12

"Once again, I thank you for having me." Smiling at the woman and then into the camera, I delivered my thanks.

It shouldn't be a surprise that even Remnant had a talk show, or rather a moderator who asked the most popular questions the people voted for. No matter what world, watching the person who is currently most popular would always be the most viewed.

It was just that right now, I'm that person, and that is the reason I sat on the uncomfortably soft sofa, as on the other side of me was the most known political critic, Iris Lili, known for her quite anti-Council stance.

But then, that was why I picked her. If I had to push my point, then it should be against the strongest residence, still, from what I gathered from the reports on the woman, she knew better than to push into too many dangerous waters, she was a Council decision critic, but even she knew than to walk into too many dangerous waters.

It helped that the show was being played live, so there wouldn't be any doubts about my answers to the questions asked by the public who watched this and, with the voting system, chose the questions she would ask me.

"No, we do thank you for accepting our invitation General Ironwood. It is rare for a man like yourself to even show up before the camera, let alone come to a live talk show." Iris said with a smile, a very nice and innocent smile. I didn't doubt she would try to rip me apart if given a chance.

Ironwood, and I, we both hated reporters, just in a different ways. I because I didn't exactly know if I should believe them, knowing them being excellent actors, and Ironwood because he knew he couldn't trust them not to twist his words, so it wasn't surprising that Ironwood from before never truly accepted more chances to talk to them than he should as the Atlas Council member.

"We can talk about this being honor for both of us for hours, but I think you have a much better way to spend the time I'm in there, so why don't we start with this, so Atlas citizens' worries and curiosity is satiated?" I didn't beat around the bush, making Iris smile as she fixed the strand of the red hair she had on her face...

A deliberate action to look cute, and it worked.

Ironwood wasn't blind to women. He just didn't have time or spark to actually pursue a woman just because he found her cute or beautiful. I was the same. Even if I did appreciate their form, I was very alright to appreciate their bodies from afar until I knew them more.

"My, how to the point and blunt, but these are your main qualities, aren't they, General? And it certainly fits your work, but you are right, we shouldn't waste our viewer's time, so that I will ask you the most pressing question, why now, why just after years of rumors, and claims, is Jacques Schnee being charged just now, and not previously?" Iris bent forward, looking at me with expectations, I didn't know what she hoped for, but I came to speak mainly truth, well, little bent truth, but the truth nonetheless.

"What people do not realize is that the same laws that protect them from the unjust arrest protect SDC and its CEO, Jacques Schnee too. The Atlas Council couldn't act on baseless rumors, no matter how loud or frequent, its fact that the Dust mines are SDCs property on which Atlas Council couldn't send someone to investigate without a warrant, and when they finally had it, Jacques Schnee had time to hide anything controversial if in the first place there was something happening that would be against the law." I answered people mostly constantly criticized the law, but if what they said to be done to others would be done to them, then they would cry about injustice in the world...

Ignoring the hypocrisy they did...

It was the same with Atlas military, the settlements screamed for fewer soldiers and military presence, saying its oppression just brings negativity, but when they were attacked by Grimm or bandits, they cried where the military was to protect them.

Having Ironwood's memories and my own experience from the time we merged made me realize how naive the thinking of most civilians is...

They wish for protection, yet they want to be free...

"Then what prompted this sudden change? Why did it so suddenly come from rumors to arrest not just Jacques Schnee, the CEO of SDC, but Edward Brown, the Atlas Councilman, and multiple other prominent figures on the Atlas political scene?"

I leaned back.

"Mostly because we finally found evidence, thanks to the help of my loyal soldier and successor candidate, Specialist Winter Schnee, we managed to uncover the long-hidden truth, and after a quick Council session, the Atlas military was ordered to conduct multiple arrests of the lawbreakers that cooperated with Jacques Schnee in hid law-breaking activities."

"Of course, we do still investigate the most crimes these highly positioned persons done, but I'm in the capability of saying that most would stay in prison for years, if not decades." What I didn't say is that if the crimes reach too much, we would need to start with executions, Remnant, even Atlas didn't have a big prison, mainly because its Grimm bait of enormous proportions with all the negative emotions at the same place.

The crimes were mainly dealt with in a way that the criminal is given civic duty, being assigned to some work until he works off his charges, or will stay in prison for months, maximally year...

It was the truth that wasn't discussed, and Iris seemed to understand that going into there is nothing but a minefield. That was how it worked on Remnant for generations, and it would be like this until Grimm was a threat.

Nobody wanted to be the reason for the Grimm horde assaulting the city just because he or she protected prisoners...

It happened too many times in the past, so much so that people were capable of understanding that protecting criminals just isn't worth the effort.

"I see, but now that you said it, General, what is the truth behind this action? You said it yourself, and it was Winter Schnee who helped you, a person who is the daughter of the arrested man and who, with her family, now by our reports, live in your home." Iris asked, her eyes sparkling...

Now, how did they know where the Schnee family was? Even if I didn't go through the most track hiding, I ensured that the location was mostly secret. Who was her contact?

"That is secret information you have there, and after the show, I would like to know of your contact, and not any oath of secrecy wouldn't work, but to answer your question, Winter Schnee is my most capable and loyal supporter, why, that you would need to ask her, but the reason of why Schnee family is now residing in my home, and not in theirs, is that now there is being conducted an investigation in the Schnee mansion, and for any who tried, or now will, I do have a history with Schnee family, as I was defacto raised by Nicholas Schnee, thus, making me the family friend, even if work made it hard for me to stay in contact with them."

"Oh? And what about the rumors that you are secretly in a relationship with Schnee matriarch, the Willow Schnee herself, and that Winter Schnee is your daughter, and thus the reason you hold her so close to yourself?"

...

"A baseless rumor with just a grain of truth in them, it's a truth that in my youth I pursued Willow Schnee with a romantic interest, but that time is long beyond me, even imagining that I could have time for romance with duty as General and Headmaster is laughable, especially now that I need to stay in office even in the night just to govern all the changes and risk's with SDC that stopped mining Dust for now, to my duty as Councilman as Edward Brown was arrested."

"Oh my, you seem truly overworked. Is it truly wise for one man to hold two such important positions?" Iris questioningly asked. I didn't outwardly anything as I seethed inside.

I walked straight into this...