Emperor's Reckoning

"While the others were checking out on the ones passing out at the school gate, Lyon, his wife, and his student continued the journey.

"Holy Paradise..." Reinhard looked up at the sky with satisfaction on his face. The passing shadow of the clouds covered his face. "I can't feel my jaws."

"That was brutal, Teacher! Hahaha!" Noah kept clutching his stomach as he walked.

Rayus also didn't miss a grin as he walked by his side as if a new breeze of wind gently rubbed his soul. He had never thought that the outcome would be even out of his mind. He thought that Lyon would not retaliate and merely drop the matter, however, he was wrong, entirely wrong. Now, he saw a brighter light than before in the new teacher that came like a ghost but regally presented himself.

Selena had her head on his shoulder as they walked together. She smiled looking at his face before the latter caught on.

"Hm?" Lyon raised his brows, "Is something on my face?"

"No," Selena answered before revealing a smile, "I'm just happy seeing you again, and the warmth, reminds me of the golden days."

( ?! ) Rayus raised his brows as his ears perked up. ( Golden days? What? Didn't he say that he is not that older than us? ),

Lyon smiled, "I wish could remember that."

"You will, darling, you will," said Selena as she nodded.

"Teacher, you're one lucky guy," said Reinhard as he rolled his eyes.

"Hahaha!" Lyon laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "Of course I am! Now, where should we go looking at this, bandit group? Something with a swan or whatever their name is."

"It's Burgeon Swan," Noah sighed. ( For a powerful man, I guess being a bit forgetful can be considered his drawback ).

"Yeah that," said Lyon as he nodded.

"We are soon approaching Nemk City," said Rayus, "We can gather information there."

"Are you sure we can gather information there?" asked Lyon. "What if that city is actually ruled by the so-called bandits."

( Did he forget the name already?! ) thought Noah.

"That's... hmm, I never thought about that," said Noah.

"Hahaha, don't worry about it, we got six months!" said Lyon.

"Six months?! Wait, I thought you were joking!" exclaimed Reinhard.

"We are not going to return to that school until the graduation event started," said Lyon.

"What?!" Noah asked. "Why not?!"

"With an environment like that, how far do you think you could grow?" asked Lyon as he furrowed his brows and the group stopped. "They bickered your left and right, always reminding you how bigger they are just because they had come from a higher status ballsack. I mean, this is just the way I saw things in less than two days. I bet that even the facilities that you used were rigged, perhaps not the intention of your principal or vice principal, but the other classes or teachers. With that in mind, you're going to grow, just in the opposite direction."

"That's..." Reinhard looked down in solemness. He knew what the new teacher said was right. Their class had been the subject of bullying for almost the last three years. However, they managed to endure it somehow.

"It's really amazing that you three still stick inside Nirvana School," said Lyon with a smile, "What? Is the prize worth the pain? Worth the shame..?"

"It is a chance like no other," said Rayus. "How could we miss it, even if we graduated at the bottom of the entire school, we are still something compared to the others. Furthermore, getting there was not easy."

Noah nodded, "Couple that with new teachers coming as the previous ones going, and our hope lit and died, and then lit again, over and over again, until what happened with the Burgeon Swan."

"Until I came along hahaha!" Lyon pointed at himself and laughed.

"Yeah!" Reinhard followed suit, "In just less than a day, you prove yourself to be the best teacher we ever have!"

"Alright, don't start kissing my ass, you're a guy," jested Lyon as Reinhard was petrified under the laughter of his two friends.

"Darling, we should get going," said Selena.

"Right, right! We should get going!" said Lyon, "Where are we going?"

"The Nemk City remember? I mean, we can read the sign already!" said Noah as he pointed to a signboard standing in the middle of a three-way.

"Oh, to the right is a forest, to the left is Nemk City," said Lyon as he read the signs they pointed to. "What is this Nemk City anyway?"

"It's just a regular city," said Noah.

"Alright, who is in charge of the city?" asked Lyon.

"The elder of the city?" asked Reinhard. "I forgot his name though."

"Bucca," said Rayus. "Elder Bucca lived in the biggest house in the city."

"Alright, let's go there, we need to see this Elder Bucca," said Lyon. "I'm sure with your uniforms, we can get an audience with him."

A few moments later.

Lyon and the group were standing in front of the gate of the biggest house in the city.

"We are sorry but an audience with the elder is not available at this time," said one of the two guards guarding the gate.

"What? Why not?" asked Lyon as he furrowed his brows, "Do you see their uniforms? They are from the elite school, Nirvana School, surely he could give Old Gu some face?"

The guard was taken aback by his persistence, but they didn't dare to show disrespect either. "Y-Yes, we know the uniforms quite well, but there is nothing that we can do here, the elder is not at home currently."

"He is not? Where is he?" asked Lyon.

"We don't know where he went," said one of the guards, "Perhaps you can go to the city hall and ask around?"

"Where is the city hall?" asked Lyon.

"In the middle of the city? Wait, are you not from around here?"

Lyon turned and then left with the group. He didn't answer the guards even through gestures.

The guards furrowed before one of them thought, "That guy is suspicious."

"No shit," said the other. "But, I'm not going to chase after him, I'm not paid enough to risk myself over something like this, besides, Elder Bucca can handle them."

"True that," he nodded. "Keeping our nose out of this is the best course of action."

Meanwhile, Lyon and the group had arrived at the City Hall.

"Halt, what is your purpose here?" asked a guard with a frown face.

"We want to have an audience with Bucca," said Lyon.

"What did you say?!"

"He-He meant Elder Bucca!" said Noah as he stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but he is new around here."

"Hmph! Don't try anything funny like that again," said the guard before his pupils shrunk out of nowhere. Every breath he could take was getting colder and colder as his heart made a sprint out of his control. His lips parted as his goosebumps already peaked. ( W-Wha... what's happening?! ) thought the guard before all of these eerie sensations suddenly vanish with a simple call.

"Selena," Lyon called out.

"Yes, darling?" Selena came passing from behind the guard.

( What the? When did she?! ) the guard's imagination was halted as Reinhard asked, "Can we see Elder Bucca?"

"Huh?" the guard snapped back before looking at Reinhard. He made a fake cough, "I'm sorry, but Elder Bucca is not currently present inside the City Hall."

"Where is he?" asked Lyon. "Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"Elder Bucca is currently joining the auction," said the guard. "However, I suggest that you wait until the event is over if you want to have an audience with him."

"An auction?" Lyon raised his brows before rubbing his chin as he contemplated, "Hmm.."

"T-Teacher, you're not going to join the auction, are you?" asked Noah.

"Well, we're here," said Lyon, "Might as well go there and sat beside him."

"Good luck," said the guard.

Lyon frowned at the guard's sent-off words however, he thought nothing of it before going to the auction along with the rest of the group.

Inside the auction, there was already a person waiting at the front of the receptionist's desk. He was well-dressed and wore the typical smile of that of a concierge.

"Welcome to Nemk Auction!" said the concierge.

"We are here to join the auction, I would like to sit right beside Elder Bucca."

The concierge raised his brows, "Esteemed guests, please show me your VIP card."

"My what?" Lyon asked.

"My apologies," the concierge said with a little bow, "However, Elder Bucca is sitting in the VIP room alongside his friends, to join that room, one would need VIP access."

"What if I don't have one?" asked Lyon.

"Then you will join the common buyers on the first floor," said the concierge.

"Looks like we have to wait outside," said Noah, however, Rayus was looking at Lyon, particularly his face.

( This guy is up to something... what is it...? ) thought Rayus as he saw his new teacher smirking at the face of an obstacle.