Once all the fighting in the capital had ceased, Raid gathered all the aristocrats of Altane—including the imperial family—and presented his offer.
“You will...give us Paradise?” the former emperor echoed, brows furrowed.
“That’s right,” Raid replied. “We will offer the imperial family and all households of authority the right to move to Paradise. In exchange, we demand the rights to dismantle and temporarily govern the entire Altanian empire.”
“What?! Govern and...dismantle our ancient empire?! Preposterous!”
“It’s a necessary step to fight against the polluted mana ravaging this world. We’ll be needing manpower and personnel, among other things, but under your current bureaucracy, it’ll take ages to get the permission we need. To set up a quick and efficient chain of command, it’s better to start from scratch.”
“Lord Freeden, if I may...” The previous emperor cleared his throat. “In that case, would it not suffice for us to temporarily grant you and your associates the highest level of authority?”
“What, so we can save your world as an act of charity?” Raid huffed. “You might not know this, so let me tell you now: Neither the Hero nor the Sage are pushovers. We came here to save your world from inevitable ruin, and the residents of Paradise are even offering their home. So now, we’re demanding your country as our just reward.”
“But then...what if you fail to save the world?”
“Then we’d drop dead here with the rest of humanity while you folks get to live out your lives in Paradise. Why not start another country there, if you’re so dead set on being in power?”
“Er... I ask this as confirmation, and not because I doubt your words... Is Paradise truly free of polluted mana and safe from the Calamities?”
“I can offer you the info we’ve gathered during our stay there and even set up a meeting between you and their current residents once we bring them here. If you’d like, we can also prove that we reached Paradise—though I’m sure our ability to single-handedly crush Calamities is evidence enough. In any case, we can guarantee your safety until you move into Paradise.”
“Then, say you do manage to save this world—what will happen to us then?”
“Whether you step out and live with the rest of humanity or hole up in Paradise forever, it’s all up to you. All the rights to Paradise are yours as long as you agree with our conditions.”
“But then that means...we can no longer return to our current positions.”
“Well, yeah, ’cause we’re dismantling your empire. But if you’ve earned your position once, then you should be able to earn it again, no? Moreover, when the world starts anew with a clean slate, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to grasp—if you take the chance, that is.”
“And...how many people can live in Paradise?”
“There are five hundred residents at present, but given the space and facilities, it can probably fit twice that number—just barely enough for all of you and your families, though, so don’t think of bringing any servants. We can handle the severance pay and reemployment of your current staff.”
The imperial family and aristocrats asked question after question, all of which Raid had been expecting and prepared answers for. Even then, the meeting was lengthy—understandably, as this was a huge decision on par with relinquishing Paradise. Anybody would hesitate when told to dismantle their motherland and abandon all the riches and status they had accumulated all their lives—who more than these people who desperately clung to such material wealth and worldly status amid a ruined world?
However, Raid knew very well how to deal with these kinds of people.
“You guys know me as the Sage, don’t you? Well, I’ve already got a plan in mind, and it won’t be too hard to execute with the right people and information at my disposal. Still, nothing is for certain.” Raid cast his eyes down for a brief moment before sweeping his gaze across the faces in the room. “Success or failure, ‘Altane’ will be no more. But as long as you’re alive, you can always regain your power—and the only way to do that is to stay safe within the confines of Paradise.”
“Yes, we are well aware... Still, it is a difficult decision.”
“I understand. But you do need to move to Paradise before we can get our plan started. The fighting might grow too intense for you to move in after.”
“And what if we refuse to move to Paradise?”
“Well, like I said, we can’t start our plan until we settle who gets to move in, so we’d give the Lambut family an opportunity to stay and then select from whoever else wants to move. Naturally, this will be finalized and unchangeable after the plan starts.” Raid nodded. “Regardless, it’s only fair that all of you get first dibs—you’ve governed this nation until now, and we know that handing it over to us is no easy decision.”
Why did humans seek status and power? Because they enjoyed being special and standing above others.
So, how would one go about convincing such people? The answer was simple—
“So, chosen ones: Raise your hand if you wish to lead the future of humanity.”
—so simple, in fact, that Raid couldn’t quite stop his lips from curling into a smirk.