OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 497: Momentary Celebration II

Emir stood on cleanly cut grass, holding a glass of whiskey in his left hand, and a child, no older than six, in his right.

It was Faye.

She was trying her best to climb on his shoulder and reach his head, claim it as hers, but he kept her in his embrace, his eyes scanning those who stood next to each other before him. Everyone that he had any semblance of care for was here, wearing dapper clothes.

Laura, Lily, Lyra, Ragnar, Morgiana, Elijah, Jake, Emma, Kiera, Jack, Sarah, Evan, Hiro, Leo, Nathan, Jamal, Raymond, Logan, Mariane, and Evelyn.

Well, almost everyone.

Emir invited Amon, but unfortunately, he was too busy, even now he had a Q&A.

Those vultures wanted everything they could get out of this disaster, treating it like content more than anything.

'Well, good luck to him.'

As that thought passed his mind, he brought Fay closer and began to speak:

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"First and foremost, let's give a round of applause to the two loveliest women I know-my mother, Laura, and my sister, Lily. Without them, none of you would be here today... And uh, my opinion is unbiased, of course."

Those last words earned him a few laughs as a soft wave of claps rippled through the crowd.

Laura and a red-faced Lily exchanged a glance, the two embarrassed and proud in equal measure.

"Thanks to them, and Mariane, Evelyn, and Raymond."

Emir's gaze shifted to those he mentioned, who stood near the back of the crowd, seemingly just done wolfing down food.

"We lost nothing. They had locked things tight. Keep it up, alright?"

All five responded with grateful nods, and a few others clapped their hands once more.

The mood was growing lighter, though most of them were still feeling the weight of yesterday's losses.

Emir's smile turned sly as he looked at his fellow professors, lifting his thumb in mock approval.

"For those that don't know them, these two are my work buddies, Ragnar and Morgiana. One some of you likely know by now but the other, probably not. So, Morg, well, don't ask her why she's here, you'll embarrass her."

Ragnar rolled his eyes, while Morgiana raised her fist in protest.

"Those bastards told us nothing! We only knew what happened after it was too late!"

Loud laughter resounded at her words, most enjoying seeing their bossman tease those in a similar position.

It was a novel experience.

"And now..."

Emir's tone shifted, taking on a more serious edge, silencing the crowd. "Elijah."

He gestured to the young man standing next to Lily, eyes wide and taken aback by the attention.

"You brought real pride to the Oliver name. Surviving and leading through that disaster, proving yourself out there-that's no small feat. I'd say you've shown everyone just how much you're capable of."

A louder round of applause resounded, as people began to whistle, cheering for the 'little guy.'

Elijah could only manage to show a sheepish smile in response.

He was clearly embarrassed, and Lily giving him a few nudges with her elbow certainly didn't help.

Emir waited for a few more seconds before continuing, raising his drink toward a certain group.

"To Jake, Emma, and the Elite Squad-you and your members have held the line."

He then turned to those beside them, an even bigger group, their faces showing the marks of exhaustion and pride.

"And let's not forget Kiera, head of the Platoon, and her Squadron Leaders, Jack, Sarah, Evan, Hiro, and Leo. Your work yesterday and today-it's the backbone of why we're here

celebrating. You've all played a part in getting us through this."

He took a moment to let his words sink in, nodding at those who met his gaze.

"Lastly..."

His voice softened a little as he reached his final thanks.

"Nathan and his men, the Shadow Squad-without you, my men would still be wandering in circles... But above all, Lyra."

He gestured for her to come close and stand by his side.

Without wasting a moment, she immediately did so, stepping out of the crowd, and joining

his right.

"Thank you."

Emir glanced at her and smiled.

"If not for you, we wouldn't just be lost-we'd be dead."

He then lifted the glass of whiskey to his lips and downed it in one smooth motion, the burn trailing down his throat as he tossed the glass to a nearby hunter, who caught it in surprise. Grinning, he lifted Faye up with both hands, her giggles punctuating the silence that

followed.

"Cheers!"

"Chweeers!"

Emir kept holding her up as if she were the trophy of victory itself.

"Cheers Bossman!"

"Cheers!"

"We won!"

"Hahahah!"

"OOOOOORRAAAAAAHHHH!"

The crowd erupted, claps, whoops, and cheers ringing out as all finally entered a celebratory

mood.

His speech had succeeded in its goal.

...

A short later, when the party was in good swing and each clique formed its own group, four individuals sat together.

Emir leaned against the back of the chair, picking up another bite-sized red velvet cupcake from his plate and popping it into his mouth.

Beside him, Raymond held a plate of grilled chicken skewers, Kiera nibbled at a half-eaten sandwich, and Lyra delicately picked at a small salad, her sharp eyes never leaving the

holoscreen.

The room they were in echoed a news channel reporter's voice, solemn and direct:

"We now have an updated report on the casualty numbers from the recent conflict In Heart's Ruin. The death toll for Templar soldiers stands at approximately 500."

The reporter paused for a moment as the number sank in.

"It is important to note that a significant number of these were individuals brought in from beyond our borders. Most were illegals who had found sanctuary within the Templar ranks, taken in when they had nowhere else to turn."

The holoscreen displayed footage of a harshly lit hall filled with rows and rows of bodies, all

placed in white body bags.

"This footage was recorded before they were sent out to be buried."

That footage cut out and Images of young familiar faces replaced them.

"We also mourn the loss of five students from the Academy. Their names have been released: Amelia Vega, Luke Brandt, Naoko Shirai, Alia Tran, and Cassandra Holt."

There was a pause as the screen switched to the funeral proceedings, their hopeful faces now

frozen in memorial.

The reporter's voice took on a more mournful tone as she lingered on the two young girls.

"Alia Tran and Cassandra Holt were both once E-class citizens, only attending the Academy thanks to competitive scholarships. For their families, their success represented their entire future, hopes, and dreams now cut tragically short. It's a sobering reminder of what we've

lost."

Those students were Emir's but that was the first time he truly 'heard' their names. Still, that didn't affect him as he continued to enjoy his cupcakes.

"And yet, despite these tragic losses, the UEF has agreed to the Templar's terms, officially recognizing them as a state religion. What that means for future interactions is still unclear, but it raises significant questions about who truly holds power. Theories are already emerging, suggesting that parts of the government were involved in this concession, perhaps

even-"

Emir calmly set his plate down and flicked his hand at the holoscreen, muting the channel.

"Enough of that garbage."

Finishing another skewer, Raymond set down his plate and asked:

"Boss, you have any idea why the UEF did that? I just can't imagine they'd accept a religion

when they didn't for so long."

Lyra, who was done with her salad, answered in his stead:

"It's simple. Previous religions were led by religious people, questionable or not, a part of

them was still religious. Purple, however, is more interested in money. She likely had a deal with someone high up, a deal about taking Amon's image down a peg, and now that she succeeded, well, she gained her reward."

Kiera glanced at Lyra while still nibbling at her sandwich.

"But you said she's not religious, so why ask for a reward like that?"

Lyra giggled.

"Who said this was her only reward? And sure, I agree, even though this would give her a few

advantages, it wasn't a good deal. So no, she asked for something else, something we don't

know. This was mostly to quill her followers' minds."

Raymond nodded in agreement.

"I get it... After all, she needed them, she needed to appear to have their best interests in

mind."

"The chick's tough to deal with, but whatever she's doing is insane..."

Emir's words followed Raymond as he smiled at Lyra.

"Let's just see how far she'll fly on borrowed wings."

Kiera put down the plate on her lap, still appearing confused.

"...I don't get it. Why would someone follow her? Isn't it obvious what's she doing? Those

poor people don't deserve any of it."

Lyra showed a smile similar to that of Emirs.

"One who fell too deep would see a dim light too bright."