Collection 1 Chapter 17 230-240

Chapter 230: Est's And William's Bet

"The Prince is asking for a meeting, My Lord. He said that he wanted to ask you something very important," the black robed man reported to his lord. "He insisted that his cooperation will depend on whether or not you can answer his questions and agree to his one request."

The man seated on the black throne raised an eyebrow. "The Crown Prince wants to meet me personally?"

"Yes. This is part of his conditions for cooperating with us."

"Well, I guess it will not take too much time to answer his questions. I'm just curious about what kind of request he would make."

The man leaned back on his throne and smiled.

"When and where is this meeting taking place?" the Lord inquired.

"Three days from now at two in the afternoon," the black-robed man answered. "The meeting place is the Sky Pavilion located on the East side of the capital."

"Very well." The Lord nodded. "Make sure to alert the Grim Guards as well. If the Crown Prince does anything funny let's just dispose of him."

"By your will," the black-robed man pressed his fist over his chest and bowed respectfully.

—–

"Inter-Division Battle," William muttered as he read the document in his hands. "I thought that the academy was going to cancel this event, but it seems like they are trying to distract the students due to the recent events that have happened."

Est, who was seated across from him, nodded in agreement. "The Academy is trying to motivate the students and let them recover from their current mindset. As you may have already seen, the rewards are quite generous."

"Indeed. It seems that the academy gained a lot of resources after the Dungeon Outbreak."

"Those resources were gained from the sacrifices of the students in the academy. It is right for them to share it with the survivors."

William placed the document down and gave Est a smile. "Just so you know, we will not be taking it easy on any of you."

"That goes without saying," Est replied. "To be honest, I also want to have a serious fight with you. A battle to the death."

"Oh? You're that confident in beating me?"

"I'm 30% confident in beating you."

Est looked at William with a serious expression. He still couldn't fathom how strong William was. The fight against Kingsley ended in an instant and he couldn't tell if William was strong, or if Kingsley was really weak.

Of course, he had seen their first duel in Lont a few years ago, but back then, William's power was sealed. Even now, William didn't have his powers, but he felt more dangerous compared to when he was facing off against the Cyclops in the Trial

of Courage.

Seeing Est's intense stare, William felt like teasing him, so decided to crack a joke.

"Why are you looking at me like you want to kiss me?" William asked. He then picked up the cup of tea in front of him and took a sip.

"If you were a girl, I would definitely kiss you," Est replied. "Hey, why don't you find an artifact that will turn you into a girl? Don't worry, I'll take responsibility and marry you if you don't turn back into a man."

William placed the teacup on the table and smirked. He was impressed with how Est managed to turn his teasing around and decided to not continue with the topic. The Half-Elf had no intention of turning into a girl. He wanted to be the one on the top!

(Editor's Notes: Sad that he doesn't know that girls can be on top just as much as the men can be. xD )

"How about we make the Inter-Division Battle more interesting?" William proposed. "I'm sure that if the stakes are high enough, both of us will not hold back and fight each other seriously. What do you think?"

Est pondered and thought that William's proposal sounds good. For him, as long as there was something at stake, he would definitely give his best to win against William.

"What do you have in mind?" Est crossed his arms over his chest. "As long as it doesn't go below my bottom line, I can agree to it."

William pressed his hands together and gave Est a smile that would put all "con men" to shame.

"Simple, if you win I'll…." William said with a smile. "But, if you lose, you will…"

Est was very tempted by William's offer. If he won then he would be extremely happy. However, if he lost then he would definitely lose a layer of skin. William's asking price was quite high, and Est didn't know if he should agree to it or not.

"Can you give me two days to think about it?" Est replied.

"Of course." William leaned back on his chair as if this 'business deal' between him and Est was not a big deal. "The Inter-Division Battles will take place a month from now. You still have plenty of time to think about it. Just make sure that you give me an answer a week before the event."

"Okay."

"Great. I'm looking forward to hearing your answer."

——

When Est returned to his room, he immediately asked for Ian's and Isaac's opinion about William's proposal.

"Young Master, if I am going to be frank, the one that has a disadvantage in this bet is William," Isaac said with a serious expression. "Having put himself at a disadvantage, he then gave you a counter bet that was very hard to resist. However, within that offer is a trap."

Isaac looked straight into Est's eyes as he continued his explanation. "Knowing William, he wouldn't make a bet like this if he wasn't assured of his victory. This means that he is very confident in his ability to beat the Young Master."

"I agree," Ian nodded his head. "Although William may act like a fool from time to time, his strength is the real deal. Also, I've been having this feeling that he is far stronger than what we see on the surface. This bet is too dangerous, Young Master."

Est sighed because he had the same feeling as well. However, William's offer was simply too hard to resist. Even if his logical mind rejected it, his heart wanted it so badly.

"He gave me until a week before the Inter-Division Battle starts, so I'll think this through before then," Est commented.

"Still he is very sly." Ian shook his head. "Such an offer is simply too hard to resist."

"Which makes it equally dangerous." Isaac sighed. "Frankly, I'd rather fight a Terrorhand again than fight William in a one-on -one battle. I don't have the confidence to beat him."

The three boys all nodded their heads simultaneously. When they first met William he was just a simple shepherd in their eyes. They had no idea that a simple shepherd like him, would be able to become a Knight Commander a few months after they were reunited.

Chapter 231: Sweeter Than Candy

"Will, where is Thor?" Wendy asked. "I haven't seen him for a few days. Is he alright?"

After classes, Wendy visited William and inquired about Thor's whereabouts. It had been three days since she last saw the puppy and she was feeling anxious.

"He's safe," William replied. "He's just undergoing a growth phase, and now is a crucial time. In order to prevent anyone from disturbing him, I decided to put him in a safe place along with Dia and Ragnar."

"I see…" Wendy was disappointed because she had really gotten close to Thor. The puppy would accompany her everywhere to the point that they even bathed together.

Seeing her disappointment, William couldn't help but smile in his heart. Wendy was a straightforward person and her expression told him just how important Thor was in her life.

"Don't worry, as soon as he finishes his Growth Phase, I will immediately bring him to you."

"Really?"

"Yes." William nodded. "I promise."

"I'll take your word for it." Wendy smiled a bit before sitting down beside William.

They finished their training an hour ago and Wendy visited William after she had taken a bath. The smell of scented soap tickled William's nose as the beautiful girl gave him a hug. The two teenagers' relationship had grown closer and Wendy was not the type of person to hide her feelings when the two of them were in private.

William patted her hair and closed his eyes. It was impossible not to feel anything when someone was openly showing their love to him through their actions.

"If the two of us meet in the Inter-Division Battles, take it easy on me," Wendy said as she rested her head on William's shoulder. "You're not allowed to hurt me."

"Fine," William replied. "I will just push you out of the arena."

"Hmp! Try it if you can. You think that I'm easy to bully?"

"Others can't bully you, but I can."

Wendy pouted and lightly pounded on William's chest with her closed fists.

William chuckled and grabbed her hand. He then placed it over his chest and kissed Wendy's forehead.

"Be good," William ordered. "If you're too naughty, I will have to punish you."

"And how will you punish me?" Wendy looked up on William with upturned eyes. "What kind of punishment will the Great Commander give to this helpless damsel?"

William whispered something in Wendy's ear and the latter immediately blushed after hearing William's words. She pounded his chest again, while William didn't do anything to stop her this time around.

Wendy's pounding lacked strength. Instead of feeling pain, William felt a ticklish sensation instead.

Aside from his Master, Celine, and his Big Sister, Leah, William didn't have any close girl friends. This was why having Wendy around made him feel as if he had returned to Earth. Back to the time when he would look at Belle standing in the distance and bury his blooming love deep inside his heart.

Since William could understand the feeling of loving someone one-sidedly, he didn't reject Wendy's advances and allowed her to do as she pleased. This in turn made William's heart, that had once become cold, start to open up to the idea of having a serious relationship with someone.

A few minutes later,

Wendy took a candy pouch out of her storage ring and started to eat.

Her Big Sister, Charlotte, had given her another batch of candies last night, which made her very happy.

William, on the other hand, was currently reading the document that had been given to him in their officer's meeting a few hours ago.

It was the rules for the Inter-Division Battles and William decided to memorize them and see if there were any loopholes that he could abuse. The Martial Division was always at a disadvantage when fighting against the Magic and Spirit Divisions.

Although William was confident that this year would be different, he still read the rules to see if he could add more odds to their chances of winning.

While he was deep in thought, a slender hand pressed something over his lip. William unconsciously took it inside his mouth and immediately tasted something sweet.

'A candy?' William thought. 'Not bad. This tastes good.'

William was about to ask Wendy for another one when a series of notifications appeared on his status screen.

—–

< Ding! >

< A Low Level Suggestion spell is trying to invade the host's Sea of Consciousness! >

< Defensive Actions Initiated! >

< Low Level Suggestion spell has been successfully neutralized! >

—–

William's eyes widened in shock and immediately asked the system to investigate the source of the Low Level Spell that tried to infiltrate his Sea of Consciousness.

——

< Analyzing Spell… >

< Successful! >

< Spell Name: Embrace of the Mind Weaver >

< Embrace of the Mind Weaver >

— A spell that is used to plant a powerful suggestion inside a person's Sea of Consciousness.

— This spell is very effective against those who have no resistance against magic.

— This spell invades and slowly corrupts the Sea of Consciousness from within, which allows the one that cast the spell to give their victim "suggestions". This suggestion will make the victim think that it was their "own idea" and carry it out accordingly.

— Depending on how strong the victim's willpower is, some suggestions can be resisted.

— The more this spell invades the person's Sea of Consciousness, the lesser the chance the victim wil resist the caster's orders.

——

William took a deep breath as he tried to hold back the anger that was rising from his chest. He had unconsciously clenched his fists while reading the information about the spell that had tried to invade his Sea of Consciousness.

"Is it good?" Wendy asked. "My Big Sister from the Magic Division gave this to me. Do you want more?"

"Yes, please," William replied as he unclenched his fists. "How about you give me all of the candy in your possession?"

"Eh? But, my Big Sister Charlotte gave these to me." Wendy hid the pouch of candy behind her back. "I was not supposed to share them with anyone, but since you're special to me, I gave you one."

William stood from his seat and walked towards Wendy. The system urged him to get more samples, so that it could analyze how the spell had been enchanted onto a piece of candy.

"Don't worry, I will give you something else in return," William said as he hugged Wendy. This time around, his hug was more firm as if not wanting her to run away from him.

Wendy could feel that something was wrong with William, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. All she knew was that the current William was looking at her with a worried gaze and the arms holding her made her feel safe.

"I'll give this to you if you give me a kiss, how about it?" Wendy teased as she shook the pouch in front of William. She had teased William many times in the past, but none of them had worked. The blonde beauty thought that the one she liked would back off after she gave her condition.

"Okay," William replied. He then used his left hand to raise Wendy's chin and kissed her lips.

Wendy's eyes widened when William actually agreed to her request. When William's soft lips pressed against her, she felt a surge of electricity pass through her body. Soon, her eyes closed, as she wrapped her arms around William's back.

When their lips separated, Wendy sighed in contentment because this was the first kiss she had ever received on the lips. She had always thought that her first kiss would be very romantic. However, the blonde beauty didn't expect that her first kiss would be taken from her in exchange for a pouch of candies!

"That was my first kiss," Wendy said with a slightly higher voice. Clearly, she still hadn't recovered from the effect of William's kiss.

"It was my sec-, first kiss as well," William stuttered. 'At least, this was my first kiss in this lifetime.'

"One more?" Wendy pleaded.

"Okay." William agreed.

This time, the kiss was not only long, but sweet as well. When it was over, Wendy rested her head on William's chest. Her face was beet red, but there was a sweet smile on her face. On that day, she affirmed that William's kiss was far sweeter than any candy she had tasted in her lifetime.

Chapter 232: Change Of Plans

Inside William's room, the sound of steady breathing could be heard.

Wendy's head was currently lying on Wililam's lap, while the latter gently brushed her hair. She had fallen asleep about half an hour ago and the Half-Elf was keeping watch over her.

'How is she?' William asked.

< She has ingested a good amount of candies. Fortunately, she's also a mage so her resistance slowed the invasion of her Sea of Consciousness. However, if she were to ingest more candies, the suggestion spell inside of her will strengthen to the point where the caster will be able to control her thoughts, and emotions, to a certain extent. >

'The suggestion spell isn't as powerful as the charm spell, right?'

< No. But, there is still a risk that the victim wouldn't know that the thoughts inside their head were not their own, but of the caster who has placed the spell inside their body. According to my estimate, the progression of the spell inside Wendy's body is at 25% >

'25%…,' William thought as she gazed down at the sleeping beauty on his lap. He was now faced with a difficult situation.

The first choice was to cure Wendy completely and start his investigation on the matter. The second was to investigate this incident while Wendy continued to consume candy and accumulate the spell inside of her.

The first choice was the ideal one, but it would also alert the Mastermind that someone had tinkered with their spell. This in turn would alarm them and would give them the opportunity to hide safely in the shadows.

Once this happened, William would have a hard time finding the culprit and the hidden danger would still be there.

The second option was more risky because it would endanger Wendy's safety. The more candy she ate, the more the caster's spell would accumulate until it reached a point where he could subtly order Wendy to do things, while the latter thought that it was the "right thing to do".

'System, do you have any suggestions?' William asked as he continued to brush Wendy's hair. If possible, he didn't want to endanger this girl who loved him so much.

< I will leave the decision to you, Host. >

William sighed internally. He knew what he had to do, but it still hurt him to do it.

He felt bitter.

He felt like scum.

He felt that he was no different from the nobles who used people as their chess pieces in order to gain more profit for them.

After thinking long and hard, William came to a decision.

'System, I want you to put a special tracker on Wendy. Place all the add-ons in it. See what she sees, hear what she hears. Also, monitor her emotional wavelengths. At the first sign of danger, alert me right away and we will go to rescue her immediately.'

< That will be 1,500 God Points all in all and it will last for two months. Are you sure of your decision, Host? >

< Yes /

No >

'Do it,' William replied without batting an eye. For him, Wendy was more important than God Points.

< Special tracker successfully implanted! >

< Host, I have a suggestion. >

'What is it?'

< I can attach a special tracker to Wendy so that we can also put a tracker on the person that gives her the candy. I heard earlier that she mentioned a "Big Sister Charlotte" perhaps, this person is connected to the Mastermind pulling the strings from behind. >

'Or she could be another one of that bastard's victims,' William commented. 'Very well, use the God Points needed. I don't mind.'

< Understood. >

< Deducting 1,500 God Points from the Balance. >

< God Points Remaining: 2980 >

William held Wendy's hand firmly. He would do his best to protect her to the best of his abilities, but this was a gamble that he needed to take. The Half-Elf had a bad feeling that there was a bigger plot behind this incident. He hoped that he was wrong because if he was right then this didn't bode well for the students of the Hellan Royal Academy.

—–

Meanwhile, inside Carter's Room…

Carter was currently holding a communication crystal in his hand. He felt the familiar tug of his Lord's Magic which his superior often used to contact him if something important had come up.

"Master, I am here," Carter said respectfully as the communication crystal glowed red.

Soon, an image of a handsome man with two small horns protruding out of his head appeared on the surface of the crystal. He was Carter's direct superior, and one of the generals of the Demon Lord, Zagarl Rannath.

"There is a change of plans," Zagarl said with a serious expression. "I want you to massacre the students of the Hellan Academy. This must be done in less than two months. After your mission, immediately return to the Demon Continent and accept the rewards that the Demon Lord has promised you."

Carter frowned when he heard that his mission had changed. His original mission was to corrupt the talented students inside the Royal Academy and bring them back to the Demon Continent to be used as studs, and broodmares for the Demon Race.

Now, his mission changed to a massacre. Carter didn't know why the General suddenly had a change of heart, but he was in no position to question his orders.

Seeing the confusion on Carter's face, the general sighed and continued his explanations.

"Your original plan will still be carried out, but focus on bringing the girls to the Demon Continent," Zagarl stated. "As for the boys, use them as cannon fodders while you make your escape.

"I have already sent additional resources to you and it will arrive two to three days from now. Use those ingredients to strengthen the effect of your candies by tenfold. That way, you will not have to wait for a full month before your spell takes hold of their minds. At most, you will only need a week or two to completely put them all under your thumb."

Carter's expression immediately eased after hearing that additional resources would be sent to him. The lack of which had been the main problem he faced in wanting to make more candies in a short period of time.

"My Liege, the Academy is going to have an Inter-Division Battle a month from now," Carter reported. "That is the perfect opportunity to conduct a massacre. How about we do it on that day?"

"Good." Zagar pondered for a bit before nodding his head. "I will also send some demons to aid you in transporting the girls back to the Demon Continent. I will allow you to pick five of the girls from the academy for yourself. So, make sure to pick the best, understood?"

"Thank you for your generosity, My Liege," Carter bowed. He then pressed his fist over his chest. "Glory to the Demon Race!"

Zagarl, too, pressed his fist over his chest as he gave his reply, "Glory to the Demon Race!"

Carter ended the call and carefully deposited the communication crystal back into his storage ring. He had things to take care of, so he left the room in haste.

A few minutes after the professor left the room, a small black snake crawled out from under the bed. It then entered a small gap in the wall until it was safely out of the Teacher's Dormitory.

It slithered through the grass until it arrived at a small warehouse used to store the academy's tools and other supplies.

A few seconds later, the snake transformed into a man wearing a hood. The man glanced in the direction of the Teacher's dormitory once before turning into black a mist.

The chirping of a cicada echoed in the quiet afternoon. It was as if it was making a proclamation that the night would soon descend upon the lands of the Southern Continent.

Chapter 233: A Talk With The Youngest Prince

Wendy was staring outside the window of her classroom. She would giggle from time to time which made Est, and the rest of her classmates, look at her with amused expressions.

The scene of William kissing her was still fresh in her mind and it was making her giddy from happiness. She had completely forgotten that she wasn't inside his room anymore and was inside their classroom instead.

"Ms. Armstrong, it seems that you are very happy today," Layla said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Why don't you share to the entire class the reason why you're giggling like a mandrake?"

Wendy absentmindedly glanced at Layla and blurted out the words that were on her mind.

"Commander William is a good kisser."

Est, who was seated not far from her, dropped the book in his hand as his eyes widened in shock.

Ian, who was seated beside Est, had his mouth opened wide enough for a golf ball to pass through it.

The class descended into silence as they stared at the beautiful blonde girl who just realized that she had made a blunder.

Wendy immediately covered her lips as her face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

"Oh?" Layla raised an eyebrow. "The new Knight Commander is a good kisser? Well, this certainly is a piece of good news for those who are infatuated with him. Now, Ms. Armstrong, why don't you turn your Book of Magic Principles to page sixty-nine and read the different magical reactions when elements collide."

Wendy hurriedly opened her book and stood up from her seat. She then narrated the contents of the book to the class, while doing her best to keep her voice from stuttering.

Her classmates started to giggle when they saw Wendy's panicked expression. Even so, there were two boys in the room who were not giggling. Instead, they were looking at Wendy as if she was a cheating cat that had stolen the cheese named "William" from their table.

——

"Mama, did you feel a sudden chill just now?" William asked. "I could have sworn that a cold wind just passed through me."

Ella tilted her head to the side for a few seconds before resolutely shaking her head.

The two were currently undertaking a Topography lesson. Their instructor had asked them to create a map of the entire Martial Division, and the First Years were now loitering around the premises holding scrolls in their hands, to draw various landmarks and create a detailed map to the best of their abilities.

In war, map making was an important skill. Even an impromptu one could allow them to navigate their surroundings.

As William was hard at work, a small wren landed on his shoulder and began chirping.

It was none other than the Wren, Aethon, that William had brought back from the Whimsical Forest. He had given the small bird an important task and it was now giving its Master a full report of its mission.

"Great job," William said as he gave the bird a strip of beef jerky.

The bird happily ate the jerky before flying away. It was going to resume patrolling around the academy while looking for suspicious individuals on the prowl. Since William still didn't know who the puppeteer pulling the strings from the background was, he asked Aethon to keep a lookout on anything that seemed suspicious.

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He trusted the bird's knack of gathering information from its surroundings–like the time when it warned him of the Wyverns in the Whimsical Forest.

Wrens were very common in the world and most people would not think much of them if they happened to see one. This was the reason why Aethon was the perfect choice for the mission.

Although William was the Knight Commander, he was still a student of the Martial Class. He was able to skip lessons using his authority, but he wanted to be a good role model to his subordinates. He wanted to teach them how to become humble, even if they were in a position of power.

After William turned a corner, he caught sight of a young boy wandering around the premises. The boy was followed by four guards whom William had estimated to be in the Mithril Ranks.

He recognized him right away, because he had seen him at the party. It was none other than the youngest prince of the kingdom, Ernest Louis Vi Hellan.

William moved to the side to allow the prince to pass. However, the prince didn't do that. Instead he walked towards William and looked up at him.

"What a happy coincidence to meet you here in the academy, Commander William," Ernest said with a smile.

"It is indeed a happy coincidence, Your Highness," William pressed his fist over his chest and bowed respectfully. "Is there something that His Highness needs from me?"

"Yes." Ernest nodded. "Actually, I came here to the academy to talk to you personally. There is a commission that I would like for you to undertake."

"A commission?"

"Yes. A very important one."

William frowned. Currently he was in the process of finding the culprit behind the candies that were circulating around the academy. He really had no time to do a commission for the Prince. However, since he was still a Knight of the kingdom, he decided to at least listen to the Prince first before deciding whether to accept his commission or not.

"Please, follow me to the Commander's office," William replied. "Whatever the Prince wants to ask of me must be something very important. You wouldn't go out of your way to come here personally if it wasn't."

Ernest didn't answer but only gave William a small smile. It was his way of acknowledging William's deductions.

When the two arrived at William's office, the Prince ordered his four guards to remain outside and guarded the door. Clearly, he didn't want them hearing his private talk with William.

After the two were seated, the Prince finally told him the reason why he came to see the Commander of the Angorian War Sovereign.

"You already know that our kingdom is preparing to fight against the two Dynasties on our borders," Ernest explained. "After making a detailed estimate of our kingdom's remaining forces, the King felt that we wouldn't have enough men to protect both fronts of the battlefield."

William nodded his head. The King had a private talk with him before he left the party and told him that there was a possibility that the students of the academy would be mobilized once again to fight for their homeland on the front lines.

"However, it will not be enough," Ernest shook his head. "Do you know why the two dynasties have been able to stand in the Southern Continent while avoiding being conquered by the Hellan and Freesia Alliance?"

"No," William answered. He was not too familiar with the two dynasties beyond their borders because he was too busy training his Knight Order to become an independent unit during the war.

"It's because of their Guardian Beasts," Ernest stated. "Both Dynasties have Guardian Beasts that protect their Dynasties. According to the reports, these two Guardian Beasts are Myriad Beasts. What is more troublesome is that these two beasts are said to be only a step away from becoming Calamities.

If they join the battle then we will not have enough forces to stop them… and this is also the reason why I came to find you, Commander William. We need you to go with the Kingdom's Ambassador, Sir Jerkins, and travel to the North where the tribes are congregated. We need their help to resist this invasion from our neighbors."

Ernest lowered his head, "Alone, the Hellan Kingdom doesn't have any chance of victory."

The youngest prince then glanced at Ella who was standing beside William. "The King and I believe that the Ambassador will not be able to convince them if he went alone. This is why we want you to accompany him in this undertaking."

William tapped the top of the table with his fingertip. This was indeed an important mission of the Kingdom and a mission he couldn't ignore. Ella had once told him about the mighty tribes that lived in the North.

The tribes that raised Angorian War Ibexes as their mounts, which prevented the Kingdom from conquering them. It was the era when the Southern Continent was still in a turmoil of warring kingdoms and dynasties who were battling for supremacy.

The Half-Elf was currently torn between doing his duty and protecting someone important to him. He knew how important this mission was, but he was unwilling to leave Wendy in the academy to gradually be corrupted by the Mastermind hiding in the shadows without him around to protect her.

Ernest waited patiently for his answer. He eyed William with concealed interest. Est had often told him stories about this Half-Elf who had saved his life twice many years ago.

The Youngest Prince wanted to know if Wiliam was really as amazing as the stories that were told to him by the person whom the Young Prince loved and respected in his heart.

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Chapter 234: The Town Of Northwell

Lionheart flapped his wings as he fought against the wind currents.

Dave, who was wrapped in thick clothes, was currently sitting behind the Gryphon's back as they traveled through the dark skies of the Northern Regions. The flying carriage they pulled behind their backs flew steadily amidst the strong winds that passed over them.

Flying alongside them, was another Gryphon pulling a flying carriage that belonged to the Foreign Ambassador of the Hellan Kingdom. These two carriages flew side by side throughout the night in order to arrive at their destination as soon as possible.

Inside the carriage of the Angorian War Sovereign, Wendy slept peacefully with her head resting on William's lap. She was covered with a warm blanket and a sweet smile hung on her lips. William, too, had his eyes closed. His right hand rested on the armchair of the couch, while his other hand rested on top of Wendy's hand, which was placed over her belly.

The other members of the Angorian War Sovereign were similarly resting on the comfortable couches inside the carriage.

Flying carriages were built for long travels, so there was sufficient space inside to accommodate up to a dozen people. Ian looked at William and Wendy with an envious gaze. With a glance, he could tell that their relationship had grown closer and he was feeling bitter about it.

'It's not fair,' Ian thought. 'We were the ones who saw him first.'

Ian covered his face with a blanket because he didn't want to look at the two that were making his heart ache with bitterness. He doesn't understand why he was feeling this way, but the thought of William being together with Wendy was making him feel sad.

Kenneth opened his eyes and gave his Ex-Roommate and the beautiful girl sleeping on his lap a glance, before he, too, closed his eyes to sleep. For him, it didn't matter who William ended up with. What was important to him was the boy's happiness.

On this journey to the North, William brought his own Knight Squad with him.

Wendy, Ian, Kenneth, Bruno, Brutus, Amelia, and Dave were the people he had chosen to accompany him on his mission. At first, he was planning to bring Priscilla or Spencer along, but rejected it after some careful consideration.

Priscilla was his Vice Commander and she needed to be in the academy in case of an emergency. As for Spencer, he was Wendy's twin brother, so William wanted to bring him along at first. However, knowing the siscon's overprotective tendency, he decided to kick him off his list.

Since he had already accepted Wendy's feelings for him, having a third wheel was annoying. Of course, Spencer discovered that his sister was going to accompany William on his mission. Because of this, he decided to tag along as well. He tried to convince William to take him, but the Half-Elf refused firmly.

The excuse William gave Spencer was that the Inter-Division Battle was just around the corner and he had to train his subordinates properly in order to have a chance of winning. Naturally, Spencer didn't buy his b*llsh*t, but he was powerless against the Commander of a Knight Order, so he grudgingly took a step back while cursing William inside his heart.

On the second day after they left the academy, the group finally saw the famous mountains of the Northern Regions in the distance.

"I can't even see the peak of the mountain," Wendy muttered as she gazed at the towering mountain in the distance.

White Clouds shrouded the peak of the Kyrintor Mountains and only the middle-part of it could be seen.

They were currently camping ten miles away from the base of the mountain and having their breakfast. All of them were wearing winter clothes, because the temperature was very cold.

William passed Wendy a cup of coffee before drinking his own. It was the biggest mountain that he had seen in both of his lifetimes. Although he didn't have the opportunity to see Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, he had seen pictures of it in magazines and watched documentaries about it on television.

For some reason, William felt that the Kyrintor Mountains' height surpassed it by a good margin. As to how high that margin was, he couldn't really tell at this point in time.

"Take a good look at it, ladies and gentleman," Sir Jerkins said as he made a gesture towards the mountain. "This is the last frontier of the Southern Continent, and hailed as the 'Unconquerable Lands of the North', the Kyrintor Mountains."

The members of William's group had been briefed about the contents of their mission during their journey. Of course, the part about the war was not said in order to prevent any leakage in information. William only told them that the Hellan Kingdom had finally decided to form an official alliance with the Northern Tribe and their duty was to ensure that the proposed alliance would come into fruition.

"What are our chances of success, Sir Jerkins?" Amelia asked. "I've heard from my father that the Northern Tribes don't like to deal with the people in the kingdom.

Amelia's father and the Ambassador were good friends. Sir Jerkins would often come to visit them whenever he had time, so Amelia treated him as if he were her own uncle. Of course, she still called him Sir to show her respect for his position in the kingdom.

Sir Jerkins' gaze softened as he looked at the young lady whom he treated like his own niece. He then smiled and spoke his honest take on the matter.

"Our chances of success are less than 10%," Jerkins admitted. "This is why we should do our best this time around. I just pray that we came at a good time and that the chieftain is in a good mood."

An hour later, they cleared their camp and resumed their journey. Their destination, the town of Northwell at the base of the mountain. It was one of the three towns that the tribes used to trade with the Hellan Kingdom.

According to their agreement, teleport gates were not allowed to be erected in any town near the base of the Kyrintor Mountains. This was to prevent any attempt at invasion from the Hellan Kingdom.

When the two Gryphons landed near the gates of the town, the guard captain blew a horn to alert the Mayor of their arrival. Sir Jerkins smiled wryly when he heard the horn because he was familiar with the sound it made.

The tribes used different horns to pass their messages and the horn that the Guard Captain used was the horn to announce that "Pesky Guests" had arrived in their domain.

"Well, at least they didn't sound the horn of battle," Sir Jerkins shook his head helplessly as he ordered the Gryphon Rider to stand his ground. He didn't want the first "Lookout" of the tribes to have a bad impression of them.

Because if they somehow annoyed this particular Mayor, forget about going to see the chieftain. They would immediately be barred from climbing the mountain.

A sturdy man, who looked like a Barbarian bred for war, walked out of the town's gate with a group of people behind his back.

His name was Cadell Gunnar, the mayor of Northwell. He held the title "The First Guardian" because he was responsible for protecting the main town at the base of the mountain.

"Sir Jerkins, you're back again?" Cadell snorted. His tone was laced with displeasure towards this bearded Ambassador who always had a smile on his face.

Sir Jerkins gave Cadell his trademark gentleman smile and nodded his head. "It's been two years since my last visit. I hope you've aged well during that time, Lord Cadell."

William and the rest of his order also disembarked from their carriage and stood behind Sir Jerkins. The red-headed boy wanted to know more about the Mayor, and decided to let the ambassador do all the talking.

Cadell scoffed and scanned the people that had arrived in his domain. He then gave Sir Jerkins an annoyed gaze and asked him the most important question.

"Why are you here?" Cadell asked. He was a busy person and was preparing to meet with the Great Chieftain because of the ceremony that was about to take place.

"I came to meet with the Great Chief to pass along the message of our King," Jerkins replied. "My King also asked me to personally deliver gifts to his Excellency and wish him well."

"Hoh? Gifts you say?" Cadell sneered. "So, are those kids the gifts you are talking about? Well, they're not half bad."

Sir Jerkins chuckled and waved his hand. "Lord Cadell, please, don't tease the children. They are here to assist me in my mission to see your Great Chieftain."

Cadell clicked his tongue, but still nodded his head. He then signalled for his men to open the gates and allow their entry.

Although they did their best to not show it on their faces, William and the rest were very curious to see what the towns in the Northern Tribes were like. They wanted to know how these indigenous people lived, and the secret of how they had retained their autonomy for hundreds of years.

Chapter 235: Tribe Gathering

As soon as they entered the gates, several pairs of eyes turned in their direction. Some were curious, others surprised, while some held contempt.

It was quite easy to tell who was friendly and who was not. Those who were not openly glaring at William's group were the friendly ones among the Northerners.

Even Lord Cadell, the Mayor of Northwell, had shown his dislike openly and didn't even bother to hide it. The tribes were proud people. For them, being straightforward was their way of life. They hate schemes, and would rather resort to a fight than be forced to pull some dirty tricks.

The tribes of the North all had pale skin and their bodies were quite sturdy. Even the women had lean and toned bodies that boasted enough strength to make the usual thugs think twice before making a pass on them.

They were wearing clothes made from the furs and hides of the Beasts that could be seen within their domain. Wolf, Mammoths, Bears, and other fierce beasts that the warriors of the tribe encountered on a daily basis.

Wendy and Amelia stood out from the group because both of them were beauties. The teenage boys who were of marriageable age whistled at them to show their appreciation.

The two girls were not used to this kind of treatment because both of them were nobles. They had been protected by their families from any form of vulgarity that they were finding it hard to keep the calm expressions on their faces.

Brutus and Bruno flanked Amelia on both sides, while William held Wendy's waist and pulled her closer to him. This was their way to tell the Northerners that these two ladies were hands off, but the young men of the tribes didn't seem to get their message.

Aside from the town wall, there were very few solid structures in the town of Northwell. The majority of the residents here lived inside tents made from Mammoth hide.

It was not only Wendy and Amelia whom the residents were paying attention to. They were quite surprised to see a fluffy Angorian Goat, with a coat as white as snow, walking beside William.

Here in the North, only warriors were allowed to rear goats. With a glance, the people could tell that the goat was well taken care of, which raised their impressions of the red-headed boy standing beside it.

After arriving at the Mayor's Residence, Cadell took them to the living room where it was warm due to a fireplace that was burning brightly.

Sir Jerkins' guards were not allowed to enter the residence. Because of this, they had no choice but to watch over their carriages that were parked outside the Mayor's house. The Ambassador didn't say anything because he already knew Cadell's temperament.

The Town's Mayor sat on a big comfortable chair beside the fireplace, while William's group sat on the sitting mats that were provided for them.

After everyone was seated, the talks finally began.

"You said you came here to talk to the Great Chieftain, right?" Cadell asked. "Are you planning to form an alliance with us so

we can become your cannon fodders to fight your enemies?"

Sir Jerkins smiled when he heard Cadell's inquiry. His face showed a calmness that befited his position as a Foreign Ambassador. However, deep inside, he was shocked that Cadell had known the purpose of their visit.

This was a highly confidential matter and the people that knew about this mission were only a handful of people.

Sir Jerkins was sure that none of these people would betray the kingdom, so there was only one possibility.

'They managed to get here first,' Jerkins thought. 'We may be a step too late.'

It only took the foreign ambassador a brief moment to organize his thoughts due to the many years of experience in handling political negotiation with foreign factions.

"Cannon fodders? Nonsense," Jerkins firmly shook his head in a righteous manner. "The Hellan Kingdom and the Northern Tribes have kept a good relationship for over hundreds of years. We have already had a few exchanges in the past to promote the strong bonds between our people.

"Two years ago, your Great Chieftain even said that he would seriously consider forming an alliance with the Kingdom. You were there when the Great Chief and I talked, remember?"

Cadell snorted, but didn't argue with his guest. Just like the Ambassador said, he had been there when the Great Chief was on the verge of accepting the proposal for an Alliance. There were even talks about marriage between the Hellan Royal family and the Chieftain's family.

However, there was one problem, Noah didn't have a daughter. The Great Chief requested that a princess marry one of his sons in order to finalize the alliance. This was the way of the North, and the tribes recognized these kinds of exchanges.

Even though Noah wasn't able to fulfill that specific request, he decided to do the next best thing and played matchmaker for the Great Chief's granddaughter and his youngest son, Prince Ernest.

The Great Chief considered the matter, but he said that he needed more time to think about it. After all, he loved his granddaughter so much and the thought of her leaving the North to live with the Prince in the Hellan Capital made him sad.

The Great Chief's granddaughter had just had her birthday this year and was now eleven years old. She was a year older than Ernest and some said that, even though she was still young, her beauty was starting to show. The Elders of each tribe were even in the process of selecting their most promising youth to become the chieftain's next son-in-law.

Cadell was even thinking of sending his youngest son, who was only nine-years-old this year, to become one of the groom candidates for the Great Chief's granddaughter. That was how fierce the competition was and everyone was hell bent on taking the initiative to win her good graces.

"The Tribes will have a gathering five days from now," Cadell announced. "The second eldest son of the Chief is looking for a bride. Because of this, the tribes will have a gathering at the Third Peak of Chivalry. I will be departing tomorrow, so you can come with me, but flying carriages are not allowed."

Cadell had a gloating look on his face as he scanned the faces that were looking at him. "We also don't have any available mounts for any of you to use. If you like, you can walk your way up the peak. However, by then, the gathering will already be over."

Jerkins frowned. The only means of transport used in the North were the War Ibexes, Mammoths, Sledge Dogs, and Llamas. They didn't allow any flying creatures to fly towards the peaks. Those who dared to do so would be shot down immediately.

The only exception to this rule were the warriors of the tribe that had gained permission from the Oracle that lived on the First Peak of Divinity.

"Can't you spare us a few mounts? I brought gifts from the capital. I'm sure that the Great Chief will love them," Jerkins negotiated. "These gifts would also be a good present for the Second Warrior of the tribe."

(A/N: The eldest son of the Great Chief is called First Warrior. The second son is called Second Warrior, so on, and so forth.)

Cadell frowned, but what Jerkins said was reasonable. However, he wouldn't allow all of them to climb the Third Peak with him, so he intentionally made things difficult for the Ambassador and his entourage.

"I will provide only one Llama for your group," Cadell said as he looked at Jerkins. "And you will be the only one riding it. As for the rest? They can walk."

Cadell was firm in his decision, and was even laughing internally. He really didn't like the representatives from the Hellan Kingdom and looked down on their attempts to form an alliance with their tribe.

'I'm looking forward to seeing the expression on Jerkin's face once he realizes that he's not the only "special guest" that will be attending our Tribe Gathering,' Cadell sneered internally.

The Mayor of Northwell felt that this was the perfect opportunity for the Northern Tribes to head South. Not to form an alliance, but to expand their domain and conquer the rich and fertile lands of the Hellan Kingdom.

Chapter 236: The Two Of You Will Become My Fiance

William and the others returned to their carriages because they didn't want to experience Cadell's hospitality. Only Jerkins remained inside the Mayor's Residence because there were still a few things he had to consult with Cadell about in regards to the Tribe Gathering that would be happening a few days from now.

Inside the carriage of the Angorian War Sovereign, William was having a meeting with his members and discussing their next course of action.

"Wendy, Amelia, I am going to give the two of you an important mission," William said with a serious expression. "From now on, until we return to the Hellan Kingdom, the two of you will be my fiances."

"Okay."

"Huh?!"

Wendy easily agreed to William's request because she trusted him completely. As for Amelia, William's order was too sudden and too ridiculous which made her unable to give a proper reply.

William smiled at Wendy before looking at the bewildered Amelia who was looking at him in an anxious manner.

"Listen, we are going to a gathering where the second son of the Great Chief will be choosing his brides," William explained. "Do you know? 99% of the time, the Antagonist will always flirt with the Female Leads because they are beautiful or they fall in love at first sight upon seeing them?"

"Eh, I still don't understand? What does that have to do with me becoming the Commander's Fiance?" Amelia asked back.

"The reason is simple. If we are going to follow the standard script of light novels, Wendy and you will become the prime bride candidates of the second son of the Great Chief if the script has to be followed," William answered. "I am very sure of it. Then, I will have no choice but to fight with him in a duel in order to prevent the two of you from becoming his lovers."

Amelia blinked her eyes once then twice before reluctantly nodding her head. Although she still didn't fully understand William's words, she couldn't deny the possibility of being targeted by the Second Son of the Great Tribal Chief of the Northern Tribes.

Ian was frowning, but didn't interject his thoughts into the conversation. He also understood William's logic and it would give the two girls added protection if they were to go and meet the ruler of the Kyrintor Mountains.

"I understand," Amelia replied weakly. "But, I'm not very good at acting."

"It's fine. All you need to do is…," William gently held Wendy's shoulder and pulled him closer to him. "Stick to me whenever there is an opportunity. Like this."

As if helping William show the right way of showing affection, Wendy hugged William's body and rested her head on his chest. Her eyes were closed and there was a sweet smile on her face. Clearly, she wasn't acting. She was really showing her affection to William, which made Amelia blush in embarrassment.

"I know that this is going to be hard." William understood Amelia's hesitation because it was only natural for her to act this way. "But, if you are given a choice between becoming my fake lover, or becoming the bride of the Chief's son, what would you choose?"

This was a no-brainer question for Amelia. She'd rather become William's fake lover than be forced to marry someone she hadn't even met. They were in the Northern Regions and not in the Hellan Kingdom.

They were in enemy territory and if the tribes were hell bent to keep them there,

it would be very hard for them to escape their grasp.

"I-I understand." Amelia sighed. "I will do my best to act as the Commander's fiance. Please, forgive me if I'm no good."

"It should be me who should be asking for your forgiveness." William bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry, Amelia."

"Raise your head, Commander. This is a mission. I will do my part as a member of the Angorian War Sovereign."

"Thank you."

After Amelia accepted William's suggestion, the Half-Elf discussed possible scenarios that might happen.

"It is almost a guarantee that a duel cannot be avoided," William said. "When this happens, I want all of you to remain calm and not move from your positions. I will handle everything. As for you, Dave, you will leave Northwell after we start our climb to the peak. Return to the place where we camped earlier and wait for my signal. You remember how it should feel, right?"

Dave nodded his head. As one of William's "True Knights" William would be able to summon him once a day, just like how he could summon the members of his herd anytime.

When they were still in Lont, William secretly tried using this ability to summon Dave and Conrad. After their initial surprise, the three found the Knight Summoning a very sound strategy in storming the enemy's base once William had made a successful infiltration.

This was another one of his Trump Cards and the reason why he left Conrad at the academy. The Half-Elf was confident that he would be able to summon his Dragon Knight as long as they were both in the Southern Continent.

—–

"You said you wanted to see me," a man wearing a gray robe greeted Lionel while the Prince was having some tea inside the Sky Pavilion.

The Sky Pavilion was actually a High-Class Brothel that was reserved only for the nobility of the Hellan Kingdom. Although this was a brothel, this was not a place for prostitution. The ladies that worked here only used their charms and skills to entertain their guests.

Singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, and other literary arts were the foundation of the Sky Pavilion. Harassing and molesting the ladies of this establishment was strictly prohibited. Any offenders would immediately be thrown into the jails of the Hellan Kingdom. Some of them would never see the light of day again.

Lionel raised his head and made a gesture for his guest to sit down in front of him. The man wearing the robe nodded his head and sat according to the Prince's wishes.

A pretty lady that served as the Prince's personal maid, poured the newcomer a cup of tea before leaving the room.

As soon as the door closed, Lionel took a scroll from his pocket and placed it on top of the table.

The man wearing gray robes picked it up and began to read its contents. He read silently for two minutes before returning the scroll on top of the table.

"If the two of us are going to work together then, it is only fair for our side to show you our sincerity," the man said in a business-like tone. "The first answer to your question is Yes."

Lionel sighed internally because his suspicion was confirmed. The first question written in the letter was whether the secret organization had already found the Hidden Domain.

"The answer to your second question is another yes." The man continued. "We are willing to give you a quarter of the gains we can get from you know what."

Lionel nodded his head. His second question was whether the organization was willing to give the Prince a slice of the riches that would be found inside the Domain of the First King of the Hellan Kingdom.

Even though it was only a quarter, that was already a good bargain for him.

"The answer to your third question will depend on your ability." The man chuckled. "We have no need for useless people. There are plenty of candidates to choose from. Remember that, okay?"

Lionel's third question was if they were really going to support him in becoming the Emperor of the Southern Continent. Depending on his performance, they could discard him anytime if he didn't meet their expectations.

"As for your last question…," the man rubbed his chin. "Although it will require a lot of effort on our part. We can do it."

The man paused and clapped his hands as if remembering something.

"A month from now, the Hellan Royal Academy is going to have an Inter-Division Battle between all the Year Grades, right?" The man inquired. "I think we can have the princess visit during that time to promote the good relationship between the two kingdoms. I think that there will be nothing wrong with that arrangement."

Lionel clenched his fist as he kept the calm expression on his face. Deep inside, he was feeling excited.

At the end of the scroll had been his biggest request. Lionel asked the organization to show him their sincerity by bringing the Third Princess of the Kingdom of Freesia to the Hellan Kingdom.

Lionel promised that he would work with them if they were able to accomplish this task, and the man in front of him promised that he would comply with his request to have the Princess visit their kingdom.

'Finally, I will be able to see her again,' Lionel thought happily. 'Sidonie, after many years, I will once again gaze upon your beauty.'

The man wearing the gray robe eyed the Prince with a friendly smile. He answered all of the questions truthfully because he really had no interest in ruling the Southern Continent. What he planned to achieve was a greater calling.

Something that mere mortals couldn't possibly comprehend. He would gladly hand the Southern Continent to Lionel on a silver platter if the Prince could acquire the key for him.

The key that opened the domain that held the secret to Immortality.

Chapter 237: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Cadell led the way up the mountain while riding on an Angorian War Ibex. He turned his head to look at the stragglers who were walking behind their group and sneered in his heart.

He thought that William and the others would beg him to give them some mounts to help climb the mountain, but they didn't do it. Instead, they just walked as if they were tourists doing some sight-seeing.

"We are increasing the pace," Cadell announced. He then urged his partner to run and the rest of his retainers followed behind him.

Jerkins turned to look at William, and the latter only nodded his head. They had already talked about this. If Cadell decided to leave them behind, Jerkins was to follow him closely.

William assured the Ambassador that they would be fine. He insisted that Jerkins should just focus on keeping up with Cadell's group, instead of worrying about them.

With a wave of his hand, Jerkins urged his mount to run after the War Ibexes in the distance.

"They're already gone," Brutus commented. "Are you sure we're going to be fine, Commander?"

William smiled and nodded his head. 'Gate Open.'

Suddenly, Six War Ibexes appeared behind William. The Half-Elf hugged all of them and patted their heads affectionately.

"Let me introduce you to my friends that will help us reach the Third Peak of the Kyrintor Mountains," William said. "This is Chronos, Aslan, Baldur, Echo, Keith, and Jed. Don't worry, they are very friendly. As long as you don't do anything to hurt them, they will not do anything to any of you."

Ironically, the War Ibexes were wearing custom made saddles that allowed everyone to mount them easily.

William helped Wendy mount Ella's back because the two of them would be riding together. After making sure that the beauty in front of him was properly seated, he glanced at his subordinates to check if they were having any problems.

Fortunately, all of William's members had plenty of practice riding different beasts, so they easily adapted to their new traveling partners.

"Let's go," William ordered and Ella led the sprint up the mountain.

The other goats ran behind their leader in a uniformed manner without having their riders order them on what to do.

Five minutes later, Cadell's party appeared in their vision. The Mayor of Northwell heard hoofbeats coming from behind their entourage and turned his head to look.

He almost fell from his mount when he saw William's group catching up to them. What shocked him the most was that all of them were riding Angorian War Ibexes!

The War Ibexes held a special status among the Northern Tribes and only warriors were allowed to ride them.

Even in Cadell's own entourage, only three people had War Ibexes and the rest were riding Llamas. This just proved how hard it was to have a War Ibex as a mount within the Northern Regions of Kyrintor.

William maintained a gap of fifty meters between his group and Cadell's. He knew that if he got closer to Cadell's group, the latter would question him about how he got the War Ibexes.

What William didn't know was that each War Ibex in the Northern Region had a special rune stamped on them that proved that they belonged to the Northern Tribes.

Of course, these runes were not present on the goats in William's herd because they were not raised in the Kyrintor Mountains. This meant that they didn't belong to the Tribe and the latter couldn't force William to surrender these goats to them.

Although he still had doubts in his mind, Cadell didn't stop his mount from climbing the mountain. He could ask his questions later. What mattered

right now was to get to the Third Peak as soon as he could.

The travel towards the peak usually took two days from the base of the Mountain. Only the beasts raised by the Northern Tribe would be able to climb without being attacked by wild beasts because of the runes embedded on their body. These runes signified that they belonged to the Divine Oracle, and no beasts that resided within the mountain were allowed to attack them.

When the sun was about to set, Cadell called for a halt and his group started to set up camp.

William didn't join Cadell's camp, but set up his own. Although there was no snow in their location, the temperature was very cold. Fortunately, they had prepared adequately for their mission, and there was no danger of suffering from frostbite.

Just as William expected, Cadell wasn't able to resist his curiosity and walked towards their camp. He looked at the War Ibexes that were resting on the ground with a fierce gaze. It was as if he was looking at a woman who had the beauty to bring down nations.

As an veteran warrior, he was also an expert when it came to appraising beasts. With a glance, he could tell that the War Ibexes were of the highest grade. These kinds of goats could only be ridden by the elite warriors of the Great Chieftain, who went by the name "Garm".

They were the Elite Defenders of the Kyrintor Mountains that prevented the Kings of the Hellan Kingdom from conquering their domain.

"Boy, where did you get these goats?" Cadell asked without even looking at William. He was so focused on admiring the goats that he found it beneath him to even glance at the Half-Elf, whom he treated as one of Jerkin's attendants.

William ignored him and started to throw some vegetables into the pot in front of him. He was planning to make some vegetable soup that would warm them up for their long night in the mountains.

Cadell frowned because he didn't hear William's reply. He then finally turned his head to look at the boy who was busy stoking the campfire to cook their dinner.

"Boy, didn't you hear what I said?" Cadell asked. This time, he made sure to increase the volume of his voice.

"Oh, them?" William scratched his head. "I saw them wandering around at the base of the mountain. Maybe they got so attracted to my handsome face that they decided to help us climb the mountains. Isn't that right?"

William faced the goats as he asked them this question.

""Meeeeeeh!""

"See?" William smiled as he looked back at Cadell. "It's not my fault I was born handsome."

Cadell's lips twitched as he did his best to stop himself from slapping the boy silly. There was no way that these goats would follow someone just because they were handsome. He had never heard such a b*llsh*t excuse in his entire life!

"Boy, I asked you a serious question." Cadell glared. "Don't forget that, without my approval, you and your group would be barred from entering the Third Peak."

"And who told you that I needed your approval?" William asked back. The system had already informed him of the rules of the Kyrintor Mountains. No one was allowed to attack anyone that was being accompanied by an Angorian War Ibex.

Doing so was tantamount to attacking the dignity of their Guardian Deity. No Tribe would dare to commit such a nefarious act, not even Cadell who had just remembered this age-old-rule.

In the Kyrintor Mountains, there was a Myriad Beast that was close to becoming a Demi-God. They said that the Myriad Beast was a Celestial Goat that could see everything that happens inside its domain.

For as long as the tribes of the North followed its rule, its protection would remain intact. This was the reason why none of the former Kings of the Hellan Kingdom were able to invade the Northern Region.

When they found out what kind of being lived in this domain, they decided to scrap their plans of expansion. Only stupid people would dare to poke a hornet's nest and face the wrath of a Pseudo-Demigod.

"Go back to your camp," William ordered. "You have no power here."

William closed the lid of the pot as he waited for it to boil. He didn't say anything when he was still in the town of Northwell because the system was busy collecting data at that time. One of its functions was to unearth the recorded history of a location. The only condition was that William had to be in that location as well.

When the System discovered this rule, it immediately informed William which allowed the Half-Elf to use it to its advantage.

'Fool. The moment I learned this rule was the moment you lost your authority over me,' William sneered. 'Still, this is a very convenient loophole. System, do you think I could tame that Pseudo-Demigod? Maybe I can bribe it to join my herd. Should I attempt to tame it?'

The system wanted to say no, but then it remembered the goat that was currently resting beside William. If something like THAT was willing to follow William then taming a Pseudo-Demigod was nothing!

Of course, the system couldn't say that out loud, so it decided to compromise.

< …There's a very, very, very, small probability that you can tame it, Host. >

William sighed and remembered the Titanic Green-Scaled Trollhound that he failed to tame last time. If he wasn't able to add a Class S Beast to his herd then he shouldn't even think about adding a Myriad Beast that was a step away from the Calamity Class.

That would just be kicking an iron plate without boots on and it might even cause the Northern Tribes to hunt him to the ends of the world.

While William was pondering about these things, Cadell returned to his camp with a grim expression on his face. He had a feeling that he had unintentionally brought a troublemaker into their territory.

The Mayor of Northwell glanced at William who was brushing Ella's head. In his eyes, William was a wolf in sheep's clothing. A wolf that had snuck inside the goat pen, and the boy had been bold enough to do it right under his nose!

Chapter 238: Unexpected Discovery

An hour before daybreak, Cadell and his group started their climb up the mountain. Jerkins went with them because it was what William and he had agreed upon beforehand. As the Ambassador of the Hellan Kingdom, it would be best for him to travel with Cadell to prevent any mishaps along the way.

William, on the other hand, was not in a hurry to follow them. They were now at the middle of the mountain, and would take at least one more day to reach the peak. The system did an in-depth scan of the mountain and found something interesting.

It was none other than an undiscovered crystal mine. However, it was not any ordinary crystal mine, but a mine where one could excavate Magic Crystals!

Magicians used these crystals to increase their magic powers, which allowed them to break through to the upper circles. For example, First Circle Magicians would easily be able to advance to the Second Circle if they got their hands on a High-Grade Magic Crystal.

It was similar to the Beast Cores that William used to upgrade his "Disciple of Thunder" Job Class. It was quite unfortunate that William wouldn't be able to use his magic powers at this point in time. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't upgrade all of his Mage Classes to their Max Levels!

William couldn't wipe away the smile on his face when the system informed him that there were enough High-Grade Magic Crystals to upgrade his Prince of Thunder, Ice Wizard, Fire Mage, Water Mage, Wind Mage to their max levels!

The system even proposed to take the entire mine and put it inside his domain. William readily agreed to this plan because having a Magic Crystal Mine inside his domain would increase the magic density in the air and would give benefits to the residents inside the Thousand Beast Domain.

Half an hour later, William woke Wendy up and the two of them huddled together on an elevated spot in the mountain to look at the East. it was still dark, and cold, but their intertwined hands under the blanket, kept both of them warm.

The others also started to stir, and joined the two as they waited for their first ever sunrise in the Kyrintor Mountains. While they were waiting, Kenneth sat beside William and spoke his thoughts out loud.

"I have a feeling that Cadell will make things difficult for us later on," Kenneth said. "There should be various checkpoints up the mountain, and I'm sure that he has already alerted all of them. I'm afraid that we will be barred entry when we arrive at their outposts."

William nodded in agreement. "Don't worry. I have already anticipated that this would happen. Just leave it to me."

Kenneth smiled because William's

voice was filled with confidence. Because of this, all the worries in his mind disappeared completely.

When the sun finally poked its head up in the East, the world was slowly filled with light.

Wendy sighed as she rested her head on William's shoulder. This was not the first time she had seen the sunrise, however, this time was special. She was together with the person she liked and this made the experience extra special.

After admiring the sunrise for a few minutes, the group had breakfast and resumed their climb.

An hour later, William asked them to stop and led them on a detour around the mountain. After another hour of riding, they arrived at the entrance of a small cave.

William ordered everyone to dismount, and he led the way inside the cave using a lamp that was powered by Low-Grade Magic Crystals.

"Commander, where are we?" Amelia asked as they headed deeper to the caves. "Aren't we supposed to climb the Third Peak?"

"I also don't know where we are," William replied. "However, one of the locals told me that there was a cave located in this area, and he said that there were Ice Lotuses that could be found here from time to time."

"Really?!" Amelia's eyes widened in shock.

"Mmm." William hummed as he continued to guide them deeper within the cave.

Ice Lotuses were very rare herbs that most Alchemists would buy for exuberant prices. They said that when you used it to make a special cream, your skin would remain youthful and would not wrinkle for twenty years.

It was also used to craft special medicines that gave a strong immunity to cold poison, frostbite, and any diseases that were caused by the cold. It was also a very potent herb that could be digested raw by those who specialize in Ice Magic in order to drastically boost the effectiveness of their Ice Magic for a short period of time.

It was another unexpected discovery by the system and a perfect excuse for the group to take a detour from their intended destination.

—–

"Wow! So many Ice Lotuses!" Amelia exclaimed. "Commander! Are all of these real?"

"Of course they're real," William smirked. "Why would we waste our time coming here if they were not?"

Over a hundred Ice Lotuses floated on what seemed to be an icy lake within the cavern. According to Amelia's estimate, all of them combined would easily gain them around thirty million gold coins if they were to sell them in an auction house.

That was more than enough money to arm the members of the Angorian War Sovereign to the teeth.

"All of you are to stay here to gather the Ice Lotuses," William ordered. "Remember, do it carefully or the Lotuses will wilt and lose their value. I will scout around this area and will be back in an hour."

William then patted Kenneth's shoulder as he whispered something in his ears, "I'll leave them in your care. Watch over them for me and make sure they don't get into trouble. I'll be back in a few hours."

Kenneth reluctantly nodded his head. To be honest, he wanted to go with William, but since the latter had given him an order, he had no choice but to obey. He didn't want to break William's trust in him, so he could only endure and help the others gather the Ice Lotuses in the lake.

William left the group and told them to wait for him until his return. He also asked Ella to guard the path leading to the Magic Crystal Mine and to prevent anyone from secretly following him.

—-

An hour after William left his comrades at the Ice Lotus Lake, he arrived at a dead end.

< We're here, Host. The Magic Crystal Mine is right behind this thick wall of Ice. >

'Understood,' William replied as he took out Stormcaller from his storage ring.

He took a fighting stance as he focused his aura into his weapon to strengthen it. According to the system, the wall of ice was over ten meters thick. This was why the natives of the Kyrintor Mountains were not able to discover that there was a treasure trove within the mountain.

The Ice was able to keep the power of the Magic Crystals from leaking which allowed William to take it all for himself.

"Lightning God War Art, Seventh Form," William muttered as Stormcaller's lightning bolts congregated on its tip. He was planning to pierce through the Wall of Ice that had been protecting the Magic Crystal Mine for thousands of years.

"Pierce through the void, Longinus!"

Chapter 239: The Deity Of The Sky

With a thrust of his spear the wall of ice in front of him was obliterated, creating a tunnel. The Seventh Form, Longinus, was an ability that could pierce through almost anything. It could even destroy magic barriers if William could empower it with enough magic or aura.

Without a doubt, it was one of the aces up William's sleeve.

The Half-Elf returned Stormcaller inside his storage ring and proceeded to check the mine that the system had discovered while scanning the mountains.

The Half-Elf's eyes widened when he found himself surrounded by thousands of glittering Magic Crystals. It was not a Magic Crystal Mine, but a Magic Crystal Cavern!

The very air was radiating with magic power, and William immediately noticed an unbelievable phenomenon in his status page.

< Gained Exp: 1,000 >

"Oh, my, Goddess!" William exclaimed.

Just being bathed by the concentrated magic in the air was enough for him to gain experience points!

The system had already switched his Job Class to his Ice Wizard Job Class and the experience points quickly filled up his Experience Bar.

< Host, we need to move the Magic Crystals inside the Thousand Beast Domain ASAP. The magic is starting to leak and it might cause a Phenomenon in the sky above our location. It would be bad if the natives were to notice. >

'How do we transfer it?' William asked.

< We will need to use the power of the three Divinities in order to "distort" the surroundings and allow us to safely transfer the entirety of the mine inside the Thousand Beast Domain. I will also need to use 1,000 God Points to buy the auxiliary consumables that will make the transfer less problematic. >

< God Points: 5,980 >

< Deducting God Points to buy consumables. >

< God Points: 4,980 >

William sat on the ground and called out to the Three Divinities inside his Sea of Consciousness. The King Chess Piece, the CPU Core, and the Lollipop glowed at the same time and pooled their power to distort the world around William creating a minor "God Domain".

The System carefully engulfed the entire Magic Crystal Cavern inside the God Domain. It made sure that not even a single piece of Magic Crystal was left out. When everything was ready, it immediately transferred

the mine into the Thousand Beast Domain.

It had already prepared a place for it and the mine was successfully relocated behind Willliam's personal Villa within the Thousand Beast Domain.

When William opened his eyes, he almost didn't recognize his surroundings. The entire cavern had been gouged out of the mountain leaving behind a wide crater.

It was also at this moment when William saw a two-meter-tall block of ice that was emitting mists in the distance.

'Is this also a magic crystal?' William asked the system.

< Please, don't approach it, host. Let me scan it first >

< Initiating Comprehensive Scan. >

< Scan successful completed! >

William waited patiently. He was really curious what this big block of ice was and what it was doing inside the Magic Crystal Cavern that he had transported inside his domain.

< Host, the block of ice that you see is a magical block of ice that is being maintained through the use of the power of the Magic Crystals inside this cavern. If my calculation is correct, this block of ice is thousands of years old. >

'A block of ice that is thousands of years old? I'm sure that those who do ice sculptures would love to have it in their collection.'

< Surprisingly, I found a beast trapped inside it and after matching my scan against the database, I found out its name and origins. >

'A beast trapped in the ice?' William's eyes widened in surprise. After the initial shock ended, it was replaced by pity. For a beast to be trapped inside a block of ice for thousands of years was a very tragic thing.

William cautiously approached the frozen beast and observed it carefully. The ice prison was not that thick, but all he could see was a blurred image of a beast that seemed to be only a foot tall and half a meter long.

The rainbow colored scales on its back illuminated the block of ice which made it very attractive to look at. The creature's claws were curled up into its feet, and its head was raised in an arrogant manner. William assumed that it was taking a fighting pose before it got frozen in ice.

'System, my appraisal skill can't pass through the block of ice. Can you tell me the details of this beast?'

< Certainly. I will post the details on the host's Status Page. >

William opened his status page and checked the information that was passed to him by the system.

—–

< Kasogonaga >

— Deity of the Sky

— Demigod

— Threat Level: C (Low)

— Cannot be added to the herd

— When the world was still young, and monsters rampaged the land. The Kasogonaga was one of the few Demigods who favored humans.

— It has the power to call out rain, which helped them grow their crops and ensured that their lands remained fertile.

— It was said that the rainbow-colored scales that cover its body had given birth to the rainbows that could be seen after a rain.

— This is a gentle beast by nature and dislikes conflict. However, whenever it is threatened, it will curl up its body and start to roll.

— Alongside rain, thunder, and lightning, the small Demi-God would charge at its enemies and was given the nickname "Rolling Calamity" by the God's of that Era.

— This creature is the bane of all Ant Type Beasts.

— It has no known weakness.

—–

'Hyeok!' William almost choked on his spit.

'Are you sure this is a Demigod?!'

< I'm 100% certain, host. >

William didn't know what to feel after reading the information about the Deity of the Sky. Initially, he thought that all Demigods were Calamity Class Beasts. However, the Kasogonaga that they had discovered was only Class C and currently trapped inside the block of ice, frozen in time.

Chapter 240: I'm Rolling!

'Did its power degrade after being frozen in Ice?' William inquired. He then looked at the rainbow-colored creature that had been confined inside the block of ice for thousands of years.

< It is highly possible. According to the simulations that I made, it would take at least, tens of thousands of years before a Demigod would degrade to this level.>

'The poor thing,' William thought. The Half-Elf had a good impression of the Kasogonaga because it was a Demigod that aided humanity during their time of need. He thought of Spire back in the enchanted forest.

The Guardian of the Herd was a Pacifist and disliked conflicts. However, it would not take a step back if someone threatened the safety of its herd. William had a feeling that the Kasogonaga was similar to Spire, and decided to set the creature free on behalf of the humans that it had saved in the past.

'Just what kind of being could freeze a Demigod?' William asked the system.

< Host, only a Demigod can fight a Demigod. Maybe the Kasogonaga was defeated in a fight against Demigods and was imprisoned in this block of ice. According to my hypothesis, the Magic Crystal Mine was used to keep the seal in place. Now that it's gone, it is only a matter of time before the Demigod will break free. >

William scratched his head, "Should we break it ourselves, or wait until the seal is completely broken?"

Before the system could even give an answer, a cracking sound reverberated in the cavern.

William took a defensive stance as several cracks appeared on the surface of the ice prison in front of him.

Soon, the block of ice shattered into a hundred pieces, creating a misty cloud of ice.

William's breath grew ragged as the temperature around him drastically lowered. A minute later, the mist disappeared and a creature that was considered a myth stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

Before William could even say anything, the Kasogonaga raised its head and shouted…

"I'm Rolling!"

The small Anteater then curled its body into a ball and flew in William's direction. Clearly, it was pissed off, and the Half-Elf just happened to be there to become a medium for it to vent out its anger.

—–

William dodged to the side and evaded the "rainbow-colored-scaled-ball" that was only slightly bigger than a basketball. The Kasogonaga hit the wall of the cavern, but it simply bounced off and resumed its pursuit of William.

"Wait! Why are you attacking me?" William asked in frustration as he rolled to the side to evade the crazy Deity of the Sky.

"You long-eared bastards! How dare you and that stupid, big-boobed, Elf Goddess imprison me?!" The enraged Anteater shouted as it continued to attack William. "Bunch of ingrates! Humans are much better than you long-eared hypocrites! Even if the other Demigods forgive you, I won't forgive you!"

As if answering to its anger, its speed gradually increased with each bounce it made on the walls of the cavern. At the start, William could still evade it, but the drastic increase in its speed made the Half-Elf resort to desperate measures.

'System!'

< Spearman Job Class now activated! >

William summoned his wooden staff and used it like a baseball bat to hit the rolling anteater that was not planning to listen to reason.

When the staff hit the beast, a loud clap reverberated in the cavern creating a mini-shockwave.

William skidded on the ground as he prepared to hit the

Kasogonaga for the second time. Just like a never ending tennis match, the two fought in a ridiculous manner. However, it seemed that the Kasogonaga realized that it was not strong enough to beat William in its current state.

Although its power had degenerated due to being imprisoned for tens of thousands of years, it was still a Deity and had plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

William was about to hit it again with his wooden staff when he immediately rolled to the side to make an emergency evasion. There was no way he would dare to face the rolling disaster head-on after it had made last minute changes in its physique.

The Kasogonaga had increased in size, and it was now a two-meter-tall, rainbow-colored-wrecking ball!

The Kasogonaga bounced off the wall and this time, the rebound was so fast that William had no time to evade. The "rainbow" wrecking ball hit him in the chest which sent him slamming towards the wall of the cavern, creating a cloud of dust.

William only received minor injuries because he was able to equip his Golden-Scaled Armor at the last minute before he was hit by the rolling disaster.

'System, is there a way we can beat this thing?' William inquired. Although he was in a disadvantageous situation, he didn't panic and decided to consult the system.

< This cavern is still unstable and under the influence of the God Domain. If the host wants to take a risk, there is a way, but it is equally dangerous.'

'What is it? If I am able to escape this predicament then I will cooperate.'

< Very well, what we are going to do is this… >

While the two were talking, the Kasogonaga didn't follow up with another attack and simply hovered in the air a few meters away from where William had fallen.

"Hahaha! Foolish Elf," The Kasogonaga roared while still spinning in mid-air. "You and your stupid Goddess will pay the price of imprisoning this Deity! When I regain my Divinity, I will drown your continent until all of you bastards start to grow fins!

"However, since you were the one who freed me from that prison, I will end your life and give you a proper burial. Be thankful because a Deity will personally bury you! Now, Die!"

William extended his hand with the intention of "catching" the two-meter wrecking ball that charged towards him.

The moment his hand touched Kasogonaga's curled up body, the enraged Sky Deity disappeared from the cavern.

—–

< Transfer successful! >

< Kasogonaga has been successfully relocated to the North of the Thousand Beast Domain! >

—-

William sighed in relief as he lay on the ground while panting. Fortunately, the God Domain that they had created to transfer the Magic Crystal Mine was still active. With its help, the system was able to forcefully transfer the Sky Deity to William's Thousand Beast Domain.

Although the Half-Elf and the System were worried that their guest would turn their domain upside down, it was a risk that they had to take. They had been left with no other alternative. All they could do was trap the enraged Deity inside the domain to keep William from getting hurt more.

William closed his eyes and observed his domain from the sky. The Kasogonaga had landed near the Candelabra Tree, which was the territory of the Rainbow Birds, but due to the fact that they reminded him of a certain game he played back on Earth, he gave them the nickname Angray Birds.

As soon as it felt that it was in a different environment, the Kasogonaga landed on the ground while still in its curled up state and observed its surroundings.

The Angray Birds that were nesting on their tree looked down at the "unwanted guest" that appeared in their home turf.

Angray Bird 1: "Wtf?"

Angray Bird 2: "F*ck off!"

Kasogonaga: "Where am I? Speak dumb birds!"

Angray Birds: "Say what?!"

Angray Birds: "F*ck off!"

The Angray Birds were only Class E (Mid) Beasts, but they were a very rowdy bunch. All of them had different colors and abilities, but they all had one thing in common, and that was that they were all "aggressive birds".

They flapped their wings and attacked the Kasogonaga by ramming it with their bodies. William was surprised because what the birds were doing was practically suicide, but what happened next made his eyes widen in shock.

When a red colored bird hit the Kasogonaga, it exploded like a grenade. Red feathers scattered in the air showing that the bird had been completely decimated by the explosion. However, on top of the Candelabra Tree a red egg appeared. This egg would hatch after twenty four hours and the Angray bird that died would be reborn again.

The other birds also attacked the Kasogonaga with a vengeance. The orange birds inflicted Earth Damage, the yellow birds inflicted a Stunning Effect, and the green ones inflicted Wind Damage.

When the blue birds exploded, they inflicted Water Damage. The indigo colored birds inflicted "Slashing" Physical Damage, and the violet ones dealt Blunt Physical Damage.

William "almost" felt sorry for the pitiful Kasogonaga who was forced to run away due to the relentless assault of the Angray Birds. Shouts of "Fck you!, Fck Off!, Say What?!" and the likes accompanied the fleeting Sky Deity as it rolled away to escape the birds that gave it a culture shock.

"You bastard Elf! If you have guts, come and face me! Let's fight two-hundred rounds!" the Kasogonaga roared in anger. "Come out and fight me!"

William snorted as he let his consciousness return to the real world. He still had things to do, and the Rainbow Anteater wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Since that was the case, he would just focus on the task at hand, getting to the Third Peak before dealing with this creature that seemed to have a very strong grudge against the Elven Race.

Chapter 17 - 230-240

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