The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1232

"I admit it. I stole the trash you considered a holy relic and tore it apart. I did so for a good reason, and that is to put the leading dynasties to the test. I wanted to see if the three surviving dynasties are discharging their responsibilities. And what did I learn? All of them have gone astray!"

Ves turned from the gallery and focused his attention on the bench. He swept his arm towards Okin Fillis.

"First, the Curin Dynasty! As the shepherds of the flock, your responsibility is to lead the Ylvainans to prosperity! Although you are on the right track, you are too complacent! You wield so much power over the lives of so many Ylvainans, but why are you so reluctant to share it? Does anyone even have a chance to run the state if they don’t share the Curin surname? The lack of diversity in the government has led to enduring stagnation! How can the Protectorate grow strong if it lacks the dynamism to sustain its development? Shepherds are only good at their job if the flock grows larger and stronger!"

As the highest-ranking representative of the Curins, Judge Fillis lowered his head under the weight of these accusations.

He had seen enough of how the Curin Dynasty hated sharing their existing responsibilities. They maintained the same government policies for centuries and agonized over every change, no matter how much the Protectorate needed it. The Curins had grown too comfortable in the status quo that they no longer saw anything wrong with stagnation!

If not for the emerging threat of the Star Faith Collective, the Curins would have probably kept the Protectorate stuck in time forever!

"The Shepherds of the Flock must act more like their namesake! Guide the people instead of controlling them! Don’t limit their ambitions and don’t rob them of the opportunity to develop themselves! I hope that you will begin to figure out ways to make the Ylvainan Protectorate stronger and more prosperous in the future instead of remaining content with keeping everything the same barring some minor, half-hearted advancements!"

He had plenty more to say about the Curins, but they weren’t worth his time to expound upon at this moment. Ves couldn’t forget that he was burning more and more spiritual energy while he donned Ylvaine’s spiritual fragment as his current mask! This was not the time to treat the courtroom as a lecture hall!

His gaze shifted to the right until they landed on the stoic and remarkably self-controlled eyes of Judge Kelber Kronon. His self-control was a lot more solid than the others!

"I see much good in the Kronon Dynasty. It is similar to the Larkinson Family that I’m apart of. Yet it is due to my familiarity with your military heritage that I see the rot lurking from within! The problem with you is that you are too focused on serving the people in a military capacity that you have forgotten what it’s like to be one of them! Your intense devotion to your duties has turned your dynasty into an insular sect that stands apart from the people! Even if you are soldiers, you shouldn’t forget that you are also people!"

"Service requires sacrifice. I thought that you of all people knew that, Mr. Larkinson. Isn’t that what your family is known for in your state?" Judge Kronon replied with only mild unease.

"Sacrifice must have meaning!" Ves retorted. "What is the point of entrusting the protection of the church and state to emotionless Kronons who know nothing but how to fight? The Protectors of the Faith might as well replace all of their mechs and guards with appropriately-sized bots! While the mission of the Protectors of the Faith is noble, that does not mean you Kronons have to evolve into a different species that stands apart from the rest of the people!"

"It is because we are devoted to our duty that we have remained strong!"

Ves sharply shook his head. "Wrong! Your strength is an illusion! It is strong from afar, but brittle up close! Your pathetic performance against the Star Faith Collective already proves my point! While part of that is due to your weak mechs, the grit of your mech pilots also plays a role! Do you know why I have more confidence in the Bright Republic’s Mech Corps? It is because they care! Certainly, they are neutral in most matters, but when it comes to something that threatens the state or its citizens, they are not afraid to stand up for what is right!"

The criticism he laid against the Kronons was a lot more abstract than most Ylvainans could follow. However, as a main branch descendent of the Kronon Dynasty, the military judge keenly felt this blow.

Ves was right! The Kronons were becoming more and more distant from the civilians they were supposed to protect!

After he addressed the Kronon, Ves finally turned to the representative of the Poxco Dynasty. High Inquisitor Kelly Ixef Poxco continued to glower at him, but the fervor in her eyes had slowly begun to dim!

"While the Curins and Kronons share part of the blame for letting the Protectorate stagnate, the Poxco Dynasty has failed to live up to your prophet’s intentions! You are far too focused on history and tradition to the point of forcing the present to conform to the past! While there are many places where tradition remains useful, prioritizing it to this extent will only strangle the Ylvainan Faith under your merciless grip!"

The two high inquisitors present in the courtroom were mad! Yet when they attempted to draw on their faith and conviction for strength, they found it even harder to move!

Why did the very thought of opposing Ves became so difficult all of a sudden?!

Ves grinned sardonically at the paralyzed inquisitors. "How much did the Ylvainan Faith grow when the prophet first started proselytizing his beliefs? The population of entire states fell under his sway in just a single decade! Has the Attendants of Ylvaine ever come close to converting so many people since the founding of the Protectorate? No! The fact that the faith hasn’t spread beyond the borders of the Protectorate is proof that it has grown too weak under your care!"

This was an especially fatal attack against the Poxco Dynasty! Many times, the great prophet sought to expand his following during his lifetime! He was never afraid of stepping on the toes of established factions and powers in order to enlighten the masses!

"You regard yourselves as the handmaidens of the great prophet, is that right?" Ves continued. "For those who are ostensibly the closest to Ylvaine, why are you the most eager to trample over his grave? Your fear of diversity and of others who don’t share your beliefs is crippling you all! Since when has the Ylvainan Faith ever wavered against those who scorn or dismiss its tenets? Even during the darkest days of the Great Flight, the fleeing Ylvainans never gave up on converting new believers along the way!"

While this sounded quite impressive, the reality was that few people in the star regions that the refugee fleets passed through actually converted to the Ylvainan Faith. To most people who saw them pass through their space, the Ylvainans came off as crazy cultists who received their just deserts. Only the most desperate and poverty-stricken bystanders hitched a ride on the Ylvainan refugee ships!