Man entered the mortal world weak and helpless. He could not influence this in any way, and could only rely on fate and other higher powers, which our meager minds are unable to understand. But it depended on man himself whether he would remain as weak and helpless in the future. Only he himself decided to choose indulgence, humility or struggle.
It's obvious, absolutely. However, for some reason it only dawned on me now: not even in my second or third life. I found books on psychology, sociology, genetics and other sciences that gave at least some information about emotions, feelings and hormones. In my first life, all this knowledge was also available to me, but for some reason I did not strive for it.
It was only the appearance of Tzeentch and his warning - a threat, in fact - that made me do something.
— Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale... — I sat in the lotus position in my office, on a stool, and controlled my breathing, all my emotions and feelings, trying to learn to manage them.
I had been in this world for almost half a year. Quite a long period of time during which I was doing the same thing. Nothing interesting was happening and the constant charity events, filing declarations and talking to employees had become a boring routine. My income was growing, my reputation was getting stronger, but my mansion… it still remained without repairs. After all, I immediately invested all the money I earned.
I invested in my reputation, in my capital, in future personnel, in my election campaign. An expensive car could be stolen and smashed by competitors. Nice clothes could become a reason for a thief to attack. Besides, money loved silence: it wasn't just like that, I didn't want to attract attention. In this regard, I was favorably different from most rich kids. Perhaps, I should thank Lex's life experience for this. Thanks to his body and his path, such stupidity ceased to interest me: rather, it even began to frighten me.
But it was much more difficult to take away reputation or capital. Moreover, unlike luxury, reputation and capital were assets in one way or another: that is, they brought in even more income. And you know what? In fact, there was nothing complicated in all this, as well as in studying your own emotions and feelings. I could have done this earlier, in my first life. And I could have started a business then. Yes, the success would probably have been much less, but... the opportunity was there.
But why didn't I even think about starting to do this? The answer is simple: I didn't need it. I was happy with everything. Why change anything and take risks if everything was going well anyway? Ambitions? Ambitions were only in infantile dreams and fantasies. This depressed me, because I had missed out on so much.
After a while, I got up and started rereading the books. Magic training was hard. I couldn't learn anything new. The only thing that was improving was emotional control. I began to handle stress much easier, react more calmly to bad news, and overall I never yelled or wanted to yell at anyone.
Understanding that any emotion and feeling was caused by certain hormones gave me this peace. Just as a healthy lifestyle allowed me to normalize the production of testosterone, which was the basis of motivation to do something. Therefore, I always had enough energy, and my goals created more and more motivation. The desire to become better, to change myself, to achieve something that I seemed incapable of. To help those from whom the world had turned its back... there were many goals and reasons to move forward. And if suddenly one of them began to fade, all the others helped.
Besides, Tzeentch had already said that something worse than war was coming. I did not want to see another world go up in flames. Children writhing in flames, old men silenced by rubble, the last men killed by gunfire, and the rest exterminated to please the powerful. This was wrong: I believed it, and so I decided that I would do everything to prevent it.
And so six months passed, and here I was, leaving my mansion, checking the bulletproof vest under my suit, and heading towards the nearest settlement. There was a small town there, much smaller than Camelot. However, it was the center of peasant farms. Something like a province, only a little smaller. Here, elections began for the small council of nobility, which determined the future development of our fiefdoms.
My participation was initially perceived as another joke: the stupidity of Mordred, who would either go to Galahad to get the right to control the Knight, or get involved in politics. However, the other nobles very quickly realized how badly they had screwed up. They were used to deciding everything themselves, in a narrow circle of influential people, after which they presented all the other minor nobles with a fait accompli and held pre-planned elections. Not falsified, but planned, where everyone knew who would vote for whom.
However, I jumped into the election campaign with both feet. Voting was conducted among nobles and wealthy citizens, such as artisans and landowners. Simply put, your right to vote was directly influenced by your earnings and wealth. Serfs toiling in the fields did not have the right to vote, as did those who worked in the factory.
However, it was these workers who respected me more than others who were the basis of the economy of the above-mentioned. Once I went to one workshop with a charity event, stood next to the owner of the workshop, said that he did the right thing when he decided to join the action and help ordinary people, and now the productivity of the workers has increased, discontent has fallen, and he, of course, promised to vote for me.
Besides, I had already managed to secure the king's support. My constant praise had borne fruit: now everyone believed that my help to the people existed largely thanks to his assistance. In part, this was true. Although, to tell the truth, the king simply got involved at the right time, and everything rested on my shoulders. Just like the modest subsidies barely covered half of the expenses, which, incidentally, is still a lot.
One way or another, the snowball rolled and when I arrived at the town hall, I was met by a joyful crowd. My guards were the first to come out, clearing the way to the entrance. There were still some big guys among the guards, but the majority were now professional mercenaries. They trained my future guard and helped work with personnel, performing reconnaissance functions.
"You'll definitely win, Mr. Mordred," Boris said, following me out onto the scarlet carpet. "I didn't think we'd succeed. We got more than fifty percent of the votes! And second place is trailing behind us with thirty-six - a crushing victory."
- We deserve it, because we worked hard.
"That's true," agreed Boris, who, like me, sometimes slept four hours a day. "I hope we'll at least get some rest after this race."
- I'll find you an assistant, I promise.
- Mister Mordred! - a town hall worker came out to us, who immediately ran up to me. - There are still ten percent of the votes left to count, but you have already definitely won. Will you give a speech? The people gathered for this. Of course, you have already given explanations regarding your actions after the elections. But journalists have arrived here even from the capital of the world - royal media! And not in Camelot, but here! This is a miracle, will you say a few words? Please.
- Of course. That's why I came here.
I was quickly ushered to the podium, and the crowd fell silent. Changes in the composition of any noble council were rare, especially such a sudden and unexpected one. I had come out of nowhere, stormed into the election, and won. Besides, I was named Mordred, which also added to the reason for discussion: after all, when was the last time someone from my tribe had risen to power?
Some saw it as a bad omen. Others had long since grown tired of the fact that this stigma still exists and hinders the lives of those who were simply born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some mistakenly considered me a bastard, because they only knew what they were allowed to know. Although after the information war with competitors, everything came out into the open. My entire past was laid out on the shelves, every sin was recalled. I was saved only by the fact that I admitted my guilt and did not deny the truth, loudly declaring with my actions my attempt to earn forgiveness.
"So many people have gathered…" I said quietly, thinking about what exactly I should say now.
I had a speech prepared, but after thinking about it, I decided to move away from it. After all, the crowd wanted to hear neither a military report nor a scientific report. They needed emotions, an open heart and a pure soul. They will hear and remember any falsehood and artificiality. Therefore, after waiting until everyone finally quieted down, I began to speak.
— I look at you and I see the people who hold our world together. The media workers, the artisans, the judges, the landowners. Because of your work, our homes are warm, our plates are full of stew, and when times get tough, every warrior knows his sword won't break and his armor will withstand the most terrible damage. And it's our role as nobles to help you do your job even more effectively. The Small Council has done this for centuries, continuing the work of the first men. But I believe there's more that can be done. And in these times, when the king is gathering one army after another… we must be ready for anything.
We have always lived surrounded by darkness. It has taken over our hearts and neighboring systems, where we have been attacked by soulless machines, sorcerers, and vile xenos. But time after time, we have repelled their attacks. And while our fellows have fallen to the very bottom, realizing too late the dangers of using magic and artificial intelligence, we have held the line here, putting morality and ethics at the forefront, not progress or knowledge.
Yes, because of this, many of our neighbors, including other human colonies, considered us backward and stupid. To this day, our fields are sown by human hands. But it was this conservatism that allowed us to survive when the connection with other worlds was lost, and the fleet stopped leaving the borders of the system. It was not knights or nobles who saved us from disaster! Our unity became the core of everything!
- And soon we will be challenged again! - I continued my speech, systematizing all the information I had studied and collected in this world. - And that means our unity must become absolute! I also plan to begin reforming the military structures of our fiefdoms! The number of bunkers must be doubled! Every house must have underground fortifications! The districts of this town will be rebuilt to make urban combat more difficult for the enemy! A rifle in every house! A box of cartridges in every chest of drawers! If we don't think about the future now, it will be too late to think about it later!
All my rhetoric was based on the generally accepted norms of this world. Conservatism, strong power and a powerful army. Purity of thought, moral laws and honor at the head of society. Everything else was eradicated in every possible way. Therefore, the majority happily accepted my words and rather radical intentions. And although, one way or another, everyone worked in this direction, honoring the traditions and the knight's code, but still sometimes the nobility got tired or did not want to bust their ass. Their efficiency fell, and everything was left to chance.
This also applied to our fiefs, which could pay much more tribute to Camelot and earn the right to form royal regiments. But why? Everything was fine anyway. That's what the nobles thought, rejoicing in their position and not intending to move forward. The new generations, who did not remember the dark times, they were inferior to their ancestors in everything and only heard about how bad it was before. Good times gave birth to weak people. This had to be changed as quickly as possible, because the next hard times will not give birth to strong people: they will destroy everyone.
And the common people felt it, just as the king looked much further. Soon everyone would begin to prepare for the inevitable, but I would be one of the first to do so. And those gathered were ready to support all my initiatives, from the creation of production facilities specifically for the crippled with prosthetics to the formation of a people's militia. They all joyfully shouted words of support, which I could not help but be surprised at. It seemed that I had hit their hearts with my speech.
- As a token of gratitude, on behalf of the entire administration and the current small council of nobles, I would like to announce a reward for the likely future winner of the elections! - the town hall worker took the floor, wanting to also latch on to my moment of glory. - Lord Mordred was known for many sins, but he has already done enough to atone for them! We have decided to grant him the right to be called by his father's name!
This statement surprised everyone, including me. Silence fell again, and everyone looked at me, waiting for my reaction and answer. I kept my emotions in a closed cage and actively thought about what this proposal could mean. I had already gotten into the tangle of aristocratic snakes. They were all weaving their own intrigues, and their gifts should be treated with caution. In addition, my family, which had disowned me, could well be against this. And although no one was going to control each branch of the family, they could well remember this.
Besides… I must admit, I had already made a plan that didn't need such handouts. So the answer came quickly. And looking again from the town hall worker to the crowd, I said what was right to say in such a situation.
- Bad deeds do not outweigh good ones, just as good ones do not outweigh bad ones. The sins I have committed will remain with me for the rest of my life. And it is impossible to atone for them, just as it is impossible to change the past. Let the name I have been deservedly given be a reminder for me.
The town hall worker did not argue, because he was simply an executor. So he quickly left, and the crowd seemed to be even more pleased with my words. It even began to seem to me that I could say anything and it would find a response from them. This, of course, was a delusion that should not overshadow common sense.
However, for some time I still stood and waved my hand at them, basking in the rays of glory. Their love was fleeting: tomorrow they could give it to someone else and hang you. But it did not become less pleasant. I understood that I was probably doing something very right for the first time in my entire life. This also warmed my sinful soul.
- Hey, don't push! - some kind of commotion began among the crowd.
My security quickly tensed up. One of the big guys immediately came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder, wanting to take me away. I didn't react right away, looked down for a while, and then began to calmly leave. Although, I probably should have acted much faster.
Then the administration guards tensed up: their weapons were switched to combat position and raised to fire. The sniper fired first, killing the citizen who had pulled out his pistol. However, right after that, right in the front rows, his partner made his move, while everyone was distracted. Right after the shot, at the moment of heartbreaking female screams, there was an explosion of an explosive device thrown at me, a home-made one.
Noise in my ears, the sky above my head: I was lying in blood and still trying to digest what was happening. People were running around me. Turning my head to the side, I saw my guards, riddled with shrapnel. Boris was crawling there, screaming and crying in pain, while his torn legs bled, leaving a terrible scarlet stripe. The chilling sight was completed by the burning stand, spreading the tragedy with black smoke throughout the town.
This is what happened when someone started to climb into something they shouldn't have even with great force.
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