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Arc#5 Chapter 18: Duties
🕑 Added 2024-12-12 04:36:24 +0000 UTC[Author's Note]
It's a bit late because I was too busy preparing for my flight and getting to my flight, but...
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
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Even though the uninvited guests from the empire were dealt with rather easily, their mere presence here had very alarming implications.
One was that the empire had reached a point in the invasion where it now felt like it required information about what Aizen was doing. And another was how easily espers managed to sneak so close despite frequent sentries.
Though not as sharp and absolute as an Ascendant's senses, even mortals could somewhat detect presences around them as their bodies improved. Reivan could do the same as well, and that included Helen, Gwen, Jiji, and all the other knights Juinor-grade and above. Their senses were just much sharper than ordinary mortals, allowing them to notice other living beings through subtle changes in the surroundings—such as a scent, the anxious heartbeat of someone trying to hide, footsteps against the floor, the crunch of grass as it was crushed underfoot, and even the way a breeze seemed to be interrupted by something.
Basically, a mortal could detect other beings by noticing signs of life around them.
Espers got around that by, well, not being biological creatures in a normal sense.
It was the benefit of being an ethereal creature similar to unmanifested spirit beasts. Sure, they could inhabit a human and that human would technically still be alive. But it was enough for them to simply hop out and hide their body underground whenever a sentry passed by, then jump back in to continue infiltration.
Though Espers, as they were so inaptly named, weren't much of an existential threat to knights who were above a certain level of ability, the ghastly creatures were still troublesome to deal with because of this.
'Great. Now we have to check the entire population to find any espers that infiltrated.'
Reivan felt a headache as he climbed into bed with Helen. They both weren't really in the mood to get freaky tonight, which was fine.
His mind was too full of complaints about all the work he would undoubtedly have to do. Aizen had its own way of detecting them, but the easiest way was for him to use [Supreme Insight].
It was enough for him to look at their extra skills to see if they had abilities called [Poltergeist]. The ability was something a lot of people likened to his [Formless Will], so he'd made sure to research it. Unlike his gift, [Poltergeist] didn't lose power when aimed at targets with wills of their own or were affected by the will of other entities—such as weapons and armor among other things.
That said, [Poltergeist] was apparently much more effective on objects than other living creatures. This made Reivan's ability sound as if it was a much weaker version, given how [Formless Will] only had negative modifiers.
But this was not actually the case. Reivan's ability had the benefit of scaling off his physical capabilities. Meaning as he got stronger, [Formless Will] would too. Meanwhile, [Poltergeist] remained the same no matter how strong the esper was, making it ineffective when fighting opponents above a certain level.
That was why none of the espers Reivan and Helen fought used it—they were all aware that the two knights wouldn't even feel a thing. Now, if the couple were Elementary-grade knights on the weaker end of the spectrum, things would be drastically different. They wouldn't even get to fight at all, the esper would just snap their necks with a snap.
'If it went on a rampage in a populated area, it could take a tenth of Lageton's population before it gets taken down. Guess I'll have to hunt secretly.'
This ability of his was actually part of the reason why he needed to be the one to stick around in Aizen's vassal state.
The fact that he was male and a member of the royal family was just an add-on, so to speak. It wasn't as if the kingdom couldn't just hand over the duty to House Mercer. Reivan's ability was secretly the greatest contributor to why he was now its ruler—the position gave him an excuse to be present, without inviting suspicion from the enemy or something along those lines. If the empire sent espers to assassinate the puppet state's leader, Reivan would definitely not fall for any disguises.
Still, the best case scenario was if proper detective measures were placed in Samsara too. All around Aizen were various ways to detect any espers trying to infiltrate, making it only a matter of time before they were quietly taken care of in the shadows when their guard was down from the elation of success. Samsara didn't benefit from those measures, however. Not yet, anyway.
"Rein," Helen called out, sitting beside him on the bed. "Are you still thinking about it? The espers."
"I am," he nodded. "We can't let their presence out. Not now. Not when people are already anxious."
"Hm... What're you planning to do, then?"
"I'll have to start with checking every citizen to see if they're espers. Then we now have to set up stricter watches around the area. And any new refugees from now on will have to stay far from populated areas until I can personally inspect them—which I'll do while I'm in disguise."
Her brows furrowed, and she held his head and directed it to her lap. "Sounds like it'll be a lot of work."
Reivan smiled as he used her thighs as a pillow. They weren't as soft and full as his mother's used to be, but these were his thighs. Only he would get to use them—until his kids came along, he supposed. Sharing with them wouldn't be so bad. "It is. Good thing I'm just a figurehead here and I can leave all the boring administrative stuff to others. You'll have to come with me during the inspections though."
"I would've done so even if you didn't tell me to. Sir Xander's not back yet, after all. When will he, by the way? He's supposed to be your replacement guardian knight, so surely you won't send him out for too long?"
"He'll bring back news soon enough. And I can't help sending him out. Among the knights under my umbrella, he's the best guy for this particular job. He also has an Arkhanian identity so he can sneak around better than others."
Of course, Filth was potentially a great choice too. But Valter's descendant was better for this particular undertaking.
Though Filth surpassed Sir Xander in terms of stealth, the gap in terms of mobility and versatility was insurmountable. If combat was required, Xander would have way more options than Filth, not to mention how Xander could deliver the information to Reivan much faster.
'Besides, Filth is already doing something with that strangely capable organization.'
Reivan frowned every time he thought of the so-called "Sons of Arkhan". Judging from his previous encounter, he'd written them off as an overzealous group of misguided patriots. But recently, he was getting forced into revising his opinion of them.
'It'd be great if we could recruit whoever has the special ability regarding escape points.'
There seemed to be a number of downsides—such as not being able to set up an escape point near areas where escape points were recently placed—but the superpower's utility went without saying. For one thing, it would be a tremendous boon in exploring the Outlands. Of course, it would be useful in the conquest of Arkhan's former territories but Reivan inherently treated the matter as a done deal, though it would take a lot of time. He was very confident in his country.
'Heh. I guess I've become a bit of a patriot too.'
Reivan chuckled when he thought of the time when he didn't really care about the country that much. It felt so long ago now. Though of course, his family was still higher up in his heart, Aizen and its people had grown on him at some point.
"What's so funny?" Helen asked as her willowy hand gently played with his hair.
"Nothing." Reivan smiled and looked up at her. "Your lap feels nice."
"Is that so? If you're well-behaved, then I can do this more often."
"So not that much, huh? A shame."
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“Have the projectors been set up?” Reivan raised a brow, turning to Gwen as he smoothed over his clothes. They were a bit stiff and not all that comfortable, which was par for the course when they prioritized elegance and majesty.
Only his upper body would be shown, but he was still wearing full regalia, choosing a white and gold ensemble instead of his usual black and gold.
‘My brother and father wore these all the time… Oh well. I’ll get used to them at some point.’
Maybe he just felt uncomfortable because they were unfamiliar. When he stopped to get a better feel, they weren’t much different from what he usually wore—except the gold was dialed up from five to ten.
“Yes, they’re ready.” Gwen nodded while fiddling with the dream crystal on her wrist, seemingly communicating with someone. “Unless they’re holed up indoors, everyone in Lageton should be able to see it. That said, all of the citizens have been gathered in various open spaces too, as per your orders.”
“Fantastic. Let’s get this over with before I forget the speech I wrote,” Reivan joked with a grin.
With his memory, there was no way he would actually fumble. Still, this was his first speech as a monarch so his nervousness could cause him to mess up.
‘Hopefully, I don’t stutter or bite my tongue.’
Reivan took a deep breath before walking out onto a wide balcony overlooking a square full of people.
Well, “overlooking” was a bit of a stretch given how high up the balcony was. Most people wouldn’t have the eyesight sharp enough to make out his features. But there was supposed to be a projection in the sky behind him to fix that somehow, offering everyone a close-up view of him.
It was a similar setup from the time he fought three senior-grade knights in an exhibition match.
Reivan hadn’t planned to do one under so much fanfare, but given recent events, there was a glaring need to alleviate the people’s unease. It was not enough that the republic collapsed and the weather fucked it up right after. Now, giant balls of lava could be seen floating near the horizon, seemingly seeking to burn away what little semblance of home they had left.
There were apparently voices stating that they should just move to Aizen, which made some sense.
But they had to stay here because it would set a bad precedent. If Reivan allowed it once, he would have to do it again and again. Should the entirety of Arkhan be colonized, would that mean that the entirety of Arkhan’s population would have to be moved to Aizen because it was more convenient to live there?
Obviously not. There was no way they would all fit, given how much smaller the kingdom was. In the first place, the kingdom was already on the verge of suffering from high population density, to the extent that they were expanding underground.
That was why the Arkhanians had to stay. They sadly could not be allowed to mass migrate to Aizen.
It was part of Reivan’s duties as the figurehead Hierarch to make them want to stay.
“Good day, people of Samsara.”
Reivan spoke in fluid Arkhanian with all the confidence and poise he could muster. He had given thought to what type of face he would show to his people. Though the temptation to seem like an approachable and relatable leader was there, he decided against it.
In the end, he chose to capitalize on the royal family’s prestige. The fear and awe it inspired, almost as if they were chosen by the gods to rule the world.
Yes, it would make him seem distant. Like an entity that could never be reached. But that was fine.
The people needed to be assured that this nation wouldn’t flop. And to ensure that, a normal guy wasn’t going to cut it.
It had to be someone great. Someone worthy.
Reivan would play that role.
“I’m sure you know who I am by now,” he said. “But let me say it anyway: I am Reivan Aizenwald, prince of the Aizen Kingdom. Now, I am the Hierarch of Samsara, the nation you all now belong to.”
He paused for effect, staring calmly at a floating ball in front of him. This was the “camera”, though the artificers were calling it a “Glass Eye”.
Some were even calling it the “Eye of the King”. There was a pun to be made here, but Reivan didn’t want to say it aloud because he personally didn’t approve of puns.
‘It's the Eye-zen. My god. Hopefully, nobody ever says that in front of me. I might riot.’
Tossing aside his random thoughts, Reivan continued his personally prepared speech while making sure to keep his expression relatively stoic.
“I may not be the ruler you asked for.” Reivan calculatingly raised his chin, showing a smidgen of arrogance. “But I am the one you need.”
‘Pause here again.’
There would be a lot of pauses like this, he mused. Silence, unironically, was an integral part of public speaking. When done right, they placed weight and emphasis on what was said, while also giving people time to digest the words.
Hopefully, he was doing it right. But when he practiced in front of his family earlier, they said he was doing great. He would have to believe they were right.
“Though things don’t seem to be going very well at the moment, what with Martial Law being established shortly after my arrival. But bear with me. I know what I am doing.”
“Need I remind you, that I come from a long and prestigious line of rulers,” Reivan recounted. “When the republic of Arkhan was still a smattering of small nations who fought each other over every inch of territory, my ancestors had already built and stabilized the kingdom. That was thousands of years ago, yet the kingdom still stands—with my family as its rulers.”
“Every generation has ruled the kingdom with wisdom and fairness. Now, you find yourselves under the rule of one as well.”
“It will not happen immediately, but I will fix this nation if you all cooperate.”
Finished with his pompous introduction, Reivan once again let the silence hang in the air for a moment before continuing on to his agenda.
“I am aware that certain events have… alarmed you all. But rest assured that everything is under control. The kingdom has survived worse and we are prepared to aid the people of Samsara in their path to recovery.”
Suddenly thinking of something, he then directed his gaze at a tall tower with four floating islands chained to it. “Additionally, we have also gained support from the esteemed mages who have stood as Arkhan’s guardians in the past.”
Then he smiled and looked back into the Eye-zen. “Not to mention the Warbeasts of the Terracatta Clan and the Darkin who have offered up their strength to protect you all from harm. And though you may have your reservations of religion, the Church of Sormon’s healing services are free for all who are ailed by injuries or maladies.”
“Samsara has everything it needs to recover now.” Reivan raised his hand to chest height and deliberately clenched it. “We just need to give it time. And it is guaranteed to happen.”
He held that pose for a few moments before letting his fist fall to his side.
Then he smiled.
“With all of that out of the way, I feel that recent times have been too gloomy. So I propose a modest celebration to commemorate the birth of our nation.”
“The birth of Samsara.”
This time, Reivan paused not because of his speech. He did it because his personnel were setting up stalls to give away wine and food in all the plazas, squares, parks, and all the other places where people were asked to gather.
Once he believed he’d stopped enough, Reivan continued.
“I am sure the past few weeks have been so grim that you haven’t had the chance for any sort of merry-making. Many have died and many more lives were affected by the horrible tragedy that befell the republic. If you feel that way, then treat this as a reminder.”
“A reminder that it’s not over yet.”
“The sky may fall and the ground may erupt in an explosion of fire and brimstone.”
“But as long as there is life, there is a chance to rise again. And I will make you all rise again.”
Reivan knew he was laying it on a little too thick, but this kind of stuff apparently worked better. Besides, maybe his sensibilities as someone from Modern Earth were making him feel that way.
“Samsara.”
“It’s a word from a language few know of, and it pertains to the cycle of death and rebirth.”
“Tragedy has all but slain the republic of Arkhan. It is now but a shadow of what it once was.”
“But that does not mean it will remain that way. With my and the kingdom’s help, you will rise. And perhaps, we will all come out stronger for it.”
“It is with that hope that I chose this as the name for our new nation.”
“Samsara.”
“Every time you hear that word, I hope you remember what it means. That while Arkhan is no more, Samsara is here—and it is with that name that you will prove to the world that your people are not done yet. That you will not stop! That you cannot be stopped!”
Somehow, his words seemed well-received because he could hear the shouts and cheers coming from all over the city. Reivan couldn’t help but smile, feeling good about himself and relieved. He’d done his best to come up with the speech and his family and staff seemed to approve—but he thought they might just be saying it because it was him.
The cheering felt as if the people had accepted him. As if they approved of him. And there was no way that wouldn’t feel good.
Reivan retrieved a goblet of wine from his spatial ring and held it up in a toast.
“To our Samsara.”
Then he downed the half-filled goblet in one go. Most likely, not everyone in the city had wine in their hands. But it was the thought that counts. There was plenty of opportunity to toast each other instead, given how he had ordered for food and wine to be given out until dawn the next day.
He had even hired Arkhanian performers to spice things up a little.
With his goblet empty, the speech had also ended. Now, he would have to depend on nationwide inebriation to raise everyone’s spirits.
His job was not over yet, however.
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After grabbing Helen—who was hiding her appearance through an artifact and plain Arkhanian clothing—Reivan flew over to the nearest gathering venues and chose a spot that offered him a good view of the people.
Just in case, he had changed his attire to something simpler and also taken on the appearance of a random Arkhanian man he had seen months and months ago. With [Reality Falsification], disguising himself was as easy as snapping his fingers.
Transformation still hurt like a bitch, though. He really hoped it wouldn’t.
“Should I move farther away?” Helen asked from beside him, sporting a homely face and blonde hair. She looked nothing like her real appearance, meaning her disguise was effective.
Reivan shrugged, looking around the rooftop of the seven-story high building they chose as their observation point. “No need for now. Nobody’s going to look too hard up here. And only those with particularly sharp mana sensitivity can see through your disguise.”
She nodded before turning to the bustling plaza below. “Well, it seems spirits have been raised.”
“Yeah…” he muttered as he followed her gaze.
Men and women were smashing wooden mugs with each other and taking large swigs with happy looks on their faces. Children were participating too, though they were only given various types of fruit juice. Food that was easy to carry around was also given out freely.
It was like a festival.
‘They’re blowing off steam. That’s good.’
Given the cold climate in the past, Arkhan had a very intimate relationship with alcohol. So having it freely given out like this did wonders for the general mood of the citizens, not to mention how it reminded them of times when everything was still fine.
Maybe it also filled them with hope for the future too.
Furthermore, it showed just how secure the food situation was. If the ruler themself was giving out so much, then that had to mean there was plenty to go around. The wine itself proved this, as it was not a necessity—but a luxury that most people enjoyed in the past.
With any hope, this would set the people’s minds at ease regarding the scarcity of food.
Smiling to himself, Reivan began his work of examining each and every single person in the plaza to see if they were possessed by an esper.
Simultaneously, he was looking for anyone with a special ability and doing census work. There was a glaring need to have better records of who and how many people there were in his nation. Of course, his staff would handle the nitty-gritty details, such as verifying and issuing identification papers, but he could start some of it himself.
Taking out a dream crystal, Reivan began scanning the people one by one while recording the information he saw as well as a portrait of what they looked like when he took a look at them. His staff could use the records he took as a cross-reference.
‘Say goodbye to paper trails. The future is now, baby.’
This would be one of the innovations he would implement in his regime: the use of dream crystals and holostones to record things instead of paper.
He’d grown up looking at his father and brother buried in mountains of documents, so he naturally didn’t want to follow in their footsteps.
Processing the information through dream crystals was instantaneous because of how they linked to the mind. Only knights and people who could be truly trusted were allowed to use them though, but that was fine because he was obviously allowed to.
Holostones were a little less convenient, but they at least didn’t use paper and could send information to other Holostones within a fairly wide radius, making them very convenient.
Furthermore, with Reivan’s suggestions and input, the kingdom’s artificers managed to create a type of “server” crystal that could hold massive amounts of information. Holostones with access permission were the only ones who could, well, access the information. And depending on who they were, they could also change or add to it.
‘If it goes well here, even the kingdom’s going to implement it.’
One of the dream crystal's and holostone's weaknesses was how they couldn’t store a lot of information for a long time the same way documents could. Now, that weakness had been resolved somewhat and Samsara would be the testing grounds of an administrative revolution.
Reivan wasn’t all that hyped about it, but Gwen and Jiji were both ecstatic. He got a lot of praise for his input.
After a few minutes, Reivan finished checking and recording the information of around a thousand people.
“Didn’t find anything?” Helen tilted her head.
“Yup. Not a thing.”
“That’s good.”
He ended up not discovering anything of particular interest, but that was actually a good thing, in a way. Sure, it sucked that he couldn’t find anyone with a special ability, but not finding one was better than encountering an esper.
Gathering citizens in such a large group placed them at enormous risk if the esper decided to throw caution to the wind after all. It was the main reason why Reivan wanted to check everyone stealthily like this.
“Let’s go to the next place then.” Reivan put his dream crystal away and pointed west. “We have to finish this before people start going home from getting too drunk.”
“Mhm.” Helen nodded. “I’ll watch your back while you work.”
“I appreciate that. C’mon, let’s go.”
And so, Reivan’s first day as Hierarch was spent giving a speech, spreading the wonders of alcohol, and doing mind-numbing census work.
It wasn’t the flashiest set of duties, but it had to be done.
Once the nation was stabilized, he could then start going on the offensive against the empire.
‘Sending assassins, huh? I’m not going to just let that slide, you fat fucks.’
Some retaliation should be in order.
Comments
The3rd
Infinite sweets and goodness are here 🍨🍦🍪💖🍫🍬🍭🍮🍯🍰🍩🎂♾️
Lire
My GOAT, thank you for always pointing these out. Much appreciated 🫡🫡🫡
mechanizedbush
Tftc! "republic all but collapsed and the weather" -> this sentence is a little awkward. Maybe missing a word? "Hierarchy of Samsara" -> was it "Hierarch" or "ruler of the Hierarchy"? or maybe an "I am the State" moment 🙂
