, there may well be sympathisers among the students."

"I'd be happy to station my people here," said Ironwood.

Glynda and Oobleck both grimaced.

"That won't be necessary," said Glynda. "We shall handle this ourselves. And Mr Arc will, of course, be required to stay limited to Beacon. I'm sorry about that—"

"It's fine, Miss Goodwitch. I'd probably come under attack the second I step foot in Vale." He let out a depreciative smile. "I never expected a Semblance around being sucked into people's dreams to lead to all this."

"None of us could have," said Oobleck. "I, too, miss the days when it was just you struggling to sleep and vowing to keep the secrets of your friends. It would still be that if not for Cinder Fall, so don't blame yourself. You uncovered a plot that could have cost many lives."

Ironwood grunted. "For all our issues, your Semblance has been a net positive. Take some small pride in that."

Take some "small pride". Even now, Ironwood couldn't resist being an asshole. Jaune nodded again, content to remain silent as they discussed efforts to locate and capture Adam. He didn't really feel it. Things had felt easier when Adam was some monstrous boogieman as opposed to just a regular guy who felt he couldn't stop what he was doing because it would let everyone down.