The Martial Unity

He gazed at Rui from the corner of his eye with a pointed gaze. “Your caution is understandable. However, I believe you will find me to be amenable.”

Rui narrowed his eyes silently.

The problem was that he couldn’t take the risk.

“I’m afraid my earlier statement stands,” Rui replied with a neutral tone. “I’d rather not comment on a nation of which I know so little.”

“I understand, you do not trust me,” he noted. “Come then, let us meet the Queen. Then you shall that we are not your enemy.”

Rui frowned at the strange choice of words that the man had.

And yet, they followed.

This was perhaps the first nation in which Rui felt a tiny smidgen unsafe. Not even in the Sekigahara Confederate or the Britannian Empire did he feel a hint of peril. But here, in a nation as alien to him as the Solaris Kingdom, he felt a hint of a tingling sense of danger.

Normally, that was hardly of any concern to him, and his risk-prone decision-making that had grown even more so after he learned that dying was a viable path to the Sage Realm. However, this time, he was with Amare.

He could see the discomfort and uncertainty on her face.

She didn’t like being here. She didn’t feel particularly safe either.

As strong as she was, she could not defeat a Martial Sage.

This sensation only grew the closer they got to the painfully magnificent golden-white Royal Palace at the very center of the nation.

STEP

The three of them arrived before its massive gates.

RUMBLE

Tremors passed through the ground as the mighty gates opened up, revealing a wide and vast hall that stretched as far as the eye could see. The powerful weight of nine Martial Sages bore down on heaven and earth while nearly a hundred Martial Masters had gathered, divided equally on either side.

They, too, looked as though they had been carved out of pure gold, a trait of all those who had a Martial Body.

Their expressions were anything but welcome and friendly. They were like a sitting, ticking time bomb, waiting to detonate.

And they did.

The moment he stepped in, they detonated.

“BANISH THE CURSED ONE!” One Sage bellowed.

“CULL THE SACRILEGOUS!” another Master screeched.

“KILL THE HERETIC!” Many more joined in. The air grew tumultuous as Rui and Amare remained where they stood with gritted teeth and clenched fists. Rui had never received such a rude greeting when entering a new nation.

And yet, before they could gain any momentum, the woman who sat upon the throne at the very end of the Royal Hall put an end to the ruckus.

“SILENCE!!!” her powerful voice shook the world.

RUMBLE…

It crushed the protest with sheer force.

And then, there was silence.

Queen Lianiala’s expression was fierce and ferocious.

It inspired visible fear in all those in the Royal Hall.

“How dare you insult an honored guest?” her tone was laced with venomous peril. “How dare you defile this sacred hall with your feral howls?”

The menacing intensity in her eye crackled. “How dare you defy my authority?”

Not a single one of them responded.

And yet, the defiance and grudging contempt for Rui could not be hidden.

A sizzling whisper escaped the Royal Queen.

“Begone.”

The Sages and Masters stiffened with visible reluctance, yet they followed her words, not before throwing dirty glares at Rui.

Soon enough, there were only three within the Royal Hall.

Rui, Amare, and Queen Lianiala.

Her golden gaze remained fixed on Rui before her head lowered by a few degrees.

“As Queen, I apologize for this insult, Prince of Kandria.”

Her tone was formal and courteous.

Rui raised an eyebrow.

This ran counter to the intel that he had read up on her being a cruel and racist queen who embodied the sol supremacy ideology.

And yet, she was willing to lower her head and even apologize.

This was highly uncharacteristic of a monarch.

Rui was almost at a loss for words.

“…I appreciate your apology.”

A hint of relief could be seen on her face.

Yet, he wasn’t done. “I appreciate your apology, but it isn’t enough,” Rui narrowed his eyes. “I did not come all the way here with the intention to help all of you with what would otherwise be priceless gifts, only to be insulted and disrespected like this.”

The air grew colder.

“I highly doubt what I witnessed is limited, exclusive to the Sages and Masters in your nation.”

His tone was unfriendly.

“I don’t consider myself to be a particularly egotistical person,” his eyes narrowed. “But if you think I’m so lacking in self-esteem so as to help people that hate me on the basis of the color of my hair and eyes, then I’m afraid you are sorely mistaken.”

He turned around. “Let’s go, Amare.”

She nervously followed him with a hint of angst. “Wait, Prince of Kandria.” Queen Lianiala rose from her throne, descending down its steps. “I implore you to stay. I assure you, as the queen of the Solaris Kingdom, that we will not only compensate you for your services but also for this insult. We have the most gold out of any nation in the world. We will give you more than you can imagine.”

Rui scoffed, refusing to halt his walk. “I am the prince of the most powerful nation in the world. I don’t care for your gold, resources, wealth, land, or whatever it is you offer.”

“We will give you political power.” Her tone grew urgent as he came closer to the gates. “The Solaris Kingdom will pledge eternal loyalty with the Kandrian Empire.”

“The only power I care for is Martial power.” His tone was derisive.

He had nearly reached the gates.

Time was nearly up.

“If it is Martial power you desire…” her tone grew profound. “Then…”

Her golden eyes closed.

“Then I will give you the national treasure of the Solaris Kingdom.”

Rui paused at the edge of the hall as a wide grin appeared on his face.

His plan was a success.

“Upon a rigorous and scrupulous reconsideration of my decision, I have decided to heed your words.” He turned around with a warm smile on his face. “Now then, let us discuss this more.”