Reborn Through the Flames
This is my second time attending such a large-scale event; the first time was for Leivo's coming-of-age ceremony, but the scale of these two events is incomparable.
There weren't enough servants in the palace, so Tiana had to transfer many servants from the House of Lightshield to barely keep up.
Aside from exchanging pleasantries, the banquet was mostly filled with discussions about the recently concluded war, with many expressing dissatisfaction with Jarvan's actions.
Because this time Sylas mainly targeted nobles, those nobles from small places rarely survived when they fell into the hands of mages. Like Vayne's family, if I hadn't helped, she probably wouldn't have survived either.
Therefore, people advocated executing these mages and restoring Demacia to its former order.
Gradually, these calls grew louder and louder, and to me it seemed as if they were pressuring Jarvan: Isn't today a joyous day?
"Since there are so many people here today, I'd like to reiterate!"
Jarvan deliberately raised his voice, and his loud voice echoed throughout the hall until people quieted down, at which point he lowered his voice.
"Your ideas have made me change my mind. The idea of making monks live on equal footing with others is indeed ill-considered. How can people of different statuses live on equal footing?"
The people were overjoyed, feeling that their efforts had finally paid off and that the king ultimately loved the nobles. However, Jarvan's next words froze their smiles:
"Therefore, I have decided to eliminate distinctions of status. From this day forward, all Demacia are equal! Your position will be determined by your contributions!"
This statement is familiar to me; Noxus implements such a policy. It seems that Jarvan's communication with Darius had a significant impact on him.
The nobles, both high and low, were all stunned. They even thought they had misheard, but the king's voice was clearly loud and clear.
Jarvan repeated himself carefully, explaining that, in short, Demacia no longer had any nobles, except for the five great families.
The nobles, both high and low, are still the local administrators, but if they fail to make progress, they will be dismissed; they can no longer live off their positions as they did in the past.
No one can force anyone else; everyone is free and equal, whether in ordinary interactions or marriage, it's all the same.
"Now, everyone will unite under the banner of the five great families, united as one, to build Demacia!"
After all the commotion, the monk wasn't executed, but he lost his position, and people inevitably became restless.
Garen was already prepared; he led his royal guards to firmly guard the hall, and anyone who dared to resist would be executed immediately!
Darius looked at Jarvan with admiration. "It seems he's made up his mind to reform Demacia, and to announce it at his own wedding is truly unexpected."
"He was forced into this situation. It's amazing he dared to do this. Isn't he afraid these nobles will rebel when they go back?" I think people can't accept this change.
"That's where Jarvan's wisdom lies. First, the five great families are still around; they are the key to Demacia. Second, after this war, the nobles no longer have the strength to rebel."
"Okay, I don't understand your messy ideas."
"However, completely eradicating the influence of the nobility and restoring Demacia to its former glory will likely take more than a year or two. But without a doubt, Demacia reborn from the ashes will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Noxus!"
"Would you like to see this happen?" Riven asked.
→
"In the past, I would have been worried, but now I am happy for the strength of my allies!"
After people came to terms with reality, some chose to accept it, some continued to complain, and some chose to rebel.
After Garen arrested a few of the ringleaders, everyone quieted down, because they knew Jarvan was serious!
The wedding ended somewhat unhappily. After what happened, everyone was in a bad mood. After most of the outsiders had left, Tiana blamed Jarvan:
"You actually chose to confront her today, you've done terribly wrong to Caroline, especially in front of her mother!"
"I'm sorry, Lady Tiana, I had to choose this day, otherwise someone would always use the excuse that they couldn't see it."
"You haven't done anything wrong to me. Apologize properly to Caroline and Lady Baron."
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Tiana. I'm fine. As I said, I will support all decisions made by the King, and our ceremony has just been completed."
"What a good child. That's between the two of you. I, this old woman, won't interfere." Tiana brightened, and she bid farewell to Jarvan.
As evening approached, most of the guests had left, and the rest of us decided to depart as well. This trip to Demacia had certainly been quite an eventful one.
I originally planned to come back and see Fiora, but I ended up meeting Jarvan and Noviya and slaying a dragon, and then discovering Lux's secret.
The upheaval in the Laurent Family once enraged me, causing chaos in the palace. Little did I know that this chaos was just the beginning, insignificant compared to the later Sylas rebellion.
Drinking with Darius was quite enjoyable, and thanks to his help, the relationship between Demacia and Noxus is now very stable. Without experiencing it firsthand, how could I have imagined that the two countries would reach this point?
The reforms in Demacia are also a major event, and it is believed that news of them will soon spread throughout the continent. However, Demacia is still weak and is waiting to be reborn from the ashes.
Jarvan told us about his plans. He would stay at the palace with Caroline for a while, though he couldn't say exactly how long. He would only leave when she became pregnant, otherwise Tiana wouldn't agree.
After leaving behind his bloodline, he planned to continue his trials and tribulations, fulfilling the prophecy of the Sage Tabor: Great heroes never cease their journeys, and magnificent barriers are forged in fire.
A magnificent barrier would certainly benefit Demacia, so no matter the hardships or life-or-death situations, he would give it his all and live up to the name of a great hero!
As for Demacia, he entrusted it to Garen before his children grew up; Garen was a man worthy of being entrusted with important matters, and the loyalty of the House of Lightshield was beyond doubt.
Riven and I don't have any plans, but without a doubt, Darius will drag us into conquering Freljord.
This guy keeps saying I kidnapped his Blood Warrior, but now he's conscripting me too.
After saying goodbye to Jarvan, we went to the Laurent Family again. Fiora was talking to Felina. When she learned that we were leaving, she was expressionless as usual. What a cold person she is.
Seeing her this time was very different from before. I was no longer distracted, and we became true friends.
Nora traveled a long way to see me off; like Noviya, she hoped I could convey her longing.
That's 100 chapters! Just popping in to say hi and thank you all for your support!