Tianna looked at Jarvan IV with a serious expression and couldn't help but let out a cold snort:
"Prince Jarvan, you must understand that before the Crownguard Family, all kings of Demacia were elected, not hereditary."
A hundred years ago, Demacia was not a hereditary system; the position of king was held by a virtuous person elected by the people!
After Jarvan I, it became a hereditary system.
This was not a regression of history, but rather an inevitable trend. The evolution from a system of abdication to a hereditary system demonstrated the progress of productivity, the emergence of private ownership, and class differentiation, necessitating appropriate adjustments in the superstructure. This was an inevitable process of transition from primitive society to feudal society.
Jiawen III was an enlightened ruler; how could the Jarvan IV he raised be foolish? Jarvan was not flustered. He smiled and looked up at Tianna:
"Grand Marshal, but that is the past. In the past, Demacia was ravaged by magic. Do you see any magic in Demacia now?"
Jarvan slowly stood up, looking at the woman before him. The oppression of a monarch was no longer hidden, pressing down on Tianna:
"Oh, speaking of magic, I'm reminded of our Grand Marshal, that is, you, Lady Tianna. Can you tell me why, after all this time, you still haven't found the mage who assassinated my father?"
Jarvan very naturally shifted the topic to mages and brought up the assassination of the former emperor.
Tianna was instantly at a disadvantage. She tried to explain:
"The Soulless have been investigating. We found traces; it was Sylas, who was once imprisoned! We are currently tracking him..."
Jarvan suddenly slammed his hand on the table and loudly reprimanded Tianna:
"Sylas, Sylas! After all this time, every time I hear you mention his name, but where is he? Have you caught him? If not, then forget it, there isn't even a single clue!
Not to mention your failure to protect the emperor, you were given such great authority as the Soulless, and you've been searching for decades, yet you still allowed a mage to assassinate the Emperor. What exactly are you Soulless good for?
Now mages are causing constant trouble all over Demacia, and I haven't heard a word from you. Yet, when someone writes a few articles, you are so concerned?"
Tianna was speechless for a moment. Prince Jarvan had always appeared to be a compromiser, but now he suddenly became unyielding, leaving Tianna unable to respond.
Seeing that things were not going well, Tianna immediately replied:
"Yes, Your Highness, I will immediately increase the efforts of the Soulless."
Then Tianna dared not mention the deletion of the diary of a madman again and hurriedly left Jarvan IV's study.
After walking out, Tianna thought about it more and more, and realized something was wrong:
"Damn it, Jarvan tricked me. His previous compromises were all an act. He is definitely not an ordinary person. He only revealed his true nature now. The plan must be moved up!"
Tianna summoned her attendant and said to him:
"Now, immediately convene the Silver Council. Everyone must be present!"
The attendant immediately replied: "Yes."
Just as the attendant was about to leave, Tianna thought of someone, the person most loyal to Jarvan IV from the Crownguard Family. She instructed the attendant:
"Call my nephew."
The attendant nodded and immediately ran out.
Inside the Fearless Vanguard barracks.
Under everyone's gaze, a beautiful female soldier stood in the center. She had dark hair, a stylish side-swept fringe, and a braid tied behind her, carrying a greatsword almost as tall as her.
At this moment, Garen stood beside her. Garen suddenly raised the greatsword in his hand and loudly said to all members of the Fearless Vanguard Legion:
"War is cruel. Not long ago, our First Shield Formation lost an old soldier, we lost our former comrade Helmar, and we are deeply saddened!"
"But he sacrificed for Demacia, and his life was full of honor!"
"Our First Shield Formation sought a new powerful soldier, and now, we have finally found her. Not only did she pass the grueling month-long assessment, but she also matched my record!"
"Let us welcome the new warrior of the First Shield Formation — Sisilia!"
Applause erupted. The First Shield Formation was the highest honor for Demacian soldiers; ordinary people could not enter it.
As soon as Garen finished speaking and stepped down from the stage, an attendant from the Crownguard Family ran over and whispered to Garen:
"Captain Garen, please attend the Silver Council immediately."
Garen directly refused. How could he not know what the Silver Council was? He didn't want to go, and the First Shield Formation's new recruit initiation ceremony was starting now:
"What? Can't you see I'm busy?"
But the attendant said anxiously:
"It's your aunt, Grand Marshal Tianna, who requests your presence, please..."
Upon hearing Tianna's name, Garen gritted his teeth, then shook his head:
"I'll be there..."
Superficially, government affairs still required Jarvan IV's seal and approval, but in reality, the Silver Council almost completely took over all of Demacia's government affairs, unless Jarvan emphatically said two words: "Not approved."
The Silver Council was held in Demacia's imperial city, but this council had never allowed Jarvan IV to participate. All decisions were made by them, and Jarvan only had the right to stamp them.
Sometimes, even if Jarvan didn't stamp, things still proceeded as they were meant to.
The council was presided over by Demacia's Grand Marshal, the controller of the Soul Hunter Corps, Tianna.
Eight high-ranking officials sat in the front left of an octagonal table. Each of them represented an important affair of Demacia, including military, nobility, treasury, and the Soulless.
Behind them stood others, exactly twice their number, including advisors, retainers, deputies, and representatives of secondary families.
And even as the Captain of the Fearless Vanguard, Garen still had no right to enter the council. He sat outside the council, waiting for his aunt to come out, clenching his fists in frustration:
"They won't let me in again, why did they call me here!"
This council was as harmonious as could be. One could say that everyone inside was cut from the same cloth, with an unspoken understanding between the great families. Many identities overlapped within the military, nobility, treasury, and Soulless.
The simplest example: sitting opposite Grand Marshal Tianna was the representative of the Soulless, Eldred, the commander of the Soul Hunter Corps, but Eldred was also Tianna's husband.
At the beginning of the meeting, the noble representative spoke up:
"I don't know what kind of lowlife dared to write such a disgusting article as 'diary of a madman,' it's simply outrageous!"
"Yes, but today, that Jarvan fellow, I don't know what got into him, talking about freedom of speech, and he suppressed us!"
"This is the first time Jarvan has done something like this. What is he thinking?"
At this moment, Tianna stood up and said with a hint of nervousness:
"This article isn't that important, but Jarvan's attitude is. He has actually been pretending to be foolish with us all along! Our plan will likely have to be moved up!"
Everyone present was shocked: "What!"