Yeah but Homeland love is not something logical. If he knelt to the emperor he won't be able to live with himself ig
Also, do you wanna LIVE like that? Bowing your head in terror if u do something wrong and offend the emperor just for the sake of safety?
Nope. But I'm also not responsible for the lives of an entire population. Is the war and devastation to come worth my pride?
I disagree. A love of homeland is very rational. But what is a homeland? It's not a set of abstract ideas, or a set of crests and seals, but the actual people and the land they inhabit. And you're saying it's fine to burn and kill all of that so the leader doesn't have to feel sad for a bit.
"it's fine to burn and kill all of that so the leader doesn't have to feel sad for a bit." Huuuh? When did i say all that?? Lol... what I will say tho is that surrendering and bowing your head to your oppressors won't convince them you deserve better. They will still fuck your whole life if they wanted to and they can break promises on a whim too. So yeah, it's either that or you stick to your true identity and live or die with dignity.
The choice is not that binary and "oppression" is gradient.
Most people who disagree with you, probably come from nationalist countries, their brains full of propaganda or official religion of their country
Let's not be too quick to dismiss that though. It is a good thing to love your people. That's what I'm trying to work out with this. When you're the boss, and the lives of your people are in your hands, what actually is the right move to prioritise the well being of your people?
But honestly I disagree with your opinion about accepting the emperor offer, because tyranny or dictatorship isn't a good choice
I don't think there's anything inherently immortal about dictatorship or moral about democracy (not that there is one in this story). And I'm not sure I agree with it either but I'm more likely to provoke a discussion if I come down hard on one side rather than some wishy washy nuance
Honestly, he should have taken the offer. The kingdom is screwed, and surrender to the empire would not only protect his family but his entire domain from devastation. The King is lost and it sounds like from the comment spoilers the swordmaster is going to do some stupid shit out of meaningless and stubborn pride. Objectively more lives would be saved and prosperity preserved if he took the knee. Plus he just eliminated his competition