"I-I think so, Lord Alexander."
Lord Malcolm gulped as he replied. Even through the screen, Alexander could feel the man's anxious heart, fears and aspirations of what this could mean for him.
'Hah... Can't say I blame them for wanting to be free.' Alexander inwardly sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. 'Since it has come to this, then there is only one thing left to do.'
Back in the living area, the Gray family exchanged shocked glances, realising what Alexander meant earlier.
"So this is what they want, huh?" Aaron couldn't help but sneer. "Absolute control over their affairs. They don't like seeing Big Brother boss them around, so they use Ross's situation as a springboard to get what they want."
"Yeah..." Olivia nodded in agreement, making sure not to wake the sleeping Axel. "But is it really okay for them to do this? I can't say I know much about the universe, but from what Alex told us, Cosmic Storms, void creatures and beasts roam the larger universe."
"Hmm..." Aaron narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "This makes me wonder what else is out there."
"Isn't that the same thing driving their ambitions?" Shawn questioned, turning to look at Aaron.
"Well, that's not what I mean, but... yeah, you have a point." Aaron thought for a moment and agreed. "I would definitely want to see what the rest of the universe has to offer."
"That's enough," William waved his hand to end their little analysis, his focus glued to the screen. "Your brother is about to give his reply."
In the basement office, Alexander looked at the faces of the rest of the Council members, seeing anxiety in some, calmness in others, and disappointment in a few. He knew this outcome was inevitable, but seeing it happen so soon made him sad.
"Very well."
The moment those words left his lips, several expressions of relief were visible; they were grateful this did not escalate into a major problem.
"Anyone or organisation that thinks my companions and I are seizing their opportunities in the greater universe is free to leave," Alexander stated with cold eyes, sending a shiver down the spines of many Councilmen.
"However..." He continued. "They must not expect any help from the Empire in dealing with their problems. Of course, they will still be eligible for some form of aid from the Universal Accord Commission."
Everyone could tell that Alexander was not happy with what he was saying. Unfortunately for him, not everyone cared, as they silently snickered in the safety of their homes or wherever they found themselves.
They were finally given the freedom to do as they pleased; why would they bother with how Alexander was feeling?
"Is this really okay?" Lady Irene, one of the three heads, could not help but ask. "There are still dangers out there in the universe. We don't have to do this."
Ironically, Lady Irene expressed the same concerns as Olivia. But could Lord Baltor and those like him be blamed? Alexander had put the universe back in order and then left it for the taking. Naturally, those with teeth would try to bite a piece for themselves.
"No one said anyone is leaving the empire right this moment, Lady Irene," Lord Baltor replied with a composed expression. "We all know this was an eventuality waiting to happen. Lord Alexander is simply giving his blessings. After all, we must acknowledge the person who saved our universe."
'Blessings, my ass.' Alexander inwardly scoffed, seeing through the man's façade. 'In any case, they've gotten what they want. I should focus on the applications coming in.'
"The decision has been made," Alexander declared calmly, drawing the attention back to himself. "That being said, no one has the right to force anyone who does not wish to leave the safety of the protection sphere."
The Council members nodded eagerly, not particularly bothered about that. Focusing on Lord Malcolm's face, Alexander added. "One more thing... Lord Malcolm's proposal isn't all that bad."
For a moment, the Council members were confused. Alexander had already shut down Malcolm's case, so there was no need to even bring it up anymore. Unfortunately for them, Alexander was not done yet.
"I did mention that the UAC will still offer a modicum of protection to those who wish to detach from the Empire, right?" The members nodded. "For those people, their territories can be forcefully taken from them even after registering with the UAC."
"..."
Very quickly, the Councilmen caught on with what Alexander was talking about. They might be capable of laying a claim, but if another group could snatch it from them, it meant they were not capable.
Realising what this meant, many among the council gritted their teeth in frustration. Alexander's vassals could still take what they wanted for themselves. Wasn't this returning to square one? They just ran a full circle with nothing to show for it!
"L-Lord Alexander..." Baltor swallowed anxiously. "Won't that defeat the purpose of detaching oneself?"
"Detaching oneself means being responsible for your own actions." Alexander replied smugly. "Freedom isn't cheap... You should know that."
"..."
Alexander calmly watched as many among the council had their expressions change multiple times per second, as their brains fired their neurons rapidly. He noticed a few of them slowly come to a realisation.
'They are worrying about the wrong thing,' Alexander mused. 'None of my vassals would ever want to take anything from them.'
"You're right, Lord Alexander." Lord Baltor said after reaching the same conclusion, allowing himself to relax a little more. "The cost of freedom isn't cheap. If they want freedom, they have to be capable of fighting for it."
"Then I'm glad we've all reached an understanding." Alexander said. "I will add this update to the UAC site. Let it not be said that they stood knee-deep in a river and died of thirst. This meeting is adjourned."
Without waiting for any last words, the transmission was cut for many of the Council members, leaving the vassals behind.
"So it's come to this..." Lord Basso commented with a tired sigh. "They just couldn't help themselves. What we have here is a beautiful thing — flawed, but beautiful."
"This is who we are, Lord Basso." Lucas, Julia's father, added. "A hungry man is never satisfied."
"But will it be alright?" Jaseph asked Alexander, who seemed to have closed his eyes and was relaxing in his chair. "We make everything seem good, but many of your vassals are out there fighting almost every day."
His words were referring to the many hunters of The Order who work tirelessly to keep the boundaries of the Empire safe. The more the regular hunters moved, the more The Order expanded the circle.
"You don't have to worry about them. They'll be fine." Alexander replied in his relaxed pose. "As they said, this was inevitable, and is the main reason behind the creation of the Universal Accord Commission."
"If you have no problem with this, then I see no reason to bother anymore." Lord Basso expressed, eliciting nods from the others.
"Mhmm." Lady Irene chipped in with a thoughtful expression. "This also grants us the opportunity to focus on ourselves. We still have a lot to learn from the knowledge Lord Alexander passed to us."
"Not so fast."
Alexander cut her off, sitting up to focus on the faces of the vassals. His words tilted a lot of heads. With a knowing and mischievous smile, he added. "Have you forgotten the recruitment process going on?"
"Ugh..." They grumbled.
"Didn't you say you'd personally screen the candidates?" Lucas tried to divert the task back to Alexander. Unfortunately for him, it didn't work.
"Since when?" Alex shot back, his left brow raised sceptically. "If I do all the work, what will you guys be doing? Remember, you were the ones who said I shouldn't do everything, and that's why there are subordinates."
"..."
The vassals were speechless, unable to believe what they were hearing. Here they were, thinking their workload was about to decrease. Who would have thought Alexander would turn around and put this on their shoulders?
"Do your best, okay?" With a beaming smile, Alexander stood up and left the office, leaving a still speechless group behind their screens.
"D-Did Alexander just push his work on us?" Lucas could not believe his ears. "Where did the all-serious Alexander just go?"
"Haha, don't overthink it." Jaseph laughed softly. "I'm sure he was just making a joke to lighten the mood."
[Keep dreaming.] Not surprisingly, Alexander's voice echoed in their ears, quickly crushing any hope. [There are trillions of applications coming in; you'd better start working. I have more important stuff to deal with.]
The leaders were still the officials governing their sectors and regions within the Empire. Everything went through them, so it was easier to make them proxies. While Xex could handle everything, why would it? Also, it was a sentient entity; it could not 'read' emotions.
"Well, I better get to work. Lucas out."
Lucas was the first to end his feed, disappearing from the chat. Soon, the others began leaving the chat room. They had no way of countering Alexander's orders and could only get to work.
Alexander had silently permitted humanity to go their separate ways. However, what they did not realise at the time was that their pursuit of freedom would cost many of them dearly.