Days passed.
Half his time went into physical training while the other half went into psychological training. To his surprise, the psychological training was just as hard as the physical training.
"Your reflexes must become more defensive." Squire Gerd told him. "You cannot flail around with that kind of power, it needs to be controlled and safe."
They were in a room, meditating. Rui absorbed her words, taking them in. This was one of the therapeutic training sessions that he was made to undergo. It lasted a few hours until they were done.
"Does the Martial Union go this far for non-Martial Artists?" Rui asked afterward. "Ultimately, it's an organization for Martial Artists, not everybody else, right?"
It's not that Rui didn't understand the point of the rule, it made sense, but it was also quite restrictive to Martial Artists. Although he was personally doing well with the training, he could imagine others having a hard time with the training. Was the Martial Union really the kind of organization that would hamper Martial Artists for the sake of civilians?
"Martial Artists need to integrate into society." Squire Gerd told him. "Part of that entails not being a permanent threat and risk to all people around us. We'll be detached from society if we are unable to not hurt people by mistake. That increases the probability of a civil war between the state and Martial Artists."
"Is the Martial Union that concerned with the coexistence of Martial Artists and normal human civilization?" Rui asked, probing a bit more.
"..." She pondered his question. "Those that are in power care enough, yes. Although there are those of political factions within the Martial Union that disagree."
"Factions within the Martial Union?" Rui asked, curious. "That are separate from the Martial Sects?"
"The Martial Sects are centered around a very specific matter; the budget allocation of research and development funds." She explained. "They do not concern themselves with any other matters outside of the political advocacy, campaigning, and lobbying for the research budget allocated to the research of the techniques that each Martial Sect is centered around. The political factions concern themselves with much bigger matters."
"Matters like what?"
"Matters like the one you brought up." Squire Gerd replied. "The matter about the role and place for Martial Artists in society is not a simple matter, most certainly not something that everybody agrees upon."
"There are political factions centered around the role that Martial Artists ought to play in society?" Rui asked.
"Of course, several of them." Squire Gerda answered him. "There are Martial supremacists that believe that Martial Artists are superior beings that ought to rule humanity by virtue of our power. Of course, they aren't the majority. The majority are normal Martial Artists that believe that Martial Artists while superior in combat, ought to be part of normal human civilization in some form of coexistence."
"I presume that faction is much larger and also in power now?" Rui asked.
"You can say that." Squire Gerd nodded. "That's why a large number of the policies and conditions that the Martial Union has are conducive towards ensuring that Martial Artists are able to integrate into the Kandrian Empire as seamlessly as possible."
"Does that include the Martial Festival, as well as the fact that offense-class missions are not permitted within the boundaries of the Kandrian Empire?" Rui asked.
"Indeed, they are among the more prominent measures." Squire Gerd nodded.
The Martial Festival was a large festival that celebrated Martial Art and Martial Artists. It was a festival that attributed positive energy to Martial Art and Martial Artists. Rui had no doubt in his mind that it played an important and significant role in ensuring that Martial Artists were as well integrated into modern society as they currently were.
Festivals were a vital and core aspect of cultures, and clearly, the Martial Union knew about this, which is why they made a gigantic fussy festival every five years, in order to ensure that culture and values would always remain on the side of the Martial Artists.
The fact that offense class missions did not occur within the boundaries of the Kandrian Empire also greatly helped in this matter. If the citizens of the Kandrian Empire had to live every day worried that Martial Artists of the Martial Union would assault them or even kill them due to a simple private commission, then Martial Artists would certainly be hated.
However, because no offense-class missions were allowed in the Kandrian Empire, all the citizens of the Kandrian Empire ever saw were Martial Artists protecting normal humans in defense-class missions and hunting dangerous animals and keeping them at bay, risking their lives all the time. This greatly aided in the process of creating a positive image of Martial Artists in the mind of the citizens of the Kandrian Empire.
Furthermore, the Martial Union also tolerated odd and quirky commissions that went straight into the miscellaneous class of missions, these earned the Martial Union the reputation of being tolerant and flexible.
"What happens to Martial Squires that aren't able to achieve an adequate degree of control?" Rui asked.
"The Martial Union infringes on their freedom to a certain degree if the degree of control is too low. Low to the point that unintentional mass murder is guaranteed. If it's not a severe lack of control, then the punishments and penalties of different kinds." Squire Gerda told him straightforwardly. "This is part of the agreement that you signed before you were allowed to undergo the Squire evolution breakthrough process. Martial Squires are far too much of a threat to those around them. We can exert Apprentice-level power with just our raw physicality alone."
Rui raised an eyebrow at those words. "So if I fail the habilitation phase completely, I may be restricted from leaving and forced to continue training? Will the Martial Union actually go that far?"
"Of course." Squire Gerd. "I've seen it happen before. I, along with Squire Fernin, will be judging you by the end of your habilitation phase."
