Contextualized Past

The air grew frosty as Rui's piercing gaze met Emperor Rael's calm eyes.

"Does the Martial Union know?"

The question evoked laughter from him. "Of course they do."

Rui frowned. "So this isn't really a big deal, huh?"

"The context matters," Emperor Rael explained with a composed tone. "It would be a very big deal if I harbored such an ambition today. But not so much three centuries ago when I was merely a prince preparing for the Kandrian Throne War. It was simply a different era back then. My goals were hardly rare or uncommon. That was how much Martial Artists were hated at one point in time."

Rui sharpened his gaze.

"Did you hate Martial Artists?" 

"My desire to wipe out Martial Artists was a calculated decision rather than an emotional one," he calmly replied. "In hindsight, of course, it turned out to be the wrong decision. But that was due to luck, more than anything else. My rationale was firm."