Chapter 978
Chapter 978: Intervened Situation
Lilian’s heart almost stopped at the sight of the ice-cold corpses lying in the bloodied battlefield. She did witness cruelties of battles in the past, but this wasn’t a battlefield, after all. This was her country and city. It could also be said that even if she was ‘imprisoned’ in the palace, she used to admire the city and its bustling plaza from the palace’s garden. But now, it had turned into a graveyard with faint, weak groans echoing. Apart from some Battle Angels controlling the situation from midair, the others had begun treatment on the wounded. In fact, Lilian had never thought that this flourishing place would end up in this plight.
“… Chairman Nakvard, do you have anything to say?”
Lilian glared at the pale, silent, and unwavering man. He flicked off the raindrops on his shoulders. Then, he spoke.
“You shouldn’t have come to such a place, Your Majesty. The rioters are attempting to attack the parliament hall and are desperate to overturn the nation’s power. This is an act of our self-defense, so please return to your palace. I guarantee in the name of the chairman to provide a clear answer afterward.”
“I don’t need an answer. I know the specifics. Aren’t these people looking to claim the money that truly belongs to them? Why must you treat them this way? They are heroes who once fought for our country; don’t you think they should be treated properly?!”
Nakvard knitted his brows slightly. If it were any other day, he could order the guards to ‘escort’ her away. But Boulder and Serene were standing beside her now and he couldn’t do something like that so brazenly. This was the natural shortcomings of the parliament compared to the Light Dragon. No matter how much strength the parliament possessed, they could never become enemies with the two archangels under the Light Dragon protection. This was why the parliament had always been targeting Lilian instead. Even though archangels were powerful, they had to obey Lilian’s orders, after all. But this time, he didn’t expect both of them to be around. Could it be that something went wrong…?
“Your Majesty…”
“Stop. After hearing the report from Big Sister Sonia, I thought your parliament could resolve the issue. But I didn’t expect you to do something like this. I’m utterly disappointed!”
Lilian was enraged. She was worried about the protest as soon as she heard about it. When she learned that the parliament made their final decision, she stood by the window and observed the situation in the plaza. Even though she was a child, she was a dragon soul heir, after all. She had exceptional attributes above humans so despite the harsh weather, she could clearly witness the happenings. From the start, she was hoping that the situation would come to a peaceful end. But she didn’t expect the parliament to send guards and kill the retired soldiers. She even thought that she was dreaming when she first saw it. But after she came to her senses, she couldn’t remain silent any longer.
In fact, she had heard a lot of things about the retired soldiers from Sonia. When she first saw the rough-looking men in ragged clothes seeking shelter in their tents, she had already thought of helping them. But she was also aware that if she showed herself, she might even turn the situation worse. Moreover, Sonia had been working hard in the parliament, which was why she chose to wait obediently for the results. But now, Lilian totally didn’t expect this at all!
She couldn’t no longer sit idly by at the sight of this massacre. She quickly approached Serene and Boulder, requesting them to stop everything at once.
“Your Majesty, they…”
“I know. Stop trying to explain yourself.”
Lilian pulled a long face and glared at Nakvard furiously. The man looked at her in silence, perhaps knowing that it was meaningless to explain further.
“Serene, bring the soldiers to my palace and treat their wounds. Then, get their representative to speak to me about the compensations… By the way, get Big Sister Sonia over too. I want to know the specific details.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Serene nodded. She turned around and ordered the Battle Angels.
Shortly after, the retired soldiers were escorted away while the city guards were driven aside. Ironically, even though it was the guards who started the expulsion and had better equipment, during the headcount they realized that they had more deceased than the retired soldiers. This was as though a slap on the parliament’s face.
Thereafter, the situation developed toward a direction the parliament members hated. In just a night of discussion with the soldiers’ representative, Lilian decided to hand out compensations to them. Not only that, but the families of the deceased in battle would also receive their rightful pensions. As for everything that happened in the plaza, she didn’t think that it was an act of riot, so she didn’t punish anyone. Of course, even though the guards were only there to maintain order, she was displeased and in disbelief that they actually attacked a group of ill and disabled people. Although the soldiers received meticulous care from the Battle Angels, Lilian couldn’t care less about the guards who had suffered worse. She handed the entire problem to the parliament instead.
The news of this protest in Freedom Square spread throughout the continent.
Many people were bewildered after hearing the news. Even though the parliament was prepared for this and claimed that someone attempted to cause chaos and overthrow the government by sneaking into the group of soldiers, Lilian’s actions were honestly a tight slap to their face. In fact, the soldiers left peacefully after having their requests fulfilled and this denied the credibility of the parliament’s claim. Besides, the ghastly bloodstains and corpses on Freedom Square were more than enough as proof. It was due to this reason that people accused the parliament and even the churches expressed their dissatisfaction. Standing from the church’s standpoint, the parliament was obviously trying to murder the innocent after going back on their words. If it weren’t for the fact that the church and parliament didn’t sign an agreement, the church would have frozen their finances. The city guards were also greatly resentful toward the parliament. They were unjustly ridiculed for the decision by their direct superiors. Not only that, but the parliament also attempted to push the blame to them, claiming that it was their decision to attack the soldiers.
It was nearly impossible for the guards to suffer in silence after being used as scapegoats and losing so many of their men.
The parliament couldn’t lift their heads proudly to the accusations from all over the continent. People also discovered that there were some changes to the situation in the Country of Light.
In comparison to the parliament, Lilian received praises and acknowledgment by the people for her benevolent actions. Even though some people thought that this was part of her conspiracy, those who were familiar with the Country of Light’s political ecology basically knew that she was simply a mascot. But they didn’t expect her to become an overnight celebrity. This incident completely displayed her capability in politics. Whether it was the release of relief funds or handling of the aftermath, she did pretty well. Although she wasn’t as experienced as a politician and often acted in a fit of pique, this made her rather adorable to the people who understood politics. Because if she was a sophisticated politician, she could have seized the opportunity to rope in the guards from the parliament’s hands and not left them alone. Although she was naive from a political standpoint, she was seen as a genuine person.
Of course, the military praised Lilian highly. As for the retired soldiers, they respected her the most.
Sure, the parliament wouldn’t resign to their fate just yet. They announced to the people about the incident and of course, their version of the story retold how Lilian ‘ignored’ the rules and overruled the proposal passed by the parliament and handled the matter in her own selfish ways. Even though the results were wonderful, it was extremely dangerous of her to neglect public opinions! They advised the people to open their eyes wide and not fall into this ‘trap of the dictator’.
But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t hide the truth. Besides, there were so many retired soldiers that it was basically impossible to seal their mouths. Therefore, there were no responses to their call for them to be wary of the dictator. Even though most people didn’t have a favorable impression on Lilian, a small group of them in the Country of Light started to support her. After all, no matter how nicely the parliament worded their statements, it was unforgivable for them to attack the soldiers who protected their country. Moreover, many people were displeased with the parliament, to begin with, because the parliament always sided the five largest financial groups and didn’t provide support to the civilians. In the past, people were afraid of being seen as ‘supporting a dictator’ and for that they remained silent. But after this incident, they showed a clear-cut stand to oppose the parliament and support Lilian. Not only that, but the military also expressed a high level of support to her.
The wind seemed to be blowing in a different direction..
And all the news arrived at Rhode’s ears in the Enchanted Forest.
“Seems like Lilian did great.”
Rhode nodded in satisfaction. In fact, what surprised him was that the two archangels were so obedient of her orders. Could it be that they came to a realization? Or there were some other reasons behind it? But… this wasn’t a problem for him to be worried about.
“Canary, how’s the situation with the Mage Tower?”
“According to Richard, they’ll be heading into the Deepest Labyrinth tomorrow.”
Rhode folded the report in his hands and put it away in his pocket. He looked at the night sky with narrowed eyes.
“Alright then, we shall see what exactly they are up to.”