Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 245: The Western Alliance Dissolves

"What... should we do?"

Within a large conference room filled with all kinds of people—representatives of various states within the Western Alliance—this question is posed to everyone.

An evident look of uncertainty is on their faces, which comes as no surprise to anyone.

They all know what has happened.

"To think those crooked Eastern Sect bastards would actually lose."

"The Freedom Fighters have now conquered more than half of the known world. Is there any reason to hesitate any longer?"

"Precisely. The decision is pretty obvious."

"We were already shown the difference in power after our defeat a month ago, and with this news of the Eastern Sects switching sides, isn’t it clear what our fates will be if we resist?"

"Indeed. The two survivors from that massacre, the Alliance Army General and one of the Vice Heads, have also informed us that they do not wish to go against the Freedom Fighters any longer. It appears the dissolution of our government is the only sensible route... unless we desire a slaughter."

More and more conversations arise among the leaders of the Western Alliance.

Unlike other Great Nations in the known world, the Western Alliance has the most democratic system of leadership.

In fact, leaders are nominated and then voted for by the people.

Since the western continent is the largest in terms of land mass, there are many states within it.

Thus, many leaders of those states exist.

By coming together to form an alliance of states, the Western Alliance is formed.

This is akin to how there are many tribes in the Central Plains, but there is no single overlord that controls the entire continent.

And this is similar to the Sect Leader Council of the Eastern Sects, but there are far more leaders in the Western Alliance and they do not constantly scheme against each other.

In fact, they are bound by common interests and many treaties that have evolved over the years.

The Western Alliance simply exists to protect the interests of the states under it and ensure a proper distribution of wealth and resources so that no single state becomes too powerful and no state becomes desperate.

However... that does not mean corruption does not exist here.

It is simply the most hidden kind.

How are the leaders chosen?

Voting.

But who decides who gets nominated?

Can votes be bought?

What of rigging?

Many kinds of electoral malpractices occur all the time, which makes this a false democracy.

Only those who have the money and a proper backer can be brought into the game. It is essentially impossible for the common man to become a leader, regardless of their passion or desire to help their state.

These, and many more, are the issues plaguing the Western Alliance.

But now... they will all be gone.

"As always, we will place a vote to decide our next step." The Alliance Leader sighs aloud while raising his hand. "All for surrendering to the whims of the Freedom Fighters?"

Over eighty percent of the people raise their hand. This passes the majority test in their quorum.

The Alliance Leader and three Vice Alliance Leaders also cast their votes, which naturally carry more weight, and they unanimously agree to surrender.

"So it is settled."

Everyone here values their lives.

After seeing the Northern Empire’s fall, the defeat of the Central Plains, and the massacre of the Eastern Sects, they would be foolish not to concede their loss.

As politicians with connections all over their states and in other states, possessing deep ties to the major corporations, they already have far more money than anyone can spend in their lifetime.

Rather than risk it all and give in to their greed, the wisest choice would be to pull out now.

And so they have.

"We will send a diplomatic letter informing the Freedom Fighters of our decision. To show our sincerity, we will make heavy contributions towards the development of the Great Bridgeworks and we will assure them of our full assistance when they wish to construct the structure in our land."

"That’s a good plan."

"Agreed."

With everyone on the same page, they discuss further matters regarding who gets to draft the letter and the extent of their contributions.

Realizing that this will be the last official meeting as an Alliance, they lose their overly formal demeanors and begin to show a lot of sincerity and gusto.

Casual remarks fly in the air.

Laughter echoes in the hall.

No one remains tense, since there is no longer any reason to be.

No more wars should be fought.

That’s bad for business.

********

The War Council is full of new faces.

The only old members present are me, Jeophrey, and Kalakuta.

The rest are replacements for those who perished in the Eastern Sects. This will be our second meeting ever since that incident, but is still a rather glaring issue.

As well as a sensitive one.

"This letter arrived yesterday..." Kalakuta begins the meeting by discussing what the Western Alliance sent to the Freedom Fighters.

A desire to surrender.

They even offer a lot of consideration, and since they understand how distrustful we might be of their true intentions, they make a lot of offers and concessions that place them at an obvious disadvantage.

An example is agreeing to sign the treaty in No Man’s Land, our own territory.

They also inform us to add whatever conditions we desire. As long as they are not unreasonable, the Alliance will not reject them.

’Such sensible people...’ Even now, I can’t help but smile.

Although Kalakuta still had a skeptical expression on his face, I know he is also pleased by this development.

He truly does not wish to fight if he doesn’t have to resort to violence.

"Although the language used here implies that they are handing over their power to us, what we really want is for power to be handed to the people of their land. These corrupt leaders make decisions for them and rake in so many profits while their people only get peanuts. By getting rid of this false hierarchy, we can make everyone truly equal."

Everyone in the room nods at Kalakuta’s words, and I also smile.

It looks like things are going very smoothly in the Western Alliance. I would be more surprised if things weren’t.

The influence of the Freedom Fighters has only been increasing, and the speed of our progress is astounding.

We even get new recruits every day, people who see the vision and wish to be a part of it.

There’s also the construction of the Great Bridgeworks that is underway. It has only increased in scope and speed.

Most Freedom Fighters are actually involved in the construction, and with my use of Magivores, the rate of progress is shocking, almost unreal.

We could be done with this within a year!

No, even less.

’I’ve spent almost a year in this world. So much has happened already... but much more is yet to occur.’ I smile to myself.

It feels like I am in the latter half of the Trial Scenario, yet I haven’t died even once for some time now.

I’ve also learned a lot during my time here.

’It really feels like its own world.’

"Jusy to be safe, we should send a small elite team to inspect the Western Alliance in secret. If they are caught, they can simply say they’re from us. If they are executed, we will know the true intentions of the Western Alliance. If our spies find something suspicious, then we can also be more skeptical about this deal. What do you think?" I make this suggestion to Kalakuta.

While I believe the Western Alliance is being genuine, it wouldn’t hurt the Freedom Fighters to take this precaution.

Besides, it will also help to put Kalakuta at ease once the spies return with good news.

"Alright! Let’s do that!"

******

It has been a few weeks since our last meeting, and the spies have already returned with gopd news.

"The government is already allocating all its assets to the people, and all public facilities are being disbursed to everyone in the state." I state the results with glee. "By the time they finally sign the agreement with us, there won’t be any government facility left. It will all be in the public domain, in the hands of the people."

Whether it is the money in the government coffers, the natural resources, Special Resource Points, and so on.

They are all being transferred to the people.

"This is good! Now the people can live their best lives with enough resources to fully bask in the glory of liberty!"

Kalakuta’s smile is surreal.

He is truly glad.

"Alright. We will go to the western continent to sign the agreement."

And so we do!

The Freedom Fighter representatives, myself included, commune with the former leaders of the Western Alliance, and we consummate this new agreement.

Everything operates smoothly.

A week after, we return to our territory in No Man’s Land, completely unharmed.

Other than the brief tour of the land, our time in the continent was uneventful. We receive a lot of promises from the former governmental officials regarding deep interest and cooperation with the Great Bridgeworks project, showing their intention to remain allied with us.

Such people would definitely not be foolish enough to go back on their word.

Right?

*******

"Hehe... What a nice party."

Celebrities and former government officials occupy a vast hall while enjoying the extravagant ambiance of the ongoing event.

The former Ministers, State Leaders, Vice Alliance Leaders, as well as the Alliance Leader, are all in attendance.

They all have pleasant expressions on their faces... and why shouldn’t they?

Through signing this Treaty, they have been able to avoid any bloodshed or intrusion on their commercial interests.

Yes, they have lost political power.

But they still have money.

In fact... this arrangement might prove to be even more beneficial to some of them.

At a certain corner of the party, a small group of seven men and two women gather, their attires and aura distinct from everyone in the party.

They appear richer, more sophisticated.

Anyone who enters the hall makes it a formality to offer them greetings, and many occasionally glance in their direction.

These nine are the ones who organized this party. They are also the richest people in the western continent.

The owners of the Nine Major Corporations.

"Hehe... those Freedom Fighters are such barbaric fools. They know nothing about politics." They discuss heartily among one another, with no one daring to join their circle.

Not even the former Alliance Leader.

That is because he, just like everyone else, understands that these nine are the actual rulers of the western continent.

The State Leaders and Alliance Heads were merely their puppets.

The Nine Major Corporations were the ones who ultimately decided who got nominated, which policies were passed, and so on..

They controlled everything.

"Now that the government has collapsed, it gives us a more direct avenue to own and control these so-called public resources."

Remember how the government facilities were disbursed to the public?

Well... they are the public.

They have the highest purchasing power among everyone else, so by relying on their many business chains and ghost corporations, they obtained these resources for themselves.

Nothing is actually falling into the hands of people.

"We’ll just make more jobs for people and let them slave away for us the way they always have. The collapse of our puppet regime changes nothing about our wealth... hehe..."

"No, it does. I couldn’t justify owning a Special Resource Point in the past, since it was state property, but now... I have a legitimate claim to it as my private property."

Laughter echoes among them.

"Nothing wrong with that. Are we not part of the people the Freedom Fighters are fighting for? Hehe... I just love the taste of liberty."

"Same here!"

What does this all mean?

Anyone who possesses large businesses and underground networks will be able to roam free. The private sector that was once restrained by the government can now operate with no restrictions

Kalakuta could not have predicted this.

The western continent is a lot more politically and commercially advanced compared to other areas, which is why this loophole went over his head.

The accrued net worths of the wealthy makes them the kings of this new era.

The government has only changed its name.

BOOOOOOMM!!!

All of a sudden, an explosion erupts from the hall’s grand entrance.

This loud and intense emergence causes everyone to look towards the devastated entrance and the billows of smoke that now begin to rapidly clear.

Some people scream, while others maintain cautious silence. Security officials on standby begin to take action, but one can’t help but wonder what became of the ones who were standing guard outside.

How did such an explosion happen?

Who are these people emerging from the clouds of dispersing smoke?

Just what is happening?

"Looks like we have uninvited guests..." One of the nine speaks aloud, his deep frown evident on his handsome, polished face.

He, as well as his comrades, are all protected by top of the line security officials.

They also have all kinds of rare and powerful Armaments and Potions on them to serve as protection.

Needless to say, of everyone here, their lives are in the least danger.

"Invited or not... we have arrived."

A deep, distorted voice emerges from the one who leads these mysterious intruders.

They all wear black cloaks which shroud most of their faces and bodies. However, a certain aura flows from them.

It reeks of blood... and death.

This dangerous vibe is noticed by everyone present, thus most fall into a hush as they hope the matter will be resolved by the guards.

"Who are you people? Freedom Fighters?"

The question echoes, and then lingers in the deathly silent hall.

"No... We are not them." A response emerges after a few seconds of excruciating silence.

The distortion grows stronger.

The multitude of black-cloaked people step forward, showing bravery and dedication on the level of zealotry.

"The Freedom Fighters let you live. They are a naive bunch, unable to truly understand the true scope of this rotten world. We intend to fix that."

Strange, mysterious energy gathers around them as they bring forth their weapons.

"You can call us... The Dark Guild."