The Lytton Restaurant.
This place ran on reservations only. Supposedly, the chefs here had an almost obsessive sense of timing, and the dishes were known for their creativity. It was the perfect venue for gatherings among the upper crust.
The restaurant also reserved two or three private rooms each day for members of the council to entertain guests.
"This is Caleb," Jayce said as he introduced him to Ambessa. "Tomorrow, he'll be heading to Zaun to take office as its governor."
Ambessa narrowed her eyes and studied the ordinary-looking young man in front of her.
"You've been rather casual about choosing a governor."
She looked down at the two of them with open disdain.
"Don't bring that Noxian killing intent in here and tell the people of the Twin Cities how to do things."
Mel's single sentence immediately pulled the situation back in their favor.
Caleb had wanted to throw a remark at her too, but Mel had beaten him to it.
He would just have to wait for another chance.
Once they were seated, the server handed each of them their utensils.
"What kind of wine would you like before the meal?" the server asked cautiously.
"Do you have Coke?" Caleb asked offhandedly.
The question came so suddenly that the server froze.
"What?"
His voice was already starting to shake.
This distinguished guest had opened with the hardest question of his life.
"If not, that's fine. Just give me water."
Caleb had no intention of making things hard for him.
"You don't drink?" Ambessa asked, a little surprised.
She had already heard the unfamiliar word "Coke."
"Not really my thing," Caleb replied with a polite smile.
"What is Coke?" Jayce asked, puzzled as well.
"Basically... it's a drink from my hometown."
Caleb had only blurted it out without thinking.
After all, in his previous life, his favorite drink had been cold red sugar-free soda.
Now that he was in a place this fancy, the thought had slipped right out.
"Do any of you have dietary restrictions?" the server asked.
"No."
Come on. Caleb had eaten food in Zaun.
What could this restaurant possibly serve that he couldn't handle?
Absolutely nothing. A person who loves food has standards.
"And the rest of you?"
The server hurriedly turned to the others.
"We Noxians aren't very picky eaters," Ambessa said with a curl of her lip.
"Though this handsome young man is the most appetizing thing here."
She flashed the server a smile.
"I already checked the menu," Jayce explained. "There's nothing we need to watch out for. Thank you. You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
The server backed out like a man who had just been pardoned.
One of the people at the table was the rising figure everyone in Piltover and Zaun had been talking about. One was a warlord and politician from Noxus. And the other two were councilors standing at the very top of Piltover's power structure.
Lucky or unlucky, he had managed to show his face in front of all four of them.
Piltover's elite dined here often, but this level of company was rare even for this place.
"So tell me," Ambessa said, "what exactly has Mr. Caleb done to earn the honor of becoming Zaun's governor?"
"Let me think..."
Caleb actually fell into thought.
Ambessa wasn't looking down on him for being young. It was just that she couldn't see anything remarkable about him.
His physique and combat ability were beneath any of her soldiers. His scientific knowledge gave off the impression of someone half-trained at best.
As for influence?
She had never heard of any noble house or gang family in Piltover or Zaun with that name.
"Mostly just things from the past few days," Caleb said absentmindedly, rubbing his hands together.
It wasn't often he got to eat a meal this good. Honestly, most of his attention was on the appetizers.
"I copied a few Hextech gemstones, saved some Enforcers, had a talk with the council and Silco, helped move things along toward peace between Piltover and Zaun, and shut down shimmer production."
After Caleb finished listing it all, Ambessa's mouth parted slightly in surprise.
By then, Caleb had already picked up his knife and fork and started eating.
Ambessa felt a fear she had not known in a very long time.
It was like when the previous king had been executed. Almost overnight, the Immortal Bastion had changed hands.
Many years ago, she had heard how that legion had been utterly crushed and had chosen to stand aside.
She knew there was always a black rose blooming in the shadows whenever dynasties changed, clutching Noxus's lifeline in its grip.
But that man who had lost his right arm, the frontline commander everyone saw as a cripple, a ruined noble cast from privilege into the dust—
Her own son had trusted the king too much. He had even spoken aloud of the reward he would receive after suppressing the rebellion.
The result was that he had been crushed by that demonic arm.
The young man in front of her gave her the same feeling.
It was like long ago, when she had watched Jericho Swain commanding the front lines. The soldiers had been celebrating a great victory, yet he had only stared darkly at the crows flying in from the horizon.
If they hadn't been in the middle of dinner, she might already have stepped back, drawn her sword, and prepared for battle.
This man in front of her did not look impressive. He had none of the aura of a prodigy.
But Mel and Jayce had not disputed a single word he said, which meant it was all true.
Tomorrow would be the day he took office as governor.
Interesting.
The main course was brought to the table, yet an odd silence settled over the entire room.
Caleb kept his head down and ate. After exchanging a glance with Jayce, Mel gave a faint shake of her head.
Ambessa watched Caleb with open interest.
For a moment, she even had the urge to flip the table and test the little brat herself.
He didn't even look twenty.
The younger generation was terrifying.
The awkward silence was shattered by a scream.
A figure burst through the wall in front of Caleb and casually flung a bloody severed head onto the table.
It was Ambessa's captain of the guard.
The man before them stood three or four meters tall, clad from head to toe in full Noxian armor.
In his hand, he held a gleaming executioner's blade high overhead.
"Damn, that's some strength."
Jayce and Mel scrambled to their feet. Ambessa leaped to the far side of the room. Caleb, meanwhile, had only just swallowed the food in his mouth.
Good ingredients shouldn't be wasted.
"Your end has come, Ambessa."
A muffled voice rumbled from beneath the visor, like steel scraping bone.
"The Noxian headsman?" Ambessa recognized him almost immediately.
"Did Swain send you?"
"The dead have no right to ask questions."
With that, he brought the blade slashing down toward them.
Ambessa let out a furious shout and heaved the entire solid wood table, metal fittings and all, straight upward.
While Urgot split the table in half with one stroke, Jayce grabbed Mel and ran for the exit.
Only Caleb was still getting to his feet at an annoyingly slow pace.
"What a waste."
Urgot was in no hurry. An execution was best with as many witnesses as possible.
He had already measured the strength of everyone here. He knew exactly what he was dealing with.
Honestly, even bullets would have a hard time punching through his armor.
If Noxus had not wanted enemies on three fronts, and if Piltover were not so easy to defend and so hard to conquer, this place would have become Noxian territory long ago.
"You're awfully calm," Urgot said with a low chuckle.
His armor clattered as he charged after Ambessa.
"Call the Enforcers!" Mel shouted, even though she knew it probably wouldn't matter.
In less than two steps, Urgot caught up to Ambessa, who had no weapon on her at all.
It was hard to tell how he managed to move so freely in such thick plate armor.
"Damn it!"
Ambessa drove power into her legs, putting more and more distance between herself and Jayce and Mel.
An iron hand shot out and slammed her down into Piltover's stone pavement.
The people in the street had already fled out of sight, but that was fine. As long as the news spread, that was enough.
Urgot raised his right arm high. The beheading blade flashed with a brutal, icy light.
This execution had succeeded.