As the military flags fluttered, the German expeditionary force was getting closer and closer.
The king, generals, princes and nobles under the Arc de Triomphe were all silent as if they were facing a great enemy.
But the citizens of the city who lined the streets to welcome him were still unaware of the disturbances at the top. They were still eagerly looking forward to the heroic return of Prince Jarvan.
“They’re back! They’re back!”
"Long live the expedition! Long live Demacia!"
Finally, Prince Jarvan, wearing armor, holding a lance, and riding a horse, appeared in front of everyone with his army in a heroic posture that met everyone's expectations.
"Prince Jarvan!" Cheers surged like a tide.
"General Garen! General Laxana!" As the second most prominent figure in the battle reports after Prince Jarvan, the brother and sister also received countless respectful and admiring glances.
The young girl held flowers in her hands and waved excitedly to Jarvan and Garen.
The young men were intoxicated by Lux's heroic appearance and cheered loudly for their idol excitedly.
The atmosphere was extremely heated, like a blazing fire. Everyone was cheering, and then...
"Long live the expeditionary force! Long live..."
Everything came to a sudden stop.
It was as if the world had been paused. The cheers disappeared instantly, and the smiles froze.
Because what appeared before them at this time were not only the triumphant soldiers of the Debon Expeditionary Force.
In the ranks of the expeditionary soldiers, there was a striking formation:
"Ran, the demon-tainted one?" People looked confused.
Yes, mages, hundreds of them.
Although they were wearing German armor and holding the flags of all nations like other warriors, what they held in their hands were not knives and swords, but staffs emitting a bright magical light.
Moreover, these staffs have not yet been equipped with Hextech RGB light strips.
No one else could use the so-called "Hextech" to explain the shocking scene that appeared before everyone at this moment -
These mages, sinners infected by evil, actually appeared in this Arc de Triomphe with Prince Jarvan as heroes of the kingdom?
"Jarven." The old king looked at his returning son with a grim expression.
"Father." Prince Jarvan dismounted and saluted respectfully to his father.
The nobles present all looked at him with extremely strange eyes, but he was completely unmoved.
"You..." The old king already had a worse premonition.
So he lowered his voice and said, "Stop making trouble, kid. Take your people and leave quickly. If you have anything to say, we can talk about it when we get back."
Prince Jarvan glanced at his father, and then...
"I'm sorry, father. These mages are my comrades, and I must seek justice for them."
As he said this, he turned his head and looked at the citizens of Xiongdu present with a gloomy look, ignoring the nobles around him, especially the nobles of the Anti-Magic Faction headed by Eldred.
"Citizens of Demacia, I think you should know who these mages are."
There was a murmur among the crowd. Indeed, they knew.
The news that the Crownguard family took the lead in establishing the Mage Penal Army has not only not been a secret in the past few months, but has been the most hotly discussed news among the people of Demacia.
They knew about the existence of this mage army, but...
"These mages look different from what you imagined, right?" Prince Jarvan said with a smile.
"This..." People were skeptical at first, but looking at these mages standing quietly in front of them in a soldierly manner, they couldn't help but nod secretly.
Indeed, in their imagination, and in the imagination of the general public in Demacia, mages are a group of extremely dangerous beings.
In everyone’s stereotype:
The male mage's appearance can refer to that of Sylas and Xerath, crazy and dangerous;
The female mage's appearance can refer to LeBlanc and Elise, evil and charming.
In short, one can't help but set up a stake and burn a few of them.
When we heard that Miss Laxana of the Crownguard family was going to take a group of wizards to the battlefield, everyone imagined the thrilling scene of "Beauty and the Beasts".
These irrational and inhumane beasts were usually kept in iron cages made of rune steel, and the cage doors were opened during wartime to let them out to bite people. In everyone's understanding, Lux's role was probably as dangerous as that of a trainer who dealt with wolves, tigers and leopards all day long.
However, now look at this:
These mages were all dressed uniformly, moved in unison, had elegant manners, and stood straight in military posture.
They stood in line under the Arc de Triomphe in a solemn and dignified manner. They looked like ordinary Demacian soldiers, no different from other expeditionary soldiers.
"Look." Lux and Garen also slowly walked to Jarvan's side and supported him. "They also have two eyes, one mouth, two arms and two legs. They are no different from us, right?"
"Hmm..." There was a commotion among the crowd.
Some people instinctively cannot accept that beasts can be so like humans.
But more people still accept what they see now.
And a few of them finally realized a problem——
They fear, dislike, and even hate mages, but they... seem to have never seen any wizard in real life.
Maybe the wizard is not as dangerous as they think?
"No, fellow countrymen! Don't be deceived by your eyes!" A noble stood up in full view of the crowd and openly opposed the prince.
Prince Jarvan looked at him thoughtfully.
This was a noble from the Anti-Magic faction. Commander Eldred, standing behind him, made it clear what side this noble belonged to.
He was pushed forward by the Anti-Demon Faction to stop Prince Jarvan from making this deviant propaganda in front of the citizens of Xiongdu.
"Magic is an evil and dangerous force. Those who master this power may look the same as us. But in the final analysis, they are no longer human."
"They are born beasts, time bombs hidden in the crowd!"
"Have you all forgotten? Those who have awakened their magic power, even if they are just children... will inhumanely kill their parents, burn their brothers and sisters to charcoal, and raze the homes that raised them to the ground and burn them to ashes... Haven't there been enough tragedies like this in the past?"
The noble asked with deep sorrow, causing the citizens of Xiongdu present to nod secretly again.
And the human tragedies he described were not fictional. The stories of these mages killing their entire families were all real events in Demacia's history.
"But that's because the magic is out of control, not because they are inhumane!" Prince Jarvan corrected calmly.
Magic is indeed a very dangerous force.
Those mages who have just awakened their magic power are often unable to control this overly powerful talent. Once this power is released uncontrollably, it can easily cause irreparable damage to the surrounding environment.
Silas once lost control of his magic and killed his chief demon hunter and an innocent farmer father and daughter.
So the more than ten years he spent in prison and the torture he suffered in prison were, in a sense, the punishment he deserved.
Similar tragedies have occurred frequently in Demacia's history.
But this was not the intention of those mages. They just couldn't control their power and committed manslaughter.
"So what?" The noble looked at Prince Jarvan in response: "Your Highness, according to what you said, the beasts didn't intend to kill anyone. They just couldn't control their instincts, didn't they?"
"But should we live with wild animals just because they have no intention of harming humans?"
The nobleman's words were very sharp, causing the citizens present, whose stereotypes had just been shaken by Prince Jarvan, to once again fall to the side of supporting the Forbidden Magic Island.
But Prince Jarvan was not panicked.
He replied calmly, "Magic power out of control is indeed very dangerous."
"But everyone, have you ever thought about how many mages imprisoned in the Forbidden Magic Tower have experienced losing control of their magic power, and how many of them have hurt others due to losing control of their magic power?"
"This..." The noble was slightly stunned.
People also looked at him curiously, paying attention to this question that they had never thought about and had never been able to find an answer to.
"Less than one percent." Prince Jarvan said, "Less than one percent of people will naturally awaken their magic power and lose control because of it."
In fact, the "natural awakening magic power" alone is a very demanding condition.
Most mages develop their talent for controlling magic only after learning.
Those who can naturally awaken magic power without any training or guidance, and whose naturally awakened magic power is so strong that it cannot be controlled, are magical geniuses who are one in a million.
It is equivalent to them being born with a piece of AP magic equipment, but their awareness and operation cannot keep up, so they lose control and hurt themselves and their teammates.
For example, Seraphine, Lux, Silas... they all have similar experiences.
But there are very few such geniuses.
There are even fewer unlucky people who kill people around them because their magic power gets out of control.
"Maybe not even one in ten thousand." Prince Jarvan gave this data.
The noble from the Demon Forbidden Sect was choked so hard that he was speechless for a while.
Because he knew very well that this data of 99.99% of mages having no record of losing control and injuring people was not fabricated by Prince Jarvan for political purposes, but was true, credible and accurate.
"But..." He wanted to say something else.
But Prince Jarvan had already gotten ahead of him and said, "Of course, no matter how small the probability is, those naturally awakened mages do have the possibility of losing control and hurting people."
"But the problem is——"
"If we implement the policy of banning magic as we did in the past, we won't be able to avoid this danger, right?"
Before mages awaken, no one knows they are mages.
And by the time they suddenly awaken and their magic power gets out of control, it is often too late.
No matter how powerful the demon hunters are, they can only be the police who rush to the scene every time someone dies. All they can do is lock up the mages to prevent them from getting out of control.
This is helpful, but not complete.
"Who can completely solve this problem?" Prince Jarvan recounted what he saw and heard during his travels: "The people of Zaun."
In all of Runeterra, only Zaun has temporarily succeeded in preventing the problem of magic getting out of control.
And how did they do it?
"They taught the forbidden but noble magic knowledge, which was strictly prohibited in Demacia and cherished by Noxian mages, as if it were the most common language and writing, and popularized it among children in schools."
"In Zaun students' compulsory education, 'Basic Magical Perception and Control' has always been a very necessary course."
"In this way, everyone will have the most basic knowledge of magic."
"When their magic power suddenly awakens, they can control it more effectively, rather than letting it get out of control and hurt people."
"Thus, the people of Zaun can not only coexist peacefully with the mages, but also create a perfect environment that is safer than Demacia and avoids the harm of magic."
"W-what?" This remark caused an uproar in the crowd.
Is there a place in this world that is so bold as to teach magical knowledge to everyone?
If everyone studies the law, there will not be chaos, right?
"Yes, you heard it right—" Prince Jarvan said with great force: "Magic is dangerous, but it can also be controlled and used."
"People who control magic are not beasts. They are also people who can understand us, friends who know each other, and even comrades who can rely on each other on the battlefield."
"Nonsense!" The Demon-Suppressing Faction noble wanted to refute.
But in the face of the real visible pictures, words have always been pale and powerless.
Everyone could see that there were hundreds of mages on the scene.
These mages also held high the Demacia military flag and stood calmly and loyally behind Prince Jarvan.
Without the staff, who would consider them monsters?
"They are all my subordinates and my comrades-in-arms. They are the heroes who won this great victory for Demacia!"
Prince Jarvan invited a mage with a disabled arm from the team and told him his own experience:
"See? He lost his arm just to block Sion's axe for me."
"Without him, without the help of these mages, I would not have survived Sion's hands, nor would I have had the opportunity to fight back and kill that monster, and avenge the former kings and martyrs of Demacia."
"They—are heroes too!"
Prince Jarvan's speech was powerful and moving.
Under Garen's guidance, he did not play the class card right away this time. Instead, he promoted the concept of racial equality and put forward views against discriminatory policies against magic.
Because the audience at the scene were all citizens of Xiongdu, and they were citizens of Xiongdu who, in addition to making a living, had the energy to take the initiative to welcome Master Wang.
Even the worst off among these people can be considered middle class in the entire Kingdom of Demacia.
If they really play the class card, it’s hard to say who they will follow.
What's more, given Demacia's current social background, promoting this right away is indeed a step too big.
Therefore, this time Prince Jarvan only mentioned racial equality and advocated redressing the reputation of mages who had been overly discriminated against in the past.
These middle-class citizens will hate people they have never met because of political propaganda, and they will naturally fall in love with people they have never met because of political propaganda.
"He, and he——"
Prince Jarvan now knows that truth is boring, and stories are what people like to hear and hear. So propaganda must be done in a way that pays attention to methods.
So he invited the fighting heroes in the Mage and Criminal Army out one by one and told people their stories.
Respecting heroes is the greatest political correctness in Demacia.
Thus, the powerful buff of the veteran and the debuff of the evil sinner collided head-on at this moment.
And these mages often have some rough and complicated experiences in the past.
Orphan buff, refugee buff, impoverished noble buff, damsel in distress buff... these are all positive labels that can arouse the sympathy of the Demacians in today's social environment.
In the process of stacking buffs, the images of these mages gradually became vivid and rich.
"This..." The audience's mentality changed quietly.
Everyone finally realized that these mages were not monsters.
They are human beings, heroes of Demacia .
"Hero, shouldn't you be treated with courtesy and equality by us?" Prince Jarvan shouted, holding a lance.
"Should be!" The assistant that Garen had arranged in the crowd in advance finally came on the stage.
But Prince Jarvan didn't know that his good brother had made an extra preparation.
He thought his speech had finally paid off.
Then, his mood became even more high:
"Citizens! These heroes have shed blood for Demacia, we cannot let them shed tears again! I don't want to oppose anything today. I just want to fight for a chance for my comrades to triumph as heroes!"
"I just wanted to—"
"Let's cheer for them!"
Prince Jarvan shouted excitedly, finally igniting the emotions at the scene.
There is no need for childcare at this time.
People excitedly and sincerely looked at the mages they once hated, and followed Prince Jarvan's loud shouting:
"Welcome back - our hero!"
…
Amid the cheers of the citizens of Xiongdu, the mages gloriously stepped into the gate of this city for the first time in their lives.
The triumphal ceremony ended in a warm atmosphere.
The crowd that came to welcome the army dispersed, and the princes and nobles at the scene also took their leave.
The expressions on many of their faces became even gloomier after they left.
"Commander Eldred."
As soon as many nobles left the scene and were out of King Jarvan's sight, they gathered around Eldred and held a small meeting.
"Commander, what do you think about today's events?" Everyone was eager to find out Eldred's attitude.
"Heh." Eldred snorted coldly.
All the people present were nobles of the Anti-Magic Sect. And since the Jarvan royal family had already made an open move, he would not pretend anymore.
"Your Majesty, it seems that there is no room for us." He bluntly defined what Prince Jarvan had done today.
No one from the Anti-Demon Sect was exiled or purged today, and it seems like there was no loss.
But in fact, what Prince Jarvan did today was more deadly than suppressing a few anti-magic nobles.
Because he was shaking the legal basis for the existence of the Demon Forbidden Sect!
The Demon Seekers are extremely powerful in Demacia, but great power often means making countless enemies.
For example, demon hunters have the functions of high-level police officers, so most of the authority of local sheriffs is actually taken away by them.
The demon hunters also have their own independent intelligence network, so it is inevitable that Germany’s military intelligence department will have conflicts with them.
The Demon Hunters are also a de facto military force, so it is inevitable that a portion of the military's resources will be taken away by them.
…
In short, the more power they seize, the more resources they possess, and the more political enemies they make.
In the past, why were the Demon Hunters able to suppress these voices of opposition and grow stronger?
Because they are not only powerful, but also reasonable!
The Forbidden Magic Case is the legal principle on which they rely.
Relying on the superior status granted to them by the Forbidden Magic Case, they can ignore the face of local sheriffs and have the confidence to compete with the military intelligence department and grab resources from the German military.
Don't ask, the reason I'm asking is because I need to ban magic.
In the past, in the social atmosphere where "banning magic" was absolutely politically correct, no one dared to openly oppose it.
But now, Prince Jarvan has shaken this political correctness and tried to change the whole society's perception of the ban on magic.
"Once the atmosphere of prohibiting magic in society is loosened, our enemies will definitely attack us from all aspects, from top to bottom, from all directions."
The military and military intelligence departments would say that mages are not that dangerous at all, and that the Demon Hunter Corps does not need to occupy so many resources.
The city lords and sheriffs in various places will also secretly work hard to prevent the Demon Hunter Corps from being able to arrest anyone they want by simply putting a label on them as they did in the past.
Anyway, as long as banning magic is no longer an absolute political correctness, everyone will have reason to oppose the hegemony of the Demon Hunter Corps.
"And this is just the beginning." Eldred analyzed in a deep voice: "His Majesty Jarvan's ultimate goal is probably to completely abolish the ban on magic!"
First, create public opinion to change the social atmosphere, and then unite all the enemies of the Demon Seeker Corps... Royal Family of Jarvan has made such a big move, obviously aiming to kill people.
"Then, what should we do?" The nobles were panicked.
"We'll counter it as it happens. Let's mobilize our energy first and try to change the direction of public opinion." Eldred answered casually.
"This..." The nobles were still uneasy: "Will this really work?"
They were facing the king and the prince. The words of the royal family were naturally more effective than those of the demon hunters.
Can they really compete with the royal family for control of public opinion?
If this doesn't work, then...
“…” Eldred said nothing.
The nobles dared not say a word.
Those who understand this matter will understand it, and those who don't understand it are not convenient to say more. I can only say that it is very complicated and involves many things. It will not benefit anyone to talk about it, so just pretend that you don't know...
In short, they will not just wait to die.
"I hope," Eldred concluded coldly, "that everyone can be prepared for the worst."
"This..." Someone sighed in fear: "Will it really come to this?"
"Perhaps this is just a willful act of Prince Jarvan?" With a glimmer of hope, he said, "From the look on his Majesty Jarvan's face at the time, it didn't seem like he was acting."
"Perhaps he really didn't know about His Royal Highness's actions beforehand?"
Eldred did not answer, but looked at him as if he were a moron.
"Stop fooling yourself, coward."
Prince Jarvan started the fight with a powerful force and surrounded them with no way to retreat.
"Do you still think..." Eldred mocked, "that he is rebelling against his father?"
Everyone was speechless.
"And don't forget!" Prince Jarvan was just a political idiot with zero practical experience a few months ago.
Threatening his father and opposing the plan to ban magic, how dare he do such a big thing alone?
Needless to say, there must be someone behind this. And this person...
"If he is not King Jarvan, how can he be the leader?" Eldred laughed mockingly:
"Let's get serious, everyone—"
"Your Majesty, the King has officially declared war on us!"