The Martial Unity

Sage Kole Kellin found herself before the Emperor of Harmony. He gazed down at her from atop his throne with powerful eyes that judged her.

His body language had already changed.

Gone was the friendly father humoring his son.

In his place was the domineering and heavy presence of the Emperor of Harmony.

He didn’t address her upon her arrival.

No.

He simply waited.

Sage Kole bowed her head lightly.

“Sage Kole Kellin, once the Master of the Inferno Fist, offers her respect to the Emperor of Harmony.”

Emperor Rael regarded her with steely acknowledgment. “Welcome to the Kandrian Empire, Sage Kole. My son tells me that you have accepted my offer. Is that true?”

She nodded. “I have accepted your offer, Your Majesty. If you are able to heal my condition, then I will forever swear absolute loyalty to the Kandrian Throne. I swear to fight when and where you order me to. I swear to adhere to your will as Emperor of the Kandrian Empire. I swear to fight to protect my new home from all external threats. I swear to destroy all those who seek to destroy the empire. I swear on my Martial Art.”

Her voice rang with earnest sincerity as she met his gaze with clear eyes devoid of any deceit.

Emperor Rael gazed at her for a moment before coming to a decision.

“I accept your oath, Sage Kole,” he continued. “I promise to heal you as my son offered on my behalf. Rest assured, what the rest of the world couldn’t do, the Kandrian Empire can and will.”

“…I look forward to that, Your Majesty.” Sage Kole heaved a sigh of relief. “I am grateful to you for overlooking my judgment upon your son.”

Rui smiled wryly as Emperor Rael shook his head.

“You’re mistaken.” Emperor Rael’s tone was firm. “It is because of your judgment that I am convinced that you are worthy of the boon I offered to bestow upon you. You are exactly what the Kandrian Empire needs, Sage Kole. When the time comes, you will do everything that you swore to do and more. The Kandrian Empire will require your power very soon.”

Her eyes glinted knowingly. “…You must mean war, Your Majesty. I was only alerted about the war brewing after the flood of bribes I received when I was assigned as the judge for your son’s case.”

“A war that far exceeds any that you have ever fought in, Master of the Inferno Fist,” Emperor Rael informed her. “We will be facing the other Sage-level powerhouses of East Panama together. Only by overcoming their power will the Kandrian Empire be able to emerge victorious.”

Sage Kole grew surprised. “…We will have to fight and emerge victorious against three other Sage-level powerhouses? Is that even possible?”

“It is.” Emperor Rael’s rich voice conveyed certainty. “I expect you to perform. Failure will not be tolerated. You must return to your peak within a matter of months.”

Her eyes widened. “Your Majesty, three months is far from enough for a Martial Sage like myself to return to my former peak, especially in my current state. Even putting aside the matter of curing my condition, the recovery process will take years at least. I haven’t activated my Martial Heart so much in twelve years. I haven’t even walked in more than a decade. I swear to execute your will to the best of my ability. However, I fear that recovering to my peak in a mere three months is beyond the realm of possibility.”

Even if she had been a normal human, making a full recovery from her condition wouldn’t have been possible. Given that she was a Martial Sage, returning to her former peak was even more impossible in the timeframe that Emperor Rael demanded.

“Don’t worry about that, Your Sagehood,” Rui reassured her with an expression of smug amusement. “We have you covered. Everything you said is entirely accurate. However, my father isn’t asking you for the impossible. You see, in Kandria, doing years’ worth of labor in months is very much possible.”

She stared at him like he was asserting that the moon was made out of cheese.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“You will,” Emperor Rael threw a disapproving glance at Rui, “when the time is right.” She stared at the father and son with a hint of skepticism.

“More importantly, we need to commence your recovery immediately,” Emperor Rael declared. “We don’t have time to waste.”

Her eyes lit up with hope. “You mean the Divine Doctor, Your Majesty? Is it true that you have procured the services of the greatest healer in all of human history? The man who cured death?”

Rui needed to exert active effort to avoid snorting with contempt.

Yet, he didn’t want to dispel the misinformation if it meant giving her doubt that the Divine Doctor could actually heal her condition.

“Yes.” Emperor Rael’s powerful voice was rich with confidence, cleaving through the fears that plagued her heart now that she was so close to her greatest dream. “I was afflicted with an even deeper condition than yours, as you undoubtedly are aware. It was thanks to that man’s extraordinary prowess that I was able to return to my former prime. He can cure your condition, rest assured. I have already arranged a medical session with him. You may head there right away.”

Emperor Rael waved his hand.

STEP STEP

Two Martial Masters bearing the insignia of the Royal Insignia on their garbs appeared.

“Escort our important guest to the Divine Doctor,” he commanded.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“I will not forget this, Your Majesty,” Sage Kole promised with a tone of deep gratitude. “I will remember this boon for the rest of my life.”

She was promptly escorted out of the Kandrian Throne Hall soon after.

“…what do you think, Sayfeel?” Emperor Rael asked lightly.

“She was entirely sincere, Your Majesty,” Sage Sayfeel confirmed. “She will be fiercely loyal to the throne, but especially you when she is healed.”

–