Chapter 286: Pre-Tourney Speech (2/2)

*

Suddenly, the crowd was several octaves softer. It wasn’t actually silent yet, but it was much quieter than before.

And there was a simple reason for that: Corinth had stepped out upon the high balcony of the Lancaster mayor’s residence, clothed grandly for the occasion.

Little Gwendolyn, the future mayor was also dressed ceremoniously, her tiny face nervous as she followed behind her grandfather.

“My loyal subjects, guests from abroad. Though everyone here has long since heard about it, it is my honor to formally announce the starting of Twin City Cup tourney, held jointly by Lancaster City and Duke Horan of Tunaya! The first ever nonviolent event between two cities hand-in-hand since history, all in the name of peace and friendship!”

The old mayor appeared to be using some spell or sacred relic that amplified his voice, and therefore didn’t had to deliberately raise his voice for the people below to hear him.

“Here, I pledge to provide all participants a fair and open competitive environment with my honor as Mayor Corinth of Lancaster and as one of the supervising organizers! Champions, unleash your potential, display your might and present your intelligence, so as to offer an amazing show to everyone watching and claim the golden goblet! Let this tourney be remembered by all and mark itself down upon history! To peace!”

Beneath the balcony, the mayor’s personal guard seemed to be drilled beforehand, standing at attention and roaring “Too00000 – Peace!” when old Corinth finished his speech.

Everyone watching immediately felt their juices flowing by the excitement and the performance of the mayor’s personal guards, with all of them echoing ‘To peace’. The difference was that they had not been drilled beforehand, and since there weren’t any spanking doctrine to keep them in line, their chorusing was a mess.

Be that as it may, the air was now chargedLancaster locals were all puffing their chest as if sharing the honor as well.

That in turn left Basil, the new emperor’s envoy glowering from his corner.

“Impressive of Lancaster’s very own mayor… to stir the citizens of his beloved city in just a few words, even holding himself as a pacifist as that. Terrific…”

That being said, the will of the people were basically useless to quite some extent in this world, where supernatural powers exist.

After all, Tierra had stood above all the nations in power, with her citizens living in riches and enjoyment without any kinds of dissatisfaction. Their will were certainly fulfilled, was it not?

Even so, a nation as powerful as that was destroyed by the combined strength of several other nations, let alone one little city like Lancaster.

The problem was that there had been a church that they could make a scapegoat of when they were taking Tierra apart, the perfect target they could blame before their assault. As such, the nations who destroyed Tierra had built the case that they were actually wiping out cultists, that they were justified in their actions and even righteously so.

Now, however, Corinth had claimed the moral high ground before anyone else could. If nothing else, the new emperor would be scorned as a tyrant if he took action first.

And in a world where the gods dwelled, tyrants weren’t a good label to get stuck with…