Path to Transcendence

Julius examined the man who had spoken to them. The man was wearing plain black pants and a black jacket with the golden insignia of the Empire. He didn’t look all that impressive; he was relatively plain compared to most higher-tiered people Julius had seen. He was tall, but that was about it. Still, Julius hadn’t sensed his approach, so he must have been somewhat skilled.
Unlike him, neither Cain nor Freya seemed particularly surprised at his appearance.
“Let him go? After he assaulted my apprentice? I don’t think I need to remind you that it is the Empire’s responsibility to look after its talented children. Since you failed to do so, I will do whatever I wish to this shithead,” Cain shot back and exuded his aura, removing his shroud for the first time.
The weight of a Tier 6’s aura pressed down on this man. To the plain man’s credit, he withstood this aura better than most. He only let out a grunt as the aura collapsed on top of him. It was only when Cain felt like he had made his point that he pulled back his aura and reshrouded it.
The man took a few deep breaths to gather himself and bowed toward the three of them.
“Regardless, I must insist you let us handle this. I promise you that there will be an appropriate punishment for Mr. Adrianagus,” he persisted despite just experiencing Cain’s aura.
Julius had to hold back the laugh that tried to come up to his lips. Adrianagus was quite a name, and he could see why the man had gone by Adrian instead.
Furthermore, he somewhat respected the man for standing his ground.
It was just too bad that Julius didn’t believe that this Adrianagus guy would experience any truly severe consequences for his actions. Otherwise, he didn’t see the reason why his plain man was willing to interfere on his behalf. There had to be a reason why he had done so, and Julius suspected it had something to do with this sect the man belonged to.
“You insist?” Cain repeated slowly.
The plain man bowed again, this time even deeper. “Yes, I apologize for the hubris of my words, my lord, but I must insist.”
“What is your name and who are you?” Julius cut in before Cain could lose his patience.
The plain man turned to look at Julius. “My name is Stephan and I am an official Steward of Foreign Relations.” Unlike the differential tone he had taken with Cain and Freya, it would seem that Julius wasn’t quite lucky enough to receive such treatment. However, it wasn’t like he cared all that much. After all, this man was two tiers above Julius and was likely one of the strongest people in the room most of the time.
He wasn’t the only person who had taken notice of the change of tone. Practically before the man was able to finish his words, Freya was already next to the man. She didn’t do anything, just smiling sweetly, but there was a warning hidden behind it. He noticeably flinched as she neared him.
“Okay, Stephan, why must you insist on our letting him go? Do you have an understanding of the situation?” Julius asked calmly.
“I do, and I am also responsible for overseeing the Burning Sun Sect’s visit to the Empire. This included the activities of its members, which also included him,” he said with a nod toward the man Cain still had within his grasp, who might or might not be unconscious. Apparently, the man was smart enough to understand Freya’s warning and had spoken to Julius with a much more respectful tone.
Cain scoffed and interjected before the man could explain more. “So you are saying that the reason why this man was able to attack my apprentice was because you failed to prevent it?” His aura slowly emerged once more.
The man's eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No, no. That is not what happened.”
“Oh, so you purposefully allowed him to attack Julius and didn’t do anything to stop it?” Freya pointed out. Her tone was as cold as ice.
Stephan imperceptibly gulped as he wilted under their gazes, seeing that he was slowly losing control of the situation.
However, Julius was feeling quite generous and waved the two angry Tier 6s off. “Let me handle this. I want to see what is going on. He clearly has a reason for his actions, and I want to hear what it is,” he said to them, still staying calm. Perhaps it was because of his experience with shitty situations like this, but he wasn't too irritated at what had happened. His anger had died down quite quickly.
Cain and Freya didn’t seem happy, but they respected his wishes and took a step back.
Julius turned back to Stephan and frowned when he noticed that the man looked a little more wary when looking at him. No doubt, wondering why two powerful figures would listen to him.
“So what is the situation between the Burning Sun Sect and the Empire? Is it a significant sect or something?” He questioned.
“Significant?” Stephan asked in disbelief. “They are one of the Ten Great Sects of Corvus. Of course, they are significant.”
“And he is important to this sect?” Julius asked, showing no reaction upon hearing that this sect was supposedly part of the so-called Ten Great Clans. He didn't know who they were, and honestly, he didn’t care all that much.
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“He is one of their elders, and his mother is their Vice-Sect Leader. He is also one of the people the sect sent as an envoy to the Empire, which means he represents the Burning Sun Clan.”
Julius sighed and pinched his nose. Why did he always find himself in these difficult situations? Why couldn’t he just get through this tournament without any drama? It felt like fate wanted him to die of stress rather than someone’s sword.
He turned to Freya. “Do you know who this Burning Sun Sect is?” While he was sure Cain had no idea who this sect was, he hoped that Freya might know instead.
She shrugged. “I have heard of the Ten Great Sects before, but I usually don’t pay that much attention to their names. From what I know, they have changed over the years as various sects rise and fall to power. What I do know is that they are one of the greater influences in Corvus.”
“They are the fourth-ranked sect amongst the Ten Great Sects,” Stephan interjected helpfully.
“Fourth? So what, they are middle of the pack?” Julius asked with a frown.
Stephan scoffed. “The fact that they are one of the Ten Great Sects is already an impressive feat. Ranking fourth is also just as impressive, considering that the top three have always been a part of the ten sects, never getting replaced in the history of the Ten Great Sects.”
“So they are a big deal,” Julius noted.
“That is one way to say it,” Stephan sighed.
“And if we kidnap and punish this man on our own, then it would create friction between the Burning Sun Sect and the Empire?”
Stephan nodded. “Yes, the fact that he is an elder would already make it difficult to act against him. But his heritage adds another problem. It’s already going to be hard to explain why he is in such rough condition despite being under the protection of the Empire.”
“Just tell them he was the one to attack first. If they don’t like that explanation, then tough luck,” Julius said uncaringly.
“Does that mean you are going to allow me to take him with me?” Stephan asked while looking at the limp body of Adrian.
“Sure.” Julius waved his arm dismissively and was already preparing to leave.
Surprisingly, it was Freya who interrupted. “You want to let this man go? After his actions? After what he did to you? He didn’t just push you down in the middle of the street,” she pointed out.
He shrugged uncaringly. “I've been through worse. And honestly, it sounds like it would just create more problems if we keep him. Plus, what are we going to do with him? Lock him in a cage and starve him to death?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of beating him up a few more times, but yeah,” Cain stated with a nod.
Julius pinched the bridge of his nose and held back a heavy sigh. “I just want to have a relaxed, drama-free tournament. Is that so hard to ask for?”
“For you? Yeah,” Cain said bluntly.
Julius threw him an annoyed gaze, but turned back to Stephan. “You can take him,” he said to the man who seemed a little baffled by their interaction. He was already making his way down the hallway, away from the small crowd of people who were watching this unfold.
“Uh…Could you wait a moment?” He heard Stephan hesitatingly call out to him.
Julius rolled his eyes and stopped, but didn’t turn back around. “What now?” He asked.
“I hate to say this, but as someone responsible for this entire situation unfolding like this, I feel like it is my duty to tell you that the Burning Sun Sect will likely not take this lightly,” the man commented quietly.
“What does that mean?” Freya asked.
“They have a reputation of being quite petty and excessive when it involves their pride,” he said anxiously.
Julius found the nearest wall and slammed his head into it hard. Of course, that was the case. He finally turned back to Stephan, blood running down his forehead as he spoke to the Steward.
“Okay, so how do we avoid that?” He inquired with a bright smile, trying to hide his annoyance.
“The best solution would be to mediate as soon as possible before they can draw any conclusions of their own. I have learned from interacting with them that it is best to nip it in the bud as swiftly as possible. Their Vice Sect Leader is a very reasonable person; she will likely understand,” Stephen said with more confidence.
“That’s the best solution?”
Stephan winced. “Truthfully, the easiest solution would be to cover it up, but with so many people and his connections, it will be hard.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Bring us to this Vice Sect Leader of the Burning Sun Sect, I will personally tell her what happened and what will happen if she and her son do not offer their sincerest apologies,” Cain said with a laugh.
“Not what we want,” Julius reminded him.
This time, it was Freya who placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let us handle this. Sometimes these sects only respect one thing.”
“What? Groveling?” He joked.
She smiled and shook her head, looking at Stephen unflinchingly.
“No.
.”
Julius ended up smiling alongside her and Cain. “Power, huh?” Then he looked at two of the most powerful people he had met and nodded confidently. “Well, luckily, you two have that part covered.”
Cain smacked him proudly on the shoulder. “I see you have grown wiser under my tutelage.”
Julius grunted as his shoulder was fractured from the hit. Cain still hadn’t restrained himself, and he almost vaporized Julius’s shoulder with a single smack. Julius quickly removed the man’s hand before it could do any more damage. “Please, you have as much wisdom as an enraged troll.”
Cain grabbed his chest. “Hurtful.”
“Let’s follow Freya’s lead. I trust her more to actually resolve this issue and not blow it out of proportion. If we follow you, we might start a war before the sun sets,” Julius muttered.
Freya smiled and nodded in agreement.
Cain sighed. “Fine, but if they start any shit, I am not going to stand by and let them,” he promised.
“If they start any shit, then do what you please,” Julius said with a wave of his arm and turned to Stephan.
“You heard them. Let’s go and see this Vice Sect Leader. Hopefully, we get this figured out. If I miss dinner because of this mess, I am going to be very upset,” he said as he gestured for Stephan to lead them.
Hopefully, they would be able to resolve all this simply and go their own ways. He gave one more glance at the limp form Cain was dragging behind him, cursing the idiot.
If only the stupid lout had minded his own business, Julius wouldn’t have to deal with this drama.