The Martial Unity

Rui had long gotten the impression that the system of commissions worked differently now from when he was a Martial Apprentice. The role that the Martial Union took when he was a Martial Apprentice was much more significant than when he was a Martial Squire. The Martial Union was like a manager and a boss to Martial Apprentices when they undertook missions. However, when he was a Martial Squire, the Martial Union took a few steps back and instead shifted to the role of a somewhat distant moderator and a rule enforcer.

He had already felt this in the few Squire-level missions he undertook, but he could really feel it in this particular commission.

Conditional-approval contracts, personally negotiated failure penalties, and declarations that the Martial Union would enforce without having any hand in were much different than it was when he was a Martial Apprentice.

He had much more freedom and liberty in the arrangements he could have with his client. It was as though the martial Union was giving him more autonomy now that he was a bit more mature as a Martial Artist.

Of course, he didn't mind. It made his job much more enjoyable. But he also had to make important decisions.

Like the one he just made.

In all honesty, from an objective perspective, he knew that he was being risky and foolish. Not only was there a natural chance for failure from an objective perspective, but perhaps his own client may try to cause him to fail.

Of course, this was extremely difficult as the agreement meant that all the information he gave him prior needed to be true, or else it would violate the contract and Rui would not be prohibited from aggressing violence on Fauche.

However, Rui was quite confident that he would succeed. He also wanted to put himself in a situation where he was under pressure. The true test of his capability would not be under light circumstances, but under circumstances where there were stakes.

That is why he decided to take the risk, ultimately. Granted, he was more than smart enough to know that he probably wasn't being the most rational he could be.

"Alright, done." Fauche looked up at Rui as he put his comms device away. "I've officially accepted your application to accept my commission. I imagine you should already have access to the information you need."

Rui wordlessly took out his accounter as he accessed his account, finding a digital version of the mission bill.

He quickly read through it as he inputted the information into his Mind Palace.

To his relief, the information that Fauche had provided seemed accurate. The details regarding the locations of security specifically were on point. The broader details surrounding the event were also quite accurate.

In fact, the Martial Union provided him with even greater insight regarding the desired outcomes of the assassination. The director of the board of directors was answering to the Senate on the potential for treason in the form of facilitating espionage into classified military intelligence, that the company had access to and was capable of in its current state.

Caruntel Corp was a weapons developer that had been contracted by the military of the Republic of Mernea, according to the mission bill. Rui could gauge the objective of the assassination on a deeper level, though he wasn't if it would even work.

"You must really be convinced that the president will automatically be under a lot of suspicions just because this particular director happens to be assassinated," Rui murmured. "Because based on this, there's nothing strongly

"That's because you're highly ignorant on the matter," Fauche puffed some smoke. "When the director about to utter testimony in a senate, that will be detrimental to your publicly-stated stance on governmental intervention on the information that you as a president has, dies before he can finish the sentence, you will be the first person everyone will look at. Especially when the two of you have had a history of severe conflict of interest. That's enough."

"Hm." Rui didn't deign to bother replying to that. It wasn't particularly relevant to him and the mission, it was just a point of curiosity.

"Lots of sensory Martial Artists, I can see," Rui noted.

"Indeed." Fauche nodded. "That's why your plan is screwed. Don't say I didn't warn you. I did it twice."

"Mhm." Rui didn't bother to retort.

The probability that a nation with little to no Squire-level martial Art foundation had developed sensory techniques that would be able to develop a technique that allowed Martial Artists to sense potent sound bullets that were naturally invisible and difficult to perceive was very low.

Rui didn't think they would be able to perceive the activation of the technique, either. That was too difficult for a bunch of low-grade Martial Squires. Of course, Rui didn't care to inform this rationale to his client. He would just have to be content with watching a flash of shock on the man's face when Rui succeeded.

He would still take precautions around the matter, he would fire off a sonic bullet in the air in the same general direction as the shot he would take to test their reactions to it. It would tell him whether by some miracle it was somehow sensed, or whether he was right.

Now he needed to find a spot where he could perch himself before the Senate hearing so that he could take care of the technical stuff. That would require Rui to scout the areas around the Capitol block to find a good spot to take out the target of the mission.

He wanted the best altitude and the best cover he could get. While he could shoot under much less ideal circumstances, he did have much on stake, thus he wanted to make sure he wasn't missing a single thing. It was one thing to be confident enough to make raise the stakes, it was another to be careless and arrogant and end up goofing on the job.