1544 Be Warned
Headmaster Aronian smiled. "There's no need to be so stiff, young Rui. This old man has known you ever since you were a child, and now you've grown to become a fine young man and a brilliant Martial Artist. Come, have a seat. We have much to speak about."
"Yes sir," Rui obliged, taking a seat opposite to the elderly Martial Master.
"As curious as I am to hear stories and tales from your eight-
year voyage for power that you have recently returned from, I'm afraid that we will have to save that for another day," He remarked, growing more serious in his demeanor. "As I said, we have much to speak about."
Rui raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter, Headmaster?"
"Well, for starters. As you might have already expected, your return to the Kandrian Empire has already spread like fire through the upper echelons of the Empire. Many well-informed circles of power, wealth, and influence have already received the news of your return, and more importantly, your return as a powerful Martial Senior," Headmaster Aronian informed him. "Naturally, such impactful events do not go unnoticed, and certainly do not go untouched."
Rui's eyes narrowed sharply. "…Untouched? What are you implying, sir?"
The elderly Martial Master stared at him deeply for a moment, before continuing. "What I'm saying is that your return as a powerful Martial Senior, you yourself are an event of great import. An event of great opportunity. A powerful Martial Senior is a powerful resource, especially during these uneasy times."
Rui picked up on the subtext of his words. "…The Kandrian Throne War."
Headmaster Aronian heaved a sigh. "It all began five years ago, when Emperor Rael Di Kandria fell into a coma that spanned nearly half a year. The princes and princesses sprung into action, ready to cease the throne by force. A civil war nearly broke out. The only reason it didn't was because the emperor woke up just in time to reconsolidate his power and authority. However, his already deteriorating condition had deteriorated even more. The incident had reduced him to be bedridden and required constant medical supervision. His condition has deteriorated even more since then, although the details are well-hidden and obscured."
The headmaster paused, heaving a sigh. "Regardless, he had been afflicted by the Eternal Dream disease. An inexplicable condition that eventually causes a person to sleep forever. It can be slowed down and even stalled with particularly potent esoteric resources and the highest quality of medical care, but it cannot be treated or cured. It is a terminal condition. This news could not be kept secret any longer after his six month coma, and it triggered the cold war that has begun between the princes and princesses."
"I see…" Rui narrowed his eyes. "I hadn't known any of this before."
"You just returned to the empire recently, so it is understandable," Headmaster Aronian gently reassured him. "Regardless, the main point is that the princes and princesses began gathering political capital for the eventual day that the emperor would pass away. The moment he does, the cold war will transition to an active war. Whosoever has gathered the most capital and power, be it economic, political, or militaristic, will win the war, be recognized as the crown heir to the throne by the executive branch of the government and will be crowned the Third Emperor or Empress of the Kandrian Empire."
"…And Martial Artists are naturally among the most highly sought capital in this war for the throne, I'd expect." Rui remarked.
"Precisely," Headmaster Aronian remarked. "Especially powerful Martial Artists with a lot of prominence. Such as…"
He gave Rui a telling look. "…the youngest Martial Senior in history, high-grade in combat power."
Rui heaved a sigh. "I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid this."
It was too much to hope. How could he expect to be able to return to the Kandrian Empire, shattering the record for the youngest Martial Senior and then hope to be ignored by everybody and go about a peaceful normal life?
"Frankly, I don't care about the Kandrian Throne War in an of itself," Rui replied. "I don't have any strong political or economic ideologies that I would like to lobby for. As long as it doesn't negatively affect my family, and doesn't get in the way of my personal ambition, I really don't care."
"Your aversion is more than understandable," Headmaster Aronian reassured. "I myself have been personally approached by each of Their Highnesses, looking to gain my allegiance and patronage. I had half a mind to reject all of them and stay neutral."
Rui stared at him with interest. "And…?"
"I do not wish to divulge which faction I have decided to support," Headmaster Aronian shook his head. "One of the reasons that I wished to speak to you was to firstly inform you that you are a highly desirable gem to the various princes and princesses. I wanted to caution you to be prepared to be approached by each of Their Highnesses, either by their most esteemed subordinates, core patrons, or perhaps them personally. It is better to be prepared for this than to be caught off-guard."
Rui nodded. "I appreciate the tip. I'll definitely be prepared for that. Although I said that I don't care for the Kandrian Throne War if it didn't affect my family, the fact of the matter is that it could affect my family."
Rui recalled what he had heard about one of the competing princesses; Princess Raemina and her alleged communistic dictatorship political doctrine. As someone who was born during the Cold War back on Earth, he did not have a good impression of communism, or dictatorships, but especially not both those things together.
If she was crowned Empress, it would undoubtedly affect trade and commerce across the entire nation, impacting trade hubs like the Town of Hajin where many of the men and women of the Quarrier Orphanage had part-time jobs and earned money from.
That alone was enough to concern Rui enough that he couldn't ignore the war.
