The Martial Unity

1739 The Endgame

"What do you think?" Rui asked as he sky-walked back home.

"What did you expect?" Master Reina snorted. "He's an empathetic fool."

"Do you think there's any hope in choosing him as my candidate?"

"You will doom Kandria if that man sits on the throne," Master Reina shook her head.

"Huff…" Rui listlessly sighed.

It was tiring playing kingmaker. Now, he almost wished he didn't have the power to choose the future Emperor of Kandria. It was an utter complete mess.

"Maybe I should just forget about this nonsense and go back to refining the Angel of Laplace," Rui heaved a sigh. "What do you think, Master Reina?"

"…"

"Master Reina?" He glanced at her.

Her eyes were narrowed as she glanced around warily.

"What's the matter?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I am unable to confirm this…but I can't help but get the sneaking feeling that we're being watched."

Her words were alarming.

Rui furrowed his eyebrows with concern. "Through your stealth?"

"Yes, through my stealth," Master Reina narrowed her eyes. "My instincts are tingling, but my senses can't detect any surveiller."

"I don't even know how many people there are in Kandria who can actually sense you past your stealth, Master Reina."

"There are about seventeen people in Kandria against whom my stealth would be ineffective," Master Reina replied.

"That's an oddly precise number."

"Among them, only three are Masters. The Truthseeker, the Blind Behemoth, and the Lightweaver," Master Reina replied with a severe tone.

He had heard of all three, but he had only interacted with the Truthseeker, who had been present as head of security for his Hungry Pain presentation. It appeared that she truly was as powerful as they said she was.

"But none of the three are here, that much I am certain of," Master Reina's tone grew more intense.

Rui's expression grew grave as he understood the implication.

If there was indeed someone spying on them as her instincts warned her, then it had to be a Martial Sage.

"This isn't the first time either; ever since I've been with you, I get this feeling…"

The air grew electric.

"Well, it's just an instinct. Doesn't mean it's true."

Rui sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

After all, if there truly was a Martial Sage watching them, then there really was nothing he could do. There was absolutely nothing that he had that could overcome the power of a Martial Sage.

"I hope so," Master Reina narrowed her eyes, turning to Rui. "What do you plan to do now?"

"Train while researching additional possibilities in regards to the Kandrian Throne War," Rui shrugged.

Ever since he had decided to reduce the scope of the Angel of Laplace to just his opponent, he had been working on a system of thought that would help him only process what he needed to. However, even then, the technique was still extremely difficult.

Right now, he needed more than an hour to process the Angel of Laplace. Could he really cut down all of that to a single second?

He didn't know.

"Research additional possibilities?" Master Reina raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Rui nodded. "Though, at this point, I think the Kandrian Empire is just screwed. I might have to resign to protect my family from some civil war catastrophe to the best of my power. I don't think I have the power to protect the peace and harmony in their lives at the moment."

For all his capacity for thought, he was unable to think his way out of this conundrum. All possible paths either led to civil war or economic ruin. While such things would not affect him personally, many of the orphanage members who had livelihoods very much tied to the condition of the Kandrian Empire would be deeply affected.

"That's rather defeatist of you," Master Reina raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect you to be a quitter."

"That's rather harsh."

"I call it like I see it, boy."

"Knowing when to quit is a good trait to have," Rui shook his head. "Though…I just learned something from Raul that might give me a little bit of hope."

"…The Emperor of Harmony awakening from his slumber?"

Rui nodded. "I don't trust Raul's evaluation of his political prowess because he himself is inept and unqualified to judge. However, I do trust his ability to inexplicably read people."

Rui recalled the very first conversation he had with the man.

"That's a rather flimsy basis to be hopeful that the Emperor of Harmony may open a new path forward," Master Reina scoffed.

"When you're as desperate as I am, even the smallest things provide a lot of hope," Rui shook his head.

Rui was desperate.

That could not be denied.

As it stood, either Prince Raijun, Prince Rajak, or Prince Raul was bound to become Emperor.

All three outcomes led to civil war.

"I also plan to look into the so-called Emperor of Harmony and judge if he truly is as Prince Raul says he is," Rui narrowed his eyes. "As Emperor, he wields power, albeit fading as he approaches death, that is equal to that of the Martial Union. On top of that, he possesses a lot of authority over the princes as their father; there might be something that he can do. Maybe there is something he can do. Maybe there is something he will do."

If Rui could find a new path forward, then he would greedily seize that path with everything he had.

"Something has to give soon," Rui narrowed his eyes. "Although the Kandrian Throne War will not actually ensue until after his death, the fate of the Kandrian Empire will be decided very soon."

Rui's estimations were that within a year from then, Kandria's fate would be decided. They were reaching the endgame, and soon enough, whoever was bound to ascend the throne eventually in the future would emerge now as the victor.

In a race, the winner was often times very clear towards the end, even before the race ended.

Soon enough, the fate of Kandria and perhaps all of East Panama would be clear.