Claire was the most shocked with his final declaration. The fact that his arm was still wrapped around her somehow gave her chills.
Was she playing with fire? But why was she liking the heat of it all. She was too dumbfounded to even try to speak to the mayor's son to tell him not to apologize.
She had broken history by being the first person a mayor's son had apologized to. She could not help but wonder whether this was going to bring her trouble later.
She had just been caught up in a conflict between a hidden young master and a young master who was a mayor's son. Her face was still pale but it was regaining its rosiness slowly.
Again, she could not help but feel that Lyren was even more mysterious. She had thought that she had uncovered his depth but that did not seem to be the case.
He was still too far away and the more she thought that she had learned about him, the more she realized that she was only scratching the surface!
Suddenly she felt his grip on her shoulder loosen and his arm started falling on her back.
She could not help but wonder whether he was getting perverted thoughts because his hand seemed to be trying to feel her body and when his hand reached her butt, she realized that something was wrong because his weight was pushing her forward.
His hand slipped through to her thighs and stopped at her knees. She heard a small thud as the clang sword tip hitting the ground came to her ears.
Her gaze focused and she looked at Lyren who had fallen to one knee. He was out of breath and his body was supported by his sword.
She too went on her knees and quickly propped him up by lifting his hand on her shoulder then standing up.
His skin pale, eyes were hazy and he stood weakly. She sighed because she should have thought about it. That technique he had used was too powerful and she was sure that someone in the ninth stage had to be cautious of it.
It sounded like speculation but that was the truth. For a seventh stage to produce an attack of that level, it was obvious that he was fully drained both mentally and Elyria-wise.
The crowd saw this but they knew that the kid was not normal. Who knew whether he had more tricks to him.
As Claire thought about it, she realized that it was the adrenaline of performing the technique. The comfortable smile on his face even in his current situation was proof that it was his first success.
He had been able to remain standing even when drained and he had scared everyone with the mayor's son running for his life.
When the adrenaline had been exhausted, fatigue had surged and overwhelmed. The fact that he was still standing was a testament of will power and also a strong foundation.
Many people would easily collapse after they were drained but Lyren was still standing. Only out of breath and exhausted.
She quickly removed a pill she had and fed it to him which he did not resist. Lyren felt a surge of energy into his core as it greedily absorbed the Elyria in the pill.
He realized that pills were important in cultivation. If he could get such pills, advancing was not going to be a difficult task. Color quickly returned to his features and he could not hold himself as he smiled foolishly.
That was the first sword he had successfully performed. All that remained was for him to sharpen it and also increase his cultivation.
The pill he had taken had actually refilled his core in no moments and it had also increased his Elyria. He was a step up in the seventh stage.
He slowly released Claire and took the sheath from her. He sheathed is sword and he could actually feel something was coming as he suddenly looked at Claire who seemed to be angry.
"Why did you push yourself s hard? You should have let me go and continue with your excursion. Am I important to you that you had to go as far as offending the mayor? How are you going to survive now?
"You are now a target. Everyone here would want to get in the good books of the mayor…." Claire started ranting and her voice carried both anger and concern but she was cut off by Lyren.
"What about you? DO you want to get in the good books of the mayor?" Lyren asked with a smile as he looked around. He was already receiving hostile gazes from the crowd.
Claire was caught off guard by his question. Off course she wanted to be in the good books of the mayor. But she knew that the better option was standing right next to her and she could not afford to lose this footing he was offering.
"What if I am?" she retorted and Lyren chuckled.
"Let's go. Those who will come looking for trouble will make me obliged to give it to them," Lyren said as he started walking away.
"Young Master, its this way," she finally corrected him as she had been hoping to do when he lashed out at her. He stopped and scratched his head as he changed direction.
***
City guards finally caught wind of what had happened and when they found the bloody scene, they could not help but ask who was responsible.
The response left them confused on what to do. This matter involved the mayor's son who had been trying to cause trouble but it had backfired.
They cleaned up the bodies and sent them to the mayor's manor and other guards were left cleaning the blood stains.
In the Mayor's Manor though, in a dark room probably a hall, the mayor was fuming when he heard that someone had just beaten his son.
That was the same as treason and even though he knew his son was at fault for seeking trouble, he could not afford to lose face when the entrance ceremony was five days away.
"Find out who is responsible and dispose them off." The mayor spoke with a headache.
Cleaning up after his foolish son was going to be the end of him. Four second realm men dressed in assassin uniform bowed and just when they were about to leave, a voice came.
"I see that the mayor is still as dutiful as I remember him to be. Now interfering with matters of the younger generation. Very good."
The voice was calm and aged yet when the mayor heard it, he quickly fell on his knees and the assassins fell face first as an insurmountable aura crushed them.
"I beg your pardon. I did not know that he was your student. Forgive my rashness," the mayor's voice quivered as he spoke.
He knew that voice very well and no one in the city dared to cross him. He gritted his teeth as his foolish son had offended someone he shouldn't. He was going to make sure that that brat of his paid for this loss of face.
"How about I give you a task. I need your two assassins to look after that boy. Make sure that no harm befalls him." The voice said and the mayor grit his teeth because he was being reduced to guard dogs to a brat.
"I shall make sure that your order is fulfilled." The mayor said and there was no response as the pressure disappeared.
Two assassins could not believe the task but they had no choice as their task changed. The mayor was left seated on the chair frustrated.
***
"What did you get from the mayor's son that made you let him go?" Claire finally asked.
The calm look on Lyren as though he did not care who he had just offended meant that he had a protector of his own.
She had to make sure that she did not cross the line. She wondered, was he really unaware of the social norms or was he just performing?
"Just a few gold coins…" Lyren replied and Claire almost puked blood.
Gold coins were the peak currency in terms of coins and now she was walking besides a treasure trove. Was this by luck or design?
"Don't over-dream over what is not yours okay?"
"I am your woman and you ought to treat me well…"
"…"
Lyren was speechless as he had shot himself on the foot, again.