novelraw Chapter 204 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (9)
Chapter 204 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (9)
Was it because we dealt with the Market Maker first?
The capture of the base camps, which I thought would be quite an ordeal, proceeded more smoothly than expected.
Starting with the northern camp, the process of capturing the base camps—moving clockwise through the east, south, and west—went without a hitch.
The issue with coordinates was also resolved with the UMC's help, so we were able to capture only the camps swiftly and accurately, without causing any conflict.
Of course, just because it went smoothly didn't necessarily mean it went quietly.
The number of Beastkin in a single base camp was at least around 10,000.
No matter how quietly they moved, a number like 10,000 was bound to be noticed by people.
And the movement of such an immense number inevitably drew public attention.
Just as Tan had briefed when the Beastkin from the northern camp arrived, the UMC didn't bother to stop them from gathering that attention.
Before long, the story of the Beastkin's movement was no longer a rumor but a news article, causing a stir across the continent.
[Breaking News. Unidentified Beastkin Group Confirmed in a Great Migration in the Eastern Part of the Continent.]
The sudden migration of the Beastkin instantly knocked The Saintess's Execution off the front page.
The Saintess's Execution was also an unusual event, enough to surprise people, but it was something that had been scheduled to some extent.
The great migration of the Beastkin, on the other hand, had the nature of an 'incident' that literally no one had anticipated.
Regardless of the incident's importance, in terms of newsworthiness, the Beastkin's movement drew more public attention.
Of course, attention gathered quickly was bound to disperse just as fast.
Once the reason for the migration was revealed or some time passed, interest would naturally wane.
In any case, in terms of short-term impact, the Beastkin's migration surpassed The Saintess's Execution.
People's reactions to the 'Beastkin's migration' were varied, but the largest slice of the pie was, as expected, 'bewilderment'.
The reason was simple.
The articles in each territory's individual papers and The Order's journals only described the 'phenomenon of the Beastkin's migration'.
They couldn't add any further explanation.
Where on earth did so many Beastkin come from?
How on earth was such a large group moving as one?
And where were they going?
Why were they moving?
With everything unknown, a sense of bewilderment naturally arose.
One of my worries was that, since people inherently fear the unknown, they might feel terror at the incident itself—the movement of such a large number.
‘…….’
Was it because the perception of 'Beastkin = Slaves' was ingrained in people's minds?
People didn't feel any particular fear from the migration.
As such, no significant conflicts arose during the process of their movement.
…That wasn't all.
[Following Strange Rumors of the Beastkin Nation's Reconstruction, a Series of Beastkin Slave Escapes Occur.]
Unlike what was planned.
Rumors related to the 'Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation' were already spreading.
I couldn't tell if it was something the UMC did on their own initiative, or if Valencia and Tom had deliberately let it slip while capturing the base camps.
What was certain was the fact that the rumor had already spread.
According to the original plan, it was a strategy we intended to use to gather the remaining Beastkin around the time of Valencia's Enthronement Ceremony, after all the base camps had been captured.
In other words, after the Beastkin Nation already had some semblance of form.
I didn't know who did it or what they were thinking, but the rumor itself seemed to have spread quite widely, given that Beastkin slaves from some nameless southern kingdom had actually heard it and arrived at the Guild House.
‘…….’
To be honest, this would normally have been quite a dangerous development.
The process of establishing the Beastkin Nation using the loophole of a guild was not an easy task.
As such, if the plan wasn't followed exactly, everything could go to waste and the entire thing could fall apart.
Just thinking about it for a moment, given The Order's characteristic dislike for variables, if they decided to block the Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation at The Order's level...
...there was a chance that not only would the guild's establishment be denied, but the very process of gathering the Beastkin would crumble from the start.
However, I didn't bother to impose any sanctions or look into the matter.
The reason was simple.
‘…This isn't bad.’
Even if I couldn't know the origin of the intent, the direction of the event was exactly what I wanted.
My head was already spinning because the date for 'The Saintess's Execution' had been set.
Therefore, I was trying to move up the process of the Beastkin Nation's reconstruction if possible, and with this, the timeline would naturally be advanced without me having to say a thing.
The Beastkin would gather faster than expected.
And it would take shape faster than expected.
It was something I couldn't have wished for more.
Of course, it wasn't that I had no concerns, as things had deviated from the original plan.
As mentioned before, the biggest problem was how The Order would react upon hearing this news.
Just as my actions were already being watched by the UMC, it was highly likely that The Order's headquarters was already aware of my unusual movements.
If they were to judge that the establishment of the Beastkin Nation could pose a risk to The Order, they would probably reject it without mercy or even detain me.
Of course, there wasn't really a specific charge, but since I had just been released from Darkest Dungeon—where I was imprisoned for the attempted murder of the Hero—through Louis's Indulgence, they could make any reason stick if they wanted to.
The moment I got on The Order's bad side, all my plans would turn to dust.
…Well, seeing as there hadn't been any notable movements from them yet, it seemed that wasn't the case.
In this regard, the UMC's role was crucial.
After all, the UMC was one of the most powerful and authoritative agencies within The Order, and especially when it came to information, even the higher-ups at The Order's headquarters would view the UMC's reports as important.
Ludwig Allegro was fundamentally a difficult man to read, making him unpredictable.
It was highly likely that my treatment would be decided by his report.
Of course.
Nothing would be solved by just sitting here and mulling things over.
Whether it was the watchful eyes of The Order, the UMC's reports, or the spreading rumors about the Beastkin Nation's reconstruction.
These were all things I couldn't control while sitting in the Guild House.
What I needed to do now wasn't to wrack my brain over uncontrollable matters, but to keep pace with the current situation, which was moving a bit faster.
“…Will it work?”
Eliya asked softly.
She was talking about the guild establishment permit.
“Well.”
“……”
“Theoretically, it would be difficult, right?”
“…I suppose so. In the first place, re-establishing a guild is beyond common sense for The Order, and besides, we’re in a much cruder state than originally planned. Honestly, at this level, we don’t even meet the standards for establishing a guild in the past.”
“……”
“In my opinion, it’s impossible. Impossible. They’ll reject it flat out.”
“……”
According to the original plan, we weren't supposed to apply for the guild establishment permit yet.
We first needed to establish a rough framework for the 'Beastkin Nation', and we hadn't even processed all the Beastkin who had found their way to the guild's territory.
However, I changed the plan and submitted the application first.
The application itself wasn't difficult.
Of course, since the guild system had effectively been abolished for a long time, applying to The Order for a guild establishment permit required the process of somehow finding the old-fashioned forms, which were now practically ancient texts.
However, thanks to Eliya having worked on and organized that part early on, it was resolved without much difficulty.
All I had to do was write my name on the prepared document and submit it.
Well, since it was just an 'application', the truly important part was the process of getting approval afterward.
Shrug-
“The higher-ups will decide for themselves whether it gets approved or not.”
“……”
“What's the point of us worrying about it? It’s all useless.”
“…Coming from you.”
It was obvious, but the authority to approve a guild's establishment rested with The Order's headquarters.
Even though most duties were delegated to the cathedrals in each region, the one exception was guild-related matters.
Therefore, even when the guild system was in its prime, establishing a guild was not such an easy task.
This was because the system was created to solve the refugee problem, which was the biggest issue of that era.
The Order had taken the utmost care to ensure that the process of solving the refugee problem didn't cause side effects from other institutional flaws.
In the end, it concluded with the 'Einstein Ending', though.
That was in the realm of an unpredictable accident; it didn't happen because The Order was lax in its management of the guilds.
It wasn't known exactly what criteria they used, but according to Eliya, it wasn't simply based on how much military power one possessed.
There were supposedly many cases where parties with no flaws in terms of military strength failed to establish a guild.
If my guess was correct, a background check by the UMC was probably part of the process.
From The Order's perspective, it would have been more important to not cause problems than to simply have power.
It was highly likely they selected guilds based on having a disposition they could control, even if their power was somewhat lacking.
…Well, even with such a filter, they couldn't screen out Einstein.
‘…….’
In any case, the reason the UMC was important in this guild establishment process was that it couldn't be considered separately from that aspect.
If there was any chance of the guild establishment being approved, it would definitely have to go through Ludwig Allegro.
“I really don’t understand what you’re thinking, Hero.”
Eliya sighed and shook her head.
It seemed she still thought this permit application was reckless.
Well.
In a normal situation, thinking like her would be correct.
The current composition of the Guild House was certainly crude.
The very reason I had postponed the guild establishment application was that I knew it wouldn't be easy, so I wanted to make it look as presentable as possible.
However, that didn't mean I had rashly...
...submitted the guild establishment application without any thought.
I had applied earlier than planned, so its appearance as a guild was far below the level I had previously envisioned.
But that was because, looking at the current atmosphere, there was another point I could aim for.
“…Just wait. If I’m right, it might just pass in one go.”
“…How on earth.”
Smirk-
“The Saintess's Execution.”
I hadn't thought of it at first either, but it seemed The Saintess's Execution would play a rather important role.