Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon paid no heed to the admiring onlookers as he strolled the town with the others. 

The small town was by no mean extravagant, and it had no open market where one could hear the bargains of a peddler and its shopper. However, children still ran along with smiles on their faces as they chased butterflies.

Lyon smiled as he looked at the children laughing and even circling him for a loop before running away. Their innocence was a lukewarm sight to see and soothe his soul so much that he suddenly paused his tracks.

"Hmm... so innocent and playful," commented Lyon as he nodded.

"Hm?.... HM?!" Kesya suddenly came forward and leaned her face toward Lyon.

"W-What?" asked Lyon. "Is there something wrong with my face? Do I have a pimple that you want to burst open?!"

Kesya narrowed her eyes before she pulled her face back. She nodded before returning to her position.

Lyon blinked in confusion before he shook his head. He knew they were unique in their own way to the point that he couldn't understand what they meant but, after all, who could understand women.

"Oh?!" Lyon turned around before he looked at Cecile and Lumina. "It's not what you think! Wait! It is what you think! But now is not the time!"

Lumina and Cecile raised their eyebrows before the latter asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh... Nothing haha!" said Lyon before he quickly turned around and let out a sigh.

"Big brother!"

"Hm?" Lyon turned around before seeing Zet fast approaching. 

"What?" he asked.

"You're amazing!"

"I know right hahaha!" Lyon couldn't care less about shame as he laughed and swallowed the praise whole.

Porealus approached him afterward before he said, "You almost made him burst the veins on his forehead however, are you sure? He might hunt you down."

"Oh, is that so?" said Lyon as he smiled.

Porealus shook his head as he smiled wryly. He realized that the young man he was talking to was quite mad in the eyes of the common. 

"Ah, you must be Lyon, my son talked a lot about you."

The unfamiliar voice made him furrow his eyebrows before he turned around. He immediately saw the resemblance between him and Zet and the red hair was quite the giveaway.

"You must be?"

"My name is Verdu, I am the patriarch of the Argonaut family but most importantly Zet's father."

Lyon smiled, "I always appreciate a family man, my name is Lyon and these are..."

Lyon proceeded to introduce them all without hiding anything. Considering his status, it was easy to guess that he knew something about him prior. This was nothing but a common courtesy for goodwill between the two with Zet as the link.

After the introduction, Verdu smiled before he asked, "Young man, I want to talk to you personally if you have time but we can't do it here, this town is not so... welcoming after what happened."

Lyon smirked as he knew what he was talking about. Some admired him but some also disliked him. His brazen act against Hezar might come with consequences that this small town had to bear together with him.

Cecile stretched her arm to the sky as she yawned, "I don't want to partake in your conversation, it will bore me to death, I'm not an Empress anymore."

She went away before grabbing Lumina's wrist and dragging her with her.

"What are you doing?" said Lumina as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"We are going to stroll the town," said Cecile with a smile.

"I'm not going to stroll the town with you!" said Lumina before her eyes turned sharp.

*We are going to feign, that middle-aged man moved fast. A group of people already hides in the surrounding* said Cecile through mana transmission.

Lumina let out a hard snort before she submit to her favor. "I will pick the food and you will pay."

"Of course," said Cecile before she continued, "But older s—"

Lumina's glare put Cecile in her place as the latter shrugged both of her shoulders before smiling. "Alright, alright, hehe."

The two ladies went on their own as Lyon watched their backs move further away and away.

Lyon turned around and smiled before he said, "You three, give yourself a well-deserving break. I will speak with these four later."

"Yes, master!" said Graham before he left.

"I'm going to follow Empress Cecile," said Kesya. "Girls night! Girls night!"

"I will see if there are fresh ingredients," Assid walked away with his sharp eyes.

Verdu furrowed his eyebrows (What is he thinking? He is discarding away his best defense just to talk with me? Wait a minute four?)

"Wait, four?" asked Zet as he had the same thought as his father. "I think you overcounted it by one."

Porealus raised his eyebrows before he chuckled, "You mean that she is listening?"

"She?" Zet tilted his head. "Who is she... oh, her."

Lyon shook his head before he gave his right arm forward in a gesture for Verdu to lead the way.

"Alright then, let's go to my inn," said Verdu as he lead the way.

Lyon and the others were following behind him before Zet suddenly said, "Oh right!"

He turned his glance toward Lyon before continuing, "One of my elders wanted to spar with Sir Graham, big brother."

(Heh, they all can hide as much as they want, nothing but—) Lyon's thought popped off as he heard what Zet just said, "What?"

His eyes opened wide before he asked once more, "What did you say? A spar against Graham?"

Zet nodded, "Exactly, will you grant him his wish?"

"Wish? Deathwish?" said Lyon with his eyes turned into concern. "Is your elder sane?"

"Hmm... I think so," said Zet as he nodded.

"Hahaha," Verdu immediately made light and wry laugh. "I'm sure that the elder was joking."

Zet was the one confused this time but Porealus patted his shoulder before he shook his head. The former was left even more confused but the latter paid no heed before following Lyon as he muttered, "Lyon, why are you letting your protectors go?"

Lyon shrugged his shoulder with a smile on his face. "They are not my protectors, they are the people that close to me and I hold dear."

Porealus raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had never thought that those words would come out of Lyon's mouth after what just happened and it got him contemplating. (Was all your gung-ho about women a facade? Is this your true self?) thought Porealus before he shook his head as he remembered that Lyon was the only one that could conquer the empress's heart and soul.

Soon the four of them entered the inn where Zet and Verdu had rented a room. They entered the room before locking the door.

All the whispering noises from outside were unheard of as the three of them sat down.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" asked Lyon as he sat down. 

Verdu at opposite him before saying, "It appears that my father and the other two are being used as a safety net."

Lyon raised one of his eyebrows, "Safety net?"

"Yes, with Hezar having them as a quote on quote 'prisoner', he could do whatever they pleased against us by using them as the bargaining chip."

"I see, but what do they want from you?"

Verdu let out a sigh, "I still don't know but they could use it to hinder my son's and his friend's advancement in the main tournament."

Porealus and Zet looked concerned but they didn't have a lot of options.

"Meanwhile, nothing is holding me down," said Lyon with a smile as he saw what Verdu was getting at.

"Exactly, I need, no we need your power," said Verdu as he nodded.

The sun was setting as the twilight started to govern the sky. Lyon was stood up as he reached for the nearby window. He looked at the line of the horizon slowly shifting from day to dusk. (I guess even heaven has its own sun what's the difference between here and the Mortal World).

Lyon turned around, "I may not have anything to hold me down now, but tonight won't be a beautiful night for me to sleep."

Verdu furrowed his eyebrows before Lyon said, "You all stay here, I will take a stroll in the town alone."

He turned around before opening the door and leaving them dumbfounded with a click from closing it.

"What is he saying?" asked Zet.

Porealus leaned back at the wall whilst crossing his arms. "Someone might after him."

"What? Then we need to help him!"

"Wait!" said Porealus but Verdu already stepped forward and stood right in front of the door.

"Father! We need to help him," said Zet.

Verdu shook his head, "It is us who needs his help Zet. We might only be a hindrance if we came along with him."

"What? A hindrance?"

Verdu nodded, "He said it himself that we should stay here for the time being."

"But!"

"He won't make that point if he wanted you to come along," said Porealus.

Zet slightly grunted before calming down, "I understand."