Kyros started sharply. "Let us start with the military. I think that is the number one priority, considering the position Luminosity was in yesterday—and one that the academy will soon be in too.
I had to deal with a horde of alien-like creatures yesterday evening. From the reports of my informants, it seems that Seraph and the cult consisting of nobles and mages have started to use the Abyss' blessing to corrupt the commoners, and are using them—or will soon—to wear us down.
I am not too sure about the other empires and the cult movements there.
They cannot get much more specific information, considering the danger of these areas now. Any idea about these creatures, Merlin?"
As he finished, the faces of the people present were grim.
Merlin replied straightforwardly, "I am not too sure. It seems from your description that they are corrupted using the blessing. Considering that the commoners have no magic core, it must corrupt their bodies and turn them into mindless drones. They will be difficult to deal with. Well, it seems they are very weak against high-level mages, but their sheer number will overwhelm the limited high-level mages we have."
Kyros nodded, then turned to Balin and Alexander. "You two are our most experienced military commanders. What do you think should be done?"
Balin was the first to give his suggestion. "Your Excellency, I believe in a defensive war for now. We need information—on the enemy, the cult, the Abyss—basically everything. Until we know what we are dealing with and how to counteract it, we need to hold off the tides of enemies the cult will try to overwhelm us with."
Alexander spoke next. "I agree with Balin. We need to set up a buffer zone in a rectangle around our territory and quickly deploy teams with magi-tech machinery to fortify and set up defenses. I believe Luminosity is close to finishing its prototype of the magi-cannons?"
He looked over at Rodrick.
"Aye, the last I heard, we are very close. More investment could help accelerate production."
At this, George, the Head of the Merchant Union, could smell a profit. "The Merchant Union will ensure proper funding."
Lady Veronica could not allow George to have the upper hand. "The noble houses under the Lightborns will also divert assets to ensure the development of this technology—and we will go a step further. We will dedicate funds to expanding Luminosity, of course with His Excellency Kyros's permission, to build more factories and even schools where we can more efficiently teach commoners how to make and create magi-tech," she said in a velvet-smooth voice that oozed grace. She looked over at Kyros at the end, and he simply nodded in acceptance of the idea.
Merlin piped up, adding a bit of humor to the intense situation. "I can see the method to your madness now, Kyros. This is indeed a very good way of governing—very good indeed," he said, pride evident in his voice.
Kyros ignored Merlin's comment and continued. "So, the military plan is set. For this alliance to work, we will need to essentially merge and become one. We cannot act individually. As Merlin mentioned, together we win—separate, well, you know what will happen.
I propose we merge the military forces of both territories into a united force. Let us name it the Alliance Force for now. The leader between Balin and Alexander will be decided later, based on merit. Merlin wants me to lead it, and I will not lead anything that is run by connections or by who you know. The best person for the job will take on the important roles.
While I realize both of you are worthy for different reasons, whoever ends up losing to the other will be given another position that will use your power, skill, and leadership qualities to the greatest benefit of our new Alliance."
Merlin nodded in agreement. "Do not worry, Kyros. I have already let my side know, and they agree with this sentiment. That is how I have always run the academy since the beginning, so it is not a foreign concept."
Aaron, the Head of the Teachers Union, spoke in a slow and intelligent manner. "Correct. What Lord Merlin said is the philosophy and foundation of the academy and its territories, for thousands of years. You know this from your time there, Lord Kyros." He looked at Kyros with a small smile.
Rebecca spoke next in her strict and direct tone. "Yes, what they said. I have no problems. I do not like useless people."
Alexander was last, replying, "I agree. I believe in my skills to get me the position."
Balin simply replied, "So do I."
There seemed to be a rivalry starting already.
Merlin spoke up, seriousness returning to his voice. "Now that we have that out of the way, before we move on to anything else, let us discuss the actual method of governing that we will use."
Kyros gave a terse nod before speaking. "Anyone with any ideas of how we will govern this alliance? Maybe Aaron—you have any ideas or references?"
Aaron sat up straight; his expression showed that he had finally found something that interested him in this conversation. "There are many references from history we can rely on, along with some ideas I have combining various systems."
As Aaron was speaking excitedly, Merlin cut him off, saying, "Aaron, we do not have the time to have a lesson on political and governmental systems of history. What is your suggestion from the knowledge you have?"
He coughed lightly before apologizing. "Sorry, I seem to have got carried away. If you want my opinion, I would say, considering the type of individuals present and the system of governance that Luminosity has already established—a council system.
To elaborate, we here at this table—and maybe more in the future, if other factions arise and are influential enough to deserve a seat—would form a council. Lord Kyros would serve as the leader with, let us say… the title of Lord Protector. That is one of my favorites from history. It is a hereditary title, unless the person who inherits it is not found suitable by the council; then they can prevent that person from inheriting the title and position. The role itself can veto policies that the council puts forward; however, they must provide sufficient reasoning to justify the veto.
The council itself would have a leader—I would use the title Speaker—and I would say that Lord Merlin would be perfect for this, as our other Grand Mage. Considering his current position and years of experience, he would be ideal. Then, from there, we would have the position of Councillor, which each of us here, other than Lord Merlin and Lord Kyros, would hold. These titles, just like that of Lord Protector, would be hereditary."
As he finished his long explanation, it seemed from an outside perspective that those present were on board with this unique way of governing. It perfectly aligned with Kyros's ideology while also making use of the system he had already established within Luminosity. Everyone within the Alliance would be represented.
Kyros looked around at the contented expressions on the faces of those present, especially the ones from Luminosity, and said aloud, "We will make this the official governing system of the Alliance. We can tweak it as time goes by. If everyone is in favor of this, say aye; those that are against, say nay."
They all said "aye" clearly and loudly.
"Great," replied Kyros. "I guess this could be seen as the first meeting of the Council." Those around the table nodded with a slight, knowing smile on their faces.
He quickly moved on—he was not one to dawdle, especially not with the time constraints they were under. "Just like the military merge, we need to do something similar with the nobles you have in the academy territory and the merchants. Councillor Veronica and Councillor George, you two will be in charge of this. Ensure the swift and easy merging of those within the academy territory with both of your factions."
They both bowed and said, "Yes, my Lord."
Kyros nodded in affirmation, then looked at Rodrick. "Councillor Rodrick, the same goes for you. Ensure you explain our system to the workers within the academy territories, and make sure to assimilate them into your faction."
He bowed too. "Of course, my Lord."
Kyros sighed, feeling at least some pressure lifted, before moving on to the next issue. "Next up, an easy issue compared to the rest. However, we need to make sure all teleportation gates block any incoming teleportation signals from outside our territory, while simultaneously ensuring all teleportation gates are connected with each other for fast movement between cities. Maybe in the future—even though it is expensive—we can build some in the buffer zone for quick transportation of mages and supplies to the front lines."
The others nodded seriously before Councillor George spoke up. "My Lord, it would indeed be expensive—financially and materials-wise. However, the idea behind it is solid. I will see if the Merchant Union can and wants to invest once I speak to my associates."
Councillor Veronica was a breath behind him as usual, not wanting to waste a potential opportunity to make herself, her family, and her faction more influential and powerful. "I second that. Once I speak to my people, I will send word."
Kyros simply nodded at their antics and then said, "Right, next on the agenda. I would like to propose that Councillor Rebecca be made Dean of the Academy of Magic and given the responsibility of governing the City of Magic. From what I understand, she is already running the day-to-day operations and has shown stellar integrity when managing the academy and city.
Merlin, as the Speaker, you have enough on your plate representing the Council and creating your alchemical inventions. Those inventions might be something we need to scale up if we are to have the upper hand in this conflict."
As Kyros's words fell, the usually strict, sharp, and neutral-looking Councillor Rebecca looked flabbergasted, while Merlin laughed loudly in that typical grandfatherly manner. "As direct as ever, Kyros! However, I see where you are coming from. This is about putting the best person in the place best suited to them at this time. I agree!" he said boisterously.
Councillor Rebecca regained her composure before saying in a softer voice than usual, "My Lord, do you really believe me to be best suited for a position that has never been held by anyone else? It is too much!"
Kyros simply raised his hand. "I do not want to hear that type of defeatism. Have more confidence in your abilities—as Merlin and I do. Why do you think Merlin would have made you Deputy Dean if you were useless or not good enough?
Now, we will revoke the position of Deputy Dean. We can always reinstate it if needed in the future."
Councillor Rebecca seemed lost in thought after what Kyros said so directly.
Merlin then spoke up again. "Well, with that out of the way, there is one matter we may need to look into. I have some information from my informants—those still left in the empires—and after the news Kyros shared at the start of the meeting, it seems that there are millions of people fleeing to our territory from all around Magedom. It seems they realize what is happening and are fleeing in terror. Mostly commoners, but also some mages.
We need to deal with infrastructure and food supply. This can be a good thing or a bad one; we need to make it a good one."
The Heads of the Commoners, Nobles, and Merchants all seemed to perk up at the mention of this, which did not go unnoticed by either Merlin or Kyros. This time, Councillor Rodrick spoke first. "I believe we can use this to our advantage. If we want to invest more into magi-tech and industry, we are going to need a lot more workers eventually. This could be a blessing. In terms of infrastructure, we could build multiple small industrial cities to house them."
The others nodded in thought before Councillor Veronica mentioned a glaring problem. "But as Speaker Merlin mentioned, we are going to need the food and supplies to take them in. In the long run, they would be a net positive; however, in the short term, they are going to be a net negative."
After this realistic opinion from Councillor Veronica, everyone seemed conflicted, before the intellectual of the group, Councillor Aaron, spoke up in his usual fashion—getting a bit carried away. "We could just divert some time and manpower into creating more magi-tech farming equipment for the first few months and then give people incentives to get into agriculture. These two policies together, along with the large fertile fields we have, will ensure food supply for the foreseeable future."
Everyone seemed to nod along, while Councillor George's eyes couldn't hide his excitement at all the profitable opportunities ahead.
Kyros then spoke again. "Okay, this seems to be the best way to deal with this issue. Any objections?"
A beat of silence followed. Nothing from anyone.
"Good. Let us go with this. And finally, one last important matter before we go and get started on all these plans.
The Academy of Magic should be closed for the short term while we build the foundations of the Alliance. The children of nobles in the empires will need to make a choice—either stay and fight with us or be sent away to their empires. You, Aaron and Rebecca, need to make this point clear to them. There might be noble children from families that had nothing to do with the cult, but they are a minority, and I do not want to take chances with any of these noble brats.
The children whose families are commoners or who are orphans will be forced to stay in the City of Magic and await their families, who will hopefully arrive along with the refugees. We cannot allow potential war assets to go looking for their families and get killed.
They are our future generation of talent. I understand that those already enrolled need to keep up their studies—this is a critical moment in their journey as mages—so Aaron, make sure that the teachers within the union, while the academy is closed, keep on as usual with the current students.
The Academy of Magic should also be restructured and used as a means to train not just future mages, but warriors who will be sent to fight for the freedom of our very world and existence.
Any objections to this?"
As Kyros finished his stern monologue, Aaron seemed to be the only one showing some reluctance.
Kyros said, "Aaron, do you not agree?"
Aaron sighed before speaking plainly. "I am just finding it difficult that we will be turning a place of learning into essentially a military institution."
Kyros spoke gravely. "Aaron, this is about survival. These are the types of sacrifices we have to make—and there will be more difficult decisions in the future. Also, I am not saying to change the academy, just the reason for it and the end goal being slightly adjusted. It will essentially still be the same as always, with a slightly adjusted curriculum."
The others nodded in agreement as Aaron looked over to Merlin. "Speaker Merlin, do you agree with this too?" he said, some sadness in his voice.
Merlin had a solemn expression on his face as he addressed him. "Aaron, this is war. These are the sorts of changes we need to make—and why I first nominated Kyros to be our leader. He can, without turning back, confidently move forward while changing and molding those around him and the institutions to fit his goal. His goal, in this instance, being our world's very survival."
Aaron seemed to nod slightly in understanding, though still unconvinced.
Kyros turned to Councillor Rebecca. "Rebecca, you as the Dean will be in charge along with Aaron. I want you to continue doing what you do best—governing the city and ensuring the academy is revamped for its new purpose. Make sure not to neglect the current students while this change occurs."
She replied with confidence now in her voice after her earlier shock. "Yes, my Lord!"