"I must say…" Prince Raul remarked. "I didn't expect you to come back."
"Well, I don't have much of a choice," Rui replied.
"I thought our last conversation made it clear that we are not compatible in philosophy," Prince Raul raised an eyebrow, smiling.
"Maybe," Rui shrugged. "But like I said, I don't have much of a choice but to try."
He couldn't make any of the four royals on the palm of his hands into Emperor because that got rid of the weight of his evidence pretty much entirely. The power dynamics would flip, and he would forever be targeted by the new ruler.
That was why, while he might have considered Princess Ranea if she dialed down her extremities, he simply could not do that.
It would be the height of foolishness to put himself and his family at risk.
After all, the whole reason he had become involved in the Kandrian Throne War was to ensure that the harmony and peace of the lives of his family were not disrupted. It was motivated by the guilt of having disrupted their lives by his sudden disappearance; he didn't want anything like that to happen again if he had the power to avoid it.
And now, he did.
With the four royals who tried to assassinate him being completely disqualified from consideration, that left three royals; Raijun, Rajak, and Raul.
Raijun, too, was disqualified.
Between Rajak and Raul, Rui was inclined to go with Raul, especially since the royals had confessed that Rajak was indeed peripherally involved with his assassination. However, Raul, despite certainly knowing that Rui was responsible for Raijun's growth through the Beggar's Sect, did not take any measures to eliminate Rui.
That was why Rui had turned to Prince Raul.
Despite having every motive to assassinate Rui, he didn't take such measures.
Soon after he began fleshing out his plans for the Angel of Laplace, he had taken the liberty to visit Prince Raul in the
"You make it sound like someone is holding you to a blade's edge," Prince Raul raised an eyebrow, smiling amusedly.
It was the reverse.
But he didn't need to know about that.
Rui needed to carefully choose his words.
He couldn't make it sound like he had the power to make Raul Emperor. That would make the Beggar's Sect suspicious.
"In a sense, I am," Rui admitted. "The reason I am here is to make an offer to you."
"Oh? Let's hear it then," Prince Raul smiled, leaning forward.
"I will give you all my power and knowledge in return for not abolishing the Kandrian Martial Covenant," Rui replied.
"I refuse," Prince Raul shook his head. "That is not something I can compromise on."
"…Why not?" Rui raised an eyebrow. "You come off as anti-
Martial Art if you're so hell-bent on abolishing the Kandrian Martial Covenant. What is it about Martial Artists securing rights and privileges befitting the power they contribute to this nation that you dislike?"
Prince Raul stared at him calmly. "I am not anti-Martial Art. I'm not fond of physical conflict, but people have a universal right to cultivate their personal power. What I am against is what that power is used for…"
His demeanor grew more hurt. "Do you know how many innocent people are hurt by Martial Art in the Kandrian Empire every year?"
"…A lot?"
"About a hundred and fifty thousand every year."
Rui's eyes sharpened.
That was far higher than Rui had been thinking. Almost ten times higher than he had been hoping for.
Yet deep down, he was not truly surprised.
"It makes up about ten percent of the total annual death toll in Kandria." Prince Raul's eyes grew sullen as he heaved a sigh. "A hundred and fifty thousand innocent men, women, and children die at the hands of Martial Artists every year. Ten times as many people are hurt by Martial Artists in this nation. Most of them, of course, are perpetrated by Martial Apprentices and Squires."
Prince Raul met Rui's gaze. "I've been informed that Martial Apprentices cannot lose control of their power, for their natural power is on par with that of a human, yet through Martial Art, they are able to elevate it to leaps and bounds beyond the limits of human physicality through conscious refined control. If that's the case, then it is almost impossible for Martial Apprentices to kill humans by accident."
Rui heaved a sigh.
He knew where he was going for this.
"When I learned that Martial Artists could not kill humans accidentally by losing control of their natural power, it made me wonder…" A pained expression came upon his face. "Does that not mean these Martial Artists hurt people intentionally?"
That was true.
The fact of the matter was that many people strived to become Martial Artists because of a power fantasy. These were young, disenfranchised boys and girls who partook in the dangerous and risky Martial Academy entrance exam with the hopes of one day ameliorating their low socioeconomic status by becoming a Martial Artist.
An early life of no power made it precious, perhaps a bit too precious. Often these young aspirants were those who bore resentment to the world around them, having grown up with no power and a low socioeconomic class.
It manifested in young, arrogant Martial Apprentices who began exercising their power on others to fulfill their power fantasy or to vindicate their resentment towards those who had antagonized them when they were younger.
"Yet it is the Kandrian Martial Covenant that allows them to get away with it with just a slap on the wrist," Prince Raul explained. "The Kandrian Martial Covenant has acts such as the Martial Judiciary Delegation Act that allows the Martial Union to act as the judiciary for crimes perpetrated by Martial Artists and concession of a special Martial penal code with lighter sentences and punishments for every crime than other citizens. Essentially, there is no real consequence for the crimes of Martial Artists. In such a case, no wonder Martial Apprentices think they can get away with misdemeanors."
