For a moment, Rui could not help but short-circuit as he tried parsing the importance and weight of the sheer gathering that he was a part of.
"Is this your first time?" The Minister of Martial Art smiled friendlily.
"...Was it that obvious?"
"Haha. Your reaction was the reaction that everybody, without fail, has in their first time. Being invited to an important event with the many powers of Kandria in the throne hall is indeed an extraordinary event."
Rui nodded.
No wonder the Martial Sage of the Kandrian Border Patrol Force had personally arranged for the security of this event. In hindsight, at least one of the fourteen Martial Sages of the Kandrian Empire needed to personally guard this event, anything less was a poor allocation of Martial resources.
On top of that, there were many Martial Masters in the Martial attire of the Royal Security Force inside and outside the Royal Hall as an additional guarantee, making it such that their safety was high.
He walked around, overly conscious of everybody around him. There was loud chatter and murmurs among them as the many guests began intermingling with each other.
After all, this was a rare event where the many powers of Kandria were gathered in a single room. The ceremony would not begin until every last guest had arrived.
Thus, it was only natural that they would take this rare opportunity to speak with each other about various topics.
He was unable to calm down.
The air tingled.
"Rui!"
A relieved smile flashed on Rui's face as the familiar, friendly voice of Master Ceeran beckoned him.
"Master Ceeran."
"Quite the event, isn't it?" Master Ceeran murmured as he eyed their surroundings.
"That's an understatement," Rui replied as he took measure of the other guests. "Have all Masters been invited individually or…?"
Master Ceeran glanced at Rui. "All Masters merit being invited to this event; however, the nation cannot afford all Martial Masters to abandon their training or operations to be in this room simultaneously."
"This is the norm when it comes to Martial Artists in general," The Minister nodded.
Rui nodded. "Makes sense."
Martial Masters were entrusted with important duties, many of national importance. They could not be drawn away from it. Certainly, it could not be the case that all of them were simultaneously taken away from their duties.
"That is why each major and minor sect has sent an appropriate number of leaders. Today, I represent the Long-
range Sect along with another of my elder colleagues," Master Ceeran explained.
That matched Rui's estimations, more or less, based on the distribution of the present Martial Masters.
As the three of them spoke, it wasn't too long before they were approached by several familiar faces.
Headmaster Aronian.
Master Vericita.
Master Zentra.
These familiar faces helped him feel more comfortable.
Yet despite that, the underlying tingle never disappeared.
He didn't know what it was.
But something, something deep inside him, was…uneasy.
It was not dangerous; he knew how that felt consciously and unconsciously. It was alarm bells ringing as Primordial Instinct would yell at him about the incoming danger.
No, this was subtle.
It was soft.
Dim.
It was a little voice.
A little voice that whispered to him.
'Something is off.'
"-i?"
He didn't know what it was.
"-ui?"
Yet it felt like his mind was on the brink of figuring it out.
"Rui?"
He jerked out of his reverie, turning to the concerned Master Ceeran. "I'm sorry, what?"
"It's time," Master Ceeran gestured to the final carriage taking away, having dropped off the final guest who came scrambling through, undoubtedly embarrassed at the outsized interest in him.
Now, the stream of incoming carriages was no more.
That was not the only change that became evident.
Each and every single one of them felt it.
In the depths of their bones.
In their souls.
Be they human or Martial Artist.
For the air had changed.
The lands beneath them seemed to shift.
Rui's eyes widened as he recognized the familiar sensation.
RUMBLE…
The world quivered.
It quivered, for she had arrived.
It quivered as heaven and earth bent.
They bent under the weight of her existence.
STEP
An oppressive Sage-level aura spread throughout the gathering within the throne hall, weighing down on everybody it graced.
STEP
Her steps were light, yet their impact on the world and the minds of those who beheld her were heavy.
STEP…
Her ostentatious appearance seemed to embed itself in their minds by force. Her militaristic uniform attire featuring the crest of the Kandrian Border Patrol Force matched the disciplined body language that her demeanor echoed.
Her visage was elderly, yet her presence could not be further away from that of a senior citizen.
She commanded the atmosphere, demanding their attention.
"The Royal Addressal Ceremony is due to commence soon. Comport yourselves in accordance with royal protocol."
The commanding tone of her elderly voice was unmistakable.
And yet, not a single person dared to retort.
Not a single person disobeyed.
Before a Martial Sage of the Kandrian Empire, every other identity melted away.
The crowd scrambled, splitting into two equal, neatly arranged crowds on either side of the golden red carpet flowing through the throne hall.
STEP
STEP
STEP
Sage Farana walked through the throne hall with a disciplined gait, standing behind the throne.
"Please welcome their Highnesses, the royal princes and princesses of Kandria!" The royal announcer declared.
A fast-paced drum roll echoed through the throne hall as a line of royals began pouring into the gigantic throne hall.
Rui beheld all the princes and princesses of Kandria in ascending order of seniority, walking into the throne hall in perfectly synchronized footsteps one after the other.
The eldest of princes and princesses were quite old, looking to be in their eighties. They had lived the entirety of their lives out long before the Kandrian Throne War began and clearly had no intention of competing with their younger and more ambitious siblings.
Soon enough, Rui saw Prince Randal's domineering militaristic figure before the others followed suit.
