846 Clara, Ri and Madeleine 1 (1/2)

Far outside of the Epistemic Tower, within a universe of peace and tranquility, an innumerable amount of craftsmen gathered. This was known, aptly, as The Sapientia Quadrant and was ranked 10th among all quadrants in existence.

This quadrant was truly a hub of knowledge. Every notable secondary profession in existence found its home here, but there was no doubt that the most central anchor of this quadrant was the Sapientia Tower where the grandest Library in existence was found.

Although this quadrant was only ranked tenth, it wasn't necessarily weaker than those ranked above it. In truth, aside from the top three quadrants, there wasn't a great difference between those ranked fourth through ninth, however, the tenth rank was special.

Unlike the other quadrants within those rankings, The Sapientia Quadrant didn't have to fight for its spot within the Epistemic Tower, instead, it was an unwritten rule that it would always remain there regardless of its martial prowess.

This may seem odd, but there was a good reason for it.

The Sapientia family was in quite a difficult situation. They were in the pursuit of knowledge, and thus avoided conflicts. In fact, even if a war occurred in a universe or on a planet where they housed one of their branches, they wouldn't interfere. This was the case even if one of their own was accidentally caught in the cross fire. Even in such a case, the matter would be brushed over.

Over the years, the Sapientia have slowly proved not only their worth, but also their sincerity. Being a family as ancient as those found in the top three quadrants, they've had plenty of time to prove their worth, and although some old foxes still keep a skeptic eye on them, for the most part, they're allowed to conduct the research they want to.

With this, though, also comes many unwritten rules. For example, when Connery Sapientia spoke out against Madeleine leaving the Sapientia family to aid Dyon in the war, he was speaking the truth. If a Sapientia could just leave their family, and join others, there was the risk of the Sapientia bringing undo heat to themselves. This was because some might think that the Sapientia were slowly infiltrating secular families in preparation for a big movement. For this reason, those who marry Sapientias are also tied to follow the rules of the Sapientias. Even further, if the Sapientia in question is from a high enough branch, their lover is forced to marry into the Sapientia family.

There were, of course, many other unwritten and written rules like this, however those were best saved for another time. The most important point here was that the Sapientia had struggles of their own, and many were bound to follow these rules forever.

So, what did this have to do with the perpetual tenth position they held? Well, often times in the martial world, the best way for geniuses to achieve great things was to fight for them. For example, the greatest chances in the cosmos were often found in the Epistemic Tower. However, within that tower, not only did you need to have enough talent to be recognized by your quadrant, and thus be allowed to enter, even once you entered the tower, the benefits inside would be limited unless you could then fight within it.

Why was this a problem? Well, as a family stout in its will to remain neutral, how could the Sapientia allow its geniuses to fight benefits?