Emperor's Reckoning

The three students and Lenu were standing in awe. Their eyes were left awake as Lyon kept nodding at himself while looking at the red stone in his hand.

"What... What just happened?" asked Reinhard.

"Darling also excels in the art of Rune," said Selena. "He is the best!"

"T-Teacher Lyon is a Rune Master?" Reinhard raised his brows in surprise.

"I am?" Lyon asked.

"What?"

"I-I mean, yes, yes I am," Lyon nodded.

"Woah.." Noah muttered. He looked at Lyon's smug face laughing. He wondered about the unveiled secrets that resided within those smirks.

"You're a Rune Master?!" Lenu raised his brows.

"I think so?" Lyon raised his brows.

"Why are you contradicting yourself with each sentence..." Rayus had his brows twitched. "Well, do you feel any different?"

"Funny that you ask because I don't," said Lyon as he lobbed the red stone and caught it again. "This is clearly not a Summoning Ruby Stone, it lacks that glow."

"Are you kidding me?" Reinhard slumped his shoulders down.

"Selena, do you know what this is?" asked Lyon as he gave the red stone to Selena with a smile.

Selena smiled as her ears perked up seeing his smile. "W-Well, darling, I'm afraid that I have no idea what this is."

"I-I see..."

"Perhaps that red tomboy knows what," said Selena with a glint of sharp eyes.

Lyon twitched his smile.

"Red tomboy?" all three students were confused before looking at each other.

Noah gulped, "T-Teacher, are you having an affair?"

"That's a sin!" shouted Reinhard, pointing at him with a trembling finger.

"I... I have no comment," said Rayus as he stepped back. He knew it was a sensitive subject, and he was certainly not dumb enough to incite the wrath of the madam.

"It's not an affair stupid," said Lyon before he showed him his hands, "See these two rings?"

"A-A wife... Wait! Another wife?!" Noah exclaimed.

"I didn't tell you before?" Lyon furrowed his brows before he laughed, "Looks like I forgot."

"T-Teacher, y-you're not a cheater, you're a legend..." said Reinhard before he saw Lyon's head expand with his laughter bursting through the clouds.

"I guess I will put this away then," said Lyon as he kept the stone inside his spatial ring. He turned and looked at the three students before asking, "Have you collected all of them?"

"I have looked at the crooks and corners inside every tent I entered," said Reinhard. "I'm pretty sure there is none left."

"That's fast," muttered Lyon to himself.

"Same here," Noah waved, "Treasury room is empty, out of tokens."

"What about the artifacts?" asked Lyon.

"You haven't told us anything about what to do to the artifacts," said Rayus.

"Well if you find anything that fancies you, take it," said Lyon before he laughed yet again.

( He sounds like a pirate the more I heard him laugh ) thought Noah as his brows twitched. He sighed, "Alright."

Lenu looked at Lyon with wondrous eyes. "I have never met anyone that left such a first impression like yours."

Lyon furrowed his brows as he looked at him. "That sounds... weird."

Lenu made a fake cough. "We would surely have a tremendous boost if you join our cause, no, we need you, teacher."

"Hmm?" Lyon raised his brows as he crossed his arms. "That's a strong word to use."

"I—"

"We're done here, teacher," said Reinhard before he paused, "Huh? Are you in the middle of something? Am I interrupting?"

"No," Lyon answered. "Let's go back to the bar."

Lyon and the three students returned before Lenu proposed an idea.

"Why don't we burn this place down first?" asked Lenu as he lit up a nearby torch.

"If you burn this place down, wouldn't the illusion will also get canceled?" asked Rayus.

"It would sink the Guh City into the mayhem of panic if they discovered this," said Noah. "They might even despise us."

"Despise us? Why would they be?" asked Reinhard.

"Because Burgeon Swan won't stand idly by, Guh City will be the next target," said Rayus, "I don't doubt that they have the power to comb through the city."

"But that..."

"I don't care," said Lyon as he turned and looked at Lenu. He crossed his arms, "You can burn this place down, I don't care what happened to Guh City."

"But teacher..!" Reinhard repulsed. "They could be tortured, because of us!"

"It's their responsibility, not us," said Lyon. "You can't save everyone, Reinhard, learn that!"

"...?!" Reinhard was stunned by his words.

"If you were to take account of every opinion, then you will understand that even by doing nothing you will still offend someone," said Lyon.

Reinhard was stumped.

Lyon sighed, "It's not that it's a bad thing to save everyone, if you can do that, then that's the best outcome. However, if it is at the cost of your loved ones, would you still do it?"

"I..."

"Were the price of saving everyone means a huge chance of Rayus or Noah dying, would you do it?" asked Lyon.

( That's going too far... ) thought Lenu as he watched Lyon daggering Reinhard with his eyes.

"Let me tell you this, don't do it," said Lyon before he crossed his arms. "If you do it, you'll be a hero to strangers, at the cost of being a killer to your own friends. That's pretty pathetic in my eyes, it's not even shameless that's trash."

Reinhard looked down at his palms. His hands were trembling as those words seemed to hammer his torso, his soul. Aspire and aspire, that was the word best describe him. He aspired to be a hero, he aspired to be the one that was looked up to by the children and praised by other cultivators. However, was it at the cost of his own two friends, he was perplexed.

"Your desire to save is commendable, though some might puke at it or laugh at it, it's who you are. Be mindful and weigh the price of who you want to save," said Lyon. "The situation we are going to plunge into might force you to decide on one life against another."

Lyon put his hands on his shoulders and make him look in the eyes. "If you still want to save them, be mindful."

Reinhard gulped, "What if it's the cost of saving everyone in my own life?"

"Then that's your own choice," Lyon let go of his shoulders before smirking, "You'll die a hero."

"Oi, don't do anything stupid," said Rayus.

"Yeah, what the hell are you thinking?" Noah scowled as he slapped his back.

Reinhard was pushed a step by the huge slap before he turned.

"Teacher is right, if you choose to sacrifice us, I will kill you," said Rayus.

"Twice," said Noah.

"Heh," Lyon smirked as he walked through the illusion barrier and out into a forest after a slight warp distortion. "Ugh, that doesn't feel good."

"Darling, that's some prep talk you did there," said Selena after she walked through the illusion barrier.

"The kids need it," said Lyon.

"Hehe, funny how you say that darling, aren't you also in the same generation as them?" Selena playfully smiled.

"But I'm not a kid," said Lyon as he frowned.

"Hehe," Selena chuckled before Lenu stepped out.

"Uh... am I interrupting something?" asked Lenu as he scratched the back of his head.

Before Lyon could answer, the three students followed suit with Reinhard pulling a caravan out.

Lyon smirked, "Are you all done?"

"Yeah," said Reinhard, "We even take the fanciest carriage too."

"That's a bad idea, we will attract attention like a walking clown," said Lenu. "Better pick something a bit more low-key— here, I brought us some cloaks to cover ourselves, we don't want them to know that we're back."

"I don't know, doesn't this kinda... pulling attention like a sore thumb?" asked Noah.

"Many cultivators use this as they traveled Second Heaven, no big deal as long as your face is not famous," said Lenu.

The three students looked at Lyon for affirmation but the man was seen walking back toward Guh City with his cloak already on and Selena by her side.

"Damn, he left already, let's catch up with them quick!" said Lenu.

"Sir Lenu," said Reinhard.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Why didn't you burn the entire camp?" asked Reinhard.

"I... a forest fire out of nowhere will surely bring some—"

"I forgot!" Lyon passed them by and entered the camp before Selena quickly followed behind him.

"Eh?" the four of them were stunned by the sudden event but before they could ask questions Lyon got out with Selena by his side.

"Hahaha! I forgot this," said Lyon as he showed a Returning Jade Stone.

"Is that?" Lenu frowned.

"Most likely," Rayus nodded. "The one Gamael used to meet with the other powerhouses."

Lyon put it away from their sight, "Let's go! I'm hungry." his face froze in an instant as one specific pair of blue eyes were gleaming.