The Martial Unity

"…Is probably what the Sekigahara Confederate is thinking at the moment."

In the depths of the Imperial Palace, sat a man sipping tea in his office while he read through the reports of the Britannian Intelligence Service.

Prime Minister Edward Gel Dermont had been perhaps the sole head of government of the Britannian Empire to not have been alarmed by the shocking reports of the mass breakthroughs of Martial Apprentices at an absurdly high rate.

He was also the sole head of government who didn't bother employing standard intelligence protocols to try and steal the method of breakthroughs to the Apprentice Realm.

His rationale was simple.

"The Emperor of Harmony is too careful."

He knew Emperor Rael as a ruler and leader better than anybody. The man was deeply insightful and had undoubtedly predicted the responses from the Republic of Gorteau and the Sekigahara Confederate. The former was transparent and while the latter was undoubtedly a lot more volatile, it was still predictable for the most part. The warmongering clans would push for war, while the more sensible leader would eventually make them see at least a little bit of reason and postpone war conditionally.

However, he knew that Emperor Rael had undoubtedly prepared for the massive investigative efforts that had already been thrown his way.

"If the method of breakthrough truly was something that could be stolen just by knowledge alone, then…" Prime Minister Edward narrowed his eyes. "He would have been less liberal and used it as a political tool and bargaining chip. However, the way that he and the Martial Union are spamming breakthroughs implies that there are no material or resource constraints."

Had this new revolutionary method required some precious resources that weren't easy to come by, Emperor Rael and the Sage Council would not have used it so freely and extensively.

Thus, just based on how it was being employed, Prime Minister Edward was able to make numerous inferences.

"Could it be an esoteric scientific method…?" he wondered before shaking his head. "No, all esoteric materials have limited supply. I suppose it could be a non-esoteric scientific development, but…"

He highly doubted that, considering that even esoteric science hadn't come close to achieving such a result, and it was generally more powerful and capable, which was why it was favored as a field of research.

"So, that leaves a Martial Artist." He narrowed his eyes. "It fits the profile of a powerful but low-cost solution."

It was one of the reasons that Martial Art came to be the most dominant force in the world.

Martial Art took an extremely long time to deliver powerful assets, but, once it did, it did not require much resources to sustain its output.

"If this new solution that Emperor Rael is abusing is dependent on a Martial Art, a technique, or a Martial Mind…" Prime Minister Edward Gel Dermont narrowed his eyes. "It would explain why he's being so carefree about how much it's being abused. Interesting. Regardless, it doesn't change what we must do."

As he sipped his tea, his gaze turned to the Britannian analyst officers seated at the table before him.

"War."

They widened their eyes. "…Sir? Doesn't it make more sense to invest massively in our investigative and espionage efforts to get our hands on his miraculous method so that we can ensure that we don't fall behind?"

Prime Minister Edward shook his head.

"It won't work. Emperor Rael has almost certainly prepared all kinds of traps, red herrings, and misdirections that will lead all investigative efforts down many highly convincing wild goose chases."

They frowned at his words but remained silent.

"His goal is to drain as much of the capital of other Sage-level powerhouses as possible and stall the inevitable war. He is buying as much time as he can to increase the probability of winning due to having elevated the Kandrian Empire," he explained. "Unfortunately, I won't be falling for his trap."

The analyst officers stared at him, flummoxed. "Sir, are you implying that this is all part of some plan?"

Prime Minister Edward snorted, unimpressed. "Everything is part of a plan with that man. However, think carefully, think of all the developments that have happened in the Kandrian Empire." He sipped some more tea, growing immersed in thought. "First, he, on the brink of death, is magically healed from an incurable disease while his son simultaneously shatters the record for youngest Martial Master."

He raised a second finger. "Then, Prince Rui willingly and merrily hands over all the power he has accrued over the span of five years without any resistance. Almost as if he has never cared about it to begin with."

He raised a third finger. "Then, the Emperor consolidates his power and uses the Silas Clan to gain massive intelligence advantages to root out and assimilate the Underworld, further solidifying and centralizing his power."

He raised a fourth finger. "Then, his Beast Domain yields spike up with countless reports talking about how the Kandrian Empire's Beast Domain operations, be it the government or the Martial Union, have gained a rather curious boost in effectiveness and success rate."

He raised a fifth finger. "And now, he deploys a massive trump card that will allow the Kandrian Empire to overcome the Great Limit in the long run. When you combine that with the fact that tensions between the Kandrian Empire and the rest of us have already been rising due to the Silas Clan and the upgrade to their Squire evolution process, then there's only one conclusion to draw."

His eyes narrowed. "He knows that these developments will provoke war, yet he does them without any hesitation. This is a man who has grand ambition, and knows that it will make war inevitable, and is fully prepared for it nonetheless."

He returned his gaze to the intelligence officers. "Divert all our resources to war-building and none towards intelligence-gathering. If, by some miracle, the Republic of Gorteau and Sekigahara Confederate are able to get their hands on the method, then it will be easier to steal it from them. If not…"

A dark smile appeared on his face. "…then they will have no choice but to wage war. With the wrath of the three Sage-level powerhouses, we will emerge victorious."

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