"No, it isn't." Martin utters each word as if their admittance is a personal affront. "Sometimes it's necessary, but..."

I wish I could spare everyone, and myself, the pain of war. An emperor who disliked fighting might be a hypocrisy, but the Oblivion Crisis took with it any desire to wage wars of conquest. The Blades wouldn't be happy if they knew these were his thought, but Martin never had any intentions to become another Uriel V.

This is a soul-sucking conversation. Martin raises and lowers his shoulders, exhaling to shake himself away from his reverie. "I'm sorry, I've digressed. Would you like me to show you where Anders is?"