☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- Now for an unexpected question — how would you act if Sophia or Rinze offered you something like... Well, for example, to bring back your beloved or a dear friend to life in exchange for your devotion to them — without any interference with the mind or anything similar?

The girl shook her head.

-- They would be wasting their words; no matter how tempting such an offer might be in another hypothetical case, I could not bring myself to accept it, because I simply do not respect these deities. And a small demonstration of capabilities will not fix that; too much of the opposite has been demonstrated previously. In other words, I would be unable to fulfill my part of the deal...

"Unless one could somehow outsmart them, but in their case? Not the same league, so it's absurd."

- Let us assume a situation where Her Majesty renounces her current beliefs and proclaims herself a goddess, perhaps even an avatar of Anuzish; how would you react to such a turn of fate? Her Highness Ayano would then become the daughter of a goddess and deserve corresponding devotion...

-- Thought experiments must serve some purpose, Sir Jun, right? What is the idea behind this? I know that Her Majesty the Suzerain is a lover of truth—and after the coronation, you know it too—Her connection to Akonia is also beyond doubt, and who better to judge this than me? So there is no question of any avatars; She even emphasized that she is not a saint, openly proclaiming her nature.

-- Now then, if this is a test of my religious preferences, I will say this: serving one's Suzerain is the duty of a knight, but as for how to do so in one's own thoughts, I am free, and I will not be guided by any people, regardless of what cults they create or for what purposes. I have always believed that within me there is enough internal and external gratitude, conscience, desire to follow someone great and emulate them, and enough principles for these feelings to be my judges.

"After all, it has always been this way. Forge-heroize-emulate Grevan... Everything truly important is simple and does not require many layers of tinsel."

- You are correct in your assumption, but if you have interesting thoughts on these two directions, you may add them to your work, and the guild members will read them with great curiosity.

-- Besides what's already been voiced? Hmm, let me think.

- So perhaps no one will even ask her; they'll just create a cult of personality with a functioning organization, dogmas, and so on.

The girl wanted to object, asking whether Sonata's opinion shouldn't be authoritative in such a matter, but then she remembered her own experience surrounded by praisers.

-- Perhaps that is not impossible )

- Forgive me if I am bombarding you with questions; you are simply a very fascinating person.

A glance at Kilik, as if to say: doesn't this remind you of something? But talking with Jun was clearly more pleasant, and his "what interesting people you are" differed greatly from the intruder's similar remark; in the current case, there wasn't a shred of desire to prove something or assert oneself. A real, intelligent but modest philosopher—a good choice, Kili.

- Good job! I expected nothing less from youuuu!

-- Thank you. I will certainly pass this praise on to the others... I see you're also having a great time?

- Baldur, Baldur... Got it, we'll drop by!

👍
-- You know, I think I'll spend one more star; I planned to anyway.

Erefir quickly writes on the fourth topic.

4. Emperor Purian's Initiatives: Boon or Bane?

I will analyze them sequentially.

The very first initiative of Emperor Purian could be called the attack on Kumari, and the ruler himself spoke of it in a negative light, so we are not ashamed to follow suit. The country became stronger and was enriched by a diversity of cultures, but the way of life of the Kumaris differs greatly from other Welferns, and surely not all of them are used to existing within the framework of an empire, especially in light of recent casualties among their own population. Although I cannot know their mood for certain—sometimes in history it happens that the conquered almost immediately side with the conqueror—I have heard that at least in the case of their governor's ideology, this is not true: and that is telling. On one hand, an unnecessary war and unnecessary sacrifice are bad. On the other — if the loser is treated humanely, and if history is kind, then this mistake can even be turned into a boon in the long run by establishing the same undoubtedly mutually beneficial symbiosis between peoples as exists between other nations of Welfern. This, however, is not easy work; it takes years and decades. Judging by the Emperor's regret, could it be that it has already begun?

Another initiative — improving working conditions within the country. I fully support this one; not all people have infinite bodily resources, and the body and mind should be treated with caution when such an opportunity exists. Or is the military profession, which constantly risks disability and death, not enough for society? If all people are turned into cripples—not even during heroic deeds, but simply in fields and at machines due to overwork—what will become of the country? Indeed, in a competitive race for money, we would one day truly come to degeneration, but now that prospect has receded.

Right to freedom of speech — this must be distinguished from the right to freedom of propaganda, as destructive words exist, but overall it is a correct initiative that allows one to feel more confident.

Right to freedom of thought — it's a bit unusual to see this on the list; I assume it refers to a poetically established right, since without resorting to dark magic and curses, it cannot be taken away anyway.

Inviolability of private property — certainly important; apparently, here it is used in the conflict between man and state. Indeed, the rules by which a person serves the country must be clear, and let everyone manage what they have, while loyal service, not property, goes "up" the hierarchy.

Right to self-defense and carrying weapons — as a warrior, I cannot help but say that this right is almost the most fundamental. Of course, it does not automatically protect anyone's life, but it makes any villainy risky enough that its initiator would think twice. Furthermore, it opens the military and hunting crafts to anyone who wishes, which can support a person if they so desire. Finally, if people did not have such a right, it would in no way prevent criminals from obtaining weapons through illegal means; unlike normal people, they are not constrained by any norms.

Ban on prostitution — the trade of the body is a terrible crime against morale and can easily break lives; moreover, it is a crime against romance. I would not, however, have gone as far as the Emperor with a total ban "without declaring war," not because I wouldn't dream of defeating this phenomenon, but because without correcting public consciousness, such a struggle seems to me only partially effective—people are too used to living easily and not thinking for themselves. I think if the Emperor had started by fostering a sense of self-worth in citizens, it would have been easier for him to push through something like this in the future, and no one would have taken up arms.

Ban on abortions — murder is murder; I do not understand how a flexible interpretation is possible here.

Restrictions on wardrobe openness (not implemented) — I would accept any rules of the game, but in my opinion, this initiative is a rare exception to the rule of this Emperor's good laws. Clothing should be beautiful, practical, and correspond to cultural norms; imposing additional requirements on it is counterproductive, and besides, who should this embarrass and why? But, I repeat, no great tragedy would have happened; women will remain women, men will remain men, and no one's beauty or dignity will evaporate or suffer.

-- Done. I hope the guild approves this essay, Sir Jun, and now I can borrow the necessary amount for Kilik's outings — wink.