The Arcadia System - Chapter 253

Reve looked at the four of them.

They were too intimidated to look back at him which made him sigh, ‘I am not a tyrant, am I?’

Even his mask was plain, so what were they scared off.

His voice was as cute as a puppy’s bark…

‘Damn, now I feel offended. I’m not fricking scary!’

Sighing once again, Reve faced the four people, “Dorian, Ryana, Herry, Karl.”

“Yes, Kimon.”

“You have gained power far beyond your understanding. Your true name has been decided. Azur, Haeven, Daimon, Rath. You shall form the pillars of the tribe and lead the others.  While I’m away, I shall task you with protecting our dealings with the other organizations.”

“Azur and Rath. You shall be responsible for collecting our income from the Black Market and safeguarding it. You shall be the face of the tribe when I’m away. Do not participate in any social event, unless you have my approval.”

“Haeven, you are to focus on only tasks related to Marya.”

“Daimon, while the others are away, you shall protect our base and watch the training progress of the others.”

Reve concluded, “I’m not going to be present every time so I trust in your ability to maintain the peace here.”

“Yes, Kimon. We shall not fail you.”

Reve sighed and raised his hands, “You may leave.”

After they left he continued looking at the blue sky, he wondered how things would be from now on.

“Is it okay to just leave?” asked someone who appeared on the opposite tree branch.

Reve easily recognized the voice.

He wore a wry smile as he spoke, “Marya, I have somewhere to be towards the end of this month.”

“Can I follow you…?”

“No, I am not going alone. Also, I need you to oversee the tribe. I’m worried that someone may find my missing presence the right time to attack the tribe. We have been gathering attention at a dramatic rate. Everyone wants to know our secret.”

“Ok…”

Marya slurred her speech, but she understood what Reve meant nonetheless.

She faced her head downwards and kept quiet, allowing Reve to enjoy the serene atmosphere.

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Days later.

In the Hepha’s Lounge, Reve pushed apart the large door and walked inside.

Hepha Lounge was a popular place in NIRA where students could go to have fun. It was essentially an inn or a bar. A group had the choice to sit in one of the many sections in the public lounge or they could book a private room.

For Reve’s meetup, it was conducted in the public lounge so he easily found just the group he was looking for.

Amice welcomed him with a headnod, “You came early. Have a seat.”

Beside her were some of the third years. They also flashed welcoming smiles at Reve to which he reciprocated with a warm smile.

After that, there were no words exchanged between the small group.

It was unknown if this was because they were too unfamiliar with one another or they were simply anti-social in nature.

Two minutes later, another one joined the group.

Based on the person’s appearance, he was a second year.

Reve said, “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” replied the person to Reve.

Minutes upon minutes, the group expanded futherly. They were not yet full. Only a few students had yet to appear.

By the time Reve checked the time again, it was already evening.

He had arrived in the morning so tens of hours have been shaved off.

Reve thought, ‘My throat is dry.’

He stood up and faced the group, “I’m going to get a drink. Do you need anything?”

“Uhh–” sounded some of them in the perfect hesitant tone.

Reve’s face twitched.

Hepha’s Lounge was high-class. Most of their services and products were expensive. A regular beer in Hepha’s Lounge was around one silver coin. Although, the quality of the beer was guaranteed to be top-tier.

“Don’t worry. The drinks are on me.”

“Will that be okay?” asked Amice.

“Yes, it’s not inconveniencing me at all,” replied Reve.

Reve was sort of a wealthy student, even without the income from his sketchy underworld organization.

He also had income from a verified organization; the Archaic Mysteries Club. It had just been months but the reputation of the club had gone up a notch due to its members successfully completing complex missions.

The club was on a winning streak right now and it would take long before the streak could even get tarnished.

Reve ordered seven large drinks, mainly cocktails and wines. He instructed that there should be 17 cups, the exact number of students participating in the event.

He also added steaks as a side dish.

When he was done, he simply went back to his seat and waited for the waiter to bring his order to him.

Not long after, the polite waiter appeared with a rather large tray.

As soon as he arranged it on their table, Reve opened one cocktail and filled his bottle, grabbing a steak with his other head.

‘Damn, I have to maintain…what do they call it again, etiquette!’

He ate slowly and made sure to not stain his dress. The others quickly joined him after sending their words of appreciation.

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Three hours later.

One of the teachers appeared with a dean beside him.

The dean was someone Reve was familiar with. It was Grand Mage Helias, who had gotten the position of dean after the previous one died at the hands of The Prophet.

He was now the Dean of Arcane Hall.

Seeing the group, he quickly opened his mouth, “It seems we are waiting on three more students. We still have time.”

Amice asked, “Dean Helias, what mode of transportation would we use?”

“Why spoil the fun by telling you now?” teased Dean Helias.

He and the teacher soon joined the group. They grabbed a steak and a cup, and peacefully ate while praising the chef that made the steak.

“We are here,” announced the Drateel twins.

They just arrived and the beads of sweat on their forehead was proof that they ran to this location hastily.

The door once again opened. The last student revealed his appearance and joined the group.

Observing everything, Dean Helias snapped his fingers, “Okay, it is time for us to leave.”

He led the group out of the lounge to an open space where a bunch of creatures were waiting for them.

Reve was surprised at the creatures’ appearances, ‘Body, tail, back leg of a lion. The head, wings, and front-feet of an eagle. Damn, is that a griffin?’

Griffins were legendary creatures that varied in strength, but no matter their strength, they would always have an immense value.

Dean Helias laughed, “Haha, back in the old ages, beasts were used as the prime method of transportations. Kings and queens would take pride in their chariot collections. Lone warriors would occasionally showcase their pegasus. The elves never got tired of riding wyverns.”

“So, I thought to myself. What entrance shall we make at Silverbrook? I’m sure we all want to make a grand entrance. What is more grand than revisiting the wonders of the past?”

Dean Helias patted one of the griffins, “Do not worry. They have been trained to take us directly to our destination. All you need to do is show an amiable face and hold no nefarious intention towards them. Griffins are capable of reading hidden emotions.”

Reve didn’t hesitate to comb the fur of one particular griffin which he had chosen.

‘To think I would be able to see such a creature. My “creature-spotting” list is quite remarkable now.’

Reve had seen a lot of legendary beasts. Heck, he had even seen a titan.

When he moved closer to the griffin, its eyes were frozen in fear but it didn’t attempt to move.

After a few cuddlings, it warmed up to him. Yet, Reve could still see the look of apprehension present in its eyes.

‘Could it be capable of seeing my true nature?’

Perhaps it was something along the line of “Only beasts could sense beasts”

Reve wondered whether the griffin recognized him as a titan or just a higher magical beast on the pyramid.

It was probably the latter.

Titans were the ancestors of magical beasts, the absolute peak of the jungle pyramid. If their presence were to be sensed, all other magical beasts would descend into madness.

That was how crazy the annihilation wars were back then.

Reve shook his head and tried warming up to the griffin. It worked to a certain degree.

The griffin now behaved like a young child seeking attention from its mother. It kept jumping around and around, more lively than the other griffins.

Dean Helias smiled, “I see we all have this under control. There is nothing to worry about. Now, prop yourself on the mane of the griffins. We shall begin our journey in no time.”

There was saddles placed on the back of the griffins so, it was rather easy to climb on the griffins.

After all of them had settled down, Dean Helias shouted, “In three… two… one.. Go!”

Following his countdown, the griffins were startled by his shout and took to the sky