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”I am not sure that I understand the purpose of such an event,” Frowned Bell uncertainly.
”Come on, just think about it…a friendly tournament that includes all four nations, it’s bound to be really fun! Like, there’ll be a wide variety of really unhealthy but incredibly tasty food, we get to watch people fight, which is always fun, and it’ll be perfectly safe too, so there’s no need to worry!” I pointed out encouragingly.
”Hm, that is not very convincing…how will that benefit us?” She responded, still not looking very convinced.
Maybe once I manage to convince her, I should drop by Idyll real quick to give them a push in the right direction too. If Bell doesn’t get it, then the more conservative citizens of Idyll might not see the benefit either.
”Trust me, you’ll understand when you see it. I mean, you were skeptical of the Valentine’s day festival too, weren’t you? And didn’t you have a whole lot of fun during that event?” I inquired with a grin.
”Well…yes, I did enjoy myself quite a bit, but that was a festival celebrating romance, while this one will be focused on fighting,” She countered objectively.
That’s…actually kinda hard to argue against. But I’m gonna try anyway…
”You’ve got a point there, but it’s not that black and white. These aren’t going to be fights to the death or anything like that, just friendly yet competitive bouts. Let’s face it, there’s always going to be people obsessed with getting stronger and showing off their powers…this gives them an opportunity to do so, they can satisfy that obsession with this tournament, instead of aiming that obsession at a more violent outlet like war or death battles,” I responded logically.
”I suppose that is true…very well, then, I shall trust you with this, Sylvar. After all, you are more experienced with such things through your past life, correct?” She finally gave in.
”Yeah, I used to really enjoy watching fighting competitions and the like!” I grinned sheepishly.
It’s true, I was super into WWE and the UFC back in my old world, boxing was fun too. Honestly, I remember that I used to wish that there were more violent tournaments out there back then. Huh, haven’t really thought of that stuff in a few decades, it’s not until recently that I’ve really been recalling my past life.
I did think about it a lot when I first got to this world, but after a couple of decades or so, I just kinda stopped thinking about it, since there was no point in doing so, plus it’d just make me bored when I’d realize that there was absolutely nothing fun to do in this world. At least, that’s how it was on that floating island, there was just absolutely nothing to do back then.
But now, with this world rapidly developing and establishing an era of peace, things are looking up. And the more progress that’s made, the more fun stuff we’re gonna have at our disposal. I’m especially holding high hopes towards those crystals in the dinosaur cavern under Abyss.
Those things can display whatever’s programmed into them using spells, I bet someone could figure out how to make smartphones or something with those! Just the thought of that freaking thrills me! Abyss and the Rustlands do use a spell that lets you effectively video call people, so it’s definitely possible.
Man, it’s at times like these when I really wish that I understand how formulating spells works, I’ve got so many ideas but lack the knowhow towards how to actually execute them.
And while there are plenty of members of the non-human races that have pretty advanced spell-casting knowledge, they lack the imagination to create things that they’ve never experienced before. Too bad that, as far as I know, there aren’t any Reincarnators with highly advanced knowledge regarding spells.
Kuro is as bad as I am when it comes to spells, and the few other Reincarnators that I know are average at it at best. Anyway, I’m getting off-topic here…now that I’ve convinced Bell that this tournament is a good thing, I should really head to Idyll and convince them too…
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Point-of-View: Belia Lasmodeus
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Wow, looks like this tournament is going to happen, I really thought there’d be more resistance towards it. I’ve been checking things out using my Observation Magic, and it’s all going pretty smoothly, a lot more smoothly than I’d have thought.
Here in the Rustlands, Cusana and Agatha were really receptive to the idea, especially the latter. King Rustlands was kinda on the fence, but only because he’s still got a grudge towards Abyss and Kuro…at this point though, he’s all but lost his authority in all aspects but name, so he really didn’t have much of a say in it.
All the soldiers and Adventurers treat Cusana as their leader, the king’s little more than a figurehead at this point. So, yeah, despite his apprehension, the Rustlands effectively agreed to the proposal right away.
Idyll, ruled by the new Earth Sage, was surprisingly quick to approve of the idea as well. They’ve grown quite reliant on the goods they import from Abyss, so while there are some of them that are still skeptical about trusting humans, their leadership recognizes that their relationship with Abyss is important, and cannot afford to jeopardize it.
I must say, this new Earth Sage seems to be quite a competent and impressive leader. Though, well, compared to Sant, that’s really not saying much. That guy had to be one of the worst leaders ever.
Speaking of bad leaders, King Ocroed Rustlands…he’s definitely starting to notice that his authority is diminishing. He’s clearly a disaster that’s waiting to happen, should be quite interesting when he finally explodes…I’m enjoying watching the pot simmer and boil.
Hm, but maybe it’s time to add a bit of fuel to that fire? Not to start a war or anything, but just to see him crumble, I can only imagine what kind of expression he’ll have…hehe, and that’s why I’ve called a meeting with the higher ups that’s to take place in about half an hour or so.
I haven’t told them what it’s about, but essentially, I plan to make a proposal…do away with the Rustlands’ monarchy and establish a democratic government to take its place. After all, this nation consists of several citizens from Bronztan, Goldway and Silvland, less than half the current population is actually made up of those that were born in the Rustlands.
I mean, no one can complain if I’m bringing up a proposal that’s bound to benefit the Rustlands in the long-run, am I right? Short-term chaos for long-term peace, huh…yeah, I can definitely work with that.
After the meeting, however it goes, I think I might add another proposal, a sort of mini-tournament or competition in the Rustlands to determine who’s going to be participating in the main tournament in Abyss, which should be soon…Kuro certainly seemed like he wanted to get it underway without too much of a delay.
What do you know, peace isn’t necessarily boring, I’m enjoying myself quite a bit here. I can’t wait to see how this all turns out…
…
A short while later, I was in the throne room, along with Ocroed Rustlands, Cusana Bronztan and Agatha Silvland, ready to make my proposal…
”This had better be something important, Belia. Is it about the tournament?” Inquired Cusana curiously.
”No, I do have a suggestion towards that matter too, but that’s kinda secondary, so I’ll save it for later. What I mainly wanted to discuss, is the future of the Rustlands,” I responded with a smirk.
”Oh? And what exactly do you have to say?” Frowned Ocroed suspiciously.
”Well, it’s simple, really…I suggest abolishing the monarchy and establishing a democratic government, just like how the trade centers are being run. We let the people vote for who they want to lead them, hold elections regularly, stuff like that. I honestly believe that would be the best thing for the Rustlands going forward,” I stated confidently.
”Wh-wha…y-you cannot just-…!” Ocroed began to explain in disbelief.
”A democracy, huh? You know, that’s a good idea, and in a nation that doesn’t have any concept of nobility and commoners, it’s pretty well-suited. The problem with monarchies is that there’s no guarantee that every successor will be as competent as their predecessors, you know?” Spoke up Agatha, in agreement to my proposal.
”Yeah, and don’t forget, the Rustlands is now made up of a significant proportion of former citizens of various nations. Some Silvland citizens have segregated themselves in an area and are living apart from everyone else, which has caused some tension…this might a necessary change to quell that tension. Because eventually, the only alternative would be a violent solution,” I pointed out.
”Yes, that is certainly a valid point. However, we cannot simply make such a drastic change without properly considering how it will affect the people. We will need to consult a wide range of our citizens, from those in positions of power to businessmen to everyday citizens…I must say, I am surprised, Belia. This is quite an impressive proposal, and certainly one that is worth considering. Going forward, we will have much to discuss,” Nodded Cusana in approval.
Alright, looks like they’re really considering it…and Ocroed’s expression, it’s simply amazing! That look of horror and disbelief…yeah, that’s exactly what I wanted to see…!
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