Otto's laughter echoed throughout the hall.
He seemed to have accepted his fate and, from this utter defeat, had glimpsed the future's direction.
He stood up, walked to a desk, spread out a sheet of parchment, and began to write furiously.
Lacey and Serafina watched quietly, not disturbing him.
First, he wrote a confession.
In it, he admitted to the shame his failed expedition to Kazdel had brought upon Leithanien, admitted to the cruel exploitation he had inflicted upon the people of his fief to compensate for his losses, and admitted to the crime of ordering a massacre.
Between the lines, there were no longer any excuses.
Afterwards, he wrote a decree of abdication and transfer.
In the decree, he declared himself weighed down by sin and too ashamed to face the people of the Wasser Fief, voluntarily abdicating his position.
In the name of the legitimate ruler of the Wasser Fief, he announced the transfer of the title of Elector, along with all sovereign rights over the Wasser Grand Region, to the Viscount of Leithanien, leader of the Workers' Party, Lacey.
After finishing, he took the Elector's seal from a drawer.
He unhesitatingly stamped both documents with the seal, then bit his finger and pressed his own bloody thumbprint onto them.
Having done all this, he pushed the two parchments toward Lacey.
"Take them. They are yours now."
Lacey stepped forward and picked up the two documents.
The parchments were light, but in his hand, they felt heavier than ever before.
They carried the power of a grand region and the future of millions.
Otto did not look at Lacey again. He turned and walked to the Tower's control console, pressed his hands upon it, and activated his final Originium Arts.
"VMMM—"
The Tower's communication formation activated once more.
Otto Gladstone's pale face once again appeared on the light screen above the Tower.
The army and the populace below fell silent, looking up at the sky in confusion.
"People of the Wasser Fief," Otto's voice broadcast in all directions through the formation.
"I, Otto Gladstone, hereby confess my sins to all the people of the Wasser Fief..."
"Because of my own foolishness and greed, I lost a war in Kazdel that should never have been fought, causing my soldiers to be buried in a foreign land and bringing shame upon Leithanien's honor. This is my first crime."
"Because of my failure, I took my anger out on the people, levying exorbitant taxes upon you, leaving you without food to eat or clothes to cover your bodies. This is my second crime."
"Because of my tyranny, I ignored the will of the people, ordering the army to suppress your resistance, and was even prepared to slaughter innocent lives. This is my third crime."
"My sins are heavy. I have failed the ancestors of the Gladstone family, failed Leithanien, failed Their Majesties, the Empresses, and most of all, I have failed you."
"I am no longer qualified to rule the Wasser Fief."
He paused, his voice suddenly rising.
"Here and now, I declare that from this day forward, I bequeath the title of Elector to Viscount Lacey!"
"He will be your new lord, and I believe he will lead you to a future a thousand times better than the one under my rule!"
As he finished speaking, the people looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.
The Elector... had voluntarily abdicated?
And passed his position to Lacey, the leader of the Workers' Party?
Otto paid no mind to the commotion below. His gaze seemed to pierce through the light screen, staring toward the distant land of Victoria, his face contorted with savage hatred.
"Casto of Victoria!!"
"I, Otto Gladstone, curse you with my soul!"
"You treacherous mongrel! I will be waiting for you in hell!"
"Lacey! Remember my words! You must send that son of a bitch down to keep me company!"
These were his last words on this earth.
As soon as he finished, he spun around, charged toward the hall's floor-to-ceiling window, shattered the crystal glass, and leaped from the Tower hundreds of meters high.
Serafina gasped instinctively and covered her mouth.
The crowd below also erupted in cries of alarm. Everyone watched as the Elector who had ruled them for half their lives ended his own life in such a resolute manner.
"THUD—"
With a dull thud, it was all over.
After a brief, deathly silence, the crowd erupted into a tsunami of cheers.
"Otto is dead!"
"We've won! We are victorious!"
"We are victorious!"
The miner, Claude, threw down his pickaxe, knelt on the muddy ground, and covering his coal-dusted face with his hands, began to wail.
His wife, his neighbors, everyone embraced and wept.
The mountain that had crushed them for so long had finally collapsed.
They were free.
Atop the Tower, Lacey stood quietly, looking down upon the seething crowd below.
Otto's body was a mangled mess on the hard stone slabs, but no one paid any attention to the loser.
All eyes converged on the top of the Tower, on that young figure.
"Long live Elector Lacey!" someone in the crowd was the first to shout the title.
"Long live Elector Lacey!"
"Long live the Workers' Party!"
"Long live victory!"
"Long live victory!!"
"Long live victory!!!"
The roar of the crowd was like a tidal wave, each surge higher than the last.
In the most simple and sincere way, they acclaimed their new lord.
Serafina stood behind Lacey, looking at his back, her heart filled with a hundred different emotions.
She could feel the tempest raging within his heart at that moment.
From the frenzied cheers of the people below, she also felt a heavy weight of responsibility.
From this day forward, Lacey was no longer just the leader of a small political party. He was the ruler of a grand region, an Elector of Leithanien who held the power of life and death over millions.
Lacey did not indulge in the joy of victory. He turned, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered guards and servants in the Throne Room.
"From this moment on, I, Lacey, am the Elector of the Wasser Fief." His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
"Taylor!" he issued his first order through the communicator.
"Here! Mr. Lacey! No... Your Excellency, the Elector!" Taylor's voice was distorted with excitement.
"Immediately lead the Pickets and the guards to take control of the city defenses of Essenweld, the capital of the Wasser Fief. Confiscate all weapons from the old guard, but do not harm them. Gather and detain them."
"Remember, safety and discipline are the top priorities."
"Yes, sir!"
"Serafina." Lacey looked at the young woman beside him.
"I'm here."
"Compile all the archives and inventories in the Tower, especially the records concerning the Wasser Fief's taxes, population, and mineral distribution. I need to see them immediately."
"Also, organize our people at once to distribute the grain from the Tower's granary. Pacify the citizens and tell them there will be bread, and there will be peaceful days ahead."
"Understood." Serafina nodded immediately and began to make arrangements.
"In addition, send our fastest messenger to Wischeim to inform Countess Gertrude of everything that has happened here," Lacey added.
"Tell her to prepare to receive 'greetings' from the other nobles and the Twin Empresses."
"The political game truly begins now."
After issuing a series of commands, Lacey finally relaxed slightly.
He walked to the Throne Room's floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the vast land.
The distant mines, fields, and towns, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, formed a magnificent panorama.
"The will of the people is the most powerful weapon," he said softly, as if to himself, and as if declaring it to the world.
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