Everyone seated at the table took a moment to position themselves appropriately in their chairs and organize any of the parchments they brought with them. When the room settled down, the King glanced at Blake Von Leer with a nod.
Taking a stand before bowing to the King and Queen, Lord Von Leer leaves his notes on the table and calmly rests his hands behind his back. He holds the King's gaze before sweeping it over the seated occupants.
Blake Von Leer's deep voice was steady and powerful; he had no tone that indicated arrogance, but the way he conducted himself made his hubris clear. "As you are all aware, the equality within the Kingdom has always been at odds. The powerful extorting the weak for resources, cheap labor, and… humiliation. While the degree has lessened, and paths for citizens to rise in standing have increased, the severity of negative actions against Lower District residents has led them to distrust. They are growing increasingly distressed and unruly, publicly acting out against the ruling of the Royal family. Their disrespect is being directed against authorities, all because of the actions of a few. To change that, we as the face of the Kingdom, need to show them that they are heard, and active measures to regain their trust are being taken. We cannot protect this Kingdom if it is actively fighting against itself. If we don't do anything soon, they will act with increased desperation." Blake Von Leer let his words hang in the air. Letting them be digested by the room of self-centered degenerates. He looked at the Queen, continuing, "My Queen, your grace, if you please." He gave another slight bow, prompting the Queen to stand.
Holding her dress gracefully, she bent forward, slowly rising from her seat, catching the wandering ogling gazes of the old men.
Straight on her feet, she turned to the King in a curtsy and addressed the room. Her voice was soft and flowing with a mature tone to it, "Lord's, my guests, the pursuit of equality and respect between all citizens in all Districts has been a critical goal of mine for the better part of our monarchy. After countless futile attempts at swaying the less fortunate to these views, I'm afraid that the Kingdom cannot stand anything less than absolute effort. We all know the injustice stems from the gap of power bestowed upon us through Wills. The task I will propose to you will take time, resources, and zen, but in the end, we will be left with a more connected Kingdom than most others on the continent." As she said this, servants standing by the walls of the room began handing out scrolls to everyone seated at the table. "The scrolls being handed out are an in-depth report of how this goal shall transpire; you will all be given time to go over it to consider endorsing your patronage. We are aware it is a lot to ask, but this is how we make the Kingdom of Oston better. To summarize the reports, the goal is to allow the opportunity for every citizen of the kingdom to Bond with a Will of at least the Decent Rank. Of course, the Bond is optional. Should they survive Integration, they will be given a better chance to support and grow the kingdom with their newfound abilities."
The room rose in volume, everyone turning to their most well-known neighbor, discussing her proposal in an uncontained whisper. Everyone was urging to be heard over the other. When the volume rose to a disrespectful level, Hugo, the Wind Vestige, unleashed a wave of his Aura over the room, instantly choking it to silence.
The action prompted the Queen to speak again, "I understand your concern; however, we will not be taking comments at this time. Use the rest of the day to think it over. It shall be a discussion for tomorrow's follow-up meeting." Finished with her topic of discussion, she took her seat.
The room remained silent of voices, with the only noise being the shuffling of others in their chairs. I motioned for Sir Chiron to step closer, handing him the scroll when he approached.
He knew what it meant. He'll take the time to read and memorize it, briefing me on the contents at the end of the meeting.
Like sheep, several other surrounding Lords handed the scroll off to their servants.
"Shall we continue?" The King's voice boomed in the silence. Everyone turned their heads to see him looking at Headmistress Aurelle. "How are the Academy preparations coming along?"
Rising from her seat, she comfortably curtsied to the King before addressing the room. Her old voice was respectful, but cracked a little, "I'll make this quick, it's not the most important topic for today. Preparations are coming along well, repairs have been made, and we have weeded out the problems within the academy's command. New instructors have been assigned, and they are promptly caught up to speed. After the debacle earlier this year, we have upped our security to ensure a safe environment for the students. As most of you here have children attending my academy, let them know we will be up in full force in the new year. We have taken measures to ensure there are no setbacks."
Her news brought a light of fresh air to the room. Which comes in a short leash. Nonetheless, the parents with children at the academy visibly relaxed.
During the time I was out of the kingdom with Leo, while the children of the Royal family and other important Lords attended Quincy Academy, covert agents from an enemy kingdom were sent to the academy as professors, and students, for either espionage or assassination. It's believed that their top goal was getting the children to betray their Kingdom by gaining access to secret information. Two years after their attendance, the whole operation turned into a disaster, with many of the teachers and students being discovered during the school year. In a last-ditch effort to keep their secrets safe, they over-unleashed their Will to self-destruction. A common tactic for assassins, of High-Rank or higher, when compromised.
In the end, the explosions took the lives of some students, along with the demolition to some of the academy buildings. The rest of the year was canceled, and the faculty spent the rest of the time unearthing the remaining spies and rebuilding. It was a complete blow to the academy's reputation.
'That is good to hear." The King responded.
"Indeed."
The King spoke in a half-worried, half-joking way, "After the whole debacle, I hope you can give my children some leeway when it comes to their marks."
"While I do apologize for the events these past two years, you know I don't do favours. It is up to your children's discretion to perform their duties."
"Of course," The King said with a chuckle.
Radiating the atmosphere of the room, a few Lords flashed their Auras, indicating that they had something to say.
Speaking up first was Blake Von Leer. Standing up for everyone to see. "As this recent scandal has debilitated the structure of the academy, how can you be sure that there are no more spies within its walls?"
Headmistress Aurelle responded, "Extensive checks and tests have been done on all faculty members in order to regain some of the trust lost in the academy. While invasive to their privacy, most were forthcoming, wishing to have this whole mess behind us. The testing included background checks, with substantial follow-ups, as well as assigning some of our strongest Mind-Will Holders to… probe the truth." Glancing at Lord Oberfell. "Take my word for it, the academy is now in good hands."
Blake Von Leer didn't look fully convinced, but accepted the answer. "Very well. Then that brings me to my next question. Because the whole structure of the academy was compromised, a large percentage of the students are either behind or ahead of their coming year level. What will be done to rectify this?"
"During the time taken to fix the academy's structure, a new level implementation has also been put into place. While students will still follow the level-year format, any students with outstanding skills can be eligible to 'fast-track' to a level that best suits their proficiency. As the Academy is trying to retain its reputation as much as possible, including teaching capable students, unfortunately, those already enrolled who are struggling cannot be put into a lower year than the one already passed. If they cannot keep their scores up, they will be let go…"