Collection 1 Chapter 46 518-527

Chapter 518: Hunger That Knew No Bounds [Part 1]

After classes, William decided to roam the academy grounds.

The Silverwind Academy was so big that it was a common occurrence for new students to get lost. Ian and Princess Sidonie had been spending a lot of time together and had been going out to shop very often.

At least, that was the excuse that they always gave when William asked what they were up to.

One time, he almost managed to pry the answers from Morgana's soft, and sensuous lips after buttering her up with hugs, kisses, and a little bit of skinship.

However, before the naughty girl could spill the beans, Princess Sidonie managed to take over and the conversation ended there.

In the end, William had given up and decided to let his lovers do whatever they were planning behind his back. From the little information he got from Morgana, both girls were doing it for his sake.

The Silverwind Academy was located in a mountainous region, not far from the capital city of the Kraetor Empire.

If one wished, they could easily visit the capital if they were to use the Teleportation Gates within the Academy grounds. At the base of the mountain was the City of Silverind. It was the second largest city in the Empire.

Due to the fact that this was where the prestigious Academy was located, many merchants had set up their stalls in this place because this was a good place to conduct trade and form connections with the noble families.

William stared down at the city from on top of the mountain. He had only been there once since he arrived at the Academy and had never gone back again.

While he was pondering whether he should take the teleport gate to go to the city, he saw something in the corner of his eye.

A girl, wearing a black dress, who seemed to be around the age of ten, walked towards the garbage dump of the Academy.

The garbage dump was a mile away from the Academy, and the only people that went there were the staff that were assigned for waste disposal.

Due to William's keen sight, he could tell that the girl was indeed headed in that direction.

'Is she perhaps lost?' William frowned. 'I'd better check just in case.'

William jumped off from the peak of the mountain, and glided steadily towards the girl.

The girl wearing a black dress was oblivious of William's approach as she continued to walk towards her destination.

As the Half-Elf neared the girl, he noticed something peculiar about her. The way she walked was unsteady, as if she didn't have the strength to support her body. Also, she seemed to be panting.

William landed in front of the girl, and the latter stopped to look at him.

'Cute,' William thought as he stared at the little girl in front of him.

According to William's estimate, the girl should at least be 4'8 feet in height (144 cm). She had long, light-pink hair that ended at her waist. Her eyes, which were the same color of her hair, looked back at William in surprise. However this surprise didn't last long before it turned into anxiety.

"Don't worry, I'm not a bad person," William said with a smile. "I noticed you walking towards the garbage dump, so I got worried that you might be lost. Are you perhaps lost?"

The little girl didn't answer, but William could tell that she was getting flustered. Suddenly her body started to sway, and the Half-Elf immediately reached out to support her body, before

she collapsed on the ground.

"Are you alright?" William asked in worry. "Don't worry. I will bring you to the infirmary of the academy right now."

However, before William could execute his plan, the girl said something that made him freeze in his tracks.

"I'm fine," the girl said as she panted for breath. "Please, just leave me alone. I need to go."

"Where are you going?"

"Over there."

The little girl pointed at the place where the garbage dump was located.

"Are you going to the garbage dump?" William inquired.

The little girl hesitated before nodding her head.

"Yes," the girl replied. "I need to go there. Please, let me go."

William marveled on how light the little girl was. Although she wasn't as light as his cousin, Eve, the Half-Elf was sure that he could carry her easily even if he trained with weights attached to his body.

"Okay. I will take you there." William compromised. "But, after that, I will bring you to the infirmary."

The little girl looked straight into his eyes for a few seconds before nodding her head.

William once again activated his flight ability and carried the girl towards the Garbage Dump. as he neared the site, the foul stench reached his nose. Usually, the trash would be burned every weekend.

Unlike the cities on Earth, there are no plastic, cardboard boxes, or any other modern garbage in the World of Hestia. The garbage that had been thrown at the garbage pit consisted mostly of the food wastes that the academy disposed of on a daily basis.

Fruit peelings, egg shells, failed alchemy experiments like pills, animal bones, fish bones, and similar things were segregated in various pits that would soon be burned up by the staff of the Academy when weekend arrived.

William landed near the pit and reluctantly lowered the girl to stand on her own feet.

"Thank you," the little girl said before walking towards the place where fruit peelings were located.

Suddenly the girl jumped on the pit, which caught William by surprise. The Half-Elf immediately rushed to check on her, but what he saw almost made him do a double take.

After landing inside the pit, the girl casually grabbed a banana peel and raised it towards her mouth. She was about to eat it when a hand grabbed hold of her wrist, to prevent her from putting the rotting banana peel on her mouth.

"Are you crazy?!" William asked in confusion. "Why do you want to eat this?!"

"Because I am hungry," the girl replied. "Please, let me eat. I am hungry."

"If you're hungry, let's go to the canteen, I'll buy you something to eat."

"… No. I can't go there. People will feel uncomfortable if I go there."

William pried away the banana peel from the girl's hand and carried her in a princess carry. He then shot up from the pit and flew towards the direction of the academy.

"Stop! Don't take me to the academy." the little girl struggled in William's arms.

"Behave yourself," William said. "Don't worry, I will buy you food to eat. You don't have to eat those things."

"No, you don't understand," The girl pleaded. "Please, just leave me alone."

The girl was struggling so much that William wobbled in his flight. In the end, he was forced to land on the ground to ensure the little girl's safety.

"Are you a student of the Academy?" William asked. Although the possibility was small, the possibility still existed. Aside from being a student, the little girl could also be a daughter of one of the professors, or the staff that was working on the academy.

The pink-haired girl hesitated once again before nodding her head.

"Yes, I am a student."

"Then why don't you eat at the canteen like all the other students do?"

"I can't," the girl answered. "Anyone who sees me will feel disgusted that they will lose their appetite."

William frowned when he heard the little girl's answer. He had just arrived at the Academy, and a quarter of the year had already gone by. It meant that he was not aware of certain things that had transpired during that period of time, including the reason why this little girl would go to the garbage dump just to have something to eat.

While William was pondering, he heard a rumbling sound, and the little girl who stood in front of him placed both of her hands over her stomach. The rumbling sound grew stronger, and the girl seemed about to faint any second due to hunger.

"For now, eat this," William said as he created a chocolate lollipop. "This lollipop can last for three days. Just make sure that you don't chew on it."

William unwrapped the lollipop and presented it to the little girl who was looking at it in a daze.

"Here. Hold it." William placed the lollipop on the girl's hand, and the latter held it firmly, like it was her last lifeline.

The little girl looked at the lollipop for a few seconds before putting it inside her mouth. Immediately her expression changed as the sweetness of the chocolate spread across her taste buds.

"Is it good?" William asked.

The little girl didn't answer. Instead, she bit on the lollipop and started chewing. William sighed as he produced another lollipop for the little girl. He explicitly told the girl to not chew it, but the latter was too hungry to understand his words.

To his surprise, not only did the girl eat the lollipop, she also ate the lollipop stick like a pretzel. William was about to reach out and pry her mouth open to retrieve the lollipop stick when the System's voice reached his ears.

< Host. Don't worry. According to my analysis, she will just be fine. Please, use your Appraisal Skill and look at her information. >

William was doubtful at first, but he still did what the System had told him.

Moments later, his jaw dropped after he read the information of the little girl, whom he just fed his lollipop a while ago.

——

Name: Chiffon Val Gremory

Age: 18

Race: Nerezza (Half Dwarf, Half Demon)

Title: Glutton from Hell

— One of the Seven Deadly Sins that represents the Sin of Gluttony.

Chapter 519: Hunger That Knew No Bounds [Part 2]

"Big Brother, do you still have more?" Chiffon, the adorable girl, looked up at William in expectation. She had already seen the lollipop in William's hand, but still pretended not to see it.

William stiffly handed the lollipop at her and the girl happily tore the wrapper off, revealing the chocolate candy that made her eyes sparkle.

Chiffon unceremoniously ate the wrapper first, before she placed the candy inside her mouth. This time, she didn't chew it and just licked it, like William had told her to do.

For some reason, after eating the chocolate lollipop earlier, the hunger she felt disappeared completely. This was the first time that Chiffon experienced something like that. Usually, even after she ate three tons of garbage, the hunger would return after a few hours.

She was very shocked when a single lollipop managed to stop her hunger pains as if it was done by magic.

William stared at the cute girl who seemed to have reached enlightenment. After hesitating for two minutes, he finally decided to introduce himself to her.

"My name is William Von Ainsworth," William said. "Feel free to call me, Will. How about you? What's your name?"

Although he already knew the answer, he still asked the question because he felt that it would be rude to call out people's names without proper introduction.

The loli took out the lollipop from her adorable lips as she made a curtsy and introduced herself.

"Chiffon Val Gremory," Chiffon replied. "Big Brother, just call me Chiffon."

"Um, I'm seventeen years old. I will have my birthday in a month. Is it really fine to call me Big Brother?"

"It's fine, Big Brother. I am only twelve years old. You are clearly older than me."

The corner of William's lips twitched because the little loli dared to lie to him. If he didn't have the System, he would readily accept her explanation without any doubt, because she did look like a twelve year-old due to her height and loveable appearance.

'Am I fated to always stumble upon this kind of situation?' William thought as he sighed internally. 'My gut feeling is telling me that I'm going to be involved in something problematic.'

Chiffon watched William with genuine interest. She had an extra strong perception towards magic, and she was sure that William didn't take out the lollipop from his storage ring.

Since that was the case, Chiffon came to a realization.

William could produce the lollipop using his ability.

The pink-haired girl didn't know what kind of ability it was, but one thing was for certain. William was someone that could solve her hunger problems.

"Big Brother, is there something wrong?" Chiffon inquired as she walked up to him in a cute manner.

She then took hold of William's hand and held it firmly. 'I need to know more about this person.'

William was at a loss on what to do. He didn't regret giving Chiffon his lollipop, but her very existence was a flag that he didn't want to take part of. If this was a route for a game, William would steer clear off her route and look for other heroines to conquer.

Nothing good came out of dealing with one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

He already experienced the threat that Princess Sidonie and Morgana possessed, so how could he possibly underestimate someone who bore the title of one of the Greatest Sins of the world?

William cleared out his throat as he

decided to make an excuse in order to leave Chiffon behind.

"Um, Chiffon, I still have things to do," William said as he looked at the small hand that firmly held his own hand. "I need to go to Silverwind City to buy a few things.

"Is that so?" Chiffon asked. "Don't worry, Big Brother. I came to the Academy three months ago. Although I'm not very familiar with the city, I had visited it thrice during my stay here."

"… You don't say."

"?"

Chiffon tilted her head cutely, which made William's heart shudder. Looking at Chiffon made him remember his cousin Eve, and Brianna whom he had considered as his own little sister.

"Big Brother, do you have any more of these lollipops?" Chiffon asked. "I like them very much."

Chiffon looked up at William and stared at him intently. The innocent pair of eyes was too much for him to bear, so he averted his gaze to calm his heart.

After thinking things through, William relented. He produced ten, red, blue, and chocolate lollipops and handed them to Chiffon. He then carefully explained their uses.

"As I told you before, the chocolate lollipop can last for three days as long as you don't chew it," William explained. "This red lollipop has the ability to cure minor wounds. If you get injured, eat one of them. This blue lollipop replenishes magic power. If you feel drained from using magic spells, take one as well

"Remember that the red and blue lollipop can be only eaten once, and will not last as long as the chocolate lollipop. If you are feeling hungry, just place the chocolate lollipop in your mouth and lick it."

Chiffon held the lollipops as if they were priceless treasures. She then carefully placed it inside her storage ring before looking at William with a grateful expression.

"Big Brother, thank you for the lollipops," Chiffon said. "Where did you buy them? If possible, I want to buy them in bulk."

"Um, these lollipops can't be bought anywhere. These are all hand made."

"Did you make them, Big Brother?"

"…Yes."

William wanted to say no, but the puppy eyes that were looking up at him, made the lie that he was about to say become stuck in his throat.

"You are amazing, Big Brother!" Chiffon praised. "Maybe you should open a candy shop. I promise that I will be your number one customer!"

"… I'll think about it," William replied.

Chiffon nodded her head like an obedient child. She then pulled William's hand as she walked towards the Academy.

"Big Brother, Let's go," Chiffon urged. "We need to get back before six in the evening. If we dilly dally, we won't be able to stroll around the city for a long time."

William shook his head as he allowed the girl, whom he had just met, drag him back to the Academy. Although he didn't regret giving Chiffon his lollipops, he was feeling troubled because of the consequences of his actions.

—–

Inside Silverwind Academy…

"Your Majesty, I have something to report," Gilbert Geis, the Headmaster of Silverwind Academy, as well as Professor Rita's father, said as he looked at the mirror inside his office.

(A/N: In case you had forgotten, Professor Rita is the professor in charge of Class A)

"Gilbert? Did something happen?" Emperor Leonidas stared at the Headmaster with a calm expression on his face.

"Chiffon came in contact with William," Gilbert replied. "Should I intervene?"

An expression of surprise appeared on Emperor Leonidas' face when he heard the Headmaster's report. However, this surprise didn't last long before it became serious.

"How did it happen?" Emperor Leonidas inquired.

Chiffon was a special existence within the Academy and there were people that monitored her from the shadows. When Gilbert had been informed about the current development, he immediately sought the Emperor's opinion on how to deal with the current events.

After listening to Gilbert's narration on how the two met, Emperor Leonidas rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Are they getting along?" the Emperor asked.

Gilbert nodded. "I just checked and I saw Chiffon dragging William back to the academy. Also…"

"Also?"

"She seemed to be happy. Although she wasn't smiling, I could vaguely feel her mood from afar. How should I proceed, Your Majesty?"

A minute of silence enveloped the room as the Headmaster of Silverwind Academy waited for the Emperor's orders. Finally, after the wait that almost felt like years, Emperor Leonidas finally made up his mind.

"Gilbert."

"Your Majesty?"

"Don't do anything," Emperor Leonidas ordered. "However, continue to constantly monitor Chiffon. You already know who she is, and what her affiliation is. I don't want that bastard to say that I was not looking after the daughter that he had tossed away."

Gilbert nodded respectfully. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Emperor Leonidas was about to cut off the connection, but stopped midway and asked a question.

"Did she really look happy?"

"Yes. I even have a recording. Do you want to see it, Your Majesty?"

"Show it to me," Emperor Leonidas ordered.

The Headmaster showed a projection where Chiffon could be seen dragging William's hand. The Half-Elf had a resigned look on his face, while the little girl was wearing an expression of calm.

When the recording stopped, the Emperor of the Kraetor Empire also ended the conversation.

Inside his study room, the Sovereign of the Empire leaned his back on his chair. The image of Chiffon dragging his granddaughter's fiance back to the Academy was still fresh in his mind.

"Evexius was right," Emperor Leonidas snorted. "That Half-Elf is a penchant for trouble."

Chapter 520: You Are Too Defenseless

As soon as William and Chiffon entered the academy gates, several stares landed on the two of them.

Chiffon seemed to be used to this treatment already, so she ignored them and continued dragging William behind her.

William, also didn't mind being talked about by the students in the academy. He didn't intend to stay there for long, so he wasn't bothered by any of the gossip that was to spread while he was enrolled there.

However, even though he didn't care about what others said, that didn't mean that his sensitive hearing wasn't able to pick up what the students were saying as they walked past them.

"Did you see that? It's that disgusting trash eater."

"Ewww! I bet a thousand gold coins that she went to the Garbage Dump again."

"Isn't that Princess Sidonie's lover? What is he doing with that freak?"

"You know what they say, birds of the same feather, flock together."

"Hahaha! Does he also eat trash?"

"Who knows? Maybe they shared some fish bones or eggshells between them."

"Gross!"

William still had a calm expression on his face, but he was feeling irritated by the insults that were being said behind Chiffon's back. Now that he knew the sin that she carried, he could somewhat understand why she would visit the Garbage Dump to look for something to eat.

'Did she perhaps get banned from the canteen because she ate a lot?'

This was the thought that passed through William's mind as he allowed himself to be dragged by the little girl who seemed to have increased her pace after entering the Academy.

"Chiffon, where are we going?' William asked.

The little girl abruptly stopped and turned her head to look at William.

"Big Brother, where are you currently staying?" Chiffon asked back.

"The Third Year Male Dormitory?"

"Okay."

Chiffon once again dragged William. This time, she headed towards the Aberdeen Dormitory where the Third Year boys stayed.

After entering the Boy's Dormitory, Chiffon paced the halls unhurriedly. She was looking around like a country bumpkin and taking in the sights that she was seeing for the first time.

Chiffon was a well-known celebrity inside the academy, but not of a good kind.

She was given the nickname, Trash Eater, because she was often seen at the Garbage Dump picking up trash to eat during lunch and dinner. At first, the boys tried to approach Chiffon because she was very cute. However, after finding out her daily routine, all of them backed away in disgust.

None of the girls wanted to have any connection with Chiffon either, because, for them, she was the embodiment of filth.

They didn't even want to be in the same room with her, so Chiffon stopped coming to classes and only wandered around the Academy grounds, while the classes were ongoing because it was empty.

She was surprised when William talked to her because she thought that no one in the Academy would dare to get near her.

Right now, Chiffon treated William as her first friend in the Academy, so she wanted to know more about him.

"Aren't you a little too bold?" William asked after closing the door of his room. "You came here to the boy's dormitory and even came inside my room. Aren't you afraid that I might do something to you?"

"Do something? Like what, Big Brother?" Chiffon asked back as she sat on

the only couch in the room.

William rubbed his temple as he sat on top of his bed. He didn't know if Chiffon was really ignorant or she was only messing around with him.

If one were to look at the Chiffon, they would come to the conclusion that she was only an eleven or twelve-year-old Human child. However, since William had the System, the pink-haired girl wouldn't be able to hide her age even if she kept mum for the rest of her life.

The other thing that bothered Williams was Chiffon's race.

Nerezza

Half Dwarf, Half Demon.

Nerezza was a general term used for hybrid races that had a demonic origin. Although there were other specific names for such unions, this term was the most commonly used in the World of Hestia.

William was a Half-Elf, and his parents were a Human and a High Elf.

Although he was very tempted to ask Chiffon about her parents, William was hesitant to do that. He hadn't had the chance to see a dwarf, but he had already seen demons, in the form of Sha and Zhu.

According to the System, Dwarves were only four to five feet tall with broad and stout bodies. Chiffon's body was slender and delicate just like a human girl. This made William believe that her body's constitution was taken from her Demon Parent, while her height was taken from her Dwarf Parent.

'So this is what you call a legal loli,' William mused as he looked at the girl who was busy licking his lollipop.

(A/N: Boys, behave yourselves.)

Chiffon felt William's stare and thought that the latter wanted her to come close. The pink-haired girl stood up from the couch and walked towards William's bed. Out of curiosity, she pressed the mattress of the bed to see how soft it was.

"Big Brother, your bed is very comfortable, can I lay down on it?" Chiffon asked.

"Mmm? Aren't all beds in every dormitory the same?" William replied with a question of his own.

Chiffon became silent for a while. It seemed that she was hesitating whether to answer William's question or not.

"Big Brother, I don't sleep in the girl's dormitory," Chiffon answered after a few minutes passed.

William raised an eyebrow as he pressed the little girl for answers. After a short interrogation, the Half-Elf finally got the answers to his question, and he didn't like them one bit.

According to Chiffon, the academy didn't assign her any room and only delegated the stables as her resting area. William was appalled when he found out that the little girl was left to fend off for herself, without anyone to take care of her.

He didn't say anything earlier, but he had noticed that Chiffon's uniform was quite dirty, even before she went to the Garbage Dump. Now that he knew that the girl was being mistreated by the academy, William found himself clenching his fist in irritation.

One of William's weaknesses were little children. They reminded him of the little brothers and sisters that he had cared for in the orphanage. This was why he was overprotective of Eve and Brianna and ensured that the two of them were safe from harm.

Although Chiffon was eighteen years old, her appearance was that of a child. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he felt sorry for her and wanted to do something for her sake.

It was at that moment when William heard the soft breathing of a sleeper. Chiffon had fallen asleep on his bed, with a peaceful expression on her face.

'You are too defenseless,' William thought as he shook his head. He then took off her shoes and helped her have a more comfortable sleeping position.

Suddenly, the door of the room opened and two people entered without knocking on the door.

"Will, what are you doing?" Ashe asked in a tone filled with disbelief.

"Will, how could you," Princess Sidonie covered her lips with a hand. Just like Ashe, she couldn't believe the scene that she was seeing with her own eyes.

William turned his head to look at his lovers. "Oh. Welcome back. Just a minute, I'm about to finish."

The Half-Elf was currently holding onto Chiffon's sleeping body, in an angle that could cause plenty of misunderstandings.

Ashe closed the door and locked it in place. Princess Sidonie narrowed her eyes, and approached the bed with the intention of educating William about laying his hands on minors.

When she was only a few meters away from the bed, Chiffon sleepily reached out to William and held on to his arm.

"Big Brother, it was good," Chiffon said sleepily. "I want more."

After saying those misleading words, the pink-haired loli once again returned to her slumber. Ashe and Princess Sidonie looked at the girl's dirty, and crumpled uniform, before looking back at William, who was right on top of the sleeping girl.

"Will, we need to talk," Ashe said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Princess Sidonie was also smiling, but her eyes had already turned golden. Clearly, the two had misinterpreted the girl's words, and William's current position.

The Half-Elf looked at the sleeping girl under him, before shifting his attention to his two lovers, who were looking at him with murder in their eyes.

He knew that if he didn't explain things properly, someone was going to sleep on the floor tonight.

Chapter 521: A Sense Of Euphoria

"And that's what happened."

William narrated everything that happened before his two lovers arrived inside his dormitory room. The two girls listened with serious expressions at first, but this expression then turned into pity after finding out Chiffon's current circumstances.

"Will, you picked up a troublesome person," Princess Sidonie said after hearing William's story. She then glanced at Chiffon with a complicated expression before shifting her attention back to William.

"I'm sure you have no idea on what kind of person she is," Princess Sidonie stated.

"I know," William replied. "She is just like you, Sidonie."

Princess Sidonie's body stiffened because of William's answer. She didn't expect that William would use the term "she is just like you", and it made her wonder how he knew about Chiffon's special characteristic.

After becoming his lover, the Princess shared her secret with William about her being one of the Seven Deadly Sins. At first, Princess Sidonie thought that William would treat her differently after finding out about her secret.

However, the Half-Elf only smiled and even teased her that she had to wait for a few more years before she could have his babies.

"How did you know?" Princess Sidonie asked. She was very curious on how William found out that Chiffon also carried one of the Deadly Sins of the world.

"Half-Elf's intuition," William replied.

"As if." Princess Sidonie wrinkled her nose. It was quite obvious that William had no intention of sharing this information, so she decided not to pry.

Ian, who was seated on William's right side frowned. She didn't understand what the two were talking about.

"Is she also a Princess?" Ian inquired. This was the only connection she could think of when William said that Chiffon was just like Princess Sidonie.

William and Princess Sidonie exchanged a glance and grinned. Although they felt a bit guilty about not telling the other girls about Sidonie's and Morgana's secret, both believed that this was for the best.

If possible, Princess Sidonie didn't want anyone else to know, aside from William, that she was the embodiment of Lust. This way, she could protect herself from those who would try to use her powers to do something nefarious.

"No." William replied. "I'm saying that she's just as adorable as Sidonie."

"Huh?" Ian glanced at Princess Sidonie then at Chiffon then back again to the princess. "I don't understand."

"It's fine, it's not important." William smirked. "Just think of her as a mini version of Mr. Jekyll."

"Ah! Is she also a Taotie?" Ian looked at Chiffon with wonder. "You mean she could swallow a lot of things at once?"

"... Something like that," Princess Sidonie replied in William's place because she was afraid that the Half-Elf would make things more complicated. "She is someone that can eat a lot."

The Princess poked the sleeping girl's cheeks. She had a complicated feeling upon meeting one of the people that also bore a sin that was as strong as hers.

When she remembered Wiliam's story about Chiffon's attempt to eat a banana peel in the Garbage Dump, her feeling of wanting to take care of the little glutton budded inside her heart.

Ian nodded in understanding. She had seen how domineering Jekyll was during the war. Right now, she had labeled Chiffon as a young Taotie that still couldn't control her powers.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Princess Sidonie stopped poking the sleeping girl before staring at William with a serious expression. "How is your bloodthirst coming along these days? I think you

should take a drink now, while you're still feeling better. I'll look after Chiffon for the time being, Ashe, I'll leave him in your care."

"Understood." Ashe then held William's hand. "Let's go. It's no good if you try to wait until you reach your limit before taking action. Do you still remember what happened last time?"

"Okay," William replied and held Ian's hand firmly.

A few seconds later, both people disappeared from the room, leaving only Princess Sidonie and the sleeping Chiffon behind.

Ashe's body shuddered when she felt the familiar prickling pain, followed by a sense of Euphoria.

William drank slowly. He didn't want to waste a drop of Ashe's blood because for him, his lover's blood was precious. The mermaid wrapped her arms around William's neck as she enjoyed the pleasurable sensation that was washing over her body.

Ashe wouldn't admit it, but she was somewhat addicted to the sublime ecstasy that was sending shivers down her spine.

After having his fill, William kissed the place where he drew blood from Ashe, and used his Life Magic to heal her wound.

The beautiful mermaid had lost all of her strength, so she allowed William to dress her up once again.

"Next time, I'll drink Charmaine's blood," William lovingly whispered in her ears. "I've been drinking a lot of your blood as of late. I don't want you to become anemic."

Ashe sighed before reluctantly nodding her head. "I understand."

Charmaine was one of the Elves that had surrendered to William after the War in the City of Gladiolus. She was also the officer of the platoon that had captured Arslan when the Freedom Fighters were having a meeting, near the border of the Zelan Dynasty.

When William went to the Undying Lands, Malacai told him that the only one that could use his scepter was an undead.

This was how the First King of the Hellan Kingdom transformed into an Arcane Spectral Lich. anyone who touched Malacai's Scepter would be transformed into a High-Level undead and become Malacai's servant.

Naturally, William didn't plan on dying, but he also needed the power to command the Undead Army to help them in the war.

With the help of the System, they fought against the corruption of the scepter. However, it also came with a price. The power of the scepter was insane. It was a Mythical Artifact, which forced William to pay two hundred years of his life, and permanently turn his left hand, all the way up to his arm, into that of a vampire's.

Vampires were also undead creatures, and held incredible strength and powers. Upon touching Malacai's Scepter, William gained the Prestige Job Class, Vampiric Necromancer.

This was why William's left hand, and arm, had a different skin tone compared to the other parts of his body. Fortunately, if William drank some blood, the paleness of his hand and arm disappeared, making it look completely normal.

Even Malacai was surprised that William was able to resist his scepter's corruption, and didn't turn into one of his subordinates. Out of admiration, Malacai decided to cease all hostilities with William, with a condition.

The Half-Elf would cease to rob Avalon of its treasures and artifacts, that had survived the Era of the Gods.

Also, Malacai allowed William to command his Undead Legion once.

Out of curiosity, William asked if Malacai would give William the permission to summon his Undead Army from time to time. The Dracolich surprisingly agreed to his request, but there was another condition attached to using the Undead Legion.

"You can only command my army if you are planning to conduct a Massacre."

This was the answer that the Dracolich had given him.

A massacre that would number in the tens of thousands. Malacai even joked that a massacre of millions was more suited to his taste.

When William made a proposal of purifying the souls of the Undead Warriors that had been stationed in Avalon for thousands of years, Malacai didn't reject it right away. Instead, he said that Avalon must always have an army within.

Of course, the Dracolich hinted that the new undead army didn't need to be humans.

This was why William conducted a massacre and sent the newly born Undead Elves to Avalon in order to take the place of the warriors that he was about to send back to the Cycle of Reincarnation.

True to his word, William spared the Elven Women, as well as the Elves that he had captured when he faced off with Elandorr at the Gate of Beginnings. These young elves cursed William's names to the high heavens and Charmaine was the most vocal of them all.

The Arcane Spectral Lich knew of William's need for blood, so he made his move and… used his arcane powers to wipe all of Charmaine's memories.

It was not only her, The Lich had wiped the memories of twelve teenage Elves, and made them William's personal blood banks.

These Elven ladies now stayed inside William's Thousand Beast Domain, and treated William as their master.

In return, the Half-Elf treated them courteously, and they became the caretakers of the Villa inside the Thousand Beast Domain.

Although their memories were lost, they were still excellent warriors and magicians. They often accompanied William's Herd and Legion in clearing out the Atlantis Dungeon when they finished their chores in the Villa.

The moment that William had attained the Vampiric Necromancer Job Class, the Passive Skill Bloodthirst had been permanently added to his Status Page.

-- You would regularly crave for the blood of others.

-- If the craving for blood passes a certain limit, there is a high possibility of going into a berserked state until you have sated your thirst for blood.

-- Drinking the blood of others will give you +20 to all stats for one hour.

"Will, after a few years, set them free," Ashe said as she held William's hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure that Wendy, Est, Sidonie, and I will be more than enough for you to drink to your fill.

William squeezed Ashe's hand gently as he nodded. "If that is your wish then so be it. I will set them free when I go to the Silvermoon Continent."

"No need to thank me. I also think that this is a good idea."

Currently, William needed to drink blood at least twice a week. The longest he could last without drinking blood was eight days, but if he went past that limit, he would lose himself to his bloodthirst and go on a rampage.

Wiping the Elves' memories was the Lich's way of thanking William for saving the kingdom that he had founded. Although it might seem like a horrific way of thanking someone, the Lich didn't think much about it.

After all, those who dared to attack his Kingdom had only themselves to blame for the consequences of their actions.

Chapter 522: I Will Never Do Anything Shameless

"You're a girl, so you should take better care of yourself," Princess Sidonie said as she scrubbed Chiffon's body with her soapy hand.

They were currently inside the Princess' own dormitory room, and were taking a bath together.

After hearing William's explanation, Ian and Princess Sidonie felt pity for Chiffon and decided to look after her for the time being. They had just finished their dinner, and the Princess took Chiffon to her room because the little girl couldn't possibly spend the night inside William's room.

Chiffon allowed herself to be cleaned thoroughly like an obedient child. It had been a long time since she had taken a proper bath. Usually, she just swam in the river near the academy to clean her body.

Half an hour later, the two girls left the bath wearing bath towels. Princess Sidonie helped Chiffon dry her hair, after drying hers.

The Princess had also given Chiffon a change of clothes, while her maidservants negotiated with the Academy for new and clean Academy Uniforms that Chiffon would wear the next day.

After the little girl had donned her nightdress, she looked at Princess Sidonie with a curious expression.

"What is your relationship with Big Brother?" Chiffon asked.

Even though she had only met Princess Sidonie for the first time today, Chiffon had already sensed the divinity inside the princess' body that represented the Sin of Lust.

"I am Will's fiance," Princess Sidonie replied with a smile. "That means that he will be my husband in the future."

Princess Sidonie wanted to make it clear that William and her were lovers. This was her way of telling Chiffon that she shouldn't have any ideas about approaching her lover.

"Does he know?" Chiffon inquired. "Have you told him about your Sin?"

Princess Sidonie nodded. "Yes."

The Princess hesitated whether she should tell Chiffon that William also knew the Sin that the little girl carried. However, after careful consideration, she decided to hold back this information as she first assessed Chiffon's character.

< It is better to be safe than sorry. Darling is weak against children. >

Morgana commented from inside their shared mindscape.

'Yes. this is also the thing that worries me,' Princess Sidonie replied. 'I just hope that she won't take advantage of Will's kindness.'

< Hmp! Let's see her try. I'll spank her bum to oblivion! >

Princess Sidonie covered her lips and giggled. 'We'll just observe for now. I don't want you to do anything reckless. Do you understand?"

< Fine~ >

Chiffon observed the beautiful girl in front of her. The little girl's eyes then wandered down on Princess Sidonie's chest. After taking a good look at the princess' assets, the adorable loli glanced at her own chest and sighed internally.

After a while, Chiffon once again raised her head and asked Princess Sidonie a direct question.

"Did you use your charm on him?" Chiffon inquired.

Although she could see that Princess Sidonie was very beautiful, she still asked just in case the Princess had used her charm to make William her fiance. Chiffon considered William to be her first friend.

Because of this, she would do everything in her power to free him if he was under the Princess' Charm. Also, William was able to make those delicious lollipops that were able to keep her hunger at bay.

If possible, Chiffon wanted William to give

her an unlimited supply of candy everyday.

"I did use my power on him," Princess Sidonie answered. "However, Will is resistant to my charms."

The corner of Chiffon's lips raised by a millimeter after hearing that William wasn't affected by the power of Princess Sidonie's Charm. This made her impression of the boy, whom she referred to as Big Brother, have a bigger presence inside her mind.

"Listen, I don't mind if you become his friend, but don't abuse his kindness," Princess Sidonie stated. "Don't get any ideas. Do you understand?"

Chiffon's expression remained calm as she kept her silence. Whatever she was thinking at that moment, the beautiful princess, and her other half, had no idea whatsoever.

"Where did you come from?" Princess Sidonie asked. "You're not from the Kraetor Empire, right?"

Chiffon shook her head. "I was born in the Demon Continent. However, my father cast me aside and asked his subordinate to bring me here."

Princess Sidonie frowned. She didn't know that the Emperor of the Kraetor Empire and the reigning Demon King had a complicated relationship.

'Maybe I should do a little investigation about this matter,' Princess Sidonie thought as she stared at the little girl, who was currently licking one of William's lollipops.

She didn't know why, but her intuition was telling her that Chiffon would bring a lot of problems if she were to continue interacting with William.

—–

"My granddaughter has taken Chiffon to her room?" Emperor Leonidas looked at one of his trusted subordinates that was currently serving as Princess Sidonie's maidservant. Her duty was to give regular reports to the Emperor if something unusual happened to, or around, the Princess.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the pretty lady bowed her head. "They have just finished taking a bath, and seemed to be having a chat with each other. It is quite unfortunate that I can't spy on their conversation because the Princess will get mad if she senses my presence."

Emperor Leonidas rubbed his chin as he listened to the rest of his subordinate's report.

"Continue to monitor them, but don't get too close. It doesn't matter if you don't hear their conversation."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

—–

"Are you feeling better?" Ashe asked.

"Much better," William said as he held her in an embrace.

The two had gone to the Beach Villa on the Tenth Floor of the Dungeon of Atlantis, right after they finished having dinner with Princess Sidonie and Chiffon.

For some reason, William refrained from eating food right after he drank someone's blood. The reason for this was due to the fact that everything he ate tasted like burnt food that resembled charcoal.

This abnormality in William's taste would usually fade away a day after he had quenched his blood thirst.

Contrary to what William expected, Chiffon ate with restraint just like a proper noble lady. The sheer contrast between the starved girl, who was about to eat a banana peel in the Garbage Dump, and the prim and proper lady, who was using a knife and fork to eat her steak, made William breath a sigh of relief in his heart.

"That girl, Chiffon… what do you intend to do with her?" Ashe asked while softly caressing the jewel that was embedded in William's chest.

"I'll ask Sidonie to take care of her for the time being," William replied. "If it's her, I'm sure that everything will be fine."

"Will it truly be fine?"

"Of course. Sidonie is the Emperor's Granddaughter. I doubt that anyone would make trouble for her."

Ashe closed her eyes as she continued to caress the jewel in William's chest. She had seen the stares of the students when they saw Chiffon walking alongside Princess Sidonie, on their way to the dining hall.

Surprise, envy, and disgust, painted their faces. Ashe was well aware that those three emotions could lead to problems for the Princess, who was currently visiting her Grandfather's empire. Although there might be no problems in the short term, no one could predict what would happen in the long term.

William had been with Ashe for a long time, so he could understand her thought process.

"Understood." William planted a kiss on his lover's forehead. "During the day, I'll take care of Chiffon. Since both of us are outcasts, it will be best if the two of us stick together. Keep your ears perked up for any rumors that will spread in regards to Sidonie. I'll handle the rest. By the way, have you heard of any good dungeons nearby?"

Ashe's body stiffened when her lover mentioned the word dungeon. She didn't need to be a genius to understand what the shameless Shepherd was thinking right now.

"Are we going with Plan B?" Ashe asked as she raised her head to look into William's eyes.

William lightly poked her nose as a mischievous smile appeared on his face. "What Plan B? Your lover is an upright and outstanding individual. I will never do anything shameless."

Ashe rolled her eyes because she was very tempted to smack the smug expression on William's face. Aside from the Half-Elf's grandfather, James, she had not seen anyone more shameless than him.

Back in the Southern Continent, William had stolen resources in the Anaesha Dynasty, right under the Kraetor Army's nose.

She was sure that if William felt like it, he would also do the same thing to the Kraetor Empire if they made him angry.

Chapter 523: I Will Teach You How To Smile

William woke up early because he planned to look for his Master to seek his advice.

As an Alchemist, Albert was capable of creating Food Pills that allowed people to stave off hunger for three days at a time.

He was planning to get the pill recipe from the Full Kettle Alchemist and try to use it as an ingredient to strengthen the effects of his chocolate lollipop, which he would give to Chiffon.

Although the effects of his lollipop could last for three days when consumed, that only worked for normal people.

Chiffon was not part of that category, and William wanted to help her. The sight of her picking up trash to eat was something he couldn't erase from his mind.

Five minutes later, William barged inside his Fifth Master's residence and saw the renowned Alchemist snoring on his couch.

Clearly, he had once again drunk at the Tavern, and probably snagged a beauty while he was at it. William didn't know why his new Master was living a playboy lifestyle. However, since this was Albert's private life, he decided to mind his own business.

After waking up the disgruntled Alchemist, William had gotten the recipe that he needed.

"Just what are you planning to do with those Food Pills?" Albert yawned. "Are you planning to go on a journey?"

"Yes," William replied. "I plan to visit the dungeon in Silverwind City tomorrow."

"Is that so? Well, just make sure you don't accidentally kick the bucket."

"Don't worry, Master. I'm too young and too handsome to die so early."

"That's the spirit!" Albert patted William's shoulder. "My offer still stands. We can celebrate your birthday in the Red Light District. The tab is on me!"

Albert laid on the couch and smirked in WIlliam's direction. "Tell me, are you planning to feed those Food Pills to Chiffon?"

William glanced at his No-Good-Master and wondered how the latter knew that he had met with Chiffon.

"Stupid boy, I have eyes and ears everywhere." Albert raised his head in arrogance. "So, am I right, or am I right?"

Albert rubbed his chin as he eyed William with a smile. "One Food Pill can satisfy her hunger for an hour. As you can see, the prices of the ingredients of the Food Pill is not cost-effective when it comes to her.

"If you plan to become her food supplier, you better rob a merchant or a bandit hideout. That is the only way that you can keep that little lass from going to the Garbage Dump everyday."

"Did you also try to help her, Master?"

"Well, someone asked me for a favor. Unfortunately, I was only able to help her for three weeks before I gave up."

Albert scratched his head. "I'm an Alchemist. Making pills without getting any profit is a loss for me."

William nodded. "Thank you, Master."

"Do you prefer those types of girls? The cute and adorable ones?"

William rolled his eyes at the smiling bastard before leaving the room. Knowing Albert's personality, he was sure that his Fifth Master would tease the hell out of him, so he decided to make a strategic retreat and save himself from embarrassing himself.

As William was walking towards his classroom, he saw Chiffon walking in the direction of the Boy's Dormitories.

The red-headed teenager smirked and sneaked up behind the adorable little girl with the plan to surprise her. Unfortunately, when he was only ten meters away from her, Chiffon turned around and looked at the tree behind her.

"Big Brother? Why are you hiding behind that tree?" Chiffon asked.

William was surprised because he was sure that he had properly snuck up behind her using the skills that he had honed over the years.

"Big Brother?" Chiffon called out once again, forcing William to show himself.

A single glance was enough to tell William that Chiffon had just finished taking a bath. Her hair still looked a bit wet, but her current expression was way better compared to the one she had yesterday.

William had to admit that Chiffon's cuteness was as destructive as his cousin's, Eve. He also noticed that she was wearing a brand new uniform, which enhanced her appeal.

Anyone who saw her would have the urge to spoil her, and put a smile on her face.

When this thought came to William's mind, he realized something important.

'That's right,' William thought as he looked at the approaching girl, who was looking at him with a curious gaze. 'I didn't see her smile yesterday.'

When the girl was only a meter away from William, Chiffon extended her hand as if she was asking William to give her something.

The Half-Elf stared at the slender and delicate hand for a while, before raising his hand to place it over her palm.

Chiffon looked at William in a dumbfounded manner because the latter had misunderstood her extension.

"Big Brother, I want some lollipops," Chiffon said. "Can you please, give me some?"

William scratched his cheek in embarrassment before he summoned a lollipop in his hand. He once again gave Chiffon ten red, blue, and chocolate colored lollipops just like he did last time.

If Eve were to meet Chiffon, both of them would definitely become good friends. Why? It is because both girls were quite good at extorting people for food.

"The next time you ask me for lollipops, you will have to pay me," William said in a teasing voice.

Chiffon's expression became serious because she was dirt poor. At most, she only received 100 Silver Coins as allowance every week.

This was nothing compared to the 500 gold coin allowance that the nobles gave to their children who were currently enrolled at Silverwind Academy.

"H-How much will the lollipop cost?" Chiffon asked teary eyed.

William felt conflicted when he saw the sad expression on Chiffon's face. He only said it as a joke, but the little girl had taken it seriously.

"A smile," William replied. "You will give me a smile every time I give you a bunch of lollipops. Do we have a deal?"

Chiffon hesitated but she still nodded her head in the end. She carefully stored William's lollipop in her storage ring and placed her two fingers at the corner of her lips.

She then moved them upwards and showed William the most horrendous smile that he had seen in both of his lifetimes.

William flicked Chiffon's head which made the latter cry out in pain. She then looked at William with a face filled with injustice, as she held her aching forehead.

Right now, the little girl was upset because she felt that she had been terribly wronged by the Half-Elf in front of her.

"I said give me a smile, not a grimace," William said. "Are you joking with me?"

"... No." Chiffon pouted. "I just don't understand."

William looked at Chiffon and was itching to flick her forehead again. However, when he saw how serious her expression was, he realized that the little girl wasn't joking.

"You mean to tell me that you don't know how to smile?" William asked with a frown. "Have you never smiled? Not even once?"

"I-I don't know," Chiffon shook her head. "Big Brother, can you please, teach me, how to smile? That way, I can pay you for the lollipops that you give me."

The little girl's pleading eyes were too much for William to bear. In the end, he sighed and patted Chiffon's head.

"Okay. I will teach you how to smile," William said softly.

"Thank you, Big Brother," Chiffon lowered her head so that William could pat it more.. This was the first time that someone had done this to her, and for some reason, she didn't dislike it.

Chapter 524: I Will Be This Girl's Caretaker

"Oho~" Ewan Krueger, the Homeroom teacher of Class F, looked at the little girl that was seated beside William with great interest. "Ms. Gremory, aren't you supposed to be in Class C?"

"Y-Yes," Chiffon replied as she lowered her head.

Ewan adjusted his glasses when he saw the uneasiness of the little girl, who had her head bowed. A smile appeared on his face as he thought of an idea.

"Ms. Gremory, would you like to stay in our class for the time being?" Ewan inquired. "I'll talk to your Homeroom Teacher and ask for a Class Transfer."

Chiffon raised her head in surprise. The Professor in Class C was a woman in her early thirties, and she had shown open dislike to Chiffon after being in her class for three months. In the end, the Professor even hinted to Chiffon that there was no need for her to continue coming to class.

She even added that Chiffon should just do self study in her room because she was dirtying the air in her classroom.

After that day, Chiffon stopped coming to classes and just wandered the Academy during class hours.

Ewan had heard about her circumstance and he pitied the little girl, but he was just a professor in the Academy. There were some things that he could, and couldn't do. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he planned to execute the plan he had thought of long ago, and that was to bring Chiffon to his classroom to study.

"C-Can I really stay here?" Chiffon asked back.

The boys and girls inside the classroom grimaced because they already knew who Chiffon was. She was the girl that had been labeled as the Trash Eater and, to be perfectly honest, some of them were disgusted with her.

"Of course you can stay here." Ewan chuckled as he ignored the faces of the students who seemed to have eaten a rotten egg.

Clearly, they were not enthusiastic about the idea of having the Little Girl who eats trash from the Garbage Dump as their classmate.

One of the boys stood up and was about to protest, but Ewan raised his hand to cut him off before he could say anything.

"Those who don't like the idea of Ms. Gremory staying here can leave the classroom," Ewan declared. "I'll be more than happy to write recommendation letters for those who want to transfer to other classes. Of course, whether the homeroom teachers of those classes will accept you will depend on your ability."

The boy's words got stuck in his throat. He gave Chiffon a side-long glance before going back to his seat.

They were students of Class F.

The rejects of the Third Years, and no other classes would want to accept them into their ranks. Even if they succeeded, there was a high chance that they would get ganged up on and bullied by their classmates after a day or two of their transfer.

They would rather endure Chiffon's presence than suffer humiliation from the noble households of the Kraetor Empire.

William stood up from his seat. He already knew how the students of the Academy saw Chiffon, so he had already expected this outcome. The Half-Elf didn't expect that Professor Ewan would extend the pitiful girl an olive branch and accept her into his class.

Since an opportunity had presented itself, William would be foolish if he were to let this go. But for now, he needed to pacify his classmates in order to prevent any problems from happening in the future.

"I know what all

of you are thinking," William said as he scanned the faces of his classmates. "This girl beside me is the one that this Academy has labeled Trash Eater."

Chiffon's body shuddered because she felt the stares of everyone in the room gathered onto her.

"I intend to erase this label from her," WIlliam declared as he placed his hand over the head of the little girl who was on the verge of crying. "From now on, I will be this girl's caretaker. I will give you my word that she will never go to the Garbage Dump again. I will also ensure that she looks presentable at all times."

William paused as he pulled the little girl close to him, to give her some encouragement.

"I know that it will not be easy for any of you to accept her, because of the things she had done in the past," William said softly. "All I ask is that you give her a chance. We are Class F. We are the discarded students of this academy. Right now, Chiffon is one of those discarded students. Having said that, isn't this classroom a place where she should belong?"

William's words resonated within the hearts of his classmates because what he said was true. However, some of them were still reluctant to accept the little girl into their fold.

The Half-Elf knew that he needed to give them one more push in order to get their consent, and allow Chiffon to study together with them.

"Every quarter of the year there is a Class Performance Assessment," William stated. "How about this? I will make sure that our class will get the highest Merit Points this month."

William smirked. "Don't you want to taste that feeling of looking down on those other classes who treat us as trash? Once we become the Academy's Top Class for the Third Year, all of them will not be able to say anything. That also goes for Class A."

The boy who stood earlier pointed his hand at William and sneered.

"Hah? Become this month's top ranker? I thought you were going to say something good, but you're just spouting nonsense," the boy said in disdain. "If you can really make us the Top Rankers then I will call you Boss.

"However, if you fail to keep your words, how about you become my servant for a month? Don't worry, I will treat you fairly."

William nodded. "Okay. If our class fails to snatch the top spot this month, I'll be your servant for a month. Professor Ewan, and the rest of you will be the witness of this bet."

"Don't regret your words, Ainsworth."

"I'm doing this because I don't want to regret anything. Just wait and see."

William sat down and held Chiffon's hand under the desk. "Don't worry. Leave everything to me."

Chiffon looked at the hand holding her own and nodded her head. William's hands were big, encompassing her own. It was also rough due to calluses, but it was warm.

The little girl felt that she didn't mind if William were to hold her hand like this more often. In fact, she preferred it if he would always hold her hand. That way, she would feel that she was not alone in the world.

"Oh my~ what a bold declaration." Professor Ewan clapped his hand. "Getting the top spot in the Quarterly Class Assessment is no easy feat. I will definitely get a raise if that were to happen. Mr. Ainsworth, please, do your best. My salary increase depends on you."

William gave the professor a soldier's salute, and the latter did the same. The girls giggled because the comedic exchange dispersed the tension in the air. The boys also breathed a sigh of relief because the confrontation ended.

"Chiffon, I already promised everyone that I will be your caretaker," William said. "Please, promise everyone that for the duration of this school year, you will no longer go to the Garbage Dump. Don't worry, I will ensure that you don't go hungry while I am around."

Chiffon raised her head to look straight at William's eyes. She was looking for any signs of deceit in William's words, but found none. The little girl nodded her head and stood up from her seat.

"I, Chiffon Val Gremory, hereby swear that I will no longer go to the Garbage Dump for the rest of the school year," Chiffon swore in front of everyone in the room. "I will do my best, so please, allow me to stay here."

Chiffon bowed her head before going back to her seat.

The students of Class F exchanged glances before nodding at each other. They had decided to give William and Chiffon a chance. Although they didn't expect their class to hold the top spot for the month, they still wanted to see if the Half-Elf would be able to keep his promise.

The Academy had a special test every quarter of the month. The students would get merit points depending on how well they performed during the week the test would be held.

They could choose to do a written exam, a commission from the Academy, or a quest from the adventurer's guild. They could even do all three at once. It doesn't matter what they chose, as long as the points they gathered were sufficient.

All the points of the class would then be pooled together and the outcome would become the overall Class Merit Points. The highest one within their respective year would be deemed as the Classroom of the Elites, and would be given special privileges.

William had already thought of a way to earn as many Merit Points as possible during that one week assessment. Even if his classmates underperformed, he was sure that he would be able to carry their class to the top.

"Can you really do it, Big Brother?" Chiffon asked.

William lightly squeezed the small hand that he was holding as he returned Chiffon's gaze. "It's not a matter of whether I can do it or not."

"It's I Will."

Chapter 525: The Mirage Caverns

"Fall back! Don't let them overrun us!"

"Leader, we are surrounded!"

"Dammit!"

A group of six stood back to back as they faced over thirty Toxic Frogs that were led by a Crowned Shadow Toad. They didn't expect that they would be facing these many enemies at once, and it made them very anxious.

All of them were Gold Ranked adventurers, who had come to Silverwind City to challenge the Dungeon known as The Mirage Caverns. This was a dungeon which had fifty floors and was considered a Class A Dungeon.

Because of this Dungeon, Emperor Leonidas had decided to build a Dungeon City around it. Thus, Silverwind City was born. A few years later when the city prospered, he decided to build an academy on/in the mountain overlooking the city, with the intention of nurturing the elite children of his Empire.

It was the perfect training ground to train the students of the Academy in life and death battles, while they were still young. This was also why most of the children in the Empire aspire to enroll inside the prestigious academy, even though the requirements were very high.

Naturally, certain restrictions were placed in order to prevent senseless casualties from piling up. No students below the Platinum Rank were allowed to go past the 30th Floor, but there were still idiots that thought that they were strong enough to challenge the dungeon monsters beyond these floors.

After breezing through the lower floors, the adventurers thought that they could aim higher, so they decided to go to the 30th Floor, which was the dwelling place of Frog and Toad type monsters.

(A/N: I know what you are thinking. Just ask Google senpai for more details.)

The Toxic Frogs were a meter tall, and were classified as Class B Monsters. The Crowned Shadow Toad was a Class A Monster that specialized in short range combat using its flexible and powerful tongue.

At most, Gold Ranked adventurers could only fight against Class C Monsters. To give a brief example on how strong Class C Monsters were, they were as strong as the Angorian War Ibex.

As for the Crowned Shadow Toad, it was as strong as Psoglav when William met him for the first time.

After meeting four Toxic Frogs, the adventurers immediately engaged them in battle. Although the frogs were stronger than them, the Adventurers had an advantage and that was their teamwork that had been honed over the years.

Unfortunately, after killing two of their prey, the two remaining frogs uttered a loud cry, which was meant to call for reinforcements.

The adventurers were not aware of the Toxic Frogs' habits, so they thought that it was just a war cry that would boost its strength.

A minute later, several Toxic Frogs appeared behind them.

Seeing that they were at a disadvantage, they decided to retreat. Unfortunately, the escape route they took led to the dwelling of the Crowned Shadow Toad. The Class A Monster had a dozen Toxic Frogs as its underlings, so the group was sandwiched in a pincer attack.

"Sorry, I was too greedy," the leader of the group apologized. "I will unleash my strongest attack. Use that opportunity to escape. I will hold them back for as long as I can."

"Leader! We won't leave you behind!"

"He's right. We will get out of this place together."

"Don't be so pessimistic, it's just a few frogs and a two-meter chubby toad. I still haven't gone to the brothels of this city. I can't possibly die without sleeping with their top prostitute!"

"You guys." The leader was touched because his party didn't want to leave him behind. However, he knew that if they stayed, all of them would be buried in this floor and he would not be able to forgive himself even in the afterlife if that were to happen.

The Crowned Shadow Toad extended its venomous tongue to kill the invaders that had dared to enter their domain. Many people had died in this manner because they had underestimated the strength of the monsters inside the Mirage Caverns.

"Brace yourselves!" The leader of the

adventurers raised his sword to parry the Toad's tongue that was hard as steel.

The Toxic Frogs took that opportunity to close the gap, and emit a poisonous smog that would paralyze its victims.

The adventurers tried to hold their breaths, but it was impossible in the current situation they were in because they were being attacked at all sides.

"Gwah!"

The leader of the adventurers slammed against the wall after getting lashed by the Toad's poisonous tongue. If not for the fact that he was wearing heavy armor, he might have already died due to the Toad's merciless attack.

"L-Leader!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Brothel… I still haven't gone to the Brothel…"

"Someone! Anyone! Please! Save us!"

The adventurers were now unable to move their bodies due to the paralyzing poison that they had inhaled. The frogs had now surrounded them, and were about to deal the killing blow when a shower of arrows pierced the frogs' bodies.

The Crowned Shadow Toad emitted a loud croak and the remaining frogs sprayed their poisonous smog in the direction where the arrows came from. However, a powerful gust of wind pushed the smog away, clearing it completely.

"Will, let me handle this," a voice that seemed to belong to a young man reached the adventurer's ears.

"Very well, just make it quick," William replied. "Um? Chiffon, where do you think you're going?"

"I want to see if those frogs taste good," Chiffon answered as she pointed at the frogs that had died due to William's arrows.

"Don't eat them," William said. "Those frogs are poisonous."

"But, I am immune to poison…"

"Would you rather eat a frog? Or would you rather eat my lollipop?"

"Big Brother, I love your lollipop. It's so long, hard, and sweet…"

The corner of William's lips twitched because Chiffon's words could be easily misunderstood by anyone that heard her.

The arrows that had pierced the Frogs' bodies flew into the air and returned to the quiver behind William's back, while he was chatting with Chiffon.

Ian on the other hand, summoned her water whip, and activated the power of the Geomancer Job Class. Right now, she was fighting in swampy terrain. The Geomancer Job Class allowed her to use spells that were empowered by its current environment.

"Mud Binding!"

The mud on the swamp surged up to wrap itself on the Frogs, trapping them in place.

When the Crowned Shadow Toad saw that its underlings were in danger, it unleashed its powerful tongue to slap the annoying newcomer that had gotten in the way of finishing off the adventurers that entered their domain first.

"Water Cannon!" Ian unleashed a torrent of water at the tongue that was headed in her direction. The powerful force of the attack repelled the Toad's tongue and continued its trajectory until it hit the opened mouth of the Crowned Shadow Toad.

A second later, the Toad's head exploded, ending its life.

Ian watched its two-meter-tall body crash on the ground before shifting his attention to the Toxic Frogs that were still struggling with/against the mud that bound their bodies.

"Water Whip Sword Mode."

The floating whip above Ian's head turned into a razor sharp, transparent blue sword that glowed in a bluish hue.

"First Form, Blade of Hysteria." Ian charged at the helpless frogs and decapitated them one by one.

When the last of the Toxic Frogs had died, their bodies glowed and transformed into particles of light, leaving several Beast Cores behind.

William waved his hand and the beast cores flew in his direction. He stored them all inside his storage ring before checking the condition of the hunters that had seemed to have lost their consciousness.

"They're safe, but the poison in their bodies is a bit troublesome,' William said as he changed his Job Class to Life Wizard. "We can't leave them in this condition."

William lined the unconscious adventurers side by side before casting a spell to cure them of their paralysis.

"Mass Cure"

—–

The leader of the adventurers opened his eyes and abruptly sat upright.

He grabbed his sword that was lying by his side as he scanned his surroundings. His body felt unusually light, and the injuries that he had received during the battle had been healed.

If not for the fact that the damage on his armors were still there, he would have treated everything that happened to them as an illusion.

"Wake up!" the leader shook his members one by one. "Let's get out of here!"

"L-Leader?"

"I-I'm alive?"

"Am I in heaven? Where are the ladies in the Brothel?"

The leader slapped the last guy on his cheeks to wake him up from his nonsense. He couldn't believe that the bastard was still thinking of brothels right after they survived a near death encounter.

After making sure that his members were really fine, he placed his fist over his chest and shouted.

"I don't know who saved us, but know that the Crimson Storm will always be in your debt," the leader yelled. "My name is Sam Brock. Our Party is staying at the Dragon Claw Inn. Feel free to find us if you ever need our help. Thank you!"

The Crimson Storm gathered their belongings and hurried towards the 29th Floor. They would never step on the 30th Floor again unless they had raised their ranks and regained their confidence.

"At least they know how to be grateful," William said softly with a smile on his face.

The Quarterly Assessment Test was currently happening in the academy and William only had a week in order to collect as many points as he could before the final day of the exam.

When he told Ian his plan, the latter immediately insisted that she go with him to clear the Mirage Caverns.

Currently, Ian has been registered as a member of Class A, but due to Princess Sidonie's influence, the Homeroom Teacher of Class A agreed to temporarily place her in Class F for the duration of the exam.

The students of Class A weren't too bothered by this last minute transfer. They were confident in their skills and they would definitely not need William's Retainer to help raise their merits during the exam.

"Let's go," William walked forward. "We still have twenty more floors to clear before we get to the Final Boss Room."

Ian and Chiffon nodded their heads and followed William's lead. This was the first dungeon that William had explored since he and Ian had arrived at the Kraetor Empire. He was looking forward to the types of the monsters that were found on the higher floors.

Monsters that would soon become part of his strength, once the restriction on his Dungeon Conqueror Job Class had been lifted.

Chapter 526: Farming Merit Points

The Mirage Cavern was the home of Amphibian Type Monsters.

Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, and Caecilians were the local monsters of this dungeon. The Mirage Cavern had fifty floors with different types of environments.

So far, the students of the academy had only managed to reach the 40th Floor of this Dungeon, but it took them a month to get that far. William only had a week to clear the Dungeon, but he was not too worried that he wouldn't make it in time.

(A/N: Three days inside the dungeon is equivalent to a day in the outside world)

Just like William, some of the students also decided to choose the Mirage Cavern to earn merit points for their test. They planned to go as far as they could within the time limit, but everyone had agreed that they wouldn't go past the 33rd Floor where the Blaze Salamanders were located.

These Salamanders were very ferocious creatures and their Ranks ranged from Class B to Class A. It was almost impossible to find a lone individual, because these salamanders liked to move in groups of four to six.

William had only spent six days (two days in the outside world) to reach the Thirtieth Floor of the Dungeon. For someone like him that had fought in a war, fighting against Class D and Class B Monsters was a walk in the park.

Soon, William and the two girls arrived at the 31st Floor.

William had already bought the maps up to the 49th Floor and integrated it with the system. Right now, they were doing a speedrun to reach the lower floors as fast as possible.

Another day passed and William and his party finally reached the 35th Floor.

They didn't fight much and avoided battles as much as they could, which greatly sped up their dungeon expedition.

The moment William stepped foot on the 35th Floor. The system gave him some good news.

< Host, I have done a full sweep of this floor and didn't find any humans, or humanoid type creatures. It is safe to farm points here on this floor. >

It was then when a devilish smile appeared on William's face. He had been holding back as of late, and this was the perfect time to seriously farm some Merit Points.

"Let's go to the safe zone of this floor first," William said as he led the two girls towards the East. "We've been traveling for a while. Let's rest before we go to the next floor."

Ian and Chiffon nodded their heads. They were quite relieved that William had decided to rest for the time being. Although their bodies were strong, they still felt exhausted as they rushed towards the lower floors of the dungeon.

Half an hour later, the group created a small camp in one of the safezones on the 35th Floor. This

was a place where a barrier was erected to prevent monsters from entering.

This safezone was made by the Archamages of the Kraetor Empire. Some of their Knights and Mages in training would often go to the Mirage Cavern to thin out the number of monsters.

They didn't want to suffer from a Dungeon Outbreak that usually happened when the amount of monsters within the dungeon floors exceeded its capacity. The excess of monsters would overflow on the other floors, creating an imbalance that would lead to a Dungeon Outbreak.

In order to prevent that from happening, the Knights and Mages of the Kingdom would go on a punitive expedition every four months to forcefully thin out the monsters on the lower floors of the dungeon.

"I'll be back in three hours," William said. "Ian, just call for me if something unexpected happens, okay?

"Understood." Ian nodded.

William had already told her what he was planning to do. Ian's role would be to look after Chiffon and prevent her from wandering around. This way, William could go all out without worrying about anyone finding out about his secret.

After gaining some distance from his companions, William raised his hand and several portals appeared around him.

Erchitu, Psoglav, Bastian, Fenrir, Scadrez, and the other local beasts of the Thousand Beast Domain flowed endlessly inside the dungeon.

"I'll give all of you three hours to exterminate all the monsters on this floor. Go and collect as many Beast Cores and materials as you can," William ordered. "I've already checked and found no humans on this floor.

"However, in the small chance that you come across someone, knock them unconscious and call for me. I will handle the rest. Do I make myself clear?"

""Yes!""

William nodded. "Disperse!"

William's army, that numbered over ten thousand, scattered in different directions. Erchitu had led his fellow Minotaur Revenants towards the North, Bastian, who had also been turned as a Revenant like Erchitu, led the other Centaur Revenants to the West, Psoglav, the Trollhounds, and the local Beasts of the Thousand Beast Domain went to the South.

The Goblins, led by Xerxes the Hobgoblin Arcane Doctor, and Sharx, The Goblin Marauder, headed towards the East.

William looked at the dungeon map where thousands of green dots encompassed the entire dungeon.

The bracelet on William's wrist that automatically counted merit points started to come to life.

Merit points gained inside the dungeon were calculated based on the quantity and quality of monsters that the owner of the bracelet had killed. Monsters killed by Beast Companions also add to the merit points of their masters.

Some Beastmasters could summon several beasts at once. The Kraetor Empire also had these types of students, so they made sure to modify the bracelets to include the beasts that a Beastmaster could summon.

Earlier, William had summoned Psoglav to kill a beast in the 32nd Floor. The points on his bracelet increased when the Demonic Dog had killed a Rock Caecilian that was sneaking up behind them.

This was why William was sure that all the members of Herd and Legion were automatically classified as Beasts under his command. If the Headmaster and the Artifact Masters of Silverwind Academy, who had created the bracelets were to know about this loophole, they would probably pull out their hair in frustration.

Most Beastmasters could summon up to a dozen beasts. However, they had never heard of anyone being able to summon over ten thousand monsters, aside from the Dungeon Conqueror who had sacrificed himself to become one with the World Tree.

Although everyone assumed that the Dungeon Conqueror was dead, they still didn't know if his profession had been passed on to someone else.

Naturally, the Kraetor Army, and the Elves had their suspicions after William had brought a Beast Army to fight in the war. However, they still thought that the Beasts only participated in the war due to King Minos' influence.

It was not impossible to gather thousands of Beasts if they had been threatened by someone more powerful than them. This was why although they were suspicious of the Half-Elf, they still doubted the possibility that he had inherited his father's profession.

Three hours later, William returned to the safe zone with a smug expression on his face. The merit points on his bracelet had surpassed a hundred thousand. Although the number was high, he knew that this was far from enough to beat the accumulated points from other classes.

Even so, William wasn't worried. They were only on the 35th Floor. There were still fifteen more floors they could farm points on. The Half-Elf was looking forward to seeing the looks on Professor Ewan's and his classmates' faces, once they saw the amount of merit points he had acquired on his dungeon expedition.

Chapter 527: This Is What Happens When I Become Serious

There was one day left before the Assessment Test ended, and everyone was scrambling for points. Aside from the Class Rankings, there were also the individual rankings.

Anyone who stood at the top of the rankings would also gain several benefits and even have a chance to get a medal from the Emperor of the Kraetor Empire.

This was something that every student strived for. As long as they were able to get the Emperor's recognition, it was not impossible to acquire a good position in the Empire after they graduated from the Silverwind Academy.

"Prince Jason, I'm sure that you will once again snatch the top spot for the Fifth Years," a brown-haired young man said in a flattering voice.

"That is only natural," another young man commented. "Afterall, Prince Jason is one of the Top Three Prodigies of our Empire. He already got this in the bag."

Prince Jason and his party was currently at the 26th Floor of the Mirage Caverns. Among the students of the academy, they were one of the few that had made it this far in a short period of time.

It took them five days to reach their current floor.

However, before they challenged the Dungeon, Prince Jason first took the written exams for the different subjects of the academy. This took a day of his time, so he didn't know that William had gone to the Dungeon ahead of him.

Prince Jason was quite satisfied with his progress, because he believed that no one could explore the dungeon as fast as his team. He had personally handpicked his members and only took the best students in his class based on their individual specialties.

300,558 Merit Points

That was the amount of accumulated Merit Points that Prince Jason had collected over the past few days. The record of the academy for the individual rankings was over Five Hundred Thousand Points.

This was the record that the First Prince of the Kraetor Empire had set when he was still studying in Silverwind Academy. Since then, no one had been able to beat his record.

Prince Jason wanted to make a name for himself in history, so he was doing his best to collect as many points as he could before the time limit.

"If we continue this pace, we will be able to clear the 30th floor by tomorrow," Prince Jason said. "After fighting the boss monster, all of us will return to the academy and submit our bracelets."

"Your Highness, should we also have a victory celebration when we return? It will take the academy two days to process the merit points of the entire academy."

"That sounds like a good idea! Your Highness, I think it is fine if we celebrate, right?"

Prince Jason nodded his head. "Very well. Let's head to the tavern tomorrow and have fun. This is my reward for all of your hard work."

The Prince's party members cheered as they did their best to flatter Prince Jason. Forming a connection with him was a very rare opportunity, so they were doing their best to leave a good impression.

Prince Jason carried himself with grace, while thinking of the Half-Elf who was nowhere to be seen. He still couldn't accept that the Half-Elf had managed to make Princess Sidonie his fiance, by using the slave collar that he always carried around.

If not for the fact that he couldn't forcefully take it off his cousin's neck, the Prince would have already done so back in

the Southern Continent.

'Just you wait, I'll show you what I can do when I'm serious,' Prince Jason thought as he set his sights on the entrance of the 27th Floor.

——

'Hahaha! This is what happens when I become serious!' William laughed internally as he looked at the bracelet on his wrist.

The bracelet showed that his merit points had exceeded Four Million Points

They had arrived at the 49th Floor some time ago and were merely taking a short rest before going to the 50th floor to challenge the Final Boss of the Dungeon.

Chiffon looked at William's bracelet with a dumbfounded expression. She couldn't believe that William had accumulated so many points in a short period of time. Every time they reached a different floor, William would take them to the Safe Zone before leaving for a few hours.

At first, Chiffon didn't mind because they were making good progress. However, whenever they began to move to head to the entrance that led to the next floor, the passages would be free from monsters.

Once was luck, the second was coincidence, and the third time was a pattern.

Yes, it was a pattern.

They would go to the next floor then they would immediately head to the Safe Zone, while killing the monsters along their way. Chiffon had somehow fallen into this pattern, and thought that it was a normal thing when conquering dungeons.

However, when he saw the merit points on William's bracelet, that was when she started to get suspicious.

"Did you tinker with the bracelet?" Chiffon asked. "Big Brother, this is not good. If the Academy finds out that you are cheating, you will be severely punished!"

"Don't worry your pretty little head over this," William patted Chiffon's head. "I'm not breaking any rules. This bracelet is working fine."

"B-But, how?" Chiffon inquired. "How have you done it?"

"Chiffon, remember this," William replied with a serious expression. "Your Big Brother is an awesome individual. As long as you stick to me, all you need to do is smile and wave."

"S-Smile and wave?"

"Yes. Smile and wave. Um, I forgot that your smile is horrendous. Okay, forget the smiling part. Just wave."

Chiffon pouted and turned her head to ignore WIlliam. She had tried her best to practice how to smile, while resting in the safezone, and William saw it by accident. The Half-Elf chuckled at the little girl's attempt, which earned him a nagging from Ian.

William had already told Ian that Chiffon couldn't smile. At first, Ian was skeptical because how could someone not know how to smile. However, the more she interacted with Chiffon, the more she realized that William was telling the truth.

This was why she took it upon herself to teach Chiffon how to smile whenever William left them to hunt the monsters on the floor they were on.

"Will, stop teasing her." Ian glared at her lover, while patting Chiffon's head.

William raised both of his hands in surrender as he checked the time on his status page. There was still a day left, but William wanted to beat the dungeon as soon as possible.

"Let's go," William said. "It's time to clear the last floor and meet the boss of this dungeon."

Although he still couldn't add the Mirage Cavern into the list of his conquered dungeons, he could leave a waypoint on the Dungeon Core Room.

This waypoint would allow William to instantly travel to the Dungeon Core without challenging the floors of the dungeon a second time. To be perfectly honest, William didn't plan to take the Mirage Cavern as one of his new dungeons.

He was in a relationship with Princess Sidonie, so he didn't want to create any disagreements with his future in-laws. However, that didn't mean that William wouldn't create a backup plan, just in case the other party suddenly turned hostile.

In short, William was planning to take the dungeon cores located in important Dungeon Cities as hostages. This would give him ample bargaining chips to use to force the Kraetor Royal Family to compromise with him.

This was the advice that James had given him before he left for the Central Continent. William understood what his grandfather was trying to tell him.

His father, Maxwell, had saved the Elves from the Demonic Invasion. But, instead of repaying this kindness, the Elves decided to launch an invasion on the Southern Continent.

William realized that the only way he could protect the peace in his life was to ensure that he had the power to threaten the peace of others.

This was quite similar to owning a Nuclear Weapon. If the enemy knew that their opponent had the power to erase them from the face of the Earth, they would think thrice before provoking them.

'I'm sure that Sidonie would approve of this method,' William thought as the image of the beautiful Princess appeared in his mind. 'I hope that the treasure chest in the Boss Room is good. If it is, I will give it as a gift to Sidonie and Morgana on their birthday.'

William chuckled internally because Morgana had taken the liberty to remind him that they were expecting a gift from him. The Naughty Girl also added that if William wanted to make her happy, he would allow her to tie him to the bed.

Honestly, William was also helping Princess Sidonie control the Power of Lust that was slowly awakening in her body. The two would often spend some time together inside William's Thousand Beast Domain in order to curb her cravings.

That was the only way to keep the power of Lust at bay. He was afraid that if he allowed its power to grow unimpeded, a disaster would befall upon the land due to the beautiful princess' craving for his Love.

Chapter 46 - 518-527

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