Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 147: Results

President Anthony stared at the five juniors, his eyes unseen behind the blindfold. Exhaling, he spoke.

"Fear and respect are not qualities of a leader—they are reactions of the led. A true leader does not choose between them. He understands when each is necessary... and ensures neither controls him. If they respect you, they will follow. If they fear you, they will obey. But if you rely on either... you have already lost control."

The five juniors went silent, processing his answer deeply.

Liam lowered his head, an expression of understanding on his face.

’Is that right...? But fear... it has been a while since I used that.’

He closed his eyes and sighed, remembering his final year in middle school.

’No, I shouldn’t think about it.’

Suddenly, Iruca spoke up. "Excuse me, President. Can I ask a question?"

The blonde man turned his face towards her. "Go on."

"If a leader wields both... how can he maintain balance?" She asked hesitantly. "Without being too feared, yet still respected enough. How would he do that?"

Adela smiled, crossing her legs. "Only a talented leader can do that. Someone born to lead. The others are just fake geniuses pretending to be leaders."

Beside her, Elon nodded calmly. "She’s right. Leadership is mostly an innate thing. Trying to learn it is just a waste of effort and time."

President Anthony tapped the table twice, making them fall silent.

"All these do not matter. A leader can either be made or born. What matters is how effective they can be. Case closed."

Putting an end to the discussion, he proceeded to ask the next question.

"If doing something right makes you unpopular and criticized, would you still do it?"

The question settled in their hearts like a calm whisper, though it made some of them frown.

Leaning against the wall, Vice President Eren smiled cunningly. ’Who is it that has that righteous mindset and who cares about their reputation?’

Liam answered first, his voice full of conviction. "I would still do it because I can’t stand the guilt accompanying the consequences of not doing the right thing."

Iruca looked at him in surprise, an emotion passing through her purple eyes. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

’He’s pretty admirable.’ She thought to herself.

"He is right. I would also do what is right, then handle the criticism later." She said, smiling confidently at the President.

Ava also agreed with her, claiming she would do the right thing regardless.

Now, only Elon and Adela remained.

The bespectacled boy spoke thoughtfully. "This is a matter of scaling. Is doing the right thing worth the criticism? If it is, then I would. But if it isn’t, I wouldn’t at all."

His answer surprised the first three, especially Liam. He firmly believed that not doing the right thing would have its own consequences as well.

Before he could refute Elon, Adela laughed and gave her answer.

"Ara~ This is quite a tricky question, but it’s quite simple for me. Is doing the right thing beneficial to me? If it’s not, and only brings me criticism, I wouldn’t bother."

President Anthony hummed and nodded. He turned his face to Eren, giving him the signal to answer that question himself.

The Vice President straightened, then said in a cool voice.

"Your answers are all thoughtful and admirable. I can see you’re all intellectual. However, I would only agree with Junior Elon. There are some times that doing the right thing might not be worth it."

Secretary Reas glanced at him with a peculiar look, then looked away.

’Eren and his flattering tendencies...’

His answer made Liam, Iruca, and Ava feel conflicted, but they couldn’t deny it was true. Elon calmly closed his eyes, though a pleased smile remained on his face.

"Good. Then the next question." President Anthony said, "Should fairness mean always treating everyone equally?"

The students blinked, astonished by the question. Didn’t fairness mean equality? However, knowing the President, the question couldn’t be that simple.

Liam lowered his head, his brows furrowed in thinking.

’Fairness... equality... fairness... equality...’

Fairness is giving a person what they deserve. Equality on the other hand, is giving everyone the same treatment regardless of who they were.

’Is it fair to treat an Awakened human just like an Awakened Beast?’

It was obviously a no. It also wasn’t fair to give the food of a beggar to a king—that was flawed equality.

Beside him, Iruca shifted slightly and said in a hesitant voice. "Fairness and equality... seem to be two different cases. You can’t be fair by treating people of different positions the same."

Adela uncrossed her legs, grinning faintly. "That’s more like it. Fairness does not mean equality. They merely sound compatible."

Elon and Ava also nodded, agreeing with the two girls.

Finally, Liam sighed and nodded too. "They’re all right. We can’t treat a king the same way we treat a beggar and call that fairness. That’s equality."

President Anthony nodded, satisfied. "It is good you all understand that. Now, the last question."

The atmosphere immediately became tense again.

"Is a leader responsible for outcomes, even when failure wasn’t directly their fault?"

Iruca leaned back, her eyes fluttering gently. "Do you mean taking responsibility for your subordinates?"

The Student Council President nodded, making her fall into contemplation.

’If our Class-A suddenly got demoted back to Class-B, would I be willing to take responsibility even if it’s not my fault?’

She knew her class couldn’t remain at the top spot for long, and they would eventually be overtaken by Adela’s class. After all, the Gate Closure Special Evaluation was just a means for Adela to completely gain control over her class.

So if her class got demoted in the future...

"I would be willing, because I am their leader."

Her answer didn’t really surprise anyone, as it was already her nature to be compassionate.

Liam answered next, his gaze calm. "I would also take responsibility. After all, failures happen."

Elon shook his head in disapproval. "Why would I take the blame? Let the person be punished. I would only try to minimize the punishment in a way that wouldn’t affect the general class."

Ava agreed with Liam and Iruca, meanwhile Adela agreed with Elon.

She took a look at the boy, finding their ideals quite similar.

’Interesting.’

President Anthony leaned back into his chair, his fingers crossed.

"I have heard all your answers, and I have decided those who will be joining the Student Council. If I don’t mention your name, then unfortunately, you’re not fit for the Student Council."