2014 The Price of Change (Part 2)

The Royal army, instead, was in love with the whole package.

Switching spells meant doubling the offensive and defensive power of their troops. If the same principle could be applied to alchemical tools, even the prowess of regular soldiers would greatly increase.

The web had for the army the same allure it had for the Association. It would save the army the money for the paper and would be a great teaching tool. Yet what really captured their interest were the trains.

"Public transportation is great, but what if we created something smaller and better armored with the same power core that's supposed to fuel a train?" General Berion said. "Regular soldiers would be able to soar the skies and rain death upon our enemies.

"We'd be the first country on Mogar with an aerial fleet and ever since the advent of magic, those who control the sky control the ground as well. Unless the other countries develop a similar technology on their own, we'd be unstoppable!"

Yet the enthusiasm of every single faction was doused by the sour notes that Lith's demands were.

Public apologies for what had happened to Raaz, the protection of his family, equal rights for all intelligent creatures in the eyes of the law, and Kamila's reinstatement as a Royal Constable were the hardest to swallow.

The Royals did many things, but they never apologized. It would've set a dangerous precedent.

Protecting Lith's family would now take a lot of resources. People were still scared at the idea of having beasts as their neighbors and everyone knew that Lith was Tiamat.

Every member of his family was likely to be harassed and their family's business boycotted out of prejudice. Writing a law and putting it into practice every day were two completely different things.

Lith had demanded equal rights for Faes and Emperor Beasts because he knew that it was only a matter of time before someone understood that Tista was the Red Demon. Then it might be Aran's, Leria's, or even his little sister's turn to Awaken.

Instead of making each one of them an exception, it was much better to make them the rule so that even Protector's and Marth's kids would be safe. Last, but not least, no one wanted an oath breaker upholding the law.

Even saying it out loud sounded ridiculous, hypocritical, and foolish. Any decent lawyer only had to remind the court of Kamila's past to make whatever evidence she presented irrelevant.

"Are we sure that we want our children to grow up with monsters in disguise as their playmates?" Archmage Lema, Headmaster of the Fire Griffon, said. "What will we tell to a parent after their child dies of a 'playful' bite?

"I have nothing against the other races, but beasts are much stronger than us while plants have regenerative abilities we lack. If they start living in human cities, people are bound to be afraid.

"We should create special residential districts and schools for them."

"This is the greatest load of bullshit I've ever heard!" Marth jumped on his feet in outrage. "I married a Dryad and she's never hurt me. Back when I was a student of the White Griffon, I befriended Emperor Beasts and plants like all of my peers.

"The same happens in the six great academies since their foundation. If you had bothered to check the statistics, the number of incidents per year is abysmal. On top of that, most of the conflicts happen because the students provoke the inhabitants of the forest by treating them as you proposed, as monsters!"

"Headmaster Marth, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I think your perspective is skewed by your personal choices." General Setha said. "Your spouse is not human and your child is a half-bre-"

"You won't refer to children like animals in my presence!"  The Queen slammed her fist on the table, cutting her short.

"I mean, a hybrid." Setha continued. "Headmaster Marth's heart is in a good place, but he isn't seeing the bigger picture. Headmaster Lema's proposal is the most reasonable if not the only choice we have.

"I'm not saying we should keep the other races restricted forever, just until people get used to them and they learn how to follow the rules of human society."

"Are you saying that you want to treat the other races as the mages were before Valeron?" The King's voice was neutral but his words struck like a hammer nonetheless.

In the past, having magical talent meant to be either worshipped or persecuted. People were afraid of the mages' power and blamed them for everything bad that happened.

The nobles had exploited that fear to deny mages any political career and keep them at the fringes of society.

If not for Valeron enlisting them in his army and promising them equal rights, the Griffon Kingdom would have never been born, Garlen would still be like Verendi, and Archmages would carry empty titles with no right to own land.

"I agree with Marth." Marchioness Distar said. "The idea of special districts and schools is idiotic. The people of the Desert coexist with magical beasts and plant folk for centuries.

"The Awakened Council thrived right under our noses for millennia thanks to their differences, not despite them. We can't ask someone to risk their lives for us if they have to beware friendly fire as much as the enemy's."

"It would just be a temporary solution." Archmage Lema said. "Slow and steady wins the race."

"And loses the war." Archon Ernas said with a scoff. "It took Thrud what, two years to assemble an army comprised of members from all races. Months to conquer half the Kingdom and the hearts of its inhabitants, be they humans or not.

"Yet here we are, wasting time with proposals of keeping our allies in dignified prisons and of treating them as second-class citizens. If we want to beat Thrud, we must be like her. Efficient, organized, and rewarding solely on merit.

"Verhen is a Divine Beast, yet until Meln ratted him out, we all would have thrown our daughters at him. Marth's wife is a regular presence at the Court and she's never been a source of embarrassment, unlike some entitled human brats like my own son, Tulion.

"We need to stop being afraid of our potential allies and worry about what would happen if they join Thrud's side because they realize that we are offering them nothing."

"I agree with Archon Ernas." King Meron said. "We have stalled the reform of the academy system for decades and what have we got to show for that? Countless mages deserted the Kingdom and Balkor killed thousands of innocents for his revenge.

"I'm not going to repeat the mistake of my predecessor. I say we take our chances and grant civil rights to the other races."

"What about Constable Yehval?" General Setha asked.

"She's a Verhen now so she'll get a full pardon as well." Sylpha said, her glare nipping in the bud any objection those present had. "Archon Ernas has already agreed to take Constable Yehval under her wing.

"Archon Ernas will control the information that passes through Yehval's hands and make sure that her work is above all suspicion."

The idea of Kamila becoming a Constable in name only quelled the fears of nobles and mages alike.