Royal Court Meeting

Before the meeting took place, deep inside the royal palace in a cave, Archie sat on a futon, deeply concentrating on cultivation and studying his magic abilities.

'At first, I couldn't really figure out my creation ability. So to fully understand and master it, I trained and conducted intensive experimentation with various materials, including stones, wood, and metals.'

'After all my hard work, I was able to deform any matter freely.'

"You need to have a clear image, your imagination and mind have to concentrate on every little detail while applying mana to the materials you're holding."

"With mana, your concentration and perception are heightened to the point where you can visualize atoms, nuclei, nucleons, and quarks, bending them to your will."

'On Earth, in theory, you could disassemble the components of an atom and reassemble them into different elements. However, the powerful forces holding the nucleus together make this extremely challenging. Only very heavy elements like Uranium and Plutonium readily come apart, but they tend to do so spontaneously and uncontrollably.'

'Looking at the massive machines we once called "atom smashers" and the immense energy required to break atoms apart, it becomes clear that doing this on a useful scale is virtually impossible.'

'When atoms are split apart, the fragments tend to scatter in all directions and recombine in unpredictable ways. Reassembling them into the desired atoms becomes nearly impossible.'

'Now, what if we introduce an unknown energy source, mana?'

'What if humans could gain 100% control over atoms? With concentrated mana energy preventing uncontrollable atom splitting, we could manipulate them to regenerate our bodies, which is what healers do. We could alter our appearance, enhance our strength, speed, senses, reflexes, and even turn invisible by changing our molecular structure. By cultivating magic circles and harnessing more mana energy, we could expand the ways and areas we manipulate, known as the domain field.'

'By focusing on manipulating the atoms of materials, we could enhance their properties by thousands of times.'

"My goodness, this creation ability is incredible," Archie exclaimed, reflecting on the knowledge he had gained from his years of experience as an engineer.

"Heh, I can turn coal into diamonds," he chuckled.

Archie decided to put his theory to the test, channeling mana into his fingertips and transforming the rock in front of him into a cube. The rock's properties shifted from being heavy and fragile to being lightweight and durable.

Archie sat there with a smile, thinking about the multitude of possibilities for utilizing this newfound ability.

...

After the meeting with his father, Archie gained more authority and control.

With this newfound authority, he planned to root out every corrupt noble and official on the island.

He also aimed to strengthen the royal family's influence within the royal court to ensure the smooth execution of his plans.

Three months passed, and with his increased authority and his Territory Map skill, Archie collaborated with his father and the Shadow Saint, Raven Obsidian, to gather intelligence and evidence against the treacherous nobles.

His father had no objections, as Archie had demonstrated his expertise in counterintelligence, though he remained curious about the methods used.

Before their collaboration, Archie sent Lilly to eliminate all the spies within the Shadow Corps. Saint Raven, upon learning of this, expressed her gratitude and pledged her support in achieving his goals.

The day of the royal court hearing arrived, and while it may have seemed like just another meeting, it would be remembered as the eradication of corruption.

In the office just before the meeting, Archie asked his father, "Are you ready, Dad?"

Henry replied, "Yes, we have made all the preparations, and the army is deployed to the territories of each target in case of rebellion."

Archie nodded and said, "Excellent. With this, our family won't face domestic opposition as we set our plans in motion."

"Mm."

"Now, let's get going." Archie declared, signaling the momentous changes to come.

…

"Did you discover the reason for the disappearance of the spies we planted in the royal palace?" Inquired the overweight, bald man.

"I apologize, Your Grace, but we haven't had any contact from inside the royal palace for the past five months," replied the servant, bowing respectfully.

"Hmph, were they discovered or something? Utterly useless fools." He sneered.

"We will have a royal court meeting this month, and I will attempt to find some clues." Said Duke Ironhold.

This same conversation could be heard throughout the island as nobles tried to fathom why their subordinates had vanished without a trace.

These nobles eventually gathered at the royal court, a building beside the royal offices.

Upon entering the court and taking their designated seats, the nobles immediately noticed a young child sitting beside the king.

A member of the royal court was the first to raise the issue.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for any impertinence, but may I inquire about the reason for our young prince's presence in this meeting?"

The rest of the chamber members nodded in agreement.

King Henry responded, "I have chosen to let my son participate so that he may learn about our affairs and gain the experience needed to become a proper ruler."

The chamber fell silent, respecting their king's decision.

"Very well, we shall commence the court meeting now," declared the chamber secretary, who was responsible for conducting the proceedings.

As Archie sat silent, observing the debates and discussions among the nobles, he couldn't help but think:

'I really can't wait to dispose of these idiots.'

'Some may consider me cruel, but it was necessary to eradicate the root of this disease once and for all.'

"Even if these nobles hail from houses that have served the royal family for generations, they were in secret contact with foreign nations behind the royal family's back. When suspicions arose, they used scapegoats to divert attention and avoid investigation. That's the kind of people they are."

Archie finished his thoughts and continued observing the court meeting, waiting for several hours before it concluded.

Just as the nobles were about to leave, the royal guards stormed into the court hall, pushing them back into their seats.

The nobles erupted in a frenzy to protest.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Who gave the order for such actions?"

"I demand answers!"

"We'll have our say once we leave!"

King Henry Avalon, still seated, yelled, "Silence!"

The nobles quieted down and sat back in their chairs as royal guards stood behind them.

Their collective thought at that moment was, 'Why me?'

The secretary then approached the king's table with documents.

Once everything was settled, all eyes turned toward King Henry, anticipating his next move.

"Gentlemen, it is now my turn to address the situation on behalf of the guards."

"I have learned that there are traitors, corrupt individuals, murderers, spies, and more among us. The evidence regarding these actions is undeniable."

"These events have occurred, and as the head of state and commander-in-chief of our armed forces, I hereby declare the immediate execution of these public enemies!"

As he spoke, the royal guards drew their daggers and swiftly executed the condemned nobles.

As for those who were innocent, such as the Blackthorn Duke, Starfall Count, and other nobles, they were left untouched, forced to witness the grim scene.

Archie, witnessing this, only looked to the side with a complicated expression, knowing it was him who had caused their deaths.

When the chaos subsided, the king made an announcement.

"To those who were innocent in this matter, you have nothing to fear."

The relieved nobles sighed in response, finally calming down after the shocking turn of events.

The King continued, "We will be restructuring the government and the military."

"We will have a total of 14 ministers overseeing the nation's development. These include the Ministries of Finance, Commerce, Agriculture, Defense, Infrastructure, Transportation, Justice, Civil Affairs, Foreign Affairs, National Security, Natural Resources, Cultivation Overseer, Healthcare, and Education."

The room was left in shock as the nobles wondered about the meaning and implications of these new positions.

Archie was unfazed by this, as he had already expected it, because it was him who had proposed the change to his father.

The King proceeded, "We will also reorganize the roles of our Saints. These positions will now be the Saints of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Guards, Shadows, Healers, Formations, Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Talismans, Mage Tower, Construction, and Special Knight Order. These will be the 13 Saints seats."

"With that, the meeting is concluded." He declared.

The nobles sat there, stunned by the dramatic changes. The royal family had just asserted its dominance, diminishing the powers and responsibilities of the nobility.

They decided to remain low-key, waiting for the kingdom's situation to calm down.

As the meeting ended, news of the king's actions and new policies quickly spread. Loyal followers of the traitors who had been executed attempted to cause unrest.

Fortunately, the army was already deployed to the territories of the targeted nobles, quelling any rebellions.

As for the family members of these nobles, they were stripped of all authority over their territory and only given part of the wealth left.

This was done because they were the most likely candidates for rebellion leaders to rise from, seeking revenge.

The last thing Archie needed in the future was some noble family colluding with each other in an attempt to take him down.

…

After the turmoil subsided, Archie sat in his room, reflecting:

'We have now implemented various policies and the governmental structure to accommodate the changes about to come."

"With the notes of my mathematics, physics, science, and chemistry that I have written down, my private mage tower, which I am setting up as a research center, will be able to advance their current field quite far."

"The renowned Earth philosopher Machiavelli once said, 'A ruler must remember that whatever brings success is due to power.' Now that we possess power, success shall be bestowed upon us."

Archie started taking out blueprints after blueprints from his inventory, which he had copied down from his memory with the help of his creation ability.

Now that he had the ability to proceed with all of his plans in preparation to establish the Avalonian Royal Fortress, it was time for Archie to resolve the hunger issue.