The Martial Unity

Rui left the office a few hours later rushing towards the dungeon as fast as he could, entering a tunnel.

"Finally!" Kane sighed. "What took you so long? I thought it was supposed to be a simple final transaction."

"The situation has changed," Rui narrowed his eyes. "Guildmaster Bradt knew of our identities."

Kane's eyes widened as his expression morphed into one of shock. "WHAT?!"

"It's true," Rui nodded grimly. "He even shared the source of his information which was through his sources in Deacon's staff, just a few hours ago. This means that Chairman Deacon also knows, most likely extremely recently. He knows who we are, and we're in extreme danger."

Kane just stepped away as he stared at the ground with a dropped jaw. "We're so dead."

"No, we're going to make it outta here alive," Rui put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him as he reassured him. "Regardless, this is my fault."

He sighed. "If I had been more insightful and careful, I might have been able to prevent this from happening. No, perhaps taking on so much in the first place was a mistake."

Kane shook his head. "I knew the risks of what we were signing up for after our first shocking success. You even asked me back then if I was still willing to continue despite the risks and stakes, and I said yes, knowing full well that you and I were going to create a storm. I'm not saying you're wrong, but at the end of the day, I always knew this was one possible outcome, and it did end up happening."

He smirked wryly. "If we do die, it's been a fun ride. At least we can go down knowing that we made a mess of an entire country."

He shrugged.

Rui couldn't help but appreciate Kane a lot at this moment. He could have chosen to blame Rui for everything, and he had the right to since Rui was responsible for the catastrophe, even if he had been scrupulously careful and insightful about the way he went about the safety and security measures. The fact that they went nearly a year being effectively the most wanted Martial Squires anywhere in that little of the Panama Continent, and nobody had any inkling of who they were despite them being under everyone's nose was an absolutely unbelievable feat.

Kane knew that if he had let any other Martial Squire take Rui's place, including himself, they would have been caught and killed in the very first week of the Shionel Confederation. It was only through Rui's extraordinary insight and competence that they were able to survive an entire year under the scrutiny of countless powerful forces.

However, in the end, it turned out that not even he could avoid making a mistake, or a sub-optimal decision.

"Still, that doesn't mean I'd rather die than not if we have a choice," Kane turned towards him with a look of determination.

Rui nodded. "Don't worry, I'll get us out of this mess, I promise."

"So, what's the plan?" Kane asked with an expectant look towards Rui. Knowing him, he had probably already thought of a dozen plans and had begun filtering them by how optimal they were, and their probability of success.

He wasn't wrong.

"Before I answer that," Rui paused, turning towards Kane with a solemn expression. "Kane, are you willing to cut all ties with everyone that you have ever known in order to get out of this?"

Kane's eyes widened at that question, it meant that Rui was seriously considering the ramifications of the plan that he was considering, and they didn't seem small.

Much to Rui's surprise, Kane did not immediately agree.

Then he felt bad for expecting Kane to immediately agree, it made him feel entitled. But given how suffocating Kane felt in the Kandrian Empire, he was surprised Kane did not jump at the question.

He made an uneasy expression. "Almost everybody… Out friends… Fae…"

Rui raised an eyebrow. He realized that perhaps he did not possess the full picture of Kane's relationship with some of their mutual friends, especially Fae.

He almost couldn't believe that the two had gotten close, given how much they used to bicker back when they were kids in the Academy. It turned out he didn't understand how they had come to feel about each other.

Although, he did recall Fae telling him about spending time with Kane when he spoke to her after she became a Martial Squire.

"It's fine if you want to stay with her… You can," Rui wisely did not opt for poking fun to some attempt to lighten the situation. "I want to make sure I'm not pressuring you into anything."

Kane turned towards Rui. "Are you willing to cut away everything?"

He knew that he was trying to have his cake and eat it, but he wanted to make sure that he understood everything that Rui had in mind before he made a decision about anything. Depending on how it went, maybe there was still a way to maintain correspondence with everything that was going on.

He wasn't too hopeful of that, however. Considering that Rui had even chosen to ask him such a serious question meant that the situation was quite bad and the most effective solutions to the crisis required such extreme sacrifices. He didn't think he would be able to find a way to avoid it if Rui couldn't.

"Yes," Rui said with unyielding determination.

Kane's eyes widened at his unhesitating answer. He knew that everything Rui loved and cared about it was in the Kandrian Empire, thus he knew how painful that choice must have been.

"It hurts, but it's my fault, so I need to suck it up. Better I suffer than the people I care about, that is why I'm willing to make this choice," Rui steeled his expression. "Now what about you, Kane? I'll respect your choice either way, and I'll help you avoid this crisis. But we don't have any time whatsoever."