Emperor's Reckoning

"Now then," Refl Angst sat down to a creak of his chair. "The Burgeon Swan is not an ordinary bandit group that you can simply uproot, they are massive."

"Massive?" Lyon raised his brows, "How massive?"

"We suspect that they worked more behind the scene than just taking money out of people passing the street they 'guard'."

"So those who are seen are most likely lackeys of the lowest level?" asked Lyon. "You mean that they are more structured than the word 'bandit' implies?"

"En," Refl nodded. "We have captured ones that are extorting money out of people on the street, however, it seems like they are just lackeys that don't have any idea how the group works."

"How about the leader of those lackeys?" asked Lyon.

"They are quite good at hiding and running away," said Refl before he sighed, "They would use underhanded tactics and any means necessary to escape from our grasp."

"They are bandits, it is to be expected that they would use dirty tricks," said Lyon after he smirked, "Do you ever thought that they might have a surreal backing? Perhaps one of the people that hold true power in Second Heaven?"

"I do have that thought," said Refl. "However, I shudder every time I know that it is a possibility."

"Hahaha," Lyon laughed. "Let's get the matter at hand first."

"En," Refl nodded, "We have gathered numerous lintels from all different kinds of sources. Markets, merchants, even auctions and blacksmiths. Yet still! They eluded us."

"How many people are we?" asked Reinhard.

Refl sighed, "We are not much, our numbers might discourage you."

"Haha, they looked discouraged already," Lyon smirked. "But don't flatter now, numbers are just that, numbers."

"Heh, we really could use a guy like you," Refl smiled. "If you want, you can go to the nearby forest and act as a traveling merchant."

"Traveling merchant?" asked Lyon. "Considering the size of the Burgeon Swan, they might already sniff your plan."

"Most likely, but you are not just pretending, you are actually delivering something to the next city beyond the forest," said Refl.

Lyon furrowed his brows, "What are you planning?"

"I have a contact in Guh City and you might be able to gain the latest information there since the last activity known was around that city," said Refl.

"So it's a test," Lyon smirked.

"Heh," Refl smirked then looked at the three students, "You're teacher is a sharp one."

The three students smiled wryly.

"When?" Lyon asked as he drank the water on the table in front of him. ( Damn cheapskate! It's plain water! )

"Tomorrow evening, same time, how does that sound?" asked Refl.

"That's a good arrangement!" nodded Reinhard.

"Can we do it right away?" Lyon asked.

"Huh?" Reinhard and the other two students were flabbergasted at the same time. They looked at their teachers who didn't seem to make a joke. "A-Are you serious, teacher?" Reinhard asked.

"Well, yes!" Lyon nodded, "I'm sure that he can prepare us the carriage and everything."

"Heh, hahahaha!" Refl laughed while facing the ceiling. "Such boldness! You really are worthy of my respect! Fine! Tonight it is! Follow me," he stood before pointing at the door right behind him.

"Alright," Lyon stood up before taking a glance at his dear wife, "Are you ready?"

"This feels like the golden days, doesn't it?" Selena smiled and then stood up. "I'm ready, darling, always."

Lyon gave a warm smile before looking at the three students, "Loosen up, things about to get real bloody."

"Wuuu!!" Reinhard clenched his teeth and veins popped up as a rush of energies coursed throughout his body.

"Heh, either the adrenaline gets him or he tries to take a shit, honestly I can't differentiate between the two," Lyon muttered.

Rayus looked at his palm with eyes more alive than the last few weeks.

"Let's go, Rayus, it's better to die fighting than sitting back awaiting our inevitable failure," said Noah as he tapped his shoulder.

Rayus smiled in response.

Lyon and the others soon found themselves behind the bar. He put his hands on his waist looking at the plain horse ready to pull the caravan behind him. "Sometimes, I miss a car."

"A what?" Refl raised his brows.

"Nothing," Lyon shook his head, "Forget I said anything."

Refl furrowed his brows but didn't pry further, "This plain old caravan is the way."

"The way, it is," Lyon nodded. "This one is not garnering any attention, perfect."

The horse neighed and slightly rose his hind legs.

"Darling, it looks like the horse disagrees with you," Selena smiled.

"Hahaha, don't worry stallion, you're safe with me," said Lyon as he pointed at himself.

The horse snorted at him before the laughter of the three students came about.

"What are we carrying with us?" Lyon asked.

"These are artifacts that I obtained from the auction, apparently he saw something that he liked one time and one me to buy it," Refl sighed as he pointed at his lackeys whose carrying the box in the middle of putting them away inside the caravan.

Rayus frowned. ( A legendary figure such as him is being treated like this? Who is this man that he talks about? ).

"Haha," Lyon laughed. "So you're willing to risk it?"

"I am!" Refl said with passion before sighing. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to Lyon. "If you made it to the other side of the city, give this to him, he would know who sent you."

"Right," Lyon received it before asking, "Who are we looking for?"

"The man named Lenu," said Refl. "Oh, you will also need this map."

Lyon received the scroll from his hand before immediately passing it toward Reinhard. He had learned his lesson with the maps back in Nostria, and he was not going to reiterate the same mistake again.

"Your journey might not be smooth though, the forest at night invites a lot of troubles," said Refl before he gestured his lackey to light up the mana orb right beside the coach seat.

"Every forest at night invites troubles," Lyon laughed. "However, they have gotten used to it."

"Hahaha, very well!" Refl nodded. "I shall not delay you any further."

"Alright," Lyon nodded before turning around and looking at the three students, "You three! You three are now my drivers, don't let me down."

"What?!" Noah exclaimed, "But there is only a single horse."

"Then it's all the more reason that you can do it, right?" Lyon asked with a grin, "Hahaha!"

He and Selena entered behind the caravan and left the three students flabbergasted.

"W-Well, I guess will take the first turn," said Reinhard.

"Yeah, and probably for the rest of the drive," said Noah.

"You better get going now," said Refl, "The forest is merciless the deeper the night goes."

Rayus nodded, "Thank you for your help— let's go."

Rayus and Noah looked at each other before following behind him.

Finally, the caravan left the place and before long it was out of Refl's sight. One of his lackeys, the bartender, stood beside him and asked, "Sir, do you trust them that much? You basically gave them a caravan and an artifact that Sir Lenu wanted to boot."

"Trust is the wrong word to use," said Refl.

"Huh?"

"I don't trust them," said Refl. "Those are a bunch of young boys with a sense of revenge. In the real world, merely the feelings alone will not yield any result, what matters is always the strength that they have," said Refl.

"And those boys, they have what it takes? They have the strength that you talked about?"

"Heh, of course not!" said Refl before his brows furrowed. "However, that new teacher and his wife..."

"What of them...?"

"Have you ever met someone that you don't know, but once you meet them, you know how vulnerable you are?" asked Refl.

"Vulnerable... like... fear?"

"That is the word I'm dodging the most," Refl smirked at the bartender's disbelief, "I have instances of this kind of encounter throughout my life, however, this is the first time that I felt vulnerable. Every move that I could take against them undoubtedly result in death and not even fleeing was an option."

"But that's impossible, you know how weak their presence is."

"You should see it in a different light," said Refl, "With the fact that you just mentioned, he dared to talk like that to me, he dares to disregard any common courtesy, not even my presence could flinch the two of them— not before and not after the revelation of my status."

"Y-You mean both of them are play wolf in sheep's clothing?!"

Refl tapped his shoulder and smiled, "The Mortal World might have given birth to its finest cultivators yet," before returning back to his room, leaving the bartender alone in the backyard.

"What..." The bartender was stunned on the spot.

Meanwhile, a gallop of the single horse pulling the caravan was heard exiting the city gates.