I Pioneered Scientific Magic

He had long suspected that the Church would have a hand in the whole affair, but he never imagined that it would be a high-ranking member of the Church who infiltrated the kingdom, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.

This also exposed a loophole in the protection system, relying on airship patrols, which could only detect large-scale incursions. If the intruder was solitary and powerful, and adept at disguise, rooting them out would be no easy task.

They couldn't possibly cover the entire border area with magic barriers to detect fluctuations in divine spells.

Of course, the new king had more on his mind than simply following the orders of the commander of the Divine Punishment Legion, Gustav. In his view, both the Church and the wizards stood as obstacles to his authority and needed to be removed!

If he could pit the few wizards against the Church, both sides would be weakened, and he would regain the ability to govern not only the vast kingdom but possibly the entire empire, thus restoring his power to its zenith.

One must admit, the idea was rather ingenious, but unfortunately, the enemy's planning and execution skills were sorely lacking.

Hatar thought he was hiding in the shadows, allowing his most trusted Grand Duke Gade to contact Gustav, using Mortan and others as pawns. Little did he know that several of his close attendants had long been bought off by them!

Lynn slowly withdrew his hand. Such violent memory extraction completely destroyed Hatar's brain. The king of Hadralata drooled at the corners of his mouth, slumping from the throne, soon falling silent.

The palace fell into a deathly silence. No one could have imagined that this young wizard would dare to publicly kill a king, and with such ease, as if squashing an ant.

Lynn looked at the body of the new king and shook his head involuntarily. If only he had been willing to accept reform, he might have ended up like someone else, transitioning from a supreme king or emperor to a mere citizen—or rather, a wealthy merchant with inexhaustible wealth!

But given Hatar's temperament, that probability was pitifully low...

Just as he was contemplating this, an untimely voice suddenly pierced his ears.

"Lynn, Your Majesty!"

It was a shrewd royal minister who, after a brief shock, quickly knelt down, loudly proclaiming, "To the uncrowned king of Hadralata, we offer our sincere respects!"

Following suit, over a hundred royal ministers awakened, kneeling or voicing their celebration for the new king's ascension or expressing their firm stance, even loudly condemning former King Hatar's incompetent rule...

In just over ten seconds, the once silent palace hall became lively.

"You seem to have misunderstood something," Lynn's voice echoed slowly in the hall, suppressing the noisy flattery.

The kneeling ministers looked at each other, not quite understanding the meaning of his words. Could it be that the Wizard Council was planning to support another obedient noble, just like before?

While some were pondering, Lynn's words came again.

"From today on, the Kingdom of Hadralata will no longer need a so-called king!"

With these words, the people present showed expressions of shock, unable to comprehend what a kingdom without a king would be like. Wouldn't everything fall into chaos?

"Wizard, who will manage the kingdom in the future, and who will appoint..." a trembling royal minister asked.

"From now on, all major matters of the kingdom will be decided by the council through voting!" Lynn replied casually. "As for the appointment of local administrators... let's have exams!"

Although the examination system had been criticized in the past, it did provide a relatively fair way for the lower class to advance.

At least in this dark world, the examination system could be considered a beacon of hope!

During the council's conquest of the southern and central regions of the kingdom, Lynn had already begun to establish civilian schools. Although one year was not enough to produce significant results, local administrators didn't need to possess profound knowledge. Being literate, understanding commands, and knowing how to handle daily affairs were sufficient.

Together with those small nobles who were willing to accept reform and embrace the new world, they could barely maintain the operation of the kingdom.

"Handle the rest of the matters from now on, Loude!"

After leaving behind a command through the magical projection erected in the palace hall, Lynn dissipated into thin air.

Seeing the disappearance of this regicidal plague, the royal ministers in the hall breathed a sigh of relief. However, they soon realized they had celebrated too early. Loude waved his hand, and his musketeers, fierce as wolves, immediately rushed forward, dragging them away, bound hand and foot.

According to intelligence from spies, many of these ministers had been involved in the grain crisis.

The few ministers who managed to escape arrest were also terrified, cowering on the ground without daring to speak. They all understood that from now on, the kingdom was going to change!

...

The massive debt collection operation lasted for a whole week before it was considered complete, with countless wealthy nobles and merchants either arrested, killed, or ruined.

The people of the kingdom looked at the confiscated, towering piles of grain, applauding with joy.

The previously soaring grain prices had plunged everyone into the fear of famine. Despite workshops and schools providing them with three meals a day for free, no one knew how long this situation would last. Once the council stopped the food supply, with their savings alone, they probably couldn't even afford a few bags of bread.

In addition, there was another shocking piece of news: King Hatar of Hadralata suddenly died, ending the Bazael family's hundred-year rule, which had spanned three generations. From now on, all affairs of the kingdom would be decided by the council!

As for the sudden death of the king, it was rumored to be related to the fugitive Grand Duke Gade. He allegedly conspired with the Church and some wealthy nobles of the kingdom to provoke the grain crisis and even committed regicide, aiming to disrupt the entire kingdom and return the three million subjects to the rule of the dark Church!