Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon's group was led by the queen of the Sverine Kingdom. This lavish escort was rare, even among the fellow royals.

On the way to Sverine Inn, she took notice of the severity that Afurnae was in. Her eyes might not show anything of care for the neutral city but inside her heart, she felt an itch of heartache. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful town, she had some fond memories of this place. Seeing it massively damaged as if a massive earthquake happened, made her slightly disheartened.

The princess of the Bolg Kingdom couldn't maintain her expression as well as the queen did. She lost her smile as she walked behind them. There were hardly any words coming out of her mouth but she didn't open her eyes to take a look at the heartening scenery. The city she once knew was hardly recognizable now.

Lyon nonchalantly walked as if he was not responsible for the sudden and abrupt destruction of the famed city. However, none of them knew besides Graham, that this was the best that could happen. Were he not to stop Hanjiseh with its destructive penetrating power, the entire city would have perished. They would see nothing but a wasteland with a huge crater on the ground then.

"Well this is not quite the outcome that I would have expected," muttered Lyon before he put his hands down with a smile on his face.

The Sverine Inn survived the massive blast, in fact, not a single wall was chipped off. The massive building managed to withstand the heavy tremor.

"Clearly," said Porealus as he nodded. "What are the chances that their building could withstand your attack, big brother."

Lyon laughed heartily, "Exactly! Exactly! Hahaha!"

He seemed so proud of what he had achieved amidst the gloomy stares from the onlookers.

"Chance?" Queen Wanda stopped before she turned around with a smile. She crossed her arms as she clicked her tongue and shook her head. "It is not a chance, dear Lyon's friend."

(L-Lyon's friend....) thought Porealus as his mouth twitched.

"Oh, so you have prepared for something like this?" asked Cecile with a smile on her end. Unlike Hilde, the two of them share almost the same title. This exchange of smile advocate a thousand intentions.

Hilde looked at the exchanged smile of the two rulers. She gulped. The two top-notch female cultivators in front of her were in their own league. She felt left-off but she herself knew that she was currently inadequate to stand with these two.

Queen Wanda nodded, "Yes, there is a reason why the Sverine Kingdom is famed for their magic-type cultivators. This is one of them."

She turned around with a smile on her face. She knew that she had the edge over Cecile because of her cultivation path.

Cecile kept her smile without muttering a single demeaning word. She knew very well that she could kill Wanda without fail in this distance. The main advantage of the art-type cultivators was their speed against the magic-type cultivators, due to the time it took for the latter to harness the mana and then chant the spell.

The group went in with a luxurious welcome from the Sverine Inn.

"Welcome back, Queen Wanda," the staff immediately bowed as they greeted their queen. Their head was facing against the ground as they bowed at a ninety degrees angle. Their eyes were wide open as they have cold sweat running down their face. They knew what had happened, they knew what was the cause, for words spread like wildfire and his name was the flame.

They might not have seen his face but they instantly knew who was the one among the group that was named, Lyon Torga.

"Thank you," said the queen as she walked between them before Lyon's group followed. "Please prepare rooms for our esteemed guest."

"Yes, your majesty!" the receptionist bowed before the staff hurriedly prepared the rooms as she requested.

Queen Wanda turned around and faced the lots. "While we wait for your rooms, let's head to the garden and take a walk with nature."

"Sure, why not?" answered Cecile as she walked beside the queen.

"S-Should we follow them?" asked Zet with a slightly dejected tone.

"If you don't want to, then don't, haha!" Tael laughed before he asked the receptionist if they got a snack he could munch on. After all, the inn was by the queen's courtesy, everything was free, even the snacks, especially the drinks.

"Well, I will be heading to the garden as well," said Lyon before he put his hands behind his head and walked at a really slow pace.

Lumina didn't spare a word as she followed Lyon by his side.

"I will check the kitchen," said Assid.

"What? Are you serious?" Kesya slouched as she looked at Assid disappointingly.

"We can't have him drink even a sip of liquor," said Assid as he readjusted his glasses with his middle finger.

"F-fine, you should have fun sometime though, just advice from the younger generation," Kesya winked.

"Hm, I will keep that in mind," Assid turned around before walking away, but he stops after a few steps. "Kesya, you're no longer young."

Kesya was petrified by Assid's word before she furrowed her eyebrows. She was glaring at him but the butler had vanished from normal sight.

Graham let his master walk with his lover. He exhaled audibly through his nose before he found a wall and leaned back. His tall stature immediately brought fear to his surrounding, nobody dare to do any harmful things against him, even when his eyes were completely shut.

Cecile and the queen were the first ones to enter the garden of Sverine Inn.

The place was quite grand and beautiful. It was not by any means a jewel-like secret garden amidst the bustling cities but it was pleasing for dry eyes. Various scents could be smelt as they walked along the path that was set for strollers. Birds could be seen flying freely from one nest to another as the sky above started blazing with its Magnifique twilight.

Queen Wanda smiled as she said to the tall woman beside her, "Look's like your husband is walking with that lover of his."

Cecile chuckled, "Let him have his fun, after all, he has seen rougher days."

"Oh?" the queen raised her eyebrows.

"Come now, let's cut the talk, what do you want to ask?" said Cecile with a smile.

Queen Wanda raised both of her eyebrows with a bit of surprise on her face. However, she didn't keep the act of feigning that there was no intention. "I want to ask about him, first, that is if you are willing to answer."

"Why not," Cecile smiled, "But I will answer those that I want to answer."

"You know very well that I cannot force you," said the queen with a smile.

Cecile nodded. "Then what do you want to ask about?"

"Is he really from the Mortal World?" asked the queen of the Sverine Kingdom.

"Hm?" Cecile was genuinely surprised by her question. Her eyebrows rose immediately before she burst into laughter. "Hahaha!"

The queen furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at her reaction.

After having her laugh, Cecile looked at how serious the queen was before she wipe the tears on her eyes. "Yes, he is from the Mortal World, where did you speculate he was from?"

(Mortal World?!) thought Wanda as her pupils shrunk. She refused to believe that the Mortal World would give birth to a monster even more deadly than the woman in front of her.

"I-I, I thought that he was from Hell until he used True Dragon blessing."

"Pretty logical," Cecile nodded.

"Then, who are his parents?" asked Queen Wanda.  (What kind of man and woman would give birth to such a monster? They must be someone famous that even Seventh Heaven, Paradise, would know of!)

Cecile raised one of her eyebrows as she smiled.

(Of course, she won't tell, or... does she even know who his real parents are?) thought the queen.

"Do you know who they are?" asked Queen Wanda before the mana lamps lightening the path they are walking on.

"I'm his wife, you know," Cecile chuckled.

"A-Are they from the Mortal World too?" asked Queen Wanda.

"Perhaps," Cecile smiled.

(Perhaps..?) the queen furrowed her eyebrows (Is she toying with me?).

The queen smiled, "Why are you in doubt?"

"Because I hardly know one of them," said Cecile as she smiled before she grabbed the queen's shoulder.

"?!"

Cecile's eyes turned ghastly as she stared at her beautiful face. "Don't ask him anything about his parents."

The queen was a powerful being on her own but in front of the auburn woman, she was nothing. She knew from the words that the latter spouted that it was not a request, but a warning.

Wanda nodded in response but now, she was even more confused than before. However, before she could ask another question.

"ACHO!!"

Lyon sneezed like a clap of thunder behind them. (Damn! I guess the closer you are to someone talking to you, the louder the sneeze gets! These women must be gossiping about me!).