GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

The park leader turned away from him and continued speaking. "We will not be looking for the Emperor. We have the Nameless here that needs our protection. Are we to leave them here to fend for themselves? Who will protect them? They will die and it will be our fault. So we won't go looking for an Emperor that might not exist. That is a gamble that I am not willing to play especially since it will certainly cost us the lives of poor defenseless Nameless."

She paused to gauge their reactions. "I hope you can understand and sympathize with the Nameless. For the Nameless are blameless."

The Warrogs howled in agreement. To be specific, it is the majority of them that howled in agreement. Some were not in agreement so they didn't howl. Those in the majority are very glad with her stance. It is those in the minority that have some problems with it.

The pack leader's speech convinced some of those that wanted revenge and the feeling of being part of a pack convinced more of them. But there are some that remained stubborn and unconvinced. Lamplad is among those few.

The pack leader knew this. She can also see it in his behavior. His posture is that of submission but his eyes are that of defiance. It is clear to her that he won't give up until he dies.

So she said to them, "I am an accommodating pack leader. I understand that some of you are bent on revenge. I will not rob you of that chance. You can leave the pack right now and go looking for the Emperor. You can leave if the dead is more important to you than the living. You have my word that you have my permission to leave and that I won't do anything to you if you decide to leave."

Lamplad was quick to jump at the offered chance. He took one look at the pack leader and bowed. His gaze and his opinion about her have truly changed. 

He said to her, "I appreciate the offer that you have granted us and I promise to return to inform you if we find the Emperor. You will remain my pack leader for the kindness that you have shown me today."

His opinion has changed. He doesn't think she is a traitor anymore, but his resolve has not been removed. He expressed heartfelt gratitude. Then he turned his back on her and left the pack. His squad followed him and so did the others who were bent on revenge. 

The pack leader watched all of this happen without doing anything.

"What a fool." She thought to herself.

She is calling Lamplad a fool for his decision. He is not the only one to have lost someone dear to the claws of the Executioner. She lost people too. Her parents were killed by Ragnarok. That's why she wanted revenge. 

Sauron, who was her hero was also killed by Ragnarok. But she didn't have the strength to defeat Ragnarok so she sided with the minority to look for the Emperor. That was until she became the pack leader. She got a taste of power and it brought her a new perspective.

What she said about the Nameless is true. She can feel them out there wandering and in danger. Their existence is calling to her instincts to protect them. The Nameless are blameless and that's true. The Nameless are also the major source of her power as a pack leader. They strengthen her which she in turn uses to boost her warriors. 

Their existence has awakened a thirst for power within her. She wants to protect them and make them prosper so that she can become stronger. She wants to care for them like a shepherd to his sheep and watch them grow. She doesn't want to leave them to go wandering around aimlessly. Most importantly, she doesn't want to give her power to the Emperor. 

What's more important than not finding the Emperor is actually finding the Emperor and having to submit or die. She might not find the Emperor, but if she does, then she will have to offer allegiance. She would have gone through the stress of searching for her power to be taken from her. 

She knows that her power is not much in the grand scheme of things. It is not as large as that of Sauron so she knows it is definitely not significant when compared to Ragnarok who is just a mana entity like her. But it is her power and she isn't willing to give it up. If Sauron couldn't stand up to Ragnarok and live, then she would definitely fail to stand up to the Emperor and live.

All she wants to do is build a pack to the best of her abilities, build a great settlement, and maybe become the overlord of the mountain range just like Sauron. The people that want revenge will get in the way of that. Lamplad will not give up. He would sow descent among her warriors and accumulate those of like minds. Then they will break away together. That will disrupt her pack. 

She could kill him and those that are like him but she chose to let them go. Maybe it was their fear for her or her display of magnanimity or their reluctance to leave a pack, the ones that decided to secede from the pack are less than 10%. They would have been more had she allowed Lamplad and his ilk to have time to convince more Alphas to their cause.

She can afford to let go of some of her warriors. After all, the bulk of her strength comes from the Nameless. It hurt her strength in the short run but it is better in the long run. She lost some manpower but she has won the complete loyalty of the remaining 90% and more of the ones that ran away when they find out that she is the new pack leader. She even retained the loyalty of the ones who left including Lamplad. It is why she is so derisive of him.