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Captain Lancelot’s expression darkened. He bristled at the interruption, completely offended that a stranger had spoken to him in such a manner. "Who exactly are you to dictate the laws of the Union? What is someone entirely uninvolved with this dispute doing in our encampment?"

Gideon reached into a secure pouch on his belt and produced a heavy, platinum crest shaped like a radiant sunburst. He held the emblem up for the captain to see. "I am Sir Gideon. I serve as a Paladin of the Lumiere Dynasty."

The surrounding Holy Knights gasped quietly. As expected, the arrogant captain was immediately humbled by the revelation. Lancelot swallowed his pride and offered a stiff, formal bow.

"I must remind you, Captain," Gideon continued, his voice echoing with absolute authority, "that the Azure Moon Kingdom is a direct branch family of the Lumiere Dynasty. The land you currently occupy falls firmly under our imperial protection. It is the Holy Knights who do not belong here. You should pack your tents and march your men back."

Lancelot stood up straight, desperately trying to salvage his mission. "With all due respect, Sir Gideon, the sacred testaments of the Union dictate that any ground blessed by an angel’s descent becomes holy property. We are simply enforcing the divine convention."

Gideon shook his head, offering a condescending smile. "You should read your precious testaments again, Captain. Read them properly this time. That specific convention only applies when a kingdom has turned completely into ruins, there are absolutely zero living descendants remaining, and the territory has mutated into a sealed dimensional fragment.

"Even in those incredibly rare scenarios, the surviving side families and distant bloodlines hold absolute priority over the territorial rights."

Gideon gestured toward King Shen. "In this case, there are direct, living descendants of the Great Azure Kingdom standing right in front of you. The side family is thriving. So, no matter what religious argument or legal case you attempt to bring before the court, your entire claim falls short based on that single, undeniable condition."

Lancelot clamped his mouth shut. He had absolutely no legal counterargument against the paladin’s flawless logic.

[James_hayes: bro just read the terms and conditions to him.]

[1Fizzy: the paladin is a lawyer too AHAHAHA!]

[Mezz_3863: Gideon destroying the holy empire with facts and logic.]

[Foodball: Lancelot got cooked.]

[M00N: the holy knights look so embarrassed.]

Gideon turned his attention back to the massive, shifting spatial anomaly pulsing a few yards away. "What is this? Since when did a dimensional rift open in the middle of these ruins?"

"It was already here when our inquisitors arrived to survey the land," Lancelot explained defensively. "Which is exactly why we established this encampment. We were trying to clear the anomaly before it stabilized. We officially informed King Shen about the danger, but instead of cooperating, he brought an entire army to march against us."

Shen gritted his teeth. "You are using this rift as a convenient excuse to permanently occupy the Azure Kingdom!"

"The palace is completely abandoned!" Lancelot shot back, pointing at the crumbling spires in the distance. "The Azure Moon Kingdom never made a single attempt to revive it, maintain it, or reclaim it! You had four entire centuries to do something with this land! Now that the Church steps in to cleanse the area, you suddenly oppose us."

He pointed at the rift. "You should be thanking us! If we had not arrived to claim this territory, you never would have known about this rift. If this anomaly was left uncleared, it would have permanently ruptured into a stabilized dungeon, triggering a catastrophic monster break across the Eastern Realms!"

"We can argue about the diplomatic trespassing and your true intentions later," Gideon interrupted, raising a gauntleted hand to silence the bickering. "Our primary focus must be clearing this rift before it triggers a break."

"My Holy Knights and your Prince have already entered the rift to clear it," Lancelot stated.

"How long has it been?" Gideon asked, looking directly at the king.

"It has been two weeks," Shen responded, his voice laced with dread.

"How many men went inside to clear the anomaly?" Gideon inquired, calculating the tactical odds.

"Fourteen elite Holy Knights, Prince Ryu, and thirty Azure Moon Knights," Shen answered.

Gideon narrowed his eyes slightly, keeping his thoughts carefully guarded. ’Given the sheer scale of the corruption Lord Jian revealed back at the palace, it is highly probable that several traitors or spies are currently hiding among those thirty Azure Moon Knights.’

"I should hurry up and enter the rift to assist them and force it closed," Gideon decided, taking a step toward the pulsing portal.

"You cannot do that," Lancelot blocked his path, shaking his head. "The Holy Knights discovered this portal first. By the laws of dungeon exploration, we secure the first right to clear it. You cannot legally interfere with an ongoing raid."

"The rift appeared on Azure Kingdom soil," Gideon countered, his tone hardening. "Which belongs to the Azure Moon Kingdom, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Lumiere Dynasty. The local sovereign holds absolute priority over any exploration rights."

"And we perfectly abided by those sovereign rules!" Lancelot argued, standing his ground. "We allowed the Azure Moon forces to participate in the raid as the primary party. As per the exploration regulations, their forces inside the rift are exactly double the number of my Holy Knights!"

Lancelot tapped his finger against the hilt of hiss word. "Furthermore, any artifacts or treasures found within the anomaly naturally belong to the primary finder, while the remainder of the spoils will be shared with the Azure Moon Kingdom based entirely on their combat contributions."

[Brerell: Damn how many rules are there?]

[Draken_Korin: This is so confusing.]

[Frendscham: Send the paladin in and he will clear it.]

[Fatal_Beauty: Lmao look at Solomon. He is glancing around and staring at the rift.]

[Wesley_Smith: Bro is surely gonna do something reckless.]

Gideon crossed his arms. "If the raid party possesses those numbers, then how come the rift has not been dealt with yet? It has been two weeks. A standard clear should take a few days at most."

"There is a sanctioned Inquisitor traveling with the Holy Knights," Lancelot explained, gesturing toward the anomaly. "The Inquisitor is not actively participating in the combat. His sole duty is to observe, record the events, and draft a comprehensive report. If things inside the rift were to go disastrously wrong..."

Lancelot shot a meaningful glance at King Shen. "...the Inquisitor is under strict orders to immediately escape the dungeon and report the failure to us. Since the Inquisitor has not emerged yet, which is excellent news, it means the combined forces are still actively clearing the rift. The internal environment must simply be incredibly challenging."

[Kaolafiedgamer: two weeks in a dungeon is crazy.]

[Zoomtech: they are definitely dead or lost.]

[Ken_Getchell: the holy knights are super suspicious.]

[Tyler_Klare: Solo Man needs to go in there.]

[Nick: This is why I hate politics!]

Lancelot signaled the perimeter guards to ensure the area remained heavily fortified. He then invited the group back into the main command pavilion to discuss the logistics.

Once inside the tent, the leaders gathered around the tactical map. They engaged in a lengthy, heated debate regarding the unpredictable nature of the anomaly.

"Based on the shifting mana density and the prolonged duration, this rift could easily be a B-rank or an A-rank anomaly," Yue suggested, snapping her jade fan open. "If it is an A-rank, a squad of standard knights would struggle to clear the boss chamber."

"The magical resonance is completely unstable," Lancelot argued, tapping a point on the map. "It could be a massive labyrinth rather than a linear dungeon, which would explain the two-week delay. They might simply be lost navigating the internal floors."

"We must also consider the time dilation factor," Gideon added, studying the glowing reports. "Some high-tier rifts distort the flow of time. Two weeks out here might only equate to a few days inside."

They debated the potential environmental hazards, the remaining time they might have before a catastrophic monster break occurred, and the absolute necessity of maintaining a strict quarantine around the portal entrance.

Gideon listened quietly, his mind racing through the political implications. ’No matter how I analyze the situation, it is incredibly suspicious that the Holy Knights just happened to encounter a dangerous rift the exact moment they marched here to claim the land. ’

He looked around and remembered the faces and posts of the guards around him ’Since they were the first ones to secure the area, I cannot confirm if the rift was actually a natural occurrence or if they triggered it deliberately. I am legally barred from entering the rift to check on the prince. As a representative of the Lumiere Dynasty, I cannot act carelessly and spark a continental war with the Holy Empire over a dungeon dispute.’

Solomon stood near the flap of the tent, completely ignoring the intense political discussion happening around the map. He watched the shifting, ominous purple colors of the spatial rift outside, a familiar sense of excitement bubbling in his chest.

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