Chapter 241: New Policies and Future Heirs

Paul once mused.

“Once this war is over, will peace truly come?”

Peace? Not a chance. It’s a pointless question.

The Empire’s wars of conquest, followed by the immediate Demon Realm conflict, had already toppled countless nations. Even if this war ends in the Human Realm’s favor, peace wouldn’t magically appear.

People might celebrate, but amidst the chaos, they’d soon be reaching for their weapons again.

“They’d start fighting again, seizing unclaimed lands and filling the power vacuums left by fallen nations.”

Human greed was never something to be underestimated.

Whether the Demon King’s army conquered the Human Realm, or the Human Realm drove them back, even if this surface war ended, another conflict was inevitable.

And so, he posed another question to himself.

“In such a world, could Daniel, hyung’s policies ever truly take flight?”

…Absolutely impossible.

Before they even had a chance to spread their wings, the fires of war would consume them, leaving no trace behind. Paul couldn’t bear to see Daniel’s ideology, everything he stood for, vanish in vain.

He sat at his desk, twirling a pen, his gaze fixed on the blank white paper before him.

“Daniel, hyung’s approach was designed to prevent power from concentrating in one place. It was a slow, cautious system, requiring countless procedures for verification and consensus before any decision could be made or implemented.”

While it was effective at preventing missteps, it was impractical for wartime. With enemies at the gates, who had time for endless procedures?

“More than that…”

Three branches of government, each checking the others, and the leader of each branch directly elected by the people. Just as they were elected, they could be removed. The people, who put them there, would be watching their every move, ready to pull them down at the first misstep.

Being dragged down from a position of power meant the collapse of everything they’d built. Their face was known, their power stripped away. Even if they tried to run off with the money they’d made, would the people stand for it? Money would be the least of their worries; their very lives would be at risk.

Survival meant choosing the safest, most faultless path. War demanded bold decisions, yet was fragile, collapsing at the slightest misstep. Daniel, hyung’s system simply wasn’t built for war.

“Ironically… in war, what truly mattered was the chain of command.”

For the Revolutionary Army to survive and thrive on the battlefield, they needed a leader with ‘concentrated power.’ A single leader whose authority wouldn’t be hampered when making and executing decisions.

Of course, there might be resistance if he made a wrong call. But that couldn’t be allowed to dictate future actions.

“If he was going to push through opposition, he needed that kind of power. Splitting up power now was out of the question.”

So, Daniel, hyung’s policies would have to wait for a distant, peaceful future, once the war was over. Until then, he needed to devise new policies, a temporary bridge to survive the war. Paul racked his brain.

And so, the young revolutionary recalled a recent debate he’d had with a certain man.

More precisely, his own words from that debate.

“[We discriminate against each other based on social status, wealth, appearance, skin color, and every inclination imaginable!]”

Discrimination based on wealth.

He’d had such thoughts long ago. If the class system vanished, would unfair discrimination truly disappear from the world? A skeptical thought, indeed.

The answer, he knew, was ‘no.’

He’d already witnessed wealth overshadowing status. He’d seen penniless nobles groveling before wealthy peasants just to beg for money. He’d seen respected elders insulted by youths, simply for being poor.

Even without the class system, discrimination would remain. And among all the forms of discrimination, ‘wealth’ would become the most prominent.

“After all, he needed a way to justify to everyone in the ‘equality’-preaching Revolutionary Army, why they needed a leader with ‘concentrated power.'”

He could use this to demonstrate the necessity of a leader. A grin crept onto Paul’s face as the answer began to take shape.

“‘Not just ‘social status,’ but also individual ‘wealth’ could become a superficial boundary, a target that fueled discrimination.”

Thus, he would propose a policy to abolish private property, with the ‘nation’ seizing everything, then distributing it equally among all. ‘Nation’ was just a softer word; ultimately, that role would fall to a single ‘leader!’

A policy where everyone was equal, except for the leader.

This way, he’d created an ideology that could weather the war without betraying the Revolutionary Army’s ideals.

“‘The problem was, this policy needed to transition to Daniel, hyung’s system at the right time. Otherwise, it could easily veer down a dark path…'”

People in power were easily corrupted. They were supposed to step down at the right time, but the sweet taste of power made that unlikely. By then, corruption would surely take root.

The transition to Daniel, hyung’s policies was meant for a distant future generation. He wouldn’t be around to keep a watchful eye then.

‘…Thorough training for successors was essential.’

He knew he had to be wary of human greed, and trust no one easily. But in the current situation, this was the best he could do. Someone else might find a better way, but by his own judgment, this was it.

Back in the present, he looked up to see Iram tilting his head, puzzled.

“Democracy…? Socialism…?”

“Yes.”

“?”

Paul offered a faint smile.

…Iram was an original member of the Revolutionary Army, drawn by the pure ideal of ‘equality.’ He was one of the few who wouldn’t be swayed by personal ambition, like ‘power.’

He picked up his pen and scribbled something on the paper. It wasn’t much.

[Democracy / Socialism]

“It’s homework, so I won’t explain it just yet.”

“Homework…?”

“Yes, see this?”

He tapped the paper with a fingertip and slid it across the desk.

“Figure out what these two words mean, and come back to me. They’re written in Southern Hanja, so if you decipher them, you should get a general idea. It shouldn’t be too hard.”

…Does that mean…!

Iram, who had picked up the paper and was examining it, suddenly looked up, startled.

His eyes widened, a flicker of understanding in them as he seemed to grasp Paul’s intentions. His voice trembled slightly with hesitation.

“…Don’t tell me you’re considering me as your successor?”

“No.”

“Then why…?”

“Right now, anyone could die at any moment, regardless of age.”

In fact, the young were dying even faster than the old these days.

Without looking at Iram, Paul picked up a document from the stack beside him, resuming his paperwork as he calmly continued.

“I could die at any moment too. And honestly, I haven’t even found anyone suitable to be my successor.”

Was he being too picky, or was there just a lack of talent? No one quite measured up.

“‘It wasn’t like he was asking for much.'”

He wanted someone young, with a flexible mind, not set in their ways, someone who could be molded through education. Someone reasonably intelligent, capable of fully absorbing the teachings of both the first and second leaders, and passing them down unchanged. Someone relatively incorruptible, who would work for the greater good, not personal gain.

Just these three things. That was all he asked.

Especially the second condition. Initially, he’d wanted someone brilliant enough to not just absorb the teachings, but to evolve them without distortion and pass them on. But he’d lowered his expectations.

War had ruined people, it seemed, leaving no decent talent. Paul mentally clicked his tongue and began to scribble again, speaking in a nonchalant tone, as if it were nothing important.

“So, if I die without naming a successor, or die before fully training one, or just die without a proper successor at all. Or even if the successor I do name dies unexpectedly, leaving no one else.”

…

“Iram, I need you to be a temporary bridge in that event.”

Iram had been with the leadership since the Revolutionary Army’s founding. He’d served both the first and second leaders, assisting them, seeing and hearing everything. He had the foundation. He could absorb the teachings faster than anyone else right now.

Time was ticking by, and the Revolutionary Army’s leader, with enemies aplenty, lived a precarious life. He could die any day. If that happened without a proper successor, the Revolutionary Army would instantly crumble or go astray.

“If the Revolutionary Army is ever on the verge of collapse, you’ll be a temporary lifeline to keep it going.”

Right now, they needed someone to be a temporary bridge, to fill the gap until a proper successor could be found, trained, and nurtured. Someone to be a backup plan in case of the unexpected.

In other words, they needed someone who could quickly absorb the teachings and step into leadership at a moment’s notice. Paul looked up at Iram.

“You said you were curious about my interim policies, right? This is the kind of ideology that’s better scrapped than half-heartedly implemented. Same goes if we can’t find a proper successor. So, do your homework.”

Then, I’ll explain the intentions and methods behind it, clearly.

“Iram, I need you to be both a ‘proper successor’ and someone who can train the next one after you.”

Iram was the Revolutionary Army leader’s aide.

He wasn’t on the front lines. Enemies targeted the ‘leader,’ not some aide. He was relatively safe.

Paul studied Iram, who in many ways fit the bill. Then, he buried his head back in his documents and waved dismissively.

“Alright, you can go now. And don’t make the mistake of dwelling on my last words and forgetting everything else I told you.”

Find Sia, try to contact Stigma Primiero, and do your homework.

Iram mentally reviewed the list, carefully folded the paper, tucked it into his tunic, and nodded.

“Alright.”

***

“Thank you for agreeing to meet, even though my request might have seemed presumptuous.”

“Hardly. I’m sick of being watched all the time. And you’re one of the few who’ve kept their distance, so losing one set of eyes isn’t so bad. So, what did you want to see me about? …Actually, before that…”

Stigma rested a hand on his chin, as if in thought. His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped, heavy in the air.

“Who do you work for? Sanguo? The Empire? Or… could it be the Revolutionary Army?”

“…The Revolutionary Army.”

The Revolutionary Army, huh.

He had a feeling he knew why they’d requested the meeting, even without hearing their business… But since he’d already made time, he could afford to indulge them a little. It wasn’t as if hearing them out would ruin his day. He nodded slowly.

“Alright, I see. What is it you wanted?”

“To join the Revolutionary Army…”

“I refuse.”

Just as he thought.

Offering the Revolutionary Army to ‘Stigma Primiero’ of all people? It was almost laughable.

Was this offer related to him abandoning his noble title? If so, they’d completely misunderstood his motives. He’d done that for a greater purpose, not because he suddenly cared about the injustices of the class system.

If anything, Stigma craved an even higher position, where he could truly prove himself.

In other words, the class system was a valuable stage he might need again someday, so he saw no reason to dismantle it. He spat out his refusal without a second thought.

What surprised him was the other party’s reaction.

“Understood.”

A clean acceptance, without adding a word.

…You’re giving up surprisingly easily.

“It’s better than making a Hero an enemy.”

“Wise thinking. Whose idea was this? The leader’s?”

…

“The leader, huh? I suspected as much from his image on the screen. Despite his looks, he’s got a sharp mind.”

Seeming unwilling to prolong the conversation, the other man quickly turned to leave.

Stigma smirked at the other man’s attempt to minimize information leakage – a cute effort. He turned away without a second thought. His gaze met a pair of silver-blue eyes.

…So, now it’s time for our pre-arranged meeting, isn’t it?

“Rememver.”