Chapter 698: Faction Meeting

Before Ezra, Lucy, and Cyrus could reach the East Wing, they had to drop Vera and Diane off at their residence in the West Wing.

The two girls lived close to each other, so the detour did not require them to travel far apart.

By the time Ezra’s Royal Phantom Rolls arrived, their personal steam vehicles had also reached the residence.

Both vehicles were driven by their respective personal drivers, who had brought them back from the academy.

The vehicles were parked in the appropriate places as the group prepared to part ways for the evening.

Nina stepped out of Vera’s Noble Phantom Rolls alongside Lyra, Zack, and Becky.

The driver remained long enough to park the vehicle in the garage before leaving them to attend to their duties elsewhere.

Nina, however, had other things on her mind.

"My Lady, are you okay?"

She hurried towards Vera and wrapped her arms around her as soon as Vera stepped out of Ezra’s Royal Phantom Rolls.

Vera had barely finished leaving the vehicle before Nina reached her.

The girl held her tightly, checking on her lady after the journey back from the academy.

Her attention soon shifted towards Ezra.

Nina glared at him.

Ezra remained seated peacefully inside the Royal Phantom Rolls, waiting for the last person to get out.

He did not react to the glare, nor did he appear inclined to explain himself.

He simply waited.

Hermione approached the vehicle while Nina was still arms locked on Vera.

"Thank you for delivering my Lady."

She expressed her appreciation towards Ezra.

"If you will wait, I will bring your goods, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

Hermione spoke calmly before waving at Lucy, who returned the greeting with a smile.

Ezra looked towards Hermione.

"You can bring it to the academy tomorrow, right?"

He asked in his usual calm voice.

"Yes."

Hermione replied.

"Then do that, please."

Ezra answered straightforwardly.

"Okay, Sir."

Hermione lowered her head in acknowledgement.

She then carried her sleeping lady and left for their residence.

With the arrangements settled, Vera turned back towards Ezra.

"Goodbye, Ezra. Thanks for the ride, my Inventor."

She waved lightly at him.

Nina was still glaring in his direction.

Ezra paid little attention to it.

He had already delivered Vera and Diane to their residence, and there was no particular reason for him to prolong the stop.

Lyra, meanwhile, watched the Royal Phantom Rolls with a slight pout.

"I wish I could ride too, Lady Vera."

She spoke while looking towards Vera.

"Why does he get to enjoy himself and I don’t? I’m stronger than him."

Lyra pointed at Cyrus.

Cyrus had been busy listening to music through his headset, before he noticed Lyra pointing at him.

He turned towards her, surprised to find himself suddenly included in the conversation.

"What did I do?"

He asked, looking first at Ezra and then at Lyra.

His confusion was understandable.

He had been minding his own business, listening to his music, when Lyra decided that he was the person responsible for her not getting a ride.

Ezra did not answer.

Instead, he signaled to Lucy that they should leave.

Lucy nodded and started the steam engine.

The familiar hum of the Royal Phantom Rolls filled the space around the vehicle as she prepared to depart.

Ezra raised a hand and waved once at Vera and her group.

Then the Royal Phantom Rolls pulled away from the residence, beginning the journey back to the East Wing.

Vera and the others remained behind as the vehicle left.

With their departure, the brief gathering at the residence came to an end, and Ezra’s attention returned to the journey ahead.

Inside the Royal Phantom Rolls, Cyrus removed his attention from the music long enough to address Ezra.

"Oh, just to put it out there, but from now on, I will be following you."

He said plainly.

Ezra looked ahead.

"I see."

He replied calmly.

"Just don’t be late."

He added flatly.

Cyrus turned towards him, his relaxed expression remaining unchanged.

"How early will you even leave?"

He asked.

"Just don’t be late."

Ezra repeated his answer directly.

Nothing more followed.

Cyrus smiled awkwardly.

He knew that Ezra usually left home earlier than he did, which made the warning rather troublesome.

If he intended to follow Ezra from now on, he would have to adjust to his schedule rather than expect Ezra to wait for him.

Ezra, on the other hand, showed no sign of changing his habits.

Their journey back to the East Wing proceeded peacefully.

Once they arrived at their residence, they settled in without any particular trouble.

Ezra went to his study after freshening up and eating dinner.

There was still work waiting for him, and he had no intention of leaving it unfinished merely because the academy day had ended.

He sat down and took out the notes he had marked during his discussion with Cyrus about the Alchemy Systems behind toy programming and his introduction to Artificial Intelligence.

Their discussion had not progressed very far.

They had only begun breaking down the subject, going through its basic structure and the ideas that would need to be examined before they could take the conversation further.

The notes served as a record of what they had already discussed.

Ezra looked through them, reviewing the points he had marked.

The subject was still in its early stages, and there were plenty of things left to examine.

For now, however, there was no need to rush ahead.

He could continue from where their discussion had stopped when they had another opportunity to speak.

He then began working on his assignments before eventually reaching his usual sleeping time.

Ezra put away his work neatly and went to bed.

The next day began as usual.

His morning started with exercise and a quick training session.

After finishing, he took a bath, ate breakfast, and prepared to leave for the academy building.

There was little difference between this morning and the others that had come before it.

Ezra followed his usual routine, completing each task before moving on to the next.

By the time he arrived at the academy, the day’s activities were already underway.

Classes passed with a mixture of peace and stress for most students.

The workload was enough to keep many of them occupied, and not everyone found it easy to move from one lesson to another without feeling the pressure.

Ezra was different.

He had become accustomed to the workload.

The assignments and lessons did not faze him in the slightest, and he continued through the day without allowing them to interfere with his usual pace.

The hours passed, bringing the academy closer to its long break.

During that time, Ezra received a message from Veda.

His presence was needed at the Golden Circle Faction.

Ezra looked over the message and considered the request.

There were not many reasons for the Golden Circle Faction to call for him.

Given the circumstances, it was not difficult to work out what the meeting would likely concern.

He did not need to spend much time guessing what it was.

So, when the self-study session began drawing to a close, Ezra did not leave with his usual group.

Instead, he departed without Lucy and made his way to the Golden Circle Faction Mansion for the scheduled meeting.

For the journey, he took one of the new steam-powered cab vehicles introduced by the Royal Academy this semester.

The cabs were the new Vehicles made by The Eclipse.

They were part of the academy’s new transportation arrangements, providing students with another way to travel to their destinations.

Ezra boarded one and continued towards the Golden Circle Faction House.

A few hours passed before he arrived.

By then, the journey was over, and the faction’s residence stood before him.

Ezra stepped out of the cab and approached the entrance, where servants were stationed to receive visitors.

"Welcome, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

The servants greeted him as he entered.

Ezra acknowledged them and continued inside.

A maid stepped forward to lead him to the meeting room.

He followed her through the long hallways of the faction house, keeping his attention on the surroundings as they walked.

Until then, Ezra had only been inside the hall of the Golden Circle Faction House.

He had not seen much of the rest of the residence, so the journey towards the meeting room gave him a chance to observe more of the place.

The faction house was larger than the portion he had previously visited suggested.

Paintings of the former faction leaders lined the hallway walls, beginning with the first leader and continuing through to the current one.

Each painting formed part of the faction’s history, marking the succession of those who had held the position before Prince Aldric Aethelmont.

Ezra’s gaze passed over the portraits as he followed the maid.

Beyond the hallways were inner courtyards containing numerous pavilions.

They provided spaces for tea parties and relaxation, set apart from the rooms used for meetings and other faction affairs.

There were also pools within the grounds.

The residence contained more than places for its members to gather socially.

A small garden room housed domestic animals, while a training room provided space for physical practice.

There was also a cultivation room, along with several guest rooms for factions members who wanted to hangout in the Mansion.

Study rooms and offices occupied other parts of the building.

The different rooms served different purposes, allowing the faction’s members to study, train, conduct their affairs, or spend time within the residence.

The place was not merely a hall where students gathered to discuss faction matters.

It had been arranged to support the various activities of its members.

Ezra continued following the maid.

He had come to attend a meeting, not to explore the entire residence, so he did not stop to examine every room he passed.

Still, the journey gave him a better understanding of how much of the Golden Circle Faction House lay beyond the hall he already knew.

At last, the maid reached the meeting room.

She extended her hand towards the entrance, indicating the room where the gathering was taking place.

Ezra politely thanked her before entering.

"Greetings, Faction Head, board members and fellow faction members."

Ezra greeted those inside, lowering his head.

Prince Aldric Aethelmont turned towards him.

The conversation that had been taking place in the room stopped for a moment as almost everyone turned to look at the new arrival.

Their attention shifted towards Ezra, and the meeting paused while he was received.

"Welcome, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Prince Aldric greeted him with a warm smile.

"Have your seat."

He pointed towards the place prepared for Ezra.

Ezra lowered his head once more and walked over to the seat.

It was positioned beside Veda and Starke Drakes, among the influential students from different years who had gathered for the meeting.

The five board members occupied their own places, while the other faction members sat around the table.

Although, not everyone had arrived yet.

Ezra took his seat without making a fuss.

He did not interrupt the gathering or ask what had already been discussed. Instead, he settled down and waited for the remaining members to arrive.

The meeting room gradually filled as the others made their way inside.

Ezra remained quiet throughout the wait.

With the meeting called by the Golden Circle Faction, there was little need for him to start a conversation before the people responsible for the gathering were ready to begin.

Eventually, everyone arrived.

Prince Aldric brought his hands together and looked calmly around the room.

"Alright. Let’s commence today’s meeting."

The conversations around the table came to an end.

Claris Greenwood glanced through the list of matters prepared for discussion.

Her attention moved across the items before settling on the one scheduled to be addressed first.

"We will first start with the most crucial discussion."

She spoke calmly while reading through the listed matters.

I knew it.

Ezra thought to himself, already having an idea of what was coming.

His expression remained plain as he looked at the people around the table.

The five board members and the influential upperclassmen of the Golden Circle Faction were watching him, though their expressions differed.

Some looked serious.

Others appeared more reserved.

Ezra did not attempt to guess what each person was thinking.

Their attention was enough to tell him that the matter had been brought before the faction, and he was prepared to hear what they had to say.

Claris Greenwood raised her gaze from the list.

"The article reported about the murder of an entire Baron family, whether proving or not, as put us in a difficult position, Ezra Ashenlocke."

She spoke directly, looking at Ezra with a serious gaze.

The wording concerned the article and the position it had placed him in.

That was the issue the faction had chosen to address first, making it clear that the subject was not going to be pushed aside in favour of less important matters.

Ezra looked back at her.

"So, what then?"

He replied calmly.

His answer was brief.

He did not attempt to deny that the article had caused a problem, nor did he offer an explanation before Claris had finished presenting the matter.

He simply asked what the faction intended to do about it.

The question left the discussion open for Claris to continue.

Before she could proceed...

"Quiet and listen to her. She’s not yet done talking, junior."

Chester Kane spoke sharply.

His tone was harsh.

Ezra’s gaze shifted towards Chester, but he did not immediately respond.

The instruction had been delivered with little softness, and the atmosphere around the table remained serious.

Veda, however, was unwilling to let the exchange pass without comment.

"Aren’t you being harsh, Senior? Ezra is our First-Year No. 3. I’m telling you all that what the article says doesn’t mean anything."

He spoke with a serious expression, looking around the indifferent faces gathered at the round table of the Golden Circle Faction.

Veda’s words brought the discussion back to the issue at hand.

He was not prepared to accept the article as sufficient reason to judge Ezra, especially when the report itself was the subject of the meeting.

Ezra remained seated beside him.

Bonus Chapter for Magic Castle!!