Emperor's Reckoning

There was no mistaking it. The woman who was sitting with her back facing Renduval was no one but Luvia herself. The lady that had been haunting his heart in

the academy for as long as he could remember. He had not the slightest idea as to why she was such a dear to him but it was plain obvious for the onlookers that the feeling was not mutual at all.

"Huh?" Lyon squinted his eyes before he stopped walking further. "Those four are from this noon."

"Luvia," Renduval called out.

Luvia immediately felt the cold shivers creeping on her spine. She had just berated him this noon, humiliating him in front of the whole Alchemy Union. Over the course of a fault that was not even his. The one who befell kunpeng and dropped the carcass from the very sky was Lyon.

She refrained. Her balled fists were pressing against her thighs as she refused to turn around.

"Haven't seen you since noon, Renduval."

Renduval frowned as Ark stood up and greet him with a smile. "You seem to be doing well lately."

"Ah, Renduval my good old buddy, how are you my friend?" called out Hunes out of nowhere. He was smiling to the point that his eyes hardly see anything.

"I am," answered Renduval as he dismissed Hunes from his attention. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Ark furrowed his brows. None of the azure cloak alchemists dare to utter words with such a rude tone before. He had garnered respect due to his status as the gold cloak alchemist. The significant symbol that he wore was not just anyone could wear. "Luvia is my woman, I would like that you stay away from her."

The onlookers turned tense whether they were ordinary cultivators or alchemists. It was a drama that they never thought to be addressed right in the Third Hall of all places.

"So they are indeed, together," said one of the alchemists.

"Hah, sometimes I do feel bad for Renduval," said a sympathetic alchemist.

"He was desperate and the worst part, he didn't even realize it himself. Poor fellow," One alchemist shook her head.

Lyon listened to the left and right with his eyes calmly followed before his glance turned back to Renduval. The latter had turned stiff. It was obvious that the words Ark had just said were a blow much harder than a blockable fist. Lyon sighed.

"He knows," answered Lyon.

Jiji turned stiff as she looked at Lyon. She remembered vividly how he turned up close and asked for her forgiveness.

Renduval immediately turned around and looked at him with his eyes widened. (Lyon!).

"Oh, Lyon, right? The leader of the kunpeng hunters," said Ark with a smile. "It's nice to meet you this evening."

"Hmm?" Lyon crossed his arms before he smirked. "You seem to have a welcoming tone after all. Too bad, you're woman can't do the same."

The onlookers couldn't believe what Lyon had just casually said. However, Porealus had already sighed beforehand. He knew the moment Lyon decided to step into this domestic relationship or some sort, that he would wreck it or even worse.

Ark furrowed his brows. Lyon might be a hunter but that was crossing the line. However, the cocky young man was affiliated with Elise and even worse, with the headmaster himself.

"Let's go Renduval," said Lyon as he raised his chin and closed his eyes. He couldn't even be bothered to look at Ark's sour face, let alone the other three women.

"B-But."

"Why are you wasting your time with someone that couldn't even say sorry. She humiliated you, you remember?" said Lyon before he added, "She said something about your skill is not qualified in Alchemy Union, she said that you are only here because of your grandfather. Without your late grandfather, you wouldn't be here. Remember??"

"Kh!" Renduval buried his fingers against his palms before he forced himself to relax after a deep breath.

"Excuse us," said Renduval as he walked forward and made Ark move away on his own.

Luvia nervously looked up before catching Renduval's back that was lonesome and seemed bitter. She looked at him until he walked out of the Third Hall.

"Heh," Lyon smirked before he put his hands behind his head like usual. His lazy demeanor really belied who he really was.

The group went on and followed Renduval outside the Third Hall. The place that was usually so noisy, was now silent. The atmosphere inside the Third Hall was not ideal for anyone to come and gather anymore. Most of them immediately called in the night not long after Lyon and the rest left.

After Renduval escorted them each to their assigned rooms, it was Lyon, Cecile, Lumina, and the three generals left. Renduval didn't speak a word as he continued his job, but the group behind him did.

"Hey, Lyon, don't you think that you are going too far?" asked Lumina as she furrowed her brows.

"About what?" Lyon closed his eyes as he calmly followed their escort.

"About Renduval and Luvia, you know you don't need to go that far to prove your point," said Lumina. "There are better ways."

"There are always better ways, but you chose not to speak of it, Lumina," said Lyon.

"I thought you should know that," Lumina glared. "Just look at him, he is being more pathetic than we first met him."

"Ugh, he is just evolving," said Lyon as he shrugged. "He would be fine, the pain was a necessary part for him to grow."

"You're not the one to talk," said Lumina as she frowned. "And you said that Renduval should take that whatever test tomorrow, with his mind in disarray, do you think that he would succeed and pass the test?!"

"Huh?" Lyon opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, "You're right."

"Damn it," Lumina sighed.

"But it's alright, haha, from what I've heard, it's not the first time that he had failed. So, it's just going to be another day," Lyon chuckled.

"Hah~" Lumina sighed. She couldn't understand his intention at all. He acted like he was helping but only halfway.

"Besides, we got another matter that I'm really excited about for tomorrow," said Lyon with a grin.

"What?" asked Lumina. "I thought you said that this place was boring."

"The place that we are allowed to stroll is boring to me, but you liked the Fifth Hall, don't you?" Lyon smiled as he raised his brows.

"What of it?" Lumina curiously furrowed her brows.

Lyon grinned. "What if I tell you that you can go where the books are not allowed to be read by low-class alchemists, let alone common cultivators like us?"

Lumina squinted her eyes. "Are you going to the third floor? The one the headmaster told you about just before."

"Well, he just spilled the beans on how to get inside, we just need the thing," said Lyon with a grin.

"The dark cloak?" Lumina furrowed her brows. "Are you going to be an alchemist?"

"No, there is another way," said Cecile as she smiled. "You should know already how he loves to 'borrow' stuff."

"Are you serious?" asked Lumina.

"Heh," Lyon smirked before he flicked something up to the air.

*Ting!

The badge slowly flipped under Lumina's widened glance. It was the same badge that the headmaster owned. The one that allowed access to the seventh floor, the special auction.

"How did you...?" Lumina muttered before the badge landed on Lyon's palm.

Lyon put it inside his pocket while smiling at Lumina. "Do you think that tea flower matriarch is the one that is using my presence? No, Lumina, it was me who is using her presence to avert the headmaster's attention."

"What?" Lumina furrowed her brows before a sudden realization hit. She immediately turned her glance toward Kesya who was already grinning at her.

"So that's what you meant," Lumina muttered. "She was the one that stole the badge when the matriarch gave the headmaster her message."

"That is correct, well, not all of it," Lyon chuckled. "I told her to steal the moment the matriarch was telling the story about Elder Anna and Ivy. Elder Anna is, technically his direct subordinate, so this kind of scandal would surely give his thought a little spice called disarray."

"It's a mutual gain," said Kesya with a smile. "However, if we wanted to enter the third floor of the library, we would need to borrow his white cloak without him knowing."

(That's called stealing!) thought Lumina.

"Well, it would be fun from here on out, I guess," said Lyon before he caught a glimpse of a short familiar figure with rabbit ears walking across him. (Damn it, I spoke too soon!).

"Fancy meeting you here, boy," said Elise as she crossed her arms with a smile.

"Ah! Elder Elise! Good evening!" Renduval immediately bowed.

Lyon smiled wryly. (What does she want at this hour?).