Guards cleared the way and the orchestra played in unison. The Third Level Estate Assembly was now open!

Some had already attended the Noble Conference and held no hope for this expanded proceeding. In truth, from the very beginning, the Nobility had only ever seen the Third Level Estate Assembly as a tool to delay reform and prevent His Majesty the King from ruling by absolute decree.

It was not until the representatives of the Third Level began to gather in the Royal Capital Valuva, entering the assembly hall filled with hope and aspiration, that the Nobility realized their mistake and felt a genuine sense of panic.

There were too many people—far too many representatives from the Third Level!

The privileged classes were, after all, only a minority of the Kingdom’s population, not even making up ten percent. After the royal court hastily issued the summons for the assembly and established the selection method for the Third Level’s representatives, these people had risen up from the provinces and the districts of the Royal Capital to flood the hall.

Both the robed and Sword Nobles, as well as the Bishops, were bewildered. Since when could the common folk produce so many learned individuals? These newcomers were often passionate and eloquent, proposing seemingly reasonable measures and seductive ideals. Most importantly, they were all still young.

On their side, however, the representatives of the First and Second Levels often had graying temples, exuding an air of decrepitude. Yes, even though they had been born with gold and silver spoons in their mouths, it had still taken them considerable effort to inherit their titles. And now, they were expected to share power with the "lower class" in this chaotic hall.

It hadn’t been like this before! In their ancestors’ time, at the assembly of the Sun King, Charles XIV, the representatives of the Third Level had been nothing more than diligent old farmers and timid little merchants. They were summoned only to respectfully listen to the royal edicts, and upon returning home, they would tell those around them to obediently hand over their money to the lords.

But now? The hall was filled with restless upstarts! They spoke their minds without reservation, as if simply entering the hall made them equals of the privileged classes. And yes, that was their goal: to abolish the Kingdom’s excellent traditions and dictate terms regarding the privileges of the Nobility and the Church.

A mixture of resentment and anxiety spread through the hearts of the Nobility.

"Gentlemen, I have returned!" A detestable fellow stood arrogantly at the front of the hall. It was Nekker, holding his speech—that is to say, his reform proposal.

’Dipresy isn’t here. So much the better.’ Nekker was somewhat satisfied. He hadn’t been crushed or imprisoned; on the contrary, his resignation had forced the King and others to once again recognize his value.

Before the assembly had even officially begun, the Nobility was already launching an attack on the Third Level. A Count was the first to speak. "Lord Minister of Finance, congratulations on your return to the court! Before the assembly begins, we, the members of the First Level, have unanimously agreed that a critical issue must be addressed:

"None of us anticipated that there would be so many gentlemen in the hall that some are unable to find a seat.

"In accordance with glorious tradition, I hope the organizers of this assembly will control the number of representatives from the Third Level, ensuring it does not exceed twice the number of the First and Second Levels combined."

"We’ve never heard of such a thing! How many of our compatriots traveled thousands of miles to be here? For some, it was their first time on an Airship, their fare paid with money pooled by their friends and neighbors!

"And now, you noble lords cannot tolerate our presence? This grand hall has no room for us? I see your intent! You and your companions are trying to humiliate the representatives of the Third Level before driving us out!"

"My emotional friend," the Count replied, "I have no intention of driving out all the Third Level representatives. I am merely requesting a review of each delegate’s qualifications. Who knows if any sans-culottes or journalists have snuck in to cause trouble?"

If a review of qualifications were to begin, it would be a time-consuming and arduous task. The Nobility’s goal would be achieved.

"I refuse! All of us will stand or fall together!"

The assembly hall buzzed like a swarm of angry bees as the representatives argued incessantly. The voices of the First and Second Level delegates echoed through the hall, filled with arrogance and disdain. They believed the Third Level was too numerous, like a disorderly flock of sheep that had to be controlled, lest their voices drown out the wisdom and nobility of the aristocracy.

The Third Level representatives, aware of their numerical advantage, began to organize and unite into clubs. The lawyers were especially prominent; they were natural verbal warriors with powerful rhetorical skills. They worked to unify their own class while launching aggressive attacks against the privileged classes.

However, the battle was primarily between the First and Third Levels. The Second Level had fallen into a strange silence.

The Bishops and lower-ranking Priests seemed distracted, their minds elsewhere. Their backbone—Archbishop Dipresy—was also absent. Meanwhile, the representatives of the Mages were no longer the heads of the two towers; many Mages from the south had also arrived at the assembly, with Pascal attending on behalf of Kano.

Pascal saw many familiar faces among the representatives, including Maxim. He had some influence, but he was not yet a leading figure among the Third Level delegates.

The argument over numbers was temporarily shelved by the King’s arrival. Some of those who had traveled from afar were still excited and reverent at the sight of Charles XVI, a sign that His Majesty the King’s prestige had not completely depreciated along with the currency.

"The day I have eagerly awaited has finally arrived, and I am here to meet the outstanding representatives who guide Our nation. Though the circumstances may be somewhat out of date, We insist on reviving this old tradition so that the Kingdom may draw new strength from it and open up a new source of prosperity for the nation."

The opening remarks earned cheers and applause from the attendees, but disappointment soon followed.

"...The treasury is empty, and foreign enemies encircle Us. My subjects, the Kingdom has reached its most difficult hour.

"We do not wish to see us gathered here only to argue needlessly. Rather, We hope to unify our thoughts for the coming actions that will save the Kingdom."

The lengthy speech could be summarized in a single sentence: ’We are poor. Everyone, please offer Us your very last Gold Coin!’

Even a fool could see through the speech to the three underlying equations:

The Kingdom = The King;

New strength = New money;

A new source of prosperity = New pretexts for taxes.

But the countless indebted merchants and the peasants who had to pay taxes despite poor harvests were all hoping their representatives would plead with the benevolent His Majesty to save the gasping Third Level.

With the two sides at odds, everyone in the hall wanted only to defend their own small plot of land and their meager surplus.

Nekker gave the Nobility no further opportunity to attack the Third Level and immediately began the proceedings.

He was confident that the Third Level would be willing to accept his proposals. This was partly because Nekker believed his own writings could sway public opinion, and partly because he was certain that a reform plan to abolish noble privileges and purge the Kingdom’s administration would inevitably be welcomed by the common people.

And indeed, the more the commoners’ representatives listened, the more excited they became, eager to applaud and cheer for the minister.

But the Nobility played another trick. This time, an "elite mob" among the powerful, Duke Melovinca, stood up. He put forth an insidious proposal:

"If the representatives of the Third Level refuse to submit to a review of their qualifications, that is fine. We can skip that step to save time."

At these words, the other nobles thought the Duke had betrayed his own class and was truly siding with the bankers. Soon, however, they were cheering for the Duke’s proposal. "However," he continued, "regarding Lord Nekker’s new financial and administrative concepts, I hope we can vote according to the following rule:

"The three Levels will vote separately, first reaching an internal decision on whether to pass the motion. The reform plan will only pass if at least two of the three Levels agree to it."

This simple method of voting by order would, in effect, erase the Third Level’s numerical advantage. In the eyes of the First Level, the Church was certainly on their side. The eccentric Mages were unpredictable, but their Guilds also enjoyed privileges, and their numbers were far fewer than the Church’s representatives.

A brilliant move! Even Nekker grew tense. If they truly followed such a procedure, his proposal would very likely be rejected once again.

Maxim was the first to shout, "I do not agree!"