Clash of Ideals

On the eighteenth day of the city lockdown, having made all his preparations, Trig arrived at the royal palace alone. Looking at the ruler of the nation sitting upon the throne, Trig bowed slightly. “Your Majesty.”

The King, resting his cheek on one hand as he leaned back against his throne, looked up at Trig. “Have you caught the thief?”

Trig remained in his bow and replied, “Not yet.”

The King slammed his hand onto the armrest of the throne, his brow furrowed deeply. “Then what are you doing here? Go at once! Trig, you have already wasted enough time!”

Lifting his head for the first time, Trig said, “Indeed, I have wasted so much time, far more than I had originally anticipated. But even so, Your Majesty, have you truly still noticed nothing?”

Or perhaps, this was not surprising at all. After all, everyone around the King had long since been replaced by Trig's trusted confidants. With his eyes and ears completely covered, the King had no way of knowing what was happening in the city.

But from another perspective, the fact that everyone around him had been replaced by Trig's men without his knowledge was, in itself, the ultimate proof of his incompetence.

The King's brow furrowed even deeper. “Trig, what is the meaning of this?”

Trig asked, “I merely have a few questions for you. Even now, I still do not understand why you chose to show weakness when the Pentagram Alliance demanded our nation's land.”

The King remained silent for a moment before saying, “The national strength of the Pentagram Alliance far exceeds ours. If war breaks out, we are certain to lose. Why fight a war we are destined to lose?”

“It is merely some insignificant land; we can just consider it temporarily stored with them. But once war breaks out, countless lives will be lost, and the land we lose then will far exceed what we are giving up now!”

At first glance, these words seemed reasonable. The King even appeared to love his people like his own children, unable to bear the thought of casualties. However, Trig furrowed his brow and said, “Your Majesty, do you truly believe the Pentagram Alliance will stop after obtaining our territory without lifting a finger? No, this will only show them our weakness, and they will surely demand even more!”

The King said, “That is impossible. I can sign a contract with them to forbid them from launching any further attacks against the kingdom!”

After all, the King was a Rank Six Arbiter. In the absence of a demigod, the contracts he drafted possessed immense, undeniable binding power.

But Trig countered, “Sign a contract with whom? One of the five leaders of the Pentagram Alliance?”

As the name of their nation suggested, the Pentagram Alliance was not a conventional feudal kingdom. This vast land had originally been home to a multitude of loose, scattered tribes, until one day, the leader of the most powerful tribe suddenly had an epiphany and declared that they could not continue living like this.

Thus, he sought out the other four most powerful tribes and convinced them to unite. Even more incredibly—whether it was because this formidable man possessed extraordinary eloquence or because the other four tribal chiefs were exceptionally wise—the proposal was actually approved.

And so, the original Pentagram Alliance was born: a nation of an alliance nature, jointly ruled by five tribes.

The King frowned. “Is there a problem with that?”

Trig said, “The contract's binding force can indeed restrain that one leader, but what about the remaining four? What if they launch an attack against the kingdom?”

The King said, “That is impossible. This is also part of the contract. For the sake of his own life, the person who signs the contract with me will surely convince the other four.”

The ultimate price for violating a contract was, naturally, death. But that was precisely where the problem lay. While an individual's death might be an immense price for that person, when viewed from the perspective of an entire nation, it became somewhat insignificant.

Trig said, “What if that person is willing to sacrifice their own life, preferring to die if it means making their nation strong?”

Therefore, the signatory might not stop their four friends at all, and might even encourage them to launch an attack.

The King blurted out, “That is impossible! How could anyone do such a thing?”

After all, in the King's eyes, the entire nation was property passed down through generations of the royal family. It simply happened to be his turn to own it now. His current mindset could be perfectly described by a single phrase: “I am the state!”

Thus, when ceding territory, the King naturally felt a great deal of pain, as he was losing his own property. In his eyes, Trig's words were utterly absurd. How could anyone lay down their life for their own property? Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Trig wore a look of disappointment. “They exist, Your Majesty. Of course such people exist. If I could make the 【Kingdom of Tarapaca】 strong at the cost of my own death, I would do so without a moment's hesitation... So, what about you? Would you do the same?”

The King did not answer the question directly. Instead, he said, “Trig, it is precisely because of your loyalty that I promoted you to your current position.”

Thus, if a situation arose where sacrificing one person could make the nation stronger, the King would send Trig to do it without hesitation. For instance, in the present moment, if their roles were reversed, the King would have Trig sign the contract with the Pentagram Alliance. As the Prime Minister, Trig could fully represent the King and the 【Kingdom of Tarapaca】.

Trig said, “For this very reason, the Pentagram Alliance will definitely tear up the contract!”

The King said, “For this very reason, he will not tear up the contract!”

Because the one signing the contract with the King would be a ruler of the Pentagram Alliance, not some mere Prime Minister.

In truth, there was no longer any point to this conversation. Trig knew exactly what kind of person the King was. This was merely a final debate, and the outcome, of course, was exactly as Trig had expected.

Trig sighed. “I am sorry, Your Majesty, but... if it can make this nation strong, I am willing to do anything.”

As he spoke, he slowly raised his head. Spirituality began to ripple from his body. Seeing this, the King's eyes widened in shock. “Trig? You... you want to rebel?!”

But there was no longer any need for further talk. Trig launched his attack without hesitation. As a Rank Six Punisher of the Law Pathway, his single-combat capability was far superior to that of an Arbiter of the same pathway.

At the exact moment Trig made his move, all the arrangements he had prepared in advance were activated.

...