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Chapter 637 - The Treaty of Kazehara VIII
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 15:00:22 +0000 UTCNaturally, annoyingly, Arachne knew where my lines in the sand were. She did need to change a few votes of mine around halfway through the summit. As intelligent and well connected as the vampire was - on top of spying on everyone - there were a number of other players with their own agendas, doing their own manipulations in the background.
I was content to be a pawn with particular goals. As long as they were accomplished, I’d move all over the board as directed. Kinda like being a Sentinel in some ways.
Just because I was a pawn, it didn’t mean I didn’t have to do anything myself. There were hundreds of strong personalities in the area, and most of us didn’t have a chance to research every proposal in depth. For each proposal, delegates had a chance to respond. For most proposals, a thirty second to five minute speech on the topic from both sides was the only information I had before I needed to vote.
One time-wasting idiot managed to get himself thrown out by the High Council by trying to have an opinion on everything, and we just had to know it. We genuinely stood up and applauded when the 12-0-1 vote to throw the guy out came through, and the faun who made the proposal didn’t have to buy his own drinks the rest of the summit.
I tended to keep Night’s advice in mind, and voted against most restrictions. That, and keeping an eye on how Skye was voting.
Given the proposal restricting [Healers] going around, and given that it was late in the summit, I’d had plenty of time to prepare my speech. As well as plenty of time to get dressed to make an impression.
Kazehara had virtually everything, including a [Beautician] who was gaining several levels per day. Catering to powerful Immortals at a world-defining summit had weight. She wasn’t the only one leveling like this was her only chance in life, but she was the one I’d asked to give me a hand. From my hair to my toes, from makeup to lipstick, from matching jewelry to my formal toga, she helped me get ready for possibly the most important speech I’d make this millennium.
I was standing up the very second the proposal around [Healers] was presented.
“We recognize Elaine as having the floor.” Verris announced as the spotlight came on me.
“I am Elaine.” I announced in a clear voice, channeling skills learned long ago to make my words carry in the vast arena, spells supporting me or not. “The word ‘Healer’ is literally named after me. I am the founder of modern medicine. I am the author of the Medical Manuscripts. I am the first one to utter the words ‘First, do no harm’, and codify them into the System.”
I smirked - carefully calculated, goddess damnit Arachne, why were your lessons so useful - and carried on, mimicking how Night presented one of his stories so long ago.
“You might have heard of me. During the recent Kyowa era, [Healers] were restricted, held on a tight leash. Wardens traveled the land, executing people who wanted nothing more than to help their fellow men and women. Peaceful [Medics] who’d simply sworn to do no harm, to lend aid and comfort, punished with death for daring to want to do more. Can anyone here raise their hand and honestly say they haven’t needed a [Healer’s] service? Nobody has taken injuries that needed care? Nobody has been in a difficult childbirth, or had a mother, sister, or daughter that struggled? Nobody has faced disease and illness? Your animals are healthier and more productive because of [Veterinarians] looking after them. Poison from your food is no risk with a [Healer] in the town. From all this, people want to crush down the most helpful and selfless of classes? We want to weaken them to the point where we start dying?”
I held my arms out in confusion.
“What is this?” I asked, letting people think about it for a moment. “From where I’m standing, all I see is an excuse. A scapegoat. The most tortured logic. ‘Well, a [Healer] might gain an incredibly rare skill. They might use it on someone we don’t like. They might get strong over the years, and they’ll cause problems for us’.”
I paused, letting my expression communicate how I felt about that logic, before putting it into words.
“Bullshit.” I announced. “It’s absolute, unfiltered bullshit. If we don’t want Immortals in mortal lands? Make that the rule. Even so, with that rule in the Kyowa era, it clearly didn’t work. Look at two of the representatives from Rolland! Sir Pendragon and Kestrel are both Immortals, and I don’t think they moved in the last ten years, given how history has them rattling around the area over 800 years ago.”
I was calling them out specifically because it was some idiot [Duke] from Rolland who had put forward the proposal. I had a whole list of Immortals from mortal nations who I’d planned on calling out, depending on who exactly put the proposal forward.
“[Healers] were nothing more than a casus belli. An excuse for war. An excuse that directly murdered thousands, and probably indirectly murdered millions. Not just from the [Healers] cut down in the prime of their life, denied from saving more, but from the tens of thousands more medics that stopped at 256 and lived out their mortal lifespan there, not daring to push themselves further. Not daring to heal more. It’s a coward's excuse to go after the defenseless, and only the barest of lip service were paid to the rule. I spent several excellent years at the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft. You know what I heard there? A dozen of my mortal peers trying to recruit me to their faction and home, knowing with the right disguise they can have their own powerful [Healer] handing out Immortality like candy. I have no doubts that dozens of such cases existed, blatant evidence that the law was meant to crush the honest among you while allowing the dishonest to thrive. If you’re worried about Immortal [Mages] high up in their tower raining down death and destruction on people? Ban the Immortal [Mage] in their tower. Worried about an undying [King] refusing to abdicate? Make your own laws on how long a [King] can rule. Worried about a neighbor slowly gaining power over the years? Build up your own. Handle the situation, not a proxy root cause!”
I was furious near the end, my emotions getting the better of me for the first time in far too long. It wasn’t the time or the place, but at the same time, it fucking was the time and the place. I blinked tears of rage out of my eyes and wrapped up. Breaking down here and now would sabotage my efforts so hard. I shortcut to the end a bit, skipping the appeal to Immortals. I had a whole fancy thing about striving and seizing Immortality taking on many different forms, and to let mortals rise up however they could. I had no doubt Immortals had also voted for the restrictions, but for different reasons.
And I’d practiced the speech so much.
“Healing is a sacred responsibility. We don’t seek to acquire power or personal glory. As we try to bring life to others, please don’t bring death to us. Thank you.”
I sat down heavily.
There were no great cheers, no applause. Verris simply stood up, and started talking.
“Are there any other members who wish to weigh in on the topic?”
He waited four heartbeats before carrying on.
By Ciriel. I’d been building up to this for weeks, and it all came down to a few measly heartbeats and a couple of yawns? I wanted to throttle somebody.
“Very well. All those in favor of the proposal, raise your hand.”
One idiot in the Exterreri faction started to raise his hand, and my glare was like a physical weight on him. He glanced over at me, saw the look of wrath on my face, and hastily put his hand back down.
It was only one person voting, and without a particularly strong weight either. More and more hands went up all around the arena, including a few heavy hitters.
“Very well. All those against?” Verris asked.
I could’ve kissed Susan at the sheer wave of hands going up in the air. All the bargaining, all the work I did, all the practiced speeches - it all came down to this moment of truth.
The scorecards went up, and I went limp with relief.
“492 - 841 - 672. Motion failed.” Verris announced. “Next proposal.”
Just like that, the fate of [Healers] for the coming millennium was secured. Just two little words, and I’d saved millions of lives. The rush was heady.
Fuck. Was this why people played politics? Was this the drug of power? Gods, no wonder people got addicted.
Proposals were all over the place. Some seemed sensible and reasonable to my untrained ear. A defensive pact among the mortal nations, in case an Immortal tried to invade, which passed. The Ekada Ruh tried to codify hospitality to travelers, which was soundly denied. Rules of engagement in wars, which I was happy to influence - [Healers] on the backline were off-limits.
Not that I expected the rules to be particularly well followed.
Other proposed rules seemed dumb. Restrictions on [Merchants], which I was half-surprised didn’t have Amber dropping out of the sky with a hundred perfectly designed bribes. I was a little worried about her, what was she doing that had her missing the central meeting of wealthy and powerful people? A dozen hyper-specific rules that were clearly someone’s pet project or designed to trip up a neighbor, all of which were soundly shot down. This was an international summit, not the place to be trying to settle petty grudges. Didn’t stop people from trying, but the nice thing about the sheer number of people was the great difficulty in rapidly influencing enough people to agree on most of the odd takes.
It took five weeks, almost all of which I managed to spend the evening at home, but we ended up with the Treaty of Kazehara in the end, one which the Wardens would not be violently enforcing. To nearly everyone’s relief.
Which meant the treaty was worth what people believed it to be worth. Penalty for violating it? Whatever the neighbors thought up.
Immortals were once again allowed in mortal lands, which was semi-hilarious in conjunction with the defensive pact. No war allowed! Just move in and slowly take over, that was allowed. I was happy to vote against the restriction, knowing that Iona would be delighted. She could semi-freely move around Pallos. Void [Mages] ended up banned, to my great relief - I didn’t want to hear about cities regularly wiping themselves off the map - but Mirage getting banned was an entirely unexpected plot twist.
‘Far too easy to deceive and lie’ the proponents claimed. ‘The perfect element for an [Assassin].’ ‘Nothing good comes out of it.’
There was a whole mess in the backend of various deals, special interest groups, and other nonsense that had the Mirage ban included as the tipping point for a much larger aspect of the Treaty to get through. I was reminded why I hated politics, neatly balancing out the rush from earlier.
A carve-out for [Entertainers] was denied, which had the kitsunes pissed. I agreed with them. [Laborer] and even more appropriately, [Artisan] would be a wonderful exception. Ban the [Rangers] and [Warriors] if anything. Most other elements were selective combinations, not the entire element. Wally even confirmed it was a large chunk of why the Wardens refused to be the enforcers this time around, they weren’t going to bother with something so broad. Of course, the people voting yes hadn’t quite realized the fallout at the time.
The Kazehara delegation, along with the wider Nippon-Koku delegation, loudly protested, and Nippon-Koku ended up not signing the treaty at all in the end in protest, walking out of the event early. Given the elemental inclination of kitsunes towards Mirage, and how heavily their entertainment industry relied on illusions, I wasn’t surprised.
Nina was going to have a hard time in the coming centuries… but then again, she could just throw a mirage over her eyes, so it wasn’t like the ban was going to slow down [Assassins] or anyone with ill intent, it just made it far harder to train anti-illusion skills. Silon had it right - when the lynch mob came for something, no amount of reason changed their mind.
The dragons found it hilarious. I thought of some poor [Herald] walking up to Lun’Kat and trying to tell the ancient dragon that she wasn’t allowed to use illusions anymore, and had an inappropriately loud laughing fit in the middle of voting.
Acid and Miasma also ate bans, creating a new Forbidden Four. Spore and Poison somehow got off the list, even though we’d just had a Spore-induced zombie apocalypse spread over nearly the entire world. Then again, they’d been so easy to kill that maybe nobody feared it anymore. I was suspicious of the whole thing.
The School was declared neutral ground, a motion to vigorously hunt down the Pekari was almost unanimously denied - most [Leaders] didn’t think their people were up for a violent campaign. A dozen more items ended up in the surprisingly small Treaty. None of the descended god’s proposals made it in, to their great frustration.
The Witch in White wanted to meet with me near the end of the summit, and I was honored to help her out.
I needed introductions to the summit.
She didn’t.
“Elaine. Thank you for meeting with me.” The Witch said, dressed in blindingly pure white. Her fingers idly traced the edges of the table, and bright flowers freely bloomed.
“It’s my honor. The School was a place where I was able to find my feet again after a particularly bad encounter with the fae. I apologize again for my actions a few years ago.”
She nodded, accepting my apology. Again.
I think it was going to be a few more decades before it was properly faded away, and I’d stop feeling bad about it.
“If you’d truly like to apologize, we need more [Teachers] and [Professors] at the School. Should you be interested, know there is always a spot for you.”
“A good friend of mine died there recently. There’s some pain for me right now. At the same time, my adopted daughter is rapidly getting to the point where she needs some better schooling. I’m willing to teach other students and her at the same time at the School. I’ll need to talk with my family, and see what they think about moving.”
Flora nodded and sipped at her tea. I couldn’t identify the floral scent, and it was driving me slightly mad with curiosity. Perhaps intentionally.
“It’s an understandably difficult decision, especially with the depth of roots you must have. There is no time limit on this offer, and we do have education opening up for all ages.”
From there, the conversation moved onto lighter topics.
Getting everyone, all over the world, to agree on something was hard. People were broadly selfish, and wanted to look after their own. In many ways, as high as my ideals were, I was the same. I wanted to look after [Healers].
In the end, we had a document that would help shape the world for the next few centuries, if not longer. Nearly everyone put their name to it, and shrugging, I did the same.
Elaine.
Comments
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Kurosov
Even if you took the middle ground that would 'allow' enforcing the oath by requiring healers are only allowed to level past 256 if they are oathbound it doesn't solve the so called 'problem'. It's clear the real intentions of ban was twofold. It was a scapegoat to pass the blame on how overboard a war got onto those least able to fight back. It was also a means to limit growth and cement existing ruling structures in mortal lands. Regular healers were bound by the ban but healers shielded and controlled by the state could safely ignore the ban meaning the ruling families had access to immortality. The ban then created a new problem, The lack of high level healers meant those who do break the ban without the backing of a head of state actually lead to the very thing the ban claimed to prevent, a war for control of the potential immortal dispensing class. Before the latest immortal war kicked off it was shown that the most powerful 'mortal nations' were actually controlled by immortal ancestors of the ruling family. They had a level of power thanks to a long life to level that allowed them to maintain control.
Dalth
Am I the only one really hoping for a good “Back to School” mini arc? Like 5-8 chapters long, Elaine teaching things until her system “weight” has given enough good healers for the next couple centuries, Sara learning more about the ethics and Elaine being what she is in regards to medicine, and ending up getting some super cool class like “Medicine’s Favorite Child” where she has super reductions based off the level of Elaine’s Oath and not her own Oath instead? All neat tied in with learning more about Flora and Elaine’s relationship?
Rainer
That's exactly what Bryn Thomas said, about 15 hours before you.
Ronny Cook
Being a godparent includes an oath to ensure the child is raised properly in the Faith, amongst other things. I wonder what Elaine's godparent oath looked like. She's certainly been neglecting it for the past 20k years or so.
tr13ze
Thanks for the chapter 😁
Illyenna
If I remember correctly isn't her oath already maxed every time. It'll probably be maxed every time she breaks her level cap until godhood given how long its been accumulating experience.
Ceredia
Honestly this comment made me realize how the series is probably going to end. We know she's either going to get 2000+ levels and ascend or become an angel in the next two or so books. Without hundreds, maybe thousands of years of time skips she probably needs to do something huge. There's probably a dozen bits of foreshadowing for a confrontation with Lun'Kat and her cult and I doubt there's any better grand feat in the timeline for the end of the series Selkie gave us. My prediction is that we see Elaine's teacher arc start in the next few chapters, the founding of a new extererri, then rapid time skipping to give time for the mirage ban to weaken anti-illusion skills for the confrontation with the moon cult
CringeWorthyStudios
… I don’t think she’d care, but I can see it happening. Lol
TheHornedOne
There was another comment that put forward an interesting idea. Lun’kat was the one responsible for the ban, because she doesn’t want people to be able to train up anti illusion skills.
Kurosov
No. While the most effective class type for dispelling illusions would be radiance based. The actual most effective skills and classes for it would require encountering illusionists of increasing skill to train those dispels against. This entire cycle between immortal wars means there will be few new illusionists. Nobody will get the chance to train up their dispel skills while existing illusionists continue to get stronger. This means in a few hundred years they'll have a world with a bunch of high level immortal illusionists that are nigh impossible to recognise or counter. It means nobody will train up a class that could evolve into the perfect Lun'Kat counter build like we saw with the random guard that offed Auri one time. It makes sense for an immortal who is prepping a long term plan to make big moves to cut off that potential in the timeframe they're expecting to put their plan into motion, just in case. Immortals stacking the treaty to benefit them the entire cycle until the next immortal war kicks off is just common sense.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Bryn Thomas
More never hurts I guess, but i'm not sure it would matter too much at this point, it has been speculated that she has all the experience stockpiled from the 20k years she skipped in the fae realm, so there is likely enough experience there to keep her oath skill capped until she reaches divinity
Ronny Cook
Oath to Lyra entirely aside, during the conference this would be against the oath as a member of the conference not to harm its other participants. Post conference, it would mark her as a rogue and get her killed, and also tag healers as not being the largely harmless class she is representing them as. She would be sending a signal that high level healers are dangerous and SHOULD be restricted. In the long run, it would do more harm thsn good.
Leonardo Krieck
Humm, have forgot that, but I think even some more would be a big buff for her
Adurna
But to train and enhance a skill you need it to do the thing it needs to do i.e. break illusions.
Bryn Thomas
Can't enforce oaths, they don't take unless you mean it - it is why Nina had to try so many before she settled on her creed
xXM1g420Y0lO5wAG8laze1tN05c0p3Xx
Except I am pretty sure that the most effective anti illusions skills are radiance based, if anything it will just mean people won't have as much incentive to get said skills because there will be few illusionist around.
Leonardo Krieck
Would have been good to not ban healers, but enforce the Elaine's Oath on all healers, making her even more stronger. Nice ending tho, ty.
NondescriptGamer
With the narration calling her Flora, and the narration usually being from Elaine's perspective, it feels like the reveal was just skipped over. Not sure if that was intentional, but it definitely feels, to me, that at the end of the chapter, Elaine knew it was Flora from Remus and we just missed the reaction somehow.
Kennyevilmonkey
I would have gone with adding a threat, like: "Also, just fyi, I am close personal friends with the Goddess of Healing and I have MORE than enough mana to pay to for a handful of smites. So, consider your choices carefully."
Khal Lee
Thank you. Was a kind of a walk down some lane or path with a kind of simple sweet ending ... with just her name/signature.
The Random NPC
Flora is Callisto's daughter from ranger team 1. The playboy who settled down in the capital
Nait02
With only other people enforcing the ban I doubt anyone would take that great an issue to rally other countries for organized action against them...
Nait02
It could probably be twisted that way, but I don't think Elaine could.
Khrysaes
I remember Flora POV mentioning recognizing elaine when elaine was defending/claiming being the original Manyscriot author in the school. I dont remember who Flora was in Remus. I didnt during the aforementioned POV either.
Nait02
I am pretty sure Flora is aware. She mentioned in her POV in the epilogue of some book that early on some assassins tried to use her connection to the Dawn Sentinel to get close to her.
Anonymous
She gives her name during the graduation event.
Andrew
Thank you!
Anonymous
I doubt it. Selkie has been baiting us for half the series at this point
CherMi
I'm pretty sure Elaine could twist her oath to work as obligation to hunt down everyone restricting healers, if she wanted. Something about ensuring that competent healers are available near all her (former) patients, thus protecting them from harm. It's dangerous, but also would give her freedom to go kill idiots in Rolland.
CringeWorthyStudios
Before she got fucked by the fae the first time and during the school after. I think it was Interlude: The Witch In White? Though it might have been a different chapter. Either way it was during the thesis sub-arc.
SwitchBlaze
Lovely Chappie. Thank you.
David Johnson
Yeah, and the fact that it's the easiest element to hide makes the whole thing particularly dumb. If Nippon-Kokku has any organized crime or professional assassins, they're going to be having a field millennium.
Kurosov
I wouldn't be surprised if Lun’Kat was the one responsible for the Illusion ban. It's a perfectly set up ban the majority don't understand the consequences of even after Elaine pointed out the powerful being able to ignore bans so they benefit while others suffer. The dragon has been active recently towards some greater goal, Has long sought attention as the most powerful illusion user with how long the moon illusion has been up and hampering anyone from training anti-illusion skills as her plan is coming together means less chance of any classer uniquely capable of countering her skillset pops up at just the right time.
Toxic_Valkyre
Might I get a reminder as to where the godmother is mentioned early chapter wise?
Tatiana Saturno
She knows, it was described in a previous chapter. But she was avoiding Elaine at that time.
Simon Kellis
Unless I’m mistaken, Flora has not even given Elaine her name. Selkie might have put it in for ease of audience, or just likes putting their daughters name everywhere; which is, well, quite natural.
TroubleFait
Nippon-Kokku being so pissed off is understandable. I understand being distrustful towards Mirage, but Kitsune will soon have the whole world turning against them.
Jason Hardman
Was kind of hoping for some recognition of their shared mutual history, although the mention of the floral scent seems like it's significant. Either Flora is using something to prevent Elaine from realising the connection, or it's a scent from Remus that Elaine just hasn't twigged to yet. Hopefully we don't have to wait too long for a conclusion.
Bougainville
The witch must know surely. She must have heard plenty of story about Elaine when she was young. Obviously we don't know what her memory skill look like but she probably remenber. My theory is that she didn't want to tell Elaine at the start because she wanted to observe Elaine first and now she don't know how to introduce the subject
Markus
Thanks for the chapter
Ronny Cook
None of the ascended god's ... => None of the ascended gods' ... - gods is plural, so the apostrophe goes after the 's.' (Pedantry FTW!)
CringeWorthyStudios
Flora nodded and sipped at her tea. I couldn’t identify the floral scent, and it was driving me slightly mad with curiosity. Perhaps intentionally. > I thought Elaine didn’t know her name, or did she get told it and just not make the connection yet? Gotta admit, the idea of someone being the messenger assigned to tell Lun’kat about the Mirage ban is such a great mental image. 🤣 Thanks for the chapter!
Daniel Everest
Still funny neither of them know Elaine is the Witch in White's Godmother
Mad Dessert
Thanks!
MoonlitShade
Thanky chappy
Tilen Praprotnik
Thanks for the chapter
