Volume 9, Chapter 216: The People’s Assembly Hall
The horses of the Great Holy Church and Heraldic Order galloped through the Sanyo Plains. They ran fearlessly in order to bring back the information that they had in their hands as soon as possible.
The messenger of the Great Holy Church speeded up the horse, but there was no need to rush. Why? Because the report was exactly what his superior wanted. There was no way that he’d feel discouraged.
On the other hand, the Heraldic messenger hurried the horse with a heavy face and a cramping heart. He desperately assembled the words in his head, and tried to find a way to convey them to his superior. However, cold sweat ran throughout his body, and his mind became hazy.
How could he convey such message? The Heraldic messenger complained in his heart. However, even that feeling of doubt was soon filled with frustration and grief.
…The autonomous city of Philos agreed to partially cooperate with the Great Holy Church’s army.
There was no doubt that this news had upset not only the Heraldic Order, but also the citizens of the autonomous city of Philos.
There were all sorts of reactions among the citizens. However, if one dared to classify, many were astonished, frightened, and even had disagreeable feelings.
The autonomous city of Philos was now classified as one of the armies’ opponent.
「We are self-governing people. We’re not slaves. How can we allow this kind of thing!」
A man barked on the podium of the largest building in the city, the People’s Assembly Hall. He was in his prime, and his voice was full of energy. His eyes were lit with a color that showed a strong will.
The man spoke aloud. At the private assembly, it was decided that cooperation was not necessary for both the Great Holy Church and the Heraldic Order. Despite this, the ruler Philos Trait had consented to cooperate with the Great Holy Church, albeit partially, alone. The man continued to shout loudly.
Every time the man shouted, the citizens who attended the People’s Assembly Hall cheered. The cheers included praise to the man, but a backlash against the current ruler, Philos Trait.
The ruler, Philos, looked down at them from the governing seat of the People’s Assembly Hall, as if she were looking at something irrelevant. The glasses attached to her right eye reflected a terrible cold glow.
Her face, which did not show any facial expressions, looked uninteresting at the play that was being performed in front of her. Philos attended the assembly simply because she had a duty as a ruler. If not, why would she go to such a disgraceful thing when there were other urgent things to do?
It was nonsense for Philos herself. Perhaps, it was because the assembly continued to exist in the form of debate in front of the faces of strong people. Or was it because of the name of autonomy? In the autonomous city of Philos, there had been a traditional mechanism called People’s Assembly Hall to capture the consensus of the citizens.
The structure was rather simple. Several representatives of the citizens and those who drew a consensus were elected to discuss serious matters at the People’s Assembly Hall. The consensus of the citizens were often decided in the assembly and reported back to the ruler Philos. Then, Philos would read the assembly’s decisions and make the final decision.
In other words, the assembly was a mechanism for citizens to make recommendations to the city ruler. That’s all. Of course, there was no doubt that it was something remarkable when compared with the surrounding cities.
Originally, the creation of the assembly wouldn’t happen if it were not for the relationship between the lord and the people. The territory was just a controlled entity, and it was the voicing words of the people that reached the heavens. The lord had to comply with the sense of this structure as the heavens whose words tried to reach. If not, punishment would likely behalf them all.
It was not an institution like the common assemblies placed in other cities.
Therefore, the inhabitants of the autonomous city of Philos did not hesitate to call this private assembly a symbol of their autonomy. As a great pride, they accepted it in their hearts.
The people were not just citizens whom lords ruled upon. They were self-governing people who could make a statement to the ruler directly.
Besides, this private assembly was not particularly bad. Originally, the life of a lord changed depending on the quality of the lord. If the lord was capable, then happiness and well-being would befall. If the lord was vile, then a life full of grief and pain would befall instead.
The private assembly was a shield to protect the autonomous people. As a ruler, the lord had to receive the words of the people and help them govern. If there was a problem with the decision, the trajectory of the private assembly would be corrected by giving an opinion from the governing seat.
So to speak, the ruler Philos and the private assembly should have been ideal mechanisms that complemented each other. The Philos of this generation blinked her white eye, while listening to the people.
That man standing on the stage, springing up citizens’ feelings. Surely, his name was Roseau. The lord forgot his family name.
As far as Philos knew, Roseau was just a man with a good mouth. He was not a useful man. She understood that much by listening to the verses of the words he spoke. So to speak, Roseau’s talent was nothing more than a talent as an instigator.
Such instigator was now talking as the representative of the private assembly. A loud sigh, yet inaudible to anyone, leaked from Philos’ lips.
Recently, Roseau had been increasing his activities. He often gathered the citizens and made suggestions to Philos himself. His activities became strangely conspicuous. Was it because of the smoky heroism in him? Or was there something else?
Yes, it was around the time that Philos immersed in her thoughts. The citizens’ cheers increased and reached the climax, and then, Roseau turned his gaze to the governing seat.
「Sovereign Philos Trait, what I have just said is the consensus of the autonomous people. Please accept it in your heart.」
Compared to his previous words, it was a rather humorous statement. Philos thought it probably contained some sarcasm.
Well, the response was almost decided anyway. Philos shook her lips annoyingly, since she had a duty to fulfill as ruler. It would be enough to end this meeting with a peaceful approach.
However, Philos opened her mouth and added the following words.
「I have certainly heard the consensus of the citizens. But in order for the hungry to be saved, they must sometimes hold a shield and a sword against the threat that appears before them. Everyone, let’s not forget it.」
After professing those words, Philos turned her back on the assembly hall. No one could keep Philos there anymore, as she had heard the consensus of the private assembly.
「Those words will make the citizens angry again, Lord Philos. 」
Philos narrowed her eyes for a moment upon hearing the clerk’s voice from behind.
「I guess so, but it’s necessary. 」
Philos naturally understood that her words would cause some kind of antipathy and dissatisfaction. The citizens believed the assembly to be the ideal form of justice. They would think the lord was a bad person by being against their appeal.
Until now, successive rulers had been able to prevent conflicts by attending the private assembly and working closely with the people. However, the current Philos did the opposite.
How she ended the meeting was not the ideal way of the assembly. They had not been able to establish the complementary relationship that they should have in the first place. Philos believed that sometimes cooperation and sometimes conflict was the right figure for both the ruler and the private assembly.
Philos distorted her lips. It was a self-deprecating smile that could not be easily suppressed. fr(e)ewebn(o)vel
While telling the citizens not to pursue the ideals too much, in the end, Philos was also swayed by the figure of the ideal of the city. She wondered if it was unavoidable for the citizens to pursue ideals and justice just because they had such rulers before.
—
Roseau’s voice covered the private assembly hall after Philos left. His voice was big and high.
「Everyone! There is no difference in saying that our hope is lost! The ruler, Philos Trait, is not willing to listen to the people’s consensus!」
Roseau’s words grabbed the heat of the citizens and entangled them with his fierce will. His gestures, his voice, and even his intonation chained the people’s hearts. Every single soul looked up to him. There was something in Roseau that attracted people.
「Listen! You are wise and self-governing people. Dragons and demons are now approaching the autonomous city of Philos. If you show the dragon obedience, you will be trampled, and if you make a contract with the devil, you will fall into hell!」
The dragon was the Great Holy Church, and the devil was the Heraldic Order. Regardless of which one they gave in, Roseau said they had no future. It was a strangely real feeling, and it made the citizens think that it was the truth.
Of course, most of them were members of Great Holy Church. Therefore, it was not strange to give some obedience to that entity. But it was another matter when it came to cooperate with them for a war. Roseau emitted great enthusiasm.
「Self-governing people! You are the wisest of all! Now is the time for us to act and show our will!」
The People’s Assembly Hall swayed like boiling water. The citizens shouted aloud and cheered without stopping to show their agreement. Everyone got swallowed in the heat.
In front of such scene, Roseau’s bearded mouth showed a quiet smile.
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