The Martial Unity

Chapter 3754: Gathering the Entire Continent

”...We are preparing for the funeral of Emperor Rael,” she informed him. ”Normally, the royal family should be leading this process, but unfortunately, they seem consumed with... other matters.”

His expression darkened at those words as his fist clenched. Rage and guilt emerged within him as he felt the sheer disrespect that was being flung at his father from every direction.

He knew exactly what they were consumed with.

Each and every single one of them was being solicited by an endless ocean of domestic and foreign stakeholders, third parties, powerful individuals, sovereign nations, and power blocs. They were probably being swept with so many life-changing options that they simply couldn’t be bothered with something as mundane as the funeral preparations.

He clenched his fists.

The thing he wanted to do most right now was to immediately try to put an end to the storm that had begun to mount in the Kandrian Empire. He had returned with the intention of jumping into the political maelstrom that had begun to swallow his home nation and the nation that his father had built.

But sending his father off with a proper farewell came before that.

He had been a negligent son, in many ways. His negligence was even responsible, ultimately, for his father’s death. At the very least, he could dispel with his negligence and give his father the honored funeral that he deserved for his countless and immeasurable contributions to the Kandrian Empire and to Panamic Civilization.

”I will oversee it myself,” Rui declared. ”Send me the drafted plans. I’m sure there are protocols for these things. I may be inexperienced in the management of these matters, but I wish to take firm initiative in this matter. We must honor my father with the grace and respect he deserves before we take a step forward as a nation. No one will be allowed to disrespect him in my presence.”

Once more, he could feel her surprise at those words.

”...Thank you, Your Highness,” she spoke with a hint of gratitude in her voice. ”Then, please come with me to take leadership over the Royal Funeral Committee that has been put together by the Ministry of Domestic Affairs. I will try to bring you up to speed while we get there.”

Rui nodded as he joined her.

Even just twenty-four hours prior, he would never have dreamed of getting into the nitty-gritty of leading the management of such an event, even if it was important. He would much rather leave it to people qualified to handle the matter, like the Royal Secretary, and simply show up when it was time.

But it was necessary.

It wasn’t enough to state that he was going to be more responsible from this point on. In fact, needing to utter those words itself was a reflection of the failure to live up to them.

He needed to show, with his actions, that he was willing to step up. Otherwise, no amount of Martial power or words would ever make people trust him to be a good leader. After all, the last time he said he was going to take responsibility and sit on the throne, he had deceived all of them from the very get-go, the truth of which had since come out.”.

In a large conference room, many overworked officials grinded away at a burden of paperwork, meetings, arrangements, and the various other tasks that came with the management of such an important event.

”Our guest list is already more than a thousand; the Royal Function Hall in South Vargard simply isn’t big enough to fit all the esteemed guests! We need to use the Vargard Grand Colosseum!”

”Then cut down on the shortlist! It’s not easy to prepare the Grand Colosseum in such a short amount of time!”

”Fool, this shortlist contains the most important domestic stakeholders of the nation; cutting this short will be an insult to those esteemed individuals! It will send a bad political message!”

CLACK

The doors to the conference room flew open loudly, drawing the attention of each and every single official that was a part of the Funeral Committee. They turned towards the door with a frown, only to freeze.

Their eyes widened with shock as their gaze fell on none other than the most powerful man in the Kandrian Empire.

They immediately broke out into a cold sweat.

Their bodies refused to move.

Their breathing halted as they choked underneath the pressure that his existence seemed to exert on them.

And yet, they were consumed by awe at the extraordinary nature of his existence.

They had been in the presence of other Martial Sages, having worked in the Vargard Royal Palace, abode to the Emperor of Harmony himself. But none could steal their breath and earn their piety with just their presence.

His existence seemed ethereal.

As if he were a deity who belonged to a higher plane of existence, having deigned to descend upon their lesser world to grace them with his presence. An ephemeral aura of power seemed to radiate from him as the very world seemed to warp under the weight of his existence.

”Calm down.”

His ethereal voice radiated through the committee hall.

Time seemed to flow once more as they gasped for air, breathing frantically once more.

”It would not do if you lost your wits at this crucial period in our nation,” he spoke to them with a serious voice. ”I have come to lead the funeral of my father and honor him with the highest grace and respect that he deserves.”

Their expressions lit up with amazement and ecstasy.

”Understood, Your Highness! We will fulfill your will!

”Your leadership honors us, Your Sagehood!”

”We hope to live up to your expectations with all of our hearts and souls, Your Divinity!”

Rui’s expression softened as he nodded. ”Then, to begin with, I have a vision for how this funeral must unfold. My father was more than an emperor of the Kandria. He was a leader of the entire continent. To our entire civilization. We must ensure that his funeral for his death reflects the voluminous impact his life has had on all of Panama.”

They froze at those words as chills crawled across their skin. ”Your Highness, pardon our impudence in questioning you, but do you perhaps mean...?”

Rui nodded at them.

”Invite every single leader of every Sage-level polity, organization, and party of any significance at all to the funeral. Every nation, conglomerate, clan, Martial Sage, and any other group. Invite each and every single one of them.”

His pitch-black eyes sharpened.

”I need each and every single one of them to be present when I address the world after honoring my father.”