The Martial Unity

Rui stared at the diminutive Empress with an intrigued expression as she finished adjusting her clothes. He hadn’t done any kind of research on what kind of person the Empress of the Hlakaschken Trade Empire was; he didn’t have any time to focus on evaluating what kind of individual this person was when he intended to confront her and speak with her directly.

He expected to find himself staring at an egotistical, arrogant, haughty ruler who did not truly care about the country as much as she did her own power and influence.

What he saw, however, was something quite different from her expectations. He did sense fear within her, but not for herself as much as for her nation. She feared what would happen to her nation if she were assassinated and the ensuing political instability would weaken her nation to external attacks.

She steeled her expression with determination, maintaining her royal bearing and dignity, glaring at him with her red eyes.

“You say you want me to help you out,” she continued with an intense tone. “Then speak, I shall listen to what you have to say. However, do not think that the vulnerable position that you have found me in is enough to extract any concessions that I wouldn’t make if I were with my guards at the moment. I will not yield to anything unreasonable just because you have my personal life in your hands.”

Rui simply stared at her with a silent, evaluating gaze.

He sensed fear and sincerity.

She deeply feared what he wanted to do with her, still suspecting him to be a pervert, but she had the conviction not to put her personal safety above the interests of her nation.

STEP

STEP

STEP

Rui drew closer to the diminutive Empress with a knowing expression. “Tell me, Your Majesty, why do you align yourself against the Panamic Alliance of the Lost Continent?”

Her eyes sharpened as her gaze washed over him. “Is that where you’re from? The Panama Continent?”

“Answer my question,” Rui instructed her with a calm tone, taking on an extravagant leather chair at her tea table. “Why do you align yourself against the Panamic Alliance as a nation that has historically remained neutral and centered around commerce?”

“…” She remained silent, gazing at him intensely, before heaving a light breath. “How much do you know about the history of my empire?”

She walked towards him with a regal gait, taking measured and composed steps to him before taking a seat opposite him across the tea table in her room.

Rui shrugged. “I know that this nation was created by waves of immigration from the six continents, which led to a series of conflicts until the survivors slowly learned to live with each other and became a pan-racial community in Grigolo Island. When the initial waves of globalization spread across the globe, the community got together to thrive on trade by virtue of being at the very epicenter of the continent. You gained a final wave of wealthy and affluent immigration who sought to capitalize on the perfect position of Grigolo Island and formed the nobility class when the Empire officially was born. Your family, the Hlakaschken Family, came to become the monarchical family of the nation.”

“That’s a highly oversimplified and highly distilled account of our history, but yes, you are correct.” She nodded, still eying him with a stern expression. “Many people think that we became the trade center of the world because we were commercially open and neutral, but the truth was that we were able to be commercially open and neutral because we were the trade center of the world.”

She turned to her left side, to the study in her personal chambers, with many undoubtedly classified and confidential documents sitting upon her table. A variety of shelves of books and other documents revolved around her table in her study, many of which were also undoubtedly confidential.

And she gestured with her eyes at a map.

A world map of the true world.

Yet it was different from the one that Rui was familiar with.

“This…” Rui’s pitch-black eyes lit up with a hint of interest. “This is a map of the world before the Unfolding.”

At the very center of the map, or as close to the center as possible, was Continent Grinolia. It leaned slightly closer to the left side, towards Moridia and West Genora. However, it was close enough to the continents on the right that it was effectively at the center of the world for all practical purposes.

“’Unfolding’…” she whispered with a hint of resentment in her high-pitched voice. “What an auspicious name you Panamanians have taken to calling the event. But to us citizens of the Hlakaschken Trade Empire…”

Her red eyes sharpened with a hint of resentment in her tone. “…it was a curse. We call it the ’Decentering.’”

“…Why do you have an outdated map in your study?” Rui frowned, turning back to her with a puzzled expression. “I get you guys aren’t fond of the Lost Continent, but this is a bit much, no?”

She heaved a deep breath, gazing at her. “It used to be of practical utility. Since I only needed to look up at the map before me, I would be able to study the world in detail. Now, however…”

She closed her eyes. “…it is a memento of the past. I look at it to recall and reminisce about how good we had it. We were the epicenter of trade, the world’s commercial hub, and our neutrality was absolute. I wouldn’t have been able to break away from neutrality even if I wanted, and that’s how it should have been. That’s how it was until…”

Her eyes shifted towards Rui.

A flicker of hatred flashed in their red depths.

“Until you people happened. Until your continent happened.”

“…” Rui gazed at her in silence.

Perhaps the Whisperer wasn’t wrong, per se.

Her hatred for the Panama Continent and its inhabitants was real and visceral.

“You ask me why I’m no longer aligned to be neutral? Well, allow me to tell you.” She glared at him. “The only reason that we were able to remain neutral is because we were at the center of the world. Without this one key advantage, neutrality is impossible. And that is your fault. The fault of your people and your continent. So you ask me why I’m no longer neutral? Now you have the answers. It is you and your people who are responsible for our shift away from neutrality.”