The Kind of Evil-Chapter 491: Dehumanization.
Aurelia walked out of the palace’s wall and was welcomed by the warm and peaceful atmosphere, wondering if it was because of the massive bonfire. Everyone was sitting on the ground, sharing drinks and food while sharing their life stories. When they realized that Aurelia was there among them, they all jolted and stood up in unison, looking at her with a relief written on their faces.
"Please, don’t mind me. I want to join all of you, but if you treat me like this, I feel a bit uncomfortable," Aurelia, a soft smile painted her face.
The soldiers nodded and felt at ease when Aurelia wanted to be with them and just be herself like everyone else.
Aurelia looked around, searching for Alexander and the others, but the ones she found were Lenin and the mages from the Magic Tower on the far left side. Moriganne, Arthor, and all the leaders of nations were gathered in the center near the bonfire. She also couldn’t find Serena or Rasmus, in fact, they seemed to be somewhere else.
After looking for almost a whole minute, she found Alexander and the others, having a drink and sharing the food with the survivors. She wanted to go and be with them, but she had something to do first. She was no longer a child, a woman, or even a saint, she was a leader that would change the future of Central Neva.
"You’ll get used to it, Lady Angelis. It would be weird when people say a leader shouldn’t be above their people, and yet their loneliness is exclusively theirs, not the people," Anastasha said as she walked beside Aurelia with the fan unfolded and covering the lower half of her face. "Some people are just blind with their ideals. And those who are obsessed with their ideals, that very thing will be the reason why they fail," she said, her gaze focused on the table where Julius and the others were.
When Aurelia sat among the leaders, they respected her as an equal. They were worried about Aurelia when Anastasha asked for an audience to meet her privately. There was no need for proof or evidence that an Asghar wouldn’t use tricks and schemes to get what they want. They were afraid that the future of Central Neva would be in the hands of Anastasha.
"I would like to discuss the future of Central Neva, and I would like to tell you what Lady Asghar proposed to me," Aurelia said as she looked at everyone at the table.
All of them nodded with understanding and decided to listen to what Aurelia had to say. Aurelia then began to explain what Anastasha had proposed to her earlier. Everyone couldn’t believe what they had just heard, and of course, they were suspicious of Anastasha and what she was scheming about.
"My Lady, you want to centralize Central Neva? Something like that has never existed in Neva..." Julius asked, his expression unreadable.
Aurelia suggested the new system called the Elective Supranational Hegemony. A system where it only needed one leader to rule over the whole continent. The leader stood above every national law, but the leader only ruled periodically, voted on which candidate that befit the seat. Councils had the power and responsibility to maintain the states, but nobody could become a leader.
The leader was called the High Regent, born and raised in a place without any influence of any nation or lived in a society which was Gratlan. The candidates would be raised and taught by someone who had no desire for worldly affairs, the Great Sage. The candidates were raised but not all of them were guaranteed to be candidates for High Regent if they didn’t meet the requirement. Not only that, the former High Regent would be exiled back to Gratlan with no power and no influence anymore in the real world.
That idea was so dangerous but at the same time, it was something worth considering. The ruling system sounded perfect because it prevented corruption, dynasty, faction, and populism. The High Regent was nothing but a tool to achieve a better world for the people, making it undesirable.
"This matter can’t be discussed within days or even weeks, My Lady," Lazarus said with a serious expression. "Even the North is united, it has no centralized system like that. It’s not the system that we need to be worried about, but what kind of people that you’re ruling over. This might solve our current situation, but in the future, decades after decades, this system is more threatening than it’s meant to be," he pointed out.
"You’re not wrong about that, Elder. However, the unity of your Northern continent is because all of you just survived from a tyranny that could take the whole North Neva. I can ask you the same question, when is it until the North Neva will create another tyranny because of a human desire? Another war? Another bloodbath?" Anastasia asked, smiling with her eyes, still with the fan covering her lower face.
"Tell me, what kind of civilization where nobody is thirsting for power and a desire for domination? We live in a world where desire and morale are always the source of conflict. So why don’t we try where both are removed on a leader and create a utopia where a desire is no longer necessary," Anastasha asked as she stared at everyone at the table with a piercing gaze. "If you said that you’re that person, Elder Lazarus, then it does sound possible, is it not?" She raised her brows.
The table seemed to fade into a different world while the peaceful and warming atmosphere around them felt alien.
"You’re saying that the leader... or should I say the High Regent is just a tool for a better world? Something that can be used and thrown away once we were done using them?" Lenin asked as she walked toward the table with Novia beside her. "That’s dehumanization, Lady Asghar. What you’re trying to create is nothing but a monster that soon will collapse in this kind of world, or worse..." She paused as she took a seat and stared at Anastasha. "They will try to erase us because we are inefficient in their eyes," she pointed out.
"Isn’t that what this world has been doing all along? Some of you worship Gods who aren’t human. Some of us worship spirits or other higher beings that aren’t human. Yet, people still worship them anyway. Why? Is it because of devotion? Loyalty? Or is it because those beings are the axis that keep this world from losing its meaning and from preventing this world from destroying itself?" Anastasha tilted her head slightly, staring into Lenin’s eyes. "Why are you questioning it when the world is already using that form of obedience. The difference is that we just make that being real, to exist in the same world as ours," she pointed out.
"We live among beings that aren’t humans," Aurelia said as she looked at her hands on the table. "Spirits, Orthias, demons, and other beings that we are unaware of. How many of us failed to unite because they were displeased with what they had? I have thought about this and have seen and heard about this. Yet, those beings are capable of unity, capable of living together without any conflict like us humans. Are we really better than them? Are we really superior? Or are we the only being that has flaws that have caused this whole problem into this world?" She asked as she lifted her head and looked at everyone at the table.
Everyone chose to hold back from their resistance and just thought of what Aurelia said. Of course, they all knew that, they all understood it really well that humans were flawed and had always caused conflicts and problems with each other. They knew that it was human nature, and nature couldn’t be changed but had to be prevented or relocated into something else. Either way, they couldn’t argue or try to justify the concern that Aurelia spouted.
"Can we please try to find a solution rather than argue? I want Central Neva to be a safe place, a safe haven for everyone. The North is gone and I want to create this continent into a place that allows all backgrounds to coexist. If religions can do it, why can’t we? Religions cause conflict as well, which Gods to believe and why to believe the other religion is wrong. So I want this to work, to work beyond religion could achieve," Aurelia said as she looked at them with a frown.
"You are the one I chose, Lady Aurelia. The Magic Tower broke neutrality to support you, and we have looked at you as a leader that is worthy of leading the people. But let me ask you this, do you really want to do this? To create this system where you have to literally sacrifice your existence for the people?" Lenin asked with her arms crossed.
"Yes, I’m willing to do so," Aurelia answered with determination. "And please, help me make this possible. I know all of you really well, and I know that all of you want the same thing. Allow me to sacrifice myself while all of you assist me in achiving the utopia that I want to create," she said with a serious expression.
All of them nodded with understanding because it was all because of Aurelia that they could survive this. However, there was one thing that they didn’t want to ignore, and that was Anastasha who had been defending this idea.
"And what do you gain from this, Lady Asghar? You’re obviously gain something from this," Moriganne asked with her brows raised.
"Influence to push my siblings from succession, that’s all. I don’t have any other motives, and I have no desire to influence Aurelia or anyone in Central Neva. I can promise you that, and Rasmus can vouch for that if you want," Anastasha answered, smiling with her eyes.
