The Martial Unity

"Charles DiVilliers...The Underworld Prince..." Master Reina considered his words thoughtfully.

"I can confirm that he is one of my conspiring death-wishers," Rui replied.

"One of?" Master Reina raised an eyebrow. "How do you know there are more?"

"...I am eighty-nine percent certain that the little briefing was not arranged by Rajak or the Underworld," Rui replied, narrowing his eyes. "It's not their modus operandi. No...this is the work of someone who is not nearly as accustomed to covert and furtive operations of the kind that is being attempted. The Underworld would have sacrificed the luxury in favor of practicality. They would have briefed us in the middle of a trash valley if it meant lesser probability of being tracked."

"That's true," Master Reina nodded thoughtfully.

Rui narrowed his eyes defiantly. There was still something that didn't add up. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like this was not an initiative from the Underworld so much as an initiative that came from elsewhere and made use of the Underworld's services.

'Yes, that better describes what's happening,' Rui realized. 'The Underworld wouldn't need to use Charles DiVilliers' place as a getaway if it truly was intent on killing me with everything it had. Their own capacity to hide the Kandrian Empire far exceeds that of Charles DiVilliers. The resources that were employed were more reminiscent of someone powerful who is working with their hands tied.'

but was not under their absolute control,

my death-wishers ever since being informed about them perfectly fits that of a group of individuals with immense power at their disposal, which they cannot employ against

that description. Aside from Raul, none of the royals had gained true loyalty from their faction. The royals lacked control over

did, and while they all feared the Martial Union too much to use their own Martial resources, which would lead to them

and leave the matter entirely to them with the constraints and objectives specified. They would have simply asked for my covert death and body and let the assassins figure it

the true culprit

each other," Rui realized that the probability of the Kandrian government being the true culprit was limited as well. "They also would not be able

Underworld. By comparing the known modus operandi of the four suspects and the actual culprits, he was able to revise

of the four possibilities that he had shortlisted two weeks ago was

increasingly likely that one or more royals

royals he could trust not to take him out were Prince Raijun because Rui was his ticket to winning the Kandrian Throne War and Prince Raul. Since, as hard as it

me to assassinate them?" Master

knew that she wasn't jesting in the least. He would not bet against her

sigh, shaking his head.