The Martial Unity

The sense of urgency had diminished once the Divine Doctor had healed the Emperor of Harmony. No longer was there an extraordinarily pressing event that took precedence over all others.

Of course, just because the Divine Doctor made it look easy didn't mean that it wasn't an extraordinarily significant event.

It undoubtedly was.

After all, healing the Eternal Dream Disease was why his father sought out the Divine Doctor in the first place. Finding the Divine Doctor was why his father had ever, in turn, sought the Silas Clan, which in turn had led to Rui's birth.

Then Rui had gone full circle by succeeding where his father had failed by not only finding the Divine Doctor to heal him but also tying him to the Kandrian Empire. A feat that no nation-state of any caliber had ever succeeded in completing.

The problem of the Eternal Dream Disease was one that had stretched for decades, and Rui himself had dealt with its consequences pretty much ever since he returned to Kandrian after killing Chairman Deacon.

A whopping eight years later, the problem had finally been solved.

Yet, before Rui could even relax—

"…We have many, many things to talk about."

Rui narrowed his eyes. "…Earlier, you said that I would have to face the consequences of my deception. I didn't inquire into it at the time since healing my father took precedence, but the only reason I would have to face the consequences of it is if…"

The Martial Sage nodded with severity. "I won't beat around the bush. Your deception has come to light."

His words were heavy.

Rui's expression crumpled with graveness as he felt chills crawling across his skin.

This was one of the worst-case scenarios.

Had he still been a Martial Senior, he would have been terrified for his life.

One did not make an enemy of countless powerful national and international entities and make it away unscathed.

The only reason he wasn't horrified by the possibility of the Quarrier Orphanage being harmed was because his grandmother had sworn no harm would befall them. She was more than powerful enough to protect his family from across the nation, especially with her mighty prophetic prowess.

He couldn't imagine someone dispatching a Martial Sage to harm his family in vengeance, so not even his paranoia was extended to his family.

Nonetheless, this was far from ideal.

"…How bad?"

Rui's voice was reduced to a whisper.

"The Martial Union," Sage Sayfeel calmly informed him. "The Martial Masters and Sages. When confronted with the decision to reveal your deceit to the world in what would be one of the largest political scandals in all of East Panama, they decided to keep it a secret."

Rui's dark eyes widened with faint surprise. "…Just the Martial Union? Nobody else?"

"That is correct, as far as I am aware," Sage Sayfeel remarked. "Surprisingly, the information hasn't leaked further. I suspect the Martial Sages of the union have exerted the sum totality of their collective power, authority, and influence in keeping the scandal under wraps. Surprisingly, they have done a good job of keeping it hidden. As far as I can tell, not even the Beggar's Sect or the Shadow Guild has learned of it."

Rui sharpened his eyes. "The Beggar's Sect knows. Or rather, the Beggar Sage knows, but we agreed that all information exchanged in that meeting was strictly confidential. The man may be an utter madman like the Divine Doctor, but the Beggar's Sect has cultivated absolute credibility and trustworthiness over many centuries; he will not destroy all of that just to sell the information regarding this scandal."

It was one of the reasons that Rui didn't panic, even though the man instantly saw through him during their brief conversation.

"How did it happen?" Rui asked, narrowing his eyes. "Did Reina make a mistake? That's hard to imagine. She's a world-class assassin. Even amongst high-grade Martial Masters, there probably is almost no one who is as good at covert operations as she is."

Sage Sayfeel shook his head. "As far as I can tell, she played her role perfectly. Frankly, if not for the fact that I knew beforehand, I do not think I would have noticed. Your agreements with the Sloth Sage were perfect, and she continued engaging with the Sloth Sage and your grandmother as liaisons for the Sage Council so that she never had to come face-to-face with any of them who weren't in on it. Unfortunately…"

He closed his eyes. "…It's often the most unexpected things that can throw even the most meticulous plans off the tracks. She played her role perfectly, but not even she could have expected to be ambushed out of the blue one day by Sage Arrancar demanding to know where his son was."

Rui stared at the Martial Sage, thoroughly speechless.

"Sage Arrancar may be the most powerful Martial Artist of the Kandrian Empire, but he isn't the most refined man. He almost killed her when he discovered an imposter Martial Master in the place of his son's best friend. If it wasn't for the Sloth Sage and Matriarch Nephi intervening at the right moment, she almost certainly would have died."

"…Seriously?" Rui felt an enormous migraine coming up as he put his head in his hands. "…You're telling me the Sage Arrancar, a father who never gave Kane the attention, love, and familial bond for thirty-three years. You're telling me that man manually searched for Kane himself?"

"I'm afraid so," Sage Sayfeel calmly informed him. "It is indeed remarkably atypical of the Martial Sage to pay much attention to his blood, but the Martial Sage has always been volatile and quite whimsical, making him difficult to predict."

"…Damn." Rui cursed lightly despite his impassive temperament.

It was frustrating that a nutjob like the Devil could throw all his meticulous plans for a toss.

"…More importantly, the Martial Union knows." His dark eyes narrowed as he furiously considered his current circumstances.

He needed to figure out the best way to handle the political muck he had been thrown in.

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