CHAPTER 1026: CHAPTER 1026: OUT OF NECESSITY

The deal they made that day changed the fate of Crux and so many people.

Now, all those nobles who kept Valerian slaves and treated them badly and even conspired with the plot to use them and other slaves as foot soldiers in the war with Valeria were completely stripped of their titles.

The same was true with those who plotted with the use of undead soldiers.

Depending on the gravity of what they inflicted on the Prudencians, they and their family who took part in it were either fined, imprisoned, or executed.

Thus, a lot of noble households who belong to the pro-slavery faction became commoners as of today.

Any fines they must pay would be collected accordingly, and they may keep whatever remained in their riches or properties, but they were no longer of the same status as they once were.

They did this to ensure that people with the same ideals and beliefs as them would not rise again in Crux in the future.

This was one of their ways of uprooting it.

They would receive a lot of hate, but it was an action they must take for change to happen here.

A lot of them had been violent with their slaves, and most of them in the pro-slavery faction had a part in keeping the Prudencians here.

If not for the fact that there were too many of them, even their family members would have been executed or imprisoned, since they also had a part in the inhumane treatment.

However, they could not entirely put all the blame on the pro-slavery faction for their beliefs since it was the entire system in Crux which their ancestors had long maintained and inculcated as normal in their country.

It was the system itself they needed to totally uproot.

Thus, they mostly made the household heads take responsibility instead and lowered the punishment for the other members of the family, or else they would end up executing too many people.

They placed fines as punishment for other family members and stripped of their titles.

Stripping them of their titles was necessary so they were removed from powerful positions which could once again sway public opinion, enable them to keep practicing their usual practices behind the scenes, or allow them to use their power to regroup and take the leadership royals from the anti-slavery faction.

All nobles in Crux were touched by fear due to this decision since it meant Valeria might try to strip other nobles of their titles again in the future.

However, they had to take a strong stance in this matter to ensure slavery and necromancy won’t resurface or be used again in Crux. They made it clear that the heinous crimes committed by the said noble houses were what prompted this.

The Great Temple also condemned necromancy, the use of undead soldiers, using slaves as shields, and slavery as crimes against humanity, helping to emphasize that their decisions were made out of necessity and not for selfish personal reasons.

After all, once this news reaches all of Valeria, other noble houses might also begin to fear for their positions.

Thankfully, they had also shown through their interactions and decisions in Sibruh that they also forgive, give second chances, and consider the efforts and sacrifices nobles had poured into their territories.

It would help clarify that they do not make their ruling arbitrarily.

Meanwhile, in Crux, to ensure that the people are aware of Valerian laws, they wanted to be followed here immediately; they had all of it announced earlier, so everyone who attended knew about it.

It would also be announced in all parts of Crux and published and posted in public areas where many people gather.

Each noble household ruling a territory was also given copies; they must educate their whole household and whole territory about it as soon as possible.

The anti-slavery faction was also tasked with educating the people about Valerian laws and regulations to people from all walks of life in Crux. They were also to continue educating the people with the truth of what other territories outside Crux were like.

Those who were educated enough would also help Princess Seraphina and her group in writing books that publish the truth.

All of these were to ensure that the people of Crux would not use ignorance of the law and the new normal as an excuse if they were apprehended for returning to their old ways.

Of course, they would be strict on some areas and be a bit more lenient on other areas since they already knew the change would not happen too quickly or easily. They understand it was a process they had to be patient with until the people get used to it and accept it as the new normal.

***

After the banquet, Arabella and Ferdinand headed to a meeting room with Pope Elsevier and his entourage.

This time, it was time to talk about their findings from their inventory and investigation.

"It’s good to see you have fully recovered without a hitch," Pope Elsevier said to Alwin.

"Thank you," Alwin replied, pretending not to understand that the Pope was reminding him of their agreement last time and the invitation extended to him and Riley months ago.

[We are meeting with two dragons at once, plus an elf that feels more like a dragon and a fellow human who also feels like a dragon?!]

The new companion Pope Elsevier brought with him glanced at them one after the other. He was overwhelmed at the amount of mana he felt from them.

Ferdinand and Raymond, of course, noticed and stared at him.

Thus, the Pope explained, "This is Xavier, he is one of the best among the people I’ve taught. He was away on a mission to lead a fight against monsters last time, so I did not bring him with me. He can also be trusted and is privy to information these five know about."

"It is an honor to meet all of you," Xavier bowed and greeted politely and nervously.

It was his first time meeting long-lived races with this much mana pool, so it gave him the jitters.

Ferdinand and Raymond glanced at Arabella for confirmation of whether this person was indeed to be trusted based on his thoughts.

Arabella nodded since Xavier did not have any suspicious thoughts, and everyone in the Pope’s entourage trusted him.

They then got seated accordingly for the meeting.

a/n:

Sorry for the lack of updates. I attended the wake of a former boss and friend I have known for years.

And there’s a storm in our country that caused heavy rains and winds, leading to blackouts. There was no connection for days.

Thank you for being patient and understanding!