The Martial Unity

“And you’re confident that he has gained some insights into the Scriptures of Terra, Your Sagehood?” Consul Notera narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, I am confident that he has cracked the secret,” Sage Kyria replied with certainty. “He started spouting cryptic lines and then remarked that he had found the Scriptures of Terra. I am inclined to believe that that’s the truth.”

Consul Notera heaved a deep breath as she tried controlling her racing heart. It was truly surreal that they had finally made any kind of progress to get their hands on the Scriptures of Terra whatsoever. And to think that they may very well have actually found a path to getting their hands on the legendary artifact.

As much as she tried to reign in her excitement, she was unable to entirely maintain her composure.

More than a hundred years they had spent looking for this artifact.

And after more than a century of vain effort, they had finally found a path to the truth.

“Please keep this matter an absolute secret, no matter what, Your Sagehood,” Consul Notera’s voice grew shaky with anticipation. “We cannot allow any information leaks at this juncture, not when we are this close to our grand prize. Not when we are this close to our ultimate objective.”

Her paranoia started spiking when they were this close to the goal that they harbored. “The safety of the Dawnbringer is paramount,” Consul Notera’s eyes sharpened with determination. “We cannot allow any harm to befall him. We must ensure that he remains protected at all times.”

Ensuring that nothing happened to him was always a powerful political objective. The Nest of Terra could not afford the sheer backlash that they would receive if the Dawnbringer died on their lands.

However, she didn’t trust her political enemies. There were many people who hated the Martial faction so much that they were even willing to doom their own nation rather than allow the Martial faction to take over it. “Should we have Sage accompany him?” she wondered, deep in thought. “No, he wouldn’t appreciate being monitored while he was going about his priceless work. But at the same time, I can’t take any chances that something might happen.”

She came to a decision. “Remain on standby and keep track of all hostile Sages and esoteric weapons that could be used to assassinate him. We can protect him by putting all hostile forces in check.”

“What about the Martial Masters?” Sage Kyria asked with a hint of concern.

Consul Notera shook her head. “He is too strong.”

The tales of the feats of the Dawnbringer had spread far and wide. Many had come to hear how he had not only fought against a Martial Sage but also had managed to gain a brief upper hand against one.

On top of that, word of him consuming the Blood of Solaris had also reached the ears of the Nest of Terra.

Thus, she could confidently rule out the possibility of anybody trying to deploy a Martial Master to kill him; it was just foolhardy in the first place. She was most concerned about forces that he couldn’t deal with, such as Sages and powerful weapons.

“Thankfully, it is almost impossible to deploy Sages and such weapons within the Nest of Terra,” Consul Notera remarked. “If our enemies do decide to do so, it will be when the Dawnbringer is far, far away from the cities. That is when we need to keep our guard up and make sure that our Sages are perfectly well-placed to intercept all other Sages.”

Sage Kyria nodded with a serious expression. “I will get to that immediately. Nothing can be allowed to impede our long-awaited destiny.”

She immediately departed from the room to get to, ensuring that there was absolutely no way that the Dawnbringer would fall.

Consul Notera, on the other hand, concerned herself with what her adversary and opponent were going to do. There was absolutely no way that Consul Sergenilius had missed what the Dawnbringer was doing. And given how paranoid her opponent was, there was no way that he had not realized the gravity of the situation that they were in. It was entirely possible that his reaction to this development would be volatile, but it was also possible that he would take subtle and measured steps to deal with what was a threat to his entire faction.

“The worst part is that the Beggar’s Sect is on his side,” she gritted her teeth. “If not for those annoying beggars, we would have overcome all resistance to our great plan and proceeded with executing our ultimate objecting.”

With the Beggar’s Sect, her opponent could get a very accurate real-time picture of the entire Nest of Terra. They would gain intel sooner, which could potentially allow them to act sooner.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Her comms device began buzzing with a call.

[Consul Sergenilius]

“Tsk, speak of the devil,” she snorted, accepting the call. “Well, if it isn’t my esteemed co-leader of our great nation, to what do I owe the pleasure.”

Her voice was sweet and courteous.

“Consul Notera, we haven’t spoken since the arrival of the prince. As co-leaders, I believe we should speak more often.”

His voice was cold.

“My, you are entirely right.” She projected perfunctory enthusiasm. “In regards to this particular call, however, I wanted to inquire about the Prince’s activities in our nations,” he continued with a detached tone. “In particular, I find it rather curious that the esteemed prince has yet to impart his services to the Nest of Terra. Considering how precious they are and how much we need them to partake in the unified Sage taskforce plan proposed by the Emperor of Harmony. Given that your subordinates seem to have taken charge of guiding him around the Nest of Terra, I must strongly urge you, as a fellow leader of our great nation, to encourage him to impart his services and gifts to our nation as soon as possible. We mustn’t delay this highly important process.”

His eyes sharpened.

“Wouldn’t you agree, dear Notera?”

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