The Martial Unity

With the considerations in mind that the colonel had just laid out, Rui had to admit that perhaps the Merger Faction wasn't silly, it was true that the Kandrian Empire would become a greater force to be reckoned with if the power of the Martial Union merged with that of the Royal Family.

He shook his head, while that may be true, the likelihood of a union between the Kandrian Government and the Martial Union was too unlikely that it was not even worth pursuing in his opinion.

"This has been very interesting and illuminating," Rui interjected. "However, it isn't particularly relevant here at this moment."

"You're right." A small smile curled on his face. "The conversation just strangely went in this direction."

('Yeah right.') Rui snorted inwardly. He wasn't a naïve fool, it was clear that the colonel brought up his faction for a reason. ('He's probably trying to steer my perspective and impression of the Merger Faction in hopes that I'll join the faction.')

Of course, Rui had no interest in delving into politics, it wasn't particularly relevant to him. As long as he could peacefully train, complete missions and get stronger, he didn't care about the political scene of the Kandrian Empire.

"Anyways coming back to what's relevant at hand here..."

"Ah yes, the commission." The colonel nodded. "I had one of my friends high up in the Merger Faction, prevent your mission bill from divulging the truth about the true client of the commission. I apologize for the deception, truly. I really wanted to commission you, after all."

The man lowered his head slightly.

"To introduce me to your faction?" Rui asked plainly, not reacting outwardly to the man's admission.

"That was part of the reason." He nodded. "But I truly do want to commission your training capabilities as well. You are known for your ability to train."

"Oh?" Rui raised an eyebrow. "And who exactly have you commissioned my services for, colonel?"

"My daughter." He told her. "She's going to be attempting the Martial entrance exam this year."

Rui raised an eyebrow as many thoughts flew through his head, the child of a Martial colonel of the Royal Army joining the Martial Academy seemed odd, but not nearly as much when he put it into perspective with the Colonel's political beliefs. In fact, if she joined the Martial Union as a Martial Artist, it might even increase the political leverage of the Merger Faction.

Furthermore, he would be helping a competitor of Max and Mana train, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. At the very least, he ought to ensure that he trained them even better.

"I see." Rui nodded. "Alright, we can begin immediately."

The colonel nodded with a smile, before gesturing to one of his servants. "Bring my daughter here immediately."

Within a minute, the servant returned with a girl who looked to be around the same age as Max and Mana. She had a slender physique, with startling blue hair and pink eyes. Yet more than her aesthetics, what caught his eye was her demeanor.

She had a fierce look in her eye with a hint of pride, as well as a hint of admiration towards Rui.

"This is the Squire Rui Quarrier that I told you about, your new sparring trainer for the upcoming Martial Entrance Exam in a few months." The colonel told her with a smile. "He is extremely renowned for his incredible ability to train and facilitate the growth of his mentees. Introduce yourself to him."

"Yes, father." She respectfully replied before turning and bowing to Rui Quarrier. "I am Crea Jenken, I look forward to training under your guidance."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to facilitating your growth and your Martial Journey." Rui courteously replied, before turning towards the colonel. "We have whiled away enough time colonel, we ought to begin the training as soon as possible."

The colonel nodded. "Please do begin immediately, my daughter will guide you to her training grounds."

Rui got up nodding at the man. "It's been a good discussion, colonel."

"Indeed." He nodded. "I hope to continue it with you someday."

Rui nodded lightly before following Crea as he pondered his words. They made it clear that he was interested in pulling Rui into their circle.

He shook his head as he put the matter aside, as he focused on the girl as she led him to an open training hall. It was rather wide, with a large array of physical training equipment forming a gym in one section of the hall and sparring training equipment in another section of the room. There were several servants in the training hall, ready to cater to their needs.

"We're here." She turned around, facing him.

Rui nodded, as he looked around. "You have a good set-up here for you."

"I heard that you managed to crack the Martial Entrance exam on your first try at my age." She suddenly said as she looked at him with intense eyes.

"...That's right. It seems you've learned a little about me."

"How did you do it?" She asked.

Rui simply raised an eyebrow, before chuckling. "A combination of skill and tactics, I suppose. I was physically weaker than almost all of my competitors back then, I had to fight hard, but more importantly, I had to fight smart."

He turned, facing her. "As will you, if you intend on cracking it."

"I will join the Martial Academy!" She expressed with a vigorous tone.

Rui smiled a little at her determination, before asking her a question. "Why do you wish to join the Martial Academy?"

"To become a Martial Artist, obviously." Her eyebrows furrowed.

"It's not as though you have to go to the Martial Academy to become a Martial Artist," Rui told her, as he gestured to the training hall. "Look at this place, your father has arranged a wonderful place for you to train and grow stronger. He's able to hire Martial Squires like me to help you train. Why do you want to go to the Martial Academy when you have all of this?"