Chapter 300 Independence -29
Chapter 300 Independence -29
Waris Central Square. Behind the platform.
They had set out after hearing that over a hundred thousand people had gathered, and by the time Jiha arrived, the crowd had swelled even further.
Uben spoke, his voice charged with excitement.
"The numbers are still climbing, even now. The current estimate is one hundred thirty thousand."
Unlike his elated staff officer, Jiha remained cold and analytical.
There was no guarantee this mass of people would follow him completely. Under the wrong circumstances, they might turn their backs on him and take up arms.
Could he seize the hearts of hundreds of thousands right here, in this very moment?
Did he have the qualifications to reign supreme over all?
It would be decided here.
"I'm going. All of you, follow."
Jiha gave the order to the Uniques and ascended the platform.
Ruby, the rabbit beastman girl in the bunny suit who was emceeing on stage, quickly raised her voice.
"Ah, Chairman Jiha has arrived! Everyone! Please don't push! Stay calm! And please maintain order!"
A familiar face, the beauty who used to provide commentary during the Summoning War, now serving as the master of ceremonies.
Ruby, who met Jiha's eyes, seemed flustered for a moment before addressing the crowd.
"Ah, it seems it's not just Chairman Jiha, but the Uniques as well are coming up. It looks like there will be an explanation regarding the situation last night."
The ones following Jiha up were Yura, Asira, Narsha, Pairan, Barjet, and Gashiel.
Six Uniques on the stage, and standing at the very front was Jiha, a Common. By the common sense of Warsland, this was an impossibility, but the people didn't seem to care much.
Since the formation of the Committee, everyone had tacitly accepted that Jiha held a higher status than the Uniques.
This was merely making it visible in an official capacity.
Ruby handed the microphone to Jiha and stepped back.
Jiha took the mic and looked out at the audience.
Estimated attendance: one hundred thirty thousand. Seeing people still flooding in far in the back, the number was only growing.
"......."
How should he persuade them all?
The logic and structure were all laid out. He had the words to get them excited, the bait to hook them. The carrot, and the stick.
But just because all the ingredients are prepared, does that guarantee a perfect dish?
"Who are all of you? Where do you come from?"
Jiha suddenly spoke up.
The crowd was baffled by the abrupt shift in topic, but Jiha simply plowed ahead.
Words that came to him on impulse, effectively shredding the scripts he had drafted in several patterns. It didn't matter.
The true message he wanted to deliver was already in his heart.
"This Warsland is made up of many different things. Men and women, children and adults, Humans and Elves, Dark Elves, Demons, Dwarves, Celestials, Dirga, Dryads, Gnolls, Orcs, Fairies, Beastmen....... The list is endless once you start counting."
"......."
Even under the gaze of hundreds of thousands of eyes, Jiha remained composed.
The moment had come to reveal the mindset with which he intended to dominate everything.
"Everyone is either a man or a woman. A child or an adult, of some species or another. We are beings with far too many differences. Look at the person next to you. What do you have in common with them?"
Jiha intentionally used casual, blunt speech.
He wasn't trying to buy their hearts with empty words he didn't mean.
To truly captivate people, the words must flow from within.
Whether they are a lie or the truth, only words you yourself believe can move others.
If you tell a lie as if it's the truth, make others believe it, and come to believe it yourself, then that becomes the truth.
If your words can stir a tempest in people's hearts, then those words are the truth.
At Jiha's question, more than one hundred thousand people unconsciously glanced at the person next to them. Strangers, parents or children they had come with to hear the speech, friends. They looked and understood that Jiha's words were correct.
"And yet, despite being so different, the biggest division among us was the two camps called Blue Seal and Purple Liberation. We were either Blue or Purple. Ally or enemy. We all lived believing that, through our long history. We lived that way without doubt, without thought. The same camp meant friend; a different camp meant enemy."
"......."
"Until yesterday, that was the era we lived in. I was certainly one of those people. I'd be lying if I said I never debated whether to take my followers to Blue Seal or Purple Liberation. No matter which side I went to, I could have secured a higher status and a richer life than anyone else."
The people knew his words were neither exaggeration nor lie.
"All I had to do was hand over this city, Waris, to one side. Whether it was Blue or Purple, if I just bowed my head and surrendered this city, I could have lived a life free of envy."
There was not a soul who didn't know how much both factions coveted Waris.
And at some point, there was also not a soul who didn't know that Jiha had become Waris's de facto ruler.
"Last night, I met Alex."
"......."
"Many of you probably don't know who Alex is. So I'll explain. He was the head of the Species Alliance, a Purple political interest group, and the younger brother of Gashiel Remaker, a Unique of the Celestial Tribe. From the moment he was born, he lived a life free of envy, a prince whose life always went his way. He was even handsome, on top of that."
When Jiha gave a dry laugh, the crowd unconsciously laughed along.
"But I killed him."
"......."
The laughing faces froze.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"He offered me wealth and glory. He tempted me, saying that if I just followed him, if I just handed everything over, I could live a life free of envy forever. He whispered to me to close my eyes, pretend I didn't know anything, and ask if being happy myself wasn't enough."
"......."
"He was the mastermind behind all the schemes that threw Waris into chaos, using the Shade. Lowchen was also nothing more than his pawn."
Perhaps Lowchen himself was listening somewhere among the crowd right now.
Thinking that, Jiha raised his voice.
"I thought he was a puppet for Purple, but that wasn't the case either. He was one of the members of a secret society operating in the shadows of Blue Seal and Purple Liberation, one of those hatching a terrifying conspiracy to throw Warsland into turmoil."
"......."
The shocking revelation caused people's eyes to widen.
Seeing the palpable air of disbelief, Jiha spoke again.
"Look at those standing behind me. Though they come from opposing camps, they are now following me. That will serve as proof."
"......."
People's gazes lingered on the Uniques, especially Gashiel.
The very fact that Gashiel, a Celestial and Alex's own sister, stood here without denying it was as good as irrefutable evidence.
When Gashiel tried to step forward, Jiha motioned with his eyes to stop her.
This wasn't the time for distractions.
He had to ride this charged reaction from the crowd, this atmosphere, and make their hearts burn even hotter.
Burn even brighter.
"Blue Seal, Purple Liberation, and even the secret society all told me to get in line beneath them. But I killed Alex. Because I could never forgive the crimes he committed, the chaos he sowed in Waris, and the massacre of innocent citizens."
"Well done!"
"A bastard like that deserves to die!"
The people responded passionately.
How could they not be terrified after so many died from the Shade's tyranny?
They all looked up to Jiha for resolving it.
"So, two paths remained for me to choose. Do I hand this city to Blue Seal, or to Purple Liberation? They've been rushing to offer me incredible terms. Word came that they would grant me a rank higher than Unique. They spoke of giving me a king's fortune, of giving me any beauty I could ever want."
"......."
"A stranger from a distant world, a human Common marked for death in the Summoning War, has risen this far. A meteoric rise, isn't it? Most people would be satisfied with that."
Jiha smiled bitterly.
Instinctively, the people knew Jiha hadn't made any such decision.
And they were curious why he was revealing his inner thoughts so candidly.
"But one thing bothered me. Did Blue and Purple truly know nothing about Alex?"
"......."
The crowd's mood instantly turned cold.
A silence fell, so deep that even the sound of breathing disappeared.
"There's no way they didn't know. No matter how much Alex schemed, no matter how deep the secret society operates, the idea that they didn't know of their existence is absurd. They knew, and they looked the other way. Why do you think that is?"
"......."
"Why did they pretend not to know while the innocent citizens of Waris—your children, parents, and friends—were being murdered? Why did they just stand by and watch, knowing exactly what Alex was doing?"
Seeing anger surface on people's faces, Jiha struck the match.
"Because they thought it was advantageous for them."
"Th-that can't be......."
"What do you mean by that!!!"
The enraged crowd erupted in an outraged chorus.
"They left the citizens to die because they saw it as a golden opportunity to swallow and monopolize Waris. That was my conclusion."
"Bastards!"
"Damn them all!!"
Those who had lost someone, and those who had lain awake from fear, trembled with rage.
"Isn't the recent rise in prices also because of those bastards?"
"It has to be! There's word that the amount of food coming in has dropped!!"
The seeds planted beforehand were beginning to sprout.
As the people's anger and discontent escalated, Jiha continued.
"In the end, everyone just wants to possess this city. No one cares who dies. And they all tempted me to close my eyes and join them. But......."
As Jiha drew out his words, the crowd held its breath.
"I couldn't do that. I wasn't born in Warsland, much less a native of Waris. But this city is the place where I've spent the most time since being summoned. I know this city. I know the scent of its grasslands, and I know all of you who came to watch the Summoning War and applauded. I've felt the passing breeze here, and I've wandered its back alleys, drunk on liquor. I've fought people here, and I've embraced people and wept with them here."
"......."
"It all happened in this city. There were many thoughts, but the conclusion was one. I love this city."
At Jiha's words, the people looked up, deeply moved.
Why had he made such a choice despite countless temptations? This was why.
Those who had grown up and lived their lives in this city couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion.
"I didn't want to hand this city over to those with ulterior motives. I didn't want to leave it to be trampled under the military boots of those who can only see the immediate profit in front of them. I love this city, and I could not forgive those who would throw it into chaos. Any amount of wealth, glory, or fame is trivial compared to that."
"......."
People trembled, speechless.
Jiha declared with a calm, steady voice.
"Now, no one will protect us, and no one can be trusted. If that's the case, then we have no choice but to rise up and take up arms ourselves. Blue and Purple have their own agendas, and nestled within them is a secret society that seeks to overturn the world. The only thing we can trust is the people standing beside us. The only thing I can trust is you, who have rushed here to hear the truth and listen to my words!"
"Waaaaaah!!"
As Jiha's voice boiled over, so did the crowd's.
"We will fight to protect our lives, our families, and our property!! I will make sure you can protect what is precious to you!!"
Jiha shouted at the top of his lungs, not to be drowned out by the roar of hundreds of thousands, but so his voice could reach the deepest part of their blazing hearts.
"If you will follow me, then rise up and fight!!"
Jiha clenched his fist and thrust his hand into the air, and without hesitation, the crowd raised their fists to the sky.
"We swear it, under that crimson sun!! That we will fight to protect our own!!"
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
Following Jiha's oath, the people roared and cheered without restraint.
The thunderous cry of hundreds of thousands echoed, fit to shake the heavens themselves.
A third faction.
The Red Union was born.