Chapter 411: Kisses Are For Adults
William started to sweat buckets as his mermaid lover demanded that he give her whatever special serum that he had injected into Wendy, that made the blonde beauty look so bright, and springy today.
"What's wrong?" Ashe inquired. "Are you saying that I'm not qualified to have it? Whatever Wendy can do, I can definitely do better."
William stared into Ashe's light-purple eyes before making his resolve. He lowered his head to whisper something in her ears that made the body of the young lady who was hugging him firmly shudder.
"Ashe, are you sure you want to do it?" William asked softly.
William didn't know if he could recreate a dreamworld for Ashe, but he was willing to give it a try in order to meet his lover's demand.
Ashe lowered her head and didn't say anything. William waited patiently for her answer because he didn't want to force her to do anything that she didn't want.
Finally, a voice that was barely audible escaped Ashe's lips.
"…wan… it."
Even with William's powerful hearing, he was barely able to understand the words that Ashe had just said. Even so, the redness that had extended up to the tip of Ashe's ears was more than enough to tell him what he wanted to know.
However, William still wanted to hear it clearly and coaxed the blushing mermaid to repeat what she just said.
"I want it." Ashe finally relented as she buried her head on William's chest. "In the eyes of the mermaid race, I am already your wife. It is only normal that we…"
Ashe wasn't able to finish her words due to embarrassment. Instead, she pounded William's chest with her closed fist in order to hide her bashfulness.
What she didn't know was that this gesture of hers only made her look more endearing in William's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered something in her ears.
Ashe then raised her head and stared at William's eyes. The Half-Elf nodded and lowered his face to kiss her lips.
The two of them were so lost in their own world that they didn't notice the door of their room opening. William and Ashe continued their passionate kiss, disregarding those around them.
Only when their kiss ended, did they finally realize that they were no longer alone inside the room.
Two pairs of eyes stared at the Half-Elf and the blue-haired girl who were holding each other in a firm embrace.
"Go on. Don't mind us," Wendy said as she chewed on some walnuts.
She was currently seated on top of the bed and she was not alone. Sitting right next to her was Brianna, who was looking at William, and the beautiful lady that she had never seen before, with genuine curiosity.
"Big Brother, I didn't know that you were such a good kisser," Brianna praised. "Can you teach me?"
The adorable loli threw a grenade that could be interpreted the wrong way intentionally. Clearly, the little troublemaker wanted to see how her Big Brother, Wendy, and the lady in Wililam's arms would react to her innocent request.
William knew that if he agreed to Brianna's request, even in a joking manner, he would be sleeping on the floor tonight. He also felt Ashe's two fingers subtly shift on his waist and knew that he would be in a world of pain if he gave the wrong answer.
"Brianna, kisses are for adults," William said in a righteous manner. It was as if he was a monk who was free from worldly
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desires. "You are still too young. Save your kisses for when you grow older."
"Tsk!" Brianna clicked her tongue as she grabbed a walnut to eat. Her little prank had failed, so she decided to eat while looking at her Big Brother in a mischievous manner. However, the next scene that unfolded before her eyes made her drop the walnut in her hand to the carpeted floor, as her jaw dropped in surprise.
Ashe had reverted back to her boy form and looked at Brianna with a smile. She knew that Brianna was a person that William trusted, so she didn't mind sharing this secret with her.
"Y-You are a girl?!" Brianna gasped in shock as she stared wide-eyed at Ian.
Ian nodded and pressed a finger over her lips. "Keep this as a secret. You understand, right, Brianna?"
Brianna hastily nodded her head in understanding. She was there when Princess Sidonie had interrogated Ian. Back then, she just thought that Wiliam and Ian only had a close relationship because he was one of William's Knights. She never thought that Princess Sidonie's accusation was spot on.
William felt Wendy's gaze and the latter was looking at him with a very sweet smile plastered on her face. He could tell that his first girlfriend wasn't the least bit bothered by the kiss that Ashe had shared with him.
This change in Wendy's mindset surprised William. All of a sudden, she felt more mature in his eyes. The Wendy he was familiar with had a hidden inferiority complex that she had openly exposed to him.
He used to always assure her not to compare herself to others, especially to his fiance, Rebecca, because in his eyes, she was already very beautiful.
Now, that same Wendy was looking back at him with confidence, knowing that William truly loved her with all of his heart.
'I guess she stepped into adulthood last night,' William thought as he approached his first lover to give her a kiss as well.
Ashe had already given her consent and William wanted to meet her expectations. The only question was, what kind of scene he would see when he visited her dream tonight. Although he wasn't sure of how far he could take the Incubus Job Class, he was willing to do some experiments in order to understand how the Dream World worked.
—–
Somewhere in the Hellan Kingdom…
Conner surveyed the land from the sky, while riding a Gryphon. He was currently at the South Eastern Side of the Hellan Kingdom, looking for any signs of the dungeon that had vanished without a trace.
With the Oathkeeper Key in his hands, he was looking for any kind of reaction from the artifact as he did a systematic sweep over the ground.
Ever since the Hidden Valley had disappeared, the majority of the members of Deus had split up to look for the signs of the monument that served as the entrance to the Undying Lands. Their comrades, who had accompanied Conner when he inspected the Domain, had assured them that it was a Domain filled with priceless treasures.
This information was enough for the members of Deus to take this mission seriously as they looked for the Hidden Valley in the territories that had been assigned to them.
Conner was getting agitated with each day that passed without results. It was as if he was presented with a very delicious dish from a high-class restaurant. However, before he could even take a bite from his plate, the waiter decided to take it away and clean up the entire table, without leaving anything behind.
This made Conner very depressed and his temper also grew by the day. After another day of fruitless labor, Conner decided to rethink his plans for the Hellan Kingdom. Now that the Kraetor Empire and Elven Armies had arrived, his plan to take over the entire continent was no longer possible.
In fact, he was quite pissed off on how things turned out the way it did. After all the resources he had spent, and all the years that he had planned to secure the Oathkeeper Key and activate the Continental Spell, the gains he got were abysmal.
The faces of his two colleagues flashed inside his mind. Conner cursed them inwardly because the two of them had taken advantage of all of his hard work, and conquered three of the four factions that ruled over the Southern Continent with very little effort.
The ridicule and contempt had been very evident in Berthold's and Alessio's eyes when they came to see him. How he wanted to gauge their eyes out at that time, but he held back because fighting the two of them at the same time was a very stupid thing to do.
Conner felt very helpless. He understood that Alessio and Berthold would not spare him if they succeeded in conquering the Hellan Kingdom. He only had two choices and they were to flee or to fight against them.
The only reason why he was still hesitant to leave the Hellan Kingdom to its fate was the possibility of finding the Undying Lands after their relentless searching. His teeth ached at the thought of having his two acquaintances accidentally find the Hidden Domain after they took over the kingdom.
The only solace he had about all of this was that the Oathkeeper Key was in his hands. Berthold and Alessio weren't aware of the existence of the Undying Lands. Even if they were to find the monument by accident, they would just think that it was just a structure from the distant past.
After pondering for a while, he decided to continue his search for the Hidden Valley for a few more days before returning to the Hellan Capital. He had already invested too much to find the Secret of Immortality that he was unwilling to give up in his search.
This gave Est and Brendan enough time to bring all of the survivors, who remained on the outskirts of the Hellan Kingdom, back to the Capital City of Gladiolus.
Chapter 412: Atlantis, The New Frontier
< Host. The Bestiary has been successfully relocated on the first floor of Atlantis. Also, the connection between the Thousand Beast Domain and the new dungeon has been successfully established. >
William was currently having an afternoon nap on Wendy's lap, when the System notified him of the successful connection between the Goblin Crypt, the Thousand Beast Domain, and the new Dungeon–Atlantis.
This allowed the members of his Legion to travel unimpeded to the new frontier that was waiting for them.
Ian and Wendy still didn't know about Atlantis, and he was planning to tell them about it as well as show it to them as soon as the System finished with the initial preparation. Now it was done, it was time for him to share his secret to his two lovers who would not allow him to leave to go on a Dungeon expedition without taking them with him.
"There is something that I want to show you girls," William said as he propped himself up.
"What are you going to show us?" Wendy asked.
Ian, who was drinking tea not far from them, raised her head to look at William. She had already seen a few of the Half-Elf's secrets. However, since William was saying that he wanted to show something to Wendy and her, it meant that it was something that she didn't know about before now.
William smiled and extended his hands to his two lovers. The two girls, in turn, held his hands firmly. Wherever William was going, they would definitely accompany him no matter what.
The scenery changed immediately as William teleported the three of them inside the Thousand Beast Domain.
This was not the first time that Wendy had been to this place, but her surprise was still reflected on her face. When she saw William's personal army gathered around them.
The Giant White Ox, Erchitu, and the Minotaur Races stood on one side.
The Centaurs, who were already equipped with their bows, arrows, and lances, were standing at the ready.
The Angray Birds and Blood Eagle, Scadrez, circled around them waiting for the order to depart.
Mohawk and the Cercopes Monkeys sat on the ground while holding the Hollow Concrete Blocks in their hands.
Fenrir and his trollhounds had a look of excitement on their faces as they eyed the red-headed boy whom they chose to follow.
Kasogonaga and Psoglav were also present. The two of them definitely wouldn't miss the opportunity to tag along and see what the new Dungeon was about.
Ella and the rest of the Angorian Ibexes were also raring to go.
The new
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residents of the Thousand Beast Domain–namely the Black-Winged Panthers, Supreme Killer Koalas, Crimson Cavern Wolf Spiders–were also gathered to embark on this expedition.
As for the Goblins? They were still inside the Goblin Crypt and waiting for William to summon them.
Wendy looked at this sizable force with awe and admiration. They were all the subordinates of her lover and it filled her with pride.
She was also very happy that William was willing to share his secrets with her. Wendy unconsciously tightened her grip on William's hand, and the latter gave hers a gentle squeeze that put her heart at ease.
"I gathered all of you today, because we will be exploring a new dungeon," William declared, as he let go of Wendy's and Ian's hands. "This dungeon has a Hundred Floors, and I'm sure that it will not be an easy task to clear all of its floors. However, I am confident that no matter how long it takes, we will be able to conquer it without fail!"
Cheers, grunts, howls, and shrieks of approval greeted William's declaration. He then waved his hand and a Giant Portal appeared a few meters away from him. It was a portal that led to the first floor of the Dungeon of Atlantis and the members of his Herd and King's Legion eyed it with anticipation.
"Everyone, let's move out!" William ordered. He then walked towards the portal holding Stormcaller in his hands. Wendy and Ian walked beside him like Shieldmaidens, accompanying their chosen warrior to battle.
The next to follow were Ella and the War Ibexes. They were William's Core Team Members and their role was to always be by his side.
Fenrir and the trollhounds were the next to cross through the portal. William had already assigned their positions in his Legion, and the trollhounds served as the vanguard of WIlliam's army.
Next to enter the portal was the Minotaur race. They were William's heavy infantry that would charge at his foes and trample them under their feet.
The Cercopes Monkeys and the Centaur Race followed afterward. They were the range units of William's legion that would attack their enemies from a distance.
With a powerful shriek, Scadrez, along with the Angray Birds, entered the portal. They served as William's air support that would attack from the sky when needed.
The System had already informed William that the dungeon of Atlantis was a high-grade Dungeon. Each Floor was very spacious and even had a sky that allowed flying creatures to roam freely.
This proved that this Dungeon was definitely different from normal Dungeons like the Goblin Crypt that only had a high ceiling.
Psoglav swaggered inside the portal with a smile. He was looking forward to the treasures that he would find within its depths. Kasogonaga, on the other hand, sat on Shalla's back–the lead Pantheress of the Black-Winged Tigers.
The leader of the Panthers was already acquainted with the little rainbow-colored Demigod and allowed him to mount her back as they joined William on this expedition.
The Supreme Killer Koalas and the Crimson Cavern Wolf Spiders were the last to enter the portal. They served as William's rearguard.
For the time being, William decided not to include the Goblins in this expedition. They were put on standby in case something unexpected happened.
William didn't dare to underestimate the Dungeon of Atlantis. A Dungeon that had a hundred floors and was rated as an SSR Dungeon would definitely have a Myriad Beast as its final boss.
The System also informed William that there was a low possibility that instead of a Myriad Beast, the final boss of the Atlantis Dungeon was a Pseudo-Demigod.
William agreed with the System's conjecture. Atlantis was a Legendary Dungeon. It was not far-fetched for a being of such power to be the top dog of a Hundred-Floor dungeon.
It reminded him of the Dracolich inside the Undying Lands who was also a Pseudo-Demigod. The only silver lining was that the Dracolich was imprisoned and would stay that way for a few more years.
William hoped that when that time came, he would be strong enough to fight against a being that had been alive since the Era of the Gods.
Chapter 413: Sovereign Of The Ocean
William looked at the clear blue sky above him, for a brief moment before looking at the Marshland in front of him.
Just like the System had informed him, the first floor of the dungeon was very spacious and extended for miles.
The map in his status page was still shrouded in darkness, but it was slowly clearing up with each passing minute.
Scadrez and the Angray Birds had split up in several directions to help explore the first floor of the dungeon. This allowed William and the System to identify the first batch of monsters that they were about to face.
When William saw the monsters that spawned on the first floor of the dungeon, he wasn't able to stop his lips from twitching.
The reason? He was quite familiar with this monster because it was the typical beginner mob in most RPG games.
"Slimes…," William muttered. "Blue Slimes."
William looked at the jelly-like creatures who were approaching them very slowly. He still didn't know their abilities, but if his guess was correct, these low-level monsters wouldn't pose much of a threat to them.
Fenrir and the trollhounds immediately charged forward to engage the slimes. The trollhounds bit them and the blue slimes exploded in their jaws like gelatin.
< Gained Exp Points: 1 >
William wasn't surprised by this outcome. Afterall, a single slime couldn't possibly give that much experience, especially to their current numbers.
So any experience points that the Half-Elf, his Familia, his Herd and the members of his King's Legion gained by killing monsters inside this Dungeon would automatically be shared by all of them.
"Go and explore the first floor," William ordered. "All of you group up in teams of four and above. If you find anything suspicious let me know."
The members of his King's Legion voiced their agreement and they formed their teams to explore the first floor of the Dungeon.
Ella stayed behind to accompany William, Ian, and Wendy. This was a new Dungeon, and she didn't feel safe leaving the Half-Elf behind.
When the four of them were about to choose a direction to head in, the System notified William that the exit of the dungeon had been found.
Just as the name suggested, the exit of the Dungeon led to the outside world. It was different from the pathways or stairways that led to the second floor of the dungeon.
William didn't hesitate and led his group to where the exit was. The ones that discovered it were the Angray Birds as they flew around the skies of the Dungeon.
When William arrived at the location, he found a shiny teleportation gate that seemed to be untouched by the passing of time. He didn't know how old the Dungeon was, but the structure he was seeing in front of him looked so clean that it made him doubt his understanding of Atlantis.
Even so, he was curious to see what the outside of Atlantis looked like.
"Stay close to me," William said as he
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looked at Ella, Ian, and Wendy. "I don't know what is on the other side of this gate, but no matter what happens, let's stay together."
Ella, Ian, and Wendy nodded their heads in unison.
William took a deep breath before taking a step towards the teleportation gate. Ella, Ian, and Wendy followed behind him.
After a brief moment of discomfort that could be felt right after using a teleportation gate, William, Ella, Ian, and Wendy found themselves standing on a structure overlooking a domed city that seemed to be submerged under the water.
The water above their heads was as dark as the night, but the fishes that swam overhead glowed with their own source of light.
This scene looked so surreal that the two ladies standing beside William weren't able to stop themselves from gasping in shock from the beautiful sight.
However, William felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end because he sensed a powerful presence that was looking in their direction.
At the same time, the glowing fishes scattered and swam away as if fleeing from something. With its source of life gone, the Ancient City was shrouded in darkness.
Suddenly, Ian's body glowed as she transformed to her original form. Shock crossed over her face, but it only lasted for a short moment. Her beautiful face suddenly became expressionless as she turned around to face William.
"Who are you?" Ashe asked in a voice that didn't belong to her. "What are you doing in this place?"
The voice that came out of Ashe's lips sounded so ancient that it sounded very hoarse. It was as if the owner of the voice hadn't talked to anyone for a long time and it was finding it hard to form the words properly. Even so, it carried a sort of intimidation that demanded answers.
Right behind Ashe, a giant glowing red eye appeared in the darkness. This giant eye looked down on William as Ashe opened her lips to repeat her questions.
"Who are you?" Ashe asked. "What are you doing in this place?"
Ella looked up at the Giant Eye and gave it a glare. Immediately, the owner of the Giant Eye focused its attention on the goat standing beside the red-headed boy whom it was talking to.
Half a minute later, it refocused its attention to William. This time, the voice that came out of Ashe's voice wasn't as intimidating as before. Nevertheless, it still demanded answers.
"My name is William and the lady you are possessing right now is my lover," William answered in a respectful manner. He could tell that this beast was very powerful, so making it an enemy was out of the question.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't use her as a medium to communicate with us," William pleaded. "I'm sure that I have the ability to talk to you regardless of the language you use."
William didn't know how this creature was able to take hold of Ashe's consciousness and body. But seeing Ashe's expressionless face looking back at him made his heart ache.
The creature seemed to think for a while after hearing William's words. Moments later, it released its hold on Ashe, which made the latter lose consciousness.
William hurriedly caught his mermaid lover and held her tight. He immediately created a pink lollipop and unceremoniously placed it inside her mouth. This was the only thing he could think of in order to cure whatever conditions Ashe might have suffered during her possession.
The System also scanned her body to check her vital signs. After doing several tests, it had assured William that Ashe had just lost consciousness since the readings of her body and mental states were all normal.
William sighed in relief as he held Ashe in a princess carry. He then stared at the giant red eye that continued to observe them from outside the dome of Atlantis.
In that dark and silent world, a series of clicking sounds reached William's ears. The beast was communicating with him using its own language, without relying on a medium.
Due to William's skill, Wild Empathy Mythic, he understood what the creature was trying to say. However, he didn't answer it right away because he was busy looking at the information that was provided by his Appraisal Skill.
——
< Leviathan >
— Guardian of Atlantis
— Sovereign of the Ocean
— Demigod
— Primeval Beast
— Threat Level: Calamity (High)
— Cannot be added to the herd
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
—–
After he finished reading its information, William felt that he was about to suffer from a migraine. He didn't expect that just by visiting Atlantis, he would come face to face with one of the most elusive Demigods that resided in the world of Hestia.
Chapter 414: Ashe's Dreamworld
After the series of clicking sounds ended, William raised his head to answer Leviathan's question.
"We appeared in the Dungeon by complete accident," William stated. "Because of this, we decided to see what was outside the exit of the Dungeon and ended up here."
The giant, glowing, red eye focused its attention on William. No one could lie to a Demigod, so naturally, the Leviathan was able to tell that William was telling the truth.
The clicking sounds returned as Leviathan asked another question.
"Our purpose here is to explore the Dungeon," William replied. "If His Excellency doesn't want us to wander outside the Dungeon and explore the city then we will obey His Excellency's instructions."
After hearing William's reply, Levithan fell silent. It was as if it was thinking of a way on how to deal with William and the intruders that had entered its domain.
A minute passed….
Two minutes….
Five minutes…
After that short period of time, the clicking sounds return.
(You may only explore the city after you have cleared the 100th Floor. Until then, you are not allowed to set foot outside the Dungeon. I will kill anyone who tries to explore the city without my permission. Do I make myself clear?)
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The giant eye narrowed its gaze and a beam of blue light fell upon Ashe. William tried to shield his unconscious love but the light passed through him. And bathed the mermaid's body in a blue light.
William immediately assigned the System to check what was going on, but the results that came out from its diagnosis was that nothing was wrong.
(She is under the curse of a powerful God. I planned to fully remove the curse from her body as compensation, but it is not possible. Because of that, I decided to grant her the ability to retain her true form whenever she is within the confines of Atlantis. Remember, none of you are allowed to step out of the Dungeon until you have cleared the Final Floor.)
Leviathan gave Ella a brief glance before swimming away. If it was only dealing with William, it wouldn't have even bothered to be polite. However, it was only a Demigod. If the Hidden Goddess beside William decided to come look for him later to seek revenge, it would be unable to offer any resistance.
This was why it compromised and compensated William for its reckless act of possessing someone important to him.
Ella watched Levithan go with a calm expression. She had no intention of making things difficult for both parties because the Demigod had already compromised. Also, there were certain restrictions that prevented her from using her Goddess Form frequently.
William was worried about Ashe's condition, so he immediately signaled for Ella and Wendy to follow him as they walked towards the teleportation gate that would lead them back into the Dungeon.
As soon as they stepped onto the first floor of the Dungeon, William communicated with his Legion, and
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told them that he would be returning to the Thousand Beast Domain. He forbade all of them from taking the teleportation gate that would lead them outside the Dungeon.
William didn't forget to mention his discussion with the Demigod. Because of this, everyone under William's command avoided the teleportation gate like a plague. The threat that came from a Demigod was no laughing matter.
Everyone promised that they would just explore up to the Ninth Floor and wait for William to return before challenging the Dungeon Boss. William agreed to their plan because he also wanted to know the types of monsters that spawned on the first few floors of the Dungeon.
After relaying his orders, he returned to the Thousand Beast Domain along with Wendy and Ella. He didn't return to the residence of the Great Chieftain right away. Instead, he took Ashe to the Villa inside the Domain.
This was the house that William had bought from the God Shop to serve as his lodging area whenever he visited the Domain. Although the System had assured him that Ashe had just lost consciousness, he still wanted to check her condition personally.
Currently, Ashe was still in her mermaid form and there were no signs of her reverting back to her sealed form anytime soon. William pressed his forehead over hers and tried Synchronization, but it didn't work.
Ashe was currently in a very deep sleep and it was possible that the power that Leviathan had bestowed upon her was getting in the way of a successful Synchronization. Because of this, William decided to do the next best thing–enter her dream.
"I don't know when I'll wake up," William said to Wendy, who was looking at him anxiously, "but rest assured that I know what I am doing. And don't worry, she will be fine."
Wendy nodded her head, "Be careful."
She knew that William wouldn't allow anything to happen to them, so she didn't hold him back from what he was planning to do.
William closed his eyes and activated his Incubus skill called Dream Walker.
This allowed him to enter a person's dream and manipulate it to a certain extent. However, he couldn't control the direction of the dream according to his wishes. What happened in Wendy's Dream World was a special case.
They were already in their adult forms, so he didn't need to exert his abilities to twist the Dream World to accommodate his wishes.
William walked through a dark and long tunnel. He could see a bright light at its end. The red-headed boy walked towards it unhurriedly because the Dream Tunnel he was walking in wasn't very stable.
If William were to force himself towards Ashe's Dreamworld, the connection might break and his second attempt would be twice as hard.
When William finally reached the end of the tunnel, he found himself standing in front of a clear blue lake. Before William could even look for his mermaid lover, he heard the sound of footsteps coming behind him.
William turned around just in time to see the Silver-Haired William walk straight through him. It was then when he realized that he was in an ethereal state.
The Silver-Haired William walked towards the lake as if nothing happened. He only stopped when he reached the edge of the lake.
"I have come to take the test of Knighthood!" the Silver-Haired William declared. "I beseech you to bestow upon me a quest!"
His voice echoed across the Lake as he waited for a response. William frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was surprised to see this adult version of himself in this dream, but since he was only a visitor, he couldn't do anything about it.
Naturally, he could materialize himself and make his presence known, but he chose not to do that. He had a nagging feeling that the girl he was looking for would appear soon.
Just as he was thinking this thought, the clear and peaceful waters of the lake started to churn. Moments later, a beautiful woman with blue hair and purple eyes emerged out of its center.
William immediately recognized her as Ashe, the only difference was that she was in her adult form, just like the Valkyrie Captain, Wendy, in his dreams.
"Mortal who has just finished his coming of age ceremony, are you sure you are ready to become a Knight?"
The cool and proud voice passed through William's ears and made him look at this adult version of Ashe in a new light. The Ashe in front of him had a cold and aloof expression on her face as she stared at the mortal young man who was aiming to become a Knight.
"Yes." the Silver-Haired William. "Lady of the Lake, please, grant me a quest."
Chapter 415: The Lady Of The Lake
The otherworldly beauty walked towards William with steady steps. She walked upon the water's surface as if she was walking on land. When she was only ten meters away from the Silver-Haired William, she stopped and raised a hand.
"If you were an ordinary mortal, I would have bestowed a simple quest upon you," Ashe said in that same cold voice that was devoid of feelings. "Unfortunately, you are no ordinary man. The bloodline of Pendragon flows inside your veins, so mundane quests would not be suitable for you."
"I will accept any quest that you will bestow upon me, Your Excellency."
"Very well, young Pendragon. Since it is a quest that you seek… a quest you shall get."
A water mirror appeared between Ashe and the Silver-Haired William. Soon, the image of an Elf, who seemed to be in deep sleep appeared on the mirror's surface.
"In the land of Alfheim, where the Elves reside, there is a girl that goes by the name Acedia," Ashe said cooly. "Your quest is to bring her to the Violet Ever Garden, where she will remain for the rest of her life. Once you accomplish this quest, you can return to me to receive your reward and my blessing."
The Silver-Haired William looked at the sleeping Elf in the water mirror and burned her image inside his memory.
The Red-Headed William walked in front of his adult self and also looked at the mirror. There, he saw a sleeping Elf with very long golden hair that extended to the ground around her.
The corner of WIlliam's lips twitched as he saw the Rapunzel-like Sleeping Beauty on the surface of the water mirror.
For some unknown reason, he felt that the sleeping girl was familiar to him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall who she was.
Even so, the familiar feeling coming from the golden-haired girl, who was sleeping peacefully on a bed of roses, made his heart ache. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way. Yet, William knew with certainty that he knew who she was.
While William was deep in his thoughts, the adult William inquired of The Lady of The Lake how he would get to Alfheim from Midgard.
The red-haired William decided to put the issue of the sleeping elf girl to the side for the time being as he listened to Ashe's reply.
"Located in the East, deep within the Bridgefell Grove, lies an Old Oak Tree," Ashe answered. "It is the biggest and tallest tree in the forest, so you will identify it right away. On the ninth hour, of the ninth day,
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of the ninth month, a portal between Midgard and Alfheim will appear at the base of the Old Oak Tree.
"You may enter Alfheim through this passage. However, know that this passage only opens once a year. If you want to return to Midgard, you have to return on the ninth hour, of the ninth day, of the ninth month, and cross the bridge between the worlds once again."
The Silver-Haired William said his thanks and bid goodbye to the Lady who was looking at him with a cold expression.
The red-haired William watched his adult self walk away as he rubbed his chin in thought.
'Are these dreams perhaps connected?' William thought. 'Or is it just a coincidence?'
Asgard, Midgard, and now Alfheim. The three worlds that resided within the World Tree Yggdrasil were both familiar and unfamiliar to William. He had heard about them when he had learned a little bit about Norse Mythology, but his knowledge about it was superficial.
He only knew about Odin, Thor, Freya, and Midgard. As for the rest, he had no idea at all!
"Fool."
An irritated voice passed through his ears and William hurriedly looked at the Lady of the Lake who was glaring in the Silver-Haired William's direction.
"You didn't even recognize me after I saved you from drowning when you were eight years old!" The Lady of the Lake's aloof expression broke down as she gnashed her teeth in anger. "Back then you said you would marry me, but after ten years, you've completely forgotten about me. I knew that Humans couldn't be trusted! All of you are thick-headed fools who only know about chivalry and fighting. I hope your head gets kicked by a donkey!"
After saying a few more curses the Lady of the Lake returned to the depths of the water. The lake once again returned to its peaceful state as if the earlier event hadn't happened.
William scratched his head because he was at a loss on what to do. The dream was coming to an end and the world was turning blurry. This meant that Ashe was about to wake up.
The red-headed boy came to see if Ashe was alright by entering her dream. However, what he didn't expect was that he would come upon a scene, which made him wonder if the dreams had another significant meaning aside from being dreams.
—–
Ashe opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar room. She was still half asleep, but she could feel two sets of hands that were hugging her from her left and right sides.
"Do you feel anything strange?" William asked. "Are you hurting anywhere?"
Ashe's drowsiness faded away when she heard the concern in William's voice. It was as if the haze inside her mind was slowly clearing away and it made her think more clearly.
"My head just hurts a bit, but aside from that, I am fine," Ashe replied. "What happened to me? The last thing I remembered was going out of the Dungeon. I can't remember anything after that."
William sighed as he held her hand firmly. He was relieved that Ashe was only feeling a light headache and there were no severe side-effects from being possessed by a Demigod.
"I'll tell you everything," William said softly.
He then narrated what happened after they left the Dungeon and came upon the City of Atlantis. William didn't hide anything and told Ashe the conversation he had with the Demigod. The Half-Elf didn't tell her anything about the dream because he didn't know if it was just a one time thing or not.
He planned to visit Ashe's dreams several times before he passed on his judgement on whether her dream was connected with Wendy's dream or just a coincidence.
His Incubus Job Class was an incomplete version, so the powers that came with it were also not complete. The only time he would be able to use the power Dream Weaver, instead of Dream Walker, was when he had come of age and visited a Temple to talk with the Goddess Eros.
Until then, William could only use his powers as an Incubus to subtly manipulate a dream and guide it to his intended result. The chances of this succeeding were not that high, but it was still better than being carried like a leaf on the river's surface.
Unable to fight against the flow and being forced to be carried along with it.
Chapter 416: Dungeon Points
Two days had passed in the real world since William's encounter with Leviathan. He had anticipated that the dungeon floors of Atlantis would be quite vast, but he had no idea how vast they actually were. A day in the real world was equivalent to three days inside the Dungeon.
In those six days inside the dungeon, William's Herd and Legion had only managed to fully explore the first two floors. Just like he anticipated, the first Floor was only composed of slime type monsters.
However, the true surprise was that there were some low-grade herbs that grew on the second floor of the dungeon. These herbs were quite common in the market, but Wililam didn't expect that such herbs would also grow inside a dungeon.
These herbs, when combined, could create minor healing potions. These healing potions were equivalent to one of William's red lollipops. Although its effect was minimal, having large quantities of these potions would be beneficial to him.
Additionally, these potions could be combined with the sap from the Dragon Blood Tree that was planted in his Domain, to create Greater Healing Potions with stronger healing effects.
This was an unexpected boon to William so he assigned the Goblins to regularly collect these herbs and bring them to the Warehouse near his Villa inside the Thousand Beast Domain.
Another thing that made William Happy was the system notification alerting him that his Goblin Crypt was now ready to receive an upgrade.
After obtaining the Goblin Crypt, William became the Dungeon Master, which gave him full control over the dungeon.
The system had also introduced a new feature to him called Dungeon Points. Each day the Goblin Crypt generated 100 Dungeon Points. These points allowed William to restructure the dungeon in any way that he wanted. He could add floors, traps, and even control the settings of the spawn rate of the Goblins inside the dungeon.
He also had the power to add new monsters that were suitable for the Goblin Crypt. The System also told William that the more floors a dungeon had, the more Dungeon Points it would generate on a daily basis.
—-
10 Floors = 50 DP
20 Floors = 75 DP
30 Floors = 100 DP
40 Floors = 500 DP
50 Floors = 2000 DP
60 Floors = 10,000 DP
70 Floors = 30,000 DP
80 Floors = 50,000 DP
90 Floors = 100.000 DP
100 Floors = 500,000 DP
—–
Dungeon Points: 2,458
—-
William tilted his head when he saw the current amount of Dungeon Points.
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According to his calculations, he should only have 200 Dungeon Points because the Daily Point reward only counted the days outside the dungeon.
'System, why do I have a surplus of Dungeon Points?' William asked. He was quite happy that he had more than he expected. The reason he asked the System was to know where the points were coming from.
< Host. It seems that we get 1 Dungeon Point for every monster we kill inside the Atlantis Dungeon. My theory is that whenever a Goblin kills something inside the Dungeon, it is automatically converted to Dungeon Points. >
'Doesn't this mean we can farm Dungeon Points if we unleash the entire Goblin Army on a mad killing spree?'
< Yes. Not only that, but the ranks of the Goblins will increase as they gain Experience Points. It is killing two birds with one stone! >
A devilish grin appeared on William's face as he explored the settings of the Goblin Crypt. He checked the monsters that could be added inside it. After a brief discussion with the System, they decided to tweak the spawn locations of the monsters inside the Goblin Crypt.
Each floor had a spawn limit. Meaning, there was a set number of Monsters that could spawn on a particular Dungeon floor. Once this limit was reached, no other monsters would spawn again, unless some of these monsters were killed.
After William and the System finished their brainstorming, they decided to add another floor to the Dungeon. The newly made 31st Floor would be the home of the Goblin Dogs.
—-
< Danderous Goblin Dogs >
— Dungeon Creature
— Threat Level: Class D (Mid)
— Danderous Goblin Dogs are disease-ridden dogs that nobody wants to get in contact with. Their horrible smell and rabid bites make them one of the most annoying creatures that Adventurers don't want to engage unless it is as a last resort.
—-
The reason why William chose the Danderous Goblin Dogs as the latest addition to the Goblin Army was because he wanted these dogs to serve as mounts for his Goblin Army.
(A/N: Yes, it is Danderous and not Dangerous. It's a word play for the word Dander. Ask Google senpai for answers.)
Although they were only a meter tall right now, these dogs were capable of evolving into stronger beasts that were known as Scavenger Goblin Dogs that were a meter-and-a-half tall. This was a Class B Beast that was known for its quick movements over almost any terrain.
Lastly, it also had one final evolution called the Vicious Nether Hound, that made them Class A Beasts. These hounds were true bonafide predators that roamed within the plains of Hell. Standing over two-meters tall, they served as the war mounts of high-tiered Demons.
William currently didn't have the right Dungeon to evolve them to their final form. The Vicious Nether Hounds could only be born in the rich miasma that came from Hell. Then and only then would these powerful Demonic Dogs show their full potential.
With the Atlantis Dungeon right at their doorstep, William was sure that the Danderous Goblin Dogs would at least evolve to their second form, which was the Scavenger Goblin Dogs. This was the best that William could do in preparation for the war that he was about to participate in.
The cost of adding one Dungeon floor was worth 500 Dungeon Points. It cost an additional 1,500 Dungeon Points to make the Dungeon spawn twenty Goblin Dogs a day. William planned to increase the spawn rate of the 31st Floor after gathering more Dungeon Points from Atlantis.
He had seen the other Goblin Monsters that he could add inside his dungeon and he was quite interested in trying them out. One of them was the Goblin Paladin, which cost 1,000,000 Dungeon Points.
The price was truly outrageous, but it allowed William to have a Powerful Goblin Sovereign that would be in the middle stages of the Millennial Rank.
'One step at a time,' William thought as he watched his Dungeon Points increase from time to time. Although 1,000,000 Dungeon Points was still far from his reach, he had no doubt that one day, his Powerful Goblin Army would make anyone tremble in their wake.
Chapter 417: William's Third Knight
William invested 500 God Points to buy five more Dragon Blood Trees to be planted in the Eastern side of the Thousand Beast Domain in order to mass-produce healing potions for the upcoming war.
Although he would continue to make lollipops, it would not be enough to cover every member of his army. This was why he prioritized the stockpiling of healing ingredients.
Aside from that, William bought two additional warehouses to store the other miscellaneous items that they would need for the war. These Warehouses cost one hundred God Points each. Although it was a bit costly for William's limited funds, he knew that they were needed so he bought them without batting an eye.
—–
< Dragon Blood Tree – 100 God Points each. >
— A breed of tree that produces a red sap that could be used for making healing potions.
—–
God Points: 700
—–
"We have arrows, and ingredients for healing potions," William muttered as he checked the inventory of the two warehouses that he had bought. "System, do you have any other recommendations?"
< We need weapons for the Goblin Army. Their weapons are very basic and are far inferior to the weapons of a regular army. >
William crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. The beast type monsters didn't need weapons because their bodies were their weapons. Unfortunately, the Goblin Army didn't have that leeway and needed to equip themselves with weapons in order to maximize their potential.
'Any suggestions?'
< We don't have enough God Points right now, but we can always raid the barracks of the Hellan Kingdom. They would definitely have weapons in them. >
William nodded. Although he was currently using the blacksmith skill to craft weapons for his army, they were just lower grade weapons that couldn't be compared to military grade weapons.
However, William was still maximizing his Blacksmith Job Class because he wanted a day to come when the members of his Legion would be equipped with weapons that were of the same quality, if not higher than Barbatos' forged weapons.
The red headed boy sighed once again when he remembered the warm and kind hearted blacksmith of Lont. all of his early years had been crafted by Barbatos and they were of very high quality.
'Okay, we now have a way to get weapons, is there anything else that we should focus on?'
< Food, water, and medicine. I don't know if the Atlantis Dungeon has beasts that could serve as food, since we have only explored the first three floors. Unfortunately, the local monsters are just blue slimes whose only purpose is to serve as a means to farm Dungeon Points. >
William nodded. Thanks to the great numbers of slimes that spawned in the Dungeon on a regular basis, he managed to add four more floors to the Goblin Crypt which brought its total dungeon floor count to thirty-five.
Each floor had a limit of five hundred Monsters. William had made all the five new dungeon floors spawn Danderous Goblin Dogs.
—-
< Dungeon Settings >
— Monster Spawn: Danderous Goblin Dogs
— Spawn Rate: 20 Danderous Goblin Dogs per day.
Floor 31 – 40 Danderous Goblin Dogs
Floor 32 – 20 Danderous Goblin Dogs
Floor 33 – 20 Danderous Goblin Dogs
Floor 34 – 20 Danderous Goblin Dogs
Floor 35 – 20 Danderous Goblin Dogs
—–
Dungeon Points: 1845
—–
Currently, William had a hundred-ten Danderous Goblin Dogs which he had assigned to the Goblin Warriors to be used as Mounts. They were too small for the Hobgoblins to use as Mounts, so William had no choice but to assign the Goblin Warriors to mount them.
These Goblin Cavaliers were led by a Goblin Warrior, named Sharx, whom William had personally Knighted. The reason he chose this
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Goblin Warrior to lead them was due to a unique scar on its right cheek, which made it stand out from the other Goblin Warriors.
After receiving the King Chess Piece's blessing, this Goblin Warrior had evolved into a Goblin Marauder and received the Prestige Class Scarred Doom Marauder.
Not only that, its Danderous Goblin Dog Mount transformed into a Vicious Nether Hound, which almost made William drop Rhongomyniad in shock.
William checked the information of the Third Official Knight of his King's Legion and nodded his head in appreciation.
—–
Name: Sharx
Race: Goblin
Prestige Job Class: Scarred Doom Marauder
Health Points: 22,000 / 22,000
Mana: 3,000 / 3,000
< Strength: 150 (+10) >
< Agility: 70 (+10) >
< Vitality: 100 (+10) >
< Intelligence: 40 (+10)>
< Dexterity: 60 (+10) >
Skills:
Duel Ex
Union of Man and Beast
Tactician
Hundred Beast Charge
Marauder's Guillotine
Hellfire Blast
Title: Marauder of Terror
< Marauder of Terror >
— When leading a company or Riders increase all stats by 100%
— Terrain Mobility increase by 200%
— Can use Empowered Battle Cry thrice a day
< Empowered Battle Cry >
— Increase resistance against Mind-Affecting Spells
— Increase the stats of all riders under the lead of the Marauder of Terror by 50%
— Duration: 1 Hour
—–
Sharx the Goblin Marauder was a Class B (Mid) Monster, while its Mount, whom William named Sparky, was a Class A (Low) Monster.
The sudden change in their leader's features made all the Goblin Warriors look at William with starry eyes. Unfortunately, the King Chess Piece was not Omnipotent. After giving its blessing to Sharx, it went back to being dormant.
Even so, with the power of Rhongomyniad, he had turned the Goblin Warriors into Goblin Cavaliers, raising their ability for mounted combat. The Goblin Cavaliers were Class D (High) Monsters.
William believed that after gaining experience points inside the Dungeon of Atlantis, these green-skinned cavaliers would soon step into the rank of Class C (Low) Monsters which would further boost William's army.
Aside from the Goblin Dogs, William also decided to use the Trollhounds, with the exception of Fenrir, as mounts for the Hobgoblin Leaders. He deemed that this strategy would increase their mobility in the battlefield and make them a more effective fighting force in battle.
As always, William blessed these Hobgoblin Leaders with Rhongomyniad, which allowed them to effectively use the Trollhounds as mounts as if they were part of their bodies, due to the power of the Union of Man and Beast.
These Goblin and Trollhound Cavaliers officially became William's light Cavalry units which were led by Sparky and Fenrir respectively.
—-
Meanwhile somewhere in the Hellan Kingdom…
After spending two days of fruitless searching, Conner decided to return to their Headquarters to see if there were any updates from the other search parties that were now scouring the Hellan Kingdom for any signs of the Hidden Valley where the monument was enshrined.
"Sir, we still haven't found the Monument," Calum reported as he bowed his head.
He had been staying in their headquarters to serve as the person in charge of receiving the reports from the members of Deus.
Conner sighed internally and nodded his head in acknowledgement. He knew that it was not going to be an easy task to find the Undying Lands in just a few days of searching.
The Leader of Deus in the Southern Continent hadn't placed all of The Organization's manpower into searching for the Hidden Valley. He also appointed several teams to spy on the movements of the Elves in the Zelan Dynasty.
He was afraid that Alessio would become impatient and urge the Elves to attack the Hellan Kingdom while Conner was occupied with his mission.
After sorting through the reports, Conner came upon an interesting development. A few days ago, the members of The Organization noticed over a hundred teenagers entering the borders of the Hellan Kingdom.
According to the scout of The Organization, whot used a familiar to observe the teeangers from afar, they were all bruised and battered and seemed to have encountered a battle with the Elves.
The agent also added in his report that the children took some of the horses in the fortress and headed West. Since his duty was to observe the movements of the Elves, he didn't leave his post and just filed a report to their Headquarters so the higher-ups could decide what to do with the refugees that had entered their borders.
He had already expected such an outcome after the Elven invasion, so he wasn't too surprised by the report. However, what concerned Conner was that the refugees didn't head straight towards the capital, but instead, headed West.
Conner pondered for a bit before leaving some instructions to Calum to send some men to look for these refugees from the Zelan Dynasty.
"I will rest for a day before returning to the Hellan Capital," Conner said. "If there is any news about the Undying Lands, notify me right away."
"Yes, My Lord," Calum replied before bowing his head respectfully.
Conner nodded and went to his chambers to rest.
A few minutes later, a small black snake slithered out of the room, undetected, before turning into a black mist.
Ezio reappeared a safe distance away from the Headquarters of Deus. He had been monitoring their movements and had been on the lookout for the latest news within their chain of command.
After weighing the pros and cons, Ezio resolutely headed back to the capital of Gladiolus. Est was a close friend of William's and he didn't want the boy to come to harm. William had already told his Fourth Master that if The Organization returned to reclaim the capital, he should tell Dave and Conrad to take Est and Isaac to the Kyrintor Mountains.
Brendan had already become his Disciple and he was quite satisfied with the boy's aptitude. Having him become the puppet steward of the capital would help Ezio keep an eye on Conner, while he shifted his attention to other important matters.
Matters that would help ease the burden of the red-headed boy who was doing his best to make ends meet.
Chapter 418: Princess Sidonie's and Morgana's Versions Of Love [Part 1]
"Understood, Master," Brendan said with determination. "I will look after the capital while you are away."
Ezio nodded and patted his Second Disciple's shoulder. "I will keep in touch using the method that I told you about. Do not do anything reckless and do not look for me. I will find you when the time is right."
"Yes, Master."
"Farewell."
Ezio turned into a black mist and disappeared into the night. He had already informed Dave and Conrad about Conner's imminent arrival to the capital. Est and Isaac were currently helping the two boys take the crystal statues of Est's Mother, Herman, and Nana to the flying carriage.
Est didn't want to leave the people important to him behind and decided to bring them along. After safely loading the statues into the carriage, they immediately left the capital and headed North.
Ezio waited until the four boys had safely left the capital before heading South East. His destination was none other than the Zelan Dynasty where the Elves were staying.
He would go there to gather information. Of course, if an opportunity presented itself, he would assassinate their Commander in order to bring chaos to their ranks.
Ezio was quite familiar with the Elves. He had several missions within the Silvermoon Continent when Maxwell, William's father, was busy fighting against the Demons. Although he knew that not all Elves were hypocrites, more than half of them were.
This was especially true in regards to the Patriarchs of some of the Elven Clans who hated Humans to the bone.
—–
True to his word, Conner arrived the next day bringing with him over a hundred subordinates. The first thing he did was summon Brendan and ask him what the son of the Prime Minister had done in his absence.
"After his Excellency left the capital, I looked for volunteers to gather the survivors that were suffering on the outskirts of the kingdom," Brendan reported. "Since we have plenty of food in the capital, It would be a shame to let them fend for themselves and die."
Breandan's voice was filled with such patriotism and righteousness that Conner found it hard to find fault in his actions. Also, he had given the boy the authority to do whatever he wanted during his absence.
Although what Brendan did was troublesome, Conner had no issues with it.
'They can be used as additional hands during the war,' Conner mused before nodding his head.
He was currently seated on the throne of the Hellan Kingdom, while Breandan was kneeling in front of him.
"Continue gathering the survivors," Conner ordered. "Also, bring me the documents that pertain to the defensive capabilities of the capital. I will need all the information that you can give me."
Brendan pondered for a bit before giving his opinion. "Your Excellency, I think these documents can be found in the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Public Works and Development. Your Excellency, I alone will not be able to search for the documents you are looking for."
Conner nodded in appreciation because Brendan was truly helpful when it came to managing the
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kingdom.
"Very well. I will give you the manpower you need."
He then waved his hand and called out twenty of his subordinates to assist Brendan in finding the documents that he needed in order to strengthen the defenses of the capital.
A few minutes after he left, the ring on his finger started to glow. Conner frowned as he activated the long distance communication device that was given to the leaders who were in charge of capturing the Kingdoms and Dynasties of the Southern Continent.
A few seconds after activating the ring, a projection appeared in front of him. The sounds of battle could be heard in the background as the anxious face of Conner's subordinate appeared in front of him.
"S-Sir! The capital of Anaesha Dynasty is being attacked! It's impossible to defend it," Conner's subordinate screamed as he rolled to the side to evade an arrow that landed in the place where he stood a while ago.
"Who is attacking you?" Conner asked. He tried to keep his voice calm, but he was already clenching his fist so hard that his nails dug into his palms. "Is it the Elves?"
"N-No! It's the Kraetor Empire and the Ant Army!" Conner's subordinate replied.
He was about to say more, but a three-meter tall ant descended on him from behind, forcing the man to take defensive actions.
The ant screeched as it spat a corrosive acid on the man that led Deus in the Anaesha Dynasty. A blood-curdling scream filled with pain and agony reverberated throughout the room as Conner's subordinate got hit by the Ant's attack.
Moments later, the man fell on the ground, dropping the communication crystal in his hand.
Conner watched as his subordinate turned into a pool of blood as the corrosive acid melted his entire body. The leader of Deus sighed helplessly as one of his trusted aides died in front of him.
He was about to cut the connection when he noticed a white, and slender, hand pick the communication crystal up off the ground. Conner's eyes widened when he came face to face with a beauty that could bring the downfall of a nation.
Although this was the first time he had seen this beautiful lady, he still had a hunch about who she was.
Conner narrowed his eyes as he asked the girl who was looking at him with a devilish smile a question.
"Princess Sidonie?" Conner inquired.
Princess Sidonie nodded, "You must be Conner. I've heard a lot of things about you."
The beautiful girl's hazel eyes glowed with power as she looked through the crystal. Conner felt his breath grow ragged as he stared at those beautiful clear-eyes that could bring any man to their knees.
If not for the fact that Sidonie was only looking at Conner through a communication crystal, the Leader of Deus might have already been Charmed by now.
Conner used all of his willpower to shake off the feeling of infatuation that was slowly taking hold of his body. He had long heard of Princess Sidonie's ability to Charm others, but he didn't expect that it was strong enough to affect him through a communication crystal!
This was something completely unheard of and it filled him with dread.
"Princess, it is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face," Conner said as he tried to keep his expression calm. "I know that both of us started off on the wrong foot, but it is not too late for us to negotiate a cooperation."
"Oh? A negotiation?" Princess Sidonie smiled sweetly. "Then, what do you have in mind, Mr. Conner?"
Princess Sidonie was wearing dark-blue light armor. It was the ceremonial armor for the Royal Family of Freesia and Princess Sidonie donned it in order to participate in the conquest of the Anaesha Capital. With the help of the Kraetor Empire and the Ant Warriors, the members of the Organization didn't stand a chance.
Their defenses immediately crumbled and the majority of them fled for their lives. Naturally, Sidonie didn't care whether they lived or died and simply ordered the Soldier Ants to do whatever they wanted to do.
Now that the leader of Deus in the Anaeshian Capital was dead, Princess Sidonie was now its official ruler.
"Our true enemy are the Elves," Conner stated. "The two of us don't need to fight."
"A tempting offer, but I still haven't forgotten that your men tried to capture me."
"I am open for negotiations. The Crown Prince who ordered your capture is currently being detained in our Headquarters. If you want, I can give him to you in order to appease your anger. Naturally, I am also prepared to pay an additional compensation if you wish."
The corner of Princess Sidonie's lips curled up into a smirk as she stared at the Half-Elf in front of her. He reminded her of the red-headed boy who had repeatedly rejected her advances.
A devious plan formed inside Princess Sidonie's head, which made her other half Morgana laugh out loud.
Yes, a plan that would make a certain red-headed boy accept her version of love.
Chapter 419: Princess Sidonie's and Morgana's Versions Of Love [Part 2]
"Very well. Send the Crown Prince to me and I will turn a blind eye on our grievances of the past," Princess Sidonie replied. "As for your proposal for an alliance… that will depend on what he will think."
Conner frowned. "He?"
"Yes." Princess Sidonie. "My… acquaintance. Are you familiar with the young Knight Commander, Sir William Von Ainsworth?"
Conner remembered Calum's report that he had seen William and the Princess together at Antheilm. Based on his subordinate's report, it seemed that the two of them had a good relationship with each other.
As to what the extent of their relationship was, Calum didn't know. However, the Princess' attitude towards the boy made him think that they were close to each other.
"What about him?" Conner inquired. "Is he perhaps your lover?"
Conner asked his last question in a teasing tone, but to his surprise, the Princess' smile stiffened when she heard his words. However, Princess Sidonie quickly regained her composure and answered his question.
"Sir William and I have a Non-Aggression Pact," Princes Sidonie replied. "If you form an alliance with him then I will not step foot on the borders of the Hellan Kingdom."
"Oh?" Conner raised an eyebrow.
He had a deal with Celine that he wouldn't touch the Half-Elf if she didn't turn on them. So far, Celine had kept her distance and hadn't involved herself in the affairs of The Organization. Although she didn't help them with the Continental Spell, she didn't get in their way either.
Celine was an important asset to their Organization and, if possible, Conner wanted to keep it that way.
"I'll consider it," Conner stated after careful consideration. "I will send the Crown Prince to you shortly. I'll even throw his brother, Prince Rufus, in as a freebie. In return, please spare my subordinates and let them return to my side. I will also send additional compensation when we deliver the two Princes to you, Your Highness."
Princess Sidonie nodded her head. "Very well. I will spare your men. Also, as a sign of good faith, I will also not attack the Hellan Kingdom for two months. Naturally, if you can convince Sir William to ally with you then we can form a Non-Aggression Pact indefinitely."
Princess Sidonie then gave Conner a smile sweet enough to rot his teeth.
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness." Conner gave a brief bow. "I will try to reach out to Sir William and negotiate with him."
"Good. I'll keep this communication stone, so tell me when you have succeeded in convincing him."
"Very well."
Princess Sidonie gave Conner a playful wink before cutting off the connection.
Conner released a long deep sigh after his conversation with Princess Sidonie ended. With this, he had secured the lives of his men. Also, if he could prevent the Kraetor Empire from attacking the Hellan Kingdom, he could focus all of his attention on the Elves that he hated the most.
"William Von Ainsworth," Conner muttered as he activated a different ring in his hand. This ring allowed him to communicate with Calum who was currently stationed at their Headquarters.
He ordered him to send men to William's hometown, Lont, to look for his whereabouts. He added that if he was not there,
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they should look for Celine and ask her if she knew where her Disciple was.
Conner also didn't hide anything from his most trusted subordinate and told him about his conversation with the Princess. Calum listened patiently and waited for Conner to finish before giving a suggestion.
"Sir, I think that we should ask Celine to act as an intermediary to have a dialogue with the boy," Calum proposed. "This way, our chances of convincing him will be higher."
Conner pondered for a while as he eyed his right-hand man with approval. It was indeed a good proposal, however, there was one thing that might hinder the negotiation from pushing through.
'We don't know how the boy will react if he finds out that we are the ones responsible for turning the adults into crystal statues,' Conner thought. 'Also, I don't think Celine wants him to know that she is a member of The Organization.'
A sinister smile appeared on Conner's face as he thought about what William's reaction would be when he discovered that his Master was one of the members of The Organization that had turned the continent upside down.
Conner was faced with another choice. Should he look for William without consulting Celine and use the fact that the Half-Elf's Master was a member of The Organization to coerce him to join their ranks?
Or, should he just let Celine talk to the boy in their stead? Either way, the boy and his Master would have a falling out, which would be beneficial to their Organization.
"For now, search for the boy's whereabouts without looking for Celine," Conner ordered. "If you don't find him within a week, send some men to Lont and let them look for her."
"Understood." Calum nodded in understanding.
Although he had concerns in regards to Berthold being part of the Kraetor Army, he didn't give him too much importance.
As leaders of the Organization, Conner knew more than anyone else that Berthold didn't hold the final say in the Kraetor Army. As long as the Princess was on his side, the leader of the Organization stationed in the Kraetor Empire couldn't do anything reckless that might jeopardize his position.
Conner wanted to exploit the Princess to prevent Berthold from making moves against him. For him, this was the perfect plan to lower the number of enemies that he had to fight in the future.
—–
Princess Sidonie giggled as she placed the communication crystal inside her storage ring. Several young knights of the Kraetor Empire stood around her in a daze as they waited for her orders.
Prince Jason felt the danger of being around his Cousin and stayed far away from her reach. He had already thought of forming a close relationship with her, with the intention of asking for her hand in marriage.
However, he didn't intend to become one of her mindless slaves that would cater to her every whim. Prince Jason glanced at Princess Sidonie from afar and felt the blood boil in his veins. He had already conquered the hearts of many women in the Kraetor Empire and had enjoyed their affection and their bodies.
Still, Princess Sidonie's allure was too strong for him to resist.
'I want to conquer her,' Prince Jason thought. 'I want to pin her down on my bed and hear her beg for me to shower her with my love and affection.'
Prince Jason had done this numerous times in the past. His feelings for Princess Sidonie soared as he licked his lips in anticipation.
It was quite unfortunate that the moment he laid his eyes on the Princess, the power of Lust had already seeped deep inside his heart.
Even though he was wearing protective artifacts to prevent himself from being fully Charmed by Princess Sidonie's power, they were unable to stop the subtle workings of the power of Lust in the young Commander's state of mind.
As one of the Seven Deadly Sins that stood at the Apex, Lust was the most primitive power of all. Under Princess Sidonie's gaze, even the most disciplined and proud Monks, who practiced celibacy, would perform the most depraved carnal acts in order to win her smile.
Feeling Prince Jason's fiery gaze, the Princess turned her head to look at him. Deep inside her Mindscape, Morgana was laughing her heart out.
"Darling, you will regret turning us down," Morgana said after laughing. "You should have just accepted our love back then. If you had, you would have already been the Emperor of this Continent. Still… it is more interesting this way, isn't that right, Sidonie?"
Princess Sidonie nodded her head as she hugged her other half. "It's strange. This feeling of wanting to conquer someone, I've never felt this feeling before."
"Good." Morgana returned Sidonie's hug and kissed her lips. "Let's compromise. I'll let you have Darling first then I'll have him give birth to our babies at a later time."
Princess Sidonie smiled. The image of the handsome Half-Elf, kneeling in front of her while licking her feet, awoke the sadistic nature that was sleeping deep inside her.
"I look forward to that day, Big Sister," Princess Sidonie cupped the side of Morgana's face. "Please, do your best to make our Prince… love us with all of his heart."
"I will," Morgana said as her eyes glowed with power. She, too, couldn't wait to get her hands on William. The thrill of conquering the arrogant, and narcissistic Half-Elf made Morgana's Lustful Heart… skip a beat.
Chapter 420: Love Sure Makes People Become Weird
"William, we need to talk," Oliver said as he sat on the branch of the Dragon Blood Tree.
William was crafting Healing Potions using the Yin Yang Cauldron, which also increased the level of his Alchemist Job Class. William wiped away the sweat on his forehead as he finished making the last batch of healing potions.
"Give me one more minute, Second Master," William said as he cleaned the Yin Yang Cauldron. He used a water spray to rinse it out before using the Flames of Purification to dry it.
William looked at the Cauldron and nodded his head in approval. Although he couldn't consider himself as a full-fledged Alchemist, the Yin Yang Cauldron had made alchemy very easy for him. All he needed to do was toss in the ingredients, control his Flames of Purification, and allow the Cauldron to do its magic.
After finishing his task, William returned the Cauldron to his storage ring and looked up at his Second Master, who was looking at him with a serious expression. The Half-Elf knew that whenever Oliver had this look on his face, he was about to tell him something very important.
"What do you want to talk about, Second Master?" William inquired as he leaned against the Dragon Blood Tree to rest.
Oliver cleared his throat as if he was thinking of the right way to initiate their conversation. Half a minute later, the Parrot Monkey sighed as he looked down on the boy who had closed his eyes to rest.
"It's about the organization, Deus, that is responsible for casting the Continental Spell," Oliver said. "My Mistress, Celine, is a member of their Organization."
A minute of silence passed as Oliver waited for William's reaction to his revelation. He knew that the boy was planning to have a head-on-collision with The Organization, so he decided to tell him that Celine was part of their group.
Finally, after several more minutes of silence, William opened his eyes.
"Second Master, did Master take part in the spell that turned Grandpa and the others into Crystal Statues?" William inquired.
William used a calm and neutral tone to ask this question. However, Oliver was able to feel the subtle rise in his voice as he said the last word.
"No," Oliver answered firmly. "The Mistress didn't participate in the Organization's plan to turn everyone into Crystal Statues. In fact, she was the one that told your Grandpa and the others that The Organization was scheming something. Unfortunately, they didn't tell her all of the details on the off chance that she might divulge the plan to others."
William released a deep, long, sigh after hearing Oliver's words. He felt relieved that Celine didn't take part in the creation of the Continental Spell. The Half-Elf knew that he would find it hard to forgive Celine if she played a role in the spell that turned his loved ones into statues.
She still owed him a debt from when she turned him into her slave. A debt that he was planning to make her pay in the future. However, if Celine had taken part in the creation of the Continental Spell, he would break all ties with her and treat her as an enemy.
"Did Master tell you to tell me this? ?" William inquired.
Oliver shook his head. "I did this without consulting the Mistress. This was an independent action on my part."
William closed his eyes as he organized his thoughts. His Master wasn't someone who liked to make her thoughts known to him. Although he was still on the fence about her being a part of The Organization he was planning to fight,
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he knew that Celine would never do anything to hurt him.
William frowned as he pondered Oliver's words.
'All of the important adults know about her involvement with the organization, and Lont has used this to their advantage many times,' Will thought as he rubbed his chin. 'So there is tact silent approval? There must be more to this that I don't know.'
A few more minutes passed in silence before William finally spoke out his mind.
"Second Master, can I believe you?"
"You can."
"Is there a reason behind why Master joined the organization?" William asked.
"Of course. However, you need to ask her what the reason is," Oliver replied. "I do not have the right to tell you why Mistress decided to join them."
William nodded his head in understanding. He also felt that it was wrong to ask this question to Oliver, so he decided to put this matter aside until he reunited with Celine once again.
"Second Master, I won't ask for the reason why Master joined The Organization. But, can you answer a question for me?"
"It depends on the question, Little Will. There are some questions that I can't answer."
William stared at the scenery of his Domain before asking the question he had in mind.
"What is the goal of this Organization?" William asked.
To his surprise, Oliver chuckled as he sat on the branch of the Dragon Blood Tree.
"Revenge," Oliver replied. "The Organization's goal is to take revenge on those that have wronged them. It exists solely for this reason."
"Revenge…," William muttered the words absentmindedly as he stared into the distance. He knew that Celine had suffered a lot during her childhood. Although Oliver hadn't explicitly told him the reason why Celine joined the organization, the hint he gave was more than enough for William to form his own conclusion.
"Understood. I'll have a proper talk with Master the next time we meet."
"Okay."
Oliver knew that this was William's way of reaching a compromise. The Parrot Monkey sighed because he felt like a great burden had been removed from his shoulders.
He had an internal debate with himself a few days ago about whether or not he should tell William the truth. In the end, he decided that he would rather be the one to break this news to William than let others tell him lies.
—–
Lionheart screeched as he landed on the ground. It was almost sunset, so Dave decided to let him rest before continuing their journey towards the Kyrintor Mountain.
Conrad's Wyvern landed not far away from the Gryphon. Both Knights removed the harnesses that bound their partners and allowed them to hunt for their prey.
Est and Isaac disembarked from the carriage to stretch their bodies. Although the flying carriage was comfortable enough, they still felt stiff after sitting and lying all day long.
"How many more days will it take before we reach the Kyrintor Mountains?" Est asked Dave after he finished making a campfire.
Isaac was already preparing to cook their dinner, so Est had nothing to do except to wait for his trusted retainer to finish his task.
"One more day," Dave replied. "Head Prefect, have you visited the Kyrintor Mountains before?"
"No." Est shook his head. "But, I've heard many stories about them. Is it true that all the warriors of the Northern Tribes have skin as hard as steel?"
"No." Dave chuckled.
The Kyrintor Mountains had always been a very mysterious place. Very few people from the Hellan Kingdom had visited the mountains. Since no information was readily available, those who liked gossip started to make up stories of their own.
Some of the rumors regarding the Kyrintor Mountains involved their warriors being over two meters tall and that they had skin as hard as steel. Dave had also heard of these rumors in the past and believed them.
If not for the fact that he had actually been to the mountains himself, he would probably still believe the rumors that were flying around in the capital.
Est looked towards the North, that was now shrouded in the darkness of the night. Deep inside he was looking forward to reuniting with William so he could beat him up for leaving him behind in the capital!
While he was in charge, he had received a letter from Spencer that his sister, Wendy, had joined William in his travels. This news made Est grind his teeth because he felt that he was being excluded from the group.
Still, the thought of the Half-Elf traveling all over the kingdom to gather allies who would fight for them made some of the resentment in his heart disappear. He knew that William was someone who treasured the people important to him.
Est wouldn't admit it, but he felt jealous of Ian because she had found a way to unseal the curse on her body. Although it only lasted for a few hours, it was enough for the beautiful mermaid to do intimate things with the Half-Elf whom he'd liked for many years.
Est sighed as he unconsciously pressed his two hands over his chest and groped them.
'I wonder if they will become as big as Celine's when I grow up and the curse is lifted,' Est thought. 'William mentioned back in Lont that he liked girls with big breasts…'
Est was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Dave and Conrad were looking at him weirdly. Isaac, who also saw this scene, averted his gaze.
Although he didn't know what his Young Master was thinking, Isaac could still make a guess. After all, he knew that Est loved William, just as much as his twin loved the boy.
'Love sure makes people become weird,' Isaac thought. 'I'd better not fall in love with anyone. That way, I can look after the Young Master and my twin and prevent them from doing stupid things.'
Isaac made this vow inside his heart as he focused on his task of preparing dinner. Although he liked William as a friend, he couldn't see himself developing any romantic feelings for him. He was content on supporting Ian and Est from the sidelines as they stayed with the man whom both of them had loved for the past few years.