Plan 2.0
Plan 2.0
The Standing Inspectorate.
Our new Noble Council.
The pardon and reinstatement of Luna and the 1st Army knights, and other miscellaneous side dish claims were also accepted.
A 5-member composition.
Budget Review Authority.
Veto power over the resolutions of the Noble Council (Lower House).
As long as these three things were kept, how the Standing Inspectorate (Upper House) was operated was entirely the freedom of the Upper House.
The nobles, who did not even realize they were the lower house, seemed to be noisily discussing it for days.
From what I roughly gathered of their internal circumstances,
「There is absolutely no safeguard against the unlimited abuse of the veto power!」
So they are not complete fools.
But I had expected that level of backlash.
'As expected, no one pays any attention to the Budget Review Authority.'
The real weapon is over here though.
***
The main assembly hall where the establishment of the Standing Inspectorate was being discussed.
Hildea, with her eyes closed, calmly chewed over Piel's teachings.
For days, the Noble Council had been hashing it out among themselves and had narrowed down the issues to some extent.
Now it was time to strike the dragon's eye.
"The hero of the North, whom the elf legions fear and tremble before, Commander-in-Chief of Ainshvan, the great Sword Master, Count Hildea Valkenhart, please come up to the podium."
Hildea opened her eyes.
Over hundreds of nobles sat surrounding her, glaring at her.
Her blood boiled as if she had become a champion gladiator entering the Colosseum.
Hildea calmly stood at the podium.
A young noble acting as the vanguard, Viscount Aluta, obtained the right to speak, sprang to his feet, and shouted.
"We are concerned that an unrestricted veto power could potentially paralyze the function of the Noble Council!
Accordingly, we demand a limit on the number of times the veto can be exercised, or a rule that allows the veto to be overridden if certain conditions are met!"
The young noble held his breath for a moment, looked around, and then shouted with all his might.
"For example, a resolution passed with a quorum of 4/5 in favor would ignore the veto!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
The nobles all nodded while seated, clapping with cold expressions.
Viscount Aluta bowed his head in all directions, expressing gratitude and respect, then took his seat.
"Is the Noble Council afraid of a mere five votes?"
A low voice.
But the voice laden with mana resonated throughout the entire space, slightly unsettling the nobles' mood.
"The Standing Inspectorate will not issue any resolutions. It will make no judgments, and will give no orders.
For the procurement of supplies necessary to maintain combat power, it merely resolves the Budget Review Authority and the Veto Power, just these two authorities, through a collegial body of five."
Hildea pointed her finger at Viscount Aluta.
"If a resolution is not misguided, there is absolutely no reason for the Standing Inspectorate to veto it.
I ask you. Are you so afraid of this minimal safeguard prepared against the time when a misguided resolution is issued, not by 4/5, but by even more than that?"
Viscount Aluta, receiving the full brunt of a Sword Master's gaze, gulped dryly.
In his mind, the horrifying image of the deceased Marquis Hapscorten from days prior flashed.
"An unrestricted veto would paralyze the Noble Council? If that is the case, then I ask you.
If a true resolution to circumvent the Standing Inspectorate is passed after the veto count is exhausted, and if it is misguided, who then can correct it properly?"
Correct it.
At those words, everyone recalled the measures taken immediately after the 105mm howitzer summary execution.
「I, the victim, personally corrected the Noble Council's error.」
「I am grateful that you corrected the court's error without delay and demonstrated that justice stands straight in this land.」
Hildea's voice gradually rose.
"We do not decide. That is the inherent function of the Noble Council. We merely examine the decision once more to see if it harms the war against the elves."
"We do not produce. The war materials and the judgments needed to govern the kingdom, all of it must be borne by you."
"We do not rule. Because we trust the Noble Council's long experience and wisdom in governance. Therefore, the Noble Council must also trust our ability to wage war."
"I solemnly declare upon my honor.
That the veto power will be exercised solely against resolutions that harm the 'Unity for Peace' against the elves, and that we will never back down from any foolish judgment that threatens the kingdom's well-being!"
Hildea's voice reached its peak.
Some young or low-ranking nobles were gradually growing red in the face, sympathizing with Hildea's speech.
"While we were clenching our starving bellies and holding back the elf legions! There were those who conceived the idea of abandoning the entire North and reorganizing the defensive line south of the Dwein River!"
At this, everyone stirred in confusion.
Mostly the poor or low-ranking nobles who were uninvolved in the secret pact.
"Using the Dwein River as the front line? Then supplies would be reduced, but...."
"How would the territories lost by Count Balckenhardt and Carlton Marquis be compensated?"
"Who would conceive such an outrageous idea?"
Just then, Marquis Philstein, well over seventy, sprang to his feet.
"I have a question!"
He was a respected elder.
This was because he was the oldest and, for a marquis, extremely frugal (poor).
"Was such an outrageous scheme, one that infringes upon the sacred rights of nobles, truly underway?"
It was a shout made without obtaining the right to speak.
But before any sanction could occur, Hildea nodded in agreement.
"That is correct."
"Outrageous! How can such un-noble-like people exist! Count Balckenhardt, I beg you to disclose their disgraceful names one by one here and now!"
However, Hildea smiled and shook her head.
"I have forgotten them all. Not because I compromised with them, but because the real war, the important one, lies elsewhere."
The elves.
"The situation on the battlefield and the direction of the war can only be best judged by the field commander. We simply wish to focus on the war we are best at, and only prevent misguided judgments from interfering!"
Shing!
Hildea drew her machete high.
"Support us so that we may fight better! Protect us so that we may focus solely on combat!
Grant us just one shield that can protect us! Please, let the Noble Council become our Aegis Shield!"
Yet another person sprang to his feet.
He too was a frugal (poor) noble of deep trust and influence.
"I! Will gladly become the shield of Ainshvan!"
Without giving the high nobles a moment to show their bewilderment, the applause spread instantaneously.
Timing it just as the applause was dying down, another person sprang up.
"The Ainshvan Army is the guardian shield of our Leodis Kingdom! I too shall become a blacksmith who guards and maintains that guardian shield!"
Now the atmosphere had become unstoppable.
As if playing a game of seeing who would move first, people sprang up one after another, shouting their support.
Because multiple people stood up at the same time, a ridiculous scene unfolded as they tried to avoid speaking over each other.
But by now, everyone was so excited that even this sight felt like a passionate fighting spirit to participate in the unity championed by Hildea.
"A brave general guarding the frontline deserves a shield befitting him!"
"I too! I too will become a shield!"
"Long live Ainshvan! Long live Valkenhart!"
The atmosphere was already an irreversible tide.
The nobles who had secretly hoped for a check on the veto power all shook their heads as if they had suffered a crushing defeat.
Most of them were parties to the frontline reorganization pact.
'Even though she drew a sword in the sacred main assembly hall, no one opposes it....'
'Count Balckenhardt has already taken control.'
'Did a commoner-born mongrel know how to do such things?'
"Stand up! Become the shield that protects me! Then I shall become the sharpest sword that guards that shield!"
"Shield! Shield! Shield!"
"Great Sword Master!"
"Everyone, stand up! Rise!"
"Let us rise and show our resolve! Everyone, stand up, I say!"
Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump.
In an instant, the nobles rose from their seats and gave a thunderous ovation.
The atmosphere had completely swung.
Even those who were displeased with the situation had no choice but to stand up and clap.
'Everyone's gone mad.'
'Even if they beheaded someone right here for not standing, accusing them of being an elf spy, everyone is in a mood to happily applaud.'
'It can't be helped. Let's just clap for now.'
Tremendous applause, faces flushed with excitement, a heat that seemed to form beads of sweat.
When Hildea lightly raised her left hand, the applause stopped as if it were a lie.
A sight as if a well-trained elite unit was following a commander's signal.
"Do you all support the establishment of the Standing Inspectorate?"
We support it!
Someone shouted that first, and everyone followed as if spellbound.
A resonance that seemed to shake the main assembly hall.
We support it! We support it! We support it!
"Will you all become shields that guard the Standing Inspectorate?"
We will become shields!
"So that I may forever remember your burning courage! Tell me your honorable names!"
Name! Name! Name!
Handsome teenage servant boys came forward, carrying a massive written pledge together.
The nobles scrambled to write down their names and family names.
"Sign! Sign!"
"Let us become the shields that protect the North!"
Even those who were not swept up in the flow hid their bitter smiles and signed.
If you did not sign here, you were liable to be branded a traitor who sold the country to the elves.
The Noble Council Chairman was the last to sign the giant written pledge, which was over four meters wide.
He was actually feeling relieved.
'Count Balckenhardt suspects I am a party to the pact. But now he will no longer be able to bind me with that.'
Duke Glieta (the Noble Council Chairman) thought that the real reason Marquis Hapscorten was so cruelly executed was because his family had made that pact.
Everyone looked at Hildea with flushed faces.
Some could not hold back their tears.
For those who had never experienced, nor even imagined, such a collective sense of unity, the catharsis was uncontrollably immense.
Hildea, who had sheathed her sword before anyone noticed, raised one hand high.
"The Standing Inspectorate will become the sharpest sword that defeats the elf legions, and the strongest shield that blocks the elf legions!"
"Valkenhart! Valkenhart!"
"Standing Inspectorate! Standing Inspectorate!"
It was a Noble Council debut completely different in tone from the howitzer execution, but far more heated.
***
"Is it true? Marquis Philstein stepped forward at your, sir, request?"
"To be precise, he accepted the request of a gold coin. His beloved grandson was unable to marry because he lacked money, you see."
"Then all those many people were...?"
"Of course not. The people I asked number less than ten. And naturally, they did not know of each other."
"Less than ten? Then you mean that many people wholeheartedly agreed like that?"
"That is the power of the collective."
There were some who did not get swept up in the agitation atmosphere and tried to hide their soured expressions.
All were wealthy, powerful high-ranking nobles.
Of course, I recorded all their faces on my tactical terminal and made a list.
Hildea was in high spirits.
"Then from now on, I can use the veto power freely and...."
"No. For a while, we must mindlessly pass the lower house's resolutions. Without delay, immediately."
If you haphazardly fire a good weapon just because you obtained it, you will only cause the central nobles to come to their senses.
"I see. You are right, sir. I was too excited and had a foolish thought."
"We steadily build up the presence and authority of the Upper House so that they have no choice but to acknowledge it."
"And then at the decisive moment, you will fire indiscriminately, right? Like a howitzer."
"That is correct."
With this, the most important weapon had been forged.
Replacing the scrapped Marshall Plan 1.0, <The Ainshvan-ization of All Kingdom Citizens>.
The new Marshall Plan 2.0, capable of realizing <The Ainshvan-ization of All Kingdom Land>.
The Standing Inspectorate, no, the Upper House of Nobles.
'Come to think of it, this also has the character of a security guarantee against the elves.'