The hall was not only silent; it was filled with the chill that comes before a great storm.
Under the dim light of the chandeliers, the Duke of the North's face looked as though it had been carved from cold stone. His eyes never left Rei, as if he were trying to read the thoughts hidden behind that confident tone. The Emperor had played the card of the "Sixth Pillar," the card of spirit and identity, a card that did not merely change laws, but reshaped the minds of people.
That silence was broken by an unexpected sound... the ringing of a metal cup falling from a noble's hand in the back, its echo bouncing through the hall like a warning shot.
Ray seized that moment. He adjusted his position on the unforgiving throne and felt a stab of pain in his back that reminded him of reality; he was now steering a broken ship through a sea full of sharks, and any mistake would mean that Rei's unknown background would not be the only problem.
"It seems the Sixth Pillar has attracted your interest more than trade and foreign affairs," Ray said with a faint smile, though his eyes were watching the Duke of the North in particular. "The spirit is what remains when everything else collapses... isn't that right, Duke?"
Silence filled the hall for several seconds that felt like hours. The Duke of the North, the man who ruled a territory equal to half of the Empire's remaining lands, showed neither anger nor agitation. On the contrary, he placed his black-gloved hand against his chin and tilted his head slightly with chilling calmness.
"The spirit, Your Majesty..." the duke spoke in a deep, resonant voice that shook the hall. "A beautiful word. But in our northern dictionary, it means 'absolute loyalty.' And loyalty is not built through stories, but through bread and blood."
The duke turned a sharp gaze toward Rei, completely ignoring the trembling nobles around him, then continued in a tone carrying a hidden challenge.
"Controlling public consciousness and making the people obey through love. Those are the words of poets. In reality, the people follow whoever protects them from hunger and cold. If this Sixth Pillar intends to interfere with the 'stories' we tell our soldiers upon the northern walls... then perhaps you have begun a battle that documents alone will not finish."
Though those words seemed directed at Rei, they were actually aimed at Ray indirectly. It made Ray smile, but it would not have been wise for him to respond personally. Rei did not disappoint his expectations and answered the duke calmly.
[Your Grace, you are absolutely correct. Bread and blood are the fuel,] Rei said in a calmly provocative tone. [But the Sixth Pillar determines 'why' those warriors shed their blood. Do they fight for a duchy, or for an Empire? Bread fills the stomach, but the 'story' is what makes a soldier smile as he faces death. The Sixth Pillar is not here to compete with you; it is here to give meaning to your men's blood, a meaning that makes the enemy tremble before drawing his sword.]
The duke fell silent, and his eyes narrowed further. He understood the game.
The Emperor did not merely want to govern the Empire; he wanted to take loyalty from the hands of the dukes and place it back into the hands of the throne through organized and systematic indoctrination.
The Duke of the North was not the only one who thought so...
Ray raised a hand from the throne to stop them from digging any deeper than necessary, while feeling a headache beginning to invade his mind. "Let's continue... You'll see that the authority structure of the Sixth Pillar is designed to serve the stability of your lands as well, not just the dreams of poets."
The duke retreated and said nothing. More words would be pointless. No one here had agreed to this system yet, and not even its allies planned to approve it before Rei finished his explanation.
[Then let us discuss the authority hierarchy of the Sixth Pillar.]
[Beginning from the top of the hierarchy: The Pillar Commander and Guardian of the Spirit.]
[He is the conductor of the Empire's image. His duty is to ensure that the world sees one unified face of the Empire; a face of strength and serenity.]
Strength? Serenity? Why not simply say it? He is the guardian who decides what people see in the Emperor: a father, a hero, or even a tyrant... The nobles were not fools, but Ray had never said he was showing them the complete system. This was merely the general framework.
[Second Level: The Assembly of Storytellers (Engineers of the Narrative).]
[It contains the creative minds responsible for crafting the "official narrative." Our goal is for the Empire's voice to be the loudest voice in every tavern and every corner, so that we do not leave a void for instigating voices to fill, as happened in the past.]
In other words, gather painters, poets, and journalists beside the throne and transform them from ordinary employees into human weapons.
The nobles' eyes narrowed at this part... this was dangerous.
[Third Level: The Office of Oversight and Review (The Eye of Truth).]
[Its duty is to filter poison before it reaches the blood. This department monitors every rumor spread by the factions to undermine confidence in the center of the Empire. Any "truth" that attempts to damage the prestige of the throne will be killed in its cradle and replaced with a narrative that serves the stability of us all. Remember this well...]
Everyone understood the bitter truth that remained unspoken: false information destroys nations faster than the edge of a sword. The nobles understood the game. This Pillar was not merely an office; it was a net cast to gather the papers of "popular loyalty" from beneath their hands in the cities and provinces, until every thread rested solely in the Emperor's hand.
Had despair not already settled in their hearts, and had they not lost hope in this Empire rising from its ashes, cries of protest would have erupted against Ray. But now they remained silent... watching the man trying to tame the abyss... Continue, let us see what else you have.
[Fourth Level: The Department of Education and Upbringing.]
[Here we shape the allegiance of future generations. We will ensure that a child learns his history in a way that makes him proud of his imperial roots, rather than becoming a talent that departs at the first test of the Empire's worth.]
At this, several nobles nodded at the beauty of the idea. It was something no one had paid attention to before. Perhaps it could be used later... No, perhaps a system like this could be used within their own lands after they got rid of this Emperor.
Whoever grasped the idea became more enthusiastic, and smiles appeared urging Rei to continue speaking. The documents alone were not enough to explain everything, and Ray noticed this change in the hall.
But he did not care. What he had presented was merely a framework, an empty container to be more precise. Ignoring it, he signaled for Rei to continue.
[Finally, at the base of the hierarchy: The Heralds (The Pulse of the Streets).]
[They are the link between the throne and the common people; they translate great achievements into simple language that farmers and workers can understand, allowing every individual in the Empire to become part of its success story.]
Isn't this the card the Church has been using?
Well done, Emperor. Do you intend to make an enemy of the Church as well?
A false sense of relief spread through the hall. It had now been confirmed. This system would never succeed; it had been born dead.
Even if the Empire were still in its golden age... merely thinking about imposing authority over the Church—what they called "religious authority"—pointed to the foolishness of this arrogant child. It was as though they were watching a cub trying to intimidate a raging elephant.
"I have an announcement regarding this Pillar."
Ray tapped lightly and drew everyone's attention. Even those who had already sentenced his system to death turned their eyes back toward the throne... but what Ray said next was a bomb thrown into the center of their cold calculations.
Ray paused and swept a cold gaze across the faces maintaining their artificial dignity, waiting until a suffocating silence settled over the hall.
"The position of Commander of the Pillar of the Spirit will belong to an Empress."
The final word fell.
No voices rose. No one moved. Yet the air in the hall became unbearably heavy. The faces that had moments ago displayed traces of false relief now froze behind masks of pure shock.
An Empress... does he mean Morgana?
---
End of Chapter
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[Side Information: Morgana Cinematic Monologue Before Time Regression (Experiment)]
[Long Shot - The Past]
Fields of flowers and a little girl running with pure laughter. Morgana was the "Jewel of the Duchy," the ornament of festivals before whom everyone bowed with affection. She was the light her father proudly displayed before the nobles.
[Close-Up Shot - The Night of Breaking]
The colors fade away. The ten-year-old girl screams in the middle of her room, but no light emerges from her. Instead, dense "darkness" pours from her pores, cold as death. The Church declared her a "curse." In that moment, the mirror shattered; praise turned to poison, and embraces became walls of ice.
[Quick Shot - Rebellion]
A teenage girl smashing furniture, shouting at servants, and causing trouble throughout the court. The nobles in the hall remembered those actions as pure malice, but the truth behind her eyes was that she was only searching for her father. She screamed in despair: "I am still your daughter, look at me!"... But her father did not look. He simply turned his face away.
[Cold Shot - Marriage]
The Duke of the West, her father, stood with a sickening coldness. He signed the marriage document as though disposing of a corpse. He threw her away like a broken chess piece into the Emperor's palace, closing behind her the door of the greater prison.