"His Majesty doesn't have a problem with people like us who follow orders and kill people, but he has a huge problem with those who start wars. Let me put it this way. If my brother and I had a higher rank, I might have been killed as well."
De Levin waved his hand nonchalantly. He couldn't really understand Li Ke's thoughts.
What did he mean by putting those who start wars on trial? How could someone who could do so many things not understand that war wasn't a matter of one person?
Every time Noxus started a war, everyone from top to bottom yearned for it. It wasn't something that a few people could achieve.
The nobles yearned for more power and wealth, as well as the right to speak. The commoners, on the other hand, yearned to leave their social class and obtain enough food and clothing.
That was why they attacked Shurima and the small countries around it. That was why they attacked Ionia.
It wasn't hard to understand. Noxus's lifeline was the same, which was to provide benefits to the soldiers and commoners.
As long as they obeyed orders in war, it didn't matter if you were a bloodthirsty devil who liked to torture others, surrounded by slaves, lived the life of an emperor, or indulged in your desires.
All of these were fine.
As long as you served Noxus, as long as you were good enough, you could get whatever you wanted.
This was the charm of Noxus. People could only see those who succeeded in living a good life in Noxus, but not those who became bones under Noxus's system. Those who benefited from Noxus' system would become even more convinced that it was a good place, and they would pull more people in.
Then, they would say to the losers that …
You're not capable enough.
"Because our society is a twisted one, De Levin."
Swein sighed. He knew this very well, which was why he was so depressed. It was almost certain that he would be an obstacle to Noxus' progress.
De Levin raised his eyebrows. He didn't understand why Li Ke wanted to kill Swein. It was because the way they lived in Noxus was abnormal.
"When Noxus conquers the world, what else can we rely on to ensure our advancement? De Levin. The foundation of Noxus is that those who are capable and meritorious are at the top. This is also the foundation of Noxus, but it has its limits, and that is also our limit. "
Swain sighed a little. It was because he could see things higher and farther that he could see Noxus in its entirety. The country that he liked, where rewards and punishments were clear and only the capable were above the rest, was ultimately a bubble.
Land was limited, and so were enemies. As long as Noxus didn't attack from all sides, and instead clenched their fist, they would be able to defeat every country in the world.
This wasn't a lie. Even if it was a swordsman who could slash a thousand times or a mage who could destroy two spaceships, they were only humans in the end. They weren't Gods.
They could inflict heavy casualties on Noxus, but if they used cannons to bombard the people they were protecting, and used human wave tactics and cannons to wipe out any resistance in Ionia inch by inch, then they would be able to win.
This was also why Swain was never afraid of the Ionians. They weren't united, and they were very arrogant. They hugged their own things and thought that they were the best in the world. They even said that Ionia didn't need other things in the world to live well, and that Noxus would be satisfied if they gave up a part of it.
Their magic and martial arts were indeed superb, but how long would it take for them to train an expert who could ignore cannons, and how long would it take for Noxus to train a hundred cannons?
The former would take decades, and the person had to be an outstanding talent. The latter would only take a month, and the person selected could be a beggar who was lying on the ground yesterday.
But it was also because of their strength that countless sins were born.
They were so powerful that they could crush an entire continent or even the entire world. That was why the Noxus people became impetuous. They thought that since they were so strong, they should just start a war and take their things.
This was the foundation of Noxus. With contributions, one would be able to rise to the top. But when the entire world was conquered, what would happen to those who weren't satisfied with their current position?
There was a limit to the top of the pyramid, and the foundation of their empire was to allow everyone to climb up the pyramid. The reason why Swain was so popular and had such a huge reputation was because he spared no effort to protect the system and let everyone see it.
But could such a country last long?
Because of their strength and invincibility, over time, they, who advocated war, became a country that constantly waged war. This was because there were indeed benefits, and in the process, a large number of 'survival of the fittest' allowed Noxus to produce countless' talents'.
He was a person who believed that the winner would get everything, but after seeing those things, he understood how serious the drawbacks of such a system were.
Because people were flawed, the best at something didn't necessarily know the ways of the world. In Noxus, if you didn't know the ways of the world and didn't know how to frame others, you wouldn't be able to survive.
Smart people were always able to find loopholes and 'effective' ways to reduce their opponents and make themselves stand out. When an entire regime was filled with such smart people, it seemed that corruption was inevitable.
After all, smart people were always able to do smart things.
Framing comrades who were slightly stronger than themselves, sending their comrades to their deaths, hiding crucial information, these were all smart moves, and they were also things that Swain approved of in the past.
At that time, he believed that the Will of Noxus was the most perfect Will. In this world, only the Will of Noxus was the most advanced and reliable. As long as they followed the creed of survival of the fittest, results came first, and the winner got everything, then Noxus would continue to grow stronger.
But was it really good for a country to have more smart people? Smart people wouldn't make the same mistake, and they wouldn't give up on the simplest path. They would find the fastest and easiest path.
They would kick away the tiring and difficult work, and give the credit and easy work to themselves. They would use all kinds of methods to eliminate people who were stronger than themselves, and make themselves the only choice for many positions and benefits.
And when everyone was smart, who would be a fool?
In the past, he had been constantly eliminating smart people like these, thinking that they were people who tainted the Will of Noxus, and that they weren't capable enough. But he didn't understand why he thought this way. After all, the era and environment prevented him from seeing more.
But when he saw something even higher, he understood one thing.
He wasn't afraid of what he saw, but he was afraid of what he couldn't see.
Because that would destroy everything he had worked hard for.
"That's why I still don't understand why the Emperor wants to kill you, and what you said has nothing to do with why the Emperor wants to kill you."
De Levin pursed his lips. He hated listening to people who were smarter than him.
"That's because, under the current system of Noxus, I'm the highest. Although you and your brother have outstanding military achievements, you're not the ones who give orders. You're soldiers from the beginning, and you're still soldiers in the end. Whether it's the previous Noxus or the current Noxus, you're not a threat at all. But I'm different. I'm the one who leads this system, the one who gives orders, the one who … "
Sven sighed.
"… Smart people."
De Levin's hand that was throwing the knife stopped, and he looked at Sven in disbelief. It was the first time he had been called an idiot by someone he saved, so even he was a little surprised.
"So, can I take it that you're calling me an idiot?"
Sven nodded and took a sip of the potion. Because whether it was De Levin or Delius in front of him, these two brothers were idiots.
"That's right, you and your brother are idiots."
Sven's voice was filled with emotion, and De Levin also tilted his head and revealed his huge fist.
If it was only himself, he would just smile and bear with it. After all, the only reliable person left in Noxus was Sven. Whether it was Nora or those clowns who were still jumping around outside, Sven was the only one who could be trusted.
But if he was talking about his brother, it would be impossible.
"Please look at my punch-bag sized fist first, and then say it again."
Sven couldn't help but laugh. He finally understood why His Majesty acted like he wanted to kill him. Because only then would the guy in front of him pretend to be stupid.
"But it's also the cornerstone of the Empire. A country can never be built by smart people, it needs countless stupid people. The reason why I was killed was also because of this. In the past, I admired smart people, but our Emperor only needed stupid people. I'm very happy that our country can have two idiots like you. This is the truth. "
A smart person would never sacrifice their own interests for others, but stupid people would.
These people would be called heroes.
Noxus had long despised these so-called heroes, but in the end, the cornerstone of Noxus' existence was the hero that they constantly slandered and destroyed.
Force, cunning, farsightedness.
Force still existed, but it needed to change. Farsightedness also existed, but it was no longer for war. Cunning also existed, but it was no longer the original cunning.
"Don't pretend to be stupid, De Levin. You're here to help me solve the problem here, right? It's true that His Majesty wants to kill me, but you might not be here to save me. "
Sven's eyes flashed with light.
"You're sent by him, right? He wants to see if I'll act according to his ideas or the original Noxus after regaining my power. If I still act like a smart person, then you'll be my executioner, but if I truly agree with His Majesty's will, then you'll be His Majesty's emissary. "
De Levin whistled, because Sven was right.
When Lefran told Li Ke to find Sven and return to the Noxus power center, Li Ke was worried about this problem.
Because Sven was a hardcore Noxus.
In the stories he had read, Sven was a very loyal person to the current Noxus system.
After he came to power, Noxus finally walked on their creed again. Whether it was willpower or something else, they all returned to normal.
He put an end to corruption, was clear about rewards and punishments, and made Noxus stronger. They were no longer strong on the outside but weak on the inside. He also retracted Noxus' power and made it into a fist. He also let most people who didn't have enough to eat eat and let those who deserved to be rewarded get rewarded.
But.
This was just a hardworking craftsman repairing a ship that was quickly crashing into an iceberg. If he didn't turn around and change direction, the better he repaired, the faster the ship would become, and the faster Noxus would be destroyed.
This was the limitation of Noxus. Even if he could guarantee that Noxus would be able to sail like when he was in power after his death, it would still fall apart after unifying the world.
This was the mission given to Noxus by history, and their creed and cornerstone doomed them to not go far.
The social model of a military country meant that those at the bottom wouldn't get enough of the cake, and once they realized this, the indestructible country would instantly collapse without any external factors.
Sven's role in the past and in the future had always been that of a tinkerer. The more outstanding he was, the more he couldn't walk on the correct path.
If he was like Delius, who only wanted his country to become rich and powerful and didn't care about the will of Noxus, Li Ke would have tolerated him. Things like trying war criminals were actually very laughable in this era.
However, the bad thing was that Sven was an extremely intelligent person, and this kind of person was the most troublesome. If he still followed Noxus' core principles, he would definitely be executed by Sheyan in the future, and there would be no end of trouble.
Thus, rather than killing him at that time, it was better to see through his true intentions from the start and then decide whether to use him.
If he could change, then let him replace Lefran and lock her up in his basement. If he couldn't, then continue to use Lefran. At the very least, Lefran wouldn't dare to cause trouble for Sheyan. Instead, she would help Sheyan find a good enough opponent, someone who could balance her.
This was a deviation in thinking caused by the limitations of this era, and it was the same for Lefran. The social structure that hadn't improved for thousands of years didn't allow her to see the truly important things, so she couldn't see that her final fate was already determined.
The fate of the basement.
"In that case, do me a favor first."
After laughing for a while, Sven stopped and lowered his head to De Levin.
"What is it?"
De Levin didn't mind and withdrew his fist, because for now, Sven had passed.
"Kill a person."
"Name."
"Ember."
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