episode_0038

Magna Carta. Bill of Rights.

If you didn’t doze off during world history class, you probably learned about them at least once. They’re documents that serve as the foundation for modern democracy and constitutionalism.

So, what are they about? To put it simply… they’re a kind of installment sales contract for royal power.

The Magna Carta was created in 1215 because of the idiotic actions of a moron named King John.

Every time the king waged war with France, he lost miserably, and he passed all the costs onto the nobles.

Eventually, they couldn’t stand it anymore and rose up, shackling him, saying he couldn’t manage risk.

From now on, he couldn’t collect unnecessary additional taxes, and rights had to be guaranteed.

It was legally stipulated that even the king was under the rule of law.

‘Well, after it was actually concluded, the Pope declared it invalid, so the contract was terminated.’

Because his successor, Henry III, created the futuristic concept of limited renunciation of inheritance (only the contract), it was useless for hundreds of years.

In any case, as the first constitution and the foundation of the rule of law, the Magna Carta had a significant meaning.

The Bill of Rights is the same.

If the Magna Carta laid the groundwork, the Bill of Rights drew a picture on top of it and realized a constitutional monarchy.

In other words, it was because of these two documents that democracy has spread throughout the world today.

‘It’ll work in this world too. Politically, it’s somewhere around the early modern period.’

There’s no way this won’t work.

The level of civilization and the political environment are both socially acceptable.

It will be effective enough, even if it’s limited to Alcyone.

However, there was one problem that was interfering with my plan.

“Writing it out isn’t difficult. But how do I distribute it?”

Even if I made the document, there was no good way to spread it.

The books I’ve released so far were distributed to countries that were functioning properly, so I could just publish them. But this time, it’s a country where civil war is planned.

As soon as Drake IV is assassinated, the whole country will be in a chaotic mess, so there’s no time to leisurely make and sell books.

‘Should I print it and hand it out like leaflets?’

After all, this time it’s not a very long document.

The content can be summarized in two or three A4 pages at most. It’s certainly possible to just print a bunch and scatter them around.

Cost? It’s cheaper than making a real book, so the organization will take care of it.

If I can sway even a portion of the public and create widespread consensus. There will be plenty of forces that will try to establish strategies and gain support accordingly.

However, the Bill of Rights isn’t exactly something that will excite readers, so I wasn’t sure about this either.

‘Relying on the response of an unspecified number of people is a bit inefficient. There’s no guarantee that people will act according to my intentions.’

The first pamphlet I wrote had plenty of quotes from Hitler and Goebbels, so it was definitely stimulating.

It was made with the purpose of propaganda and agitation, so I put in the most intense phrases possible.

But what about the Magna Carta? The Bill of Rights?

Who in the world would read something like that and have a great awakening, saying, ‘Ah! I must become a constitutionalist! From today, I support the constitution!’

If there is anyone, they should be sent to a mental hospital.

They’re definitely a pervert with an abnormal fetish who gets turned on by letters.

“I wonder if there’s a way to supply it to only the high-ranking people and win them over.”

As I was worrying about a problem I didn’t know how to solve, Kalia poured me some coffee and asked.

“What are you doing? Sighing so deeply.”

“Kalia-yang, well, you see…”

After explaining the situation, she looks at me with a look of disbelief.

“Then just leave it to the organization. How many agents do you think have infiltrated Alcyone?”

“Ah.”

“Sometimes, you make simple things too complicated, you know.”

According to Kalia, there are hundreds of people stationed there, disguised as heads of trading companies, pimps, and veteran mercenaries.

Although a very small number, there are also knights and baronets (minor nobles).

It’s impossible to lead the public opinion of the entire country, but it’s easy enough to convey opinions or spread information to the leaders of each faction.

The higher-ups aren’t stupid, so if they receive the Bill of Rights, they’ll understand its value.

They’ll use it effectively for political maneuvering, so won’t it turn out the way I want?

‘Was my brain too stiff from working too much?’

…I was an idiot. To think that I, who works for a continent-wide organization, thought that something like this wouldn’t work.

I guess my brain was tired from doing so much today, from recruiting talent to various other things.

“Give it to me as soon as the manuscript is complete. I’ll print plenty and send it to the Alcyone branch.”

“Thank you. I’m always getting help, both in class and otherwise.”

“If you know, then treat me well. Don’t just say thank you with words all the time.”

“Then next time, with my body?”

“Hmph, cut the nonsense!”

* * * * *

After making a sex joke and getting hit by Kalia, I took a good rest for the day.

It wasn’t until the next day, when I was refreshed from the fatigue, that I was finally able to start working.

“What should I write first…”

This time, a lot of editing was needed. Perhaps because the originals were 13th and 17th century documents, the format was a bit old.

They just listed the contents from beginning to end without any numbering or paragraph breaks?

The entire sentences were several hundred lines long.

I don’t know about back then, but from the perspective of modern people, it’s a style that will make you frustrated while reading.

Therefore, I changed it appropriately.

Easy to see and easy to understand.

Appropriately borrowing the writing style and format used in law books and reports.

[1. The King shall not have the power to suspend the force of law or the execution of laws without the consent of Parliament.]

[4. It is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and imprisonments and persecutions for such petitioning are illegal.]

[9. Parliament must be convened on a regular basis. Freedom of elections and debates in Parliament, and the right of the people to petition, are sacred and shall never be infringed.]

[14. The freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament.]

The Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights are essentially similar in content.

It’s complicated to distribute the two documents at the same time, so I mixed them appropriately and combined them into one.

First, start with the definition of the rights and position of Parliament.

Since Alcyone is a country formed by the union of several small countries, I heard that a parliamentary system for gathering opinions from various regions has been developed since ancient times.

Regardless of the course of the civil war or its victory or defeat, this system will probably continue to exist even after the war.

Therefore, I generously granted the powers and legitimacy necessary to check the royal power.

As my target customers want, it can function as the subject of real power under a puppet monarch.

I also prevented the existence and political position of the parliament from being threatened by anyone.

[27. A lord shall not demand excessive bail from a defendant. Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor shall cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted.]

[32. Jurors attending a trial must be selected through due process in Parliament. Jurors deliberating on a person charged with treason may not be nominated by the monarch.]

[48. No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.]

[51. It is illegal for the monarch to raise or maintain a standing army within the kingdom in peacetime without the consent of Parliament.]

Next, I added practical measures to make the monarch a puppet.

All legislative, judicial, and administrative powers that the king would have in a normal country.

Legislative power was passed to the role of Parliament, and judicial power was changed to a form of indirect management by Parliament. I left the administration alone because there was no group to replace it, but instead, I deprived it of major rights.

For example, the right to manage land.

[54. If a nobleman dies without an heir and the king reclaims the land, the king may only own the land in the same manner as the nobleman. The king shall not arbitrarily impose taxes, services, or other obligations that did not previously exist.]

I prevented a situation in which the monarch exploits the people and increases his power by using his authority.

So that it can never surpass the power of Parliament, no matter what happens.

So that no matter what they do, they can’t become anything more than a human approval machine that stamps documents.

‘This should be enough.’

Content that people who hate absolute monarchy will be enthusiastic about, and people who dream of the throne will despise.

This alone is enough to divide the Alcyone Federation into two or three factions and start a fight.

If it’s released when the civil war is in full swing… it will be quite a sight to see.

It would be troublesome if the idea of a constitutional monarchy spread outside the island. But it’s a remote place, so there’s little chance of that happening.

How would they interact with the outside world while they’re busy fighting each other to the death?

“Kalia-yang, I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me.”

I, who entrusted the aftermath to a reliable colleague and superior, focused on my role as an instructor again. Hoping to hear good news soon.

* * * * *

But what is this?

[Saintess of the Goddess Order gives a speech to the public in the capital of the Kram Empire.]

My runaway disciple is doing something cute?