Ian's gaze landed on the lady's light-blue hair, which was a few shades lighter than her own blue hair when she was in her mermaid form.
Ironically, the eyes of the lady were also a few shades lighter than Ian's own purple eyes. But, the thing that caught Ian's attention the most were none other than the two purple horns that glowed faintly atop the lady's head.
She had seen those horns so many times before that it was impossible not to recognize them. However, her discovery only made her even more confused.
Ian couldn't feel any sort of malice or hostility from the beautiful lady who seemed familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Ian held William's body firmly as she gathered up her courage and said a name.
"Ella?"
The lady smiled and nodded her head.
"Lay William down on the bed first," Ella said as she looked at the red-haired boy in Ian's embrace. "There are some important things that I need to discuss with you. If possible, I would like you to cooperate with me. Not only for your sake, but for William's sake as well."
Ian nodded her head and did as she was told. Although she didn't know how Ella managed to get a humanoid form, she knew that the beautiful lady would never hurt William.
In fact, Ian was feeling anxious. It was as if she was going to have a meeting with her "mother-in-law".
Deep in her heart, she hoped that Ella wouldn't bring up the times when she argued with William in the past. More than anything, Ian wanted to gain Ella's approval because in the Half-Elf's eyes, Ella was his Mama, who had raised him since he was a baby.
Ella caressed the side of William's face and looked at him with eyes full of tenderness. After having her fill of skinship, which only lasted for half a minute, Ella returned her attention to the boy that was seated on the bed and holding her son's hand.
"I need both of you to leave the academy and travel to the North," Ella said in a tone that demanded no room for opposition. "You are to bring the Youngest Prince, and the granddaughter of the Great Chieftain as well. Dave is still in the academy, so tell him to make the necessary arrangements. All of you must be away from the Capital before midnight."
"Why?" Ian asked. "Why do we have to leave the Capital? What about the Young Lady? Did something happen on the Frontlines?"
"I can't answer your questions right now, and it would be best if you let the Youngest Prince answer them for you," Ella replied. "Est, is fine for the time being. However, it is of utmost importance that you leave the Capital tonight.
"If you delay, not only you, but Will's life will also be in danger. There are people pulling the strings in the shadows and they are going to strike soon. If you really love William then do as I say before it's too late."
Ian looked at Ella's eyes and saw the urgency in them. She then clenched her fists and reluctantly nodded her head.
Seeing that Ian had agreed to carry out her order, Ella lowered her head and planted a kiss on each of William's cheeks before standing up.
"Remember, you and the rest have to leave before midnight," Ella said as she walked towards the door. "I will head to the North first and make the necessary arrangements. Also, Ian…"
"Ashe," Ashe interjected. "Just call me Ashe, Ella."
Ella turned her head and smiled, "Well then, Ashe, keep this meeting between the two of us a secret. William is still unaware of my existence and I plan to keep it that way for as long as possible."
"Okay." Ashe nodded her head. "Can I also call you Mama from now on?"
Ella giggled as she waved her hand to bid Ashe goodbye. "I'll think about it. See you soon, Ashe."
Ella closed the door behind her and sighed. "Almost fifteen years old and already has four ladies waiting for him to grow up. William sure is popular with the girls."
William's second mother shook her head one more time before turning into particles of light. She planned to head North and make preparations for their arrival.
David had secretly sent her a message through the Bell of Anthanasia and told her everything that was happening in the background.
After careful consideration, Ella decided that the North was the safest place for William at the moment. Although she was worried about the people important to her "adopted" son, now was not the time to be sentimental.
War was knocking at the Capital's doorstep and the final battle was only days away from reaching a conclusion.
Chapter 305: The Jack Of All Trades Is A Useless Profession [Part 1]
"Congratulations Big Brother!" Lily tossed the Pink Teddy Bear into the air in order to celebrate William's mastery of using her "Tier-1" Divinity.
"Thank you, Lily," William replied. "I never knew that your Divinity was this amazing."
"Ehehe, praise me more, Big Brother."
"Lily is amazing! Lily is the best! Lily is the cutest!"
Issei and David who were watching this scene nodded their heads in satisfaction. It took William four months to discover the trick on how to "change" the Pink Lollipop's color to the color that he wanted.
Originally, he thought that he could create different colors if he wanted to. However, he was wrong all along. If not for the fact that he "accidentally" changed the Lollipop's color while taking a short break, it might have taken him longer to understand how Lily's Divinity worked.
The default color of the Lollipop was pink. However, if WIlliam were to visualize the effect he wanted, and not the color, the Lollipop would automatically change its color to match the ability he desired.
Of course, this was only a simple explanation of how the conversion was done. William needed to have a clear picture of the kind of power he wanted before the Lollipop would bend to his will.
After learning the trick, William used each of the Lollipops in order to understand how their powers worked.
The Red, Blue, Chocolate, Pink, and Black Lollipops either had to be consumed, or at least be inside William's mouth, to take effect.
The Orange, Yellow, White, and Gray Lollipops had to be thrown and used as projectiles in order for them to take effect.
Lastly, the Green, Indigo, and Violet Lollipops needed to be used as "wands" in order for their spells to activate.
After mastering the power of the Lollipops, William used his remaining days to create thousands of Lollipops and kindly asked Lily to send them to his mailbox using the God Shop Mail.
Lily happily agreed to William's request because the boy had taken his time to master the use of her Divinity.
William sighed after he discovered that the power of Lily's Lollipops could still be upgraded using alchemy. He couldn't practice alchemy in his current state because he would need to use Magic Power in order to power up the Yin Yang Cauldron (Replica) that he received from the Alchemist God.
Since that was the case, he just focused his attention on creating as many lollipops as he could everyday. Since every color had a daily limit, William would spend his remaining time sparring with Lily inside her Special Domain.
Originally, William underestimated Lily because he thought that the Little Loli was only a support type Goddess.
When the Goddess activated the power of her Divinity, William found himself on the receiving end of Lily's Divine Burst which was called "Lovely Merry Go Round!"
The Loli Goddess summoned an army of toys that beat the crap out of William, and made him realize that you cannot judge a God or Goddess by their looks.
When William finally left Lily's Special Domain. The three Gods took him towards the stalls of the Gods that they were closest to. Their intention was to help William acquire Job Classes without too much hassle.
William became ecstatic when he heard Issei's, David's, and Lily's suggestion. If he were to touch some Godly weapons and artifacts, wouldn't that give him the chance to acquire rare Job Classes and even some, hard to come by, Prestige Classes?
"Who are we going to visit first?" Lily asked as she carried William close to her chest.
"Let's visit Lugh's stall first," David said with a smile. "He and I are good friends, so he might allow William to touch one of his artifacts to help him gain a Job Class."
"Lugh? He's a good guy," Issei nodded his head in agreement.
William, who was being carried like a Teddy Bear, asked Lily what kind of God Lugh was.
"Lugh is one of the Blacksmith Gods in the Temple," Lily replied. "If we were to rank him like the Beasts in your world, he would be a 'Class S' God."
"One of the Blacksmith Gods? You mean there is more than one Blacksmith God?"
"Yes. There are a few notable gods namely, Vulcan, Old Hephaestus, Ogun, Gibil, and Gofannon. Although they have other professions, Blacksmithing plays a major role in their Sagas."
William nodded his head before asking another question out of curiosity. "By the way, what is your rank among the Gods, Lily?"
Lily giggled, but didn't answer William's question. It was not because she didn't want to answer William's question, but because she knew that William wouldn't believe her even if she told him the truth.
Soon, the three Gods and the Teddy Bear stopped at a stall which was located at the Northern Side of the Temple.
"Lugh, my friend. Are you busy right now?" David greeted his friend with a smile.
A man with golden hair, and blue eyes looked back at David. He was holding a smithing hammer in his hand, and a spear and shield were strapped on his back. After seeing David's face, a smile broke out on Lugh's weathered face.
"David, it has been a while since you last visited me," Lugh replied. His eyes radiated friendliness, but it also held a sharpness that made William shudder unconsciously.
Lugh gave William a side-long glance before nodding at Issei and Lily. The two Gods nodded back. Although Issei and Lily were not too acquainted with Lugh, they heard stories about him when David and them ate together at the God's Restaurant called Ambrosia.
"Lugh, I came here to ask a favor. The name of this 'Little Friend' of ours is William," David took the initiative to introduce William to one of the Gods he got along with inside the Temple. "He is Gavin's follower. If possible, can you let him touch your artifacts for a few seconds?"
"Gavin's follower?" Lugh tilted his head. "Ah! Is that God still here? I thought that he was going to disappear soon. Seriously, being a Jack of All Trades is a useless profession."
William immediately narrowed his eyes when he heard the ridicule in Lugh's voice. Gavin was his Patron God and although he wasn't popular among the Gods, William still chose him because of his sincerity. Hearing someone ridicule Gavin in front of his face made him angry.
Issei and Lily also frowned. Gavin was their friend and hearing another God ridicule him didn't sit well with them either. They glared at the God who looked back at them in disdain. Clearly, Lugh didn't think highly of Gavin, and he made sure to rub it in their faces.