Chapter 1781: Soft Power
Rui had chosen to refuse the will bequeathed by the Emperor of Harmony.
The reason was simple.
It cost him what he cared for the most. It was a sacrifice that he was unwilling to make, for the same reason that he had refused to make a similar sacrifice for his family ten years ago when offered protection for his family.
His decision today led to a covenant with Sage Sayfeel.
In return for prolonging the Emperor's life, Rui would ascend the throne should he fail to heal the Emperor.
If he failed, however, he would ascend the throne.
It was a risk.
Yet, it was a calculated risk he was willing to take.
Rui was keenly aware of the many things that could go wrong.
He could potentially just never find the Divine Doctor; that was a very real possibility.
Even if he did find him, he could potentially fail to compel him.
Even if he did compel him, it was possible that they wouldn't make it in time.
Hell, it was possible that Rui would just die in the Beast Domain even before he met the Divine Doctor.
All these possibilities were very real and impossible to deny.
"...Still, as long as I have you, a Martial Sage, by my side," Rui heaved a sigh.
Sage Sayfeel's expression darkened. "I will not be accompanying you."
"...Wait, what?!"
"Soon, the Emperor's impending death timeline will be declared," Sage Sayfeel remarked. "However, there will be princes and princesses who will seek to eliminate the Emperor before their one and only advantage over you slips."
Rui immediately understood what he was trying to convey. "Time."
If there was one advantage that the seven royals had over him, it was that they had been accumulating powerful patrons into their faction for at least seven years, some even longer.
While Rui was easily the most powerful candidate for the throne, it was extraordinarily difficult to instantly inflate his faction to its maximum potential in a single day or even a single month.
Thus, it was possible for Prince Raijun or Rajak to ascend the throne if they killed Emperor Rael that day, giving absolutely no time for Rui to build enough power to curb them. Of course, he could still use his control over the four royals to curb them, but nobody knew about that; thus, the possibility of Emperor Rael being targeted was quite realistic.
That was what Sage Sayfeel did not intend to allow. He would stand guard and ensure that none of the royals would be able to lay so much as a finger on the Emperor of Harmony.
"...Alright," Rui heaved a sigh. "Do what you must as I will."
He bowed, clasping his fist with a hand.
Sage Sayfeel narrowed his eyes. "If you fail, then the Topaz of Time will have been wasted for an outcome that could have happened if you simply accepted your father's will and ascended the throne as he arranged for."
Rui narrowed his eyes. "My father's will is his. This is my will."
Rui turned around, leaving the Kandrian Throne Hall and heading down the steps.
"How was your audience with the Emperor?" Master Ceeran asked.
"Just fine," Rui replied.
No one was to know about the Emperor's condition yet, although the announcement would be made soon.
"What do you intend to do now, Your Highness?" Master Zentra asked.
Silence lingered in the air.
A single answer escaped Rui's mouth.
"Win."
Their eyes lit up at that answer.
"I will win this war before it begins," Rui closed his eyes. "Just like my father before me."
He couldn't leave the Empire without preparing his faction. It meant that he couldn't leave immediately; he would need to put a lot of effort into reeling in powerful allies and patrons until he overwhelmingly dwarfed the power of his opponents.
"I look forward to it, Your Highness," Master Zentra remarked, smiling. "Do you know what your first order of business looks like?"
"I need a staff and administration," Rui narrowed his eyes. "I cannot build a faction without a hundred-strong team of people who will handle the minutiae of building a faction. So, the first order of business is for me to hire a team of staff and administration. After that, I need to set up a foundation that will accept donations. And only then can the development of a faction happen."
Rui felt a headache coming up.
During a time when he ought to be focusing on refining the Angel of Laplace to make it combat-viable, he had to deal with this mess, all because he was revealed to be a prince and now had the power to fix the Kandrian Empire potentially.
It was a complete pain in the ass, but the faction needed to be built not only to stop his siblings from ascending the throne if he failed but also to fulfill his oath to Sage Sayfeel if he failed in healing Emperor Rael.
He swore an oath that he would ascend the throne.
He intended to keep it if he failed.
He needed a faction for that, too.
"The Martial Union is more than willing to aid you with all these minor matters," Master Zentra graciously informed him.
"That's fine, but my faction cannot be comprised of people who are a part of the Martial Union. I won't tolerate any managers or bureaucrats who have had any history with the Martial Union," Rui calmly informed him. "They must be independent. Is that clear?"
Neither Martial Master missed the subtle hint of change in his manner of address. Yet, they didn't voice it. While Rui did not suddenly gain a royal bearing all of a certain, an implicit sense of power seemed to radiate from him.
As a royal prince, as the beloved of the Martial Union, and as he who had complete control over four other royal factions, Rui's soft power and his capacity to impact the nation had risen to be on par with that of a Martial Sage.