Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 939: Crowd Mentality

Chapter 939: Chapter 939: Crowd Mentality

"Is this magic?!!!"

The people gasped when a large magnification of Arabella and her assistants was displayed on a huge part of the castle.

The newly assigned Marquess took the cue to introduce Arabella.

"Ahem... Everyone, please pay your respects to Her Imperial Majesty, who has graced us with her presence!!"

With Alwin amplifying the volume of his voice, the Marquess officially announced that Arabella is the one standing before them.

The people greeted her and bowed deeply in unison.

Arabella heard from their thoughts that Ferdinand had ensured they knew how to greet her properly once she visited.

Rather, after his speech, he threatened them with a deathly stare to greet her properly.

Ferdinand did not want her to experience what he and the knights felt as the people threw all sorts of things at them and blamed them for everything.

’Thank you, Ferdinand,’ Arabella appreciated his thoughtfulness.

She had experienced being disrespected and laughed at in her past life, and it was better not to experience it again.

"You may all rise," Arabella instructed in her Empress Mode.

[She sounds so commanding. Is she truly the young Empress from Lobelius Kingdom?]

[Wasn’t she supposed to be just 18? She looks regal and older than her age.]

[What will we do if she’s cruel and heartless?! She looks terrifying even if she’s so gorgeous!]

[What if she’s even worse than His Majesty? I heard there were nobles who, even at a young age, liked watching suffering!]

[What if she came here to laugh at our suffering?]

[She does not look as kind as the rumors said. What if she instructed the knights to kill us all the instant we said something she finds unpleasant?!]

The people obediently did as she said and warily glanced at the knights stationed around the castle.

Getting into serious mode made them scared of her. It was probably better for now, so they would listen.

"....Everyone, I came to visit today after hearing about the situation here in Sibruh. Even while I was busy in meetings for the war with Crux, which occurred in our efforts to bring home every Valerian from their grasp, Sibruh had always been on my mind as I kept getting updates about the events here," Arabella began her speech.

[She did? Her Majesty had been keeping updates about us?!!]

[Does she really know? Or just pretending to be?]

[Did they tell her everything? Or just what’s convenient?]

[She must be trying to make everyone feel like she truly cared, but probably doesn’t truly give a damn.]

[We must ask her for help and tell her what’s going on. They must not have told her everything...]

"Your Majesty, please help us!"

Someone screamed in a loud voice.

With the enhanced vision Alwin had allowed her, Arabella spotted who it was.

It was a man who looked like he was homeless.

"Your Majesty, please help us!!"

Hearing the man’s plea, a group of people standing close together also pleaded in a loud voice.

When the others heard them, they followed suit.

"Your Majesty, please help us!!!"

More people joined them until everyone was saying the same thing.

Arabella raised her hand, gesturing for them to stop.

The crowd did not stop, so the knights made back of their spears hit the ground, creating a loud thud.

"!!!"

The crowd finally stopped.

Fear does work wonders.

When they were finally silent, Arabella spoke again.

"I understand your frustration and fear, given the circumstances, but please listen to me.

His Majesty and all the knights and magicians came here to help.

I heard about what happened here the other day and how you treated them with disrespect.

I will not tolerate disrespect to His Majesty, not to the knights, magicians, or the researchers."

Arabella clearly stated her stance.

[What?! Then did she come here just to scold us?!!!]

[Haha. See, she doesn’t really care about commoners!]

[Did she come here to further threaten us?!!!!]

The crowd became noisy the instant Arabella said those words.

A crowd was indeed one of the most dangerous things in the world, at how easily their emotions were triggered.

Anger was one of the easiest emotions to get out of them, too.

Lumped together like this, they are easily manipulated in more ways than one.

However, they could use this to their advantage.

A crowd is easier to anger, but also easier to manipulate into the way they want them to.

Arabella understood this fully since they did it in her previous life when they caused Civil Wars all over the Empire.

"Allow me to explain what happened.

The Former Marquess made mistakes and did not report the situation here to Riva immediately.

If not for His Majesty sending his people to check on territories in the Empire, the pests and plant disease could have spread to all parts of Valeria.

Meaning, the situation here would have been worse than it is now.

This also means that without the lockdown His Majesty had imposed, the whole food supply, not just here, but in all of Valeria, could have been in danger.

If the ample stocks in Riva and other territories were damaged by pests, Valeria would run out of food.

This could lead to famine and hunger in the worst case.

The actions His Majesty and his knights and magicians are doing are a necessity to ensure that the Empire will still have enough sources of food for the years to come.

This way, even if you cannot farm here yet, food will come from other territories.

Riva can keep sending food here as well.

But if all other territories are affected, then there would be no source for the Empire, and the stocks will run out after some years," Arabella explained.

[Now that I think about it, she said is logical. If the whole Empire was ravaged like us, then where would food come from?]

Murmurs erupted here and there.

"Her Majesty is right. This is for our sake as well."

"Indeed. We are too scared to think further ahead."

"The Empire’s stocks indeed need to be protected."

"As long as they send us food here until we can farm again, then maybe, it’s not too bad."