Chapter 345: New Beginning (1)

Henry spoke with determination.

“Before we tackle the food problem, we need to unite everyone.”

“Unite everyone?”

“Yes, it’s very important that we do so. It may seem like the blind believers are our only problem, and they’re a big problem indeed. However, I can assure you that there are numerous internal issues that need to be addressed, some more serious than others. They’re mostly about resolving the conflict among our people.”

“As in?”

“The refugees we have.”

“The refugees?”

“Yes. I know for a fact that there’s some tension between the citizens of Monsieur and the refugees. I suppose it’s not that obvious because of the overall chaos.”

Henry had known that a clash between the newcomers and the insiders was inevitable; it was only natural. And so, he planned on dealing with the issue before it devolved into a more serious problem.

“You have a point. So, how do we bridge the gap between refugees and residents?” asked Von.

It was no surprise that Von was the one to start asking questions, as he had always been interested in administrative matters. After all, he had once managed Enkelmann on behalf of Harz.

At his question, everyone looked at Henry with eager eyes as though they were expecting him to come up with a shocking answer that would convince all of them.

“By establishing a new nation.”

“A new nation?”

“Yes. We needed to re-establish our hierarchical system anyway. That bastard Arthus burned down numerous kingdoms and cities to the ground, along with his own Aenia Empire. I’m really curious how relevant the traditional distinctions between royalty, nobility, and commoners are now.”

Henry’s values had evolved over time, especially during his quest for revenge. At one point, he had believed that he had to be rewarded fittingly for his efforts in unifying the continent, as it was an incredible feat that no other could’ve achieved.

But on one hand, Henry wasn’t after power. He just wanted to be treated the way he deserved for achieving something incredible and live the rest of his life the way he wanted to. However, there was no way of getting the best of both worlds. If power was involved in any way, he wouldn’t know true peace.

Arthus was the one that reminded Henry of that harsh fact, and so, Henry felt rather reticent about pursuing more power, but he also realized that if he wasn’t the one to take it, someone else would.

Henry glanced around the room to take a look at everyone present. He could tell they were all good people, but he still couldn’t trust them completely when it came to power. After all, Arthus and everyone who had betrayed them had once been good people as well, but power had brought out the worst in them.

Because of all that, Henry was sick and tired of this pursuit of power, but he couldn’t let his comrades, who had followed him through hell, know that he was wavering over his position of power.

Thus, he wanted to solve all the problems they currently had and make everyone happy. Henry’s sense of responsibility also stemmed from the fact that he knew he was partly to blame for almost everything that had happened.

“So all in all,” Henry continued as he was looking at everyone, “I'm thinking of establishing a new nation and governing it.”

“Hmm...”

“I see...”

A soft murmur rippled through the crowd, but soon, everyone nodded in assent. It wasn’t too surprising for Henry to declare such a thing as everyone had once thought about how they could reclaim past glories, the peace they once had.

Some of the people in the room had once thought about the same thing as Henry, knowing it was the perfect time to take control of the situation.

But of course, founding a new nation was no easy task. Firstly, it would require a lot of understanding and effort from everyone. And given Henry’s status and unmatched achievements, it was rather difficult for anyone else to suggest something like that.

However, Henry himself had brought it up at the right time, which was why everyone agreed with him. Everyone knew deep down that Henry was the only one who could bring up such an idea. Or rather, he was the only one who had the right to propose something like that.

Henry took another look at the crowd and smiled. Just as he had expected, he didn’t see anyone frown or look like they disagreed. He knew that no one in the room was after power, and he was no different. The only reason he was willing to step up was to use the power as a tool to get things done.

Of course, he knew that obtaining the power was the hard part, but once he had attained it, he would be set up and ready to deal with everything. All in all, Henry needed absolute power that everyone would follow. That way, he could solve all the problems that seemed impossible to solve.

“Yes, you’re right. Religion is not a big deal for me, but it is for some,” added McDowell.

Most of the people at the meeting had the same attitude toward religion as McDowell. In fact, there were only two religious individuals in the room, namely Irenae and Vulcanus, and they worshiped different gods.

“Just as you mentioned, having a state religion is important. But this time, I’m not planning to designate a state religion.”

“What?”

“You’re not going to designate a state religion?”

Some of the people at the meeting started whispering among themselves, finding Henry’s statement rather shocking. However, Vulcanus and Irenae remained calm. Then, amidst the flurry of reactions, Masila spoke up.

“May I ask why?”

“I’ve learned a couple of things during my pursuit of divine power, along with the Pope’s death. As we all know, large religious organizations often amass significant power. However, religion should not be a means of acquiring power. It should provide spiritual comfort and faith to its followers. And yet, if we reintroduce the concept of a state religion, it may ignite a conflict between our people and urge them to compete to have their respective religions recognized as the official one.”

Indeed, Henry had grown sick of having politics being mixed up with religion, and he wouldn’t make the same mistakes as his predecessors.

“Therefore, I oppose the establishment of a state religion, primarily to prevent such religious wars."

Everyone was forced to acknowledge that Henry had a point. Large religious organizations held political power, and Henry had observed firsthand how a religion, initially created by pure faith, could transform into immense power under misguided leadership. That was exactly what Pope Ross had demonstrated.

For this new nation, Henry didn’t want any other organization to have authority besides the throne, even if the Saint herself was trustworthy.

As everyone nodded with rather serious expressions, Henry smirked and tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere while pointing to himself.

“Besides, with a literal god establishing a new country and saving the world, how could anyone turn to another religion?"

“Haha, you have a point Henry.”

“What good would a state religion be when the king is also a god?”

Even though Henry had said that in jest, it held a kernel of truth. Throughout history, people had embraced faith in unseen deities. They were drawn to the miraculous feats performed by their respective religious leaders, such as the power of healing. But still, there were only so many people who had experienced such miracles firsthand.

However, Henry was different; he was the god of magic. He had been the symbol of magic and helped the people with his magic ever since the establishment of the Eurasia Empire.

Henry planned to do the same with this new nation, as magic was equal to all, unlike healing rituals from other religions.

“Anyway, for this reason, I don’t plan to designate a state religion. I think I’ve pretty much covered everything I wanted to cover. Then, let’s move onto the solution for the food shortage problem.”

With that, Henry took out a handful of seeds from his pocket and placed them on the table before him. He then murmured softly, “Rapid Growth.”

Rustle, rustle-!

“...!”

“...!”

Everyone gasped in amazement. The tiny seeds had instantly grown into corn before their own eyes, without any earth or water. Without hesitation, Henry picked up a fresh corn stalk and looked at everyone.

“Until we stabilize our food supply, all wizards, soldiers, priests, and citizens will engage in farming.”

He then cleared his throat and continued in a voice brimming with conviction, “Securing enough food is our top priority.”

Henry was dead serious with this claim.

With that, the era of unprecedented agriculture had just begun.