Rebirth of the 8th-Circle Mage - Chapter 345: New Beginning (1)

Henry spoke with determination.

“Before we tackle the food problem, we need to unite everyone.”

“Unite everyone?”

“Yes, it’s very important that we do so. It may seem like the blind believers are our only problem, and they’re a big problem indeed. However, I can assure you that there are numerous internal issues that need to be addressed, some more serious than others. They’re mostly about resolving the conflict among our people.”

“As in?”

“The refugees we have.”

“The refugees?”

“Yes. I know for a fact that there’s some tension between the citizens of Monsieur and the refugees. I suppose it’s not that obvious because of the overall chaos.”

Henry had known that a clash between the newcomers and the insiders was inevitable; it was only natural. And so, he planned on dealing with the issue before it devolved into a more serious problem.

“You have a point. So, how do we bridge the gap between refugees and residents?” asked Von.

It was no surprise that Von was the one to start asking questions, as he had always been interested in administrative matters. After all, he had once managed Enkelmann on behalf of Harz.

At his question, everyone looked at Henry with eager eyes as though they were expecting him to come up with a shocking answer that would convince all of them.

“By establishing a new nation.”

“A new nation?”

“Yes. We needed to re-establish our hierarchical system anyway. That bastard Arthus burned down numerous kingdoms and cities to the ground, along with his own Aenia Empire. I’m really curious how relevant the traditional distinctions between royalty, nobility, and commoners are now.”

Henry’s values had evolved over time, especially during his quest for revenge. At one point, he had believed that he had to be rewarded fittingly for his efforts in unifying the continent, as it was an incredible feat that no other could’ve achieved.

But on one hand, Henry wasn’t after power. He just wanted to be treated the way he deserved for achieving something incredible and live the rest of his life the way he wanted to. However, there was no way of getting the best of both worlds. If power was involved in any way, he wouldn’t know true peace.

Arthus was the one that reminded Henry of that harsh fact, and so, Henry felt rather reticent about pursuing more power, but he also realized that if he wasn’t the one to take it, someone else would.

Henry glanced around the room to take a look at everyone present. He could tell they were all good people, but he still couldn’t trust them completely when it came to power. After all, Arthus and everyone who had betrayed them had once been good people as well, but power had brought out the worst in them.

Because of all that, Henry was sick and tired of this pursuit of power, but he couldn’t let his comrades, who had followed him through hell, know that he was wavering over his position of power.

Thus, he wanted to solve all the problems they currently had and make everyone happy. Henry’s sense of responsibility also stemmed from the fact that he knew he was partly to blame for almost everything that had happened.

“So all in all,” Henry continued as he was looking at everyone, “I’m thinking of establishing a new nation and governing it.”

“Hmm…”

“I see…”

A soft murmur rippled through the crowd, but soon, everyone nodded in assent. It wasn’t too surprising for Henry to declare such a thing as everyone had once thought about how they could reclaim past glories, the peace they once had.

Some of the people in the room had once thought about the same thing as Henry, knowing it was the perfect time to take control of the situation.

But of course, founding a new nation was no easy task. Firstly, it would require a lot of understanding and effort from everyone. And given Henry’s status and unmatched achievements, it was rather difficult for anyone else to suggest something like that.

However, Henry himself had brought it up at the right time, which was why everyone agreed with him. Everyone knew deep down that Henry was the only one who could bring up such an idea. Or rather, he was the only one who had the right to propose something like that.

Henry took another look at the crowd and smiled. Just as he had expected, he didn’t see anyone frown or look like they disagreed. He knew that no one in the room was after power, and he was no different. The only reason he was willing to step up was to use the power as a tool to get things done.

Of course, he knew that obtaining the power was the hard part, but once he had attained it, he would be set up and ready to deal with everything. All in all, Henry needed absolute power that everyone would follow. That way, he could solve all the problems that seemed impossible to solve.

Everyone was deep in thought, and Masila eventually broke the silence in order to keep the debate going.

“I like what you have in mind. A new dynasty in a new land, led by a god unlike any other in the continent’s history. What nation could ever match this?”

“The founder being a god… That’s quite the tale.”

As Masila endorsed Henry’s proposal, everyone else followed suit. As the others also expressed their approval, Henry and Masila met eyes and exchanged smiles.

Henry took the floor once again and said, “Well, I’m glad that everyone seems to be on board. But I still want to ask just in case. If there’s anyone interested in the throne, now is the time to speak up.”

That was merely a formality, a preemptive measure to forestall dissent down the road. Of course, just like Henry had expected, no one spoke up. He figured that no human would dare challenge a god that wanted to claim rulership over other humans.

With a relieved smile, Henry continued, “Alright then. I believe that everyone is on the same page. Then I shall proceed with the preparations to declare the founding of our new nation. But before we move on… there’s another matter I wish to address.”

Henry kept the meeting going. This gathering wasn’t the conventional kind of meeting where everyone spoke. Rather, it seemed like a forum for Henry to reveal his meticulously crafted plans.

No one disagreed with Henry’s ideas or had anything significant to add. They were merely eager to hear what other intriguing ideas he had in mind to bring back the world they had once known, or perhaps an even better one.

“Our first order of business is to reorganize our military structure. While the formal integration of refugees with current residents under the name of a new nation is vital, mere symbolic unity holds little practical value, wouldn’t you all agree?”

“Indeed.”

“That’s why I believe we must restructure our military. Even though I say we’ll establish a new nation, there really is no point in keeping an army as most of the countries we know have fallen. With that in mind, I want to reorganize our military structure.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Rather than focusing on national defense, I’m thinking of focusing on internal security. Of course, we’ll have to reduce the size of our army. In a world where we don’t have to fight, there’s nothing more wasteful than having a large army. However, having security forces is an entirely different matter.”

The reality was that the people of Monsieur had been having conflicts with the refugees ever since they had entered the city to flee from Arthus’ forces. It was understandable, for these refugees came from various different cultures and backgrounds, and they had been forced to leave everything behind and try to survive in foreign land.

It was foolish and naive to hope that they would just get along with the locals and quickly assimilate into an alien culture without any issues.

One of the biggest problems Monsieur was facing at the moment was crime caused by the refugees. Thus, Henry had proposed the idea of internal security forces because he needed men to combat crime.

“We can’t ignore what’s happening in the city just because we have a bigger problem looming on the outside. If we tackle the bigger problems first, the smaller ones will quickly grow to be just as serious. That’s why I want to reorganize the military so that there’s no wasted personnel. Soldiers should be where their country needs them to be.”

McDowell nodded and asked a follow-up question.

“Security forces, huh? Okay, let’s forget about the name for now. So you’re saying that we should get new armed forces. How do you plan on selecting the new security forces?”

“Until the newly established nation is stable enough, I plan on transitioning from a voluntary military service system to a conscription system. We’ll aim to recruit young men and women of the new nation.”

“So you’re saying you’ll entrust new citizens with the responsibility of defending their new country?

“Yes. A sense of duty fosters a sense of ownership. However, conscription doesn’t mean servitude. The citizens of our new nation will all be treated fairly.”

“I couldn’t agree more to that.”

“Of course, it’ll take me some time to establish the details of this new policy. So let’s move on to the next topic…”

Henry then proposed strategies for fostering the integration of the refugees, taking into account the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. He was well aware of the historic role of culture and religion in uniting people.

Henry exchanged a brief glance with the Saint as he was about to bring up a topic that he knew she would be sensitive about. After all, she also had a major role in the upbringing of this new nation.

But surprisingly enough, Irenae had no objections, indicating her willingness to follow Henry. She just shrugged and smiled back, trying not to put more pressure on Henry. Undeterred, Henry continued his speech with a smile.

“And I suppose this new nation will need a state religion.”

“Yes, you’re right. Religion is not a big deal for me, but it is for some,” added McDowell.

Most of the people at the meeting had the same attitude toward religion as McDowell. In fact, there were only two religious individuals in the room, namely Irenae and Vulcanus, and they worshiped different gods.

“Just as you mentioned, having a state religion is important. But this time, I’m not planning to designate a state religion.”

“What?”

“You’re not going to designate a state religion?”

Some of the people at the meeting started whispering among themselves, finding Henry’s statement rather shocking. However, Vulcanus and Irenae remained calm. Then, amidst the flurry of reactions, Masila spoke up.

“May I ask why?”

“I’ve learned a couple of things during my pursuit of divine power, along with the Pope’s death. As we all know, large religious organizations often amass significant power. However, religion should not be a means of acquiring power. It should provide spiritual comfort and faith to its followers. And yet, if we reintroduce the concept of a state religion, it may ignite a conflict between our people and urge them to compete to have their respective religions recognized as the official one.”

Indeed, Henry had grown sick of having politics being mixed up with religion, and he wouldn’t make the same mistakes as his predecessors.

“Therefore, I oppose the establishment of a state religion, primarily to prevent such religious wars.”

Everyone was forced to acknowledge that Henry had a point. Large religious organizations held political power, and Henry had observed firsthand how a religion, initially created by pure faith, could transform into immense power under misguided leadership. That was exactly what Pope Ross had demonstrated.

For this new nation, Henry didn’t want any other organization to have authority besides the throne, even if the Saint herself was trustworthy.

As everyone nodded with rather serious expressions, Henry smirked and tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere while pointing to himself.

“Besides, with a literal god establishing a new country and saving the world, how could anyone turn to another religion?”

“Haha, you have a point Henry.”

“What good would a state religion be when the king is also a god?”

Even though Henry had said that in jest, it held a kernel of truth. Throughout history, people had embraced faith in unseen deities. They were drawn to the miraculous feats performed by their respective religious leaders, such as the power of healing. But still, there were only so many people who had experienced such miracles firsthand.

However, Henry was different; he was the god of magic. He had been the symbol of magic and helped the people with his magic ever since the establishment of the Eurasia Empire.

Henry planned to do the same with this new nation, as magic was equal to all, unlike healing rituals from other religions.

“Anyway, for this reason, I don’t plan to designate a state religion. I think I’ve pretty much covered everything I wanted to cover. Then, let’s move onto the solution for the food shortage problem.”

With that, Henry took out a handful of seeds from his pocket and placed them on the table before him. He then murmured softly, “Rapid Growth.”

Rustle, rustle-!

“…!”

“…!”

Everyone gasped in amazement. The tiny seeds had instantly grown into corn before their own eyes, without any earth or water. Without hesitation, Henry picked up a fresh corn stalk and looked at everyone.

“Until we stabilize our food supply, all wizards, soldiers, priests, and citizens will engage in farming.”

He then cleared his throat and continued in a voice brimming with conviction, “Securing enough food is our top priority.”

Henry was dead serious with this claim.

With that, the era of unprecedented agriculture had just begun.