The Bottom Line of the Tarot Society

"What are you doing here?" Charles asked while firmly gripping the handle of his cane. He was like a swordsman that was about to draw his sword and hack the person in front of him to pieces if his answer didn't satisfy him.

"To see you of course," Mark answered. He eyed the old coot in front of him fearlessly as if daring him to make the first move. "It's been a while since someone from the city visited us countryside folks. It would be a shame if I didn't come see them."

"I didn't come here to visit you. Why would I go out of my way to look at horse manure?" Charles chided. "I came here to see Arthur, Alice, and that girl Kate. Of course, I plan to visit Emily as well. You can roll over and die for all I care."

The two old fogies glared at each other. Arthur and Alice shook their heads from the side. They expected that the two would act like this if they saw each other, their guess was spot on.

"Oh, that girl Kate is indeed good," Mark agreed. "My grandson likes her very much."

Charles snorted at Mark's comment as if it was the ramblings of a fool. "Your grandson dared to set his eyes on my disciple? Hah! As long as I draw breath, it's not going to happen!"

"Excuse me? The girl didn't accept you as her master," Mark sneered. "Your age is making you a delusional old man."

"And your age is making you look more like the toad you are."

"Hah! This toad is the one Emily married. My wife is a good judge of character. So what if you are a prince? Did that help you?"

The two old men were raring to have a go at each other when a light cough was heard beside them.

"Seriously, why can't the two of you let go of the past?" Emily asked. "We're already old and we have one foot on the grave already, isn't it about time to let go of these old grudges?"

The two old men glanced at each other and snorted at the same time. Charles didn't want to see Mark because he felt that he stole the affection of Emily, who was his best friend when they were younger.

Mark on the other hand considered Charles a nuisance because he kept on getting in the way every time he tried to pursue Emily in the past. He was like a thorn on his side that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to pluck it out. Luckily, Emily was touched by his stubbornness and decided to marry him in the end. If not, then he would have been lifelong enemies with this so-called BFF of his wife.

(A/N: BFF stands for Best Friends Forever. No need to thank me. *flips hair* )

"Let's talk business for a while," Arthur said. He needed the two of them to set aside their dislike for each other for the time being. Although he had "Lazarus" at his beck and call, they were not invincible. He needed the support of his old acquaintances because they too had similar forces on their side.

"We received a report that an organization from France is trying to extend their influence into our borders," Arthur explained. "The government doesn't like it, so they have made necessary arrangements, however…"

Charles leaned back on his chair and frowned. "However, they still managed to slip some of their men into the country."

"Indeed," Alice sighed. "They remained lowkey for a while while building up their influence."

"I hate politics. Because of it they found their backing," Mark scoffed. "The fools sitting on top think that as long as they profit from it, a few missing children is worth it."

"Charles, I think you should talk to the Prime Minister about this," Arthur advised. "If things get out of hand, it could get very ugly."

Charles had his eyes closed. He seemed to be contemplating something. The others waited patiently for his reply while drinking tea. Even Mark who was always at odds with him didn't say anything.

"It's highly possible that the prime minister is also involved in this," Charles said with disappointment. That man is quite ambitious. I wouldn't be surprised if he is in cahoots with this organization and backing them from the shadows."

The three froze when they heard Charle's comment. They never expected that the man who they thought would be able to put a stop on this foreign aggression had already been bribed!

"Are you serious?" Mark asked with concern. "If that's the case then the only thing we can do is to protect our own families."

"How about the Queen?" Alice asked. She faintly hoped that her Majesty would be able to deal with this matter.

Charles frowned, "Her Majesty's health has not been doing well for the past few weeks. I don't want to bring additional stress to her during my visit."

"The only consolation we have is that they wouldn't dare target the children of influential people," Charles added. "They don't want to kick an iron plate so they are just focusing their attention on homeless kids and those from poor families. I will make sure to increase the security within the Academy as well. I guarantee that the kids will be safe inside its premises."

The room once again fell into silence. They knew that there was nothing they could do at this point. While Arthur, Alice, and Mark were deep in their own thoughts, the loud banging sound of a cane brought them out of their daze.

Their gazes focused on Charle's weathered face and noticed the fierceness in his eyes. "As long as they don't actively seek death then we have no choice but to turn a blind eye on their actions. However, once they touch one of our own…"

He trailed off as he gazed at his old comrade in arms. His manner became imposing as if he was a mighty warrior. Charles lineage came from the family of Knight Templars. He was not afraid to dirty his hands if his reverse scale was touched.

"If they're stupid enough to court death then I don't mind lending my hand to flip this country upside down," Charles vowed. "The moment they touch our kids, the Tarot Society will go to War!"