Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon raised his glass as high as his nose; He lightly played with the cheap glass, but his eyes were looking at the icy woman who was being accompanied by his wife.

"What are you looking at?" asked Lumina calmly.

"Ivy," answered Lyon with a smile before he averted his glance toward Lumina. "What do you think about her?"

"You mean how she was shocked seeing Anna?" asked Lumina.

"Elder Anna," said Lyon with a smile.

"It's not important to me if she is an elder or not," Lumina scorned before eating what's on her spoon.

Lyon smiled wryly, "Well, she was adamant to win this tournament, maybe this was her goal?"

"Maybe?" Lumina gulped her food down. "That's most certainly why she is here, don't pretend you don't know."

Lyon shrugged. "There could be plenty of reasons why would she be in Alchemy Union. She could intend to buy a pill from the Second Floor since the beginning but the Yuki Clan didn't have the means."

"Hmm~," said Lumina was enjoying the food instead. The soft sensation of the juicy and tender meat melted inside her mouth, to the point that she hardly listened to Lyon's words at all.

"Then again, I never noticed it before, but could there be no man in the Yuki Clan?" Lyon furrowed his brows.

"There is none, young master Lyon."

"Hm?" He slightly turned to see the matriarch of the Yuki Clan smiling at him.

"It's really hard to offer you a proper drink when you are not allowed to in the first place," the matriarch smiled wryly under her thick veil.

"Ah, haha~" Lyon laughed as he noticed Assid was on the lookout. (Damn, he should really loosen up a bit).

"Please don't mind," said Lyon as he nodded. "The mere gesture of your smile is good enough for me."

Lumina rolled her eyes but the glance of the food under her nose brought more gloss to them.

"You're too kind, young master," said the matriarch before she looked at the empty spot that Cecile had left vacant. "May I sit here?"

"Why absolutely," said Lyon before the grace of the ice queen sat beside him. Though her eyes might be chilly for some, in Lyon's eyes, however, they were nothing but belonging to an experienced woman.

"So," Lyon smiled as he averted his glance toward the food on the table. "What do you want to talk about?"

The matriarch smiled before she jested, "Well of course it's going to be about my dear disciple, Ivy."

"What of her?" Lyon smiled.

The matriarch sighed. "Well, I guess I can share the story with you here."

She made a quick glance at the headmaster before looking back at Lyon. This instantaneous move was of course noticed by both parties.

"I was only just taking the reign of the matriarch of the Yuki Clan back when it happened. The last matriarch was a powerful cultivator that harnessed the element of Ice to an extreme extent. She was powerful beyond measure, there was hardly anyone that could contest her might."

The matriarch took a quick glance at Zet's grandfather before looking at Porealus's grandfather and laughing. "The two of them used to have a crush on her."

Lyon smiled as he nodded. "The old was once young, but then again, they just need to break through their cultivation to the next realm then they could be young once again."

"Hmm?" the matriarch raised her brows.

"Hm? What? Did I say something stupid?" asked Lyon.

"No," the matriarch shook her head. "They have been trying to break through to the next realm but there was hardly any improvement over the last, I don't know, centuries?"

Lyon sighed, "It's really hard to guess one's age in this world with all this cultivation going on."

"But," the matriarch smiled, "It is cultivation that could make us live longer than we should."

"True, I wonder who was the first one to be able to cultivate, that guy must be pretty overwhelmed with his discovery," jested Lyon.

"It might be a she for all we know," the headmaster chuckled.

"We are going off track here," the matriarch smiled.

"Sorry," Lyon laughed.

"No, no need to apologize to me, in fact, the fact that we have gone off track is the proof that we both enjoy the conversation so far," said the matriarch.

"Hahaha, that's true, I will drink to that," said Lyon with a grin before it turned into grim as the glass was still plain water. The most normal, tasteless water there is.

"The matriarch before me is called, Lili, she was pretty powerful and was almost unmatched," said the matriarch of the Yuki Clan.

"So her full name is Lili Yuki?" thought Lyon before he raised his brows. (That's an odd combination of names, I swear I'm seeing a pattern here) said Lyon inwardly.

"Yes, young master Lyon, her full name is Lili Yuki, but she was not the founder of the Yuki Clan," the matriarch shook her head.

"She was not?" Lyon raised his brows, "Then who was it?"

"Sadly, the oldest scripture in our clan never holds such information. Not even Lili Yuki knew who was the founder of the clan. However, that didn't matter as only until Lili Yuki was pointed to be the next matriarch where the Yuki Clan sets forth and put afoot as the pillar of the Mortal World."

"So she is roughly at the same age as that crazy swordsman with his crazy proud friend?" said Lyon as he snorted to a smile.

"That, I do not know for sure," said the matriarch as she smiled wryly. "However, not long after I was pointed to be the next matriarch of the Yuki Clan, in which my sisters were all agree to put this heavy task on my shoulders, that I found someone, a little girl to be exact."

"A little girl? Not a baby?" Lyon raised his brows.

"No, a little girl, she was about maybe roughly six or seven years old when I found her," said the matriarch.

"So she knew who she was?" asked Lyon with a frown.

"No, she didn't know who she was," said the matriarch as she sighed. "She was found as a baby in front of a remote orphanage in a remote village. There were no notes, there was no trace, she was unnamed."

"I see," Lyon drank his water (Goddamn it!! This sour atmosphere is definitely not for mere plain water).

"However when I found her, I was surprised. She was not like any other kids her age, she was well suited for our technique, our art, that day I knew that I need to get her inside our clan."

"What happened? Wait, wait a minute," said Lyon as he creased his brows. "You guys are recruiting them when they are young? At an orphanage?"

The matriarch nodded calmly. "I noticed the surprise in your face, young master. Are you against  our method?"

"I..." Lyon was slightly lost for words. "I guess not, considering what they would receive in joining your clan."

"Are you sure, young friend?" asked the headmaster, "Your tone is of hesitation."

"I'm sure, headmaster," Lyon smiled. "The world was never black and white, everything is a gray area, but we, the beings that live inside this world, want to simplify it as simple as possible. In doing so, we are deliberately turning a blind eye to another side in conjunction to satisfy our 'feelings of righteousness"

"I won't say it's wrong, I won't say it's right," said Lyon as he smirked. "However, joining your clan comes with a price right? There must be a reason that you guys don't have males."

"Yes," the matriarch smiled, "I'm glad that young master understands our situation."

"Do you need a.. volunteer?" Lyon raised his brows with a grin on his face.

"It's amazing how you can flip the coming that quickly," commented Lumina before Lyon chuckled.

"It's a joke of course, hahaha!" Lyon laughed.

The headmaster was baffled, he had forgotten that the youth in front of him, was in fact, a youth. He might sound wise but he was still a young man in his adolescence year.

The matriarch sighed, "Sadly, that's not how it works, young master."

"I know right," Lyon shrugged. "The thing that is too good to be true always tasted sweeter in our imagination than our tongue."

The atmosphere between them halted for a few moments.

"That's... a really nice proverb," said the headmaster after a long pause. "You are very wise, young friend."

Meanwhile on the opposite table. Elder Tamuh was crossing his arms with his brows furrowed. He had heard how the headmaster casually threw praises to the kunpeng hunter's leader. (He is indeed not ordinary, I need to know his background, if I can turn him into an ally, my presence outside and inside the Alchemy Union would be tremendously powerful!). Tamuh grinned (He seems to be fond of beautiful women).