The hall was filled with a subdued buzz, a mixture of the voices of two hundred and three officials whispering behind their papers, while the forty empty seats left behind a void that stirred unease.
As soon as Ray was given the right to speak, the hall transformed into something resembling a disturbed beehive. There were no direct questions, only cautious side discussions whose true purpose was to accept the existence of these Pillars as an established reality.
It was truly astonishing that an empire of such vast scale had been managed for decades by almost a single mind. A Prime Minister who held all the strings, ministers who carried out his will, and a lone advisor who stood as a narrow bridge between the Emperor and them.
The Prime Minister represented the right hand, while the advisor was the left. But what if both hands agreed to strangle the body that carried them? At that point, the interests of the provinces and nobles would become nothing more than sacrifices offered upon the altar of their ambitions.
The old documents on display proved those fears to be justified. The new Pillars—although they stripped authority from some—offered security to everyone. The Seventh Pillar promised a flow of wealth, the Fifth Pillar promised brilliant minds, and the Fourth Pillar ensured that the nobles' gold would not turn into worthless pieces of metal.
Yet the bitterness remained with the Pillar of Spirit.
Disapproval of that division seeped from the eyes of those present. The Empire's nobles were not fools. While the other Pillars served everyone, the Pillar of Spirit had been born to serve the throne first. It was a weapon capable of raising a noble to the heavens with a single story, or casting him into the abyss with another.
Ray understood that an empire was not a charity. Anyone who stood against the throne would find himself alone before a flood of the people. Since the great dukes had chosen silence and observation, the lesser nobles had no choice but to tread carefully.
The age of manipulating things beneath the table was over.
This quiet war of words continued for more than an hour before the meeting was suspended for half an hour for lunch. It was a brief break, yet enough for everyone to organize their thoughts and make sure their heads were still attached before returning to the second half of the storm.
As the hall filled once more, the whispers rose again in a chaotic manner. Their voices carried anxiety and confusion. However, the moment Ray entered, followed by Morgana, with Rei and Sislin behind them, silence fell over the room like a heavy wall.
Ray settled onto his throne with infuriating calm. He did not speak immediately. Instead, his gaze swept across the faces before him. The officials appeared far more disordered and distracted than they had before the break.
The recess had exhausted their minds with bitter thoughts. Were these reforms a lifeline, or a noose they were wrapping around their own necks? The question gnawing at everyone was simple: could the Empire they once knew truly return, or had that Empire already come to an end?
Had this merely been a passing proposal from the Emperor, few would have cared. Yet the framework placed before them seemed so perfect that finding grounds to oppose it was difficult. Perhaps there really was hope in this young Emperor—or perhaps it was simply another attempt destined to fail.
Because of that, the atmosphere in the hall changed completely. Where the first half had consisted only of enemies lying in wait and neutrals observing from afar, a new group had now emerged.
A group that had begun to sense hope in the Empire's return to strength.
Though it was only a small faction, it was a satisfying result, especially with the Duke of the South among them. Previously neutral, he had approached Ray during the break to discuss these reforms and had shown a willingness to consider the system positively.
It was not direct support, but the mere fact that he was considering it was significant.
That elderly man with the harsh face and features that seemed almost villainous sat with a straight back at the front of the right row beside the Duke of the East. Who would have imagined that behind such a stern mask lay perhaps the most loyal heart in the Empire?
Ray smiled as he looked directly at him.
The Duke of the South inclined his head in respect. It was deliberate, and the gesture did not escape the nobles' eyes. It landed upon their hearts like a stone.
Who was the Duke of the South?
He was the man who possessed the Empire's largest reserves of metal, its finest craftsmen, and its richest mines. Even if the Empire collapsed, no one would dare make an enemy of him.
A winning card?
Yes.
But only the first.
"I hope your minds have rested enough," Ray said, breaking the silence. "Because we are about to move on to the three Pillars that will be built from the restructuring of the Empire's previous system."
Some forced smiles onto their faces. Others looked as though they were about to cry. Even the Duke of the North's expression was unpleasant.
No matter how powerful his knights were, he would never risk threatening the Duke of the South or attempting to bribe him.
Just what had happened between Ray and the stubborn old man known as the Bullheaded Head during that break?
This child...
The Duke of the North ground his teeth in restrained irritation, trying to gather himself, while Rei stepped forward once again to begin the serious portion of the meeting.
Silence settled over the hall once more, and Rei began playing his melody.
[I'll move directly to explaining the Third Pillar, and I hope none of you will mind. We'll leave detailed discussions until the end. If anyone has a question, don't hesitate to ask.]
No one spoke. The shock of seeing the Duke of the South show goodwill toward the young Emperor still lingered.
So Rei continued:
[Then let us begin.]
[Let us return to the explanation of the Pillars, starting with Pillar Three: the Eyes and Ears.]
[The Third Pillar, the Eyes and Ears, is the division that represents the state's complete awareness. It is not known for being absent, but for being present in every corner the sun cannot reach.]
So this was the division that read between the lines and listened through walls, ensuring that not a single strand of the Empire's dignity could fall without the throne knowing.
No matter how much Rei tried to polish the blade, it was still a blade.
Even without saying it outright, everyone understood that this Pillar's duties were espionage, assassination, and surveillance.
So... would it make use of the Shadows?
Ray knew what they were thinking, but he did not answer.
The Shadows were a force that could never appear before the public, but this Pillar would have a voice that could be heard and a presence that could be seen everywhere.
It seemed everyone had forgotten that force which had been neglected for eighty years.
Had they forgotten the fear of walls having ears?
Ray sighed but said nothing, and Rei continued:
[The former Eyes and Ears divisions, including the inspectors who traveled through the provinces, monitored nobles and local rulers, and reported directly to the Emperor, will all be restored and become part of this Pillar.]
Everyone frowned, even the Duke of the South this time.
These details had not been included in the documents.
Was Ray trying to awaken an old demon that everyone had believed was long dead?
[And I shall begin by explaining the hierarchy of authority within this Pillar.]
"Excuse me."
The Duke of the North interrupted Rei.
"Your Majesty, to the best of our knowledge, there are no longer any personnel in that department. It was dissolved forty years ago to save on expenses."
"That wording is completely inaccurate, Duke," Ray sighed, resting his head on one hand with feigned boredom before continuing. "That department was never abolished. It was slowly strangled."
Ray's eyes narrowed.
"You reduced its budget until its men were starving. As their effectiveness declined, they were thrown into dark corners and forgotten. You turned the Empire's eyes into a place of exile. Anyone who dared oppose you was sent there as punishment and humiliation."
And do you know what that means?
Those in whose hearts you planted unbearable hatred are now returning from the depths of the hell you created.
They are not returning out of duty.
They are returning for revenge long overdue.
They are men whose eyelids will not tremble before death, so long as the price of their fall is dragging you down into the grave with them.
After reading numerous reports concerning them, Ray had immediately realized they were nothing more than fabricated reports. He ordered the Shadows to investigate, and before long, every action that had led to those men being exiled there was uncovered.
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End of Chapter
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[Side Information: The Royal Inspector]
[Eighty years ago, merely mentioning the title "Royal Inspector" was enough to make even the greatest dukes tremble. An inspector would enter a castle alone, carrying no sword—only the Golden Seal. Every door would be opened to him, and every ledger laid bare before his eyes. At the time, the Pillar of Tranquility was the sensory nerve of the Empire.]
[The Beginning: Pulling the Claws (60 years ago)]
[The scheme began through the nobles' alliance. Rather than fighting the organization directly, they decided to suffocate it. They convinced the previous Emperor that the state was suffering financial hardship and that an "army of spies" consumed funds that could be used for wars. Salaries were reduced, and provincial offices were closed one after another.]
[The Middle: Exile from Within (40 years ago)]
[The organization transformed from the throne's shield into a dumping ground. Any military officer who refused bribes, or any official who insisted on enforcing the law against a powerful noble, was immediately transferred to the Eyes and Ears Pillar as punishment. The department became known as the Graveyard of the Living, where honorable people were sent to starve and be forgotten.]
[The End: Decline (20 years ago)]
[The decline reached its peak, and royal inspectors became little more than servants in the offices of the very nobles they were supposed to monitor.]
[The Current Stage: Extinction and Oblivion]
[No one pays any attention to the department anymore. Over time, it became a mass exile site where every unwanted official was thrown. Their specialization and competence no longer mattered. Anyone whom the powerful wished to remove from the political stage or push out of influence was cast into the forgotten corners of this abandoned department, left to face the death of their career in silence.]